This Matters The Star

Guests: Leena Usman, Pino Buffone and Kris Rushowy
In what could be a landmark lawsuit in Canada, at least five major Ontario school boards are taking some of the largest social media companies to court over their platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, alleging they have been designed in a way that’s almost “rewiring” the way children behave. The allegations have yet to be proven in court, and there is no set date for when they will be heard, but they are now joining a wave of U.S. school districts doing the same. We find out more about this lawsuit and examine the implications for online safety, digital responsibility and the future of social media regulation. Plus, Gen-Zer Leena Usman shares her lived experience of what it's like on the social media front lines. 
This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques.

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Guest: Salman Rushdie, author
It has been almost two years since celebrated author Salman Rushdie was attacked on a stage in Erie, New York as he was about to deliver a lecture. In an assault that lasted 27 seconds, a knife went through his right eye and optical nerve, while wounds to his tongue, neck and hand left him a changed man. Salman shares details of the attack — and his recovery — in his new memoir, “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder.” As interviews for the book are in full swing, Salman tells The Star that any fears of being onstage had long faded.
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Guest: Anuradha Dugal, Vice President Community Initiatives at the Canadian Women's Foundation
Equal Pay Day is recognized internationally as a day of action, calling on stakeholders to advance women’s economic activity. It symbolizes how much longer women have had to work to catch up to what their male colleagues have earned in the previous year. Showing that women in Canada have worked nearly 16 months to earn what men make in 12. The needle hasn't budged on gender pay inequity in almost three decades. And no one is minding the gender pay gap. We take a look at why, and what it will take to change things.

Guest: Olivia Chow, mayor
News over the last couple of weeks around city hall has been heavy on tax worries and mix-ups — thousands of bills sent out for vacant home taxes for occupied properties and concerns about a proposed stormwater fee. Mayor Olivia Chow explains what she thinks went wrong and how she plans to fix it (and “start from scratch” on the vacant home system). She also discusses her plan to deal with the growing number of homeless encampments in parks that have spread around the city, recent Toronto Police Association criticism of her about a letter some councillors signed, provincial and federal announcements on housing, and what the city should be doing about dangerous dogs. Plus, Chow shares how she herself had to appeal a vacant home tax bill on her own house.
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Thousands of property owners across the city got bills this week for vacant home taxes applying to homes they live in. Today, hosts Ed Keenan and Emma Teitel try to understand the comprehensive fiasco in the implementation of the policy. They also talk about the much-feared “rain tax” that will now go back for further study, about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s attempts to announce his way out of his problems and what to do about dangerous dogs in Toronto. Plus, it is IIHF World Women’s Championship time!
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Guest: Nicholas Keung, immigration reporter 
The federal government is scaling back on the number of temporary residents and foreign workers in Canada while trying to boost access to permanent residence for those already here. Earlier, similar curbing measures were introduced for international students as well. While the government is framing these new, more restrictive immigration measures as a solution to a burgeoning housing and affordability crisis and to rein in population growth, there are also some concerns that immigrants have become scapegoats for domestic problems. So what are the new rules for foreign workers in Canada and what will they mean for Canadians and prospective Canadians? 
This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques.


What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.