The Agenda with Steve Paikin (Audio)

Ontario's minimum wage rose to $17.20 from $16.55 on October 1, an increase of almost 4 percent based on the province's consumer price index. But advocates argue that the wage is still too low in places with a higher cost of living. There's even a movement to introduce a living wage, one that is indexed to local costs. Minimum wage workers in Toronto and Hamilton for example would be paid more per hour than those in Sudbury or Thunder Bay. But business owners say that they can't be expected to bear the sole cost of increasing wages. Some say that the government has a bigger role to play in helping low-wage workers improve their skills to graduate better paying jobs. So, what is the best way to support Ontario's low-wage workers?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As tipping creeps into more and more of our transactions, some restaurants have bucked the trend and ended the practice all together. It means higher prices on the menus and more costs for the restaurants' owners, but they say it is a better and more fair way to treat their employees. How are these eateries faring in a time when the industry is already struggling with rising costs, labour shortages and shifting consumer habits?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an era of growing geopolitical tensions paralleled by deepening digitalization of economies and societies, has technology become the new battleground in the geopolitical quest for power? Host Steve Paikin asks: George Takach (author, "Cold War 2.0: Artificial Intelligence in the New Battle Between China, Russia and America"), Rachel Ziemba (Center for a New American Security), and Bessma Momani (University of Waterloo). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pakistani-Canadian journalist Sadiya Ansari investigates the life of her mysterious grandmother Tahira, who leaves her children to follow a lover in post-Partition Pakistan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the trenches of Korea to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, "Forgotten War" has detailed these post-World War II conflicts through the eyes of Canadian veterans who were there. But do Canadians know much if anything about this history? Has our peacekeeping past become more myth than reality? And from the days as a middle power punching above our weight, has Canada lost its place in the world? For the final episode of "Forgotten War", Steve Paikin and a panel of historians consider Canada's relationship with this history and the increasingly unstable world we face in 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Battle of Britain was one of the hardest fought in the Second World War. In "Battle of Britain: Canadian Airmen in Their Finest Hour," historian Ted Barris details how Canadian flyers were vital in the battle and helped win it alongside their British counterparts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Agenda's week in review looks at the evolution of Holocaust education, the return of Donald Trump to the presidency, one woman's crusade against intimate partner violence, and the complicated meaning behind the term "Black Excellence".See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With hashtags or even school programs called Black Excellence, a term that praises Black individuals for their accomplishments, is it time to have more conversation about the constructed and racialized societal expectations of what it means to be an exceptional Black person? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After the Second World War Yugoslavia and its six republics were unified under the communist rule of Josip Broz Tito. But by the early 1990s it all came undone. More than 100,000 people were killed in the Yugoslav wars for independence, many through deliberate campaigns of ethnic cleansing. What happened? Why did Serbs, Bosnian Muslims, and Croats descend into civil war? And what role exactly did UN peacekeepers have to play during an on-going war? Episode four of "Forgotten War" explores the history of the Yugoslav wars for independence along with guest Sandra Perron. She was Canada's first female infantry officer and deployed to both Bosnia and Croatia. Perron explains the difficulty of being a peacekeeper "when there is no peace to keep," the ethnic tensions that exploded throughout the region, and the personal battle she had within a military that wasn't ready to accept women in combat roles. This video was made in partnership with Canada Company. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lawyer and activist Pamela Cross has been at the forefront of helping survivors of intimate partner violence for 30 years. She shares her insights on the problems and solutions to addressing IPV in her new book. It's called: "And Sometimes They Kill You: Confronting the Epidemic of Intimate Partner Violence." Pamela Cross joins Steve Paikin to discuss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leading up to election day, the race for the next president of the United States of America has been closely tied. Now, a day after the most important night of the year for Americans, what can we expect for the future of American democracy? The Agenda invites top experts in political and election science to discuss a Trump presidency.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Haliburton Sculpture Forest, the largest sculpture forest in Ontario, is home to kilometres of paths bordered by artworks of all kinds. Visitors of all ages are welcome to engage with the works by touching, climbing, and enjoying nature and art free of charge.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year's annual Golden Rescue Picnic, in Peterborough Ontario, is competing for two Guiness World Book Records: The Most Golden Retrievers Married and The Biggest Dog Cake. Find out if they win and why the heck a cuddly Golden Retriever needs a rescue organization in the first place. And wait... is that Lloyd Robertson in a gold robe officiating the wedding? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do we have an addiction to fame in Canada, is it even possible? TVO joins the hilarious Connie Wang on the red carpet at TO Webfest, where our up-and-coming stars and creators of tomorrow go to support each other. We ask filmmakers why fame in Canada feels so elusive and what really drives them to create. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite the challenges facing theatres in the streaming age, Toronto's Revue Cinema was thriving with sold-out shows and a devoted audience. But when their lease renewal fell through, the future of Canada's oldest operating cinema was suddenly in doubt.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a time where Jews are the most represented group in reported hate crimes in Canada, learning about the history of the Holocaust is essential. How do we ensure that people have an accurate understanding of this dark period of history, and what will educators do differently when there are no survivors left to tell their stories firsthand?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Military historian Tim Cook takes readers through key moments for Canadians during the Second World War as prime minister Mackenzie King and president Franklin D. Roosevelt forged a new relationship to help Britain and the allies. His book is called "The Good Allies: How Canada and the United States Fought Together to Defeat Fascism During the Second World War."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In "Playing Shylock", an actor starring in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" is interrupted and told the show has been cancelled. From there, we get a monologue about having difficult conversations through art, Jewish identity, and spending a lifetime on stage. The actor is none other than Saul Rubinek.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the Egyptians and Persians to the Romans and even Alexander the Great, the island of Cyprus has been ruled by a revolving door of empires. Today, it is partitioned between Turkish and Greek Cypriots. How did we get here? What caused this island to be carved into two? And why does it remain divided? With animated maps and guest Major-General Alain Forand, this episode of Forgotten War digs into the millennia-old history of Cyprus and the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974 that led to its partition. This video was made in partnership with Canada Company. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In "How to Lose a Country", Turkish political thinker Ece Temelkuran examines the rise of populism and nationalism around the world. And given the international climate of late, we thought we'd invite her on The Agenda with Steve Paikin, to discuss her book and the themes that are so resonant today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.