Public Interest or Private Profit? Liberal Insider Mike Crawley Plots to Take the Ontario Liberal Party Leadership

I've never been some well-connected, business-card-waving, lobbyist-registry-joining insider willing to sell access to people I know in the Ontario Liberal Party.  

Sure, I could've taken that route after 2003 when the Ontario Liberals first came to power.  I was a staffer back then - a big believer in the cause of defeating the Mike Harris PCs and fixing our healthcare and education systems.  While I hoped the McGuinty government would succeed in its progressive goals (and they certainly did on many files), I never dreamed of using my connections to stick it to ratepayers and get rich.  I was in politics for the right reasons.  

Liberal insider Mike Crawley

But longtime Liberal Party insider Mike Crawley clearly thought differently.  While many Liberals were working for the public good, Crawley was setting himself up to become the multi-millionaire he is today.  Now he wants to be the next Ontario Liberal Party leader, succeeding Bonnie Crombie.  I have some thoughts to share on this:

The "Cronyism" of 2004

The "business record" Crawley now touts as his leadership credential is built on a foundation of insider access.  In November 2004, while Crawley was President of the Ontario wing of the federal Liberal Party, his company, AIM PowerGen, was awarded a $475 million, 20-year contract for the Erie Shores Wind Farm.

The optics were, frankly, gross.  While his company was bidding on that massive contract, Crawley was actively participating in Liberal Party policy meetings with industry figures and, according to Hansard records, encouraging attendance at a fundraiser for Energy Minister Dwight Duncan.  It was the beginning of a "pay-to-play" culture that would eventually haunt the Ontario Liberal Party.   

The Global Adjustment Trap 

This wasn't just about one wind farm; it was about a systemic dismantling of oversight.  Crawley's companies - first AIM PowerGen and later Northland Power - benefited from the Global Adjustment (GA) system.  This mechanism guaranteed high, above-market rates for green energy companies for 20 years, regardless of market demand.  

• Skyrocketing Rates: Between 2006 and 2014 alone, the GA cost Ontario ratepayers $37 billion. 
• The Taxpayer Subsidy: In 2018, Doug Ford's PCs couldn't cancel these lucrative contracts without massive lawsuits, so they shifted the costs from hydro bills to the general tax base. 
• The Result: Today, in 2026, every single Ontario taxpayer is still on the hook for billions of dollars a year to subsidize the legacy contracts Crawley helped establish. 

Sidelining the "Watchdogs" 

How did this happen?  The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) is supposed to ensure new projects are needed and prices are fair.  But for Crawley and his peers, the OEB was an obstacle. 

Liberal Energy Ministers Dwight Duncan and George Smitherman simply removed the OEB's teeth.  Between 2004 and 2011, they and other Liberal energy ministers issued almost 100 Ministerial Directives - marching orders that forced the system to bypass competitive bidding and cost-benefit analysis.

In 2004, Dwight Duncan didn't wait for a market need; he issued directives that "picked winners."  Mike Crawley was at the front of that line.  Because it was done via directive, there was no OEB hearing to ask if his 8 cents/kWh rate (60% above market value) was a good deal for the public.  It was a political decision, made for a political insider.  

Smitherman's "Green" Gold Rush 

When George Smitherman took the reins, he doubled down with the Green Energy Act - the ultimate "insider's charter."  He used these powers to sign infamous "Take-or-Pay" contracts.  Companies like Crawley's were paid guaranteed rates even if Ontario had a surplus of power and had to pay other jurisdictions to take it off our hands.   

Before the public realized our hydro bills were being treated like an insider's ATM, Crawley had already cashed out.  He sold AIM PowerGen in 2009 for an enterprise value of $241 million - a value no doubt inflated by those OEB-exempt contracts.  He then moved to Northland Power, where the cycle of lucrative procurement continued. 

This was a sad and soul-crushing moment in Ontario Liberal history and remains a stain on their record:  How Liberals converted the promise of green energy into a lucrative bonanza for party insiders.  

2026: The Return of the Architect

Now, in 2026, Mike Crawley is plotting to win the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.  He presents himself as a "successful businessman," but Crawley didn't succeed in a free market.  He succeeded in a rigged system where his friends in the party used Directives to bypass the watchdogs.  

He didn't build a business; he built a wealth-transfer machine.  

Ontario Liberals need to think carefully about who we are and whether or not we will finally turn the page on the corruption of the past and become the honest, decent, progressive, innovative leaders that Ontario needs.    

The province is growing tired of the new corruption they're seeing under current PC Premier Doug Ford, including the same insider tricks and deal-making behind closed doors they came to hate under the Liberals.  

But if the Liberals are led by their own insider who got rich from previous Liberal corruption, who are they to criticize Ford for any of this?  Any why would Ontarians turn to the Ontario Liberal Party to get a better government?    

My Favourite Films of 2025!

Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan and Miles Caton

UPDATED JANUARY 11, 2025:  I think 2025 was a horrible year in many ways - politically, socially, environmentally, economically - but when it comes to film art, it was an exceptional year.   My top favourites list below is packed with movies that deeply moved me and/or entertained me.  I have been cramming during this holiday season to watch as many as I can get to.   As I watch more from my list in the days or weeks to come, additional films may jump into my top 15, knocking out other ones.  F1 has jumped into my top ten, and KPop Demon Hunters has made its way into my Top 15.  

