This Matters

Baseball is a game of failure. The Blue Jays and a nation of fans were winners.

This Matters

Show Notes

Guest: Bruce Arthur, Columnist The Jays didn't win the world series on Saturday, after an extremely close loss to the LA Dodgers in the 11th inning - and the city is still reeling from a heartbreaking final result. Nearly 11 million Canadians tuned in on Saturday to watch the Jays try and take home the trophy for the first time in thirty-two years. Bruce Arthur, sports columnist at the Star, is here today to talk about how luck (destiny?) had a guiding hand in the series, why so many people across the city and country fell in love with this team and find this loss so heavy, and the surest way to get the Jays – and the city – back into the World Series. Produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston & Sean Pattendon

More from This Matters

Jan 19, 2026

Guest: Calvi Leon, Staff Reporter In 2002, Ryan Wedding represented Canada an Olympic snowboarder. Today, the FBI describes him as a modern-day Pablo Escobar. Alleged to be the mastermind behind a massive, violent drug trafficking empire, Wedding is now the target of a global manhunt with a $15 million bounty on his head. Star reporter Calvi Leon has been reporting on this case for years, likely longer than any other reporter. In this episode, she takes us through the chilling transformation of an elite athlete into "El Jefe."; from allegedly engineering narco-terrorism programs to orchestrating targeted murders and moving record-breaking amounts of cocaine into Canada. Calvi also brings us up to speed on the latest news of the case. Plus: We've been sitting on a secret. At the end of this episode, we can finally let you in on it. Produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Sean Pattendon

Dec 5, 2025

Guests: Toronto Star journalists Sheila Wang and Emma McIntosh A major joint investigation involving the Toronto Star, CBC/Radio-Canada, La Presse and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has uncovered more than 100 crypto-to-cash operations running across Canada, with many of them unregistered, unregulated, and openly violating anti–money laundering laws. As part of this collaboration, Star reporters went undercover to see just how easy it is to turn anonymous cryptocurrency into hard cash with no ID and no record of the transaction. In this episode, we break down how these crypto-to-cash services actually work, why experts say they pose a serious risk for money laundering, organized crime and other illicit activity, and why Canadian regulators have struggled to stop a parallel financial system that's operating in plain sight. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Sean Pattendon.

Dec 3, 2025

Guest: Ghada Alsharif, immigration and work reporter Canada's immigration system is often praised for attracting top global talent, but a new report shows the country is losing many of the highly skilled workers it says it needs most. One in five immigrants are leaving within 25 years of arriving, with the highest exit rates among those with PhDs and professional backgrounds in health care, science, and senior management. Today on This Matters, immigration and work reporter Ghada Alsharif unpacks the findings of a major new study by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and the Conference Board of Canada and what it reveals about a growing crisis Canada isn't fully reckoning with: why the people we worked hardest to bring here are now walking away. This episode was produced by Sean Pattendon

Nov 28, 2025

Guests: Toronto Star journalists Ben Mussett and Omar Mosleh A Toronto Star investigation uncovered a troubling loophole inside Meta's advertising system. Reporters Ben Mussett and Omar Mosleh found illegal drugs being advertised and sold to Canadians through paid Meta ads on Facebook and Instagram. With one click, the Star was linked to online shops offering cocaine, Oxycodone, MDMA, Xanax, ketamine and more, and discovered how easily these drugs could be ordered and shipped. The investigation raises urgent questions about Meta's ad moderation, platform safety and how drug traffickers are exploiting automated tools to reach users. Meta, the tech giant that owns Facebook and Instagram, says it has "zero tolerance" for the ads and works to find and remove the illegal drug posts. In this episode, we unpack what happened when Star journalists tested the system themselves, why Meta's detection tools aren't stopping illicit drug ads, and who these ads are targeting the most. This episode is produced by Sean Pattendon

Nov 25, 2025

Guest: Megan Ogilvie, Toronto Star health reporter A new study has found that over a million Ontarians — that's more than one in ten people with a family doctor — live far outside their physician's region, often more than 30 kilometres away. Some are driving hours just to get a check-up. Others may be skipping care altogether because of the logistics. And it's leading to worsening health outcomes; more ER visits, missed diagnoses, and care that falls through the cracks. It's a hidden layer of Ontario's primary care crisis, and one we don't talk about enough. This episode was mixed by Paulo Marques

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