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Series

4D AGO

Has Big Tech rewired Gen Z?

Guest: Ava Smithing, advocacy director at the Young People's Alliance Young people today have been raised with the most powerful tools in human history at their fingertips. Entire childhoods have played out online, with algorithms acting as babysitter, therapist, and mirror through which they see themselves. And now, we’re seeing what happens when the first generation raised on smart phones comes of age; shaped by platforms designed to manipulate attention and monetize minds. Ava Smithing was just 12 when she spiraled into a social media rabbit hole that nearly took her life. Years later, she walked the halls of Congress to warn lawmakers about the harms of Big Tech. Now, she’s the host of the Toronto Star’s new podcast series Left to Their Own Devices that takes a hard look at what happens when kids are left to figure it out alone. She joins This Matters to talk about what led her here. Produced by Paulo Marques and Sean Pattendon

4d ago

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31 min
2D AGO

Toronto Blue Jays are the American League East Champions

Guests: Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette, Toronto Star baseball columnist Gregor Chisholm The Blue Jays are American League East champions. They clinched the division with a 13-4 mauling of the Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre Sunday, giving them the AL East crown for the first time in ten years. It was the first time they'd clinched at home since 1993. We talk to injured shortstop Bo Bichette about his season, the comeback from last year's last-place finish and what his status is as the Jays enter a five-day break before taking on either the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. Gregor Chisholm stops by as well, to discuss Game 162 and how it felt like a microcosm of the season as a whole, as well as the odd path the Jays took to the division title, having to win their final four games of the season following an ugly run of six losses in seven games

2d ago

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29 min
SEP 22

Playoff clinching Blue Jays roundtable

Guests: Children Ruin Everything star Aaron Abrams, Clare Blackwood of The Beaverton and Second City After finishing in last place just a year ago, the Blue Jays clinched a post-season berth with their 8-5 win over the Kansas City Royals Sunday, becoming the first American League team to do so. In honour of the return of playoff baseball to Toronto for the first time (actual Toronto, as in a home game) since 2022, we have gathered a panel of some of the city's best, brightest and professionally funniest Blue Jays fans to talk about the clinch, the awful week leading up to it, the replay debacles in Tampa and KC and so much more. Aaron Abrams, the star of Children Ruin Everything on CTV and Netflix, joins the roundtable discussion along with distinguished Second City alumna Clare Blackwood of The Beaverton podcast. You're gonna love it!

Sep 22

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1h 6m
SEP 19

Serial vandalism of Toronto speed cameras are about something bigger

Lately, speed cameras in this city and neighbouring cities have become a symbol and target of people’s rage. The Parkside Drive speed camera was erected when this spot saw a horrific and fatal crash in 2021, due to speeding. It is now Toronto’s most prolific speed cam and was recently cut down by vandals for the seventh time in eleven months. And earlier this month 16 cameras across the city were taken out in a single night. This week, three more have come down. The City of Vaughan has decided to remove speed cameras all together after rolling out its program just earlier this year. Premier Ford has voiced his disdain for speed cameras and some individuals vocally echo him. Community safety organizations and reports, however, say they’re effective. We’re joined today by Toronto Star’s resident Speed Cam man, Raju Mudhar, to give us the facts while we zoom out and chat about what all of this may really be about. Audio Sources: Deputy Inspector Peter Wallace, Toronto Police Service, CP24

Sep 19

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27 min
06/13/2024

Buck Martinez and Jeff Cheek remember Hall of Fame broadcaster Tom Cheek

Guests: Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez, former Jays farmhand (and son of Tom Cheek) Jeff Cheek This week, we honour Tom Cheek, the forever voice of the Toronto Blue Jays, on what would have been his 85th birthday. We remember the Hall of Fame broadcaster with stories and memories from Buck Martinez, who Cheek pushed toward a post-playing career behind the mic, and Tom’s youngest son, Jeff. We also look at the Cavan Biggio trade and preview Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Weekend. 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.

06/13/2024

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1h 9m
SEP 16

Why is Canada changing its immigration policy?

