The Rundown

During the Second World War, the Royal Canadian Navy lost 24 warships, costing Canada more than 2,000 souls. The Merchant Navy lost 58 ships and more than 1,000 lives. But they did their job which was to escort more than 25,000 merchant ships across the Atlantic during perilous times. Military historian Ted Barris chronicles those missions in his new book, "Battle of the Atlantic: Gauntlet to Victory."

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Ontario's More Houses Built Faster Act will overhaul everything from municipal planning to development charges. It's in addition to moves that open the Greenbelt for housing developments, and the granting of new strong mayor powers. Is it enough - or too much - to move get the province out of the housing crisis? For insight, we welcome:
Ene Underwood, CEO at Habitat for Humanity Greater Toronto Area; Mazyar Mortazavi, president and CEO of TAS, an urban development company; Shoshanna Saxe, assistant professor of Civil Engineering and Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Infrastructure at the University of Toronto; and Jacob Dawang, data scientist and a member of the advocacy group More Neighbours Toronto.

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Is the existential threat of climate change too big or too terrifying for our minds to grasp? Is there a new form of climate change denial that is more common and dangerous than your garden-variety factual denial? Are some of our evolved instincts that once helped us survive, now helping hasten our demise? The Agenda examines the blind-spots, biases, and defence mechanisms in our minds that allows us to continue to ignore the existential threat of climate change.

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Food allergies have been on the rise in the last few decades. But so has the science on food allergies. What's behind the rise? And with new immunotherapies, can food allergies be eliminated? Sloan Barnett, author of "The End of Food Allergy," provides insights.

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For the third time in his tenure, Premier Ford controversially brought forward the notwithstanding clause; this time through a back-to-work bill that stopped thousands of education workers from striking and legally challenging the legislation. For weeks, the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the PC government had been in combative talks over wage increases. Today, Premier Ford promised to rescind the legislation and return to the bargaining table, if the unions promised to leave the picket lines they just set up. The unions agreed. The Agenda asks experts about the latest news from Queen's Park and whether the PC government upended worker rights, ushering in a new era of public sector negotiations.

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Nearly 100 years ago, the Royal Canadian Legion was established to support the thousands of First World War veterans who had returned from European battlefields. Legion halls soon became the centrepieces of communities across the country. But today, membership is less than half of what it was in the early 1980s, and branches have often struggled to remain relevant and attract the next generation of veterans. In the lead up to Remembrance Day, we explore the history and uncertain future of legions. Do they need to reinvent themselves to survive. What's lost when Legion halls shut their doors?

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While the average poverty rate is going down in Hamilton, the rate for seniors is inching up. What are the reasons behind this and what can be done about it? Hamilton-Niagara Ontario Hub journalist Justin Chandler provides insights from his research.

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How are Ontario's hospitals, staff, and patients handling ER closures, staff burnout, wait times, and other pressures on the health-care system? Dr. Carolyn Snider of St. Michael's Hospital in downtown Toronto and Dr. Alan Drummond of Great War Memorial in Perth discuss the strain the province's hospitals face and what should be done about it.

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The Agenda's week in review begins with a look at why Canada should put some resources and attention to defending the Arctic. Then, what's really behind the upheaval in British politics? Journalist David Frum discusses the U.S. midterm elections. Musician Tom Wilson talks "Beatiful Scars," a new documentary based on his life. And, what makes up personality and is it immutable?

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Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate economist at Columbia University, and author of "People, Power, and Profits: Progressive Capitalism for an Age of Discontent," joins The Agenda to discuss the prospect of reforming the global economy and what he calls a progressive capitalism.

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