This Matters

Guest: Toronto Star basketball writer Doug Smith Hosts: Bruce Arthur and Dave Feschuk Five years ago, Masai Ujiri was among the most coveted executives in all of pro sports, his masterstroke trade for Kawhi Leonard landing the Raptors their first NBA title. In the five years since, the franchise has won one playoff series while languishing through less-than-inspiring moments that Ujiri himself has characterized as difficult to watch. In this episode, Arthur, Feschuk and Smith discuss Ujiri's post-championship swoon, including an inability to parlay the offloaded pieces of a title roster into a more formidable collection of assets. Though there are bright spots – including the emergence of Scottie Barnes as the franchise's foundational player – there are also plenty of question marks on the road to a future that's potentially more prosperous. PLUS: Arthur, Feschuk and Smith discuss the highs and lows of the post-championship comedown. This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Sean Pattendon. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Former Toronto Star baseball columnist and Blue Jays PR director Richard Griffin Hosts: Bruce Arthur and Dave Feschuk Mark Shapiro could have been the perfect president of the Toronto Blue Jays. In the eight years since he took over for Paul Beeston, Shapiro has successfully convinced Blue Jays ownership to spend big money on the team, not to mention hundreds of millions in renovations to Rogers Centre and the club's Florida training base. Beyond those improvements, though, the money hasn't produced the desired results, with the Jays still searching for even a modicum of playoff success. In this episode we'll look back on the departure of former GM Alex Anthopoulos, who has since gone on to win a World Series in Atlanta, and the underwhelming outcomes of the seasons since. PLUS: Arthur, Feschuk and Griffin discuss the highlights and low points of the Shapiro era.

Guest: Deborah Dundas, opinion section editor at the Toronto Star A chilling revelation has surfaced almost a month after the death of Canada's literary giant, Alice Munro. Andrea Skinner — who is Munro's daughter — has revealed in the Toronto Star that her stepfather Gerald Fremlin sexually abused her when she was nine years old. She was only able to tell her mother in a letter when she was in her 20s. Her mother chose to remain with Fremlin, even after discovering the abuse. For nearly five decades a conspiracy of silence has loomed over the family — casting a chill over the legacy of Canada's Nobel laureate — and raising questions about how society appears to view and protect its icons while uncomfortable truths and complicit silence lurks just beneath the surface. More than anything else, this is the story of a survivor and her courage to speak out so others might follow. A warning that his episode contains descriptions of child sexual abuse and might be triggering. Please take care while listening. Audio sources: CBC This episode was produced by Sean Pattenden and Saba Eitizaz

