This Matters

"This Matters" would like to share an episode of the third season of the Toronto Star podcast "Millennial Money." The show includes millennials speaking about relatable financial dilemmas that are often taboo or embarrassing but that many are grappling with behind closed doors.

The city budget moves from committee to mayor’s office, though tax rates, federal funding commitments and other big questions are still in flux. Ed and Emma met with Budget Chief Shelley Carroll this week to discuss, and share some of her thoughts, alongside some of their own. And while Ed was recently sounding the alarm on a toboggan ban in Toronto, Emma is not so sure there’s all that much to be alarmed about. Maybe a bigger issue is how much time kids spend on phones (including in classrooms), rather than out taking risks and learning about the world? PLUS: Toronto women’s hockey tickets are sold right out, but there’s a chance for lots of those left out to see a game in person coming up.

This episode was produced by Paulo Marques, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Emma Teitel and Edward Keenan.

What you would like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Nicholas Keung, immigration reporter 

On Monday Canada’s immigration minister Marc Miller announced the federal government’s move to introduce a temporary cap on foreign students as part of an ongoing set of measures to limit and curb the abuse of Canada’s international student program. While the government is framing it as a solution to exploitation and a burgeoning housing and affordability crisis, there are also some concerns that international students are being made into scapegoats for domestic problems. International students also contribute more than $20 billion to the Canadian economy and 200,000 jobs. We unpack what the new plan is, who it affects and why.  

Audio sources: CTV News 

This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Saba Eitizaz.

Yet another wrinkle emerged in the Greenbelt scandal with the revelation of an email showing the Premier’s office might have been engaged with the matter earlier than it has previously said (under oath, even). Is this a big “net new” deal, or a nothingburger? Is it significant that this government can’t seem to read a calendar or that personal emails were used here? On another front from Queen’s Park, elected officials haven’t had a raise since 2008. Some of them are quietly grumbling about it even though there is little prospect it’s going to change any time soon. As well, what people call you if your last name sounds like a nickname or if you share a name with a beloved talking barnyard animal, plus a brief but fond farewell to a Hollywood giant who was an east-end Toronto kid.

"This Matters" would like to share an episode of the third season of the Toronto Star podcast "Millennial Money." The show includes millennials speaking about relatable financial dilemmas that are often taboo or embarrassing but that many are grappling with behind closed doors.

jes sachse has been fighting an eviction for about two years. And they’re not alone. As rent and property prices soar, eviction is a threat for many Torontonians.

Guest: Toronto Star reporter Richard Warnica, reporting from the U.S.

Amid criminal trials, civil convictions, and courts ruling him ineligible to serve again, Donald Trump remains the dominant force in American politics, as shown again with a landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses that kick off the presidential nominating contest. The Star’s Richard Warnica is on the scene, and talks to host Edward Keenan about the cartoonish former president’s enduring appeal to his supporters, the prospects for his opponents and what has remained the same or changes from his earlier political life.

This podcast was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Paulo Marques and Edward Keenan.

Audio sources: NBC and Global News

What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Daniel Langlois may not be a household name but his work is. He was a pioneer of Hollywood 3-D movie effects, working on films like "Jurassic Park," "Harry Potter" and "The Matrix."

On Dec.1, he and his partner Dominque Marchand were found shot in a burnt out car in Dominica. Court documents revealed they’d been in a dispute with their neighbour who, along with another man, have been charged with the crime.

Investigative reporters Kenyon Wallace and Sheila Wang were assigned this story when it broke, with Wang recently returning from a trip to Dominica where she found heartbreak, suspicion and a lot of questions. On this episode, the two reporters have a conversation about what they know and what they think about this gripping and tragic story.

This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Paulo Marques, Sheila Wang and Kenyon Wallace.

What you would like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this surveyand you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

He’s still waiting for the Guinness people to certify it, but former advertising executive (and long-ago Toronto punk musician) Ben Pobjoy believes he’s set a record for walking the most “freestyle marathons” in one year, with a 2023 globe-strolling pace of almost five per week. That amounts to a distance longer than the circumference of the moon, on a journey that took him to five continents and 70 countries. He talks about what he saw and learned on his grand adventure, the best and worst days of the trip, and what he noticed most about Toronto when he came home.

Voters seemed to want change when they voted for Olivia Chow to run Toronto, and a property tax increase of as much as 16.5 per cent certainly is a break from the past. Edward Keenan and Emma Teitel discuss how the city got here, whether a double-digit increase is justified, how people are likely to react and what the key for Chow is if it is going to be accepted. They also talk about a wave of antisemitic and Islamophobic crimes in Toronto and how officials here ought to react to them. Plus, a public square by any other name just isn't as popular.

This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Paulo Marques, Emma Teitel and Edward Keenan.

