After an extended summer break, Focus Ontario will return to Global News on Saturday featuring an exclusive sit-down interview with the province’s finance minister and brand-new polling.
With rumours of an early election continuing to rumble, and the end of a lengthy break for legislators finally in sight on Oct. 21, new show host and Queen’s Park bureau chief Colin D’Mello will bring viewers the biggest political stories of the week, in-depth interviews and exclusive reporting.
Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy is the first Ford cabinet minister to sit down with D’Mello as a guest on the show, for an extended interview exactly one month after his ministry ushered beer, wine and ready-to-drink beverages into Ontario’s convenience stores.
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Bethlenfalvy offered an update on the rollout, though his ministry continues to closely guard the secret of how much money the LCBO is predicted to lose now that more locations are licensed to sell booze.
The minister promised he would release an estimate of the true cost of broader alcohol sales in his fall economic statement, which may also contain details of exactly how much Premier Doug Ford’s dream of tunnelling an expressway below Highway 401 could cost.
The show also brings details of new polling, which shows the Progressive Conservatives continue to maintain a comfortable lead over both the Ontario NDP and the Liberals. The poll comes as all the parties at Queen’s Park push ahead with rapid nominations of new candidates.
Finally, Focus Ontario takes a detailed look at the province’s child welfare network, the deaths of children involved with the system and the status of a mysterious four-year review. The show will also feature a snapshot of the latest from Parliament Hill and how it could impact Queen’s Park.
The main show will be embedded at the top of this page after it airs on Oct. 5, along with extended segments featured in the broadcast.
Focus Ontario premiers at 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays on Global TV.
