This Matters

Guest: Wendy Gillis, crime reporter The Ontario election campaign is officially underway. Today, we zero in on an early pledge from Liberal leader Steven Del Duca who says that his government will ban handguns within a year if elected on June 2. Crime reporter Wendy Gillis joins us to explain what's behind this pledge, why it is so contentious, and whether there is real political will to follow through. This episode was produced by Jennifer Pagliaro, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn

This Matters would like to let you know about another Toronto Star podcast launching today. 'It's Political with Althia Raj' is the Star's new Canadian politics podcast. Every two weeks, Raj brings listeners behind the scenes on Parliament Hill with exclusive interviews, in-depth reporting and thoughtful analysis. Join us as we explore the ins and the outs of the drama unfolding in Ottawa with humour and intelligence.The first episode drops Thursday, May 5. Listen and follow or subscribe at thestar.com/itspolitical.

Guest: Arif Husain, Chief Economist at World Food Programme Ukraine was forced to close its four Black and Azov sea ports earlier this week and, as one of the breadbaskets of the world, this cut off access to the country's rich grains. These ports help feed 400 million people, many of whom live in the poorest countries in the world. Even before the war began, global food prices were at an all-time high and now experts fear how the closed ports will add to the global food crisis. Arif Husain at the World Food Programme talks about the consequences. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Edward Keenan, Washington Bureau Chief Protests erupted in Washington D.C. Monday night after a draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito leaked to Politico suggested the country's highest court might be poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the almost fifty-year-old landmark ruling that gave women the constitutional right to abortion. The document – which was circulated among Supreme Court justices and supported by Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, among others – is creating shock waves and could change the very shape of America's socio-political landscape for decades to come. Edward Keenan, The Star's Washington Bureau Chief, explains. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green, Brian Bradley and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Jacob Lorinc, business reporter Want a smoothie with a side of outsourcing? That's what customers are seeing at several Freshii locations in Ontario. Instead of a regular cashier, a virtual customer service agent takes your order before actual staff in the restaurant prepare it. Called Percy, a virtual cashier is based in other countries, like Nicaragua or Pakistan, where they earn much less than Ontario's minimum wage. This is a new customer-facing approach that could be a disruptive force in this sector in the coming years. This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Matt Hearn and Raju Mudhar.

Guest: Robert Benzie, Queen's Park Bureau Chief The Ontario government just released a record budget for spending, with over $198.6 billion allocated to things like health care, education, tax cuts and much more. With the provincial election writ dropping soon, there's no way the budget can be passed before June 2 so instead it serves as the platform for Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives. With the other parties also releasing their plans to give Ontario voters a different choice, this budget plans signals that the election campaign starts now.

Guests: David Rider and Jennifer Pagliaro, The Star's City Hall bureau With a municipal election coming in October, change is coming to city hall. While Mayor John Tory will be seeking his third term, it is in the race for council seats where a lot of the action and interest will be. While there are no political parties tied to Toronto's council, there are political factions and the political makeup and dynamics of the inner workings of council will be different after the depature of some left-wing councillors.

Guest: Nadine Yousif, mental health reporter A recent survey conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has found disturbing trends. More than half of the 2,200 kids in grades 7-12 surveyed are not just reeling from the effects of the pandemic, they are anxious about climate change and the future. This is an eye-opening glimpse into how young people across Ontario have been coping over the last two years and is a snapshot of a generation that has grown up with the knowledge that they are set to inherit the Earth's worsening natural disasters. The Star's mental health reporter Nadine Yousif explains the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. If you are thinking of suicide or know someone who is, there is help. Resources are available online at crisisservicescanada.ca or you can connect to the national suicide prevention helpline at 1-833-456-4566, or the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Paul Kershaw, a professor at UBC's School of Population and Public Health and founder of Generation Squeeze, a non-profit that works for generational fairness They say timing is everything, but should it be when it comes to home ownership? Canada's wealth gap is not just driven by income, but also by real estate with much determined by if and when you bought your home. As real estate prices soar, many are priced out of the market and very little is being done that will make houses more affordable. Part of the issue is how existing homeowners think about their home as an investment and how resistant they are to anything that might affect the value. For those who are stuck outside the market, it's time to rethink how to solve this problem and perhaps look at more radical solutions. This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Matt Hearn and Raju Mudhar

Guest: Stephanie Levitz, a reporter in the Star's Ottawa Bureau The Conservative party leadership race is underway and while the goal is to find a new leader, some think this contest could be for the soul of the party. While there candidates pushing more socially conservative views against others with more progressive stands on issues, there are also populist and further right-leaning factions. Somewhat alarmed by the latter, there is now a centrist coalition that wants the party to court the middle ground as a path to electoral victory. Will it work? How do all these disparate groups live in the same organization? This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Matt Hearn and Raju Mudhar

Guest: Megan Ogilvie & Kenyon Wallace, Star reporters Last week, Ontario expanded eligibility to testing and antiviral treatments such as Paxlovid for high-risk individuals as the sixth wave of COVID continues to gain momentum. Paxlovid is now also available with a prescription at dozens of pharmacies across the GTA. But questions still remain around how to get a dose of the drug, where to find it and why those who need it the most in the hardest hit areas are still finding it a challenge to get a COVID treatment pill that could keep them out of the hospital. Star reporters Megan Ogilvie and Kenyon Wallace have the answer to your most pressing questions. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Heather Scoffield, economics columnist and the Star's Ottawa Bureau Chief. Inflation hit a 31-year high, rising to 6.7 per cent in March, with escalating prices across many sectors. Grocery store and gas bills in particular are where many people are feeling it, and the gas prices have risen almost 40 per cent from a year ago. There are several causes to inflation, but the one thing that experts know is that these higher prices are here to stay for a while. Governments and central banks are doing what they can to temper the spike, like raising interest rates, but it's a very careful balancing game, as that can often lead to a recession.

Guest: Alex Boyd, Toronto Star reporter Almost two years after the first COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Canada, the excitement is somewhat over. Most Canadians are now vaccinated and demand is grinding to a halt. The rush for vaccines has also slowed down considerably after recently lifted mandates. This means that millions of doses are lying unused, just weeks or months away from expiring. And millions of vaccines have been thrown away. Vaccination continues to lag in low-income countries. In the meantime, just how many vaccines are we tossing in the garbage and can Canada actually do anything to prevent this vaccine wastage? This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, professor and satellite imaging specialist at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. Satellites and social media are working together to give new perspectives and viewpoints on the war in Ukraine. The amount and frequency of images, sophistication of technology and ever easier access for researchers and enthusiasts have created a new kind of theatre of war, that is already having ramifications, as it has exposed troop movements and war atrocities. The bigger questions are what kind of effect will it have on conflicts going forward and how could it change things like military tactics, intelligence gathering and how information about conflicts is verified. This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Matt Hearn and Raju Mudhar.

Guest: Ben Spurr, the Star's transportation reporter. It has been a terrible week for tragic events on public transit, with New York City dealing with a subway shooting, a murder outside of Sherbourne station and a woman getting pushed onto the tracks at Yonge station. While these are nightmare scenarios for any transit service, there are all kinds of incidents that occur every year on the TTC, and through a Freedom of Information request, the Star got the data on all of the incidents on the bus network over a five-year period and it tells exactly where the most crimes occurs and who the targets of it are. This episode was produced by Raju Mudhar and Matthew Hearn.

Guest: Wendy Gillis, Star reporter As Toronto Police say the average age of those linked to gun violence continues to drop, Sunnybrook Hospital is taking action because "patching people up and sending them home" isn't working. Today, we are joined by Star reporter Wendy Gillis, who's been following the rollout of the new program designed to stem this tide. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Niki Thay.

Guest: Alex Boyd, Star reporter COVID-19 continues to circulate with the very transmittable Omicron variant BA.2 now dominant, just as most parts of the country have dropped mask mandates, restrictions are lifting and the future is anything but certain. While Omicron cases might be generally less severe for those who are vaccinated, vulnerable people are still at high risk and that's why a fourth round of the vaccine has become available for some. Toronto Star reporter Alex Boyd gives us an explainer on booster shots, how they might be rolled out and whether you or someone you know might need one. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Brian Bradley and Matt Hearn.

Guests: Sara Mojtehedzadeh and Rachel Mendleson, Star reporters While Ontario Premier Doug Ford touted rapid tests as a "game changer" and directed for them to be distributed to hot spot neighbourhoods to help quell the virus, a Star investigation found that only one fifth of 20 million tests ended up in those areas in the first 10 months of the province's taxpayer-funded screening program. In fact, privates schools got more tests than many other industries that were hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. How did this happen? Who else won and lost in the inequitable distribution of these rapid tests? This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Matt Hearn and Raju Mudhar.

