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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

30:53

Mark Carney delivered a speech heard round the world...

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

2026/01/23

Send us a text By this point, you’ve likely seen the speech. Or at least parts of it. Prime Minister Mark Carney told the World Economic Forum on Monday that the rules-based global order is officially dead, and that “middle powers” like Canada must find a different path forward. “We know the old order is not coming back. We shouldn't mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy,” Carney said. “But we believe that from the fracture, we can build something better, stronger, more just.” The prime minis...

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19:01

Injury time: Hosting the World Cup will put huge...

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

2026/01/22

Send us a text The beautiful game could have some ugly consequences for Canadian hospitals. As Canada prepares to co-host the World Cup — with 13 matches set for Toronto and Vancouver — a new editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal warns about the potential risks to our already-strained healthcare system. A mass casualty event or a disease outbreak would inflict huge pressure on local hospitals, “which are already at capacity or stretched,” the editorial reads. “Canada is increa...

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24:35

The truth about human trafficking looks nothing like...

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

2026/01/21

Send us a text How widespread is human trafficking in Ontario? Consider some of the headlines that appeared on our local news sites in the past few days alone. In Barrie, pre-trial motions are underway in the case of an alleged human trafficking ring that operated in Simcoe County and York Region. In Toronto, a 27-year-old man was arrested for allegedly trafficking teenage girls in the city, including forcing them to take sexualized photos that were distributed online. And in Oakville, the ow...

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37:47

Yes, Canada does need to prepare for possibility of...

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

2026/01/20

Send us a text U.S. President Donald Trump appears determined to take over Greenland — “one way or the other,” as he recently put it. Trump has justified his ambitions by arguing that the strategically located Arctic island, which is part of Denmark, should not be allowed to fall under the control of Russia or China. Prime Minister Mark Carney has spoken out against Trump’s “escalation,” saying Greenland’s future security can best be safeguarded by NATO. But for Canada, another question hangs...

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23:29

Why there’s reason for hope amid Ontario’s rising...

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

2026/01/17

Send us a text A new report confirms what many of us already see with our own eyes: the homelessness crisis in Ontario is getting even worse. According to updated numbers from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), nearly 85,000 people across the province were known to be homeless in 2025 — a jump of almost 8 per cent from the previous year, and nearly 50 per cent since 2021. The problem is especially stark in Northern Ontario, where homelessness grew by more than 37 per cent las...

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26:17

School board chair booted by Ford government has...

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

2026/01/16

Send us a text At some point soon, the Ford government will reveal its plan for school trustees across the province. Education Minister Paul Calandra has made no secret of the fact that he’s considering eliminating school trustees altogether — and he’s promised to reveal his decision early this year. No news yet. In the meantime, the ministry is now in control of six school boards in Ontario, using words like “incompetence,” “mess” and “off the rails” to describe how things were going before ...

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27:39

What 'super-agers' can teach us about growing old

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

2026/01/15

Send us a text January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, which is why you might be noticing a lot of discussion lately about education, reducing stigma and supporting loved ones affected by dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, there are close to 800,000 people in the country right now living with some form of dementia — a number that’s expected to hit 1 million by 2030. There is, however, another group of elderly Canadians bucking that trend in every possible way: “super-ag...

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24:34

The pandemic is long over, but a new report reveals...

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

2026/01/14

Send us a text The pandemic is long over, but the negative effects still linger. A new survey reveals that five years after COVID-19 thrust our lives into disarray, people in Ontario are struggling more than ever when it comes to harmful drinking habits and declining mental health. Released this week by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the Monitor Report is an ongoing survey that’s been conducted every year since 1977, measuring various substance use and mental health trends...

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23:47

Mushroom coffins now a thing — is human composting...

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

2026/01/13

Send us a text Even in death, some people still worry about their carbon footprint. Which explains the growing popularity of “green burials” — an environmentally friendlier way to inter the dead that involves no embalming chemicals, headstones or traditional caskets. There’s even a company that offers coffins and urns made of fully biodegradable mushrooms. But what about human composting? Is that green option any closer to becoming a reality in Ontario? Known as “terramation,” the process use...

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27:52

Penalties for impaired driving just got tougher —...

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

2026/01/10

Send us a text If you’re going to drink and drive in Ontario, be prepared to face some harsher penalties. New provincial rules that took effect Jan. 1 include lifetime licence suspensions for anyone convicted of impaired driving causing death, and mandatory remedial education for first-time offenders caught behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Time will tell if the stricter regulations make a difference, but this much is certain: sadly, plenty of people are still drinking...

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27:11

Is the Ford government actually going to scrap school...

