This Matters

Guest: Jacques Gallant, courts and justice reporter The Ford government is facing accusations of patronage for bringing back the King's Counsel (K.C. for short) special designation for lawyers and awarding it to numerous Tory politicians, staffers and loyalists. Meant to be "given to lawyers who have demonstrated a commitment to the pursuit of legal excellence in service to the Crown, the public and their communities," the government's move provoked significant reaction as the list of appointees included Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney, who had just been called to the bar in Ontario days before. Further, The Star revealed that more than a dozen lawyers who received the K.C. honour had recently donated to Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey's election campaign. Jacques Gallant, a crime and justice reporter, joins "This Matters" to talk about the Ford King's Counsel move. This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Brian Bradley.

Guest: Paris Marx, author and host of "Tech Won't Save Us" podcast Threads, Meta's new social media app that is being called the "Twitter killer" by some experts, has now become the fastest growing app in history with 100 million new users since it was officially launched on July 5. Many see it as a sign of social media user's disenchantment with Twitter after the platform went through a series of controversial and unpopular changes since tech giant Elon Musk took over. Threads is being marketed as the "saner" version of Twitter, but many are not convinced, considering Meta's own controversial history with a far-reaching private data policy and allegations involving amplifying disinformation and hate speech. Meanwhile, Twitter has threatened legal action against Meta accusing the company of stealing trade secrets to create a copycat app. We unravel some of the Threads drama. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Sean Pattendon.

This episode originally aired January 9, 2023. Guest: Jim Rankin, staff reporter Twenty years ago, the Star published a landmark and controversial investigation examining data that showed police interaction with racialized people occurred at a higher rate, kicking of years of stories that reinforced this initial conclusion. This past year, after looking at their own data, acting Toronto police chief James Ramer apologized for police interactions with the Black community. The problems persist through all areas of law enforcement despite the acknowledgments. This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar. Audio source: CBC and Globe and Mail

This episode originally aired June 2, 2023. Guest: David Suzuki, world-renowned geneticist and environmentalist Before the Paris Agreement, before the Kyoto Protocol, before even the UN Climate Convention was signed in Rio, world-renowned geneticist and environmentalist David Suzuki was ringing the alarm bell and saying that climate change is a "matter of survival." In this episode, Suzuki joins "This Matters" guest host and climate reporter Marco Chown Oved to discuss the state of today's environmental movement and where it needs to go. Audio sources: CBC This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Marco Chown-Oved and Paulo Marques

This episode originally aired April 21, 2023. Two years ago, Cowessess First Nation announced the discovery of 715 unmarked graves near the site of a former residential school. The news shocked the world and ignited a national conversation on Canada's colonial history. At the centre was Chief Cadmus Delorme, a young and vibrant leader, who came to office wanting to show that an Indigenous world view could work with, and even improve, Western-style development. Delorme had no idea that he would become the centre of a national reckoning on residential schools. He joins the podcast to discuss what it means to lead a modern first nation and why he's stepping down after seven years. Audio sources: CBC, CPAC, Global News This episode was produced by Alex Boyd, Alexis Green and Paolo Marques.

This episode was originally broadcast April 18, 2023. Guest: Jeremy Hansen, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Col. Jeremy Hansen, a CAF fighter pilot and Canadian Space Agency astronaut, has been named to NASA's Artemis II mission, the first scheduled crewed mission of the Space Launch System with the Orion spacecraft. It will leave Earth's orbit and perform a lunar flyby, the first time people have travelled by the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972 and the first time a Canadian has reached deep space. It's an ambitious flight, an assignment he says he is still getting his head around as he pulls from all of his experiences to prepare. Why should this mission get Canada's attention and why is it important? What is Canada doing in space? The rookie space flyer explains. This episode was produced by Raju Mudhar, Brian Bradley and Paulo Marques. Audio sources: NASA

Guest: Raisa Patel, Ottawa Bureau Google has announced plans to block all Canadian news content from its platforms and the ramifications are huge. The move is in response to the just-passed Online News Act, which would force platforms to strike deals with Canadian media publishers for sharing, previewing and directing users to online content. Some news organizations, including Torstar, lobbied Ottawa in favour of the legislation and have had deals in place with Google and Meta (who have said they will also block access to news on Facebook and Instagram), but Google's move is a game changer with major implications. This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Brian Bradley.

