Earlier this month, Ontario’s kids went back to school in a new world of masks and social distancing designed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Some parents and educators were concerned the province was rushing back without a clear plan, and braced for what would happen next. NOW culture editor Radheyan Simonpillai and chiropractor Emily Howell -- both parents with school-age children -- join Norm to take stock of things.

How do you make it safe for performers and their audience to enjoy the experience of sketch comedy? NOW’s Glenn Sumi spoke to Second City performer Natalie Metcalfe at length about this very subject, and they both join Norm -- along with Natalie’s colleagues Ashley Botting and Gary Rideout -- to discuss the production of the company’s new COVID-conscious revue, which is opening in October.

A new wave of Indigenous film and television is underway, and actor and filmmaker Jennifer Podemski means to keep the momentum going with The Shine Network, a media platform for Indigenous women in media production. She joins Norm to discuss why it’s needed, and how it’ll work.

This week NOW looks to Toronto’s future, considering what the city -- and its residents -- need to do in order to make sure things are better for all of us, not just some of us, once the pandemic is past. Greenpeace’s Farrah Khan and Progress Toronto’s Shannon Holness join Norm to expand on the essays they contributed to this issue.

Last year, Kire Paputts premiered The Last Porno Show at TIFF. But when it came time to release it on VOD, he found a lot of streaming services weren’t interested in showing his drama about a man who inherits his late father’s porn theatre. And the harder he tried to find a place for it on Apple TV or Amazon, the more resistance he encountered. In this episode, he talks about why.

TIFF 2020 is underway with a smaller overall program, limited in-person screenings and a pivot to streaming. The Short Cuts programs are online only, and filmmakers Hannah Cheesman, Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, Tiffany Hsiung and Sophy Romvari discuss how they’re adjusting to this new paradigm.

Actors, authors and artists are moving out of Toronto -- pushed out by the one-two punch of rising housing costs and a pandemic that savaged everyone’s abliity to make a living. Glenn Sumi, actor Geoffrey Pounsett and Ninety Minutes From webmasters Audra Williams and Haritha Gnanaratna join Norm to talk about why our creatives are leaving, and where they’re looking to end up.

Earlier this week, NOW music editor Richard Trapunski wrote about how some Toronto restaurants are doing away with tipping entirely; he joins Norm along with Arianne Persaud of the Toronto Restaurant Workers’ Relief Fund to discuss how abandoning tipping could change the restaurant business -- and what it means for your own bottom line as a diner.

Ontario’s schools are set to reopen September 15. And while Premier Doug Ford and his education minister Stephen Lecce insist they’re doing everything they can to ensure the safety of students and teachers, they won’t reduce class sizes, which would allow for physical distancing and reduce the risk of transmission. Hannah Sung, a journalist, podcast producerand member of the parents’ advocacy group Ontario SAFE, is here to discuss their attempts to persuade the PCs to reconsider.

Christopher Nolan’s Tenet is the only major-studio film to receive a large-format release this summer, playing in premium IMAX and 70mm engagements that could help Warner Bros. recoup the film’s massive budget. But is watching a heavily hyped big-screen thriller worth walking into a megaplex in the age of COVID? NOW writers Kevin Ritchie and Rad Simonpillai join Norm to discuss the strange new challenge of going to the movies.