This Matters

Guest:  Dr. Saskia Sivananthan, neuroscientist and health data scientist  A new landmark study predicts that the number of Canadians living with dementia will increase by 187 per cent by 2050. That would mean more than 1.7 million Canadians with dementia, nearly three times the estimated 650,000 today. More than a quarter of them will be people from South and East Asia. The report also looks at a...

Guest:  Richard Warnica, staff reporter The housing crisis in Toronto, and in Canada, has become the dominant issue for politicians at all levels of government and for voters up and down the income spectrum. Star reporter Richard Warnica  took a deep dive  into the many facets of the issue, from the lack of public housing and the shortage of rentals to zoning and development delays, NIMBY objectio...

Guests:  Maryam Affana, Mirvat Al-Sharafi and immigration lawyer Aidan Simardone  Last month, Canada launched a new emergency program permitting up to 1,000 Palestinians who are extended family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents to apply to come to Canada. Members of the Palestinian-Canadian community say they are struggling with delays, logistical issues and what some experts say...

Mayor Olivia Chow's version of the city budget was released this week, and one of us was there in person at the Scarborough Town Centre to hear about it. The tax rate's a bit lower, the feds came through with some money, the police still didn't get as much as they want.  So what do we think ? And what's left to fight about? Also, some jerk disrupted a women and trans shinny game in a Toronto park,...

"This Matters" would like to share an episode of the third season of the Toronto Star podcast "Millennial Money." The show includes millennials speaking about relatable financial dilemmas that are often taboo or embarrassing but that many are grappling with behind closed doors. Like many of us, Amy learned about trigonometry in school but nothing about the basics of financial literacy of investing...

The city budget moves from committee to mayor's office, though tax rates, federal funding commitments and other big questions are still in flux. Ed and Emma met with Budget Chief Shelley Carroll this week to discuss, and share some of her thoughts, alongside some of their own. And while Ed was recently sounding the alarm on a toboggan ban in Toronto, Emma is not so sure there's all that much to be...

Guest:   Nicholas Keung , immigration reporter  On Monday Canada's immigration minister Marc Miller announced the federal government's move to introduce  a temporary cap on foreign students  as part of an ongoing set of measures to limit and curb the abuse of Canada's international student program. While the government is framing it as a solution to exploitation and a burgeoning housing and afford...

Guest :  Robert Benzie , Queen's Park Bureau Chief  Yet another wrinkle emerged in the Greenbelt scandal with the revelation of an email showing the Premier's office might have been engaged with the matter earlier than it has previously said (under oath, even). Is this a big "net new" deal, or a nothingburger? Is it significant that this government can't seem to read a calendar or that personal em...

"This Matters" would like to share an episode of the third season of the Toronto Star podcast "Millennial Money." The show includes millennials speaking about relatable financial dilemmas that are often taboo or embarrassing but that many are grappling with behind closed doors. jes sachse has been fighting an eviction for about two years. And they're not alone. As rent and property prices soar, ev...

Guest : Toronto Star reporter Richard Warnica, reporting from the U.S. Amid criminal trials, civil convictions, and courts ruling him ineligible to serve again, Donald  Trump  remains the dominant force in American politics, as shown again with a landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses that kick off the presidential nominating contest. The Star's Richard Warnica is on the scene, and talks to host ...

Daniel Langlois may not be a household name but his work is. He was a pioneer of Hollywood 3-D movie effects, working on films like "Jurassic Park," "Harry Potter" and "The Matrix." On Dec.1, he and his partner Dominque Marchand were found shot in a burnt out car in Dominica. Court documents revealed they'd been in a dispute with their neighbour who, along with another man, have been charged with...

He's still waiting for the Guinness people to certify it, but former advertising executive (and long-ago Toronto punk musician)  Ben Pobjoy  believes he's set a record for walking the most "freestyle marathons" in one year, with a 2023 globe-strolling pace of almost five per week. That amounts to a distance longer than the circumference of the moon, on a journey that took him to five continents an...

