- A life lost, a person unclaimed and a subsidized apartment frozen in time
Wednesday, March 8th 2023
Guest: Victoria Gibson, Affordable Housing reporter
Sometimes even beloved neighbours and friends can slip away unnoticed at life’s end, with their memory frozen in time. That’s what happened to Charles Parris, 81, of Henry Street in Grange Park. He died at home, remains quietly buried, but worldly belongings remained. For 10 months, his Toronto Community Housing Corp. apartment sat uninhabited despite a raging housing crisis. Such vacancy limbo seems to be connected to another growing problem — an increasing number of unclaimed bodies. Victoria Gibson tells a haunting story on “This Matters.”
This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Brian Bradley and Paulo Marques.
- What will it take to calm uproar at Oakville Trafalgar High School?
Tuesday, March 7th 2023
Guest: Kris Rushowy and Isabel Teotonio, reporters
Administrators, teachers and students connected to Oakville Trafalgar High School have been subject to bomb threats (as recently as February), death threats and police activity in recent months after photos of educator Kayla Lemieux made international headlines and left parents unnerved by action from the Halton District School Board. As the situation escalates, sudents say they feel unsafe and their learning environment is disrupted while the board scrambles to get support for a new “professionalism policy” and hire an outside adviser to help manage the uproar.
This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Brian Bradley and Paulo Marques.
Audio Sources: CHCH News, Twitter
- Private care in a public hospital
Monday, March 6th 2023
Guest: Megan Ogilvie and Kenyon Wallace, reporters
A group of orthopedic surgeons is leasing operating rooms from Ottawa’s biggest hospital. It’s a controversial move that the company says will help alleviate surgery wait-times in the province. But health care advocates are concerned and want more information about the arrangement. Why is a private corporation operating inside a public hospital? And will we see more of this in the future?
This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.
Audio sources: Global News and CPAC
- Who is Canada’s most wanted person?
Friday, March 3rd 2023
Guest: Peter Edwards, crime reporter
Canada’s list of most wanted fugitives lives at Boloprogram.org (“bolo” meaning “be on the lookout”). These criminals are being hunted by authorities, both here and around the world. Currently, there is a $250,000 bounty for information leading to the capture of Rabih Alkhalil, a convicted multi-murderer who walked away from a British Columbia prison last July in a dramatic and daring escape. Peter Edwards has written a book about these criminals and joins “This Matters” to share his expertise.
This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.
- Canadian elections and foreign influence: What we know so far
Thursday, March 2nd 2023
Guest: Tonda MacCharles, Ottawa Bureau Chief
Ottawa is buzzing over news about the possibility of foreign interference in the last two federal elections. While government officials say those elections were free and fair, several reports and specific allegations of such attempts has Parliament looking at the issue. As top security officials testify, Canada’s election watchdog confirmed it is launching an investigation, while others call for a public inquiry.
This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.
Audio sources: Canadian Press, CPAC, CBC, Global News
