Closer Look

Cheers to compromise.

Ontario grocers and The Beer Store have reached a tentative deal on a problem that’s been brewing for months: Who is going to collect your empties?

As of Jan. 1, grocery stores across the province were supposed to be ready to accept empty alcohol containers — all part of the Ford government’s expansion of booze sales to grocery and convenience stores.

Grocers big and small were never keen on the plan, citing increased costs — not to mention the health and safety risks of having dirty, empty containers near food and other items. In fact, some grocers had threatened to cancel their liquor-selling licences if a compromise wasn’t reached.

This week, all sides reached an agreement in principle.

The details are still being worked out, but here’s the gist: consumers will continue to exchange empties for their deposits at Beer Store locations, while grocers pay the brewers a fee depending on how much alcohol they sell at their stores.

Joining us on tonight’s Closer Look to help break down all the details is Gary Sands, vice-president of policy and advocacy with the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers.

Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

Want to be the first to know when a new episode lands? Sign up for our free nightly newsletter, which delivers the latest Closer Look straight to your email inbox. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Have something to say? Please reach out. Our email address is [email protected].

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Back in September, our podcast featured an emotional interview with Hazel van der Werken, a grieving mother who is on a mission to slash wait times at Ontario emergency departments.

Her son, Finlay van der Werken, died from sepsis and pneumonia in February 2024 — after waiting more than eight hours to be treated at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. 

“Everybody knows how bad and how long the wait times are, yet we seem to be complacent because nothing has changed,” Hazel told the podcast. “This is something that has been progressively getting worse, and for us as Finlay's parents, it doesn't even feel like a choice. It feels like we have a responsibility to help with that change and to help make sure that things are reformed.”

Along with demanding a coroner’s inquest, the family is calling on Doug Ford’s government to introduce legislation — “Finlay’s Law” — that would establish maximum emergency room wait times for children.

They have also launched a lawsuit against Halton Healthcare Services, which operates the Oakville hospital, alleging the facility had an “inadequate system” in place to ensure patients like Finlay were seen in an appropriate amount of time. (In a statement of defence, the hospital operator denies any wrongdoing and says staff provided “reasonable care” that night.)

Has the system improved at all since Finlay’s tragic death? It doesn’t appear so.

According to data analyzed by CBC Marketplace and the Montreal Economic Institute, close to 500,000 Canadians actually walked out of ERs last year without being seen by a doctor. Ontario had the lowest rate among provinces, but the data still reveals that approximately 5 per cent of Ontario patients left an emergency room without seeing a doctor in 2024.

A separate report reveals another alarming statistic: 23,746. That is the number of Canadian patients (at least) who died last fiscal year while on government waiting lists for surgeries or diagnostic scans.

The data, obtained via freedom of information by the think tank SecondStreet.org, further shows that 355 patients in Ontario died while waiting for cardiac surgery or a cardiac procedure. 

On tonight’s episode of Closer Look, we revisit parts of our conversation with Hazel van der Werken. You can watch the full interview HERE.

Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

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If you don’t have your winter clothes ready to go, dig them out. Frigid temperatures are on the way.

A polar vortex is expected to unleash a deep chill on most parts of Canada next week, with heavy snow expected in some parts of Ontario.

What exactly is a polar vortex? Despite its sinister name, a lot of people don’t actually know. So we asked an expert to help us (and you) understand.

David Phillips is a longtime climatologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, and arguably the country’s most recognized weather expert. He is our guest on tonight’s episode of Village Media’s Closer Look podcast.

Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

Want to be the first to know when a new episode lands? Sign up for our free nightly newsletter, which delivers the latest Closer Look straight to your email inbox. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Have something to say? Please reach out. Our email address is [email protected].

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This week, the OPP announced a major development in an unsolved mystery that devastated a small community in northern Ontario.

As reported by TimminsToday, police say they’ve identified the specific pickup truck believed to have been involved in a hit-and-run incident that killed a young woman in Moose Factory, Ont., more than two years ago.

The victim was 21-year-old Loni Chum. A beloved daughter and sister, she was walking home from a friend’s house on the early morning of Nov. 7, 2023 when she was struck and left for dead.

