The Agenda with Steve Paikin (Video)

Almost everyone is dealing with difficult circumstances right now as a result of COVID-19. But for those dealing with addiction, it's presenting complex challenges, including jeopardizing hard won sobriety and recovery. Eastern Ontario Hub journalist David Rockne Corrigan talks about his work covering vulnerable populations during the pandemic.

Erin Kelly of Advanced Symbolics Inc., talks to Steve Paikin about how Polly, an artificial intelligence polling platform, is tracking morale and anxiety levels among Canadians during the COVID-19 shut down.

A Canadian start-up called Blue Dot spotted the beginnings of this pandemic before just about everyone else. They did it using artificial intelligence, and they're among a cluster of high-tech firms tracking COVID-19 to better understand and combat it. To discuss this, we welcome Garth Gibson, president and CEO of the Vector Institute; and Matissa Hollister, assistant professor, Organizational Behaviour at McGill University.

Despite cases of COVID-19 continuing to rise, and heightened calls of concern from the medical community, not everyone is convinced this pandemic should be taken seriously. The Agenda looks at why some people are not heeding the key messages that health and government officials are communicating about curbing the spread.

How much should government be able to infringe on people's civil liberties in order to keep society safe during the COVID-19 outbreak in Canada? The Agenda explores the options available to officials trying to curb the spread of the coronavirus, including if it would be justified for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to invoke the Emergency Measures Act.

Minister of Education Stephen Lecce breaks down his government's decision to extend school closures until at least May 4 and explains the plan to support students forced to learn from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Will globalization pass the stress test of COVID-19? Will it strengthen nationalist forces that have long called for reinforced borders? The Agenda examines globalization in a post-pandemic world with Daniel Drezner, professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University; Janice Stein, Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management in the Department of Political Science at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto; and Sean Speer, public policy professor at the Munk School.

Premier Doug Ford says the province has signed a deal to procure 10,000 ventilators -- part of a new surge of funding to help Ontario companies join the fight against COVID-19. Hosts Steve Paikin and John Michael McGrath discuss the announcement and whether it's an indicator of even more difficult times ahead. Also, why officials are hesitant to release projections about the number of expected cases, and how the City of Toronto is escalating penalties for people who don't self-isolate.

No school, parents at home juggling work and children, no playdates or playgrounds. This is a tough time for everyone, but for kids, it's extraordinary and probably also very confusing. What can parents do to help them through it all? Steve Paikin talks to Alyson Schafer, an author, parenting expert, and family counsellor.

As you think about the inconvenience of your life right now, spare a moment for those who are working in ERs all over the world. Dr. James Maskalyk is in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, treating patients at a big downtown Toronto teaching hospital. He's also an award-winning author, most recently for "Life on the Ground Floor, Letters from the Edge of Emergency Medicine." He talks to Steve Paikin about his experiences.

One of the first glimpses Canadians got of what we're now experiencing came when passengers from cruise ships were repatriated into quarantine at the Canadian Forces base in Trenton. Patricia Munroe was one of the registered nurses who stepped up to help. She is a professor and coordinator of the practical nursing program at Loyalist College and she talks to Steve Paikin about that experience

Now that Ontario is a few weeks into the COVID-19 crisis, some experts are starting to think about whether this global pandemic might actually provoke us to do some things quite differently, maybe much better, once it passes. One area that could be ripe for change is virtual medicine. Joining Steve Paikin to discuss what that might look like is Dr. Aman Sidhu, a respirologist with the University Health Network's Transplant Program in Toronto.

Physical distancing, working from home. Even just the disruption of our daily routines. It all takes a toll, even on those with the most robust coping skills.Dr. Suze Berkhout, clinician-investigator at the University Health Network and an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto discusses the new normal with Steve Paikin.

Virtually every community in this province finds itself squaring off with the COVID-19 pandemic. Steve Paikin discusses challenges specific to Indigenous communities with Suzanne Stewart, director of the Waake-biness-Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

The number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 keeps rising in this province. The number listed as recovered, however, hasn't budged much. But one of our own from The Agenda is hoping to join that list shortly. Producer Patricia Kozicka tested positive earlier this month and she speaks to Steve Paikin about her experience.