Guests: The Toronto Star All-Star Opinionator Panel, featuring columnists Emma Teitel, Shawn Micallef, Matt Elliott and guest host Edward Keenan Now that the election is done, our panel of columnists gathers one last time to assess what the heck happened and discuss Olivia Chow's mandate, what her winning Scarborough means, what Ontario Premier Doug Ford (and others) lost by going against her and the hard work that lies ahead. This episode was produced by Paolo Marques and Edward Keenan.

Guest: Michael Oscars, talent agent and theatre producer Drag is increasingly a target of hate and criticism across the world, looped into far-right hysteria, "freedom" convoy protesting and narratives about child safety. It is an unusual turn of perspective when drag has always been part of our popular culture, including our local popular culture and arts scene in Toronto. Drag performers have also been part of causes for good, including activism and fundraising. Drag does have a place in the bar scene but it has also long-been in some of our most mainstream television, film and theatre productions. Michael Oscars, a Canadian talent agent and theatre producer, joins "This Matters" to share what the art form is about and some of its history. This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Brian Bradley. Audio Sources: CBC, USA Today, SuchisLifeVideos/YouTube, Soundstripe

Guests: Toronto Star columnists and guest hosts Emma Teitel and Edward Keenan When Olivia Chow won the mayoral election Monday night, she ended 12 years of Conservative rule at city hall, bringing a message of hope, harnessing hunger for change and riding a bicycle festooned with flowers. Ed and Emma recap how she won the election, discuss Ana Bailão's last-minute surge, discuss the performance and prospects of some of the other candidates, and try to assess the difficulty Chow faces now that she's taking office. This episode was produced by Paolo Marques and Edward Keenan

Guest: Tracy Morley, executive director at Camp Awakening, and Joshua Chong, staff reporter The Toronto Star's Fresh Air Fund has provided thousands of children and teens with a memorable summer holiday since 1901. Begun by former publisher Joseph Atkinson, the fund provides grants to camp organizations to subsidize fees for financially or medically vulnerable youth who otherwise couldn't have the experience. Our readers and listeners have a large part in this, funding the effort with generous donations. To learn more about what The Star and our readers are part of, we welcome an executive director of a camp organization that has been the recipient of Fresh Air Fund funding and a Toronto Star staff reporter who had a life changing experience at camp after arriving in Canada from Singapore. How to donate: With your gift, the Fresh Air Fund can help send thousands of kids to camp. These children will get to take part in a camp experience they will cherish for a lifetime. Online: To donate by Visa, Mastercard or Amex use our secure form. By cheque: Mail to The Toronto Star Fresh Air Fund, 8 Spadina, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8 By phone: Call 416-869-4847 Tax receipts will be issued. FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL: Instagram: @torontostarchildrenscharities Facebook: @thetorontostarchildrenscharities Twitter: @TStarCharities LinkedIn: The Toronto Star Children's Charities #StarFreshAirFund This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Brian Bradley.

Guests: Toronto Star City Hall Bureau Chief David Rider, and reporters Alyshah Hasham and Ben Spurr, join guest host Edward Keenan Just before the final weekend of the Toronto mayoral campaign, Premier Doug Ford and former Mayor John Tory told us who they're voting for. The fact that they did it at all was a bigger surprise than the names they came up with. How much difference can it make at this late stage? Our panellists look back on the campaign that was, the post-election prospects for councillors and the unknowns they'll be looking at on an election day where the question might be "who and what is Toronto for?" This episode was produced by Ed Keenan and Crawford Blair.

Guest: Katharine Lake Berz, freelance journalist Are criminals using laced drugs to target and murder people? With overdose deaths more than quadrupling from 2016 to 2021 in the Niagara region and investigations ongoing, some say that some of the once-believed accidental deaths may have actually been caused by ingestion of "hot shots" (a recreational drug intentionally laced with a lethal substance, like fentanyl). Homicides disguised as an overdose are hard to prove. There's no set threshold for authorities to investigate an overdose death that might be suspicious and these cases are incredibly hard to prove. This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Guest: Matthew Van Dongen, transportation reporter at The Hamilton Spectator Light rail transit has long been considered a cheaper public transit option, especially when compared to building subways, but many projects are skyrocketing in costs. In Toronto, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT has been bogged down in all kinds of problems and, as we have learned, its problems are not isolated. Other transit development projects in Hamilton and Waterloo are bogged down with their own issues as they continue to get more expensive to build. This episode was produced by Paulo Marques, Brian Bradley and Raju Mudhar.

