The Big Story: Recent Episodes
Frequency Podcast Network
This episode contains conversations about mental health, suicide, and sexual assault. Please take care.
Kids Help Phone, a service offering free, mental health service over the phone or online to youth across Canada, has had a spike in overnight calls-- the most dramatic increase in their more than three-decade history. The reasons are various, but the need is great, putting strain on the service's volunteer force.
Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Rebecca Shields, President and CEO of Kids Help Phone, about the spike they've seen, what's driving it, how they're handling it, and more.
If you need to reach Kids Help Phone, you can text 686868, or message them online by following this link: Get support with these mental health resources - Kids Help Phone
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Plus: Montreal’s police chief plans to provide an update on a patrol unit that disbanded in June over serious allegations, the Conservative leader writes a letter to the Prime Minister on the response to tariffs from the U.S., a toddler grounds a flight in Victoria, football officials push for heavier consequences for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and investigative genetic genealogy is used to charge a suspect in a decades-old murder case in Toronto. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It's taken Toronto Police more than 20 years to charge a suspect in the murder of Patrick Santos, a 21 year old Scarborough man that was found zip-tied and duck taped in his home in 2006.
Investigative genetic genealogy was able to match the DNA sample taken from the crime scene to that of Pierre O'Connor, a Hamilton man who had no previous criminal record.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Fil Martino, co-host of Tracking a killer, to dig into the details of the 20 year-old cold case. Then she's joined by Steen Hartsen, a faculty member of the British Columbia Institute of Technology to learn more about genetic genealogy - including its ethical risks.
Listen to Tracking A Killer here.
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Enjoy this special feed drop from our sister show "In This Economy?!"
OpenAI recently went rogue, hacking into an AI start-up in a matter of hours.
It stunned some – even those in the tech industry – but it also opened the door to a series of new questions as companies and consumers rely more and more on the technology.
Host Kris McCusker gets some perspective on what it really means from Charles Findlay, Executive Director of the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst at Toronto Metropolitan University.
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Plus: Meta is ordered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars after it was found liable for contributing to the mental health crisis in children, new salary cap circumvention allegations against the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard, a study finds a type of transmissible cancer in catfish may be more widespread than previously thought, and why are so many Canadian workers leaving some of their paid time off unused? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
When was the last time you took a day off? Went on vacation? Gave yourself an extra-long weekend? If it's been a while, well, you're not alone. A recent survey showed that 4 in 10 Canadians aren't using all the personal time off they're allowed from their job. And in doing so, essentially giving themselves a pay-cut, otherwise known as paying the "time-off tax." It's certainly not that people don't like vacations, so why aren't people taking full advantage of all the time they can get?
Host Catherine Jette is speaking with Emily Durham, author and host of the careers podcast "Clock In", about time-off tax, the workplace cultures that can cultivate it, how employers can actually lose out too, and more.
"Clock In" with Emily Durham can be found here: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/clock-in-with-emily-durham/id1505520809
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Plus: Canada establishes a registry to track foreign influence, WestJet flight attendants’ union shares details of its new deal with the airline, Prime Minister Mark Carney suggests his government’s shutdown of plans to allow jets at a downtown Toronto airport may not be a permanent rejection, a multi-million-dollar contract is awarded to build a laboratory in Winnipeg that will prepare for future disease outbreaks, and why are ads for full body MRIs everywhere despite a lack of support for the procedure from top medical associations? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Perhaps you've heard one on the radio, or got one before a video online, or maybe even seen one on transit, but ads for full-body MRIs are everywhere these days. They tell you to book an appointment, selling it as a preventative measure to catch something early. But it's not something that's actually recommended by any medical association—anywhere. So why have they become so popular?
Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Dr. Matt Davenport, Service Chief and Vice Chair in the Department of Radiology and a professor at the University of Michigan about what a full body MRI actually is, it's potential value and harms, and if it's something that you should actually consider getting.
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Plus: An Ontario city deals with the impact of historic floods, wildfire damage in B.C. is assessed with hot days in the forecast, Canadians look at cutting back their insurance to save money in the short term, and how will Israel and Hamas resolve their stalemate on the road to peace in Gaza? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
US President Trump touted about a 'great breakthrough' in a deal to bring peace to Gaza, although the two main characters in the fight seem to remain in a deadlock on who moves first.
Hamas says Israel will have to withdraw forces before they disarm, meanwhile Israel says Hamas needs to disarm before they withdraw.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Nader Hashemi, a professor of Middle East politics at Georgetown University to discuss what's at stake for the Palestinian territory should the militant group disarm, and the future of Israel just a few months out from its national election.
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Plus: A Canadian astronaut gets ready to head to the International Space Station, a closed Ontario theme park ships more whales to the U.S., two flight school planes collide midair in B.C., and could the FIFA president’s failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup end his tenure as the most powerful man in soccer? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino had plans to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors, including the brother of U.S. President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. In response, UEFA had vowed to boycott soccer's biggest tournament should the deal go through.
A few days later, Infantino backed down.
Guest host Devang Desai speaks to Helen Jefferson Lenskyj, professor emerita at the University of Toronto, to discuss the roles both politics and capitalism play in sports, the influence of private equity and the effectiveness of boycotts.
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Enjoy this special feed drop from our sister show 'In This Economy?!'.
Back in June of 2021, the federal government legalized single-event sports betting in Canada, birthing a multi-billion dollar industry basically overnight. Licenses began being granted in Ontario the next year, with formerly off-shore companies rushing into Canada to apply. Now, just this past month, Alberta has decided it too wants a piece of the action. Will other provinces be next?
Host Mike Eppel is speaking with Steve McCallister, Editor and Chief of Gaming News Canada, about how the industry has grown over the years, why other provinces haven't jumped in as quickly as Ontario did, what the future of sports betting might be in Canada, and more.
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Plus: A positive update on the health of the Canadian economy, a Canadian national detained on spying charges in Belgium wants out of pretrial detention, Prime Minister Mark Carney throws his support behind a multi-billion-dollar port expansion plan in Vancouver, European soccer’s governing body votes to boycott FIFA tournaments over an equity selloff plan, and the Odyssey sees box office success after billionaire Elon Musk calls to boycott the film. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It's been a box office and critical success, and theatres are packed to the brim for weeks to come as audiences pack cinemas to go see Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey". But if you spend much time on Elon Musk's X, formerly twitter, this information might surprise you. That's because Musk has been championing an online, right-wing movement to boycott the movie because of its casting diversity. He claims the movie-- based on a work of fiction-- is 'historically inaccurate'. Musk even threatened to make his own version of the myth using his AI bot Grok. But despite getting lots of attention on social media, Musk's boycott has clearly not worked.
Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Sadaf Ahsan, co-host of "The Reheat" podcast, about Musk's meltdown, casting decisions in Hollywood, and why this movie has found success.
"The Reheat" podcast: The Reheat - Seekr
Sadaf's article: Shut Up About The Odyssey’s Casting Already | The Juggernaut
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Plus: WestJet and its flight attendants’ union issue dueling strike and lockout notices, Prime Minister Mark Carney isn’t planning to use Canadian oil exports to the U.S. as leverage in trade negotiations, a New Brunswick politician calls the AI prompts he accidentally left in a speech to the provincial legislature a “learning experience”, Toronto’s fire chief calls lithium-ion battery fires the greatest public safety risk facing the city, and how is the “looksmaxxing” phenomenon impacting young men? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Looksmaxxing. It's a term that's started to pop up everywhere, made popular by social media personalities like Braden Eric Peters, also known as "Clavicular." And as it's started to bleed into our common parlance, you can pretty much "-maxx" anything these days, as the concept turns into a kind of joke. But the normalization of the term hides a darker and dangerous connection to the ideas surrounding the phenomenon.
Host Maria Kestane speaks with Dr. Jordan Foster, an assistant sociology professor at MacEwan University, about the "looksmaxxing" phenomenon, what it means, how it's grown in popularity, and what it means for men's sense of themselves.
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Plus: The latest on revenue-sharing from the Gordie Howe bridge, actor Jared Leto is accused of sexual misconduct involving teenage girls, Prime Minister Mark Carney makes a housing announcement in Alberta, and what does Alberta’s decision to allow patients to pay out-of-pocket for surgery mean for the future of healthcare in Canada? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Starting in the fall, Albertans will be able to pay out of pocket for surgery. The government of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the move will allow people to get off waitlists, thereby getting people the surgeries they need while also shortening lists for those who can't pay. Critics, however, say it creates a health system that prioritizes the rich over the poor, and siphons resources from the public system, resulting in those who can't pay having to deal with even more understaffed hospitals and longer waits. Many also say it's a blatant violation of the Canada Health Act.
Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Andrew Longhurst, a senior researcher and political economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives about the legislation, what it means for the future of healthcare in Canada, and why the federal government seems to be doing nothing about it.
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Plus: A study finds emergency room doctors across Canada are quitting, a wildfire in France stops growing just before a major heat wave rolls in, a Canadian with ties to China is arrested in Belgium on spying charges, a New York town honours a Canadian girl who was found dead there last year, and the debate over medical assistance in dying in Canada. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
This episode contains discussion of mental illness, suicide, and death. Please take care.
MAiD has caused contentious debate across Canada for years. This year marks 10 years since Ottawa allowed for certain adults to apply for medically assisted death, and since then there has been push to expand eligibility - beyond track two - to include those whose sole reason for application is mental illness.
A recent parliamentary committee recommended against the idea, saying Canada isn't ready.
Host Maria Kestane is bringing you both sides of the debate. Daphne Gilbert is Chair of the Board of Directors at Dying with Dignity Canada, an advocacy group calling for MAiD expansion. Jonathan Lai is the Executive Director at Autism Alliance of Canada. He argues against.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, you can call the national suicide hotline at 9-8-8, or reach their website here: https://988.ca/
We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:
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Plus: crime rates in Canada are down for the second straight year, a poll finds many Canadians want Ottawa to retaliate against tariff threats from the U.S., three federal by-elections will be held at the end of next month, and the suspect in a terror attack at Berlin Pride celebrations is shot dead by police. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
US President Trump echoed his promise to retaliate against Canada for our wildfire smoke drifting south. It comes as more than 900 fires actively burn across the country, with a number of communities evacuated from their homes.
But the severity of our wildfire season should come as no surprise given Canada's track record since 2023. Yet somehow, the response from provinces and territories doesn't reflect back-to-back record-breaking seasons.
Host Maria Kestane is speaking with John Gradek, an aviation expert and professor at McGill University to discuss how Canada needs to cut jurisdictional red tape, and improve access to aerial suppression efforts.
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Enjoy this special feed drop from our sister show 'In This Economy?!'.
The biggest World Cup ever is over – with 13 matches played on Canadian soil. The Canadian men’s team saw a fair bit of success on the pitch, but it’s more difficult to define success for the host cities, Vancouver and Toronto. Many contend there were some big positives to come out of the event – some of them unexpected.
In this episode of In This Economy?! host Kris McCusker speaks to Royce Chwin, President and CEO of Destination Vancouver and Andrew Weir, President and CEO at Destination Toronto about how they measure success, why it might take time for all the “results” to be in, and how this could lead to more big events in the future.
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Plus: B.C. businesses can access to a billion-dollar regional emergency fund if Canada-focused tariffs go into effect next month, Canadian officials celebrate the Gordie Howe International Bridge’s upcoming opening without their U.S. counterparts on hand, Alberta’s opposition leader raises concerns over the cost of the separation referendum, the Maritimes move to create a new regional electricity operator, and B.C. tightens its regulations on exotic cats. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It won't surprise you know that owning an exotic cat like a lion or tiger is illegal in B.C.-- it is in most places, and for good reason. Exotic large cat ownership has led to many preventable tragedies. But there is a middle ground of cat, of breeds much bigger than domestic cats but smaller than cheetah and other big cats, that has remained largely unregulated. Until now.
Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Michelle Cyca, the conservation and fellowships bureau chief for The Narwal, who's been covering the issue, to discuss why the BC government is doing this, who it will affect, and what it means for those cats already raised in captivity.
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Plus: The premiers agree to remove interprovincial trade barriers on alcohol sales, Canadians are feeling the pressure to keep up with artificial intelligence, the Bloc Quebecois leader’s X account is hacked, Canadian jazz legend Oliver Jones dies at 91, and a Quebec town grants rights to trees.
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Update since publication:
The Big Story would like to formally recognize Ricardo Rey as the author and initiator of the 'Universal Declaration of Tree Rights', and La Compagnie des Papillons Bleus as its founding organisation and official institutional steward. André Desrochers helped bring the existing Declaration to local attention but did not create, author or initiate it. Ms Trépanier is a member of the Terrasse-Vaudreuil Environmental Committee and her explanation represents her personal interpretation, not the authorized interpretation or official English translation of the Declaration.
The episode refers to the “Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Tree.” The official English title is “Universal Declaration of Tree Rights.”
The Universal Declaration of Tree Rights consists of three foundational articles. The four rights stated in the Terrasse-Vaudreuil municipal resolution — life, natural growth, integrity and regeneration — are distinct municipal provisions. They are not the three articles of the Universal Declaration of Tree Rights. The official page explaining the procedure and legal scope of adoption by local authorities is available here: https://www.declarationuniverselledesdroitsdelarbre.org/local-authorities-universal-declaration-tree-rights/
An official English-language explanation of the nature, purpose and scope of the Declaration, including what it is and what it is not can be found here: https://www.declarationuniverselledesdroitsdelarbre.org/understanding-the-universal-declaration-of-tree-rights/
The trilingual institutional framework governing the Declaration’s origin, stewardship, representation, uses and authorisations can be found here: https://www.declarationuniverselledesdroitsdelarbre.org/cadre-officiel-de-la-declaration-universelle-des-droits-de-larbre/
The detailed legal analysis explaining the progression of the Declaration’s three articles from the legal characterisation of the Tree, through the scientific foundation of the dependence of Life upon trees, to the resulting normative responsibility of humanity can be found here:
https://www.declarationuniverselledesdroitsdelarbre.org/fondements-juridiques-declaration-universelle-droits-arbre/
For certainty - Ms Trepanier is not the author or co-author of the Universal Declaration of Tree Rights, a representative of La Compagnie des Papillons Bleus, an authorized institutional spokesperson for the Declaration; a person authorized to translate, define or reinterpret its three articles; or a person holding a written mandate to represent the Declaration’s international institutional framework.
We regret the errors.
A Quebec town of 2000 people just west of Montreal has become the first place in Canada to recognize the rights of trees.
Inspired by Ricardo Rey, the author and initiator of the 'Universal Declaration of Tree Rights', La Compagnie des Papillons Bleus, its founding organization and official institutional steward, as well as André Desrochers, Quebec filmmaker, the Terrasse-Vaudreuil city council adopted a resolution that protects a tree's right to growth, life, integrity and regeneration, while also signing on to the Universal Declaration of Tree Rights
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Sylvie Trepanier, a member of the Terrasse-Vaudreuil Environmental Committee to discuss their case for legally protecting the trees, and why other parts of the country may want to consider doing the same.
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Plus: the Big Story podcast looks at why President Donald Trump is pushing for more tariffs on Canada right now, U.S. officials could be sending billions more to fund the ongoing war in Iran, Canada's "grocery code of conduct" has some glaring issues, and trade tension is now spilling onto the Gordie Howe bridge between Windsor and Detroit. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Another round of 50% tariffs are coming for a number of Canadian goods, ranging from dairy, hockey sticks to hair wigs.
Prime Minister Carney has since agreed to intensify negotiations in the coming weeks. US President Trump's reason for the tariffs was to address what he calls Canada's "discrimination against and unreasonable and unequal treatment of U.S. commerce".
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Joseph Steinberg, economics professor from the University of Toronto, to discuss whether or not the new duties should be interpreted symbolically, and how Canadian businesses should brace for impact.
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Plus: An entire city in B.C. is evacuated because of a wildfire, a man has been charged after a vehicle carrying Nova Scotia’s premier had its windshield smashed, Canadians are still concerned about their vehicles getting stolen despite falling theft numbers, and what happened during a controversial lockdown at an Ontario correctional facility three years ago? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Almost three years ago, some 200 inmates at Maplehurst Correctional Facility in Milton, Ont. were subjected to strip searches, zip ties and pepper spray during an violent incident that lasted more than a day. Since then, multiple sentences have either been shortened or thrown out, including a first-degree murder case from 2022.
The provincial ombudsman has since launched an investigation to find out what exactly happened during the incident, and why prison officials reportedly lied about it.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Brendan Kennedy, an investigative reporter with the Toronto Star to discuss the conditions in Maplehurst that might've led to the incident, and why the Ford government has been so quiet on it.
You can find some of Brendan's work here: https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/torturing-us-as-payback-inside-the-disturbing-allegations-of-how-ontario-jail-guards-exacted-their/article_0286cc24-5671-11ef-b32d-9394cf9702a4.html
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Plus: Wildfires continue to burn in northwestern Ontario, the U.S. and Iran exchange strikes for a ninth consecutive night, Britain has a new prime minister, Spain wins the World Cup, and details on the Gordie Howe Bridge. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge will open on Monday, July 27....for now. It comes as its previous opening date of June 12 was cancelled due to US President Trump demanding a new deal in exchange for the American side opening up.
More than six weeks later, a new deal has been reached between Trump and Prime Minister Carney, yet no one seems to know the exact details of the deals - including the two leaders themselves.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to 680 News Radio Business Editor and co-host of In This Economy, Kris McCusker, and Drew Fagan, a professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. They discuss what we know about the deal and the new reality of White House deals.
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Enjoy this special feed drop from our sister show 'In This Economy?!'
Prime Minister Mark Carney continues to get high marks from Canadians on his handling of the economy, despite the actual economic performance numbers showing that real gross domestic product has shrunk by 0.05% since he was elected, presiding over the worst first year of growth for a Prime Minister since at least 1963.
However, a Nanos research group poll shows 60% of Canadians think Carney has done a very good or good job of handling economic issues. The data suggests Canadians are blaming global factors for the economic slump rather than Carney himself.
But how long can that be expected to last? With Canadian households dealing with pocketbook issues such as high prices for gasoline and food, along with uncertainty about the job market, will those numbers start to decline? Or will they be solid so long as U.S. President Donald Trump is in the White House?
In today's episode of In This Economy?! host Mike Eppel speaks with Nik Nanos, chief data scientist at Nanos research.
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Plus: Trump primetime speech, Britain will have a new PM, recommendations for a public Alzheimer's drug plan, and the World Cup wraps up this weekend.
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No, it's not a filter.
The yellow-orange haze cast upon much of Southern Ontario thanks to smoke drifting in from Northwestern wildfires. Toronto was ranked as having the worst air quality in the world for most of Wednesday according to IQAir. Although conditions are expected to ease as the city heads into the weekend, was there a way to prevent it from getting this bad in the first place? And if so - why wasn't Ontario ready?
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Lori Daniels, Professor in the faculty of Forestry and Environmental Stewardship at University of British Columbia. They discuss how Ontario has ended up here and how we can be better prepared for wildfire seasons to come.
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Plus: The U.S. and Iran exchange strikes, Trump is set to make a primetime speech, Canadians appear to have a more positive view on China, immigration changes are now in effect, and could an 'explosive' parasite reach Canadian produce
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Cyclospora: it's a microscopic organism found in water, but can spread to food-- especially produce. Found most commonly in wet and warm climates, it can travel into your grocery store through things like imported lettuce, raspberries, carrots, or more.
And once you catch it, it causes some 'explosive' problems.
Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Keith Warriner, a professor of food microbiology in the department of food science at the University of Guelph to find out what Cyclospora is, what it does to the human body, and what the risk of it coming to Canada really is.
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Plus: the Bank of Canada holds the key interest rate at 2.25%, Toronto’s air quality is the worst of any major city in the world today, a “suspicious” fire damages Surrey City Hall, Nova Scotia premier John Hamm has died at the age of 88, and Lindsey Graham’s sister is sworn in to replace him in the U.S. Senate.
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It's yet another campaign promise US President Trump has seemed to loosen his commitment towards: not starting forever wars.
A mission he projected to last only a few weeks has dragged into its fifth month, with a collapsed ceasefire, renewed rounds of attacks, an ambiguous Strait of Hormuz, and thousands of lives lost.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Aaron Rupar, publisher of the Public Notice newsletter to bring us up to speed where the US Israel - Iran war stands, Trump's long-game, and how Iran could leverage the war for decades to come.
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Plus: A man is killed by an ICE agent in Maine, a B.C. nurses put their picket lines on pause, a former MP is arrested for illegal firearms possession, and what factored into Canada’s decision to cut visas for students and temporary workers?
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has made drastic cuts to the amount of student and temporary foreign worker visas issued to newcomers. Impacted by the cuts are not just school programs, but local restaurants, hotels, long-term care homes, construction sites, etc.
Host Maria Kestane speaks is joined by Shilpashree Jagannathan, a freelance journalist who wrote an article on the effects of immigration cuts on local communities. After the break, she speaks to Sharry Aiken, an immigration law professor at Queen's University to break down why the IRCC is making all these changes to its policies.
You can read Shilpashree's article here: https://thewalrus.ca/immigration-cuts-are-hollowing-out-small-communities-across-canada/
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Plus: Toronto Police is investigating a deadly shooting at the Salsa on St. Clair Festival, Disgraced fashion mogul Peter Nygard has been found guilty sexual assault and forcible confinement charges at a Montreal courthouse, U-S and Iran are both claiming they control the Strait of Hormuz, the union representing more than five-thousand Canadian auto-workers has reached a tentative deal with Ford motor company to keep them on the job, and does Canada need a relationship with Saudi Arabia?
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It's been more than a quarter of a century since a Canadian Prime Minister touched down on Saudi Arabian soil to meet with the country's leader. That was until PM Carney headed south from Turkey to visit the Kingdom last week.
The trip is a part of Carney's quest to find new global alliances and trading partners aside from the US.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Sabine Nolke, former foreign service officer for Global Affairs to discuss what exactly Canada could be getting out of a relationship with the gulf nation, and whether or not Carney is missing the mark when it comes to picking countries that align with Canadian values.
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Enjoy this special feed drop from our sister show 'In This Economy?!'.
Artificial intelligence is working its way into our daily lives – and it’s probably turning up in places you hadn’t though of – like the local coffee shop. While there are many positive applications, the technology is also very expensive to run – and not just financially. And while it continues to proliferate into our workplaces, our homes, and the public, it remains something few people, even those politicians charged with regulating it, actually understand.
Today on In This Economy?!, host Kris McCusker speaks to Richard Lachman, professor of Digital Media at Toronto Metropolitan University. He recently published a book called “Digital Wisdom: Searching for Agency in the Age of AI,” designed to help policy-makers, professionals, educators, and regular citizens understand all the impacts this groundbreaking technology could have.
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Plus: Stats Canada has released a better than expected jobs report, an investigation is underway after an Air Canada aircraft overshot the runway in Montreal, a deadly wildfire hits Spain, a warning from experts about illegal nicotine pouches, and Canada cozies to Europe with German sub pick. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a $100-billion dollar contract to replace Canada's submarine fleet will be awarded to Germany and Norway, marking the largest contract of its kind in Canadian history. The choice though, goes beyond the subs themselves and sends broader signals to who Carney is eyeing to create lasting trade relations with.
Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with journalist David Pugliese about why the fleet needs updating, what the decision could signal for Canada's relationship with the Indo-Pacific, and what these new subs will mean for Canada's military overall.
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Plus: Mark Carney is in Saudi Arabia, federal officials provide a wildfire update, the death toll is rising in Venezuela, and Bonnie Tyler has died. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Prime Minister Carney has made his first Senate appointments - including a sitting Conservative MP and the PM's former Principal Secretary.
When Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister, he ended the practice of making partisan appointments to the Senate, kicking every Liberal senator out of his caucus, and creating an independent panel to make senate recommendations. But now, Carney seems to be going back to the old way of doing things-- with a twist.
Host Maria Kestane speaks with Eleanor Wand, a political reporter from the Hill Times, to discuss what the move by Carney might mean, what political choices might be being made, and what it all means about Carney's approach to Parliament's upper chamber.
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Plus: the Liberal government’s plan to buy thousands of condos in B.C. faces scrutiny, Air Canada chooses its next CEO, Count Binface takes on a British party leader in a bizarre by-election, and how will Bill C-22 affect Canadians’ privacy? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Bill C-22 has sparked wide controversy surrounding its potential threat to privacy, as well as the way it's been rushed through parliamentary processes.
Not only that, but experts are sounding the alarm on its potential connection to the US Cloud Act, which gives American government officials the power to demand user data from tech companies.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Kate Robertson, a senior research associate with the Citizen Lab to discuss the implications of Ottawa's Lawful Access Act on your data and privacy.
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Plus: Alberta and Ontario plan a new oil pipeline, Jeremy Hansen leaves the Canadian Space Agency, Kyle Lowry retires as a Raptor, and what are the risks of bringing prediction markets to Canada? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It seems like you can place a bet on anything these days-- and in some places, you pretty much. With sites like Polymarket and Kalshi, you can put money on whether or not a politician will utter a phrase, major geopolitical events, how many goals an athlete might score, and more. But in Canada, stricter regulations have prevented these sights from spreading north of the U.S. border. But that's about to change. Wealthsimple, a Canadian finance company, is bringing Kalshi to the great white north-- if in a limited capacity.
Today on The Big Story podcast, host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Elliot Goodell Ugalde, a Ph. D candidate at Queen's University, specializing in political economy and the governance of artificial intelligence about the risks are of bringing prediction markets into the country, what the government could do to mitigate them, and how they could affect society.
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Plus: Rogers reaches a deal to fully own many of Toronto’s biggest sports teams, new funding for energy projects in Alberta and Saskatchewan, a CN Rail train derails near Montreal, and what does the future of North American free trade look like? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
On its July 1st deadline, U.S. President Trump declined to renew the current conditions of CUSMA. It doesn't mean Canada-US-Mexico trade as we know it dissolves, but it signals a need for trade diversification and an investment in Canada's sovereignty by the new 2036 deadline.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Julian Karaguesian, visiting professor at McGill University and former special advisor in the International Trade and Finance Branch of the Ministry of Finance Canada. They discuss the future of North American free trade - and what it means for your wallet.
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Enjoy this special feed drop from our sister show 'In This Economy?!'.
The economy started off 2026 in what economists called a 'technical recession', but a huge bounce-back at the start of the second quarter has raised some eyebrows about the validity of the Statistics Canada numbers in the first place.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to LJ Valencia, an economist at Desjardins and co-author of a study called 'Diagnosing the Data Quality Crisis'. They discuss the cutbacks at the government data agency, the implications of questionable information for policy makers, and just how much we could trust the data.
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Almost 14 years ago, Canada was reeling from the loss of its men's national team losing 8-1 to Honduras and crushing its dreams of qualifying from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Fast forward to the 2026 World Cup, and Canadian fans get to watch their team compete for a spot in the quarterfinals against Morocco. it's been a wild ride, to say the least!
Guest host Devang Desai speaks with Footy Prime’s James Sharman about how we’ve reached the biggest game in the Canadian men’s national team history, the challenge presented by Morocco and overall feelings about the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far.
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Payments begin for the federal government’s boosted affordability credit, a man suspected of hitting a beachgoer in the head with a log is released on bail, two women found guilty of murdering a boy they were trying to adopt, and ticks. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Ticks! The word tends to give Canadians of all stripes a sense of the creepy-crawlies-- and perhaps a touch of anxiety too. The small parasites that burrow into our skin and pose significant risk of Lyme disease are a regular summer worry for parents and pet owners-- and doubly so this year.
A wave of ticks coming from the United States is expected to hit the country this summer, dramatically increasing the threat they pose-- and this could be the new normal.
Host Catherine Jette speaks with Justin Wood, founder of 'Geneticks', Canada’s first private tick testing lab, about why this is happening, how you can protect yourself, and what a tick-filled summer might look like going forward.
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Plus: Alberta announces a new oil pipeline, a lawsuit is filed over an alleged leak of Alberta voters’ personal information, Canada Post pauses shipping parcels to some European countries, a B.C. journalist reacts after a businessman whose followers protested outside his house is sentenced to decades in jail, and heat wave season kicks into high gear. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
We're at a point where "record-breaking heat" has become a broken-record phrase. Year over year, we hear how many parts of the world have reached a new temperature high. And just days into summer 2026, things already ramped up, with intense and deadly heat waves gripping much of Europe, where temperatures pushed near 50 degrees. And North America hasn't been exempt, as July brings in a new wave of brutal heat.
Today on The Big Story, host Caryn Ceolin speaks with City News' Chief Meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai about why the heat is ramping up, how it's going to affect you, and what we can do, if anything, to stop it.
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Plus: Canada will play Morocco in the round of 16 at the World Cup, an America-themed beaver statue is destroyed in Toronto, B.C. nurses issue a strike notice, and Mark Carney’s plan to restore 24 Sussex. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Crumbling. Rat infested. Decrepit. Unsafe for human habitation.
Perhaps not the words you would want to describe the official residence of Canada's leader-- but 24 Sussex Drive has been called it all. In fact, no Prime Minister has lived in the more than a century old mansion for a decade, after Justin Trudeau moved into Rideau Cottage on the grounds of Rideau Hall-- the home of the Governor General-- upon becoming Prime Minister in 2015.
But now, Prime Minister Mark Carney wants to change that. He's started a fundraiser to pay for the renovations needed to make 24 Sussex habitable again-- though he insists no matter what, he'll never live in the more than 30-bedroom residence.
Today on The Big Story, host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Paul Deegan, CEO of Deegan Public Strategies, about the plan, what he thinks it signifies for Canada, and whether or not Canadians can get behind the plan.
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The Concordia University shooter dies in prison, a former Air Canada pilot accused of flying for decades without a licence appears in court, Drake throws “apology parties” for women named Janice, and how are criminal networks recruiting teenagers online? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
A string of shootings across the Greater Toronto Area are being tied to gun-for-hire networks targeted by vulnerable youth through encrypted messaging apps. Toronto Police say they have no idea who's hiring teenagers to commit the crimes.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Adam Ellis, assistant professor at the University of Waterloo about how youth get involved in street gangs and organized crime, and what realistic steps Ottawa could take to tackle the crisis.
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Enjoy this special feed drop from our sister show "In This Economy?!"
It’s now the biggest IPO in history – when Space X hit the US market this month, it made CEO Elon Musk a trillionaire on day one. But there are still many questions about the company and its plans for the future without any current stream of revenue.
The stock also hit a few bumps recently, with the company losing $600 billion dollars in market cap over a 3-day losing streak.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Alison Kemper, Associate Professor in the Entrepreneurship and Strategy Department at Toronto Metropolitan University, to discuss why this was such a big deal, what might happen next and why you may want to rethink investing in the company.
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Search and rescue efforts continue in Venezuela as the death toll climbs following two large earthquakes
Plus: The Prime Minister holds a phone call with the U.S. President, a design competition will be held as Ottawa looks to restore 24 Sussex, Calgary business leaders say they could leave Alberta if separation goes through, Michael J. Fox receives Canada’s highest civilian honour, and how can Canada improve its antifeminist violence legislation?
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A more than 100-page manifesto filled with misogynistic and anti-police rhetoric was found in the hours after an Alberta man opened fire in a Montreal neighbourhood. Three people were killed, including an officer, the shooter and a civilian caught in the cross-fire.
This isn't the first Canadian shooting attack rooted in misogynistic ideology, it succeeds the 2020 Nova Scotia shooting rampage, the 1989 Polytechnique shooting in Montreal.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to journalist and author, Elizabeth Renzetti, to discuss how Canada is missing the mark on antifeminist violence legislation, and how we can prevent a tragedy like this from happening yet again.
Elizabeth's book, What She Said: Conversations About Equality can be found here. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/authors/2290511/elizabeth-renzetti
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Plus: Canada finish second in their World Cup group to set up a round of 32 showdown with South Africa, details on the Montreal shooting suspect’s online activity, an Air Canada flight is forced to divert after the pilot suffers an apparent seizure, a major Calgary music festival is cancelled, and uncertainty around the U.S. and Iran’s negotiations.
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It was a deal Prime Minister Mark Carney touted as a 'game changer' that made the preceding war across Iran 'worth it'. But in the days that followed after the United States and Iran signed the memorandum of understanding, it's still unclear who holds the power and who should watch their back.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Aurel Braun, international relations professor at the University of Toronto to discuss where US-Iran negotiations stand, the implications of the new MOU, and the long-term risks for regional and global security.
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Plus: Experts believe the string of recent on-duty police officer deaths could be an anomaly, Canadians’ confidence in America remains low, Mark Carney’s past work in the corporate world leaves him sidelined from key talks, and doctors deal with the consequences of patients using AI for medical advice.
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Sure, you can ask it for a recipe or ideas for a themed birthday party. But in lieu of a healthcare provider, maybe that's when we should draw the line with turning to AI.
A recent survey from the Canadian Medical Association found that 97% of doctors had to either step in or address consequences after patients followed healthcare advice from an online forum or AI.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Ma'n H. Zawati, an associate professor at McGill University and the Research Director of the Centre of Genomics and Policy to discuss just how far we should let artificial intelligence run through our healthcare system, and how Canadians can stay informed while searching for timely medical advice.
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Plus: A ransom note reportedly told Nancy Guthrie’s family she died shortly after she was kidnapped, residents in Lytton begin returning home after a wildfire forced them to evacuate, Ontario First Nations enter a deal to own a new nuclear reactor, Canada’s first high-speed rail line could get another stop, and Keir Starmer joins the long list of British Prime Ministers to resign in recent years. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Keir Starmer's resignation as Britian's Prime Minister marks the 6th in just a decade, as political turmoil and a post-Brexit reality disturb the country's stability.
Poised to be the country's next leader is Greater-Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Mel Cappe, distinguished fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy to discuss what lead to Starmer's step-down, what challenges lies ahead for the country's new leader, and the legacy that Starmer leaves behind.
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Plus: Celebrations on Sunday mark National Indigenous Peoples Day, contract talks start for thousands of Canadian auto workers, Ottawa reaches a deal to build a new radar defence system, and what do teenagers think of a possible social media ban?
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Canada has taken inspiration from its fellow commonwealth cousin, Australia, and has moved to ban social media for anyone under 16.
A part of Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act requires social media platforms to ensure kids are staying safe online, or else they get banned. But what 'safe' looks like exactly hasn't been clearly outlined by Ottawa yet. The act also aims at protecting children from AI chatbots.
Academics and experts in the safe have spoken both for and against the act, but how do the actual stakeholders feel about it?
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Jenny Perez, founder of Unplugged, as well as Mya Callaghan, a 13 year old from Alberta to get a pulse check on how parents and teenagers are feeling about the legislation, and how the next few months could unfold.
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Enjoy this special feed drop of our sister show 'In This Economy?!'
Big players in the artificial intelligence space like OpenAI or Anthropic continue to take up tons of conversational space, whether it's about how much they're worth, how much they spend, and how much it takes to maintain their systems. Often left out of the conversations, though, are whether or not their investments could be a net benefit to the economy.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Raj Juneja, President of Cisco Systems Canada, about the company's leadership role in AI infrastructure, what he’s hearing from CEOs about the growth payback from investing in AI, and how building trust and data security is key to Canadian user adoption.
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Plus: Talks between the U.S. and Iran are delayed, Frank Stronach is found guilty on two counts in his sex assault trial, the mine where three workers were trapped for days in a collapse last year gets a key approval for underground mining, a groundbreaking procedure for cancer patients has been performed in Canada for the first time, and why are so many Canadians turning away from legacy media? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Have you stopped checking the headlines in the morning? Are you changing the channel once the news comes on? Do you find yourself feeling anxious when hearing about current events? If so, you're in packed company.
This year's Digital News Report found that engagement and trust in legacy media continues to fall, as online content creators and AI dominate digital platforms. Not only has the medium changed, but also interest. This year's report found that 45% of Canadian respondents actively avoid the news.
Host Catherine Jette speaks to Craig Robertson, a co-author of the Digital News Report to discuss why Canadians are turning away from the headlines, and how media companies can keep up as interest peaks elsewhere.
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Plus: It’s match day for Canada at the World Cup, another suspected is arrested in the shooting at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto, Alberta’s premier reacts to a call for her and her party to be investigated for treason, a Vancouver-based mining company hires a former Trump cabinet member, and Ontario’s premier sends legislators on a five-month summer vacation. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
A five-month summer vacation doesn't sound too shabby, especially following a winter vacation that lasted more than three months.
That's the case for the members of the Ontario provincial government, as Premier Doug Ford sent the MPPs on an extended break before rejoining for the fall session. He says he'd rather have his members out in the community, engaging with residents, rather than spend their time 'arguing with each other' during question period.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Richard Southern, 680 NewsRadio Queen's Park reporter, to discuss other possible reasons for Ford's extended break, including a potential cabinet shake-up, as well as hopes for a reset in public opinion.
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Plus: Mark Carney addresses his hot mic conversation with Donald Trump about the Canada-China EV deal, a new study analyzes homeownership rates among recent immigrants compared with Canadian-born individuals, Jacob Hoggard’s bid for full parole is denied, evacuation orders are lifted in B.C. as a wildfire continues to burn, and will Ottawa’s food strategy actually lower your grocery bill? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Ottawa is investing more than $3 billion as part of a national food security strategy. It aims to combat anticompetitive industry practices, boost agricultural infrastructure to improve access to fresh produce year-round, and address online surveillance pricing.
But it isn't the first time a Liberal government pulled out the stops to make groceries cheaper or address grocery store monopolies.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Pascal Thériault, Director of McGill University's Farm Management and Technology Program and an agricultural economist, to discuss what it means for Canadians to have a national food strategy, and whether or not it will actually lower grocery bills.
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Plus: the latest on the U.S. and Iran's agreement on the Strait of Hormuz, a dozen children are injured at a B.C. waterpark, the NHL begins investigating former head coach Mike Babcock ahead of his possible return the the league, a new commercial airport opens in Montreal, and protesters take to the streets in Albania over a planned resort funded by Donald Trump's son-in-law. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Massive protests have swept the streets of Albania.
Dubbed "The Flamingo Revolution", the anti-government protests have kicked off after Prime Minister Edi Rama announced plans for a luxury resort to be built, in part, on environmentally-protected land. The resort's primary investor would be Jared Kushner, son-in-law to U.S. President Donald Trump. Rama, however, has downplayed the size of the protests, and claimed that much of the outrage online has been fueled by Iranian agents.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Vladimir Karaj, a journalist with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, on why the Albanian government is defending the Kushner's development plans, what protesters are calling for, and whether or not either side will back down.
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Plus: this year’s G7 summit gets underway in France, Mark Carney meets with French and Irish leaders, Parliament is set to introduce two major bills, a slain Ontario police officer’s funeral will be held this week, Canada takes a step toward advancing from its group with a draw at the World Cup, and why do many Canadians seem to care so little about their local government? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
This year, six of Canada's ten provinces and one of its three territories have held or will be holding municipal elections. It's a level of governance that tends to get the least amount of engagement from Canadians, and yet it's also the one that can most directly affect our lives.
So what do our city councils do for us? Why do we pay so little attention? Why is turnout so low? And what might be done to increase turnout in elections coming up this fall?
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with John Michael McGrath, a writer and host at TVO about the importance of municipalities, and why we seem to care so little about them.
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Enjoy this special feed drop of our sister show "In This Economy?!"
Kevin Warsh will officially take over as the head of the US central bank on Wednesday – but it’s not clear how his term will play out. The U-S President has been calling for interest rate cuts since he returned to office last year but several factors suggest that’s not likely in the cards. But will Warsh feel the pressure from Donald Trump to cut anyway? And how might his decisions impact Canada? In today's episode of In This Economy?!, host Kris McCusker speaks to Scott Anderson, Chief US Economist for BMO Capital Markets - based in San Francisco, California about how the Fed might look different under Warsh and what could be coming during the early part of his term.
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Plus: Trump is declaring the Iran war over despite a different narrative from Iran, Alberta is appealing a judge's decision to throw out a petition that's asking whether it should leave Canada, a Florida man sues several law enforcement agencies after an AI mistake, the White House-UFC event continues preparations for this weekend, and the World Cup is officially here. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It's the most exciting time for soccer fans and sports lovers alike, as World Cup 2026 kicks off across North America. But in the shadows of fan fests and buzzing bars remains the very stark reality of strict US immigration policy that threatens the very nature of the tournament.
Somali referee Omar Artan was sent back to Turkey upon his arrival in Miami earlier this month after White House officials claimed he'd been in contact with terrorists. Meanwhile, the Iranian team has been advised they can't stay in the US before or after a match, forcing their accommodations onto Mexican soil instead.
Guest Host Devang Desai speaks to Founder and Host of Soccerwise, David Gass, to discuss the immigration fallout from the World Cup thus far and how geopolitical tensions may overshadow the game.
You can find more of David's work, here: https://linktr.ee/firsttouchksm
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Plus: the Gordie Howe bridge opening hits another speedbump, protests continue in Belfast, the World Cup kicks off today in Mexico, and how drones are playing a key role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
On February 24th, 2022, Russian troops marched across the Ukrainian border-- the beginning of an invasion experts had been warning of for some time. It was believed the embattled nation would fall within months. But four years later, Ukrainians continue to defy the odds. One of their key weapons: drones, which they use as devastating weapons of modern warfare. And while a fifth of the nation remains under Russian occupation, the Russian army hasn't managed to advance any further. It's become a stalemate, a war attrition-- but that might be a good thing for Ukraine.
Today on The Big Story podcast, host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Dominique Arel, chair of Ukrainian studies at the University of Ottawa about Ukraine's attacks on Russian logistics, and whether or not the country might be able to force Putin into a peace deal.
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Plus: the Bank of Canada is keeping its key interest rate unchanged, the Carney government is set to introduce its Online Harms Act today that could include a social media ban for kids under 16, Trump is still reportedly clashing with Ontario's Premier, and chimpanzees are now engaging in deadly combat. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It's something scientists have never observed before: chimpanzees, formerly with close family bonds, now engaging in deadly combat.
A recent study looked at one of the largest groups of chimps in the world, which primatologists have been observing since 1995. For decades, the group thrived, but recently, factions have broken off, and fighting has turned deadly-- and scientists aren't sure why.
Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Dr. John Mitani, one of the researchers who's been observing the chimps, and an author of the paper, about what's going on between the primates-- and what we might be able to learn from it.
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Plus: Prime Minister Mark Carney wants public opinion on the Ontario government's expansion plan for Billy Bishop Toronto Island Airport, Trump took in Game 3 of the NBA Finals in-person, birth rates are dropping with a link to smartphones, and what's the state of the federal Conservatives right now? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It's been an interesting past few months for the Federal Conservatives, from several MPs crossing the floor, to reports of inner-circle fighting, to Pierre Poilievre questioning PM Carney's education in economics.
In more recent events, the Federal Opposition leader has since claimed that Canada is in a 'full-blown' recession, and has called for unity among Alberta separatists.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Glen McGregor, political correspondent for CityNews to discuss what challenges Poilievre's caucus may return to after the summer recess, and what issues are currently dividing the party.
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Plus: Pierre Poilievre is expected to call for a shift in federal policies with rising separatist movements in Alberta, Iran's military says it's stopping offensive operations after exchanging fire with Israel, and looking ahead to the World Cup - security and the top-ranked stadiums. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Louise Arbour, a former lawyer, Supreme Court Justice, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, is being sworn in as Canada's next Governor General. It comes at a nuanced time for Canada's global identity.
Host Catherine Jette speaks to Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto about the Governor General's role in Canada, whether or not Canadians feel connected to the monarch, and how Arbour could use this precarious geopolitical moment to capture the country's appetite for unity and identity.
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Enjoy this special feed drop of our sister show "In This Economy?!"
Following a negative performance for economic growth in the first quarter of 2026, the Canadian economy fell into what's been described as a "technical recession". While the headline was pounced on for political debate, with such a small decline (just a 0.1% contraction) and some parts of the economy still doing quite well, economists are downplaying the significance of all this recession talk.
Nevertheless, under the weight of the trade war with the U.S., there are a lot of questions around the recent signals by the Bank of Canada even talking about hiking interest rates and whether the central bank will be changing its message to the markets next week with it's policy announcement on June 10th.
Host Mike Eppel speaks with Royce Mendes, the managing director and head of macro strategy at Desjardins, about this so-called "recession", and what the consequences of reading too much into it might be.
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Plus: can Albertans actually be dual citizens if the province separates from Canada, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has requested a face-to-face with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the Ontario government is going after illegal ticket resellers again, and could B.C. see its first Conservative premier in a century? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The British Columbia Conservative Party hasn't won an election since, and hasn't won a seat in 50. As recently as the 2020 provincial election, the party earned just 36,000 votes. But in 2024, the party surged in popularity, nearly toppling the long-thought invincible BC NDP.
Then came interparty turmoil, which led to the ousting of their leader, John Rustad, and a leadership election that went on for months. In the end, it was narrow, and the BC Conservatives elected Kerry-Lynne Findlay.
Today on the Big Story, host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Mo Amir, host of This is VANCOLOUR, a daily politics and news show, to find who she is and what she'll bring to the party.
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Plus: Carney's responding to the latest tariff threats from the U.S., Toronto Police have arrested four more in connection with suspected hate-motivated assaults, a Vancouver ski resort could be setting a Guinness World Record, and what's killing the oysters in P.E.I.? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
A pair of parasitic diseases are wreaking havoc on Prince Edward Island's oyster industry, forcing farms across the province to throw out close to all of their supply.
