Closer Look

If you're a sports fan, you've no doubt heard of the acronym CTE. It has made plenty of headlines in recent years. CTE — chronic traumatic encephalopathy — is a devastating, degenerative brain disease triggered by repetitive head injuries. It often impacts athletes, but also soldiers and victims of intimate partner violence. At the moment, the condition can only be diagnosed after death. But a team of researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is working hard to change t...

For 44 years, Joe Bowen’s signature voice has been the soundtrack of Leafs Nation. But this season will be his last behind the mic — and with the Toronto Maple Leafs officially out of playoff contention, Bowen’s legendary career is down to its final few periods. His last game on the airwaves will be April 15. On tonight’s episode of Village Media’s Closer Look podcast, we revisit our recent interview with the voice of the Leafs — and the pride of Sudbury — who has received plenty of love from...

Ontario's minimum wage is set for another bump later this year, rising 35 cents to $17.95 an hour. But is that a living wage? Not even close. On tonight’s episode of Village Media’s Closer Look podcast, we dig deeper into the numbers with Craig Pickthorne of the Ontario Living Wage Network. Reach out to Frisco and Scott

Joining us on tonight’s Closer Look podcast is Aidan Chamandy, a reporter at TorontoToday who covered Monday's announcement by Prime Minister Mark Carney, Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. Reach out to Frisco and Scott

The Ford government unveiled its latest provincial budget on Thursday — a record $244-billion fiscal roadmap (with a projected deficit of $13.8-billion). Joining us on tonight’s Closer Look podcast to break down all the numbers is Jessica Smith Cross, editor-in-chief of our Queen’s Park team at The Trillium. Reach out to Frisco and Scott

The ‘Buy Canadian’ movement is still going strong — and federal food inspectors say they’re determined to help ensure shoppers know exactly what’s in their grocery carts. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recently revealed that over the past year, it has fined five stores a combined $47,000 for misleading country of origin labels. “Canadians have been clear that they want to support Canadian businesses and buy Canadian products,” the agency says. “Consumers deserve origin labels they can tr...

For the first time in decades, the population of Canada declined from one year to the next. Statistics Canada says in 2025, the country’s population shrank by approximately 102,000 people — driven largely by the federal government’s efforts to shed the number of non-permanent residents. Joining us on tonight’s Closer Look podcast to break down the latest numbers is Doug Norris, the chief demographer at Environics Research. Reach out to Frisco and Scott

For reasons that still aren’t certain, colorectal cancer is striking younger people like never before. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, people aged 45 to 50 are now two to two-and-a-half times more likely to be diagnosed than in previous generations. That is why experts are calling on provincial and territorial governments to lower the age of screening from 50 to 45 — and to provide people with stool tests every second year to look for early evidence of colorectal cancer. Our guest o...