Podcast
The Torontonian
Hosted by Mary Wiens & Michael Brown · EN
What is a Torontonian? Someone who loves the city. Sometimes hates it too. Someone who’s here because it’s the right time and place for them. Lots of warm, wise, funny, thoughtful people. Also stubborn and bruised people with a story to tell. Meet them all with Mary Wiens and Michael Brown.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Gen Z goes back to church
Apr 400:53:24Tap to summarizeA new generation’s search for spiritual meaning takes them in a very different direction than their parents. For Adam Adachi and Francis Lamonica, both in their early 20s, a low point in their lives led them to organized religion, via the Guardian Angels Parish in Brampton. What they’ve found is something more personal than the faith of their parents’ generation.
Transcribe →After 27 years in prison, a chance at freedom
Mar 2700:59:32Tap to summarizeNathanael Williams killed a man when he was barely 16. He spent most of his life growing and maturing in Canada’s tough and sometimes unfair prison system, where he’s always been held accountable. At 43, he hopes he will soon be released. Mary Wiens joins former CBC colleague Kim Steffler as Nathanael tells his story. And they meet a Corrections officer who helps Black inmates like Nathanael prepare for parole hearings.
Transcribe →A brother’s search for justice in Syria
Mar 300:56:22Tap to summarizeBashir Harba is one of thousands of Syrians who came to Toronto to escape a brutal civil war. But one thing still haunts him: his brother’s death in a notorious Syrian prison. On the latest edition of The Torontonian, you’ll hear Bashir’s story. And we’ll tell you about another Canadian, Bill Wiley, whose efforts have already brought some Syrian war criminals to justice.
Transcribe →Traditional Chinese Medicine – celebrating 30 years in Toronto
Dec 3100:36:50Tap to summarizeGrowing up during China’s Cultural Revolution, Mary Wu was trained to become a ‘barefoot doctor’. Here in Toronto, she led the campaign to have acupuncture regulated in Ontario. She also founded one of the most prestigious TCM schools in North America. Looking back over the past 30 years, Dr. Wu says she was made for this – bringing the ancient wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine to Canadians
Transcribe →Meet the two Steves
Dec 1600:28:46Tap to summarizeA lot of Torontonians love subway trains, streetcars and buses as kids. But not all of them grow up to be passionate advocates for moving Torontonians around. Mary Wiens and guest host Emmett Shane spoke to Steve Munro and Steve Wickens — two of Toronto’s toughest transit watchdogs.
Transcribe →Turning offices into homes
Nov 1800:31:15Tap to summarizeLots of Toronto office buildings in the downtown core are sitting vacant. A Toronto entrepreneur wants to convert them into co-living units for young adults stuck at home with their parents. But are building owners ready to give up on the dream that office workers are coming back?
Transcribe →Goodbye to the Imperial Pub’s cold beer, old couches, and warm vibes
Nov 1300:30:21Tap to summarizeThe Imperial Pub – one of Toronto’s oldest pubs – closes this week. The pub opened in 1944 in the middle of WWII – but saying how old it is doesn’t capture why so many Torontonians feel that when this pub closes, it will take a bit of Toronto’s heart and soul with it. Mary Wiens asked owner Fred Newman what it means to him.
Transcribe →Baby Kintyre – the mummified baby who inspired an opera
Nov 400:43:32Tap to summarizeAlmost twenty years ago, the city was gripped by the story of a baby’s body discovered in the floorboards of an attic on Kintyre Street, wrapped in a newspaper from 1925. A story so compelling, it became a radio documentary and then an opera. The opera is being performed at the Mazzoleni Concert Hall Friday November 7 at 7:30pm. For more information, click here.
Transcribe →Real strength – measured by barbells, not a bathroom scale
Sep 1200:44:05Tap to summarizePersonal trainer Jenna Doak says the body positive movement helped her accept her own body shape. Now she’s transforming how her clients see themselves and what it means to be fit. Show Notes: The CBC article we mention in the episode: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/personal-trainer-real-1.3961023 Link to a group photo of Jenna (back row, 3rd from right) with some of her trainers: https://torontonianpodcast.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/jenna-with-trainers.jpeg Link to a group photo of Jenna (middle row, right) with some of her clients: https://torontonianpodcast.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/jenna-with-clients.jpeg
Transcribe →Gun violence – a mother’s perspective 24 years later
Jul 1100:54:11Tap to summarizeAll of us are familiar with the headlines – another young man shot and killed in Toronto. But we don’t often hear what comes next – let alone the impact decades later. In this episode, Julia Farquharson tells Mary Wiens about her son, Segun, a promising young hockey player. Some people will still remember his death 24 years later because it was captured on a cellphone recording—a rarity in 2001. Julia told Mary she still feels his presence every day and her faith gives her an extraordinary peace of mind. Note: Please excuse some of the slight audio distortion in the final segment with Julia.
Transcribe →