Guest: Heather Scoffield, economics columnist and the Star's Ottawa Bureau Chief.

Inflation hit a 31-year high, rising to 6.7 per cent in March, with escalating prices across many sectors. Grocery store and gas bills in particular are where many people are feeling it, and the gas prices have risen almost 40 per cent from a year ago. There are several causes to inflation, but the one thing that experts know is that these higher prices are here to stay for a while. Governments and central banks are doing what they can to temper the spike, like raising interest rates, but it's a very careful balancing game, as that can often lead to a recession.

Guest: Alex Boyd, Toronto Star reporter

Almost two years after the first COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Canada, the excitement is somewhat over. Most Canadians are now vaccinated and demand is grinding to a halt. The rush for vaccines has also slowed down considerably after recently lifted mandates. This means that millions of doses are lying unused, just weeks or months away from expiring. And millions of vaccines have been thrown away. Vaccination continues to lag in low-income countries. In the meantime, just how many vaccines are we tossing in the garbage and can Canada actually do anything to prevent this vaccine wastage?

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

Guest: Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, professor and satellite imaging specialist at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California.

Satellites and social media are working together to give new perspectives and viewpoints on the war in Ukraine. The amount and frequency of images, sophistication of technology and ever easier access for researchers and enthusiasts have created a new kind of theatre of war, that is already having ramifications, as it has exposed troop movements and war atrocities. The bigger questions are what kind of effect will it have on conflicts going forward and how could it change things like military tactics, intelligence gathering and how information about conflicts is verified.

This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Matt Hearn and Raju Mudhar.

Guest: Ben Spurr, the Star's transportation reporter.

It has been a terrible week for tragic events on public transit, with New York City dealing with a subway shooting, a murder outside of Sherbourne station and a woman getting pushed onto the tracks at Yonge station. While these are nightmare scenarios for any transit service, there are all kinds of incidents that occur every year on the TTC, and through a Freedom of Information request, the Star got the data on all of the incidents on the bus network over a five-year period and it tells exactly where the most crimes occurs and who the targets of it are.

This episode was produced by Raju Mudhar and Matthew Hearn.

Guest: Wendy Gillis, Star reporter

As Toronto Police say the average age of those linked to gun violence continues to drop, Sunnybrook Hospital is taking action because "patching people up and sending them home" isn't working. Today, we are joined by Star reporter Wendy Gillis, who's been following the rollout of the new program designed to stem this tide.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Niki Thay.

Guest: Alex Boyd, Star reporter

COVID-19 continues to circulate with the very transmittable Omicron variant BA.2 now dominant, just as most parts of the country have dropped mask mandates, restrictions are lifting and the future is anything but certain. While Omicron cases might be generally less severe for those who are vaccinated, vulnerable people are still at high risk and that's why a fourth round of the vaccine has become available for some. Toronto Star reporter Alex Boyd gives us an explainer on booster shots, how they might be rolled out and whether you or someone you know might need one.

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

Guests: Sara Mojtehedzadeh and Rachel Mendleson, Star reporters

While Ontario Premier Doug Ford touted rapid tests as a "game changer" and directed for them to be distributed to hot spot neighbourhoods to help quell the virus, a Star investigation found that only one fifth of 20 million tests ended up in those areas in the first 10 months of the province's taxpayer-funded screening program. In fact, privates schools got more tests than many other industries that were hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. How did this happen? Who else won and lost in the inequitable distribution of these rapid tests?

This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Matt Hearn and Raju Mudhar.

Guest: Alex Ballingall, Ottawa Bureau

The latest report released by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been damning. It's now or never, as scientists warn the world must cap global greenhouse emissions or risk irreversible damage and the worst effects of climate change. Ottawa has now unveiled an ambitious new $9.1 billion road map to meet Canada's climate targets by 2030. Star reporter Alex Ballingall explains what it's all about and whether it is enough to rise up to the climate challenge. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alexis Green and Matthew Hearn

Guest: Jennifer Yang, investigative reporter

Even if you're not a dog owner, it is always nice to check out your local dog park to see which furry creatures are out for an afternoon romp. But where do those dogs came from? Toronto Star investigative reporter Jennifer Yang's ongoing investigation about one popular dog rescue in particular, Redemption Paws, sheds some light. Many people adopted pets during the pandemic as companions in an uncertain time, but the relatively unregulated dog rescue industry has spelled disaster for some.

Redemption Paws did not respond to a request for an interview for this episode. CEO Nicole Simone previously responded to requests for comment, which can be read here, here and here. An excerpt of a statement provided by Simone can be read here.

This episode was produced by Jennifer Pagliaro, Brian Bradley and Matthew Hearn

This Matters is running today's opening day episode of Deep Left Field, the Toronto Star's baseball podcast, with host Mike Wilner. He gets down on the field with the Jays. It's a longer episode today but if you are a Jays fan, you'll want to stick around.

Guests: Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette, pitchers Jose Berrios, Alek Manoah and Jordan Romano, catcher Danny Jansen and third base coach Luis Rivera. Plus 10 Questions with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.