Police have released a new video with footage of the dark-coloured pickup truck — and a renewed plea for information. There is currently a $100,000 reward for details leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

“Despite extensive investigation, we are still trying to uncover the truth in Loni’s tragic death,” Detective Inspector Tom McVey said in the video.

For Loni’s grieving father, the new lead offers fresh hope after so many sleepless nights.

“I just want my daughter’s case to be solved, and I want closure for our family and for the community,” said Robert Chum, speaking to Village Media’s Closer Look podcast. 

Robert has been a fierce advocate for his daughter, doing everything he can to keep her case in the spotlight. Every day, he adds a new post to his TikTok page in her memory.

Asked if he has a message for the person who was behind the wheel of that pickup truck, Robert did not hesitate.

“It's time to admit what you did that night,” he said. “All I ask is: come forward. Close this case. Be honest with yourself. Be honest with your family. Be honest with us.”

Anyone with information on Loni's death is encouraged to call the OPP at 1-800-310-1122, or contact their nearest policing authority. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

Want to be the first to know when a new episode lands? Sign up for our free nightly newsletter, which delivers the latest Closer Look straight to your email inbox. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook and

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When it comes to our lingering trade war with the United States, reassuring headlines are hard to find. But here’s one silver lining: Turns out Donald Trump has been quite a boon to the Canadian tourism industry.

While international travel to the U.S. is way down — in part because many Canadians are hesitant cross the border these days — tourism spending on this side of the 49th is on the rise.

According to Destination Canada, the busy summer season saw a total revenue increase of $3.3 billion compared to the same period last year. In some cases, international vacationers are choosing Canada over the U.S.; in others, Canadians are opting to explore their own country rather than visit their southern neighbour.

“As a Canadian tourism industry, we have a lot of people who are interested in us,” says Wayne Smith, director of the Institute for Hospitality and Tourism at Toronto Metropolitan University. “We have an opportunity to create a sustainable tourism marketplace that I think could go a long way and be established for a long time — and be very profitable on one side but also nation building on the other. I'm hoping that we take advantage of this opportunity to really build something special.”

Professor Smith is our guest on tonight’s episode of Village Media’s Closer Look podcast.

Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

Want to be the first to know when a new episode lands? Sign up for our free nightly newsletter, which delivers the latest Closer Look straight to your email inbox. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Have something to say? Please reach out. Our email address is [email protected].

Reach out to Frisco and Scott

Whatever your opinion of Dalton McGuinty, this much is difficult to dispute: the man knows a thing or two about leadership.

He was Ontario’s Liberal leader for 16 years, including a full decade as Premier (2003 to 2013). And long before that, McGuinty grew up as one of the eldest in a house of 10 children. He learned at a young age some of the most important virtues of leadership, including patience, compromise and teamwork.

Now 70 and long retired from public life, McGuinty has written a new book about leadership aimed specifically at fellow politicians — “those in the arena,” as he describes them. In fact, he is promising to mail a copy of Be a Good One: Words to Lead By to every federal and provincial representative across the country, as well as big city mayors. 

During a visit this week to Sault Ste. Marie, McGuinty stopped by Village Media headquarters for an in-depth interview on our Closer Look podcast. We talked about his book, but a whole lot more — including the influence of his parents, how often he pays attention to the current happenings at Queen’s Park, and the ever-lingering gas plants scandal.

"Parties will come and parties will go," he told the podcast. "Leaders will come and leaders will go. Issues will come and issues will go. What counts is how it is that we grapple with the issues of the day. That's where I'm trying to be of some net positive value in a way that transcends partisanship."

Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

Want to be the first to know when a new episode lands? Sign up for our free nightly newsletter, which delivers the latest Closer Look straight to your email inbox. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Have something to say? Please reach out. Our email address is [email protected].

Reach out to Frisco and Scott

We cover a lot of different issues on this podcast: some extremely serious, some much lighter. Today’s topic can fall on either end of the spectrum, depending on your viewpoint.

Should candy tossing be outlawed at community parades?

There was a time, not long ago, when local parades were a literal rain shower of candy chucked from floats. But after a few tragic accidents — including the 2018 death of a four-year-old girl during a Christmas parade in Nova Scotia — many organizers across North America started banning candy throwing altogether.

