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.

Monday, August 23rd 2021

There is a sense of uncertainty, fear and deep anxiety for Afghan women following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Many are afraid of a return to a repressive past and reversal of painstaking progress made. Many also feel betrayal about how the country has been treated over the years, and the abrupt departure by the west. Today on “This Matters,” we are joined by two Afghan women on opposite ends of the world as we try to process what is unfolding in Afghanistan and how they feel about it.

For more information on the featured Canadian Campaign for Afghan Peace with the goal of helping Afghans inside Afghanistan, you can visit: https://ayedi.ca/ccap/

Friday, August 20th 2021

Guest: Dr. Karina Top, pediatrician, vaccine researcher and associate professor at Dalhousie University

In what is increasingly being called a pandemic of the unvaccinated, the largest cohort that cannot receive vaccines yet are children under age 12. With the Delta variant spreading rapidly and the fourth wave accelerating, there has been a surge in cases and hospitalizations of children with COVID-19 in the U.S. There are fears something similar could occur in Canada, just as kids go back to school. Experts predict that cases will rise when school starts, but with Canada having one of highest rates of vaccination in the world and the enforcement of other precautions, the goal is to keep kids as safe as possible.

Thursday, August 19th 2021

Guest: Craig Whitlock, Washington Post investigative journalist who broke The Afghanistan Papers

While many question the United States government’s decision to withdrawal from Afghanistan, within the government it has long been known it was an unwinnable conflict. The truth is laid bare in The Afghanistan Papers, a 2019 Washington Post investigation that included a series of documents and recordings with U.S. officials speaking frankly about the conflict. Much of this week’s events were telegraphed in that document, but there are larger questions. What happens next? Where does American foreign policy go from here?

Wednesday, August 18th 2021

Guest: Joanna Chiu, Toronto Star reporter covering Canada-China relations and author of “China Unbound”

It’s been almost three years since former diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor (collectively known as the “two Michaels”) were arrested by the Chinese Communist Party. The move was seen as retaliation against Canada’s arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who is currently standing trial for possible extradition to the United States. Now, just this month, Michael Spavor was found guilty of espionage charges and sentenced to 11 years in a Chinese prison, while another Chinese court rejected Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg’s appeal against a death sentence for drug trafficking. It all seems so shocking, but as Star reporter Joanna Chiu reports, this form of hostage taking diplomacy and death threat diplomacy is not new. Why is no one talking about other Canadians that have been taken as political prisoners by China?