The Rundown

The Ontario Living Wage Network recently released its recommended hourly wages for regions across Ontario. Hamilton-Niagara Hub journalist Justin Chandler reviews the numbers and adds context to why Ontarians need to make more than just minimum wage to thrive.

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The Agenda's week in review begins debating whether strong mayor powers are a threat to democracy. We also examined the causes of rising food costs; learned about the growing influence of global management consultancies; and asked what more money in education would deliver.

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The digital open-source investigative team called Bellingcat has gained worldwide notoriety for tracking down President Putin's poison assassins, uncovering a massacre in Ethiopia, and helping to determine who shot down Malaysian Airlines Flight 17. In the process they've gained the attention of legacy media such as the New York Times and BBC, both now developing their own open-source research groups. We welcome a Bellingcat investigator about their techniques, their work identifying war crimes in Ukraine, and whether journalism is a good fit for them.

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50 years ago this weekend, Toronto experienced one of its most memorable elections. The new mayor was a professor at what was then called the Ryerson Polytechnic Institute. He got elected on an anti-establishment, pro-reform platform. Fifty years later, that man is still deeply engaged in the big issues of the day and is still called upon by governments to solve problems. Has the city turned out the way he had hoped? We welcome the winner of that 1972 election, David Crombie.

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Management consulting firms now employ more than a million of the most talented workers, raking in billions across 150 countries. Stating that they deliver positive change for the world, firms like McKinsey ink hundreds of deals with companies as well as governments. In Canada's case, they take the place of entire chunks of the public service. Consulting firms have also been caught advising authoritarian governments and "turbocharging" deadly opioid sales. We examine the growing influence of consulting firms, the work they do, and whether they are a force for good.

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Year-over-year food prices have risen, on average, by more than 10 per cent, according to Statistics Canada. It's making consumers wonder, what's behind such a steep increase? Economists and food experts discuss why food is becoming so expensive in Ontario.

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Over the last quarter-century, major weather events have rippled through Canada from coast to coast. To put these increasingly extreme weather events in context, we welcome Over the last quarter-century, major weather events have rippled through Canada from coast to coast. To put these increasingly extreme weather events in context, we welcome Chris St. Clair, presenter at The Weather Network, and author of "Weather Permitting: Twenty-Five Years of Ice Storms, Hurricanes, Wildfires, and Extreme Climate Change in Canada."

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There's an old expression: "You can never get enough of what you don't need." Or, "With more property comes more anxiety." In our minds and our hearts, we know this to be true. But, we haven't seemed to be able to do anything about it. Paul Berton, editor-in-chief of the Hamilton Spectator, has weighed in on this in his new book: "Shopomania: Our Obsession with Possession."

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To discuss the new powers the Ontario government has given certain mayors in the province, we welcome Alex Pierson, radio host, The Alex Pierson Show; Karen Stintz, former Toronto City Councillor; Eric Lombardi, More Neighbours Toronto; Josh Matlow, Toronto city councillor; Luca Bucci, CEO, Ontario Homebuilders' Association.

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If Ontario spent twice as much money on education, would the system be twice as good? Annie Kidder (executive director, People for Education); Paul Bennett, director of Schoolhouse Institute, and author of "The State of the System: A Reality Check on Canada's Schools;" Aisha Mahmoud (president of The Ontario Student Trustees' Association); and Mark Beckles (vice president, Social Impact and Innovation at Royal Bank of Canada), share their wisdom on whether Ontario spends enough money on the right things, or too much money on the wrong things, when it comes to improving education in Ontario.

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