MSX and Dermo are to blame. They're fatal to the mollusk but not harmful to humans.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to James Power, general manager of Raspberry Point Oysters in PEI to discuss what farmers are left to do with ambiguous government assistance programs, and what comes next for one of the province's most lucrative industries.
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Plus: a pill that could double survival time for patients with pancreatic cancer could soon be coming to Canada, Zellers is continuing to accelerate its comeback in Canada, the latest on CBS's firing of veteran news correspondent Scott Pelley, and how can provincial Liberals make a comeback? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
While the Federal Liberals remain historically popular under Prime Minister Mark Carney, that isn't the case for their provincial counterparts.
By the end of 2016, more than half of Canada's provinces and territories had Liberal governments. Today, that's down to one, as Liberal premiers fell one by one to largely conservative-- but some NDP-- replacements. Liberal parties faced especially historic collapses in BC, Ontario, and Quebec.
But despite that, recent polls have shown the provincial liberals gaining some ground in a couple of provinces.
Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with John Ibbitson, journalist and author, about what happened to provincial liberals, and if there is any hope for their future.
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Plus: the federal NDP want to do-away with floor crossings, police are warning of counterfeit merch ahead of the World Cup, Sabrina Carpenter has been granted a restraining order against an alleged stalker, and how data centres are having a moment in Canada right now. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
If you've noticed that data centres are having a moment in Canada right now, you wouldn't be the only one.
As Ottawa looks to maintain a sovereign digital footprint amid the current AI rush, building its own data centres has the potential to do so. But the question is who actually funds these centres, and what are they doing to the environments around them?
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Shion Guha, assistant professor at the Faculty of Information and Department of Computer Science to discuss why Canada is in a rush to build all these data centres and what Canadians need to know about them.
Shion also writes The Public Interest Technologist newspaper, you can read it here: https://publictechnologist.substack.com
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Plus: Latest contract offer from Canada Post to postal workers, Canada's projected economic lift from FIFA World Cup 2026, health groups calling for Federal Government to cut nicotine use by 2045, and the results from The Canadian Screen Awards. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Amid a cost-of-living crisis, a war across the Middle East, job uncertainty thanks to AI - do you still have emotional bandwidth to worry about the environment?
It seems like Ottawa doesn't.
Since PM Carney took office, he's made strides towards strengthening our economy by bridging resource gaps with our very own products and assets, while simultaneously disregarding efforts made the previous Liberal Government to help meet our 2050 net zero emissions target.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Caroline Brouillette, Executive Director of Climate Action Network Canada to discuss how Canada has environmentally moved backwards in an effort to develop its own resources, and what Carney should focus on if he wants to make sure Canada hits its emission reduction targets.
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Enjoy this special feed drop of our sister show "In This Economy?!"
A recent survey shows many Canadians are scaling back their spending on vacations this summer as life continues to get more expensive. And while it’s not surprising, experts say it presents a really unique opportunity to re-examine your finances overall to prioritize things like trips.
This week on "In This Economy?!" Co-Host Kris McCusker speaks to Sumaiya Bhula, Senior Manager, Saving, and Investing Journey at TD Bank for tips and tricks to make the most of your paycheque – and score yourself a getaway.
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Plus: The health minister defends Ebola travel restrictions, a man accused of selling deadly substances online to people at risk of self-harm pleads guilty, a rocket explosion, and Danielle Smith's referendum gamble. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
As separatist sentiment swirls across Alberta, the country has been holding it's breath and wondering: "will we face another separation referendum?" It seemed inevitable, as Premier Danielle Smith changed the rules to make putting a referendum forward easier.
But a court decision rejected their petition on the grounds that Indigenous peoples who would be affected were not properly consulted. Smith has since announced a compromise, of sorts: a referendum on whether or not to have a separation referendum.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Ryan Jespersen, host of "Real Talk", an Alberta daily news and politics show, to get the perspective from the ground, and discuss how she has managed to anger both federalist and separatist Albertans.
You can listen to "Real Talk" with Ryan Jespersen wherever you get your podcast, or at https://www.ryanjespersen.com/
And you can follow the show on YouTube and all social media @RealTalkRJ
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Plus: China's foreign minister arrives in Canada, a new report from the United Nations Weather Agency, Ebola latest, and the Pope calls for AI regulation. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
In his first ever Encyclical, titled "Magnifica Humanitas"-- or Magnificent Humanity-- Pope Leo XIV says AI needs to be "disarmed".
It's a sweeping document, introduced to the world by Pope Leo himself, a first for a papal encyclical, calling for the leaders to make sure the new technology is developed for the common good. To ensure that, he explicitly calls for more government regulation in the industry.
Host Maria Kestane speaks with Dr. Gerard Ryan from the Regis St. Michael Faculty of Theology at the University of Toronto to discuss the weight an encyclical has on public policy, what it means for Leo's pontificate, and whether or not PM Carney will take note.
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Plus: the federal government is entering contract talks with 'Saab' for Royal Air Force aircraft, the Western premiers have wrapped their meeting in Alberta, temperature records are being broken across Europe as a heat wave continues, and where does Canada's relationship with Israel lie? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Earlier this week, 12 Canadians returned home from Turkey after their Gaza-bound flotilla was intercepted by Israeli guards. Video posted by Israel's National Defence Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, showed hundreds of activists handcuffed, kneeled with their heads touching the ground, as he taunted them after being arrested. The footage sparked wide-spread backlash and condemnation, including from Israel's Prime Minister, as well as Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Jon Allen, the former Canadian ambassador to Israel and a senior fellow at the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History at the University of Toronto. They discuss how Israel is interpreting Ben-Gvir's post, what more Canada should do to show support for the dozen flotilla activists, and where the Canadian-Israeli relationship goes from here.
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Plus: Day two of the annual western premiers conference, efforts to combat Canadian wildfires, and a South Korean navy submarine is docked in B.C. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
We've heard about the attacks. We've felt the oil price increases. And every time a ceasefire gets mentioned, it makes headline news.
Something less visible but just as dire are the lives of seafarers stuck in the Strait of Hormuz, who are not only facing supply shortages but also the reality that an end date is nowhere in sight.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Mohamed Arrachedi, Arab World & Iran Network Coordinator at the International Transport Workers' Federation, about the situation they're facing.
Photo credit by Mohamed Arrachedi.
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Plus: Western Canadian Premiers meet in Alberta, Ontario patient tests negative for Ebola, Gaza activists return to Canada, White House shooting. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
An Ebola outbreak spreading rapidly through the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa poses a "very high" risk to the country, according to World Health Organization officials-- with both cases and deaths in the hundreds. As officials try to contain the disease, their job has been made harder by deep cuts to international aid across the globe-- and especially from the United States.
Host Maria Kestane is speaking with Sana Bég, Executive Director of Doctor's Without Borders Canada, on the outbreak, what can be done to help, and how it could affect us here in Canada.
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Enjoy this special feed drop of our sister show "In This Economy?!"
You've likely heard a lot about crypto currencies. Now, there's something called "stablecoin". Think of it as the next wave of digital payment systems. But, how does it work? Who controls it? And is it something that consumers need to pay attention to for everyday banking? In today's episode of "In This Economy?!", co-host Mike Eppel is joined by Laure Fouin, an Associate General Counsel at Coinbase Canada for a tutorial on the future of digital money and why Fouin believes it's something Canada needs to grow the economy.
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Plus: NATO ministers meet in Sweden, Ebola outbreak update, 12 Canadian activists have arrived in Turkey after being deported from Israel, Stephen Colbert's farewell, and is Eurovision a good fit for Canada. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Eurovision's director, Martin Green, has opened the doors for Canada to enter the Olympics of pop music. Historically, contestants of the music contest must be full members of the European Broadcast Union - Canada currently sits as an associate member. But so does Australia, yet they've been in on the action for more than 10 years.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Karen Fricker, professor of dramatic arts at Brock University to discuss the geopolitical implications of Canada joining, what Canadian artistic identity would look like on the global stage, and whether or not Canadians would embrace the contest.
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Plus: Prime Minister Mark Carney condemns Israel's treatment of activists over an intercepted aid flotilla, generic versions of Ozempic are set to hit pharmacy shelves this week, Canada's first-ever PWHL championship goes to Montreal, and what's next for Tumbler Ridge? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It's been a little over three months since the small eastern British Columbian town of Tumbler Ridge was rocked after a shooter opened fire at the local secondary school. Eight people were killed and dozens were injured.
In the weeks that followed, a number of lawsuits and investigations have ensued, as well as plans to demolish and rebuild the school where the shooting took place.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Trent Ernst, a publisher at Tumbler RidgeLines Newspaper, to discuss how the community's been grappling with the aftermath and what its members expect from the government at this point.
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Plus: WHO officials speak on the Ebola outbreak, takeaways from U.S. primaries, Carney is in B.C., Quebec's Premier returns from France, and who controls your water? Ontario's privatization push. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The Ontario government is eyeing a shift in its water management operations. It's a move Premier Ford insists is nothing like what the Harris government did back in 2000, when seven people died and thousands fell ill after E. Coli was found in Walkerton's water drinking supply.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Meera Karunananthan, assistant professor at Carleton University to discuss Ontario's Water and Wastewater Public Corporations Act, the implications of allowing water operations to be overseen by for-profit models, and how Ontarians can fight back against the potential new changes.
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Plus: The World Health Organization is warning about an Ebola outbreak in two African countries, the U.S. has called off military action against Iran, Three Canadian police officers have been arrested in Barcelona, allergy season in Canada is expected to be worse than previous years, and is Canada ready for another wildfire season? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
At least 100 people were forced from their homes last week due to an evacuation order in an area of Woodlands County, southeast of Whitecourt, Alberta, thanks to a fast moving wildfire.
It's becoming an increasingly common story in the province-- and across the country-- a decade after devastating fires wiped out Fort McMurray. And as Canada heads into this year's wildfire season, can we expect a repeat of the last three seasons, or something potentially worse?
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Mike Flannigan, a wildfire expert and professor at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia on how ready Canada is heading into the season, and whether or not we should expect a pattern in the years to come.
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A recent report from Statistics Canada says our country hit a new fertility rating law in 2024, with over half of women aged 20 to 49 childless. Without immigration, the rate needed to maintain a steady population is 2.1 children per woman, but in Canada, it's now 1.25- below the 1.3 line that experts describe as "ultra-low".
Host Catherine Jette is speaking with journalist Cara Stern from the Missing Middle Initiative, an organization dedicated to reviving Canada's middle class, about the many factors contributing to young people's decision not to have as many kids.
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Enjoy this special feed drop of our sister show "In This Economy?!"
"The K-shaped economy." From housing, to productivity, to wages, it's a phrase you hear more and more often these days. But what exactly does it mean? And how is it effecting your wallet?
In this episode of In This Economy?!, co-host Kris Kris McCusker is speaking to economist Jim Stanford, director of the Centre for Future Work, to find out.
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Plus: The Prime Minister speaks alongside the Premier of Alberta, Donald Trump returns to the U.S., the price of gas is rising, Drake drops three new albums, and smart glasses: the good, the bad, and the unregulated. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Have you ever came across a person wearing glasses in public and thought: "Are they filming me?"
With the rise of smart glasses - glasses with cameras and AI technology embedded within them - the concern of privacy has become more prominent. And not only whether or not you're being filmed, but what happens with the content once it's captured.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with technology lawyer Ritesh Kotak, about how concerned you should be about your privacy, what laws govern wearable technology, and what you could do to protect yourself.
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Plus: Honda suspends plans for a new Canadian plant, Trump's Beijing visit, the country's springtime real estate market showed signs of slowing sales, and who will headline the first-ever World Cup Final halftime show. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
US President Trump is in China for the second half of this week, talking all things trade, alliance and geopolitics. It comes at a delicate time for the President, as approval rating continue to plummet following a rise in the cost of living as a result of the war in Iran.
In tow was a slew of some of the country's most powerful executives, including Elon Musk, Tim Cook, and Larry Fink to name a few.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Jia Wang, Senior Fellow at The Chinese Institute at the University of Alberta and Senior Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, to discuss potential Canadian implications of Trump's China visit, how the Iran war is affecting the US-China relationship, as well as the political importance of this trip ahead of the US midterms.
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Plus: Trump lands in Beijing, King Charles throne speech, the Artemis II crew meets Carney, an American coffee giant is coming to Canada, and integrating Indigenous healthcare could solve Manitoba's HIV crisis. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Manitoba's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Brent Roussin, declared a public health emergency over the rise in HIV rates, which have steadily increased since 2019. The province saw close to 330 new cases in 2025 - almost four time the rate of new cases 7 years ago.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Michelle Monkman, interim CEO of Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin (KIM), to discuss why the province's healthcare system should be more welcoming of Indigenous healthcare practices, the importance of making sure provinces have testing resources, and how federal systems should take more accountability for the rise in rates.
Learn more about KIM's work here: https://kiminoayawin.com/
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Plus: Deadline day for the 2026 census, British PM faces resignation calls, Donald Trump visits Beijing, more sanctions against Russia, and what the Alberta data leak can teach us about separatists. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Experts are calling it the largest data breach in Canadian history, sparking fears for the safety of all Canadians - everyone from public figures to victims of domestic abuse.
Both the RCMP and Elections Alberta are investigating after Elections Alberta said a pro-separation group had un-authorized access to a separatist party's copy of the electors list - containing the personal information of nearly three million Albertans, including their address.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to political strategist, Zain Velji to discuss how the group got a hold of the electors list, the political fallout across the country, and why economic moves from the PM's office fall short of actually deterring the separatist movement.
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Plus: Iran has responded to the U.S. proposal to end the war, a new poll finds the federal Liberals are leading over the opposition Conservatives, the 2026 census deadline is tomorrow, the FIFA world cup is just over a month away, and what's the state of Canada's bilingualism? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It's been decades since Canada implemented an official bilingualism policy nation wide-- but the history of our two official languages in Canada goes back much further. And following a recent Macleans article questioning the validity of official bilingualism, the question remains: what is the state of bilingualism in Canada?
Host Catherine Jette speaks with Dr. Luisa Veronis, Research Chair in Immigration and Franco-Ontarian communities at the University of Ottawa, to look at the historical and modern implications of Canada's language policy.
Macleans Article: https://macleans.ca/politics/official-bilingualism-has-failed-canada/
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Enjoy this special feed drop of our sister show "In This Economy?!"
During the course of a year that saw heavy flight delays and cancellations, crowded airports and rising ticket prices and baggage fees, airlines in North America still managed to deliver stand-out passenger experiences. The JD power 2026 North America airline satisfaction study shows the overall satisfaction rate up 8 points (on a 1,000-point scale) year over year, with improvement occurring across all segments. However, as airfares have begun to skyrocket in 2026, airlines may soon find it difficult to offset high costs with great service, and customers can expect to see a lot of new fees this summer for fuel surcharges and checked bags. So, will travellers balk at higher prices or if they do travel, will they be starting their vacation in a lousy mood?
In this episode of In This Economy?!, host Mike Eppel talks to Michael Taylor, senior managing director of travel, hospitality, retail and customer service at JD power, to discuss their recent findings, and what it could mean going forward.
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The April jobs report is not good for Canadians trying to get a job, the Pentagon has released it's first batch of U.F.O. files, the voice of nature around the world, Sir David Attenborough, is celebrating his 100th birthday, and politics on the pitch: geopolitical tensions shaping the world cup. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
As Canada gears up for soccer's most exciting time, we can't help but notice the dark cloud that looms over the World Cup.
The current geopolitical reality on the global scale - whether it's the Iran-US/Israel war, the violent fallout after the death of Mexican drug lord El Mencho, immigration crackdowns throughout the US - has stirred real safety concerns for the more than 100 games across the three countries.
Guest host Devang Desai speaks to Aaron Ettinger, political science professor at Carleton University to discuss the intersection of sports and politics, how US President Trump uses international sporting events to his own advantage, and the role of FIFA.
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Plus: Could the ill-fated ship be ground-zero for the next pandemic, how close is a potential peace deal in Iran, the U-S secretary of state is at the Vatican, most Canadians support bans on social media and AI for kids, and the Prime Minister will host Dutch royalty ahead of the annual Tulip Festival. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
In early April, the luxury cruise liner MV Hondius set sail from Argentina across the Atlantic ocean, but things did not go as planned. Since then, three people have died and three others had to be evacuated for emergency medical treatment-- including the ship's doctor-- as they deal with an outbreak of Hantavirus. Now, passengers are still quarantined on the ship, as the World Health Organization tries to contain the disease.
In this episode of the Big Story Podcast, host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases expert out of the Toronto General Hospital, about hantavirus: what we know, what we don't know, and if this could be the start of the next pandemic.
Then, Caryn speaks with Dr. Muhammad Morshed from the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control about what might've happened on the ship that started the outbreak, and what we know about the world's first documented outbreak of this unnerving disease on a cruise ship.
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Plus: Trump is threatening to bomb Iran if the country doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a big win for Canada's aviation industry, Ontario will lower the early screening age for colorectal cancer, one researcher says the study of a massive tsunami in Alaska is a warning that we need better monitoring, and can Canada unclog it's housing market? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
A lot of the housing conversation goes towards first-time home buyers...but what about second-time? Or those looking to downsize? A clogged-up housing market is a problem that affects Canadians in all life stages.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Dr. Mike Moffat, Founding Director of the Missing Middle Initiative at the University of Ottawa. They discuss how what's impacting Canadians from moving through the housing market, how government initiatives can help residents find a place to meet their needs, and whether the market will recover soon.
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Plus: Hantavirus "cluster" on cruise ship, Iran war update, gunfire near the Washington Monument, the 2026 Census begins, and it's time for Canada's architecture to better reflect our values. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Canada is known for its vibrant culture and diversity, but you wouldn't know that from our architecture.
It's no surprise that the bottom line plays a role into materials and design decisions of commercial, residential and cultural buildings, but is there a way Canada can balance creativity, budget and authenticity to have the best looking country?
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Alex Josephson, founder of Toronto-based architecture firm, Partisans, to dig into the investment Canada needs to make into its up-and-coming creatives, and just how important building aesthetics are to our country's ethos.
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Plus: Carney visits Armenia, suspected Hantavirus outbreak, tariff relief announcement, Habs win, and who pays the price for privatization? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Mark Carney's government has floated the idea of privatizing Canadian airports, suggesting it will make them better. But with Canadians already fed up with air travel, as costs seem to go up while service goes down-- would that really be the result? And what would the move mean for airport workers across the country?
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Siobhán Vipond, Vice President at the Canadian Labour Congress, to discuss the case for leaving airports as they are, the hidden costs of privatization, and the case for public ownership as it pertains to national sovereignty.
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Plus: The Bank of Canada governor says he's encouraged by the federal government's efforts to insulate the economy against future shocks, a new poll shows most Canadians are not comfortable with the direction of the national economy, Alberta marks a somber anniversary, Habs fans are preparing for Game 6, and one year later and two Nova Scotian kids are still missing. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Almost exactly a year ago, six-year-old Lilly Sullivan and her four-year-old brother, Jack allegedly wandered into the woods near their family's home north of Halifax and never returned, leaving few clues as to what happened to them. The RCMP has since kept the details of the investigation tight-lipped, leaving the community, media and the country at large with more questions as time goes on.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Natasha O'Neill, web editor for CityNews Halifax, about what we know-- and don't know-- to this day.
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Plus: The families of the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting victims are set to seek nearly 1-billion dollars in lawsuits against Open A-I, the Canadian economy sees growth in the first quarter, Canada will host a new NATO bank, the Prime Minister has named the new E-U ambassador, and how the boom in romance novels can help other media meet consumer needs. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
If you've felt compelled to pick up a steamy, smutty book throughout the last few months, you wouldn't have been the first - and you probably won't be the last.
It's no doubt romance novels are having their moment, and besides the books themselves, readers and consumers alike are going beyond the pages and diving into their respective worlds.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Deborah Aarts, a freelance business writer about how Canadians are opting to invest in community, and how the recent boom in romance novels could teach other traditional media how to meet consumers where they're at.
You can read Deborah's article here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/rob-magazine/article-the-swoon-boom-meet-the-business-savvy-smut-mongers-of-the-great-hot/#comments
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Plus: Reaction to the federal spring economic statement, Trump threatens Iran, King Charles in the U.S., and Health Canada approves the first generic version of brand-name Ozempic
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Within minutes of news that shots rang out at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, online spaces were filled with the 'what ifs'.
Conspiracy theories and fringe narratives continue to dominate the noise surrounding the latest attempt at assassinating US President Donald Trump, spreading disinformation while simultaneously tainting the opportunity for meaningful and critical dialogue.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Geoff Dancy, a political science professor at the University of Toronto to break down how these conspiracies take advantage of a politically polarized America, and how we can make sense of what's real versus speculation.
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Plus: One year of Mark Carney, the UAE says it will leave OPEC, King Charles in the U.S., the Royal Canadian Mint launches a review, and who is being inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The Davos speech, the tariff profile, and now the Canada Strong Fund.
It's been a busy year for Mark Carney since being elected as Canada's 24th Prime Minister this day last year, and as Canadians face tough economic and geopolitical uncertainty, we're taking a look back at how Carney has managed to bring the country together through some of the year's - and Canada's - rockiest moments.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to journalist and host of The Paikin Podcast, Steve Paikin, to discuss how Carney's tenure so far has changed Canada's global profile, how much of a difference he's made in strengthening the domestic economy, and how his work will be perceived in a post-Trump world.
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Plus: Tehran is reaching out to Russia for support, a preview of tomorrow's interest rate announcement, Carney unveils the country's first national sovereign wealth fund, Canadians appear to want the government to focus more on affordability, and the real cost of foreign sloapaganga on Canadian democracy. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It started with mispronunciations-- saying "Regina" wrong, or saying "Atlanta" instead of "Alberta"-- but it spiraled into so much more. With their interest piqued, the Media Ecosystem Observatory began looking into a network of dozens of YouTube channels claiming to be covering Canadian politics from an Albertan perspective, and they found faceless, Dutch content creators to be behind the videos instead.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Chris Ross, Senior Analyst at the Media Ecosystem Observatory, who led the team looking into these channels, about what exactly they found. After the break, Caryn speaks with Chris Tenove, Assistant Director of the Centre for the study of Democratic Institutions at the University of British Columbia about the reliability of online platforms, and how lack of regulation could threaten Canadian democracy.
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Plus: U.S. alcohol will likely stay off Canadian shelves until the tariffs are dropped, U.S. officials provide an update this morning on the war in Iran, Canadians, once again, not making as many trips to the states, the Michael Jackson biopic hits the big screen today, and should Canada consider a smoke-free generation? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The British government is set to ban the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after 2008 - raising both hopes that it could create the first smoke-free generation, but also doubts about whether it could actually be enforced. The legislation also puts limits on the sale and consumption of vape products.
Host Maria Kestane speaks with Michael Chaiton, a Senior Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and an Associate Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, about whether or not the idea is feasible, and if it might be worth considering in Canada.
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FINTRAC is warning young people from India are being used for extortion schemes in Canada, a rare late-night sitting at Queen's Park to debate Ontario Premier Doug Ford's controversial budget bill, two trains in Denmark crash in what police are calling a major incident, and how the jet fuel crisis will impact your travel plans. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It's the time of year where Canadians would usually start putting their summer travel plans on paper, but this year looks different. Fuel shortages, however, have forced a number of airlines - including Air Canada - to cancel several routes for months, upending where and how Canadians spend their summer.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Lorn Sheehan, professor of strategy and tourism at Dalhousie University to discuss how travelers could brace for a turbulent next few months, and how fast we could feel relief should Iran and the US sustain a lasting ceasefire.
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Plus: Mark Carney's Liberal government are planning to update House of Commons rules, Canada-U.S. trade talks, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz are ramping up a day after Trump extended a ceasefire with Iran, an update on the mass shooting in Mexico, and Avi Lewis wants to shrink your grocery bill. Can he? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
NDP Leader Avi Lewis is pushing Carney's newly-elected majority government to enact legislation that would ban surveillance pricing. This would mean businesses would not be allowed to use your personal data like search history to change their pricing.
It comes less than a month after he was elected as the leader of the Federal NDP, and alongside another idea to help food affordability: public grocery stores. The City of Toronto is moving forward with its own public grocer pilot project starting next spring.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to NDP Leader Avi Lewis to discuss how the Carney government could crunch the numbers to allow for publicly-funded grocers, and why a ban on algorithmic-based pricing will help everyday Canadians.
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Plus: Poilievre accuses Carney of "pushing fear" in his recent address to Canadians, can the U.S.-Iran ceasefire be extended, a Canadian was killed in a mass shooting in Mexico, the murder charges against Kenneth Law are expected to be withdrawn, and the Neffy could pave the way for Canada's future in allergy care. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Meet the Neffy, the needle-free nasal spray epinephrine used to treat anaphylaxis. It's the first of its kind in Canada and it may very well pave the way for improving access to allergy care to come.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Mariam Hanna, a pediatric allergist and clinical immunologist to discuss why Canada could be seeing an increase in allergies, what makes the Neffy so accessible and treatment-friendly, and why it's taken us this long to get a budget friendly version of the life-saving drug on the market.
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Plus: Unstable ceasefire, and even more unstable talks, in the Iran war, Carney addresses the nation in an online video, Statistics Canada says inflation jumped 2.4 percent in March, voting starts today on 5 year agreement contract between Canada Post and its workers, and Doug Ford is overhauling Ontario's education system. Why? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The Ontario Government seems to have interest in overhauling the existing education system.
From the idea of a CEO and a CEdO (Chief Education Officer), to tying attendance records to final grades, or capping the amount of trustees at a school board, Minister Paul Calandra has eyes on streamlining and tightening where funds go and who gets to spend them. Families, unions and educators alike however, aren't too keen on the changes, claiming the government is pushing its education ministry into corporatization.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Kelly Gallagher-Mackay, an education policy expert at Wilfred Laurier University to discuss the changes, how they're going to affect the day-to-day workings of students and teachers, and what the future of education in Ontario could look like.
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Enjoy this special feed drop of our sister show "In This Economy?!"
A new survey from Angus Reid says most Canadians use social media--- and don't enjoy their experience.
Privacy remains one of the top concerns, as a handful of companies have a near-monopoly on the most commonly used platforms. And with governments only just starting to talk about regulating social media for teens, are we as a society ready for the tidal wave that will be when AI is fully integrated?
Host Mike Eppel speaks with Professor Richard Lachman from the RTA school of media at Toronto Metropolitan University to discuss what Ottawa can do and what Canadians could expect.
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Plus: Prime Minister Mark Carney is meeting with Quebec's new premier today, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen is reflecting on his Artemis II mission with his crewmates as they readjust to life on earth, Canada Post is moving forward with its plan to end door-to-door delivery, Canadian bishops are speaking out about Trump's recent AI posts depicting him as Jesus, and how can Canadians help a NEET? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Ever heard of a NEET? Someone who's not educated, employed or training. According to a 2025 Statistics Canada report, 11% of the country's youth are NEET, with Black, Chinese and highly-educated immigrants being disproportionately affected.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Linda Nazareth, economist, futurist and host of the Work in the Future podcast to discuss how NEETs have long-term impacts on Canada's economy and how we can support young folks through this transitionary period.
Linda discusses more in her new book The End of Entry-Level Jobs: How AI, Demographics, and Economic Pressure Are Rewriting the Talent Pipeline, which will be out later this year.
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Plus: The federal government is responding after a Canadian was killed in Lebanon, Health Canada has approved a needle-free treatment for allergies, a social media ban for kids could soon be in place, the Artemis II crew speaks to reporters, and more on the supplement market. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Why does it feel like everyone's a fitness influencer these days?!
Posting workout videos without science-based advice is one thing, but promoting supplements that aren't only mislabeled but sometimes not even legally on the market is another. And it's more common than you think.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Rohil Daliwal, an associate researcher at Mass General Brigham to discuss the highly-saturated and barely-regulated workout supplement market.
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Plus: Conservative leadership is now being called into question after a series of floor crossings in the House of Commons, a new drug to fight pancreatic cancer is into global trials, a new report shows Ontario high schoolers' attendance is lagging despite new legislation proposed by the Ford government, and what will Carney change with a majority government? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
After a trio of by-elections across Ontario and Quebec, Prime Minister Mark Carney has secured a majority government with 174 seats in the House of Commons. The transition comes after a handful of opposition of MPs - including 4 from the Conservative caucus - crossed the floor to join Carney's liberals.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Lori Turnbull, Political Science professor from Dalhousie University, to discuss Carney's approach to party politics, whether or not Canadians will feel any change in the aftermath, and how Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre could harness this moment for his own benefit.
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Plus: The Liberals suspend federal fuel excise taxes, in-person negotiations will reportedly continue in the Iran war, Global Affairs says an Ontario man has been killed in Lebanon, the wealth gap is widening, and why is Trump fighting the Pope? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
An AI-generated image of US President Trump depicted as Jesus and an anti-Pope Leo rant on Truth Social has made shockwaves throughout America's Christian community - even for its Republican and far-right members.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to André Gagné, a professor and the Chair of the Department of Theological Studies at Concordia University to break down why Trump has made the Pope his latest target, how the Trump administration has mobilized the Christian faith to justify its agenda, and whether or not religious members of his base are drawing the line.
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Plus: more on three federal byelections across Canada today, Trump's new tactic with the Iran war and putting pressure on the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. president's criticism of Pope Leo, Quebec's governing party has chosen a new leader, Hungarian voters have ousted Viktor Orban, and the Artemis Two crew is beginning to debrief their mission. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Just a year after its original deadline, Canada has finally met its NATO spending target of 2% of its GDP, including investing billions in recruitment and modernizing infrastructure. Our eyes are now set on the 2035 target of 5%, which Ottawa committed to following pressure from US President Trump last year.
While Canadians are feeling supportive of the government beefing up national security during this geopolitical moment, the reality of the paying the bill will fall on the shoulders of Canadians.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Colin Busby, director of policy engagement at the CD Howe Institute to break down what options Ottawa has to finance the sustainability of its NATO spending.
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Enjoy this special feed drop from our sister show 'In This Economy?!'
The majority of Canadian mortgages are up for renewal this year, marking one of the most significant mortgage renewal periods in decades.
And while some payments may be going down, most are likely to go up, meaning it might be time to make some adjustments to your household finances.
Host Kris McCusker is speaking with Alana Riley, Head of Mortgage, Banking, and Insurance at IG Wealth Management about what this renewal might mean for you, and how what you can do if you're mortgage ends up taking an even bigger bite out of your finances.
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Plus: The Artemis II crew returns home, Canada's economy added 14-thousand jobs last month, questions are being raised about a surprise speech from the U.S. first lady, Health Canada is warning about the effects of unauthorized anti-aging or weight-loss drugs, and the Liberals have an open-door policy problem. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Here we go again!
Yet another Conservative MP - one who's had a stronghold on her riding for more than a decade - has crossed the floor into the Liberal caucus. Marilyn Gladu was welcomed with open arms by Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday morning.
But some are critical of just how open his arms were to this particular crosser, someone who's been a vocal critic of vaccination mandates, abortion rights, and the banning of conversion therapy.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Elizabeth McCallion, a political scientist at the University of Toronto to break down whether it's time for the Liberals to draw lines on who's allowed into their party, and the disconnect between grassroot supports of Pierre Poilievre and the people who represent him in Parliament.
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Plus: The Mark Carney Liberals are just one seat away from forming a majority government. the Artemis II crew speaks to the Prime Minister, an update on an arrest in the Pearson gold heist, and Canadians are weighing in on their travel plans. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
A barely-existent ceasefire, and the paralysis of hundreds of ships.
The state of the Iran - US Israel war remains muggy, even a day after the three agreed to a two-week ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. It comes after US President Trump threatened to wipe out 'an entire civilization' if the strait wasn't opened. And although things seemed to have reached a calming point, Iran once again closed the shipping passage after Israel reportedly fired strikes into Lebanon.
Host Caryn Ceolin speak to Jack Cunningham, an expert in international relations at the University of Toronto to discuss how the US could initiate a substantive wrap-up of the conflict, how the conflict has only bolstered Iran's power, and how Trump's words have weakened global perception of the US.
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Plus: Some of Trump's opponents are openly questioning whether his cabinet should remove him from office, Carney is set to speak with a Canadian astronaut, another Conservative MP crosses the floor to join the Liberals, advance voter turnout ahead of federal byelections next week, and the demise of Pam Bondi.
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More than a year after US President Trump curated what he believed was the perfect Cabinet, he's done away with two major figures within his administration, the latest being Attorney General, Pam Bondi. She was recently ousted and moved to what Trump calls an 'important' role in the private sector.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Peter Shane, an expert of US constitutional law and professor at New York University to discuss reasons behind Trump's staffing changes, his need for loyalty over merit, and how Bondi's politicization of the Department of Justice costed her her position.
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Plus: The Artemis II crew is headed back to Earth after making history, nine Canadian miners have been found dead, a deadly attack in Istanbul, and a high-stakes federal byelection is less than a week away. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The Artemis II timeline has marked its halfway point, with its four astronauts - including Canadian Jeremy Hansen - now officially having gone the farthest any human has ever been from Earth at more than 400,000 kilometers away. They've also undergone a lunar flyby, orbiting around the moon to make observations and complete 10 science objectives.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Olivier Lamarre, a robotics engineer at NordSpace, to discuss the mission's timeline and goals, the impacts of Canadian talent and intelligence towards aerospace milestones, and what could be next for Canada's impact on intel on the moon.
You can track the mission's timeline here: https://www.nasa.gov/
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Plus: The Artemis II crew fly around the Moon, early voting is underway in federal by-elections that could give the Liberals a majority government, a community and country mark eight years since the Humboldt Broncos crash, Savannah Guthrie returns to Today, and is it time for Canada to toughen up its social media laws for youth? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
A jury in Los Angeles found that media giants Meta and YouTube were liable for designing their apps in a way that hooked young users in an addictive manner. It came right after a similar ruling in New Mexico, which found Meta is harming children's mental health and safety.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Arturo Bejar, a former security executive at Meta who turned into a whistleblower after his very own daughter was subjected to sexual online harassment. The two discuss whether or not these media giants are following through with their commitment to protect children, and what this case could mean for the dozens across North America.
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Enjoy this special feed drop from our sister show 'In This Economy?!'
It's been a chaotic Q1 to say the least.
Between all the Truth Social posts from US President Trump and his geopolitical stunts across the world - the markets have taken a hit. It's led to big slumps from record highs for tech stocks, and the run-up to record highs for the energy sector.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Colin White, CEO & portfolio manager, and Josh Sheluk, CIO & portfolio manager at Verecan Capital Management for a recap of the Canadian economy throughout Q1.
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A recent report from Statistics Canada found that Canadians' functional health is on the decline, especially so for younger folks.
Functional health has to do with our ability to perform everyday bodily functions - like see, hear, move, and feel. And according to the report, the decline in functional health is directly related to a lack of emotional health among younger Canadians.
Host Catherine Jette speaks to Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti, a physician and professor at the School of Public Health in Alberta to break down the study's findings, what Canadians can do on their own to improve their functional health, and how big of an alarm bell this should raise to Ottawa.
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Plus: World leaders meet to discuss the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Deloitte's spring economic outlook, Poilievre makes an announcement, and does Canada need to rethink its Emergencies Act? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It was a moment in Canadian history that the former Federal Government believed was due for sweeping powers. More than four years and two rounds of court reviews later, enacting the Emergencies Act maybe wasn't the right choice.
Or if it was, Ottawa wasn't sufficient at proving why at the time.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Paul Daly, Chair in Administrative Law and Governance at the University of Ottawa, to discuss the threshold the courts believe Ottawa missed back in 2022, why the new Liberal government is still fighting for the Trudeau era, and whether or not Canada is due for a revamp of the Emergencies Act.
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Plus: Trump's primetime address, rising cost of gas, pay-hike for federal workers, Stephen Lewis has died, and Canada is torn over the notwithstanding clause. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Quebec's secularism law, Bill 21, prohibits certain public servants from wearing religious symbols while on the job. It was passed in 2019 with a pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding law - a section of the Charter that protects legislation from court intervention if the legislation goes against other freedoms.
Last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments on how provinces should apply the notwithstanding clause, and whether or not its application should be subject to review after the fact.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to journalist Max Fawcett to discuss the historical context of the clause, what legal challenges come with Bill 21, and potential outcomes from the Supreme Court's decision.
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Plus: Day 32 of the war in Iran, a royal visit to the U.S., mail delivery changes coming, the colorectal cancer screening age lowers for one province, and has Ontario lost its way with colleges? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Decades ago, Ontario's colleges operated with a goal of improving local economies and regional communities. Now, Premier Doug Ford claims if you're not in a highly-skilled field, the baskets you're looking to weave are no where to be found.
With cuts to OSAP on the provincial level, and caps to student visas on the federal level, the mission of our colleges have seemed to have shifted towards keeping the lights on with as little investment as possible.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Emilda Thavaratnam, an educator at Centennial College. She authored an article called 'Ontario’s colleges were founded to serve local and regional needs — have we forgotten that?'. The two discuss how the college system's ethos has shifted from locally-driven to profit-yielding, and how the province's most vulnerable are falling between the cracks.
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Plus: Avi Lewis is the new federal NDP leader, the war in Iran enters its 5th week, TSA agents in the U.S. may get paid for the first time in weeks, and a NASA mission is ready to go. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
After leading the party to it's worst ever result, Jagmeet Singh resigned as NDP leader.
Now, nearly one year after the election that reduced the party to just six seats, New Democrats have elected the leader who will have the daunting task of rebuilding and rebranding.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with former Hamilton Centre NDP MP Matthew Green, who was one of many NDP politicians who lost their seats in 2025, about where the new leader wants to take the party, and what they need to do win back the hearts and minds of Canadians.
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Enjoy this special feed drop of our sister show 'In This Economy?!'.
Just three months in, and 2026 is already being coined as the 'Year of the Layoff', with companies blaming AI for letting chunks of their workforce go.
But is tech really replacing workers — or just being used as a convenient excuse?
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Ben Shiller, Brandeis University economist and associate professor, and author of 'A.I. Economics: How Technology Transforms Jobs, Markets, Life, and Our Future'. The two discuss the fears of a shrinking white‑collar job market, the realities of AI’s impact, and why your future job security may depend on the sector you choose.
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Enjoy this special feed drop of our sister show 'In This Economy?!'
It’s known as “the singles tax” – an extra amount that solo earners pay to go through life without a partner. In some cases it can be punitive, and it’s prompted many Canadians to get creative.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to financial journalist and author Renée Sylvestre-Williams about her book “The Singles Tax: No Nonsense Financial Advice for Solo Earners,” which can be found at your favourite book store.
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Plus: The bodies of two pilots who died in this week's crash in New York have been repatriated to Canada, long lines at U.S. airports should soon dissipate, NDP convention begins in Winnipeg as members prepare to pick a new leader, Earth Hour this weekend, and can Canada get a grip on its tipping culture? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Tipping-- it's one of those things everyone has an opinion on, and that opinion is normally shaped by what side of it you're on. And the number of services you're expected to tip for-- and the suggested tips on machines-- seem to be going up.
So it comes as little surprise that a new H&R Block survey found 67% of Canadians think tipping culture has gone too far.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Wayne Smith, the Director of the Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Research at Toronto Metropolitan University, to discuss Canada’s tipping history, and how our culture has gotten to this point.
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Plus: Canada's met a critical alliance commitment for the first time since the 90's, the Air Canada plane wreck at LaGuardia is being moved to a hangar for more analysis, former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro is set to appear in court, and how did Lebanon get dragged into the Middle East conflict? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It's a war between Israel, the US and Iran...but how did Lebanon get dragged into it?
Its militia group, Hezbollah, is a loyal proxy of the Iranian regime, placing tens of millions of Lebanese citizens at risk in the name of loyalty to its top financier and ally. More than 1000 people have been killed, and more than a million have been displaced.
Earlier this week Israel's Defence Minister said his country plans on annexing a large portion of southern Lebanon for security purposes, a move Canada denounced.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Aurel Braun, a political science and international relations professor at the University of Toronto to discuss the Lebanese government's complex relationship with Hezbollah, how Canada and other NATO countries could help the government dismantle the militia, and what comes next for its civilians.
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The investigation into the deadly Air Canada plane crash continues, the airline's CEO has been summoned to Ottawa, new urgency to reach a deal and pay TSA workers, and a social media app shuts down. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It's unsure when exactly the war in the Middle East will come to an end - even the White House seems to be conflicted on a timeline, but one thing for certain is the impact Canadians are feeling to their wallets.
Gas prices continue to fluctuate, with no real stabilization in sight. But the question is, for a country that's rich in domestic oil, why are our prices so dependent on the state of the Strait of Hormuz?
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Heather Exner-Pirot, Director of energy and natural resources and environment at the Macdonald Laurier Institute to discuss Canada's pipeline infrastructure challenges, the geopolitical significance of the Hormuz, and whether or not Canadians will be getting a reprieve at the pumps anytime soon.
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Plus: Two pilots killed in the Air Canada Jazz plane crash in New York have been identified, TSA security lines in the U.S. continue, most Canadians say they are satisfied with how the government handled the COVID-19 pandemic, and police in Vancouver say a woman fell asleep behind the wheel of a self-driving vehicle
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A pair of Air Canada pilots were killed as a result of a crash between the plane they were landing at New York's La Guardia airport and a fire truck on one of the runways. And as investigators piece together what led to the crash, the public can't help but try and make sense of what happened with the audio recording of the air traffic controller.
This unfolds as more than a dozen airports across the country make space for ICE agents to accompany them at security checkpoints, as a partial government shutdown brings TSA to a slug, and as a result, the rest of the country.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Karl Moore, aviation expert and associate professor at McGill University to discuss the state of air travel across the US, what Canadians need to know amid the DHS shutdown, and how the both the US and Canada need to beef up their air traffic control roster.
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Plus: Parliament resumes after winter break, and TSA agents will be deployed at airports across the US.
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Canada's wealth inequality gap is widening, so much so that the concentration at the top makes up for a large chunk at the bottom.
A recent report from Canadians for Tax Fairness and BC Policy Solutions found that 86 billionaire families held as much wealth as Canada’s 6.2 million least wealthy families in 2023.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Dylan Dusseault, Executive Director of Patriotic Millionaires Canada, an organization comprised of wealthy Canadians advocating for tax increases on the wealthy to combat extreme inequality. The two discuss why some of Canada's richest individuals believe they should be taxed more to even the playing field, and what kinds of tax code reforms are necessary to narrow the gap. Then, Caryn is joined by Jim Stanford, economist and director of the Centre for Future Work, to break down some of the loopholes rich Canadians are taking advantage of - including capital gains tax preferences.
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Enjoy this special feed drop from our sister show 'In This Economy?!'
The war in the Middle East has pushed global markets into turmoil, throwing early forecasts right out the window.
And even before this crisis began, Canada was already on a shaky trajectory, with the biggest economic risk expected to come from upcoming trade negotiations with the United States.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Dr. Eric Kam, professor of economics at Toronto Metropolitan University, to discuss the challenges facing policymakers right now—and, more importantly, what Canada needs to do to finally break out of the boom‑and‑bust cycle tied to global energy markets.
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Plus: The Ontario government is moving to ban unlimited ticket resale prices ahead of the FIFA World Cup, and the first day of spring doesn't really feel like it.
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Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston announced more than $130 million in budget cuts to several supports and programs, including sports, healthcare, climate change, and Black, Mi'kmaw and Gaelic communities. Although he's reversed more than $53 million in grant cuts, the arts and culture are still left to fend for themselves.
Protest against the cuts overall have broken out across the province, even making their way to the Oscars following Tamara Deverell's production design win.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to the Oscar winner herself, a BC native who lives in Nova Scotia, to discuss how government grants to the arts help put Canada's name on Hollywood's map. Then, Caryn is joined by Sébastien Labelle, a Nova Scotian actor and the artistic director of Mayworks Kjipuktuk/Halifax, about the ripple effect of Houston's proposed cuts, and why he's calling the move 'smoke and mirrors'.
Learn more about Mayworks Kjipuktuk/Halifax here: https://mayworkskjipuktukhfx.ca/
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Plus: European leaders meet in Brussels, Poilievre on Joe Rogan's podcast, Canada's ranking on the World Happiness Report, and can the Canadian Armed Forces keep out white supremacists? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
A recent investigation exposed several members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) had accounts on a whites-only dating site that worked to promote white supremacy ideology. It comes almost a year after the RCMP arrested four men, including CAF members for plotting to forcibly take over land in Quebec using military weapons.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Dr. David Hofmann, the Director of the Criminology and Criminal Justice Program at the University of New Brunswick and an expert on far-right extremism and violence, to discuss how - or if - the CAF is able to sift out white supremacists from their recruitment, why militaries are so attractive to white nationalists, and how the CAF takes action once an extremist is identified.
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Plus: The Bank of Canada holds key interest rate at 2.25%, the federal government is appealing a ruling on its use of the Emergencies Act, and Venezuela wins the World Baseball Classic. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It's been an emotional rollercoaster of a week so far for US President Trump.
First he was greatly disappointed that none of his allies wanted to donate their military resources to guard commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Then he said he wasn't surprised that NATO worked on what he called a 'one way street' basis.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Willy Lowry, one of the hosts of Two Blocks from the White House - a CBC podcast about US politics from a Canadian context - and a correspondent for CBC News in Washington. The two discuss where Trump's calculations went wrong for on ally support, how Canada could use a 'get out of jail free' card, and how much deeper the war could expand.
