Guest: Brendan Kennedy, investigative reporter at The Star

On Dec. 20, 2023 a guard was assaulted by an inmate at Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Milton, Ontario. The inmate was then immediately removed from the facility. Two days later, jail guards in full riot gear carried out a violent, mass strip search of 192 inmates – none of whom were involved in the initial incident -- in a coordinated, collective punishment that spanned 48 hours. 

A judge has called it a gross display of power, something that should never happen in this country. However, the Ministry of the Solicitor General, who oversees jails across the province, has remained relatively silent on the matter. 

The incident has gone on to impact dozens of criminal cases across the province, as inmates seek to have their charges stayed or sentences reduced – and in some cases have received just that, as a recourse for having their Charter Rights violated.

Brendan Kennedy, investigative reporter with The Star, originally broke this story last year and has been doggedly trying to obtain security footage of exactly what went down at Maplehurst over the course of those 48 hours and what that tell us about the state of our jails.

PLUS: Hear from Rene Pearle, a former Maplehurst inmate who was there on that fateful day

This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Sean Pattendon and Paulo Marques.

Guest: Toronto Star reporter Raisa Patel 

Liberal candidate Paul Chiang's remarks suggesting a political opponent could be handed over to Chinese authorities for a bounty has fuelled outrage, an RCMP probe and a political firestorm for the Liberals ahead of an election. Initially Liberal leader Mark Carney was seen as supporting him held back from dropping Chiang as a candidate Markham-Unionville. As backlash grew, and pressure mounted, it was Chiang who ultimately stepped down himself. This episode takes a look at how things unfolded and what it reveals about the Liberal leader's decision-making and judgement, just around the corner from a federal election.

Audio sources: Global News

Produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques

Guest: Toronto Star reporter Allan Woods 

Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney just had their first call since Carney took office, and by all accounts, it was productive. But also, the fact that this call is making headlines is just another sign of how much Trump and the U.S. will loom over Canada’s upcoming election. From Trump’s political influence and the spread of disinformation to the idea (his own)  that his presidency actually helped keep the Liberals in power; this election is shaping up to be as much about the U.S. as it is about Canada.

Canada has always had to live in America’s shadow—but this time, the biggest foreign threat to our democracy isn’t Russia or China—it might be our closest ally.

Produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques

Guest: Ken Greenberg, urban designer and co-founder of Elbows Up Toronto

“This is not a trade war,” Charlie Angus said to a packed crowd at a church this week, “it’s an attack on who we are as people.” A lot of Canadians have been feeling that recently, as U.S. President Donald Trump not only imposes tariffs on us, but talks about taking our country over. The response in the public is like something few of us have seen, a swelling patriotism. But a lot of us have also been feeling a sense that while we want to do something, we aren’t sure how, beyond buying Canadian at the grocery store.

Ken Greenberg, who originally came to Toronto as a Vietnam war resistor before a career in public life as a planner and designer, is co-founder of a group called 'Elbows Up Toronto' aiming to organize people to turn those feelings into grassroots action. Their Monday night meetings are part rally, part brainstorming session, and serve as what Greenberg calls a “clearing house” where people can trade information and strategy and coordinate for further action. It is, he says, a chance to realize what Canadian culture really means (and can mean), and to emerge a better, stronger country for it.

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

Guest: Michelle Shephard, former Toronto Star reporter and co-author of “Code Name: Pale Horse: How I Went Undercover to Expose America’s Nazis”

Scott Payne spent his career deep undercover in the drug trade, criminal networks and among racist terrorists — and despite some harrowing close calls that saw him stripped naked and almost exposed, he lived to tell the tale.

The woman he told it to — former Star reporter Michelle Shephard, who co-wrote a new book with Payne — sits down with This Matters to talk about what he went through and what he learned. This includes a time when he found himself in a field in the American south under a literal burning cross at a KKK rally, and how he learned that famous racist organization is now “your grandfather’s white supremacists” given the threat posed by The Base, a newer racist terrorist group bent on spurring a race war to bring about the collapse of society. Shephard discusses how Payne tried to stay safe while putting criminals in jail, and the toll it took on his mental health and family life.

