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PODCAST

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered conversations that matter

Village Media Inc.

In cities and towns across Ontario — and at Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill — our journalists work for you. Their mission is to dig for answers and tell you what they find. This new podcast from Village Media — ‘Closer Look’ — is all about the stories we tell. Every weeknight, hosts Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith go beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

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All Episodes

32:59

Kathleen Wynne weighs in — on Trump, Trudeau and tariffs

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2025/01/09

Send us a textFrisco and Scott are back for a fourth season of Inside the Village — and we kick things off with a blast from the past. Former Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is now a professor at the University of Toronto and has plenty of thoughts on the big political news of the week, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation and Donald Trump’s looming trade war. Should Premier Doug Ford call an early election? She has a strong opinion on that, too. If you’re a political junkie —...

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57:42

We’ve hit 100 episodes! Let’s reminisce

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/12/31

Send us a textLaunched in 2022, this news podcast has covered a lot of ground. As we mark the end of 2024 — and the release of our 100th episode — we take a look back at some or our most indelible interviews, including Ted Nolan, Gurdeep Pandher, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and an 18-year-old lottery winner named Juliette Lamour. To everyone who has listened over the years, thank you. We look forward to putting together the next 100 shows. Happy New Year!Reach out to us anytime: itv@villag...

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31:44

You’ve got no mail (but we have an interesting guest)

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/12/06

Send us a textDelivery date unknown. That’s the news at the moment when it comes to when a deal will be reached in the ongoing Canada Post strike. Both sides remain far apart on the key issues that triggered this labour dispute, and no new mediation is scheduled. Joining Scott and Frisco on the podcast this week is Jim Gallant, a member of the bargaining unit with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. We asked him a whole lot of questions — and he didn’t mail in any of his answers. If you’re ...

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32:58

GST holiday? Not everyone is celebrating

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/11/29

Send us a textIt’s a tough time to be a small business owner in Canada. Surviving the pandemic was a massive hurdle in any community, town or city. Now, the stakes seem just as high with the impact of the two week old Canada Post strike, potential tariffs on goods to the US when Donald Trump becomes president, not to mention the upcoming ‘tax holiday’ that many business owners say frankly just isn’t worth the hassle. Dan Kelly, the president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent B...

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34:27

You throw like a girl! Damn right

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/11/22

Send us a textA new report says girls are closing the gap with boys when it comes to playing organized sports in Canada. A full 63 per cent of girls are playing sports weekly, compared to 68 per cent of boys, the report found. Although the numbers are up, the study also found there is still “more work to do.” The remaining 37 per cent of girls — nearly four in 10 — are missing out on the benefits of organized sports, a number that rises to five out of 10 by age 16. Joining us on the podcast t...

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26:23

The Taylor effect: Eras Tour hits Toronto

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/11/12

Send us a textWhen all is said and done, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour will have grossed over $2.2 billion. Every community on her tour has cashed in the concerts — including Toronto, where Swift is about to open a six-night run at Rogers Centre starting Thursday. Estimates have the economic spinoff for the Big Smoke to be over $280 million, including over $150 million in direct spending. TorontoToday reporter Alex Flood will be at opening night and joins Frisco and Scott on this week’s episode of...

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39:08

EXCLUSIVE: Justin Trudeau joins us for a chat — and...

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/10/26

Send us a textTalk about good timing. On the heels of a caucus revolt, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sat down with Frisco and Scott for a wide-ranging interview that was scheduled well in advance of all the political drama this week on Parliament Hill. Asked again if he has any intention of resigning, Trudeau was adamant he isn’t going anywhere. “I am determined to lead this party into the next election because we need to put all our tools together and I am actually really excited about this ...

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31:10

Here’s a topic nobody is talking about: housing

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/10/11

Send us a textIs it time to give up the dream of homeownership? Amid skyrocketing prices, scarce supply and longer mortgage terms, the goal of owning a home is slipping away from many Canadians — especially young ones. Diana Mok, a professor at the University of Guelph, says it’s time for society to reevaluate whether people need to buy houses at all. She suggests we need to stop putting homeowners on a pedestal and focus on creating cohesive communities, not wealth generators. It’s an intere...

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27:23

The cost of getting cancer can be staggering

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/09/25

Send us a textFighting cancer is hard enough. When the bills pile up, it’s that much worse. Anyone who has been touched by cancer knows it turns your life upside down — forcing people to take time off work, pay travel bills and incur other out-of-pocket expenses. A team from Sudbury’s Health Sciences North Research Institute (HSNRI) is trying to get a better understanding of just how costly cancer can be. This week on Inside the Village, Frisco and Scott are joined by Dr. Stacey Santi, one of...

