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Analysis, news, and explainers about what's happening at Queen's Park — with data to back it up.
Is Your MPP Actually Voting for You, or Just Voting with Their Party?
An analysis of 8,556 vote records from the 44th Ontario Parliament reveals near-total party discipline, a handful of rebels, and a Premier who misses more than 40% of votes.
What to Watch in Ontario's March 26 Budget
Ontario's 2026 budget lands amid trade war fallout, a hospital funding crisis, and a $4.6 billion deficit. Ford has promised no cuts.
Mar 18, 2026
Ford Moves to Exempt Premier and Cabinet From FOI Requests
Ontario's proposed legislation would retroactively shield the premier's and ministers' offices from freedom of information requests, sparking a fierce backlash.
Mar 14, 2026
Minister's Zoning Orders: how Ontario builds around city hall
MZOs let the housing minister override local zoning anywhere in Ontario. They used to be rare. Under the Ford government they became a planning workaround.
Ontario Paid $1.4 Billion for Corner-Store Wine 18 Months Early
Ontario's AG says the Ford government's early exit from the Beer Store deal cost up to $1.4 billion. That math is hard to dodge.
Bill 34 and the MPP pension Ontario brought back after 29 years
Ontario MPPs voted themselves back into a defined benefit pension in 2025, the first legislator pension since Mike Harris killed it in 1996.
Six New MPPs Who Will Shape the 44th Parliament
From a Hamilton bylaw director to an Ottawa housing advocate, the freshmen class at Queen's Park carries more weight than usual in a Parliament already defined by flux.
Ontario's 1.5 Million Homes Promise Is Quietly Being Abandoned
Four years into Ford's signature housing pledge, starts are at a 16-year low and the minister now says he just wants to sell more homes than last month.
Fifty-One Days: How Little Ontario's Legislature Actually Sits
Ontario's legislature sat for just 51 days in 2025, well below the historical average, raising questions about accountability and democratic oversight.
French-Language Education in Ontario: Rights, Money, and Gaps
Ontario's French-language school system has constitutional backing and federal cash, but per-student funding is at a decade low and accountability gaps persist.
Ontario's Special Economic Zones Are Now Law. Here Is What They Actually Do.
Bill 5 gives Ontario's cabinet power to waive provincial laws inside designated zones, with the Ring of Fire first in line.
Highway 413 Keeps Getting More Expensive and Less Defensible
Ontario's proposed Highway 413 faces ballooning cost estimates and mounting environmental opposition, yet the Ford government keeps building the case for shovels in the ground.
Time Allocation at Queen's Park: Ontario's Quiet Tool for Shutting Down Debate
How Ontario's government uses time allocation motions to fast-track legislation, the rising frequency of their use, and what it means for democratic scrutiny.
Ontario's Buy Ontario Act Forces Public Dollars Toward Local Suppliers
Bill 72 rewrites Ontario's procurement rules to favour local goods and services, but critics say it is protectionism dressed up as economic development.
Is Your MPP Actually Voting for You, or Just Voting with Their Party?
An analysis of 8,556 vote records from the 44th Ontario Parliament reveals near-total party discipline, a handful of rebels, and a Premier who misses more than 40% of votes.
Ontario's ODSP Rates Leave Disabled Residents Far Below the Poverty Line
Ontario disability support payments have barely budged in two decades while inflation erodes their value, leaving recipients in legislated poverty.
Two Seats, Outsized Impact: Ontario's Green Party in the 44th Parliament
With just two MPPs, Ontario's Green Party has carved out a legislative role on housing, climate, and accountability that punches above its weight.
Ontario's 2026 Budget: $244 Billion, $485 Billion in Debt
Ford's eighth budget nearly doubles last year's projected deficit, delays the return to balance again, and bets on tariff resilience it can't quite guarantee.
Ontario Liberals Rebuild With 14 Seats and a Leadership Void
The Ontario Liberals hold 30% of the popular vote but third-place power. How the new caucus and a November leadership race define what comes next.
