Guests: Toronto Star journalists Sheila Wang and Emma McIntosh

A major joint investigation involving the Toronto Star, CBC/Radio-Canada, La Presse and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has uncovered more than 100 crypto-to-cash operations running across Canada, with many of them unregistered, unregulated, and openly violating anti–money laundering laws. As part of this collaboration, Star reporters went undercover to see just how easy it is to turn anonymous cryptocurrency into hard cash with no ID and no record of the transaction.

In this episode, we break down how these crypto-to-cash services actually work, why experts say they pose a serious risk for money laundering, organized crime and other illicit activity, and why Canadian regulators have struggled to stop a parallel financial system that's operating in plain sight.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Sean Pattendon.

Guest: Ghada Alsharif, immigration and work reporter

Canada's immigration system is often praised for attracting top global talent, but a new report shows the country is losing many of the highly skilled workers it says it needs most. One in five immigrants are leaving within 25 years of arriving, with the highest exit rates among those with PhDs and professional backgrounds in health care, science, and senior management.

Today on This Matters, immigration and work reporter Ghada Alsharif unpacks the findings of a major new study by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and the Conference Board of Canada and what it reveals about a growing crisis Canada isn't fully reckoning with: why the people we worked hardest to bring here are now walking away.

This episode was produced by Sean Pattendon

Guests: Toronto Star journalists Ben Mussett and Omar Mosleh

A Toronto Star investigation uncovered a troubling loophole inside Meta's advertising system. Reporters Ben Mussett and Omar Mosleh found illegal drugs being advertised and sold to Canadians through paid Meta ads on Facebook and Instagram. With one click, the Star was linked to online shops offering cocaine, Oxycodone, MDMA, Xanax, ketamine and more, and discovered how easily these drugs could be ordered and shipped.

The investigation raises urgent questions about Meta's ad moderation, platform safety and how drug traffickers are exploiting automated tools to reach users.

Meta, the tech giant that owns Facebook and Instagram, says it has "zero tolerance" for the ads and works to find and remove the illegal drug posts.

In this episode, we unpack what happened when Star journalists tested the system themselves, why Meta's detection tools aren't stopping illicit drug ads, and who these ads are targeting the most.

This episode is produced by Sean Pattendon