Voters seemed to want change when they voted for Olivia Chow to run Toronto, and a property tax increase of as much as 16.5 per cent certainly is a break from the past. Edward Keenan and Emma Teitel discuss how the city got here, whether a double-digit increase is justified, how people are likely to react and what the key for Chow is if it is going to be accepted. They also talk about a wave of an...

Guest:  Kevin McGran, hockey reporter The Toronto Maple Leafs signed star forward William Nylander to a record-setting $92-million, eight-year contract, a monster deal amid what has been a monster season for the winger. At a time when every sports fan is expected to be a salary cap expert, can any of us just be happy that we get to watch one of the most talented and entertaining teams to play arou...

The city is hyped for the sold-out inaugural season of Toronto's new professional women's hockey team, and so are hosts Ed Keenan and Emma Teitel. They also turn their attention to city hall, talking over increased photo radar enforcement, the mayor's rush to get things done, the threat of cybercrime and the city budget process kicking into high gear in the coming week. Plus: why shootings have go...

This Matters would like to share the first episode of the third season of the Toronto Star podcast "Millennial Money." The show includes millennials speaking about relatable financial dilemmas that are often taboo or embarrassing but that many are grappling with behind closed doors.  Maria was saving up to freeze her eggs, but some tough financial decisions forced her to change her plans. Competin...

This Matters is pleased to publish the year-end episode of the Toronto Star's political podcast It's Political, featuring: National Columnist Susan Delacourt, Ottawa deputy bureau chief Stephanie Levitz and reporter Mark Ramzy, who join host Althia Raj. It's been quite a tumultuous year in federal politics, from allegations of foreign interference involving China and India, to the expansion of ind...

For years, you may have heard the whispers about Santa Claus. Some say he's a big hoax, an inside job. When you look at the evidence, it may seem these skeptics have a point questioning the flying sleigh and magical reindeer. But then you start to consider just how many people would have to be in on this thing to keep it secret, and wonder why they would do that. Is it possible that behind Santa C...

Guest:  Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow At the start of 2023, Olivia Chow was retired from politics and teaching university students but a shock to Toronto's political system brought her back to the front pages and into the mayor's office. She reflects on the year that was, including her campaign, her unexpected partnership with Premier Doug Ford, the city's budget struggles, her response to those who w...

Today's episode features our 2023 in Toronto politics chat, including the shocking resignation of one mayor, the comeback election of another, the sinking fortunes and desperate reversals of the premier and the multiple instances of the city government "loving things to death." Then there are the things that didn't chang, including the limbo of the crosstown transit project. What you would like to...

Guest:  Matt Blackett, "Spacing" magazine founder and creative director  "Spacing," the independent magazine about public space issues in Toronto, turns 20 years old this month — somehow surviving and even thriving in a media landscape that's been punishing to much more established titles. Founder Matt Blackett joins "This Matters" to talk about how the magazine began and how it has developed unco...

Guest:   Jacques Gallant , courts and justice reporter  In November, a jury c onvicted the now disgraced fashion mogul Peter Nygard with four counts of sexual assault after five women testified disturbing details of what happened to them inside his former Toronto headquarters. Behind them were a Toronto therapist, a #MeToo lawyer, a business nemesis and more than 100 women who helped bring him dow...

Guest:   Mahdis Habibinia , reporter For seven years the family of Soleiman Faqiri has been searching for answers after his death in an Ontario jail. At last, a jury at a  coroner's inquest  confirmed his death was a homicide. It is a landmark verdict after emotional testimony showing how jail guards, health care staff and supervisors failed to address Faqiri's spiralling mental health crisis. The...

Guest:  Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for the COVID-19 response at the World Health Organization It's been four years since the first human COVID-19 case emerged in Wuhan, China. Since then, the disease has gone on to kill an estimated 15 million people, infect more than 750 million and upend the lives of countless more. A scientific consensus has emerged among many of the world's top vir...

Ed Keenan and Emma Teitel's Toronto politics chat considers the implications and possible motivations for the likely next stop on the premier's policy revolving door, discusses new Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie's retail appeal, considers both the impact and the implications of the library's ongoing victimization by hackers, and talks about possible progress on the King Street transit prior...