The Rundown

Almost two years since the Sudanese war f Irwin Cotler: Founder and International Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, and Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and Nisrin Elamin, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and African Studies at the University of Toronto.

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Those of a certain vintage might remember Michael Douglas's iconic line from the Oliver Stone film "Wall Street." Douglas who played Gordon Gekko, said "greed is good," and essentially represented the spirit of the 1980s. But it was also a time of resistance, creativity, and hope, according to our next guest. Retiring NDP MP Charlie Angus documents it all in his new book, "Dangerous Memory: Coming of Age in the Decade of Greed."

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How much do we really know about concussions? And what are the long-term effects? We get some fast facts and bust some myths with Dr. Carmela Tartaglia.

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With a growing population and rising demand for housing, municipalities take on the task of setting up the infrastructure to service their residents. Roads, community centres, and, of course, pipes for water and sewage. But with aging assets and the need to build more, municipalities, big and small, are feeling the pressure. At the Rural Ontario Municipalities Association conference to discuss the challenges and opportunities for rural Ontario, are: Michele Grenier, Executive Director of the Ontario Water Works Association; Craig Dyer, Chair of the Local Area Services Water Utility Feasibility Study expert panel and former Chief Financial Officer of Waterloo Region; and Patrick McManus, Executive Director, Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association. They join Steve Paikin.

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Emergency department closures, long wait times, falling rates of primary care. Now, imagine if the closest hospital is more than a 2-hour drive away. Access to basic and complex health services has been a continual challenge for rural Ontarians. At the Rural Ontario Municipalities Association conference to discuss why that is and what can be done about it are: Dr. Dominik Nowak, President of the Ontario Medical Association; Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario; and, Neil MacLean, Executive Director of the Brightshores Research Institute. They join Steve Paikin to discuss the challenges and solutions.

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Visits to the food bank have risen in Ontario, indicating that the cost of living has affected food security. At the same time, there's a lot of food waste along the food value chain. Food waste is not only an environmental challenge, but one that falls on the shoulders of our provincial municipalities. Find out what community organizations, local businesses, and municipalities are doing to combat food waste and, at the same time, potentially improve food insecurity. Kate Parizeau, from the University of Guelph; Tom Armitage and Logan Pollock from The SEED; Bradley Crepeau from Food Cycle Science; and Cameron Walsh from the City of Guelph, offer their insights into the issue that affects Ontarians.

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The Cheltenham Badlands are an alien landscape in Caledon, Ontario, once home of the Mississaugas of the Credit. Chief Ajetance was forced to sign Treaty 19 which ceded much of their traditional territory to the Crown and opened it to settlement. Colonists accidentally created this unique wasteland through tree clearing and bad farming practices. There was only a thin layer of soil over the Queenston Shale formation, a soft sedimentary rock that runs through Peel and Halton Regions. As news of this alien landscape spread, the footsteps of thousands of visitors hastened the erosion. The Ontario Heritage Trust is now preserving this reminder of how human actions can profoundly change the planet.

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In Ontario there is, sort of, another level of government for 1.3 million people that is not federal, provincial or municipal. But for those who live in ... condos. They have elections. They, kind of, pay taxes in their maintenance fees. And their boards are like the cabinet, with significant responsibilities, even if not all members have the skills to manage those multi-million-dollar corporations. What's working, what's not, and what degree of corruption are we seeing within condo boards?

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The Agenda's week in review looked at why property taxes are going up across municipalities, an exit interview with NDP MP Charlie Angus, a check-in on MAID (medical assistance in dying) and the loss experienced by Canadian trumpet player Jens Lindemann from the Los Angeles wildfires.

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What options are available to people who need fertility assistance in Ontario? And what barriers do queer and trans people face in their journeys to parenthood? Laine Halpern Zisman explains more in her new book "Conceivable: A Guide to Making 2SLGBTQ+ Family."

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