Guest: Olivia Chow, mayor News over the last couple of weeks around city hall has been heavy on tax worries and mix-ups — thousands of bills sent out for vacant home taxes for occupied properties and concerns about a proposed stormwater fee. Mayor Olivia Chow explains what she thinks went wrong and how she plans to fix it (and “start from scratch” on the vacant home system). She also discusses her plan to deal with the growing number of homeless encampments in parks that have spread around the city, recent Toronto Police Association criticism of her about a letter some councillors signed, provincial and federal announcements on housing, and what the city should be doing about dangerous dogs. Plus, Chow shares how she herself had to appeal a vacant home tax bill on her own house. 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.

Thousands of property owners across the city got bills this week for vacant home taxes applying to homes they live in. Today, hosts Ed Keenan and Emma Teitel try to understand the comprehensive fiasco in the implementation of the policy. They also talk about the much-feared “rain tax” that will now go back for further study, about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s attempts to announce his way out of his problems and what to do about dangerous dogs in Toronto. Plus, it is IIHF World Women’s Championship time! 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.

Guest: Nicholas Keung, immigration reporter The federal government is scaling back on the number of temporary residents and foreign workers in Canada while trying to boost access to permanent residence for those already here. Earlier, similar curbing measures were introduced for international students as well. While the government is framing these new, more restrictive immigration measures as a solution to a burgeoning housing and affordability crisis and to rein in population growth, there are also some concerns that immigrants have become scapegoats for domestic problems. So what are the new rules for foreign workers in Canada and what will they mean for Canadians and prospective Canadians? This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques. 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.

Guests: Sheila Wang and Morgan Sevareid-Bocknek, investigative reporters They're called ”lunch hour facelifts,” cosmetic touch-ups without the surgery. But if you are rethinking your lunch plans, you might want to think again. A recent Star investigation found a lot of these procedures are not as advertised. Across Canada, spas and medical clinics are offering the popular medical procedure marketed as a safe, minimally invasive treatment. But as service providers compete for customers on TikTok and Instagram, showing supposedly incredible results, some of them are making misleading claims about the quality and effectiveness of the threads they use on patients and soft-peddling the potential risks. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques. 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.

Guest: Toronto Star climate reporter Kate Allen Canada is the leader in maple syrup production and Quebec’s maple syrup producers maintain a strategic reserve stockpile that in recent years held over 100 million pounds of the sweet stuff, but levels have this year dwindled to less than 7 million pounds. Star reporter Kate Allen wrote a feature on this topic and explains how the explanation has something (surprisingly) to do with the pandemic, something (interestingly) to do with successful marketing, and something (maybe) to do with larger climate trends. And she answers the question on all of our minds: Are we going to run out anytime soon?

Guest: Richard Warnica, staff reporter The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was a massive component of the port city's entire transportation network, and in a matter of moments this week, it collapsed after being struck by a container ship. The Star’s Richard Warnica reports from the scene, explaining his reflections on standing next to the bridge that used to be there and just isn’t any more, and the massive wreckage of the ship. It’s an event that has massive implications for the city in the immediate aftermath and the longer term, and raises questions across the continent about the vulnerability of our infrastructure. It also makes us reflect on the impermanence of even the most solid features of our urban landscapes. 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.

Guest: Noor Javed, staff reporter When Bonnie Crombie was elected leader of the Ontario Liberals, she left the mayor’s chair in Mississauga vacant. That means that for the first time since the 1970s, no one is certain who will lead the city next. An election with real choice comes at an interesting time for a municipality that, fifty years after it was created, has grown into a big city and a big economy, one that the Star’s Noor Javed explains is wrestling with questions of what it should become and how it should evolve. We discuss the leading candidates in the byelection coming in June and look at recent polling on the race. This episode was produced by Paolo Marques and Edward Keenan. 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.

Guest: Brendan Kennedy, investigative reporter The evidence is overwhelming and it’s the government’s own research. Getting any education while incarcerated reduces the rate of recidivism by as much as 30 per cent. It’s more than double that for inmates who get a post-secondary education. Government officials confirm that at least some education beyond the high school level is key to a successful reintegration into society. Yet taking university or college courses inside Canadian prisons has become extremely difficult, and in some cases impossible, because the federal government does not allow prisoners access to the internet, in an education ecosystem that’s now almost completely online. It is a Catch-22 situation and one that other countries have navigated successfully. Then why does Canada lag behind in providing adequate higher education opportunities for its incarcerated population? This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques. 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.