You can listen to Two Blocks from the White House here: https://app.magellan.ai/listen_links/2BFTWHxTBS
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Plus: Canadian home sales slow, the Vatican returns Indigenous items to Canada, a federal investigation into numerous fishing regulations is underway, and what is A-I baby slop? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It's like brain-rot but for babies. And all of a sudden, it's not funny anymore.
AI baby slop, a form of content that consists of highly stimulating audio and video of random objects and sounds, posted on YouTube, and found by children whose algorithm cues it up after their parent chose a separate video.
Host Catherine Jette speaks with Dr. Keri Ewart, Chair of the Bachelor of Education program and assistant professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, to discuss how these videos are produced and for whom. They also dig into what kind of content children should be consuming, and how AI can help in childhood development, but with close supervision.
You can find the New York Times article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/us/ai-videos-children-youtube.html
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Plus: The cost of living saw a big cool down last month, Carney is in London, rising fuel costs, and will Canada's immigration system regret relying on Artificial Intelligence? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently announced its AI Strategy as part of the AI Strategy for the Federal Public Service 2025-2027. Included are measures to streamline the ministry's administrative tasks using AI without allowing the technology to make executive decisions on applications.
According to the IRCC, AI has been used since 2013, although only for what it calls 'if-then' models, but starting this year, it says it will be used to triage applications and respond to inquiries.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Joshua Schachnow, a family lawyer and the CEO of Visto.AI to learn more about the technology's potential to help the ministry become more efficient, but also what dangers we should be on the lookout for.
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Plus: February was a bad month for the labour market, Carney arrives in Norway, Canadians are changing their March Break travel plans, NASA's historic flight, and is Canada missing the mark on alcohol awareness? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
What is the most harmful substance in Canada? You may not be able to guess it-- but according to a recent Canada-wide study, it's alcohol.
While it may not cause the most deaths, the study suggests it causes the most harms. And that's aggravated by that fact that most Canadians are woefully uninformed about the basics of alcohol safety and consumption.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Iris Gorfinkel, a Toronto-based family physician and clinical researcher to discuss the price Canadians pay - both physically and fiscally - for the lack of awareness of alcohol dangers, and how Ottawa can fill the policy gaps to reduce deaths and harms.
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Plus: FIFA World Cup ticket sales, federal funding for synagogues, a new survey about Alberta separatism, and addressing vaccine hesitancy. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
From growing unvaccinated in an anti-science household, to becoming an immunologist and vaccine advocate, Dr. Elisabeth Marnik knows what it's like being shamed for not rolling up her sleeves. She says in a climate of rising mis/disinformation in the healthcare world, empathy will always win.
Host Catherine Jette speaks to Dr. Marnik about her experience, what lead her to becoming an immunologist, and how approaching vaccine hesitancy with empathy will prove more resourceful than using shame.
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Plus: Iran takes aim at its adversaries’ economic interests, the impact of the Iran war on Canadians’ wallets, a bill could open up the shipping of alcohol across provincial lines, the mayor of Vancouver is sued for defamation, and new details after a woman opened fire on Rihanna’s home in Los Angeles. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The conflict in the Middle East is well into its second week, and just like rest of the world, Canadians are starting to see its impacts in our everyday lives - including at the gas station.
Correspondence from the White House only seems to be making it worse, with oil prices heading in every which direction after a false claim from US Energy Minister Wright on the movement of an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz. The critical passway has been effectively closed by the Iranian regime.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to John Kirton, political science professor and Director of the G7 Research Group for the University of Toronto. They discuss how Canadians can make sense of what they're seeing in the Middle East, and how much worse of a hit their pockets could take.
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Plus: Iranian women's soccer players are given Australian visas, a rare student protest in Cuba, TikTok can keep its Canadian office open, and trade vs. security: Canada's complex relationship with India. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Two years ago, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told parliament there was credible evidence that the Indian government was involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen, sparking a national discussion about trans-national repression, and creating serious tension between Canada and India.
Since taking over as Prime Minister, Mark Carney has put in the work trying to rebuild ties, inviting India to the G7 and visiting the South Asian country on trade missions. Yet there's still no definitive answer from the Canadian government whether India is considered a security threat.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Amarnath Amarasingam, an associate professor at Queens University, to discuss the Carney's approach to the Canada-India relationship and the reality of security threats.
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Plus: The Federal NDP will choose a new leader, Canadians appear to be drinking less, and gold for Canada at the Paralympic games. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
In the immediate aftermath of the US-Israel strikes on Iran, Prime Minister Mark Carney came out with a declaration of support, which later developed into what he calls a 'regretful' position due to the lack of international order.
So what exactly is Canada's position? And what would military involvement mean for Canada?
Host Maria Kestane speaks with Dr. Alexander Salt, a post-doctoral fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute to discuss Carney's developing messages towards the conflict in Iran, and how Canada could be dragged into the war as a result of Trump's 'plans'.
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Enjoy this special feed drop of our two-part investigative series 'Before Morgentaler: Making It Legal'.
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the case that legalized abortion in the country in 1973. The decision shocked many around the world, and has had folks wondering: could this happen here, at home, in Canada? And what led up to this historic moment in the U.S.? What are the real and current issues facing the state of abortion in Canada, and how can we make a difference?
This two-part mini series is hosted by Sarah Sahagian, a feminist podcaster, writer, and non-profit executive living in Toronto. Her byline has appeared in such outlets as The Washington Post, The National Post, The Toronto Star, Refinery29, Romper, and Scary Mommy. In her previous life, she was a gender studies academic who studied parenting and mother blame. Sarah is also the co-host of Frequency Podcast Network’s The Reheat.
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Enjoy this special feed drop of our two-part investigative series 'Before Morgentaler Part One: Law Breakers'.
This year marks the 38th anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada’s Morgentaler Decision. That landmark decision decriminalized abortion across Canada and turned the courageous Dr. Henry Morgentaler into a household name. As pivotal a part of Canada’s abortion rights story as Dr. Morgentaler was, many of us are unfamiliar with the stories of woman-identified activists who fought alongside him to ensure people who didn’t want to be pregnant wouldn’t have to be.
So, who were the women who fought for abortion rights – and even helped others access illegal abortions – before The Morgentaler Decision? This two-part miniseries introduces listeners to a few of those voices.
Hosted by Sarah Sahagian, a feminist podcaster, writer, and non-profit executive living in Toronto. Her byline has appeared in such outlets as The Washington Post, The National Post, The Toronto Star, Refinery29, Romper, and Scary Mommy. In her previous life, she was a gender studies academic who studied parenting and mother blame. Sarah is also the co-host of Frequency Podcast Network’s The Reheat.
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Plus: Marking a full week of war in Iran, CUSMA negotiations resume, Kristi Noem's replacement, one year after Canada's oldest company filed for creditor protection, the Paralympic Winter Games kick off, and experts talk about Daylight Saving Time. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
This weekend, just like the early March weekend last year, and the year before, the clocks will spring forward an hour. Not only that, but also the age-old debate of whether or not we should ditch the time change will also reignite.
Last week BC Premier David Eby announced his province's permanent change to daylight saving time, however, we've seen this movie playout before. And just as passionate as the public is to get rid of the switch, is equally how ecstatic they are to bring it back.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to David Prerau, an expert in daylight saving time and author of 'Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time'. They discuss the origin story of DST itself, the broader impacts of permanently making the switch, and the case for keeping the semi-annual clock change.
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Plus: an update on the war and the effort to get Canadians out of the Middle East, gas prices are up across Canada, how offsite classrooms could impact Tumbler Ridge survivors’ mental health, Britney Spears is arrested for DUI in California, and how are the Epstein files giving new life to conspiracy theories? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
More than 3.5 million pages of Epstein-related documents have been released under the Trump administration, fanning the flames of online conspiracy theorists who are determined to pinpoint a reality the rest of us 'can't see'. Including believers of Pizzagate or Qanon.
Another reality - one that majority of us can see - is the one where online conspiracy subcultures have made their way into the mainstream political discourse, heavily shaping how we make sense of politics, governance and power.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Travis View, conspiracy theory researcher and host of the QAA podcast, to discuss how the release (and heavily redacted nature) of the Epstein files is giving new life to dangerous online social groups, and how Canadians can better make sense of what they're reading online.
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Plus: The US sinks an Iranian warship as America says more military action is coming, Pierre Poilievre goes on his own foreign mission to Europe, a new call for an inquest into the Tumbler Ridge shooting, the man responsible for the Humboldt Broncos bus crash could be deported, and why is Alberta blaming its identity crisis on immigrants? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Note - episode audio has been edited since the original publication to remove a misnaming of Calgary Roughneck Radio. We regret the error.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith recently announced that come October, Albertans will vote on nine referendum questions. Most of them have to do with immigration - including making it more difficult for non-citizens to access healthcare, and giving provinces greater control over how many immigrants they let in. It comes as the province also deals with a separatist movement that would see Alberta leave Canada, another referendum question widely expected to be added later this year.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Stephen Carter, veteran campaign manager in Alberta, and President of Decide Campaigns. They discuss the political motivations behind the referendum, the implications of immigration on Alberta's economy, and the rising sentiment of separatism.
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Plus: Donald Trump faces pushback from US Congress over the strikes, how Iran could be impacted by the death of its leader, Mark Carney heads to Australia for trade talks, a bus carrying Canadians crashes in the Dominican Republic, and the late Catherine O’Hara wins at the Actor Awards. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
As chaos ensues in the Middle East in the aftermath of US-Israel airstrikes on Iran - which killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - talks of a post-Khamenei country are top of mind for millions. But the reality of a complete regime take-down seems father away than US President Trump made it out to be.
Host Caryn Ceolin is joined by Thomas Juneau, professor from the University of Ottawa's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, and Nader Hashemi, an associate professor of Middle East and Islamic politics from Georgetown University. They discuss Canada's endorsement of Trump's military action, global response to the killing of Khamenei, and Iran's complex political future.
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Plus: Iran retaliates with strikes across the Middle East, Donald Trump says the US military operation in Iran could last weeks, Mark Carney urges Canadians in the Middle East to stay safe, Iranian Canadians react to the conflict, gas prices in Canada could spike this week, and safeguards vs. innovation: Ottawa’s delicate dance with generative AI. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Sam Altman's OpenAI was reportedly aware of potential danger from the Tumbler Ridge mass shooter, yet the company's privacy thresholds prohibited employees from alerting law enforcement of the disturbing content. Instead, nine people were killed.
In the aftermath of the update, federal AI and innovations minister, Evan Solomon called out the powerhouse behind ChatGPT, saying their failure to act was a failure in and of itself. Solomon is set to meet with Altman this week to discuss the incident further.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Ebrahim Bagheri, a professor at the University of Toronto who founded and directed the NSERC CREATE initiative on responsible AI. They discuss what AI companies do when they find troublesome behaviours, the need to respect privacy, and what the government might be able to do to make sure a tragedy like this never happens again.
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Plus: New polling on independence movements in Alberta and Quebec, how the violence in Mexico is reshaping Canadian tourists' plans, a Canadian man faces harsh conditions in US immigration detention, and how former Prince Andrew's arrest could either make or break the monarchy. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor spent less than 12 hours in the Aylsham Police Station last week on his 66th birthday, and as the spectacle continues to sizzle, tensions surrounding the Royal Family have done anything but.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Jeffrey Dvorkin, journalist and professor, to discuss pathways the Monarch can take to not let the arrest forever stain its image, and the potential for this arrest to lead to more serious charges being brought forth on his alleged sexual misconduct.
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Plus: Child poverty is on the rise in Canada, the Clintons testify in front of U.S. lawmakers, indirect negotiations between Iran and the U.S., and the deadly impacts of Canada's lack of race-based health data. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Black women are 3-4x more likely to die during or as a result of childbirth in the United Sates and the UK, and although Canadians could assume similar statistics for Black women in our country, the better question is - why don't we have our own database?
The reality is that Black women face systemic barriers to healthcare everyday, and the lack of data only further silences this quiet crisis.
Host Tammie Sutherland speaks to Kearie Daniel, Executive Director and Founder of the Black Women's Institute for Health to discuss how the Canadian government can better support Black mothers by being honest about its own lack of data on race-based health experiences and outcomes.
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Plus: The federal government is pledging support for food aid for Cuba admist a humanitarian crisis, Canadian travellers return from Mexico after two days of violence, health care advocates are in Ottawa, the latest on the search for Nancy Guthrie, and how close is Canada to a Carney majority? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Prime Minister Mark Carney got a third floor crosser from the Conservatives, putting the Liberal seat count at 169 out of the 172 needed for a majority government-- exactly where it was on election day.
But here's the kicker-- three byelections need to be called in seats the Liberals won just one year ago. Meaning Carney is on the verge of securing Canada's first majority in a decade. And just a month after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre received a 87% approval rating from his party, what sorts of conversations does his caucus need to have with one less member?
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Mickey Djuric, a journalist who covers Parliament Hill for POLITICO, to discuss what Mark Carney might do with a majority, and the potential for future floor crossers - and a federal election.
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Plus: Ukraine marks four years since Russia's invasion, U.S. President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, and the U.S. Men's Hockey team is under fire. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
More than 26,000 Canadians remain stranded in Mexico, as the country grapples with cartel-related violence in the aftermath of El Mencho's death.
The cartel leader, formally known as Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, was killed in a military-led operation on Sunday morning in Jalisco, Mexico, some 90 kilometres south of Guadalajara, and west of the popular resort town of Puerto Vallarta. He was known to be the head of one of the most violent criminal gangs in Mexico, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Jerry Flores, sociology professor at the University of Toronto, to break down how Mexico has gotten to this point, what residents could see in the weeks to come, and how the country's government should move forward to break the pattern of gang-related violence paralyzing the country.
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Plus: Tax-filing season begins, a new trip for the Prime Minister, Winter Games wrap-up, winners from the BAFTA awards, and how Canadian businesses are impacted by the U.S. tariff ruling. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Not even a Supreme Court ruling could stop US President Trump from using his second favourite 'T' word.
Trump has once again threatened global tariffs on imported goods, first at 10%, then 15%, according to a Truth Social post over the weekend. But regardless of legal rulings, Canadian small business are caught in the crossfire, with sectoral tariffs still on the line.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Dan Kelly, President of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business to discuss how Canadian business are rethinking their strategies amid an unprecedented global market, and how the Canadian government should practice cautious optimism for future trade agreement and the negotiation of CUSMA.
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Canada is a winter Olympic country-- with Canadians from coast to coast to coast getting excited every four years for our top athletes to clean house.
But in Italy, Canadians have been noticing that we're a bit lower on the medal board than we're used to. So this week, we're asking: Is Canada investing enough in it's Olympic success?
Host Catherine Jette speaks to Julie Stevens, a Professor of Sports Management at Brock University, to discuss how the Carney government can better support Canada's athletes.
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Enjoy this special feed drop from our sister show 'In This Economy?!'.
There's been a big focus on how Canada’s auto industry has been dealing with the trade upheaval with the U.S., but what about the motorcycle market? And with spring (hopefully) around the corner, Canadian motorcycle enthusiasts are curious about the state of the market.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Landon French, President and CEO of Moto Canada, ahead of the Toronto Motorcycle and Powersport Show. The two discuss whether or not motorcycles are subject to tariffs, how the market has been affected by the trade disruption, and what trends Canada’s tourism sector is observing.
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Plus: A new poll finds two-thirds of Canadians support Prime Minister Mark Carney's economic plan and delivery pace, the fallout of former Prince Andrew's arrest, the latest on the Ryan Wedding case, and Day 14 at the Winter Games. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
One by one, Ontario school boards are being taken under the control of the provincial government, as Education Minister Paul Calandra says is in an attempt to fix reported financial mismanagement.
Instead, the ministry has either appointed supervisors to oversee boards, or in some cases, Calandra himself will take direct control - a job he claims comes with no extra pay. However critics believe the move is a power-hungry one, and comes at the expense of students' wellbeing, as well as local democracy.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to 680 NewsRadio Queen's Park reporter, Richard Southern, and Vice President of the Ontario Secondary School Teacher's Federation, Colin Matthew, to break down what's behind the takeovers, and what they believe the Ford government has up its sleeve.
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Plus: Another Conservative crosses the floor, Trump holds his first Board of Peace meeting, Day 13 at the Winter Games, and a new report on pneumonia hospitalizations. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
A recent report from the Canadian Climate Institute expects Canada to fail in meeting its 2035 and 2050 emissions targets. It credits Ottawa for its reduction efforts, but says more carbon pricing policy, as well as provincial cooperation is needed for Canada to stay on track towards its targets.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Ross Linden-Fraser, co-author of the report and research lead at the Canadian Climate Institute to discuss the policies the Carney government needs to implement to help Canada reach its targets, and the everyday things Canadians can be doing to help us get there.
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Plus: Canada's new top diplomat in Washington, controversial comments from a Southern Ontario MP, a search and rescue mission is underway in Northern California, and Trump's Gordie Howe Bridge threats and what he's really after. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Another Truth Social post, another crack in the Canada-US relationship.
US President Trump threatened to stall the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge until 'the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given'. A complete 180 from his joint statement with former Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau back in 2017 when he called for its 'expeditious completion'.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to David Paterson, Ontario's Representative in Washington, DC., to break down the details behind the bridge's construction, what sparked Trump's sudden interest in a potential blockade, and what options Ottawa has after another volatile Truth Social post.
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Plus: The latest from Tumbler Ridge -- a week after a deadly mass shooting, Jesse Jackson dies at 84, Hollywood remembers Robert Duvall, and more medals at the Winter Games. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Skinny is in, and it doesn't help when the drugs that help us get there are set to get cheaper.
Whether it's Ozempic or Wegovy, the cost of shrinking doesn't end with what you pay at the pharmacy. It bleeds into your everyday interactions - both with others and by yourself. And unless your results are being guided by a dietician or medical provider, who's to say how sustainable pay-as-you-go weight-loss actually is?
Host Maria Kestane speaks to writer Brianne Cail to unpack her journey using weight-loss drugs, and the give-and-take at the cost of her wellbeing thanks to the cost of drugs. The two also discuss what safeguards Health Canada could implement to help patients move through prescribed weight-loss and weight management.
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Enjoy this special feed drop of our sister show 'In This Economy?!'
Canadian restaurant operators could be in for another rough year – thanks to uncertainty around trade with the U-S and higher food costs – along with a few other factors.
And the industry, which has been struggling for years, is important to the country’s economy. But the numbers are not trending in the right direction.
Hope is not lost.
Host Kris McCusker takes a closer look at a report from Restaurants Canada with the President and CEO, Kelly Higginson.
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Plus: GST credit top-up coming, a new report on Canada's climate goals, Day 7 at the Winter Games, a Space-X launch, and the situation in Cuba. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Air Canada and West Jet are among the several airlines who've suspended travel to Cuba, as the country grapples with a Venezuelan oil blockade at the hands of US President Trump.
As a result, the Island remains in critical condition, with the fuel shortage threatening electricity grids, and supply levels of basic necessities quickly dwindling.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Mark Entwistle, former Ambassador of Canada to Cuba and Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. They discuss how the next few weeks could unfold if the US doesn't allow for oil shipments, and the potential of the Cuban regime crumbling.
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Plus: Travel warnings for Cuba, Trump tariff talk, Canadian medals at the Winter Games, and Hollywood remembers James Van Der Beek. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Warning: this episode contains themes of gun violence and suicide. Please take care.
British Columbia and the rest of Canada continue to mourn the innocent lives taken in a senseless school shooting at the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School this week.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Bruce Pitt-Payne, former RCMP major crimes investigator to break down what we know so far, how the investigation could shape up, and how the small community of 2400 is feeling in the aftermath of the tragedy.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or thoughts of suicide, there are resources available.
Call or text 9-8-8 for Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline. For Kids Help Phone, call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.
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Plus: An arrest linked to Ryan Wedding, new developments in the search for Nancy Guthrie, Day 5 at the Winter Games, and results of a new fraud poll. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has invested nearly half a billion dollars in xAI, the artificial intelligence company behind Elon Musk's AI chatbot - Grok.
The chatbot and its owner have received mounting criticism following the recent influx of deep-fake pornographic content of women and children on X's feeds - a catastrophe that Musk has contributed little to no resources to fix.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Jan Mahrt-Smith, associate professor of finance at the University of Toronto, to discuss the risks associated with investing in Musk's chatbot, how the 22 million Canadian investors could be feeling about the move, and whether or not Canadians still trust the government institution to handle their money.
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Plus: Dispute over a bridge linking Michigan and Ontario, the cause of death of a comedy legend, a new Canadian study on allergies, and unpacking all the Easter Eggs in Bad Bunny's Superbowl halftime show. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
13 minutes and more than 135 million viewers.
Sunday's Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show was dressed with several cultural and political messages and symbols. Some more pronounced - such as the parading of the Puerto Rican flag - others more subliminal - like the use of electrical poles or white lawn chairs.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Juan Carlos Rocha Osornio, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, to decode all the symbolism throughout the performance, and the cultural impact this halftime show will have during one of the most delicate, political times in American history.
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Plus: Prince Edward Island has elected a Premier, a memorial game for three junior hockey players killed in a car crash, royal reaction to the Epstein files, and Canada's EV plan. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
In a bid to help Canadians afford lower-emission vehicles, Ottawa unveiled a new EV strategy last week. Prime Minister Carney scrapped the Trudeau-era EV sale mandate, instead introducing rebates for customers and new emission standards for manufacturers.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Brian Kingston, President of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association to make sense of how everyday Canadians will benefit from the strategy, whether or not the emission standards will further weaken our auto industry in the wake of US tariffs, and how much closer it will bring us to our 2050 goal of achieving net-zero emissions.
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Enjoy this special feed drop of our sister show 'In This Economy?!'
The Bank of Canada has described what happened to the economy in 2025 as a shift away from normal trade relations with the United States and elevated uncertainty for households and businesses.
While Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem has said what happens with the economy this year—and for interest rates—will be determined by the upcoming USMCA trade talks, today's guest argues there are much larger structural issues where you could argue the economy is already in a recession and needs dramatic policy changes by the federal government.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to David Rosenberg, President and Founder, Rosenberg Research to discuss their predictions on the Canadian dollar and interest rates.
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Plus: The truck driver who caused the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash is one step closer to deportation, investigators continue to search for Nancy Guthrie, Superbowl Sunday, and the PWHL's impact on the Olympics. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
There was no such thing as the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, but as the 2026 Winter Games kicks off in Milano Cortina, we're about to enter a new era of women's hockey.
Teams now have the resources, coaches, and funding necessary to adequately support professional hockey. And not to mention the game itself - viewers will see a whole new side of the show on the ice.
Host Catherine Jette speaks to Daniella Ponticelli, play-by-play sports broadcaster for the PWHL, and is among the first women to call the play-by-play for Olympic hockey. The two discuss the growth the league has experienced over the past two years, and how this new era of women's sports will ignite future generations of hopeful athletes.
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Plus: A former Prime Minster speaks out, Guthrie's plea for the return of her abducted mother, obstacles for Team Canada at the Winter Games, and are you saving enough for retirement. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Retirement is not what it used to be – for a variety of reasons. A recent survey from the Bank of Montreal suggests it’s becoming more difficult for Canadians to save like their parents did.
Is that true?
Host Kris McCusker speaks to John Sacke, Investment Advisor and Portfolio Manager for BMO Private Wealth about new trends - both the good and bad - and how young Canadians can capitalize to avoid making the same mistakes as their parents.
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Plus: New developments in the desperate search for the mother of a 'Today Show' host, Canadians support more Chinese EVs to be sold in this country, the Winter Games get underway in Italy, and a Canadian dog wins best in show. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It was another dumping of Epstein files from the US Department of Justice this past week, this time releasing some three million pages of material from their investigations. And as the chunky, black blocks continue to make their way through the documents, so do names of some of the most powerful men in the world.
In a stunning update, the Clintons have now agreed to testify in Congress in regards to allegations that connect the couple to the convicted sex offender.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Sarah Sahagian and Sadaf Ahsan, journalists and hosts of The Reheat, to break down the updates (or lack thereof) from the latest round of Epstein files, and to discuss what we could see unfold.
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Plus: Officials continue to search for the mother of a Today Show host, tributes are pouring in after three junior hockey players in Alberta were killed in a crash, the Winter Olympics are fast approaching, and at what point does Alberta Separatism become a threat to national sovereignty? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The future of Alberta could either help strengthen Canadian interprovincial trade or mark a new chapter in America's history.
Either way, the roadmap to the outcome has put our country's sovereignty at a threat. So much so that BC Premier David Eby called out separatists who went to the White House in recent weeks as 'treasonous'. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, however, struggled to denounce their actions out of fear of losing her voter base.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Alberta NDP Leader, Naheed Nenshi, to break down Smith's current balancing act, how provincial politics plays a role in the future of Canada's sovereignty, and what he believes Ottawa should do to prevent the potential of foreign interference from south of the border.
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Plus: Groundhog Day 2026, Ottawa's plans for GST relief is set to cost $12.4 billion over 5 years, preparations are underway for a space launch, and is Canada being impacted by the ICE raids We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Almost a month after the fatal shooting of US citizen, Renee Good in Minneapolis, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers continue to disrupt and terrorize communities across Minnesota - and the US at large.
And as Canada finds its footing with new international allies and trading partners, our relationship with our closest neighbour has never been more delicate than right now, especially considering the close-to 900km border we share with the state of Minnesota.
Host Richard Southern speaks to Patrick Lennox, national security expert and author of 'At Home and Abroad: The Canada–US Relationship and Canada's Place in the World'. The two discuss how the ICE raids and protests in the US could affect Canadian politics, and what our leaders should be doing in the wake of the violence and fatalities.
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One of the original travel rewards programs in the Canadian market is getting a major rebrand.
Air Miles, which has been around since 1992, will soon be called Blue Rewards, as owner BMO refreshes the brand to highlight that it’s about more than just travel. At the same time, a longtime Air Miles partner, Shell, is making a move of its own—joining the Scene+ program operated by Scotiabank.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Patrick Sojka, founder of RewardsCanada.ca which is a Canadian loyalty rewards database, to break down what these changes mean for consumers, and take a broader look at the more than 180 loyalty brands competing for Canadians’ attention.
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Plus: Donald Trump threatens Canada again, the Conservative Party of Canada's annual convention continues in Calgary, the Prime Minister praises "Heated Rivalry" and does the 'empty nester' still exist? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Gen Z are having a hard time conceptualizing the reality of financial freedom, as Canada grapples with an affordability crisis. That's especially so for residents of two of the country's most expensive cities, Toronto and Vancouver.
And while people in their 20s struggle with affording a place to stay, their parents struggle with watching them struggle, and inevitably end up opening their doors as they finish post-secondary and hunt for a job, a career, a place to stay or even a purpose in life.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Claire Gagné, editor for Macleans and author of 'Why Gen Z Will Never Leave Home'. The two discuss the possibilities of multigenerational living to benefit Canadians struggling with money - and loneliness, and how Canada could improve its lagging productivity issue.
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Plus: a First Nation in Northern Quebec is under lockdown, General Motors is moving forward with job cuts, we're hearing from Donald Trump's border czar, and Pierre Poilievre has a leadership review. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
After an unremarkable blow in last year's federal election - at both the national and riding level - all eyes will be on Conservative Leader, Pierre Poilievre's leadership abilities during the Conservative Party Convention in Calgary.
Beyond the losses, Canadians seem to have questions as to whether or not Poilievre is meeting the moment amid renewed annexation threats from US President Trump.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Jamie Ellerton, political strategist and Principal at Conaptus to discuss what could possibly come of this weekend's leadership review, and the work that lies ahead for the Federal Conservatives who work to bridge the gap between their platform and the man running it.
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Plus: Canada's premiers are meeting in Ottawa, immigration enforcement crackdowns continue in Minneapolis, a woman now officially leads the Church of England, and do we need more inconvenience in our lives again?
Bank of Canada holds key rate steady as CUSMA talks loom over its outlook
Kingsbury, Thompson named Canada’s flag-bearers for 2026 Olympic Games
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What if we told you the key to a more fulfilling life is by making yourself a little....uncomfortable?
We're not just talking about reducing scroll time on your phone or fighting the urge to binge watch a show.
We're talking about doing the grocery shopping for a friend that you're about to pick up from the airport, or actually following through on dinner plans you committed to even though you maybe aren't in the mood anymore. The things that inconvenience us, but help create a sense of community and genuine belonging.
Host Catherine Jette speaks to Israa Nasir, psychotherapist and author of Toxic Productivity. She also authored a Substack called 'A good life is inconvenient. We need to escape the cult of convenience'. The two discuss how to master the art of friction-maxxing, how to draw back on the systems and technologies that replace basic skills, and how to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Find Israa's article here: https://israanasir.substack.com/p/a-good-life-is-inconvenient
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Plus ICE could be accompanying US staff to the Olympics in Italy, the latest from Iran's crackdown on anti-government protests, and will NATO be able to outlast Trump's second term? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
After exclaiming that a reality where Greenland isn't owned by the US wasn't possible, President Trump has seemed to take the gloves off and use an approach he hasn't necessarily been reaching for lately - diplomacy.
Last week, Trump announced a framework to a future deal in respect to Greenland and the Arctic as a whole. Although annexation threats have calmed, the vulnerabilities of Canada's portion of the Arctic have come into clear focus.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Robert Baines, President of the NATO Association of Canada to discuss the ways Canada should diversify and strengthen its defence forces with Trump's eyes still on the Arctic, and how NATO could be at risk amid the US President's nuanced outlook on international partnerships.
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Plus the Bank of Canada could pause any interest changes for the year, the historic snowfall across Canada and the United States, and ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding is behind bars. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on BlueskyHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
It's a story that rivals a Hollywood blockbuster.
A Canadian man who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics as a snowboarder, who then went on to become one of the most notorious drug lords in North America - landing himself on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list - who was on the run for a decade in Mexico, has now been arrested and faces arraignment today.
Investigators say Ryan Wedding turned himself into the US Embassy in Mexico last week. He's facing several charges including drug trafficking and murder.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Calvi Leon, crime reporter for the Toronto Star, to dig into the latest update of the Wedding case, the details of the self-surrender, and how this could all play out for the former Olympian.
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If you're in the market for a new truck or car, you might face sticker shock!
The average price for a new vehicle in the Canadian market is now more than $60,000, and used vehicle prices are on the rise, too. So what options are you left with if you're looking for a new ride but can't afford the inflated price tag? How do tariffs play into the list price? And how will Prime Minister Mark Carney's trade deal with China affect the EV market?
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Barish Arkurek, VP Insights and intelligence for Autotader.ca, to discuss what consumers can expect.
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Catch up on Canada’s top stories, with insight from reporters across the country. From breaking news to politics, sports, climate, and culture, Big Headlines makes staying connected to the pulse of the country easier than ever. Perfect for busy Canadians on the go! Big Headlines premieres Monday January 26th
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They say it's about collaboration and face-to-face interactions - but you're still expected to join your virtual meeting in a private call booth.
So, what's really behind these RTO mandates? If the research shows better work-life balance and productivity when employees have the option to work remotely, what's the big push for the big return? Does work-from-home still exist six years after the pandemic?
Host Catherine Jette speaks to Kathy Chow, a Toronto-based writer who wrote a piece called "Welcome Back to the Office. You Won’t Get Anything Done.". The two discuss corporate culture's inability to prioritize the employee, how women are disproportionately affected by RTO mandates, and how surrounding suburbs of big cities can fall victim to the return to the office.
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As immigration raids continue across the US - specifically in Minnesota where thousands of protesters are taking to the streets denouncing ICE following the shooting death of Renee Good - political polarization couldn't be more rampant.
Earlier this week, the US Department of Justice subpoenaed at least five Minnesota officials for their alleged involvement in obstructing ICE officers from doing their jobs. It falls against the backdrop of US President Trump threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Jeanne Meserve, journalist and international security analyst to discuss the transformation of immigration enforcement under Trump's second term, and how Americans are reacting to this deepening domestic policy crisis within their country.
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It was a standing ovation in Davos.
Prime Minister Mark Carney sparking inspiration while signifying the death of what once was in the world of international relations. Urging countries to form new alliances and leave the way things used to be in the past, as we tread forward in an era with new rules and less boundaries - specifically within US President Trump's moral limits.
Host Richard Southern speaks to John Wright, Canadian pollster and CEO of Canada Pulse Insights to discuss the implications of Carney's bold words at the World Economic Forum, how Trump could use them against Canada in the upcoming trade talks, and how world leaders should take note amid a nuanced, geopolitical era.
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Toronto and Vancouver are set to see one of their busiest summers yet with the arrival of the World Cup. And as hundreds of thousands prepare to make memories and have fun, city and provincial officials can't help but brace for the impact the games will have on their healthcare systems.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Catherine Varner, emergency physician and Deputy Editor of the Canadian Medical Association Journal to discuss what lies ahead for two of Canada's biggest cities as they brace for the World Cup influx, and how much more all provinces need to invest in order to move away from surge capacity being the norm.
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Canada has been lockstep with the U-S when it comes to trade policy with China for years.
Last week, that changed. PM Mark Carney’s new tariff deal with China will allow 49,000 Chinese EVs into the country every year for three years at a dramatically-slashed tariff of only 6.1 per cent—in exchange for a reduced tariff on canola seeds, lobster, crab and other agricultural products exported to China.
It’s a deal that’s earning praise from the prairies but disdain in Ontario.
Host Cristina Howorun sits down with Flavio Volpe, President of the Automotive Parts Manufacturing Association and one of the architects of CUSMA, to discuss the implications this deal could have on the EV market, the 90,000 jobs in the auto sector and tariff and trade negotiations with the States.
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The third Monday of January has often been called "Blue Monday" - but the winter blues aren't just limited to one day of the year.
Canadians like to pride ourselves on how we brave the cold months, but we may have a lot to learn from how Scandinavian countries approach things.
Host Kaitlin Lee speaks to Kari Leibowitz, psychologist and author of How to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, Or Difficult Days about how to embrace the season, instead of just staying in survival mode.
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The headlines just two weeks into 2026 haven't fallen short of anything abysmal, especially centered around the happenings of US President Donald Trump. And although geopolitical uncertainty usually doesn't help the markets, Canadian stocks have continued to see record highs.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Andrew Pyle, senior investment advisor and senior portfolio manager at CIBC Wood Gundy to discuss the dos and don'ts of investing during volatile times.
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More than 12,000 people have reportedly been killed over the past several weeks of anti-government protests across Iran - including one Canadian, according to Foreign Affairs.
Meantime, US President trump has vowed to take action against the Iranian regimes if the death and corruption continues amid the protests.
Host Mark Day speaks to Maral Karimi, professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and author of The Iranian Green Movement of 2009: Reverberating Echoes of Resistance. The two discuss Iran's complex socio-political history, the power of women-led protest, and the potential danger amid US intervention in Iran.
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AI-generated sexualized images of women and children started appearing across X beginning late 2025. These images, created by user prompts on the Grok AI tool, showed women and children in various stages of undress and sexualized poses. Some reports claiming minors appeared in transparent bathing suits.
Governments in Europe and South America promised full investigations. Malaysia and Indonesia banned the use of Grok. Meanwhile, the Canadian government has made it clear it won’t ban X, while pointing towards proposed amendments to Bill C-16 in hopes of safeguarding Canadians - but critics say, its not enough.
Host Cristina Howorun speaks to technology author and self-described Muskologist Paris Marx to discuss Elon Musk's apparent tolerance of cyber sexual harassment in the name of profit, and what steps the Canadian government should take to better protect Canadians.
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In 2016, the Canadian federal government recognized the opioid crisis as a public health emergency, yet 10 years later, thousands of Canadians die from opioid toxicity every year.
Health Canada committed $17 million to research projects and harm reduction initiatives aimed at substance use prevention in late 2025, but one problem that's hard to put a dollar figure on to fix is stigmatization and stereotypes surrounding safe consumption sites - which Ontario closed nine of last year.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dimitra Panagiotoglou, the Canada Research Chair in the Economics of Harm Reduction and associate professor at McGill, to discuss her recent study on the relationship between crime associated with supervised consumption sites, and how Canadians can approach nuanced conversations surrounding substance use.
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The Alberta separatism movement isn’t new, but this most recent resurgence seems a little more potent. That's in part because of the passage of Alberta’s Bill 14, which has made it arguably easier for citizen-led initiatives to end up on referendum ballots.
And the question of Alberta sovereignty is likely to end up on a ballot by the end of the year. The Alberta Prosperity Project got the green light from Elections Alberta for its question,' Do you agree that Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?' in December 2025. The group now about four months to gather about 177,000 signatures to its petition.
Host Cristina Howorun speaks with Dr. Barry Cooper, a political scientist with the University of Calgary and a long-time proponent of Alberta independence about why some Albertans want to secede from Canada, what happens next and how Ottawa can put some of those concerns to rest.
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What were once mildly-concerning threats against the sovereignty of Greenland, have now come into clear focus in the aftermath of Nicolas Maduro's arrest.
US President Donald Trump openly admitted he's governed by his own morality rather than international law, sending shockwaves around the world in fear of the future of NATO.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Stephen Maher, author and journalist, to discuss the uphill battle the world stands against Trump's geopolitical ambitions, and what position Canada should be taking amid renewed annexation threats.
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2025 was no walk in the park for investors, homeowners, or the ordinary Canadian alike on the economic front, and a little over a week into 2026, and it seems like this year isn't looking any better.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to James McCann, Senior Economist at Edward Jones to discuss what Canadians can expect from ongoing trade talks between Canada and the US, how the arrest of Venezuela's President, Nicolas Maduro, will affect Canada's oil sector, and potential interest decisions from the Bank of Canada.
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It's been quite the start to 2026, from the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, to further peacekeeping efforts for Ukraine in France.
And although Prime Minister Mark Carney has been trying to keep up with the chaos, Canadians can't help but feel anxious about the future of our sovereignty, safety, and international relations.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks to Glen McGregor, political correspondent for CityNews, to discuss Carney's handling of US President Trump's aggressive pursuit of Greenland, the potential ramifications to Canada's oil sector in the aftermath of the events in Venezuela, and the significance of Carney's upcoming trip to China.
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A traumatizing, air travel experience is no stranger to the everyday Canadian. But it seems the TikToks and online posts of complaints seem to do little in terms of garnering real and sustainable change from our aviation sector.
The federal government recently granted more access to Middle Eastern airlines to fly into Canadian airports in hopes of creating competition. It comes in response to a 2025 Competition Bureau report that called for less restrictions on foreign investment.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to John Gradek, aviation expert and professor at McGill University to discuss what changes Canada's aviation industry should implement to restore consumer trust in air travel, and what progress has been made since the 2023 federal commitment of improving the air passenger protection regulations.
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Flooding is becoming a not-so-rare occurrence in British Columbia, but is climate change the only reason for it?
Host Nima Rajan speaks with Dr. Younes Alila, professor of forest hydrology and watershed management at the University of British Columbia to discuss what’s really behind the major flooding events in BC, and what needs to be done about it.
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Today marks 5 years since insurrectionists took to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, to riot at the word of out-going President Donald Trump. The attack claimed the lives of five people, including a sixth who was shot by police. More than 100 officers were injured. On the first day of his second presidential term, Trump pardoned more than 1500 people in connection to the attack.
Five years later, the Trump Administration carries on as it grapples with internal conflict, Epstein revelations, and a newly-sparked takeover of Venezuela.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Aaron Ettinger, political science professor at Carleton University to discuss how January 6th 2021 has shaped the identity of American politics, and how cracks within the MAGA movement continue to develop.
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It comes every year - but what's to blame for this year's influenza season severity?
Several strains are circulating across Canada, with healthcare professionals scrambling to treat one of the leading causes of death in this country. And with the U.S.'s upcoming withdrawal from the World Health Organization later this month, virus and vaccine-related research will soon become scarce for the countries who depend on the data - including Canada.
Host Nima Rajan speaks to Dr. Joss Reimer, former President of the Canadian Medical Association and former Chief Medical Officer for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. The two discuss how Canada's healthcare system needs to diversify its science research partners, and what Canadians can do in the short-term to help protect themselves and others.
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Happy Holidays from Frequency Podcast Network! This week we'll be joined by the Friends of Frequency (FOF).
In this special feed drop on The Big Story, Host Alex Seixeiro speaks to Abbey Sharp, registered dietician and host of the Bite Back podcast, to discuss all the diet trends of 2025. They dig into the dos and don'ts of diet culture, and which habits we you should leave behind heading into 2026.
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Happy Holidays from Frequency Podcast Network! This week we'll be joined by the Friends of Frequency (FOF).
In this special feed drop on The Big Story, 680 NewsRadio City Hall reporter, Momin Qureshi sits down with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow to look back on 2025, and what she hopes for heading into 2026. The two discuss Chow's potential second term, her relationship with Premier Doug Ford, and when exactly Torontonians can expect the Eglinton Crosstown LRT to open.
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Happy Holidays from Frequency Podcast Network! This week we'll be joined by the Friends of Frequency (FOF).
This week, we are doing a retrospective on the year's best and wildest pop culture stories, dissecting the celebrity stories that continue to live rent-free in our minds (Diddy's trial and Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau's love story), dish on the music we couldn't get enough of (Lily Allen's West End Girl, obviously), the movies that moved us, and the TV series we adored (Yes, Sadaf opines beautifully about The Pitt). Lean in, grab your glass of wine, and let our hot takes keep you warm over your winter break!
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Happy Holidays from Frequency Podcast Network! This week we'll be joined by the Friends of Frequency (FOF).
This week we dig into snow. When did snow first fall on earth? The ghost of Smugglers Notch, avalanches, record snow falls, Jamie throws snowballs at children and more. Chris, Jason, Jamie and Lew talk all things snow on this week's Hogwash.
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Happy Holidays from Frequency Podcast Network! This week we'll be joined by the Friends of Frequency (FOF).
In part two of this special feed drop on The Big Story, Parliament Hill Bureau Chief for CityNews Cormac MacSweeney and political correspondent Glen McGregor discuss the biggest political headlines of 2025. They recap Mark Carney's first few months as Prime Minister, the future of the NDP, and what lies ahead for Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
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Happy Holidays from Frequency Podcast Network! Over the next couple weeks, we'll be joined by the Friends of Frequency (FOF).
In this special feed drop on The Big Story, Host Kris McCusker speaks to Kelley Keehn, CEO of the Money Wise Institute to discuss the dos and don'ts of Buy Now Pay Later payment options. The two break down how to spend wisely this holiday season and how to not fall into dangerous spending habits you can't ultimately keep up with.
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Here’s a run down of what we discussed in today’s episode:
Introduction
- Why Willpower Isn’t the Key to Behavior Change
- Willpower as a Muscle (or Phone Battery)
- How the Holidays Drain Our Willpower Faster
- What the Parole Judge Study Teaches Us About Decision Fatigue
- Why Willpower Works Better Before Temptation Hits
- Using Upstream Willpower: What It Actually Means
- Holiday Tactics That Don’t Depend on Willpower
- Building Systems Now to Avoid December Burnout
- Setting Up Habits That Make January Easier
- Ending the Annual “Start Strong, Fall Off” Cycle
- A Kinder Approach to Holiday Eating
Check in with today’s amazing guest: Jenn Trepeck
Website: asaladwithasideoffries.com
Podcast: A Salad With a Side of Fries
Instagram: @jenntrepeck
Book: Uncomplicating Wellness
Disclaimer: The content in this episode is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is never a substitute for medical advice. If you’re struggling with with your mental or physical health, please work one on one with a health care provider.
If you have heard yourself in our discussion today, and are looking for support, contact the free NEDIC helpline at 1-866-NEDIC-20 or go to eatingdisorderhope.com.
Reach Your Weight & Health Goals - Without Dieting! Pre-Order The Hunger Crushing Combo Method, Abbey’s revolutionary additive approach to eating well to boost satiety, stabilize blood sugars, reduce the risk of disease, improve your relationship with food by providing the best nutrient bang for your caloric buck. With over 400 research citations, cheat sheets, evidence based actionable tips, meal plans and adaptable recipes, the Hunger Crushing Combo Method is the only nutrition bible you’ll ever need.
Pre-Order today and submit your proof of purchase to get a FREE HCC Holiday Survival Guide here.
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Happy Holidays from Frequency Podcast Network! Over the next couple weeks, we'll be joined by the Friends of Frequency (FOF).
In this special holiday edition of What Would Emily Do, I’m answering your real career questions. We’re talking about what to do when your boss doesn’t care about your health, how to know when it’s actually time to quit your job, and how to think about taking a pay cut without blowing up your future.
If you’ve been rethinking your job going into the new year, this episode will help you get clear on your next move. Send me your questions: https://forms.gle/ktToU5GFXnsFkveA6
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Happy Holidays from Frequency Podcast Network! Over the next couple weeks, we'll be joined by the Friends of Frequency (FOF).
In this special feed drop on The Big Story, Host Mike Eppel speaks to Eric Kam, professor at Toronto Metropolitan University to reflect back on some of the biggest business headlines of 2025. They discuss the dramatic end of Hudson's Bay Company, Canada's potential in the oil industry, and how AI may brace for consumer downfall in 2026.
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Happy Holidays from Frequency Podcast Network! Over the next couple weeks, we'll be joined by the Friends of Frequency (FOF).
