Toronto Star
Mental health support tailored to Indigenous culture remains out of reach
- Title
- Mental health support tailored to Indigenous culture remains out of reach
- Runtime
- 20:52
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Robert Cribb, investigative reporter for the Star
A joint investigation by the Toronto Star and the Investigative Journalism Bureau has done an analysis of key mental health indicators for First Nations youth, including antidepressant prescriptions, suicide attempts, self-reported disorders and access to support, revealing a strained system of care failing to meet the needs of desperate young people. As Indigenous youth in Canada suffer from some of the highest rates of suicide in the world, culturally relevant counselling and community healing practises are few and hard to access. Star reporter Robert Cribb headed the Toronto Star series Generation Distress and joins “This Matters” to explain how mental health support tailored to Indigenous culture remains out of reach for youth in crisis and how the system is failing them.
- Title
- Voter rights and fights: How Jan. 6 changed American politics
- Runtime
- 21:58
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Ed Keenan, The Star's Washington Bureau Chief
It has been one year since the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol building by rioters who felt the 2020 election was stolen from former president Donald Trump. Despite the attack failing, the event cst a long shadow over the American political system, as many Republicans continue to push what some call "The Big Lie." As U.S. President Joe Biden gets ready to tackle his voting rights agenda, many experts feel the spirit of U.S. democracy could be at stake.
- Title
- The Omicron wave: What numbers to watch
- Runtime
- 19:27
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Ed Tubb, assignment editor focused on COVID-19 data
The recent surge of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has broken the province's testing regime, rendered contact tracing useless and made an already high case count almost impossible to calculate. With warnings about our health care system in danger of being overwhelmed, there is still a lot we can learn by paying attention to the data. The focus needs to be on things like hospitalizations or people in the ICUs to get an accurate picture of how this highly transmissible variant is affecting Ontario.
- Title
- A spirited take on Dry January
- Runtime
- 17:09
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Christine Sismondo, author of “America Walks Into a Bar” and the upcoming “Cocktails: A Still Life”
Happy New Year! By now, hopefully your hangover from new year celebrations are long gone and you are focusing on the year ahead. One thing that many people do after holiday season is decide to cut alcohol intake for the month of January as a way to reset and refresh. While some people do Sober October, more mark Dry January to abstain from alcohol. How did it get that way? Is a zero-tolerance policy the best way to go? We get some history, tips and advice from someone who’s been thinking about consumption for a long time.
- Title
- Boko Haram survivors, Mellissa Fung and the complexity of shared trauma (REBROADCAST)
- Runtime
- 18:09
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- We are taking a short break over the holidays and are rebroadcasting some memorable discussions. This episode was originally published February 19, 2021.
In 2008, Canadian journalist Mellissa Fung was abducted while on assignment in Afghanistan. She survived 28 days of torture and captivity inside a hole in the ground. In her new documentary “Captive,” she makes the rare and difficult move to use the lens of her trauma to revisit the story of the Nigerian school girls who were kidnapped and brutalized by Boko Haram militants. Fung speaks to “This Matters” host Saba Eitizaz about the survivors, their struggle to move on and the strange complexity of shared trauma.
Correction – The audio has been updated to reflect that Mellissa Fung was kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2008, not five years ago as stated in the original version of this podcast.
- Title
- A four-day work week? (REBROADCAST)
- Runtime
- 21:34
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- We are taking a short break over the holidays and are rebroadcasting some memorable discussions. This episode was originally published July 30, 2021.
GUEST: Professor Jean-Nicolas Reyt, Assistant Professor of Organizational Behaviour at McGill University
A recent study in Iceland involving thousands of workers has brought back the buzz around a shorter four-day work week. As the pandemic has accelerated the movement to work smarter and not longer, we explore the tantalizing possibilities — and potential problems — with a four-day work week in North America.
- Title
- How sportsmanship brought two nations and the lacrosse world closer (REBROADCAST)
- Runtime
- 21:08
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- The Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse team are ranked as one of the top teams in the world, but were passed over for the upcoming World Games likely in part due to their fight for sovereignty. This slight inspired an act of sportsmanship that has helped bring two nations closer together. Rex Lyons is a former player and board member of the Iroquois Nationals, and he joins “This Matters” to explain this remarkable sports story.
