Katharine Lake Berz: Is convenience culture making young adults financially reckless?

Bruce Sellery, a business journalist and personal finance expert, says that while tech and marketing have made it hard to resist spending, young people need to distinguish between needs and

thestar.com

Katharine Lake Berz: Will autonomous vehicles rescue our cities or make urban life worse?

Bern Grush, executive director of the Urban Robotics Foundation and Steven Waslander, a professor at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies and director of the Toronto Robotics and

thestar.com

Katharine Lake Berz: Art is a human endeavour. Does it matter which tools we use to create it?

Stephen Marche and Steven W. Beattie bridge the divide on the future of art

thestar.com

Three Toronto Star journalists awarded CAJ honours

Amy Dempsey Raven, Megan Ogilvie, and Katherine Lake Berz won gold for stories in two categories, the organization announced Saturday.

thestar.com

Katharine Lake Berz: Are public grocery stores the answer to food insecurity?

Aaron Vansintjan, a policy manager at Food Secure Canada, argues public grocery stores could reduce prices while Michael von Massow, a food economist at the University of Guelph, says the

thestar.com

Katharine Lake Berz: Should transit be a free public service?

Jason Prince, a Montreal urban planner and Concordia University lecturer says transit belongs in the same category as the fire department, parks and libraries. Steven Farber, a transportation geograph...

thestar.com

Katharine Lake Berz: Are Canadians choosing not to have children or resigning themselves to it?

Lindsey Harrington, a Nova Scotia-based writer whose debut memoir "Nobody’s Mother" is forthcoming, sees the choice to opt out of having children as both rational and overdue. Sarah Marie Wiebe,

thestar.com

Katharine Lake Berz: When we restrict social media are we solving a problem or creating bigger ones?

Lloyd Richardson, director of technology at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, argues that age restrictions are a necessary step to reduce exposure to harm and support parents struggling to

thestar.com

Katharine Lake Berz: Should Mark Carney be doubling Canada’s defense spending in response to today’s security threats?

Wesley Wark, senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, argues that years of erosion in Canada’s military capacity make higher spending necessary. While former foreign affair...

thestar.com

Katharine Lake Berz: As Cuba faces mounting crises, should Canada increase its foreign aid and should Ottawa support U.S. efforts to force a regime change?

Michael Lima, a Cuban-Canadian human rights researcher and director of the NGO Democratic Spaces, says Canada has spent decades giving diplomatic cover to a regime that imprisons dissidents silences o...

thestar.com

Katharine Lake Berz: A tyrant is dead and a region is in flames. One Iranian Canadian says celebration is in order — another says not so fast

Shermineh Esmati-Novak, CEO and founder of NOVASHER Ventures, helped organize a Toronto rally celebrating the strikes. She says the attack represents an overdue reckoning. Samira Mohyeddin, journalist...

thestar.com

Katharine Lake Berz: Is opening Canada’s market to Chinese EVs a strategic necessity or a costly mistake?

Brian Kingston of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association argues opening the Canadian market to Chinese EVs risks Canada’s most important trade relationship. Heather Exner-Pirot, senior fellow...

thestar.com

Russia’s invasion, four years on: How the war in Ukraine is pulling families apart

“Come home,” Svitlana told her adult children. “Or flee the city. Get somewhere safe.”

thestar.com

Katharine Lake Berz: Canada’s working-age population is shrinking. Should we keep immigration near zero or rethink the plan?

In this Bridging the Divide, Robert Kavcic, senior economist and director of economics at BMO Capital Markets, argues that the immigration rate slow down is a responsible course correction while

thestar.com

Katharine Lake Berz: Is DEI helping Canada or holding it back?

In this Bridging the Divide conversation, Michael Bach, a diversity consultant and founder of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion and Pride at Work Canada, and Matthew Lau, a

thestar.com

Katharine Lake Berz: Should Canada condemn Donald Trump’s invasion of Venezuela, or stay quiet to protect trade talks?

Louise Blais, a former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations, and Ben Rowswell, a former Canadian ambassador to Venezuela debate whether defending international law and sovereignty abroad strength...

thestar.com

SPEAK. | Films | CBC Gem

SPEAK. follows five bold, young voices on a high-stakes quest to win the Super Bowl of public speaking. Against a backdrop of turmoil, these teens rise with fire, wit, and unshakable humanity.

gem.cbc.ca

Katharine Lake Berz: Should Canadians feel hopeful about 2026? Two comedians weigh In

To ring in 2026 with a bit of levity, we asked Canadian comedians Juno-nominated standup Charles Demers and award-winning Gen Z comedian Rachel Ruecker to sound off on whether or

thestar.com

She was pregnant when taken prisoner by Russia. This Ukrainian medic told captors her secret — and it may have saved her life

Mariana Mamonova was among the last defenders of Mariupol. She was determined to survive captivity, for the sake of her unborn child.

thestar.com

Katharine Lake Berz: Bridging the Divide: Is Alberta getting a raw deal? Could independence be the answer?

Alberta’s independence fight has moved from the margins to the centre of provincial politics with a potential vote on separation in 2026. Cameron Davies, the Alberta Republican Party leader, says

thestar.com

Katharine Lake Berz: Should MAID be extended to include those with mental illness?

Does compassion mean giving people control over how they die — or fighting harder to help them live?

thestar.com

A quiet army protecting immigrant families. Inside Los Angeles’ anti-ICE patrols

A huge American city has been a hub of grassroots resistance to Donald Trump's mass-deportation plans. Some of it involves late-night driving patrols looking for ICE.

thestar.com

India Accused This Canadian of a Terror Attack in Ottawa. Did the Incident Even Happen? | The Walrus

Amarjot Singh says he joined a peaceful Sikh protest but found himself a marked man

thewalrus.ca

Katharine Lake Berz: Everyone wants safer streets. Is speed camera surveillance the best solution or overreach?

Pamela Fuselli, president and CEO of Parachute, a national injury prevention charity, argues automated speed enforcement prevents death and injury on the roads where it happens most. Howard Sapers, ex...

thestar.com