The Agenda with Steve Paikin (Video)

Long identified with its churning steel mills and bustling manufacturing sector, the city of Hamilton has seen a lot of change in the past few decades. And for the more than half a million residents, it's a mix of good and bad, with the gap between those two growing in ways that make it tough for many. Here to explain how it's affecting people's health and wellbeing: Sara Mayo, social planner with the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton; Laura Cattari, campaign co-ordinator for the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction; and the Hamilton Spectator's Steve Buist.

Was "Toronto the Good" once a hardcore punk-rock haven? Yes, say the authors of "Tomorrow is Too Late - Toronto Hardcore Punk in the 1980s," which details the often-angry and wall-shaking subculture that existed in the city. The book is a result of two years of interviews with punk bands and their followers and endless sifting through thousands of grimy photographs. Co-author Shawn Chirrey and contributing author Simon Harvey discuss their work.

Over the last number of years, Canada has lost musical giants Leonard Cohen, Tragically Hip's Gord Downie, and Rush's Neil Peart. But, are they being replaced by a generation of Canadian musical stars - Drake, and Alessia Cara, for example - who are more confident and unabashedly Canadian? We ask some aficionados to weigh in on how the music industry is changing.

How can Canadians navigate their options for retirement savings? Then, an update on the country's economic forecast for 2020 and beyond. New rules for Canada's radio, television, and communications industries. And, new hope for former children in foster care. We review our top stories from the week.

According to Food Banks Canada's annual report, about 1.1 million people visited food banks in a typical month. Almost half of them were by single adults who live alone. And, visits by Canadians 65 and older accounted for the fastest growing demographic using the service. At Project Share in Niagara Falls, Ontario Hubs field producer Jeyan Jeganathan explains that the mounting cost of housing and food are a large factor, especially for those on a fixed income.

In his many years as a journalist and activist in Toronto, Desmond Cole has chronicled multiple instances of racism in policing, in schools, and in media. In his new book, "The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power," he looks at the struggle against racism in Canada in the year 2017 and beyond.

Over the last two decades, the whole universe of Canadian radio, television and digital communications has shifted: from legacy broadcasting and dial-up internet to an interconnected media ecosystem that crosses platforms and borders freely. Last week, a federally appointed review panel presented its report with 97 recommendations about how Canada regulates and oversees those sectors. To discuss this, we invited Peter Menzies, a former CRTC vice-chair; journalist Murad Hemmadi; and Janet Yale, chair of the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel.

Is it possible for everyone to be good at math? Academic and author John Mighton thinks so. He is the founder of the charitable organization JUMP Math (Junior Undiscovered Math Prodigies). His new book ,All Things Being Equal: Why Math Is the Key to a Better World,, lays his ideas out.

For more than 60 years, Canadians have used RRSPs to save for retirement. Other savings vehicles, such as the tax-free savings account, leave much of the strategizing up to the individual. To discuss retirement options, The Agenda welcomes Alex Mazer, founding partner at Common Wealth; Jackie Porter of Carte Wealth Management; financial planner Caroline Cakebread; Hugh O'Reilly, from the Global Risk Institute; and Michael Nicin, co-author of the forthcoming report, "Improving Canada's Retirement Income System."

The life and tragic deaths of members of the Donnelly family remains among the most notorious crimes of 19th-century Ontario. Known as the "Black Donnellys," their story has been told many times in the past 140 years. But Keith Ross Leckie's new novel, "Cursed! Blood of the Donnellys," brings a fresh perspective to the story.

Norms about how men and women interact have been in flux in the last few decades. Heidi Matthews is an assistant professor at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School, where she co-directs the Nathanson Centre on transnational human rights, crime, and security. She's been thinking about the significance of what she sees as an increasing use of the language of "creepiness," and especially of the term "creepy" to describe some men.

What are Canada's economic prospects for 2020? How will the country contend with a worsening global outlook? The Agenda discusses what's ahead with guests Brett House, deputy chief economist at Scotiabank; Linda Nazareth, senior fellow for economics and population change at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute; and journalists Brian Milner and Elena Cherney.

Known as "Canada's Queen of R&B," Jully Black has won multiple Juno awards for her work as a singer/songwriter. She's written for Destiny's Child, Missy Elliott, and has toured with the Black Eyed Peas. Now, she's starring in the theatre production of "Caroline, or Change." She talks to Nam Kiwanuka about why she was drawn to the story of a Black maid working for a Jewish family in 1963 Louisiana, during a time of great social change.

The future is often bleak for children who grow up in care, but a group of educators and former foster kids are looking to change that with a pathway to social mobility: post-secondary education. From advocating for free-tuition or mentoring others, a generation of foster kids may have the opportunity to create a brighter future.

Southwestern Ontario Hubs journalist Mary Baxter talks about the challenges rural areas are having with homelessness. Then, she details how a Kitchener woman is helping save and care for wildlife caught in the fires in New South Wales, Australia.