- Title
- Why you miss (and need) casual friendships (REBROADCAST)
- Runtime
- 18:41
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- We are taking a short break over the holidays and are rebroadcasting some memorable discussions. This episode was originally published February 9, 2021.
The pandemic has shrunk people’s lives. We’ve been limited to seeing the people in our homes, some family and maybe close friends. What happens when lose contact with acquaintances and serendipitous interactions in the world? The loss of this engagement and relationships can have a detrimental effect on our lives. Amanda Mull, staff writer for “The Atlantic,” wrote an article about this and joins “This Matters” to discuss.
If you would like to support the journalism of the Toronto Star, you can subscribe at thestar.com/subscribingmatters.
- Title
- Q&A with Lou Marsh Trophy winner Damian Warner
- Runtime
- 13:56
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- At his training site at Western University, the Olympic decathlon champion and Lou Marsh Trophy winner took some time to talk with Star contributing columnist Rod Black about his remarkable year and pick up his newest trophy.
- Title
- Should the end of Ontario’s liquor server wage mean lower tips for restaurant workers?
- Runtime
- 19:50
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Rosa Saba, business reporter for the Star
Ontario, unlike elsewhere in Canada, has had a much lower minimum wage for liquor servers leading to a culture of tipping, not just for great service but to help balance the wage disparity. Now, starting in 2022, front-of-house workers in hospitality will see a $2.45 hourly pay increase to align closer to the minimum wage. But Ontario’s minimum wage is still far from the $20 per hour living wage needed, according to the Living Wage Network. So, should we keep tipping? What will happen to our “culture” to tip? Business reporter Rosa Saba has some tips for “This Matters” listeners.
- Title
- Nurses are leaving the profession in worrying numbers
- Runtime
- 13:27
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Patty Winsa, data reporter for the Star
We have all seen the huge price that front-line workers have paid during COVID-19. Nurses have been at the forefront of this battle in clinics, hospitals and long-term care homes. Nearly two years into the pandemic, nurses are now leaving the profession in worrying numbers. While COVID-19 has added to burnout and pushed nurses off the job, the shortage has actually been inching its way into hospitals across Ontario and Canada for years. Data reporter Patty Winsa explains how bad the current nursing shortage is and why it is happening.
- Title
- Ontario doctors fight virus, system that exposes the vulnerable
- Runtime
- 22:04
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Dr. Gaibrie Stephen, ER physician and member of the Decent Work and Health Network (DWHN)
We all remember the haunting posts on social media — doctors across the province sharing stories of their patients who caught COVID-19 at work and fell seriously ill, or spread it to their families. As a result, the Ontario government implemented a temporary three-day paid sick leave program that’s now being extended till the summer of 2022. Nurses, doctors and health care providers say it’s not enough. An emergency room physician from Peel region joins “This Matters” to make the case for paid sick days and talk about how doctors ended up fighting on two front lines — the virus and the system that exposes the most vulnerable to the worst of it.
- Title
- How a massive bitcoin robbery ended up with an arrest in Hamilton
- Runtime
- 18:24
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Nicole O’Reilly, courts and crime reporter for The Hamilton Spectator
It was a story that has become infamous within the cryptocurrency community. In early 2020, an early bitcoin investor reportedly had $46 million worth of the cryptocurrency stolen through a phone hacking attempt. After reporting it to the authorities, an international investigation led police to Hamilton, Ont., where an arrest was made and $7 million in bitcoin recovered but plenty of questions remained unanswered. Now, the suspect — a teen who can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act — is starting his journey through the criminal justice system.
- Title
- The Night Walker: Kevin Donovan on the suspect in the Sherman murders
- Runtime
- 20:29
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Kevin Donovan, chief investigative reporter at the Star, and author of The Billionaire Murders: The Mysterious Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman
It has been four years since the bodies of Barry and Honey Sherman were found murdered in their Toronto home. Despite the fact the that couple were very wealthy and high profile, there have been few updates from the police and no arrests made in this crime. Recently, the Toronto Police gave an update on the case, and released a short video with information about someone they believe to be a suspect. Kevin Donovan has been reporting on this case since it happened, and as some official documents have shown, his work has helped push the official investigation. He joins This Matters to to discuss the latest developments.
