The 905er Podcast
The 905er is a news, politics and discussion podcast for the GTHA region focusing on the region outside central Toronto where 4 million people live, but where news coverage and discussion hardly exists. Presented by Roland Tanner and Joel MacLeod, long-time activists, volunteers and sometimes even wannabe-politicians, we aim to provide a lively weekly podcast featuring interviews with people in the news, round-table discussions, analysis and more. It aims to be intelligent, though-provoking, lively and entertaining. Get bonus content on Patreon
Episodes
July 1, 2025 • 35 mins
In February Ontario saw a provincial election that returned the province essentially to the status quo. Doug Ford remained Premier, Marit Stiles remained Leader of the Opposition, and well Bonnie Crombie still didn’t have a seat in the legislature.
The Ontario Liberals have returned to official party status with some new faces sit in the legislature. Ontario Liberal Executives are proclaiming this as a huge win for the party. ...
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June 24, 2025 • 44 mins
What are we going to do with the unhoused of the 905?
That is becoming the question on the minds of every municipality in the region. Last week, we had St. Catharine's Mayor Mat Siscoe to discuss Niagara's housing plan. In that episode, we mentioned the encampment bylaw that the city enacted.
To say that this is a controversial bylaw is an understatement. A critic of the bylaw is Sean Vanderklis, a friend and previous guest of...
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June 17, 2025 • 32 mins
Last week we listened to Mayor Carolyn Parrish’s plan to build housing in Mississauga. Today, we travel down the QEW to St. Catharine’s to talk with Mayor Mat Siscoe about the recent actions Niagara Region has undertaken to work on the housing file.
Last month, the region passed a plan to fund subsidized housing for low-income individuals. As well St. Catharines passed a by-law enabling the city to remove encampments from public...
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June 10, 2025 • 33 mins
When Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish was elected in a by-election to replace Bonnie Crombie, she came into office during a runaway housing crisis.
Upon taking office, one of the first actions she undertook was to create a Housing Task Force to review Mississauga's by-laws, zoning and policies to find ways to spur new housing development. Talking with city staff, developers, and stakeholders, this was a comprehensive mission to ...
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June 3, 2025 • 29 mins
Doug Ford is hellbent on building a tunnel under the 401. It's his magic solution to solving gridlock traffic in the 905, by moving millions of cars and trucks underneath Toronto. Right now, no price tag has been placed on this massive project. However, all experts have put it into the many billions of dollars. Not to mention the feasibility of building it in the first place.
At the cost to the taxpayer, so high, we've often q...
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May 27, 2025 • 48 mins
As the country moves on from the latest federal election, some ridings are still being counted. Several ridings' final vote counts were so close that a recount was conducted to determine who the elected MP was under our rules.
Normally, this is done fairly and with little drama. However, this time around, conspiracy theories are being thrown into the mix. Bad-faith actors are trying to undermine the process by spreading rumours t...
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May 20, 2025 • 38 mins
Only one month ago, we interviewed Jill Promoli and Alvin Tedjo to discuss the alarming situation of rising measles cases in Peel Region.
Since that interview, case numbers have steadily risen in Ontario. As the time of recording this episode, over 1400 cases have been reported and that number doesn't seem to be slowing down.
Premier Doug Ford, Minister of Health Silvia Jones and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kiernan Moore seem re...
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May 13, 2025 • 47 mins
During the federal election, we had to stop covering some local issues.
That didn’t mean we didn’t keep an eye on what was going on in the 905 City Halls. One particular story caught our eye in Hamilton.
In early April, a long-awaited report was released. The Mayor’s Task Force, consisting of 5 volunteers, reported on the gap of distrust between Hamilton’s City Hall and its citizens. Approximately 80% of respondents found that Ci...
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May 6, 2025 • 14 mins
A short but to the point episode this time around.
With the dust of the federal election finally settling, it’s time to look to the future of Canada and the 905.
Joel gives his brief summary of what comes next for each political party.
