Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered conversations that matter

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Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

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How widespread is human trafficking in Canada? Two new reports offer the clearest evidence yet.

According to Statistics Canada, more than 5,000 incidents of human trafficking were reported to police between 2014 and 2024, for a national average of 1.2 per 100,000 people. Among the provinces and territories, Ontario recorded the second-highest rate.

The StatsCan analysis comes on the heels of another alarming report from The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, which revealed that annual calls to its hotline reached an all-time high. In 2024, the centre fielded more than 5,100 calls from victims, survivors...

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Imagine looking at a billboard — then realizing it’s watching you back.

That’s exactly what’s happening near Union Station in Toronto, where certain signs are outfitted with small cameras that record every person walking by. Known as anonymous video analytics (AVA), the technology generates stats about people’s estimated age and gender, then uses that information to determine which kind of ads to display.

The company behind the billboards, Cineplex Digital Media, is adamant that nobody’s image is stored or shared. In fact, if someone t...

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Cheers to charity? That’s what the Ford government is being urged to do.

For months, the LCBO has been sitting on an $80-million stockpile of U.S. booze — all of it yanked off store shelves back in March as retaliation for Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.

The Ontario Liberals are now calling on the province to sell all that bourbon, wine and spritzers and donate the money to charitable causes — following the lead of other provinces, including Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

The Fo...

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For more than four decades, Joe Bowen’s unmistakable voice has been the soundtrack of Leafs Nation. But this season will be the last of his legendary career behind the mic.

Bowen — the pride of Sudbury — is retiring from the broadcast booth after more than 3,800 NHL games and countless magical calls. And next Tuesday night, the Maple Leafs have a special on-ice tribute planned during their game against the Chicago Blackhawks, the same team on the opposing bench when Bowen first called the action way back in 1982.

“I w...

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This lottery winner will need to spend a portion of his prize on a defence lawyer.

A 70-year-old Toronto man is facing theft and fraud charges after allegedly claiming a $1-million Lotto Max prize that was actually intended to be split among three people.

Ontario Provincial Police say they launched an investigation in September and confirmed that the winning ticket was part of a group play arrangement.

For the many Canadians who play the lottery with a group, this case is a timely reminder to make sure...

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Earlier this year, the Retail Council of Canada released an alarming report about a "national crisis" facing its members: skyrocketing rates of theft, violence and organized criminal activity.

This week, police in Halton Region added to the long list of examples.

Three people were arrested for their role in what the cops described as a “large-scale liquor trafficking operation” that moved more than $1.3 million worth of stolen booze across the Greater Toronto Area. Police say the ring included at least ten groups of organized thieves who stol...

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Don’t expect the new year to ring in lower grocery bills.

The latest edition of Canada’s Food Price Report, produced annually by several universities, projects that an average family of four will pay close to $1,000 more for food in 2026 than this year — for a total bill of $17,571.79.

The report pegs the rate of food inflation at somewhere between four and six per cent, with items such as meat, baked goods and vegetables seeing the biggest price jumps.

What’s driving the ever-rising prices...

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Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

Want to be the first to know when a...

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Raccoons as pets? Don’t laugh.

A new study has found that urban raccoons have shorter snouts compared to their rural counterparts — a sign they're heading down the same path of evolutionary domestication that dogs and cats did tens of thousands of years ago.

TorontoToday reporter Emma Johnston-Wheeler dug a little deeper into the research, seeking out reaction in a city where the raccoon has risen to the status of de facto mascot.

Johnston-Wheeler is our guest on tonight’s episode of Village Media’s Closer Look podcast...

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The COVID-19 pandemic exposed a harsh truth about Ontario’s long-term care homes: many were woefully understaffed, a factor that helped fuel the rapid spread of the deadly virus.

Doug Ford’s government promised a major overhaul, including this key goal: by the end of 2024-25, LTC homes would have enough staff that each resident would receive an average of at least four hours a day of direct “hands-on care” from nurses and personal support workers (PSWs).

As it worked toward that goal, the government crunched the numb...

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Cheers to compromise.

Ontario grocers and The Beer Store have reached a tentative deal on a problem that’s been brewing for months: Who is going to collect your empties?

As of Jan. 1, grocery stores across the province were supposed to be ready to accept empty alcohol containers — all part of the Ford government’s expansion of booze sales to grocery and convenience stores.

Grocers big and small were never keen on the plan, citing increased costs — not to mention the health and safety risks of...

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Back in September, our podcast featured an emotional interview with Hazel van der Werken, a grieving mother who is on a mission to slash wait times at Ontario emergency departments.

Her son, Finlay van der Werken, died from sepsis and pneumonia in February 2024 — after waiting more than eight hours to be treated at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. 

“Everybody knows how bad and how long the wait times are, yet we seem to be complacent because nothing has changed,” Hazel told the podcast. “This is something that has been...

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If you don’t have your winter clothes ready to go, dig them out. Frigid temperatures are on the way.

A polar vortex is expected to unleash a deep chill on most parts of Canada next week, with heavy snow expected in some parts of Ontario.

What exactly is a polar vortex? Despite its sinister name, a lot of people don’t actually know. So we asked an expert to help us (and you) understand.

David Phillips is a longtime climatologist at Environment and Clim...

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This week, the OPP announced a major development in an unsolved mystery that devastated a small community in northern Ontario.