- Title
- Costs and benefits of virtual health care
- Runtime
- 18:06
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Carine Abouseif, features editor at The Walrus
COVID-19 has brought a massive shift in the way we interact with our health care system. Since the lockdowns began, health care professionals and governments scrambled to create a telehealth system to minimize face-to-face interactions and avoid undue risk. In 2018, only 8 per cent of patients reported having had a virtual visit with their health care provider, according to the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). Now that number has shot up, but the rise of virtual care has also raised important questions about health care in this country, what exactly a doctor is paid to do, what quality care looks like and how do we help those who have the least access to it. Journalist Carine Abouseif explored all of this in an article for The Walrus and she joins "This Matters" to talk about the past, present and future of virtual health care in Canada.
- Title
- Food prices rise amidst COVID-19, supply chain issues and climate change
- Runtime
- 15:32
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Rosa Saba, business reporter for the Star
If you've been feeling price sticker shock at the checkout counter lately, you're not alone. Canada is bracing for what experts are calling a "perfect storm" as inflation hits the food aisles and prices skyrocket. The latest Food Price Report, released from Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab says Canadians should expect to see the biggest annual increase in food bills on record as the world reels from COVID-19, supply chain issues and climate change. Business reporter Rosa Saba explains what we should expect in the next year and shares some tips for grocery shopping on a budget.
- Title
- How health professionals plan to spend their holidays on a wave of Omicron
- Runtime
- 17:11
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guests: May Warren and Lex Harvey, reporters at The Star
Hark! The Omicron variant threatens to put a damper on holiday plans as many people are trying to balance seeing their loved ones with a now what seems to be a more transmissible variant of COVID-19 spreading rapidly. With that in mind, The Star reached out to dozens of health care professionals to ask how they feel about the holidays and how they plan to spend them. They shared ideas of how to mitigate spread and talked about precautions people should take in this season.
- Title
- Ontario plans to offer free rapid tests, opens 18+ boosters starting Monday
- Runtime
- 4:17
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Ontario re-imposes venue capacity limits, plans to offer free rapid tests, opens 18+ boosters starting Monday; Omicron doubling in Ontario every 2.2 days
- Title
- Inside Brampton truckers’ fight against wage theft
- Runtime
- 23:17
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Sara Mojtehedzadeh, work and wealth reporter for the Star
A recent Star investigation has revealed a tangled thread of wage theft, threats and intimidation, all a systemic pattern of abuse within Canada's long-haul trucking industry. Now, truck drivers from Brampton, Ont. are mobilizing and fighting back through a public campaign, as the trucking companies facing allegations have denied any wrongdoing. Work and wealth reporter Sara Mojtehedzadeh joins "This Matters" to talk about her investigation and what the stakes are in this mounting crisis.
- Title
- How to use a COVID-19 Rapid Test
- Runtime
- 3:24
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Title
- Alcohol sales are changing. Will The Beer Store survive?
- Runtime
- 16:50
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Josh Rubin, business reporter at The Star
Is it time to say a final "cheers" to The Beer Store? The provincial government wants to change alcohol sales in Ontario are and has already loosened some things during the pandemic. The Beer Store is losing money with a continually dropping market share as beer retails in more outlets outside their stores. The contract between the province and The Beer Store's owners is up in 2025, and with that deadline looming and little news of negotiations, the retail outlet's murky future is as clear as a dark stout.
- Title
- How Canadian Olympians are being unearthed at a training centre
- Runtime
- 19:38
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Kerry Gillespie, sports reporter for the Star
Are Olympians born or are they created? While Canada has a big athletic talent pool to choose from, there are athletes flying under the radar who have world-class abilities but perhaps not the sport to match them. The RBC Training Centre is aiming to find “diamonds in the rough” of Canadian athletes, putting them through tests and trials of their athletic prowess to see if one day they could become Olympians for Team Canada. It’s not just a far-fetched dream. It’s already led to gold medallists. Today on “This Matters,” we take you inside the lab and talk about the state of amateur sports in Canada.
- Title
- The Last Orca
- Runtime
- 1:01
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Marineland’s Kiska is Canada’s lone captive orca. Animal experts are raising concerns about her welfare. But how do you help a 45-year-old killer whale?
Read the story: https://www.thestar.com/news/2021/marineland-orca-kiska.html
- Title
- How the ‘Grinch Bots’ are stealing Christmas
- Runtime
- 17:59
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Jake Roach, senior writer, computing at Digitaltrends.com
If you've tried to buy a hot ticket item online like a new video game console, PC graphics cards or high end sneakers, you know that it is a race against the bots to purchase it. Now, as the holiday season approaches, these programs are spreading to other highly sought after items like toys, prompting members of U.S. Congress to table the Stopping Grinch Bots Act. Building on legislation that first targeted concert tickets which have long been scooped up by scalper's bots, there are plenty of questions about enforcement, jurisdictions and whether it will have any effect at all.
- Title
- How a 13-year-old faced anti-Black violence at school: a mother’s story
- Runtime
- 21:14
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guests: Natasha Shakespeare, mother of a 13-year-old girl facing bullying and harassment at school, and Shree Paradkar, The Star's race and gender columnist
Warning: Graphic content outlining anti-Black racism and anti-Semitic abuse.
There has been an explosion of anti-Black racism in schools across Ontario, often intersecting with other forms of hate, including anti-Semitism. Black parents are now reaching out to advocacy groups, media and legal experts in a desperate bid for the safety of their children in their own schools. In today's episode, mother Natasha Shakespeare shares the harrowing story of how her 13-year-old daughter was targeted by anti-Black violence at not one but two schools in Ontario. Later on, Star journalist Shree Paradkar explains why these incidents are happening so frequently and what, if anything, is being done to stop them.
- Title
- Who gets to decide how Toronto grows and changes?
- Runtime
- 16:07
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Danica Samuel, reporter for the Toronto Star
With hundreds of ethnicities, cultures and unique neighbourhoods, one of the great points of pride for Toronto is its diversity. The City of Toronto wants to define what exactly this is through a "cultural districts" program that would identify different cultural enclaves as being worthy of being preserved. Who gets to decide what should be preserved? Would a "cultural district" designation make these places more secure or is it more red-tape? We parse through what this program is to ultimately answer: who gets to decide what stays and what goes in an ever-changing city.
- Title
- The Fast and Nefarious: How thieves steal cars
- Runtime
- 18:34
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Kevin Donovan, The Star's chief investigative reporter
With films like "Gone in 60 Seconds" to "The Fast and The Furious," the world of car theft has been portrayed as a glamorous life full of high stakes and rollicking action. In fact, the modern car thief has high tech tools and they usually work in groups. Cars stolen in the middle of the night and are often on their way to being shipped out of the country before you even wake up. That's what happened to journalist Kevin Donovan's car, and despite what the authorities said and long odds, it was actually recovered. From there he dove into finding out how the world of auto theft works.
- Title
- The Omicron Variant: what we know and what we don’t
- Runtime
- 18:49
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti, infectious diseases physician at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga
News and serious worry over the Omicron variant of COVID-19 spread almost as quickly as the virus itself. The World Health Organization says the newest, potentially more contagious variant poses a “very high” global risk. The UK’s Health and Security Agency calls it “the most worrying we’ve ever seen.” In the span of a week and a half, the Omicron variant has been detected in more than a dozen countries around the world. But what do we really know about Omicron? What makes it more transmissible? Given what we know about how COVID works, how worried should we be? Today on “This Matters,” we go to the basics with an infectious diseases doctor to explain why scientists believe the variant is more transmissible, talk through what we know and perhaps more crucially, what we’re still waiting to find out.
- Title
- Omicron, the travel ban and getting home to Canada under the wire
- Runtime
- 23:13
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Alex Boyd, Calgary-based reporter for the Toronto Star
The latest Omicron variant has starkly reminded the world about what global health advocates have been shouting about for more than a year – if vaccines aren't shared, the virus and its variants will spread. Canada has followed dozens of other countries in announcing more travel bans on African countries, and many in South Africa are feeling like they're being punished for alerting the world about Omicron. And just as it came made its presence known in the pandemic, Star reporter Alex Boyd was travelling across Africa to report on exactly these issues. She made it back to Canada from South Africa right under the wire, just hours ahead of the travel ban. She joins "This Matters" to talk about Canada's initial quarantine confusion and how vaccine inequality in the Global South is connected to what's unfolding now.
- Title
- COVID outbreaks are surging in schools. What can we do about it?
- Runtime
- 17:44
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Kenyon Wallace, investigative reporter for the Star
The start of the school year in Canada was in effect a real-time experiment of how COVID-19 could spread among a mostly unvaccinated population. Despite vaccine mandates among school staff, mask use, physical distancing and ventilation, the vast majority of elementary school-age children are unvaccinated with their vaccine rollout only now in its initial stages. COVID outbreaks have surged in Ontario schools since November leaving the question about what we can do to slow the spread before the holidays.
