This Matters

As governments look for new ways to regulate big technology companies and social media networks, Google and Australia are locked in a dispute that has other nations and industries watching closely. Australia is working on a plan to have online companies compensate publishers whose content they link to. Google says they are in an untenable position and warned the plan may cause them to pull their s...

Tenants and landlords in Ontario fight the same fights — an unsteady economy, unemployment and missed rent payments — and since the pandemic began, they have only gotten worse. The Star's affordable housing reporter Victoria Gibson talks to "This Matters" host Adrian Cheung on the precarious living situation of thousands, details of the second eviction moratorium and what a long-term fix to a long...

QAnon, the Boogaloo movement, the Proud Boys — names once lurking on the fringes of the internet are now making mainstream headlines. On today's episode, Saba Eitizaz talks to Amarnath Amarasingham, a veteran researcher on terrorism and political violence, about what could be next for the American far-right and whether there are some global parallels to how they operate. If you would like to suppo...

While we acknowledge Black History Month every February, there is a need to extend learning and acknowledgment and not ignore it for the rest of the year. Considering this and the work of Black Lives Matter, four Black teachers at a Toronto high school have come up with a unique course to ensure that learning is ongoing. Toronto Star reporter Angelyn Francis takes us through the story and discusse...

Statistics Canada data shows more than 50,000 Toronto residents left between July 2019 and July 2020, while surrounding areas saw a population boom. The COVID pandemic had a big part in that. But what happens to Toronto now? David Rider, Toronto Star's city hall bureau chief, joins "This Matters" about a shrinking Toronto and the opportunities for reinvention of how this city works in the long-hau...

A joint investigation between the Toronto Star and the Guelph Mercury Tribune reveals how products of some of the biggest Canadian companies can be traced to manufacturers in China that have been accused of human rights violations. Jeremy Nuttall, investigative reporter for the Toronto Star, and Graeme McNaughton, reporter for the Guelph Mercury Tribune, join "This Matters" to talk about the revel...

The GTA's tow truck turf wars are once again in the news. Despite high profile busts in York Region, there have been more shootings and incidents of arson as organized crime factions battle over this lucrative industry. Three GTA police officers have been charged with bribery and extortion in the ongoing investigation. The Star's Peter Edwards has written extensively on organized crime and gives u...

For those of you looking for a good book to curl up with during this lockdown (and also, winter!) this episode has got you covered. The Star's books editor Deborah Dundas joins us today to talk about the latest news from the world of books and to recommend some of those buzz worthy titles to add to your reading list. If you would like to support the journalism of the Toronto Star, you can subscrib...

Devastation has swept through long-term-care facilities all through the COVID pandemic and shone a harsh light on how under-resourced and ill-prepared facilities are to cope with a crisis like this. Despite some government support in the first wave, things are only getting worse in the second. How do we protect those who once protected us? Star reporters Moira Welsh, who literally wrote a book on...

On his first day in office, Joe Biden signed 17 executive actions relating to protections against deportations of immigrant children, the Paris climate accord and a new leader in COVID response. Edward Keenan, Toronto Star's Washington bureau chief, talks to "This Matters" host Adrian Cheung about the final days of the Trump presidency, what to expect from Biden and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harr...

If ever there was something that figuratively needed a shot in the arm, it's the vaccine rollout across Canada, and unfortunately due to manufacturer delays, many Canadians will be waiting a while longer until they get that literal shot in the arm. The Star's Alex Boyd has covering vaccines and joins us to talk about what the holdup is and what other COVID-19 medicines we are waiting for and why....

Just as Canada and countries around the world struggle to contain COVID, another wrench has been thrown into the mix. How does a virus mutate? Should you be worried about the COVID variants? Does it affect how existing vaccines work? Two experts, two interviews: Dr. Tony Mazzulli, Microbiologist-in-Chief of the University Health Network and Mount Sinai Hospital's microbiology department, along wit...