Guest: Olivia Chow, mayor of Toronto One year ago, Olivia Chow was elected mayor of Toronto in a victory that signalled optimism in a city where that seemed in short supply. As we approach the annual Pride parade and the Canada Day long weekend (and after a marathon city council meeting), Chow reflects on what she's proudest of and what has been most challenging so far. She also talks about the difficulty of moving people faster, why she thinks she's been misunderstood on whether workers should come back to the office, the controversy over Sankofa Square, and what the city can and cannot do regarding the fate of the Ontario Science Centre. Plus, Chow discusses why she thinks the rental housing measures passed this week are kind of a big deal. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Cait Alexander, artist and social activist In 2022, 184 women were killed violently in Canada. That's one woman killed every 48 hours. More than four million women, 30 per cent of all women aged 15 and older, report that they have experienced sexual assault. It's costing Canada almost $8 billion to deal with the aftermath of spousal violence alone. Is a country that in the past was considered a global champion of human rights, failing to effectively protect women at home? In 2022, the federal government launched a National Action Plan to end gender-based violence. The resultant agreement with several provinces will be seeing $162 million distributed over four years in Ontario alone. But advocates say they're frustrated by the pace of change, if two important pieces of legislation for women currently pending in Ontario is any indication. Over two episodes, we discuss them both. In today's episode: Bill 173 is the Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act, and it calls for intimate partner violence to declared an epidemic in the province. It took a year, but the Ontario government has finally shown its support towards the bill, introduced by the NDP. The bill received a rare standing ovation from all parties in the house after being introduced in April. Last year, similar calls from an inquest into the deaths of three women at the hands of their former partner was rejected by the Ford government. Our guest today, Cait Alexander, was nearly murdered by her partner. Yet he walks free, and she had to leave Canada. The criminal case for her ex-boyfriend, accused of trying to kill her in 2021, was rescheduled twice before it was ultimately dropped due to the Jordan ceiling under the Criminal Code, that ensures everyone charged with an offence has the right to trial within a limited time-frame. If you are a victim of intimate partner violence, there is help. The Star has compiled a list of resources here. This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Saba Eitizaz What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Andrea Gunraj, vice president public engagement, Canadian Women's Foundation In 2022, 184 women were killed violently in Canada. That's one woman killed every 48 hours. More than four million women, 30 per cent of all women aged 15 and older, report that they have experienced sexual assault. It's costing Canada almost $8 billion to deal with the aftermath of spousal violence alone. Is a country that in the past was considered a global champion of human rights, failing to effectively protect women at home? In 2022, the federal government launched a National Action Plan to end gender-based violence. The resultant agreement with several provinces will be seeing $162 million distributed over four years in Ontario alone. But advocates say they're frustrated by the pace of change, if two important pieces of legislation for women currently pending in Ontario is any indication. Over two episodes, we will discuss them both. In today's episode: With more than a thousand cases of sexual assault withdrawn or stayed before trial in 2023, sexual assault survivors are often re-traumatized and victimized by a frustrating reporting process and court system. Seeking to bring more accountability and transparency in the handling of these cases in Ontario, NDP MPP Catherine Fife introduced Bill 180, or Lydia's Law, in the Ontario legislature. But the process hit a snag before summer break when the Ford government sent it back to a committee without debate. The legislation still lingers there now. On "This Matters," we discuss how it could help women experiencing harassment, especially at their workplaces. This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Saba Eitizaz

Guest: Mary Simon, governor general of Canada Gov. Gen. Mary Simon was appointed to her role in 2021, and made history as the first Indigenous person to hold that office. She used her social media to share updates about her work until last year, when the online hate came for her. Her team was forced to close her social media account's comment section because the incoming hate became vile, racist and relentless. Yet in a powerful move, Gov. Gen. Simon took back her story and publicly shared those very comments to shine a light on the rising tide of abuse and online bullying in Canada. In an exclusive virtual conversation with "This Matters," the governor general talks about reconciliation, respect and the fight against online hate. This episode was produced by Sean Pattenden and Saba Eitizaz What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guests: John Degen, novelist, and Peter Gorman, Deputy People's Warden at St. Anne's On June 9, a catastrophic four-alarm fire destroyed St. Anne's Anglican Church in Toronto's Little Portugal neighbourhood. The flames turned valuable paintings that were embedded into the very structure to ashes, including the only know religious artwork made by Canada's famed Group of Seven. With the loss of St. Anne's, Canada has lost a historic site, but the community that built its life around the church has also lost its emotional and spiritual sanctuary. In this episode, two men deeply connected with St. Anne's church talk about what was lost; not just from a historical and cultural perspective but a deeply human one. Audio sources: Global News This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Saba Eitizaz