Guest: Kevin McGran, hockey reporter

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed star forward William Nylander to a record-setting $92-million, eight-year contract, a monster deal amid what has been a monster season for the winger. At a time when every sports fan is expected to be a salary cap expert, can any of us just be happy that we get to watch one of the most talented and entertaining teams to play around here in decades? Nylander’s had "just like us" moments, like his riding the subway to work and, like many in Toronto, finding a home here after moving all around the world. "Uncle Kevin" also shares some early notes about Ilya Samsonov returning to the ice with the Leafs and making sense of the goalie situation.

The city is hyped for the sold-out inaugural season of Toronto’s new professional women’s hockey team, and so are hosts Ed Keenan and Emma Teitel. They also turn their attention to city hall, talking over increased photo radar enforcement, the mayor’s rush to get things done, the threat of cybercrime and the city budget process kicking into high gear in the coming week. Plus: why shootings have gone down in Toronto and whether Trudeau’s government should be taking credit.

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

Audio Sources: CTV, CBC

For years, you may have heard the whispers about Santa Claus. Some say he’s a big hoax, an inside job. When you look at the evidence, it may seem these skeptics have a point questioning the flying sleigh and magical reindeer. But then you start to consider just how many people would have to be in on this thing to keep it secret, and wonder why they would do that. Is it possible that behind Santa Claus there’s a truth even bigger than the facts?

This podcast is adapted from my 2017 column “Unearthing the truth about Santa.”

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

Star readers help the magic of Christmas reach children across the GTA with the Santa Claus Fund. You too can help create joyful Christmas memories that will last a lifetime.

So, please, donate what you can.  

The Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund

GOAL: $1.5 million

How to donate

Online: To donate by Visa, Mastercard or Amex use our secure form at https://www.thestar.com/scf

By cheque: Mail to The Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund, 8 Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON M5V 0S8

By phone: Call 647-250-8282

Tax receipts will be issued.

Follow us on social

Instagram: @torontostarchildrenscharities

Facebook: @thetorontostarchildrenscharities

X: @TStarCharities

LinkedIn: 

#StarSantaClausFund　

Guest: Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow

At the start of 2023, Olivia Chow was retired from politics and teaching university students but a shock to Toronto’s political system brought her back to the front pages and into the mayor’s office. She reflects on the year that was, including her campaign, her unexpected partnership with Premier Doug Ford, the city’s budget struggles, her response to those who wish she was a bit less of a compromiser than she’s been and her plans for 2024, including trying to find ways to create more spaces for community to form, meet and develop.

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

What you would like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Today's episode features our 2023 in Toronto politics chat, including the shocking resignation of one mayor, the comeback election of another, the sinking fortunes and desperate reversals of the premier and the multiple instances of the city government "loving things to death." Then there are the things that didn’t chang, including the limbo of the crosstown transit project.

What you would like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Matt Blackett, "Spacing" magazine founder and creative director 

"Spacing," the independent magazine about public space issues in Toronto, turns 20 years old this month — somehow surviving and even thriving in a media landscape that’s been punishing to much more established titles. Founder Matt Blackett joins "This Matters" to talk about how the magazine began and how it has developed unconventional ways to make money and influence people from subway merchandise to the opening of a retail store. Blackett  also talks about why, after everything, he remains optimistic about the city’s future.

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

What you would like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Jacques Gallant, courts and justice reporter 

In November, a jury convicted the now disgraced fashion mogul Peter Nygard with four counts of sexual assault after five women testified disturbing details of what happened to them inside his former Toronto headquarters. Behind them were a Toronto therapist, a #MeToo lawyer, a business nemesis and more than 100 women who helped bring him down.

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

Audio Sources: CBC News, Life of Luxury, ABC News

What you would like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Mahdis Habibinia, reporter

For seven years the family of Soleiman Faqiri has been searching for answers after his death in an Ontario jail. At last, a jury at a coroner’s inquest confirmed his death was a homicide. It is a landmark verdict after emotional testimony showing how jail guards, health care staff and supervisors failed to address Faqiri's spiralling mental health crisis. The Star’s Mahdis Habibinia has been covering the proceedings and explains.

This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Saba Eitizaz.

What you would like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for the COVID-19 response at the World Health Organization

It’s been four years since the first human COVID-19 case emerged in Wuhan, China. Since then, the disease has gone on to kill an estimated 15 million people, infect more than 750 million and upend the lives of countless more. A scientific consensus has emerged among many of the world’s top virologists about how it most likely spread to humans — from wildlife sold at the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan — but to date a culprit animal has not been found. Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for the COVID-19 response at the World Health Organization, talks about what we do and do not know about the virus’ origins and why finding the source is so important for how we respond to future pandemics.

This podcast was produced by Kenyon Wallace, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Paolo Marques.

Audio Sources: NBC

What you would like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.