Friday, November 24th 2023

Guests: Matt Elliott and Shawn Micallef, contributing columnists

So much has been happening in Toronto this week. As encampments are cleared, the mayor and the federal government are fighting over shelter and housing dollars and the city is cancelling plans for public washrooms even as it opens all of its ice rinks. Joined by Shawn Micallef, Matt Elliott issues his first look at how Mayor Olivia Chow’s council support has lined up in her first months (and the dynamic duo of consistent oppositions to her). Plus, a little sliver of good news for GTA transit riders.

This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Edward Keenan and Paolo Marques.

Audio Sources: CP24

Thursday, November 23rd 2023

Guests: Nicholas Keung and Andy Takagi, staff reporters

For years, Canada has been a dream destination for young people around the world with a record number of international students arriving in 2023. But that dream is unaffordable for many. As the cost of living keeps rising and tuition remains high for students from out of country, many international students have limited resources and turn to strained food banks for support. Yet, one Brampton food bank banned international students and puzzlingly cites abuse. That made headlines and brought attention to what these students have been grappling with.

This episode was produced by Paulo Marques, Brian Bradley and Saba Eitizaz.

Wednesday, November 22nd 2023

Guest: Wendy Gillis, crime and policing reporter

Over the past nine weeks, a Canadian courtroom heard disturbing testimonies of how and why 22-year-old Nathaniel Veltman murdered three generations of a Muslim family in 2021. Now guilty for the deaths of Salman Afzaal, his wife Madiha, 15-year-old daughter Yumna and 74-year-old mother Talat, and for the attempted murder of Salman’s nine-year-old son, the upcoming sentencing will be a significant litmus test for Canada’s anti-terror laws. What is also critical is the need to unravel how a small-town factory worker just out of his teens became a deadly mass murderer. Veltman’s descent down the rabbit-hole of far-right extremism has exposed a deadly threat in Canada, as hate is once again on the rise. We retrace the digital footsteps of Veltman’s radicalization.

This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Saba Eitizaz.

Tuesday, November 21st 2023

Guest: Toronto Star reporter Kerry Gillespie

The interview today is timed to run 17 minutes and 28 seconds, the exact length of Stouffville 12-year-old Sawyer Nicholson’s world-record-breaking 5-kilometer run. So listeners are invited to jog along as they listen and see how their own progress stacks up. Star reporter Kerry Gillespie talks about the tiny running phenomenon, and how she took up running as training for another sport, how she developed, and the blowback her family has gotten online as a result. And Sawyer herself checks in with us from checkpoints on her own 5K training run. PLUS: the world-record holder’s pump-up playlist.

This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Edward Keenan and Sean Pattendon.

Saturday, November 18th 2023

Guest: Sara Mojtehdzadeh, investigative reporter

Did you know that a victim of labour trafficking could be right in front of you? Hundreds are working in plain sight, changing our hotel sheets, renovating our houses and growing the food we eat. In an investigative series by reporters Sara Mojtehdzadeh and Rachel Mendlesen called “Work Forced,” The Star identified 10 cases across the GTA and southwestern Ontario since 2019 where police have raided labour trafficking operations. They have led to complex legal proceedings, which are ongoing, dozens of arrests and involve more than 200 victims – desperate to make a better life for their families – who got caught in this web. Mojtehdzadeh talks about it on the podcast.

This episode was produced by Paulo Marques, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Saba Eitizaz.