As reported by TimminsToday, police say they’ve identified the specific pickup truck believed to have been involved in a hit-and-run incident that killed a young woman in Moose Factory, Ont., more than two years ago.

The victim was 21-year-old Loni Chum. A beloved daughter and sister, she was walking home from a friend’s house on the early morning of Nov. 7, 2023 when she was struck and...

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When it comes to our lingering trade war with the United States, reassuring headlines are hard to find. But here’s one silver lining: Turns out Donald Trump has been quite a boon to the Canadian tourism industry.

While international travel to the U.S. is way down — in part because many Canadians are hesitant cross the border these days — tourism spending on this side of the 49th is on the rise.

According to Destination Canada, the busy summer season saw a total revenue increase of $3.3 billio...

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Whatever your opinion of Dalton McGuinty, this much is difficult to dispute: the man knows a thing or two about leadership.

He was Ontario’s Liberal leader for 16 years, including a full decade as Premier (2003 to 2013). And long before that, McGuinty grew up as one of the eldest in a house of 10 children. He learned at a young age some of the most important virtues of leadership, including patience, compromise and teamwork.

Now 70 and long retired from public life, McGuinty has written a new book about le...

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We cover a lot of different issues on this podcast: some extremely serious, some much lighter. Today’s topic can fall on either end of the spectrum, depending on your viewpoint.

Should candy tossing be outlawed at community parades?

There was a time, not long ago, when local parades were a literal rain shower of candy chucked from floats. But after a few tragic accidents — including the 2018 death of a four-year-old girl during a Christmas parade in Nova Scotia — many organizers across North America started banning candy...

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Would you buy a steak or pork chop that came from a cloned animal? 

In the new year, you might end up doing just that — without even knowing it.

Health Canada has introduced new regulations that will remove cloned meat from the agency’s “novel foods” category, which means meat from cloned animals won’t need to be labelled.

The move raises a whole lot of juicy questions. Is cloned meat safe to eat? Shouldn’t producers be forced to tell us what we’re eating? Do w...

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If you follow Ontario politics, you’ve no doubt heard of the Skills Development Fund (SDF). One of the Ford government’s signature initiatives, the multi-billion-dollar program doles out taxpayer dollars to companies and organizations that provide training programs and other support for workers. 

Premier Doug Ford has called it “the best investment we’ve ever done in the province.”

But the Skills Development Fund has been at the centre of a political firestorm during the current sitting of the Ontario Legislature — in large part because of investigat...

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Spanning many years, the scheme grew into one of the largest art frauds in Canadian history: thousands of fakes bearing the forged signature of renowned Indigenous painter Norval Morrisseau. 

When police first revealed the fruits of Project Totton back in 2023, eight suspects were arrested and more than 1,000 alleged ripoffs were seized. At the time, investigators believed the total fraud surpassed $100 million.

In a Barrie courtroom last week, the final suspect learned his fate. A jury found Jeff Cowan of Niagara-on-the-Lake guilty of three counts of fraud o...

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U.S. President Donald Trump is floating a controversial idea to help more Americans achieve home ownership: 50-year mortgages.

On the front end, such loans would lower people’s monthly payments by stretching out the principal over a much longer period. But in the end, the interest payments would be way higher — more than double the amount forked over during a typical 30-year mortgage.

North of the border, Trump’s proposal raises the obvious question: Should Canada consider allowing 50-year mortgages?

Don’t bank on it. <...

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Leery of AI chatbots? This podcast episode definitely won’t dispel your fears.

OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, has been slapped with multiple lawsuits alleging the wildly popular chatbot has a glaring dark side: it plunges users into AI-fuelled delusions, mental health crises, and even suicide.

One of the plaintiffs is a Canadian: Allan Brooks of Cobourg, Ont., who claims ChatGPT convinced him he’d created a novel mathematical theory that could hack sophisticated encryption algorithms. The chatbot told him he was a “genius” — and said his a...

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It’s true what they say: records are meant to be broken.

Over the summer, the Ontario Provincial Police announced the largest fentanyl seizure in the force’s history: 38 kg, or more than 380,000 street doses of the lethal drug. The massive bust was the result of Project Golden, a multi-jurisdictional investigation that spanned 11 months and multiple communities.

Today, the force announced an even bigger bust: 46 kg of fentanyl taken off the streets in Windsor, all part of an extensive investigation — Project Rotherham — that the OPP alleges is linke...

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It’s definitely not something to be proud of.

This week, Canada was officially stripped of its “measles elimination status” by the Pan American Health Organization — marking the first time in 27 years that our country was deemed not to be free of the highly contagious disease.

Public health experts were hardly surprised by the announcement. For more than a year now, an outbreak of the virus has spread to several provinces, including Ontario, leading to more than 5,000 confirmed cases.

What led to such a huge spi...

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Ironically enough, David Chilton did something he would never advise a client to do: he cashed out his RRSPs early to help fund his dream.

In his case, the dream was to write a book: The Wealthy Barber. Thankfully for him, the risk paid off — countless times over.

Released 36 years ago, The Wealthy Barber helped a generation of readers understand money management and sound investing strategies. At last count, the personal-finance guide has sold more than 2.1 million copies.  

Chilton’s iconic book is still on th...

