Ontario Today

All podcast episodes

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When the media crosses the line

Whether it is a bus crash in Ottawa or victims of a gas attack in Syria, how close is too close when it comes to covering the news? Open lines with CBC's Director of Journalistic Standards David Studer.

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Dying with dignity

Doctors are reluctant to talk about it. Government rejects it. But 20 years after Sue Rodriguez asked, 'Who owns my life?" the debate lives on. Why do you care so deeply about euthanasia?

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Gardening: Bee-friendly gardening

Bees are dying in the millions but gardeners can help. Ed Lawrence describes what you can do.

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Beekeepers call for a pesticide ban

Millions of bees are dying. Ontario beekeepers say without a pesticide ban their businesses will die too. Grain farmers say a ban would hurt their industry. What's at stake for you in this battle over bees?

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The cost of excellence in sports

Can we afford to spend what it takes to be the very best? When has your family had to make hard choices in pursuit of the dream?

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Is it time to ban solitary confinement?

Christina Jahn spent 200 days in segregation in an Ottawa jail. Now the Ontario government is promising change after settling a human rights case with her.

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The fate of Blackberry

The heyday is over. The smartphone giant has shrunk. Do you you care?. What does it mean for you? and for high tech innovation in this country?

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Weighing risk

How do you manage risks when you are far away from home. What is danger? How much is perceived, and how much is real?

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Gardening with Ed Lawernce; The Emerald Ash Borer

Gardening phon in with Ed Lawernce: The Emerald Ash Borer

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Payday loans, sky-high interest rates

The Province is reviewing its legislation on payday loans. And the Minister of Consumer Affairs Tracy MacCharles is taking your calls. This is your chance to tell the provincial government how you

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When shopping goes too far

Bad day at work. Feeling lonely. Going shopping can cheer you up. But then one pair of shoes leads to another. And it turns into an endless cycle of buying to feel better.

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Aftermath of Ottawa crash

In the wake of a tragic bus crash in Ottawa, what is running through your mind today?

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Minimum wage tied to inflation

Ontario Chamber of Commerce wants min wage tied to inflation: What would that mean to your small business?

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Free trade, Verizon and you

Verizon has backed off. Now business leaders say it's time for Canada to fish or cut bait on the EU FTA. Is foreign competition good for you?

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Gardening: Growing a taste of home

Ottawa farmers, originally from Haiti, grow red amaranth to get a little taste of home. Plus gardening advice with Ed Lawrence.

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Snakes

Frightening, fascinating, and increasingly popular. Why do you own a snake?

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Fast food and healthy?

Fast food restaurants increasingly market themselves as a healthy choice. But do you actually choose the healthy stuff? Why do you eat fast food?

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Pro-rape chants

In the light of day, the pro-rape chants students at St. Mary's University and UBC sang are wrong. But being politically incorrect can be fun. Vulgar gets a laugh. When did it go too far for you?

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Quebec's ban of public employees wearing religious symbols

There's been an uproar over Quebec's ban of public employees wearing religious symbols. Why you can't ignore this story here in Ontario

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When is a name offensive?

Ottawa DJ Ian Campeau has filed a human rights complaint over a football team known as the Nepean Redskins. Campeau's group, A Tribe Called Red, has a song called a Red Skin Girl. When does it cross the line for you?

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Changes to physiotherapy for seniors

Physiotherapists predicted a rough transition as seniors switch from OHIP-funded clinics to homecare and exercise classes. How has the change affected you?

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Is gaming good for you?

Brain scientists think videos games can be good for you. Others warn about anti-social behaviour and even addiction.

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Can we make daycare better?

The death of a toddler at an unlicensed home daycare in Vaughn this summer has sharpened the focus on safety. For most families needing childcare, the only option is unlicensed care. Can we do better?

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Why Your Kids Hate School

Educator and author Michael Reist has dedicated his latest book to every child who hates going to school. It's called What Every Parent Needs to Know About School. It's an appeal to adults, that we can do better.

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Gardening: Pasquale's garden

Pasquale Bruni spent 50 years building a garden, with an outdoor oven, a fountain, a treehouse, a wine press and enough produce to open his own market. Hear Ed Lawrence's tour.

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Rising mortgage rates

Rethinking a purchase? Nervous about renewing? How are you affected by rising mortgage rates?

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Response to Syria

As international powers debate how to punish Syria for a gas attack, we ask what role Canada should play.

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Caught with pot

Did you end up with a criminal record? A stern lecture? Or did police turn a blind eye? What happened when police caught you with marijuana?

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Bras

The history, the politics and the personal stories around a lacy feat in engineering.

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Diffusing violence

The shooting death of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim has prompted protests, investigations and a call for a change that will stop the killings. What does it take to de-escalate a violent situation? More tasers? Psychiatrists on the front line?

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Gardening: Ponds

A pond can add a lot of pizzazz to a garden. But it can also be a bit tricky. Ed Lawrence`s advice on how to keep the plants and fish thriving.

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The cost of kids

An Ontario economist says that while some parents spend $10,000 per year and more on their children that doesn't reflect what parents need to spend. What does it really cost to raise a child?

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Why you cheated

We call it "cheating" because of an underlying assumption that human beings are naturally monogamous. But if that's the case, it's remarkably common for people to go against their natural instincts. Why did you cheat on your partner?

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Anxiety and depression on campus

This is a conversation you want to have before school starts. A troubling number of students on Ontario campuses is struggling with anxiety and depression. What makes it so hard?

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Neighbours from hell

What are your legal options when you and your neighbour don't get along? Lawyer James Morton answers listeners' questions.

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The challenge of integrating children with autism

An anonymous letter complaining about a 13 year old boy with autism prompts a conversation about the misunderstanding and fear that persists around autism.

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Open lines with Premier Wynne

Kathleen Wynne returns to Ontario Today to field your questions on everything from gas plants and deleted emails to economy.

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Gardening: Best way to stake tomatoes

By this point in the summer, tomato and cucumber plants are weighted down with ripening fruit. What's the best way to stake your veggies when they've outgrown their cages?We'll ask Ed Lawrence, Ontario Today's resident gardener.

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Postpartum depression and where you live

A study in the CMAJ found women in large cities have a higher risk of postpartum depression than women in smaller communities. What impact did isolation have on you?

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Pro sport and women

A lot of sports is marketed to men. What do you think of the way pro sport treats its female fans?

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Concussions

Doctors say they're seeing more concussions than ever before. Knowing what you know now about concussions, what would you have done differently?

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Money Savvy Kids

When it comes to money, it seems kids don't fall far from the tree. Just like their parents, they don't save. They don't budget. What do you wish your kids understood about a dollar?

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Home renovation: How to keep on budget

Jorge Rodrigues, Ontario Today's resident contractor, answers questions about summer renovation projects.

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Pamela Wallin and the role of a senator

Senator Pamela Wallin says she wanted to be an activist senator, one who saw it as her job to advance causes that are important to Canadians. What do the latest revelations about the Senate tell you about the job of a senator?

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Are you resigned to doping in sport?

Alex Rodrigues, the highest paid player in major league baseball, is facing suspensions along with 12 other players in the single biggest drug investigation in baseball history. Does doping in sport matter anymore?

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Gardening: Improving the soil in your flower bed

Got a whole lot of plants and shrubs in your flowerbed? Ed Lawrence explains how to improve the soil around them.

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Bingeing on TV

A-listers are flocking to television rather than movies. TV watchers are bingeing on entire seasons. How has video-on-demand changed how we watch.

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Backyard chickens

What's wrong with keeping a few laying hens in the backyard? The author of City Farmer: Adventures in Urban Food Growing takes your calls.

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Whistleblowers

More employers are making it easier for people to report cases of fraud and theft at work. When have you been or wanted to be a whistleblower at work?

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Wheat Belly - How has giving up wheat changed your life?

Dr. William Davis, cardiologist and bestselling author of "Wheat Belly", takes your phone calls.

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The hardships of moving out for the first time

Many students are preparing to head to university the first time, but are they ready? Are their parents ready to let go?

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Gardening phone-in

Tips on keeping rabbits and other four-legged creatures from eating your garden veggies.

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Ontario Byelections

We hear from some of the winning candidates and are joined by a political veteran.

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What is your favourite show tune?

Warm up those vocal chords. We are going to celebrate show tunes. Our special guest is Cynthia Dale, one of Canada's most accomplished actresses and musical theatre performers. What is your favourite show tune?

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Hitting the open road

Are you hitting the open road this summer? It can be a pricey option given the cost of gas. But it offers a freedom few modes of transport can. We want your road stories.