Ontario's Strong Mayors Act Gave Mayors New Powers, and Most Barely Use Them
Two years after granting veto-like powers to Ontario mayors, the Strong Mayors Act has reshaped municipal politics in ways nobody predicted.
Bill 60 Rewrites Ontario's Tenant Rulebook, and Renters Are Paying Attention
Ontario's Bill 60 slashes eviction timelines, ends automatic lease renewals, and strips tenant protections, reshaping the province's rental market.
Ontario's Nuclear Bet: $39.6 Billion and Growing
Darlington's refurbishment just finished ahead of schedule. Pickering's $26.8B overhaul is next. Ontario is doubling down on nuclear, and the math is complicated.
Queen's Park Attendance: Who's Actually Showing Up to Vote
Ontario has a $500 fine for ministers who skip Question Period, but no fine has ever been confirmed as issued. Here's what the records actually show.
What to Watch in Ontario's March 26 Budget
Ontario's 2026 budget lands amid trade war fallout, a hospital funding crisis, and a $4.6 billion deficit. Ford has promised no cuts.
Ford Moves to Exempt Premier and Cabinet From FOI Requests
Ontario's proposed legislation would retroactively shield the premier's and ministers' offices from freedom of information requests, sparking a fierce backlash.
Ontario's $750 Classroom Supplies Card: Welcome Relief or a Distraction?
Elementary teachers will get $750 purchasing cards for supplies starting September 2026. Unions say the real issue is billions in deferred education funding.
Ontario's Emissions Are Down 22% Since 2005. Is It Enough?
Ontario has cut greenhouse gas emissions more than any other province. But critics say the Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan is still too weak to meet 2030 targets.
Ontario's Immigration Program Is Getting Its Biggest Overhaul in Years
The OINP is eliminating existing streams and replacing them with three new pathways focused on healthcare, exceptional talent, and entrepreneurs. Changes take effect May 30.
Ontario's Minimum Wage Heads Toward $18 an Hour
Ontario's minimum wage is projected to hit $18 in October 2026, up from $17.60. The living wage in the GTA is $27.20.
Scarborough Subway Extension: The Tunnel Is More Than Halfway Done
Diggy Scardust, the project's tunnel boring machine, has passed the midpoint. Ground has broken on the first of three stations.
50,000 People Are Waiting for Long-Term Care in Ontario
Ontario's long-term care wait list is larger than the population of many of its towns. The province needs 30,000 new spaces just to clear the backlog.
Ontario Line Breaks Ground on Four East-End Stations
Construction milestones are stacking up on the $27 billion Ontario Line, but the opening date has slipped to the early 2030s.
Ontario's Economy Under Fire: How US Tariffs Are Reshaping the Province
US tariffs could cost Ontario 119,200 jobs by year's end. Here's how the trade war is hitting the province's GDP, factories, and families.
OSAP Overhaul: Ontario Flips the Grant-to-Loan Ratio on Students
Starting fall 2026, Ontario students will receive just 25% of their provincial aid as grants, down from 85%. The math changes everything.
One in Three Ontario Secondary Schools Faces Daily Teacher Shortages
35% of secondary schools and 24% of elementary schools reported daily teacher absences they could not fill in 2023-24. The pipeline is not keeping up.
After 15 Years and $12 Billion, the Eglinton Crosstown Finally Opens
Line 5 carried its first passengers on February 8, 2026. Toronto's longest transit construction saga is over, but the lessons are just beginning.
Ontario's Hospitals Face a Billion-Dollar Structural Deficit
Costs rising at 6% a year, funding growing at 2%: Ontario hospitals say the math no longer works. More than 700 nursing positions have been cut since January 2025.
Marit Stiles and the NDP's Uphill Rebuild After 68% Leadership Vote
The Ontario NDP's leader survived a leadership review with 68% support. Now she's crossing the province trying to reconnect with voters who stayed home.
