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PODCAST

This Matters

The world is changing every day. Now, more than ever, these questions matter. What"s happening? And why should you care? This Matters, a daily news podcast from the Toronto Star, aims to answer those questions, on important stories and ideas, every day, Monday to Friday. Hosts Saba Eitizaz and Ed Keenan talk to their fellow journalists, experts and newsmakers about the social, cultural, political and economic stories that shape your life.

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All Episodes

18:12

Food fight: The Michelin Guide is coming to Toronto

This Matters ·

2022/05/19

Guest: Karon Liu, Food writer at The Star. The Michelin Guide to restaurants is coming to Toronto. This dining guide is known around the world for its three star rating system which highlights some of the best restaurants in the world. That said, it also has its critics as many believe it caters to higher end restaurants and there have been unintended consequences with many establishments after the ratings have come out. Will it accurately represent Toronto’s food culture? Or bring irrevocable

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18:54

Why are hundreds of immigrants languishing in...

This Matters ·

2022/05/18

Guest: Brendan Kennedy, social justice reporter on the Star investigations team A Toronto Star investigation has revealed that Canada confines hundreds of non-citizens in conditions meant for a criminal population. On any given day, there will be roughly 200 to 300 immigrants in Canadian detention. Immigration detention is not supposed to be punitive, so why are nearly half of these detainees being held in maximum security jails, indefinitely? How does this sit with Canada’s global reputation

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18:03

Blue bin blues: Why recycling in Canada is a big...

This Matters ·

2022/05/17

Guest: Richard Warnica, Business feature writer Plastic recycling in Ontario has been called a “green lie.” For instance, Canada produced about 1.9 million tonnes of plastic packaging in 2019, according to a recent report commissioned by the Canada Plastics Pact. Of that, the authors estimate just 12 per cent was sent for recycling. Now, things might be changing. Ontario is modernizing the recycling regime in the province, putting more of the onus on companies to deal with their packaging waste

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19:46

Reproductive rights and abortion access: Is Canada as...

This Matters ·

2022/05/16

Guest: Martha Paynter, registered nurse and author of “Abortion to Abolition: Reproductive Health and Justice in Canada.” The U.S. Supreme Court may soon strike down its 50-year-old landmark ruling ending constitutional protections for abortion, according to a draft decision leaked to Politico. The ruling would mean U.S. states decide whether and how to restrict abortion or ban it outright. In Canada, we had our own Supreme Court decision that decriminalized abortion in 1988 but, while it’s not

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16:47

Air sick: The problems at Canada’s airports and why...

This Matters ·

2022/05/13

Guest: Rosa Saba, Business Reporter Leaving on a jet plane, don’t know if I’ll be making my flight out of the airport? That’s not how the song goes, but it’s a reality for many people in Canadian airports right now, as they face long lineups, wait times and other issues caused by an uptick of travellers and staff shortages at many flight terminals. As some passengers even are missing their flights, airport related companies are trying to staff up to meet the demand. But solutions take time, so

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18:04

Sticky wicket: Why Toronto needs more cricket pitches

This Matters ·

2022/05/12

Guest: Noor Javed, Star reporter Did you know that Toronto used to be a leading city for cricket a few decades ago? As the sport continues to be one of the fastest growing sports in Canada, with an increasing number of immigrants from cricket-loving countries, the city is looking to regain lost cricketing glory and become a premiere city for the sport. There is a 20-year strategy to get there, but cricketers fear this long-term vision might be too late since facilities have deteriorated badly and

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19:36

Can a new law tackle the opioid crisis in Ontario’s...

This Matters ·

2022/05/11

Guests: Nadine Yousif and Cristina Selva As the pandemic surged in Ontario, the opioid crisis hit another peak. While opioid related deaths increased by 60 per cent in 2020, nearly one in three employed people who died were construction workers. To address the disproportionate impact of the opioid crisis on the construction workforce, Ontario passed a law mandating that naloxone, the drug that temporarily reverses the effects of opioid overdose, be available at construction sites across the

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14:33

Does the government need to clamp down on predatory...

This Matters ·

2022/05/10

Guest: Christine Dobby, Business Reporter You don’t have to look far to see those who experienced terrible financial hardship over the past two years. We don’t talk about our finances. But a recent report has painted a harsh picture just the same. The report published by ACORN, a non-profit organization advocating for moderate to low-income Canadians has revealed that more and more people were forced to take out instalment or payday loans during the pandemic–and many are trapped in a vicious cycle,

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19:28

What a damning report reveals about white supremacy...

This Matters ·

2022/05/09

Guest: Jacques Gallant, Political Reporter A yearlong review by a panel of former military personnel has recently concluded that military leadership failed to tackle systemic racism and discrimination within its ranks for the past two decades, despite numerous calls to action. The panel that was created to identify racism, discrimination and hate within the forces also concluded that the military is failing to root out white supremacists in the ranks and struggling to keep new ones out. “Racism in

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15:01

As cycling data points to rise in ER visits, how safe...

