- A spirited take on Dry January (Rebroadcast)
Tuesday, January 3rd 2023
This episode originally aired January 4, 2022.
Guest: Christine Sismondo, author of “America Walks Into a Bar” and the upcoming “Cocktails: A Still Life”
Happy New Year! By now, hopefully your hangover from new year celebrations are long gone and you are focusing on the year ahead. One thing that many people do after holiday season is decide to cut alcohol intake for the month of January as a way to reset and refresh. While some people do Sober October, more mark Dry January to abstain from alcohol. How did it get that way? Is a zero-tolerance policy the best way to go? We get some history, tips and advice from someone who’s been thinking about consumption for a long time.
- A tribute to John Honderich, newspaperman (Rebroadcast)
Friday, December 30th 2022
This episode originally aired on February 11, 2022.
John Honderich, who has served as both editor and publisher of the Toronto Star, as well as chair of Torstar, died on Saturday, February 5, at 75. “This Matters” spoke to some of John’s former friends and colleagues about his positive impact to journalism and the people around him.
Any charitable donations be made to the John Honderich City Builder Fund through United Way Greater Toronto: www.uwgta.org/johnhonderich
- How do you want to spend the final years of your life? (Rebroadcast)
Thursday, December 29th 2022
This episode originally aired on November 7, 2022.
Guest: Moira Welsh, investigative reporter
The devastation faced by Ontario’s long-term care residents during the pandemic may have fuelled a reckoning and a collective question: how do you want to spend the final years of your life? That’s the focus of The Third Act, an ongoing series produced by the Star in collaboration with Toronto Metropolitan University and the National Institute on Ageing, which aims to explore real world solutions that could make a genuine difference to Canadians as they age. The conversation is at a critical juncture as Ontario’s health care sector is in crisis and almost a quarter of Canada’s population set to become seniors in the next few decades. While some places are reframing old-age care, why is Canada behind? Moira Welsh explains.
This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Paulo Marques and Alexis Green.
- The cold truth about the fastest warming place on Earth (rebroadcast)
Wednesday, December 28th 2022
This episode originally aired on November 15, 2022.
Guest: Lex Harvey, staff reporter
The Arctic town Svalbard is about as remote as you can get. It’s an archipelago located on top of the world. Residents carry guns and live alongside polar bears, they can see the northern lights during the day and they’re not allowed to give birth or die there. It is also the fastest warming place on Earth and experiencing the worst effects of climate change where residents live under constant fear of the next disaster. Svalbard serves as a stark warning to the rest of the world. Star reporter Lex Harvey takes “This Matters” listeners on a tour and a wake-up call.
This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Paulo Marques and Alexis Green.
- How Toronto police made an arrest in two cold cases (rebroadcast)
Tuesday, December 27th 2022
This episode originally aired on November 29, 2022.
Guest: Wendy Gillis, crime and policing reporter
The Toronto police cold case unit has announced the arrest of Joseph George Sutherland, 60, for allegedly committing the murders of local women Erin Gilmour and Susan Tice in 1983. After 2008 testing of evidence confirmed one man was responsible for both murders, advances in genetic sequencing and forensic genealogy would lead police to arrest Sutherland in Moosonee, Ont. The charges against Sutherland have not been proven in court.
This episode was produced by Brian Bradley, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.
Audio source: Toronto Police Services