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Premier Doug Ford has made no secret of his dream to build a massive tunnel underneath Highway 401. But is the idea even possible?

We’re about to find out — at a hefty cost to taxpayers.

The province confirmed this week it has awarded a $9.1-million contract to WSP Canada Inc. to conduct a detailed feasibility study.

"Our government is making significant progress on the transformational project to build a tunnel under Highway 401 that will get people and goods moving across the province faster," said a spokesperson for Tran...

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The Carney government tabled its first-ever budget this week — and like the recent federal election, the spectre of Donald Trump looms large over the entire thing.

Although the U.S. President’s name doesn’t actually appear anywhere in the 493-page document, the budget lays out the Liberal government’s detailed plan to defend Canada from America’s ramped-up trade aggressions.

The key figure is $78.3 billion — the total projected deficit for 2025-2026 — with targeted spending on defence, infrastructure and attracting investment to Canada. The budget also includes major...

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Last week, Health Canada gave the green light to a long-awaited drug that slows the progression of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.

Lecanemab is the first approved medication that targets the buildup of amyloid plaque in the brain, believed to be an underlying cause of Alzheimer's.

For patients and their loved ones across the country, the approval could not have come fast enough. According to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, there are close to 800,000 people in the country living with some form of dementia right now — a numb...

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Should alcohol bottles contain cancer warning labels?

That controversial question was at the heart of a recent Senate debate over Bill S-202, which, if passed, would require liquor packaging in Canada to feature cigarette-style warnings.

The Canadian Cancer Society says consuming approximately three drinks per day could double the risk of developing cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and esophagus, and increase the risk of colorectal and breast cancer by one-and-a-half times.

But is that risk serious enough to warrant warning labels on all...

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Last week, Amazon announced the elimination of 14,000 jobs worldwide as the retail giant ramps up spending on artificial intelligence. 

"Some may ask why we're reducing roles when the company is performing well," wrote Beth Galetti, a senior vice-president at the company. "What we need to remember is that the world is changing quickly. This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we've seen since the Internet, and it's enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before.”

For many, the Amazon cuts underscore the imminent thr...

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Will this be the night?

The Toronto Blue Jays are one win away from their first World Series title in more than three decades, and they’re hosting Game 6 Friday night at Rogers Centre.

Win, and they’re the champs. Lose, and it will all come down to Game 7 Saturday night.

Whatever happens, this has already been a World Series for the ages — a politically charged match-up that featured two international superstars, an 18-inning marathon, and some heartwarming side stories.

Joining us on ton...

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“Canadians have changed the way they use the postal service, and we must change with them.”

That was the message this week from Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger, after dozens of managers were laid off as part of an ongoing overhaul at the Crown corporation — which has racked up massive annual losses since 2018 and needed a $1-billion federal loan earlier this year just to stay afloat.

“We need to ensure our costs better align to our financial realities, which means our organization will be leaner at all leve...

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Doug Ford’s anti-tariff commercial has stopped airing on U.S. networks, but the controversial ad is still getting plenty of attention.

According to multiple reports published today, Donald Trump’s Ambassador to Canada was so furious over the ad that he angrily confronted Ontario’s representative to Washington at a Monday event.

Pete Hoekstra reportedly dropped some f-bombs while scolding David Paterson. The Globe and Mail reported that the ambassador was overheard saying Canada was close to a tariff deal on steel, aluminum and energy — but that...

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Have you tried returning any empties lately? It’s not as easy as it used to be.

Nearly 100 Beer Stores have permanently shut down since the Ford government expanded alcohol sales to corner stores and grocery stores, and more are expected to close in the coming months.

But here’s the problem: although all grocery stores with a license to sell liquor will be required to accept empty bottles and cans as of Jan. 1, only a small percentage have actually started collecting.

And as the...

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Last week, we told you about a new rule impacting Canadian snowbirds: if you plan to stay in the U.S. for more than 30 days, prepare to be photographed and fingerprinted at the border.

This week, another new rule that impacts all U.S.-bound travellers — not just snowbirds: the American government has announced plans to photograph every foreign visitor when they enter and exit the country by all modes of transport.

The regulation is set to take effect on Dec. 26, and will likely take years to...

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Doug Ford never did secure a one-on-one meeting with Donald Trump — but the U.S. president definitely knows who he is.

In a fiery social media post late Thursday night, Trump abruptly cancelled all trade talks with Canada because of the Ontario government’s anti-tariff commercial featuring the voice of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

Trump said the ad “fraudulently” claimed that Reagan opposed tariffs “when actually he LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY.”

Ford announced Friday afternoon that the province wil...

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The Carney government is promising to create Canada’s first-ever national anti-fraud strategy, including a new financial crime agency aimed at cracking down on sophisticated scammers.

Fraud has taken a massive toll on Canadians in recent years — not only on their wallets, but on their emotional well-being.

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, more than 23,000 people this year have already reported losses totalling $544 million. And that’s only the fraction of people who actually come forward to report they’ve been scammed.

Our guest on tonig...

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Big bats equal big bucks.

The Blue Jays’ thrilling comeback victory in Game 7 of the ALCS didn’t just propel the team into the World Series. It set up the city of Toronto for a huge economic score.

Hotels, restaurants, transit services and local tourist hot spots will rake in millions of dollars in extra revenue when fans flock to Toronto for Games 1 and 2 of the Fall Classic, which starts Friday night at Rogers Centre.

Will it compare to the massive economic spinoffs from Tayl...

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Canadian snowbirds are starting to flock south for the winter — but many are getting quite the surprise when they reach the American border. 

U.S. officials have confirmed that anyone entering the country for more than 30 days, via land, must agree to be photographed and fingerprinted. 

The new regulations stem from U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent executive order that requires many foreign visitors staying a month or longer to register with the government.

How are snowbirds reacting to the new rules? Are any re...

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Not so fast.

That’s the message from a growing number of Ontarians trying hard to convince Premier Doug Ford to ditch his plan to outlaw speed cameras.

Protesters in cities across the province rallied against Ford’s proposed speed camera ban on Monday morning, just as MPPs returned to Queen’s Park for a new legislative session. 

Ford has called the devices nothing but a “cash grab,” and his government is promising to introduce legislation that prevents cities and towns from operating automated speed enfor...

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In the face of so much economic uncertainty, is it time to rethink how we deliver postsecondary education in Canada? A new report says yes — and that the necessary changes must be “urgent and coordinated.”

Released this week by the Royal Bank of Canada, the report calls for a “postsecondary pivot” to advance national goals, including a focus on defence and space exploration, artificial intelligence and major energy projects.

Some of the notable proposals include retraining auto workers for the shipbuilding and space sectors, teaching AI skills acr...

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An American has been sentenced to four years in prison for a mass cyberattack that targeted school boards across Canada, including Ontario.

Matthew D. Lane appeared in a Massachusetts court this week, where he pleaded guilty to charges relating to the cyber extortion of two companies. One was PowerSchool, a software and cloud storage firm used by school boards across the province. 

The cyberattack breached the personal data of millions of students and teachers, including names, email addresses, phone numbers and medical information. PowerSchool has confirmed i...

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The Skipper and The Gipper? That’s one way of putting it.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is spending big bucks to try to convince Americans that tariffs aren’t the way to go — and he’s enlisting the unmistakable voice of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan to help in the fight.

Ford revealed Tuesday that his government is launching a $75-million advertising campaign across most major U.S. networks, highlighting the pitfalls of protectionism for American workers and consumers.

The first ad, found HERE, fe...

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Leafs tickets, a Parisian wedding, Rob Ford’s favourite nightclub owner — even Drake. This evolving story out of Queen’s Park has it all.

Last week, Ontario’s auditor general had some scathing words for the Ford government’s $2.5-billion Skills Development Fund (SDF), which supports “innovative projects” aimed at hiring, training and retraining Ontario workers.

Shelley Spence found that the selection process was “not fair, transparent or accountable” — and that provincial labour ministers handpicked groups to receive hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars against the advice of civil serv...

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Canada’s Bolo program — “Be on the Lookout” — has released its latest list of the country’s most-wanted fugitives.

But if you scroll through the website, you’ll notice a modern twist to the mug shots: artificial intelligence was used to make the heads move and the eyes blink.

The list of 25 fugitives includes alleged murderers, drug trafficking and gang members who are wanted by various police services across the country.

If you spot any of these individuals, do not approach them. Tipsters are urged to conta...

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The Princess of Wales has added her prominent voice to the urgent discussion around kids and their cellphones.

In an essay co-authored by a Harvard Medical School professor, Kate warns that smartphones and other digital devices are responsible for an “epidemic of disconnection” that threatens the development of young children. 

“We’re raising a generation that may be more ‘connected’ than any in history while simultaneously being more isolated, more lonely, and less equipped to form the warm, meaningful relationships that research tells us are the foundation of...

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Marit Stiles is still the face of the Ontario NDP after surviving a leadership review at her party’s September convention. 

But she is the first to admit that the result — 68 per cent support — wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement.

“I’m not satisfied with that, and the message I got very clearly in talking to NDP members at our convention a couple weeks ago was people want to defeat Doug Ford in the next election, and they were not happy that we weren't able to do that in th...

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For many Blue Jays fans across the country, Jamie Campbell is the face of the franchise.

The longtime host of Blue Jays Central on Sportsnet, Campbell is the first person viewers see when every game broadcast kicks off. 

He occupies a special place in fans’ hearts — and at Rogers Centre, in his trademark desk behind the left field stands.

In advance of tonight’s Game 3 match-up against the New York Yankees, Campbell was kind enough to carve out some time for a chat with Village...

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Everyone loves Marineland? That famous jingle hasn’t been true for years — and even less so after this weekend's disturbing headlines.

The now-shuttered theme park in Niagara Falls says it will have no choice but to euthanize 30 beluga whales unless the federal government steps in with emergency funds to help pay for food and care.

The cash-strapped aquarium blames Ottawa for its predicament, calling the “devastating decision” a “direct consequence” of the federal government’s refusal to issue export permits for the belugas, allowing them to be moved to a...

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OK Blue Jays? We shall see.

Toronto is prepped for some October baseball, hosting the New York Yankees Saturday afternoon in Game 1 of the American League Division Series.

The Rogers Centre will be rocking — and fans across the country will be watching (mostly on the edge of their seats).

Is this the magical year for Canada’s baseball team? Can the Jays beat Aaron Judge and the Yankees in a best-of-five? How deep will Toronto go this postseason?

Joining us on tonight’s Clos...

