Guest: Todd Coleman, epidemiologist and assistant professor of health sciences at Wilfred Laurier University

The president and CEO of SickKids begged people last week to wear a mask as pediatric ICUs across Ontario hit a breaking point. She’s not alone in that wish. Calls have been growing for the province to bring back mask mandates as health experts warn of a difficult viral season with a “triple threat” of the flu, RSV and COVID-19. Despite this, Ontario’s top doctor Dr. Kieran Moore has so far only encouraged people to voluntarily mask indoors and he has not inspired many. Do we need a mandate to follow public health advice and mask? We take a deep dive into government messaging and public psychology around masking.

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