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April 22, 2025 • 58 mins
As we head into the final week of the 2025 federal election, the desperate are coming out of the woodwork.
Elections are democracy at its purest. Candidates and parties put forward their best to persuade us to vote for them. A key part of that process is the all-candidates' debate, a tradition going back to the town square. The public is able to pose questions to candidates and hear straight from them what they think are the solut...
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April 15, 2025 • 56 mins
With only a few weeks left before the federal election, we ought to have a good idea of who the candidates are and what each party will be like for the next four years.
The decision is looming, and a choice will need to be made. However, how do we know we're making the right choice? Ironically, just before the election, Joel read a book called Too Dumb For Democracy, by former guest David Moscrop. The book is a fascinating ins...
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April 8, 2025 • 46 mins
With the federal election happening, a front-page news story from here in the 905 is not getting much attention.
The Toronto Star for the past week has published a series of articles on abuse and inhumane conditions at Maplehurst Correctional Facility in Milton. The facility is an Ontario-owned and operated jail, where most inmates are charged with crimes and are awaiting their day in court to have the charges proven in a court o...
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April 1, 2025 • 37 mins
It feels like we were settled on the case for vaccinations after COVID-19.
Their efficacy and safety are reliable. And they are the best way to prevent public health outbreaks of preventable diseases.
We all remember the pandemic, lockdowns, and the toll that all took on us. So why are we seeing a resurgence of measles in Peel region, along with other areas of the province? Outbreaks of measles are being reported by public h...
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March 25, 2025 • 47 mins
Just when we think we're out, they pull us back in. Back into election season that is folks!
Less than a month out of the Ontario provincial election, Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney has called a federal election for April 28th.
Last year, the idea of a federal election struck terror in the hearts of Liberals across the country. However, in only a month, Mark Carney has flipped the script on Conservative leader Pierre Poili...
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March 18, 2025 • 38 mins
It is impossible to not hear a story from your city, town or neighbourhood about a car theft. You can find doorbell cameras of thieves stealing cars right out of a driveway in the middle of the night. Or you can hear stories of cars being stolen in mall parking lots. Auto thefts are an organized, big business in Ontario.
Pressure is on for definitive action to be taken on auto thefts in Canada. Police have been saying stricter...
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March 11, 2025 • 33 mins
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Canada with on-again-off-again tariffs. Canada has in turn replied with reciprocal tariffs on American products.
We are entering into an unprecedented period of antagonism between Canada and the United States. What was once the most prosperous trading relationship in the history of the world is being dismantled arbitrarily by the American government.
What wil...
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March 4, 2025 • 73 mins
We recorded this episode the Friday morning after the 2025 Ontario Election.
It was an election that didn't see the dynamic at Queen's Park change all that much. Doug Ford and the Ontario PC returned with a third majority mandate, Marit Stiles and the NDP returned to the official opposition, and the Ontario Liberals returned as the third-place party.
The biggest shock of the night was the fact that Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie...
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February 25, 2025 • 44 mins
We are into the final week of this Ontario election.
It seems that people are finally starting to check in to the fact that we are having one, and we're starting to see some change in the polls. But is it enough to change the government? What happens if nothing changes? What would happen to Bonnie Crombie or Marit Stiles's leadership? Both made promises to their members but are they going to be able to deliver this election?...
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February 18, 2025 • 54 mins
As this Ontario Election moves, the polls slowly shift away from Doug Ford's Ontario PC. Is there time for the opposition parties to capitalize on this trend? Or will the opposition once again split the vote?
That's the risk in our first-past-the-post system. Without the anti-Ford vote coalescing around one party or leader at the moment, those who want a change in government are forced to consider strategic voting. The questio...
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February 11, 2025 • 48 mins
As the Ontario Election moves a long, we seem to drifting further and further away from the issues that were prominent in our provincial dialogue only a few months ago.
Housing, development fees, homelessness. These were the things that we were covering in previous episodes. The matters which were front and centre for many 905ers. Going so far as to potentially invoke the notwithstanding clause to deal with encampments in citie...
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