- Title
- Vaccine Hunters are back for kids’ vaccines and third-dose boosters
- Runtime
- 14:14
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Andrew Young, founder and director of Vaccine Hunters Canada
For more than a million Canadians, volunteers for Vaccine Hunters Canada have been heroes and messengers of hope in the difficulties of the pandemic. After the initial rollout of vaccines in spring 2021 were plagued by shipment delays, miscommunication, massive lines that stretched for hours that were no guarantee you'd get a shot, Vaccine Hunters Canada stepped in. The grassroots, citizen-led volunteer team sourced information on where to get the vaccine, confirmed the eligibility requirements and then shared that information across social media channels in a clear and accessible way. After a brief hiatus in the late summer, they're back to connect Canadians to children's vaccines as talk about third-dose boosters over the winter heats up. We talk to the founder of Vaccine Hunters on the community of helpers that have helped transform the pandemic.
- Title
- Conflict on Wet’suwet’en territory, the RCMP and press freedom
- Runtime
- 23:43
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Brandi Morin, French/Cree/Iroquois human rights journalist who lives in Treaty 6 territory
Last Friday, RCMP arrested award-winning journalist Amber Bracken and documentary maker Michael Toledano, as well as 15 others, as part of a raid on one of the camps set up to keep TransCanada Energy's Coastal GasLink gas pipeline out of Indigenous territory. Many say the multibillion-dollar gas project — one of the largest private sector investments in Canada — violates both Indigenous and international laws. The consequent standoff in the territory of the Wet'suwet'en is raising serious questions about the role of the RCMP when it comes to Indigenous communities, and what the current situation means for press freedom and access to information on this issue.
- Title
- The Metaverse is coming. Here’s what you need to know
- Runtime
- 19:26
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Emma Westecott, associate professor of game design at OCAD University and co-director of the Game: Play Lab
The Metaverse is coming. Long thought to be one of the next great leaps in shared digital spaces, the idea of the Metaverse recently got a boost from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg when he announced the company is investing $10 billion and rebranding its own platform with the name Meta. But Facebook is not alone. There are already game worlds and platforms like Fortnite and Roblox that are building elements of it. There is a long way to go before we get to something that’s been depicted in movies like “The Matrix” and “Ready Player One.” But as development really gets underway, now is the time to be asking what do we want the Metaverse to look like and how to make it beneficial for everyone?
- Title
- How space technology is helping to fight the next pandemic
- Runtime
- 20:57
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guests: Canadian astronaut Dr. Dave Williams and Alex Boyd, Toronto Star reporter
What if the answers and solutions of the pandemic are found in the stars? The two industries of space and medicine are more closely aligned than we may think, as many of the technologies we use today were first tested in the rigours of space. Can space exploration and research help us find our way through this pandemic and prevent the next one? We talk to one of Canada’s most decorated and experienced astronauts, Dave Williams, to learn the future of medical care is already being pushed to the limits in space.
- Title
- A walk through of Toronto's COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for kids
- Runtime
- 1:57
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Title
- Car thieves targeted a Toyota, then stole a Honda around the corner
- Runtime
- 2:04
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Title
- Mask up, it’s not over, Canada’s health officials warn
- Runtime
- 17:48
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: May Warren, reporter for the Toronto Star
With winter months bringing in an uptick in COVID-19 cases and a relatively static vaccination rate, Canada's top health officers are urging people to double down on masking because masks are the last line of defence against the virus. With a major shift (again!) in the conversation and culture around masking and new data available, reporter May Warren joins "This Matters" for a little bit of a refresher on masks, how we should wear them and why we're still talking about them. See Health Canada's latest guidelines and policies on masks here.
- Title
- Kids and vaccines: What you need to know now
- Runtime
- 17:32
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Megan Ogilvie is a health reporter at the Star
Parents of children aged 5 to 11 can now book their children for their first dose of vaccines across Canada. It’s been a long wait for this cohort, which is the largest unvaccinated group in Canada. Most parents — who have had to live through plenty of invasive COVID tests at the first sign of symptom — now have an option to get their kids more protection against this disease. But will it be another mad rush to book online, only to come up empty? Or will things be better this time around? Also, for many parents, getting the shot booked is just the first hurdle, now you’ve got to deal with a youngster who has to face a needle. This episodes provide some initial observations on the booking process and some helpful tips and advice.
