Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Steve Ryan: Toronto Mike'd #1206

Episode Date: February 19, 2023

In this 1206th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with CP24's Steve Ryan about his decades of service with the Toronto Police and his transition into media as CP24's Crime Specialist. Toronto Mike'...d is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Canna Cabana, Ridley Funeral Home and Electronic Products Recycling Association.

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to episode 1206 of Toronto Mic'd. Proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery. A fiercely independent craft brewery who believes in supporting communities, good times and brewing amazing beer. Order online for free local home delivery in the GTA. Palma Pasta. Enjoy the taste of fresh, homemade Italian pasta and entrees from Palma Pasta in Mississauga and Oakville.
Starting point is 00:00:51 Electronic Products Recycling Association. Committing to our planet's future means properly recycling our electronics of the past. Ridley Funeral Home. Pillars of the community since 1921. And Canna Cabana, the lowest prices on cannabis.
Starting point is 00:01:10 Guaranteed. Learn more at cannacabana.com. Joining me today, making his Toronto Mike debut, is CP24's Steve Ryan. Welcome to the show, Steve. Thanks for having me, Mike. And this is your neck of the woods, right? You're a Mimico guy.
Starting point is 00:01:32 What neighborhood do you call home these days? Mimico I call home, and I grew up in the area for the first early years of my life, and then I came back with my folks, and I'm back again. You're back again because this is the happening place to be in the GTA, right? It's cooler by the lake, as we say. My favorite part of the city always has been. You know Biff Naked? I feel like she could be your neighbor.
Starting point is 00:01:56 You ever bump into Biff Naked when you're taking a walk by, I don't know, Humber Bay Shores or something like that? Can't say. That's on your bucket list, right? I can make that happen, okay? My wife bumped into her at Costco the other day. So she's out and about in the neighborhood. Okay, so Steve, this is really awesome. I'm glad you're here. Thanks for making the trek. I can't wait to talk to you because you had a career and then you transitioned to a new career.
Starting point is 00:02:21 So you're in our living rooms, our coffee shops, our pizza shops. You're all over the place now on CP24. But before we dive in, do you know Peter Gross? Do you know this name at least? I know Peter Gross's name very well. How well do you know Peter Gross? I feel like,
Starting point is 00:02:37 was he, like I'm just curious. You know him because he was on City TV and CP20, no sorry, 680? Or how do you know Peter Gross? Yeah, I just grew up listening to him and watching him for years,
Starting point is 00:02:48 especially when I was in high school. I thought maybe you knew him from Woodbine, maybe. You ever bet on the horses? Never. Never. Okay, well, let's keep that going. Okay, so real quick background. The FOTMs listening know this, but just a little background.
Starting point is 00:03:01 I got a note from a guy named Sid and Sid sent in this clip. What did Sid write? He goes, Hey Mike, I found the TV episode that Peter Gross auditioned for in your basement and I downloaded it. It was excellent. Peter was perfectly cast. I know I'm crazy, but I just had to make clips of it. First is the audio from the audition in your basement. And then the second is the same clip as it appeared in the TV show. So this is called Fear Thy Neighbor, season eight, episode nine. The episode's called Blood on the Lawn. Peter Gross was in my basement. We were chatting. Then he got a text from his agent and he said, why aren't you on this audition Zoom? And Peter looks at me like, oh my God, I messed up the dates. So we did it live, like on the recording. So Peter Gross auditions for this thing live.
Starting point is 00:03:45 Here's how Peter sounded when he auditioned live while he was on Toronto Mic'd. You need to replace my mower. How do you expect me to cut my grass? Look, Ed, the mower was fine when I dropped it off. I mean, what is your problem? What's my problem? You're my problem.
Starting point is 00:04:01 You need to get me a new mower. You need to back off. I didn't do anything to your mower. And if there's damage, need to get me a new mower. You need to back off. I didn't do anything to your mower. And if there's damage, it probably happened when Helen was using it. So that's like the audition. We're on Zoom. That guy is playing the other role, but Peter Gross's audition. He books that gig. He books that gig. I didn't get my 15%, by the way, but he books the gig. This is how it sounded when it aired on television. I believe that there might've been something wrong with Lawnmower, but he
Starting point is 00:04:25 wasn't the one who did it. You need to get me a new mower. Dude, you need to back off. They're both getting angry, and the situation is not calming down. I didn't do anything to your mower, and if there's any damage to it, it probably happened when Helen was using it. So there you go. Okay, Steve, we get to hear how it kind of came together
Starting point is 00:04:41 on my show, and then how it ended up in reality. But there's a fun fact about peter gross very recognizable voice hey you recognize that voice anywhere did you know when you were you know in high school seeing peter gross on city tv that one day you would be on television was this at all like in the back of your mind when you were a young man no nope not at all just Just policing is all I wanted to do since the time I was a little kid. So I just watched the Simpsons episode where they do these aptitude tests
Starting point is 00:05:10 and all the kids, and I think this is the one where Martin wants to be a systems analyst, and he ends up, it says you should be a system analyst. And the crux of this episode is that Lisa Simpson, who has all this ambition,
Starting point is 00:05:20 is supposed to be a homemaker. This was while the test comes back. But Bart was supposed to be a police officer and said, oh, you'd make a great police officer. And it kind of sets him on the right path or whatever. So did you know in high school even that you wanted to go into law enforcement? Yes, it was something I wanted to do since then.
Starting point is 00:05:34 I write in my book that I wanted to do since I was eight years old. So I just followed through with that the whole way. And luckily for me, it turned out because what I would have done had that not worked out, God only knows. Well, we'll never know. We have to go through that sliding door
Starting point is 00:05:49 and find out what happens to Steve Ryan if he doesn't become a cop. But you spent, I mean, I'm looking at you now, like I'm doing the math in my head because how long have you been on CP24 now? Five years. Okay, five years. Okay, because you spent three decades
Starting point is 00:06:01 as a Toronto police officer. I did. So I started when the Toronto police had a cadet program. I was 17, so I came right out of high school. Wow, okay. Now, I don't know how much you're willing to chat about, but I have some general questions, and then we'll see how much you want to say.
Starting point is 00:06:19 But one question I have is, when you were with the Toronto Police Services, were you friendly with the voice, Mark Daly? Yes, Mark always had a special place in the hearts of many police officers, including myself. So we famously on this program, especially when Mr. Retro Ontario, Ed Conroy drops by. He's an FOTM Hall of Famer, Steve. Maybe one day you will be too. But, you know, we talk about Mark's relationship with police
Starting point is 00:06:46 and how he'd often get tips and it really helped him do his job and there was a mutual love in and it improved the reporting on City News. I guess it was called City Pulse at the time. But this is no fallacy. Mark Daly and the cops had a mutual respect and love for one another. That is true. That is true. And Mark Mark Daly and the cops had a mutual respect and love for one another.
Starting point is 00:07:06 That is true. That is true. And Mark was always open and honest about things that he reported on, and he was really a straight shooter in the eyes of many, so he was well-respected. Somebody referenced,
Starting point is 00:07:18 I know you're at CP24, but this is, of course, back when, yeah, I guess originally CP24 was like an offshoot of City TV back before it was picked up and then moved to as a Bell Media station. But Mark Daly remains on the City News website. He'll be like the only former reporter who will stay on the website for all of eternity. Mark Daly is not leaving the City News website.
Starting point is 00:07:45 So nice little tribute to him. All right. What can you share with me? I mean, I was reading up, you know, you mentioned your book. Maybe shout out your book again, since that's where all the detail will be. What's the name of your book? So the book is called The Ghosts That Haunt Me, and I discuss six of the most impactful homicide cases that I was involved with.
Starting point is 00:08:06 Approximately how many homicide cases were you involved with with the Toronto Police Services? 150 in total. Wow okay does that I mean I'm not going to pry too deep here but do you take that home with you like what is it like investigating 150 murders? 100% take it home with me and this is this is one of the reasons why I wrote the book was because when you're in that, and I'll call it a mess, but that lifestyle
Starting point is 00:08:30 of investigating homicides, everything becomes so normal. And then when you step away from it, like when I left the job, you realize just how unnormal that type of work, important work, noble work,
Starting point is 00:08:39 but man, it takes its toll on you, that's for sure. So how are you doing? I mean, at some point in this conversation, we're going to get into the transition and why you transition into media.
Starting point is 00:08:51 But I feel like I can answer that myself. I mean, that's, you know, 150 murders over like a 30-year career. Man, like that's got to be tough for you psychologically. So it was 150 murders in 13 years in homicide. So I did 100. Wow. Yeah, so averaging.
Starting point is 00:09:08 And that's not anything special. You talk to any homicide investigator, particularly in a city the size of Toronto, they will themselves be involved in 10 to 15 homicides per year, in charge of, not to mention the ones that you would help other detectives out with. But as your own cases go, you'd have 10 to 15 per year. Wow. So just before you showed up at my side door,
Starting point is 00:09:30 there was a news breaking that detective, the actor Richard Belzer, who played Detective Munch. And I mean, I know Munch because he appeared on all these shows, like Law and Order Special Victims Unit, Homicide Life on the Street. He'd make a cameo on The Wire
Starting point is 00:09:45 and stuff. Did you ever watch these police detective dramas and either say, hey, that's pretty close or, oh, this is nothing like it really is? I'm just curious. Did you ever watch these shows and think it was even a reasonable
Starting point is 00:10:01 facsimile of the actual job? The only show that I found close to real police work would be The Wire, which was on HBO. But as far as the other policing shows go, I kind of stayed away from them. Because you're involved in that so often, every day of your life, it's something you don't want to go home and watch as well.
Starting point is 00:10:18 But I did come across The Wire, and I would say that would be the most realistic. Okay, I love hearing that because it's my favorite show of all time. I just whipped out the DVD box set for those listening on the podcast. Yeah, and Bunk and McNulty. So yeah, this is the closest
Starting point is 00:10:35 the Hollywood machine has come to mimicking the real thing. Absolutely, 100%. See, when I look back, I mean mean these murders that you covered and this is all in your book and everything but there's there's one disappearance i wouldn't mind chatting with you just a little bit about because i am of an age where there was two actually there was a couple of uh missing children reports that really like i would say mildly traumatized me because of the age I was and it made the city seem very, very scary. But Nicole
Starting point is 00:11:08 Moran, like, so this is before your time at the TPS if I do the math? Yeah, it's before my time, but I am very familiar with the case. Can we just maybe briefly chat because still unsolved, right? This is a cold case. Yes,
Starting point is 00:11:24 she disappeared back in the mid-80s, I believe, on her way down to a swimming pool from her mom's apartment. And this is an atopical story, too. So if you're growing up in Alderwood, this is really close. Yep, yep. West Mall and Rathburn, I believe it was. Yeah. And, I don't know, do you have any insight into
Starting point is 00:11:44 how can a case like that, you know, such a prominent case like that go unsolved? Because there's another name I'm going to drop on you of another case where it took a little time, a long time actually, but then there was a break in the case. But is there any hope that we ever find out what happened in Nicole? Is there any hope that we ever find out what happened in Nicole? Oh, I'd say, and I always said this, there's always hope that a case will be solved. And all it requires sometimes is the most minor piece of information being provided to the cops. And sometimes that's what you're waiting for. That case is still actively being worked on, by the way. So what does that mean?
Starting point is 00:12:18 They're still obviously collecting, I guess, all unsolved cases. You'll always collect tips. But what does that mean to actively work a case from the mid-80s? Well, you follow up on all tips. And there's always tips that come in. They're not always credible tips, but every tip is required to be followed up on. And then you review what's already been reviewed, and you review that again, and you review it over and over again with a fresh set of eyes
Starting point is 00:12:41 until somebody may come across something that has been overlooked or missed. But oftentimes in a case that's cold for that long, it just means that there's just no new evidence. So Nicole Moran, that was, like we said, mid-80s. So I'm 10 years old. That was really scary to me to hear that, oh, you could just disappear one day. This is how it felt as a 10-year-old anyway.
Starting point is 00:13:02 But the other one that always stuck with me uh allison perot now this well you maybe will hear from you here but this is a case where similarly was cold for a long time if you will i don't know if that's the right terminology you tell me but then there was a break there was a dna break that's right i was a young uniform constable when the news broke that there was an arrest in her murder. And it was, I believe, the first time that DNA was used, if I'm correct, to identify a suspect and arrest the guy that they believed killed her. Okay. But there's more recently than that.
Starting point is 00:13:40 We had, there was news around Alison Perrault's disappearance, right? Like more recent history? With regards to what? Yeah, I feel like, again, I should probably be Googling this right now, but Kings Mill Park, maybe, near Old Mill. And it could be conflating even stories here. But the bottom line is that the DNA evidence,
Starting point is 00:13:59 we did find out who killed Alison Perrault. That's right. And he's been convicted in a serving life sentence for that murder. Her body was found in a park off the old mill. Yeah, I think that Kings Mill Park, and I bike it all the time, and I think about her often
Starting point is 00:14:13 because, again, I was of a certain age when she went disappearing. So obviously you've got a book, and we're not going to spend too much time on the TPS segment of your career because we've got to get you transitioned into CP24, your new role there, which, by the way, you're on TV all the time.
Starting point is 00:14:28 Like, what's it like when you go for a coffee at Tim Hortons? Do people go, I know you? It happens all the time, and it shows you just how popular CP24 is and just how many locations it's played in because we're recognized, not just me, but everybody that's on that station, wherever they go. It's because people watch it all the time.
Starting point is 00:14:48 I mean, heck, you're on there almost as often as my friend Dana Levinson, who does the CapitalDirect.ca ads, and I feel like she's on there every half an hour, but shout out to Dana Levinson. What are you willing to share with us about a case or two that haunts you to this day?
Starting point is 00:15:07 I mean, obviously, whatever you're comfortable sharing here. But you spent 29 years in law enforcement. And then you wrote the book, The Ghosts That Haunt Me. Also a great Crash Test Dummies album, by the way. Shout out to Crash Test Dummies. But what can you share with me about any cases that have stuck with you? I can only imagine they'd all stick with you to some regard, but what are the ones that you wrote about in the book?
Starting point is 00:15:28 Maybe one or two, if you don't mind. Well, you talk about cases that paralyzed the city, and Holly Jones was one. Now, to be clear, this was not my case. I was a young detective. I worked with two seasoned detective sergeants, and I learned a lot from them. And when she went missing, I was part of that investigation,
Starting point is 00:15:48 and that case really stunned the entire city because kids weren't allowed to go anywhere. Parents were fearful that their child was going to be the next one abducted. And, yes, I remember the Holly Jones. Can you remind me, what neighborhood was this? The Junction. The Junction, right. Is this the one where it was someone down the street
Starting point is 00:16:06 like literally pulled her off the street? Again, I sometimes conflate these missing cases but is that the one? That's the one. She was walking, she was 10 years old and she was walking her girlfriend
Starting point is 00:16:18 home from her place for the very first time by herself and this guy, Michael Breer, decided that was the day that he was going to abduct and sexually assault a child, and she happened to be the one that came across his path. Well, no wonder parents didn't want their kids walking. You know what I mean?
Starting point is 00:16:34 No one wants you. That's just, I'm the father of four here, and I'm just, that's just, oh my God, how horrific for a family. Well, normally when kids are abducted, they're abducted by a parent. They're normally familial. So when you have a confirmed stranger-on-stranger abduction, that is what frightens people to death, and that's what makes people change their daily life patterns
Starting point is 00:16:57 because you make special trips to pick up your kid from school because there's a monster out there, and everybody's looking for that monster. Wow, Holly Jones. Now, is there another one that has never left you? Well, there's six in the book total that haven't left me. Well, let me say this. All homicides never leave you. These are just six of the most senseless, sort of, like just pure innocence.
Starting point is 00:17:24 Children, women who were just killed for divorcing their husband for for instance uh dr uh alana shek she was murdered by her husband muhammad shamji he was a neurosurgeon and she was murdered because she was leaving him and the way that transpired to actually that was my last case that I investigated before I decided that was enough. I was going to leave the job. So how much of a role did that specific case play in your decision to move on
Starting point is 00:17:54 from the Toronto Police Service Homicide Unit? Well, I would say that was the final nail in the coffin. I'll give you a bit of a background. I was in court with a cold case that my team and I solved with another young child that was murdered. It was a cold case. She was murdered in the mid-90s and put in a suitcase
Starting point is 00:18:12 and burned up in York Region. And her body remained unidentified for years and years. So we just finished a trial whereby I spent almost three months in court talking about a body in a suitcase. I go back on call and my team and I get this call and there's another body in a suitcase. I go back on call, and my team and I get this call,
Starting point is 00:18:26 and there's another body in a suitcase, and that was enough for me. I just couldn't see anymore. About 150 cases. I mean, is there support offered by TPS for people in your position? I mean, it's very private. You can pass on this, but people you talk to throughout? Well, I'll say this, that there is mandatory counseling, if you will, that people in homicide, people in the child pornography units, the emergency task force, those type of things,
Starting point is 00:18:55 there is training, excuse me, not training, there is counseling there for them. I believe it's still there. So you had reached this, I guess, this epiphany of sorts, maybe death by a thousand cuts, bad pun there. But how did this media opportunity, like how does the CP24 job as a crime analyst present itself? So I was quite familiar with many of the media outlets just because of the nature of the job that I did.
Starting point is 00:19:24 And we were always holding press conferences. And Cam Woolley, familiar. Cam Woolley, on his last day at CP24, before he went up north, he dropped by here and did what I called his exit interview, and we did a deep dive with him. So yeah, Cam Woolley's been here. Yeah, huge respect for him. So he was the crime guy, the traffic guy with CP24.
Starting point is 00:19:46 And during this last investigation I did, I was back up at the crime scene. And he was up there covering it. And he said to me one day, how are you doing? And I said, I'm done. I'm done with this job. He picked up the phone, called his boss. His boss got on the phone with me. And that was it.
Starting point is 00:20:02 I had a job. So I have huge respect for him because Cam was the sheriff in town and he brought in a deputy, which was me. Most guys are not going to do that. They're going to say like, find your own, find your own job. I'm the guy. And he was confident, secure enough in himself that he brought somebody else along. And I have a lot of respect for him and a lot of gratitude for him giving me the opportunity. In fact, there was great speculation at the time, I remember, when we were chatting that potentially he'd go into politics, but so far he's withheld the urge to go into politics, but who knows what the future holds for Cam. But did you notice, Steve, on a lighter note,
Starting point is 00:20:39 that Cam Woolley's intro to the media world was, I don't know, were you a fan of Degrassi at all? Did you ever watch Degrassi Junior High? No, I never did. No? Okay, well, Degrassi had a movie which was to wrap everything up, which was called Schools Out. I mean, if you look in the Toronto Mic'd Archives, I know that Cam Gordon, a different Cam,
Starting point is 00:21:01 Cam Gordon and I did a very deep dive into Schools Out, but in schools out it takes place i guess up north and there's a opp cars used in the shooting and cam woolley saw these opp cars that weren't i guess they weren't real cars but they were like this was something that needed to be investigated and he found out it was for this shoot and he ended up getting in like the uh the vehicle leasing business like if a production a television or a movie production needs like you know cop cars basically uh cam moly was involved in that so it's all because he stumbled upon the schools out filming on uh
Starting point is 00:21:38 on just while doing one of his uh while working for the ontario provincial police so he was quite the entrepreneur for for sure. And he's a guy that everybody just loves. You can feel his presence. He's just got this certain shtick about him. And yeah, he's a great guy. He does look a little huggable, right? Like you look at Cam and you want to give him a hug.
Starting point is 00:21:58 Well said. Yeah. You want to give him a hug. Although I gave him this big hug. He's like, can you let go of me, Mike? Enough is enough. Okay. So that's interesting. So Cam Woolley, so why do you think Cam Woolley tapped you on the shoulder and said you were
Starting point is 00:22:10 the heir apparent at CP24? Yeah, good question. I don't know why he would have been comfortable enough to introduce me to his boss. And it's a chance he took too because, I mean, look, they did their own due diligence, of course, but Cam opened that door for me. And for whatever reason, I don't know, but as I said, I'm forever grateful. Because you and Cam, now that I've met you and I've spent a good whole, you know, 20 minutes with you, you're different styles, right? Because Cam is like more of a folksy thing, and you're more of like, I guess, please tell me if this term offends you.
Starting point is 00:22:43 You know, I've offended guests before but hard-boiled. You ever heard this term for like a detective? A hard-boiled detective. Like when I'm casting, my Steve Ryan is my hard-boiled detective in that film noir thing
Starting point is 00:22:54 I'm filming. But Cam Wooley is more of like a sheriff maybe in that, you know, that Dukes of Hazzard spinoff or something like that.
Starting point is 00:23:01 You know, like different styles. Different personalities. Different personalities for sure. Yeah, I would agree with that. So he goes to these, I guess the CP, I guess we're purposely, do you want to name this person?
Starting point is 00:23:11 Like it won't get you in trouble, will it? It's up to you if you want to name the person. But somebody at CP24 has to make this decision. Cam Woolley vouches for Steve Ryan, the man with two first names. And you get a phone call? We go through a series of interviews, and then it's decided that they'll offer me a job.
Starting point is 00:23:30 I'd accept that job, and then I tendered my resignation with the Toronto Police. Okay, there you go. I mean, this is a career you started at the age of 18. Is that right? I didn't even know. I guess, okay. And you've seen some, pardon my French,
Starting point is 00:23:45 you've seen some shit because you were a detective sex crimes unit and advocating for victims' rights while investigating serious sexual crimes and solving high-profile cases, and then including the York University rape investigation, and then you spent the 13 years with the toronto police service homicide unit so i guess you uh you you give your resignation and you're gonna be uh in front of the camera so maybe we can chat a little bit uh unless you got more to add in that transition but like what's that transition like it's not like you just turn a page and all of that baggage from 150 homicide
Starting point is 00:24:24 cases are just like fall off you and you go become like a TV star, right? Like what's that transition like? Well, the transition from policing into what I'm doing now, I mean, just being in front of the cameras and speaking live on television constantly was a big change. But as far as speaking about crime, that's something that comes naturally to me because it was all of my years, 30 years of policing, where I'm able to look at a crime scene and analyze a crime scene because I've seen them all.
Starting point is 00:24:54 I've said this many times, you can only kill somebody so many ways. The only thing that changes is the face and the location. That's it. The reasons, there's only so many reasons, there's only so much evidence, and there's only so many ways
Starting point is 00:25:03 you can try to escape. Nothing changes. It's all the same and uh you were there so you have this unique perspective that uh you know shout out to fotm jamie goodfriend he's not going to have that perspective but you were there for almost three decades and uh that makes you the uh the expert that makes me comfortable i would say comfortable in in telling our viewers what it is that I'm looking at because I'm quite confident in what I'm seeing because I've done it. Do you still have contacts on the inside that could keep you abreast of developments that would aid you as a crime analyst on CP24? Yeah, I'm going to say no, I don't. Smart Daily did. Well, sure, and a lot of them do, but the reason
Starting point is 00:25:49 I don't, it's done intentionally because I don't want to put any of those officers in a position whereby if something comes out and I have it, they're going to look at you and say, you gave it to Steve, which doesn't happen. I don't ask them for it, and they don't provide it to me. It's straight up. Okay, gotcha, gotcha.
Starting point is 00:26:06 Okay, interesting. Now, you don't just cover crimes because I see you, for example, there was a, I was going to say CP24, quick aside and then we'll get back to it, but you know, City Hall was chaotic for a few years
Starting point is 00:26:22 because of the Rob Ford as mayor, that tenure, it was. That tenure was a constant chaos. It became a new normal. I can still see like Katie Simpson running down the hallway at City Hall. And then we got, as David Ryder told me on Saturday morning, no story Tory came in
Starting point is 00:26:39 and he promised an end to the circus. And for many, many years, things were rather calm and typical and as boring as a city hall is supposed to be, right? Because it's supposed to be, you know, pretty boring. Now, this all changed last, well, I guess a little over a week ago on that Friday when Toronto Star broke a story about John Tory and a city hall staffer having an inappropriate relationship.
Starting point is 00:27:04 And then about an hour later, after the Star published that story, John Tory had a press conference and said he's resigning. And now he has officially resigned. And there's, you know, we got to figure out what happens next. But there must be like, not that you would ever root for chaos. Nobody's rooting for chaos. But see, this is something that makes CP24's viewership rise. Like Toronto needs to know what's going on in our city. And suddenly it's not a boring, no-story Tory tenure at City Hall. Suddenly there's excitement.
Starting point is 00:27:35 So I saw you covering this. So you're not just covering the crimes. They'll also send you to City Hall and cover this kind of story. That's what makes CP24 so unique is that we are boots on the ground if you will and we chase those stories we chase those breaking stories and i do other stories as a other than just crime crime is my main go-to but i do other stories when they're required and i had the um i wouldn't say fortunate or unfortunate timing to be there when this happened to the mayor. So how often, I'm curious about the nuts and bolts of all this. So you're the crime analyst
Starting point is 00:28:11 at CP24. Is that like, are you on the air X number of days a week? Like, how does it work? Is it just when a crime goes down, your, I was going to say your pager goes off, but I bet you you don't carry a pager anymore. Like how is it, how does it work at CP24 and you? I work five days a week, just like anybody else. My hours may rotate and I will cover the story of the day at that time. And if something major breaks and I'm off, I could come in for it or I could do it from home. So if there's something, a huge story that needs attention right away, I'll do it from wherever I am. I normally just work a regular five day a week.
Starting point is 00:28:45 Okay, just a regular five day. Okay. Just a regular five, five days a week. Now, five years in, any regrets? Oh, no, no. I can't say enough about Bell Media, the company that I work for right now, and the Toronto Police Service as well. But that is not a job that I miss. That is something that I'm glad I did for the amount of time that I did, but it was time to go. And it's important to recognize when you're doing that type of work in policing when it's time to exit. So, no, I'm very happy. No regrets.
Starting point is 00:29:14 And how long would you do this for? Is there a plan to eventually retire? What is the goal here, to do it for X number of years and then enjoy retirement? I'm not trying to retire you, Steve. I appreciate that. You look younger than me, okay. There's no plan on retiring. I mean, it's a job that I enjoy doing.
Starting point is 00:29:33 And as long as the people in the city are interested in what I have to say, I'll stay as long as I can. Would you mind, and I realize a lot of your tenure actually is during the pandemic, so it's a bit unique, but do you want to name check anybody you work with at CP24? I just dropped, what did I drop the name? Jamie Goodfriend, because he's been over a few times, but I know Kayla Williams is back. I think she might have even changed her name.
Starting point is 00:29:59 I believe we have changed our name actually. Kayla Tracy, I want to say, but bottom line, she's back from her maternity leave. Do you want to name check any of the good people that work with you at CP24? Well, my good friend, Nick Dixon, I can't say enough about his ability, his professionalism as a news anchor, and I would add Nathan Downer as well, two of the finest anchors that I would say are in the city of Toronto here for sure. Okay, and Dixon came from CHCH, I believe. Yeah, he did. He came from Channel 11, yep.
Starting point is 00:30:27 Channel 11. That's a whole separate crime that took place. No, just kidding. But I didn't like how they declared bankruptcy and then suddenly a numbered company rose from the ashes and rehired the same people. Never smelled right for me, but that's for another department to investigate there.
Starting point is 00:30:44 But Nick Dixon did do a great job there and he's doing a great job on CP24. Nick always reminds me of a guy that could easily do the national news, whether here in Canada or down in the United States. He's just one of those, he's just got that charisma, he's got that delivery, and I just got the hugest respect for him. You know who was on this show fairly recently? Lloyd Robertson. Another one.
Starting point is 00:31:07 There you go. Speaking of guys who could do the CTV National News, shout out to... And, you know, speaking of excitement in the media, there was a... You know, Omar's got the gig now, of course, but there was the Lisa Laflamme story. And I won't ask for your opinion on that because I know you're a happy Bell Media employee,
Starting point is 00:31:26 but it's got to be interesting when you're on the inside and the big story in the country is a personnel change at sort of a sister station, if you will. Yeah, and my motto, something like that, just keep my head down and do my work. That's all I do. I offer no opinion either way on that. Well, that's good.
Starting point is 00:31:44 That'll serve you well in your new media career here. Alright, a couple of gifts for you making this trek. And then I want to get to know Steve Ryan. I called you the hard-boiled detective. We're going to crack that egg and then get to know you a little bit more personally. But you mentioned to me
Starting point is 00:32:00 that you grew up in Alderwood and now you're living in Mimico and you're pretty much in the Great Lakes Brewery backyard. So great sponsors of this program is Great Lakes Brewery and they're down the street from the Costco where my wife bumped into Biff Naked the other day.
Starting point is 00:32:16 And I just want to shout them out and let you know, Steve, that I've got some fresh craft beer you can take home with you today courtesy of Great Lakes Brewery. Appreciate that. Thanks. Do you enjoy Italian food as well?
Starting point is 00:32:28 Yeah. Yeah. Can't say that I don't. Well, good, because I'm giving you a lasagna. Somebody in the family will enjoy it, right? So I, and everybody loves lasagna. So I do have a frozen lasagna from Palma Pasta for you, Steve, for making the trek.
Starting point is 00:32:43 It'll be a nice evening tonight. Beer and pasta. Yeah, tonight. Beer and pasta. Yeah, seriously. Beer and pasta. I feel like I would like to be a guest on my own show. Why I want these goodies to go home with me here. Oh, and to keep you safe, this is a flashlight courtesy of Ridley Funeral Home, which have been pillars of
Starting point is 00:33:00 this community since 1921. They're in New Toronto here. Mimico's neighbor. Yeah, Ridley's have been around since when my folks first came here from down east. They lived just off the lake shore. And I remember Ridley's being a toddler, going by there with my mom.
Starting point is 00:33:17 So yeah, they've been a staple in this community for forever. Absolutely. And the owner and funeral director there now, Brad Jones, actually, I co-host a podcast with him called Life's Undertaking and lots of great conversation about life and death and the community and supporting small business. with Brad Jones from Ridley Funeral Home. It's amazing you've been around so long that during your tenure as a police officer, cannabis went from being against the law to, do you know cannabis is legal now, Steve? Yeah, I was made well aware of that just a little while ago.
Starting point is 00:33:58 That's right. So if you consume cannabis, which is legal, you won't find a better place to buy it than Canna Cabana. They won't be undersold on cannabis or cannabis accessories. A great retail outlet in this fine province of Ontario. So thank you, Canna Cabana, for your support. And last but not least, if anyone listening has any antiquated, end-of-life electronics, don't go throwing that in the garbage.
Starting point is 00:34:23 There's a lot of chemicals and parts that should not be in the landfill. And if you go to recyclemyelectronics.ca, you just put in your poster code where you are. You can find out the places where you can drop off your old tech to be safely and properly recycled. So thank you to EPRA for that.
Starting point is 00:34:44 All right, Steve, a couple of things. So I couldn't help but notice, I don't want you to think I've been checking you out, but you are a fit guy. Like I'm curious how do you keep yourself in such good shape? Well I work out when I can. Not as much now as I did back when I was younger
Starting point is 00:35:00 but I still try to maintain some sort of level of fitness and I always found that it was always important for my mental health as well, coming off of a hard day at work in homicide, that you do a good workout, a good run, something I always tried to maintain. So thanks for noticing, Mike. Yeah, look, I'm here. I've seen you on the CP24. Once in a while, you'll show it off, right? You're like, I'm going to wear like tight uh t-shirt and make sure make sure people know i'm keeping myself fit i wouldn't say they were tight t-shirts i would say they just fit me okay they just fit you and let's just say i i don't i i try to wear my t-shirts just a titch
Starting point is 00:35:33 uh looser than that just for the same reasons okay so you're keeping yourself fit uh do you participate in any sports i do i play golf and uh up until a short time ago i played baseball as well, and I used to play hockey with the Toronto Police Hockey League for years and years and years. I played junior hockey as well, growing up as a kid. Okay, so when you're playing with police officers, is there a lot of chirping going on on the ice? Are the elbows up? The most competitive group of hockey players you could ever imagine.
Starting point is 00:36:05 And there are some superstar hockey players that are in that league, when I played anyways. Wow, okay. And what position did you play? I was a defenseman, believe it or not, at my size. I believe it. So this morning my boy played at Mimico Arena, and he's only eight. But he was playing defense for part of the game.
Starting point is 00:36:26 And it's funny because he's just figured out how to skate backwards. But he's still a bit of a pylon. Anyway, bless his heart. He got a goal today. So shout out to my boy Jarvis who did score. Scored a big goal in a 6-6 draw at Mimico Arena. But he's still working on his defensive skills there. That's where I learned to play hockey. It was at Mimico Arena. Yeah he's still working on his defensive skills there. That's where I learned to play hockey was at Mimico Arena. I was
Starting point is 00:36:47 five or six years old when I first started playing at Mimico. Somebody told me it's one of the coldest rinks in the GTA, but I only have been to so many rinks that I don't have a good frame of reference except I spent many, many years at George Bell Arena because my oldest played there, and without a doubt, Mimico Arena
Starting point is 00:37:03 is much colder than George Bell Arena was. Mimico Arena has always been very, very cold. And it's funny, I was talking this morning to somebody. We used to do our, back in the day as kids, our outdoor practices at Park Lawn Arena. And that was cold. We practiced at six o'clock in the morning. That's in a bubble now. Oh, I didn't know that.
Starting point is 00:37:20 Yeah. We did practices there too during the part of the pandemic. And yeah, there's a bubble there. It's still cold though, but it's no longer outdoors. I played at, so I kind of grew up near Jane and Dundas and I would play my house league hockey at Rennie Park, the Swansea Hockey Association, which I believe was, and I don't know if it still is,
Starting point is 00:37:41 but it was the largest outdoor house league in the world. I heard that. Yeah, I think you're right. Whether that's true or not, we're going to go with it and make up those tight t-shirts. That's the rumor. Get a tight t-shirt to my man Steve Ryan. I'm going to bring you one of my t-shirts actually. Well, I need a couple
Starting point is 00:38:00 of months to get ready for that t-shirt. I feel a lot of pressure. I have put on, I think, although I do bike every single day. i'm trying to stay fit too but uh i'm just like maybe i'm indulging with too much too much palma pasta and great lakes beer because i i think i need a couple of months before i put on your t-shirt but i will give me two months okay how's that give me two months and then i'll put on your t-shirt i'll bring you in all right there you go we have a deal all right so we got you know you're playing All right, there you go. We have a deal. All right, so we got, you know, you're playing hockey, you're golfing.
Starting point is 00:38:27 I find golf ruins a good walk. I don't know. I think I just had the wrong mentality on it. Maybe I just was afraid to golf with people who knew how to golf. I don't know. But you golf, you play hockey. I'm curious about music.
Starting point is 00:38:43 Okay, I have a little song loaded up here and everything here. By any chance, to people who work for the police, listen to the police. I happen to like the police. I can only speak for myself, but they're one of my favorites. Okay, look. Okay, so when you were growing up in alderwood bring down uh bring down gordon sumner here when you were growing up in alderwood what would be your radio your go-to radio station
Starting point is 00:39:11 of choice chum fm okay can you help me out here this is before it was uh top 40 yeah yeah it was 104.5 still is i think i'd like in, I'm just, to get the years are important because in like 86 or so, they go from like being like the rock station with QN07 to becoming like a top 40 station.
Starting point is 00:39:33 Well, they had a, they had 1050 chum as well. So most of my listening was done on, on the AM radio. Okay, 1050.
Starting point is 00:39:40 Now, do you have any favorite jocks from 1050? No. So you can't shout out like a Jim Van Horn? No. No, okay. I'm thinking of Chum.
Starting point is 00:39:53 Who would be there? Was Lee Eckley there? Do you remember any of the jocks that you would listen to on AM or FM, Chum? No, I don't remember. That's okay. I'm obsessed with the details. I'll bring another place. So tell me, give me a little idea.
Starting point is 00:40:07 Like when you were making, I don't know, a mixtape in high school, give me a taste of what bands or artists or what genres you were really into. All right, you ready for this? I'm ready. Journey. Air Supply.
Starting point is 00:40:21 Really? Yeah. I am a little surprised. I thought it'd be more aggro. No, no. Those slow, romantic love song music is my thing. Even when I'm working out, that's what I listen to. Really?
Starting point is 00:40:34 Yeah. I don't know. I'm a little shocked here. I thought you would be. Yeah, because, I don't know, maybe there's a stereotype, but I just figured it'd be a more aggressive sound. But no, you need to go the other way maybe because your work is so aggressive and you know you need to kind of go the other way
Starting point is 00:40:52 with your music so you can reset yourself yeah it could be but i do enjoy that slow i was at the gym the other day and i was listening to air supply the whole time so i finished my run listening to uh making love Out of Nothing at All. It was the last song I listened to. Which is it? Jim Steinman wrote that, and he's the guy who worked with Meatloaf on Bat Out of Hell.
Starting point is 00:41:12 That's right. Yeah, that's right. Wow. Okay. Can you name drop any other jams that you like? By the way, often guests return to kick out the jams of me. Like, this is something we can consider
Starting point is 00:41:24 for the future. But maybe give me a, maybe a shout out other artists or songs that appear on your playlist. Lionel Richie. Another guy. And this is a Sunday morning. So we could be singing easy like Sunday morning. Easy like Sunday morning.
Starting point is 00:41:42 Yeah. Oh, Lionel Richie. Okay. Okay. Dancing on the ceiling. What else you got there, Steve? I like a lot of country music as well. Tim McGraw.
Starting point is 00:41:52 I like to listen to a lot of his stuff. Kenny Chesney. All the slow stuff that they play, I like. Do you ever go to concerts? Yeah. My son and I just went to Blue Rodeo. It's another band that I like. So we saw them at Ontario Place this past summer
Starting point is 00:42:06 I was there is this was Alan Doyle the lead or maybe that was two summers ago actually I might have missed him this summer but I do see Blue Rodeo often and I will tell you you're in some exclusive company here because Jim Cuddy is an FOTM that means Friend of Toronto Mic'd
Starting point is 00:42:21 you're now an FOTM Steve Ryan Friend of Toronto Mic'd, welcome to now an FOTM, Steve Ryan, Friend of Toronto Mic'd. Welcome to the club. Thank you. I'm honored. Jim Cuddy has been on. There's a deep dive with him and the keyboardist, Mike Boguski, who, by the way, is also an Etobicoke guy.
Starting point is 00:42:35 And Mike Boguski's brother, Mark, went to, I was in my high school class at Michael Power. So shout out to Mike Boguski, who now plays keyboards with Blue Rodeo, and of course, Jim Cuddy, founding member and voice of Blue Rodeo. That's right, went to high school, by the way,
Starting point is 00:42:52 was Michael Power. Really? Do you know Bill Brio? I'm trying to get agey. He's a bit older than you, so you probably miss Bill Brio. I think you're right between me and Bill, but okay, Michael Power. Who's the most famous person who went to high school with you? Brendan Shannon.
Starting point is 00:43:07 That's an easy one. Yeah. Miracle Boy, yeah. Absolutely. What about, oh, she's older than you too, but Cynthia Dale, did you, I guess you might've missed Cynthia Dale, but Brendan Shannon is the answer
Starting point is 00:43:19 to that question for sure. Yeah. And, you know, to this day, I ran into Brendan not too long ago. He is the, despite the fact that he is a hockey legend, superstar legend, he is the most down to earth individual that you will ever, ever come across. Even today in his role as lead of the MLSC, he is just a remarkable human being. I'm a big fan, big fan. I did once reach out to MLSE to see if Brendan would pop over, and I assured them, I was very clear to them.
Starting point is 00:43:49 I said, I have no interest in talking about the Leafs. I want to talk about Mimico. I just want to talk about Mimico and growing up and Michael Power and everything. And they said, politely said no, actually, to my request. But if Brendan's listening out there, I still would love to have you over to talk about Mimico and the Blue Goose. What's the name of the Mimico? It's Blue Goose, right?
Starting point is 00:44:09 Blue Goose Tavern. Right. Okay. Where I think Dave Boland, Dave Boland's brother might have worked there. I'm getting my Mimico boys correct. But Brendan Shanahan went to power. I've dropped that fun fact many, many times.
Starting point is 00:44:20 And you knew him, right? I did. I played hockey with him. He was always a lot better than I was, mind you. Shocking. Yeah, no kidding. did. I played hockey with him. He was always a lot better than I was, mind you. Shocking. Yeah, no kidding. Yeah, I played hockey with him. You a Leafs fan?
Starting point is 00:44:31 I am. More of a Jays fan than a Leafs fan, but yeah, Leafs fan. What's the next, what is the next Toronto professional team? X, let's move the Argos out of this one because there's only eight teams in the CFL. Let's put Argos aside.
Starting point is 00:44:44 What's the next professional Toronto team to win a championship in your guesstimation here, as you guess? Blue Jays. Okay. Maybe this year. Maybe this year. Okay, I'm excited.
Starting point is 00:44:56 Now, about the Leafs here, we just made a big trade. We got Ryan O'Reilly, and we shored up. I'm curious, do you think we might actually win a round for the first time since 2004? I think that the Leafs have as good a chance as ever
Starting point is 00:45:09 to win that first round, given the trade that they've made just recently, for sure. Now that means, because it's probably going to be Tampa Bay in the first round, and although we've come close, I mean, you know, game seven, but haven't been able to, you know, game seven, but haven't been able to climb that mountain. So Leafs should be able to beat the
Starting point is 00:45:29 Lightning in the first round. I think they're in as good a position as they'll ever be to do it. I think it's going to depend on their goaltending. If their goaltending is strong, or even close to strong, I think they might have a good shot. Well, actually, that's what concerns me. I mean, Ryan O'Reilly, who I would have loved Ryan O'Reilly
Starting point is 00:45:45 maybe if we got like Ryan O'Reilly from like three or four years ago, but that's another story. I feel like my worry is the goaltending, and I feel like showing up the D-line would have better served this team for a playoff run, but at least we're adding parts and going for it here. This window is not going to be open forever. And I think for Dubas, I don't know how Shanahan will survive,
Starting point is 00:46:08 but I feel for Dubas, I feel like a first round out, if we go out in the first round this year, I don't know how he keeps his job. That's going to be tough for sure. And he's trying. I mean, he's doing the best he can. This deal he pulled off is a go for all or nothing
Starting point is 00:46:21 sort of deal in my opinion. And as you said, what type of player that they traded for are they going to get? Are they going to get the guy from a couple of years ago, or are they going to get the new guy? Yeah, we don't want the new guy. We looked good last night, but we played a very bad Montreal team here.
Starting point is 00:46:36 Okay. Wow, I didn't know you went to power. That's kind of exciting. So we have that in common, which is cool. So I'm the last graduating class from that original location because the very next year they move it to
Starting point is 00:46:48 near Centennial Park there. Okay. Yep. So I did my five years up on Bloor Street there. And then they split, the school split, went to Father Redmond,
Starting point is 00:46:57 which was over in, down on Valormo and Alderwood. But I happened to stay up at the North Campus. Okay. I know that campus well. It's funny,
Starting point is 00:47:04 when I talk about that campus, because, you know, it's gone, because it's condos now. So it's like, we're in that step up, we can't go Okay, I know that campus well. It's funny when I talk about that camp because, you know, it's gone because it's condos now. So it's like we're in that step up. We can't go back and take a look at stuff. But when I describe it, because it's funny because like, okay, I'm like, yeah, there was Michael Power.
Starting point is 00:47:15 There's St. Joe's, okay? And then you had Centre Portable and you had North Portable and you had a gym in a portable. And there was also a gym at Michael Power. It was a campus. Like, I went to U of T after Michael Power, and I feel like I was, like, prepared for the campus living
Starting point is 00:47:31 because I went to Power. It was, like, wild. And then you had the little house with the chaplains. The chapel, yeah. That was the most overwhelming day of my life, was going to high school in grade 9 for the very first day because that place was you know as a young teenager it appeared huge and very very confusing
Starting point is 00:47:50 absolutely and i actually remember that feeling because uh i didn't have like an older brother or sister to give me a heads up on what was going on so yeah you go from your primary school where i went like near jane and blue i went to primary school and then you're going to this this crazy campus and you're like oh I got a class and I got like this geography class in North Portable and just trying to map it all out it was just insane in that campus here's how how confused I was back then I can tell you that I had a Walkman on walking through Center Portable first day listening to David Bowie's Modern Love and I I was thinking to myself, I am completely lost here. Where am I going? But I remember that exact moment, because I just felt like I'm completely out of
Starting point is 00:48:30 my norm, and I had no idea where I was or what I was doing. I have memories of the same feeling, and I had my Walkman on, but I think at grade 9, I really was obsessed, even though it was new to me, even though the album came out in late 79, I think, but London Calling by The Clash. I was obsessed with this it was new to me even though the album came out in late 79 i think but uh london calling by the clash like i was obsessed with this cassette and i would just kind
Starting point is 00:48:50 of go over it over over again until uh until until i switched it up for some public enemy but uh i remember this very very well in fact okay so i was uh one of my best friends in junior kindergarten i went to a different school for jksk in grade one. And my best friend there was a guy named Joe. And then we drifted apart because I switched schools. And then we drifted apart. And then grade nine, I think I had a gym class and I'm lined up. And then right beside me is this guy.
Starting point is 00:49:15 And he goes to me, he goes, do you remember me? And I look at him and he looks familiar to me. He goes, it's Joe from St. Cecilia's. And it's like, hey, Joe, we've been friends ever since. In fact, I was at lunch with a client on Friday, and coincidentally, Joe's wife was there. And I took a quick snapshot with Joe's wife. And Joe, coincidentally, because this was not planned,
Starting point is 00:49:38 also now lives in New Toronto. So there you go, Steve. Everything comes full circle. You know, being on television too, what that gives me the opportunity to do is meet people that I hadn't seen in years and years and years because they will recognize you. And I ran into an old baseball coach
Starting point is 00:49:53 that taught me when I was seven years old, honked his horn one day when I was on the street. Shout out to Bill Peel, that's his name. And I would never have got that opportunity to come across him again had I not been on TV. So I across a lot of people in the over over the years that i that i've known and like i said you're on tv a lot like i mentioned to my mom i said uh steve ryan is coming over and my mom said like he's in you know you know what it's like when you you're selective memory or whatever but she's like he's on tv all the time. Oh, she's right.
Starting point is 00:50:26 You're working hard here. You sure you're only working five days a week? Just five days a week. Yeah, it might seem a lot more perhaps, but nope, just five days a week, nine hours a day. Okay, okay. Quickly here, because now that we got to know you a little better with the finding out you went to power and finding out what kind of music you're into,
Starting point is 00:50:41 Air Supply, I would have lost a lot of money on a bet if somebody said that Steve Ryan's listening to, when he works out, he's into. Air Supply, I would have lost a lot of money on a bet if somebody said that Steve Ryan's listening to when he works out, he's listening to Air Supply. Do you have a favorite movie? Not a big movie guy, but Fried Green Tomatoes comes to mind. Really? Yeah. I lost another
Starting point is 00:50:58 bet, Steve. Yeah, Meet Joe Black, I think with Brad Pitt. Wow! You're the guy. Full of surprises, man. Honest to God. Hard-boiled detective listening to Air Supply and watching Meet Joe Black. And the Lighthouse, I think. Oh. Willem Dafoe.
Starting point is 00:51:15 No, no. Boathouse. The Boathouse. Okay. The Boathouse. All those love stories, they attract me. What about the Notebook? Notebook's another one. Thank you for all of those see that's
Starting point is 00:51:26 the big one so when i started dating so um when i started i'm just gonna be 10 years soon i think in june actually i know in june in june i'm 10 years married this is my second marriage though but when i started dating my wife uh like that was a movie she had on v i think it was maybe it's a dvd but she's like we let's watch The Notebook. I avoided it like the plague. I'm like, I just could tell by, I could tell this was going to be some kind of, you know, romance movie that I'd have no interest in. But of course, you know, I said, of course,
Starting point is 00:51:55 let's watch this notebook that you like so much. I got to say, pretty good. You know, don't judge these books by its cover. Notebook's pretty good. That was James Garner, right? Yep, yep, yep. And they are the type of movies that I can actually just find myself completely emerged and watch them.
Starting point is 00:52:15 Another one that comes to mind that's real life, not so much a love story, My Life with Michael Keaton. Very, very sad. He's dying and he's teaching his son how to be a good man as he's dying. And it's a tearjerker for sure. And that's the type of movie that I like.
Starting point is 00:52:33 Now, I'm not going to be your armchair psychiatrist here, but is it possible with this music that you're listening to, Air Supply, and these movies that you're describing, that basically you're using these as an outlet because, you know again i said it earlier but you've seen some shit and you need to channel that into like a healthy manner like uh like a like a valve almost like the steam has to escape or it's going to blow and you can do it through the music and the movies you know i never thought of that but now that you mention it
Starting point is 00:53:00 there has to be some reason why i am pulled in that direction towards love songs and love stories. I'm sure of it because, you know, when you see, I mean, I can only imagine what you've seen in your job. I had, who did I have? Obviously, I won't use his real name because he doesn't want it used on the air, but he was known as Bob Callahan, the Callahan man. This was a radio guy who went into the police
Starting point is 00:53:19 and did some very difficult work like you did. And after we record, I'll tell you his real name. But Bob Callahan, the Callahan man, you know, similar story. I mean, what you're witness to in your job, because you're not a sociopath, you do need a healthy way to release that because otherwise you could never have done 13 years. You sure couldn't have done 29 years at the police services.
Starting point is 00:53:45 And the fact that you found, you could never have done 13 years. You sure couldn't have done 29 years at the police services. And the fact that you found, you know, you can work out to air supply and watch the notebook. Like you basically found a healthy release for something that you can't do on the job. Yeah, I think it's important because when you do that type of work, and I'm only speaking for myself, of course, but I'm sure if you talk to any homicide or sex crimes investigator, for that matter, it plays on you and it gives you, you almost feel like the world has just gone to hell in a handbasket and you're always working on trying to find something that is good in this world,
Starting point is 00:54:15 whether that is the sunset, whether that is birds chirping in the trees. It's a constant, I wouldn't say battle, but it's a constant struggle to appreciate that stuff because you're surrounded just by crap all the time. So perhaps, you know, maybe you solved my problem there. Maybe that's why I'm listening to ear supplies often. Yeah, no, I'm certain. And I'm an accredited armchair psychiatrist.
Starting point is 00:54:36 Okay. And that is my diagnosis of you. Yeah. And thank you for your service, though, because doing that for 29 years, like I said, it's 150 homicide cases that you worked. Wow, okay, and now you're on the other side. They're working for the media, but you're still covering some of our – you're not out there covering like, oh, this woman turned 100 and there was a big celebration. You don't get the happy-go-lucky stories. Well, I think part of my shtick is, as you said, I'm that serious.
Starting point is 00:55:12 Hard-boiled, I said, Steve. Hard-boiled. Okay, hard-boiled. Not an insult, by the way. I believe you. Thanks for that. I can get those stories at times, but they don't come up often for me. I usually go the other way.
Starting point is 00:55:27 Absolutely. Yeah, well, if you're a crime specialist with that experience, he's not going to be the guy you send to the big celebration party thing, I think. But okay. All right, my friend. You've just made your Toronto Mike debut.
Starting point is 00:55:39 You are going to get some gifts for making this appearance. I am now curious how this was for you. Did you have any idea what Toronto Mic'd was or what the heck happens over here? I didn't. I have to be honest. I started to research you once you reached out to me and I was quite impressed with the list of people that have come in here to talk to you. And I thought, what a great way to promote this community as well because i know you speak highly of uh this south etobicoke community love it yeah i could tell and it's it's important
Starting point is 00:56:11 because it is a very i think it's a big part of the city that i think it's untapped as well i think there's a lot down here whether it's real estate or business opportunity just my opinion i think there's a lot of uh room for growth here in south adobo i agree 100 with everything you just said uh one of my and again we're not too far from sam colonel samuel smith park which i you know i love love going there with the kids and also we're basically right on the waterfront trail here which i think is one of the gems i mean if i want to go right now to i don't, who will I pick on? Sugar Beach, okay?
Starting point is 00:56:47 I'm like, let's go to Sugar Beach. I got a path basically from my home to Sugar Beach, and I never have to deal with, you know, the, you know, 18 wheelers or whatever and all that. You know, I don't even have to ride alongside cars. Like, we have a great bike route here that can take you east or west. I always compared Lakeshore Boulevard West to Queen Street East and the beaches. It's very similar in a lot of ways. It just hasn't caught on, hasn't got that spark that the beaches has. But I think it's coming.
Starting point is 00:57:18 Well, they did. Somebody told me that when the coffee time left, that was the sign of change to come. And the coffee time did leave several years ago. But I will say, I enjoy the character of Lakeshore. I kind of like the way it is. It's got a little bit of that Parkdale character that I remember from my youth or whatever, and interesting people.
Starting point is 00:57:38 I just had my hair cut by Andy at Your Neighborhood Barbershop, which is right there in New Toronto on Lakeshore. And shout out to Andy. He's a good guy. And I dig the hood here, man. And I love the parkland nearby,
Starting point is 00:57:52 and I love going to Mimico just in case I can spot FOTM Biff naked. You never know when she's going to be out walking her dog. Never, ever know. I enjoy walking the Lakeshore myself, just randomly walking because it's got this vibe to it and it's hard to describe unless you've either been here a lot of years or you grew up here. It's got this, it's got a
Starting point is 00:58:11 unique vibe to it in and of itself and you feel it, I feel it and it's a great spot for me to just go for a walk. Amazing. Anytime you want to go for a walk, get a get a coffee or something, you let me know, Steve. We're buddies now and I could be in your neighborhood in probably a five-minute bike ride. I appreciate that.
Starting point is 00:58:31 And you should come back and kick out the jams, because I would dig kicking out some air supply with you. It would be great fun. Maybe one day you come back and we just play music and talk about music. Let's do that. You just committed to it, Steve. I recorded that. music and talk about music. Let's do that. You just committed to it, Steve.
Starting point is 00:58:44 I recorded that. And that brings us to the end of our 1,206th show. You can follow me on Twitter. I'm at Toronto Mike. Steve, is it at Steve Ryan CP24? It is. Okay, good. Follow Steve on Twitter. Our friends at Great Lakes Brewery
Starting point is 00:59:07 are at Great Lakes Beer. Palma Pasta is at Palma Pasta. Recycle My Electronics are at EPRA underscore Canada. Ridley Funeral Home are at Ridley FH. And Canna Cabana are at Canna Cabana underscore. See you next week.
Starting point is 00:59:24 Checking the calendar to see who's next. John Scholes, formerly of Q107. He's kicking out the jams. Speaking of kicking out the jams. Then I have Rob Proust from The Spoons with Bob Ouellette for an episode of Toast. And then we have...
Starting point is 00:59:41 Who do we got after that? Mark Saltzman makes his Toronto Mike debut. See you then. I've been under my skin for more than eight years. It more than eight years It's been eight years of laughter and eight years of tears And I don't know what the future can hold or do for me and you
Starting point is 01:00:18 But I'm a much better man for having known you Oh, you know that's true because everything is coming up rosy and gray. Yeah, the wind is cold, but the smell of snow won't speed a day. And
Starting point is 01:00:38 your smile is fine, and it's just like mine, and it won't go away. Cause everything is rosy and green Well I've been told that there's a sucker born every day
Starting point is 01:00:54 but I wonder who yeah I wonder who maybe the one who doesn't realize there's a thousand shades of gray Cause I know that's true Yes I do I know it's true
Starting point is 01:01:12 Yeah I know it's true How about you? Are they picking up trash And then putting down ropes? And they're brokering stocks The class struggle explodes And I'll play this guitar
Starting point is 01:01:31 Just the best that I can Maybe I'm not And maybe I am But who gives a damn Because everything is coming up rosy and gray. Yeah, the wind is cold, but the smell of snow warms me today. And your smile is fine, and it's just like mine, and it won't go away. Because everything is rosy and gray.
Starting point is 01:02:09 Well, I've kissed you in France and I've kissed you in Spain And I've kissed you in places I better not name And I've seen the sun go down on Chaclacour But I like it much better going down on Chaclacour But I like it much better going down on you Yeah, you know that's true Because everything is coming up rosy and green
Starting point is 01:02:35 Yeah, the wind is cold but the smell of snow warms us today And your smile is fine and it's just like mine and it won't go away cause everything is rosy now
Starting point is 01:02:51 everything is rosy yeah everything is rosy and great yeah guitar solo

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