This Matters is pleased to publish episodes of the Toronto Star's podcast, "Road Trip: Electric Avenues," every Saturday. This week, we are proud to share the final episode in the series: When we started this podcast, we really wanted to visit each step of the EV production process to show a complete picture of the supply chain, but in the end, we couldn’t seal the deal. First off, the cam and cathode production isn’t coming to Ontario. Right now, it’s all being built in Bécancour, Quebec. And while there are plans to retool auto assembly plants to make EVs, there’s currently only one that’s operational — the GM electric delivery van plant in Ingersoll — and when we asked to visit, we found out it had been shut down due to supply chain snags. So instead, our final stop is North Bay where they are making specialty EVs for the mining industry. Toronto Star photographer Steve Russell and climate change reporter Marco Chown Oved went on a road trip through northern Ontario in the dead of winter. It was cold, blizzarding and icy. They travelled 2,300 km during the coldest week of the year. And they did it in an electric vehicle (EV).

After The Star revealed many details of Toronto’s secret contract with FIFA for hosting the World Cup, the preparations led off the city council meeting this week. We talk about what we’ve learned and what we still don’t know. Council also passed a resolution to turn surface parking lots into housing, which led to yet another episode of War on the Car rhetoric. Plus, were protests targeting a city councillor this week out of line? 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.

Guest: Susan Delacourt, politics columnist Former prime minister Brian Mulroney died late last month, and through this week as he’s lain in state, columnist Susan Delacourt has watched the long lines of dignitaries and functionaries who’ve come to greet his family and pay their respects. Delacourt walks us through her own memories and reflections from covering Mulroney’s years in office, including the infamous “roll the dice” interview that some people think sunk the Meech Lake accord and made 1990 one of the most consequential years in Canadian history. 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.

This Matters is pleased to publish episodes of the Toronto Star's podcast, "Road Trip: Electric Avenues," every Saturday. The next episode will be available next week here, or already in the Road Trip feed. This week, we are proud to share episode five: While China dominates the EV supply chain today, the ranking — put out by Bloomberg — really looks at the future and singles out Canada for having better environmental and labour standards, as well as a robust automotive sector and vast mineral deposits. But battery manufacturing itself is still in its infancy. There are plans to build three battery plants in Canada — Volkswagen in St. Thomas, Northvolt in Saint-Basile-le-Grand and NextStar in Windsor. NextStar was the first battery plant announced and is the furthest along, and while it’s not up and running yet, they agreed to show us around. Toronto Star photographer Steve Russell and climate change reporter Marco Chown Oved went on a road trip through northern Ontario in the dead of winter. It was cold, blizzarding and icy. They travelled 2,300 km during the coldest week of the year. And they did it in an electric vehicle (EV).

Guest: Megan Ogilvie, health reporter A global surge in measles has made its way to Canada, where there’s been almost twice as many cases just three months into this year than in all of 2023. Just in Ontario, as of Wednesday, public health officials have confirmed eight measles cases. Last year, there were seven cases in total for the entire year. Cases have now also been confirmed in Quebec, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. What does this mean for us and what do we need to know about measles vaccines? The Star's health reporter Megan Ogilvie answers some of these questions. Audio Sources: Global News This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques.

Toronto Star national columnist Susan Delacourt recently had her X account (the platform formerly known as Twitter) hacked. It compromised her entire digital life, from her sensitive emails to her banking information, even her phone number and home address. The hacker tried to blackmail her and appeared to be targeting her for her work as a journalist. While the "fake Susan" continues to be active on X, it's the real Susan that had to leave. This is the story of a hacking, what happens when someone tries to fix the situation and what this shows us about our disturbing and dystopian digital future. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques. 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.

