Closer Look

Canada has a new Chief Public Health Officer. Dr. Joss Reimer, a Manitoba physician who helped lead that province’s COVID-19 response, has been appointed to replace Dr. Theresa Tam, who is retiring. On tonight’s episode of Closer Look , we revisit a recent interview with Dr. Reimer, who spoke to our podcast about the country’s doctor shortage, the rise of medical misinformation, and why empathy is...

It was a huge day for Canadian hockey, as our men’s Olympic team won again in comeback fashion to clinch a spot in Sunday’s gold medal game. So on tonight’s episode of Closer Look, we’re going to stay on the ice . If you haven’t heard already, the legendary voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs — Joe Bowen — is retiring at the end of this season after more than four decades behind the mic. On Family Da...

The Ford government has promised to connect every Ontarian to a family doctor or primary care team by 2029 — and at last check, they’re making progress . But are the patients most in need of a doctor being connected first? A new study has found that Ontarians who lost their family physician face a higher risk of death — and that the risk is even higher for patients with multiple chronic health con...

We hear it often: democracy is broken. But is it? Or is democracy just stuck? That is the central question of the new book Democracy’s Second Act: Why Politics Needs the Public , written by Peter MacLeod and Richard Johnson. MacLeod is our guest on tonight’s episode of Village Media’s Closer Look podcast. Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turne...

When Canada played the United States in the final of last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, it was so much more than a single hockey game. It felt like our very existence was on the line. A new CBC documentary — released just in time for the Olympics — tells the full story of that historic tournament, featuring behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive interviews. Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscola...

Imagine a car that can sense whether the driver is impaired. The technology already exists, and it’s far more sophisticated than traditional interlock devices that force a driver to pass a breathalyzer test in order to start their vehicle. Known as “passive impairment detection," the technology includes sensor systems that can detect alcohol levels through touch or ambient air, monitor errati...

Where is Liam Toman? More than a year later, his sudden disappearance remains a mystery . Last winter, the 22-year-old from Whitby, Ont., was on a ski trip with some friends in Mont-Tremblant, Que. After a day on the slopes and dinner out, he and a buddy made their way to a popular bar at the resort. Early the next morning, at around 3:15 a.m. on Feb. 2, 2025, a security camera recorded Toman near...

Don’t have a doctor? Don’t do this. Nearly half of Canadians are turning to AI to diagnose or treat their health issues, according to a new survey — and the answers being spit out are putting a lot of people in danger. Released by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), the survey found that people who follow health advice from AI are five times more likely to experience harms than those who do no...

People can be pretty biased when it comes to their hometowns. Ask someone which city is the best, and chances are they’ll choose their own. But when it comes to livability, which Canadian city actually comes out on top? Is “good place to live” a concept that can be measured? The Globe and Mail set out to try — and the latest results are in . The newspaper’s third annual “Canada’s Most Livable Citi...

Sid Seixeiro is back in the game. The longtime Toronto sports personality — who rose to prominence as one half of the iconic Tim and Sid show — launched his latest venture earlier today: a new live-stream solo podcast that runs every weekday at noon on YouTube , Facebook and X . As loyal fans will remember, Seixeiro walked away from his signature sports show in 2021 to co-host CityTV’s Breakfast T...

Nearly six years ago, the Trudeau government banned more than 2,000 makes and models of assault-style firearms, including the notorious AR-15. The legislative change raised the obvious question: If a person purchased one of those guns back when they were legal, what are they supposed to do with it now? The answer took years to materialize, but the promised federal buyback program is now live. Gun...

Back in 2018, now-Premier Doug Ford campaigned on a promise to end “hallway healthcare.” Eight years later, not much has changed. According to the latest available data , an average of nearly 1,400 Ontario hospital patients per day were treated in “unconventional spaces” — which includes not only hallways, but closets, cafeterias and even bathrooms. But there is one thing that has suddenly changed...

Last month, Rogers asked Canadians everywhere to donate their old hockey jerseys for a unique display of national pride and unity . They wanted a wide variety of colours and logos from coast to coast — from Timbits to beer leagues and everything in between. Cameron Lizotte took over from there. A former OHL hockey player who traded his skates for fashion design, the Sudbury native was handpicked t...

