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
Take me out to the ballgame
Grab some peanuts and cracker jacks! Frisco and Scott spend this special episode of Inside the Village celebrating the return of baseball just in time for the Blue Jays’ home opener on …
Debt and destruction
In the latest episode of Inside the Village, Frisco and Scott talk money. More specifically, why so many millennials are struggling with it. Our guest is insolvency trustee Ted Michalos…
Full combat at Queen’s Park
On the latest episode of Inside the Village, Frisco and Scott welcome back deputy editor Charlie Pinkerton from The Trillium — a new Village Media website dedicated to covering the Onta…
Why young people think we’re all doomed
This week on Inside the Village: The kids don’t think we’ll be alright. New research out of Lakehead University reveals that the climate crisis is having a massive impact on the mental …
Pitter patter, let’s get at ‘er!
This week on Inside the Village, Frisco and Scott cover a lot of ground. The Trillium — Village Media’s new website covering all things Queen’s Park — has hit the legislature running, b…
Village Media storms into Queen’s Park
Welcome to The Trillium, your go-to source for Queen’s Park headlines. Launched this week by Village Media, The Trillium is a comprehensive news and information website devoted exclusiv…
Bigfoot goes big time
Remember Ryan Willis? He joined Inside the Village last year to talk about his pet project: the Trent University Sasquatch Society, whose members spend their spare time searching for Bi…
48 million reasons to smile for 18 year old
On this episode: an exclusive interview with Juliette Lamour, the 18-year-old university student who came forward Friday morning to claim one of the largest jackpots in Lotto 6/49 hist…
From grieving son to mental health advocate
In the latest episode of Inside the Village, the guys sit down with Noah Irvine, a soon-to-be 23-year-old who, after the deaths of his mom and dad, spent years fighting for improvements…
Toronto street gangs venture north
On this episode of Inside the Village, the unthinkable happens: Frisco and Scott’s guest had to cancel at the last minute. But the show must go on. Thankfully, there was still lots to t…
Cyberattacks are soaring
In recent weeks, sophisticated computer hackers have infiltrated some high-profile targets, including Scouts Canada, the LCBO, and even SickKids Hospital. In Sault Ste. Marie, a ransom…
‘Catch and Release’ — Is Canada’s bail system really broken?
Frisco and Scott return for Season Two of Inside the Village. After the fatal shooting of an OPP officer last month, politicians and police chiefs decried the sorry state of Canada’s ba…
Inside the Village: A look back at the lighter side of the news
Welcome back to Inside the Village — and Part 2 of our “Year in Review.” This week, we take a look back at the lighter side of the news, from Peter Piper to Sasquatch Guy to the incompa…
Inside the Village - The year that was
Welcome back to Inside the Village, a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits. In the latest episode, Scott and Frisco take a stroll down memory lane …
The coyotes are taking over
Coyotes are everywhere these days, or so it seems. Whether it’s a city council debating how to deal with hungry coyotes in their midst — or joggers being followed by them — the wild can…
The emergency inside Ontario's emergency rooms
In the latest episode of the podcast, Frisco and Scott take a closer look at the emergency unfolding inside Ontario's emergency rooms. Wait times are up, staffing levels are down, and t…
Doug Ford goes to war with education workers
On the latest episode of Inside the Village, we explore the looming labour war between the Ford government and 55,000 of the province’s education workers, including librarians, secretar…
Gouged at the grocery store
On the latest episode of Inside the Village, Frisco and Scott take a closer look at your skyrocketing grocery bill. Mike von Massow, a food economist at the University of Guelph, explai…
Lost in the line of duty
On episode 21 of Inside the Village, Frisco and Scott talk about the tragic shooting that claimed the lives of two South Simcoe police officers. Our guest is Peter Leon, a retired OPP o…
Sex work should not be a crime
Has the time come to finally decriminalize prostitution? That question is now in the hands of a Toronto judge after a landmark constitutional challenge. This week on Inside the Village,…