Guests: The Toronto Star All-Star Opinionator Panel, featuring columnists Emma Teitel, Shawn Micallef, Matt Elliott and guest host Edward Keenan

More than 70 candidates have registered to run for mayor. As the opening phase of the campaign finishes, our panel talks about housing policy, why many candidates might misunderstand the task they’ve taken on, why attacks aren’t landing and whether one candidate should brag about his current lack of pay cheques.

This episode was produced by Ed Keenan and Paulo Marques.

Guest: Dr. Fahad Razak, internist at St. Michael’s Hospital

After more than three years, the World Health Organization has declared that COVID-19 is over as a global health emergency. However, the organization also said the virus remains a threat and can still get people very sick. For many people, the pandemic has been “over” for a while but there are also plenty of people for whom the effects linger and that’s something to remember as we navigate this next phase.

This episode was produced by Brian Bradley, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Audio Sources: CBC and ABC

Guest: Alex Boyd, Calgary-based reporter

The writ has dropped in Alberta and the campaign for premier is on. The NDP’s Rachel Notley would like to win back power, while UCP incumbent Danielle Smith must now see if voters agree with her vision for the province. It’s an election that will have ramifications for the rest of the country, as issues like energy and the environment are sure to be big factors.

This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Audio Sources: CBC

Guest: Wendy Gillis, crime reporter

After two Toronto police officers stole drugs for their personal use from evidence lockers, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) investigated and found a lax and dated system that all but opened the door for abuse. The report calls for greater restrictions on access to evidence by officers, just as it is becoming clear that such thefts are affecting cases before the court.

This episode was produced by Brian Bradley, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Audio Sources: CityNews

Guest: David Miller, former mayor of Toronto and managing director of the C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy

While other issues have grabbed more headlines, Toronto faces no more fundamental challenges over the next few years than its billion-dollar budget gap and a provincial premier eager to force his will on the city. David Miller draws on his experience as Toronto mayor (and on lessons learned in the schoolyard for how to confront bullies) to offer his perspective on the way ahead, the power of a mayoral mandate and where to find a sense of optimism for the city.

This episode was produced by Ed Keenan and Paulo Marques.

Guest: Raisa Patel, federal politics reporter

Bill C-11, Canada’s new Online Streaming Act, is now law. Considered a refresh to the outdated Broadcasting Act, there are still several questions about how this law will affect streaming platforms and what discoverability of Canadian-made content will look like. And what about cat videos? While the government insists the act doesn’t cover user-generated content, critics are not so sure.

This episode was produced by Brian Bradley, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Audio Sources: The Cat Academy/YouTube

Guests: Nagwa El Mamoun, Safiya Abbadi and Omar Mosleh

It’s been just over two weeks since violence erupted between two rival military factions in Khartoum, the Capital city of Sudan. The Canadian government has airlifted citizens out, but says that it may not be able to do so in the future. Nagwa El Mamoun, a Canadian who was in Sudan when the fighting broke out, her daughter Safiya Abbadi and Toronto Star journalist Omar Mosleh join to share the Canadian family’s story and discuss what led to this conflict.

This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Audio Sources: BBC

Guest: Peter Edwards, crime reporter

The theft of $20 million in gold and other high-end items from Pearson airport was likely a well-planned professional job, but authorities are tight lipped about what happened so we are left to only speculate. To gain insight, long-time organized crime journalist Peter Edwards reached out to a former professional criminal (who did prison time for his role in a securities heist) to discuss how such a heist could happen at Canada’s largest airport. Edwards takes us through what it takes to pull something like this off and compares the incident to other high profile and bizarre heists in Canadian history.

This episode was produced by Brian Bradley, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Audio sources: Soundstripe

Guest: Stephanie Levitz, federal politics reporter

Over 100,000 federal civil servants went on strike on April 19, impacting government services like passport offices, immigration support and the Canada Revenue Agency. The issues include higher wages, remote work, seniority rights and contract workers. A week later, there was motion in addressing some of these, but the union says it has “compromised” on its significant wage demand. Meanwhile, political leaders in Ottawa are using this strike as a way to speak to the labour vote and are walking a very fine line.

This episode was produced by Brian Bradley, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Audio Sources: Global News

Guest: Steve McKinley, Atlantic correspondent

Nurses are in demand across the country, so much so some provinces are offering perks like cash incentives to entice them to come work and live there. While this is good for people in the profession, will it actually work to bring people back to the job or just result in a more unequal landscape across the country?

This episode was produced by Brian Bradley, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.