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

2026/01/09

Send us a text As of today, the Ford government has taken control of six school boards across the province — using words like “incompetence,” “mess” and “off the rails” to describe how things were going before the province seized the wheel. The passage of Bill 33, which came into force in November, made it even easier for Ontario to intervene. The Near North District School Board learned that lesson the hard way on Dec. 1. Now that we’ve reached 2026, an even bigger question looms: Will the F...

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38:43

‘Canada is not for sale’: How a patriotic hat became...

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

2026/01/08

Send us a text Even now, months later, Liam Mooney has a hard time believing just how fast everything came together. One day, he and his wife, Emma Cochrane, were watching Premier Doug Ford on television, talking about Donald Trump’s 51st state rhetoric and how Canada would never be for sale. A few days later, the Ottawa-based couple had stitched together a hat bearing Ford’s patriotic message — a hat that Ford himself would soon be sporting. From there, the design went viral: “CANADA IS NOT ...

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24:14

Will new grocery code of conduct actually help lower...

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

2026/01/07

Send us a text Years in the making, Canada’s new “grocery code of conduct” is finally in place. The enforcement powers officially kicked in on Jan. 1. Supported by the country’s five largest grocery chains — Empire, Loblaw, Metro, Walmart and Costco — the code of conduct is designed to promote fair dealing between grocers and their many suppliers. What does that actually mean? What will change? Who will benefit? And most importantly, will the new code translate into smaller grocery bills for ...

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20:42

This story about a lost sweater is the sliver of hope...

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

2026/01/06

Send us a text Have you seen this missing sweater? The family that’s desperately trying to find it has done everything possible to track it down — tracing the cherished heirloom from Oregon to Ontario to a pop-up market in the small community of Meaford. From there, the trail has gone cold. Crafted in the 1950s, the letterman sweater belonged to an American high school teacher named Walter Skowhede, who passed away last summer. Only after he died did his loved ones realize his beloved artic...

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31:39

From unsolved crimes to cloned meat, our new podcast...

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

2025/12/20

Send us a text 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 daily podcast — Closer Look — is all about the stories we tell. Launched in September, our mission is to go beyond the headlines with in-depth, eye-opening conversations featuring Village Media reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and major newsmakers. Tonight, as we begin a two-wee...

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31:26

Australia is banning kids from social media — should...

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

2025/12/18

Send us a text Australia has become the first country in the world to ban social media for kids under 16 — a move welcomed by plenty of parents and child advocates. As of last week, popular platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat were ordered to block all Australian kids from using their sites or face hefty fines. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it "a proud day" for the country, saying the ban will “make an enormous difference” on the well-being of millions of children. "It's a...

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29:54

How police tracked down a serial killer they didn’t...

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

2025/12/17

Send us a text For decades, a serial killer in Ontario went completely unnoticed. No one had any idea he even existed. His victims — Christine Prince, Claire Samson and Gracelyn Greenidge — were sexually assaulted and brutally murdered in Toronto between 1982 and 1997. But for years, not a single piece of evidence led police to suspect their killings were connected. That all changed last week. Using an emerging forensic technique known as investigative genetic genealogy, Toronto Police and ...

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29:14

'What everyone at Queen's Park can't stop talking about'

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

2025/12/16

Send us a text The Ontario Legislature has adjourned for the Christmas break — until March 23. (Yes, you read that right.) But don’t expect our team of political journalists at The Trillium to slow down as a result. Their work never really stops. Throughout the fall sitting, The Trillium’s exclusive reporting on the Ford government’s $2.5-billion Skills Development Fund (SDF) led the conversation at Queen’s Park. One company at the centre of the controversy is now under OPP investigation. A...

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27:34

Not even gift cards are safe from scammers

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

2025/12/15

Send us a text Buying some gift cards for Christmas? Don’t get scammed. Like so much else these days, gift cards have become a prime target for fraudsters, costing Canadian shoppers millions of dollars a year. (The Retail Council of Canada reported $5.7 million lost to gift card scams in 2024 — up from $3.8 million 2021.) Last week alone, police in both Hamilton and Waterloo Region announced major busts involving fraudulent gift cards. In the Hamilton case, police allege a man was “manipula...

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20:19

Tip of the iceberg’: Human trafficking in Canada much...

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

2025/12/14

Send us a text How widespread is human trafficking in Canada? Two new reports offer the clearest evidence yet. According to Statistics Canada, more than 5,000 incidents of human trafficking were reported to police between 2014 and 2024, for a national average of 1.2 per 100,000 people. Among the provinces and territories, Ontario recorded the second-highest rate. The StatsCan analysis comes on the heels of another alarming report from The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, which reveal...

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227 results

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