Guest: Alex Ballingall, Ottawa Bureau The latest report released by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been damning. It's now or never, as scientists warn the world must cap global greenhouse emissions or risk irreversible damage and the worst effects of climate change. Ottawa has now unveiled an ambitious new $9.1 billion road map to meet Canada's climate targets by 2030. Star reporter Alex Ballingall explains what it's all about and whether it is enough to rise up to the climate challenge. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Jennifer Yang, investigative reporter Even if you're not a dog owner, it is always nice to check out your local dog park to see which furry creatures are out for an afternoon romp. But where do those dogs came from? Toronto Star investigative reporter Jennifer Yang's ongoing investigation about one popular dog rescue in particular, Redemption Paws, sheds some light. Many people adopted pets during the pandemic as companions in an uncertain time, but the relatively unregulated dog rescue industry has spelled disaster for some. Redemption Paws did not respond to a request for an interview for this episode. CEO Nicole Simone previously responded to requests for comment, which can be read here, here and here. An excerpt of a statement provided by Simone can be read here. This episode was produced by Jennifer Pagliaro, Brian Bradley and Matthew Hearn

This Matters is running today's opening day episode of Deep Left Field, the Toronto Star's baseball podcast, with host Mike Wilner. He gets down on the field with the Jays. It's a longer episode today but if you are a Jays fan, you'll want to stick around. Guests: Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette, pitchers Jose Berrios, Alek Manoah and Jordan Romano, catcher Danny Jansen and third base coach Luis Rivera. Plus 10 Questions with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Guest: Dr. Tim Sly, an epidemiologist and professor emeritus from the School of Public Health at Ryerson University Ontario is in the sixth wave of COVID-19. It is not known how many people are infected, but anecdotally, it certainly feels like a lot. With Omicron subvariant BA.2 now dominant and others on the horizon, this is another sign that while we may be sick and tired of COVID-19, this disease does not listen to proclamations that it is over. Despite the lifting of mask mandates, experts say you should take precautions against this wave and it is something we need to take seriously. This episode was produced by Raju Mudhar, Brian Bradley and Sean Pattendon.

Guests: Victoria Gibson, affordable housing reporter, and Gru, a resident of a temporary shelter During the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Toronto leased a number of hotels to augment the number of homeless shelters and allow adequate space between residents. These temporary shelters now account for 27 sites housing over 3,000 people and 40 per cent of people experiencing homelessness in Toronto. Now the leases are coming up and the city is looking at a number of options to take these temporary shelters out of the system, and find a way for the residents to not end up back on the streets.

Guest: Dr. Siddharth Sridhar, virologist at the University of Hong Kong If it feels like suddenly COVID-19 is everywhere again, that is because it probably is. As Ontario's indicators point to a sixth wave, the Omicron variant hit Hong Kong and New Zealand hard within weeks. Its impact could not have been more different. While COVID is spreading at the fastest rate in New Zealand, Hong Kong marked the highest COVID death rates in the world. What's allowing New Zealand better outcomes in managing Omicron and what is driving deaths in Hong Kong? Today we discuss a tale of two countries. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Niki Thay

Guest: Brandi Morin, a French, Cree, Iroquois journalist from Treaty 6, reporting from Rome After a week of historic meetings between the Pope and 32 Métis, Inuit and First Nations delegates, a formal apology has been issued. To a crowd of nearly 200 on Friday morning, Pope Francis apologized for the Catholic Church's role in Canada's residential school system. A system that ripped more than 150,000 indigenous children from their homes and placed them in the care of strangers. A system that led to the deaths of thousands of children, discovered in unmarked graves. Brandi Morin, a French, Cree, Iroquois journalist from Treaty 6, Alberta was in Rome, taking this moment in. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Lauren Haw, CEO and Broker of Record at Zoocasa Spring is usually the busiest time of the year for the real estate market, but many are wondering what this year might look like two years into the COVID-19 pandemic. There are many trends that seem to be turning, and changes like workers returning to the office are starting to take effect. One issue that remains is the lack of inventory of houses to buy. Many hope this season will improve on that situation and the real estate market starts to look a little bit more normal, whatever that looks like now. We chat with a real estate agent about what she thinks the market has in store for us. This episode was produced by Raju Mudhar, Brian Bradley and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Laura Armstrong, sports reporter It almost seems like a fantasy to long-time followers of the sport but the Canadian's Men's National Team has qualified for the World Cup and are heading to Qatar in November. The team has been on a remarkable run, climbing the rankings over the past year and making it so punching their ticket became almost inevitable as opposed to something that has eluded this team for almost four decades. This team looks like it could just be getting started. First, a look back at the journey so far and what comes next. Audio sources: Sportsnet, ONE Soccer

Guest: Robert Benzie and Tonda MacCharles, Star reporters With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford signing on the dotted line confirming the province of Ontario is in, Canada will have a national child-care program for the first time in history. With the province having one of the highest child-care rates in Canada, the federal government has earmarked 13.2 billion for Ontario over six years. Parents could see fees reduced by up to 50 per cent by the end of the year, with costs dropping to as low as $10-a-day by September 2025. The timing couldn't be better. The country's fiscal year-end is this week and the province is just nine weeks out from an election. In this episode, we talked to reporters from the Star's Queen's Park and Ottawa bureaus to unpack the plan, why Ontario took so long and what it means for Canadians. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Brian Bradley and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Rosa Saba and Sara Mojtehedzadeh, Star reporters Jerry Dias was one the most high-profile and well known union leaders in Canada, but now Dias is under investigation for breaching union rules and allegedly accepting money from a supplier and then trying to share it with another employee. The consequences for the former head of Unifor, Canada's largest private sector union, have been swift but there plenty of a questions remain about how and why this happened, as well as what the labour movement can do to root out potential corruption at its highest levels.

Guest: Arthur Brooks, author of the bestselling book, "From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life" What if everything that brought you to success, happiness and satisfaction in the first part of your life does a terrible job to prepare you to find those things in the latter half of it? That's something that Arthur Brooks decided to tackle in his latest book. For all Brooks has accomplished — he's a Harvard professor, columnist at The Atlantic and a bestselling author — the research on this book started out for himself, trying to figure out how to find happiness and fulfilment as he got older. Now he's sharing the results and we discuss his findings. This episode was produced by Raju Mudhar, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Dr. Samantha Nutt, War Child Canada and War Child USA It's been exactly a month since Russia invaded Ukraine. According to the United Nations, more than three million people have been forced to flee. Half of those are children. In addition, Ukrainian officials say more than 100 children have been killed. Children have nothing to do with war and yet it impacts them more than anyone. One in every six children across the world continue to live in active conflict zones, caught up in violence not of their own making. In today's episode, Dr. Samantha Nutt, founder and president of humanitarian organization War Child Canada and War Child USA, joins to look at how children are scarred by war. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Brian Bradley and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Susan Delacourt, national columnist With a deal in hand with the federal NDP, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government will be staying in power until at least 2025. Effective immediately, Trudeau has promised to roll out an NDP plan for dental care, pharmacare, climate change and other policies – all items that have long been on NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh's wish list. Both leaders say they're seeking stability but the move has infuriated Conservatives, with interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen calling it a power grab. Veteran politics reporter and the Star's national columnist Susan Delacourt gives us the view from Ottawa. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn.

Guest: Richard Warnica, business feature writer Ontario's Blue Box paper and plastic recycling program is in the midst of the overhaul, catching up with jurisdictions all over the world by putting more of the responsibility for getting rid of waste packaging on to producers. The made-in-Ontario solution has left no one happy, including industry stakeholders and environmental experts. Both are asking for clarity as deadlines loom to make proposed changes. Will the new regulations gets tossed to the curb, or will they be recycled into something that may work? This episode discusses several parties, including the Ontario government and Green For Life. Below are their responses when asked for comment: "From our perspective, there's no disagreement," he said. "They think that we are the big bad guys that are going to get in and drive up costs significantly once we control the market. And it couldn't be further from the truth." — Patrick Dovigi, founder and CEO of Green For Life Environmental, Ontario's largest waste management company "We are working to deliver a blue box system that will make recycling easier by standardizing what goes in the blue box and expanding services to more communities across the province....We have made sure we have a process that ensures broad collaboration and brings all parties together in pursuit of the best possible recycling system, and one that will be a North American leader." — a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks

Guest: Alyshah Hasham, courts reporter A recent court ruling in Brampton, where a Superior Court judge ordered a man to pay his ex-wife $150,000 in damages for a 16-year pattern of abuse, might change how courts look at domestic violence. In considering such cases "often go beyond assault and battery to include complicated and prolonged psychological and financial abuse," experts say there is a new pathway for survivors to seek fair compensation in the civil courts. The Star's courts reporter Alyshah Hasham explains.

