The Star

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Channel • 13 Shows

Baseball

Baseball

Updated weekly
Investing

Investing

Updated weekly
Investing

Investing

Updated weekly
Automotive

Automotive

Weekly series
Health & Fitness

Health & Fitness

Updated weekly
News

News

Updated 17/11/2023
Documentary

Documentary

Weekly series

19/04/2025

Who won the debates? Our "recovering partisans" weigh in

With less than two weeks left until election day, the leaders' debates were a crucial time for the parties to make a pitch to voters and take their opponents down a peg. Our panel of 'recovering partisans' weighs in on the highlights of the debates and the Leaders' Debate Commission's decision to exclude the Green Party and accredit right-wing "media" to the debates. In this episode: Karen Vecchio, outgoing Conservative MP for Elgin—Middlesex—London; David Christopherson, the former NDP MP for Hamilton Centre; Kristina Michaud, the outgoing Bloc Quebecois MP for Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia; and Rodger Cuzner, the former Liberal MP for Cape Breton—Canso, and now an independent Senator. Hosted by Althia Raj. "It's Political" is produced by Althia Raj and Kevin Sexton. Kevin also mixed this episode. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel. Some of the audio clips this week were sourced from CPAC and CBC.

19/04/2025

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41 min
17/12/2025

Why do kids have so much trouble with math?

Year after year, EQAO scores show our kids are having a tough time with math. It's a vexing problem for schools and a concerning one for these students' futures. By why is it such an issue? Who's to blame? Is it fixable? Vanessa Vakharia (aka: The Math Guru) is one of Ontario's best math tutors. She talks about what's going on and what can be done. If you're a parent of a kid in school, you're going to want to hear this one.

17/12/2025

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35 min
26/09/2025

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

26/09/2025

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31 min
8 JAN

Rookie councillor on the joys and frustrations of city hall

It's been roughly three months since Rob Cooper was elected and sworn in as a member of Hamilton city council. That made this the perfect time to chat with him about figuring out how to navigate city hall and talk about the things that frustrate him in his new role. (Hint: at the top of the list is strong-mayor powers) A few more months from now, everything will be old hat to him. Right now, though, the gig is fresh and the eye-opening has just begun. So what are those things that he feels he can do to make a difference and where does he feel his power has been taken from him?

8 Jan

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41 min
18/12/2025

Welcome Cody Ponce, the Jays newly signed pitcher

Guests: New Blue Jays pitcher Cody Ponce, former Blue Jays pitcher Jay Jackson This week in Deep Left Field, we meet Cody Ponce, the right-hander the Jays signed earlier this month who is coming off the greatest season ever pitched in the Korea Baseball Organization. Ponce was introduced to the Toronto media this week, and we have highlights from that conversation, including what drew him to the Jays, his relationship with Hyun-Jin Ryu, what's changed since he was drummed out of the big leagues in 2021 and his deep and abiding love for all things Star Wars. Also, Jay Jackson joins us to give us an update on baby JR, who spent the first few months of his life in the NICU while his dad was pitching for the Blue Jays and is now a healthy, happy 2 1/2-year-old. Jackson also fills us in on new Jays acquisition Tyler Rogers, with whom he pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 2021, and gives some straight talk on how he believes the Jays have handled Bo Bichette's free agency so far. Plus, we open the mailbag at deepleftfield@thestar.ca - keep those cards and letters coming!

18/12/2025

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59 min
05/10/2025

Breaking down the Blue Jays' Game 1 blowout of the Yankees, plus a playoff mailbag

On this playoff bonus episode of Deep Left Field, we go over the Blue Jays' blowout of the New York Yankees in Game 1 of their ALDS on Saturday, the Jays' first post-season win in nine years and one that snapped a seven-game playoff losing streak. Many demons were slayed, especially by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who doubled his career playoff hit total and tripled his career playoff RBI total in a game that also included his first-ever post-season home run. Also, we open up the mailbag to talk playoff roster, pitching rotation, the crowd, the vibes, the white-panel hats and more!

05/10/2025

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30 min
23/10/2025

Local hockey fixture Don Robertson joins Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame

This week, five new members of the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame were inducted. Among them was longtime hockey fixture Don Robertson. In a chat with Placeline Hamilton about minor pro leagues and teams back in the day when Slap Shot felt less like a fictional movie and more like a documentary, Don tells some tales. About fans and players brawling in the stands, players who could barely skate and even one incident in Collingwood that's almost too ridiculous to be true.

23/10/2025

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43 min
19/10/2025

Jays must win or the season will come to a close

Guest: Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman For the first time this year, the Blue Jays will take the field knowing that if they lose, their season is over. The Jays dug themselves a huge hole by losing the first two games of the American League championship series at home against the Seattle Mariners, but they went up to the Pacific Northwest and evened up the series before their gut-wrenching loss in Game 5. In today's playoff bonus episode of Deep Left Field, Jays' closer Jeff Hoffman joins us to describe watching Friday's eighth-inning meltdown from the bullpen, and what he had to say to Brendon Little and Seranthony Dominguez after the fact. We also open the mailbag at deepleftfield@the star.ca to answer your Jays' questions and read your comments. Make sure you keep sending them in after Game 6!

19/10/2025

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51 min
21/11/2025

If Canada went to war, could our hospitals cope? A simulation in Toronto revealed alarming gaps

Guest: Bruce Arthur, Toronto Star columnist In a high-stakes war games exercise held in Toronto, top military officials, health-care leaders, and government representatives gathered behind closed doors to game out a scenario few Canadians can ever imagine; war arriving on our doorstep. The exercise, called Canada Paratus, was a joint initiative led by the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, in collaboration with the Canadian Armed Forces, the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research, St. Michael's Hospital, and other military-focused organizations. This wasn't about battlefield tactics, but about what happens when Canada's fragile health-care system is pushed to the brink. From mass casualties to logistical chaos, the simulation revealed uncomfortable truths about just how unprepared we are and what it could mean if Canada were drawn into a global conflict where hospitals, not just troops, have to hold the line. This episode was produced by Sean Pattendon

21/11/2025

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30 min
21/04/2023

As the leaker requested, a conversation on foreign interference

In an op-ed in the Globe and Mail last month, that newspaper's confidential national security source explained why they decided to leak secret documents on China's interference attempts. They wrote they had hoped to spur a much deeper discussion about foreign interference and how to combat it, but were disappointed the conversation had become "marked by ugliness and division." So this week on "It's Political," we're giving the leaker what they want: a serious conversation about foreign interference. First, national security expert Wesley Wark walks us through the controversy, the leaks, the government's response and what we should make of it all. Then, Carleton University associate professor and former national security analyst Stephanie Carvin joins us along with former CSIS director Ward Elcock to tackle the question of whether the government really is doing enough to counter the problem. In this episode: Stephanie Carvin, associate professor of International Relations at Carleton University's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs; Ward Elcock, former director of CSIS; Mehmet Tohti, co-founder of the World Uyghur Congress; Wesley Wark, senior fellow of the Centre for International Governance Innovation Hosted by Althia Raj. Clips were sourced from Global News, CBC, CPAC, CTV News, the House of Commons, Australian Federal Police and CBS. "It's Political" is produced by Althia Raj and Michal Stein. Kevin Sexton mixed the program. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

21/04/2023

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1h 6m

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.