Latest podcasts
- Want to be at a live event again? Vaccine mandates are being pushed by businesses
Monday, August 30th 2021
Guest: Josh Rubin, business reporter for the Star
Because neither the federal or Ontario provincial government have created vaccine passports for the public yet (while other provinces have started plans of their own), live event businesses and franchises are taking matters into their own hands to create new rules for customers. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Toronto International Film Festival and Mirvish Productions are all mandating attendees to either show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test before going inside their venues. Do businesses have the legal power to enforce their own COVID rules? Can mandates prevent another business lockdown in the fourth wave? As big organizations push forward on vaccine mandates, does this pave the way for small businesses to do the same?
- Vaccine mandates and the return to work
Friday, August 27th 2021
Guest: Lior Samfiru, employment lawyer and co-founding partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP
Vaccine mandates in the workplace aren’t hypothetical anymore. They are real. The federal government has one for their employees, as does the Ontario government for people in high-risk settings. Those new rules are filtering down to private business, with Canada’s big five banks and Air Canada ordering their employees to get vaccinated in the return to work. But is it legal? Can your employer make you get vaccinated? If you refuse, can they legally fire you? We parse through all the details of employment law, explain the ins and outs of rights for employers and employees alike, along with the legal challenges to come.
- The mob war that followed Angelo Musitano’s murder
Thursday, August 26th 2021
Guest: Nicole O’Reilly, crime reporter from The Hamilton Spectator
It has been over four years since Angelo Musitano, a prominent member of the Musitano crime family in Hamilton, was gunned down in his driveway. His murder was the result of a sophisticated, mob-driven operation intricately planned, executed and now shared in “Trigger,” an investigative series from The Hamilton Spectator. In the series, crime reporter Nicole O’Reilly explored all that led up to the homicide, the complex police investigation that followed and the inner workings of the mafia. She joins “This Matters” to share the details and the conclusion of the court case against the only person ever arrested and charged in Musitano’s murder and the murder of an innocent bystander in York region.
- Why is femicide on the rise in Canada?
Wednesday, August 25th 2021
Guest: Julie S. Lalonde, women’s rights advocate and author of “Resilience is Futile”
Did you know that there is a country in the world where one woman or girl is killed every two and a half days? That country is Canada. According to a report by the Canadian Femicide Observatory, Canada saw an increase in femicide from 2019 to 2020. The report also reveals that almost 100 girls and women were killed in the first half of 2021. Most were killed by men, an intimate partner or someone they knew. Today on “This Matters,” women’s rights advocate and author Julie S. Lalonde talks about how these disturbing numbers are linked to misogyny and what we need to do to help women at risk, before it’s too late for them.
- Behind 6ixBuzz’s controversial rise
Tuesday, August 24th 2021
Guest: Nichole Jankowski, freelance journalist who wrote on 6ixBuzz for Toronto Life
6ixBuzz began as a simple meme and joke Instagram account on all things Toronto, but in just a few short years, it has grown into a media empire with two million followers on Instagram, tens of thousands more on YouTube and contracts signed with major music labels. Their posts garner comments, outrage and above all, attention, and their followers include rapper Drake, Premier Doug Ford and New Democratic Party party leader Jagmeet Singh. 6ixBuzz’s rise is deeply controversial. While some laud them for being a voice for Gen Z and racialized communities, others say they represent the worst of the internet: a toxic space fostering racism, homophobia and bigotry. The company has also been under fire for labour practices. Among the biggest questions, there is secrecy and threats. We dig into the rise of one of the biggest brands in Toronto with the journalist who’s come closest to finding the answers.
Sources: Instagram, CBC Toronto, CTV Toronto