Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered conversations that matter
Detalls del Canal
Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered conversations that matter
In cities and towns across Ontario — and at Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill — our journalists work for you. Their mission is to dig for answers and tell you what they find. This new podcast from Village Media — ‘Closer Look’ — is all about the stories we tell. Every weeknight, hosts Michael Friscol...
Episodis Recents
226 episodis
Injury time: Hosting the World Cup will put huge pressure on our hospitals
Send us a text
The beautiful game could have some ugly consequences for Canadian hospitals.
As Canada prepares to co-host the World Cup —...
The truth about human trafficking looks nothing like the movies
Send us a text
How widespread is human trafficking in Ontario? Consider some of the headlines that appeared on our local news sites in the past...
Yes, Canada does need to prepare for possibility of U.S. military action
Send us a text
U.S. President Donald Trump appears determined to take over Greenland — “one way or the other,” as he recently put it.
Trum...
Why there’s reason for hope amid Ontario’s rising rates of homelessness
Send us a text
A new report confirms what many of us already see with our own eyes: the homelessness crisis in Ontario is getting even worse.
School board chair booted by Ford government has warning for province
Send us a text
At some point soon, the Ford government will reveal its plan for school trustees across the province.
Education Minister Pa...
What 'super-agers' can teach us about growing old
Send us a text
January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, which is why you might be noticing a lot of discussion lately about education, reducing s...
The pandemic is long over, but a new report reveals we’re far from alright
Send us a text
The pandemic is long over, but the negative effects still linger.
A new survey reveals that five years after COVID-19 thrus...
Mushroom coffins now a thing — is human composting next for Ontario?
Send us a text
Even in death, some people still worry about their carbon footprint. Which explains the growing popularity of “green burials” — a...
Penalties for impaired driving just got tougher — will it make any difference?
Send us a text
If you’re going to drink and drive in Ontario, be prepared to face some harsher penalties.
New provincial rules that took e...
Is the Ford government actually going to scrap school trustees?
Send us a text
As of today, the Ford government has taken control of six school boards across the province — using words like “incompetence,” “m...
‘Canada is not for sale’: How a patriotic hat became so much more
Send us a text
Even now, months later, Liam Mooney has a hard time believing just how fast everything came together.
One day, he and his w...
Will new grocery code of conduct actually help lower your shopping bill?
Send us a text
Years in the making, Canada’s new “grocery code of conduct” is finally in place. The enforcement powers officially kicked in on J...
This story about a lost sweater is the sliver of hope you need today
Send us a text
Have you seen this missing sweater? The family that’s desperately trying to find it has done everything possible to...
From unsolved crimes to cloned meat, our new podcast covers it all
Send us a text
In cities and towns across Ontario (and at Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill) our journalists work for you. Their mi...
Australia is banning kids from social media — should we do the same?
Send us a text
Australia has become the first country in the world to ban social media for kids under 16 — a move welcomed by plen...
How police tracked down a serial killer they didn’t even know existed
Send us a text
For decades, a serial killer in Ontario went completely unnoticed. No one had any idea he even existed.
His v...
'What everyone at Queen's Park can't stop talking about'
Send us a text
The Ontario Legislature has adjourned for the Christmas break — until March 23. (Yes, you read that right.)
B...
Not even gift cards are safe from scammers
Send us a text
Buying some gift cards for Christmas? Don’t get scammed.
Like so much else these days, gift cards have become...
Tip of the iceberg’: Human trafficking in Canada much worse than stats show
Send us a text
How widespread is human trafficking in Canada? Two new reports offer the clearest evidence yet.
According to Statistics Can...
Beware: These billboards are watching you
Send us a text
Imagine looking at a billboard — then realizing it’s watching you back.
That’s exactly what’s happening near...
Should Ontario sell its stash of U.S. booze and give the cash to charity?
Send us a text
Cheers to charity? That’s what the Ford government is being urged to do.
For months, the LCBO has been sittin...
Holy Mackinaw! Leafs broadcasting legend Joe Bowen stops by our podcast
Send us a text
For more than four decades, Joe Bowen’s unmistakable voice has been the soundtrack of Leafs Nation. But this season...
Do you play in a lottery group? Keep good records
Send us a text
This lottery winner will need to spend a portion of his prize on a defence lawyer.
A 70-year-old Toronto man is facing thef...
How is it even possible to shoplift $1.3M worth of booze from the LCBO?
Send us a text
Earlier this year, the Retail Council of Canada released an alarming report about a "national crisis" facing its me...
Your grocery bill is going to keep climbing
Send us a text
Don’t expect the new year to ring in lower grocery bills.
The latest edition of Canada’s Food Price Report, p...
'500 patients a day? Audit uncovers some fishy billing by Ontario doctors'
Send us a text
Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcas...
Pet raccoon? Don’t trash the idea until you watch this
Send us a text
Raccoons as pets? Don’t laugh.
A new study has found that urban raccoons have shorter snouts compared to their rural counte...
What we discovered about the long-term care homes in your community
Send us a text
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed a harsh truth about Ontario’s long-term care homes: many were woefully understaffed,...
Your local grocery store won’t be forced to collect empties after all
Send us a text
Cheers to compromise.
Ontario grocers and The Beer Store have reached a tentative deal on a problem that’s be...
‘Nothing has changed’: New data, same old problems with hospital wait times
Send us a text
Back in September, our podcast featured an emotional interview with Hazel van der Werken, a grieving mother who is...
A polar vortex is on the way! Here’s everything you need to know
Send us a text
If you don’t have your winter clothes ready to go, dig them out. Frigid temperatures are on the way.
A polar...
‘It’s time to admit what you did’: Who was driving the truck that killed Loni Chum?
Send us a text
This week, the OPP announced a major development in an unsolved mystery that devastated a small community in northe...
In trade war with U.S., Canada is winning the battle for tourists
Send us a text
When it comes to our lingering trade war with the United States, reassuring headlines are hard to find. But here’s...
Dalton McGuinty has a book full of advice for every politician in Canada
Send us a text
Whatever your opinion of Dalton McGuinty, this much is difficult to dispute: the man knows a thing or two about lea...
Why communities everywhere are banning candy tossing at parades
Send us a text
We cover a lot of different issues on this podcast: some extremely serious, some much lighter. Today’s topic can fa...
Cloned meat could be coming to a grocery store near you — without labels
Send us a text
Would you buy a steak or pork chop that came from a cloned animal?
In the new year, you might end up doing j...
Why we’re asking you to help fund our investigative journalism
Send us a text
If you follow Ontario politics, you’ve no doubt heard of the Skills Development Fund (SDF). One of the Ford governm...
How fraudsters cashed in on the legacy of a beloved Canadian artist
Send us a text
Spanning many years, the scheme grew into one of the largest art frauds in Canadian history: thousands of fakes bea...
50-year mortgage? Don’t bank on Trump’s big idea coming here
Send us a text
U.S. President Donald Trump is floating a controversial idea to help more Americans achieve home ownership: 50-year...
This Ontario man says ChatGPT sent him spiralling into ‘AI psychosis’
Send us a text
Leery of AI chatbots? This podcast episode definitely won’t dispel your fears.
OpenAI, the company that creat...