The Rundown

Grade 10 student Xavier asks: how will AI effect the creative arts? Film and TV composer Janal Bechthold discusses how artists might adapt to the new technology.

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Pleas are being made to the provincial government to properly fund and staff the Ontario court system as criminal cases are being thrown out due to delays and backlogs. Victims of cases involving domestic violence and sexual assault are speaking out after their trials have been rescheduled several times, resulting in their alleged abusers freely walking away without any consequences. Due to the Jordan decision, trials must be completed within 18 months of charges being laid or 30 months for federal cases. We dig into what is causing delays and how the situation can be solved.

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Toronto Grade 12 student Misstura asks: how can we reverse the effects of climate change? Dawn Bazely, a professor in the Department of Biology at York University, gives us her answer on the ways we can mitigate climate change, if we start now.

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Carbon emissions across the country have fallen since the implementation of a federal carbon tax in 2019, but provincial governments are pushing back, saying the program is too costly for residents. Are there alternatives to the policy, or does it simply need to be refined? We ask: Kris Sims of Canadian Taxpayers Federation; and Stewart Elgie of the University of Ottawa.

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How best can Canada's earmarked AI funds be spent to stay competitive? Then, Laura Tamblyn Watts discusses her new book on how to care for aging parents. And, what is the state of entrepreneurship in Canada?

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The elevated place of sports in North America and the societal expectations that surround them are often perpetuated at the expense of the athletes' mental health. Whether this is in team sports or individual sports predominantly played by boys and men, any weakness whether real or perceived is weaponized, while toughness and hypermasculinity rule both on the field, as well as in the locker room. Dr. Teresa Fowler has investigated how stereotypes in elite-level men's hockey influence the mental well-being of boys and men, while Geoff Girvitz, the founder of Bang personal Training, takes a mindfulness-based approach to strength training and leads a platform for men in taking care of themselves with "dad strength."

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What's going on with men? The aftermath of the #MeToo movement shattered the idea that most social ills like online abuse or sexual assault long hidden under wraps are just stemming from men being men. This crisis of conscience and identity has shifted the collective idea of what it means to be a man, therefore a consensus around a healthy conception of manhood becomes critical. Alex Manley has written and edited for a men's website for over a decade. In their non-fiction debut called "The New Masculinity," Manley pushes against the common and harmful myths on how men are supposed to carry their manliness in order to offer a guide that teaches healthy lessons about how to be a man today.

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Fred Winegust, Project Specialist at Reena and Christopher Wong of Young Urban Farmers are working to strengthen their communities by way of container gardening. Students, neighbourhood organizations, and restauranteurs alike can benefit from growing fruits and vegetables in underutilized urban spaces. From rooftops to patios, parking lots to back yards, any space can be transformed into a productive mini (or mega) farm.

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If plants come from seeds, where do seeds come from? That question from Grade 2 student Wyatt is answered by Peter Kotanen, a professor in the Department of Biology and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

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Recent data suggests entrepreneurship is in decline across Canada. Are people choosing to move away from a self-employed lifesyle? And what are the consequences of lower levels of small business ownership across the province? We ask: Jeff Coull, executive director of the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre; Nancy Wilson, founder and CEO of the Canadian Women's Chamber of Commerce; Nadia Ladak, program marketing officer at Startup Canada and co-founder of Marlow; and Joel Blit, associate professor at University of Waterloo.

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