This Matters

From bread baking to meal kits to everyone cooking at home more, The Star's Karon Liu, a culture & food reporter, joins This Matters to talk about COVID-19 pandemic trends in food buying habits and how the industry is adapting.

This Matters lifts the veil on what QAnon is, how it's spread like a virus in mainstream discourse, what responsibilities social media companies have in cracking down on it and why internet-fuelled (and false) beliefs carry real consequences. Six months ago, QAnon was a little-known conspiracy theory on the fringes of the internet. Today it has hit the mainstream. QAnon is a big-tent conspiracy th...

There is a global race on to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, and at the same time, nations are jockeying to make sure they will have enough when it arrives. The Star's Alex Boyd has been following this and joins This Matters to talk about the road to a vaccine.

New data shows not only is women's participation in the workforce is at a historical low, but racialized, low-income and immigrant women have been especially hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic's economic impacts. In today's This Matters , the Star's business reporter Rosa Saba talks about how the pandemic has been another setback for women and what can be done to regain lost ground.

Think of it as very early version of the movie Minority Report. Many police forces are using big data to automate surveillance and predict where crimes might occur. From facial recognition to social media analysis and more, technology and human rights lawyer Cynthia Khoo explains what we need to know about algorithmic policing and what it means for your rights.

How does racial trauma impact lives and careers? Can you get PTSD from your workplace? In today's episode, Dr. Monnica Williams explains. Dr. Williams is an Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa's School of Psychology. She has extensively studied the impact of racial trauma on people of colour.

WE Charity announced this week that it is ending all Canadian operations, a development set against the backdrop of a national political scandal. Jaren Kerr, a journalist who broke many stories about the inner workings of the WE organization, takes us inside and looks back at the charity that seemingly couldn't falter, but now finds itself in a tailspin.

With many people facing the possibility of working remotely permanently, this pandemic is the right time to move out of the big city. The urban exodus is happening, at least for some, and today on This Matters, we speak with someone who has made the choice to leave the province, as well as a real estate agent who looks at the numbers.

The move to cashless business has a big cost. A 2019 study showed that 17 percent of the UK's population would "struggle to cope in a cashless society." Many in Canada will also be at a disadvantage. Brendan Kennedy, Toronto Star's social justice reporter, joins Adrian Cheung to talk about how quickly Canada has embraced the cashless evolution, who is getting quickly left out and why a story often...

Usually, a day after Labour Day, many kids, parents and teachers are ready and eager — and a bit nervours — to go back to school. But this year, during a pandemic, that nervousness is at a new high. What will this school year be like? What happends if a child or teacher in school tests positive for COVID-19? What about bussing? Or playing? Kids are kids, after all. The Star's Kristin Rushowy sat d...

This Labour Day, This Matters is rebroadcasting the first episode of the Toronto Star's six-part podcast Hustled, where the Star's labour reporter Sara Mojtehedzadeh takes us behind the scenes of a David vs. Goliath battle between a scrappy group of Toronto food couriers and the app company they work for. Listen to all six episodes at  thestar.com/hustled  or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Toronto Police Constable Heather McWilliam was sexually harassed for years by her supervisors, including a sexual assault in the form of a forced kiss, and six years after she decided to fight back — the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has ruled in her favour. Constable Heather McWilliam shares her story with the Toronto Star.  Former Chief of Police Mark Saunders said at the time of the decision "T...

Brain computer technology is at a point where the potential medical implications are so exciting many players are pursuing different approaches to the field. The potential ethics of using this technology are sometimes best explained in science fiction like "Black Mirror" and "The Matrix." Neurotechnologist Graeme Moffat joins This Matters to discuss the latest in brain computer interface technolog...

The multibillion-dollar skin whitening cream industry has until recently bombarded people with images of white skin being more desirable. As the Black Lives Matter movement gained traction in calling out racism around the world, it also pressured top brands to rethink their products. Some experts are worried nothing has really changed. Amina Mire, author of the book "Wellness in Whiteness: Biomedi...

With COVID-19 quarantine, the air has been cleaner and the streets have an eerie stillness, but the light has never shone brighter on longstanding social, economic and racial inequality in our lives. The concept of noise in a city — and who gets the worst of it — is a direct reflection of those inequities. Matthew Braga, freelance writer on technology, science and culture, recently reported on thi...

The Law Society of Ontario, which represents more than 55,000 lawyers says only 3.2 percent of Ontario's lawyers are Black. This is no different from so many industries (including news media) but it still led Ryan Watkins — one of the city's leading employment law experts — to conduct an analysis of 12 leading law firms of Toronto. He found the firms have more than 1,500 partners listed in Ontario...

After the SIU report cleared Toronto police officers of any criminal action, the police oversight organization remains dogged with criticisms by community members, lawyers and academics alike. Justice reporter Alyshah Hasham on the case, police accountability and the informal code of silence among officers known as the "blue wall of silence."

To discuss the state of the movie industry, streaming, TIFF, drive ins, blockbusters, indies and, of course, a quick review of "Tenet," Raju Mudhar talks with Peter Howell, former film critic at the Star, who now publishes his reviews at nightviz.ca.

Erin O'Toole is the new leader of the Conserative Party of Canada. National politics reporter Alex Boutilier joins Adrian Cheung to talk about the meaning of O'Toole's win and what the future will look like for the Conservative Party as they aim to challenge the minority government Liberals.

In today's episode, we will get a first-hand account from a military frontline worker about how the force's responded to the pandemic and to the care and well-being of Canadians, and what can be done so that we don't need to call in the military — for either a rescue or reconnaissance. Corporal Laila Ahmed is a CAF Medical Assistant who worked in Ontario long-term care homes and was part of what w...

A second wave of COVID-19 could be devastating for the economy already reeling under deficits. In today's episode, Dr. Steven Hoffman, a professor of legal epidemiology, global health, law and political science at York, breaks down that potential scenario and what we need to learn now, to be prepared for the future.

Proponents of body cameras say they add accountability and transparency. Critics say they are expensive and simply do not work in terms of improving of changing police behaviour. To discuss this, we are joined by Kevin Walby, associate criminal justice professor at the University of Winnipeg. He studies policing and surveillance.

Are constant deep-cleans necessary? And is 'hygiene theatre' taking away time and resources from methods that are proven to slow down transmission, namely: mask wearing, physical distancing, hand washing and moving activities outdoors? Dr. Isaac Bogoch, infectious disease specialist at Toronto General Hospital and University Health Network talks to Adrian Cheung about 'hygiene theatre', the new de...

Like all generations, there are 'Covidiots' and 'Novidiots.' Everyone is not the same. The Star's culture reporter Karon Liu went digging and talked to many young people who are fighting the stigma of covidiocy.

The WE Charity controversy continues to rage on for the Liberal government and this week, the first victim has been claimed. Finance Minister Bill Morneau and MP of Toronto-Centre resigned from his post on Monday. And less than 24 hours after Morneau's resignation, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is brought into the fold with a cabinet shuffle, becoming Canada's first female finance minist...