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

After a snooze of an election in October, Toronto thought it was in for four more years of John Tory’s bland inevitability. One career-ending political scandal later, the city has been thrust back into a wide-open campaign for the top job at city hall, one that’s drawn more than 50 contenders with no clear front-runner. With a handful of names that jump to the top of the list and a few key issues that appear likely to dominate people’s attention, it is conceivable that the weakest election mandate in Toronto history could give us the most powerful mayor we’ve ever had.

This episode was produced by Edward Keenan, Crawford Blair and JP Fozo.

Guest: Kenyon Wallace, investigative reporter

Malcom Madsen went missing in Mexico in 2018, and when the authorities did little to pursue an investigation, his daughter, Brooke Mullins, took matters into her own hands. What followed was a true crime tale of private investigation, damning evidence and dealing with the varying interests of authority figures in a search for justice.

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

Two years ago, Cowessess First Nation announced the discovery of 715 unmarked graves near the site of a former residential school. The news shocked the world and ignited a national conversation on Canada’s colonial history. At the centre was Chief Cadmus Delorme, a young and vibrant leader, who came to office wanting to show that an Indigenous world view could work with, and even improve, Western-style development. Delorme had no idea that he would become the centre of a national reckoning on residential schools. He joins the podcast to discuss what it means to lead a modern first nation and why he’s stepping down after seven years.

Audio sources: CBC, CPAC, Global News

This episode was produced by Alex Boyd, Alexis Green and Paolo Marques.

Guest: Robert Benzie, Queen’s Park bureau chief

Redevelopment at Ontario Place just took an “experimental” turn. The Ontario Science Centre will now be moving to the waterfront site, entwining the futures for these two institutions and tourist draws. There’s plenty of push back, from people in the science centre’s current neighbourhood to Toronto mayoral candidates and citizens who disagree with the province’s plans.

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

Audio sources: Global News, CityNews, CP24 and CBC

Guests: Kris Rushowy, Queen's Park reporter, and Matt Bradley, teacher and Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program co-ordinator

Ontario is facing a skilled trades shortage and is looking at changing the education system to get more students thinking about, and working in, these fields. There are many issues to tackle, including how these fields are promoted and finding capable trades teachers. As well, some critics also worry that literacy and numeracy skills would suffer if these mandatory classes are adjusted.

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

Guest: Jeremy Hansen, Canadian Space Agency astronaut

Col. Jeremy Hansen, a CAF fighter pilot and Canadian Space Agency astronaut, has been named to NASA’s Artemis II mission, the first scheduled crewed mission of the Space Launch System with the Orion spacecraft. It will leave Earth’s orbit and perform a lunar flyby, the first time people have travelled by the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972 and the first time a Canadian has reached deep space. It’s an ambitious flight, an assignment he says he is still getting his head around as he pulls from all of his experiences to prepare. Why should this mission get Canada’s attention and why is it important? What is Canada doing in space? The rookie space flyer explains.

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

Audio sources: NASA

Guest: Stephanie Carvin, associate professor at Carleton University and former national security analyst

According to leaked documents from the Pentagon, a Canadian pipeline was successfully hacked in February. The FBI has arrested the suspected leaker, but the information is out there and could have wide-reaching ramifications, especially for the war in Ukraine. Today, we are joined by national security expert Stephanie Carvin to discuss what the leaks say about the security of Canadian infrastructure.

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

On this episode of This Matters we bring you a bonus episode of The Billionaire Murders: The hunt for the killers of Honey and Barry Sherman. Chief investigative reporter Kevin Donovan brings you along for the ride as he and the Toronto Star argue in the courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, to unseal documents related to the Sherman homicide investigation, and the multi-billion dollar estate of Honey and Barry Sherman, which the police say is part of their probe. You can currently listen to episodes 1, 2, and 3 (4 is available for subscribers) of The Billionaire Murders wherever you get your podcasts, with new episodes dropping every Friday.

Guest: David Rider, City Hall bureau chief

Ontario Place is becoming an election issue in the Toronto mayoral byelection. It is early days, but the province’s controversial plans to redevelop the waterfront site is something candidates are already using to stake out their ideological turf while also signalling how they plan to deal with the Ontario government and Premier Doug Ford.

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

Audio sources: CityNews

Guest: Megan Ogilvie, health reporter

More than 6.5 million adult Canadian do not have a primary care practitioner, like a family doctor. There have been several reports pointing to this gap of access to medical care with a number of recommendations to help solve the problem and create more equitable access to health care for everyone. Megan Ogilvie, the Star’s health reporter, joins “This Matters” to talk about the issue.

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