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Welcome back to Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature.

Every Sunday, Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the week that was at Queen's Park — and the week ahead.

On the show today is reporter Jack Hauen, who is ready to hit the campaign trail.

Premier Doug Ford confirmed on Friday that he's going to call a snap election on Wednesday because he says he needs a new mandate to fight Donald Trump's promised tariffs — "the largest attack in the history of our country."

Hauen also brings up to speed on taxpayer-funded private investigators snooping around supervised consumption sites, and questions over the province's $100-million deal with Elon Musk's Starlink.

The provincial election campaign will last one month, with Ontarians heading to the polls on Feb. 27. Be sure to follow your local news site and The Trillium for all you need to know.

Looking for previous episodes of Trillium Talk? You can find all of them HERE.

Operated by Village Media, the company behind this community website, The Trillium is a comprehensive news and information source devoted exclusively to insider coverage of Ontario politics.

Passionate and plugged in, The Trillium delivers the major political headlines of the day while unpacking complex policy changes and digging deeper into key issues that impact every Ontarian. Our dogged journalists also keep a close watch on legislative debates, question period, public appointments, lobbying activity and regulatory proposals.

The Trillium is a subscription-based news service designed especially for Queen’s Park stakeholders, such as public servants, political staffers, business leaders, lobbyists and strategists. But the site also features free content that is regularly published acros

Send us a text

Welcome back to Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature.

Every Sunday, Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the week that was at Queen's Park — and the week ahead

On the show today is deputy editor Sneh Duggal, who breaks down yet another busy week in the world of Ontario politics.

Opposition parties are urging Doug Ford to scrap any suggestion of an early election and work together to combat Donald Trump's looming tariffs, but Ford continues to hint that Ontarians could be heading to the polls sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, Ford is sporting a new hat.

Looking for previous episodes of Trillium Talk? You can find all of them HERE.

Owned by Village Media, which operates this community website, The Trillium is a comprehensive news and information source devoted exclusively to insider coverage of Ontario politics.

Passionate and plugged in, The Trillium delivers the major political headlines of the day while unpacking complex policy changes and digging deeper into key issues that impact every Ontarian. Our dogged journalists also keep a close watch on legislative debates, question period, public appointments, lobbying activity and regulatory proposals.

The Trillium is a subscription-based news service designed especially for Queen’s Park stakeholders, such as public servants, political staffers, business leaders, lobbyists and strategists. But the site also features free content that is regularly published across our chain of local news sites.

Click HERE to sign up for the site's free afternoon email newsletter, The Trillium Wrap. Subscription information can be found HERE.

Send us a text

Welcome back to Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature.

Every Sunday, Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the week that was at Queen's Park — and the week ahead.

On the show today is Editor-in-Chief Jessica Smith Cross, who breaks down a wild few days in the world of Canadian politics — including Justin Trudeau's resignation, Donald Trump's tariffs threats, and Doug Ford's emergence as Captain Canada.

Could all this lead to an early election in Ontario? Ford certainly hinted at that possibility.

Also on the show this week: A new report reveals the total number of people facing homelessness across the province — and that figure will only get worse without billions in government dollars.

Looking for previous episodes of Trillium Talk? You can find all of them HERE.

Operated by Village Media, the company behind this community website, The Trillium is a comprehensive news and information source devoted exclusively to insider coverage of Ontario politics.

Passionate and plugged in, The Trillium delivers the major political headlines of the day while unpacking complex policy changes and digging deeper into key issues that impact every Ontarian. Our dogged journalists also keep a close watch on legislative debates, question period, public appointments, lobbying activity and regulatory proposals.

The Trillium is a subscription-based news service designed especially for Queen’s Park stakeholders, such as public servants, political staffers, business leaders, lobbyists and strategists. But the site also features free content that is regularly published across our chain of local news sites.

Click HERE to sign up for the site's free afternoon email newsletter, The Trillium Wrap. Subscription information can be found HERE.

Send us a text

Welcome back to Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature.

Every Sunday, Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the week that was at Queen's Park — and the week ahead.

On the show today is reporter Alan S. Hale, who breaks down the latest back-and-forth between Premier Doug Ford and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

Ford has been engaging in a charm offensive in the United States in recent days, lobbying hard against Trump's threat to levy 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports.

On Friday, Trump suggested to a CNBC reporter that he wants to work out a deal with Canada — which Ford promptly welcomed as "good news."

Looking for previous episodes of Trillium Talk? You can find all of them HERE.

Operated by Village Media, which owns this community website, The Trillium is a comprehensive news and information source devoted exclusively to insider coverage of Ontario politics.

Passionate and plugged in, The Trillium delivers the major political headlines of the day while unpacking complex policy changes and digging deeper into key issues that impact every Ontarian. Our dogged journalists also keep a close watch on legislative debates, question period, public appointments, lobbying activity and regulatory proposals.

The Trillium is a subscription-based news service designed especially for Queen’s Park stakeholders, such as public servants, political staffers, business leaders, lobbyists and strategists. But the site also features free content that is regularly published across our chain of local news sites.

Click HERE to sign up for the site's free afternoon email newsletter, The Trillium Wrap. Subscription information can be found HERE.

Send us a text

Welcome back to Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature.

Every Sunday, Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the week that was at Queen's Park — and the week ahead.

On the show today is Editor-in-Chief Jessica Smith Cross, who breaks down the key findings of the auditor general's latest annual report — including blunt criticisms of the Ontario Place redevelopment, the province's outdated opioid strategy, and the prevalence of minister's zoning orders (MZOs).

In non-AG news, Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie delivered some strong words of her own, telling the audience at a major fundraising dinner that the path to beating Doug Ford is down the middle.

"If we are going to win, we have to stop practicing the kind of politics that makes regular people hate us," Crombie told the crowd. "If the results of the U.S. election teach us anything, it's this: Identity politics is dead and buried. We've got to talk about and focus on the things that are really holding everyone down."

Let the election speculation continue.

Operated by Village Media, which publishes this community website, The Trillium is a comprehensive news and information source devoted exclusively to insider coverage of Ontario politics.

Passionate and plugged in, The Trillium delivers the major political headlines of the day while unpacking complex policy changes and digging deeper into key issues that impact every Ontarian. Our dogged journalists also keep a close watch on legislative debates, question period, public appointments, lobbying activity and regulatory proposals.

The Trillium is a subscription-based news service designed especially for Queen’s Park stakeholders, such as public servants, political staffers, business leaders, lobbyists and strategists. But the site also features free content that is regularly published across our chain of local news sites.

Click

Send us a text

Welcome back to Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature.

Every Sunday, Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the week that was at Queen's Park — and the week ahead.

On the show today is reporter Jack Hauen, who has been pounding the pavement lately on the bike lane beat.

He brings us up to speed on a briefing document written for Doug Ford's cabinet, which points out that, according to research, prohibiting bike lanes doesn’t actually solve traffic congestion.

Hauen also explains how the Ford government amended its bike lane bill to seemingly block potential lawsuits that might arise if cyclists are injured or killed after protected lanes are removed. Advocates and opposition MPPs say the amendment proves their argument: that ripping up bike lanes will have dire consequences for cyclists.

"This is a political decision and people are going to be killed," said NDP MPP Jennifer French.

Looking for previous episodes of Trillium Talk? You can find all of them HERE.

Launched last year by Village Media, which operates this community website, The Trillium is a comprehensive news and information source devoted exclusively to insider coverage of Ontario politics.

Passionate and plugged in, The Trillium delivers the major political headlines of the day while unpacking complex policy changes and digging deeper into key issues that impact every Ontarian. Our dogged journalists also keep a close watch on legislative debates, question period, public appointments, lobbying activity and regulatory proposals.

The Trillium is a subscription-based news service designed especially for Queen’s Park stakeholders, such as public servants, political staffers, business leaders, lobbyists and strategists. But the site also features free content that is regularly published across our chain of local news sites.

Click HERE to sign up for the site's free afternoon email newsletter, The Trillium Wrap. Subscription information can be found HERE.

Send us a text

Welcome back to Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature.

Every Sunday, Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the week that was at Queen's Park — and the week ahead.

On the show today is Editor-in-Chief Jessica Smith Cross, who breaks down the latest on the Ford government's signature promise to build 1.5 million new homes by 2031.

Fresh off a disastrous housing projection in its latest fiscal statement, the province got more bad news this week from the Financial Accountability Office: when it comes to detached homes, Ontario "is on track for the lowest level of annual starts on record back to 1955."

On this episode, we also talk bike lanes — more specifically, who wants them ripped out and how much it will cost taxpayers to do that. Spoiler alert: the price tag is pretty steep.

Send us a text

Welcome back to Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature.

Every Sunday, Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the week that was at Queen's Park — and the week ahead.

On the show today is reporter/editor Katherine DeClerq , who joined our team of political journalists last month when Village Media acquired Queen's Park Today.

The big news of the week, of course: Donald Trump's landslide win in the U.S. presidential election — and what it means for Canada.

As DeClerq explains, Canadian politicians, including the Ford government, say they're prepared to deal with Trump's potentially protectionist administration.

"I'm very confident we'll have a very rewarding relationship with the new administration," Doug Ford told reporters. Time will tell.