TRILLIUM TALK: Doctors not working as hard as they used to, Ford government says

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.

Joining us today is reporter Charlie Pinkerton, part of The Trillium team of journalists recently nominated for a CJF Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism for their in-depth reporting on the influence of land developers in Ontario politics.

Pinkerton walks us through a wild three days in the municipality of Brighton, where councillors openly admitted they were hiring a well-connected lobbying firm to "work the backroom" of the Ford government in the hopes of landing some badly needed infrastructure funding.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra later weighed in on the controversy, saying Ontario cities and towns thinking of hiring lobbyists are "wasting" their money.

We also talk about the ongoing arbitration between Ontario physicians and the provincial government. Simply put, the health ministry is arguing that there's no shortage of doctors — they just aren't working as hard as they used to.

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

Launched last year by Village Media, the company that operates this local 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 right here on your hometown website.

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