On The Record – S8E5 – What should voters know heading into the fall election?
This semester’s podcast focuses on municipal politics in the GTA because our next election is coming up on October 26th, 2026 (https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/elections/city-elections/).
Today’s big question is: Cities vote on big thematic issues like transit, traffic, housing and the police services – what should voters know heading into the fall election in terms of these big-ticket issues?
This episode OTR dives into the 18.9 billion dollar pot of gold that runs Toronto. We strip back the municipal campaign posters to look at why the TTC is frozen, why the traffic is stagnant, and where that record-breaking police budget is actually going. This is the reality check every voter needs before hitting the polls this October.
We interviewed Rakesh Mehta (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rakesh-mehta-642a45a/), a housing expert and real estate agent in Toronto.
This episode was hosted by Anish Dhupar & Julia Petrucci and produced by Yoons Park and Manroop Aulakh. The theme for this podcast is by Almost Barely and is called “Letting Go.”
Read the transcript (https://s38612.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/OTR-2026APRIL3-Podcast-Transcript.pdf)
Credits
Hosts: Anish Dhupar & Julia Petrucci
Episode producers: Yoons Park and Manroop Aulakh
Theme music by Almost Barely.
Illustration of a podcast host from https://www.freepik.com/icon/podcaster_9358715 (https://www.freepik.com/icon/podcaster_9358715)
20 Mar 2026
On The Record – S8E4 – How Does Toronto Look in Terms of its Net Zero Promises?
This semester’s podcast focuses on municipal politics in the GTA because our next election is coming up on October 26th, 2026 (https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/elections/city-elections/).
Today’s big question is: Toronto has made promises to meet NetZero targets, is the city meeting them?
This episode breaks down the city’s TransformTO strategy (https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/water-environment/environmentally-friendly-city-initiatives/transformto/), key emission targets, and where progress falls short. We also look at who is responsible for climate action at the municipal level and how decisions are made at city hall. Additionally, we explore what Torontonians know and think about the city’s climate promises ahead of the upcoming election.
We interviewed Lyn Adamson from ClimateFast (https://climatefast.ca/lyn-adamson) and Prof. John Robinson (https://www.environment.utoronto.ca/news/professor-john-robinson-appointed-%C2%A0city-toronto%E2%80%99s-climate-advisory-group%C2%A0cag) (a member of the Toronto climate advisory group) this week, and the streeters were recorded on campus at TMU. This episode was hosted by Miguel Mabalay & Julia Sawicki, and produced by Semi Won and Sia Shete. The sound effects are from Pixabay, and we’re using them under their Creative Commons licenses (listed and linked to below). The theme for this podcast is by Almost Barely and is called “Letting Go.”
Read the transcript (https://s38612.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/OTR-2026MARCH20-Podcast-Transcript-v2.pdf)
Credits
Hosts: Miguel Mabalay & Julia Sawicki
Episode producers: Semi Won and Sia Shete
Theme music by Almost Barely.
Toronto subway https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/city-toronto-subway-001-54603 (https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/city-toronto-subway-001-54603)
Bike bell https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/film-special-effects-bike-bell-173588/ (https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/film-special-effects-bike-bell-173588/)
Crowd noise https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/people-crowd-noise-284490/ (https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/people-crowd-noise-284490/)
Apple pay https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/technology-apple-pay-success-sound-effect-481188/ (https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/technology-apple-pay-success-sound-effect-481188/)
Cash register https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/film-special-effects-cash-register-kaching-376867/ (https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/film-special-effects-cash-register-kaching-376867/)
Woosh https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/film-special-effects-quick-whoosh-405448/ (https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/film-special-effects-quick-whoosh-405448/)
6 Mar 2026
On The Record – S8E3 – How Can a Resident Influence City Politics?
This semester’s podcast focuses on municipal politics in the GTA because our next election is coming up on October 26th, 2026 (https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/elections/city-elections/).
Today’s big question is: How can a resident influence city politics?
To answer this, we interviewed Saman Tabasinejad (https://www.progresstoronto.ca/saman-tabasinejad), Executive Director at Progress Toronto, and Matt Elliot (https://www.thestar.com/users/profile/matt-elliott/), a freelance City Hall reporter. The streeters were provided by community members on campus here at TMU. The clip at 5:30 is from Toronto City Council on YouTube, the clip at 6:48 is from Toronto Transit Commission on YouTube and the clip at 8:37 is from the National Post on YouTube.
Read the transcript (https://s38612.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/OTR-2026JAN23-Transcript.pdf)
Credits
Hosts: Jaden Whitelaw & Anish Dhupar
Episode producers: Gabriel Hilty & Mia Di Panfilo
Theme music by Almost Barely.
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