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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

21:36

Ontario school boards learn hard lesson on cybercrime

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

2025/10/17

Send us a text An American has been sentenced to four years in prison for a mass cyberattack that targeted school boards across Canada, including Ontario. Matthew D. Lane appeared in a Massachusetts court this week, where he pleaded guilty to charges relating to the cyber extortion of two companies. One was PowerSchool, a software and cloud storage firm used by school boards across the province. The cyberattack breached the personal data of millions of students and teachers, including...

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17:57

Why Doug Ford is spending $75M on U.S. ads starring...

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

2025/10/15

Send us a text The Skipper and The Gipper? That’s one way of putting it. Ontario Premier Doug Ford is spending big bucks to try to convince Americans that tariffs aren’t the way to go — and he’s enlisting the unmistakable voice of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan to help in the fight. Ford revealed Tuesday that his government is launching a $75-million advertising campaign across most major U.S. networks, highlighting the pitfalls of protectionism for American workers and consumers. The ...

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25:43

We followed the money paid out by Ford government’s...

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

2025/10/14

Send us a text Leafs tickets, a Parisian wedding, Rob Ford’s favourite nightclub owner — even Drake. This evolving story out of Queen’s Park has it all. Last week, Ontario’s auditor general had some scathing words for the Ford government’s $2.5-billion Skills Development Fund (SDF), which supports “innovative projects” aimed at hiring, training and retraining Ontario workers. Shelley Spence found that the selection process was “not fair, transparent or accountable” — and that provincial lab...

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25:50

These are Canada’s most-wanted fugitives — and their...

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

2025/10/10

Send us a text Canada’s Bolo program — “Be on the Lookout” — has released its latest list of the country’s most-wanted fugitives. But if you scroll through the website, you’ll notice a modern twist to the mug shots: artificial intelligence was used to make the heads move and the eyes blink. The list of 25 fugitives includes alleged murderers, drug trafficking and gang members who are wanted by various police services across the country. If you spot any of these individuals, do not approach ...

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27:07

Kate Middleton is right — screen time is ruining our...

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

2025/10/09

Send us a text The Princess of Wales has added her prominent voice to the urgent discussion around kids and their cellphones. In an essay co-authored by a Harvard Medical School professor, Kate warns that smartphones and other digital devices are responsible for an “epidemic of disconnection” that threatens the development of young children. “We’re raising a generation that may be more ‘connected’ than any in history while simultaneously being more isolated, more lonely, and less equi...

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25:27

‘I have to do better,’ says NDP leader Marit Stiles

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

2025/10/08

Send us a text Marit Stiles is still the face of the Ontario NDP after surviving a leadership review at her party’s September convention. But she is the first to admit that the result — 68 per cent support — wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. “I’m not satisfied with that, and the message I got very clearly in talking to NDP members at our convention a couple weeks ago was people want to defeat Doug Ford in the next election, and they were not happy that we weren't able to do that i...

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27:06

Blue Jays Central host Jamie Campbell joins us for a...

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

2025/10/07

Send us a text For many Blue Jays fans across the country, Jamie Campbell is the face of the franchise. The longtime host of Blue Jays Central on Sportsnet, Campbell is the first person viewers see when every game broadcast kicks off. He occupies a special place in fans’ hearts — and at Rogers Centre, in his trademark desk behind the left field stands. In advance of tonight’s Game 3 match-up against the New York Yankees, Campbell was kind enough to carve out some time for a chat with ...

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17:43

No one loves Marineland right now

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

2025/10/06

Send us a text Everyone loves Marineland? That famous jingle hasn’t been true for years — and even less so after this weekend's disturbing headlines. The now-shuttered theme park in Niagara Falls says it will have no choice but to euthanize 30 beluga whales unless the federal government steps in with emergency funds to help pay for food and care. The cash-strapped aquarium blames Ottawa for its predicament, calling the “devastating decision” a “direct consequence” of the federal government’...

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21:15

Just one more sleep until Blue Jays playoff baseball

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

2025/10/03

Send us a text OK Blue Jays? We shall see. Toronto is prepped for some October baseball, hosting the New York Yankees Saturday afternoon in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. The Rogers Centre will be rocking — and fans across the country will be watching (mostly on the edge of their seats). Is this the magical year for Canada’s baseball team? Can the Jays beat Aaron Judge and the Yankees in a best-of-five? How deep will Toronto go this postseason? Joining us on tonight’s Closer...

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32:55

Will scrapping home-to-home mail delivery actually...

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

2025/10/02

Send us a text After years of red ink, Canada Post insists it has a plan to finally deliver a major turnaround. Last week, the federal government paved the way for Canada Post to adopt a list of controversial cost-cutting measures, including ending home-to-home delivery and shuttering some rural post offices. Unionized postal workers responded to the news with another country-wide strike — the second labour disruption in less than a year. A week later, they remain off the job. In an open le...

