Closer Look

The ‘Buy Canadian’ movement is still going strong — and federal food inspectors say they’re determined to help ensure shoppers know exactly what’s in their grocery carts.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recently revealed that over the past year, it has fined five stores a combined $47,000 for misleading country of origin labels.

“Canadians have been clear that they want to support Canadian businesses and buy Canadian products,” the agency says. “Consumers deserve origin labels they can trust so they can make informed choices. Accurate origin labelling creates a fair marketplace that benefits both consumers and businesses.”

Joining us on tonight’s Closer Look podcast to discuss the ongoing crackdown is Richard Leblanc, a professor of governance, law and ethics at York University.

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Bruce Kidd, a now-retired professor at the University of Toronto, 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.

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For the first time in decades, the population of Canada declined from one year to the next.

Statistics Canada says in 2025, the country’s population shrank by approximately 102,000 people — driven largely by the federal government’s efforts to shed the number of non-permanent residents.

Joining us on tonight’s Closer Look podcast to break down the latest numbers is Doug Norris, the chief demographer at Environics Research.

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A recent report found that retail crime in Canada “has escalated into a national crisis” that costs businesses across the country a whopping $9-billion a year.

The situation is so dire in Winnipeg that some businesses are considering drastic measures — including asking customers to hand over their ID before they shop, or demanding that diners pre-pay for food.

On tonight’s episode of Village Media’s Closer Look podcast, we revisit a timely interview with Rui Rodrigues, a loss prevention advisor at the Retail Council of Canada.

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For reasons that still aren’t certain, colorectal cancer is striking younger people like never before.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, people aged 45 to 50 are now two to two-and-a-half times more likely to be diagnosed than in previous generations.

That is why experts are calling on provincial and territorial governments to lower the age of screening from 50 to 45 — and to provide people with stool tests every second year to look for early evidence of colorectal cancer.

Our guest on tonight’s episode of Village Media’s Closer Look podcast is Brandon Purcell, advocacy manager of prevention and early detection at the Canadian Cancer Society.

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Three months ago, Australia became the first country in the world to ban social media for kids under the age of 16. Many other governments are now eyeing the same idea, including Greece, Denmark, Malaysia and Norway.

Should Canada legislate a similar social media ban?

Prime Minister Mark Carney said he hasn’t made up his mind just yet, but he agreed it’s an issue that “merits an open and considered debate.”

As we wait to hear what the federal government decides, it’s the perfect time to revisit our recent podcast interview with a leading expert on teens and screens: Katherine Martinko, an author, public speaker and contributing columnist at The Globe and Mail.

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Today on Village Media’s ‘Closer Look’ podcast: We speak to the mayor of Selwyn Township about the push to erase the disgraced royal’s name from a local island.

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.

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"Shocking announcement."

"A recipe for a more corrupt government."

A "bullshit" move that will "gut public trust."

That was just some of the reaction to today's sudden news that the Ford government plans to overhaul the province’s freedom-of-information law to deny the public access to documents held by the offices of the premier and his ministers, and their parliamentary assistants and staff.

The change would undo more than 35 years of lawful access to those records — and apply retroactively, which means it would impact all in-process requests, including FOIs for documents related the Greenbelt scandal, the Skills Development Fund controversy and Ford's personal cellphone records.

In a statement released late this afternoon, Patricia Kosseim, Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner, called on the government to withdraw the proposed changes.

“Freedom of information laws exist to provide Ontarians with vital information about how government decisions are made, on what basis, who influenced them, and whether the public interest is being served,” Kosseim said. “If records about government business can be shielded from scrutiny simply because they sit in a minister's office, on a staffer's device, or within a political account, public accountability is eviscerated.”

Our guest on tonight's episode of Closer Look is Jessica Smith Cross, editor-in-chief of The Trillium, Village Media's news source at Queen's Park.

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Premier Doug Ford says the province will take over the City of Toronto’s stake in Billy Bishop Airport, clearing the path for larger planes on the island.

“This is a crown jewel,” Ford said of Billy Bishop. “We need this. We need this desperately.”

Lots of details still need to be ironed out, but Ford insists that jets are coming "one way or another."

Buckle your seat belts.

Joining us on tonight's Closer Look podcast to talk about Ford's plan is Aidan Chamandy, one of our reporters at TorontoToday.

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Welcome to a special road-trip edition of Village Media's Closer Look podcast.

On tonight's episode, we catch up with members of the provincial NDP who've spent some quality time over the past week driving along Northern Ontario highways.

The MPPs are on a campaign-style tour, meeting with local residents and hearing ideas about how to improve the state of Ontario's northern highways.

Joining us from their car is Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles and John Vanthof, who represents the riding of Timiskaming-Cochrane.

The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) has previously called on the federal and provincial governments to invest in the so-called 2+1 model for widening highways.

You can learn more about that HERE.

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