New research might help explain why some Ontario teenagers are feeling so distressed these days. The study, published in the journal Addiction , analyzed data from more than 35,000 students in grades seven through 12 — and found that symptoms of depression and anxiety nearly tripled over the past decade, from 10.7 per cent in 2013 to 27.4 per cent in 2023. At the same time, researchers also found...

Donald Trump’s tariffs have forced Canada to take a hard look in the mirror. Simply put, a national economy based around U.S. dependency is no longer viable. Is it also time to rethink how we deliver postsecondary education in Canada? A new report says yes — and that the necessary changes must be “urgent and coordinated.” Released back in October by the Royal Bank of Canada, the report calls for a...

Four stars? More like five-alarm fire. ‘Heated Rivalry’ is about as hot as a TV show can get, reaching huge audiences and critical acclaim across the globe. Filmed in Guelph , Hamilton, Dundas and Toronto, the made-in-Canada Crave series has also been quite a boon for local tourism, as fans of the show flock to visit some of the sites where the show was shot — including Dundurn Castle and the Slee...

No matter how you crunch the numbers, the answer comes out the same: Ontario hospitals are desperate for more money. Last week, the Ontario Hospital Association told the Ford government that the sector is facing a structural deficit of $1-billion — a situation that requires not only more money this year, but a predictable, multi-year funding plan. A separate report says the problem is actually muc...

Imagine a world where every weekend is a long weekend. For Joe O’Connor, it’s no pipe dream. He’s been pushing the concept of a four-day workweek for a long time — and he’s convinced plenty of organizations to embrace his vision and reap the rewards. To be clear, O’Connor is not advocating that people squeeze 40 hours of work into four days. Instead, he is trumpeting the many benefits of a 32-hour...

Eight years ago, the entire country mourned alongside the tight-knit community of Humboldt, Saskatchewan. A bus carrying the local junior hockey team — the Humboldt Broncos — collided with a transport truck on April 6, 2018, killing 16 people and injuring 13 others. Last week, Netflix released a teaser about a new fictional series that sounds eerily familiar: a team in a working-class town where h...

For residents of northern Ontario, it’s always tempting to poke fun at how people in southern Ontario react to a heavy dumping of snow. But the huge storm that hit the GTA this weekend was no laughing matter. The onslaught broke all kinds of weather records — including in Toronto, where Sunday’s total snowfall (46.2 cm) smashed the previous single-day high of 39.9 cm. How bad was it? In Burlington...

Golden years? Not so much, it seems. A new survey suggests optimism about aging fell sharply over the last year, with financial insecurity and loneliness dampening how many Canadians feel about their retirement years. The National Institute on Aging surveyed just over 6,000 adults aged 50 and older for its fourth annual report: Perspectives on Growing Older in Canada. While the majority of respond...

By this point, you’ve likely seen the speech. Or at least parts of it. Prime Minister Mark Carney told the World Economic Forum on Monday that the rules-based global order is officially dead, and that “middle powers” like Canada must find a different path forward. “We know the old order is not coming back. We shouldn't mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy,” Carney said. “But we believe that...

The beautiful game could have some ugly consequences for Canadian hospitals. As Canada prepares to co-host the World Cup — with 13 matches set for Toronto and Vancouver — a new editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal warns about the potential risks to our already-strained healthcare system. A mass casualty event or a disease outbreak would inflict huge pressure on local hospitals, “w...

How widespread is human trafficking in Ontario? Consider some of the headlines that appeared on our local news sites in the past few days alone. In Barrie, pre-trial motions are underway in the case of an alleged human trafficking ring that operated in Simcoe County and York Region. In Toronto, a 27-year-old man was arrested for allegedly trafficking teenage girls in the city, including forcing th...

U.S. President Donald Trump appears determined to take over Greenland — “one way or the other,” as he recently put it. Trump has justified his ambitions by arguing that the strategically located Arctic island, which is part of Denmark, should not be allowed to fall under the control of Russia or China. Prime Minister Mark Carney has spoken out against Trump’s “escalation,” saying Greenland’s futur...