The Final Word

On the September 2 episode of The Final Word, Abby Hughes talks about Canada’s new luxury tax and how cars and boats over $100 000, and aircraft over $250 000, will be taxed an additional 10 per cent on their original sale price. She speaks with assistant economics professors Keyvan Eslami and Obeid Ur Rehman who delve into whether the federal government’s estimates make sense, why these items mig...

August 26, 2022 - Abby Hughes. When you think about climate change, how do you feel? Sad? Scared? Overwhelmed? Well, you’re not alone. More and more people are reporting negative feelings to do with the state of the planet. The most common is climate anxiety, but there’s others too - like eco grief and eco paralysis. Today, we’re going to talk about some ways to help temper and reckon with these f...

August 19, 2022 - Abby Hughes. Studies show that women don’t have as much leisure time as men. But board game researcher Tanya Pobuda found a deeper pattern in their doctoral dissertation. In interviews with board game enthusiasts, women reported they had not only less time, but lacked the mental energy at the end of the day to play these games. We’ll hear from Pobuda about the importance of board...

Abby Hughes - August 12, 2022. Since the very first days of the pandemic, the National Institute on Ageing based out of Toronto Metropolitan University has been crunching the COVID numbers in long term care homes. In fact, throughout the pandemic they were the only organization to keep comprehensive data on cases, deaths and outbreaks in every province in the country. But on July 28, the NIA annou...

Abby Huges - August 5, 2022. Last month, the City of Toronto bylaw on garden suites came into effect. These small, back yard units have been popping up in other major North American cities like Los Angeles and Halifax. Municipal governments see them as a way to increase housing options for residents. We’ll hear from the Executive Director of Toronto City Planning, Gregg Lintern, about bringing in...

Abby Hughes - July 29, 2022. In this special episode of segments by Toronto Metropolitan University journalism students, Abby Hughes and Thomas Publow dive into the current rise in spiritual practice. They’ll go inside the world of the modern mystic with conversations from a mystic store owner, a practicing pagan and a sociologist of religion. Then, Didhiti Kandel will talk to creatives about the...

Abby Hughes - July 22, 2022. Despite opening in June of 2020 — a time that was really hard for bars and clubs — comedy bar Nothing Fancy is thriving. They’ve just moved to a bigger location in Kensington Market, and will be part of the Just for Laughs comedy festival this year. But beyond that, they’re challenging norms in the comedy scene, with the aim of becoming more inclusive and supporting co...

Abby Hughes - July 15, 2022 In May, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down a section of the criminal code. The law said that self-induced extreme intoxication was not a defence for violent crimes. At the time, there was public backlash, particularly from feminist groups and organizations that support victims of domestic violence. Since then, the Liberal government has introduced, and passed, legi...

Abby Hughes - July 8, 2022 Housing bubble! Sold-over-asking! High borrowing rates! If those words make you cringe, you’re probably one of the many Torontonians feeling squeezed by the housing market. And according to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, if we want affordable housing, Canada will need to build an extra 3.5 million homes on top of what we’re on track to build by 2030. A ho...

Abby Hughes - July 1, 2022 Last week, the United States Supreme Court overruled two really important decisions. They were Roe v. Wade, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The decision removed the constitutional right to abortion for women in America. Today, we’ll hear from a reproductive rights advocate and a Canadian lawyer. They’ll tell us about the ripple effects some worry the decision could have...