Guest: Satirical conspiracy theory leader Peter McIndoe It all started when Peter McIndoe, a self-described "obnoxious teenager," went to a women's march and scrawled the most random phrase he could think of on a sign: "Birds Aren't Real." When asked by people around him what he meant, he improvised a whole back story, someone posted a video of him online, and a fake movement was born. He spent a couple of years zigzagging across the U.S. in his van, playing the part of a conspiracy leader, doing interviews and leading crowds of his followers in chants. Many of his fans were in on the joke, while others — including some journalists — did think he was serious. He joins "This Matters" to talk about the challenge of staying in character as a conspiracy leader, how he thinks these movements get sparked, what sustains them. He also talks about why those reasons may not be what you think. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Ben Spurr, city hall bureau chief Can you imagine Toronto without its public transit lifeline? A TTC strike might be looming for the first time in almost 16 years as thousands of transit workers might soon walk off the job and on to the picket line this Friday. Despite months of negotiations on job security, wages and benefits, the TTC management and the union representing about 12,000 workers seems to be in a deadlock. City hall bureau chief Ben Spurr explains the stakes on both sides and what this could mean for Torontonian's commute on Friday. Audio sources: CBC News This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Saba Eitizaz. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: David Miller, former mayor of Toronto Former Toronto Mayor David Miller was always an advocate for the environment. But in the nearly 14 years since he left office he's become one of the world's great networkers for climate solutions, bringing together mayors from 96 cities to share policy ideas, programs and practices. In this episode of "This Matters," Miller discusses why municipal governments are best positioned to rapidly deploy climate solutions and the ways he's seen mayors make outsized impacts far beyond the boundaries of their cities by "hacking" their position to reduce emissions. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Shawn Micallef, contributing columnist and author of "Stroll: Pyschogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto" In 2010, journalist Shawn Micallef first published his book of observations, suggestions and civic history gleaned from years of wandering around the city and paying close attention to what he saw. In the 14-years since, as Micallef became a freelance columnist for The Star, the book has been a perennial local favourite, running through several press runs. This week, a new, updated edition launches, for which he re-walked all of the terrain and revised to note how the city has changed in small and large ways. From the ravines to and entirely new neighbourhood, he talks about what one can learn about a city, and how you can grow to both love it and demand change from it, just by strolling around. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guests: Journalists Samira Mohyeddin and Christopher Curtis Student protests that first erupted across the United States have now spread northward, igniting across Canada, including campuses at University of Toronto, McGill University, University of British Columbia and University of Alberta among others. The students say they want to end a war that's claimed more than 34,000 Palestinian lives, according to local officials, destroyed or damaged every university in Gaza and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. The recent Israeli offensive against Gaza began after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants which killed almost 1,200 Israelis with dozens still held hostage. The students are specifically calling for universities to cut all financial and academic ties with any Israeli company or campus that supports the military or illegal West Bank settlements based on international law. In this episode we take a look at what's going inside the University of Toronto and McGill University campuses through the eyes of two independent journalists, Samira Mohiyeddin and Christopher Curtis, co-founder of The Rover, who have been reporting from within the encampments. Audio sources: CBC News, Samira Mohyeddin, Christopher Curtis, Lance McMillan This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Paulo Marques and Saba Eitizaz With files from Marco Chown Oved What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Toronto PWHL season ticket holder and superfan Connie Hamers At the inaugural game of Toronto's professional women's hockey team, Connie Hamers had front-row seats, and immediately took a liking to the play of rookie Emma Maltais. By game two, she'd labelled her section "Emma Nation" and began bringing team swag she made (or had made) herself — signs, team roster reference lists, mini-sticks, hockey cards — to games to distribute freely to others sitting around her. She travelled with the team to other cities, founded a social media fan group, and quickly became one of the most well-recognized and liked people in attendance at games. As the team prepares for its first-ever playoffs, she sits down with fellow season ticket holder Edward Keenan to discuss a first-place finish for the team, the astonishing MVP-calibre performance of Natalie Spooner, what she loves about Maltais, why she has put so much time and energy into supporting and helping promote the team, and what she's looking forward to in the playoffs. Plus, Hamers shares how she left her "Emma Nation" mark in places around the U.S. and Canada. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guests: Jasmine Eastmond, Tristan Kim and Kristin Rushowy The Ontario government has announced a crackdown on cellphones and vaping in schools, new regulations that are being seen as some of the toughest in Canada. According to Education Minister Stephen Lecce, the new government policy for cellphones, with some exceptions, is out of sight, out of mind. With this new move to ban cellphone use in classrooms, Ontario has joined a global movement with similar restrictions being imposed in the UK, Australia, France and some Scandinavian countries. There are many questions about enforcement and effectiveness, chief among them: how are teachers going to keep young people away from their phones in an increasingly digital ecosystem? Audio sources: CP24 This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Saba Eitizaz. With files from Emily Fagan