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26:48

How petty shoplifting evolved into a...

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

2025/10/01

Send us a text Crime is out of control at stores across the country. A new report released by the Retail Council of Canada says the problem “has escalated into a national crisis, impacting profitability, employee safety, and consumer trust.” The report found that the level of shrink — loss of inventory due to theft and other reasons — has nearly doubled over the past five years to $9 billion. More than one-quarter of retailers (76.2 per cent) are reporting increased levels of violence durin...

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29:38

Family on a mission to fix ER wait times after...

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

2025/09/30

Send us a text A grieving family from Burlington, Ont. is trying to turn their immeasurable loss into a force for change. Finlay van der Werken was 16 years old when his mother, Hazel, rushed him to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital on Feb. 7, 2024. The teen was in such severe pain on his right side that his mom left the car in front of the emergency department and took him straight in. What happened next was a “complete state of terror,” his mother said. While waiting more than eight ag...

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26:55

Doug Ford puts pedal to the metal on promise to ban...

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

2025/09/29

Send us a text Doug Ford is making good on his promise to ban speed cameras, calling the devices nothing but a “cash grab” by Ontario municipalities. Premier Ford said when the house returns in October, his Progressive Conservatives will introduce legislation that prevents cities and towns from operating automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras. In their place, the government is promising to create a new fund for other traffic-calming measures such as speed bumps, roundabouts, raised cross...

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19:10

Why some cities are creating ‘safe surrender sites’...

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

2025/09/26

Send us a text It’s known as "Hope's Cradle": a place for desperate mothers and caregivers to safely — and anonymously — drop off babies they cannot raise. The idea was triggered by the high-profile death of an Alberta newborn discovered in a dumpster on Christmas Eve 2017. Canada's first drop-off site, a temperature-controlled bassinet box, was installed at a fire station in Strathmore. The concept has since spread to Manitoba and Clarington, Ont., and this week, city councillors in Sault ...

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18:41

Coyotes haven't taken over the neighbourhood, but it...

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

2025/09/25

Send us a text It’s easy to feel like wild dogs have taken over the neighbourhood. Communities across the province are struggling to deal with problem coyotes that are venturing scarily close to people and pets. In Orillia last week, two cats were attacked in different neighbourhoods. One did not survive. On tonight’s episode of Closer Look, we revisit a previous interview with Lesley Sampson, co-founder of the not-for-profit organization Coyote Watch Canada. She offers practical tips on ho...

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15:57

Trump’s Tylenol advice giving Canadian doctors quite...

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

2025/09/24

Send us a text “Doctor” Trump is at it again. This week, the U.S. president warned pregnant women to limit their use of acetaminophen — the active ingredient in Tylenol — because of unsubstantiated links to autism. “Fight like hell not to take it,” was the president’s message. Experts around the world were quick to counter Trump’s medical advice, insisting there is no evidence linking autism in children to the use of Tylenol by pregnant women. Health Canada issued a public advisory re...

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26:01

What we know about Chris Scott, the Ontario MPP...

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

2025/09/23

Send us a text Catch and release? Chris Scott now knows the process firsthand. The rookie MPP for Sault Ste. Marie was arrested Sunday night for alleged spousal abuse and released on bail the following day. He is charged with one count of assault and one count of assault with a weapon — the weapon being “a high chair,” according to court documents. (None of the allegations have been tested in court and Scott is presumed innocent until proven guilty). The 35-year-old was promptly...

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27:33

Battle brewing over grocery stores that don’t want...

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

2025/09/22

Send us a text A big battle is brewing between the Ford government and some independent grocery store owners over who should be responsible for collecting people’s empty booze bottles. By Jan. 1, 2026, all grocery stores licensed to sell beer and wine in Ontario must accept bottle returns as part of Premier Doug Ford’s vision of speeding up the availability of alcohol. But a growing number of independent grocers are deciding to ditch booze sales altogether rather than deal with the mess and...

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3:46

Ford has faith Carney will steer his way on 401 tunnel

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

2025/09/19

Send us a text Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he has faith that Prime Minister Mark Carney will back his dream of a massive tunnel underneath Highway 401. Carney recently revealed the first five projects in the national interest that will be fast-tracked, which is intended to strengthen the country's economy in the face of U.S. tariffs. Ford’s highway tunnel was not on the initial list, but he told reporters this week he’s confident the PM will eventually get on board. "I just believe he wi...

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32:14

Barrie mayor says ‘more and more’ cities will follow...

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

2025/09/19

Send us a text It’s been 10 days since Barrie mayor Alex Nuttall declared a state of emergency over homeless encampments in his city — and communities across the province are watching closely to see how the situation unfolds. “The mayors I'm hearing from are asking: ‘How's it going? How did you do it? What effect is it having?’ Nuttall said today, during an appearance on our Closer Look podcast. “The response has been very supportive...I think you'll continue to see more and more municipali...

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207 results

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