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Ontario, Canada: Your Junior Partner?
A week ago, the Government of Ontario began an ad campaign in the US. It was planned in anticipation of a new administration and is not an explicit response to President-elect Trump’s (in)famous tariff threat. As I mentioned in my previous post, a government that spent $105 million on feel-good ads about itself for Ontarians…
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Ford to Auditor-General: Drop Dead
In 1975, the City of New York was on the verge of bankruptcy, but President Gerald Ford refused to consider a bailout. The New York Daily News summarized the situation with a famous headline: Ford to City: Drop Dead. Yesterday, the Ontario Auditor-General released a report that, among other things, was scathing in its criticism…
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How to Bias a Budget Survey
I just completed the Ford Government’s latest online budget consultation survey. I discovered it when I was looking at the government’s fall economic statement, which includes the $200 demogrant I discussed in my blog post two weeks ago. My conclusion after completing the survey is that the government has slanted it to enhance support for…
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Death by a Thousand “Efficiencies”
Conservative populist parties have a real hate on for universities, for two reasons. The one that has received the most attention is that university faculty tend to be liberal and support liberal causes such as diversity, equity, and inclusion and what disparagingly is called wokeness. The second, which I think is more fundamental, is that…
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The Apprentice: Moving the Needle?
In an interview in the print version of The New York Times last Sunday, Jeremy Strong, who plays Donald Trump’s mentor Roy Cohn remarks on the timing of The Apprentice’s recent release in the US – “incredibly fortuitous that it can come out at a moment where it has the potential to illuminate something about…
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Great Design is the Best Response
Eighteen months ago, the owners of the property that borders our backyard to the west received city approval to build a much bigger house than is the norm in our neighbourhood, aka a monster home. (The links are to previous posts about the biased committee of adjustment process and plans for the house.) The house…
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Disputing Doug Ford’s Facts about the Therme Spa
After over a year of stonewalling, the Ford Government has finally released the full 297-page lease to Therme Canada for the spa at Ontario Place, accompanied by a four page “fact sheet“ (scare quotes mine). The reason for this reversal is that the Auditor General is doing an audit of the Therme lease, so the…
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He Has Only One Idea, and It’s a Wrong One
So said Samuel Johnson about an acquaintance. Johnson’s jibe perfectly characterizes Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Ford’s one idea is to favour drivers, by eliminating licence fees, reducing gasoline taxes, canceling bicycle lanes, and building new highways. Ford’s latest version of this idea is to launch a feasibility study for a 50 kilometre highway and subway…
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The Bay of Quinte Byelection’s Clear Message
The Conservatives narrowly won the Bay of Quinte byelection yesterday and Doug Ford said “the people of Bay of Quinte sent a clear message tonight by election a strong local champion who will fight the Liberal carbon tax and Bonnie Crombie’s plan to raise taxes.” Notice that even in saying thank you, Ford is launching…
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A Superb Film About a Quisling
When I was young, I learned that the word quisling meant traitor. Interested in its origins because the suffix “ling” is a diminutive (duckling, earthling), I looked it up. I then learned the word eponymous. I haven’t encountered the word quisling in recent years, so I searched it on Google N-grams to discover that its…
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Reagan Biopic: Heroic or Hagiographic?
When I watch a political biopic, I start with my fourfold classification of political fables: heroic, sacrificial, ironic, and tragic. It was clear in ten minutes that Reagan exemplified the heroic, in which the protagonist overcomes challenges, rises to prominence, and enhances the wellbeing of the people he serves. The movie begins with the attempted…
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How Allan Blakeney Helps Me Understand Doug Ford
Three decades ago, I co-authored a book with Allan Blakeney, the Premier of Saskatchewan from 1971 to 1982. I continue to refer to my collaboration with Blakeney in thinking about political decision making, especially by first ministers. In this post I will apply Blakeney’s ideas about selecting ministers and timing elections to some recent decisions…
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My Message to the Toronto Police about Protests
Faced with the challenge of keeping the peace during the numerous protests, demonstrations, and rallies that have taken place since last October 7, the Toronto Police have made the wise decision to consult the public about policies to guide their actions in this context. The consultation is being led by the Toronto Police Services Board,…
- I am Professor of Public Management Emeritus at the University of Toronto, having retired in July 2020 after a 45-year academic career.
- My latest book, Public Representations: Screen Stories, Narrative, and the Public Sphere, co-authored with Beth Herst, was published in April 2026 by University of Toronto Press (open access).
- On this website I post blogs about politics, narrative, and my life experiences.
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