Guest: Nicholas Keung, immigration reporter While Canada is in the process of welcoming nearly 1.5 million permanent residents by the end of 2025, Statistics Canada data raises the question whether the country is doing an equally good job of keeping them here. A conservative estimate of 15 to 20 per cent of immigrants leave the country within 10 years. As many new Canadians struggle with systemic barriers, finding the right jobs and the increasingly-high cost of living, how many will make the difficult decision to give up on their Canadian dream and leave for greener pastures? How do we retain them in a country striving to grow its population and economy? This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques.

Guests: Toronto Star City Hall Bureau Chief David Rider, and reporters Alyshah Hasham and Ben Spurr, join guest host Edward Keenan One week before election day, undecided Toronto voters are wrestling with the choice of who to vote for as the city's next mayor. To help, we've assembled the reporters of the Toronto Star's city hall bureau, who have been covering the campaign. Together they go over the latest poll results that show Olivia Chow with a more commanding lead than ever and tackle questions from readers on provincial relations, public space, budget issues, who gets to keep their job while they run, who gets coverage and other issues. This episode was produced by Ed Keenan and Paulo Marques.

Guests: Denise Balkissoon, Ontario Bureau Chief for The Narwhal, speaks with guest host Edward Keenan In the final weeks of the mayoral election campaign, journalist Denise Balkissoon wrote a piece for The Local looking at the environmental platforms of the major mayoral candidates and mostly found them wanting. She joins Edward Keenan to walk through the promises and approaches of front-runners including Olivia Chow, Mark Saunders, Josh Matlow and Mitzie Hunter, and talks about a sense of resignation not just about the issue but about quality of life in Toronto. This episode was produced by Ed Keenan and Sean Pattendon.

Guest: Edith Lemay and Sébastien Pelletier When Edith Lemay and Sebastien Pelletier learned three of their four children have a genetic disorder and will lose their sight, they turned their devastation into an opportunity and found joy in travel around the world. They have travelled everywhere from Zambia and Tanzania to Mongolia and Nepal, exploring and finding new experiences to help their kids build a visual memory. They join "This Matters" to share their journey and the life lessons they have made along the way, all through the eyes their children. This episode was produced by Paulo Marques, Sean Pattendon and Brian Bradley. Audio sources: Edith Lemay

Guests: The Toronto Star All-Star Opinionator Panel, featuring columnists Emma Teitel, Shawn Micallef, Matt Elliott and guest host Edward Keenan With less than two weeks to go before the election, candidates are making their closing pitches to voters and in this campaign, a surprising number of those involve claims to be the only candidate to beat Olivia Chow. Our Toronto Star All-Star Opinionator Panel talks about some of claims and assesses their credibility, including a comical trip into Mark Saunders' website FAQ. The panel also discusses the potential for surprises, which losing candidate might still come out ahead in the long run and a range of other ballot-box issues. This episode was produced by Ed Keenan and Sean Pattendon.

Guest: Sherwin Modeste, executive director of Pride Toronto Toronto's Pride festival is up against some financial challenges this year. Organizers say rising costs of necessary security and policing, paired with quadrupled insurance premiums, have resulted in desperate calls to three levels of government for help and the possibility of cutting back on programming. While Trudeau's government delivered Pride Toronto a reprieve of about $250,000 from a $1.5 million Canada-wide grant, executive director Sherwin Modeste says the organization remains very tight. He joins "This Matters" to talk about the challenge and why their events must not scale back in an era of rising hate. This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Brian Bradley. Audio Sources: Canadian Press

Guest: Tony Doob, professor emeritus, University of Toronto Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies News that Paul Bernardo, one of Canada's most notorious killers, has been moved from a maximum security penitentiary to a medium-security institution touched a raw nerve that hasn't healed three decades after his crimes. How could one believed to be so evil have his experience in incarceration softened? Why was the reason shrouded in secrecy? Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is undergoing a review of their decision but, as a criminologist tells us, Canadian law does not say we should hold our worst offenders indefinitely in maximum security because they are notorious to us. This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Brian Bradley. Audio Sources: CHCH News, CPAC

Guests: The Toronto Star All-Star Opinionator Panel, featuring columnists Emma Teitel, Shawn Micallef, Matt Elliott and guest host Edward Keenan Signs are blooming on lawns across the city. The advanced polls are open, which can only mean that the election is nearing. With just over two and a half weeks left before the city goes to the polls, it's time to reconvene our Toronto Star All Star Opinionator panel. This episode was produced by Ed Keenan and Crawford Blair.

