This Matters

Guest: Ed Jackson, community historian

Hanlan’s Point is known as Toronto’s clothing-optional beach, but it has deeper significance as a historically queer space and has recently been recognized for its place in city history. The beach in the Toronto Islands was the site of Canada’s first Pride celebration in 1971 and a place, just outside of the spotlight, that was quietly known for decades as a safe gathering spot when it was not safe to be out elsewhere. It has some ugly history too, including homophobic violence and police harassment, that has flared up all too recently. Ed Jackson is a community historian and co-editor of the book “Any Other Way: How Toronto Got Queer.” He joins “This Matters” to talk about this significance.

This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Sean Pattendon and Brian Bradley.

Audio Sources: Friends of Hanlan’s

Guest: Wendy Gillis, crime and policing reporter

Chilling testimony has been delivered in the ongoing trial of the man accused of killing four members of a Muslim family in 2021. For Canadian Muslims, it’s a reopening of old wounds and a litmus test of Canada’s anti-terrorism laws. Four members of the Afzaal family were killed just over two years ago in London, Ont., when the accused allegedly struck and killed Salman Afzaal, 46, Madiha Salman, 44, Salman’s mother Talat Afzaal, 74, and Yumna Afzaal, 15, with his pick up truck. Salman’s 9-year-old son was the sole survivor of the attack. The incident sparked shock and horror over Islamophobic violence fuelled by online hate and disinformation. In the first week of the murder trial, taking place in Windsor, Ont., prosecutors have been laying out the evidence. The details have been disturbing and painful. We try to unpack what we know so far.

This episode was produced by Paulo Marques, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Wendy Gillis and Saba Eitizaz.

Guest: Bill Vigars, author of “Terry & Me”

It was 43 years ago when Terry Fox dipped his leg in the Atlantic Ocean and embarked on a run across the country to raise money for cancer research. He ran 5,373 kilometres in 143 days before his cancer would return and end his run in Thunder Bay, Ont. Fox’s dream of raising $1 for every Canadian would be realized, though. Canadians and others around the world run annually in his place and have raised over $850 million dollars for critical research. Bill Vigars, one of the people closest to Fox, is the author of the new book “Terry & Me” and joins “This Matters” to share more about the man behind the Marathon of Hope.

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

Audio Sources: Terry Fox Foundation, CHCH News, Global News

Guests: Edward Keenan and Emma Teitel, columnists

Mayor Olivia Chow spoke with John Baird, the former federal minister of foreign affairs, and they agreed Toronto needs a new deal. So far the federal government hasn’t played along, but maybe a scandal plagued Premier Doug Ford could be convinced to play along? Keenan and Teitel also discuss the Conservative party’s indulgence of anti-woke pandering, the late arrival of cellular service on the TTC, the late departure of the prime minister from a foreign meeting and other assorted news that caught their attention through the week.

This episode was produced by Edward Keenan, Emma Teitel, Sean Pattendon and Brian Bradley.

Audio Sources: CHCH News, CTV News, Empire Club of Canada

Guest: Katie Daubs, senior writer

At a time when reports of dog bites and complaints about dog behaviour are on the rise, a motion at city council will review rules for dog off-leash areas. Senior writer Katie Daubs has looked at the bitter fights and challenges of enforcing rules about beloved city pets, and she joins “This Matters” to talk about the lack of resources (and the culture of disobedience) around the issue in Toronto.

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

Guest: Peter Howell, movie critic

This year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) kicked off last Thursday with relatively less buzz. As the red carpets rolled out for the annual festival, organizers, film directors and movie buffs are all grappling with the absence of the usual number of big movie stars due to Hollywood’s ongoing strike by writers and actors, its largest in decades. TIFF is also facing the loss of Bell as its lead sponsor at the end of this year. The show must go on. This year’s lineup includes some 200 films packed into an intense 11-day program. Movie Critic Peter Howell gives us a curtain-raiser.

Audio sources: SAG-AFTRA, BBC, Global News

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

Guests: Edward Keenan and Emma Teitel, columnists

In this episode, hosts Edward Keenan and Emma Teitel discuss the fiasco “inside a clown show wrapped in a dumpster fire” that is the Premier Doug Ford Greenbelt scandal, Toronto city council talks on new taxes and new public housing, how the education minister’s lose talk could lead to kids becoming homeless and other assorted news that caught Ed’s and Emma’s attention through the first week after the summer vacation.

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

Guest: Alex Boyd, staff reporter

If you’re a parent, you might believe your child can teach you a thing or two about the internet. You wouldn’t be wrong but did you know teens are more susceptible to online conspiracy theories and disinformation than you? Research shows that young people are increasingly exposed to disinformation and misinformation, and struggling to separate facts from fake news. It seems like the “online generation” is also the most vulnerable to the pitfalls of the online world and experts say that has dangerous consequences.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Paulo Marques and Julia De Laurentiis Johnston.

Picture this: A swarm of bees, millions of them, unleashed and spilling out onto a highway. Sound like the plot of a horror movie? This happened recently in Burlington, Ont. when a truck carrying five million bees spilled its cargo. The incident caused quite a buzz, but experts are saying we’re buzzing about the wrong disaster. The real one is the rapidly declining populations of these bees and how our future might be depending on their fate.

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

Audio sources: Global News

Guest: Clarrie Feinstein, real estate reporter

Real estate is becoming mission impossible in Canada. With interest rates holding high, there is less demand for properties on the market and an increasing number of mortgages are going into default. Property investors aren’t making money and struggling to sell as homebuilders are cancelling projects. Something has to give. As the Star’s real estate reporter Clarrie Feinstein shares, all eyes are on the Bank of Canada to cut rates in 2024.

This episode was produced by Brian Bradley and Sean Pattendon.

Guest: Jeremy Nuttall, reporter at the Toronto Star

In May 2014 the New York Times published an opinion piece that generated much buzz, claiming that Canada might have stolen the famous “American Dream” when it came to median, after-tax income, quality of education and economic equality. Less than ten years and a pandemic later, the “Canadian Dream" might be turning into a nightmare with a spiraling housing, healthcare and economic crisis and the U.S. is once again pulling ahead of Canada when it comes to middle-class prosperity and social mobility. We explore why the tables have turned.

Audio sources: TikTok

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Paulo Marques and Julia De Laurentiis Johnston.

Guest: Wendy Gillis, reporter at the Toronto Star

Imagine someone going through a serious mental health crisis — and calls for help to prevent hurting themselves — and is then seriously hurt by those who responded to the distress call. It happened to a man called Brent Langille in an example of police on the frontlines of mental health calls. But shrinking budgets for mental health programs has led to the police becoming de-facto front-line mental health workers. We take a look at how this recent case highlighted cracks in the system.

If you are thinking of suicide or know someone who is, there is help. Resources are available online at http://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.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Paulo Marques and Julia De Laurentiis Johnston

Guest: Edward Keenan and Emma Teitel, columnists

Mayor Olivia Chow’s executive committee met this week for the first time to tackle new tax and revenue options and get something started on affordable housing. The only question is whether the provincial and federal governments will join them. Plus: the Ontario Place spa redesign, the final closure of the Scarborough RT and the thrilling siren song of the Polar Express (and the images painted on it).

This episode was produced by Edward Keenan, Sean Pattendon and Julia De Laurentiis Johnston.

Audio Sources: @kissingbanditt/YouTube

Guest: Kate McCullough, reporter at The Hamilton Spectator

It is a story out of East Hamilton that has made headlines, but could happen to anyone. A couple who own a home as an investment property have sold, told their tenants to leave because the buyers intend to live there, but the tenants say they can’t leave because they find a home in their price range in the costly rental market. The situation has now gone to the backlogged Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), effectively putting a stop on closing of the house sale. Fed up, the buyers temporarily backed their 28-foot trailer into the driveway of their would-be home a few weeks ago, adding to the tensions between parties. Stay tuned for an outrageous, but increasingly common, real estate tale.

