Guest: Richard Warnica, staff reporter

The housing crisis in Toronto, and in Canada, has become the dominant issue for politicians at all levels of government and for voters up and down the income spectrum. Star reporter Richard Warnica took a deep dive into the many facets of the issue, from the lack of public housing and the shortage of rentals to zoning and development delays, NIMBY objections to multiplexes, and construction that can't keep up with population growth. Experts told him we need to do a lot of things, all at once, to make things better and that might mean changing our ideas of how we build housing, and where, and what kind. Plus: The one weird trick from Sweden's history we should look at.

This episode was produced by Edward Keenan, JP Fozo, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Paulo Marques.

What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guests: Maryam Affana, Mirvat Al-Sharafi and immigration lawyer Aidan Simardone

Last month, Canada launched a new emergency program permitting up to 1,000 Palestinians who are extended family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents to apply to come to Canada. Members of the Palestinian-Canadian community say they are struggling with delays, logistical issues and what some experts say is an unprecedented and invasive level of personal information requirements. They wait with the clock ticking for their trapped loved ones in a four-month war that has ravaged Gaza, with more than 27,000 people killed in Israeli airstrikes, thousands more displaced and almost half the population at risk of starvation according to the United Nations. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says that the multi-stage screening approach was developed to protect the safety of Canadians and is part of a standard practice where IRCC doesn't have presence on ground to conduct the initial screening and biometrics. In an emailed response to the Star, it has also shared that as of January 29, more than 900 applications are already being reviewed. IRCC confirmed they're all still in the preliminary stages and not approved. We speak to Palestinian-Canadians impacted by this and later, an immigration lawyer helps us break down the new immigration measures and their implications.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques, with additional support from Ben Cohen.

What you would like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Mayor Olivia Chow's version of the city budget was released this week, and one of us was there in person at the Scarborough Town Centre to hear about it. The tax rate's a bit lower, the feds came through with some money, the police still didn't get as much as they want. So what do we think? And what's left to fight about? Also, some jerk disrupted a women and trans shinny game in a Toronto park, something Emma says she's experienced as a disturbing trend this year. And one of us explains why we're lamenting the loss of diners and doughnut shops as essential hangout spots he thinks are essential to decent city life. Plus, what has four thumbs and isn't a big fan of raccoons? Our entire panel, that's what.

Audio Sources: CP24, Global, Columbia

This episode was produced by Paulo Marques, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Emma Teitel and Edward Keenan.

What you would like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

"This Matters" would like to share an episode of the third season of the Toronto Star podcast "Millennial Money." The show includes millennials speaking about relatable financial dilemmas that are often taboo or embarrassing but that many are grappling with behind closed doors.

Like many of us, Amy learned about trigonometry in school but nothing about the basics of financial literacy of investing. And she didn't have any financial models growing up; no one she knew really had any money. But recently, Amy got an unexpected chunk of cash. Now, for the first time, she's trying to learn how to make it grow before she spends it all.

Jason Heath, managing director of Objective Financial Partners, Inc., shares practical advice on how to start planning for your financial future, regardless of how much money you have in the bank.

This episode was produced by Ghada Alsharif, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Sean Pattendon, Kevin Sexton and Andrea Varsany

The city budget moves from committee to mayor's office, though tax rates, federal funding commitments and other big questions are still in flux. Ed and Emma met with Budget Chief Shelley Carroll this week to discuss, and share some of her thoughts, alongside some of their own. And while Ed was recently sounding the alarm on a toboggan ban in Toronto, Emma is not so sure there's all that much to be alarmed about. Maybe a bigger issue is how much time kids spend on phones (including in classrooms), rather than out taking risks and learning about the world? PLUS: Toronto women's hockey tickets are sold right out, but there's a chance for lots of those left out to see a game in person coming up.

This episode was produced by Paulo Marques, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Emma Teitel and Edward Keenan.

What you would like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Guest: Nicholas Keung, immigration reporter

On Monday Canada's immigration minister Marc Miller announced the federal government's move to introduce a temporary cap on foreign students as part of an ongoing set of measures to limit and curb the abuse of Canada's international student program. While the government is framing it as a solution to exploitation and a burgeoning housing and affordability crisis, there are also some concerns that international students are being made into scapegoats for domestic problems. International students also contribute more than $20 billion to the Canadian economy and 200,000 jobs. We unpack what the new plan is, who it affects and why.

Audio sources: CTV News

This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Saba Eitizaz.

Guest: Robert Benzie, Queen's Park Bureau Chief

Yet another wrinkle emerged in the Greenbelt scandal with the revelation of an email showing the Premier's office might have been engaged with the matter earlier than it has previously said (under oath, even). Is this a big "net new" deal, or a nothingburger? Is it significant that this government can't seem to read a calendar or that personal emails were used here? On another front from Queen's Park, elected officials haven't had a raise since 2008. Some of them are quietly grumbling about it even though there is little prospect it's going to change any time soon. As well, what people call you if your last name sounds like a nickname or if you share a name with a beloved talking barnyard animal, plus a brief but fond farewell to a Hollywood giant who was an east-end Toronto kid.

This podcast was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Paulo Marques and Edward Keenan.

What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

"This Matters" would like to share an episode of the third season of the Toronto Star podcast "Millennial Money." The show includes millennials speaking about relatable financial dilemmas that are often taboo or embarrassing but that many are grappling with behind closed doors.

jes sachse has been fighting an eviction for about two years. And they're not alone. As rent and property prices soar, eviction is a threat for many Torontonians.

Geordie Dent, executive director of the Federation of Metro Tenants Associations, lays out your options when you're faced with an eviction. We also explore the potential financial implications of complying with an eviction notice, or fighting it.

This episode was produced by Ghada Alsharif, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Sean Pattendon, Kevin Sexton and Andrea Varsany.

Guest: Toronto Star reporter Richard Warnica, reporting from the U.S.

Amid criminal trials, civil convictions, and courts ruling him ineligible to serve again, Donald Trump remains the dominant force in American politics, as shown again with a landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses that kick off the presidential nominating contest. The Star's Richard Warnica is on the scene, and talks to host Edward Keenan about the cartoonish former president's enduring appeal to his supporters, the prospects for his opponents and what has remained the same or changes from his earlier political life.

This podcast was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Paulo Marques and Edward Keenan.

Audio sources: NBC and Global News

What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Daniel Langlois may not be a household name but his work is. He was a pioneer of Hollywood 3-D movie effects, working on films like "Jurassic Park," "Harry Potter" and "The Matrix."

On Dec.1, he and his partner Dominque Marchand were found shot in a burnt out car in Dominica. Court documents revealed they'd been in a dispute with their neighbour who, along with another man, have been charged with the crime.

Investigative reporters Kenyon Wallace and Sheila Wang were assigned this story when it broke, with Wang recently returning from a trip to Dominica where she found heartbreak, suspicion and a lot of questions. On this episode, the two reporters have a conversation about what they know and what they think about this gripping and tragic story.

This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Paulo Marques, Sheila Wang and Kenyon Wallace.

What you would like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this surveyand you can enter to win a $100 gift card.