Guest: Patrick O'Rourke, editor-in-chief of MobileSyrup.com Apple has launched what it hopes is it's next game changing computing device. The Vision Pro is a headset the company calls an augmented reality platform, that it says may change change the way people interact with the digital world. The device has long been rumoured to be coming from the company, and while it very expensive, Apple believes this is an important step toward its vision of computing's future. This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar. Audio Sources: Apple

Guests: Jennifer Keesmaat, former Chief Planner of Toronto, 2018 candidate for mayor and partner with Markee Developments speaks with guest host Edward Keenan We all know that fundraising is a key part of running a mayoral campaign, and that the rich and well connected have a leg up. But how? Former candidate and former top city planner Jennifer Keesmaat talks about her first-hand experience of trying to fund a campaign for mayor of Toronto and how she thinks grassroots candidates should try to overcome those challenges. She also dishes about her first-hand experience with the current crop of candidates, her assessment of the race so far and why she thinks it may be turning into a wire-to-wire walk to the finish line for one candidate.

Guests: Jennifer Pagliaro, crime reporter, and Alyshah Hasham, City Hall reporter With so many high profile and violent crimes in Toronto in the past year, public safety has become an important issue in the mayoral byelection. Many feel like the city is less safe, but how does that align with the actual numbers and data? Crime isn't equal across the city but to discuss how best to deal with it, we should start with what is actually happening to decide the best ways to combat it. This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Guest: Mike Flannigan, chair in Predictive Services, Emergency Management and Fire Science at Thompson Rivers University Canada is on fire from coast-to-coast. As a wildfire burns on northern Vancouver Island, Alberta was in a state of emergency for most of May. As seasonal fires began shockingly early in Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia relied on weekend rain to contain flames that forced thousands to evacuate. It has been a dynamic and dramatic situation. Experts say the fire season is starting earlier and going later with hotter, dryer weather thanks to climate change. Adding to that, 50 per cent of these fires are actually started by people, accelerating an already challenging problem. The situation has many desperately wondering what will it take to make them stop. The bad news is, they won't. It comes down to having resources to manage them and a shift in government approach from reactive to proactive. Audio Sources: CBC News/TikTok, CBC/The National This episode was produced by Brian Bradley and Paulo Marques

Guest: David Suzuki, world-renowned geneticist and environmentalist Before the Paris Agreement, before the Kyoto Protocol, before even the UN Climate Convention was signed in Rio, world-renowned geneticist and environmentalist David Suzuki was ringing the alarm bell and saying that climate change is a "matter of survival." In this episode, Suzuki joins "This Matters" guest host and climate reporter Marco Chown Oved to discuss the state of today's environmental movement and where it needs to go. Audio sources: CBC This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Marco Chown-Oved and Paulo Marques

Toronto Star columnists Emma Teitel and Edward Keenan co-host this episode of "This Matters" to discuss how Ana Bailão, Brad Bradford, Olivia Chow, Mitzie Hunter, Josh Matlow and Mark Saunders performed at the Toronto Star-United Way sponsored debate at the Ted Rogers School of Management, a part of Toronto Metropolitan University. It was moderated by Keenan and held May 31. This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Edward Keenan, Emma Teitel. Audio source: CP24

Guests: Scott Reid, advisor to former prime minister Paul Martin and political analyst with CTV, speaks with guest host Edward Keenan Exactly 21 years ago, Scott Reid's boss, then Finance Minister Paul Martin, delivered a speech on the need to give cities a new source of revenue. It was regarded as the new deal for cities, and a speech Reid recalls led to Martin's departure from Jean Chrétien's cabinet. Now all these years later, as Reid and guest host Edward Keenan agree, Toronto needs to demand a new deal that acknowledges Toronto is different than any other city in Canada. Reid, a "lifelong political hack," talks through how mayoral candidates should approach it as a campaign issue to win a mandate and how it might work out in practice to create leverage if anyone won the election on that message. Audio source: CSPAN, Canadian Question Period, June 3, 2002

Guest: Clarrie Feinstein, business reporter Elevators are key piece of apartment and condo living, but due to a number of factors, they often take a long time to get fixed once they break down. From a shortage of mechanics to a small number of companies who control the industry and use proprietary parts, there are several reasons why critics feel the entire sector can use better oversight. This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Guest: Kerry Gillespie, sports reporter Ontario Soccer is launching a pilot project this summer that will see some referees wearing body cams to record and deter abuse. What is surprising is that this isn't happening at the professional or adult levels, but starting with the under 9 and 11 age groups. Many sports are facing a shortage of people wanting to officiate matches and one of the biggest reasons cited is the taunting and abuse referees take from parents, spectators and coaches. Is this a way to change the culture around treatment of officials? This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Guest: Francine Kopun, senior writer Toronto is in the process of renaming Dundas Street, but some critics think it's not worth the cost and trouble. Three years after City Hall acted on a petition to change the name due to the actions of its namesake, Henry Dundas, some mayoral candidates are pledging to reopen the debate. Much of it hinges on the role Dundas may have played in delaying the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar. Audio sources: BBC, CNN

Guest: David Rider, City Hall bureau chief We are learning a lot more about the candidates running to be mayor of Toronto, particularly the six leading contenders who have floated to the top while 96 others are in the mix somewhere else. Amid a busy week of campaigning that included a handful of debates, here's what we are learning about their policy positions and what we know our city wants in a mayor post-John Tory. This episode was produced by Brian Bradley, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar. Audio Sources: Twitter, City News

Guests: The Toronto Star All-Star Opinionator Panel, featuring columnists Emma Teitel, Shawn Micallef, Matt Elliott and guest host Edward Keenan Our political panel talks about the election race as Toronto enters the feverish debate season, and asks what to make of the polls, how a big lead can disappear, whether voters want hope or anger and which candidates are bringing real talk on taxes. This episode was produced by Ed Keenan and Paulo Marques.

Guests: Robert Benzie, Queen's Park bureau chief, and Noor Javed, staff reporter covering the 905 The Ontario government is breaking up Peel Region to make Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon stand-alone municipalities in 2025. The move has had mixed responses but two things are clear: there will be plenty of haggling over resources like shared infrastructure and the "divorce" will change the political landscape in the province. This episode was produced by Brian Bradley, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar. Audio Sources: CPAC

Guest: Jason Miller, crime and justice reporter An Ontario man is facing two charges of counselling or aiding suicide and, as details emerge, we have learned authorities in other parts of the world are looking into other specific deaths never before questioned. The case centres around sodium nitrite, a substance widely available that can be used to cure meats but can also be lethal. Here's what we know so far about the local case that could have international ramifications. If you are thinking of suicide or know someone who is, there is help. Resources are available online at www.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 Brian Bradley, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Guest: Isabel Teotonio, education reporter The Toronto District School Board has been experiencing a staffing shortage that is leaving administrations scrambling for teachers and some parents and students worried about time missed learning. To help, the board has redeployed nearly 100 of its learning coaches and hired more than 200 additional occasional teachers but there is a domino affect to all of the shuffling and other areas are impacted. Unions are calling it a crisis and there's no quick fix. This episode was produced by Brian Bradley, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Guest: Lex Harvey, transportation reporter The Eglinton Crosstown LRT continues to be a nightmare for the residents of that area and the end is nowhere in sight. With reports of "no credible plan" toward completion of the $12.8-billion light-rail transit line, the consortium of companies building it has filed legal papers to stop work until a number of issues are resolved. With another court decision needed to decide the way forward, trains will not be running this year and many are left wondering if this is a harbinger for other transit projects, like the Ontario line. This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar. Audio Sources: CP24

Guest: Mark Richardson, technical lead for HousingNowTO According to polls and the platforms, housing affordability is THE big issue in this mayoral election campaign, especially as the city's Housing Now program has failed to get shovels in the ground (or people in apartments). Mark Richardson's citizen-led HousingNowTO organization has monitored the problems and progress all along, and has been taking all the major mayoral candidates on walking tours of proposed sites to show what's holding things up and what potential is out there. He joins guest host Edward Keenan to outline what all the major candidates are proposing to build on city land (so far) and how. This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Edward Keenan.