Layoffs Roll Through Ontario's Auto Plants as Tariffs Bite
GM Oshawa, CAMI Ingersoll, Stellantis Windsor, Ford Oakville: Ontario's assembly lines are going quiet as US tariffs reshape the industry.
Ontario Bets $26.8 Billion on Pickering Nuclear Refurbishment
The province approved the most expensive nuclear project in Canadian history. Pickering's four reactors will shut down in 2026 for a rebuild that won't finish until the mid-2030s.
Bonnie Crombie Steps Down: Ontario Liberals Begin Their Leadership Search
After winning 14 seats and failing to secure her own riding, Crombie resigned as Liberal leader in January 2026. The race to replace her runs through November.
Ontario's Housing Starts Hit a Decade Low as Ford Government Resets
Ontario's six-month housing start average has fallen to its lowest in ten years. The government's 1.5 million homes target is no longer a 'hard target.'
The Skills Development Fund Scandal: Lawsuits, Lobbyists, and Leafs Tickets
Ontario is suing for $25.9 million in alleged fraud while its own integrity commissioner investigates the labour minister who oversaw the fund.
60,000 Ontario Public Servants Ordered Back to Office, but There Aren't Enough Desks
The Ford government's full-time return-to-office mandate took effect January 5, 2026. Unions say there isn't enough space for the workers being called back.
Ontario Hydro Bills Jumped 29% and More Increases Are Coming
Ontario electricity rates spiked in November 2025, the biggest single increase since 2019. Rising nuclear costs and infrastructure spending mean bills will keep climbing through 2028.
Working for Workers Seven: Ontario's Latest Batch of Workplace Rules
Bill 30 received Royal Assent in November 2025 and brings OHSA changes, AED requirements, and updated enforcement tools into effect January 2026.
Ontario's New Pay Transparency and AI Hiring Rules Are Now in Effect
As of January 1, 2026, Ontario employers with 25+ employees must disclose salary ranges and AI use in job postings. Here's what changed.
Ontario's Construction Act Overhaul Takes Effect: What Builders Need to Know
Amendments from Bill 216 and Bill 60 change prompt payment, lien rules, and AED requirements for Ontario construction sites starting January 1, 2026.
Ontario's 2025 Budget: Deficit Up, Nuclear In, Transit Funding Deferred
The Ford government's spring 2025 budget projects a $14.6 billion deficit, the largest since COVID, as capital spending on nuclear and highway expansion pushes costs forward.
How Queen's Park Responded to U.S. Tariffs, and What the Legislature Actually Did
When Washington imposed tariffs on Canadian steel and auto parts in early 2025, Ontario's legislature moved fast. A look at what passed, what was symbolic, and what the province can actually do.
Who's Actually Doing the Work at Queen's Park Right Now
A look at the MPPs making noise in the 2025 winter sitting — from opposition critics landing hits to backbenchers whose private member's bills are going nowhere but matter anyway.
Ontario's Housing Legislation Didn't Build More Houses
The Ford government passed sweeping housing bills in 2022 and 2024, overriding zoning rules and cutting development charges. Two years of data later, the supply hasn't materialized, and municipalities are short hundreds of millions in revenue.
How a Bill Actually Becomes Law in Ontario (And Where It Can Die)
First Reading, Third Reading, Royal Assent: the stages of Ontario's legislative process explained, including where bills get killed, watered down, or pushed through in a hurry.
Bill 212: Ford's Bike Lane Fight and What It Actually Changes
Ontario passed a law letting the province remove protected bike lanes from city streets. Here's what the legislation does, who fought it, and what happens to the lanes Toronto spent years building.
Five Bills That Defined and Divided Queen's Park in 2024
The greenbelt aftermath, bike lane wars, health care privatization, and more. A look at the legislation that generated the most heat in Ontario's 43rd Parliament.
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