- Title
- Kids at heart: ‘Kidults’ help toys reach sales records
- Runtime
- 19:08
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Adrienne Appell, toy trends expert and senior vice-president of marketing communications of The Toy Association
While many industries were devastated by the pandemic, the toy industry enjoyed record breaking sales. One of the most interesting trends to come out of the past two years is that growth shows adults are buying toys for themselves, which the industry has dubbed the “kidult” category. From expensive Lego sets to collectibles for fans of all kinds, there are now toys for people of all ages and also in every price range. This trend is being fuelled by many factors including social media, people trying to recapture their youth and the emphasis on self care and wellness.
- Title
- The ‘Three Amigos’ summit and the Canada-U.S. relationship
- Runtime
- 20:38
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Edward Keenan, Washington Bureau Chief for the Star
It’s been five years since the last trilateral summit between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. on trade, co-operation and diplomatic relations. Now this week, U.S. President Joe Biden hosted the first North American leader summit since 2016. It was nicknamed the ‘Three Amigos’ summit. It’s being seen as a potential new phase in Canada-U.S. relations following the strained ties of the Trump era, but with Biden struggling with plummeting approval ratings and domestic priorities, many wonder if he is listening to the concerns of allies. The Star’s Washington Bureau Chief Edward Keenan recaps the highlights of the summit and the impact on the Canada-U.S. relationship.
- Title
- Why the fight over fluoride in water is resurfacing
- Runtime
- 15:07
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Kieran Leavitt, Toronto Star politics reporter
For decades, adding fluoride to the water supply of many Canadians towns and cities has been standard public health protocol. Fluoridation has proven to slow tooth decay, and the practice has widespread support among doctors and dentists, including the World Health Organization, Health Canada and the Canadian Association of Public Health Dentistry. But there remains a vocal opposition against fluoride in Canada’s water supply, borne out of distrust of government and science. The City of Calgary has recently voted on whether to restore fluoride in their tap water, the latest in a long, fraught history over the chemical compound. Alberta-based journalist Kieran Leavitt joins “This Matters” to chat about how a widely-supported public health measure has become a battleground of politics.
- Title
- Front-line doctors fighting on two fronts: a deadly pandemic and digital harassment
- Runtime
- 20:08
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Dr. Naheed Dosani, Toronto-based palliative care physician and health justice activist
Even as health care workers were being hailed by many as heroes for facing the deadly COVID-19 pandemic on the front line, many were also targets of online hate, racism and xenophobia. The digital harassment has seeped into real-life with anti-vaccination protests outside hospitals where there have been reports of violence and abuse. Dr. Naheed Dosani joins “This Matters” to talk about the nightmare that has been the last 18 months and what needs to happen next to protect them.
- Title
- This after-school program taught Alphonso Davies and keeps transforming lives
- Runtime
- 18:40
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Ruke Okome, program manager of the after-school program Free Play for Kids
Alphonso Davies, Canadian soccer superstar, has become a world-renowned name with highlight reel goals, pride in his country and awards-laden recognition of his sporting excellence. He will soon return home to Edmonton as Canada faces a crucial match in its qualification for the World Cup where Free Play for Kids, the after-school program that Davies attended, continues to give a safe space for marginalized and often racialized kids. Free Play for Kids may have Davies as an alumni but its impact stretches to the next generation with aims of empowering future leaders in the community. Today on "This Matters," we go inside the program to learn how the lessons being taught are more than sports.
- Title
- Ontario’s pit bull ban back in the spotlight
- Runtime
- 23:09
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Liam Casey, Canadian Press reporter
Ontario is the only province that has legislation that bans pit bulls. Since it’s enactment over 15 years ago, dog lovers have had issues with the ban, from the determination of dogs, the enforcement and seizure of animals, the lack of personal responsibility of owners and little to no recourse for owners of dogs who haven’t done anything wrong, but fit the description of the breed. In recent weeks, there was a groundswell of support after a dog name Dwaeji was taken from his family in Vaughan. With a lot of public and political pressure, many thought change might be on the horizon, but after the dog in question was released, he bit a 13-year-old boy, once again, raising the issues that got these type of dogs banned in the first place.