Guests: Katie Daubs, senior writer, and Christine Dobby, business reporter As cities around the world return to the office, Toronto lags behind other global centres as many workers are choosing to continue working from home. That's having a spillover effect on the downtown core, and in particular, on the PATH, the underground network of shops and stores that support a downtown economy. Are these changes temporary or long lasting? What do they mean for the future of Toronto? This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Guest: Wendy Gillis, crime reporter When George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, protests erupted around the world. Calls to defund the police rang out and, for a moment, it seemed like change was imminent. But three years on, efforts to revolutionize public safety have varied. Star reporter Wendy Gillis recently visited Minneapolis as part of the ongoing "Beyond the Badge" series (made possible with the financial assistance of the R. James Travers Foreign Corresponding Fellowship) looking at what cities around the world are doing to combat violence and redesign public safety. Gillis explains what's happened to policing since Floyd's murder and what we can learn from Minneapolis, a city that's become a case study in the frustratingly slow pace of systemic change. Audio Sources: CNN, WWCO, NBC, Kare 11, MSNBC, ABC, Newsweek This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Raju Mudhar and Paulo Marques

Guest: Noor Javed, staff reporter The Ontario government has made building more housing fast a priority and, to get that done, it wants to throw out planning rules that set guidelines for how municipalities should grow. The proposed changes could upend how Ontario has planned its cities since 2005 and some critics fear that it is a perfect recipe for sprawl. This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Guest: Joanna Chiu, staff reporter The Canadian government is creating a list of foreign universities and labs that it says pose a national security risk. The news comes at the same time several Canadian universities are reviewing their research partnerships. Last week, the University of Waterloo announced it is ending its relationship with Chinese telecom giant Huawei amid security concerns. The government list will further impact research funding and possibly, academic freedom. This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Guests: The Toronto Star All-Star Opinionator Panel, featuring columnists Emma Teitel, Shawn Micallef, Matt Elliott and guest host Edward Keenan More than 70 candidates have registered to run for mayor. As the opening phase of the campaign finishes, our panel talks about housing policy, why many candidates might misunderstand the task they've taken on, why attacks aren't landing and whether one candidate should brag about his current lack of pay cheques. This episode was produced by Ed Keenan and Paulo Marques.

Guest: Dr. Fahad Razak, internist at St. Michael's Hospital After more than three years, the World Health Organization has declared that COVID-19 is over as a global health emergency. However, the organization also said the virus remains a threat and can still get people very sick. For many people, the pandemic has been "over" for a while but there are also plenty of people for whom the effects linger and that's something to remember as we navigate this next phase. This episode was produced by Brian Bradley, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar. Audio Sources: CBC and ABC

Guest: Alex Boyd, Calgary-based reporter The writ has dropped in Alberta and the campaign for premier is on. The NDP's Rachel Notley would like to win back power, while UCP incumbent Danielle Smith must now see if voters agree with her vision for the province. It's an election that will have ramifications for the rest of the country, as issues like energy and the environment are sure to be big factors. This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar. Audio Sources: CBC

Guest: Wendy Gillis, crime reporter After two Toronto police officers stole drugs for their personal use from evidence lockers, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) investigated and found a lax and dated system that all but opened the door for abuse. The report calls for greater restrictions on access to evidence by officers, just as it is becoming clear that such thefts are affecting cases before the court. This episode was produced by Brian Bradley, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar. Audio Sources: CityNews

Guest: David Miller, former mayor of Toronto and managing director of the C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy While other issues have grabbed more headlines, Toronto faces no more fundamental challenges over the next few years than its billion-dollar budget gap and a provincial premier eager to force his will on the city. David Miller draws on his experience as Toronto mayor (and on lessons learned in the schoolyard for how to confront bullies) to offer his perspective on the way ahead, the power of a mayoral mandate and where to find a sense of optimism for the city. This episode was produced by Ed Keenan and Paulo Marques.

Guest: Raisa Patel, federal politics reporter Bill C-11, Canada's new Online Streaming Act, is now law. Considered a refresh to the outdated Broadcasting Act, there are still several questions about how this law will affect streaming platforms and what discoverability of Canadian-made content will look like. And what about cat videos? While the government insists the act doesn't cover user-generated content, critics are not so sure. This episode was produced by Brian Bradley, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar. Audio Sources: The Cat Academy/YouTube

Guests: Nagwa El Mamoun, Safiya Abbadi and Omar Mosleh It's been just over two weeks since violence erupted between two rival military factions in Khartoum, the Capital city of Sudan. The Canadian government has airlifted citizens out, but says that it may not be able to do so in the future. Nagwa El Mamoun, a Canadian who was in Sudan when the fighting broke out, her daughter Safiya Abbadi and Toronto Star journalist Omar Mosleh join to share the Canadian family's story and discuss what led to this conflict. This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar. Audio Sources: BBC