This Matters ·

2022/05/06

Guests: Ben Spurr and Jim Rankin, Star Reporters At the beginning of the pandemic, bikes became a hot commodity as people looked for ways to enjoy the outdoors. Cities like Toronto added more bikes lanes and even shut down streets for events like ActiveTO, so people could enjoy it. But now looking at the data, emergency room visits from cyclists were up across Ontario with many young people injured. More riders accounted for some of these visits, but the findings also point to the lack of cycling

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19:38

The campaign is on. So, what’s behind Del Duca’s...

This Matters ·

2022/05/05

Guest: Wendy Gillis, crime reporter The Ontario election campaign is officially underway. Today, we zero in on an early pledge from Liberal leader Steven Del Duca who says that his government will ban handguns within a year if elected on June 2. Crime reporter Wendy Gillis joins us to explain what’s behind this pledge, why it is so contentious, and whether there is real political will to follow through. This episode was produced by Jennifer Pagliaro, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn

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01:35

Introducing ‘It’s Political with Althia Raj,’ a new...

This Matters ·

2022/05/05

This Matters would like to let you know about another Toronto Star podcast launching today. ‘It's Political with Althia Raj’ is the Star’s new Canadian politics podcast. Every two weeks, Raj brings listeners behind the scenes on Parliament Hill with exclusive interviews, in-depth reporting and thoughtful analysis. Join us as we explore the ins and the outs of the drama unfolding in Ottawa with humour and intelligence.The first episode drops Thursday, May 5. Listen and follow or subscribe at

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17:37

How the Ukraine war is escalating the global hunger...

This Matters ·

2022/05/04

Guest: Arif Husain, Chief Economist at World Food Programme Ukraine was forced to close its four Black and Azov sea ports earlier this week and, as one of the breadbaskets of the world, this cut off access to the country’s rich grains. These ports help feed 400 million people, many of whom live in the poorest countries in the world. Even before the war began, global food prices were at an all-time high and now experts fear how the closed ports will add to the global food crisis. Arif Husain at

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21:26

Roe v. Wade in peril? What a major leak suggests...

This Matters ·

2022/05/03

Guest: Edward Keenan, Washington Bureau Chief Protests erupted in Washington D.C. Monday night after a draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito leaked to Politico suggested the country's highest court might be poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the almost fifty-year-old landmark ruling that gave women the constitutional right to abortion. The document – which was circulated among Supreme Court justices and supported by Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, among others – is

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16:32

Meet Percy: Freshii’s new outsourced ‘virtual cashier’

This Matters ·

2022/05/02

Guest: Jacob Lorinc, business reporter Want a smoothie with a side of outsourcing? That’s what customers are seeing at several Freshii locations in Ontario. Instead of a regular cashier, a virtual customer service agent takes your order before actual staff in the restaurant prepare it. Called Percy, a virtual cashier is based in other countries, like Nicaragua or Pakistan, where they earn much less than Ontario’s minimum wage. This is a new customer-facing approach that could be a disruptive force

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18:19

Ontario’s budget: Politics, platforms and how it sets...

This Matters ·

2022/04/29

Guest: Robert Benzie, Queen’s Park Bureau Chief The Ontario government just released a record budget for spending, with over $198.6 billion allocated to things like health care, education, tax cuts and much more. With the provincial election writ dropping soon, there’s no way the budget can be passed before June 2 so instead it serves as the platform for Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives. With the other parties also releasing their plans to give Ontario voters a different choice, this

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22:32

The changing political dynamics of Toronto city hall

This Matters ·

2022/04/28

Guests: David Rider and Jennifer Pagliaro, The Star’s City Hall bureau With a municipal election coming in October, change is coming to city hall. While Mayor John Tory will be seeking his third term, it is in the race for council seats where a lot of the action and interest will be. While there are no political parties tied to Toronto’s council, there are political factions and the political makeup and dynamics of the inner workings of council will be different after the depature of some left-wing

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16:42

How climate and pandemic anxiety is overwhelming...

This Matters ·

2022/04/27

Guest: Nadine Yousif, mental health reporter A recent survey conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has found disturbing trends. More than half of the 2,200 kids in grades 7-12 surveyed are not just reeling from the effects of the pandemic, they are anxious about climate change and the future. This is an eye-opening glimpse into how young people across Ontario have been coping over the last two years and is a snapshot of a generation that has grown up with the knowledge that

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20:20

Housing affordability: What can be done to help...

This Matters ·

2022/04/26

Guest: Paul Kershaw, a professor at UBC’s School of Population and Public Health and founder of Generation Squeeze, a non-profit that works for generational fairness They say timing is everything, but should it be when it comes to home ownership? Canada’s wealth gap is not just driven by income, but also by real estate with much determined by if and when you bought your home. As real estate prices soar, many are priced out of the market and very little is being done that will make houses more

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23:02

How right is too right? Conservatives look to the middle

This Matters ·

2022/04/25

Guest: Stephanie Levitz, a reporter in the Star's Ottawa Bureau The Conservative party leadership race is underway and while the goal is to find a new leader, some think this contest could be for the soul of the party. While there candidates pushing more socially conservative views against others with more progressive stands on issues, there are also populist and further right-leaning factions. Somewhat alarmed by the latter, there is now a centrist coalition that wants the party to court the middle

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1,105 results

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