In this special feed drop on The Big Story, Parliament Hill Bureau Chief for CityNews Cormac MacSweeney and political correspondent Glen McGregor discuss the biggest political headlines of 2025. They recap Justin Trudeau's resignation, the 2025 Federal Election, the future of the NDP and what lies ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney's uphill battle with US President Donald Trump.
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It's been a tumultuous year for the economy to say the least, especially in the interest of real estate and housing.
The Bank of Canada cut interest rates nine times, yet buyers are still erring on the side of caution, waiting for some sort of stability before diving head-first into the market.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Shawn Zigelstein, broker and team leader for Royal Lepage to see what Canadians could expect heading into 2026.
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Starting in 2029, the Oscars will be making its way to the big screen - YouTube. The change will come after more than 50 years of Disney's ABC having exclusive rights to the live broadcast.
It's not the first shift Hollywood has seen from traditional broadcast spaces onto streaming media platforms, as the industry is looking to adapt to younger, online consumers.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Paolo Granata, associate professor at the University of Toronto to discuss the opportunities the Academy Awards has as it prepares to enter a new broadcast space, and how the media ecosystem is more intertwined than we think.
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Last week, Ottawa announced a year for shovels to hit the ground for its long-awaited high-speed rail line connecting Toronto to Quebec City. Beginning in 2029, construction will be starting for the line's first rail segment, connecting Montreal to Ottawa via 200km worth of tracks.
But both the government and the Crown corporation overseeing the project, Alto, have admitted they haven't quite nailed down an exact (or rough estimate) of a dollar figure attached to helping the rail line come to fruition.
Host Alan Carter speaks to Ryan-Katz Rosene, associate professor at the University of Ottawa who studies sustainable transportation, to discuss if this announcement will actually make waves in this high-speed rail coming to life, or if Canadians will be stuck in limbo for more decades to come.
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Hollywood is reeling from the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner after they were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday night. The Los Angeles District Attorney has filed murder chargers against one of their sons, Nick Reimer, for the deaths - punishable by either life in prison or the death penalty.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Sadaf Ahsan, culture writer and co-host of The Reheat to discuss what we should be watching for as the investigation unfolds, and the legacy Rob left on Hollywood and society at large.
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1 in 5 Canadians are 65 or older, meaning some difficult conversations may be held around the dinner table this holiday season.
Memory loss, mood swings, mixing up names and birthdays - where does it cross the line from natural age-related decline and into decrease of cognitive ability? And how do we tackle these tough conversations, especially for the 'sandwich generation'?
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Howard Chertkow, Leading Canadian Research Scientist at Baycrest Health Science to discuss how to spot the difference between organic, age-related habits versus symptoms of cognitive decline, and how Canada should get ahead of the struggles facing its aging population.
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Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is floating the idea of an increase in the land transfer tax, an amount that's owed when a house is purchased. Its total is based on the value of the house at the time of purchase, meaning the higher the price, the higher the tax.
The tax generates income for the city, which in turn could fund social programs for those in need. But some fiscal think tanks warn the increase in tax on high ticket items could drive out the rich from the city.
Host Alan Carter speaks to Mike Moffatt founding director of the University of Ottawa's Missing Middle Initiative to discuss how governments can strike a balance.
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They're already the unofficial mascot of one of Canada's largest cities, with tons of Toronto merchandise donning adorable images of so-called "trash pandas" - but a new study out of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock theorizes they aren't just getting smarter - they may be getting cuter.
Host Kaitlin Lee speaks to Evolutionary Ecologist Albrecht Schulte-Hostedde from Laurentian University possible signs of "domestication" among urban raccoons, if that means they could one day be pets, and what the critters have to say about us.
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In a battle for the rights to Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix and Paramount Skydance are offering tens of billions of dollars to become the next media powerhouse.
Either acquisition pose as problematic for critics who raise concerns of a monopoly over the market, sizeable job losses, and the death of the movie theatre.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Paul Moore, sociology professor at Toronto Metropolitan University to discuss the bids and how the changes could materialize for the film industry at large.
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Starting today, Australian youth under the age of 16 will no longer be able to log onto Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and other social media sites due to a new law passed through their parliament.
The government has banned a number of popular online sites from allowing accounts be made for those under 16 years old, with a fine of up to $33 million CAD if the platforms defy the order.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Jay Olson, post doctorate fellow at the University of Toronto to discuss whether the ban will actually make waves in protecting Australian youth, and how Canada could take note.
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Stories of extremely strong earthquakes continue to dominate headlines around the world. The latest one striking off Japan's northern coast late Monday night local time, at a magnitude of 7.6.
Is this a more seismically active year?
Host Richard Southern speaks to Katsu Goda, associate professor at the University of Western Ontario to find out.
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After a long, cringe-laden ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., we finally had confirmation of the 12 groups that will comprise the 23rd FIFA World Cup.
And get this, Canada could potentially host Italy to open their 2026 campaign in Toronto. How did Canada get here? How will they fare against the world’s best? And will this World Cup, shared by three countries navigating fractured relationships, “work” when things get started next Summer?
Host Devang Desai speaks with David Gass, founder of Kickback Soccer Media, about Canada’s World Cup hopes, FIFA’s relationship with Donald Trump, and weather concerns for next Summer.
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Enjoy this special feed drop from our sister show 'In This Economy?!'
It's the kind of relief Canadians have been waiting to see for a while, but year after year, the idea of grocery prices lowering seems to be farther and farther away.
Dalhousie University's annual publication, 'Canada's Food Price Report', found that families will be spending an extra 4% on groceries next year, coming out at more than $17,000.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to the lead author of the report, Sylvain Charlebois, to discuss the latest in Canada's food market, and whether or not Canadians should hold their breath for lower prices.
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Canadian consumers are a lot more aware of where their money goes these days – for a few reasons. There’s a lot of economic uncertainty but many of us are also more cognizant of buying Canadian where possible as the trade war with the US rages on.
The problem is – labels can be misleading, and the idea of something being ethical or sustainable might be different depending on your perspective.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Jing Wan, a professor at the university of Guelph who studies ethical and sustainable consumption. They discuss ways to shop “smarter”, and why the easiest solution might be easier said than done.
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Both the climate and tolerance of gender-based violence has changed since the 1989 femicide at Polytechnique Montreal. What was once strides forward in protecting women from violence, now seems like it's gone a few steps back considering GBV's more popular habitat: the internet.
Incel culture and the 'manosphere' have dominated online spaces for young men, most who initially search for a sense of community, but find themselves engaging in disturbing, highly violent behaviour towards women.
The Carney government has pledged more money in AI investments than in tackling GBV, but some experts believe a cut of the AI money could go towards protecting online spaces and combatting deepfake pornography.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Cecile Rousseau, Canada Research Chair in Preventing Violent Radicalization and a psychiatry professor at McGill University to discuss how the fight against Canada's incel crisis requires comprehensive, multi-level cooperation between all levels of government, parents and teachers.
If you or someone you know is in an unsafe situation, please call 911.
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Imagine a wine tour experience, but for cannabis.
Canada has strict consumption regulations for cannabis products, although government-owned weed shops decorate plazas across the country. That gap between retail shops versus consumption spaces has hospitality and business experts alike urging Ottawa to take advantage of a tourism goldmine.
Host Richard Southern speaks to Susan Dupej, a post-doctorate fellow at the University of Guelph to discuss Canada's current tolerance for tourists looking for a cannabis-friendly experience, and what steps our government should take to reach our potential.
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She’s tied for the most decorated Canadian Olympian, but she won’t be anywhere near a podium for at least two years.
Toronto’s Penny Oleksiak has been banned from competing until 2027 after allegedly violating anti-doping whereabouts regulations, something she says has nothing to do with banned substances.
The World Anti-Doping Agency is the international regulatory body that oversees drug testing for competitive athletes. Testing happens both after a competition, as well as in the form of pre-competitive check-ins, such as whereabout disclosures.
Host Alex Seixeiro speaks to Bruce Arthur, columnist for the Toronto Star, to discuss what lies ahead for Magic Penny, and whether or not anti-doping regulation is too rigorous.
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It's not the most commonly sought-after item on Facebook, but it's certainly not the least advertised on the platform's feeds either.
Advertisements for highly addictive and illegal drugs like cocaine and oxycodone continue to appear on Meta's social platforms, amid their no-tolerance policy for such content and for what they call 'robust' measures to keep them off.
The RCMP says it works extensively to intercept online purchases of illegal drugs, but Meta's reliance on AI to regulate advertisement sales and distribution doesn't allow for much policing.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Ben Musset, digital editor for the Toronto Star, and Omar Mosleh, reporter for the Toronto Star to discuss their investigation into Meta's advertising loopholes, and how Canada's most vulnerable could fall victim to the multibillion dollar self-regulating business platform.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith put pen to paper this past week, signing an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in hopes of strengthening Canada's economy and lessen our dependence on the U.S.
Plans for an independently-funded pipeline through British Colombia are in the works, depending on approval from the Major Projects Office and hinged on Indigenous co-ownership.
However, not everyone is on board with the terms of the MOU, especially Premier David Eby, as well as Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault who has resigned from the cabinet on Thursday.
Host Mark Day speaks to Cormac Mac Sweeney, CityNews Parliament Hill reporter to break down what's needed for this pipeline to materialize in the years to come, and how this MOU could play out for Carney's Liberals.
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It's not completely odd for a former Olympian to return to the limelight years after competing...but rarely is it for allegedly piloting a drug ring comparable to that of El Chapo's.
Ryan James Wedding now sits alongside some of America's most dangerous criminals on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for several offences related to drug trafficking and murder.
A number of Canadians have been arrested earlier this month in connection to the case, including Wedding's defence lawyer from Brampton, Deepak Paradkar. And the FBI has hiked up the reward for his arrest to $15 million USD.
Host Richard Southern speaks to Calvi Leon, a crime reporter for the Toronto Star to break down how a Canadian born in Thunder Bay made his way to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for allegedly leading one of the most prolific drug trafficking organizations in the world.
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A recent Leger poll commissioned by OMNI News found that 67% of newcomers believe Canada should admit fewer than 300,000 new immigrants per year, and 4 in 10 say that number should be less than 100,000.
The survey was conducted ahead of this month's federal budget announcement when Ottawa announced its plans to reduce new permanent resident visas to 380,000 per year from 2026 to 2028. However, respondents believe granting visas should go hand in hand with ensuring there's enough housing and social supports for people who are already in Canada before more people come in.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Teresa Romano, OMNI News reporter for their Italian Bureau to dig into the findings of this year's poll, and discuss whether or not newcomers and immigrants to Canada believe that our immigration system is serving those who need it most.
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The passing of omnibus Bill 60, also known as the 'Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act' has caused a fury of backlash across the province of Ontario, including tenant and housing advocacy groups.
The new bill, which was fast-tracked through the legislature, removes barriers to allow landlords to evict tenants if they're late on rent or if they're not paying their total. Many critics say this will worsen the homelessness crisis, especially during the upcoming winter months.
However, Housing Minister Rob Flack says it's about restoring balance within the housing system, rejecting claims that this will put people out of housing. Instead, he says the bill will help expedite bills.
Host Richard Southern speaks to Marc Davignon, Ontario ACORN Tenant Leader to talk about his experience getting kicked out of the Ontario legislature on Monday, and how he believes the new bill will affect the most vulnerable across the province.
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Questions continue to be raised about what an interstellar visitor to our solar system actually is. NASA says although its eyes are peeled for signs of life, this isn't the case.
3I/ATLAS was discovered in July by the NASA-funded ATLAS survey telescope. The space organization says it's only the third object ever seen to be passing through the solar system from elsewhere in the galaxy.
However, some critics claim the comet's several anomalies pose as reasons as to why it should be considered an extraterrestrial being instead.
Host Richard Southern speaks to Avi Loeb, theoretical physicist and professor at Harvard University to break down what we need to know about 3I/ATLAS and the potential for alien activity.
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Enjoy this special feed drop of In This Economy?!
A recent report by Indeed Canada found that seasonal job postings are up 12% this year compared to 2024, which could offer some respite for those looking for work. Statistics Canada says the unemployment rate remains elevated for the month of October, sitting at 6.9%, while youth unemployment is basically double that at 14.1%.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Brendon Bernard, senior economist at Indeed Canada to break down the report and discuss how the interest in holiday jobs says more about the bigger picture of the state of the economy. The also discuss how the current geopolitical climate plays into the unemployment market.
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There's always a big push to donate blood, but what about plasma?
It's the not-so-secret ingredient within whole blood that's packed with nutrients and proteins that helps boost the body's immunity. It also holds the power to act as a healing agent for other bodies that need its immunoglobulins.
However, Canada is facing a massive shortage of plasma, and if it doesn't keep up with demand, our healthcare system won't have the bandwidth to treat those in need.
Host Gurdeep Ahluwalia speaks to Jessica Carswell, Director, Strategic Engagement at Canadian Blood Services to discuss the need for plasma to help keep Canada's healthcare system running, and how to determine if donating is right for you.
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As Prime Minister Mark Carney heads for the G20 Summit in South Africa, his trip to the United Arab Emirates proved to be one focused on strengthening diplomatic ties and potential foreign investment relations.
However, mention of the UAE's alleged involvement in the war in Sudan was something many Canadians and human rights activists felt was missing from the trip's itinerary.
Amnesty International claims credible sources have found the UAE to be in violation of the United Nations' arms embargo to Sudan's Darfur region, something the UAE repeatedly denies. The Sudanese war broke out in 2023, as its army battles for power against a paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces. More than 150,000 lives have been claimed.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Glen McGregor, political correspondent for CityNews to break down the implications of Carney's trip to the Middle East, and how the omission for holding the UAE accountable could have consequences for Canada's humanitarian image.
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November is financial literacy month, and when it comes to finances, ignorance is certainly not bliss.
With all the resources online, whether that be from TikToks or business blogs or even ChatGPT, it may seem intimidating to cut through all the noise to find out what works for you. But the reality is, educating yourself is easier than you think.
All it takes is one conversation.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Gary Teelucksingh, co-founder of the Money Wise Institute and partner at Electric Mind. He’s also the author of Roots of Prosperity: Building Legacies Beyond Wealth. The two discuss how to build financial habits that work for your personal lifestyle, and how the worst thing you could do for your money is NOT talk about it, regardless of how old you are.
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A recent report by the Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee found that after more than three decades of steady decline, cases of cervical cancer have plateaued in the past 20 years.
In an effort to make screening less daunting, the Canadian Cancer Society is pushing for all provinces and territories to replace the traditional pap smear examination with the human papillomavirus (HPV) test. So far, only four provinces have made the switch.
But the switch is just a piece of the puzzle. Access to screening, education on reproductive health, and destigmatizing testing all play a role in bringing down cases of cervical cancer - which Canada committed to eliminate by 2040.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Lucy Gilbert, director of the McGill University Gynecologic Oncology service, and chair of oncology for McGill University’s Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology to discuss the risks related with lack of access to proper screenings, and how Health Canada needs to keep health education top of mind if they want to meet its 2040 goal.
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As the U.S. House aims to vote on a bill this week to force Donald Trump’s Justice Department to make the Jeffrey Epstein files public, the president is now calling for Republicans to vote in favor of the files’ release.
It’s a noticeable change of heart that comes after Trump was named in newly released emails obtained by Congress that are reignited scrutiny of what he knew about Epstein’s conduct.
The dilemma continues to divide both his strongest supporters and his Republican party, and has even led to a falling-out with one of his longtime MAGA allies, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
Host Caryn Ceolin is joined by Andra Gillespie, a political scientist at Emory University to discuss why the president’s reversal, in the face of all-but-certain defeat on Capitol Hill, is still unlikely to lead to the release of the Epstein files.
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Canada has seen four incidents in just two months of Canadian Border Service Agency primary inspection kiosks going down at some of the country's busiest airports.
CBSA's President Erin O'Gorman admitted they use what it calls 'legacy systems', but besides the security delays at air and land-crossings, these outages highlight the real neglect Ottawa has done to its agencies' technologies.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to David Shipley, CEO and co-founder of Beauceron Security to discuss the reality of Canada's ability to defend itself against National security threats, and whether or not these outages are as bad as they seem.
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Ontario signed a 1-year renewal contract with Ottawa earlier this week, keeping childcare between $19-$22/day.
Instead of a 5-year renewal, Provincial Education Minister Paul Calandra wants the federal government to address Ontario's $2 billion shortfall, or else daily fees for families will increase.
Meantime, Ontario's Auditor General said Ontario wasn't meeting it's ECE staffing targets, nor was it building enough spaces to satisfy the 5.9 : 10 ratio requirement set out by Ottawa.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to David Macdonald, Senior Economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives to discuss their recent report on childcare deserts across the country, and how close Ontario is to lowering the average childcare price to $10/day.
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Would you want to know if the food you were eating came from a cloned animal?
New Health Canada regulations set to kick in next year don't require beef and pork manufacturers to label whether or not their products were from cloned animals. After consultations with the general public and stakeholders, Health Canada decided to remove cloned meat from their 'novel foods' category.
Cloned animals are made through assisted reproductive processes such as artificial insemination. Sometimes, the cloned animals' offspring is what makes it to the meat counter.
However, questions have been raised regarding the lack of transparency around the regulation change, and whether or not consumers deserve to know where and how the meat they buy is made.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agr-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University to discuss how important accurate food labels are to Canadian consumers, and whether or not cloned meat is safe for you.
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Quebec doctors and healthcare providers are weighing their options when it comes to the future of their practice.
The province adopted Bill 2 last month, legislation that sets performance targets for healthcare providers with a financial penalty if not met.
The bill is in effort to address long wait times for surgery, emergency rooms, specialist consultations, and for the system overall to provide better care to all residents.
However, the bill's slash to salaries while simultaneously omitting failures from the Province's responsibility, has doctors and healthcare professionals rethinking their future in medicine in the province. Dozens have already resigned, with several applying to Ontario hospitals instead.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Trevor Hennessey, Chief of the department of anesthesiology for the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l’Outaouais to break down what Bill 2 really means for the future of healthcare in Quebec, and how it's more about an infringement on Charter rights than a new payment model for doctors.
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It’s not a surprise but it is a disappointment.
Canada has lost its measles elimination status after almost 30 years. It comes as the country grapples with what it calls a 'mulit-jurisdictional' outbreak that began in October 2024, resulting in more than 5,100 cases and two infant deaths.
We are not the first country to lose the title - and we probably won’t be the last – but getting back in the 'elimination zone' will not be an easy one, and will be timely.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Dr. Barry Pakes, Program Director of the Public Health and Preventative Medicine Residency Program at the University of Toronto about what the status change really means, how it happened and what it says about vaccination accessibility across the country.
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After a crumbling loss in the federal election, coupled with Prime Minister Carney's Liberal shift towards the centre, the NDP is grappling with a political identity crisis. What does it stand for? Who do they represent? And does Canada's population in 2025 even resemble what it's fighting for?
Meanwhile to the south, New York City Mayoral-elect Zohran Mamdani is entering his first full week on the job following his bold win over Cuomo and Sliwa. Although there's parallels between his campaign and the Canadian NDP, execution styles couldn't be farther apart.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Saman Tabasinejad to break down the future of Canada's appetite for a political Left, and whether or not the NDP is taking notes from Mamdani's sweeping victory.
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It's a life-or-death situation for 30 beluga whales currently being held at Marineland, an amusement park located in Niagara Falls, Ont., who's doors shuttered more than a year ago following claims of animal mistreatment.
The park has requested the mammals be moved to an aquarium in China, or for the federal government to provide emergency funding to keep them alive - or else they risk being euthanized. While these whales' lives remain in limo, these last weeks have been a finger-pointing battle between the park, the provincial government and federal government, all claiming onus doesn't fall on their shoulders to care for the whales.
Host Richard Southern speaks to Liam Casey, a journalist for the Canadian Press, to discuss the park's claims of insufficient funds, and where exactly these whales belong if Marineland can't take care of them.
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From Conversative to Liberal, Nova Scotia MP Chris d'Entremont did more than just cross the floor after the budget was tabled.
It begged the question of whether or not Conservatives still believe Poilievre is doing the right thing at the top. After the fallout of the leader's comments on the RCMP, thorough conversations will be held ahead of January's Conservative Convention, where Poilievre's leadership will be brought into question for his party to decide on his fate.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Glen McGregor, political correspondent for CityNews to dig into what d'Entremont's move implies for the broader picture of the future of Poilievre's Conservatives, and just how likely other Tories could fall for Carney's right-of-centre playbook.
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In his first federal budget as Prime Minister, Mark Carney has his eyes on changing the country for generations to come, rather than making moves to satisfy the here and now.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne tabled the 2025 budget on Tuesday, which included a $78.3B deficit, among cuts and investments to strengthen an independent economy with a focus on businesses and capital investments., rather than slashing the deficit.
Time will tell, though, if Carney's 406-page plan will get the support of the opposition parties, or fall short of approval resulting in a federal election.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Ian Lee, associate professor at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, to break down the 2025 federal budget: what it means for everyday Canadians, what it means for our relationship with the U.S., and what it means for the future of Canada.
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This week last year, Americans made the choice of bringing Donald Trump back into the White House, electing him as the 47th President of the United States. While Trump knew what he had his eyes on, it's hard to say the rest of world adequately braced for impact.
Under the guise of prioritizing the American economy, Trump came out swinging at several targets, including Democrats, Canada, undocumented migrants, and anyone who spoke against him - just to name a few.
His $250M White House renovation project is just the latest agenda item for the administration, as architectural renders of a gold-filled ballroom capture the attention of the world, while the government he runs heads into its second month of lights out and unsigned pay cheques. Not to mention the tens of millions of SNAP recipients who must now look elsewhere to find their next meal.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Rob Goodman, associate professor in the department of political and public administration at Toronto Metropolitan University to reflect on the year it's been with Trump, and what the last 364 days could mean for the next 1096 to come.
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The annual Hunger Count report has been released, and the startling numbers have set yet another record.
In fact, the number of people using food banks to fill the fridge has doubled since 2019. The struggles of many Canadians to handle the cost of living crisis has led to calls for the federal government to take action.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Kirstin Beardsley, CEO of Food Banks Canada about the report, the troubling trends, and what she wants to see from the Carney government.
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Nothing beats a good cup of coffee, but nothing also beats a good night's sleep.
With the switch back to standard time right around the corner, our bodies will once again feel the disorientation of the 1 hour shift. The sun will rise and set earlier, and maybe it's time we move with the light instead of trying to ignore nature's clock.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Elizabeth Klerman, a professor of neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. They break down the dos and don'ts of sleep, how to take advantage of the time change to catch some extra zzz's, and how it's important to actually listen to your body when it's telling you something.
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The Governor of the Bank of Canada, Tiff Macklem, announced the fourth policy interest rate cut this year, down by a quarter of a percentage point to 2.25%, signaling a steadiness in inflation, while simultaneously warning of a weakening economy.
It comes in the midst of a volatile U.S.-Canada trade war, and ahead of a later-than-usual federal budget, with a projected deficit of close to $70 billion.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Barry Schwartz, President and Chief Investment Officer at Baskin Wealth to get a pulse check of the Canadian economy ahead of the upcoming November 4th federal budget.
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It was a quick post-and-delete from the Ontario government, after Premier Ford's $75M anti-tariff commercial broadcasted on American televisions, pissed off President Trump, and received some harsh penalties in return.
Trump said the content in the ad was fake, and went as far as suspending all trade negotiations with Canada as a result. A few days later, it seemed a new fury arose from the White House, with Trump slapping an additional 10% tariff on Canadian goods for not taking the commercial down fast enough.
Trade negotiations have been going on for months, but after Prime Minister Carney returned from two U.S. trips with no trade deal, Canadian leaders seem to be having a hard time sitting on their hands in the meantime.
Host Richard Southern speaks to John Wright, CEO of Canada Pulse Insights, to discuss the fallout of the premier's move, and what Carney needs to do to make sure all of Canada remains on the same page on the fight against Trump.
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Alternative medicine is nothing new.
Although it can be risky and sometimes harmful, people with chronic pain or debilitating health complications are usually open to seeing what other treatment options can ease their pain - even if it's illegal and very much inaccessible.
A recent North American study found that one supervised dose of lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD - commonly known as acid - eased anxiety symptoms for several months. But the research on psychedelics being used to treat mental health issues is still very much in its premature phase, with nothing conclusive or substantial enough to enact changes from Health Canada.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Roger McIntyre, professor of psychiatry, and professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Toronto to discuss the potential that psychedelics hold in the future of health and wellness, and whether or not it's suitable for everyone.
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Getaway motorbikes, 7 minutes, and a crane positioned to an open balcony of the Louvre.
The scene of a carefully orchestrated jewellery heist at the world's most famous museum in France, after a group of thieves stole about $143 million Cdn worth of crown jewels and fled the scene.
A pair of suspects have since been arrested, one of them at the Charles de Gaulle Airport as he prepared to allegedly board a flight to Algeria. But millions of dollars worth of France's history, and more suspects remain nowhere to be found, with the country now grappling with an internal blame game.
Host Richard Southern speaks to Anthony Amore, an art theft expert and Director of Security at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston to discuss the Hollywood-like heist, and how museums across the world could use the carefully calculated ransack to improve how they protect their valuables.
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Gold is having a moment - trading above $4,000 just a few months after hitting $3,000.
It's up by more than 50%t this year, on track for its best year since 1979. And volatility seems to be ticking higher too.
Gold has long been viewed as a safe haven in times of uncertainty - and let's face it, there's a lot of that right now. But could that role be changing, and does crypto currency become a factor in it all?
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Luis Seco - a professor in mathematics at the University of Toronto to get his take on what's happening, and whether it’s too late to invest.
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No one likes checking their credit score and seeing a hit to the rating - even the Canadian government.
Credit rating agencies are bracing for the upcoming November 4th federal budget, and with a lack of fiscal updates since the last federal budget under the Trudeau government, economists aren't quite sure what they should expect when it comes to the deficit.
So just how deep could the red ink run? And will the minority federal government receive the backing from any of the opposition parties to get it passed through the House?
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Randall Bartlett, Deputy Chief Economist at Desjardins to discuss what former-banker-turned-Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has up his sleeve for the upcoming budget, and what he plans to do about a potentially ominously large deficit.
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Top Trump administration officials have been in Israel this week to shore up a fragile and uncertain ceasefire in Gaza, after recent flare-ups of violence punctured the brief calm, with each side accusing the other of violations.
The truce faced fresh challenges this week after a bill applying Israeli law to the West Bank passed a symbolic vote in Israel’s parliament, revealing cracks between factions in the country’s right-wing parties, and underscoring the challenges ahead in ensuring both Israel and Hamas hold up their sides of the fragile ceasefire.
Host Caryn Ceolin is joined by Akaash Maharaj, senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, to discuss the obstacles that loom over Middle East peace, and the role Canada can play in delivering it.
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A note to our listeners, this episode discusses sexual assault. Please take care.
Prince Andrew’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein thrust the British royal family into crisis again this week, with the release of a harrowing posthumous memoir by one of Epstein’s main accusers.
For years, Virgina Giuffre has accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault, an allegation he denies. But her book is likely to keep Andrew’s friendship with Epstein in the spotlight, throwing fuel on a cascade of scandal shadowing the King’s brother and a monarchy grappling with diminished public support.
Host Caryn Ceolin is joined by Sarah Sahagian, co-Host for The Reheat and publisher of rabble.ca, to discuss Andrew’s fall from grace, the calls for further action against him, and why he may never lose the title of prince.
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The Toronto Blue Jays have punched their ticket to the World Series, a feeling the team - and Toronto at large - haven't felt for 32 years.
But it isn't just Southern Ontario that's feeling the pride of the Boys of Summer. Fans from all across Canada are beaming for what's now being called 'Canada's Team', as the team gears up to host the Los Angeles Dodgers on home turf in just a few days time.
But the arrival of the Dodgers is a reminder of who the Jays are, and who they aren't, which is a team not easily wavered by big names or even bigger franchise payrolls.
Host Alex Seixeiro speaks to the host of Blue Jays Radio Broadcast on Sportsnet, Shoaib Alli, to break down what it means for the Jays to take baseball's biggest stage, and the impact of a mostly international roster playing for the more than 41 million Canadians counting on them.
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More than 750,000 Alberta students have been spending the better part of October not in a classroom, but rather left to their own devices as a historic province-wide teachers strike heads into a third week.
Although higher wages and increased staffing are among the key sticking points for the Alberta Teachers Association (ATA), the thousands of educational workers currently on the picket lines are looking for a generational change across the province's education sector. However, the Smith government doesn't seem to be budging on how far they want to reach into their pockets, with the Premier even considering ordering a back-to-work if kids aren't back in the classrooms by the time the legislature returns.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Sean Amato, Alberta politics reporter for CityNews to break down what the last few weeks have looked like during the province's first ever teacher strike, and how close the ATA is to getting what they're fighting for.
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It won't be a quiet four-month quest for Bad Bunny to return to the Super Bowl stage, this time as the halftime show headliner.
U.S. President Donald Trump, his affiliates and America's Republican diaspora have gone full-fledge meltdown over the global superstar being tapped to perform on one of the world's biggest stages. They've even gone as far as attempting to create their version of an 'all American' halftime show - organized by Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA.
But the Puerto Rican native seems to be taking the flack in stride, making light of the hate during an SNL opening monologue, warning Americans they only have four months to learn Spanish, which is the only language the performance will be done in.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Julyssa Lopez, Deputy Music Editor at Rolling Stone to discuss why MAGA has its eye on Bad Bunny, and how the messages of government officials and MAGA-adjacent figures play into the 'othering' of Puerto Ricans and Hispanic culture at large.
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Almost a year after an avian flu outbreak was detected on an ostrich farm in rural British Columbia, the fate of the flock remains in the crosshairs of a culture war over public health policy.
Plans to euthanize the remaining birds by Canadian authorities are on pause as the Supreme Court of Canada considers the case. The cull order catalyzed fierce protest by the farm owners and their hundreds of supporters, backed by top White House health officials, decrying what they see as government overreach.
Host Caryn Ceolin is joined by Dr. Angela Rasmussen, virologist at the University of Saskatchewan, to discuss why the case became a flashpoint, and whether the government’s ability to enforce public health policy is at risk.
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Canada's automotive sector continues to trot along the bumpy road, after auto giant Stellantis announced its plans to relocate Jeep production from the Brampton Assembly Plant to a location in Illinois.
The Brampton plant has closed its doors in 2024 in preparation for the production of the new EV model, but that's also been paused after US President Trump's tariff announcement on the automotive sector earlier this year.
The residuals of Trump's push for domestic vehicle production has since threatened the livelihoods of more than 3,000 at the Brampton plant alone, with the rest of the sector biting its nails for whatever else the President has up his sleeves. And Ottawa has since announced it might bring Stellantis before a judge if it actually goes through with their $13B investment moving down South.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Greg Layson, Digital and Mobile Editor at Automotive News Canada to break down the 'why' behind Stellantis' bombshell announcement, and where it leaves Canada's fragile automotive sector.
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It’s been a year of change for the world's largest and most popular coffee house, including the shuttering of hundreds of its North American retail stores. But is that a sign of trouble?
Or is it an attempt by the new CEO, appointed last year, to turn inwards to its existing locations to revamp the stores they have already?
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Mike Halen, the senior restaurant and foodservice analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence, about some of the recent moves by the chain, where it stands among the current trend of choosing independently-owned, neighbourhood cafes and what could be coming next for the coffee giant.
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How much of your moral autonomy are you willing to sacrifice for convenience?
Turning to an AI chatbot for help has become the new 'just search it up on the internet', but the robot's code is far more sophisticated and addicting than the results of a Google search. Answers become detailed, personalized and emotionally impactful, so much so that the load of our own mental rationale becomes lessened once we start the AI conversation.
And once the habit is there, detachment - from a product designed to profit off your use - becomes next to impossible.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Maggie Harrison Dupré, senior author at Futurism, to discuss the ways AI chatbots like ChatGPT weren't made to solve your complex, emotional issues, but also won't stop you from reaching for it when you're in need of help. They talk about the mental guardrails users should self-implement to stay in control when interacting with a robot.
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Hollywood is abuzz over the latest talent to hit the scene: Tilly Norwood. However, the talk isn’t centred around Tilly’s looks or acting skills, but rather who Tilly is and how it could affect the future of television and film.
Tilly Norwood is a fully AI-generated actress, created by Eline Van der Velden, who is a comedian, actor, writer and CEO of AI production company Particle6. Eline says “I see AI not as a replacement for people, but as a new tool – a new paintbrush. Just as animation, puppetry, or CGI opened fresh possibilities without taking away from live acting”.
However, many performers and unions representing them are seeing it differently. “Tilly is not art, as art is human,” ACTRA Toronto. Between fighting against the use of artificial intelligence to replace human artistry and bracing for possible tariffs to hit non-U.S. productions, the industry is facing some major challenges.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with the President of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) Toronto, Kate Ziegler, about how the artists are fighting back.
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As Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and David Ortiz proclaimed “DAAAA YANKEES LOSE!”, Toronto Blue Jays fans celebrated as Canada’s team was crowned American League Division champs, beating out their New York rivals on Wednesday in Game 4.
The massive series win now paves the way for the American League Championship Series, Seattle Mariners, in a best-of-seven series. This episode was recorded on Friday, before the Seattle Mariners vs Detroit Tigers 15-inning game 5 decider. The panel commented on the possible scenarios heading into the ALCS, including any pitching rotation/roster and injury updates.
The organization hasn’t gone this deep into the season since 2016 and fans are hoping some 1992/93 World Series magic is on the horizon.
Host Melanie Ng brings together a powerhouse panel for this conversation, including Jays play-by-play announcer Ben Shulman, Sportsnet Blue Jays analyst Blake Murphy and 680 NewsRadio sports reporter Simon Bennett.
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Enjoy this special feed drop of The Making of Musk: Understood, from our friends at CBC Podcasts.
Where did Elon Musk’s epic ambitions begin? In search of clues we return to his sheltered youth in apartheid South Africa, a world engineered for white supremacy. Along the way, we connect the dots between a bizarre White House ambush of South African president Cyril Ramaphosa to teenage Elon’s ego-powered quests in video games. Finally, was his “draft dodge” from military service a moral act or an opportunist’s exit?
Learn more about The Making of Musk: Understood here: https://link.mgln.ai/TBSxMoM
What explains Elon Musk? Could his most outlandish ambitions and most toxic qualities trace back to his youth in Apartheid South Africa?The Making of Musk: Understood explores his seemingly insatiable drive for dominance, which connects everything from his birthrate obsession (and fourteen children) to his fixation with colonizing Mars.
This four-part series, hosted by Jacob Silverman, reveals a little known side of the polarizing billionaire. Silverman tells the vital beginnings of this story — because the Elon era is far from over.
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Israel and Hamas edged closer this week to ending their devastating two-year war after agreeing on the initial terms of President Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan.
An exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners is expected this weekend, paving the way to an imminent ceasefire.
But the initial agreement leaves crucial sticking points to be resolved in a future phase of negotiations – including whether Hamas will agree to give up its weapons.
Host Caryn Ceolin is joined by Jon Allen, former Canadian ambassador to Israel and Senior Fellow at the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History, to discuss what the deal could entail, and why there’s still uncertainty about whether it’ll translate into a permanent end to the war.
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It was another cheeky Oval Office media exchange between Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Donald Trump, and yet another trip to Washington with no tariff deal in the books.
Although the two world leaders praised the success of their second meeting, skepticism among Carney's voters - and the country at large - grows as months go by with no substantive movement on bi-lateral negotiations.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks to former ambassador to the U.S., Frank McKenna to break down Carney's latest visit and the realistic expectations Canadians should have of the PM and his inner circle during the drawn-out yet delicate trade talks with the U.S.
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It’s been more than four months since Elon Musk stepped back from the Trump White House and his duties helming the Department of Government Efficiency.
But Musk’s chainsaw to federal spending is being acutely felt, amid a U.S. government shutdown that’s giving the Trump administration sway to once again slash critical jobs.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Jacob Silverman, author and host of the CBC podcast ‘The Making of Musk: Understood’ about Musk’s lasting influence post-DOGE, and his greater impact on not just the halls of power in Washington, but around the world.
Learn more about Jacob's new podcast below:
What explains Elon Musk? Could his most outlandish ambitions and most toxic qualities trace back to his youth in Apartheid South Africa The Making of Musk: Understood explores his seemingly insatiable drive for dominance, which connects everything from his birthrate obsession (and fourteen children) to his fixation with colonizing Mars.
This four-part series, hosted by Jacob Silverman, reveals a little known side of the polarizing billionaire. Silverman tells the vital beginnings of this story — because the Elon era is far from over.
Listen now here: https://link.mgln.ai/TBSxMoM
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Instead of walking into their classrooms on Monday, some 51,000 Alberta teachers walked off the job, triggering the province's first teacher's strike in its history.
It comes after more than a year of failed contract talks between the Alberta Teacher's Association (ATA) and the provincial government - including two rejected offers - with higher wages and increased staffing among the main sticking points.
But class (sort of) remains in session for the more than 730,000 students who've been affected by the job action, with the province posting an online learning toolkit of lessons, as well as a stipend of $30 a day to help families who's children are now at home. Teachers, however, will not be monitoring or assessing work during this time, so who's to say what degree of learning will realistically take place.
Host Richard Southern speaks to Sean Amato, Alberta political reporter for CityNews to discuss what a potentially weeks-long education strike could mean for the province's public school system, and the reaction from hundreds of thousands of families who will now have to play the role of 'educator' at home or pay someone else to do it instead.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney, once known as the Governor of the Bank of Canada, is set to table his first federal budget next month.
With a few weeks left until the November 4th reveal, Ottawa is now putting the final touches on who gets what for the upcoming fiscal year.
But with a projected deficit of $68B, Carney and his business-focused background will be looking for ways to spend smart, leaving some sectors inevitably vulnerable to cuts.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Theo Argitis, Senior VP of Policy at the Business Council of Canada, who also co-chaired a consultation proposal that outlines five points towards a prosperous upcoming budget. They discuss what challenges are up ahead for the Carney government, and the ways in which Ottawa could set some firm fiscal guardrails to prioritize economic growth.
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Democrats and Republicans are clashing south of the border, and it’s led to a government shutdown.
The two parties are locked in a dispute over health care funding, but the standoff has also led to federal services being suspended, workers not getting paid, funding for “blue” states being cut, and a flurry of memes and AI videos that have been described as racist.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with NBC News Senior Washington Editor Sarah Mimms about the cause of the shut down, the impact on Americans, how long this may last, and what problems this could cause for Canadian travelers and businesses.
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From balancing busy schedules to shifting interests, managing friendships as an adult can sometimes feel like a task. Throw in the pandemic’s impact on social interactions and managing conversations around divisive politics…and you have a recipe for strained relationships (perhaps even before they start).
Host Melanie Ng speaks with clinical psychologist Dr. Loren Soeiro about how to take inventory of your friendships in order to make more meaningful connections.
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The European Union recently banned the sale and use of Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide - also known as TPO - for its alleged reproductive toxicant qualities. Most gel nail polishes contain TPO, as it's the key ingredient to ensure a shiny finish after hardening following exposure to UV light.
However, Canada has yet to take any similar action, considering its risk-based model for product regulation. But if the writing is on the wall about TPO's dangers, what is stopping Health Canada from taking a proactive stance on reproductive safety?
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Miriam Diamond, a professor in the department of earth sciences & The School of the Environment at the University of Toronto to discuss the different regulatory approaches between the EU and Canada, and how Canadians can make their own informed choices on the treatments they pay for.
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Today, Canadians from coast to coast will confront the dark legacy of residential schools and honour the children who never came home. But on this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, there are demands for more than just reflection.
Indigenous communities are at a critical point in relations with Prime Minister Mark Carney over new legislation that fast-tracks big energy and infrastructure projects, calling into focus Indigenous sovereignty and whether the country is moving backwards on the long road of reconciliation.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Assembly of First Nations Yukon Regional Chief Kluane Adamek about what reconciliation looks like in an era of global uncertainty, and how Canadians can meaningfully carry this work forward well beyond one day.
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It's a feeling you only want to feel once - the panic of suspecting an abrupt light flash as you're driving, only to receive a ticket in the mail a few weeks later with a picture of your car next to an owed-amount for speeding.
Well, it's a feeling Ontarians soon won't be feeling ever again.
Premier Ford plans to put pen to paper on his dislike for speed enforcement cameras, announcing last week his government's incoming legislation to ban them in a fight against what he calls a 'cash-grab', after the fact safety tool. Instead, he's investing to help municipalities implement speed bumps, round abouts and other traffic-calming measures.
But it's a move that's garnered as much support as it has pushback, with groups pleading with Ford to think twice before canning a tool that saves lives and makes drivers think twice before using their heavy foot.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Benjamin Wolfe, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, and Co-Director of the Applied Perception and Psychophysics Laboratory to discuss what the changes in road safety measures could look like, and how driver behaviour is influenced way before someone gets in their car and turns the key.
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A recent report from the University of Ottawa shows 22 out of the 34 municipalities in Ontario were given failing grades in regards to taxes and red tape restrictions surrounding development acceleration.
And unfortunately, Toronto seems to be wearing that 'F' right on its sleeve, reporting under 120 new condo sales in the month of August - a number that hasn't been that low in decades.
And with the federal government making legislation to increase not just more housing, but affordable housing, how can we reignite builds?
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Residential Construction Council of Ontario President Richard Lyall to get the answers.
Do you have a topic that's confounding you in this economy? We'll be happy to dig into it for you and get you the answers you need. Email us at: rogerspodcastnetwork@rci.rogers.com. Thank you for listening!
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This week, from a White House lectern and televised to the world, President Donald Trump gave an explicit warning to America’s pregnant women: Tylenol use during pregnancy could lead to autism.
The claim is contradicted by decades of scientific research that has not conclusively demonstrated a causal link.
It’s alarmed health experts who say Trump’s comments also amplify an entrenched prejudice around women’s pain, with real-life consequences.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Sabina Vohra-Miller, a Doctor of Public Health candidate and expert in clinical pharmacology, about how unproven medical advice from the highest levels of government can actively endanger women’s health.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney joined several key allies this week at the United Nations General Assembly in adding their names to the list of countries recognizing Palestinian statehood. The move is an attempt to increase pressure toward a two state solution amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
Will recognition help lead to a two state solution, will it embolden Hamas, and can Canada do more to hasten a ceasefire?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Colin Robertson, a former Canadian diplomat who served at the U.N., to get the answers.
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Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has returned to television screens, but concerns linger over whether free speech in America is under threat.
Kimmel’s short-lived suspension, which followed a thinly-veiled threat from a top Trump official, was viewed by many as the latest example of government censorship.
Even before Kimmel went dark, a government crackdown aimed at silencing the president’s critics was already underway, igniting a firestorm of debate about one of America’s most sacred civil liberties.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Eugene Volokh, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, to discuss the Trump administration's power to limit what people can say, and why free speech everywhere is vulnerable.
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A flotilla of ships has set sail from the western end of the Mediterranean to the Gaza Strip, where a devastating war has destroyed much of the Palestinian territory. The ships hope to transport food, water and medicine, in defiance of Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
But the flotilla is unlikely to reach its destination. Nearly all attempts to deliver aid to Gaza by sea have been intercepted by Israeli forces. Compounding fears of possible violence, one of the Gaza-bound vessels taking part in this latest mission was struck by a suspected drone earlier this month while docked in Tunisia.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Toronto-based pro-Palestinian activist Zaheera Soomar from her boat in the Mediterranean, about the mission to deliver aid to Gaza, and why she’s willing to risk her life to do it.
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The Bank of Canada has cut interest rates for the first time since March, and just a few hours later - on the same day - the U-S Federal Reserve followed suit with its first cut this year.
It comes with both economies struggling, but that’s where the similarities end.
The two central banks have very different mandates, and while trade uncertainty has made the job tricky on both sides of the border, two distinct but connected stories continue to play out.
There are also concerns about Canada's real estate market - and how interest rates could impact access to affordable housing.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Randall Bartlett, Deputy Chief Economist at Desjardins Group, about both decisions, the thinking behind the cuts, and what might be coming next.
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Enjoy this special feed drop of Bite Back with Abbey Sharp. In today’s episode of Bite Back with Abbey Sharp, I’m joined by Canadian actor, podcaster, and cystic fibrosis advocate Jeremie Saunders, host of the hit show SickBoy. Building on his lived experience with CF, Jeremie has built a platform that breaks stigma and opens up real conversations about what it means to live well with chronic illness. Together, we talk about the disorienting reality of rapid body changes — whether from medication, illness, or simply moving through different stages of life — and how to navigate these shifts with compassion and grace. This conversation goes beyond chronic disease, offering lessons that resonate with anyone who’s ever struggled with body image, identity, or change.
Here’s a run down of what we discussed in today’s episode:
Introduction
Life With Cystic Fibrosis
Food Challenges With Cystic Fibrosis
Trikafta and the Metabolic Shift
Becoming a Stranger in Your Own Body
Body Changes, CF, and the Rise of #SkinnyTok
Diet Culture Temptations and Disordered Eating
When Wellness Culture Gets It Wrong
Why “Natural” Isn’t a Moral Flex
Humour as a Tool for Coping With Chronic Illness
Self-Compassion Through Body Changes
Gratitude, Growth, and Moving Forward
Check in with today’s amazing guest:
Podcast: Sickboy
Instagram: @jeremiesaunders
Youtube: /sickboymedia
Disclaimer: The content in this episode is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is never a substitute for medical advice. If you’re struggling with with your mental or physical health, please work one on one with a health care provider.
If you have heard yourself in our discussion today, and are looking for support, contact the free NEDIC helpline at 1-866-NEDIC-20 or go to eatingdisorderhope.com.
🥤 Check out my 2-in-1 Plant Based Probiotic Protein Powder, neue theory at www.neuetheory.com or @neuetheory and use my promo code BITEBACK20 to get 20% off your order!
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One by one, companies are mandating their employees to kiss their hybrid work-from-home model goodbye and head back into the office. But what once was before the pandemic rocked society's work-life balance, is no longer, and companies need to take the extra mile to ensure their offices pose as a productive workspace for their employees to thrive in.
Host of In This Economy!? Mike Eppel speaks to Sarah Bramley, Senior VP, Workplace Advisory for Colliers Canada. She co-authored a recent report that detailed the relationship between a great office space and increased productivity.
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To post-secondary or to not post-secondary?
The back and forth for almost 40% of Canadians who feel unsure whether or not higher education is worth their time and money.
A recent Ipsos survey for CourseCompare, a data-based platform on Canadian post-secondary information, revealed that their Gen Z respondents felt the most confused about the value of post-secondary education, with 46% saying they were unsure about what good a degree or diploma could do for them.
And besides the numbers, an overall pendulum swing in sentiment towards higher education is also driving uncertainty towards staying in school. Couple that with high tuition prices, changing student visa legislation, and AI's role, and the pendulum just keeps on swinging.
Host Pooja Handa speaks to Robert Furtado, the CEO of CourseCompare to discuss their Return on Education index, a database that categorizes which degrees and diplomas give you the best return on investment. The two also talk about what skills you need to protect yourself from the current volatile job market.
You can learn more about CourseCompare here:
https://www.coursecompare.ca/
https://www.coursecompare.ca/roe-index/
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It’s been a busy start to the fall sitting of Parliament.
Ahead of the end of its first week back, long-time minister Chrystia Freeland announced she decided to leave her cabinet post at Transport, while the Prime Minister announced her appointment as a new special envoy to Ukraine. Meanwhile the Ottawa confirmed its budget will be coming November 4th, with a substantial deficit attached.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Tyler Meredith, a former economic advisor to the government, about Freeland’s departure and legacy, and what to expect in the delayed fiscal plan.
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There are growing calls from some federal and provincial politicians for the Carney government to abolish Canada’s temporary foreign worker program, claiming companies are using the it to find cheaper labour. The push came after the job numbers for August showed tens of thousands of losses and a high unemployment rate for young Canadians.
But the government is pushing back, saying TFW use is in significant decline and the program is needed. So what’s really happening with Canada’s job market and are foreign workers to blame?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with McGill economics professor Fabian Lange to find out.
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The denouncement of political violence has never been louder than right now in America, but the gap that positions itself between the country's opposing political ideologies has simultaneously never been wider.
In the wake of Charlie Kirk's death, Americans and the world at large, have become reminded, once again, just how severe the reality of political violence has become. Death threats towards politicians, the notorious acts of January 6, and calculated assassinations of influential public figures - to name a few.
But what about Canada? How sensitive are we to political violence? And what can be done to further distance our reality from that of America's?
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Justin Ling, a freelance journalist and author of the Bug-eyed and Shameless newsletter to do a pulse check of where things stand on this side of the border, and how Canadians can take matters into their own hands to prevent further widening the political polarization gap.
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Federal politicians are back in their seats in the House of Commons today, to kick start the fall sitting of Parliament.
It's expected to be a jam packed agenda for the next few months, as the federal government continues to try and stickhandle the tariff war with the US, put together a balancing act budget, releases a new housing plan, and unveils new trade and climate strategies. All this as the opposition parties sort out lingering leadership questions.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Mount Royal University political scientist Lori Williams who breaks down the challenges and political risks facing the Carney government.
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The name Terry Fox is synonymous with courage, perseverance and promise. After losing his leg at just 18 years old, his run across Canada inspired generations to come – and to date, has raised over $900 million for cancer research. His journey was deeply rooted in wanting to do more, by raising awareness and to help others see strength, not weakness. These same sentiments were true for George Hincks and Marshall McDougall, two Canadian men who both had a leg amputated as a result of injuries sustained in World War I. Their hike across our nation is a story you may not have heard - but once you do, you will never forget.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with Eric Story, the author of a feature about George Hincks and Marshall McDougall. Eric is an adjunct professor at Wilfrid Laurier University and a postdoctoral fellow at Western University.
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One of Earth's closest planetary neighbours could be harbouring life of its own.
That's the finding concluded from what a rock sample, collected by NASA's Perseverance Mars rover, obtained during its time out there. Researchers say that a biosignature was potentially found within the sample, indicating a sign of past or current life on the planet.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks to Dr. Mariek Schmidt, a professor at Brock University, and one of the several Canadian researches a part of NASA's team to discuss how her and the team made the discovery, and how it compares to how life on our planet began.
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Being its victim stings pretty bad, but is the hurt worth a criminal record?
One - or several - speed camera vandals took to the streets of Toronto this past week, making their mark and message on radar technology loud and clear, damaging 16 over the span of one night. And not to mention, the vandals' most sacred target, the Parkside Drive camera that was vandalized 7 times in less than a year.
Ontario's Premier denounced the radar technology, calling it a cash grab, and saying he wants them gone from cities. However, safety advocates are sounding the alarm on Ford's comments, calling them dangerous and out of touch.
Although dozens of citizens took to social media to share their gratitude for the vandals' Robin Hood-esque style, it begs the question of how far can criminal activity be mimicked and celebrated before it goes too far?
Host Richard Southern speaks to Jacqueline Helfgott, a criminology and forensics professor at Seattle University to break down the intersection of media, crime, and notoriety that perpetrates what she calls 'copy-cat crime'.
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Russia is being accused of provoking Poland and its NATO allies, after multiple drones violated its airspace during a Russian aerial attack on Ukraine.
As NATO fighter jets engaged potential enemy targets in allied airspace, Prime Minister Donald Tusk activated Article 4, signaling his country considered its territorial integrity and security under threat.
But regardless of whether the infiltration by Russia was deliberate or accidental, Western officials have few doubts the Kremlin is testing NATO’s resolve.
Host Caryn Ceolin is joined by Tim Sayle, associate professor of history and director of the International Relations Program at the University of Toronto, to discuss how the latest incursion raises the stakes between Russia and the security alliance, and what comes next.
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A little screen time while on the toilet doesn't hurt anybody...
...the key word here is 'little'.
A recent study published in the medical journal, PLOS, shows that those who bring their smartphone with them to do some scrolling while using the bathroom, tend to sit on the toilet longer, increasing their risk for hemorrhoids.
Yes, it could be a dagger in the heart for those who see their phone-toilet time as a moment of solitude, however, there are ways you can still enjoy your scrolling while protecting yourself - literally.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Trisha Pasricha, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the senior author of the study to discuss how you can make the right choices while conducting business.
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There are still calls for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to step down as the U-S Secretary of Health and Human Services after an intense and – at times – combative hearing in Washington.
Kennedy has been criticized by people in his own party – and his own family – for some of the decisions he has made around health care since being sworn in earlier this year.
And some of his decisions could impact Canada and Canadians.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Dr. Kashif Pirzada – a Toronto-based emergency physician and co-chair of the Canadian Covid Society about how Kennedy could change things on this side of the border – decades after the introduction of vaccines brought in a different kind of change.
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Woodrow Wilson’s hidden stroke. Franklin Roosevelt’s hidden wheelchair. John F. Kennedy’s chronic back pain. There is a historical tendency to obscure the health problems of American presidents from public view.
But justifiable question surrounding how far loyal aides and the White House will go to conceal the full picture of the president’s health – and the media’s role in uncovering it – are increasingly being raised following President Joe Biden’s medical decline.
Washington journalists find themselves grappling yet again with the fair, but sensitive issue, after unfounded speculation about Donald Trump’s health – and impending death – recently spread online.
Host Caryn Ceolin is joined by American author, presidential historian and journalist Garrett Graff to discuss how the president’s health should be covered in an age as volatile as now.
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Finding a job is difficult for anyone right now, but especially for a certain sector.
Young people are having difficulty finding work. In fact, the youth unemployment rate this summer has been up to nearly 15%.
A new study is taking a look at the root causes and offering some possible solutions.
Host of In This Economy!? Mike Eppel speaks to L.J. Valencia, one of the co-authors of the Desjardins report.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney and his inner circle gathered in Toronto this week for a two day cabinet ‘planning forum’ to set priorities ahead of the Fall sitting of Parliament.
At the strategy session, Canadians learned the upcoming budget will be focused on both austerity and investment, and more developments have been revealed in our trade talks with the Trump administration.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with CityNews Political Reporter Glen McGregor, who covered the cabinet meeting and shares his insights.
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Your social media feeds are probably littered with back to school pictures, kids smiling ear to ear. Unfortunately, while we all hope for a positive experience for the next generation, the sad reality is that our youth are facing issues that need attention now.
The newly released Raising Canada report says more than 70 per cent of Canadian youth aged 12 to 17 experienced bullying in the last year (with cyberbullying on the rise), and more than 13 per cent of children were living in poverty by the end of 2024 – and these numbers are growing.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with Sara Austin, CEO and founder of Children First Canada. The organization is urging immediate action from policy-makers, especially as the fall parliamentary session gets underway.
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The Alberta government has reversed its July order for schools to remove books and other materials that contain explicit sexual content.
The pause came after several critics spoke out against the Edmonton Public school board's list of the more than 200 titles it planned on pulling from its library shelves.
But Premier Danielle Smith and Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides didn't seem to hit the pause button because of those outcries, nor did they indicate how long it should last.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Sean Amato, Alberta political reporter for CityNews, to discuss the potential of the ban rematerializing as the new school year continues to settle in, and who else - other than Margaret Atwood - Premier Smith is looking for support from.
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Canada Post is the country's crown mail courier, but year after year, Canadians seem to be seeing less and less of their prominent blue, red and white logo.
And the company itself seems to be seeing less green, too, so much so they've remained in a consistent deficit since 2017.
Their latest data shows a record $407 million loss throughout the second quarter, and with its 55,000 employees carrying on their overtime ban after being legislated back to work following their 2024 holiday strike, the numbers will continue to trend downward.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Ian Lee, associate professor at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, to discuss what lies ahead for the crown corporation if they choose to ignore the writing on the wall, and where contract talks between the company and the union stand more than 21 months later.
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Despite weeks of whirlwind American diplomacy, Russia sent wave after wave of drones and missiles across Kyiv and other cities on Thursday.
It was the fiercest attack on the Ukrainian capital since President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met two weeks ago in Alaska, and the clearest indication yet of the Kremlin’s resolve to continue its bombardment of Ukraine, leaving the two sides no closer to securing a diplomatic off-ramp.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Oleksa Drachewych, an assistant professor of history at Western University, about the challenges in forging a lasting peace in the largest land war in Europe since World War II.
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Here we go again.
Trade talks between Canada and the US are back on following a lengthy pause between the two sides. Our Canada-US Trade Minister flew down to Washington this week to resume negotiations. Canada dropped many retaliatory tariffs in order to get everyone back to the bargaining table.
So what now, and will Canada be able to achieve what other countries can’t on sectoral tariffs?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney dives deeper into the latest round of trade talks with lawyer William Pellerin of McMillan LLP.
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Dozens of online influencers are using their platform to spread financial literacy, which continues to have a growing impact on younger generations looking to get into investing, saving and making more money.
And although cybercriminals have been around for decades, they're capitalizing on social media users with the help of artificial intelligence in the form of deep fakes or fraudulent advertisements to get your money and information.
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Tony Anscombe, chief security evangelist at ESET to discuss the signs to look out for, and how to protect yourself and your wallet from being one of the millions of cybercrime victims.
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On an unannounced trip to Ukraine over the weekend, Prime Minister Mark Carney hinted at the possibility that Canada could have a military presence in Ukraine as a part of a coalition to maintain a ceasefire if Ukraine and Russia can agree to one.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Christian Leuprecht, professor at the Royal Military College and Editor of the Canadian Military Journal about whether our military is ready for such an operation, what the risks are, and whether this could mirror operations from the Cold War.
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Basking in the sun, late patio nights and the sweetest of sleep-ins. The relaxed and unstructured schedule of summer vacation is glorious…but unfortunately it’s almost time to get back to reality. Whether it’s back to school or back to your work routine, when it comes to sleep, the time is now.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with Alanna McGinn, CEO of Good Night Sleep Site, about the A to Zzz’s of sleep including the physical and mental impact, PLUS the do’s and don’ts when it comes to sleeping aids, certain foods and technology.
You can learn more about Alanna's work here:
Instagram: instagram.com/alanna.mcginn
Website: https://alannamcginn.com
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Flight attendants at Air Canada are set to vote on a tentative contract starting next Wednesday after a 3 day strike left tens of thousands of travellers stranded.
This labour dispute was VERY different from some of the other recent walk outs, drawing attention to Section 107 of the Canadian Labour Code, and potentially changing the landscape for unions in the years to come.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Emma Arkell, a labour journalist at Press Progress about all the ups and downs, and what it might mean for other unions, like CUPW, looking for new contracts.
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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is heading back to Parliament Hill after his by-election win in Alberta this week.
The federal Conservative Leader won the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot with 80.4 per cent of the vote, a decisive victory that affirmed his support among rank-and-file party members and sets the stage for a showdown in the House of Commons opposite Prime Minister Mark Carney.
But the vote in Battle River-Crowfoot was just the first of several tests ahead for the re-seated Opposition Leader in his broader quest to become prime minister.
Host Caryn Ceolin is joined by Lewis Krashinsky, a political scientist at the University of Toronto, to discuss the challenges that will determine Poilievre’s second shot at government.
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Canada is slowly starting to become desensitized to crime involving youth - not because it's no longer worrisome, but because it happens more often than not.
Why are 13 year old's finding themselves at the centre of homicide investigations? Why are 17 year old's being held on remand and not picking out what post-secondary educational program they want to go into? Are the headlines telling a different story than that of the data?
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Kim Varma, a criminology professor at Toronto Metropolitan University to discuss what we can make of this growing trend of crime headlines surrounding youth teens, and how all corners of society are responsible from keeping youth from getting acquainted with the justice system.
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Amanda Carrasco lived through a childhood full of deep, complex trauma.
She endured sexual abuse by her brother, her family was violently murdered and she was left to pick up the pieces. Instead of burying her pain, she did the opposite: Amanda sat face-to-face with her abuser and the man who killed her loved ones. Her goal? The pursuit of truth, accountability and a path to healing.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with Amanda about her shocking new memoir “Becoming The Brave One” and the transformative potential of restorative justice as a way to help survivors and communities.
You can learn more about Amanda's stories here:
Website - https://amandacarrasco.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/amanda_the_brave_one
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Data centres are being used to power tech companies all around the world.
In the U-S alone, there are more than 5-thousand facilities.
And the facilities use up valuable resources, which could leave some communities without things like water – according to a new report.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Miguel Yanez-Barnuevo and Dan Bressette with the Environmental and Energy Study Institute about the second of 3 reports, which take a deep dive into the environmental impacts of technology and things like artificial intelligence.
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Being a farmer in Canada isn't easy at the best of times, and there's a new big challenge ahead.
This week, China announced a hefty tariff on our canola products, which happens to be this country's largest agricultural export.
Billions of dollars are at stake - so how damaging could this be?
Host of In This Economy?! Mike Eppel speaks with Mike von Massow, a professor in the Department of Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics at the University of Guelph.
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The West has long sought to make Vladimir Putin a pariah over the bloodshed in Ukraine.
But the Russian leader will break out of international isolation and step foot on U.S. soil, welcomed by an American president eager to fulfill his promise of stopping the war.
European leaders who held a virtual conference with Donald Trump earlier this week, say he agreed ceding land can only be negotiated by Kyiv.
But behind closed doors, without the war-torn country represented in the room, anything can happen.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with history professor Elizabeth Wood about what Putin and Trump each want, and why there are still lingering fears their summit could end up selling out Ukraine like one of Trump’s real estate deals.
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Air Canada is overhauling how travelers earn points and qualify for frequent flyer status in its Aeroplan loyalty program.The changes? Points will be based on dollars spent rather than distance flown. Spoiler alert? Jetsetters aren't too thrilled about what that means for the programs perks.Host Richard Southern speaks with travel, point, and personal finance expert Barry Choi about what the changes mean for your Aeroplan points, & why some Air Canada aficionados are hopping mad about the overhaul. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
The numbers say it all — Canadians want flexibility when it comes to where they do their jobs. The COVID-19 pandemic opened the door to new possibilities and offered a different approach to work life balance.
Fresh data from the Angus Reid Institute shows three in five Canadians would prefer to spend the majority of their time working from home, while 79 per cent say they want a schedule that allows for some remote work.
However, many Fortune 100 companies are now mandating a return to the office for the majority of the work week — so how are employees planning to respond?
Host Melanie Ng breaks down the numbers and the sentiments with Dave Korzinski, Research Director at Angus Reid.
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https://halifax.citynews.ca/2025/08/05/stay-out-of-the-woods-n-s-bans-activities-in-woods-amid-dry-spell/
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Despite a long list of critical policy issues facing Washington today, the Jeffrey Epstein saga has dominated the national conversation for weeks, grinding the legislative business of Congress to a halt.
Since Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died in jail in 2019, unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about his death and who was connected to him have swirled around right-wing media circles, fanned by Donald Trump himself.
But obsession with the case has evolved beyond conspiracy and now consumes Capitol Hill, where the president’s broken promise to release new details about the investigation has sparked outrage among his most vocal supporters in the MAGA movement.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with investigative journalist Dave Levinthal about the fallout from the Epstein files, whether Epstein’s imprisoned co-conspirator, Ghislane Maxwell, can shed any new light on the case, and why the controversy has staying power.
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As we approach the end of the summer, how is the economy actually doing and what can we expect for the rest of 2025?
What does the data tell us about the impact of tariffs and what's really going on for Canadian businesses and households?
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Don Drummond, economist and Staufford-Dunning Fellow at Queen's University and fellow in residence at the C.D. Howe Institute.
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It started as an activity to release frustrations in the wake of the pandemic, and ended with an accomplishment that only three dozen Canadians can lay claim to.
On July 26th and 27th, Toronto high school teacher Sam Garrison defeated the odds and made a solo swim across the English Channel.
It was no easy task, as Sam faced hurdles that included jellyfish and oil tankers as he made the 58km swim.
But messages from friends and family served as inspiration, as well as his goal to raise money for the Daily Bread Food Bank ( https://dailybread.donorsupport.co/page/FUNKBNCLLJY?fundraiser=NHKKLDSE&member=SGFCCZBL )
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Sam about his journey from the pool to the channel, and just how sore his arms and legs are.
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If you've ever wondered what it's like to make money while travelling the world, you're not the only one. Digital nomadism is the kind of lifestyle that many dream of, and now more than ever, actually live, and that's thanks to the rise in remote work opportunities. You take your laptop with you from airport to train station to uber to bus, and you decide where and how you work, for whom and sometimes, at what rate.But the unlimited beach-front resorts or vast cafe options don't necessarily fill the void of isolation or lack of routine, and not to mention the never-ending spending that comes with life on the go. Host Maria Kestane speaks to Sonia Dheer, a digital nomad who's hit 40 countries under the age of 30, to discuss the real truth behind the digital nomad lifestyle, and whether or not you're cut out for the glitz and glam of the up-and-go. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Today marks 100 days since Mark Carney was voted in as the 24th Prime Minister of Canada. It was an election that marked a turning point for a handful of the federal political parties, but especially so for the Liberals. A party once well behind in support against the Conservatives, gained new momentum with a new yet familiar face.
But Prime Minister Carney knew exactly what kind of role he was stepping into, centering his campaign around a looming trade war with the U.S., and promising Canadians his support in defending our country's freedom and sovereignty.
Host Mark Day speaks with Rob Snow, host of the Now You Know with Rob Snow radio show, to discuss both the accomplishments and failures of Prime Minister Carney during his first 100 days in office, and what kind of tone the first 100 set for the next 100 to come.
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In less than 2 weeks, it's do or die for Pierre Poilievre.
Not only is he in for a political battle to get into the House of Commons, he's got other forces working against him, including another lengthy ballot.
Most of the candidates are associated with the Longest Ballot Committee, a grassroots electoral reform group seeking to draw attention to itself by flooding ballots with as many names as possible in several recent elections and byelections. But their tactics have raised questions about the effect long ballots have on the accessibility and integrity of the vote.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Julie Simmons, associate professor at the University of Guelph’s political science department to discuss both the flaws in the Canadian electoral system that long ballots aim to highlight and whether such protests have the potential to depreciate our democracy.
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It's the latest among the vast plethora of parenting styles: gentle parenting...but just how gentle is it?
And for whom?
The U.S. General Surgeon has issued public health advisory on the impact of modern stresses on parents' mental health, listing six factors it says contributes to parent/caregiver burnout. They include financial strain, time demands, children’s health & safety, loneliness & isolation, technology & social media, and cultural pressures.
Host Pooja Handa speaks to Dr. Shimi Kang, Psychiatrist and Best-Selling Author of the parenting book, 'The Dolphin Parent', about the current struggles today's parents are facing, and what they can do to find the balance between raising emotionally regulated, well-rounded children.
You can learn more about Dr. Kang at the following links: https://www.drshimikang.com www.futurereadyminds.com.
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It's been 40 years since Nicole Morin disappeared. The little girl was 8 at the time when she went down to her apartment building's lobby to meet a friend for a swim. She hasn't been seen since. This week, Toronto Police offered up a $50,000 reward for any new information about Nicole's disappearance. On today's Big Story, you'll hear Fil Martino and Madison Fitzpatrick explain the case on their podcast, "Tracking a Killer".
Anyone with information about Nicole Morin’s disappearance is asked to contact the Toronto Police Service at 416-808-7411 or the non-emergency line at 416-808-2200. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477) or at www.222tips.com.
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To retaliate or not to retaliate? That's the question after President Donald Trump's trade deadline hit, and he once again slapped tariffs on Canada. Without an agreement between our countries, Trump followed through on his threat to increase his tariff on non-CUSMA goods from 25 to 35%. This is on top of tariffs on autos, steel, aluminum and copper.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Maaw Law trade lawyer Mark Warner about how we ended up here, why Mexico got an extension and we didn't, and whether Canada should hit back or hold our punch in order to reach a deal in the weeks ahead.
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The truth is out there...but are we any closer to knowing what it is?
On the heels of World UFO Day, on today's show, we talk to journalist Daniel Otis about a new federal government report that's calling for the creation of a new Canadian federal agency to manage UFO reports.
You'll also hear about his reporting on Canadian pilots who have encountered strange objects in the sky, and his battle with Canadian nuclear plant operators to get records they may have on the phenomenon.
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In a time where a multi-step skin care routine seems to be the epitome of self care and wellness, where does it stand in the fight against climate change's effects on our skin barrier?
The rise in pollution, pollens and heat can exacerbate inflammatory responses from our bodies, making us vulnerable to even hereditary diseases such as eczema or psoriasis, and not to mention the harmful effects of UV in relation to the rise in skin cancer.
How much sunscreen is needed to protect us? Should we stop going out in the sun all together? And will changes to our diets and lifestyles help undo some of the harm already done?
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Wynne Armand, Associate Director at the Mass General Hospital Centre for the Environment and Health, and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical school to discuss the steps you should take to protect your body's biggest organ.
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Sometimes it's easy to tell whether a video is fake, other times, it's not.
Watermarking is used to digitally stamp fake videos, whether that stamp is visible to the human eye or is embedded in the video's data. But with new technology that allows for the stamp to be removed without anyone noticing, how is regulation enforced?
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Andre Kassis, University of Waterloo PhD candidate in computer science, and Angus Lockhart, senior policy analyst at 'The Dais' with Toronto Metropolitan University to discuss the safeguards in place to ensure AI-produced content is labelled accordingly and who can be held accountable if the rules start to bend.
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Legacy media is under pressure.
Whether it's the constant cries of "fake news" to huge lawsuits filed, trust remains a huge issue. The audience is splintered and traditional advertising revenue is migrating to digital. Then there's the huge issue of A.I. How are newsrooms using it and how does that impact trust?
Online news sources are drawing away traditional audiences including on Instagram and TikTok. How do legacy news agencies compete?
How can you tell difference between a journalist and a content creator? How do comments about the media from U.S. President Donald Trump impact the way Canadians consume and trust news?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks to renowned Canadian journalist, Peter Mansbridge to discuss the state of journalism in 2025 and how that impacts the information that's of importance to you.
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A warning to our listeners: this episode includes description and discussion of sexual assault. Please take care.
It is a trial that has gripped the nation - and a verdict that has sparked even more conversation. Five former members of Canada’s World Junior hockey team have been acquitted of sexual assault charges centred around a night in 2018 and a woman identified as “E.M.”
The tumultuous eight week trial saw twists and turns, graphic details and ultimately a challenge around the definition of consent.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with CityNews reporter Michelle Mackey, who has been following the case from the very beginning. She was in the courtroom for the judge’s decision and speaks about the pivotal moments during the trial, reaction to the verdicts and what’s next for all those involved.
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Light's up, let's go!
Canadian baseball fans are in a pretty good mood lately, as the Toronto Blue Jays are on their hottest run since their memorable 2015 season. They're currently in possession of the best record in all of baseball , with the entire team firing on all cylinders. The team culture is light and fun and every game at Rogers Centre is electric. Will the good times continue to roll?
Host Gurdeep Ahluwalia speaks with NewsRadio sports reporter Alex Seixeiro about the 2025 Blue Jays and if we should allow ourselves to hope for October baseball in Toronto.
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The worries of a 16-year-old can include what to wear, cramming for exams, keeping up on social gossip, and taking a driving test.But what about voting in the next federal election? The push to lower Canada’s voting age is getting new energy following an announcement by the U.K. that 16- and 17-year-olds will be allowed to vote in their next general election. So, should Canada follow suit and let younger Canadians cast a ballot?Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Amanda Munday of the non-profit group New Majority, who argues if someone is old enough to drive a car and pay taxes, then they are old enough to mark an X. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
We are in the height of summer travel season, but given the ongoing trade tensions with the United States, are plans being detoured? If you read the headlines around the latest Statistics Canada data, it paints a bleak cross-border travel picture, but that doesn’t necessarily show the full truth behind the industry as a whole. In fact, data from Destination Canada shows a major increase in overseas markets looking to our country as a place to visit – and also, a keen interest in exploring our own backyard.Host Melanie Ng speaks with Joe Amati, Senior Executive Director, Global Market and Brand Intelligence with Destination Canada, about tourism trends and how the sector is offering one of Canada’s highest growth export opportunities. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Abbey Sharp is a world-renowned Registered Dietitian (RD), content creator, award-winning author, TV personality, host of the podcast Bite Back, CEO of Abbey’s Kitchen Inc, and Co-Founder of Neue Theory. With over 2 million followers across social media, Abbey shares her core philosophy that a pleasurable relationship with food, your body and yourself is the fundamental secret to good health. She has made it her mission to dismantle diet culture, debunk nutrition misinformation online, and help people achieve food freedom for good. With her signature science and sass, Abbey Sharp is one of the world’s most trusted sources of nutrition information.
Listen to Bite Back here: https://www.seekyoursounds.com/podcasts/bite-back-with-abbey-sharp
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It's been 3 years since Elon Musk bought Twitter. The revamped "X" remains extremely polarizing with many leaving the platform for a number including concerns about bots, racism and misinformation.
Recently, the CEO of X stepped down and on top of all the other issues, the account for Sesame Street icon Elmo had his X account hacked.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Kurt Wagner, senior reporter for Bloomberg who covers social media. He's also the author of “Battle for the Bird: Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk and the 44 billion dollar fight for Twitter's Soul” about the platform’s future – and what might come next.
You can find out more on his book here:
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Battle-for-the-Bird/Kurt-Wagner/9781668017364
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The federal NDP remains in a political limbo as members continue to lick their wounds from the spring election that left the party with its worst election result ever.
The party has launched an official review to figure out what went wrong with their campaign that saw its caucus shrink from 24 MPs to just 7.
However the NDP already has its eyes set on a rebuild, starting with a leadership race that is set to kick off in September.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Brad Lavigne, President of Counsel Public Affairs and former Principal Secretary to former NDP leader Jack Layton about just how bad things are within the party and how he sees the party's path back to relevance.
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Despite all the noise about tariffs and their potential impact, it appears the Canadian economy is actually weathering the storm.
An interest rate cut looked like a slam dunk a month ago and now, with signs that the economy isn't falling off a cliff, it's highly doubtful that those rates will be going down.
So what to make of where we're at in this economy? How do you plan when things are so unpredictable?
Host Mike Eppel breaks it down with Royce Mendes, Managing Director and head of Macro Strategy at Desjardins.
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At one point in time, Canada was ranked as the 5th happiest country out of 147 countries across the globe. 10 years since that ranking, and Canada has dropped to 18th place...a ranking that's continued on a steady decline since 2020. But why? How do Canadians express happiness? How much of their well-being is shaped by the economy, their friends, their perception of the world around them, or all three? And what can we do if we want to climb back to the top 5 area?
Host Pooja Handa speaks with Felix Cheung, Canada Research Chair in Population and Wellbeing, and assistant professor at U of T’s department of psychology, about this year's World Happiness Report to discuss why Canadians seem to have a declining outlook on the overall perception of happiness, and what the future generations can focus on if they're interested in making their way closer to the top of the list.
You can read the 2025 World Happiness Report here: https://happiness-report.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/2025/WHR+25.pdf
You can read the 2024 Canada Happiness Report here: https://cheung.artsci.utoronto.ca/canadian-happiness-report-2024/
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It's one of the most popular social networks in the world and it's fighting for survival in both Canada and the U.S.
But it appears TikTok Canada will not go down without a fight, even it means spending millions in advertisements or pulling the plug on big name sponsorships.
It's all in response to the federal government's recent decision to shut down its sales office over national security concerns in relation to its Chinese ownership. What does that mean for Canadian users of TikTok?
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Michael Geist, Professor of Law, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law, Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa, to see what the future holds for TikTok's Canadian's branch.
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In Provincial Ombudsman, Paul Dubé's, latest report, he calls on the Ford government to take a closer look at Ontario jails, sounding the alarm on what he calls a growing crisis. According to his findings, overcrowding, unlawful treatment, and the high volume of inmates awaiting trial all shine a bright light on the current realties inside some of the most secretive places in the province.But how did we get here? And who will bear the cost of changing the system? Host Maria Kestane speaks to Jessica Evans, Associate Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University's criminology department, about what exactly is going on in correctional facilities across Ontario, and what the province can do to ensure the safety and rights of everyone involved. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
There are few things more precious in this world than your morning coffee - and add that to the list of things that have become more expensive this year.
So what's the cause? Are the reasons legitimate? Is it tariffs or is it greed?
Host Richard Southern talks to Robert Carter, President of the Canadian Coffee Association.
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Perhaps you’ve used it to help spruce up a resume, write a report or find a recipe — but have you ever turned to artificial intelligence for your mental health?
A.I. therapy is a growing trend, but could turning to a bot for deeply personal life advice be a problem in itself?
Host Melanie Ng speaks with psychotherapist Roxanne Francis about the benefits and potential dangers around using algorithms to process emotions.
Read more about Roxanne Francis here: https://www.francispsychotherapy.com/about
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The civil service in Ottawa is bracing for layoffs. It comes after Finance Minister Francois-Phillippe Champagne was tasked with finding $25-billion dollars in savings to offset the biggest increase in defense spending in a generation.
So how does that play in to our federal government's massive deficit? And how does that trickle down to you?
Host Mike Eppel speaks with Dr. Wayne Petrozzi, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.
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School is out for the summer, and for most teens, that means unlimited access to doom scrolling and binge watching! And while a little celebratory, post-exam screen time is warranted, the slippery slope of a constant screen in your teen's face presents real threats to their emotional and behavioural development. But how do we get ahead of the algorithms that are designed to keep its users engaged for hours? And how do we set a better example for our teens as we navigate how to mitigate our own over-use?Host Pooja Handa speaks to Dr. Alexandra Gold, Licensed Clinical Psychologist at Mass General Brigham and Faculty at Harvard Medical School, about tangible steps towards a more healthy relationship between your teenager and their devices. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Shocking news this week out of Quebec where charges have been laid in an alleged plot involving a militia to take over a portion of Quebec City.
Dozens of combat-like weapons were seized and it's alleged the group was running a recruitment strategy through Instagram.
Investigators allege among the four men charged are two, active Canadian Armed Forces members but fall short of naming who, or how long they've been a part of the force. The charges range from terrorism-related offences to possession of explosives and prohibited devices.
Host Richard Southern speaks to post-doctoral fellow at the University of Guelph, Dr. Dax D'Orazio, to break down the charges, and dissect the intersection of politics, misinformation and radicalism.
You can listen to Dr. D'Orazio's podcast at https://www.daxdorazio.com/.
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It's a story about a city that constantly surprises.
A random bunny spotting turned into a near-obsession for a Toronto journalist. He was trying to track down the answer to a seemingly simple question, "Are there more bunnies in Toronto?" Turns out, it's a pretty tricky question to answer.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Nicholas Hune-Brown, executive editor at The Local, about his trip down a literal rabbit hole to find out what’s going on and why you may (or may not) be seeing more bunnies in your backyard.
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The Calgary Stampede is known as the greatest outdoor show on earth. It's a must attend event for most Calgarians, but more importantly for Canadian politicians.
It's an event that can make or break someone - from what they're wearing to how they flip pancakes.
Host Mark Day speaks to CityNews reporter Sean Amato in Alberta about why the Stampede is so important and a look at everything's that's happened this year so far.
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It’s been dramatized in countless movies and TV shows, like Law and Order or 12 Angry Men, but you may have wondered if the Hollywood portrayals match up with the reality of jury duty.
This year, CityNews Reporter, Nick Westoll, got to find out first hand when he was picked to serve on a jury in a criminal case. From the jury selection process, to the restrictions and being sequestered, to the emotional toll of deciding the fate of an accused, host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Nick about the challenging journey of being a juror in Canada.
You can read Nick's first hand account here:
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2025/07/03/what-is-ontario-jury-duty-like/
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A data breach used to be big news. It was disconcerting to those impacted and was normally followed filed a class action lawsuit.
But as they become more ubiquitous, are we caring less? And if you're a victim of a data breach, what is the financial impact to you?
Host Mike Eppel speaks with Mike Hortobagyi, Senior Manager, Solutions Engineering at Otka Canada.
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Sean “Diddy” Combs remains behind bars – awaiting sentencing – after the music mogul was found guilty on two charges and not guilty on 3 others.
He had pleaded not guilty – and has denied all allegations against him.
The 7 week trial, which saw more than 30 witnesses, started in May – months after the debut of a series on HBO Max called “The Fall of Diddy.”
Host Kris McCusker speaks to one of the co-directors of that docuseries, Yoruba Richen, about what might happen next and whether Diddy can return to the entertainment world.
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Masai Ujiri's time in Toronto is over.
He'll be remembered for many things, most notably for the very first NBA Championship a Canadian team has ever won.
We the North became the country's rallying cry and the signing of superstar Kawhi Leonard ignited the city behind the sport like we'd never seen.
Host Maria Kestane speaks with Toronto NewsRadio anchor Vrajesh Dave about what's next for the Raptors and what Ujiri's legacy is.
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The whiplash news cycle around the Trump trade war continues and if you can't keep up, you're not alone.
Last Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said all trade talks with Canada were off because of a new "digital services tax" that was supposed to come into effect on Monday, targeting companies like Netflix.
Late Sunday night, the federal government announced that the tax was being rescinded, and that talks with the U.S. were back on.
Keeping up? It's a lot.
So did Carney capitulate? The DST was set to bring in billions of dollars for Canada. Did the feds do the right thing?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney is discussing with Dalhousie University professor Dr. Lori Turnbull.
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On this Canada Day, we’re reflecting on our national identity – but dependent on who you ask, you’ll get a different answer. Being Canadian comes with a complex mix of opinion, taking into account politics, history and geography. Are we still considered the polite neighbours to the north? Are we more united as a country since our sovereignty has been threatened by President Donald Trump?Host Melanie Ng reflects on these questions and more with Howard Ramos, a political sociologist at Western University. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Statistics Canada just wrapped a 30 year study where they examined how Canadians spent their time and with whom. It found that in 2022, only 19% of working-age people saw their friends on a regular basis, marking a drop from almost 48% in 1986. And considering the pandemic is long-gone, what's sustaining this change in the way Canadians interact with loved ones, and how they use their time?Host Pooja Handa speaks to Pete Bombaci, Founder of the GenWell Project, to make sense of both the numbers and this new social era for Canadians. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
It's the mid-point of the year and it's the economic question everyone is asking - what's going to happen with interest rates?
On this episode of In This Economy - you'll hear from an expert about whether our economy is weakening and what that means for you.
Host Mike Eppel speaks with Royce Mendes, Managing Director of Macro Strategy at Desjardins.
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Stop us if you're heard this one before - a Trump threat on social media about tariffs rattles Canada.
Because of a digital tax that's supposed to come into effect on Monday, Trump says that any trade talks with our country are done. The statement was made on his Truth Social account Friday afternoon.
This ends any optimism that was there after the G7 summit when we were hearing that a new trade deal could be forthcoming in 30 days.
So what happens next?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Carleton University Professor of International Affairs Fen Hampson.
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Tens of thousands of migrants choose between life or death in a quest to leave home in hopes of a better life, even if it means spending months working for cash just to pay a smuggler who will hopefully get a small boat filled past the brim to the other side of the journey.
Aliou Candé made that very decision in 2019 - in hopes of a better future for his parents, two children and pregnant wife.
A bullet to the neck at a secret, Libyan prison in 2021 killed that dream. He never saw the better life.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Ian Urbina, Director of the Outlaw Ocean Project and host of the Outlaw Ocean Podcast about season two of the anthology where he details the story of Aliou Candé, and how his reporting of those secretive, migrant prisons almost cost him his life at the hands of Libyan militias.
You can find more on the CBC series below:
The Outlaw Ocean is an anthology podcast that plunges you into the vast and often lawless world of the open seas.
In season two, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Ian Urbina sheds light on the secretive Libyan prisons swallowing up sea-faring migrants; flagrant human rights abuses in China’s massive off-shore fleet; the horrors of a shrimp processing plant in India; and the wild story of a modern-day James Bond — if he were a repo man.
Urbina and his team repeatedly risk their safety to tell stories powerful people don’t want you to know. As podcast reviewer Lauren Passell notes, “Ian’s not relying on research, he was there [...] Outlaw Ocean makes you feel like you’re there, too.”
This immersive audio documentary series brings together more than eight years of reporting at sea on all seven oceans and more than three dozen countries.
You can find The Outlaw Ocean wherever you get your podcasts, and here: https://link.mgln.ai/Ci678x
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A few months ago, COVID variant NB.1.8.1 wasn’t making headlines. However, after first being detected in China in January, reported cases have risen drastically. As of mid-May, the variant had reached 10.7% of global reported COVID-19 cases, according to the World Health Organization.The strain, given the nickname ‘razor blade throat’, after some who fell ill described a painfully sore throat as one of the symptoms – but how serious is this variant and are the current vaccines effective against it?Host Melanie Ng speaks with infectious diseases specialist, Dr. Isaac Bogoch, about the latest COVID strain, as well as an overview of travel-related, seasonal viruses and infections heading into the summer months. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
From the EU to NATO, the Prime Minister is focused on two defence fronts this week. A new partnership with the European Union could overhaul our approach to military purchases at a time the Carney government is looking to end our reliance on the US. At the same time Canada and other NATO countries are facing pressure from the US to massively increase our defence spending by more than doubling our goal from 2% of GDP to 5%.Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Canada’s former Chief of Defence Staff about the federal government changing the approach to our armed forces, whether we can hit the new target, and if the United States will continue on in the military alliance. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Canada is on track to see the worst wildfire season since 2023. Millions of hectares of land scorched, thousands displaced and the smoke creating air quality warnings. So how bad can it get? Should we be paying closer attention to the bigger picture?Host Melanie Ng speaks with Dr. Lisa Patel, a paediatrician at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health hospital in San Francisco and Executive Director for the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
In a newly released study, Canada's Competition Bureau says there is a way to lower the cost of plane tickets and give Canadians more flight options.
The Bureau suggests changing the rules around foreign ownership, which is currently capped in this country, leading to what it says is weak competition and therefore, an impediment to lower prices.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney talks about the new report with Brad Callaghan, Associate Deputy Commissioner at the Competition Bureau of Canada.
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Housing affordability is a buzz word lately but how likely is it that it will actually become reality?
Actual action on the issue has been really slow and housing starts aren't running at a pace that's it would need to be from a supply standpoint to make a meaningful difference.
So what are the issues? What are the barriers to fixing this serious problem?
Host Mike Eppel talks to Jordan Thomson, Director , Infrastructure Advisory at K-P-M-G Canada.
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It was one of Carney's shiny campaign promises with a deadline of Canada Day, but the way Parliament has hit the ground running on it has various groups across the country sounding the alarm.
Bill C-5, 'An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act', is the Liberal government's latest effort to breakdown any barriers to interprovincial trade in light of Trump's tariffs.
However, several Indigenous, environmentalist, and other underrepresented Canadian groups are speaking out against the speed at which it's being passed, and the lack of power their voices have in the process.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Sonia Aslam, 1130 NewsRadio Vancouver journalist about what these groups are calling on the Carney government to do, and the potential outcomes that could arise if Bill C-5 gets passed by July 1.
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There is a new war in the Middle East.
Israel and Iran have been trading missile strikes as Israel seeks to bring an end to Iran’s nuclear program.
There are huge implications for regional and global security, as the world waits to see whether the U.S. will intervene.
Host David Smith speaks with Professor Elliot Tepper, distinguished senior fellow at the Norman Patterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa.
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The opening date for a long suffering transit project in Toronto is a running joke across the GTA. The Eglinton L-R-T, a 25 stop above ground transit line, was set to open back in 2020. Since then, it's been continually pushed back because of a number of legal and construction issues.
The cost ballooned from $5 billion dollars to $13 billion dollars, and dozens of businesses have shut down, blaming the impact from the years of construction.
Although it's expected the L-R-T will start running September, there is no firm opening date although the project reached a critical milestone this week.
Host Richard Southern talks about the project with CityNews journalist Nick Westoll.
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It was already an eventful day at the G7 before we learned last night that U.S. president Donald Trump was leaving early.
The White House says he was returning home because of what's happening in the Middle East, as the conflict between Israel and Iran enters day 5.
In terms of what was accomplished today, there's word of potential trade deal between Canada and the U.S. to be worked out in the next 30 days.
How did Carney do at his first G7 as PM? And what else happened behind the scenes?
Host Mark Day speaks to our Parliament Hill reporter Cormac Mac Sweeney who's covering the G7 in Alberta about all of today's developments before Trump returned to Washington.
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The Carney government has announced a plan to massively increase Canada’s defense budget. The plan will see Canada meet NATO’s 2% of GDP spending target by the end of the year.
Why now?
After decades of underspending, Canada’s allies are demanding we step up as the world looks to reduce reliance on the US for security.
Host David Smith speaks with Canadian defense expert Richard Shimooka about what’s in the Carney defense plan, and how Canada fits into the wider global security picture.
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On this weekend listen, we're re-visiting a story from March about a topic that just won't go away - how much social media is too much?
Research out of the University of British Columbia shows there’s a way to manage your mental health while staying up to date on your favourite apps.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with lead study author and psychology professor at UBC, Amori Mikami, about their findings.
More info: pearl.psych.ubc.ca
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On Sunday, world leaders of some of the top democratic economies in the world will gather in Alberta for the G7 summit, to discuss everything from the war in Ukraine, to trade to wildfires.
But what will be achieved at the meeting? Will U.S. president Donald Trump create drama like the last time he was on Canadian soil, and what should we make of the controversial decision to invite the leaders of India and Saudi Arabia?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with John Kirton, a University of Toronto Professor Emeritus and the head of the G7 research group., who's been to almost every G7 since 1988.
You can follow Cormac's reporting live from Kananaskis on the G7 by listening to 1130 NewsRadio in Vancouver, 660 NewsRadio in Calgary, 570 NewsRadio in Kitchener, 680 NewsRadio in Toronto and 95.7 NewsRadio in Halifax or visiting citynews.ca.
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It is one of the worst airline disasters in decades in India.
On Thursday, an Air India passenger plane bound for London, England, crashed minutes after takeoff.
242 people were onboard, including one Canadian, a woman from the Toronto area.
Officials confirming only one surviving passenger at this point. On the ground, dozens more casualties after the plane crashed into a residential area and burst into flames near the airport in Ahmedabad.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with aviation expert John Gradek about early indications of what may have went wrong and next steps in the investigation.
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Today's Big Story is about the economy and the potential impact to Canada from Trump's so-called "Big Beautiful Bill".
The bill could potentially have implications for Canadian investors and pension plans.
Host Mike Eppel breaks down what it all means with guest Stephen Johnston, Director of Asset Management for Omnigence.