Guest: Nicholas Keung, Toronto Star Immigration Reporter Canada is quietly but significantly changing course on immigration. As the federal government moves to reduce the number of non-permanent residents, critics warn this may signal a harder shift in policy, with growing efforts to tighten border controls and slow down immigration processing. Questions are mounting about how these changes will affect the labour market, the economy, and the people caught in the middle. In this episode, immigration reporter Nicholas Keung explains what’s shifting, why it’s happening now, and what it could mean for Canada's future as a destination for newcomers. Produced by Paulo Marques and Sean Pattendon

Sep 16

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25 min
SEP 23

Why Toronto's garbage problem stinks for everyone

Guests: Star journalists Ben Spurr and Mahdis Habibinia The Star’s City Hall bureau has been digging deep into the garbage with its Waste Not, Want Not series, examining how Toronto handles its trash and how the choices we make shape our city. In this episode, City Hall Bureau Chief Ben Spurr explains where most of our garbage actually ends up and what options the city has next, with its main landfill nearing capacity in just over a decade. Then, reporter Mahdis Habibinia shares what she learned from Torontonians trying to live a zero-waste lifestyle, and offers some practical advice on how the rest of us can start cutting down on trash at home. Produced by Paulo Marques

Sep 23

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24 min
3D AGO

The Jays look to take top spot in the AL East in the final game of the regular season, plus Jays pitcher Tommy Nance and we open up the mail bag

Guest: Blue Jays pitcher Tommy Nance With 161 games done and the American League East still in question, we present a bonus episode of Deep Left Field. The final game of the regular season goes Sunday, and a Blue Jays home win over the Tampa Bay Rays gives them their first division title since 2015. So does a Yankees home loss against Baltimore. We talk to Tommy Nance, whose scoreless eighth inning in Saturday's Jays win whittled his ERA down to a sparkling 1.99, about how we got here, how the team is feeling going into the biggest game of the year (so far) and what he thinks of the decision to start Kevin Gausman in the season finale. As well, the mailbag at deepleftfield@thestar.ca will be open and we'll take your comments and answer your Blue Jays questions!

3d ago

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33 min
SEP 18

Kevin Gausman talks about his dominant performances, plus news of the week and we open up the mail bag

Guest: Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman Kevin Gausman has taken a huge leap forward over his past four starts, dominating the playoff-bound Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees and Houston Astros before turning in a solid September 17 performance in a 2-1 Blue Jays loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. The right-hander has a sparkling 0.90 ERA over those four starts - and just 2.30 over his past 15 outings - and he's put himself in position to be the Jays' first starter out of the gate in the post-season. The 34-year-old joins us for a wide-ranging conversation about his turnaround, being at his best when it matters the most, and this magical Blue Jays' season as they head into the playoffs. We also deal with the news of the week, including Trey Yesavage's magical major-league debut, Bo Bichette being out for at least the rest of September, Baltimore analyst Brian Roberts' ignorant comments about Canadian baseball fans, the release of one-time top prospect Orelvis Martinez and the replay controversy in Tampa. Plus, we open up the mailbag at deepleftfield@thestar.ca!

Sep 18

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1h 14m
SEP 19

How Carney’s government is shaping up

Newly minted Liberal Leader Mark Carney ran on an ambitious platform. He promised quick and bold action. But six months into his tenure as prime minister, what have Canadians witnessed? This week on “It’s Political” we’ll get a variety of viewpoints on how Carney is dealing with Trump, the economy, the environment, among other issues. Then, the Toronto Star’s Ottawa bureau will discuss the challenges this government faces in passing its agenda. Who will be Carney’s dance partner? And how does the NDP’s search for a new leader, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s review play into those considerations? Host Althia Raj is joined by politics reporters Ryan Tumilty and Raisa Patel, and the Star’s deputy Ottawa Bureau Chief Alex Ballingall. Also featured on this episode: Mark Warner, Principal at MAAW Law; economist Don Drummond, the Stauffer-Dunning fellow at Queen’s University and a fellow-in-residence at C.D. Howe; and Anna Johnston, a staff lawyer at West Coast Environmental Law. This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Kevin Sexton and Althia Raj. Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel. Some of the audio clips this week were sourced from CPAC, CBC, CTV and BBC.

Sep 19

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48 min

The Star Podcasts are part of the Toronto Star, a multi-platform news organization that informs, connects, investigates, reports and effects change. The purpose of the Toronto Star is to keep our audience informed about what matters most to them, to help make their life, community, country and world better.