- Drag has always been part of Toronto. Here’s part of its history
Wednesday, June 28th 2023
Guest: Michael Oscars, talent agent and theatre producer
Drag is increasingly a target of hate and criticism across the world, looped into far-right hysteria, “freedom” convoy protesting and narratives about child safety. It is an unusual turn of perspective when drag has always been part of our popular culture, including our local popular culture and arts scene in Toronto. Drag performers have also been part of causes for good, including activism and fundraising. Drag does have a place in the bar scene but it has also long-been in some of our most mainstream television, film and theatre productions. Michael Oscars, a Canadian talent agent and theatre producer, joins “This Matters” to share what the art form is about and some of its history.
This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Brian Bradley.
Audio Sources: CBC, USA Today, SuchisLifeVideos/YouTube, Soundstripe
- Pride, hope and Olivia Chow’s prospects
Tuesday, June 27th 2023
Guests: Toronto Star columnists and guest hosts Emma Teitel and Edward Keenan
When Olivia Chow won the mayoral election Monday night, she ended 12 years of Conservative rule at city hall, bringing a message of hope, harnessing hunger for change and riding a bicycle festooned with flowers. Ed and Emma recap how she won the election, discuss Ana Bailão’s last-minute surge, discuss the performance and prospects of some of the other candidates, and try to assess the difficulty Chow faces now that she’s taking office.
This episode was produced by Paolo Marques and Edward Keenan
- Toronto Star’s Fresh Air Fund: Its impact and the magic of camp
Monday, June 26th 2023
Guest: Tracy Morley, executive director at Camp Awakening, and Joshua Chong, staff reporter
The Toronto Star’s Fresh Air Fund has provided thousands of children and teens with a memorable summer holiday since 1901. Begun by former publisher Joseph Atkinson, the fund provides grants to camp organizations to subsidize fees for financially or medically vulnerable youth who otherwise couldn’t have the experience. Our readers and listeners have a large part in this, funding the effort with generous donations. To learn more about what The Star and our readers are part of, we welcome an executive director of a camp organization that has been the recipient of Fresh Air Fund funding and a Toronto Star staff reporter who had a life changing experience at camp after arriving in Canada from Singapore.
How to donate:
With your gift, the Fresh Air Fund can help send thousands of kids to camp. These children will get to take part in a camp experience they will cherish for a lifetime.
Online:
To donate by Visa, Mastercard or Amex use our secure form.
By cheque:
Mail to The Toronto Star Fresh Air Fund, 8 Spadina, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8
By phone: Call 416-869-4847
Tax receipts will be issued.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL:
Instagram: @torontostarchildrenscharities
Facebook: @thetorontostarchildrenscharities
Twitter: @TStarCharities
LinkedIn: The Toronto Star Children’s Charities
#StarFreshAirFund
This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Brian Bradley.
- Is this ‘the most exciting and positive election in 20 years’?
Friday, June 23rd 2023
Guests: Toronto Star City Hall Bureau Chief David Rider, and reporters Alyshah Hasham and Ben Spurr, join guest host Edward Keenan
Just before the final weekend of the Toronto mayoral campaign, Premier Doug Ford and former Mayor John Tory told us who they’re voting for. The fact that they did it at all was a bigger surprise than the names they came up with. How much difference can it make at this late stage? Our panellists look back on the campaign that was, the post-election prospects for councillors and the unknowns they’ll be looking at on an election day where the question might be “who and what is Toronto for?”
This episode was produced by Ed Keenan and Crawford Blair.
- Hot shots: Are laced drugs being used to murder people?
Thursday, June 22nd 2023
Guest: Katharine Lake Berz, freelance journalist
Are criminals using laced drugs to target and murder people? With overdose deaths more than quadrupling from 2016 to 2021 in the Niagara region and investigations ongoing, some say that some of the once-believed accidental deaths may have actually been caused by ingestion of “hot shots” (a recreational drug intentionally laced with a lethal substance, like fentanyl). Homicides disguised as an overdose are hard to prove. There’s no set threshold for authorities to investigate an overdose death that might be suspicious and these cases are incredibly hard to prove.
This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.
