Guest: Rosemary Westwood, reproductive health reporter

The U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — a nearly 50-year-old constitutional right for a woman to end a pregnancy — will lead to bans on abortion in more than half of U.S states. That means abortion clinics will be forced to close in large swathes of the country. According to Planned Parenthood, more than 36 million people could lose abortion access. Rosemary Westwood, reproductive health reporter and host of the podcast “Banned,” explains how one Mississippi case led to the end of the protected right to legal abortions and what this new reality in the U.S. means.

UPDATE: A Louisiana court has temporarily blocked the state’s trigger laws on abortion. The blocking is temporary and a hearing on the matter has been set for July 8. Abortions can resume in Louisiana in the meantime.

Audio sources: Reuters, New York Times, PBS, CNBC

Guest: Allan Woods, global and national affairs reporter for the Toronto Star

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its fourth long month, you may wonder, what’s it like in Russia? In a country slipping into further isolation and sanctions, where information is tightly guarded, do Russians support this war or are they living in fear of government surveillance and censorship at home? According to Star reporter Allan Woods, the answer is as complicated as the country. Like many journalists, Allan fled Russia when the war broke out. He had lived in Moscow for over four years. He made a recent trip back to Moscow and he gives us a glimpse into a city that appears as electric as ever — at least on the surface.

Audio sources: France24, PBS, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Jon Wells, feature writer for the Hamilton Spectator

Hamilton has a long history of organized crime. One of the biggest events in its history was the killing of Johnny “The Enforcer” Papalia in broad daylight on May 31, 1997. Ken Murdock was the man who pulled the trigger. Jon Wells, a feature writer at the Hamilton Spectator, tracked down one of Canada’s most notorious hit men and joins “This Matters” to talk about what it was like speaking to a killer in search of a story.

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

Guest: Erica Pimentel, assistant professor at the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University

Cryptocurrencies have been spiralling downward for the past two months after bitcoin’s value fell below $20,000 U.S., several exchanges halted trading and one company announced layoffs of their workforce. It’s a fast turnaround for a sector that is otherwise known for making people incredibly rich. Many are asking if this is just a bump in the road or the beginning of fundamental change, including more regulations on the sector.

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

Guest: Victoria Gibson, affordable housing reporter

Hundreds of tenants of Swansea Mews, a beleaguered west Toronto community housing complex, have been thrown into turmoil after a ceiling collapsed and the complex was later deemed structurally unsafe. Residents have now been told they would need to relocate to motel rooms and dorms. There is no timeline for how long they will be displaced. What will the future look like when community housing in the city has been in dire straits for years? Toronto Star reporter Victoria Gibson explains the latest developments at Swansea Mews and how that sheds light on systemic issues within the Toronto Community Housing Corporation.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Paulo Marques

Guest: Raisa Patel, Toronto Star reporter

As of June 20, Ottawa scrapped “proof of vaccination” requirements for air passengers on domestic or outbound international flights, as well as for rail travellers, and federal bureaucrats and federally-regulated workers like airline employees or those who process passports. The move comes as passengers have been expressing frustration over long delays, cancelled flights and endless queues at the airport. Ottawa-based reporter Raisa Patel explains what the new rules are and how we came to be here.

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

Guests: Angelyn Francis and Annette Ejiofor, Toronto Star journalists

After decades of systemic racism and discrimination have punished Black Americans at school and at work because of their natural hair, at least eight U.S. states have made race-based hair discrimination illegal and now CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act is awaiting Senate approval. Canada also has a long history of hair discrimination against Black and Indigenous people. Is it time for Canada to make hair discrimination illegal?

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

Guest: Wendy Gillis, crime and policing reporter

On Wednesday, the Toronto Police Service unveiled a landmark report that made clear there is systemic discrimination in their policing. Including use of force statistics from 2020, the results show that many racialized people face over policing, in particular, Black and Indigenous people. This comes as no surprise to many of Black and Indigenous communities, but now the police have acknowledged the problem with their own data and say they have started with recommendations to fix it. Will it make a difference?

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

Guest: David O'Brien, youth worker and director of mental health for ETA

It is evident that violent attacks committed by angry young men, regardless of the ideology behind them, are increasing. Whether motivated by white supremacy, incel subculture or other extremist belief, the path toward radicalization usually starts online and can end in violence. ETA is a GTA-based service that tackles hate and extremism in young people, often working with people who other agencies often refuse — or are unequipped — to deal with. Youth worker David O’Brien joins “This Matters” to talk about the approach to working with these individuals.

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

Guest: David Rider, City Hall Bureau Chief

The fate of ActiveTO is up for discussion at City Council this week. Established in April 2020 at the start of the pandemic lockdown, the program shut down major roads to let people ride their bikes and exercise while remaining physically distanced. As with anything that affects traffic in this city, it had its detractors, but for a long while, was held up as a success. Now, with complaints from high profile business-types like Toronto Blue Jays CEO Mark Shapiro, the question is whether this program has run its course or if there is some part that can be salvaged.

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