- Is Doug Ford ‘excessively preoccupied’ with municipalities?
Tuesday, July 25th 2023
Guest: Noor Javed, staff reporter
Ontario’s 444 municipalities are often referred to as “creatures of the province,” which has certainly proved to be true since Premier Doug Ford took over at Queen’s Park. The provincial Conservatives have repeatedly exerted authority over all aspects of local government — slashing Toronto city council, suddenly bestowing strong-mayor powers, cutting development charges and ushering in the breakup of Peel Region. This has rendered municipalities and their elected officials seemingly powerless as the former city councillor turned premier is, as one expert said, “excessively preoccupied with municipal governance” and leaving people to feel “like they have lost control over local decisions.”
Audio Sources: Global News, CityNews
This episode was produced by Brian Bradley and Kevin Sexton.
- Mercury contamination linked to high youth suicide attempt rate in Grassy Narrows First Nation
Monday, July 24th 2023
WARNING: This story contains sensitive subject matter, including suicide and self-harm, that could be triggering for some readers.
Guest: Sheila Wang, investigative reporter
A new study has revealed that tons of mercury dumped as industrial waste upstream of Grassy Narrows First Nations decades ago has contributed to the community’s youth attempting suicide at a rate three times higher than that of other First Nations in Canada. Residents of the community have long reported tremors, slurred speech, impaired hearing, tunnel vision and lost muscle co-ordination, but this is the first time a direct connection has been made between mercury contamination and the deteriorating mental health of the younger generation. We take a look at this new information and its significance.
Audio sources: Star files, Global News, APTN News
This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Sean Pattendon.
If you are thinking of suicide or know someone who is, there is help. Resources are available online at crisisservicescanada.ca or you can connect to the national suicide prevention helpline at 1-833-456-4566, or the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868.
- Report says minimum wage needs to be higher than $33 to afford rent in Toronto
Friday, July 21st 2023
Guest: Clarrie Feinstein, business reporter
Highlighting that those trying to rent while earning minimum wage are fast losing ground, a recent report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives paints a bleak picture of affordability in most Canadian cities. It all comes down to the “rental wage,” the hourly wage that would be required to be able to afford rent while working a 40-hour week and spending no more than 30 per cent of gross income on housing. The report highlights that across most of Canada, the minimum wage is not near enough for a one-bedroom apartment. In Toronto, one would have to earn more than double the provincial minimum wage of $15.50. We take a look at the findings of this report and the factors that led us here.
This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Sean Pattendon.
- Will Canada’s Mounties become the ‘FBI of the North’?
Thursday, July 20th 2023
Guest: Tonda MacCharles, Ottawa Bureau Chief
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is a $4.2-billion dollar national force looking over eight provinces, three territories, 150 municipalities and 600 Indigenous communities. But now, sources say the PMO wants Mounties to be transformed into the “FBI of the North.” The idea would pull the RCMP out of the business of front-line, day-to-day contract policing and shift focus to challenges like national security and terrorism, financial crimes, cybercrime and organized crime. Such radical change will take time but, in the interim, the idea has found high-profile support in key senior RCMP and political offices.
This episode was produced by Sean Pattendon and Brian Bradley.
- Star investigation reveals troubling tax trend hitting Toronto’s cheapest homes while mansions catch a break
Wednesday, July 19th 2023
Guest: Kenyon Wallace and Diana Zlomislic, investigative reporters
A new Star investigation has revealed that owners of some of Toronto’s cheapest homes might be paying disproportionately more in property taxes than those living in luxurious mansions. Analyzing roughly 12,000 homes sold in 2016, Star reporters found the burden of this tax inequality is shouldered by those with the least-expensive houses, while owners of some of the city’s richest homes in fancy neighbourhoods get a break. Who tallies up the bill? It is the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), a publicly funded agency, who carries the task of valuating properties for tax purposes. While the agency says their assessment process has already been extensively reviewed by several third-party evaluators, the Star’s data analysis revealed there are many over-assessed — and overtaxed — homeowners.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This podcast episode has been edited to clarify the deadlines involved in challenging a residential property assessment. In a non-reassessment year, the deadline to submit a request for reconsideration to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation is March 31. In a reassessment year, that deadline is 120 days after a homeowner receives their notice. While homeowners can submit a request for reconsideration every year, if they miss the submission deadline, they cannot seek an adjustment for a previous year, only the current year.
This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Brian Bradley and Sean Pattendon.