Guest: Betsy Powell, courts reporter After the death of police Const. Jeffrey Northrup, the trial of Umar Zameer for first degree murder galvanized attention (and political rage) in the Toronto area. Now that he's been found not guilty, people are left with questions about a prosecution that always seemed to be based on flimsy grounds. Reporter Betsy Powell covered the case for the Star from its beginnings to its conclusion, and spoke one-on-one with Zameer following the verdict. Now on "This Matters," she shares her overview of the case, how the judge had expressed skepticism all along and the rare apology that judge issued to the defendant. We also share Zameer's own reflections on the trial from Powell's interview. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Sophie Grégoire Trudeau Even before Sophie Grégoire Trudeau married Prime Minister Justin Trudeau she was an advocate for mental health, openly sharing her personal struggles with eating disorders. She discusses her new book. She shares those struggles afresh, along with tales of her parents, her schooling, her relationships, in her new book, "Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other," which she describes as a personal journey toward empowerment.

We asked three published, award-winning Toronto poets to weigh in on Swift's literary merit at a listening party on the album's release day. The assignment: dissect three new songs as though Swift were a writer workshopping new pieces. Guests: Sanna Wani, a poet and poetry editor whose latest book, "My Grief The Sun," was released in 2022; Jody Chan's most recent volume of poems, "impact statement," came out earlier this year and they are an artist-in-residence at the University of Toronto's Queer and Trans Research Lab; Adam Dickinson, an author of four books of poetry and a professor in the Department of English language at Brock University.

Guests: Leena Usman, Pino Buffone and Kris Rushowy In what could be a landmark lawsuit in Canada, at least five major Ontario school boards are taking some of the largest social media companies to court over their platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, alleging they have been designed in a way that's almost "rewiring" the way children behave. The allegations have yet to be proven in court, and there is no set date for when they will be heard, but they are now joining a wave of U.S. school districts doing the same. We find out more about this lawsuit and examine the implications for online safety, digital responsibility and the future of social media regulation. Plus, Gen-Zer Leena Usman shares her lived experience of what it's like on the social media front lines. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Salman Rushdie, author It has been almost two years since celebrated author Salman Rushdie was attacked on a stage in Erie, New York as he was about to deliver a lecture. In an assault that lasted 27 seconds, a knife went through his right eye and optical nerve, while wounds to his tongue, neck and hand left him a changed man. Salman shares details of the attack — and his recovery — in his new memoir, "Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder." As interviews for the book are in full swing, Salman tells The Star that any fears of being onstage had long faded. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Anuradha Dugal, Vice President Community Initiatives at the Canadian Women's Foundation Equal Pay Day is recognized internationally as a day of action, calling on stakeholders to advance women's economic activity. It symbolizes how much longer women have had to work to catch up to what their male colleagues have earned in the previous year. Showing that women in Canada have worked nearly 16 months to earn what men make in 12. The needle hasn't budged on gender pay inequity in almost three decades. And no one is minding the gender pay gap. We take a look at why, and what it will take to change things.