This episode was produced by Brian Bradley and Paolo Marques.

Audio Sources: CHCH News

Guest: Megan Ogilvie, health reporter

Health professionals are warning of an earlier than expected fourth wave of COVID-19 and the emergence of yet more fast-transmitting variants. While nothing has changed in terms of how we live with COVID, experts are saying this fourth pandemic autumn will be different from previous waves. This time around Canadians have tools to tackle the virus with high levels of immunity from a combination of vaccination and previous infection, and there are new, reformulated booster shots coming soon to specifically target the new subvariants. In today’s episode, we include all you need to know about the new booster shots and what to do to ride the expected pandemic waves of fall and winter.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Sean Pattendon and Brian Bradley.

Audio Sources: CBC, Timiskaming Health Unit, Global News

Guest: Matti Siemiatycki, director on University of Toronto’s Infrastructure Institute

Earlier this month, a scathing report from Ontario’s auditor general revealed that Premier Doug Ford’s decision to open up land for development in the protected Greenbelt area might have been influenced by well-connected developers who stand to make billions of dollars. In the aftermath of growing calls for resignation and political pressure, the Ford government seems undeterred in its plans for development on Greenbelt land. Ford says it’s the only way to tackle the massive housing crisis, but is that really accurate and do we really need to build on the Greenbelt to fix the housing crisis? We explore this question with an expert.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Paolo Marques and Julia De Laurentiis Johnston.

Guest: Melissa Haussman, professor of political science at Carleton University

Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s legal web is more tangled than ever after his fourth indictment was handed down in Georgia as he ramps up another run for the White House. Trump has 91 criminal charges against him between Georgia, Florida, New York and the District of Columbia and the stakes could not be higher for him and for American democracy. On “This Matters,” we take a look at the political impact of Trump’s indictments.

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

Audio sources: SkyNews/TikTok, NowThisNews/TikTok

Guest: Jim Rankin and Wendy Gillis, crime and justice reporters

Ayaan Farah, a Black woman, was stopped and questioned by the police in 2011. The documentation of that interaction changed her life, as she was suspended without pay from a job she held for years despite having no criminal record. She’s now the face of a class-action lawsuit over “carding,” a historically controversial and racially skewed police practice of stopping, interrogating and documenting people. Although it’s now outlawed, this lawsuit offers a stark reminder of the continuing socio-economic, mental, and emotional consequences for racialized individuals who have experienced it.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Paolo Marques and Julia De Laurentiis Johnston.

Audio Sources: CBC

Guest: Stephanie Levitz, Ottawa Bureau

From cabinet appointments to personal style, our federal political leaders are changing and shaking up how they lead as our Canadian perceptions of them are increasingly divided. As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals mark the lowest approval rating since they formed government, Trudeau shook up the front bench (while also making news in his personal life). On the other side of the aisle, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is shaking up his personal image and launching ads to build on increasing party momentum. It is a time where the personal is eclipsing the politics and it could very well be the start of politicking for the next election.

This episode was produced by Brian Bradley, Sean Pattendon and Julia De Laurentiis Johnston.

Audio Sources: Global News, Reuters, Trending Now

Guests: The Toronto Star All-Star Opinionator Panel featuring Matt Elliott, Shawn Micallef and host Edward Keenan

On Saturday, Olivia Chow marks one month in the job as mayor, and this week, she appointed her team by selecting the committee Some would-be rivals seemed to get plum jobs, and at least one committee will have an odd couple at the helm. Plus: why a fire alarm during the meeting may be an appropriate sound effect for the occasion.

This episode was produced by Ed Keendan, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Paulo Marques.