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This Matters

The world is changing every day. Now, more than ever, these questions matter. What's happening? And why should you care? This Matters, a daily news podcast from the Toronto Star, aims to answer those questions, on important stories and ideas, every day, Monday to Friday. Hosts Saba Eitizaz and Ed Keenan talk to their fellow journalists, experts and newsmakers about the social, cultural, political and economic stories that shape your life.

Why has the justice system failed to fix Canada’s hate problem?

21 mins; February 24, 2022

The cost of one's convictions: convoy ringleaders in court

18 mins; February 23, 2022

Can the world deter Putin’s plans for Ukraine?

18 mins; February 22, 2022

Can the world deter Putin's plans for Ukraine?

18 mins; February 22, 2022

Don’t Look Up: How NASA is getting ready for killer asteroids

18 mins; February 18, 2022

Press freedom, convoy protests and the safety of journalists

19 mins; February 17, 2022

Follow the money: What a leaked crowdfunding convoy donor list tells us

22 mins; February 16, 2022

Why you shouldn’t look for ‘closure’ while grieving

20 mins; February 15, 2022

A tale of two protests: Windsor vs. Ottawa

24 mins; February 14, 2022

A tribute to John Honderich, newspaperman

13 mins; February 11, 2022

Should Black women challenge ‘excellence’ and embrace ‘mediocrity’ to reclaim power?

22 mins; February 10, 2022

Calls for personal hygiene products for the city’s most vulnerable

16 mins; February 09, 2022

Carolyn Bennett on Canada’s first mental health and addictions ministry

21 mins; February 08, 2022

The 'Freedom Convoy' and policing protests

20 mins; February 07, 2022

Partner podcast: Between Us With Wes Hall explores the journeys of BIPOC visionaries in Canada

32 mins; February 05, 2022

A physician on Omicron and how we move forward

21 mins; February 04, 2022

Tackling alleged racist hiring practices in the NFL

19 mins; February 03, 2022

Why did a key report on the mayor’s transit plan include inflated numbers?

19 mins; February 02, 2022

Long-term-care residents are facing unprecedented loneliness and depression

22 mins; February 01, 2022

The Freedom Convoy: Rage, racism and what happens next

20 mins; January 31, 2022

How some Canadians are getting ivermectin

17 mins; January 28, 2022

Why we need N95 respirators more than cloth masks

22 mins; January 27, 2022

Tips from an expert on how to save as inflation soars

19 mins; January 26, 2022

Canada’s blood donation ban may open up. Here’s how

17 mins; January 25, 2022

Restaurant worker makeover: Why so many are leaving the service industry

17 mins; January 24, 2022

What role do horses have in a modern police force?

16 mins; January 21, 2022

Taxed for being unvaxxed: The ethics of government mandates

18 mins; January 20, 2022

Why is Peel Region falling behind in vaccinating kids?

15 mins; January 19, 2022

Novak Djokovic’s no-vax gambit and pandemic sports now

19 mins; January 18, 2022

Celebrating Canada’s health care workers had its downside

17 mins; January 17, 2022

How Canada and the U.S. differ in Omicron response

21 mins; January 14, 2022

It’s OK to not be OK in a pandemic

22 mins; January 13, 2022

Afghans facing retribution for helping Canadians are struggling to get to Canada

23 mins; January 12, 2022

Today’s lesson: Why Ontario decided to reopen schools

18 mins; January 11, 2022

Code Orange: What Ontario's nursing shortage looks like in ICUs

21 mins; January 10, 2022

Mental health support tailored to Indigenous culture remains out of reach

20 mins; January 07, 2022

Voter rights and fights: How Jan. 6 changed American politics

21 mins; January 06, 2022

The Omicron wave: What numbers to watch

19 mins; January 05, 2022

A spirited take on Dry January

17 mins; January 04, 2022

Boko Haram survivors, Mellissa Fung and the complexity of shared trauma (REBROADCAST)

18 mins; December 30, 2021

A four-day work week? (REBROADCAST)

21 mins; December 29, 2021

How sportsmanship brought two nations and the lacrosse world closer (REBROADCAST)

21 mins; December 28, 2021

Why you miss (and need) casual friendships (REBROADCAST)

18 mins; December 27, 2021

Should the end of Ontario’s liquor server wage mean lower tips for restaurant workers?

