Latest podcasts
- How the Gardiner East debate may drive votes for mayor
Tuesday, March 21st 2023
Guest: Alyshah Hasham, City Hall reporter
Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway is a perennial debate from all directions, and just as the mayoral race gets underway, we have arrived at the debate about the $1.2-billion future of the eastern section. Josh Matlow, a city councillor and recently-confirmed mayoral contender to replace John Tory, says going forward would be a “historic mistake” and, along with a handful of community groups, is urging for an updated accounting of the cost of the plan with an eye to maybe shelve it. Other mayoral contenders are also beginning to speak up on what may possibly be a key election issue. Today we talk about our love/hate relationship with the Gardiner and why this debate runs through the heart of what this city means to us.
Audio sources: CTV and CityNews
- Silicon Valley Bank collapsed. What are the Canadian implications?
Monday, March 20th 2023
Guest: Chay Ornthanalai, associate professor at the Rotman School of Management
Silicon Valley Bank was the 16th largest bank in the United States yet, in less than two days, it collapsed and marked the single largest American banking failure since the financial crisis of 2008. Ripple effects from SVB’s collapse continue to hit similar institutions, have reached Credit Suisse Group (itself moving to sell) and ignited a political blame game. Chay Ornthanalai, an associate professor at the Rotman School of Management, joins “This Matters” to explain what went wrong and explore why it is unlikely for such failures to happen in Canada.
This episode was produced by Brian Bradley and Paulo Marques.
- How ‘southbounders’ are fuelling cross-border politics
Friday, March 17th 2023
Guest: Allan Woods, staff reporter
Just as Roxham Road in Quebec became a crossing point for thousands of migrants hoping to enter Canada to avoid deportation in the United States, a new northern border phenomenon has people from countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and India using Canada as an entry point to the U.S., often making a perilous journey. Called “southbounders” by the RCMP, officials on both sides of the border say there has been a sharp spike in the number of people attempting this dangerous crossing. Republicans are leveraging the issue as political fuel and now cross-border issues are expected to feature heavily in the U.S. President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to Canada next week.
This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Brian Bradley and Paulo Marques.
- The ticking TikTok: How an app ignited a national security debate
Thursday, March 16th 2023
Guest: Caitlin Chin, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC
The social media app TikTok has attracted billions of users but concerns have grown over its roots in China and countries around the world, including Canada, have banned TikTok from government devices. Now, in the last 24 hours, the Biden administration has escalated a heated debate on TikTok’s security implications by issuing an ultimatum to the company: sell TikTok or be banned. We look at how the trendiest social platform of this generation ended up at the centre of an uproar involving national security, political panic and a serious ultimatum by the American president.
Audio sources: CNN, CNBC, NBC
This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Paulo Marques.
- What we know and don’t know about hate incidents on campuses
Wednesday, March 15th 2023
Guest: Rob Cribb, investigative reporter and director of the Investigative Journalism Bureau
Hate is on the rise on university and college campuses across the country. Wanting data, The Star and the University of Toronto’s Investigative Journalism Bureau sent requests to over 80 schools across Canada to find out how they track and deal with racist, homophobic and other hate-motivated incidents. The picture that came back is troubling but also incomplete, as both students and some administrations look for answers to this growing problem.
This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.
Audio sources: Global News