Without further adieu, here is my list of Favourite Films of 2025:   

1) Sinners - Any way you slice it, this is one perfect and super entertaining movie by director Ryan Coogler.  Everything about this period horror/vampire flick - from the directing to the acting to the writing to the cinematography to the special effects to the amazing music - is firing on all cylinders.  Upon first viewing this masterpiece, I found myself so engrossed in the amazing characters' lives including twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by ever-hot Michael B. Jordan) trying to forge better lives in 1932 Mississippi that I actually forgot that vampires were on the way!  Needless to say, as the nasty night crawlers start their attacks, the complex story gets an adrenaline rush.  I was gripped until the final scenes as characters struggle to keep the beasts out and save themselves, but the horror and gore is never gross or too over the top.  The music and dance numbers (yes, the dance numbers) in this are mesmerizing, including the big, hilarious Irish jig led by head vampire Remmick (played to sexy creepy perfection by Jack O'Connell).  Miles Caton's performance as the young blues musician getting his first break is the soul of the film, and his story arc sets up the surprisingly moving conclusion.  Stay for the end credits!  

2) Hamnet - One of two great movies this year about male artists unable to communicate or be meaningfully present for their families who ultimately find a way to express and heal their wounded hearts and families through their art (the other film being Sentimental Value), this is the greater accomplishment as it was far more ambitious.  The sweet, powerful catharsis and closure at the end of this gem of a movie  brought tears to my eyes thanks to the heartfelt and fully realized performance of Jessie Buckley as William Shakespeare's wife Agnes.  She very much deserves the Best Actress Oscar this year.  This film has much beautiful to say about human loss and it's likely to move most people to tears in its final scenes.  You can't help but be reminded of your own lost loved ones when watching the stunning ghostly image of young Hamnet walking into the darkness on stage.  I struggled to pick my favourite film this year and Hamnet almost took it.  However, the sheer fun and utter perfection of Sinners wins the day as no doubt I'll rewatch it more frequently.  

3) Marty Supreme - Timothee Chalamet's energy levels are through the roof (even as his bathtub collapses through the floor) in this epic, hilarious story about a young man's drive to succeed at almost any cost.  Loved it, it was funny and moving, so many memorable moments that continue to resonate days after watching.  Timmy deserves the Oscar for Best Actor, based on what I've seen so far amongst the main competitors including Leonardo Di Caprio.   

4) Twinless - Surprisingly gripping and moving story about two young men who form a friendship after meeting at a grieving twin support group, this quickly and beautifully evolves into a deeply meaningful exploration of betrayal and love.  For me, this is the queer film of the year. 

5) Train Dreams - This starts very slowly and might even bore the average viewer at first, but as the story unfurls and we witness the main logger character's struggles and tragedies, brought to life by the never-better Joel Edgerton, we are drawn in and hooked.  

6) One Battle After Another - Super energetic and fast-moving, I enjoyed this movie immensely as director Paul Thomas Anderson adeptly mixes genres like thriller / comedy / adventure / satire.  The story, though, is quite ridiculous and far-fetched, which sort of undermines the film's attempts to thrill.  There are no American revolutionary types as depicted here in the real world, at least not since the 1960s.  I also found Sean Penn's character's motivations to join the ridiculous Christmas Adventurers Club, or whatever they were called, to be nuts.  But when viewed strictly as a ridiculous satire, it works.  This is also a touching story about an adoptive father (Leonardo Di Caprio) trying to save his teenage daughter.  Yes, this is yet another "damsel in distress" film, but with some very nice twists that make this well worth the watch.   

7) Sentimental Value - This is the second great 2025 movie about a male artist who can't communicate with his family, so he turns to art (in this case, a screenplay he wrote and wants to direct) to help heal his family's wounds.  This one is less ambitious than Hamnet as no children tragically die from the plague in the late 1500s here.  But in a sense, this is an easier watch because of that.  Stellan Skarsgard is wonderful, as are the other stars in this gem.   

8) Frankenstein - Yes, Guillermo del Toro has done it again with a great adaptation of the classic novel, as relevant today as it was 200 years ago.  The film is mesmerizing and very true to the original novel's structure.  I do hope Jacob Elordi gets an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his sensational work here as the Creature.   

9) F1 - Brad Pitt leads a celebration of Formula One racing and competition (educating we non-fans with lots of exposition so we know what's going on), portraying fictional hero Sonny Hayes as he makes a comeback to mentor a young hotshot rookie (played by the adorable Damson Idris) and lead a struggling underdog F1 team (APXGP) for one last shot of glory.  It's easy to get caught up in the excitement and the racing scenes are incredible to watch particularly because of that exposition.  Kerry Condon gets her moment in the sheets with Mr. Pitt, but also impresses as a female racecar engineer / technical director.  Javier Bardem is awesome as the team's owner who recruits Pitt.  Very deserving of the hype.  

10) Palestine 36 - Various Palestinians from different social classes and backgrounds living in Ramallah or nearby are drawn into the anti-colonial struggle against the British Mandate in 1936 as the encroaching Zionist threat to their lives becomes increasingly clear.   It's refreshing to see the dignity and humanity of non-Jewish folks in the region get some historical acknowledgement.   

11) Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance - A super strong documentary about the history of Canada's Pride and LGBTQ+ liberation movement.  

12) The Secret Agent

13) KPop Demon Hunters

14) Blue Moon

15) The History of Sound

16) Thunderbolts 

17) Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery 

 

Films I haven't seen yet but hoping to soon (and some of these could find their way into my Top 15) in order of preference/priority:

The Long Walk

Pillion

It Was Just An Accident 

The Naked Gun 

The Testament of Ann Lee 

Nuremberg 

The Voice of Hind Rajab 

Nouvelle Vague 

Song Sung Blue

Warfare 

Die My Love 

Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5

The Mastermind 

Bring Her Back 

Sirat 

Sorry, Baby 

The Perfect Neighbor 

The Running Man 

Hedda 

Him 

Roofman 

Rental Family 

Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning 

The Amateur

Jurassic Park: Rebirth 

Is This Thing On? 

A House of Dynamite 

John Candy: I Like Me 

The Conjuring: Last Rites 

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues

 

Over-rated / Disappointing: 

I have some additional thoughts to share about these films below which have been getting some positive ink, but quite disappointed me:   

Jay Kelly - Sorry, but the mid-late life crisis of George Clooney's Jay Kelly depicted here was not particularly interesting or well-written, especially when compared to other heavy hitter movies this awards season.  Clooney has talent playing himself, but there weren't many new insights here about the emptiness of super stardom, at least that I appreciated much.  Plus every 15 minutes or so, we get these fake, pointless moments of drama - like the bizarre post-train chase scene of a purse snatcher.  Not deserving of much awards attention, if you ask me.  

Weapons - A nasty witch (Why is she nasty? Why is she here? Who cares?  She's just a witch) does bad things causing big mystery around town, but not including a great payoff.  I have no idea what other people saw in this, and after all the hype about Amy Madigan's performance as Aunt Gladys, that too was a letdown.  Although I will admit Madigan is amazingly creepy and effective in the unforgettable role.  It's just that the story around her left me wanting.  Sure, it's creatively structured, but I can't say I got much out of it.    

Mickey 17 - I loved Parasite, but director Bong Joon-ho's follow-up here was a mostly unsatisfying creature feature that the lovely Robert Pattinson in multiple incarnations couldn't save. 

Wicked: For Good - Act Two was nowhere near as good as Act One.  

Bugonia - A total piece of garbage ruined by one of the least earned endings in my memory.  We are led to believe most of the movie that the two kidnappers are crazy, misguided conspiracy theorists who think Emma Stone's character is an alien trying to destroy Earth.  SPOILER ALERT: Then suddenly with ten minutes left we get a cheesy and inexplicable ending where the conspiracy nutters are proven right, and all of humanity dies.  Real cheerful.  I've never felt so intellectually insulted by a filmmaker.  Yorgos Lanthimos is in the dog house. 

 

Haven't seen and not planning to: 

Avatar: Fire and Ash - Part One was beautiful but completely unoriginal.  I couldn't muster the energy to see Part Two, so I'm going to take a pass on this Part Three.  

The Smashing Machine - The Rock aims for an Oscar nod, but apparently the movie sucks.  Not interested.

Eternity  - Oh, what a bad idea for a movie! 

Ballad of a Small Player 

The Housemaid 

Now You See Me, Now You Don't 

Anemone 

28 Years Later - I just don't like zombie movies, even if they're well done.  28 Weeks Later was misanthropic garbage, a big letdown from the original and truly great 28 Days Later.  I don't need to see more.  

Anaconda - I hate snakes. 

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale - I never watched much of the series so can't really watch this. 

The Roses - Just not interested. 

Snow White - Heard bad things about this.  

The Materialists - Same, just not interested. 

The Toxic Avenger Unrated 

'Heated Rivalry' is the oasis of tender, sensual masculinity we didn't know we needed in 2025!

Like some, I had spotted in November the Heated Rivalry posters (pictured) on bus shelters sporting the shirtless hockey star characters in mid-embrace, foreshadowing the show's steamy gay sex scenes, and thought to myself, "Hmmm, this could be interesting." 

I hadn't read nor even heard of the book series, Game Changers by Rachel Reid, before the TV series was launched.  I'd been an occasional fan of Canadian auteur Jacob Tierney for years, remembering him for his acting gigs in certain independent productions.  But I had no idea Jacob was about to launch a revolution of queer arts and entertainment with his adaptation of said book series.  

I had heard the books were pretty explicit in their descriptions of gay sex, so I, like many, wondered if this television adaptation would skimp on the explicitly hot gay sex, tone it down for wider audiences, like many TV shows featuring queer romances usually do.  

I was as pleasantly surprised as everybody when the first episode landed and word got out about the incredibly hot and frequently naked lead actors performing several steamy sex scenes in the first episode alone.  Could television be actually delivering on a promise?  Could it be breaking new ground?  

I haven't seen gay sex this authentic and sensually shot for television or film since...ever.  Most auteurs in a vain attempt to stay "artsy" or "respectable" or to appease their queasy financiers always find ways to cut away during gay sex scenes, to keep it off screen and enveloped in tragedy to keep we gays in our place.  Sure we can have fun (off-camera) as long as we're miserable and die tragically.  It's a tried and true formula Hollywood has embraced for decades.   The closest I can remember a gay TV show got this steamy was Queer As Folk which aired in the early 2000s, and never earned as wide an audience that Heated Rivalry seems to have tapped into in 2025. 

Since its launch, I've consumed the first five episodes and will be watching the finale of season one tonight, December 26th.  The show has struck a chord because of its sweet, sexy authenticity, its zippy pace and touching acting and writing.  Sure, being closeted can be hell for queer people, and this show captures the agony and anxiety more ably than Queer As Folk ever did.  And yes, the sex that happens for some closeted men can be as hot as it's tastefully been depicted in Heated Rivalry.   That sex usually is raw, animalistic and mutually enjoyable - perhaps so hot, that gay men in these situations do crawl through several stages of closeted hell in order to experience the same fun again over and over, in clandestine locations, being careful until the doors are shut, the blinds drawn or you're so far away from others there's no way anyone will overhear your shouts of man-on-man ecstasy.  

But don't get me wrong: this is not pornography.  Heated Rivalry is much more than its steamy scenes, which do serve the major purpose of fleshing out the relationship between the two leads, who only at first have these intimate moments alone.  But as time goes on, the focus moves to their relationship and burgeoning love.  By episode five, the hot sex gives way to tender romance.  It's moving and authentic.  Nothing this culturally relevant can be reduced in description to "just porn".  If anyone you know makes this silly accusation about it, tell them they need to be watching better porn and perhaps give their heads a shake about this lovely show.   

Unknown actors before this series, Hudson Williams (as Shane Hollander) and Connor Storrie (as Ilya Rozanov) are superbly charismatic, touching, compelling lovers, as well as darlings on the PR circuit.  I've become a regular YouTube consumer of their cute shorts and videos as they've seemingly appeared everywhere promoting the show.  

In a year when a fascist, rapist, violent, criminal, seditionist creep of a U.S. President unleashed his literal insanity on this broken world, when violent male power and toxic masculinity is in its 2025 ascendancy, and truly evil people are feeling very powerful and immune right now from justice and accountability, those good among us left really needed Heated Rivalry.

The repeatedly hot man-on-man sex, with its frequent re-communicating of consent between the characters as they fuck away, constantly checking in to make sure they're still "good" and enjoying it, was the perfect counterbalance to a culture in America where the powers-that-be are obsessed with protecting powerful predatory straight men.  Women can tune into a good TV romance involving very hot men who show more respect and care for each other than most so-called straight romances.  And they can see the hottest man-on-man action they've probably ever seen in mainstream entertainment, along with the life-affirming reminder that people can and really do treat each other with tenderness and even love.   

This YouTube commentary by a favourite of mine, Emma Vigeland, from The Majority Report (generally a political commentary independent media hit pushing the progressive politics that America needs) sums up the sentiments of many women perfectly:

 

UPDATE: Women aren't the only ones who have appreciated and embraced this show and its impacts.  I've additionally been quite moved and appreciative of the many straight men, particularly those online who do regular hockey podcasts or YouTube videos/vlogs, especially these guys below (warning, they are reacting to Episode 6, so best to watch the actual episode first before watching this video below, at least in my opinion): 

 

Congratulations to the show's creators, especially my new hero Jacob Tierney, who really has tapped into the zeitgeist and given the world the perfectly hot gay romance show we needed this year!  Thank you, Jacob, and everyone else involved in this awesome show!   

DAVID HOGG Talks Parkland, DNC, Saving the Party

Standing ovation for "Palestine 36' at TIFF World Premiere + Full Q & A

Doug Ford's hot air is not good governance! We just don't have any good alternatives...

Is there any major policy area Doug Ford's PC government in Ontario is actually managing well?  

The health care sector?  Nope.  It's a disaster getting worse every year, hallway medicine exploding, health professionals overworked/underpaid and leaving the profession, millions still without a family doctor.  The pride of Canada's health care system has been reduced to a simple mantra: "Hope you don't get sick anytime soon because you'll go through hell if you do."  

The education sector? Nope.  Schools are still falling apart.  Teachers are constantly fighting with the province.  Parents still need to fundraise so their kids receive more than the absolute basics, which they aren't even receiving.  Not to mention the strained post-secondary sector, which is on death's door due to underfunding from Ford, who froze tuition fees in 2018 and stopped thinking about post-secondary education after that.  

Transportation is a nightmare with our roads falling apart, and traffic gridlock gripping most of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area.  Long-needed transit expansions are delayed, delayed, delayed.   The Eglinton Crosstown line has yet to open under Ford's management.  This is especially galling because this was supposed to be an Eglinton subway route that should've opened 30 years ago, but thanks to another stupid Conservative, Mike Harris, was cancelled and literally filled in.  

Harris also gave us the ripoff 407 highway which was supposed to alleviate GTA congestion but never did because Harris sold if off at discount prices to an international conglomerate that gouges Ontarians for every cent who dare to use it.  Now Ford is trying to build even more highways, which will only fill up too and make the gridlock here even worse.  Ford's solution - attack bike lanes in downtown Toronto.  

Ontario is a shit show right now.  A failed democracy in many ways.  Our leadership has utterly failed to show backbone, push us forward and fix our collective problems.  You can't truly blame the people for voting for folks when nobody on the ballot has seriously been trying to provide leadership.  

Dalton McGuinty did some nice things, but also some dumb things.  Most people missed the nice things he did because, unlike Ford who knows how to communicate, McGuinty was a meek communicator unable to counter the immense hate machine stacked against him on the right.  Kathleen Wynne was all flash and promise, but ultimately a total political failure because she had no idea how to govern well and bring the people along with her in her decision-making.  She alienated voters instead and let the neo-con hate machine overpower her completely.  The near destruction of her Ontario Liberal Party is testament to that fact, and the OLP is still struggling to get back on its feet.   

The latest Abacus poll which puts Ford's PCs at 53% with the OLP way back at 27% and the NDP struggling at 12% shows us the dire state we're in.  

Why does such a mediocre state of affairs inspire such happiness from Ontarians?  Because Ontarians are easily distracted from that mediocrity by Doug Ford's constant hot air about Donald Trump's threats against Canada.  Ford is of course mostly powerless to do anything about the threat.  He can only enunciate outrage and express the sentiments many Ontarians are also feeling about the horrid dictator to the south.  One policy area Ford has gotten right - banning American booze from Ontario shelves - is a winner I do truly support.  I used to drink American whisky bourbon as my spirit of choice, but have now given Canadian whisky another chance, not to mention Irish whisky and others.  I'm super happy with the Canadian stuff, and I got to say I'm not going to go back to buying Kentucky bourbon after this trade dispute ends (should it ever.)  Sorry, Americans, your president has fucked you over on this one.  I'm sure Ford will stick to his guns on American booze because it literally is the only thing he is doing to stand up to Americans. 

Ontarians are looking past the immensely sorry state of their own province and the many horrors Ford has created here to give him love and support. 

Of course, Ontarians can be forgiven a bit for all of this because of the weak state of Ontario's opposition parties.  Never an easy gig getting attention from Ontario's opposition benches, it's still true that the NDP official opposition has no idea how to do anything else but its usual NDP echo chamber pontificating.  The NDP isn't seizing on the cost of living crisis we are in by getting out there, proposing bold policies and pushing Ford to do better.  We never hear from Marit Styles. 

And Bonnie Crombie, OLP Leader, remains as vacant and flailing as she was during the February provincial election campaign.  Elected by her party to bring them back to contention, Crombie reportedly spent the first few months of her leadership on vacation in Florida in 2024, not organizing in Ontario, not doing the hard work she had signed up for by taking the leadership.  Instead of rebuilding the OLP team, she simply re-hired the same D Team that had run the party into the ditch.  Much help and advice was offered, but rejected by Bonnie's team - who couldn't put out a single press release without a spelling or grammar mistake in it - because Bonnie and her people knew better. 

In May 2024, when rumours got really loud that Doug Ford would likely call an early election to take advantage of Justin Trudeau's unpopularity, it seems Bonnie didn't get the memo.  Riding associations that had been dormant were left that way.  Despite declaring a nomination emergency around that time, the OLP didn't bother to actually recruit or nominate much of anybody for months.  By the time the early election got called in January 2025, the OLP barely had any candidates.  The ones nominated were not government quality.  There wasn't a star or credible potential cabinet minister among them.   

In Toronto Centre, a riding which should've been high on the OLP's list to retake from the NDP, the association had been left dormant and by the time the election was called, had zero potential candidates willing to step forward.  What a disaster!  Of course, the local unknown / sacrificial lamb who did step forward still got 36% of the vote in the election behind Kristyn Wong-Tam's 45%, showing this riding was winnable had the OLP bothered to organize.  

The total lack of good OLP candidates and serious organization meant the 30% of the provincial vote the party won (mostly thanks to the many Ontarians not fooled by Doug Ford's big anti-Trump show, as well as the near collapse of the NDP vote outside of its incumbent ridings) oddly translated into only 14 seats, one or two of which were damn lucky splits.  Barely enough for official party status again in the legislature.  Crombie, who promised to carry Mississauga where she had allegedly been a popular mayor, lost her own Mississauga seat and all other seats in that city.  The OLP failed to win any 905 seats except for one lucky split in Ajax with a local candidate who was actually from Davenport in downtown Toronto.  

It's true as long as Ontarians are stressed about the impacts of Donald Trump's lunacy, and Doug Ford continues to hit the nail on the head with his communications expressing our fears and outrages, the populist premier of Ontario will remain hard to beat.

One thing for certain is the OLP under Crombie will never be able to do it.  Crombie has been exposed as an empty shell with no discernible messages or values to inspire those of us who are horrified by Ontario's sad state of affairs.  Do any of us really believe life under Crombie would be any different or better than it is under Ford?  Not really. 

Hence, the bad poll results.  Putting the NDP aside, who could finally get smart and learn how to appeal to the economic interests of those struggling and gain some economic credibility if they stopped gunning for the far left, I do think the OLP remains the only other potential governing party in Ontario.  

Should Ontario Liberals decide to get real and smart, they'll dump Crombie next month at their Annual General Meeting and find someone capable of reaching Ontarians where they are.   And help get us all out of this mediocre mess Ontario has fallen into.   

Happy Pride Weekend: Cherish our Freedoms in Canada while Hungary cracks down on Pride; Trans kids aren't just here to be abused by their parents, rules Alberta court

Pride march in Budapest on Saturday

Thousands marched in the streets of Budapest this weekend in defiance of corrupt conservative dictator Viktor Orban, favourite strongman of Donald Trump and Stephen Harper.  

It was a true Pride protest targeting Orban's crackdowns and anti-gay laws which banned such parades earlier this year in a clear crackdown on democratic freedoms ahead of a national election next year when Orban will face a strong opposition challenger.

As Toronto Pride parades launch this weekend, I can't help but think of my sisters and brothers in Hungary, or any part of the world where such public signs of affection between queer people including parades like ours are banned by intolerant and misguided governments.  

Bravo to the queers standing up for their rights amidst despicable government power!  

Right here at home, we had a victory of sorts out of Alberta this week when a court ruled that Premier Danielle Smith's draconian law banning all gender-related medical care for trans youth should be put on hold.  