PLUS: the time Payne had a hood pulled off his head and found himself being unexpectedly “knighted” into the Ku Klux Klan.

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

Guest: Toronto Star journalist Janet Hurley 

Ontario’s colleges and universities are facing a financial crisis. Millions in deficits, staff layoffs, and program cuts have become the norm. In the midst of all this, at George Brown College, one expense is fuelling controversy. A former president receiving over a million dollars in retirement payouts while the college suspends programs and tightens its budget. It has renewed a bigger conversation about administrative growth, executive compensation, priorities and the future of post-secondary education in the province. 

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques.

Guest: Amira Elghawaby,Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia 

Islamophobia and hate is on the rise in Canada. Political rhetoric is growing more divisive. Statistics show a surge in reported hate crimes against visible minorities. And in the middle of it all is Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia. Since taking on the role, she has faced relentless pushback and personal attacks. In early March, her office has released a new guide on tackling Islamophobia at a time when tensions appear to escalating in the country. With growing concerns that  rising hate and anti-Muslim sentiment from a U.S. under Trump, could spill over here, Elghawaby's job is cut out for her. In a candid conversation with This Matters, she unpacks all of this, the need for  her newly released guide and the future of her role and work in an increasingly polarized political climate. 

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Paulo Marques and Sean Pattendon.

Guest: Toronto Star columnist Dave Feschuck

Between the professional hockey leagues, a new professional soccer league and the new franchise in the professional basketball league, women’s sports is flourishing in Toronto. Girls sports too — especially hockey, where enrolment of young girls is single-handedly driving growth in the sport. Today’s girls, at the elite level, face future prospects their grandmothers could only have dreamed of, but that also means they face a choice: should they continue to play on teams with boys, in leagues dominated by boys? Or should they take advantage of the many girls leagues Ontario has to offer.

Dave Feschuk and Kerry Gillespie recently wrote about that issue for the Star, and Feschuk joins host Edward Keenan (coach of a girls hockey team) to discuss the factors involved in making that choice, including where the strongest competition is, the potential value of playing with body contact, the social dimensions of the sport, and the avenues that exist to national or college teams.

PLUS: Special guest Irene Keenan, the host’s 16-year-old daughter, talks about her own experience playing alongside boys and in all-girls environments as both a hockey and baseball player.

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

Guest: Toronto Star reporter Abby O'Brien

On Friday, March 7 — opening night at the Piper Arms pub in the historic Old Scott House building in Scarborough — three assailants with guns opened fire on a crowd indiscriminately, shooting seven people and injuring 12. What’s certain at this point, is that it was a horrifying scene and that, as a police investigator said, “it’s simply incredible nobody was killed.”

As the city reels and speculation about motives swirl, firm information beyond that is difficult to pin down. So far, no suspects have been identified, nor descriptions of suspects issued. Though police have yet to confirm any link, there is plenty of speculation about a possible connection to a recent wave of violence related to the tow truck industry — and on Thursday, the Star’s Abby O’Brien reported on two arrests from Saturday that appear to have some connections to the pub and to the towing industry. She talks us through the week’s events and what happens next.

PLUS: Just what the heck is happening with tow trucks and violence?  

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

Guest: Toronto Star reporter Kenyon Wallace 

Ontario’s ER crisis is pushing patients to the brink. A recent report by the Ontario Patient Ombudsman reveals a record-breaking 4429 patient complaints—the highest since the office was created. Almost 20 percent of the complaints were about emergency room experiences, highlighting growing concerns about patient care in hospital emergency departments. In this short edition of This Matters, we unpack what you need to know. 

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques.

Guest: Toronto Star Senior Immigration Reporter Nicholas Keung 

Every year, unaccompanied minors seek refuge in Canada, from war, violence and worse. But when they get here, they face a new struggle; trying to find safety, shelter and support. With no dedicated housing or settlement services, many end up in a possibly unsafe adult shelter system, emergency hotels, or even on the streets. Now Toronto is opening its first ever shelter designed specifically for young asylum seekers who arrive alone. 

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques.