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Even in death, some people still worry about their carbon footprint. Which explains the growing popularity of “green burials” — an environmentally friendlier way to inter the dead that involves no embalming chemicals, headstones or traditional caskets.

There’s even a company that offers coffins and urns made of fully biodegradable mushrooms.

But what about human composting? Is that green option any closer to becoming a reality in Ontario?

Known as “terramation,” the process uses organic material and a specially designed vessel to slowly transform human remains into soil. The practice is now legal in 14 U.S. states after New Jersey — “The Garden State,” ironically enough — became the latest to get on board.

Nearly six years ago, in March 2020, Ontario put out a call for public feedback on "emerging alternative technologies" for disposing of human remains, including composting. Little has happened since. As of today, no Canadian jurisdiction allows the practice.

On tonight’s episode of Closer Look, we revisit a conversation from 2024 with Morgan Yarborough, the services manager at Seattle-based Recompose, the first funeral home in America to offer human composting.

She explains in detail how the process works, why it's gaining popularity, and what advice she would give the Ontario government.

Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

Want to be the first to know when a new episode lands? Sign up for our free nightly newsletter, which delivers the latest Closer Look straight to your email inbox.

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If you’re going to drink and drive in Ontario, be prepared to face some harsher penalties.

New provincial rules that took effect Jan. 1 include lifetime licence suspensions for anyone convicted of impaired driving causing death, and mandatory remedial education for first-time offenders caught behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Time will tell if the stricter regulations make a difference, but this much is certain: sadly, plenty of people are still drinking and driving in Ontario.

This week, on the heels of the rules coming into force, the OPP released the results of its latest Festive RIDE checks: in the month of December, nearly 1,300 people were arrested for impaired driving. And that’s just the roads patrolled by the Ontario Provincial Police; add in city police forces, and it’s hundreds more.

“Doesn't surprise me, never fails to disappoint me,” said Steve Sullivan, the CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada, during an interview on tonight’s Closer Look podcast. “There's no excuse, and it's disappointing that so many people make that choice. On the other hand, it's heartening to see that law enforcement are so active in trying to take as many drivers off the road as they can.”

“No one ever thinks they're going to get into a crash,” Sullivan continued. “No one ever thinks they're going to hurt someone else, or hurt themselves or kill themselves. But it happens everywhere. It happens every day somewhere in the country.”

Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

Want to be the first to know when a new episode lands? Sign up for our free nightly newsletter, which delivers the latest Closer Look straight to your email inbox. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Have something to say? Please reach out. Our email address is closerlook@villagemedia.ca.

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As of today, the Ford government has taken control of six school boards across the province — using words like “incompetence,” “mess” and “off the rails” to describe how things were going before the province seized the wheel.

The passage of Bill 33, which came into force in November, made it even easier for Ontario to intervene. The Near North District School Board learned that lesson the hard way on Dec. 1.

Now that we’ve reached 2026, an even bigger question looms: Will the Ford government scrap school trustees altogether?

Education Minister Paul Calandra has made it clear he's exploring the possibility — and that he's seen nothing so far to convince him his ministry’s $43-billion budget needs to be delivered by trustees.

He promised to reach a decision by early this year. The clock is ticking.

Joining us tonight on Village Media’s Closer Look podcast is our education expert at Queen’s Park: Sneh Duggal, the deputy editor of The Trillium.

Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

Want to be the first to know when a new episode lands? Sign up for our free nightly newsletter, which delivers the latest Closer Look straight to your email inbox. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Have something to say? Please reach out. Our email address is closerlook@villagemedia.ca.