"Justice Allison Kuntz, in a written judgment Friday, said the Alberta law raises serious issues that need to be hashed out in court, and issued a temporary injunction against the law before it fully came into effect.

Trans rights flag held at Ottawa rally this year 

"Kuntz wrote that a temporary stop is needed to prevent what she calls "irreparable harm" coming to young patients while the issue is debated.

"The evidence shows that singling out health care for gender diverse youth and making it subject to government control will cause irreparable harm to gender diverse youth by reinforcing the discrimination and prejudice that they are already subjected to," Kuntz wrote in the judgment.

When weighed against parents' rights to control their children before they're 18, even to force them to live lives they can't lead authentically, it seems heartless and abusive to use government power to enact a one-size-fits-all policy for all trans youth.  In many cases, for the sake of the health of the youth, trans-related health care is very necessary to help the child survive.   

Opposition to trans youth freedoms is grounded in the same sort of ignorance that used to demand all gay and lesbian youth stay closeted and sexually inactive in their teen years because they didn't want us to do anything we'd "later regret".  As if being gay and young was only just a phase, and that youth who think they are non-binary or actually another gender are just having a flight of fancy that can be ignored until they're 18. 

No, ignoring the problem and burying your head in the sand, Danielle Smith's solution for everything, is not the way to go.   

"The law, passed late last year but not fully in effect, would have prevented doctors from providing treatment such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy to those under 16.

"Kuntz wrote that denying access to this care not only risks causing youth emotional harm but also exposes them to permanent physical changes that don't match their gender identity.

"Intentionally or not, the ban will signal that there is something wrong with or suspect about having a gender identity that is different than the sex you were assigned at birth," she wrote.

"Gender diverse youth will bear the entire burden of that speculation."

"2SLGBTQ+ advocacy groups Egale Canada and the Skipping Stone Foundation took the case to court, and in a statement Egale said the decision was a "historic win."

Zohran Mamdani has struck a blow to the Democratic party’s centrist-do-nothing establishment

Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani

I was thrilled this week when New York Democratic assemblyman Zohran Mamdani shocked his party's centrist-do-nothing establishment and won the Democratic primary to run as mayor in New York City this fall.  This Guardian article by Moira Donegan describes well how Mamdani's immense skills and message won the day over a party establishment foolishly deadset against him. 

The centrist-do-nothing establishment, which has long dominated the New York Democratic Party, almost turned the deeply blue state red in the last couple of elections due to its incompetence and corruption.  They tried it again this year, so wedded to their bad instincts and lust for easy power, by endorsing the thoroughly discredited former New York governor Andrew Cuomo for mayor of NYC.  Cuomo, of course, resigned as governor a few years ago in disgrace over multiple sexual harassment allegations, and was generally seen as a centre-right friend of big business. 

Name recognition and the old 'inevitability factor' was supposed to sweep Cuomo into the mayor's office this year so he could accomplish...not sure what he hoped to accomplish, to be honest.  Centrist-do-nothings usually simply want to seize office in order to make sure nothing else is done with it to upset their powerful status quo or solve any major crises so that tax and regulation levels remain comfortable for the establishment and wealthy.  Sure they say progressive things on the campaign trail, and then they do nothing for the people once in office.  

This Democratic Party approach in the U.S. has led to defeat and enabled fascism with the second victory by Donald Trump last November.   

In a country so broken and corrupt, with its democracy in tatters and its government unable to deliver basic life improvements for its citizens like universal health care, affordable housing, jobs and growth, voters have sadly turned to the strongman liar psychopath now sitting in the White House.  

Establishment Democrats seem to be the dumbest political strategists on the planet.  They resemble establishment "centrists" or "progressives" the world over: always hostile to anything resembling non-market solutions, creativity or outside the box thinking that actually works.  

These establishment folks are just about hanging on to their own power and acting as gutless as possible.  Their answer to the Trump threat has been to abandon progressive ideals and even occasionally pretend to embrace some of the hate, thinking a lighter version of Trump is exactly what voters will want in 2028.  

California Governor Gavin Newsom whose recent move throwing trans people under the MAGA bus is a shining example of a Democratic establishment schmuck embracing hate because he thinks it'll make him more popular.  

Those centre-right Democrats couldn't be more wrong.  When voters are ready to throw MAGA out, they won't be looking for something similar.  They'll be looking for its antidote.   The candidate who most authentically embodies that antidote to Trump will be the next Democratic President.  If the Democrats again pick a centrist-gutless-do-nothing as their candidate in 2028, voters will reject them again and we'll have President Vance or, universe help us, Dictator Trump.  

I've been waiting for a left-wing American Democrat like Mamdani to come around for some time.  We haven't had up until now a so-called 'democratic socialist' candidate this talented at communicating his basic messages, which have resonated strongly with the base of NYC Democrats.  

When a candidate, whether they be a socialist, or a business Liberal, shows superb charisma and an incredible ability to communicate and connect with ordinary, struggling voters' concerns, it's up to us on the moderate-progressive left to recognize it. 

When someone shows us they know how to answer the tough questions, allay fears, inspire confidence and unite voters, we should embrace such candidates, not shun them.   

Mamdani was smeared in this race with lies about his positions on Israel, which showed how low his opponents would go to stop him.  A billionaire-backed Super PAC ran ads that even darkened his beard to make him look more sinister, clearly Islamophobic.  Mamdani was fearless in his own defence and seemed to get more popular after those negative ads were released against him.  Voters, at least in New York City, aren't that stupid.   

