Closer Look

This week on Inside the Village, there’s a “seismic shift” on the horizon for alcohol sales in Ontario and it will likely start with The Beer Store. Dan Malleck, a Brock University professor and leading expert on drug and alcohol regulation, joins Frisco and Scott to talk about the 2018 campaign promise Doug Ford made regarding booze sales, and what the impacts — positive and negative — could be. Spoiler alert: we talk a lot about empties. Also on the show, Village Media shines as nominations are announced for the Canadian Online Publishing Awards. Sit back, relax and raise a glass (responsibly, of course) to this week’s episode of ITV.

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By 2030, one million Canadians will suffer from dementia. By 2050, that number is expected to triple. Here’s another scary stat: In 2020, care partners (including family members, friends and neighbours) spent 26 hours per week assisting older Canadians living with dementia — the equivalent to 235,000 full-time jobs, or $7.3 billion annually. Bottom line: this disease is taking a devastating toll on Canadians and the people who love them. On this week’s episode of Inside the Village, Frisco and Scott talk to two experts about a lesser-known aspect of dementia research: five potential behaviour changes that could be an early warning sign in people over 50. You’ll want to know what they are. Also on the podcast: This is Burlington!

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The state of the economy has been a hot button issue for some time now and a new study from Dalhousie University has some alarming data from the restaurant industry. Over 50% of restaurants nationwide are operating in the red and almost 10% of respondents are no longer eating out. Frisco and Scott get the goods on the survey from Dr. Sylvain Charlebois on everything from the effects of inflation to shrinkflation on eating out. Sit back, relax and enjoy another full serving of Inside the Village!

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After a couple weeks off, Inside the Village is back in a big way. The Prime Minister paid a recent visit to Sault Ste. Marie, where he toured the local power utility, met with veterans at the Legion — and sat down with Frisco for a one-on-one interview. At the heart of their conversation was Bill C-18, the Liberal legislation that prompted Facebook to block all news content from the feeds of Canadian users. Considering that the Sault is home to Village Media, the largest online publisher in Canada, it was a fitting place to ask the PM whether the Online News Act was a huge mistake. Spoiler alert: he doesn’t think so. Frisco and Trudeau covered a lot of other ground during their chat, including green technology, the endless opioid crisis, and what he really thinks of Pierre Poilievre. Not into politics? Don’t worry. We saved some time on the show to talk about the world’s longest zucchini.

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Every week, Scott and Frisco bring you this podcast from Village Media’s headquarters in downtown Sault Ste. Marie. This week, their northern Ontario city was propelled into the national news for all the wrong reasons: a mass murder-suicide that claimed the lives of three innocent children and a 41-year-old woman. In this special episode of Inside the Village, they explore what happened, why it happened, and what can be done to help the community somehow recover. Their guest is Robin Kerr, executive director of Victim Services Algoma, the organization that works behind the scenes to help people most impacted by tragedies like this. Is it time for the province to finally declare an epidemic of intimate partner violence? If the events of this week aren’t convincing enough, nothing will be. 

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The unionized staff at TVO, the province's public broadcaster, have been on strike for almost two months. Steve Paikin, the veteran host of The Agenda, is part of the bargaining team and isn’t holding out much hope that the labour impasse will end anytime soon. In the meantime, he has joined Village Media’s The Trillium — our Queen’s Park news site — as a guest columnist. We couldn’t be happier to have him. On the latest episode of Inside the Village, Paikin talks about the state of negotiations, the future of TVO, and what readers of The Trillium can expect from him in the weeks to come. For good measure, we also talk some baseball!

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Alberta was the first Canadian province to establish one, and now they’re expanding to Ontario: a safe location where mothers can surrender their unwanted babies — no judgment, no questions asked. City council in Sault Ste. Marie is the latest to examine the idea of setting up its own “Hope’s Cradle,” ensuring mothers and caregivers who find themselves in a desperate situation have a place to turn. Jordan Guildford is the founder of Gems for Gems, the Calgary-based charity that launched the idea. She joins Frisco and Scott to talk about how the program works, why it’s so important, and why people shouldn’t be so quick to criticize the moms who have used it. Also on the program: If you accidentally killed someone with your car — and police spent the next 15 years trying to solve the hit-and-run — could you keep living life as if nothing happened? 

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 Earlier this month, the minimum wage in Ontario increased to $16.55 per hour, up from $15.50. Though a slight improvement, that amount is still well below what is widely considered a living wage in the province. We break down the math with Randy Robinson of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, who also shares some compelling stats on why employers should think about being a bit more generous to their workers. Also on the podcast this week: OK Blue Jays? Not so much. Swept out of the playoffs by the Minnesota Twins, the Jays’ postseason run lasted a whole 27 hours. Bring on hockey season.

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Welcome back to Inside the Village, a podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits.

On this week's episode: Doug Ford does a complete 180.

After losing two cabinet ministers, two senior staffers, and untold points in the polls, the Premier announced last Thursday that his government would walk back its Greenbelt land removals.

Insisting he was “very, very sorry,” Ford also promised once again to not touch the protected area — the same pledge he broke in 2018 that led to his government’s biggest scandal to date. 

That scandal isn’t going away just yet. Expect plenty more grilling from the Opposition as the Ontario Legislature resumes sitting today after its summer break.

On this special edition of Inside the Village, we sit down with journalist Charlie Pinkerton of The Trillium to talk about the many twists and turns — over many months — that led up to last week’s dramatic press conference in Niagara Falls.

We cover everything you need to know about the Greenbelt debacle: the developers, the big donors and one weekend getaway in Las Vegas.

Launched earlier this year by Village Media, The Trillium is a must-read news site devoted to in-depth, insider coverage of politics and policy at the Ontario Legislature.

Passionate and plugged in, our Queen's Park team covers every angle of the Legislative Assembly, delivering the major political headlines of the day while unpacking complex legislative changes and digging deeper into key issues that impact every Ontarian.

If you haven't checked it out already, the site also features one of the best political podcasts around: The Trill. You can listen to every episode HERE, or wherever you find your favourite podcasts.

Hosted by Scott Sexsmith and Michael Friscolanti, the Editor-in-Chief of Village Media, Inside the Village is a news and current affairs podcast that provides a weekly window into some of the best local journalism from across our chain of Ontario newsrooms. Produced by Derek Turner, the program also explores bigger-picture issues that impact people across the province.

Every episode is available HERE. If you prefer the audio version, it is available wherever you find your favourite podcasts.

Have something to say? You can reach us at [email protected].

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This week on Inside the Village: a dark day for local journalism in Ontario. Toronto Star publisher Nordstar Capital LP placed its regional newspaper business, Metroland Media Group, into bankruptcy protection. The move wipes out 605 jobs — including 68 of the company’s 200 journalists — and spells the end of the print edition for 70 weekly newspapers read by a combined 4.2 million people. Frisco and Scott talk about what this means for the future of local reporting across Ontario — and why Village Media remains as committed as ever to the cities and towns we serve across the province. Also on the podcast: our favourite Sasquatch hunter. And he has evidence! Believe what you must.

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