NOW and NEXT Story Studio Network, Dave Trafford, Erin Trafford

This week on NOW and NEXT:

We're excited to introduce an All-Star Roundtable including Lindsay Broadhead, Brad Ross, Anne Marie Aikins, and Bob Reid. They're all veteran Comms pros and they bring their considerable collective experience in war rooms, boardrooms, behind private and public sector podiums.

In our inaugural sitdown:
The Toronto Police Service is in a rolling boil integrity crisis. Supt. Stacey Clarke has helped officers cheat on promotional exams. And the OPP has been called in to investigate the Under Cover unit after Justice Anne Molloy raised a concern that Toronto police officers "colluded" when offering eye witness testimony during the trial of Umar Zameer - accused of murdering Det. Const. Jeffery Northrup. The jury found Zameer not guilty on all counts.Did Story Daniels say "too much"? Does her testimony at Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York actually help the former President?Pierre Polilievre has weaponized "disrepect" and "outrage" in his campaign against the Trudeau government since taking on the job as leader of the federal Conservative Party. But he took it to a whole new level when he launched his "Wacko" campaign in the Commons.And, WTF is going on with Robert F. Kennedy Junior?

This week on NOW and NEXT:

We're joined by Sheila Regehr, Chair of Basic Income Network Canada and Jessie Golem, who is part of a class action lawsuit seeking $200 million in damages from the Ontario government.

The lawsuit claims the government breached terms and conditions of a contract it entered with 4,000 low income Ontarians who qualified for a basic income pilot project. The program was cancelled after the Progressive Conservatives defeated the Liberal government in 2018.

This week on Now and Next:

Abacus Data CEO David Coletto joins us to talk about his latest research. He wanted to know what Canadians are looking for in a prime minister.

David says, "In our survey, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reigns as the premier party host, which might not come as a surprise given his charismatic and sociable public persona. However, in scenarios that required quick thinking and practical skills—like solving an escape room, putting out a kitchen fire, or managing a road trip as the navigator—Pierre Poilievre has the advantage."

The problem for the Liberals is Trudeau presents as "the guy who shows up as the party host in the fancy car in the fancy clothes but he leaves before the staff has been paid and the mess has been cleaned up" leaving the guests to hold the bag.

This week on NOW and NEXT:

We go deep on two line items in the the federal budget.

Legislated poverty is now a nationally funded program. The 2024 Trudeau budget threw pocket change at the Canada Disability Benefit and, in so doing, managed to add to the $80 billion annual cost of poverty in this country. The government's refusal to fully fund the Canada Disability Benefit leaves more than a million Canadians to languish in poverty. It's a polticial play that effectively weaponizes poverty.

We talk to Daily Bread Food Bank CEO Neil Hetherington.

AND...we talk housing...housing....and housing.

Richard Lyall, President of the Residential Council of Ontario says the announcements are promising but will they do anything to lower to cost of building...not the cost to purchase...the cost to build new homes?

[Don't hold your breath]

This week on Now and Next:

The Ford government in Ontario is patting itself on the back for forcing the Liquor Control Board of Ontario to reversing a ban on paper bags. The LCBO made the move in August 2023, claiming it was an environmental initiative aimed at saving our forests. Premier Ford says it's a matter of affordability for Ontarians.

But both the LCBO and premier either misunderstand or are wilfully ignorant pfthe effects of a paper bag ban. Using recyclable paper actually contributes to saving our forests. We explain!

Also, we introduce you to Sue Larkin, the COO at Look Good Feel Better. She hosts a Story Studio Network podcast called Facing Cancer Together.. This interview was orginally recorded before the show launched. But we thought it was a good idea to revisit the discussion now that the 13 part series is available on all your podcast apps. AND to celebrate the success of the show. They've had remarkable reach with the remarkable stories they've shared.

We are seven months from election day in the United States and its outcome could prove to be the most significant since Abraham Lincoln was elected with less than 40% of the popular vote in 1860. Lincoln’s election is cited as the primary cause that triggered the US Civil War. With that in mind we ask the question: Will the United States be a safer place if Donald Trump wins or if he loses? 

In this episode of NOW and NEXT, we’re joined by veteran pollster, John Wright, SVP at Maru Public Opinion and David Schultz, professor of political science and constitutional law at Hamline University in Minnesota.
 
We explore the political landscape focusing on the dissonance between the political narrative and the state of the economy. 
David Schultz: Generally, voters’ perceptions of the economy, along with approval rating for the president, are pretty good predictors - not guarantees but pretty good predictors - of what happens in elections. And even though all the numbers look pretty good in terms of the economy, it’s the inflation factor that's souring a lot of people right now. And this is the problem that Joe Biden faces.John Wright: “You see two things through my lens. Number one is this hyper -partisanship, which drives everything (in the U.S.). But secondly, it's a culture war in the United States. It doesn't surprise me at all that in the last week, Joe Biden has decided with his vice president to go after the Roe v. Wade vote. I mean that's that's the counter measure to the economic piece that's on the other side of the aisle. It just seems that it's not just about the economy, it's about the culture of the United States.”The polarization and extreme partisanship in the United States is driven by cultural issues and amplified by social media bubbles. And the ultimate result will come down to a small number of voters in 5 or 6 counties in 5 or 6 states. 
David Schultz: “I describe it this way. 5 -5 -5, 270 or 6 -6 -6, 270. Either 5 % of the voters in 5 counties and 5 states tell us who gets to 270 electoral votes or 6 % of the voters roughly in 6 counties and 6 states."John Wright: “It would be like trying to figure out the national election based on doing all of your polling in Cornwall Ontario.”