The Agenda with Steve Paikin (Video)

Does urban design perpetuate the inequality society is trying to stamp out. To discuss how cities can be designed in a more inclusive way, The Agenda welcomes Tamika Butler, formerly the executive director of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, now head of her own firm, Tamika L. Butler Consulting; and Jay Pitter, Placemaker, co-editor of "Subdivided: City-Building in an Age of Hyper Diversity," and the John Bousfield Distinguished Visitor in Planning at the University of Toronto.

As we inch closer to a post-pandemic reality, what will cycling look like in urban centres and smaller cities across the country? This year, Toronto will build 40 kilometres of on-street bike lanes. It's the biggest expansion of the bike network in the city's history. Is this just the beginning? Could this be the golden age of cycling? Yvonne Bambrick, author of The Urban Cycling Survival Guide; Siva Vijenthira project manager at 8 80 Cities; and the University of Toronto's Beth Savan discuss this important element of urban transportation.

The death of civilians in police custody has perhaps never been as front and centre as it is right now. And what to do about it has never been as prominent in our public conversation. But do we have the kind of information that policymakers need to act and get it right? Rob Gillezeau, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Victoria, went looking for just such data and talks to Steve Paikin about what he found.

Calls to change policing are not new. Pressure for major reform is also not new. But particularly since the killing of George Floyd by police in Minnesota last month, the call to defund the police has come to the fore. To explain what that means and offer some idea of how it might play out in practice, The Agenda welcomes Lori Anne Thomas, criminal lawyer, president of Thomas Defence, and an instructor in the Ryerson University Law Practice Program; Akwasi Owusu-Bempah: assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto; and former Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant, who is now executive director and general counsel for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

Few things remind people how interconnected they are than a pandemic. But this one has also produced hoarding behaviour and racial scapegoating. How does this kind of emergency alter social trust? And, selfless or selfish, what does it reveal about human nature? The Agenda examines the history and psychology of pandemics and their impact on social trust.

Philosopher Thomas Hobbes famously described the natural state of humankind as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." More than 350 years later, author Rutger Bregman's new book couldn't disagree more. "Humankind: A Hopeful History," paints quite a different - he might even say, revolutionary - view of what people are really about. Bregman, a writer for The Correspondent talks to Steve Paikin about his ideas.

In the past few weeks, the term ,allyship, has become well used and it's become increasingly relevant, as the realities of anti-Black racism come to the fore and momentum for change crystallizes. To discus what is it, and how one achieves it, The Agenda welcomes Kathy Hogarth: associate professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Waterloo; and Bryan Ferguson: lead pastor, Koinonia Christian Fellowship.

Earlier this year, a scathing report cited Ontario's second largest school board - Peel District - for widespread and systemic anti-Black racism. Last week, it was again in the news as the province heard that the leadership there seems to lack both the will and the ability to address the problems. The Agenda discusses inequality in Ontario's public education system.

In February, Canada's jobless rate was 5.6 per cent. This month, it's double digits. But there are signs of hope out there, even as the country faces unprecedented economic upheaval. Avery Shenfeld is managing director and chief economist of CIBC Capital Markets, and he talks to Steve Paikin about what he's seeing down the road.

The predominance of COVID-19 deaths have occurred in older cohorts. That's prompted the question: should the country reconsider its health and economic response to the pandemic in order to reopen the economy, and simply protect those in the older population more stringently? The Agenda welcomes Eileen de Villa, Toronto's medical officer of health; and Richard Schabas, former Ontario medical officer of health.

Northwestern Ontario hub journalist Charnel Anderson spoke to organizers of a memorial service held in Kenora for George Floyd, the American man killed by police in Minneapolis on May 25, and why it's important to keep fighting for equality and justice.

This summer the city of Toronto is confronting a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented budget shortfall due to the lockdown, and in the last few weeks, anti-Black racism protests. Mayor John Tory speaks to Steve Paikin about how the city is handling these pandemic challenges, the protests, and the calls to defund police.

Three former Jeopardy! champions discuss the origins and popularity of trivia, how it's adapting to current events, what trivia competitions can teach about learning and memory, and the art of writing trivia questions. Guests are: Monica Thieu, PhD student in experimental psychology at Columbia University, and 2012 Jeopardy! college champion; Austin Rogers, author, podcast host, and 12-time Jeopardy! champion; Jason Sterlacci, content strategist for Sporcle.com and 2016 Jeopardy! teacher tournament champion.

Last December, the Ontario government named Jamil Jivani its Advocate for Community Opportunities, and last week announced the youth, racism, and immigration advocate would head up the new Premier's Council on Equality of Opportunity. He talks to Steve Paikin about the anti-Black racism protests, the call to defund police, and what he hopes to accomplish in his new role.

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the messaging and recommendations around masks have changed, but questions and conflicting opinions remain. Should masks be mandatory in certain settings to prevent the spread of the virus? Why do some people wear them and others don't? We discuss the science and psychology behind mask-wearing.