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Why do you eat on the street?

Food trucks are already in operation in cities like Ottawa and Hamilton. In Toronto - they'll be set up in 5 city parks starting August 1. What do you like about food trucks?

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Celebrating Ed Lawrence's 31st anniversary with Ontario Today

We are celebrating his 31st anniversary with Ontario Today. We surprised Ed on-air with his likeness made by puppeteer Noreen Young. Ed is the VIP Guest of Honour for the upcoming Puppets Up! Festival in Almonte.

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Appearance at Work. When can what you look like become a problem?

A woman in the U.S. was fired by her boss for being too attractive. How important is appearance where you work? When can what you look like become a problem?

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A little boy named George Alexander Louis has no idea what's waiting for him

Right now, he's enjoying quiet time with his parents but those parents just happen to be the future King and Queen of Britain and of course, Canada. What difference does the monarchy make?

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What is it like to be a juror or a witness?

Much of what we know about the justice system often comes from U.S. television or from high-profile American trials but what happens in Canadian courts? What is it like to be a juror or a witness?

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What are the secrets of a long and healthy life?

In 2011, it was estimated almost a quarter of a million Canadians were 90 or older, twice as many as a decade ago. What are the secrets of a long and healthy life? And are we ready for the associated costs?

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Minimum wage

How are you managing on $10.25 an hour?

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Gardening advice from Ed Lawrence

Gardening advice from Ed Lawrence. Caller's mystery solved.

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Youth unemployment

A recent CIBC report found young Canadians are at a growing risk of chronic unemployment. How is your job search going?

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Domestic abuse goes high tech.

Your phone and computer can be used to track and control. When has technology become a problem in your relationship?

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When a language disappears

Expresssions, documents, a sense of community, all lose meaning when a language is not passed on to the next generation. What did your family lose when it lost a language?

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Basement a mess after the flood?

Ontario Today's resident contractor Jorge Rodrigues answers questions about cleaning up, rebuilding and renovating.

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The rising cost of police

Salaries keep going up. Police budgets are big ticket items for municipalities..Many say they can`t afford it anymore. Something has to give but what?

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Gardening: Eating from your garden

Advice from Ed Lawrence on heat waves and harvests.

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Leaders in a crisis

The head of a US rail company has been criticized for how he responded to the people of Lac Megantic. When have you been impressed by a leader in a crisis?

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Fired from Walmart after dog complaint

Carla Cheney says she was fired for telling a customer not to leave a dog locked in a hot vehicle. Walmart denies that. But employment lawyer Janice Rubin says there is no such thing as free speech at work.

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Compassion clubs

Shops that sell marijuana operate in a legal grey zone. Medical marijuana has been legal since 2001. But how you get it is more complicated. What concerns do you have about compassion clubs?

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Vet: Ticks, plus the homeless and their pets

Ticks like this hot humid weather. Ontario Today's resident vet explains what to do if your dog picks up a tick. Plus, helping the homeless care for their pets.

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Lessons from investments gone wrong

More than a hundred people say they've have lost thousands of dollars as a rent-to-own housing company goes into receivership.

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Open lines with Paul Anka

Canada's crooner shares the stories of his remarkable life and career in his new autobiography My Way. He takes callers' questions for the hour on Ontario Today.

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Questions about rail safety

As investigators search for answers in the wake of the rail disaster at Lac-Megantic, a look at the questions this accident raises.

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Stories from the Toronto flood

Trains flooded. Power knocked out. Geisers shooting out of manholes. Passengers rescued in boats. And drivers waist deep in water. Your stories the day after an entire month's worth of rain came down in two hours.

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Preparing for climate change

In the wake of the flooding in Calgary, a look at how prepared you are for natural disasters. Our guest predicts many Canadian homes will be un-insurable one day.

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The enduring appeal of the Beatles

It's been almost 50 years since the Beatles landed in North America and Paul McCartney is still playing to sold out shows. What is it about this music? What have the Beatles meant to you? Guitarist J

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[mp3 file: runs 00:25:48]

The enduring appeal of the Beatles

It's been almost 50 years since the Beatles landed in North America and Paul McCartney is still playing to sold out shows. What is it about this music? What have the Beatles meant to you? Guitarist J

Download The enduring appeal of the Beatles
[mp3 file: runs 00:25:48]