Guest: Olivia Chow, mayor News over the last couple of weeks around city hall has been heavy on tax worries and mix-ups — thousands of bills sent out for vacant home taxes for occupied properties and concerns about a proposed stormwater fee. Mayor Olivia Chow explains what she thinks went wrong and how she plans to fix it (and "start from scratch" on the vacant home system). She also discusses her plan to deal with the growing number of homeless encampments in parks that have spread around the city, recent Toronto Police Association criticism of her about a letter some councillors signed, provincial and federal announcements on housing, and what the city should be doing about dangerous dogs. Plus, Chow shares how she herself had to appeal a vacant home tax bill on her own house. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Thousands of property owners across the city got bills this week for vacant home taxes applying to homes they live in. Today, hosts Ed Keenan and Emma Teitel try to understand the comprehensive fiasco in the implementation of the policy. They also talk about the much-feared "rain tax" that will now go back for further study, about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's attempts to announce his way out of his problems and what to do about dangerous dogs in Toronto. Plus, it is IIHF World Women's Championship time! What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Nicholas Keung, immigration reporter The federal government is scaling back on the number of temporary residents and foreign workers in Canada while trying to boost access to permanent residence for those already here. Earlier, similar curbing measures were introduced for international students as well. While the government is framing these new, more restrictive immigration measures as a solution to a burgeoning housing and affordability crisis and to rein in population growth, there are also some concerns that immigrants have become scapegoats for domestic problems. So what are the new rules for foreign workers in Canada and what will they mean for Canadians and prospective Canadians? This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guests: Sheila Wang and Morgan Sevareid-Bocknek, investigative reporters They're called "lunch hour facelifts," cosmetic touch-ups without the surgery. But if you are rethinking your lunch plans, you might want to think again. A recent Star investigation found a lot of these procedures are not as advertised. Across Canada, spas and medical clinics are offering the popular medical procedure marketed as a safe, minimally invasive treatment. But as service providers compete for customers on TikTok and Instagram, showing supposedly incredible results, some of them are making misleading claims about the quality and effectiveness of the threads they use on patients and soft-peddling the potential risks. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Toronto Star climate reporter Kate Allen Canada is the leader in maple syrup production and Quebec's maple syrup producers maintain a strategic reserve stockpile that in recent years held over 100 million pounds of the sweet stuff, but levels have this year dwindled to less than 7 million pounds. Star reporter Kate Allen wrote a feature on this topic and explains how the explanation has something (surprisingly) to do with the pandemic, something (interestingly) to do with successful marketing, and something (maybe) to do with larger climate trends. And she answers the question on all of our minds: Are we going to run out anytime soon?

Guest: Richard Warnica, staff reporter The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was a massive component of the port city's entire transportation network, and in a matter of moments this week, it collapsed after being struck by a container ship. The Star's Richard Warnica reports from the scene, explaining his reflections on standing next to the bridge that used to be there and just isn't any more, and the massive wreckage of the ship. It's an event that has massive implications for the city in the immediate aftermath and the longer term, and raises questions across the continent about the vulnerability of our infrastructure. It also makes us reflect on the impermanence of even the most solid features of our urban landscapes. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Noor Javed, staff reporter When Bonnie Crombie was elected leader of the Ontario Liberals, she left the mayor's chair in Mississauga vacant. That means that for the first time since the 1970s, no one is certain who will lead the city next. An election with real choice comes at an interesting time for a municipality that, fifty years after it was created, has grown into a big city and a big economy, one that the Star's Noor Javed explains is wrestling with questions of what it should become and how it should evolve. We discuss the leading candidates in the byelection coming in June and look at recent polling on the race. This episode was produced by Paolo Marques and Edward Keenan. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Brendan Kennedy, investigative reporter The evidence is overwhelming and it's the government's own research. Getting any education while incarcerated reduces the rate of recidivism by as much as 30 per cent. It's more than double that for inmates who get a post-secondary education. Government officials confirm that at least some education beyond the high school level is key to a successful reintegration into society. Yet taking university or college courses inside Canadian prisons has become extremely difficult, and in some cases impossible, because the federal government does not allow prisoners access to the internet, in an education ecosystem that's now almost completely online. It is a Catch-22 situation and one that other countries have navigated successfully. Then why does Canada lag behind in providing adequate higher education opportunities for its incarcerated population? This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

This Matters is pleased to publish episodes of the Toronto Star's podcast, "Road Trip: Electric Avenues," every Saturday. This week, we are proud to share the final episode in the series: When we started this podcast, we really wanted to visit each step of the EV production process to show a complete picture of the supply chain, but in the end, we couldn't seal the deal. First off, the cam and cathode production isn't coming to Ontario. Right now, it's all being built in Bécancour, Quebec. And while there are plans to retool auto assembly plants to make EVs, there's currently only one that's operational — the GM electric delivery van plant in Ingersoll — and when we asked to visit, we found out it had been shut down due to supply chain snags. So instead, our final stop is North Bay where they are making specialty EVs for the mining industry. Toronto Star photographer Steve Russell and climate change reporter Marco Chown Oved went on a road trip through northern Ontario in the dead of winter. It was cold, blizzarding and icy. They travelled 2,300 km during the coldest week of the year. And they did it in an electric vehicle (EV).