The old ways of selecting safe, uninspiring Biden-esque or Clinton-esque Democrats have clearly failed.  Donald Trump came back and crushed this version of the Democratic Party.  

How?  Because those do-nothing centrists did nothing to make the lives of ordinary Americans much better.  If some policies were passed here and there that were supposed to benefit those voters, it matters not because most voters weren't aware of the policies or how they'd benefit from them.  Biden ended up being the worst Democrat for governing in the modern era thanks to his old, bygone approach to politics.  He expected his good deeds would be communicated honestly and widely via the mainstream media to all voters who had no other options but to watch the nightly news on ABC, NBC, or CBS.  Nope, in fact about half of voters were getting their information from Fox News and the right-wing fantasy blogosphere.  

America is a broken country, the gap between its rich and its poor and middle class is widening, its place in the world is sinking under its crazy Trump leadership, its health care system remains horrendous, its education system a joke, its gun violence out of control, the list goes on.   

The policies espoused by so-called Democratic socialists like Mamdani include universal child care, rent control, free or more accessible city buses.  Yes, left wing policies designed to provide real benefit to those struggling out there.  These policies could work as Mamdani is promising a modest tax increase on the richest of New York City to pay for them.  That sort of tax increase might not work so well in most major cities, but the elites of New York literally have nowhere else to ascend, so fleeing the best city in the world due to a 2% tax increase seems unlikely for most.  The rich will barely notice it, but they will notice when more New Yorkers, able to afford their rents and the cost of living, boost the economy and unite the city in new ways.  For once, Democrats have a mayoral candidate in New York willing to fight for working people's needs, not just the wealthy and privileged.  That benefits everybody, not just working people, Mamdani has convincingly argued.

I am fundamentally a pragmatic progressive.  I will occasionally support moderate, centre-right Liberals when it makes sense, as it did this past year in Canada with Mark Carney.  Carney captured the zeitgeist with a few genius lines about standing up to the American bully and defending Canada's sovereignty.  It was an existential moment he met, and progressives, centrists and some conservatives lined up behind him as the clear choice to lead Canada. 

This doesn't mean that blue Liberalism is the only way to go.  It only means it's working in Canada for now.  It could also be working even better, were Carney to listen to some good, progressive advice like this.  

But a moderate, centre-right approach I think won't necessarily work well in the U.S. right now.  What will work?  Someone authentically capable of convincing struggling, working class and middle class Americans that Democrats understand their pain and will be fighting - FIGHTING - to make their lives better at every turn.  

Mamdani achieved that and is on his way to becoming New York mayor and a new Democratic star.   America needs this kind of progressive change.  

So-called centrist-do-nothings tired of losing to fascist Republicans had better get smart and learn to love the Zohran Mamdanis of their party.     

Toronto's Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ film festival wraps as Pride Month kicks off!

Happy Pride Month to all as we start off June!  

I am feeling even more proud than usual at the moment after having just seen a slate of decent queer films at the just-wrapped 2025 Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival, a great event every late spring in our community. 

This year’s Inside Out festival did feel more like a community film festival again with films programmed to appeal to the audience, while not sacrificing quality.  As a paid member, Inside Out now offers six complimentary tickets to their screenings, which is a great bargain for a film lover like myself and an excellent way to promote memberships.  I grabbed 7 tickets overall as that’s all my schedule could handle and I am happy to give you my thoughts on some of them below.  

I missed the Brazilian feature flick Baby, which screened on the opening night of this year's festival, as I had some birthday celebrations to attend elsewhere that evening.  But this one is high on my list to hopefully catch soon as I heard a lot of positive word of mouth about it.  

Of the seven screenings I attended, I have to say that the Canadian documentary Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance by director Noam Gonick was the best and most rewarding.  A thoughtful, engrossing documentary, it chronicles using crucial archival footage the fights over the years by various segments of Toronto’s and Canada’s 2SLGBTQ+ community at resisting and overcoming societal and police oppression to become stronger and liberated - to eventually take to the streets proudly as we do every year through Pride parades.  First, the queers of the 60s and 70s fought back against constant police attacks, and used the experiences of the 1960s civil rights movements as inspiration.  One segment’s gains inspired another still oppressed segment, such as 2S individuals to also fight back and earn respect.  Toronto had its Stonewall in the early 80s after the community fought back against police raids of our bath house spaces.  These attacks on our community served to unite us together in solidarity, one of the key themes of the film.  

Parade: Queer Act of Love & Resistance

This film delicately, honestly and powerfully proves that firm activism willing to take risks and push ourselves out into the open has been an effective tool for winning over both public support and our own self-respect.  Conservatives are still taking aim at trans people the world over, and our fight for each other continues.  Solidarity is key.  

The final chapter tells the story of Black Lives Matter, when activists both queer and Black led the parade in 2016 and brought it to a halt to protest the presence of the very folks who’ve been our sworn oppressors: the police.  That action actually led to the ban on uniformed police officers in the Toronto Pride parade, an event originally founded as a protest against police oppression.    

Our community still gets targeted by regressive police, more interested as ever in protecting private property than they are for community safety for 2SLGBTQ+ people.  That ban needs to stay in place, and if certain conservative elements object, they need to take a history lesson.  Watching Parade: Queer Act of Love & Resistance would be a great start. 

Sauna

The Danish feature film Sauna stood out as my favourite narrative drama feature.  The wonderfully honest film chronicled an absolutely beautiful but less than bright young cisgendered man's touching and awkward romance with a trans man in unvarnished, modern day queer Copenhagen.  Played by Magnus Juhl Andersen, our cisgendered hero Johan says very little, letting the audience guess at his motivations as he, recently out of the closet, stumbles into the arms of William, a transitioning trans male student, played beautifully by Nina Terese Rask.  Despite a few dumb mistakes, Johan's heart seems genuine.  A lost soul trying his best to navigate what can often seem like a cruel, indifferent modern gay community, Johan's efforts to support his new love seem often misguided and naive, but ring true as deeply relatable.  

Some Nights I Feel Like Walking

Some Nights I Feel Like Walking from the Philippines was a disturbing but touching story of four young men stuck at the edges of Manila where they typically trade off their bodies to make money and to survive.  After one of their friends overdoses, they struggle to deliver his dead body back to his family, eventually realizing only they are each other’s family, the ones keeping themselves alive, not the indifferent society in which they find themselves. 

The short narrative film Coming & Going was the best short I saw in the ‘I Know Who You Did Last Summer’ shorts screening.  Delightful, well-written and well-acted, I was hooked from start to finish watching a unique one-week romance blossom over its 23-minute running time.  

Other films entertained but were less stellar.  

In Ashes

In Ashes attempted to show the depths of craziness that heartbreak can cause as one young man obsesses over and stalks his ex-boyfriend of a few months in a series of ridiculous actions that baffle everyone who knows him.   The downward spiral is sad to watch, but also one to which many can relate.  We’ve all been there, but perhaps hopefully behaved better than this!  The cop-out ending though where he simply finds another stunningly cute young man now devoted to him seemed more like a fairy tale than realistic.  I was hoping to see a message that promotes the notion that our obsession with relationships is what's driving us crazy.  

Sandbag Dam from Croatia was a touching, well-crafted ode to the impossible choices queers have to make between devotion to family and personal liberation.  

Ponyboi

Ponyboi from the U.S. has its strengths, including a strong performance by lead River Gallo as an intersexed person struggling to break free from cycles of violence and disrespect in their New Jersey life and reconnect with family.  All the acting was bang on and I’ve rarely seen as authentic a depiction of the Jersey vibe than here.  But the script was overwrought and sought to squeeze in way too much.  I’m all for character arcs, but did everyone need to have major life epiphanies all within the same 24-hour period depicted in this film?  This felt a lot like it was trying too hard to be some new queer, intersexed version of Pulp Fiction, and didn’t quite succeed.   Kudos though to the film for finally getting cutie Dylan O’Brien to show off his butt in one nice scene near the film’s beginning.  

Today's tonic: "Let’s drop the phoney Alberta versus Canada nonsense. The province has met the enemy — and it is them"...

Today's tonic: "Let’s drop the phoney Alberta versus Canada nonsense. The province has met the enemy — and it is them" by Jim Stanford, director of the Centre for Future Work in Vancouver.

 

"In 2014 the industry hired 128 workers for every million barrels of oil produced. Last year, thanks to self-driving trucks, automated facilities, and downsizing, that number halved to just 61.

 

 "So it’s no surprise residents of my home province are cranky.

 

 "Their economy produces more GDP per worker than any other. The economic pie they bake is bigger than ever. But the average Albertan’s standard of living is lower than a decade ago.

 

 "It wasn’t Ottawa that laid them off, cut their pay, froze the minimum wage, drove up electricity and insurance costs, and put their health care at risk. It was the enemy within.

 

 "Alberta’s oligarchs aren’t speaking for the province, they are speaking for themselves.

 

 "And the sooner the rest of the population can get past the phoney Alberta versus Canada narrative, the sooner they’ll start toward a genuine solution to their woes: namely, winning a fairer share of the abundant wealth they already produce."

Today's other tonic: "ANALYSIS: Did Mark Carney just shake up Ontario Liberal politics?"

Today's other tonic: "ANALYSIS: Did Mark Carney just shake up Ontario Liberal politics?

"In removing Nate Erskine-Smith from cabinet, the prime minister might have complicated Bonnie Crombie’s hold on the Liberal leadership," by John Michael McGrath.   

"Erskine-Smith’s sudden free agency would be the kind of thing that could cause Crombie-skeptical Liberals to crystallize and successfully demand a new leadership contest. But he has his own detractors in the Ontario Liberal Party as well (obviously, or he would have won the 2023 leadership race.) It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that there are three broad camps in the Ontario Liberal party right now: people who want Crombie to stay, people who want Crombie to go — and people who want Crombie to go but equally don’t want to see Erskine-Smith win the next leadership race. Which side of the question that third camp eventually aligns with may determine Crombie’s fate."

Today's tonic: "Mark Carney is already staring down a history-making decision"

Today's tonic (and similar posts, where I highlight important articles published elsewhere) is back. 

 "Mark Carney is already staring down a history-making decision," by Irwin Cotler and Sir Bill Browder.  

There are many sane voices still at work around the world despite the corrosive powers of Putin, Trump and several others.  

"Seizing Russia’s frozen assets is not only legal, but is financially feasible, strategically sound, morally right, and popular among Canadians. It will strengthen international law by setting two important precedents. The first is that the right to human life and the obligation of states to uphold international peace and security ranks higher than the right for states to enjoy absolute protection of their property without accountability — no matter how else they might violate international law."