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The biggest break-up of 2025 is already in the books. After less than a year – the very public bromance between the U.S. president and the world’s richest man blew up in front of our eyes. And it all played out in real time on social media. Just this morning, Elon Musk admitted that some of his posts may have gone too far.
Donald Trump and Elon Musk have both softened their tones since the implosion but many are wondering what happens next.
Host Kris McCusker spoke to Dr. Antoine Panaïoti, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Toronto Metropolitan University about the clash between two alpha males - what it was really about – and what it might mean ahead of midterms in the U.S. next year.
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There's an uproar in Ontario about a just passed law that the government claims will speed up critical infrastructure and resource projects.
However, critics including Indigenous groups are calling it a "land grab".
Bill 5 gives the government the ability to exempt companies from laws in order to build faster.
Host Richard Southern talks to Sol Mamakwa, the only Indigenous member of the Ontario legislature, about the bill and what happens next.
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It's an age old question - how do you ensure your kids grow up to be successful?
A new book by an award-winning New York Times journalist tries to answer it.
Susan Dominus details six compelling stories in "The Family Dynamic" which uncovers how both parents and siblings help shape individual success.
Host Gurdeep Ahluwalia speaks to author Susan Dominus about her research and how her own family dynamic helped shape her.
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You can read more about Susan and her book "The Family Dynamic" here:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/624531/the-family-dynamic-by-susan-dominus/
You can follow Susan on X: @susandominus
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We are revisiting this episode of The Big Story from March, as we learned this week, an infant died this week in Southwestern Ontario, who was born premature and infected with measles.
In a statement, Dr. Kieran Moore said the infant contracted the virus before birth from their mother, who had not received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
However it's important added that while measles may have been a contributing factor in both the premature birth and death, the infant also faced “other serious medical complications unrelated to the virus.”
Officials are still calling it a "preventable crisis".
The highly contagious viral infection was considered eliminated in 1998 in Canada and in 2000 in the U.S., but a number of factors have contributed to its recent resurgence.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with Sabina Vohra-Miller, @unambiguousscience, a Doctor of Public Health candidate and expert in clinical pharmacology and toxicology, about this issue.
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Interest rates weren't cut this week. Why? Well, it's complicated. The Bank of Canada didn't give borrowers a break when it set policy on Wednesday, as Tiff Macklem cited the need to wait for more data points. The word "uncertainty" is being thrown around, although ironically, the economy was actually stronger in the first quarter than forecast. Host Mike Eppel speaks to experts about the lack of a cut and what that means for the market, home buyers and home owners.Guests: Claire Fan, Senior Economist, Royal Bank of Canada Phil Soper, President Royal LePage We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
It's a mystery in Nova Scotia that's gained attention across the country.
This week marked one month since the disappearance of 6 year old Lilly Sullivan and her 4 year other brother Jack.
The kids were reported missing by their stepdad and mother on the morning of May 2nd. RCMP in Nova Scotia immediately launched a missing persons' investigation and in the days that followed, numerous searches of the area were carried out, but the children still haven't been found.
The case is being watched by people across the country as there are more questions than answers.
Where are the Sullivan kids? Host Dan Ahlstrand speaks with citynews.ca writer Natasha O'Neill, who's been following the case.
You can find continued coverage of the story at: https://halifax.citynews.ca/.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney held his first meeting with Premiers since the election and by most accounts it was a big success, with Ontario’s Doug Ford claiming it was the best in 10 years.
The 14 leaders discussed the federal plan to fast track nation building projects and despite some rhetoric in advance of the gathering, even Alberta was encouraged about the path ahead.
But will a new pipeline become a reality, can premiers expect federal funds to match their projects, was it a mistake to not have Indigenous leaders at the table, and what may be the challenges ahead?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney tries to get answers and insight from former Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil.
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Ukraine has shocked the world by carrying out a daring attack on Russian bomber planes thousands of kilometres inside enemy territory.
It’s a feat that would have been unimaginable before the war. Now, Ukraine has shown it has the capabilities to take its fight directly to its much more powerful foe.
What will Vladimir Putin do now? And what does it mean for hopes of peace negotiations?
Host David Smith speaks with security expert Marcus Kolga about the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war.
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We’ve all seen it: the coach constantly yelling at their team, the parent trying to coach on the sidelines…and the kid in the middle of it all. Youth sports can bring out the best in people, but it can also be a breeding ground for toxic behaviour.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with Playball Ambassador with the MLB and author of Coach Ballgame, James Lowe, about how focusing on the RIGHT approach to sports can make a world of difference.
You can learn more about James' work on his Instagram: @coachballgame.
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A whirlwind trip for King Charles, in his first visit to Canada as a sitting monarch, is being viewed by some as a success.
It was a show of support amid annexation talk by the U.S. president but it also served as a benefit to the King.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Carolyn Harris - Historian, Author and Royal Commentator - about how it compares with other royal visits - and why the timing is so relevant.
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For years, we’ve been programmed to view hustle culture as the norm, and one’s ability to navigate it as the definition of success.
Throw parenthood into the equation and you’ve got the recipe for a juggling act that is always being judged. So what happens when people, specifically mothers, take a purposeful pause from their traditional career path to focus on other priorities like family or personal growth?
In this episode of The Big Story, host Melanie Ng speaks with the founder and CEO of Mother Untitled and author of the new book “The Power Pause”, Neha Ruch @neha_ruch.
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For just the third time in our country’s history, a sitting monarch delivered the speech from the throne.
On a brief royal visit, King Charles addressed Canadians to lay out the priorities of the new Carney government.
The theme was clear, asserting Canada’s independence and charting a path to end our reliance on the U.S.
But did it hit the mark? Will the Prime Minister hit roadblocks with his ambitious plan?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Lori Williams, a political scientist at Mount Royal University in Calgary.
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If you suffer from seasonal allergies, and you’ve noticed things are getting worse – you’re not imagining it.
Scientists say things have gotten worse around the world for a variety of reasons – and unless something is done – it could become dangerous for some.
And those without allergies could even face challenges.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to BBC Science and Features journalist, Amanda Ruggeri, about the in-depth piece she wrote on the issue, discussing how allergy sufferers can improve their circumstances and how climate change plays a role in it all.
You can read the story here: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250410-how-climate-driven-thunderstorms-supercharge-pollen-allergies
Photo credit: (CREDIT: SEBASTIAN SMIT/FREEIMAGES.COM)
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A new study out of the Stanford University School of Medicine showed that older adults who received the shingles vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years than those who didn't receive the vaccine. But what does this mean in terms of finding a tried and true cure to dementia, and who's more at risk than others?Host Pooja Handa speaks to Sabina Vohra-Miller, founder of Unambiguous Science, about the study's findings and what it for the future of the disease.You can find the study here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08800-xYou can read more about Sabina's work here: https://www.instagram.com/unambiguousscience/ We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
The pandemic was a boom time in the cottage industry. As people decamped out of the city, the prices for cottages skyrocketed.
However, in this softened real estate market, it's not easy to hold on to two homes, and that's becoming more obvious with the amount of cottages currently on the market.
Host Mike Eppel digs into cottage life with Kingsley Ma, area VP of Re/Max Canada.
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A deep run into the second round of the playoffs once again ended in game 7 heartbreak for Toronto Maple Leafs fans.
Big Story hosts Cormac Mac Sweeney, Gurdeep Ahluwalia, Alex Bloomfield and Kris McCusker got together in a bit of a therapy session this week to chat about their favourite team and where they go from here.
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It used to be a place to find what you need and when you want it...but now, the internet has transcended into a playground of ads, cookies and algorithms. But why? Who made it that way? And when did things take such a sharp turn in the wrong direction?Host Gurdeep Ahluwalia speaks to Cory Doctorow, author and host of the CBC podcast 'Understood: Who Broke the Internet' on who's pockets are being lined at the expense of our experience on the internet, and what how users can fight back against what he calls the 'enshitification' of the web.You can find more on the CBC series below: It's not you — the internet really does suck. Novelist, blogger and noted internet commentator Cory Doctorow explains what happened to the internet and why you're tormented by ads, bots, algorithms, AI slop and so many pop-ups. Spoiler alert: it wasn't an accident.In Understood: Who Broke the Internet, Doctorow gets into the decisions made by powerful people that got us here, and most importantly, how we fix it.Understood is an anthology podcast that takes you out of the daily news cycle and inside the events, people, and cultural moments you want to know more about. Over a handful of episodes, each season unfolds as a story, hosted by a well-connected reporter, and rooted in journalism you can trust. Driven by insight and fueled by curiosity…The stories of our time: Understood.More episodes of Understood are available at: https://link.mgln.ai/g2ug4r We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Without skipping a beat, Sean 'Diddy' Combs pleaded not guilty to the five federal charges he was hit with in September of 2024. However, the evidence that pours out into the courtroom day after day during his criminal New York trial, continues to work towards an unrepairable, dramatic shift in identity for the now-disgraced rap mogul.With several testimonies still to be heard and evidence to be presented, the racketeering and sex trafficking charges Diddy is facing have the real possibility of putting him behind bars for the rest of his life.Host Maria Kestane speaks to 1010 WINS New York reporter, Juliet Papa, about where Diddy's criminal trial stands week 2, and what it's like both inside and outside the Manhattan courthouse throughout the latest chapter of the music industry's scandal history book. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
The union representing Canada’s postal workers has served strike notice to Canada Post, meaning 55-thousand employees at the crown corporation could walk off the job on Friday.
Unless a last minute deal is reached, it will be the second time in roughly 6 months that Canadians will lose access to our national postal service.
Small and medium sized businesses are bracing for impact, with the last job action costing them a lot of cash in lost business and more expensive shipping alternatives.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Jasmin Guenette, VP of National Affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business about the impact a postal strike would have, how Canada Post needs to change, and what the federal government can do in the event of a strike.
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A warning to our listeners: this episode includes description and discussion of sexual assault. Please take care.
Another stunning development in the sexual assault trial of five former world junior hockey players - a second jury is dismissed and the trial now moving forward with a judge alone.
Before that, graphic details shared in the courtroom by the complainant, referred to as E.M, recounting a night at a hotel room in 2018.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with CityNews journalist Michelle Mackey, who has been watching what has been happening both inside and outside of the courtroom.
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After Honda announced it is hitting pause on a $15 billion investment in electric vehicle production in Canada, questions are swirling about three other major EV projects in line for billions of dollars in public subsidies.
With Trump’s tariffs and overall economic uncertainty, how realistic is it the Canadian auto sector will transition to nearly all-electric production by 2035?
Host David Smith speaks with Tim Dimopoulos, publisher of Automotive News Canada, about the outlook for the dream of a made-in-Canada EV supply chain.
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A big week on the budget front, for multiple reasons.
Not only did Ontario release a budget that aims to get the province through the trade war, we learned that the new Liberal government will NOT be releasing a spring document.
Host of "In This Economy" Mike Eppel digs into the consequences of all the budget news this week and has a sneak peek on what the Bank of Canada might do next.
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Today on The Big Story - we're debriefing, big time.
Hosts David Smith, Kris McCusker and Cormac Mac Sweeney get together to chat about Prime Minister Carney's choice of cabinet and the fallout from a mixed week on the job.
Join us for "The Big Debrief", a weekly examination of the news events of the week, as seen through the eyes of the people reporting on them.
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It’s been a rough few weeks at the airport in New Jersey after two radar and radio outages - but there’s a lot more to the story.
The acting administrator with the U-S Federal Aviation Administration says travel into Newark is safe.
But it’s not the only issue with air travel in the U-S this year, which might have some travelers concerned ahead of the summer travel season.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to George Ferguson - Senior Aerospace, Defense & Airline analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence – about what’s been happening, how it gets fixed and who is to blame.
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Has the White House gone completely "pay for play"?
While experts debate the ethics of U.S. President Donald Trump's latest actions including accepting a plane from Qatar, others are watching his foray into cryptocurrency closely.
While many in the space have called for more regulation of crypto, "Trump coin" is causing issues for those trying to build cryptocurrencies as a legitimate financial instrument.
Host Mike Eppel discusses this with Erica Pimental, Assistant Professor at the Smith School of Business at Queen's University.
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Canada's unemployment rate remained relatively stable for the month of April, sitting at 6.9%. But the rate for youth unemployment jumped to its highest figure in the past two decades excluding pandemic figures, now sitting at a little more than 15%. And as companies continue to strategize how to stay afloat among tariffs, more specifically, who they can get rid of and who they have to keep around, the term 'last hired, first hired' enters the chat. Host Maria Kestane speaks to Emily Durham, career coach and host of the Straight Shooter Recruiter podcast, on how to enter, move through, exit and gracefully re-enter the workforce in a time of bottom line uncertainty thanks to a global trade war. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
You can’t always see it but plastic is everywhere.So much so – that it’s now in our rain and it’s there because of humans.It’s almost as worrisome as acid rain was in the 1970s – an issue that is no longer a major concern. Host Kris McCusker speaks to Benji Jones, Environmental Correspondent at Vox in New York, about how pervasive plastic has become – and what you can do to mitigate your exposure. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tomorrow Prime Minister Mark Carney will be unveiling his first cabinet since receiving a minority mandate from voters 2 weeks ago.
The decisions will not be easy, as Carney has to navigate regional representation, a leaner inner circle, and a trade war with the U.S. that hangs over every federal decision.
So who stays and who may get promoted?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney is speaking about the delicate art of cabinet making with Marci Surkes, Chief Strategy Officer at The Compass Rose Group, and a former Executive Director of Policy and Cabinet Affairs to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
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Punctuality – its definition and importance really depend on who you speak to.
A recent study out of the UK shows a generational divide when it comes to tardiness and how it could be perceived by those around us.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with peak performance coach and best-selling author, Hina Khan @coachwithhina, about a number of scenarios and why there is a sweet spot when it comes to how you show up both professionally and socially.
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“Peace be with you”.
Those were the first words spoken from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to the massive crowd below by the newly chosen pontiff, now known as Pope Leo XIV.
133 cardinals from around the world voted in a handful of rounds before the final decision was made and the white smoke billowed from the Sistene Chapel chimney.
Formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, Leo is the first pope from the United States – a choice that shocked some and has many wondering what this may signal.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with religious scholar Héctor Acero Ferrer from the Institute for Christian Studies about the new pontiff and how he will position himself on the world stage.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney has made his first trip to the White House to meet President Donald Trump, with Trump heaping praise on Carney. But the meeting wasn't all sunshine, as the two leaders clashed over trade positions and Trump's ongoing musings of making Canada the 51st state.Host Cormac Mac Sweeney breaks down the first face-to-face in the oval office with Colin Robertson, a former Canadian diplomat who also helped negotiate the first two trade deals between Canada and the U.S. They also discuss where negotiations may go from here, and the hard work that has to be done here at home to buffer our economy from further shocks. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Is Hollywood North in jeopardy, based on a social media post by U.S. President Donald Trump?
After musing about hitting foreign film production with a 100% tariff, there are concerns this could shut down the film industry in Canada.
Host Mike Eppel is gauging reaction from Andrew Barnsley, President of the Toronto Film School.
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Today, Prime Minister Mark Carney will make his first trip to the White House to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Tariffs, the economy, and military defense will be the key focus for Carney as he looks to set Canada on a path to negotiations to end the trade war between our countries.
This first face to face meeting between the leaders will be crucial to set the tone of the relationship for the next four years.
Will they get along? How should Carney address Trump's "51st state" comments? Could this meeting backfire? And what will Trump and Carney be able to achieve?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Jon Allen, a former Canadian Ambassador and diplomat who is now a senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
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After a stunning election loss in which Pierre Poilievre couldn’t hold on to his own seat in Parliament, what comes next for the federal Conservatives?
Will there be a push to oust Poilievre? What will the Party look for in its campaign post-mortem? Why are Conservative premiers calling out their federal counterparts?
Host David Smith speaks with two veteran conservative strategists, Jordan Paquet and Neil Brodie, to get answers on what happens next for the team in blue.
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We're dropping a timely episode of In This Economy into the weekend feed.
We now have clarity now on Canada's new government, but predictions about the state of economy going forward are murkier.
There are signs the economy is contracting, so what does that mean for you?
Host Mike Eppel speaks with Dawn Desjardins, Chief Economist at Deloitte Canada.
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Canadians could be in for a break at the grocery store for the next couple of months.
After food inflation ticked higher in March, a food economist is expecting more stability through the summer months with the next update from Statistics Canada coming on May 20th.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Stuart Smyth, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Saskatchewan about what is influencing prices - and why it's subject to change.
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Warning: this episode may be triggering for some listeners.
Friday has been declared a day of mourning in British Columbia for the victims of the Lapu-Lapu Day festival attack.
What was meant to be a celebration quickly turned to tragedy on Saturday, as nearly a dozen people were killed and dozens more injured when a suspect drove their vehicle into a crowd at a Filipino festival in Vancouver.
The man charged in the alleged attack was overseen by a mental health team and was on extended leave at the time of the incident – which is now raising questions about mental health reform.
Meantime, we are learning more about some of the victims and how members of the community are supporting one another.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with Sonia Aslam, journalist with 1130 NewsRadio and CityNews Vancouver, who has been following this story closely.
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The Liberal minority government is now officially set.
What's also now official is the deep dive into what went wrong into the campaigns of Pierre Poilievre and Jagmeet Singh, two party leaders who lost their seats on Monday night.
Between the Doug Ford fight with Poilievre and the NDP losing official party status, there are many storylines to emerge from the election.
Here to break it down with host Mark Day is Rob Snow, NewsRadio's national talk show host.
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In what's been a very upside down election campaign - the results were just as wild.
At time of writing at 2:30am, it's a Liberal minority government. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is in danger of losing his seat and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh stepped down as leader after losing his seat of Burnaby Central.
In this stripped down version of The Big Story, host David Smith stayed up really late to put together the full results for you this morning.
Much more to come on all the election storylines throughout the week.
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After 36 days, it all comes down to this.
Canada is voting for his next leader and all eyes are on the Liberals and Conservatives with a neck and neck race. It comes after a wild swing from the winter when the Conservatives had a double digit lead in the polls.
Host Richard Southern and NewsRadio's Parliament Hill Correspondent Cormac Mac Sweeney discuss the campaign and all the political events over the past year that have led to this vote.
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Owning a small or medium sized business is never easy, and this year, it's been even more challenging. The small business sector is the country's largest employer and they're facing a ton of uncertainty from tariffs and the threat of higher inflation and a potential recession.
Host Mike Eppel talks to Simon Gauldeault, Chief Economist and VP of Research for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business to get his take.
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In today’s episode of Bite Back with Abbey Sharp, I will be talking to Dr Emily Contois, an Associate Professor at the University of Tulsa specializing in how identities are formed at the vital intersection of food, the body, and ideas about health. She is the author of “Diners, Dudes, and Diets: How Gender and Power Collide in Food Media and Culture” and co-editor of “Food Instagram: Identity, Influence, and Negotiation”. Today we will be riding on the heels of the popular Netflix show Adolescence, we are exploring the very scary effect of the manosphere, incel and “red pill” subcultures on young boys. Today we’re going to chat about how the patriarchy harms not just women, but men as well. We discuss the dangerous teachings of the manosphere and leading influencers like Andrew Tate. We also talk about the pipeline that young men are finding themselves going down starting with innocuous places (ie. self improvement, dating, fitness, dieting) that lures them into incel culture. We talk in detail about the intersection between diet culture and the manosphere and the lack of body positivity movements for men. We talk about the role of bullying, social isolation, AI, p0rn, types of school, and gender roles modelled at home. I finish with a list of potential actionable tips to help you start to build emotional resilience, media literacy and tolerance to different expressions of gender to help set the stage to allow your kids to reject these manosphere ideologies.
https://bite-back-with-abbey-sharp.simplecast.com/episodes/the-shocking-pipeline-to-the-red-pill-manosphere-from-health-nutrition-content-online-with-dr-emily-contois
Be sure to check out my first episode with Emily: “Ladies eat salad, men eat steak & burgers”.
References:
https://www.everyonesinvited.uk/primary/read
https://aibm.org/research/male-suicide-data/?
https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/data.html?
https://www.bbfc.co.uk/about-us/news/children-see-pornography-as-young-as-seven-new-report-finds
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39907845/
https://cyberbullying.org/cyberbullying-continues-to-rise-among-youth-in-the-united-states-2023?
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2536330/netflix-drama-adolescence-prompts-anti-misogyny-curriculum-shift-in-uk-schools
https://unpluggedcanada.com/
Check in with today’s amazing guest: Dr Emily Contois, Associate Professor at the University of Tulsa.
Follow at @emilycontois
Website: www.emilycontois.com
Books: - Diners Dudes and Diets
- Food Instagram
Disclaimer: The content in this episode is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is never a substitute for medical advice. If you’re struggling with with your mental or physical health, please work one on one with a health care provider.
If you have heard yourself in our discussion today, and are looking for support, contact the free NEDIC helpline at 1-866-NEDIC-20 or go to eatingdisorderhope.com.
🥤 Check out my 2-in-1 Plant Based Probiotic Protein Powder, neue theory at www.neuetheory.com or @neuetheory and use my promo code BITEBACK20 to get 20% off your order!
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The federal election....from the "fringe".
Most voters are familiar with the major national parties running in this election, such as the Liberals, Conservatives, NDP, & Greens.
But there are actually 16 registered political parties looking for your vote.
Some of them are known as fringe parties, while others are upstarts, hoping to make an impact down the road.
Today on The Big Story, we're shining a light on some of the lesser known parties in this campaign, and letting them have their voice heard as the country goes through the democratic process.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with the Leaders of the Animal Protection Party, the Canadian Future Party, the Communist Party, and the Marijuana Party.
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Elections Canada saw a record-breaking 2 million people cast their ballot on the first day of advanced voting for the federal election, resulting in a grand total of more than 7.3 million over the four day period. And as Canada enters the final stretch of campaigning in one of the most critical elections of our time, what can these preliminary numbers tell us about what's to come? Which party could benefit the most from those who vote early? And will we see this sort of momentum on April 28?Host Maria Kestane talks to John Beebe, Founder and Director of the Democratic Engagement Exchange for Toronto Metropolitan University about whose voice will be heard the most among these numbers and what it means for the future of Canada's civic engagement. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Pope Francis has passed away at the age of 88, leaving behind a legacy of breaking ground in the vatican and his attempts to modernize the Catholic church. Francis also left a lasting impact on Canada, with a 2022 trip to apologize for the church's role in the residential school system.Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Emma Anderson, a professor of religious studies at the University of Ottawa, about the tenure of Francis, what comes next in the process to pick a new pope, and could a Canadian be in the running? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
It’s been hotly debated by scholars and advocates for decades: do we need to change the way we elect governments in this country?
On April 28th, there will be 91 candidates on the ballot in the riding of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. It will be the longest ballot in Canadian election history.
Of 91 candidates, 85 are independent protest candidates from the Longest Ballot Committee, a group raising awareness about electoral reform.
Host David Smith speaks with one of those candidates, Blake Hamilton, about what the group hopes to accomplish with this move.
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One week from today Canadians will cast their ballots to pick their next government, in what has been described as an existential election amid U.S. President Trump's trade and sovereignty threats.
As we enter the final stretch of the campaign, parties are shifting their strategies to ensure they get supporters to the polls and secure every vote they can. What can we expect from the parties in these final days, can we see a major shift in the polls and could leaders lose their jobs?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney is breaking it down with Lori Williams of Mount Royal University.
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It used to be a social no-no, but Canadians now seem to find themselves diving head-first in political engagement, dialogue, and awareness, all in the wake of what's perceived to be one of the most critical federal elections of our lifetime.Just three months ago, however, Canadians were at odds with each other over who they wanted the face of their country to be, what name they wanted the flag to be associated with, and the type of Canada they wanted moving forward.How do we navigate this new patriotic momentum while still meeting the moment on deciding what's best for our future according to the morals we hold so close to ourselves? How do we turn to our neighbours, family, loved ones to push for a stronger Canada all while seeking out different qualities in who we want and need out of a leader?Host Maria Kestane speaks to Justin Ling, journalist and author of the Chaos Campaign newsletter, to discuss what's driving Canadians to the ballot box and how we're engaging in a refined era of political polarization amid threats to our sovereignty and personal safety.You can check out Justin's newsletter here: https://www.bugeyedandshameless.com/s/chaos-campaign. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
This week, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre re-ignited debate about Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Poilievre is pledging to use the Notwithstanding Clause to bring in justice reforms, including reviving Harper-era consecutive life sentences that were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Host David Smith speaks with constitutional law expert Professor Eric Adams from the University of Alberta about why this section of the Canadian constitution is so controversial. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
To burner phone or not to burner phone? The current debate on social media amid heightened searches of personal electronic devices by US immigration officers. Combined with new requirements for Canadians travelling to the US, such as mandatory registration with the American government for a 30+ day stay, as well as frightening headlines of travelers being detained at the border - Canadians are rightfully turned off from the US. But for those who don't have the choice to opt out of travel, what can they expect, and are they safe?Host Maria Kestane speaks to Frédéric Dimanche, Director and Professor of the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism, about what the current climate of Canada-US travel safety looks like, and what Canadians should expect when - or if - they head south. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Canada is less than two weeks away from its 45th Federal Election, and whether it's going to be your first time voting, or you've spun the block before, The Big Story is getting down to the basics. Where can you vote? What do you need to bring? Who's eligible? What if you don't have a voter information card?Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks to Dianne Benson with Elections Canada to get the answers you need before the ballot box question on April 28. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
With so much attention on Donald Trump and the trade war, it’s easy to forget about the other crisis facing Canada today: Housing affordability. All three major federal parties are pledging billions of dollars in their housing platforms. But are these plans ambitious enough to meet the moment? A group of industry associations and advocacy organizations have come together to form the Canada Housing Coalition. They have a blueprint for the next federal government’s housing policy. For whoever ends up as Canada’s next Prime Minister, solving the housing crisis will be a monumental task. Host David Smith speaks with Tim Richter, CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, about what’s at stake in this election for Canadians dreaming of an affordable place to call home. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
It's the latest among the vast plethora of parenting styles: Gentle Parenting...but just how gentle is it? And for whom?The US General Surgeon has issued public health advisory on the impact of modern stresses on parents' mental health, listing six factors it says contributes to parent/caregiver burnout. They include financial strain, time demands, children’s health & safety, loneliness & isolation, technology& social media, and cultural pressures.Host Pooja Handa speaks to Dr. Shimi Kang, Psychiatrist and Best-Selling Author of the parenting book, 'The Dolphin Parent', about the current struggles today's parents are facing, and what they can do to find the balance between raising emotionally regulated, well-rounded children.You can learn more about Dr. Kang at the following links: https://www.drshimikang.com www.futurereadyminds.com We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Alex Ovechkin's recent achievement of surpassing Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record with his 895th goal on April 6 has been met with both celebration and controversy. While fans and the hockey community lauded his on-ice accomplishment, his longstanding support for Russian President Vladimir Putin has reignited criticism, especially in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Guardian contributor, Colin Horgan, about how fans are welcoming the achievement, as well as feeling unsettled amid its troublesome backdrop. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
After an epic meltdown around the world, wiping away 10 trillion dollars in value, the S&P/TSX saw its best day in 5 years.The Nasdaq had its best day in 24 years.But does it matter if you're not invested?Host Kris McCusker speaks to Philip Petursson, Chief Investment Strategist at I.G Wealth Management about how and why it does matter - and why things could soon get better. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Ottawa is one year into its two-year temporary international student visa cap project, and post-secondary institutions across the country are heavily feeling the effects of a limited international tuition profit margin. Former Immigrations, Refugee and Citizenship Minister, Marc Miller, introduced the program of January 2024 which hopes of tightening up any immigration loopholes found within the student visa guidelines, as well as to alleviate housing and healthcare pressures brought on by the influx of students. But halfway through the plan, and cuts to dozens of programs and campuses are now starting to paint a clearer picture of what may be to come.Host Maria Kestane speaks to Gina Lorentz, Professor and Coordinator for Fanshawe College’s Multimedia Journalism program and President of the Radio-Television Digital News Foundation for Canada, about what things are looking for students across the province and where the future of local journalism could potentially go from here. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
When you hear about separatism in Canada, you may immediately think of Quebec. But in recent years, a growing separatist movement in Western Canada has emerged as a possible threat to national unity.With provincial governments in Alberta and Saskatchewan increasingly at odds with the federal government in Ottawa, is the future of confederation on the ballot in this election? Host David Smith speaks with Jon Roe from the Angus Reid Institute about the latest public opinion research on separatism in different regions of the country. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Once a favoured travel hotspot for Canadians looking to escape the cold or stock up on American-only goodies, now stands as a no-go zone for many travellers north of the border amid annexation threats and unwarranted tariffs from US President Donald Trump. New data shows a downtrend for Canadians heading south of the border for leisure trips for this travel season compared to previous years, but what exactly do the numbers mean and will the trend continue to head south (instead of Canadians) for years to come?Host Gurdeep Ahluwalia speaks with Head of Public Relations and Communications for Flight Centre Travel Group Canada, Amra Durakovic, about where things stand between two countries once known for their close travel ties as their dwindling relationship continues on the downward spiral. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
US President Donald Trump dubbed it 'Liberation Day', and it seemed like numbers across the North American stock market took the word 'liberate' and headed south. Besides the historic plunging of some of Wall Street's benchmarks as a result of the Trump's latest tariff announcement on April 2, his long-term goal of a stronger America seems more farther in the distance than he might've originally projected. But what exactly did he project? And was there any sort of input from the big players he's now backing into a corner to make his domestic-grown dreams come true?Host Mike Eppel speaks to Chief Deputy Economist at Desjardins, Randall Bartlett to make sense of the numbers. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
It has become our unofficial Canadian battle cry: ELBOWS UP! As we face trade tensions and threats from the U.S president about making our nation their 51st state, many Canadians are standing together in a show of strength, solidarity and resilience. Thousands are turning up at rallies across the country, organized by 'Elbows Up, Canada!', a grassroots, non-partisan movement. Host Melanie Ng speaks with one of the organizers, Peter Wall about how it all got started - and how Canadians are connecting and reflecting. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Newsrooms, dinner tables and just about everyone in between woke up on the edge of their seats the morning of April 2 - the day US President Donald Trump dubbed 'liberation day' - but heading to bed, it was more of an uneasy feeling of 'now what?'. A few days later as the dust has started to settle, the confusion and ambiguity, however, has not. Although Canada was not on Trump's exhaustive reciprocal tariff list, 25% tariffs on foreign-made vehicles exported to America did apply to Canadian cars. Prime Minister Mark Carney struck back with 25% retaliatory tariffs on foreign-made vehicles imported to Canada, but the lines remained blurred with the Canada-US trade future.What tariffs are in place, what aren't, how many jobs are on the line, how much more expensive will cars be, and whose economy will be feeling the effects the worst? Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Principal Economist with the Conference Board of Canada, Richard Forbes gets to the bottom of Trump's latest tariff announcement. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
A disturbing resurgence of ICE horror stories are taking centre stage on social media - this Trump term, however, some recounts are now being told from Canadian voices. Regardless of documentation or criminal history, it seems no one is safe from the cold floors and foil blankets that personify the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement experience. Host Maria Kestane speaks with Jasmine Mooney on her chilling experience behind several sets of bars in several ICE detention facilities, and how a never-ending chain of 'I don't knows' painted a stark image of just how blurred the American immigration lines are. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Ahead of the announcement on reciprocal tariffs today, the Trump Administration is looking to move on from so called Signalgate – after war plans were shared on the commercial messaging app.It really raised eyebrows because a reporter, not just any reporter, but the Editor in Chief of the Atlantic, was added to the chat – likely by accident?It was seen as a gaffe by some while others wonder if it was intentional.Either way – there’s a lot more to the story.Host Kris McCusker speaks to Christian Leuprecht, Professor and Security Expert at Royal Military College, Queen's University. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Federal Conservative Party Leader, Pierre Poilievre, was positioned for a landslide win over the federal liberals, but incomes a new rival leader, and voters seem to have no problem moving the pendulum - and fast! Recent leaks from inside the campaign paint a chaotic picture for the federal tories just one month out from when Canadians head to the polls, and with the unpredictability of a diminishing Canada-US relationship, the concerns that shape the big ballot question come April 28 no longer mirror what they used to be just a few weeks ago.Host David Smith speaks to CEO of Abacus Data, David Coletto, about what's driving the pre-polling tank for a party once destined for victory, as well as what's grabbing the attention of Canadian voters in a time of economic despair, a pending North American trade war, and a sudden burst of Canadian patriotism. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
What were once positioned as the four stripes that were recognizable by Canadians worldwide now sparingly lace abandoned shelves across the country dressed with 'clearance' tags.The Hudson's Bay Company has begun the process of liquidating all but six stores Canada-wide, with those remaining - three in Ontario and three in Quebec - still very much up for grabs if the company doesn't present a comprehensive restructuring plan moving forward. But the question on many people's minds still remains: how did Canada's oldest company fall into the hands of creditor protection? A name once emblematic of Canadian retail, history and culture, now grasping onto whatever capital (and hope) it can to sustain a presence in an online-dominated retail landscape.Host Gurdeep Ahluwalia speaks with retail expert, Gary Newbury, about what lead to the slow burn of the Hudson's Bay Company, and if the writing was on the wall-post pandemic for the fate of the country's first company. The two discuss what the next months could look like for HBC, and what notes other retailers should be taking if they aren't interested in falling next in line.We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:
Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca
Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Foreign election interference is back in the news after week one of the federal election campaign.Questions about foreign interference followed both Pierre Poilievre and Mark Carney on the campaign trail this week. Poilievre again defended his refusal to obtain security clearance, while Carney was pressed to explain why the Liberals dropped a candidate with ties to the Indian government. Host David Smith speaks with University Ottawa criminology professor Michael Kempa about the latest developments and how foreign interference may play a role in this election race. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
The federal election is several days in and it’s already been a wild ride.
This vote has been framed as an existential election for our country, amid the trade war and sovereignty threats from the US.
While President Trump’s tariffs are having a massive impact on the campaign there are also many policy promises, questions around security clearance and business dealings, and gaffes from some of the leaders.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney is checking the pulse of the race to form the next federal government , by speaking with Lori Williams, a political scientist at Mount Royal University.
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It’s been a busy first week on the campaign trail for federal leaders.
One storyline that's stood out is the early election poll tracking. All the major polling firms are showing a huge surge in support for the Liberal Party under new leader Mark Carney.
But how full a picture do the polls show?
Host David Smith speaks with Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs, about what goes into a modern election poll.
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We’ve all heard how social media can have a negative impact, but unfortunately putting your phone down can be a tricky task.
New research out of the University of British Columbia shows there’s a way to manage your mental health while staying up to date on your favourite apps.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with lead study author and psychology professor at UBC, Amori Mikami, about their findings.
More info: pearl.psych.ubc.ca
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Tesla is in a tailspin.
Sales are dropping and the stock has been cut in half since December, blamed on Elon Musk's involvement with DOGE in the U.S.
There have been incidents of vandalism against Tesla dealerships and on top of that, the automaker is facing ramped up competition from a Chinese company that's dramatically decreased charging time.
Host Mike Eppel talks to Seth Goldstein, Equity Strategist at Morningstar Research Services, who covers Tesla and many other brands in the auto sector.
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Getting concert tickets is harder than it used to be – and it means many Canadians have been shut out or forced to pay much higher prices with a reseller.
Is this ever going to change? What needs to happen?
Host Kris McCusker took those questions to Dan Wall of Live Nation Inc., which merged with Ticketmaster in 2010.
It is Wall’s first an in-depth feature interview on the subject since he joined the company in 2023.
He describes a complicated landscape – but says there are some options – while a court case in the U.S is scheduled to proceed.
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Live TV is often unpredictable, but at least the team behind the scenes is ready. However, this week, the ultimate surprise was pulled off — morning show legend, Dina Pugliese, shocked everyone by announcing her return to Breakfast Television, two years after stepping away from the spotlight.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with her long-time colleague and friend, Dina, tackling topics she’s never talked about before.
From burnout to family health, social media criticism to what makes her tick, nothing is off the table. This episode is a rollercoaster of emotions - with laughter and tears within the first few minutes.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney is almost through his first week of Prime Minister. So, how's it going?
He's already completed an international trip, had some interesting dealings with the media and is expected to call an election as soon as this weekend.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney is rating the first week with Barry McLoughlin, President, TLC Transformational Leadership Consultants Inc.
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Is Doug Ford Canada's most unlikely diplomat?
Doug Ford travelled to Washington last week to talk tariffs, after threatening to impose tariffs on energy or even turn off power to 3 U.S. states.
Although the temperature has been dialed down, Queen's Park reporter Richard Southern talks to pollster John Wright about Ford's actions last week and how this all ties in to the upcoming federal election.
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Imagine being so famous that there are university courses studying your every move!
Taylor Swift will be the subject of course being taught at Brock University this spring – by Associate Professor of history Elizabeth Vlossak.
Host Kris McCusker examines how the course was created – what it’s all about – and why it’s more relevant than you might think.
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Spring is usually the hottest time of year for car sales.
But with Trump’s tariffs affecting aluminum, steel and auto parts, this year could be different.
If tariffs on cars come into force on April 2nd as scheduled, there are fears it could upend the automotive supply chain.
Host David Smith speaks with automotive specialist Tim Dimopoulos, publisher of Automotive News Canada, about what it all means for Canadian consumers.
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Trying to run a business in this economy is anything but easy. Uncertainty, unease and pressure from so many different factors are creating a very difficult situation for Canadian operators.
Host Mike Eppel speaks with Mike Tzimas, president of the Napoleon Group of Companies about the current situation, the impact on tariffs, and how difficult it is to be a Canadian business operator in this climate.
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For a longer weekend listen, we're going back in the archives from November to talk about an issue that's back in the headlines - NATO, and the U.S. concerns that Canada is not paying its fair share.
Host David Smith talks to Richard Shimooka, a defence policy expert and a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
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Punctuality – its definition and importance really depend on who you speak to.
A recent study out of the UK shows a generational divide when it comes to tardiness and how it could be perceived by those around us.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with peak performance coach and best-selling author, Hina Khan @coachwithhina, about a number of scenarios and why there is a sweet spot when it comes to how you show up both professionally and socially.
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U.S. President Donald Trump has taken the next step in its tariff battle with the world, placing a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum products from Canada and all other countries.
There was even a brief scare that the U.S. would double the tariff on Canada, before cooler heads prevailed
But what impact will these tariffs have on the industry? Are the federal government counter measures enough, and what more do the feds need to do to support businesses and workers who will be hit hard by this move?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Catherine Cobden, President and CEO of the Canadian Steel Producers Association to get her thoughts.
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We're going to have a new Prime Minister this week, with no shortage of issues for Mark Carney to face.
After Carney won a decisive victory in the Liberal Party leadership race on the weekend, it's expected he will be calling a federal election shortly.
What will be the keys to success for the renewed Liberal Party as it faces off against Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives?
Host David Smith speaks with liberal strategist Nick McRoberts from Hill & Knowlton about the path ahead in this new era of Canadian politics.
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It was 5 years ago today the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic because of the novel coronavirus.
It marked the start of a very different way of life, disrupting almost every part of our society, including our concept of time.
What have we learned from that fateful day 5 years ago, and what has been the impact on society and on public health?
Host Gurdeep Ahluwalia speaks with Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch, @BogochIsaac, about his recollections and thoughts on how we changed as a society because of Covid-19.
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After nine years in power, Justin Trudeau’s time as Prime Minister is over. Mark Carney was voted Liberal leader Sunday, in what was a landslide victory.
As one of Canada’s longest serving Prime Ministers, Trudeau’s time in office was marked by major global events, policy changes, and a fair share of political scandals.
How will Canadians remember Justin Trudeau?
Host David Smith speaks with Jon Roe, Research Associate with the Angus Reid Institute, about the latest public opinion research on Trudeau’s legacy, a day after the new Liberal leader was named.
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It's been another week of uncertainty for the financial markets. With back and forth announcements on tariffs happening this week, it's been next to impossible to gauge what will happen next.
Host Mike Eppel is trying to make sense of it with Avery Shenfeld, Chief Economist at C-I-B-C.
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Check in with today’s amazing guest Dr Andrea Love:
Instagram: @dr.andrealove
X: @dr_andrealove
Website: www.immunologic.org
References:
https://www.npr.org/2021/05/13/996570855/disinformation-dozen-test-facebooks-twitters-ability-to-curb-vaccine-hoaxes
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/11/15/rfk-jr-views-conspiracies-false-claims/
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2275444
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa021134
https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/03/health/rfk-jr-fluoride-science/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/13/politics/robert-kennedy-jr-chemicals-water-children-frogs/index.html
https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/media/releases/2012/p0221_raw_milk_outbreak.html
https://www.pgpf.org/article/how-does-the-us-healthcare-system-compare-to-other-countries/
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/insur202305_1.pdf
https://nchstats.com/million-americans-are-still-uninsured/
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics
https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2020/may/mental-health-conditions-substance-use-comparing-us-other-countries
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/27/1-in-8-us-households-struggle-with-hunger-food-insecurity-usda.html
https://apps.urban.org/features/wealth-inequality-charts/
https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/01/09/trends-in-income-and-wealth-inequality/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4866586/
https://aflcio.org/what-unions-do/social-economic-justice/minimum-wage from this report https://www.cbo.gov/publication/55410
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7144438/
https://ergobaby.com/blog/post/paid-family-leave-in-us?srsltid=AfmBOoqrin9Wgq0MX0fQN5uMFCNfH0fEimq0A3eiZeBmsnD8MPRL3vPu
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/27/maternity-paid-leave-women-work-childbirth-us
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7367791/#:~:text=Using%20an%20event%20study%20design,adoption%20of%20paid%20maternity%20leave. https://publichealthreviews.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40985-017-0067-2
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5137920/#:~:text=Diseases%20whose%20development%20has%20been,as%20depression%20and%20anxiety%20disorders
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8725649/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2732004/
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After more than 9 years leading the country, Justin Trudeau’s time in office is down to days.
On Sunday the party will count the votes and announce a new Liberal leader, who will become the next Prime Minister when they are sworn in.
Which of the four candidates will win, could there be a surprise finish, how will the transition of power work, and will this spark a snap federal election?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Greg MacEachern, a principal at KAN Strategies to find out.
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The word of the week: tariffs.
In what's been a confusing back and forth whether or not the tariffs against Canadian goods were on, we learned there was a last minute reprieve on tariffs in the auto sector.
The issue has been in the news headlines for months, and now that it's here, what is the fallout?
An expert says this situation is definitely unusual – and it’s not over yet.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Joy Nott is Partner, National Tax, Trade and Customs at KPMG Canada.
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It’s a preventable crisis – that’s the message from many public health officials when describing the recent measles outbreaks in parts of Canada and the United States.
The highly contagious viral infection was considered eliminated in 1998 in Canada and in 2000 in the U.S., but a number of factors have contributed to its recent resurgence.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with Sabina Vohra-Miller, @unambiguousscience, a Doctor of Public Health candidate and expert in clinical pharmacology and toxicology, about the mis/disinformation surrounding vaccinations and why this could be just the beginning.
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It’s been months since the federal government announced a $1.3 billion border security package in response to the Trump tariff threat.
But the President continues to attack Canada over what he claims is the flow of drugs and illegal immigration into the U.S., leading to the tariffs, which are now in effect.
Is the government doing enough to address illegal activity at the border? How big is the actual problem?
Host David Smith speaks with Christian Leuprecht, an expert on security and international crime and distinguished professor at the Royal Military College of Canada, about Canada’s border and what will happen next.
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The Trudeau government has signed its first provincial deal to implement the first stage of its national pharmacare plan.
The agreement with Manitoba comes just weeks before a possible federal election campaign, and amid threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to slap tariffs on pharmaceuticals.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with federal Health Minister Mark Holland about whether or not more pharma deals can be signed before Canadians head to the polls, will the program survive after an election, and whether Canadians should brace for higher drug costs amid a possible trade war.
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Doctors in Canada can’t move between provinces to practice medicine without going through cumbersome licensing requirements and a sea of government red tape.
It’s one of the many inter-provincial trade barriers in focus because of the threat of US tariffs.
The Canadian Medical Association says it's time to do away with this antiquated way of licensing doctors and make it one national system that covers all provinces and territories.
Host David Smith speaks with Dr. Joss Reimer, President of the Canadian Medical Association.
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The four candidates in the Liberal leadership race are on the last leg of the campaign after going head to head in French and English debates earlier this week.
The March 9th leadership date is fast approaching. It comes as the country sees a dramatic shift in voter support, with the Liberals vaulting ahead of the Conservatives for the first time in years.
So did the debate move the needle of support, what are the candidates doing in these final days of the campaign, and will this surge in Liberal support last?
To answer those questions, host Cormac Mac Sweeney is joined by Dan Arnold, Chief Strategy Officer at Pollara, and formerly a pollster for the prime minister and head of research and advertising at the PMO.
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It’s less than a week to go before U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to put a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods. After that happens, the Government of Canada will respond with tariffs of our own, and everything on which those tariffs apply will get more expensive.
The fears are very real. There are concerns Canada will enter a recession, that the Canadian dollar will take a hit, and that hundreds of thousands of jobs could be on the line.
Host David Smith speaks with University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe about what it could mean for you and for the economy.
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The Government of British Columbia is overhauling its safer supply drug policy so that drug users will have to take their prescription opioids under the supervision of a pharmacist or health provider.