After The Star revealed many details of Toronto's secret contract with FIFA for hosting the World Cup, the preparations led off the city council meeting this week. We talk about what we've learned and what we still don't know. Council also passed a resolution to turn surface parking lots into housing, which led to yet another episode of War on the Car rhetoric. Plus, were protests targeting a city councillor this week out of line? What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Susan Delacourt, politics columnist Former prime minister Brian Mulroney died late last month, and through this week as he's lain in state, columnist Susan Delacourt has watched the long lines of dignitaries and functionaries who've come to greet his family and pay their respects. Delacourt walks us through her own memories and reflections from covering Mulroney's years in office, including the infamous "roll the dice" interview that some people think sunk the Meech Lake accord and made 1990 one of the most consequential years in Canadian history. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

This Matters is pleased to publish episodes of the Toronto Star's podcast, "Road Trip: Electric Avenues," every Saturday. The next episode will be available next week here, or already in the Road Trip feed. This week, we are proud to share episode five: While China dominates the EV supply chain today, the ranking — put out by Bloomberg — really looks at the future and singles out Canada for having better environmental and labour standards, as well as a robust automotive sector and vast mineral deposits. But battery manufacturing itself is still in its infancy. There are plans to build three battery plants in Canada — Volkswagen in St. Thomas, Northvolt in Saint-Basile-le-Grand and NextStar in Windsor. NextStar was the first battery plant announced and is the furthest along, and while it's not up and running yet, they agreed to show us around. Toronto Star photographer Steve Russell and climate change reporter Marco Chown Oved went on a road trip through northern Ontario in the dead of winter. It was cold, blizzarding and icy. They travelled 2,300 km during the coldest week of the year. And they did it in an electric vehicle (EV).

Guest: Megan Ogilvie, health reporter A global surge in measles has made its way to Canada, where there's been almost twice as many cases just three months into this year than in all of 2023. Just in Ontario, as of Wednesday, public health officials have confirmed eight measles cases. Last year, there were seven cases in total for the entire year. Cases have now also been confirmed in Quebec, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. What does this mean for us and what do we need to know about measles vaccines? The Star's health reporter Megan Ogilvie answers some of these questions. Audio Sources: Global News This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques.

Toronto Star national columnist Susan Delacourt recently had her X account (the platform formerly known as Twitter) hacked. It compromised her entire digital life, from her sensitive emails to her banking information, even her phone number and home address. The hacker tried to blackmail her and appeared to be targeting her for her work as a journalist. While the "fake Susan" continues to be active on X, it's the real Susan that had to leave. This is the story of a hacking, what happens when someone tries to fix the situation and what this shows us about our disturbing and dystopian digital future. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

This Matters is pleased to publish episodes of the Toronto Star's podcast, "Road Trip: Electric Avenues," every Saturday. The next episode will be available next week here, or already in the Road Trip feed. This week, we are proud to share episode four: Steel is one of the biggest emitters of carbon in the world. Currently, steelmaking is responsible for seven to nine percent of total global emissions. That's about 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon — or four times more than all the emissions produced in Canada. And because most steel is made by melting down iron using coal, it's very hard to decarbonize. In Sault Ste. Marie, Algoma Steel is transitioning its 100 year old coke oven and blast furnaces to electric arc furnace technology. It's a change that will cut its carbon emissions by 70 per cent. Since Ontario's electricity grid is so clean, Algoma Steel will become some of the cleanest steel on the planet. It's already being used in EVs and will soon make its way into electrical towers and infrastructure used to build the clean economy. Toronto Star photographer Steve Russell and climate change reporter Marco Chown Oved went on a road trip through northern Ontario in the dead of winter. It was cold, blizzarding and icy. They travelled 2,300 km during the coldest week of the year. And they did it in an electric vehicle (EV).

