Closer Look

Golden years? Not so much, it seems.

A new survey suggests optimism about aging fell sharply over the last year, with financial insecurity and loneliness dampening how many Canadians feel about their retirement years.

The National Institute on Aging surveyed just over 6,000 adults aged 50 and older for its fourth annual report: Perspectives on Growing Older in Canada.

While the majority of respondents — 57 per cent — said they had positive feelings about aging, that’s down from 62 per cent in 2024.

Another troubling figure: Approximately one in five respondents say they have saved less than $5,000 for retirement.

Our guest on tonight’s episode of Village Media’s Closer Look podcast is Talia Bronstein, director of policy at the National Institute on Aging.

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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By this point, you’ve likely seen the speech. Or at least parts of it.

Prime Minister Mark Carney told the World Economic Forum on Monday that the rules-based global order is officially dead, and that “middle powers” like Canada must find a different path forward.

“We know the old order is not coming back. We shouldn't mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy,” Carney said. “But we believe that from the fracture, we can build something better, stronger, more just.”

The prime minister did not mention Donald Trump by name, but the message was clear.

“The powerful have their power,” Carney said. “But we have something too — the capacity to stop pretending, to name reality, to build our strength at home and to act together. That is Canada's path. We choose it openly and confidently.”

Although many praised the prime minister’s honesty, not everyone was impressed. Some political opponents say they’re worried his comments will trigger President Trump’s “wrath” at a time when trade negotiations still hang in the balance (Trump, for his part, responded to Carney’s speech by saying Canada “lives because of the United States.”)

The prime minister delivered another address today, speaking directly to Canadians in advance of a cabinet retreat in Quebec City. He reiterated that staying true to Canada’s core values will be key to maintaining our sovereignty.

Joining us on Closer Look to talk about Carney’s high-stakes comments — and what comes next — is Peter Donolo, a political strategist who worked for years as the director of communications for former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.

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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The beautiful game could have some ugly consequences for Canadian hospitals.

As Canada prepares to co-host the World Cup — with 13 matches set for Toronto and Vancouver — a new editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal warns about the potential risks to our already-strained healthcare system.

A mass casualty event or a disease outbreak would inflict huge pressure on local hospitals, “which are already at capacity or stretched,” the editorial reads.

“Canada is increasingly vulnerable to events that may result in a surge in health care utilization, including climate emergencies, mass gathering events, infectious disease outbreaks, and global defence escalations,” the editorial concludes. “A coherent, feasible, actionable, and national plan is urgently needed to increase hospital beds and train the required personnel such that quality of care can be maintained.”

Joining us on tonight’s episode of Closer Look is the author of the editorial: Dr. Catherine Varner, an emergency room physician in Toronto and deputy editor of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

You can read the full editorial 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 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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How widespread is human trafficking in Ontario? Consider some of the headlines that appeared on our local news sites in the past few days alone.

In Barrie, pre-trial motions are underway in the case of an alleged human trafficking ring that operated in Simcoe County and York Region. In Toronto, a 27-year-old man was arrested for allegedly trafficking teenage girls in the city, including forcing them to take sexualized photos that were distributed online. And in Oakville, the owners of a sushi restaurant linked to human trafficking accusations lost their high-profile fight to regain their liquor licence.

These stories are just the tip of the iceberg.

According to Statistics Canada, more than 5,000 incidents of human trafficking were reported to police between 2014 and 2024, for a national average of 1.2 per 100,000 people. Among all provinces and territories, Ontario had the second-highest rate.

Another recent report from The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking revealed that annual calls to its hotline reached an all-time high. In 2024, the centre fielded more than 5,100 calls from victims, survivors and others affected by human trafficking — an average of 14 every day.

On tonight’s episode of Village Media’s Closer Look podcast, we revisit a recent interview with Julia Drydyk, executive director of the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking.

More information about the hotline (1-833-900-1010) can be found 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 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

U.S. President Donald Trump appears determined to take over Greenland — “one way or the other,” as he recently put it.

Trump has justified his ambitions by arguing that the strategically located Arctic island, which is part of Denmark, should not be allowed to fall under the control of Russia or China.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has spoken out against Trump’s “escalation,” saying Greenland’s future security can best be safeguarded by NATO.

But for Canada, another question hangs over the unfolding drama: If Trump is floating the idea of possible military action to acquire Greenland, could Canada be next? How plausible is that scenario? And what should the government be doing to prepare?

All of a sudden, Trump's musings about a 51st state seem a lot more dire.