The change comes after public outcry over mounting evidence of “diversion”, the practice of selling or trading government-provided drugs on the black market.
This is the latest move from the David Eby government to backtrack on its drug policies, which have come under heavy scrutiny and political attack as overdose deaths continue to increase.
Host David Smith speaks with Simon Fraser University addictions expert, Dr. Julian Somers, about what B.C. got wrong and whether safer supply programs have a future in Canada.
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Canada is the only G-7 nation without a high speed rail line, but that might be about to change.
Our federal government has unveiled plans for an ambitious project, which would link Toronto and Quebec City.
But will it happen?
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Lavagnon Ika, Professor of Project Management at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa, about the potential challenges and the likelihood the project gets done.
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You want to save for your retirement - but where do you find the money?
Head's up - the RRSP deadline is coming up on March 3, 2025.
Host Mike Eppel is talking to an expert on why it's imperative to start saving for your retirement and how to make it less stressful.
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U.S. President Donald Trump has a plan to end the war in Ukraine. It's basically, cut off support, and capitulate to Vladimir Putin.
It has been three years since Russia’s illegal invasion. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have died defending their country.
This week, the Trump administration cancelled future aid for Ukraine and set up peace talks with Russia that excluded Ukrainian officials.
Host David Smith speaks with Russia expert Marcus Kolga about what will happen next at this critical juncture in the conflict.
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The videos and images of recent airplane crashes are hard to shake.
For some, it has ignited a fear of flying – but is it warranted?
The statistics say one thing, but our minds say another. So what can we do?
Host Melanie Ng speaks with Dr. Ian Shulman, Psychologist and Clinical Director at Shift Cognitive Therapy - where even her subconscious kicks in, making an error right at the beginning of the episode, contrary to her notes!
You can learn more about Dr. Shulman at https://shiftct.com/.
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It’s been an unusually bad start to 2025 for air travel accidents.
Monday’s crash at Pearson International Airport that saw a Delta airlines flight come to rest upside down has a lot of people wondering: is commercial air travel safe?
Host David Smith gets answers from aviation expert John Gradek with McGill University.
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There is a crisis facing Canada’s post-secondary education sector that no one is talking about.
Now that the federal government has slashed the number of international student permits available in Canada, colleges and universities from coast to coast are facing huge budget shortfalls.
Several of Canada’s best schools are cutting programs and laying off staff just to stay afloat.
These institutions have no choice but to take drastic measures, or risk going bankrupt.
Host David Smith speaks with Elizabeth Buckner, Associate Professor of Higher Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, about what’s at stake if things don’t change.
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On this special edition of the Big Story, we're shining a light on cold cases across Canada. The podcast, Tracking a Killer: the Cold Case files is hosted by Fil Martino and Madison Fitzpatrick. They recently released season 3 of the show so we're teaming up to try to help families find not only justice, but peace.
21-year-old Patrick Santos’ body was found in the backyard of his father’s Scarborough, Ontario home on September 17, 2006. His hands and feet were bound and tape was wrapped around his head. Police say he had been beaten and suffocated. His mother is looking for answers all these years later and still seeks justice for her son.
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The "buy Canada" movement remains strong in the wake of tariffs levied against Canada, with more being tariffs reportedly on the way.
So how far would you go to buy Canadian?
Host Mike Eppel speaks to retail analyst Bruce Winder about economic show of patriotism and whether or not it's sustainable in this economy.
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It sounds duller than watching paint dry, but an issue called "supply management" is one of the key factors in Donald Trump's tariff decision.
Trump has criticized Canada’s protected agriculture industries for years, and now he’s been pointing to supply management in the dairy sector as one of the reasons for his tariff threats.
What is the decades-old policy that manages how much dairy product is produced in Canada? And why does Trump care about it?
Host David Smith gets a lesson in agriculture production and trade policy from The Food Professor, Sylvain Charlebois, Director of the Agrifood Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.
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President Trump's threats of massive tariffs on Canadian goods has sparked a lot of fear about what a trade war would mean for our country.
Economists predict that the 25% tariffs on our goods would plunge the country into recession by the summer, but some communities will be hit harder than others.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has now compiled a list of 41 cities across the country and rated just how vulnerable or cushioned they may be to tariffs from the U.S.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Matthew Holmes, Executive Vice President and Chief of Public Policy at the Chamber about which cities will be hit hardest and which ones may fare better than others.
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A month ago, the federal Liberals were in the basement of Canadian politics, trailing the Conservatives by close to 30% in public opinion polls.
But a month is a long time in politics, and the fortunes for the Liberal party have seen a stunning reversal in a short amount of time.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Mount Royal University Political Scientist Duane Bratt, about how the Trump effect is having an impact on Canadian politics, how the Conservatives are pivoting to try and maintain their lead, and what this may mean for the timing of the next federal election.
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In the face of a possible trade war, Canadians are increasingly supportive of plans to reduce our reliance on the U.S. as a trading partner.
That includes politically sensitive industries, like oil and gas and politically sensitive projects like pipelines.
New national polling shows Canadians are increasingly open to reviving pipeline projects that were abandoned in the late-2010s. Yes, even in Quebec.
But what about the environment and other concerns?
Host David Smith speaks with Jon Roe, research associate with the Angus Reid Institute, about this latest shift in public opinion in response to the U.S. tariff threat.
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We're seeing a rise in Canadian pride generally only seen during the Olympics.
The ‘Buy Canadian’ movement continues to gather steam – brought on by the threat of U.S. tariffs.
Host Kris McCusker spoke to Dr. Joanne McNeish, Associate Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, about how the trend happened and why you need to be diligent when read when reading product labels.
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Jeanne Beker's name is synonymous with all things fabulous and fashionable.
But the last few years have brought in a different focus.
Today, the author and TV personality has a new role that's far away from her glamorous life in fashion and entertainment:
breast cancer survivor and patient advocate.
Host Fil Martino speaks to Jeanne Beker about her journey and her outlook on the other side of her breast cancer battle.
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Is anything making sense anymore in this economy?
Between the ping-ponging markets, the on and off tariffs and the latest economic data, the week's been far from boring.
To make sense of it all, host Mike Eppel speaks with Pedro Antunes, Chief Economist at the Conference Board of Canada.
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Work, home. Work, home.
For many, days go back and forth like a ping pong match. That’s why when we have the reprieve of something outside the cycle, like a regular coffee meet-up or a book club at a neighbour’s house, things just feel better.
We transport to a place where we can relax and be ourselves. However, the importance of this physical space to our well-being is often underestimated.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with Roxanne Francis, a psychotherapist, coach and consultant, about the importance of having a ‘third place’ and why our happiness depends on it.
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WARNING: This episode discusses addition and thoughts of suicide. Please take care.
Going out for a beer, glass of wine, or cocktail? Experts are increasingly raising the alarm about the health impacts of alcohol, and calling for more government action to alert the public.
One Senator in Canada is leading the charge for change, introducing two pieces of legislation that aim to treat alcoholic beverages the same as tobacco products, with warning labels and advertising bans.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Senator Patrick Brazeau about his personal struggles with alcohol, his attempt to change federal rules, and whether the Trudeau government has shown any interest in cracking down.
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After a wild few days, the U.S. tariffs are on pause. Canada has avoided the measures, for now, but the threat still hangs over the country.
The uncertainty has residents in Canada’s border cities on edge. In communities where thousands of people cross the Canada-US border to go to work each day, a trade war could mean economic devastation.
In response to the crisis, mayors of border communities from coast to coast have come together to form the Border Mayors Alliance.
Host David Smith speaks with Windsor, Ontario Mayor Drew Dilkens, Chair of the Border Mayors Alliance, about how the situation is already impacting people who live along the 49th parallel.
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In an extraordinary turn of events, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced late Monday that the U.S would be delaying tariffs against Canada for 30 days.
The move from President Donald Trump comes after the Government of Canada committed an additional $200 million to fighting drug trafficking at the Canada-US border.
Why did Trump change his mind at the last minute?
Host David Smith speaks with political strategist Kate Harrison, Vice-Chair of Summa Strategies, about the politics surrounding Trump’s tariff threats and what may come next.
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*UPDATE*
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said proposed tariffs on Canadian goods will be paused for 30 days after he spoke with President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon.
In a social media post, Trudeau said he outline Canada’s $1.3 billion border plan and also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl.
The Big Story will be covering the latest developments in the weeks to come.
==========================
President Donald Trump has followed through on his threats.
Tariffs against Canadian goods imported to the US will begin at 12:01pm on February 4th.
Host David Smith breaks down what we know – and still don’t know – about this trade war with America.
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Heading the polls for the very first time after becoming the age of majority used to be a badge of honour that Canadian youth would wear proudly – but has democracy gone out of style?
Youth voter turnout has dropped about 7% since the snap election that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called in 2021 from the 2019 federal election, after another drop since the 2015 election.
Are youth no longer interested in civic engagement or is this current digital era causing a lack of trust in Canada's democratic processes, and therefore keeping young folks from the polls?
Host Maria Kestane talks to Executive Director of "Apathy is Boring", Samantha Reush, about why Gen Z feels disconnected from the ballot box, and how their approach to democracy will shape the future of Canadian politics to come.
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After months of speculation, Doug Ford has sent Ontarians to the polls early.
The election campaign officially kicked off this week, with party leaders making their pitches to voters.
Why now? What’s it got to do with Donald Trump? And U.S. Tariffs?
Host David Smith speaks with two Ontario political insiders: Andrew Brander from Crestview Strategy, who was an advisor to the Ford Government, and Lindsay Maskell, a Liberal strategist and former advisor to Premier Dalton McGuinty.
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From door knocks to landline calls, online clicks to AI, someone always wants to know what you think.
With election season on the minds of Ontarians and Canadians, are your opinions accurately being reflected in the public opinion polls you see splashed all over the headlines?
Host Melanie Ng speaks with veteran pollster, political strategist and consultant, John Wright to talk methodology and why these polls aren’t going anywhere.
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DeepSeek took the stock market by storm this week, with the Chinese start-up causing a huge market meltdown on Monday.
It has huge implications for the world of A.I, but what does it mean for Canada?
Host Kris McCusker does a deep dive on the Chinese-based app with Graham Dobbs, Senior Economist, The Dais, at Toronto Metropolitan University.
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The Liberal leadership race lost a candidate over the weekend.
Ottawa MP Chandra Arya has been kicked out of the race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader and as Prime Minister, however the party is keeping mum on the reasons for denying Arya a chance to be a candidate in this campaign.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney examines the move with Greg MacEachern of KAN Strategies, as well as membership challenges for the party, the endorsement battle, the Trump effect, and the possibility the new leader launches an election shortly after they take the helm.
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It can be found in some of your favourite candies, baked goods and beverages: red dye no. 3.
The FDA has recently banned the synthetic dye from food (by 2027) and oral medication (by 2028) in the United States, but Health Canada says they won’t be following suit. So what’s the real danger behind this colour additive compared to others we ingest?
Host Melanie Ng takes a deep dive into the research with Dr. Emma Allen-Vercoe, Professor and Canada Research Chair with the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Guelph.
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If you weren't sure what was going to happen with interest rates with the new U.S. administration in place, you're not alone.
We're just days ahead from the first policy announcement from the Bank of Canada and it's to be interesting to see where it goes.
Host Mike Eppel speaks with Royce Mendes, Managing Director and head of Macrostrategy at Desjardins Capital Markets.
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Donald Trump wants to ‘Make America First in AI’. He has announced a $500 billion deal with Silicon Valley to accelerate AI development in America.
At stake in this technological arms race? Human rights, national security and the rules-based global world order.
What’s Trump’s agenda?
Host David Smith speaks with Don Lenihan, an expert on how digital technology shapes society and governments, about how artificial intelligence is poised to shape Trump’s second term.
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It's only been 5 days since Donald Trump has been president, but you'd be right to feel like we've been through many news cycles since then and dozens of headlines.
The governing Liberals, while dealing with its own leadership race and pressures to dissolve Parliament, are working through the very real threats of the U.S. government about tariffs and becoming the 51st state.
To make sense of what the government is doing and feeling about week 1 of the new Trump era, host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada, François-Philippe Champagne.
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The United States banned TikTok. But Donald Trump says it can still operate in America, for now.
The Executive Order that Trump signed on his first day in office only protects TikTok for 75 days.
170-million users, billions of dollars and U.S. national security are at stake.
What happens next?
Host David Smith is joined by tech analyst and journalist Carmi Levy to break down what we know, and don’t know, about the TikTok ban.
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Donald Trump has been sworn in as U.S. president for a second time – but this term is likely to look different than the first one.
Especially if the inauguration speech is any indication.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Wayne Petrozzi, Professor Emeritus, department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University about how Trump could change the game in the next four years – and how Canada and Canadians should prepare.
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Donald Trump has been inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States. But he chose not to follow through on his threat of tariffs on Canadian imports on his first day in office.
What does that mean? And what happens next? Do we still need to worry?
Host David Smith speaks with Xavier Delgado, expert on the Canada-US relationship and Senior Associate at the Woodrow Wilson Centre’s Canada Institute in Washington, D.C..
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The two frontrunners vying to replace Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader have officially launched their campaigns.
Both Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland’s launch events could have gone better. Carney’s inexperience on the political stage showed in Edmonton, while Freeland was the target of protestors in Toronto.
Host David Smith breaks down how the two candidates performed, and what the keys to success will be for their respective campaigns.
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It's a real tipping point for electric vehicles. Although the feds have a goal of having 100% zero emission vehicles on the road by 2035, there are major challenges.
In the second part of a weekend series on electric vehicles, host Mike Eppel speaks to David Adams, President and C-E-O of Global Automakers of Canada about the future of EVs.
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A group of auto sector groups came together in Ottawa this week to call on the Trudeau government to scrap its plan to mandate electric vehicle sales quotas starting next year.
With Parliament prorogued, and an election on the horizon, automakers and dealerships have no idea whether they will be able to comply with the EV sales mandate starting next year.
They say the situation is untenable, creating chaos for consumers, and the government is silent.
On top of that, Canada’s auto sector might be hit with 25% tariffs on all cars and parts that cross the U-S border.
In part one of our series on the future of electric vehicles, host David Smith speaks with Brian Kingston, President and CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association.
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We've officially passed what's known as "Quitter's Day", the second Friday in January where people generally abandon their new year's resolutions.
If you're feeling down because you've swapped the celery for Timbits, don't!
According to dietician Abbey Sharp, there is a better way and January may not even be the best time to start something new.
Host Eva Fragiskatos sits down with Abbey to talk about the best way to be healthy, how to avoid fads and how to stay sane in a time where everyone has an opinion on food and nutrition.
You can also listen to Abbey's podcast - "Bite Back with Abbey Sharp" here: Bite Back with Abbey Sharp - Frequency Podcast Network Bite Back with Abbey Sharp.
Read more about Abbey at: Toronto Media Dietitian, Food Blogger, TV Personality - Abbey Sharp | Abbey's Kitchen (abbeyskitchen.com)
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Canada first and Canada united - the message after a First Ministers' meeting in Ottawa with the country's premiers - with one exception.
With Doug Ford sporting a new hat that said "Canada is not for sale" and Alberta's Danielle Smith the outlier in the group, there's a lot to break down.
To do that, NewsRadio's Queen's Park reporter Richard Southern speaks to Parliament Hill reporter Cormac Mac Sweeney about the meeting, the wrap up news conference, what happened behind the scenes and what's next.
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A financial fact check for you.
U.S. President elect Donald Trump will be sworn in next week – with the threat of 25% tariffs on Canadian products looming.
And he’s been using numbers to back up his decision.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to one economist to set the record straight and fact check the numbers being thrown around.
Guest: Jim Stanford with the Centre for Future Work in Vancouver, B.C.
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Less than a week to go before Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States. For the past month, Canadian political leaders have taken different tactics in responding to Trump’s threats and pleading Canada’s case for exemptions to any import tariffs.
How are they doing?
Host David Smith speaks with Barry McLoughlin, an expert in crisis communications and leadership and President of TLC Transformational Leadership Consultants.
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Game on!
The federal Liberal party has unveiled the rules of engagement for its leadership race.
What we know so far is that it costs A LOT to enter and there will be a new leader announced on March 9.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney is speaking with Greg MacEachern, Principal of KAN Strategies.
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There are still more questions than answers after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation this week.
That includes legislation involving your finances.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Jamie Golombek, Managing Director of Tax and Estate Planning with CIBC Private Wealth about how people should treat changes around capital gains and a proposed extension on charitable donations.
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Has the first week of January felt like A LOT? You're not alone. There are so many things going on in this economy right now that could impact you. Host Mike Eppel is here to break down all the headlines that have made up this very busy news week including the Canadian dollar, the threat of tariffs and takeover and Meta abandoning fact-checkers.
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Unreal scenes out of L.A. as fires continue to burn, most with zero per cent containment. Communities have been wiped out with thousands of structures burned including the homes of some high profile celebrities.
Thousands have been driven from their homes - with no end in sight.
On this episode of the Big Story, host Fil Martino speaks with Canadian and environmental journalist Aliya Jasmine who lives in Los Angeles, about the situation on the ground and what it's like living through an actual nightmare.
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If a federal election were held today, nearly half of Canadians say they would vote for the Conservative Party of Canada.
Since 2022, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has grown the party’s support to record highs. But he remains a polarizing figure.
What’s behind the strategy that has the Conservatives riding high in the polls?
Host David Smith speaks with Chris Day, the political communications expert and president of the public affairs firm Winston Wilmont.
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It started with a social media post that some dismissed as a joke. Now, President-elect Donald Trump is threatening to use “economic force” to make Canada a U.S. state.
Is he serious? What’s going on here?
Host David Smith speaks with Professor Ian Lee from the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University about what this all says for the Canada-U.S. relationship under a second Trump presidency.
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It's the end of the Trudeau era - but the beginning of what's going to be a new chapter in Canadian politics. There's a lot of uncertainty and a lot at stake. So what's the next move for Canada's political parties and who will be the next Liberal leader?
Host David Smith digs in to this with two of the best political minds in Ottawa who sit on both sides of the political spectrum.
Guests: Susan Smith, principal of Blue Sky Strategy Group and Tim Powers, chair of Summa Strategies and managing director of Abacus Data.
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Bonus episode
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he will resign and has prorogued Parliament until March 24th. He will stay on as leader and Prime Minister until the Liberal Party has chosen a new leader. This sets the stage for a federal election in the spring of this year.
What happens next? And what will Justin Trudeau’s legacy be?
Host David Smith speaks with NewsRadio's Parliament Hill Bureau Chief Cormac MacSweeney on an historic day in Canadian politics.
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For generations, Canada and the United States have enjoyed a special relationship. Our cultural, political and economic ties run deep, but they are not immune from destructive forces. Like all relationships, it faces tests and challenges. Any disruptive changes south of the border will have major impacts on Canada and Canadians. So what’s at stake with the incoming Trump administration?
Host David Smith speaks with Matthew Lebo, professor of political science and expert on American politics at Western University, about what’s in store for 2025.
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It may have been a joke at the Mar-a-Lago dinner with PM Justin Trudeau and President-elect Donald Trump, but the question is out there: is there a risk of Canada becoming the 51st state?
On top of that, what is the future of Canadian-U.S. relations with Trump coming back to office?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney is speaking with Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne.
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We've heard these stories time and time again - a crime committed by someone who was out on bail.
Multiple stories have led to a lot of finger pointing about who is responsible for fixing our bail system and renewed calls for bail reform.
On this episode of The Big Story we talk to York Regional Police Superintendent Ryan Hogan and Associate Minister of Auto Theft and Bail Reform Graham McGregor.
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There could be major changes coming to Canada's labour market in 2025 after a bumpy couple of years.
If you are a job seeker - where you live and which sector you work in will determine your success.
And federal immigration policy is likely to play a big role.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Indeed's Senior Economist Brendon Bernard about his expectations going forward.
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What were Canadians drinking this year?
On this New Year's Eve, host Richard Southern is digging into what we were sipping this year and digs into Canadians' changing tastes with Alanna Bailey, Senior Spirits Director at LCBO.
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We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for futureepisodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
The Big Story partners with NewsRadio to break down the biggest stories in politics in 2024.
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The Big Story partners with NewsRadio for a look back at some of the biggest stories of 2024.
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If it feels like your kids are bleeding you dry, there's evidence that it's actually true.
A new story in the Walrus suggests the average amount to raise 2 kids until they're 17 is $293,000, even more if the kids attend post-secondary.
Host Kris McCusker is speaking with the writer of the piece in the Walrus, Chantal Braganza.
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It was a volatile year for the Canadian economy. Host Mike Eppel speaks with Doug Porter, Chief Economist at BMO about what predictions came true this year and what Canadians can expect in 2025.
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It's been a busy year for Toronto mayor Olivia Chow. Host Momin Qureshi sits down with Chow at Toronto City Hall to talk about some of the challenges this year and what's expected for residents in Canada's biggest city in 2025.
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Superstar Taylor Swift had 9 sold out shows in Canada this year and while some Swifties were able to snag tickets via Ticketmaster, others weren't so lucky.
Many opted to take the third-party route and ended up spending outrageous amounts of money for a chance to see the show.
Is there a better way to buy concert tickets?
On this episode of the Big Story we talk to Shannon Mckarney from Etobicoke, Ontario who's started a petition on Change.org calling for the regulation of ticket re-selling.
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NewsRadio's national talk show host Rob Snow sits down with leader of the Official Opposition, Pierre Poilievre, about the dramatic week in Canadian politics and what comes next.
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We're looking into our crystal ball here at the Big Story and looking at some of the economic trends, both positive and negative, that will dominate in Canada in 2025.
Host Kris McCusker speaks to Shannon Terrell and Clay Jarvis at NerdWallet Canada about what they’re watching going forward and how Canadians can put themselves in the best position to thrive next year.
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What a week in Canadian politics!
From a stunning resignation, to a tonne of speculation about the future of Justin Trudeau, there's a lot to talk about.
Host Mike Eppel is breaking down a historic week with Darryl Bricker, the Global CEO of Ipsos Public affairs and digging in about what comes next.
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In the weeks since United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down on the street in Manhattan, the public’s reaction has become a major part of the story.
While some condemn the killing of an innocent man, many are publicly celebrating the shooter’s act of violence.
Why are so many Americans unfazed by the targeted killing of a CEO?
Host David Smith speaks with Ali Breland, staff writer for The Atlantic, who has been writing about the public’s treatment of alleged killer Luigi Mangione.
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It was chaos in the nation’s capital on Monday as Parliament Hill was rocked by the sudden resignation of federal finance minister Chrystia Freeland.
What does this latest high profile resignation mean for the Trudeau government’s future?
Host David Smith speaks with Garry Keller, former advisor to prime minister Stephen Harper and Vice President at Strategy Corp.
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Today, the government will be unveiling its fall fiscal update - what should Canadians be expecting?
And are the Liberals trying to spend their way to re-election?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney with Tyler Meredith, Senior Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy.
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A new study suggests 74% of Canadian professionals are looking to change jobs.
In this economy, is now a good time? Is the grass always greener?
Host Mike Eppel speaks with Martin Fox, Managing Director at Robert Walters Canada.
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Over the past few years, homeless encampments have become a fixture in every major city across Canada. Governments of all stripes have been grappling with the best approach to dealing with them.
Is it best to clear out encampments, and push the people living there into the shelter system? Or is it better to take a hands off approach, and accommodate encampments as best as possible?
In the province of Ontario, the Ford Government has taken the drastic step of tabling legislation to give municipalities more power to evict people living on public land, and shield authorities from lawsuits afterwards.
Is that a step in the wrong direction?
Host David Smith speaks with Tim Richter, CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, about why governments are struggling to effectively deal with chronic homelessness.
Over the past few years, homeless encampments have become a fixture in every major city across Canada. Governments of all stripes have been grappling with the best approach to dealing with them.
Is it best to clear out encampments, and push the people living there into the shelter system? Or is it better to take a hands off approach, and accommodate encampments as best as possible?
In the province of Ontario, the Ford Government has taken the drastic step of tabling legislation to give municipalities more power to evict people living on public land, and shield authorities from lawsuits afterwards.
Is that a step in the wrong direction?
Host David Smith speaks with Tim Richter, CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, about why governments are struggling to effectively deal with chronic homelessness.
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The jumbo cut expected by the Bank of Canada actually happened - but what does it mean for you?
Host Kris McCusker speaks with Senior Economist Jules Boudreau at Mackenzie Investments about his concerns for the Canadian economy – and why he thinks interest rates will need to move lower.
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After 50 years of the oppressive Assad regime, the people of Syria will get a new government.
In just two weeks, rebel forces swept through the country and took control of the capital of Damascus.
Now, the hard work of nation building begins.
Can a new regime heal a traumatized country and usher in an era of peace and prosperity for the long-suffering Syrian people?
Host David Smith speaks with Professor Elliot Tepper, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University, about what’s next for the country.
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While inflation may have cooled in Canada this year, the price of groceries is still increasing faster than before the pandemic.
According to the 2025 Canadian Food Price Report, families can expect to pay $800 more for food next year than they did this year.
But it's not all bad news - there are some savings to be had!
Host David Smith speaks with report author Sylvain Charlebois, head of the Agrifood Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, about the outlook for Canadians struggling to fill the fridge on a budget.
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Taking a flight can be expensive, and you could be facing new fees in the new year.
Air Canada has announced new charges for passengers picking their lowest fare option, so if you want to bring a carry on bag, or pick your seat, then you’ll have additional charges.
The federal government says it's disappointed by this news, but hasn’t said what action it will take.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with John Gradek, an aviation management lecturer at McGill University about why airlines are charging you more, what options the government has, and whether increased competition in the airline industry can bring you some airfare relief.
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Times are tough for many Canadians - and maybe spending money you don't have doesn't fit into your plans this year.
Or maybe you want the money you do spend on gifts to be put to good use.
Lisa Hannam is the Editor in Chief at MoneySense.ca.
She speaks to host Kris McCusker about how to have an awkward conversation if you don't want to buy gifts this year - and would rather focus on what's really important.
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It's not just something you put on your weekend pancakes - it's a huge industry in Canada that's been under threat in recent years.
What's the deal with Canada's maple syrup industry?
Host David Smith speaks with Randal Goodfellow, President of the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers' Association.
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On December 6, 1989 a lone gunman walked into Montreal’s École Polytechnique and began shooting female students. The young man was motivated by his misogynistic hatred for women. He targeted his victims because they were women.
By the time his rampage was over, 14 young women lay dead.
It was a tragedy that shook the nation to its core. Never before had our country seen such horrific violence targeted at young women.
The Polytechnique shooting galvanized the women's movement in Canada and put a national focus specifically on violence against women.
Parliament went on to create a national action plan on combating violence against women.
Every year on December 6 we mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
Still, violence against women remains an epidemic in this country.
Host David Smith speaks with Ecole Polytechnique survivor Nathalie Provost about her memory of that terrible day and her work advocating for stricter gun control laws in Canada.
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There are more electric vehicles on the market than ever before. But, Canadian car shoppers are showing less interest in buying an E-V, citing a number of concerns that have always dogged the technology.
In today's edition of the Big Story, host Mike Eppel is separating myths from reality and look at whether the automotive industry needs to look at its messaging to consumers.
Today's guests: Jason Clifton, Partner, Electric Mobility Practice at E-Y Canada AND Erik Novak, Professor of Business and Sustainability at Seneca College and the editor of the Novak Report.
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It may have been a joke at the Mar-a-Lago dinner with PM Justin Trudeau and President-elect Donald Trump, but the question is out there: is there a risk of Canada becoming the 51st state?
On top of that, what is the future of Canadian-U.S. relations with Trump coming back to office?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney is speaking with Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne.
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A recent string of food recalls from cucumbers to almond milk have a lot of Canadians wondering: are the products we buy at the grocery store as safe as they used to be?
Since 2023, 12 Canadians have died from either listeria or salmonella in outbreaks linked to contaminated food.
These deaths are a tragic reminder that food safety can’t be taken for granted.
Is Canada’s food inspection system up to the task?
Host David Smith speaks with Keith Warrnier is a food safety expert, professor in the Department of Food Sciences at the University of Guelph, and a past president of the Ontario Food Protection Association.
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After some consumer optimism earlier this fall, new research now shows positive views on the economy are on the decline after the U.S. election.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is describing it as a "vibecession".
Host Mike Eppel is digging into this with Nik Nanos, the chief data scientist at Nanos Research.
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If it feels like your kids are bleeding you dry, there's evidence that it's actually true.
A new story in the Walrus suggests the average amount to raise 2 kids until they're 17 is $293,000, even more if the kids attend post-secondary.
Host Kris McCusker is speaking with the writer of the piece in the Walrus, Chantal Braganza.
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It's been one week since Pat King, one of the key organizers of the convoy protest, was found guilty of 5 of the 9 charges against him.
The verdict came as we continue to wait on rulings for two other leaders of the demonstration that crippled the capital in 2022.
So what will this first verdict mean for the other cases, and where is the alt-right movement heading in Canada amid these proceedings and a change of administration in the White House?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Dr. Carmen Celestini with the University of Waterloo, who researches extremism, conspiracy theories, and politics in North America.
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Canada's NATO allies have called us out.
Our defence partners, especially the United States, want Canada to increase defence spending to at least 2% of annual GDP.
The Trudeau government says it has a plan to get there, but not until 2032. Is that good enough and what is the current state of our military?
Host David Smith talks to Richard Shimooka, a defence policy expert and a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
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The holidays are coming and times are tough. We're digging into whether the federal government's 2 month GST holiday and upcoming rebate will actually help the economy and your family.
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney is in conversation with Kevin Page, former Parliamentary budget officer and current President of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa.
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He's not even president yet, but Donald Trump's promises around tariffs are sending shockwaves and even some panic across the country.
Are these empty threats? What comes next?
Our Mike Eppel sits down with Ian Lee, Associate Professor of Management, Sprott School of Business at Carleton University.
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After years of increasing immigration to Canada and record population growth, the Trudeau government has reversed course.
The Prime Minister now admits they made a mistake.. The feds have slashed Canada’s immigration target for 2025 from 500,000 to 395,000 and restricted the number of non-permanent residents who will be able to come to work or study here.
At the same time, new research shows that highly-skilled immigrants have been leaving Canada in record numbers.
Is now the best time to cut back on immigration?
Daniel Bernhard is the CEO of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, he explains why the government might be missing part of the picture with its new policy.
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Torontonian Henry Wolfond is traveling into space today as a paying customer aboard Jeff Bezos' New Shepard rocket.
He joins The Big Story with host Richard Southern to talk about why he’s doing it, what he’s paying for it, and about the Taylor Swift bracelets his granddaughter wore to the pop star's Toronto show that he's bringing with him into the great beyond.
Guest: CEO of Bayshore Capital Henry Wolfond
Host: Richard Southern, NewsRadio
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This week marked 1,000 days since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin has updated Russia’s Nuclear Doctrine in response to Joe Biden authorizing long-range missiles for the Ukrainian military. Experts say the world’s nuclear temperature just went up. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is set to take back the Oval Office in January. He has threatened to pull U-S support for Ukraine entirely. He has said he will end the war on his first day in power.
The fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance.
Professor Elliot Tepper is Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University.
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Guest: Patrick Groom, labour lawyer with McMillan LLP
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According to the former and future US President, Canada's water is like a 'very large faucet' that one could turn on, say, to help California in a drought, or any other Pacific Northwest state that might need it. According to scientists, it's ... not like that at all. But still, Canada has water. And increasingly, the United States needs it.
Does Trump actually intend to ask for, buy or even take Canadian water? Would it even be possible if he wanted to? What do Canadians need to know about their abundant natural resource as the climate crisis makes it scarcer around the world? How worried should we be about Canadian water?
GUEST: Dr. Jay Famiglietti, hydrologist and Global Futures Professor at Arizona State University; former Executive Director Emeritus of the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan
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For decades, it's been the dream that children will grow up to have more opportunities and a better life than their parents did. Not many young people see that as possible anymore. Wealth and income inequality, combined with the affordability and housing crises, have created a world in which a majority of them don't believe they'll be able to own a home.
There are some who are sure that they will, though: The Jackpot Generation, a subset of Millennials and Zoomers who will be on the receiving end of valuable property inheritances, worth far, far more than their parents ever paid for them. That equity gives them a gigantic head start as they move into adulthood or middle age—and it's creating a system that's the opposite of the equality we've been striving for.
GUEST: Katrina Onstad, reporting in Maclean's
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We've had an update to one of our most popular episodes -- the counterfeit toonie. Enjoy!
They call it the "camel-toe toonie", and you will understand why as soon as you look at the front right paw of the polar bear on it. Since they were first discovered in circulation in 2020, estimates range from at least tens of thousands to likely millions of them reaching circulation.
But who is behind it? How do you counterfeit toonies at scale and get them into the banking system? And ... why toonies?
GUEST: Brent Mackie, creator of cameltoetoonies.ca, numismatist, treasurer of Waterloo Coin Society
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This episode first aired on November 14, 2024 over at In This Economy?!, our sister show at the Frequency Podcast Network. The show helps Canadians understand the systems behind their money problems so they can make informed decisions about their personal finances. If you like what you hear, please consider giving us a follow!
The colder weather has finally arrived, and with it a big question: Is it time to put winter tires on the car? Climate change may have you questioning the necessity of winter tires, and the price tag is certainly not making that decision any easier. So we want to know, are winter tires worth the upfront cost? And what do they really do anyway?
GUEST: Lorraine Sommerfeld, columnist with Driving.ca.
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Many of us have a favourite garment — a sweater we've been wearing for the last ten years, or a pair of sweatpants we throw on every night before cozying up in front of some Netflix. Then there's all those other clothes, the shirts you buy on sale that are lucky to survive ten wash cycles, or the sweaters that pill up almost instantly.
Increasingly, it feels like more and more clothes belong to that second category. And it's not just so-called 'fast fashion' anymore, as the push to produce more for less drags down the quality of even the most reputable brands.
So why has it become so difficult to find a decent pair of pants that'll last more than a few months? And how do we fight back against a culture that increasingly sees clothing as disposable?
GUEST: Monika Warzecha, Digital Editor at The Walrus, where she wrote about fast fashion
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The crime is horrific. The details are as bad as you can imagine. The woman at the centre of it, though? Exhibiting incredible bravery, under the worst possible circumstances. The rape trial of Gisele Pelicot's husband, and 50 other men, has transfixed the world. Not simply because of the crime itself, but because of the way Gisele has wrestled the narrative away from the ones the world all too often hears in the coverage and discussion of sex assault.
Today we'll take you inside that courtroom, with a reporter who has been covering the trial, to explain exactly what's happening within its walls, and within the justice system of France — but the impact of this case well beyond that, because Gisele Pelicot's bravery may change more than just narratives.
GUEST: Catherine Porter, international correspondent, The New York Times
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We tend to see the challenge we face in terms of raw numbers and targets that need to be hit. The number of dead from extreme weather. The all-time highs in temperature set in whatever city we're living in. The emission reduction figures we're definitely not on track to hit. And it can be depressing, and demoralizing, to say the least.
But there's good news: Focusing on the numbers doesn't change the fact that a shift to a net-zero world is inevitable now, and we're just arguing over the timeline and how much damage we'll do on the way. What if there was a way to make that transition that would also solve so many of the other problems we face? What if there was a way to do it that even the billionaires who tend to oppose typical environmental regulations would sign up for?
GUEST: Dr Elizabeth Sawin, Director of the Multisolving Institute; author of Multisolving: Creating Systems Change in a Fractured World
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If the entire online ecosystem feels like it's trying to scam you these days, well, you're not alone. And you're not wrong either. The past few years have seen a truly seismic growth in the amount of money Canadians have reported as lost to fraud, and most experts will tell you that's just the tip of the iceberg.
So what do you need to know about the most popular ones to protect yourself before you get drawn in? Where did this fraud boom come from? And why do police seem powerless to stop it?
GUEST: Zak Vescera, Vancouver-based journalist focusing on white-collar crime, reporting for the Investigative Journalism Foundation
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It's been three years now since single-game sports betting was legalized in Canada. And since that time, it's become available...everywhere. Especially on your phone, in any number of apps, 24 hours a day. At the time there were concerns about what that easy access would do to problem gamblers. And we're finally getting a pretty clear picture of just what that has wrought.
So what can we tell about the increase in problem gambling? What did the initial legislation get right and wrong, and what's changed as we've progressed? What could we still do to protect those who struggle with betting? And with the billions in tax revenue taken in, what have governments been doing to make more resources available?
GUEST: Anthony Milton, writing in Maclean's
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With some already starting their holiday shopping, we bring you an episode from our vault on dynamic pricing. Enjoy!
You and a friend might be given two different prices by the same website for the same item. Heck, you might be given two different prices yourself depending on where you are when you're browsing the site. It's a phenomenon that began as dynamic pricing—a computer balancing supply and demand to ensure everything was sold at a price the market was prepared to pay—but it's now gone well beyond that.
As algorithms become smarter and more advanced, and as we voluntarily offer our devices and the companies we do business with more of our information, the prices you see may take into account things like where you are, what device you're on, your shopping history and... well, everything the machine knows about you. Is this the kind of shopping experience we want? If not, what do we do about it?
GUEST: Colin Horgan, writing in The Walrus
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This episode first aired on November 7, 2024 over at In This Economy?!, our sister show at the Frequency Podcast Network. The show helps Canadians understand the systems behind their money problems so they can make informed decisions about their personal finances. If you like what you hear, please consider giving us a follow!
This holiday season, about one third of Canadians are planning to either buy fewer gifts, or spend less on the gifts they do buy because they're struggling with their finances. Today, we're looking at ways to limit holiday spending without disappointing anyone.
GUEST: Shannon Lee Simmons, Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) and founder of the award winning New School of Finance.
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It's been a tough news week, let's end it on a butter note. Thieves in Guelph, Ontario—but not just in Guelph, Ontario—have been stealing hundreds of pounds of butter from grocery stores, making off with about $1,000 worth of the yellow gold with each successive heist. It's been happening for months, and the only people police managed to charge so far ... have vanished.
So why butter? Why so MUCH butter? What do you even do with a hundred pounds of butter at a time? Who's buying it and what are they using it for? And why, with so much evidence and such brazen thefts, have police not been able to stop it?
GUEST: Mark Colley, Toronto-based general assignment reporter for the Toronto Star
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In the end, it wasn't even particularly close. And now Canada and the world can only prepare for what a second term of President Donald Trump might look like. As the United States' closest neighbour, Trump's plans have the potential to impact many aspects of Canadian life—from trade to immigration to defence spending, our next federal election and much more than that.
So what should Canada do now to prepare? Is there really anything we can do? Where might Trump's biggest impact on Canada be felt? And what should Canadians expect the next four years to bring?
GUEST: David Moscrop, political writer and commentator; author of Too Dumb For Democracy
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Over the past several years, measures of economic productivity have seen Canada tumbling. First slowly, then rapidly. Once nearly at par with the United States, we've fallen far behind them—and by some measures we're one of the developed world's least productive countries right now.
How did this happen? Which industries are lagging behind and dragging us down? How much of this fall was within Canada's control, and how much was due to external factors? And when we speak of a country's or a province's "productivity", what exactly are we measuring, and how?
GUEST: Trevor Tombe, Professor at the University of Calgary’s Department of Economics; Director of Fiscal and Economic Policy at The School of Public Policy; Contributor at thehub.ca
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With the invasion of Ukraine nearing the 1000-day mark, there are questions about where Ukraine's defenders find themselves. Russia has been making a strong push to stake out more ground, and in Russian-occupied territory there a reports of its soldiers hunting civilians. Despite an offensive into Russia earlier this year, the situation seems to be dire.
And when America votes today on its next president, few countries will have as much at stake as Ukraine, which faces the possibility of being all but abandoned by America with a Trump victory. Meanwhile, would a Harris victory do anything more for Ukraine than the status quo? And is the presence of North Korean troops in Russia an indication this war is about to become more than a "regional" conflict?
GUEST: Dr. Balkan Devlen, Director of the Transatlantic Program and Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, Adjunct professor at Carleton University, expert forecaster for Good Judgment Inc.
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It's been almost 30 years since a narrow vote in the 1995 referendum ended the last threat to Canadian unity. And while it's not as though there hasn't been idle talk since then from angry provinces and their citizens, there's never again been a serious question of a province seceding from Canada...
But history repeats, and as the 30th anniversary of the 1995 vote looms, a look at the underlying political conditions reveals some striking similarities—particularly if as expected the Conservatives decimate the Liberals in the next federal election. So is this idle speculation? Or is this a likely scenario that, amid all the political turmoil in Ottawa and around the world, nobody is paying enough attention to?
GUEST: Gerald Butts, vice chair of the Eurasia group and Director of the World Wildlife Fund; former Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, writing about Quebec secession for The Walrus
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Liberals, whether that's the capital-L liberal party in Canada, or the Biden administration or the Labour party in the UK, are almost always the party of immigration. They celebrate it, they value it and — at least in Canada —they have recently raised targets to record levels.
And with this comes an assumption. That because the Liberals are the party of immigration, most immigrants are voting for the Liberals. But, simply put, what if that's just not true in Canada today? Like, not at all?
GUEST: Rhea Santos, video journalist and anchor for OMNI News Filipino Edition
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In the past 48 hours, Israel has invaded Lebanon and Iran has fired missiles directly at Israel. Nobody knows what comes next, but it will be difficult for anyone in the region to back down now. Has the larger conflict the world has feared for the past year finally begun? What happens if Israel retaliates? How did the past month lead to this? And what do you need to know to understand what comes next?
GUEST: Dr. Randa Slim, Director of the Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program at the Middle East Institute
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The US Department of Justice is investigating a piece of software that it alleges helps landlords share private information and suggests rent increases accordingly. The DoJ says this amounts to digital price fixing, with rents routinely rising by more than expected where the software is used.
And it's happening in Canada, too. A recent affidavit revealed one corporate landlord admitting to the practice, and the app's use is likely far more widespread, leading to increases that blow away previous highs. Is this legal? Should it be? How does algorithmic pricing work on your rent? And what else will it work on next?
GUEST: Martin Lukacs, managing editor at The Breach
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Today marks the fourth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which is a good chance to assess where we stand on the 94 Calls to Action. After significant early progress, the past two years have seen ... not much. So why has Canada fallen behind?
Has the government changed its focus? Have we simply done all the "easy" work and not yet dug into the toughest, most systemic problems? Are we in danger of turning this national day of reflection into a symbol that sacrifices the urgency out of which it was created?
GUEST: Dr. Eva Jewell, research director at Yellowhead Institute, assistant professor at Toronto Metropolitan University
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For this Sunday's look-back episode, we're revisiting an interview from January 2022 about a psychedelic renaissance taking place in an unlikely locale.
Have a lovely long weekend!
In the 1950s, before they fuelled the acid-trips of the '60s, psychedelics were being passed around the Weyburn Mental Hospital in Saskatchewan. And not just among the patients—as well as being given to those struggling with mental illness, doctors and their spouses were using them on themselves—for "research purposes".
How did Saskatchewan become the world's psychedelic hub? What did we learn there that would inform the rise in use and then strict enforcement of these drugs in the decades to come? And how can it help us understand why these drugs are now making a return to therapy?
GUEST: Erika Dyck, historian of health, medicine, and Canadian society at the University of Saskatchewan and Canada Research Chair in the History of Medicine; author of Psychedelic Psychiatry: LSD on the Canadian Prairies
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This episode first aired on September 26, 2024 over at In This Economy?!, our sister show at the Frequency Podcast Network. The show helps Canadians understand the systems behind their money problems so they can make informed decisions about their personal finances. If you like what you hear, please consider giving us a follow!
The federal government has announced changes to mortgage amortizations and insurance rules, calling them “the most significant mortgage reforms in decades.” But what do these changes really mean for new home buyers? And existing ones? Will they help with the affordability crisis, or focus more on accessibility?
GUEST: Angela Calla, accredited mortgage professional and author of 'The Mortgage Code'
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It's one of the most iconic photographic portraits in world history—and it hangs in one of the most famous buildings in the Canadian capital. At least it did, until it was stolen...
The story of The Roaring Lion theft involves international intrigue, world history, careful detective work and one of this country's most renowned artists. But most of all, it's a riveting heist tale that spans from Canada to Europe, and who doesn't love one of those?
GUEST: Brett Popplewell, author, reporter, associate professor; writing in The Walrus
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The federal government—as well as the government-owned crown corporation Trans Mountain—has paid tens of millions of dollars in two separate contracts to McKinsey and Company, one of the world's premier consulting firms. One of the contracts was given to offer advice on clean technology, despite McKinsey also working with some of the world's largest fossil fuel companies.
The other, worth far more, was to find efficiencies in the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project—a project already billions of dollars over budget and well behind schedule. What did the government get for its money? Did it know about the conflicts of interest before signing the deal? Why throw millions at a project already well behind? Just how much do we know about how the government spends money on these contracts, anyway?
GUEST: Mike De Souza, Director of Enterprise and Investigations, The Narwhal
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Today, the federal Conservatives will table a non-confidence motion, and if the Liberal government cannot defeat it, Canada will be headed to the polls. CPC leader Pierre Poilievre has vowed to take every opportunity he can to force an election, and this is his first chance to do that.
The Bloc Quebecois and the NDP have said they will not bring down Trudeau's Liberals...this time. But without the promise of the NDP's support, this is likely to be the first of several such votes. Are we headed for a fall full of confidence votes and partisan bickering? How long might this go on before an inevitable election?
