This Matters

The Ontario government says vaccine focus and eligibility have expanded to high risk postal codes where they say are residents who are essential workers, low-income and/or racialized, but many who need it most still don't have access while wave three of the COVID pandemic is showing no sign of slowing down. Today on "This Matters," we take a look at how difficult it's been for Ontarians to navigat...

The Ontario government has turned its vaccine focus towards the hardest hit neighbourhoods and essential workers. It is a critical move to slow the spread of COVID-19, yet there is little clarity on how exactly the move will be implemented. Dr. Lawrence Loh, Peel's chief medical officer, and Sara Mojtehedzadeh, The Star's work and wealth reporter, discuss what that kind of mass vaccination look li...

It's Amazon's world and we are all just living in it. The pandemic has helped the company grow even bigger and more powerful, but at what cost? The spotlight has revealed work practices, treatment of employees, COVID outbreaks and impacts on towns and cities. Alec MacGillis, reporter for ProPublica and author of "Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America," joins "This Matters" to discus...

Ben Spurr, The Star's Transportation Reporter, and Robert Benzie, Queen's Park bureau chief, bring us up to speed on four huge transit projects, including a potential new massive transit hub near Toronto's eastern waterfront, and how Metrolinx keeps increasing its powers as it tries to build transit throughout the city.

Bill C-21, the controversial gun control proposal, is set for another debate next week in Canadian Parliament. The proposal, which came after the tragedy of the Nova Scotia shooting, includes a controversial buyback program of blacklisted firearms. But in a debate that is usually divisive, Bill C-21 has both gun rights and gun control advocates fuming. Neither sides see the bill as a solution to c...

Another lockdown, another stay-at-home order in Ontario. The third wave is hitting the province hard as COVID variants spread, the vaccination rollout buckles and a paid sick leave program remains a no-go for the Ontario government. Despite all the warnings from doctors and other medical professionals, how did we get here again? Will safety measures work this time around?  Guest: Bruce Arthur, Tor...

With the April Break just days away, many schools in Ontario have shifted to remote learning in the face of rising case counts from the variants of concern which are spreading rapidly. Schools have not been a high factor in infection, and the province has insisted they are safe places for children, but after Peel Region's Medical Officer of Health decided to shut down schools in the area, others f...

The mask has become a symbol of all we've been through in the age of the pandemic. Amy Dempsey traced the trajectory of Toronto's "mask life" and joins "This Matters" to talk about how a piece of cloth became both protection and a political symbol. As well, we mark the "maskiversary," one year since the day Prime Minister Justin Trudeau advocated mask wearing and warned of "speaking moistly." Gues...

Guest: Steve Buist , investigative reporter and feature writer at The Star The Ontario government has resurrected plans to build Highway 413, a new road that runs from Vaughan to Halton Hills. There are several controversial aspects to this planned route and a joint Toronto Star/National Observer investigation has found that a number of developers are set to benefit if this road is built. Looking...

This is a rebroadcast from March 12, 2021. Public health officials, city mayors and small businesses have called for it: paid sick leave. It has been cited as a factor that's been proven to slow the spread of COVID-19 — without the protection of paid sick leave, employees often feel forced to go to work even while sick and symptomatic, to avoid missing a pay cheque or losing their jobs. The Ontari...

It's April 1 and Major League Baseball — and spring — has officially started. We're bringing you a special episode today, simulcasting the launch of Deep Left Field, a new baseball podcast from the Toronto Star, featuring long-time Blue Jays radio voice, Mike Wilner. Today, Mike speaks with Toronto Blue Jay pitcher Jordan Romano, MLB.com's Alyson Footer and Kim's Convenience's Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. ...

A reckoning of anti-Asian racism and violence has been ongoing in the wake of the shooting in Atlanta that left eight people dead, along with the thousands of reports of anti-Asian incidents during the pandemic. With both Canada and the U.S. have torrid histories of racism, how have long-running stereotypes and the 'model minority myth' of Asian Canadians and Americans turned into violence? Three...

