The 905er was founded in 2020 to provide a news, politics and discussion podcast for the GTHA region focusing on the region outside central Toronto, where news coverage and discussion has traditionally hardly existed. We aim to provide a lively weekly podcast featuring interviews with people in the news, round-table discussions, analysis and more.
The phrase ‘905er’ was born as an insult used by Torontonians for the suburban bores from the faceless nowhere outside the great metropolis.
It was never a fair accusation, but today it is less fair than ever. Over 4 million people live in the region considered to be the traditional ‘905’ region, a population that is one of the most diverse in the world. Boring? We don’t think so.
The hosts and founders of The 905er are Roland Tanner and Joel MacLeod.
Roland and Joel have long experience as activists, volunteers for local and provincial causes and have both run (<cough>unsuccessfully</cough>) for political office, an experience which made them the well-rounded figures they are today. They have also volunteered or worked for other candidates, sometimes with greater success.
Whatever their background, they are now strongly committed to independent analysis and discussion of municipal and provincial matters as they affect our region, albeit firmly within a progressive context. They are also both firmly of the opinion that the way politics is done at every level is in need of significant change.
In the weeks and months ahead we will be expanding our roster of contributors and panellists to provide you with experience, commentary and insight from across the 905.