- Title
- How Canada’s museums are decolonizing and transforming
- Runtime
- 11:19
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Jeremy Nuttall, investigative reporter for the Toronto Star
In the middle of societal and racial reckonings, many Canadians are asking questions about their shared histories, education and how reliable the stories of our past are. Are they written by the people and communities they’re reflecting or is it colonial history? Some of Canada’s biggest museums are now are taking a hard look at their exhibits and storytelling, especially when it comes to Indigenous history, which has often be treated as separate from Canada’s past rather than a central part of it. The work of “decolonizing” the spaces where we share our stories has begun but what does that actually look like?
- Title
- Pandemic highlights longstanding issues in the restaurant industry
- Runtime
- 16:47
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Corey Mintz, freelance food reporter and the author of the upcoming book “The Next Supper: The End of Restaurants as We Knew Them, and What Comes After”
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that in a lot of cases what was once normal couldn’t sustain a lot of people. Among many things, the pandemic highlighted longstanding issues within the restaurant industry, such as low pay, worker protections, burnout and delivery apps eating into profit margins. The impact on restaurants closing and reopening through lockdowns, and not having every table filled, was also visibly apparent. Toronto Star food reporter Karon Liu guest hosts “This Matters” to speak with Corey Mintz, former Star restaurant critic and author of the new book “The Next Supper, The End of Restaurants as We Knew Them, and What Comes After,” about these issues and what diners can do about it.
- Title
- Are new highways the on ramp to reelection for the Conservatives?
- Runtime
- 18:52
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Robert Benzie, The Star’s Queen’s Park bureau chief
It seems like the Progressive Conservatives believe the road to next year’s election will be paved with new highways. Recently, Premier Doug Ford announced the province would fund the Bradford Bypass, a new 16 km road that would connect Highways 400 and 404. As well, the Ontario government has proposed plans to build Highway 413, a new 60 km freeway that would connect Milton to Vaughan, despite opposition from the municipalities that it would affect. There are a lot of questions about the specifics of these new roads, but also about some of the motivations behind them. Is this the kind of wedge issue that the PCs hope will propel them to re-election? Or is this a road to nowhere?
- Title
- Labour Minister Monte McNaughton discusses Ontario’s new labour legislation
- Runtime
- 19:55
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Monte McNaughton, Ontario Labour Minister
The last two years of this pandemic hit everyone differently. It is undeniable that its impacts were not equitable and those with precarious jobs — including frontline essential workers — paid the most disproportionate price. Now the government that was previously criticized for favouring businesses over workers seems to be trying to make amends. Last week, the province announced the minimum wage would be raised to $15 an hour starting January 2022. Ontario has also proposed an omnibus bill that includes a number of labour-friendly policies like more rights for temporary and migrant workers, and a new right to disconnect. But many note that the minimum wage is not a living wage, and others ask if these new changes might be a case of too little too late just around the corner from a provincial election. Ontario's Labour Minister Monte McNaughton joins "This Matters" to answer questions and clear confusion around the pr...
- Title
- Reefer Madness: How many weed shops are too many weed shops?
- Runtime
- 19:34
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Jennifer Pagliaro, City Hall reporter for the Star
It’s been three years since cannabis was legalized in Canada, and you can see the results on many streets around the GTA. In Ontario, there are now just over 1,000 cannabis stores. Toronto has over 300 alone, with another 200 in the process of getting approval. The issue is that many of them are in neighbourhoods and often right next each other, creating clusters that are in direct competition with each other. With little or no regulations about distancing between stores, and several structural issues within the province’s regulations for cannabis sales, the really big question is whether all these stores can survive or if the weed boom will go up in smoke.
- Title
- Who’s going to win the Giller and what else should you read this fall?
- Runtime
- 17:37
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Guest: Deborah Dundas, Star Books Editor
Canada’s prestigious literary award, the Scotiabank Giller Prize recently announced its shortlist — which is not short on diverse Canadian literature — and we’ll have a winner on Monday in an actual in-person award ceremony after nearly two years of this pandemic. The Toronto Star’s Books Editor Deborah Dundas is on “This Matters” for a breakdown of the Giller Prize 2021, the nominees and potential winners and recommends some of Canada’s best, buzzworthy book titles to add to your holiday reading list