In late 2020, a scientific breakthrough happened that had nothing to do with COVID vaccines. Singapore became the first country in the world to authorize the sale of lab-grown meat. Matt Simon, science reporter for WIRED Magazine, talks to host Adrian Cheung about the mystery behind the meat, fact checks the claims made by cultured meat companies and discusses why the future of meat might (or migh...

Disinformation and misinformation can make us emotional and angry and can even lead to violence. So how do we learn to recognize that and better assess the information we are flooded with? On today's episode, disinformation expert and critical thinking advocate Helen Lee Bouygues talks about the power and the dangers of dis- and misinformation in a hyperpolarized world and how we can improve our c...

In the wake of the insurrection at the Capitol building, Donald Trump's second impeachment and Joe Biden's upcoming inauguration, eyes are on the U.S. capital. As the end of Trump's term comes a close, Toronto Star Washington Bureau Chief Edward Keenan sat down with his predecessor Daniel Dale, now a reporter at CNN, to discuss the current state of U.S. politics and just what it's been like to cov...

With warnings of "fall off [our] chair" coronavirus modelling data, Ontario Premier Doug Ford enacted what he calls a tougher lockdown, but critics are calling its guidelines confusing and contradictory and too little, too late. Rob Ferguson, a reporter in the Star's Queen's Park bureau, joins "This Matters" to explain the scary numbers, the new rules and the balance the government is trying to st...

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...

Toronto's Sidewalk Labs might have started with a splash and ended with a splatter, but "smart tech" to run cities is still part of a future we cannot avoid. On today's episode John Lorinc, Spacing senior editor and Atkinson Fellow who has been working on a series about smart cities for the Toronto Star, talks about the their potential and how the COVID-19 pandemic might have helped paved the way...

Ontario's long-term care homes are in crisis once again, and doctors and medical experts are criticizing the province for delays in the vaccination rollout, a lack of transparency and its failures to address institutional problems in the LTC system. Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Geriatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital and University Health Network, explains what lessons weren't learned in the first wave...

On the day the U.S. Congress voted to certify the ballots confirming Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States, a pro-Trump mob stormed into the U.S. Capitol threatening to upend the results of the election. Edward Keenan, Toronto Star's Washington bureau chief, joins "This Matters " to talk about what he saw unfold at the insurrection and how it shook American democracy.

If we buckle down for one last, longer lockdown, could we avoid a third wave of COVID-19, save lives and see improved economic outcomes? A new report says just that. Saba Eitizaz speaks with Robert Greenhill, executive chair of Global Canada, who spearheads a task force advocating for the new strategy called "the Canadian Shield approach."

After pressure from advocates and health officials, Toronto will be naming employers with COVID-19 outbreaks that pose a significant risk to public health. It's a change in policy many have long been calling for. Sara Mojtehedzadeh is The Star's work and wealth reporter and joins "This Matters" to discuss what this means for essential workers and why the data is important.

COVID-19, among other things, has been a global pandemic of unemployment. Millions have been laid off, asked to take indefinite leave or outright fired. On "This Matters" today, host Saba Eitizaz talks to experienced career coach and talent recruiter Michelle Nadon about how one can go about kick-starting 2021 on a better note, whether it's your career, a prospective new job or life in general.

This is a rebroadcast from July 6, 2020. How do we travel now? What are the ways that are safest? Travel bubbles, a road-trip renaissance, camping, RVing, longer and more meaningful trips, visiting friends and family. Sarah Khan, travel writer, talks to Adrian Cheung about what the future of travel looks like and why this could be the great re-set on how we see the world. The way we travel has cha...

This is a rebroadcast from May 8, 2020. Murder hornets. Murder. Hornets. The Asian giant hornet has quite the moniker, given for its sting and appetite for the offspring of honey bees, and the threat it poses to honey bee populations. News recently emerged that these hornets were in North America. But eight months ago, after hearing about sightings, B.C. beekeepers John and Moufida Holubeshen firs...