Tuesday, August 2nd 2022

Warning: This podcast contains graphic content

Guest: Farrah Khan, manager of Consent Comes First at Toronto Metropolitan University

The inquiry into Canada’s worst mass shooting has put a spotlight on how survivors of intimate partner violence often face anger and backlash. After Lisa Banfield was brutally assaulted and held captive by her common-law husband one night in April 2020, 22 people were killed as he went on a murderous shooting rampage. Countless people were impacted by devastating trauma, pain and anger as a result of the gunman’s actions, and Banfield was put under a harsh spotlight. Gender rights advocates say Banfield was unfairly criminalized, criticized and accused of abetting the shooter, and her own trauma as a victim of abuse was never acknowledged. There are now concerns the reception to Banfield will deter other women from reporting abuse.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Brian Bradley and Matthew Hearn

Friday, July 29th 2022

Guest: Jacob Lorinc, business reporter

As prices fall and listings get pulled off the market, experts are projecting a historic correction to come for the Canadian housing market. There already was limited supply, but the confounding thing is that with rising inflation rates, housing affordability will remain a challenge for many people despite lower home prices. Now the two big questions are: How long will it last and how far will the market fall?

This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Audio sources: CBC, Global News, CityNews

Thursday, July 28th 2022

Guests: Mohammed, Afghan human rights activist, and Nicholas Keung, immigration reporter

Nearly one year after the U.S. and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover, thousands of Afghans are still trapped in the country, waiting for Western visas. Many of them are in danger precisely because they were allies of the West and now face repercussions at the hands of the Taliban. While Canada made a commitment to resettle 40,000 Afghans through a special immigration program, Star sources have revealed that the window is closing and the program could wrap up soon. We take a look at what’s going on and what it could mean for Afghans who are still stuck in limbo, fearing for their lives as a price for helping Canada.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn

Wednesday, July 27th 2022

Guest: Brandi Morin, freelance journalist

Pope Francis is in Canada this week on a pilgrimage of penance, meeting the survivors of the residential school system in which the Catholic Church played a major role — a forced assimilation of Indigenous peoples that destroyed families, cultures and created a legacy of trauma. Brandi Morin, an award-winning French, Cree, Iroquois journalist from Treaty 6, has been bearing witness as her own life is intertwined with the brutal history of the schools. We caught up with her to try to understand this moment and discuss what it will take for it to truly mean something.

The Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of a residential school experience. Support is available at 1-866-925-4419.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn

Tuesday, July 26th 2022

Guest: Len Tooley, evaluation director at the Community-Based Research Centre

With more than 16,000 recorded cases in 75 countries so far, the World Health Organization has declared the monkeypox outbreak as a global health emergency. Five people have died worldwide since the outbreak began in May. Len Tooley is one of the 681 Canadians who have contracted monkeypox in the last two months. He says the community of gay and bisexual men currently most at risk have been largely left in the dark by public health on what to do if they get sick. He shares his experience on “This Matters.”

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn