The Agenda with Steve Paikin (Audio) - How an Unelected Barber Helped Make Modern Ontario

Episode Date: June 28, 2024

The 400 series highways. The 401. Hundreds of schools. Hospitals. Canada's first subway. Metro Toronto itself. He helped make much of modern Ontario. But behind every great man is, of course, a good barber. This is the story of Old Man Ontario, the Silver Fox, the Laird of Lindsay, Leslie Frost and the peculiar influence his barber had over policy in Ontario during the 1950s.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From epic camping trips to scenic local hikes, spending time outdoors is a great way to create lasting memories to share with friends and family. This summer, TVO is celebrating the natural wonders that inspire unforgettable adventures with great documentaries, articles, and learning resources about beloved parks in Ontario and beyond. Visit tvo.me slash Ontario summer stories for all this and more. And be sure to tell us your stories for a chance to win great prizes. Help TVO create a better world through the power of learning. Visit TVO.org and make a tax-deductible donation today. If you're driving around Ontario, maybe on the 401, or taking the subway in Toronto,

there's a guy you need to know about. They called him Old Man Ontario, the Silver Fox, and in 1949, he took over running the province of Ontario. This is the story of Leslie Frost. Leslie Frost becomes the Premier of Ontario in 1949, and he lasts until 1961. He wins three consecutive majority governments in that time. He's the last guy to do that. Nobody has won three consecutive majority governments since Frost did it in 51, 55 and 59. One of the things to remember is that a lot of

present-day Ontario has its roots in decisions made by Leslie Frost and his government. The 401 and a lot of other 400 series highways. The provincial sales tax came in at 3%. They called it the frostbite. The subway for the Toronto Transit Commission and of course for those who live in the capital city, the Metro Toronto form of government with its six incumbent cities, Scarborough, North York, Toronto, East York, York, and Etobicoke. That form of government was brought in during the Leslie Frost years. And to think of it, it all started with a coin flip. I'm not talking about the beginning of a football game coin flip. No, different. This was a coin flip between Leslie Frost and his brother

Cecil. They decided one of them would get into public life and the other would help. So they flipped a coin to decide who would run and Leslie Frost won the coin flip. So he contested the 1934 election and believe it or not, he lost. But he ran again in 1937 and he won that election and he never lost another. in 1937, and he won that election, and he never lost another. There's a way that premiers stay in touch with their base, how they don't get swallowed up in the Queen's Park bubble, how they make sure that they're still in regular touch with everyday people so they can stay grounded. Doug Ford has FordFest, where he invites 2,000 of his closest friends to a big barbecue. Phil Davis used to go to Strawberry Socials on Sunday afternoons in Brampton

so he could stay in touch with real folks. What did Leslie Frost do? He visited the barber. The barber in Lindsay, Ontario had Frost's undivided attention. And when Leslie Frost wanted to know what average people thought about some of his government policies, he would talk to the barber. And there were times, I have heard stories, when Frost would talk to his barber, his barber would react very negatively to some kind of policy the Frost government was bringing in, and Frost, as a result of those conversations, would change

his mind and retreat on a particular policy. Was the barber the decision maker? No. Did he have schlep? Yes. Did the barber have too much power? I don't know if you could say he had too much power, but he certainly was in a position to give advice. After all, he was holding the scissors to the silver fox's hair. The year is 1959. There's a young 29-year-old kid in Peel County who wants to run for the Progressive

Conservatives in that election. His name is Bill Davis. Big problem. There's a big company in Peel County that's about to lay off 10,000 employees right before the Ontario election. What am I talking about? The AvroAero. This fantastic state-of-the-art fighter jet, which the federal government had been funding, but for which there was no customer. The jet was almost obsolete as it became ready to go to market. And so the Diefenbaker government, John Diefenbaker was the prime minister of the day, the Diefenbaker government in early 1959 cancelled the Avro Aero. Well, try being a progressive conservative in 1959, a few months later,

and trying to find votes in Peel County, where 10,000 people have just lost their jobs. Bill Davis went down to Queens Park. He had a meeting in the premier's office with Leslie Frost. He said, look what John Diefenbaker has done to me. Is there any point in my running? I'm going to get killed now, aren't I? Leslie Frost picked up the phone right while Bill Davis was there. He called the prime minister. He got

Diefenbaker on the line. And according to Mr. Davis's recounting of the incident, absolutely swore a blue streak at the prime minister for dumping this stink bomb on the Ontario Tories just before a provincial election. Well, you can imagine that campaign didn't go so well for Bill Davis. It was tight. But Bill Davis won in 1959. In fact, there's a classic picture taken during that 1959 election campaign of the outgoing member for Peel, Tom Kennedy, the incoming member for Peel, Bill Davis,

and the premier of the day, Leslie Frost. And the caption on the picture is, Past, present, and the premier of the day, Leslie Frost. And the caption on the picture is, Past, present, and future. Even then, people were talking about Bill Davis as a future premier. But I digress. I know on May the 4th, we always think about Star Wars, because this has become a thing, right? May the 4th be with you.

I am a deeply Ontario politics nerd. And therefore, on May the 4th, I not only think about Star Wars, but I think about Leslie Frost as well. Because in 1973, on Star Wars Day, May the 4th, Leslie Frost died at the age of 77. So on the next Star Wars Day, don't just think about Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker. Pause 30 seconds for the Laird of Lindsay,

Old Man Ontario, The Silver Fox, Leslie Frost as well. The Agenda with Steve Paikin is made possible through generous philanthropic contributions from viewers like you. Thank you for supporting TVO's journalism.