19 mins; December 24, 2021

Nurses are leaving the profession in worrying numbers

13 mins; December 23, 2021

Ontario doctors fight virus, system that exposes the vulnerable

22 mins; December 22, 2021

How a massive bitcoin robbery ended up with an arrest in Hamilton

18 mins; December 21, 2021

The Night Walker: Kevin Donovan on the suspect in the Sherman murders

20 mins; December 20, 2021

Costs and benefits of virtual health care

18 mins; December 17, 2021

Food prices rise amidst COVID-19, supply chain issues and climate change

15 mins; December 16, 2021

How health professionals plan to spend their holidays on a wave of Omicron

17 mins; December 15, 2021

Inside Brampton truckers’ fight against wage theft

23 mins; December 14, 2021

Alcohol sales are changing. Will The Beer Store survive?

16 mins; December 13, 2021

How Canadian Olympians are being unearthed at a training centre

19 mins; December 10, 2021

How the ‘Grinch Bots’ are stealing Christmas

17 mins; December 09, 2021

How a 13-year-old faced anti-Black violence at school: a mother’s story

21 mins; December 08, 2021

Who gets to decide how Toronto grows and changes?

16 mins; December 07, 2021

The Fast and Nefarious: How thieves steal cars

18 mins; December 06, 2021

The Omicron Variant: what we know and what we don’t

18 mins; December 03, 2021

Omicron, the travel ban and getting home to Canada under the wire

23 mins; December 02, 2021

COVID outbreaks are surging in schools. What can we do about it?

17 mins; December 01, 2021

Vaccine Hunters are back for kids’ vaccines and third-dose boosters

14 mins; November 30, 2021

Conflict on Wet’suwet’en territory, the RCMP and press freedom

23 mins; November 29, 2021

The Metaverse is coming. Here’s what you need to know

19 mins; November 26, 2021

How space technology is helping to fight the next pandemic

20 mins; November 25, 2021

Mask up, it’s not over, Canada’s health officials warn

17 mins; November 24, 2021

Kids and vaccines: What you need to know now

17 mins; November 23, 2021

Kids at heart: ‘Kidults’ help toys reach sales records

19 mins; November 22, 2021

The ‘Three Amigos’ summit and the Canada-U.S. relationship

20 mins; November 19, 2021

Why the fight over fluoride in water is resurfacing

15 mins; November 18, 2021

Front-line doctors fighting on two fronts: a deadly pandemic and digital harassment

20 mins; November 17, 2021

This after-school program taught Alphonso Davies and keeps transforming lives

18 mins; November 16, 2021

Ontario’s pit bull ban back in the spotlight

23 mins; November 15, 2021

How Canada’s museums are decolonizing and transforming

11 mins; November 12, 2021

Pandemic highlights longstanding issues in the restaurant industry

16 mins; November 11, 2021

Are new highways the on ramp to reelection for the Conservatives?

18 mins; November 10, 2021

Labour Minister Monte McNaughton discusses Ontario’s new labour legislation

19 mins; November 09, 2021

Reefer Madness: How many weed shops are too many weed shops?

19 mins; November 08, 2021

Who’s going to win the Giller and what else should you read this fall?

17 mins; November 05, 2021

How the cartels from Mexico made inroads into Canada

20 mins; November 04, 2021

Is COP26 the turning point in fighting climate change?

20 mins; November 03, 2021

How pandemic burnout is affecting teachers and schools

18 mins; November 02, 2021

How ‘A Better Tent City’ is trying a new way to tackle homelessness in Kitchener

19 mins; November 01, 2021

Will Toronto’s hotel industry ever bounce back to its pre-pandemic peak?

17 mins; October 29, 2021

Why are Toronto’s roads so dangerous?

22 mins; October 28, 2021

Long COVID in kids and the hope of a children’s vaccine

13 mins; October 27, 2021

The pandemic pet boom is driving a vet shortage emergency

16 mins; October 26, 2021

Canada’s Succession: Rogers’ boardroom drama explained

17 mins; October 25, 2021

Why is there a high rate of vaccine hesitancy among pregnant people?

16 mins; October 22, 2021

Breaking the silence: Dancers accuse choreographers of sexual harassment and grooming

12 mins; October 21, 2021

Are Ontario’s new election laws being used to muzzle dissent?

20 mins; October 20, 2021

Can you get fired for refusing to get vaccinated?

15 mins; October 19, 2021

What you need to know about the Canada-U.S. land border reopening

18 mins; October 18, 2021

Why won't City Hall move forward on rooming houses and renters' rights?

16 mins; October 15, 2021

Supply chain reaction: Product delays, stock shortages and higher prices

22 mins; October 14, 2021

Can a computer glitch dash immigration dreams?

16 mins; October 13, 2021

New Zealand abandons COVID-Zero. Is hope of elimination over?

17 mins; October 12, 2021

How far will new long-term-care legislation go?

17 mins; October 08, 2021

A look at the GTA real estate market now

15 mins; October 07, 2021

Transit ‘death spiral’: Will post-pandemic Toronto be led by cars?

20 mins; October 06, 2021

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