Earlier this year, it seemed like the dream of a WNBA team in Toronto had died, but recent news revives the possibility, even if it won't come until at least 2026. Speaking of sports in 2026, there's more news about Toronto's agreement to co-host the FIFA World Cup, and more to discuss about how costs are going to be shared. Ed wrote about a transportation miracle on King Street, and Emma discusses why a long-dormant disease should unite federal politicians. Plus, Toronto's great Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) winning streak. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guests: Tracy Moore of Cityline and Meredith Shaw of Breakfast Television Fat. Flattering. Big boned. Curvy. March 8 is International Women's Day and to mark it we're breaking down the negative ways we talk about women's bodies. Most women are familiar with body shaming — none more so than women in the public eye. Meredith Shaw and Tracy Moore join us to talk about their own self-acceptance journeys, how they handle nasty viewer comments and whether they wish they could stop talking about it altogether. This episode was produced by Rani Sheen, JP Fozo, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Paulo Marques What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

This Matters is pleased to publish episodes of the Toronto Star's podcast, "Road Trip: Electric Avenues," every Saturday. The next episode will be available next week here, or already in the Road Trip feed. Ontario is virtually unique in the world. Thanks to plentiful natural resources, clean energy and a large automotive sector, it has every stage in the EV supply chain right here at home. In theory, the province could mine the metals, make the batteries, produce the steel and assemble the electric car entirely in the province. But to plot a way to a more prosperous and environmentally responsible future, we need to look at our past. That's why we headed to Cobalt, one of Ontario's biggest mining boom towns, where great wealth was hauled out of the ground for more than a century, and now, very little remains. In episode three, we meet up with Charlie Angus, the local MP, former punk rocker, journalist and amateur historian. Toronto Star photographer Steve Russell and climate change reporter Marco Chown Oved went on a road trip through northern Ontario in the dead of winter. It was cold, blizzarding and icy. They travelled 2,300 km during the coldest week of the year. And they did it in an electric vehicle (EV).

Guest: Dr. Tara Kiran, national lead for OurCare, scientist at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto A nationwide health-care crisis has led a group of medical researchers to criss-cross the country to hear how Canadians would fix primary care, the front door of the health system. It's called the OurCare project, the largest initiative of this kind, and through it medical researchers have surveyed close to 10,000 people from across Canada to ask them about their access to a family doctor and what is most important to them in their primary health care. We take a look at some of those answers. You can read more about this nation-wide project and also take a quiz find out how your primary care measures up here. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

This Matters is pleased to publish the first episode of the Toronto Star, TVO and IJB collaborative podcast, The Ultimate Choice. The podcast follows the journey of Michael and his wife, Ann. Michael, housebound by pain and incurable disease, sees his choice for a medically assisted death (MAID) as a powerful solution to his suffering. The series explores Michael's motivations and how his decision affects his family, friends, and longtime doctor. Hosted by Toronto Star investigative reporter Rob Cribb, the podcast also challenges him to come to terms with his own family history as he dives into this highly charged story. Both a portrait of a family's autonomy and a hard-hitting exposé, The Ultimate Choice reveals the political and ethical stakes behind Canada's debate to expand MAID like never before. In episode 1, The Request, Rob Cribb starts tracking down how Michael got to the point of wanting to end his life. Who will help him? Rob's own family history emerges. This story is more personal than he ever imagined. You can listen to all six episodes at the Toronto Star, at TVO or wherever you listen to your podcasts. The Ultimate Choice is a co-production of TVO Today, the Toronto Star, the Investigative Journalism Bureau, and Piz Gloria Productions.

This Matters is pleased to publish episodes of the Toronto Star's podcast, Road Trip: Electric Avenues, every Saturday. The next episode will be available next week here, or already in the Road Trip feed. In episode 2, we visit a cobalt refinery in Cobalt, Ont. that's running on renewable power and doubling as a battery recycling plant. Electra Battery Materials bought the plant in 2018 and five years on, they've got the first cobalt refinery in North America, the only alternative for EV manufacturers who currently get their cobalt refined in China. Toronto Star photographer Steve Russell and climate change reporter Marco Chown Oved went on a road trip through northern Ontario in the dead of winter. It was cold, blizzarding and icy. They travelled 2,300 km during the coldest week of the year. And they did it in an electric vehicle (EV).

The first episode of "Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent" aired this week, and we agree the city not only looked like itself, but looked beautiful too. But beautiful or not, this is still a very expensive place to live, and a new report shows it's dragging down quality of life across the board. Does the Chow/Ford announcement this week offer any hope of change? Meanwhile, we discuss Emma's column about Pierre Poilievre's pathetic porno politics. Plus, clarifying some comments on the police department and the budget issue. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Richard Warnica, Toronto Star feature writer Richard Warnica sees it everywhere – business meetings, the subway, even at his own dinner table – the blank-eyed stare of someone mindlessly scrolling their smartphone. These devices, despite their increasingly documented negative effects on our mental health, have us firmly in their grips, and their utility and ubiquity makes it hard to envision how we'll ever kick the habit. But once upon a time, most of us smoked, too, and virtually everywhere (on planes, trains, at work, in restaurants…). Will we one day look back on this the same way? PLUS: How Warnica deals with it at home by thinking inside the (locked) box. This episode was produced by Paulo Marques, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Edward Keenan.

This Matters is pleased to publish episodes of the Toronto Star's podcast, Road Trip: Electric Avenues, every Saturday. The next episode will be available next week here, or already in the Road Trip feed. Toronto Star photographer Steve Russell and climate change reporter Marco Chown Oved went on a road trip through northern Ontario in the dead of winter. It was cold, blizzarding and icy. They travelled 2,300 km during the coldest week of the year. And they did it in an electric vehicle (EV). Sudbury, Ont., has some of the richest nickel deposits in the world and is already supplying some battery makers. In the future, Canadian nickel could replace the critical minerals needed for the huge batteries that power EVs, which currently come from some pretty awful places. Join us for Episode 1 and a trip 2.5 km underground in one of Canada's oldest mines.

On Valentine's Day, hours before the Toronto women's hockey team continued its rise in the standings, city council met to debate the mayor's budget. Police got the money they were demanding: was that a good move or bad move by the mayor? And who knew plowing out the end of driveways would be the cause that united everyone? Meanwhile, a tax increase that was for years considered the third rail of Toronto politics seems less electric now that it's done. PLUS: Emma's most controversial architecture opinion. Audio Source: Global News This episode was produced by Paulo Marques, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Emma Teitel and Edward Keenan. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guests: Angelyn Francis and Kevin Jiang Deepfakes are the latest manifestation of artificial intelligence-generated technology. They are false, but very lifelike, AI generated images of real people. Last month, deepfake pornographic images of Taylor Swift were viewed tens of millions of times on X, formerly known as Twitter, before being removed. The incident is raising serious concerns among experts who say the technology is being misused and often fuelled by misogyny, flooding the internet unchecked and unregulated. Angelyn Francis and Kevin Jiang, journalists in the Star's digital department, join "This Matters" to discuss and share a newsroom quiz on what's real and what's AI and offer some tips on how to spot an AI deepfake image. Audio sources: CBC News This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques with support from Angelyn Francis and Kelsey Wilson. Special thanks to McKenna Hart, Jim Rankin and Mahdis Habibinia. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Jennifer Pagliaro, staff reporter When the proposed city budgets were announced (first by city staff and later by the mayor), the police chief and the association representing officers went on the offensive, threatening that funding levels would leave them unable to answer emergency calls and protect Torontonians. In the end, the cops got what they were asking for with the cooperation of the mayor, but the Star's Jennifer Pagliaro looked into the claims being made and answers our questions about when a cut is not a cut, what 911 response times mean, and how small a percentage of the total budget was actually up for debate. PLUS: A different way to cut emergency response times to calls about crime. Audio Sources: CP24 This episode was produced by Edward Keenan, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Sean Pattendon and Paulo Marques. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

In a cross-over episode of Toronto Star podcasts, This Matters' Ed Keenan interviews Road Trip: Electric Avenues' Marco Chown Oved, the Star's climate change reporter. He and photographer (and EV owner) Steve Russell embarked upon a week-long road trip – in an EV, of course – to visit sites around the province that will figure in this cleantech future.

It's been one year since John Tory announced his surprise resignation and what difference those 12 months have made at city hall, never more in evidence than in the budget scheduled to be passed next week. We discuss what's changed, why Mayor Olivia Chow seemed so pleased with the federal refugee funding, a prebudget meeting of council and more. As well, Premier Doug Ford deserves (partial) credit where it is due. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.