The Rundown

As Ontario municipalities face growing pressure to repair and expand aging water and wastewater systems, some are asking whether new governance models could help manage the costs. Could municipal services corporations offer a viable solution, or do they raise new questions about oversight and public accountability? Michele Grenier, executive director of the Ontario Water Works Association, and Barbara Robinson, president of Norton Engineering, join Jeyan to discuss. Then, new research suggests a warming Arctic is reshaping vast lakes in northern Canada, raising concerns about what these changes could mean for freshwater ecosystems. Kathleen Rühland, senior scientist at Queen's University's Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Laboratory, explains what scientists are finding and why it matters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canada is preparing for major nation-building projects while entering trade talks with the United States and Mexico, promising partnership with Indigenous peoples but leaving questions about what that means in practice. How will those commitments be carried out, and whose voices will shape the outcome? At the same time, Indigenous humour offers insight into culture, identity, and connection, reflecting shared experience while challenging assumptions. What makes it distinct, and can it help build understanding across communities? Anishinaabe journalist Tanya Talaga and playwright and author Drew Hayden Taylor join the conversation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Closures on Highways 11 and 17 can cut off entire northern communities and disrupt supply chains, raising questions about why long-standing calls for more resilient infrastructure have yet to be answered. Charles Cirtwill, founding president and CEO of the Northern Policy Institute, and Maggie Horsfield, first vice-president of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities and deputy mayor of North Bay, join Jeyan to discuss. Then, in Sault Ste. Marie, a decades-old vision for a deep-water port is back in focus. Could the project finally move forward, and what would it take to make it viable? Mayor Matthew Shoemaker weighs in.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Researchers and analysts are beginning to ask whether two powerful forces are quietly reshaping how and why people eat: the rise of GLP-1 medications and the constant churn of food trends. What happens when drugs like Ozempic don't just reduce appetite but change how the body processes food, forcing users to rethink nutrition to avoid side effects and maintain balance? Could that shift create new demands the food industry is already preparing to meet? And at the same time, why do consumers continue to chase new diets, ingredients, and health claims month after month? What is driving this persistent search for the next solution, even as advice keeps changing? We examine whether these developments are connected, how pharmaceutical intervention may be accelerating longer-term shifts in food culture, and what it reveals about the forces shaping modern eating habits. Sylvain Charlebois, professor at Dalhousie University and director of its Agri-Food Analytics Lab, and Samantha King, professor and director of the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen's University, discuss nutrition, behaviour, and the emerging questions at the intersection of medicine, markets, and consumer choice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some transit riders say the experience in Ontario is changing, with more visible drug use and increasingly unpredictable behaviour on buses, streetcars, and subways. But is public transit actually becoming less safe, or are perceptions outpacing the data? And would expanding the powers of special constables improve conditions for riders and staff? We examine what is known about recent safety concerns, how they are being measured, and what policy responses are under consideration. Andrew Pulsifer, executive director of TTC Riders, David Cooper, principal of Leading Mobility Consulting, and Kelly Aizicowitz, board member at A Better City, discuss the data, the lived experience, and what changes, if any, could make a difference for transit systems and the people who rely on them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is surveillance pricing reshaping what Ontarians pay, and what happens when labour protections fail the people they are meant to protect? As affordability and cost of living dominate public concern, the growing use of consumer data to tailor prices raises new questions about fairness, transparency, and oversight. We examine how this practice works, who benefits, and where safeguards may be falling short. Vass Bednar, managing director of the Canadian Shield Institute, looks at the implications of data-driven pricing and how it could affect everyday costs. We then turn to wage theft, where workers report being paid below minimum wage, paid late, or not paid at all. If these violations are not rare, what does that say about enforcement, and who is most at risk? Ghada Alsharif, immigration and work reporter for the Toronto Star, and Jared Ong, organizer with the Workers' Action Centre, discuss the scope of the problem, the barriers workers face in seeking accountability, and what stronger protections might require.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Canada ready to step onto the Eurovision stage, and what would that say about how the country sees its cultural role internationally? After the federal government said in the 2025 budget that it was "working with CBC/Radio-Canada to explore Canada's participation in Eurovision," questions remain about how such a move would work, what it would cost, and whether it is a gamble worth taking. From Ottawa, Nomi Claire Lazar, professor of public and international affairs at the University of Ottawa, examines the political and public value of the proposal, while Toronto-based Brock University adjunct professor Karen Fricker brings a critical perspective shaped by her long engagement with Eurovision as a cultural institution. We then look inward, to the cultural legacy Canada has already built. Toronto-made children's television, from Mr. Dressup and Degrassi to Polka Dot Door and Today's Special, shaped generations of viewers in Ontario and beyond. Rundown producer Colin Ellis speaks with cultural historian Ed Conroy about his new book, ImagiNation: The Golden Age of Toronto Kids' TV, and why revisiting these shows is not just an exercise in nostalgia but a way of understanding how public broadcasting, cultural ambition, and national identity have been constructed and contested over time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.