Today, most community parades in Ontario don’t allow the practice, opting instead for volunteers walking the route to hand out goodies. It drastically lowers the risk of a child running into the path of a passing float.

Not everyone agrees with the change. Some consider it an attack on a beloved tradition, or just another silly example of safety overkill.

But there are legitimate liability issues to consider, as well as the need to keep insurance costs down.

Our guest on tonight’s Closer Look is Tudor Gagea, an associate at the personal injury law firm Oakley Vigmond, whose office locations include Toronto, Sudbury Barrie and North Bay.

Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

Want to be the first to know when a new episode lands? Sign up for our free nightly newsletter, which delivers the latest Closer Look straight to your email inbox. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Have something to say? Please reach out. Our email address is [email protected].

Reach out to Frisco and Scott

Would you buy a steak or pork chop that came from a cloned animal? 

In the new year, you might end up doing just that — without even knowing it.

Health Canada has introduced new regulations that will remove cloned meat from the agency’s “novel foods” category, which means meat from cloned animals won’t need to be labelled.

The move raises a whole lot of juicy questions. Is cloned meat safe to eat? Shouldn’t producers be forced to tell us what we’re eating? Do we even need to clone livestock?

Joining us on tonight’s Closer Look to answer all those questions — and a lot more — is Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.

Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

Want to be the first to know when a new episode lands? Sign up for our free nightly newsletter, which delivers the latest Closer Look straight to your email inbox. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Have something to say? Please reach out. Our email address is [email protected].

Reach out to Frisco and Scott

If you follow Ontario politics, you’ve no doubt heard of the Skills Development Fund (SDF). One of the Ford government’s signature initiatives, the multi-billion-dollar program doles out taxpayer dollars to companies and organizations that provide training programs and other support for workers. 

Premier Doug Ford has called it “the best investment we’ve ever done in the province.”

But the Skills Development Fund has been at the centre of a political firestorm during the current sitting of the Ontario Legislature — in large part because of investigative reporting from The Trillium, Village Media’s bureau at Queen’s Park.

Our reporting has revealed that some recipients of SDF money have close ties to the Ford government, either through leaders who’ve donated to the PC Party or via well-connected lobbyists. 

These deep-dive stories have been fuelled by freedom of information (FOI) requests, a process that can be expensive, depending on how much time and effort it takes provincial ministries to find and prepare requested records.

How expensive? The Trillium recently filed five more requests for specific information regarding the SDF, including emails and other documents — and the ministry came back with a total estimate of nearly $12,000.

That’s why we’ve decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign asking for your support. We’re looking for readers and voters who value our reporting and want to help shine a light on how millions in taxpayer dollars are being spent.

Joining us on tonight's Closer Look podcast to talk about the contribution drive, and the latest news on the SDF scandal, is Jessica Smith Cross, editor-in-chief of The Trillium.

You can read more about the crowdfunding campaign HERE — and if you want to contribute, please click HERE.

Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

Want to be the first to know when a new episode lands? Sign up for our free nightly newsletter, which delivers the latest Closer Look

Reach out to Frisco and Scott

Spanning many years, the scheme grew into one of the largest art frauds in Canadian history: thousands of fakes bearing the forged signature of renowned Indigenous painter Norval Morrisseau. 

When police first revealed the fruits of Project Totton back in 2023, eight suspects were arrested and more than 1,000 alleged ripoffs were seized. At the time, investigators believed the total fraud surpassed $100 million.

In a Barrie courtroom last week, the final suspect learned his fate. A jury found Jeff Cowan of Niagara-on-the-Lake guilty of three counts of fraud over $5,000 and one count of uttering a forged document. 

The 49-year-old, who represented himself during trial, is due back in court next month to set a date for sentencing submissions. An eventual prison term appears all but certain.

BarrieToday court reporter Peter Robinson, who covered the high-profile fraud trial, is our guest tonight on Village Media's Closer Look podcast.

Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

Want to be the first to know when a new episode lands? Sign up for our free nightly newsletter, which delivers the latest Closer Look straight to your email inbox. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Have something to say? Please reach out. Our email address is [email protected].

Reach out to Frisco and Scott