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 Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith go beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.
- Update frequency
- every 8 days
- Average duration
- 31 minutes
- Episodes
- 139
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
GST holiday? Not everyone is celebrating
It’s a tough time to be a small business owner in Canada. Surviving the pandemic was a massive hurdle in any community, town or city. Now, the stakes seem just as high with the impact o…
You throw like a girl! Damn right
A new report says girls are closing the gap with boys when it comes to playing organized sports in Canada. A full 63 per cent of girls are playing sports weekly, compared to 68 per cent…
The Taylor effect: Eras Tour hits Toronto
When all is said and done, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour will have grossed over $2.2 billion. Every community on her tour has cashed in the concerts — including Toronto, where Swift is about…
EXCLUSIVE: Justin Trudeau joins us for a chat — and insists he has no intention of quitting
Talk about good timing. On the heels of a caucus revolt, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sat down with Frisco and Scott for a wide-ranging interview that was scheduled well in advance of …
Here’s a topic nobody is talking about: housing
Is it time to give up the dream of homeownership? Amid skyrocketing prices, scarce supply and longer mortgage terms, the goal of owning a home is slipping away from many Canadians — esp…
The cost of getting cancer can be staggering
Fighting cancer is hard enough. When the bills pile up, it’s that much worse. Anyone who has been touched by cancer knows it turns your life upside down — forcing people to take time of…
Code Blue: Hallway health care in Ontario getting worse
Internal government data shows that in January, nearly 2,000 patients per day were kept in ‘unconventional spaces’ like hallways and break rooms in Ontario hospitals — the highest numbe…
Huge court settlement rights historic wrong
After years of court battles, the federal and provincial governments recently reached a $10-billion settlement with beneficiaries of the Robinson Huron Treaty. Simply put, members of th…
The overdose crisis is about to get a whole lot worse
As expected, the Ford government has announced it is shutting down multiple supervised drug consumption sites across the province — and banning all new ones. For harm-reduction advocate…
Running on Empty: Ontario hospital workers have nothing left in the tank
An alarming new study is out that shines a bright spotlight on the staffing crisis in Ontario hospitals. One of the study’s co-authors is Dr. James Brophy, a researcher at the Universit…
Looking Back: The midway point of season three of ITV
This week on the show, somehow Frisco had some holidays approved so Scott and Derek have taken over the show. Given that it's the halfway point of the season, they decided to look back …
In search of “super agers” — the rare people who never seem to grow old
Do you know a super ager? Maybe you are one? To be honest, we hadn’t even heard of the term until a few days ago — but we wanted to learn more, so we reached out to a person who knows a…
Money 101: The real reason financial literacy is now mandatory in high school
This week on Inside the Village, Frisco and Scott talk dollars and cents — and more specifically, whether high school students in Ontario know enough about how money works. The Ford gov…
What the puck? Way fewer Canadian kids are playing hockey these days
Frisco and Scott are back for another week of Inside the Village — and in the thick of the Stanley Cup finals, it’s only fitting that they talk some hockey. More specifically, why are f…
Not everyone is smiling about Canada’s new national dental care program
The federal government recently introduced its new Canadian Dental Care Plan, with the goal of providing oral health care to all. But so far, not everyone is smiling. Thousands of denti…
Big phish: Inside the multi-billion dollar fraud industry
From grandparent scams to romance frauds, phishing has become a daily part of life — forcing all of us to be constantly looking over our “digital shoulder.” Last year alone, Canadians l…
School unplugged? We dissect Ontario’s new cellphone ban
Education Minister Stephen Lecce has announced a “comprehensive” crackdown on cellphones in schools that will take effect in September. According to the new rules, kids in kindergarten …
Yes, Gerry Dee was a real teacher
From Mr. D to Family Feud Canada, Gerry Dee has made audiences laugh from coast to coast. This week, the teacher-turned-comedian really hits the big time: a guest spot on Inside the Vil…
Is the justice system broken? We ask a judge
A rare chance to draw back the curtain this week on Inside the Village as Frisco and Scott go one-on-one with retired Ontario judge Norm Douglas. After years as a respected prosecutor w…
A social network that’s actually social? We’re building it
On this episode of Inside the Village, we really take you Inside the Village — to talk about a massive project that Village Media has been toiling away at behind the scenes. It’s called…