Our guest on tonight’s episode of Closer Look is Adam Gordon, a former senior legal and policy adviser to Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs who is now an affiliated researcher at the Cascade Institute.

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

Reach out to Frisco and Scott

A new report confirms what many of us already see with our own eyes: the homelessness crisis in Ontario is getting even worse.

According to updated numbers from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), nearly 85,000 people across the province were known to be homeless in 2025 — a jump of almost 8 per cent from the previous year, and nearly 50 per cent since 2021.

The problem is especially stark in Northern Ontario, where homelessness grew by more than 37 per cent last year.

Although the numbers are discouraging, AMO’s report does lay out a potential path forward: an $11-billion, 10-year plan “that prioritizes long-term housing solutions over temporary emergency measures and enforcement-based responses.”

If we don't act now, the report warns, homelessness in Ontario will likely double over the next decade — and potentially reach 300,000 in the face of an economic downturn.

“It is absolutely not hopeless,” says Lindsay Jones, AMO’s executive director. “We do know how to solve these problems.”

Jones 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

Reach out to Frisco and Scott

At some point soon, the Ford government will reveal its plan for school trustees across the province.

Education Minister Paul Calandra has made no secret of the fact that he’s considering eliminating school trustees altogether — and he’s promised to reveal his decision early this year.

No news yet.

In the meantime, the ministry is now in control of six school boards in Ontario, using words like “incompetence,” “mess” and “off the rails” to describe how things were going before the province seized the wheel.

The Near North District School Board, which covers Parry Sound to North Bay, was the latest to be placed under government control.

Jay Aspin was chair of the board when he and his fellow trustees were abruptly removed on Dec. 1. He joins us on tonight’s Closer Look podcast to talk about why the decision was made, what the ministry told him — and why he is urging the Ford government not to get rid of trustees.

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,

Reach out to Frisco and Scott

January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, which is why you might be noticing a lot of discussion lately about education, reducing stigma and supporting loved ones affected by dementia.

According to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, there are close to 800,000 people in the country right now living with some form of dementia — a number that’s expected to hit 1 million by 2030.

There is, however, another group of elderly Canadians bucking that trend in every possible way: “super-agers.”

What is a super-ager? Typically, they’re someone 80 or over who has the memory and physical abilities of a person 20 or 30 years younger. They’re sharp thinkers, extremely social, and often appear like they’ve discovered the fountain of youth.

On tonight’s episode of Village Media’s Closer Look podcast, we revisit a previous but timely interview with a leading expert on the elderly: Dr. Angela Roberts, a Western University professor who is helping to lead an international study examining super-agers.

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

The pandemic is long over, but the negative effects still linger.

A new survey reveals that five years after COVID-19 thrust our lives into disarray, people in Ontario are struggling more than ever when it comes to harmful drinking habits and declining mental health.

Released this week by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the Monitor Report is an ongoing survey that’s been conducted every year since 1977, measuring various substance use and mental health trends among Ontario adults.

In this year’s edition, the comparisons between pre- and post-pandemic are stark.

In 2019, for example, the number of people reporting symptoms of alcohol dependence was 7.4 per cent. In 2025, it was 12.1 per cent.

The percentage of adults with fair or poor self-rated mental health also increased, from 26.2 per cent in 2020 to 29 per cent last year.

Joining us on tonight’s Closer Look podcast to talk about the data — and where we go from here — is Dr. Leslie Buckley, Chief of the Addictions Division at CAMH.

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.

Reach out to Frisco and Scott

Even in death, some people still worry about their carbon footprint. Which explains the growing popularity of “green burials” — an environmentally friendlier way to inter the dead that involves no embalming chemicals, headstones or traditional caskets.

There’s even a company that offers coffins and urns made of fully biodegradable mushrooms.

But what about human composting? Is that green option any closer to becoming a reality in Ontario?

Known as “terramation,” the process uses organic material and a specially designed vessel to slowly transform human remains into soil. The practice is now legal in 14 U.S. states after New Jersey — “The Garden State,” ironically enough — became the latest to get on board.

Nearly six years ago, in March 2020, Ontario put out a call for public feedback on "emerging alternative technologies" for disposing of human remains, including composting. Little has happened since. As of today, no Canadian jurisdiction allows the practice.

On tonight’s episode of Closer Look, we revisit a conversation from 2024 with Morgan Yarborough, the services manager at Seattle-based Recompose, the first funeral home in America to offer human composting.

She explains in detail how the process works, why it's gaining popularity, and what advice she would give the Ontario government.

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. 

Reach out to Frisco and Scott