Guest: Robert Cribb, investigative reporter Host: Saba Eitizaz

Canada's hate problem has reached new heights, an investigation by the Toronto Star and the Investigative Journalism Bureau has found. Canada has the highest social media footprint of hate groups, higher than the United States and the U.K., and data reveals the justice system has failed to stop the purveyors of hate and discrimination who keep on targeting vulnerable groups. Robert Cribb, Toronto Star investigative reporter, joins "This Matters" to tackle two key questions: How bad is Canada's hate problem? Why does it keep repeating itself?

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Matthew Hearn.

Guest: Alex Ballingall, Ottawa Bureau

Ottawa's streets have been cleared of protesters and now the aftermath truly begins. With civil suits have been filed, policing costs are estimated to be millions of dollars and the government still dealing with the Emergencies Act, there is still much to be sort out. Many of the ringleaders of the protesters have been arrested and now they start their journey through the court process. Like the protests, bail hearings already held were eventful and a bit strange.

Guest: Edward Keenan, Washington Bureau Chief Host: Raju Mudhar

After weeks of posturing, on what President Vladimir Putin is calling a peace keeping mission, Russian forces have entered Ukraine. It is the culmination of weeks of troop buildups on the border. Despite several attempts at diplomatic resolutions, many NATO countries including the U.S. said this would happen. Now the world watches and attempts to find new ways to isolate and punish Russia for this incursion, but also try to find a way to deter any further escalation that may lead to armed combat.

Guest: Edward Keenan, Washington Bureau Chief Host: Raju Mudhar

After weeks of posturing, on what President Vladimir Putin is calling a peace keeping mission, Russian forces have entered Ukraine. It is the culmination of weeks of troop buildups on the border. Despite several attempts at diplomatic resolutions, many NATO countries including the U.S. said this would happen. Now the world watches and attempts to find new ways to isolate and punish Russia for this incursion, but also try to find a way to deter any further escalation that may lead to armed combat.

Guest: Michael Daly, professor of space science and research chair in planetary science at York University

"Don't Look Up" is the latest film to join the killer-asteroid-threatens-the-Earth genre of films. While that narrative has been the basis of plenty of science fiction, it is a potentially real scenario that NASA scientists are thinking about. In November, the space agency launched its first planetary protection mission called the NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). DART will hit an asteroid and then measure the effects of that collision. Will it knock it off course? If so, we may have a new tool to deal with wayward space rocks that are looking for trouble with planet Earth.

Guest: Bruce Campion-Smith, Public Editor

As reporters seek to cover the so-called "Freedom Convoy," they have been threatened on the streets and online. The hostility is even greater if the journalists are women or from other vulnerable groups.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Matthew Hearn.

Guest: Grant LaFleche, investigative reporter with the St. Catharines Standard and part of the Star's investigative team

Crowdfunding has long-allowed people to fund projects they feel passionate about, so it may not be a surprise when crowdfunds came about in support of the "Freedom convoy" in Ottawa. After the Canadian government stepped in to freeze some of the funds and prevent distribution, hackers breached the Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo and leaked donor lists to journalists and researchers to give a better picture of who is supporting the demonstrations. As this causes a stir across the country, the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act has authorized new powers to try and control these crowdfunding efforts.

Guest: Pauline Boss, author of "The Myth of Closure: Ambiguous Loss in a time of Pandemic and Change" COVID-19 has snatched more than 30,000 lives in Canada, more than 900,000 in the U.S. and millions more around the world. But it has stolen so much more. Whether it's the thought of loved ones dying alone or the inability to gather for a funeral, countless have suffered in the isolation of lockdowns and physical distancing. While not a matter of life and death, it can be hard to come to terms with other losses, be it weddings, graduations, or other missed events that shape our days. Following this time of collective loss, people are longing for closure and a way to move on. But do we actually need to? Social scientist Pauline Boss explains why not getting closure might actually be the healthiest path as we seek to move forward with life through – and beyond – the pandemic. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Matthew Hearn.

Guests: Jacob Lorinc, Business Reporter, The Star, and Tonda MacCharles, Senior Reporter for the Star's Ottawa Bureau.

As the "Freedom Convoy" protests that have paralyzed Ottawa's downtown enters its third week, Canadians saw police dismantle a blockade at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor after a weeklong protest. The demonstrations in Windsor disrupted a route that carries hundreds of millions of dollars in goods everyday and had already had a ripple effect into other industries like automotive manufacturing. Police moved in quickly and promptly quelled the disruption. In Ottawa, as the authorities look to invoke acts with more powers to deal with the occupation, several Ottawa residents have started to counter protest on their own, as they fail to see any semblance of a plan to deal with the protesters.

John Honderich, who has served as both editor and publisher of the Toronto Star, as well as chair of Torstar, died on Saturday, February 5, at 75. "This Matters" spoke to some of John's former friends and colleagues about his positive impact to journalism and the people around him.

A small private funeral for family was held on Thursday, February 10. A public celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers and in remembrance of John's life, the family asks that any charitable donations be made to the John Honderich City Builder Fund through United Way Greater Toronto: www.uwgta.org/johnhonderich