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30:49

Code Blue: Hallway health care in Ontario getting worse

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/09/12

Send us a textInternal government data shows that in January, nearly 2,000 patients per day were kept in ‘unconventional spaces’ like hallways and break rooms in Ontario hospitals — the highest number ever recorded. Through a Freedom of Information Request, reporter Aidan Chamandy of The Trillium was able to piece together the current state of hallway health care across the province — a problem that Doug Ford promised to fix, if elected. Chamandy joins Frisco and Scott to break down the data ...

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30:38

Huge court settlement rights historic wrong

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/08/30

Send us a textAfter years of court battles, the federal and provincial governments recently reached a $10-billion settlement with beneficiaries of the Robinson Huron Treaty. Simply put, members of those 21 First Nations in northern Ontario did not see an increase to annual treaty payments for nearly 150 years, even as wealth generated in their territory from mining, forestry and fishing sectors continued to grow. Earlier this month, the settlement money finally started flowing to individual b...

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34:12

The overdose crisis is about to get a whole lot worse

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/08/23

Send us a Text Message.As expected, the Ford government has announced it is shutting down multiple supervised drug consumption sites across the province — and banning all new ones. For harm-reduction advocates, the decision flies in the face of years of scientific research that shows these sites lower the risk of accidental overdose, reduce the spread of infectious diseases, and provide a starting point for drug users looking for treatment and withdrawal services. Amber Fritz, the former mana...

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25:05

Running on Empty: Ontario hospital workers have...

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/08/14

Send us a Text Message.An alarming new study is out that shines a bright spotlight on the staffing crisis in Ontario hospitals. One of the study’s co-authors is Dr. James Brophy, a researcher at the University of Windsor, who joins Frisco and Scott on this week’s Inside the Village to talk about the findings. Burnout, fatigue, stress and anxiety are running rampant amongst healthcare workers. What’s causing it and what’s being done to turn things around? We also ask Brophy what he would say t...

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29:46

Looking Back: The midway point of season three of ITV

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/07/12

Send us a Text Message.This week on the show, somehow Frisco had some holidays approved so Scott and Derek have taken over the show. Given that it's the halfway point of the season, they decided to look back at some of the great guests that have appeared on ITV so far this year. From super-agers to teenagers and financial literacy to Ted Nolan and why kids aren't playing hockey as much - oh and some Gerry Dee thrown in just for good measure, it's all there. Check it out and thanks for watchin...

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36:29

In search of “super agers” — the rare people who...

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/07/05

Send us a Text Message.Do you know a super ager? Maybe you are one? To be honest, we hadn’t even heard of the term until a few days ago — but we wanted to learn more, so we reached out to a person who knows a whole lot: Dr. Angela Roberts, a University of Western Ontario professor who is the Canadian research lead on an international study into super agers. It turns out a super ager is someone 80 or over who has the memory of someone 20 or 30 years younger. It also turns out that researchers ...

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33:42

Money 101: The real reason financial literacy is now...

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/06/20

Send us a Text Message.This week on Inside the Village, Frisco and Scott talk dollars and cents — and more specifically, whether high school students in Ontario know enough about how money works. The Ford government recently announced that financial literacy would be a mandatory course in order to graduate. Why the change? Turns out it all began with a chance encounter at a furniture store between Premier Doug Ford and financial expert Saijal Patel. That initial meeting turned into more meeti...

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37:26

What the puck? Way fewer Canadian kids are playing...

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/06/14

Send us a Text Message.Frisco and Scott are back for another week of Inside the Village — and in the thick of the Stanley Cup finals, it’s only fitting that they talk some hockey. More specifically, why are fewer Canadian kids choosing to lace em up? Stats show participation in youth hockey has dropped by nearly a quarter over the past 15 years, with more and more families choosing other sports instead. Why the dip? Is it the cost? The time commitment? The game’s lingering toxic culture? We a...

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33:51

Not everyone is smiling about Canada’s new national...

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/06/07

Send us a Text Message.The federal government recently introduced its new Canadian Dental Care Plan, with the goal of providing oral health care to all. But so far, not everyone is smiling. Thousands of dentists across the country have not opted into the plan because they still have a mouthful of unanswered questions. And patients are even more confused, with many assuming — incorrectly — that the plan means free dental appointments. Dr. Maneesh Jain, president of the Ontario Dental Associati...

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28:51

Big phish: Inside the multi-billion dollar fraud...

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/05/18

Send us a Text Message.From grandparent scams to romance frauds, phishing has become a daily part of life — forcing all of us to be constantly looking over our “digital shoulder.” Last year alone, Canadians lost more than $500 million to fraud (and that’s just the small percentage of people who actually report being scammed). Jeff Horncastle has seen it all. A spokesman for the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, he joins us on the podcast to talk about why this crime is skyrocketing, how fraudsters ...

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33:27

School unplugged? We dissect Ontario’s new cellphone ban

Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered... ·

2024/05/03

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222 results

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