Guests: Martin Regg Cohn, Queen’s Park columnist

In this episode, columnist Martin Regg Cohn joins to tackle the avalanche of news coming from Queen’s Park including Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow’s visit (and common ground with the premier), the debate for Liberal party leadership hopefuls and Premier Doug Ford reversing his earlier reversal on Greenbelt protections. All of that, plus what you can learn in the bleachers at a youth sports game.

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

Audio Sources: YouTube and The Dais at TMU

Guest: Mark Maloney, author

Mark Maloney is the author of the book “Toronto Mayors,” which profiles all 65 people who’ve held the city's top job. He joins “This Matters” to talk about the rogues gallery of scandalous scoundrels in our past, share who he considers the Mount Rushmore of best (and most beloved) mayors and give his thoughts on the city’s recurring state of explosive growth and underfunded infrastructure.

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

Guest: Ed Jackson, community historian

Hanlan’s Point is known as 459a-58cb-b371-a297b73af4ec.html"> 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

f99f-5250-9227-a2a6e6287dda.html"> 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 8f2c-521e-8655-db3bfbbb9489.html"> 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 569c-5a83-9226-0ba39baca23c.html"> 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 8ff9-56f4-9966-de3e2471cb55.html"> 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.