Guest: Raisa Patel is a reporter in the Star’s Ottawa Bureau

Google has been conducting a secret test that filters out online news results for a small percentage of Canadians as a result of their concerns over Bill C-18, the Online News Act. This has raised the ire of several government officials, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and now the company’s top executives have been summoned to appear before a Parliamentary Committee to discuss the search engine giant’s actions.

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

Guest: Jim Rankin, Toronto Star reporter

There finally might be a way to track a long-standing dark side of Canada’s criminal justice system — the issue of wrongful convictions — through a new database. It’s hard to put a number to just how many people are languishing behind bars for something they did not do. The launch of a new database by the Canadian Registry of Wrongful Convictions could help pave the way for reforms just as the government introduces long awaited legislation that aims to make it easier and quicker for people who may have been wrongfully convicted to have their cases reviewed. Star reporter Jim Rankin talks joins to discuss.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Brian Bradley and Paulo Marques.

Guest: Alex Boyd is a reporter in the Star's Calgary Bureau.

It has been almost two years since Justin Trudeau committed to sharing Canada’s vaccines with the world. Two years later, the results are in. By New Years day 2023, Canada had donated the equivalent of 196 million doses. That’s four million shy of its 200 million target. Government officials have celebrated the milestone, but there are many asking, could Canada have done more?

Audio Sources: Global News

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

Guest: Patrick O'Rourke, Mobilesyrup.com Editor-in-Chief

Netflix’s crackdown on password sharing arrived in Canada this week, with the streaming service warning users who let others mooch off their accounts that they could be paying more for sharing. There are still lots of questions about how this will all work, and whether consumers will pay up or cancel the service in retaliation.

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

Audio sources: CTV

Guest: Bruce Arthur, sports writer and Star columnist

Canada’s national women’s soccer team is playing in the SheBelieves Cup in Orlando, Fla. this week, an important warm-up event in the lead-up to the World Cup five months from now. Instead of wearing red and white jerseys during our national anthem, the team has been wearing purple T-shirts, emblazoned with the words “Enough is Enough.” The protest is the latest in an ongoing and increasingly tense labour dispute with Canada Soccer, the team’s governing body. The colour purple symbolizes gender equality and is a nod to the team’s fight to be paid and treated equally to the men’s national team.

Audio Sources: ESPN, Sportsnet and TSN

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

Guest: Charles Burton, Senior Fellow from Macdonald-Laurier Institute

When the alleged Chinese spy balloon floated across the United States earlier this month, it ignited a firestorm of concern about Beijing’s surveillance program. U.S. President Joe Biden called it a violation of U.S. sovereignty while, after other unidentified objects over North American airspace became of interest, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged “a very serious situation.” The reaction spoke volumes about U.S. and Canadian concerns, while Beijing insisted the initial white orb was an errant civilian airship. Charles Burton, a Senior Fellow from Macdonald-Laurier Institute and expert in China-Canada relations, joins “This Matters” to discuss what we’ve seen in the skies, surveillance technology and the state of our relationships with China.

Audio sources: Warner Bros. Television

This Matters would like to introduce a new podcast from the Toronto Star, by playing episode 1 of “The Billionaire Murders: The hunt for the killers of Honey and Barry Sherman.” Episode 2: The Bodies is available wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. 

Episode 1: The Man on the Inside

Where are Honey and Barry Sherman? It’s a typical day for these eccentric billionaires but they’re not answering the phone. After a gruesome discovery, the Sherman children decide to tear down the mansion where they grew up. Before wreckers arrive, a mysterious intruder discovers signs of an investigation gone wrong.

This series probes the strange case of the famous Toronto couple who were found strangled in their north Toronto home in 2017. For five years, Kevin Donovan has covered the case for the Star, fought court battles to access documents on the police investigation and the Shermans and their estate, and wrote a book about it. 

Guest: Ali Mustafa, Istanbul-based correspondent for TRT World

The United Nations has launched an appeal for $1 billion in aid to help victims in Turkey as the country reels from massive decimation and displacement after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck near the Syrian border and left over 40,000 dead. As hope is running out for survivors, questions have arisen about why the earthquake was so deadly in a region that’s prone to them. Had the government not taken proactive steps? Could an unprecedented tragedy that might take generations to process change the entire political landscape of Turkey?

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Brian Bradley and Paolo Marques.

Guests: Justin Piché, University of Ottawa

A landmark report from the Ontario Chief Coroner’s Office has revealed there were almost 200 inmate deaths in Ontario jails in just eight years, almost all of which were preventable. There is an obvious need for reforms, but are more jails and more staffing the answers to a complex, systemic issue with roots that extend beyond our correctional facilities? Justin Piché, associate professor in the Department of Criminology at University of Ottawa, joins “This Matters” to discuss.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Brian Bradley and Paolo Marques.

Guests: Noor Javed and Charlie Pinkerton

Premier Doug Ford’s ties to developers are under scrutiny again. As reported by The Star’s Noor Javed and freelance journalist Charlie Pinkerton, several well known developers attended wedding events the Ford family held to celebrate the nuptials of one of the premier’s daughters. Ford says he’s done nothing wrong and that his guests have been his friends for years, but many people feel the developer relationship is too cosy and with his government opening up and fast-tracking land development, many are poised to benefit.

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

Audio sources: Global News and City News