The Agenda with Steve Paikin (Video)

Globe and Mail Queen's Park reporter Laura Stone updates us on the latest news on the Ontario government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. And, during a time when immediate and decisive action is required from governments, who is coming out as a strong leader?

Stock market crashes, layoffs, and deferred mortgage options. In the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be hard to keep on top of personal finances. The Agenda discusses how to plan your budget and investments at this uncertain time.

A pipeline dispute on the remote Wet'suwet'en First Nation in British Columbia and subsequent solidarity protests and rail blockades have sparked a national crisis. While critics are calling for government to enforce the rule of law, a conflict over which laws to follow remains unresolved. Steve Paikin is joined by legal and political experts who discuss the complexities of this case, and what it means for reconciliation and Indigenous rights in Canada.

More homeowners are turning to Airbnb in Ontario. As the City of Toronto prepares to enforce new regulations, The Agenda explores what's been driving the pull towards these short-term rentals and how that has affected long-term housing in Toronto and beyond. Steve Paikin is joined by an Airbnb "superhost" and realtor; a Fairbnb researcher; the executive director of the Federation of Metro Tenants Association; and a University of Toronto urban law and governance professor.

Timothy Caulfield, a law professor at the University of Alberta, and journalist Jane Lytvynenko, a BuzzFeed News reporter who focuses on disinformation, security, and online investigations, help separate fact from fiction about the coronavirus - from claims of miracle cures to scams and bogus advice about how to boost your immune system.

Now dealing with the worst COVID-19 outbreak outside China, Italy is experiencing a continual increase in cases and deaths, overwhelming its health care system. In response, the country of 60 million has become the first democratic nation since the Second World War to impose a nationwide lockdown. The Agenda speaks to those on the ground to gain a better sense of how the country is coping with the outbreak. Guests are: Ercole Rocchetti, reporter at RAI- the national public broadcaster in Italy; and Eric Reguly, Globe and Mail European bureau chief.

With Coronavirus cases growing and the first virus-linked death in Ontario, Premier Ford has declared a provincial emergency and ordered the closure of all bars, places of worship, theatres, private schools, and daycares, as well as most restaurants. Gatherings are restricted and the province has put millions of dollars aside to soften the blow. Toronto Star Queen's Park Bureau Chief Robert Benzie gives us the latest on what Queen's Park is doing to stem the tide.

As COVID-19 quickly disrupts our daily routines, we ask Toronto Mayor for an update on what's facing the city in the coming weeks. He comes to us from his home, as he is currently in isolation.

Federal, provincial and municipal public health units are working around the clock in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With advice coming fast and furious from those official channels - and from less official ones like Dr. Google - we're pleased to turn now to Andre Picard, the health reporter and columnist for The Globe and Mail, who joins us via Skype from Montreal.

The quickly evolving COVID-19 story set markets into absolute turmoil again today, and saw governments rolling out economic mitigation plans, and even the promise of legislation to protect workers. With us for their reaction to it all: Via skype from Burlington, Ont.: Craig Alexander, partner & chief economist at Deloitte Canada; and via Skype from Ottawa: Armine Yalnizyan, the Atkinson Foundation's Fellow on the Future of Workers.

In more than 300 communities across Ontario, public libraries open their doors to readers, and increasingly, others looking for a much wider range of services. Our Ontario hubs journalists have been looking into the many uses for libraries and why funding them is still so important, and they chat with Jeyan Jeganathan about what they found in each of their regions of the province.

As the world grapples with containing the coronavirus, the economy has already taken quite a hit. To discuss what's happened and how Canada will fare, we welcome Lindsay Tedds, professor and scientific director of fiscal economic policy at The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary. And Frances Donald, managing director, chief economist and head of Macro Strategy at Manulife Investment Management.

What are the rights of citizens under quarantine? Then, should transit in Ontario be free? And, is it time for the U.S. to rethink its foreign policy? We review our top stories this week.

It's an industry that most people don't think about until they absolutely have to, when their car breaks down. Or, as has been the case recently in southern Ontario, when baffling news stories report on tow trucks being shot at, or set on fire. We ask industry experts about the underlying issues in the trucking industry.

In Ontario, transit riders pay a big portion of what it costs to keep it the system operating. That's why the fare box matters so much, and why fare evasion recently prompted an enforcement blitz by TTC. But, as usual, nothing about transit is simple. Joining The Agenda for what is always a lively discussion on Toronto's transit issues is Metrolinx president and CEO Phil Verster; Shelagh Pizey-Allen executive director of TTCriders, a membership-based transit advocacy organization; Jay Pitter, co-editor of "Subdivided: City-building in an Age of Hyper Diversity;" and Shawn Micallef, Toronto Star Columnist, co-founder of "Spacing" magazine.