Who gets to decide how Toronto grows and changes?
Guest: Danica Samuel, reporter for the Toronto Star
With hundreds of ethnicities, cultures and unique neighbourhoods, one of the great points of pride for Toronto is its diversity. The City of Toronto wants to define what exactly this is through a "cultural districts" program that would identify different cultural enclaves as being worthy of being preserved. Who gets to decide what should be preserved? Would a "cultural district" designation make these places more secure or is it more red-tape? We parse through what this program is to ultimately answer: who gets to decide what stays and what goes in an ever-changing city.
December 07, 2021
8T-q1Zq4-Qk
The Fast and Nefarious: How thieves steal cars
Guest: Kevin Donovan, The Star's chief investigative reporter
With films like "Gone in 60 Seconds" to "The Fast and The Furious," the world of car theft has been portrayed as a glamorous life full of high stakes and rollicking action. In fact, the modern car thief has high tech tools and they usually work in groups. Cars stolen in the middle of the night and are often on their way to being shipped out of the country before you even wake up. That's what happened to journalist Kevin Donovan's car, and despite what the authorities said and long odds, it was actually recovered. From there he dove into finding out how the world of auto theft works.
December 06, 2021
HLhJg9iJEFY
The Omicron Variant: what we know and what we don’t
Guest: Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti, infectious diseases physician at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga
News and serious worry over the Omicron variant of COVID-19 spread almost as quickly as the virus itself. The World Health Organization says the newest, potentially more contagious variant poses a “very high” global risk. The UK’s Health and Security Agency calls it “the most worrying we’ve ever seen.” In the span of a week and a half, the Omicron variant has been detected in more than a dozen countries around the world. But what do we really know about Omicron? What makes it more transmissible? Given what we know about how COVID works, how worried should we be? Today on “This Matters,” we go to the basics with an infectious diseases doctor to explain why scientists believe the variant is more transmissible, talk through what we know and perhaps more crucially, what we’re still waiting to find out.
December 03, 2021
DqVsK_S_Lws
Omicron, the travel ban and getting home to Canada under the wire
Guest: Alex Boyd, Calgary-based reporter for the Toronto Star
The latest Omicron variant has starkly reminded the world about what global health advocates have been shouting about for more than a year – if vaccines aren't shared, the virus and its variants will spread. Canada has followed dozens of other countries in announcing more travel bans on African countries, and many in South Africa are feeling like they're being punished for alerting the world about Omicron. And just as it came made its presence known in the pandemic, Star reporter Alex Boyd was travelling across Africa to report on exactly these issues. She made it back to Canada from South Africa right under the wire, just hours ahead of the travel ban. She joins "This Matters" to talk about Canada's initial quarantine confusion and how vaccine inequality in the Global South is connected to what's unfolding now.
December 02, 2021
G6-aUA7FLWE
COVID outbreaks are surging in schools. What can we do about it?
Guest: Kenyon Wallace, investigative reporter for the Star
The start of the school year in Canada was in effect a real-time experiment of how COVID-19 could spread among a mostly unvaccinated population. Despite vaccine mandates among school staff, mask use, physical distancing and ventilation, the vast majority of elementary school-age children are unvaccinated with their vaccine rollout only now in its initial stages. COVID outbreaks have surged in Ontario schools since November leaving the question about what we can do to slow the spread before the holidays.
December 01, 2021
Hm4TZMmccqo
Vaccine Hunters are back for kids’ vaccines and third-dose boosters
Guest: Andrew Young, founder and director of Vaccine Hunters Canada
For more than a million Canadians, volunteers for Vaccine Hunters Canada have been heroes and messengers of hope in the difficulties of the pandemic. After the initial rollout of vaccines in spring 2021 were plagued by shipment delays, miscommunication, massive lines that stretched for hours that were no guarantee you'd get a shot, Vaccine Hunters Canada stepped in. The grassroots, citizen-led volunteer team sourced information on where to get the vaccine, confirmed the eligibility requirements and then shared that information across social media channels in a clear and accessible way. After a brief hiatus in the late summer, they're back to connect Canadians to children's vaccines as talk about third-dose boosters over the winter heats up. We talk to the founder of Vaccine Hunters on the community of helpers that have helped transform the pandemic.