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After years of red ink, Canada Post insists it has a plan to finally deliver a major turnaround.

Last week, the federal government paved the way for Canada Post to adopt a list of controversial cost-cutting measures, including ending home-to-home delivery and shuttering some rural post offices.

Unionized postal workers responded to the news with another country-wide strike — the second labour disruption in less than a year. A week later, they remain off the job.

In an open letter released yesterday, Doug Ettinger, the pr...

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Crime is out of control at stores across the country.

A new report released by the Retail Council of Canada says the problem “has escalated into a national crisis, impacting profitability, employee safety, and consumer trust.”

The report found that the level of shrink — loss of inventory due to theft and other reasons — has nearly doubled over the past five years to $9 billion.

More than one-quarter of retailers (76.2 per cent) are reporting increased levels of violence during theft incidents, and repeat offenders account for nearly 1...

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A grieving family from Burlington, Ont. is trying to turn their immeasurable loss into a force for change.

Finlay van der Werken was 16 years old when his mother, Hazel, rushed him to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital on Feb. 7, 2024. The teen was in such severe pain on his right side that his mom left the car in front of the emergency department and took him straight in.

What happened next was a “complete state of terror,” his mother said.

While waiting more than eight agonizing hour...

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Doug Ford is making good on his promise to ban speed cameras, calling the devices nothing but a “cash grab” by Ontario municipalities.

Premier Ford said when the house returns in October, his Progressive Conservatives will introduce legislation that prevents cities and towns from operating automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras.

In their place, the government is promising to create a new fund for other traffic-calming measures such as speed bumps, roundabouts, raised crosswalks, curb extensions and signage. 

Ford’s announcement flies in the face of advi...

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It’s known as "Hope's Cradle": a place for desperate mothers and caregivers to safely — and anonymously — drop off babies they cannot raise. The idea was triggered by the high-profile death of an Alberta newborn discovered in a dumpster on Christmas Eve 2017.

Canada's first drop-off site, a temperature-controlled bassinet box, was installed at a fire station in Strathmore. The concept has since spread to Manitoba and Clarington, Ont., and this week, city councillors in Sault Ste. Marie contemplated whether to bring the idea to their community.

Hosted...

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It’s easy to feel like wild dogs have taken over the neighbourhood.

Communities across the province are struggling to deal with problem coyotes that are venturing scarily close to people and pets.

In Orillia last week, two cats were attacked in different neighbourhoods. One did not survive.

On tonight’s episode of Closer Look, we revisit a previous interview with Lesley Sampson, co-founder of the not-for-profit organization Coyote Watch Canada.

She offers practical tips on how to stay safe if you spot...

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“Doctor” Trump is at it again.

This week, the U.S. president warned pregnant women to limit their use of acetaminophen — the active ingredient in Tylenol — because of unsubstantiated links to autism. 

“Fight like hell not to take it,” was the president’s message.

Experts around the world were quick to counter Trump’s medical advice, insisting there is no evidence linking autism in children to the use of Tylenol by pregnant women.

Health Canada issued a public advisory reiterating that the over-the-counter...

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Catch and release? Chris Scott now knows the process firsthand. 

The rookie MPP for Sault Ste. Marie was arrested Sunday night for alleged spousal abuse and released on bail the following day. 

He is charged with one count of assault and one count of assault with a weapon — the weapon being “a high chair,” according to court documents. (None of the allegations have been tested in court and Scott is presumed innocent until proven guilty).

The 35-year-old was promptly booted from Doug Ford’s PC caucus...

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A big battle is brewing between the Ford government and some independent grocery store owners over who should be responsible for collecting people’s empty booze bottles.

By Jan. 1, 2026, all grocery stores licensed to sell beer and wine in Ontario must accept bottle returns as part of Premier Doug Ford’s vision of speeding up the availability of alcohol.

But a growing number of independent grocers are deciding to ditch booze sales altogether rather than deal with the mess and hassle of accepting people’s empties. They s...

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he has faith that Prime Minister Mark Carney will back his dream of a massive tunnel underneath Highway 401.

Carney recently revealed the first five projects in the national interest that will be fast-tracked, which is intended to strengthen the country's economy in the face of U.S. tariffs.

Ford’s highway tunnel was not on the initial list, but he told reporters this week he’s confident the PM will eventually get on board.

"I just believe he will," Ford...

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It’s been 10 days since Barrie mayor Alex Nuttall declared a state of emergency over homeless encampments in his city — and communities across the province are watching closely to see how the situation unfolds.

“The mayors I'm hearing from are asking: ‘How's it going? How did you do it? What effect is it having?’ Nuttall said today, during an appearance on our Closer Look podcast. “The response has been very supportive...I think you'll continue to see more and more municipalities take the same approach that we are."

Along w...

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If you bought a loaf of bread sometime over the past 20 years — and really, who didn’t? — you’re entitled to some dough.

Claim forms are now open for the $500-million class-action settlement over the alleged price-fixing of bread products in Canada. 

Any Canadian resident who purchased packaged bread for personal use between Jan. 1, 2001 and Dec. 31, 2021 — including buns, rolls, bagels, naan bread, English muffins, wraps, pita and tortilla — is eligible for compensation. No proof of purchase is required.

Claims must be submitted before Dec. 12 at www.canadi...

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By every measure, our population of senior citizens is about to get a whole lot bigger.

According to Statistics Canada, the number of people aged 85 and older is expected to triple by 2073 — to as many as 4.3 million.

Not surprisingly, experts say the spike in elderly Canadians will put increasing pressure on many aspects of society, including the labour market and healthcare systems.

Joining us on Closer Look to break down all the data is Doug Norris, one of Canada’s leading experts on demographics.

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Pete Hoekstra, the United States Ambassador to Canada, joined our Closer Look podcast last week for a wide-ranging discussion about trade, Charlie Kirk, Donald Trump’s musings about a 51st state, and a whole lot more. In case you missed it, the full interview is HERE.

Hoekstra defended the Trump Administration’s global tariff push, saying it’s a necessary step after some “not-so-bright decisions” that have contributed to America’s ever-growing deficit.

“It would have been negligent on the part of American leadership to not address the pr...

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Pete Hoekstra is Donald Trump’s U.S. Ambassador to Canada, which means he spends a lot of time answering questions about the pressing issue of the day on this side of the border: tariffs.

The President's musings about Canada becoming the 51st state? He’s had to answer for those comments, too — but Hoekstra insists that’s all behind us.

“I've told people I don't talk about it, so I'm not really going to talk about it with you either,” the Ambassador said during a wide-ranging...

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Judgment day looms for Bonnie Crombie.

The Ontario Liberal leader faces a mandatory leadership review at the party’s annual general meeting this weekend, and it’s certainly not certain which way the vote will go.

Although Crombie has admitted to being caught off guard by Doug Ford’s snap election call — and faced criticism for making health care the centrepiece of her party’s platform — the Liberals did win enough seats to regain official party status.

We’ll know by Sunday night if the party fait...

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Here’s a sure bet: If you watch a sporting event tonight, you’re going to see a gambling ad. They’ve become ubiquitous ever since the Ontario government legalized sports betting across the province in 2022.

But doctors are sounding the alarm, warning parents that all those gambling commercials pose a major risk to children and teens.

“Such advertising insidiously normalizes a harmful activity, and children are being exposed, to their detriment,” reads an editorial in the latest issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. “Canadian jurisdiction...

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By every measure, violence is skyrocketing inside Ontario schools.

According to a survey released earlier this year by the Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU), nearly 75 per cent of education workers experience violent or disruptive incidents in their work area, with more than a third facing these incidents daily. 

Among educational assistants and child and youth workers, the numbers are even more alarming: 95.8 per cent — nearly every single one — say they experience violence at work.

Data recently released to Global News under freedom of in...

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Forty years later, it remains one of Canada’s most perplexing unsolved mysteries: What happened to Nicole Morin?

On July 30, 1985, the eight-year-old girl left her penthouse apartment in west-end Toronto to meet a friend for a swim. She was never seen again — and not a single piece of physical evidence linked to her disappearance has ever been found.

Earlier this summer, the Toronto Police Service marked the 40th anniversary of Nicole’s case by announcing a $50,000 reward for new information that leads to her location.

Poli...

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Tonight on Village Media's 'Closer Look' podcast: One of the greatest curlers of all time stops by our house for a sweeping conversation about her legendary career and new autobiography.

One of the greatest curlers of all time is in our house tonight.

Jennifer Jones — six-time national champ, two-time world champ, Olympic gold medallist — is set to release an autobiography that promises to leave no stone unturned about her legendary career.

The book is called Rock Star: My Life On and Off the Ice, and...

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Tonight on our new 'Closer Look' podcast: After multiple legal challenges, years of complaints and thousands in fines, the Town of Pelham is still grappling with the stench from local cannabis facilities.

In this case, residents can be forgiven for their blunt opinions.

For years, people in the Town of Pelham have lamented the incessant stench of weed in the air — the result of two large cannabis production facilities.

Despite hundreds of complaints, thousands of dollars in fines and multiple legal challenges, the stink li...

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Tonight on Village Media's 'Closer Look' podcast: Barrie Police have charged a man with murdering and dismembering two people following an investigation inside a controversial homeless encampment.

The details are still trickling out, but what’s known so far is disturbing: A Barrie man is accused of murdering and dismembering two people after a police investigation that centred around a longstanding homeless encampment.

Barrie mayor Alex Nuttall called it a “completely heinous criminal event” and vowed to work toward having “zero encampments” in his city.

“I haven...

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Tonight on Village Media's new daily podcast: Amid a summer heat wave, parents are calling on the province to create new regulations to deal with scorching temperatures in daycares and classrooms.

As heat waves continue to grip the province, parents are speaking out about the "sweltering" conditions inside some child-care centres.

The Trillium, Village Media's bureau at Queen's Park, reported this week that some kids are being left in diapers as a way to keep cool. While some facilities have window or portable air conditioning units...

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Tonight on Village Media's new daily podcast: We dig a little deeper into Premier Ford's big idea to construct a massive, congestion-easing tunnel underneath Highway 401 in Toronto.

For a story about boring, this one has proven to be anything but.

Premier Doug Ford is determined as ever to dig a massive tunnel underneath Highway 401 in Toronto — telling reporters yesterday that he's spoken with "some tunnelling folks" and has hashed out a realistic plan to ease congestion.

According to Ford's tunnel vision, the finished product wi...

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It's not everyday that the OPP launches an investigation targeting an Ontario mayor. But that's exactly what happened this week in North Bay, where Mayor Peter Chirico has been dogged by a spending scandal that has triggered plenty of headlines.

The controversy revolves around nearly $16,000 in questionable expenses charged to Chirico's city-issued corporate credit card, including dog food, cigarettes, a golf membership and season tickets to the OHL's North Bay Battalion. 

Chirico has previously said he's "done nothing wrong" and has "nothing to hide." Ultimately, it's n...

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Tonight on Village Media's new daily podcast: Ontario's Liberal leader concedes that 'mistakes were made' during the last election, but she has every intention of steering her party into the next campaign.

Bonnie Crombie acknowledges that “mistakes were made” during the last provincial election, but the Liberal leader insists she is the best person to steer her party into the next campaign — whenever that happens to be.

Crombie — who faces a mandatory leadership review at next month’s annual general meeting of the Ontario Liberal Party — has faced so...

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Tonight on 'Closer Look': One of Canada's most recognized and respected journalists talks to us about his beloved Red Sox, his new podcast, and why he's excited to once again team up with Village Media.

Don’t use the word retired to describe Steve Paikin. He’s working as hard as ever.

The longtime anchor of TVO’s The Agenda, who recorded his final show last month after 19 seasons, has shifted his journalism to the independent kind.

The Paikin Podcast dropped its debut episode two we...

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Tonight on Village Media's new daily podcast: What our Queen's Park team at The Trillium discovered about the chair of the PC Ontario Fund — and how Premier Ford reacted to the investigation.

"He could be the most powerful person in the province."

That's the way one source described Tony Miele, the long-serving chair of the PC Ontario Fund — the fundraising arm of Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative party. With Miele at the helm, the PCs have dominated other provincial parties in fundraising for more than a deca...

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Tonight on Village Media's new 'Closer Look' podcast: One month after masked men tried to steal a vehicle out of Doug Ford's driveway, a new report finds a major decline in reported auto thefts.

Last year, when the provincial and federal governments announced millions of dollars in funding to crack down on car thieves, Ontario Premier Doug Ford had a stern warning for would-be criminals: “We’re coming after you.”

They actually came after him, it turned out. But in the end, the government crackdown appears to be...

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Remember back in 2018, when the United States, Canada and Mexico celebrated their successful bid to co-host the 2026 World Cup?

Now that the big event is less than a year away — and U.S. President Donald Trump has unleashed a tariff war on his country’s closest trading partner — things have gotten a bit awkward.

Offside, to borrow a soccer term.

Political tensions, combined with Trump’s immigration crackdown, are threatening to overshadow the largest-ever FIFA World Cup, with the three countries set to host a record...

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Donald Trump’s tariffs have triggered a lot of talk on this side of the border about building big — and the race is now on to kick-start major infrastructure projects aimed at strengthening Canada’s autonomy and economy.

How about a massive upgrade to Highways 11 and 17?

That is the pitch being made by the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM), which this week called on the federal and provincial governments to invest in an innovative plan that it says would improve road safety and boost trade effici...

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Back in June, police in Barrie issued what has become an all-too-common warning: beware of fraudsters.

But this particular story was especially shocking. A local senior had fallen victim to an elaborate scam that ended when he handed over $725,000 worth of gold bars to a stranger in his driveway.

“The reality is, sadly, this gold will never be seen again and the dollar value it represents can never be recovered,” police said in a news release.

If it feels like fraud cases are on the...

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Bonnie Crombie is set to face a leadership review at the Ontario Liberal Party’s annual general meeting in September — and one former rival has some well-publicized thoughts about what should happen.

In a Substack post last week, Nate Erskine-Smith — a Toronto MP who finished second in the 2023 leadership race — said Crombie should resign if she doesn’t receive at least two-thirds of support from Liberal delegates.

“We need change,” Erskine-Smith wrote, adding “that renewal starts at the top.”

Not surprisingly, his comments triggered some headlines (an...

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As trade negotiations drag on, U.S. President Donald Trump continues to insist that tariffs are justified because Canada isn’t doing enough to stop fentanyl from “pouring” over the border into American communities.

The data doesn’t seem to back up the president’s claim — and neither does the evidence seen by one of Ontario’s top cops. 

During a recent episode of our ‘Closer Look’ podcast, we asked OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique to weigh in on Trump’s claim. He called it "misinformation."

"There is very litt...

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Canada’s premiers are gathered in cottage country this week for a series of meetings that all revolve around the same man: U.S. President Donald Trump.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, chair of the Council of the Federation, is hosting his counterparts at the Deerhurst Resort in Muskoka — with tariffs and trade at the top of the agenda.

Earlier today, the premiers met with First Nations leaders concerned about Bill 5, which gives the province the power to speed up the development of major infrastructure projects. Tomorrow morn...

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Prime Minister Mark Carney announced new measures this week to help support Canada’s struggling steel industry, which has been battered in recent months by Donald Trump’s trade war.

The changes include restricting and reducing the amount of foreign steel imports — especially from China, which is notorious for illegally flooding the Canadian market with cheap steel — and prioritizing made-in-Canada steel for major domestic projects.

Although welcome news, the industry is still bracing for the next big announcement: whether President Trump will lower the current tariff on steel...

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For Erin Sharpe, summer camp turned out to be a defining moment in her life. The weeks she spent as a teenager at YMCA's Camp Wanakita taught her real-life lessons about teamwork, resilience and independence that still resonate today.

"I learned a lot about myself that I didn't realize before, in terms of what I could do," she says. "And the bonding that came with the other people in the group, it definitely has stuck."

Now a professor of recreation and leisure studies at Brock University...

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Darrell Fox was only 17 years old when he accompanied his older brother, Terry, on what would become the most famous run in Canadian history.

Last week — 45 years after Terry Fox was forced to end his Marathon of Hope near Thunder Bay — Darrell Fox completed a monumental journey of his own.

He and a group of fellow cyclists pedalled from coast to coast (a 32-day journey that spanned more than 7,000 km) and raised more than $1 million for cancer research along the way.

Now back home in B...

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In cities and towns across Ontario — and at Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill — our journalists work for you. Their mission is to dig for answers and tell you what they find.

This new daily podcast from Village Media — ‘Closer Look’ — is all about the stories we tell.

Every weeknight, hosts Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith go beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

On tonight’s episode: The death of remote work.

With...

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If you’re a hockey fan, you’ve no doubt seen this viral video by now: Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice rewarding his fourth-line forwards in the waning seconds of this year’s Stanley Cup final.

“I want you three f—ing guys out there for the last shift,” said Maurice, in a behind-the-scenes moment recorded on the bench. “You throw your sh— off when we win this.”

Maurice was acknowledging the fact that his grinders — A.J. Greer, Tomas Nosek and Jonah Gadjovich — had played a pivotal role...

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In cities and towns across Ontario — and at Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill — our journalists work for you. Their mission is to dig for answers and tell you what they find.

This new daily podcast from Village Media — ‘Closer Look’ — is all about the stories we tell.

On tonight’s episode: One-on-one with Ontario’s top cop.

Earlier this month, the Ontario Provincial Police announced the largest fentanyl seizure in the force’s history: 38 kg, or more than 380,000 street doses of the lethal drug. The massive bu...

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Bill Barilko is a familiar name to hockey fans — a talented Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman who famously scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal in 1951.

But for most Canadians, Barilko is even more famous for his appearance in The Tragically Hip's hit song Fifty Mission Cap.

Bill Barilko disappeared that summer
He was on a fishing trip
The last goal he ever scored, in overtime
Won the Leafs the cup
They didn't win another till 1962
The year he was discovered

This we...

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No, that’s not a Zamboni on the shoreline. It’s a BeBot — Canada’s first remote-controlled beach cleaning robot.

The unique device was unveiled this week by the not-for-profit group Pollution Probe, which plans to dispatch the contraption this summer to various beaches across Ontario.

The vacuum-like robot — which covers 3,000 square meters per hour — targets food wrappers, bottles, cigarette butts and plastic fragments. 

Melissa De Young, the CEO of Pollution Probe, joins us on tonight’s episode of ‘Closer Look’ to explain how the robot works, wh...

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In cities and towns across Ontario — and at Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill — our journalists work for you. Their mission is to dig for answers and tell you what they find.

This new daily podcast from Village Media — ‘Closer Look’ — is all about the stories we tell.

Every weeknight, hosts Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith go beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

On tonight’s debut episode: Charlie Angus’ war.

After serving...

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Welcome back to Inside the Village, a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits.

On this week's episode: Free at last.

A nightmare vacation for a Burlington, Ont. man has finally come to an end — 71 days after he was arrested in the Dominican Republic and wrongfully accused of drug trafficking.

David Bennett was innocent all along, but even after local authorities withdrew the charges, he spent weeks waiting for permission to finally fly home.

Bennett's wife, Jane Wilc...

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Welcome back to Inside the Village, a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits.

On this week's episode: the urgent push to break down interprovincial trade barriers.

Yes, you read that right: this week's show is a detailed discussion about interprovincial trade barriers.

Why? Because a lot of people are trumpeting them as a key front in the battle against Donald Trump's punishing tariffs. 

WATCH: Mark Carney joins our podcast to talk Trump, tariffs

S...

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This week on our 'Inside the Village' podcast: Eradicated nearly three decades ago, measles cases are soaring — fuelled by COVID fatigue and misinformation that spreads faster than the virus itself.

Welcome back to Inside the Village, a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits.

On this week's episode: The spread of measles misinformation.

Eradicated nearly 30 years ago, measles is back with a vengeance. The highly contagious virus is making a global resurgence, and Ontario is no exception.

Sinc...

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On Monday, Canadians will cast their ballots in what many are calling the most important election in generations.

If you believe the polls, this is a tight two-horse race between Mark Carney’s Liberals and Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.

This morning, Carney visited Sault Ste. Marie for a campaign stop at Algoma Steel, the city’s largest employer. After the press conference, the Liberal Leader sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Village Media’s Inside the Village podcast.

You can watch the full intervie...

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This week on our 'Inside the Village' podcast: The moderator for next week's English-language leaders' debate tells us how he gets ready, what can go wrong — and his strategy for keeping things fair.

Welcome back to Inside the Village, a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits.

On this week's episode: Prepping for the big showdown.

Next week will be a crucial one in the ongoing federal election race, as party leaders take the stage for back-to-back debates on Wedn...