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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 Editor-in-Chief Jessica Smith Cross, 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.

Should tenants be on the hook to the Canada Revenue Agency if their out-of-country landlord doesn't pay their taxes? That question made plenty of headlines this week, as The Trillium reported.

Privacy breaches were also in the news, with the Ford government tabling legislation that would allow the province to set cybersecurity regulations for the broader public sector, including hospitals, schools, Children's Aid Societies and other public institutions.

As part of consultations on the bill, Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced he'll be calling in the heads of the big tech companies to discuss the online safety of kids with the government and with law enforcement.

Get caught up on all the details — and more — in this instalment of Trillium Talk.

Send us a Text Message.

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.

Send us a Text Message.

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 Editor-in-Chief Jessica Smith Cross, 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.

Speaking of land developers, Smith Cross brings us up to speed on the latest news on the Greenbelt file: deleted emails — and the possibility that some internal government records regarding the scandal "may be irretrievably lost."

She also breaks down this week's big byelection victories for Doug Ford's PCs, and the ongoing reaction to Stephen Lecce's promised crackdown on student cellphone use in schools.

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Joining us today is reporter Jack Hauen, part of The Trillium team of journalists recently nominated for a National Newspaper Award for their in-depth reporting on the influence of land developers in Ontario politics.

Hauen has been doing a lot of digging lately on another important issue: the rise of pay-for-access "executive health" clinics in Ontario. He explains the loopholes that allow these clinics — and others operated by nurse practitioners — to charge patients for the privilege of seeing a health care provider.

Also on the agenda this week: Why PC fundraising is way down. (Spoiler alert: Doug Ford's party cancelled its annual leader's dinner after all the negative fallout from the Greenbelt scandal.)

Launched last year by Village Media, a leader in local journalism, 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.

Send us a Text Message.

Joining us today is reporter Aidan Chamandy, who delivered a major scoop this week about the Ford government's new housing bill. The night before the legislation was tabled, Chamandy got his hands on some documents outlining all the major elements of the bill — including creating exemptions for publicly funded universities under the Planning Act, and backtracking on a controversial law that froze the development charges cities can levy on new construction.

How many homes will this new legislation actually help build? The government can't say for sure. But Chamandy does have a prediction on how many goals Auston Matthews will ultimately score this season. Don't miss it.

Launched last year by Village Media, a leader in local journalism, 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.

Send us a Text Message.

Joining us today is Charlie Pinkerton, part of The Trillium team of journalists recently nominated for a National Newspaper Award for their in-depth reporting on the influence of land developers in Ontario politics. Pinkerton has been digging into another controversial topic: the Ford government's "signature" Ontario Line, a $17-billion-plus transit project that will build 15.6 km of rail connecting key parts of Toronto.

If you haven't read his latest story about how the Ontario Line will transform one particular neighbourhood, you should.