This Matters is pleased to publish episodes of the Toronto Star's podcast, "Road Trip: Electric Avenues," every Saturday. The next episode will be available next week here, or already in the Road Trip feed. This week, we are proud to share episode four: Steel is one of the biggest emitters of carbon in the world. Currently, steelmaking is responsible for seven to nine percent of total global emissions. That’s about 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon — or four times more than all the emissions produced in Canada. And because most steel is made by melting down iron using coal, it’s very hard to decarbonize. In Sault Ste. Marie, Algoma Steel is transitioning its 100 year old coke oven and blast furnaces to electric arc furnace technology. It’s a change that will cut its carbon emissions by 70 per cent. Since Ontario’s electricity grid is so clean, Algoma Steel will become some of the cleanest steel on the planet. It’s already being used in EVs and will soon make its way into electrical towers and infrastructure used to build the clean economy. Toronto Star photographer Steve Russell and climate change reporter Marco Chown Oved went on a road trip through northern Ontario in the dead of winter. It was cold, blizzarding and icy. They travelled 2,300 km during the coldest week of the year. And they did it in an electric vehicle (EV).

Earlier this year, it seemed like the dream of a WNBA team in Toronto had died, but recent news revives the possibility, even if it won’t come until at least 2026. Speaking of sports in 2026, there’s more news about Toronto’s agreement to co-host the FIFA World Cup, and more to discuss about how costs are going to be shared. Ed wrote about a transportation miracle on King Street, and Emma discusses why a long-dormant disease should unite federal politicians. Plus, Toronto’s great Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) winning streak. 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.

Guests: Tracy Moore of Cityline and Meredith Shaw of Breakfast Television Fat. Flattering. Big boned. Curvy. March 8 is International Women’s Day and to mark it we’re breaking down the negative ways we talk about women’s bodies. Most women are familiar with body shaming — none more so than women in the public eye. Meredith Shaw and Tracy Moore join us to talk about their own self-acceptance journeys, how they handle nasty viewer comments and whether they wish they could stop talking about it altogether. This episode was produced by Rani Sheen, JP Fozo, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Paulo Marques 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.

This Matters is pleased to publish episodes of the Toronto Star's podcast, "Road Trip: Electric Avenues," every Saturday. The next episode will be available next week here, or already in the Road Trip feed. Ontario is virtually unique in the world. Thanks to plentiful natural resources, clean energy and a large automotive sector, it has every stage in the EV supply chain right here at home. In theory, the province could mine the metals, make the batteries, produce the steel and assemble the electric car entirely in the province. But to plot a way to a more prosperous and environmentally responsible future, we need to look at our past. That’s why we headed to Cobalt, one of Ontario’s biggest mining boom towns, where great wealth was hauled out of the ground for more than a century, and now, very little remains. In episode three, we meet up with Charlie Angus, the local MP, former punk rocker, journalist and amateur historian. Toronto Star photographer Steve Russell and climate change reporter Marco Chown Oved went on a road trip through northern Ontario in the dead of winter. It was cold, blizzarding and icy. They travelled 2,300 km during the coldest week of the year. And they did it in an electric vehicle (EV).

Guest: Dr. Tara Kiran, national lead for OurCare, scientist at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto A nationwide health-care crisis has led a group of medical researchers to criss-cross the country to hear how Canadians would fix primary care, the front door of the health system. It’s called the OurCare project, the largest initiative of this kind, and through it medical researchers have surveyed close to 10,000 people from across Canada to ask them about their access to a family doctor and what is most important to them in their primary health care. We take a look at some of those answers. You can read more about this nation-wide project and also take a quiz find out how your primary care measures up here. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques 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.

This Matters is pleased to publish the first episode of the Toronto Star, TVO and IJB collaborative podcast, The Ultimate Choice. The podcast follows the journey of Michael and his wife, Ann. Michael, housebound by pain and incurable disease, sees his choice for a medically assisted death (MAID) as a powerful solution to his suffering. The series explores Michael's motivations and how his decision affects his family, friends, and longtime doctor. Hosted by Toronto Star investigative reporter Rob Cribb, the podcast also challenges him to come to terms with his own family history as he dives into this highly charged story. Both a portrait of a family's autonomy and a hard-hitting exposé, The Ultimate Choice reveals the political and ethical stakes behind Canada's debate to expand MAID like never before. In episode 1, The Request, Rob Cribb starts tracking down how Michael got to the point of wanting to end his life. Who will help him? Rob's own family history emerges. This story is more personal than he ever imagined. You can listen to all six episodes at the Toronto Star, at TVO or wherever you listen to your podcasts. The Ultimate Choice is a co-production of TVO Today, the Toronto Star, the Investigative Journalism Bureau, and Piz Gloria Productions.