Guest: Katie Daubs, feature writer Many of us have gotten that call from someone saying they are returning your call even though you never dialed their number. Then there are calls about owing money to the Canada Revenue Agency or border security. It's something the scam operators do that's called spoofing, which along with robocalling technology and humans armed with scam scripts are all part of the process of trying to trick people into giving up banking information or other personal data. This kind of phone fraud is a huge problem, and while both authorities and telecommunications companies are trying to tackle it, people still need to be careful, and most importantly, know when to hang up.

Guest: Noor Javed, reporter for The Star who focuses on municipal politics and affairs in the 905 region. As Premier Doug Ford pushes ahead with two major highway projects, how those roadways actually get built is a not-often considered process. Unless, of course, you happen to live next to one of the open-pit mines needed for the gravel to build them. Those residents and environmental activists say there are serious concerns with the growing number of mines across the GTA and a lack of regulations to stop them.

Guest: Karon Liu, food reporter Two years of a pandemic have changed the hospitality industry, including the way we look at labour, essential workers, the way we eat and our relationship with food. The Star's food reporter Karon Liu and food writer Suresh Doss have kept us updated by sharing the best of what the city has to offer our taste buds from a hidden food court at the back of a flea market to a delicious new pierogi spot in an old church basement. Liu joins "This Matters" to discuss the latest pandemic food trends.

Guest: Grant LaFleche, investigative reporter Ontario is the wild west when it comes to regulations for ownership of exotic animals and the running of zoos and other animal exhibitions. This has led to some people opening roadside zoos in rural communities, leaving local governments dealing with all kind of problems including attacks and bites. There is also consideration for the animals, as there are no real requirements for a standard of care or for the owner to have proper animal handling certification. This has led to some gruesome outcomes. Grant LaFleche, an investigative reporter at the St. Catharines Standard and member of The Star's investigations team, joins "This Matters" to talk about Ontario's Tiger King and an exotic animal's grisly death.

Guest: Rob Ferguson, Queen's Park reporter Ontario will be dropping mask mandates in most settings including schools on March 21, right after March break. Ontario's top doctor Kieran Moore cites the province's vaccination rates, decreasing case numbers and a decline in hospitalizations as reasons to ease some of the rules, and has indicated all other COVID public health measures may be lifted at the end of April. Many health professionals are worried the province is moving too fast and have spoken out. There is also a new Omicron subvariant in town to consider. Reporter Rob Ferguson of the Star's Queen's Park Bureau joins "This Matters" to clarify the ground rules come next week and explain why lifting a mask mandate doesn't necessarily mean we should lift our masks mask. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Brian Bradley and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Patricia Lakin-Thomas, York University professor It is time to spring forward! Daylight Saving Time begins this weekend. Clocks shifting ahead an hour on Sunday not only may make you feel a little tired, it's a much bigger deal than you may think. To some scientists, changing the time twice a year — which is not done in large parts of the world — is one of the world's biggest experiments, and generally points to negative outcomes like an increase in heart attacks and traffic accidents. The problems don't end there and thus, there are movements to abolish it. Today we speak to Patricia Lakin-Thomas, a York University biology professor who runs the Clock Lab.

Today, we will be taking you to Ukraine, speaking with those who are trying to escape war, which for some includes leaving their homes, their families and their lives. Journalist Johanna Chisholm reports. This episode was produced by Johanna Chisholm, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Matthew Hearn and Sean Pattendon.

Guest: Jim Williams, president and energy economist at WTRG Economics As the world watches the horrors of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ripple effects are being felt around the globe. With ever harsher sanctions effectively banning Russian imports, including oil, gas prices keep jumping higher as this conflict continues on. But that isn't the only reason why prices have jumped at the pumps. Other factors are a low supply and an increase in demand as the world opens up with pandemic restrictions lifting. Experts say these surging prices could be here for a long time, and while countries and governments search for solutions and more capacity, people should prepare for pain at the pumps for the foreseeable future. This episode was produced by Raju Mudhar, Brian Bradley and Matthew Hearn.

Guest: Lauren Markham, journalist and author As Europe opens its doors to more than two million Ukrainians fleeing the horrific Russian invasion of their country, there are others for whom the doors are not left quite as open. The United Nations refugee convention states that a refugee should not be returned to a country that endangers life or freedom. It is international law, but not all laws are applied equally and sometimes they aren't applied at all. For millions fleeing war, persecution, conflict and climate crises, a new form of brutality awaits them even at the place of refuge. Lauren Markham, a California-based journalist covering migration and author of the 2017 book "The Far Away Brothers," explains why the basic human right of seeking safety is becoming the reason for thousands of deaths.

Today, we are taking you to Novoiavorivsk, a small town outside Lviv, Ukraine near the Polish border. Reporter Johanna Chisholm spent time there over the weekend, speaking with the townspeople on the different ways this war is both tearing them apart and banding them together; the ways in which they attempt to help each other and search inward for personal resolve. People who would ordinarily find themselves clocking in for work are now part of a well-oiled machine sewing balaclavas, watching check points or helping out in any big or small way they can. There's a war raging, and they are finding ways to contribute if they can't be one of the thousands who can pick up arms. Here we bring you the stories from a town on the edge of war and the people who have come together to stand on guard. This episode was produced by Johanna Chisholm, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Matthew Hearn and Sean Pattendon.

Guest: Tonda MacCharles, Ottawa-based reporter covering federal politics When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted about speaking to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday, there was an urgent plea between the lines of the diplomacy: help stop Russia's relentless attack on Ukraine. Canada has rolled out new measures since the assault began, including trade restrictions on Russia, lethal aid for the military and a new fast track to Canada for Ukrainians fleeing the war. But as Europe's greatest security crisis in decades escalates seemingly undeterred by global warnings, the question being raised within Ukraine and around the world is: what will it really take to stop Russia? Tonda MacCharles shares the view from Ottawa. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Brian Bradley and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Dr. Dawn Bowdish, professor of medicine at McMaster University and Canada Research Chair in aging and immunity As many of look ahead to learning to live with COVID-19 and embrace the lifting of restrictions and mask mandates, there are still a lot of people who will have to remain vigilant and live the same type of isolated lives that others have had for the past two years. The immunocompromised, young children who still cannot get vaccinated, people with disabilities and some seniors are all groups that will likely have to keep up precautions and navigate a world that is otherwise ready to move on from the pandemic.

Guest: James Lewis, senior vice president and director, Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Russia has been using cyber attacks on Ukraine for years, and now both sides are escalating their use of technology and information warfare amid the ground conflict. Experts are watching this conflict as there will be new and innovative uses of strategies like hacking and malware to disrupt forces. There are fears such digital warfare could spread to other shores where civilian or military infrastructure could potentially be a target.

Guest: Alex Boyd, reporter for the Toronto Star Canada currently has enough COVID-19 vaccines to double vaccinate the country six times over. That is a bigger stockpile per person than any other country in the world. Granted, not all of those vaccines have been authorized yet, but it's a strategy that has helped ensure a steady supply and helped Canadians get vaccines sooner than others. But a stockpile comes at the expense of other countries who have been left waiting, such as Africa where the vaccination rate is just over 10 per cent. Noting the inequity, scientists in South Africa have turned to making their own vaccines. Star reporter Alex Boyd visited the Afrigen Biologics Facility in Cape Town, where the first M-RNA vaccine prototype was produced. Alex's reporting was made possible by funding from the R. James Travers Corresponding Fellowship, an award that honours the legacy of Canadian journalist Jim Travers. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alex Boyd, Matthew Hearn and Sean Pattendon

Guest: Alex Boyd, reporter for the Toronto Star The excitement in getting a COVID-19 vaccine is something almost 85 per cent of Canadians can relate to and for most of us, the opportunity came and went months ago. But in Angola, a country in southwestern Africa, that moment is only just coming for many people. Like most low-income countries, Angola has struggled to get the vaccine. When the first Canadian shipment of vaccines arrived there last November, 85 per cent of Angolans hadn't even had a first shot yet. Star reporter Alex Boyd was on the ground as vaccines rolled out at last and spoke both to those working around the clock to get vaccines into arms and with those who waited in endless lines to get that one shot. Alex's reporting was made possible by funding from the R. James Travers Corresponding Fellowship, an award that honours the legacy of Canadian journalist Jim Travers. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alex Boyd, Matthew Hearn and Sean Pattendon

In today's episode, we bring you urgent voices from inside the war in Ukraine including a Ukrainian-Canadian father desperate to get his family out, and Sara Firth, a British foreign correspondent in Kyiv. The first conversation in the podcast was edited for clarity and to eliminate any people or place names that could identify our speaker or his family, as we are not revealing his identity for his safety. In what is being considered Europe's greatest security crisis in decades, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday with its military attacking the country from three sides leaving desperate people to flee bombs and bullets, and seek refuge in makeshift bomb shelters. While countries including Canada are responding to the invasion with economic measures and sanctions, Russia continues to proceed into Ukraine with alarming speed. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Brian Bradley and Matthew Hearn with files from Alex McKeen