November 30, 2021
UUxBW_re8Ic
Conflict on Wet’suwet’en territory, the RCMP and press freedom
Guest: Brandi Morin, French/Cree/Iroquois human rights journalist who lives in Treaty 6 territory
Last Friday, RCMP arrested award-winning journalist Amber Bracken and documentary maker Michael Toledano, as well as 15 others, as part of a raid on one of the camps set up to keep TransCanada Energy's Coastal GasLink gas pipeline out of Indigenous territory. Many say the multibillion-dollar gas project — one of the largest private sector investments in Canada — violates both Indigenous and international laws. The consequent standoff in the territory of the Wet'suwet'en is raising serious questions about the role of the RCMP when it comes to Indigenous communities, and what the current situation means for press freedom and access to information on this issue.
November 29, 2021
g9ja7KVEXAA
The Metaverse is coming. Here’s what you need to know
Guest: Emma Westecott, associate professor of game design at OCAD University and co-director of the Game: Play Lab
The Metaverse is coming. Long thought to be one of the next great leaps in shared digital spaces, the idea of the Metaverse recently got a boost from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg when he announced the company is investing $10 billion and rebranding its own platform with the name Meta. But Facebook is not alone. There are already game worlds and platforms like Fortnite and Roblox that are building elements of it. There is a long way to go before we get to something that’s been depicted in movies like “The Matrix” and “Ready Player One.” But as development really gets underway, now is the time to be asking what do we want the Metaverse to look like and how to make it beneficial for everyone?
November 26, 2021
YO6NbSWODCM
How space technology is helping to fight the next pandemic
Guests: Canadian astronaut Dr. Dave Williams and Alex Boyd, Toronto Star reporter
What if the answers and solutions of the pandemic are found in the stars? The two industries of space and medicine are more closely aligned than we may think, as many of the technologies we use today were first tested in the rigours of space. Can space exploration and research help us find our way through this pandemic and prevent the next one? We talk to one of Canada’s most decorated and experienced astronauts, Dave Williams, to learn the future of medical care is already being pushed to the limits in space.
November 25, 2021
XHj0sBuLYzw
A walk through of Toronto's COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for kids
November 24, 2021
7wG9CElwDDE
Car thieves targeted a Toyota, then stole a Honda around the corner
November 17, 2021
iJtf0X9ONpE
Mask up, it’s not over, Canada’s health officials warn
Guest: May Warren, reporter for the Toronto Star
With winter months bringing in an uptick in COVID-19 cases and a relatively static vaccination rate, Canada's top health officers are urging people to double down on masking because masks are the last line of defence against the virus. With a major shift (again!) in the conversation and culture around masking and new data available, reporter May Warren joins "This Matters" for a little bit of a refresher on masks, how we should wear them and why we're still talking about them. See Health Canada's latest guidelines and policies on masks here.
November 24, 2021
wv5l9V3FyzA
Kids and vaccines: What you need to know now
Guest: Megan Ogilvie is a health reporter at the Star
Parents of children aged 5 to 11 can now book their children for their first dose of vaccines across Canada. It’s been a long wait for this cohort, which is the largest unvaccinated group in Canada. Most parents — who have had to live through plenty of invasive COVID tests at the first sign of symptom — now have an option to get their kids more protection against this disease. But will it be another mad rush to book online, only to come up empty? Or will things be better this time around? Also, for many parents, getting the shot booked is just the first hurdle, now you’ve got to deal with a youngster who has to face a needle. This episodes provide some initial observations on the booking process and some helpful tips and advice.
November 23, 2021
giFfCY6upJs
Kids at heart: ‘Kidults’ help toys reach sales records
Guest: Adrienne Appell, toy trends expert and senior vice-president of marketing communications of The Toy Association
While many industries were devastated by the pandemic, the toy industry enjoyed record breaking sales. One of the most interesting trends to come out of the past two years is that growth shows adults are buying toys for themselves, which the industry has dubbed the “kidult” category. From expensive Lego sets to collectibles for fans of all kinds, there are now toys for people of all ages and also in every price range. This trend is being fuelled by many factors including social media, people trying to recapture their youth and the emphasis on self care and wellness.
November 22, 2021
5WVUst1ifmo
The ‘Three Amigos’ summit and the Canada-U.S. relationship
Guest: Edward Keenan, Washington Bureau Chief for the Star
It’s been five years since the last trilateral summit between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. on trade, co-operation and diplomatic relations. Now this week, U.S. President Joe Biden hosted the first North American leader summit since 2016. It was nicknamed the ‘Three Amigos’ summit. It’s being seen as a potential new phase in Canada-U.S. relations following the strained ties of the Trump era, but with Biden struggling with plummeting approval ratings and domestic priorities, many wonder if he is listening to the concerns of allies. The Star’s Washington Bureau Chief Edward Keenan recaps the highlights of the summit and the impact on the Canada-U.S. relationship.
November 19, 2021
W20r3VSZ268
Why the fight over fluoride in water is resurfacing
Guest: Kieran Leavitt, Toronto Star politics reporter
For decades, adding fluoride to the water supply of many Canadians towns and cities has been standard public health protocol. Fluoridation has proven to slow tooth decay, and the practice has widespread support among doctors and dentists, including the World Health Organization, Health Canada and the Canadian Association of Public Health Dentistry. But there remains a vocal opposition against fluoride in Canada’s water supply, borne out of distrust of government and science. The City of Calgary has recently voted on whether to restore fluoride in their tap water, the latest in a long, fraught history over the chemical compound. Alberta-based journalist Kieran Leavitt joins “This Matters” to chat about how a widely-supported public health measure has become a battleground of politics.
November 18, 2021
RPi-fIwryBM
Front-line doctors fighting on two fronts: a deadly pandemic and digital harassment
Guest: Dr. Naheed Dosani, Toronto-based palliative care physician and health justice activist
Even as health care workers were being hailed by many as heroes for facing the deadly COVID-19 pandemic on the front line, many were also targets of online hate, racism and xenophobia. The digital harassment has seeped into real-life with anti-vaccination protests outside hospitals where there have been reports of violence and abuse. Dr. Naheed Dosani joins “This Matters” to talk about the nightmare that has been the last 18 months and what needs to happen next to protect them.
November 17, 2021
59xCbt0MIYU
This after-school program taught Alphonso Davies and keeps transforming lives
Guest: Ruke Okome, program manager of the after-school program Free Play for Kids
Alphonso Davies, Canadian soccer superstar, has become a world-renowned name with highlight reel goals, pride in his country and awards-laden recognition of his sporting excellence. He will soon return home to Edmonton as Canada faces a crucial match in its qualification for the World Cup where Free Play for Kids, the after-school program that Davies attended, continues to give a safe space for marginalized and often racialized kids. Free Play for Kids may have Davies as an alumni but its impact stretches to the next generation with aims of empowering future leaders in the community. Today on "This Matters," we go inside the program to learn how the lessons being taught are more than sports.
November 16, 2021
8CRIhHYqym8
Ontario’s pit bull ban back in the spotlight
Guest: Liam Casey, Canadian Press reporter
Ontario is the only province that has legislation that bans pit bulls. Since it’s enactment over 15 years ago, dog lovers have had issues with the ban, from the determination of dogs, the enforcement and seizure of animals, the lack of personal responsibility of owners and little to no recourse for owners of dogs who haven’t done anything wrong, but fit the description of the breed. In recent weeks, there was a groundswell of support after a dog name Dwaeji was taken from his family in Vaughan. With a lot of public and political pressure, many thought change might be on the horizon, but after the dog in question was released, he bit a 13-year-old boy, once again, raising the issues that got these type of dogs banned in the first place.
November 15, 2021
55wzoiGQcW4
How Canada’s museums are decolonizing and transforming
Guest: Jeremy Nuttall, investigative reporter for the Toronto Star
In the middle of societal and racial reckonings, many Canadians are asking questions about their shared histories, education and how reliable the stories of our past are. Are they written by the people and communities they’re reflecting or is it colonial history? Some of Canada’s biggest museums are now are taking a hard look at their exhibits and storytelling, especially when it comes to Indigenous history, which has often be treated as separate from Canada’s past rather than a central part of it. The work of “decolonizing” the spaces where we share our stories has begun but what does that actually look like?
November 12, 2021
cGYpjbrColM