After several extended deadlines, Canada has a new medical assistance in dying (MAID) law that will broaden who will be able to make end-of-life decisions. That said, some of the most controversial aspects still need to be hammered out and several people are unhappy and critical of the new law. Jacques Gallant has been covering MAID for The Star and joins to explain what's new in the law, what sti...

The Olympics are one of the world's most complex international events to stage, even in a "normal" year. How will that be done safely during a pandemic? One year after the historic postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games, we take you inside how Canadian athletes and staff are preparing for the summer games with a decorated Olympian and leader of Team Canada. Guest: Marnie McBean, four-time Olympic...

Canada's COVID-19 vaccination campaign started on the same day as the U.S. back in December, but four months later, our results lag far behind not only our neighbours to the south but at least 30 other countries. With millions of vaccine doses coming to Canada but only 1.57 per cent of the population fully vaccinated, how long will it take to get shots into 38 million Canadians? Dr. David Naylor,...

Vaccine supply and rollout are top issues in Canada right now and the hope is that as more Canadians get their shots in the arm, life will start to return to normal even in our politics. The pandemic made sure the past year would not be politics as usual, but as more and more people are inoculated, there are signs that politicians are champing at the bit to get back to normal. Will we go back to p...

As our senior citizens are booking and lining up to get their vaccinations, many grandparents can't wait until they hug their grandchildren sometime soon. While vaccine priority is aimed at our most vulnerable, questions remain about when young children and teenagers will eventually get inoculated against COVID-19. While they are at lower risk, there needs to be more clinical trials to determine p...

AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer have become the new buzz words of our generation and may be the top contenders for conversation at awkward family dinners. COVID-19 vaccines might be saving us but they are also breaking down friendships and families as difficult, polarizing conversations crop up around the efficacy or safety of these vaccines. On today's episode, we get a crash course on vaccine he...

Millions of Canadians want to know — of the four COVID-19 vaccines approved by Health Canada — which one is the best one? Numbers and statistics are flying around and it's fair to have a lot of other questions. Are the Moderna and Pfizer shots really the 'Cadillac' of vaccines? Is the AstraZeneca shot effective? Does it matter which vaccine you get? We explain what vaccine efficacy really means an...

Guest: Alex Boyd, Star Reporter based in Calgary, who has been focusing on vaccines. As more and more vaccines get into arms in Canada, the thorny issues of how to denote people's vaccination status has become a topic of discussion. There are already several countries using some form of vaccine passport to enable easier travel. However, they are leading to another set of issues including questions...

Guest: Wendy Gillis, Toronto Star's crime reporter In Ontario, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) investigates cases of assault, serious injury and death, when a police officer is involved in the incident. A new research report looking into 15 years worth of SIU charges and their outcomes found a majority of cases ended in a withdrawal of charges or acquittal. We look deeper into the numbers to...

As many look to the vaccines as the light at the end of COVID-19 long, dark tunnel, the many people who have been suffering long-haul symptoms are still looking for answers and treatment for their medical problems. While some countries are tackling these long-term issues, some in Ontario feel frustrated and forgotten. May Warren is a reporter with the Star's health and science team, and has been s...

With a difficult year, new rules and a looming deadline, sorting out the paperwork and details for one's income tax can be stressful for many. It is even more so when filing for a pandemic year that saw job loss, financial aid and remote work. Knowing this, business reporter Rosa Saba and host Saba Eitizaz collected questions from listeners and on this episode of "This Matters," they sat down to a...

In the early 1920s, the world began to transform. The job market exploded. Culture, nightlife and the arts flourished. Long-held beliefs about gender, race, religion and politics were being challenged. It was the Roaring Twenties. A century later, as we begin to climb out of the COVID-19 pandemic, could we be headed for a Roaring Twenties in the 2020s? If you would like to support the journalism o...

Public health officials, city mayors and small businesses have called for it: paid sick leave. It has been cited as a factor that's been proven to slow the spread of COVID-19 — without the protection of paid sick leave, employees often feel forced to go to work even while sick and symptomatic, to avoid missing a pay cheque or losing their jobs. The Ontario government has said for months it has no...