Closer Look

In cities and towns across Ontario — and at Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill — our journalists work for you. Their mission is to dig for answers and tell you what they find. This new daily podcast from Village Media — ‘Closer Look’ — is all about the stories we tell. Every weeknight, hosts Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith go beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featur...

Welcome back to Inside the Village , a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits. On this week's episode: Free at last. A nightmare vacation for a Burlington, Ont. man has finally come to an end — 71 days after he was arrested in the Dominican Republic and wrongfully accused of drug trafficking. David Bennett was innocent all along , but even after local autho...

Welcome back to Inside the Village , a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits. On this week's episode: the urgent push to break down interprovincial trade barriers. Yes, you read that right: this week's show is a detailed discussion about interprovincial trade barriers. Why? Because a lot of people are trumpeting them as a key front in the battle again...

This week on our 'Inside the Village' podcast: Eradicated nearly three decades ago, measles cases are soaring — fuelled by COVID fatigue and misinformation that spreads faster than the virus itself. Welcome back to Inside the Village , a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits. On this week's episode: The spread of measles misinformation. Eradicate...

On Monday, Canadians will cast their ballots in what many are calling the most important election in generations. If you believe the polls, this is a tight two-horse race between Mark Carney’s Liberals and Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives. This morning, Carney visited Sault Ste. Marie for a campaign stop at Algoma Steel, the city’s largest employer. After the press conference, the Liberal Leader s...

This week on our 'Inside the Village' podcast: The moderator for next week's English-language leaders' debate tells us how he gets ready, what can go wrong — and his strategy for keeping things fair. Welcome back to Inside the Village , a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits. On this week's episode: Prepping for the big showdown. Next...

This week on our 'Inside the Village' podcast: As Donald Trump hits us with tariffs and muses about Canada becoming the 51st state, shoppers on this side of the border are punching back. Welcome back to Inside the Village , a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits. On this week's episode: How to "Buy Canadian" — and why this boycott migh...

This week on our 'Inside the Village' podcast: We speak to Jane Wilcox, who is fighting around the clock to clear her husband's name — and bring David Bennett home. Welcome back to Inside the Village , a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits. On this week's episode: A dream vacation spirals into a nightmare. Family and friends are rallying a...

This week on our 'Inside the Village' podcast: A wide-ranging conversation with Algoma Steel CEO Michael Garcia, an American citizen who holds a unique vantage point on the brewing trade war. Welcome back to Inside the Village , a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits. On this week's episode: An in-depth conversation with the CEO of Sault Ste. Ma...

This week on the podcast: As Super Bowl Sunday approaches, nearly half of all viewers in Ontario are expected to place a bet — a process that's never been easier, or more enticing. Welcome back to Inside the Village , a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits. On this week's episode: Betting on the Super Bowl (and everything else). In 2022, Ontario beca...

This week on our 'Inside the Village' podcast: Ontario will be in election-campaign mode over the next four weeks — and your local news outlet will be covering every step of the race. Welcome back to Inside the Village , a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits. On this week's episode: Election season in Ontario! Like it or not, Doug Ford is sendi...

How bad is the country’s doctor shortage? So bad that the medical misinformation business is flourishing online. Alarming new data released by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) shows that more than one-third of Canadians are getting health information from the Internet because they can’t access a primary care provider. Forty-two percent have tried medical advice found online, while nearly one...

A new report has painstakingly tallied the number of Ontarians who experienced homelessness last year — and the figure is staggering: 81,515. If things stay the same, that number is expected to double over the next decade (and potentially reach 300,000 in an economic downturn). What can be done to turn things around? The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), which commissioned the report...

Frisco and Scott are back for a fourth season of Inside the Village — and we kick things off with a blast from the past. Former Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is now a professor at the University of Toronto and has plenty of thoughts on the big political news of the week, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation and Donald Trump’s looming trade war. Should Premier Doug Ford call an ea...

Launched in 2022, this news podcast has covered a lot of ground. As we mark the end of 2024 — and the release of our 100th episode — we take a look back at some or our most indelible interviews, including Ted Nolan, Gurdeep Pandher, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and an 18-year-old lottery winner named Juliette Lamour. To everyone who has listened over the years, thank you. We look forward to putt...

Delivery date unknown. That’s the news at the moment when it comes to when a deal will be reached in the ongoing Canada Post strike. Both sides remain far apart on the key issues that triggered this labour dispute, and no new mediation is scheduled. Joining Scott and Frisco on the podcast this week is Jim Gallant, a member of the bargaining unit with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. We asked...

It’s a tough time to be a small business owner in Canada. Surviving the pandemic was a massive hurdle in any community, town or city. Now, the stakes seem just as high with the impact of the two week old Canada Post strike, potential tariffs on goods to the US when Donald Trump becomes president, not to mention the upcoming ‘tax holiday’ that many business owners say frankly just isn’t worth the h...

A new report says girls are closing the gap with boys when it comes to playing organized sports in Canada. A full 63 per cent of girls are playing sports weekly, compared to 68 per cent of boys, the report found. Although the numbers are up, the study also found there is still “more work to do.” The remaining 37 per cent of girls — nearly four in 10 — are missing out on the benefits of organized s...

When all is said and done, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour will have grossed over $2.2 billion. Every community on her tour has cashed in the concerts — including Toronto, where Swift is about to open a six-night run at Rogers Centre starting Thursday. Estimates have the economic spinoff for the Big Smoke to be over $280 million, including over $150 million in direct spending. TorontoToday reporter...

Talk about good timing. On the heels of a caucus revolt, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sat down with Frisco and Scott for a wide-ranging interview that was scheduled well in advance of all the political drama this week on Parliament Hill. Asked again if he has any intention of resigning, Trudeau was adamant he isn’t going anywhere. “I am determined to lead this party into the next election because...

Is it time to give up the dream of homeownership? Amid skyrocketing prices, scarce supply and longer mortgage terms, the goal of owning a home is slipping away from many Canadians — especially young ones. Diana Mok, a professor at the University of Guelph, says it’s time for society to reevaluate whether people need to buy houses at all. She suggests we need to stop putting homeowners on a pedesta...

Fighting cancer is hard enough. When the bills pile up, it’s that much worse. Anyone who has been touched by cancer knows it turns your life upside down — forcing people to take time off work, pay travel bills and incur other out-of-pocket expenses. A team from Sudbury’s Health Sciences North Research Institute (HSNRI) is trying to get a better understanding of just how costly cancer can be. This...

Internal government data shows that in January, nearly 2,000 patients per day were kept in ‘unconventional spaces’ like hallways and break rooms in Ontario hospitals — the highest number ever recorded. Through a Freedom of Information Request, reporter Aidan Chamandy of The Trillium was able to piece together the current state of hallway health care across the province — a problem that Doug Ford p...

After years of court battles, the federal and provincial governments recently reached a $10-billion settlement with beneficiaries of the Robinson Huron Treaty. Simply put, members of those 21 First Nations in northern Ontario did not see an increase to annual treaty payments for nearly 150 years, even as wealth generated in their territory from mining, forestry and fishing sectors continued to gro...

As expected, the Ford government has announced it is shutting down multiple supervised drug consumption sites across the province — and banning all new ones. For harm-reduction advocates, the decision flies in the face of years of scientific research that shows these sites lower the risk of accidental overdose, reduce the spread of infectious diseases, and provide a starting point for drug users l...