The Rundown

From Scarborough to Cambridge University, Yale Law School, and even the prime minister's office, Omer Aziz always felt like he was caught between two worlds and never quite felt at home in either. In his memoir, "Brown Boy," he interrogates identity, family, religion, race, and class, and considers the question he could have never asked in his youth: Was assimilation ever really an option?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How is China's influence reorganizing the alliances and geopolitics of the Middle East?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three years ago, Toronto-born filmmaker Daniel Roher couldn't have imagined he'd be documenting the epic search for the Russian state assassins who tried to fatally poison Vladimir Putin's harshest critic Alexey Navalny with a military-grade chemical nerve agent. Since then, the opposition leader has miraculously recovered, returning to Russia to face a corrupt justice system, and received more than a decade in prison. Meanwhile, Roher's film has won an Oscar for best documentary feature. He joins Steve Paikin to discuss the film and its protagonist.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are those who, when they stop to think about people incarcerated in this province, don't want anything to do with them. That is not the case with Phyllis Taylor. She is a certified life and mediation coach who has worked with Ontario's Ministry of Correctional Services for the past 10 years and she's counselled thousands of people behind bars. Her new book is called, "The Prison Lady: True Stories and Life Lessons from Both Sides of the Bars."

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Associate Minister of Transportation Stan Cho talks to Steve Paikin about sharing the role with Caroline Mulroney, fare integration across the GTHA, restoring the Northlander train service, the status of the Eglinton Crosstown rapid-transit line in Toronto, and why Ontario can never bring infrastructure projects to fruition on time and on budget.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ontario government has promised a fully funded fare integration system across the GTHA by the end of the year. This would allow transit riders to pay one fare as they boarded a bus in York region, hopped on the GO Train, then grabbed the Toronto transit vehicle. It's a proposal that's been promised by governments for generations. How feasible is it? And what would it entail? Tranist consultant Reese Martin, provides insights.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canada's population grew by more than one million last year, almost all of that thanks to immigration. Half of the new immigrants chose to settle in Ontario. But amid housing shortages and a strained health-care system, is this the destination they're expecting? And is the province doing enough of the right things to make this work - for them, and for those already here? For insight, we welcome: Alfred Lam, executive director of the Centre for Immigrant and Community Services; and Board Chair for OCASI, the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants; Deena Ladd, executive director of the Workers' Action Centre; Mike Moffatt, senior director at the Smart Prosperity Think Tank and an assistant professor at Western University's Ivey Business School; and Mikal Skuterud, economics professor at the University Of Waterloo and director of the Canadian Labour Economics Forum.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahmed Hussen is Canada's minister of housing, and diversity and inclusion, and the Liberal MP for York South-Weston. He discusses what the federal government is doing to esnure safe and affordable housing for all.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently, a contingent travelled to Toronto as part of the First Nations Land Defence Alliance to push back on mining development in the province. In part they are reacting to excitement over a massive deposit dubbed the Ring of Fire, more than 400 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, that is rich in nickel, chromite, and other critical minerals. While a new deal between the province and two First Nations could be the beginning of a permanent road to the site, not all First Nations communities support this development. For insight we welcome: Chief Rudy Turtle, Grassy Narrows First Nation; Cecelia Begg, head councilor of Big Trout Lake First Nation; Chief Wayne Moonias, outgoing chief of Neskantaga First Nations.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since the Ring of Fire's mining potential was discovered in 2007, several companies have tried to find the path to make the opportunities there a reality. To bring us up to date on why the mineral deposit's potential and why it's so important, we welcome Frank Smeenk, CEO of KWG Resources.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.