Guest: Kayla Bailey, project manager Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen

Many women working in the trades sector like construction, say they have faced hostility, sexism and harassment on the job often without recourse. It’s happened enough that the provincial trades council has made a new committee that seeks to address the issues women face regularly, and also look for long-term strategies on improving this sector and making it more welcoming for women. That’s crucial in a sector facing a severe labour shortage. Kayla Bailey, a journeyperson steamfitter, gas fitter and welder in Toronto, has worked in the sector since 2014 and is now project manager for this new committee. She joins “This Matters” to share her experience.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Brian Bradley and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Matthew Ball, author of “The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything”

Many of the world’s biggest companies are investing heavily in, and betting big on, the metaverse. There are different visions of what the metaverse might look like depending on who’s speaking, but regardless it will be the next big evolution of the internet as how we interact with it becomes more immersive. It will all take time because there are several challenges and technologies that need to mature before it happens. Matthew Ball, author of “The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything,” joins “This Matters” podcast, to talk about how the metaverse is defined so far and shed light on the road leading to how it may be created.

This episode was produced by Brian Bradley, Matthew Hearn and Raju Mudhar.

Guest: Joanna Chiu, staff reporter

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi became the highest-ranking American official to visit Taiwan in 25 years earlier this week. The visit lasted only 19 hours but was long enough to infuriate the Chinese government. Hours after Pelosi landed, Beijing announced unprecedented military drills off the coast of Taiwan. The standoff continued on Friday, with China suspending dialogue with the U.S. on a range of issues from climate change to military relations to cross border crime. Star reporter Joanna Chiu, Toronto Star staff reporter and author of author of the book “China Unbound,” explains the significance of this week’s visit, why there are worries about war and what an ensuing conflict could mean for Canada.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn

Clip sources: CNN, The Sun, Yahoo News, Bloomberg, The Print

Guest: Anna Barford, Canadian Shipping Campaigner with Stand.earth

While cruise ship lines took a hit during the pandemic, business is back in full swing. Cruise ships are floating cities on the water and generate all kinds of waste. Surprisingly, U.S. rules around dealing with such waste are much more stringent compared to Canada where we have lax regulations. According to a recent report from Stand.earth and B.C.-based West Coast Environmental Law, ships travelling along the Canadian West Coast are incentivized to dump waste in Canadian waters as it is cheaper and easier.

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

Audio sources: CNN and NPR

Guest: Olivia Bowden, staff reporter

There has been global momentum to end Pap tests for cervical cancer and replace them with less intrusive and more effective HPV testing. As countries around the world and even some provinces in Canada start this transition in reproductive health care, medical professionals say Ontario is lagging far behind. The stakes go well beyond comfort. Star reporter Olivia Bowden explains why Ontario has delayed making the change and what it says about how we talk about the safety and pain of those with female reproductive organs.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn

Warning: This podcast contains graphic content

Guest: Farrah Khan, manager of Consent Comes First at Toronto Metropolitan University

The inquiry into Canada’s worst mass shooting has put a spotlight on how survivors of intimate partner violence often face anger and backlash. After Lisa Banfield was brutally assaulted and held captive by her common-law husband one night in April 2020, 22 people were killed as he went on a murderous shooting rampage. Countless people were impacted by devastating trauma, pain and anger as a result of the gunman’s actions, and Banfield was put under a harsh spotlight. Gender rights advocates say Banfield was unfairly criminalized, criticized and accused of abetting the shooter, and her own trauma as a victim of abuse was never acknowledged. There are now concerns the reception to Banfield will deter other women from reporting abuse.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Brian Bradley and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Jacob Lorinc, business reporter

As prices fall and listings get pulled off the market, experts are projecting a historic correction to come for the Canadian housing market. There already was limited supply, but the confounding thing is that with rising inflation rates, housing affordability will remain a challenge for many people despite lower home prices. Now the two big questions are: How long will it last and how far will the market fall?

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

Audio sources: CBC, Global News, CityNews

Guests: Mohammed, Afghan human rights activist, and Nicholas Keung, immigration reporter

Nearly one year after the U.S. and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover, thousands of Afghans are still trapped in the country, waiting for Western visas. Many of them are in danger precisely because they were allies of the West and now face repercussions at the hands of the Taliban. While Canada made a commitment to resettle 40,000 Afghans through a special immigration program, Star sources have revealed that the window is closing and the program could wrap up soon. We take a look at what’s going on and what it could mean for Afghans who are still stuck in limbo, fearing for their lives as a price for helping Canada.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Brandi Morin, freelance journalist

Pope Francis is in Canada this week on a pilgrimage of penance, meeting the survivors of the residential school system in which the Catholic Church played a major role — a forced assimilation of Indigenous peoples that destroyed families, cultures and created a legacy of trauma. Brandi Morin, an award-winning French, Cree, Iroquois journalist from Treaty 6, has been bearing witness as her own life is intertwined with the brutal history of the schools. We caught up with her to try to understand this moment and discuss what it will take for it to truly mean something.

The Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of a residential school experience. Support is available at 1-866-925-4419.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Len Tooley, evaluation director at the Community-Based Research Centre

With more than 16,000 recorded cases in 75 countries so far, the World Health Organization has declared the monkeypox outbreak as a global health emergency. Five people have died worldwide since the outbreak began in May. Len Tooley is one of the 681 Canadians who have contracted monkeypox in the last two months. He says the community of gay and bisexual men currently most at risk have been largely left in the dark by public health on what to do if they get sick. He shares his experience on “This Matters.”

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn