In less than a month, Ontario residents will cast ballots in the provincial election — and public opinion polls suggest Doug Ford will win handily. This might be surprising — or worse — to those who have been angered by the Ford government on everything from its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic to what they believe has been a lack of political leadership on an array of fronts in its four years in office.

Today in The Conversation Canada, Robert Danisch, a communications professor at the University of Waterloo, explains why Ford is poised to win again. Surprisingly, it’s not policy platforms that get politicians elected, it’s how they communicate, how they make voters feel and whether they have a narrative that resonates with the populace. Danisch writes: “Communication is a process of producing an impact on others, not transmitting information on policy goals.”

Also today:

Regards,

Lee-Anne Goodman

Politics, Business + Economics Editor

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is seen before his government delivered the provincial 2022 budget at the Ontario legislature. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Why Doug Ford will once again win the Ontario election

Robert Danisch, University of Waterloo

Ontario goes to the polls in a month, and Doug Ford will likely win again. Why? Because the Liberal and NDP leaders have failed to connect with the people of Ontario the way Ford has.

A national dental care program for low-income Canadians plans to launch coverage for children under age 12 in 2022. (Shutterstock)

7 principles to guide a national dental care program in Canada

Sonica Singhal, University of Toronto; Carlos Quiñonez, Western University

A national dental care program is welcome news, but raises several ‘billion-dollar’ questions about how the program will work and what will be covered. Here are seven principles to guide decisions.

Executive functioning is a component of attention that helps us prioritize what we want to engage with and filter out unwanted interference. (Pixabay)

How to boost your attention and ability to function with meditation, exercise and sleep

Colin McCormick, Dalhousie University

Research highlights the importance of daily meditation, exercise and sleep for improving executive functioning, a component of attention that helps people focus.

Children’s physical experiences help them learn new words. (Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio)

Why children learn how to say ‘spoon’ before ‘sky’

Emiko Muraki, University of Calgary; Penny Pexman, University of Calgary

Children may hear a lot of words when sitting in front of or interacting with screens, but to learn language children need to interact with physical objects.

Kindergarten teachers were tasked with adapting a hands-on, play-based curricula in a virtual environment – a nearly impossible task even without parenting one’s own children at the same time. (Shutterstock)

Kindergarten educators with children at home struggled during the pandemic — mental health supports are needed

Natalie Spadafora, McMaster University; Magdalena Janus, McMaster University

Kindergarten educators who taught from home during COVID-19 and who were primarily responsible for their own children self-reported poorer mental health than those without these responsibilities.

La Conversation Canada

Le représentant américain Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, au centre, et d'autres membres de la Chambre expriment leurs objections à l'interdiction de l'enseignement de la théorie critique de la race (Critical Race Theory) au Mississippi en mars. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

La théorie critique de la race (critical race theory) et le féminisme ne prennent pas le contrôle de nos universités

Maïka Sondarjee, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

Une analyse des programmes d’études en relations internationales montre que les études sur la race et le genre sont à peine mentionnées.

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