GUEST: Glen McGregor, Parliament Hill journalist, CityNews
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It began during the pandemic with good intentions--give more to service workers, support local businesses and 'we're all in this together'. But somehow, four-plus years later we're seeing 25% suggested tips on services you would have never expected you'd be tipping on—at a gas station, for instance, or maybe a yarn store.
A new proposal from Quebec's provincial government won't stop that, but it is the first sign that perhaps governments are recognizing what polling is telling them: That tips are everywhere, the ways businesses use them are opaque and confusing and that people wish something could be done...
GUEST: Corey Mintz, food reporter, consultant, author of The Next Supper
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For decades we've known that one day a masssive earthquake would hit the fault off of Canada's west coast—and after new research last year was published this summer, we now know so much more.
What we can now determine is what that quake will look like. How much shaking, and for how long? How high will the tsunami be? How far inland will it go? Where will the quake strike first and how much force will it contain? All of this information will help us prepare both our infrastructure and our citizens for when the day comes—but we still don't know when that day will be...
GUEST: John Cassidy, Senior Research Scientist with Natural Resources Canada; Professor at the University of Victoria
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This weekend, we're revisiting an episode from earlier in the year.
We hope you enjoy!
There's simply never been a Canadian sex survey that's comprehensive, scientific and intimate all at once. For decades we've relied on data from the United States, unscientific surveys thrown together by brands around Valentine's Day or specific looks at one narrow aspect of sexuality—such as contraception or monogamy.
In her new book released today, Sex in Canada: The Who, Why, When, and How of Getting Down Up North, McMaster University sociology professor Tina Fetner examines every aspect of how we do it, who we do it with, how often and ... if it's good. As well as everything else you always wondered about your neighbours in the bedroom...
GUEST: Tina Fetner, professor, McMaster University
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This episode first aired on September 19, 2024 over at In This Economy?!, our sister show at the Frequency Podcast Network. The show helps Canadians understand the systems behind their money problems so they can make informed decisions about their personal finances. If you like what you hear, please consider giving us a follow!
It's been quite a long (and expensive!) journey, but the latest numbers show that the inflation rate in Canada has finally fallen to the Bank of Canada's "target rate" for the first time in more than three years. So does that mean all our troubles are over? Why is two percent the ideal target for the BoC? And what does this data tell us about the economy we'll be living in for the next several months?
GUEST: Mike Eppel, 680 News Sr. Business Editor
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This is a province with a long and strange history of alcohol regulation. But when Ontario premier Doug Ford announced plans to allow convenience stores to sell beer, wine and coolers beginning in September, it seemed like a modest step—one in keeping with similar provinces and states which have long allowed this.
However, this being Ontario and alcoholic beverages, it is not that simple. The move has cost the government hundreds of millions of dollars, sparked a discussion about the availability of intoxicants, incited outrage from various advocacy groups and has lived up to Ontario's reputation as a province who cannot simply be normal about its booze.
GUEST: Matt Gurney, journalist, commentator and co-founder of The Line
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An Ohio town is thrown into chaos from bomb threats that stem from racist lies. Immigrants across the United States are demonized for political gain. Women are dying from a lack of access to reproductive care. Donald Trump promises to jail his enemies. And on the internet, the cat memes proliferate...
For some reason, in the current presidential campaign, cats have played an outsized role in the political conversation. From Trump's morals, to "childless cat ladies" to unfounded rumours of their consumption by Haitian immigrants in Springfield, there's something strange going on right meow in America...
GUEST: Igor Bobic, senior HuffPost reporter covering Congress, the White House, and political campaigns
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Over 11 days recently, six Indigenous people were killed in separate encounters with police departments across the country. The outcome of any one incident isn't surprising, but so many, so quickly, is shocking. And there are hopes amidst the loss that this might, perhaps, be the thing that shocks the country's leaders to action.
On Monday, MPs in Ottawa held an emergency meeting. Indigenous leaders across the country are desperate to see some action. There are community groups on the ground ready and able to help deescalate these situations. It just isn't happening. Why not? And what would it take to create impactful change?
GUEST: Joanne Roberts, filmmaker, reporter at CityNews Winnipeg
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A few days before Sept. 11, police arrested a Pakistani man living in Canada with allegedly planning to travel to New York to commit a large-scale terror attack on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. Since laying charges, police have been tight-lipped about the case, and haven't revealed how they found the suspect, or who he may have been talking to.
But reporters have been digging and a picture is emerging—and it's one we're going to have to wrestle with further in the months to come. So what do we know about this suspect? What can we surmise about how the alleged plan was to come together? And how does a young man allegedly end up in a car, headed to the border, to attempt a massacre?
GUEST: Peter Edwards, crime, courts and justice reporter, The Toronto Star
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It's got a conservative pundit that wants a council seat and has his eyes on another shot at the mayor's chair. It has three liberal candidates lining up to stop him, which might be two candidates too many. It's got high stakes, citywide implications and an ex-premier and a former mayor politicking behind the scenes.
Normally city council byelections are boring, low-turnout affairs. This one ... won't be.
GUEST: Ben Spurr, City Hall Bureau Chief, Toronto Star
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With the American election fast approaching, we thought it would be an appropriate time to revisit this episode from February about how political beliefs seem to be increasingly divided along gender lines. Enjoy!
Men are this way, and women are that way. Entire careers in industries ranging from self-help to advertising to standup comedy have been based on this premise. Superficially, it can sometimes be sort of true. But generally, when it comes to political ideology, it hasn't been. Until now.
It's a very recent phenomenon, but it's pronounced. And it's accelerating—the percentage of young men and women who describe themselves as liberal and conservative is breaking wide apart in many countries, including here in Canada. We don't know why this is happening, but we do have some good ideas. And we don't know what the implications are, but most of them seem pretty bad...
GUEST: John Burn-Murdoch, columnist and chief data journalist for the Financial Times
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After years of shortages, dealership lots are finally full of new vehicles again. The question is if this will bring down prices that spiked during the pandemic? In this episode of Today, In This Economy, we chat with Driving.ca columnist Lorraine Sommerfeld about what to expect in the marketplace and everything you need to know about buying a new or used car this fall.
(We're hard at work a new season of In This Economy?!—but this fall we're also introducing shorter episodes that let our experts explain what the latest piece of economic news means for you, right now, Today, In This Economy.)
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Some stories are better if you don't know much going in. So, no spoilers.
All you need to know is this: An American university is suing a woman who lives in Kitchener, Ontario. It's trying to recover millions of dollars from her, that it claims she received as a result of fraud. The woman in question denies this. She worked for the money, she says, and earned it.
All the stuff that comes before that though—the sex, the real estate, the pseudonyms and investigations... you'll have to listen to find out.
GUEST: Jeff Outhit, reporter, Waterloo Region Record
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The list is long, and varies from school to school. Some of it is structural—leaky roofs and mice infestations, repairs that never get made, poor ventilation. Some of it is impacting learning more directly—staffing shortages, a lack of equipment like textbooks and markers, and not even 1x1 care for students with special needs. Add it all up, and most schools are fighting just to stay afloat.
How did this happen? It's a story that spans the past few decades, and has also happened elsewhere in Ontario. It's a problem that could happen anywhere, really. The question is if we'll solve it before it takes its toll on students...
GUEST: Wency Leung, reporter, The Local
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The deadline for the airline to reach agreement with its pilots is still a week away. But already flyers are scrambling for alternatives and Air Canada is planning to start cancelling flights as soon as this weekend. Tens of thousands of passengers a day may find their flights cancelled, and some may end up stranded far from home. It's happened once already this year. What happens if Air Canada's planes don't fly?
In the bigger picture, this labour dispute is the latest in a series of them that have plagued North American transport all year, from airlines to rail to ports. Why so any, and why now? And what needs to change if we want people and goods to keep moving on time?
GUEST: John Gradek, aviation industry expert, Faculty Lecturer and Program Co-ordinator, Supply Chain, Logistics and Operations Management, McGill University
LISTENER NOTE: A previous version of this episode contained erroneous information about an airline's duty to rebook passengers on new flights after cancellations. You can find a complete rundown of Canadian air passenger protection regulations here
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New data shows that opioid overdose deaths in the province from January-May fell from 788 in 2023 to 431 this year, a 55 percent decline. There are a number of factors that could explain the reason why, but the most political one is the United Conservative Party's focus on treatment and recovery, as opposed to harm reduction or safe supply.
Except... the UCP does fund harm reduction programs, and has even increased the availability of them. It just doesn't like to talk about it. The decline in overdoses is a hopeful sign that a nuanced approach can work, even if it's not being advertised. So what can we learn from it?
GUEST: Dr. Monty Ghosh, Internist and Addiction Specialist; Assistant Professor Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta
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BC's Conservative party is on the verge of what would be a stunning win in this fall's provincial election. And one party's stunning gains, it turns out, is another party's utter destruction. When the BC Liberal party rebranded as BC United last year, it was wirth the hope of injecting new life into the party. Instead, the party is ... gone. It's been effectively disbanded by leader Kevin Falcon, who threw his support to the Conservatives.
How did a major party with decades of history blow up in a little over a year? What does it mean for an already close election? And what does the rapid shift in BC polling tell us about the mood across the country, particularly in two other provinces who will also be voting this fall?
GUEST: Philippe J. Fournier, Editor In Chief and creator of 338Canada.com
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Welcome to a preview of the fall season of In This Economy?! We're giving you a sneak peak of a test episode today, to get your feedback. As part of our new season, in addition to traditional episodes of the show, we're producing short conversations between Jordan and business experts, that aim to show you how changing economic news will trickle down to your wallet.
This week, the Bank of Canada cut interest rates...again. What does a third straight cut tell us about where the economy is headed? What does it mean for payments you're making now? And what should you prepare for when you're planning your finances for 2025?
GUEST: Mike Eppel, Sr. Business Editor, CityNews680
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It was supposed to be an eight-day mission. It will be at least eight months. When two astronauts took Boeing's Starliner to the International Space Station in June, they were prepared for a quick turnaround. Today, the Starliner comes back to Earth ... without them. Instead, they'll have to be rescued by Boeing's biggest rival in the Space Race, Elon Musk's SpaceX. But that won't happen until next year. In the meantime, they're up there. For a lot longer than they'd planned.
Oh, and it's probably nothing, but the Starliner is making some weird noises...
GUEST: Joey Roulette, Space Reporter, Reuters
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The supply and confidence agreement between the Liberals and NDP lasted nearly two and a half years—but now it's over. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh announced Wednesday his party would no longer prop up the Liberal's minority government in exchange for policy priorities. Without that support, any confidence vote this fall could lead to an immediate federal election.
But will it? Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has called for a vote, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's focused on policy and not politics. So ... what happens now? In a fall session that's been flipped on its head, what should Canadians expect? Pharmacare and other bills? Or a quick trip to the polls?
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill Bureau Chief, CityNews
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The news broke last week, sort of. It turned out that last month Alberta Premier Danielle Smith had told a United Conservative Party town hall in August that the government had transferred control of a northern Alberta hospital away from Alberta Health Services and turned it over to Convenant Health, a private, Catholic healthcare provider, and that further hospitals would follow.
The story raised many questions—everything from why this was announced in this way, to which services Convenant Health might refuse to perform on faith-based grounds—and so far many of them have yet to be answered. So where do things stand now? Why is the government making this move? And in the bigger picture, what form is the decentralization of Alberta's health care system likely to take?
GUEST: Lauryn Heintz, reporter, CityNews Calgary
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For a solid couple of years, as the economy recovered from the pandemic, the narrative when discussing labour in this country was that the market was "tight" or there was a "labour shortage". Unemployment approached record lows, and companies were scrambling to hire and keep talent.
Some of that was true. But not everywhere, and it wasn't the whole story. And also, however tight the labour market was ... it isn't anymore. Beyond the top-line unemployment number, there were always signs that workers weren't actually benefitting all that much from how in-demand they were. So why could most of us see them?
GUEST: Adam D.K. King, Assistant Professor in the Labour Studies Program at the University of Manitoba; writing on unemployment in The Maple
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It's a long weekend, and that means its time to reach back into the bag and pull out some of our favourite listener feedback from the last few weeks.
A sincere thanks to all of you who have written in. Every piece of feedback is immensely helpful, so please keep it coming!
Happy labour day from everyone at The Big Story!
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This weekend, we're revisiting an episode from two years ago that we felt framed the discussion around climate change, and human adaptation to it, in a really unique and fascinating way.
We hope you enjoy! Happy labour day!
It's no longer a question of if our comfortable lives will change as the climate does over the next few decades. The questions are how much will they change, and where will they change the least?
People with lots of money are already buying property in places they believe will be safe from disaster. You can Google "Best places to live in climate crisis" and find a lot of listicles. But very few of us have the money to buy everything we'll need, or move across the world. So how can you prepare for whatever comes next in the safest and most sensible way possible?
GUEST: Alex Steffen, climate futurist, author of The Snap Forward
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It depends what your definition of work is... but in announcing a 100% tariff on all electric vehicle's produced in China, Canada is following in America's footsteps. But we're a much smaller economy than the US, which means these tariffs may not have the intended impact.
Of course, the intended impact also varies depending on whom you ask. Is it to score the government a few polling points? To protect Canadian EV production? Take a human rights stand? Get more Canadians into electric vehicles? There's no way even a 100% tariff can accomplish all of that... so what will this policy really do?
GUEST: Moshe Lander, senior lecturer in economics at Concordia University in Montreal
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It's expensive to follow complex disposal protocols for construction waste that can often contain toxins. It's a lot less expensive to find someone willing or desperate enough to simply allow waste to be dumped directly onto their land, with no regard for the health and environmental impacts.
An Indigenous community in Kanasatake has dealt with this problem for years. Until some community members banded together, at personal risk, to get the story out there and force the government to take action. This week, the government finally did.
GUEST: Chris Curtis, investigative journalist, co-founder of The Rover
(NOTE: Nexus, a company named by reporters covering this story, has denied their role in a comment to La Presse: The company says it is only responsible for the soil transportation component and assures that it "has not at any time dumped soil into the Ottawa River." It assures that it "maintains a buffer strip between the natural environments and the deposit site" and reiterates that its "commitment to environmental protection remains unwavering”)
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When public health finally figured out in June what was causing a listeria outbreak that has killed three and sickened more than a dozen others, it did so by finally cracking what every one of those cases had in common, and tracing the infections back to an unlikely source...
GUEST: Hannah Alberga, health reporter, the Canadian Press
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Safe supply programs across the country that aim to provide alternatives to street drugs are under scrutiny right now. But today's story isn't an official safe supply program... it's an activist-led attempt to purchase untainted heroin, cocaine and meth and deliver it straight to users.
The creators of the program argue that it has saved lives. The federal government says that what they've been doing is simply drug trafficking. And it's charged them accordingly. But is it possible both sides are correct? And what does this truly renegade approach to the overdose crisis tell us about the state of Canadian drug policy?
GUEST: Omar Mouallem, filmmaker; contributing editor and reporter at Maclean's
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We've learned an awful lot about Covid-19 since the virus first hit us—but there are some things that we're still trying to solve. One of them, perhaps the most mysterious, is the phenomenon known as 'long covid'. We know much more about it now than we did in 2020, when some of those infected with the virus reported lingering symptoms, often debilitating ones.
But there is still so much to learn—everything from who's most vulnerable to it, how to protect yourself, how to effectively treat it and if we'll ever find a cure. As the pandemic has eased, fewer resources have been allocated to this disease—but there are researchers still trying to crack this case, and we'll talk to one of them.
GUEST: Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis; chief of research and development at the VA St. Louis Health Care System
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Today, we're revisiting a fun one from 2 years ago about one of the most unique ghost towns in North America.
Kitsault was a mining town of 1,200 or so people in one of the most remote areas of British Columbia. It opened in 1981. It was empty by 1982. That was its first lifetime.
Since then, however, something has happened to Kitsault. Unlike other abandoned towns, Kitsault has been maintained. First by the mining company, later by a private owner. So today it sits, almost perfectly preserved, ready for a small town's worth of people to show up and move in. Will they?
GUEST: Justin McElroy, CBC reporter, personal Kitsault investigator
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Are you tired? In pain? Gaining weight? Experiencing any unusual symptoms? Welcome to what seems to be this summer's newest TikTok diagnosis from the wellness industry.
On the surface, the trend is a grift. But people really are suffering from these ailments, and are dealing with a health care system that is either unavailable or dismissive towards them.
So, is it just a money grab? Or are there real health concerns at play here?
GUEST: Alex Sujong Laughlin, co-owner of Defector Media, co-creator of the podcast Normal Gossip
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The WHO has declared an outbreak of the virus in Africa a "global health emergency"—but what does that designation actually mean? That doesn't mean we shouldn't take the disease seriously, or prepare vaccinations and public health strategy. But in a world where outbreaks of diseases are continually met with scary headlines, and many people grapple with trauma and anxiety in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, what do we really need to know about the next virus spreading across the world?
So today, the facts: What is mpox? How dangerous is it? How ready are we? And should you be worried about it?
GUEST: Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, associate professor in Medical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases at the University of Manitoba; Canada Research Chair in the molecular pathogenesis of emerging viruses
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This week, the biggest names in US Democratic politics are united in Chicago for one purpose: To give Kamala Harris the momentum she needs to defeat Donald Trump. Thus far, her campaign has been a stunning success, but can that really last until November?
When the good vibes start to fade, what will it take for Harris to keep rolling? How will she define herself—and her opponent—this week? And in the middle of a campaign that pits anger against hope, does anybody wants to talk about actual policy?
GUEST: Jonathan Weisman, political reporter, The New York Times
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A UN envoy said last week that the temporary foreign worker program was a breeding ground for just those conditions. And that's amid a rapid recent expansion of the program, which used to focus heavily on agriculture but now funnels workers into the service and construction industries and the health care sector.
Why has the program expanded so quickly? How much merit is there to the UN's criticism? Are there really no Canadians to do all these jobs? Or is this a program exploited by employers to hire workers with few rights and hold wages down?
GUEST: Ghada Alsharif, work and wealth reporter, the Toronto Star
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In 2008, an experimental treatment led to the first documented case of someone being effectively cured of HIV. The man, who was called 'The Berlin Patient,' greatly advanced our understanding of the disease, and sparked hope among the millions of HIV-positive people around the world.
While treatments and prognoses for the illness have improved dramatically since then, an actual cure has proved elusive. But now, the case of a person being called 'The Next Berlin Patient,' is leading to renewed hope that HIV could go from a chronic to curable condition.
So what's different about this case compared to the other handful of people who have seen their HIV go into remission? And how do scientists take it from a case-study to a mass-producible treatment?
Guest: Dr. Christian Gaebler, Physician scientist and immunologist at the Charité Hospital in Berlin
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If you listened to last week's Fixing Canada series (which you should check out if you haven't!), you may have noticed one key issue was conspicuously absent: housing.
A big reason for that is we recently talked at length about potential housing solutions with journalist, Gregor Craigie. And there was little we could say that wasn't already discussed during that conversation. So today we're revisiting that episode for your listening pleasure.
Enjoy!
Canada is not the only country in the world experiencing skyrocketing costs and a shortage of available housing options. Across the world nations are coming up with creative solutions to deal with their own housing crises.
There’s no silver bullet for fixing the Canadian housing market, and addressing the issue will require a whole slough of short and long-term strategies to alleviate the current crunch, and accommodate future population growth. It does seem as though most governments at all levels are waking up (albeit, slowly) to the fact that real action is needed to address our housing woes, but we’re in desperate need of ideas.
So how are other countries coping? And what can Canada learn from them?
GUEST: Gregor Craigie, host of CBC's On The Island and author of Our Crumbling Foundation: How We Solve the Housing Crisis
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[You've probably heard—from politicians, experts or even just friends and family—that "Canada is broken". Everyone can draw their own conclusions about that, but there's no denying some key aspects of the country aren't working well for many of us. And complaining about that is easy, it's fixing it that's the tough part. This week, The Big Story is trying to do that with Fixing Canada—a five-part series featuring deep dives into five issues that touch every Canadian, looking to experts to diagnose the problem—but most importantly, to prescribe the cure.]
Today, the final episode of our series, our polarized political climate. If you want to know why it's so hard to make real progress on the issues we've discuss for the past four days, this is a big part of that answer.
How did we get this way? Can we just blame the internet or do we have to look in the mirror, too? What can years of research into our growing polarization show us that actually works?
GUEST: Justin Ling, investigative journalist, author of the Bug-Eyed and Shameless newsletter
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[You've probably heard—from politicians, experts or even just friends and family—that "Canada is broken". Everyone can draw their own conclusions about that, but there's no denying some key aspects of the country aren't working well for many of us. And complaining about that is easy, it's fixing it that's the tough part. This week, The Big Story is trying to do that with Fixing Canada—a five-part series featuring deep dives into five issues that touch every Canadian, looking to experts to diagnose the problem—but most importantly, to prescribe the cure.]
For part four of our series, we’re talking about health care. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have heard constantly about our crumbling system. But the cracks didn't just start four years ago.
Many health care workers have said the system may soon be pushed past the point of repair - or already has been. So can we spend our way out of this? Or do we need to reimagine the entire thing?
GUEST: Dr. Alika Lafontaine, physician, former president of the Canadian Medical Association, and the first Indigenous doctor listed in Medical Post's 50 Most Powerful Doctors
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[You've probably heard—from politicians, experts or even just friends and family—that "Canada is broken". Everyone can draw their own conclusions about that, but there's no denying some key aspects of the country aren't working well for many of us. And complaining about that is easy, it's fixing it that's the tough part. This week, The Big Story is trying to do that with Fixing Canada—a five-part series featuring deep dives into five issues that touch every Canadian, looking to experts to diagnose the problem—but most importantly, to prescribe the cure.]
For part three of our series, we’re talking about immigration. An issue as politically charged as it is a problem that needs solving. You can be as far left or right as you like and still think our approach to immigration is seriously flawed.
So what we need to do somehow, is find a way to thread the needle. And there are ways to do that, if we want to get serious about it.
GUEST: Rupa Banerjee, associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada Research Chair in Economic Inclusion, Employment and Entrepreneurship of Canada's Immigrants
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You've probably heard—from politicians, experts or even just friends and family—that "Canada is broken". Everyone can draw their own conclusions about that, but there's no denying some key aspects of the country aren't working well for many of us. And complaining about that is easy, it's fixing it that's the tough part. This week, The Big Story is trying to do that with Fixing Canada—a five-part series featuring deep dives into five issues that touch every Canadian, looking to experts to diagnose the problem—but most importantly, to prescribe the cure.
Today we’re talking about transportation. A system that you only notice when it breaks and your 20 minute commute turns into an hour.
Is Canada's transit -- both public networks inside of cities and larger routes between them—truly as bad as it sometimes seems? And how could we do better?
GUEST: Reece Martin, creator of the RM Transit YouTube channel and substack.
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You've probably heard—from politicians, experts or even just friends and family—that "Canada is broken". Everyone can draw their own conclusions about that, but there's no denying some key aspects of the country aren't working well for many of us. And complaining about that is easy, it's fixing it that's the tough part. This week, The Big Story is trying to do that with Fixing Canada—a five-part series featuring deep dives into five issues that touch every Canadian, looking to experts to diagnose the problem—but most importantly, to prescribe the cure.
Today we're talking about competition. Or rather, Canada's lack of it. You may have noticed consolidation in high-profile sectors like groceries or telecommunications. But the problem goes well beyond that. Right now competition is vanishing in sectors like medical technology, funeral services and even veterinary care. How do we get it back?
Guests: Vass Bednar and Denise Hearn, authors of The Big Fix: How Companies Capture Markets and Harm Canadians, available for pre-order here
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Canadians love our toonies. And that might explain why a story about bogus ones became our most listened to episodes of all time.
So on one of the last remaining summer weekends, enjoy this trip inside the shadowy world of Canadian coin counterfeiting, and make sure to take a look in your own change bowl to see if you've been carrying around any fakes.
Enjoy!
They call it the "camel-toe toonie", and you will understand why as soon as you look at the front right paw of the polar bear on it. Since they were first discovered in circulation in 2020, estimates range from at least tens of thousands to likely millions of them reaching circulation.
But who is behind it? How do you counterfeit toonies at scale and get them into the banking system? And ... why toonies?
GUEST: Brent Mackie, creator of cameltoetoonies.ca, numismatist, treasurer of Waterloo Coin Society
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We've all done it. Life is hard, the week is long and rather than force yourself to be out and about on a Friday night, you just need to unwind. All by yourself. Maybe do a little online shopping or pamper yourself however you please... so you turn down the invite, sit down on the couch and practice a little "self-care".
There's nothing inherently wrong with this. We all need breaks! But you should be aware that it's not that simple. There are trillions of dollars to be made from self-care practices and products, and the industry is only growing as we become more isolated and lonely. So next time you feel like backing out of something to stay inside alone, maybe ask yourself: Why am I doing this? Is it just because it's easier?
GUEST: Allie Volpe, senior reporter at Vox
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Last month, Alberta phased out coal years earlier than expected. It was an impressive achievement for a province synonymous with fossil fuels. Next up: Oil and gas? Probably not, but like it or not the time will come when the world moves on from the fuels that has been driving Alberta—and Canada's—economy for decades.
When that happens, are we ready? What can the phase out of coal, in Alberta or elsewhere, teach us about how we do move on when the time comes? Where can we look for examples of how to scale down without crushing our economy? And can we find the will to be proactive about a change we likely won't have any control over when it arrives?
GUEST: Arno Kopecky, environmental journalist and author, writing in The Walrus
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It's been well over a week since Venezuelans votes, by all accounts, to send president Nicolás Maduro packing. He hasn't left office, and has instead presented results that claim he, in fact, won the election. Hundreds of thousands of citizens have taken to the streets to demand he transfer power to opposition leader Edmundo González. Thousands of those protesters have been detained.
Democracy around the world is under threat, and nowhere is this more clear than in a country with a president that has become more authoritarian every year. So as the world watches, what happens now in Venezuela? What can the international community do to push for the peaceful transfer of power? And what happens if Maduro simply refuses?
GUEST: Mie Dahl, reporting in Caracas, Venezuela
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Massive global events like the Olympics are a magnet for cybercriminals and hacktivists. There are incredible complex systems to disrupt, billions in digital dollars moving around and the eyes of the world's media are watching for any logistical failure. But much like intelligence services coordinate to prevent physical terrorism, there's a network of cybersecurity units from nations around the world doing the same thing in the digital space.
So how do you keep the Olympics secure, digitally? Where are the vulnerabilities in this type of event? What do organizations like the IOC or even ordinary citizens following the games need to know about the risks? We're talking to the folks that do this work for Canada to try to stay ahead in a rapid technological arms race.
GUEST: Caroline Xavier, Chief of the Communications Security Establishment of Canada
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It's a long weekend, and that means it's time for us to reach into bag and pull out some the most thought-provoking pieces of listener feedback we've received over the past few months.
Even if your letter or voicemail didn't make it into this episode, please know that we've read them and appreciate them all the same! Please keep the feedback and story ideas coming!
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
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We recently released an episode about a woman in Hamilton, Ontario who unwittingly became a landlord after the tenants in a house she intended to move into, refused to leave. Today we're revisiting an episode from 2023 that highlights the other side of that equation: the plight of renters in an increasingly unaffordable housing market. Enjoy!
Rent in large Canadian cities is at ridiculous highs. It's hard to find a decent apartment. and sometimes even harder to keep it. Landlords can afford to neglect their buildings because units are so scarce, and what options do tenants have, exactly? Leave?! Stop paying rent?!
Well, yes, there are several rent strikes happening in Canada right now, mostly in Toronto. Some of them are closing in on six months or more. Evictions have been long-threatened, but slow to happen. Nor have the tenants received any concession or negotiation, even when the mayor stepped in. So what are rent strikes, how do they work, and what should you know about a renter's "last resort"?
GUEST: Ricardo Tranjan, Senior Researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives; author of The Tenant Class
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It's one thing for you or me to be skeptical of generative AI. Sure, we might not have much practical use for it, and it may keep giving us the wrong answers to questions or images of people with too many fingers ... but there are billions and billions of dollars to be made here, right?
A report last month from investment firm Goldman Sachs says "Maybe not." The report takes a clear-eyed look at the promise and potential of generative AI, compared to what has actually come to fruition and how much better AI may or may not get. The conclusions offer a picture of a Next Big Thing that might simply never get there.
GUEST: Ed Zitron, technology writer, author of Where's Your Ed At?
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American Democrats had long prided themselves on taking the high road in the face of insults and mockery from the right. But over the past week, their tone—and the vibes of the presidential campaign—have shifted. Since Kamala Harris became the presumptive nominee, she and other top democrats have begun calling their Republican opponents just plain "weird" and sometimes "creepy".
The response to it from the right has been fascinating. And Harris certainly appears to have wiped out the deficit she inherited from Joe Biden and brought the race even again. Why has "weird" worked so well? How has the race actually changed on the ground? What will define the final few months of the campaign?
GUEST: Aaron Rupar, American political journalist, founder of Public Notice
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It's not your favourite metal band's summer itinerary. It's a group of far-right extremists who are travelling the country hosting events in venues that range from auditoriums to city parks. The content is about what you'd expect, and has led to several venues closing their doors, but that only leads to claims of censorship.
Why are we telling you about this and possibly raising its profile? Because it can be easy to pretend groups like this don't exist in Canada, or that stuff like Diagolon only exists online. But it's increasingly turning up in our neighbourhoods and communities. So what, exactly, is the purpose of the "terror tour"? Who's hosting it, how did it come to be ... and what do you need to know about it if it comes to your town?
GUEST: Jen St. Denis, reporter, The Tyee
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The call to evacuate came late at night. Thousands had to find somewhere to go. Some of them drove for up to 12 hours. Then all they could do was watched as a massive blaze in Jasper National Park tore through the town at its core.
But even as the fire continued to burn outside of the town on Monday, work was being done to save what was left, including critical infrastructure. Both the park and town of Jasper hold a special place in the hearts of so many Canadians, but was there ever a chance to protect it? Or was this destruction inevitable? And what happens to Jasper now?
GUEST: Sean Amato, reporter, CityNews Edmonton
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For the first time ever this summer—and on the 50th anniversary of Jaws—shark warning signs will go up on some Atlantic beaches in Canada. It's an effort to keep people informed as the shark population in the area seems to be surging, and with it the number of encounters with humans.
What's driving the increase in numbers? What have we learned about shark behaviour in our waters? Should kayakers and boarders be worried? And half a century after Peter Benchley's novel turned the world against these supposed "man-eaters", how much better do we understand them?
GUEST: Fred Whoriskey, executive director of the Ocean Tracking Network at Dalhousie University
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Recently there has been renewed talk of Canada launching a 'digital loonie'.
We discussed the idea of a national digital currency on this very show almost three years ago, and with the idea gaining renewed traction, we felt now would be a good time to revisit that episode.
We hope you enjoy!
Right now, the Bank of Canada is working on a "digital loonie" that will replace cash at some point in the future. Governments around the world are either following suit or way ahead of us. While banks have been giving their customers access to digital wallets for years, cryptocurrencies are attempting to corner the market on the next generation of money.
The only thing that's clear to everyone is that actual cold, hard cash is not long for this world—with all the benefits and inequalities that will include. So in the race to become the next go-to source of currency ... who's winning?
GUEST: Michael Doyle, freelance journalist and reporter
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With the recent devastation in Jasper, Alberta, we wanted to revisit this episode we recorded back in April with author, John Vaillant, where he explains why wildfires have become more common, and much harder to fight.
We hope you find it informative, and our hearts go out to all those affected by the current fires.
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES
Today, evacuation alerts for several communities in BC and Alberta are in effect. You may not have noticed, because there are always evacuation alerts in effect now, and there are always fires burning, some of them out of control. When the whole country takes notice is when the skies over entire provinces go dark, the air turns bad or a blaze like the Fort McMurray fire in 2016 blitzes through a city.
All of that will probably happen this year. The conditions are ripe for it, and there's not much we can do to prevent a devastating fire when it comes. But we can evolve our strategies as the fires get bigger. We can adapt. But...will we?
GUEST: John Vaillant, author, Fire Weather: The making of a beast
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The Paris games kicks off with the Opening Ceremonies today, but the Canadian women's soccer team has already given the thousands of media covering the event something to talk about. Earlier this week, a team analyst was caught using a drone to spy on the New Zealand team's practice, sparking immediate consequences that have included removal from the team, multiple investigations and even police charges.
Why would anyone associated with the team try to do this, or think they'd get away with it? Is this a one-off incident or a systemic issue? How far up the Canadian soccer ladder does this scheme go? How bad will the fallout be? And has Canada tainted its games before they even begin?
GUEST: Sid Seixeiro, sports commentator, co-host of Breakfast Television, formerly of Tim and Sid
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A month ago President Joe Biden was about to debate former President Donald Trump. Everything since then has been a series of shocks that dramatically upset a race that had been static for years. Now Vice President Kamala Harris assumes the Democratic candidacy and will take on a Republican machine that had been preparing to run against the oldest candidate in history.
How does Harris' ascention impact the race? How will republicans try to define her and will it work? How has she managed to reinvigorate a party wherre morale was at a critical low? And what does this mean for the coming remaining weeks and months of the race? What twists are still to come?
GUEST: Melissa Haussman, professor of political science, Carleton University
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Last Friday, a bad update from a cybersecurity company managed to give an estimated 1 percent of the world's computers the blue screen of death. Not only that, but the initial fix was a manual procedure, meaning someone had to physically get ahold of each computer that needed a reboot.
The global impact was profound, grounding airlines, halting businesses and generally providing a wake-up call to everyone who takes the digital infrastructure most of our lives are built on for granted. Why weren't we prepared for this? How did it happen? And are we really ready for a world that could go offline at any moment?
GUEST: Jesse Hirsh, futurist, technologist and cybersecurity expert
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Canada's dental plan, the first national model in the country's history, opened earlier this year. And it's already quite different than it was at launch. For starters, it's expanding eligibility—most recently to children under 18. But the government is also tweaking it on the fly, in the hopes of getting more dentists and dental associations on board.
Why has it been so hard to convince dental practitioners to sign up? Are their concerns valid and what's the government doing about them? Who does the plan cover, and how do you get access? And compared to what advocates have long fought for, how does the current model stack up?
GUEST: Dr. Brandon Doucet, dentist, founder of the Coalition for Dentalcare
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If you get outside to enjoy Canadian nature, you've probably been warned about ticks and their potential to spread Lyme disease. But you may not have been warned about the other illnesses ticks can spread, like Anaplasmosis, which is currently on the rise in Canada.
The tick problem this year, is worse than last year, and much much worse than even a decade ago. Is there anything we can do to curb their spread? And what can you do to keep yourself safe?
GUEST: Dr. Laura Ferguson: Biologist and Associate Professor at Acadia University
For more tick-related resources, visit: https://www.etick.ca/
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No we haven't been hacked—today's story has all of these things and more. It's a tale about what happens when a Canadian crypto company wants to add to its portfolio, an American sex doll manufacturer wants to be taken more seriously and artificial intelligence progress convinces everyone involved that this is possible.
Welcome to Canada's strangest business tech story of the year. Burt it's not fiction, it has investors and prototypes and big plans for everything from hospitals to research to ... AI sex robots.
GUEST: Claire Brownell, digital currency reporter, The Logic
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Five years ago, the City of Toronto sounded a warning about an explosive growth in its rat population. The city planned to ... study it. Now, both Toronto and Ottawa are desperate for a plan to tackle highly visible rodent problems. But nothing's worked yet.
Meanwhile, Alberta has been "rat-free" for decades, and the woman in charge of keeping the province that way has some thoughts about more experimental methods that might be considered. So how does Alberta do it? Why can't Ontario cities emulate their methods? And why does it seem like rats are everywhere in (most) big cities right now?
GUEST: Sheila Reid, reporter, The Canadian Press
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If you own a property, you're not allowed to kick tenants out just to raise the rent. You are, however, allowed to evict them if you've purchased the property and plan to live in the home yourself. But what happens if they...just don't leave?
A woman who recently purchased a home in Hamilton, is now living in her car and on friends' couches after she bought a home and made plans to move in—only to find herself homeless. It's been more than six weeks, and she's planning for months to come. How do these situations happen? And what do they tell us about landlord-tenant rules and the system that enforces them...or doesn't?
GUEST: Sebastien Bron, reporter, The Hamilton Spectator
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Its mechanics were officially off the job only 29 hours. But more than a week after they returned to work, WestJet was still struggling with cancelled flights and stranded passengers. Travelers impacted by the strike reported almost no customer service, including no efforts by WestJet to rebook them on other airlines, as the company is required to do. On the busiest travel weekend of the summer, and for a week afterwards, Canadians were left up in the air. Now they're trying to figure out what they're owed, and if they'll get it.
How did such a shoirt strike cause so much havoc? What was WestJet required to do in this situation and, did they do it? Will passengers ever see the compensation they're due? And why is air travel in this country still so fraught with error?
GUEST: Christopher Reynolds, reporter, The Canadian Press
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For 32 years a moratorium on cod fishing was in place in Newfoundland. When it hit, it cost tens of thousands of jobs, decimated the economy and changed the identity of the province. But now the ban has been lifted. Sort of. At least a little. And everyone is wondering what happens next...
Should the ban have been lifted? How far back have the cod come in 32 years? What will this mean to Newfoundland's economy? And why are so many experts worried about how and why this decision was made?
GUEST: Jenn Thornhill Verma, award-winning investigative journalist covering fisheries, oceans and climate change; author of Cod Collapse: The Rise and Fall of Newfoundland's Saltwater Cowboys
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It's summer, and parents across Canada are desperately looking for things to occupy their children. So why not take a trip to your local mall? That is, while you still can. In this episode from 2022, we examine what our society loses, as more and more malls across the country decide to close their doors. We hope you enjoy!
All across North America, malls are vanishing. Some are simply being demolished, others are turning into condo complexes or Amazon warehouses. The rise of online shopping has made them less necessary for simply acquiring goods, but that was never all that malls were for.
When was the last time you just browsed? Wandered a store with no particular purchase in mind, hoping to find something cool? Or spent some time aimlessly "just looking"? In a hyper-focused digital world, we're spending less and less time free from a specific task or goal—which is what an afternoon at the mall accomplishes, at least while they're still around.
GUEST: Jason Guriel, author of On Browsing
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A winter hike was the way his father, then prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, decided he was through with politics and would not run again. Inflation was high, Canadians were struggling and he was deeply unpopular and likely to lose the next election. Sound familiar?
After a devatstating loss in a byelection that was thought to be a safe win last month, the calls for Trudeau to follow his father's footsteps are getting louder, including from some in his own party. Will he heed them? Wy does he want to stay? Who might replace him if he goes? Our guest today just wrote a biography of Trudeau and will try to take us inside the party, and Trudeau's thinking.
GUEST: Stephen Maher, author of The Prince: The Turbulent Reign of Justin Trudeau
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Political collapse is an order of magnitude different than, say, "a trouble democracy" or even "a hard right government". It means the end of democracy, a massive reordering of what life in that nation—and when that nation is America, by extension, the world—looks like.
This is a conversation that's very difficult to have. It's hard to wrap your mind around it, especially for those of us who have lives, and families and jobs and not a lot of time to ruminate on the future of democracy. But if it isn't our job to confront it, surely it's the job of our leaders, or politicians who hope to avert the worst-case scenario. Are they talking about it? Preparing for it? What exactly would political collapse look like in America and elsewhere? And would we recognize it before it's too late?
GUEST: David Moscrop, author of Too Dumb For Democracy
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Learning that legendary Canadian writer Alice Munro was complicit in ignoring the sexual abuse of her daughter by her husband has shocked the country and forced us all to grapple with the progress we have—and haven't—made since the #MeToo movement went viral in 2017.
In an essay for The Toronto Star, Andrea Robin Skinner detailed how her mother ignored her reports of abuse by her stepfather, even when he acknowledged it in writing. It's not the only high-profile literary sex abuse scandal of the past week, either. How has the public grappled with the news? And seven years on, are we getting better at believing victims, and understanding just how common this type of situation is?
GUEST: Julie Lalonde, speaker and educator, women's rights advocate, author of Resilience Is Futile
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Ontario’s liquor distribution workers are on strike for the first time in their history. The reason? The government’s plan to open up places like corner stores for beer, wine and mixed cooler sales. It’s the latest chapter in a strange history of alcohol policy in the province that dates back to prohibition.
The LCBO brings in billions in revenue each year for the government, but Premier Doug Ford has long pushed for more convenience in alcohol retail. Meanwhile, the rest of the country wonders why the province needed to pay hundreds of millions of dollars just to make beer in corner stores possible. Today, a look inside this fight, and many others Ontario has had over drink, over the years.
GUEST: Richard Southern, Queen’s Park reporter, CityNews
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Eight years ago, the Prime Minister was welcoming Syrian refugees to Canada at the airport, to international acclaim. Canada was viewed as one of the world leaders in accepting asylum claimants from war-torn or dangerous countries. We were good at it.
Last year, asylum seekers were camped out in the streets, begging for a spot in shelters. They sat on months-long waitlists for basic documents that would allow them to work. There is no space in shelters, and we’re cramming them into hotels. Safe to say there are no smiles from the Prime Minister or happy headlines. How did our system come crashing down so quickly?
GUEST: Jordan Michael Smith, writing in Maclean’s
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First the Ontario Science Centre was to be moved in a year or two, and that was enough to spark a protest movement to keep the iconic building designed by a renowned architect right where it was. Then, out of nowhere, it was simply closed for good, with Ontario’s government citing a report that the roof would pose a danger in winter.
In the wake of its sudden closure, there have been offers of private donations to fix the roof, the architectural firm that designed it has offered to lead those repairs and thousands of citizens have rallied to try and change the province’s mind. But nothing’s changed. Why did the Science Centre close so suddenly? Where will it live next? And who profits from that?
GUEST: Aidan Chamandy, political reporter for The Trillium
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By the end of this weekend, two of Canada’s G7 allies could each have new governments, on opposite sides of the political spectrum. While the Labour party is expected to end 14 years of Conservative government in the UK on Thursday, France may well end up in the hands of the hardline National Rally party.
Is this a case of two countries headed in opposite directions? Or is it simply the same anti-incumbent sentiment that has impacted democracies across the world, with Canada no exception? Are people turning away from progressive politics, or making their displeasure heard? And will countries ever again vote for something, rather than against a party or politician they despise?
GUEST: Josh Keating, senior correspondent at Vox covering foreign policy and world affairs
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Right now, the federal government is in the middle of a consultation period in which they may decide to jack up tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles. In announcing the consultation, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland called Chinese EVs “unfair competition” and said China was undermining Canada’s EV sector’s ability to compete.
How is China’s EV approach “unfair”? Why are Canadian EVs having trouble competing? Why aren’t more Chinese EVs making their way overseas? And why can’t you buy a simple, functional $12,000 electric car instead of a $65,000 electric truck or SUV or Tesla?
GUEST: Lorraine Sommerfeld, automotive journalist, Driving.ca, host of The Driving Podcast
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Microplastics are everywhere—and for the first time they’ve been found in penises of people suffering from erectile dysfunction. The study only looked at five people and they all already had ED, but one of the authors of the study said the next step is to figure out if there’s a link.
So, does this mean there’s a link between the two? Why have rates of infertility and ED been rising around the world? And why does it take a study that finds them in a penis to drive so much media than previous studies that have found these things in other places in the body?
GUEST: Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy, reproductive urologist, study lead
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Mess with the finely balanced ecosystem of the ocean? On purpose?! What could go wrong?! But the truth is, we've messed with it already. The oceans suck up a lot of our carbon, and you may have noticed they get hotter every year. But what if there was a way to store carbon in the ocean, possibly forever, where it wouldn't do any damage?
Welcome to the world of marine geoengineering—a field gaining a lot of attention, as well as a lot of investment, including in Canadian companies. We might not understand the depths of the ocean's ecosystem enough to ensure we won't do anything truly horrible...but eventually we might have no option but to try it anyway...
GUEST: Moira Donovan, writing in The Walrus
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British Columbia is introducing regulations that the province says will improve the lives of gig workers who deliver meals and offer rideshares—including a minimum wage while working and safe work protections among other things. Other regulations have slowly been introduced around the world.
But do these protections actually help workers? Will the companies that pay them pass the prices along to consumers, or leave these jurisdictions altogether? As more and more jobs shift to this kind of work, what needs to be done to ensure workers can actually make a living doing it?
GUEST: Valerio De Stefano, Canada Research Chair in Innovation in Law and Society at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University
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Toronto-St. Paul's had been a Liberal seat for more than 30 years. Not anymore. In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Conservative candidate pulled off the upset and sent shockwaves through both parties, and the public. How did they do it?
Everyone knew the Liberals, as well as Justin Trudeau, were unpopular—but if any riding was supposed to be safe for them it was this one. Now any sense of safety is out the window, and everyone wants to know what happens now...
GUEST: Stephanie Taylor, Parliament Hill reporter, The Canadian Press
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There's a record number of Toronto condominiums on the market right now, and despite record immigration, and an ever-worsening housing crisis, nobody seems to want to buy them.
So how hard is it to offload a condo in one of North America's hottest property markets? What happened to all of the motivated buyers? And what does the trend say more broadly about the state of Canadian real estate?
GUEST: Diana Zlomislic, Housing reporter for The Toronto Star
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All NATO members are required to spend the equivalent of 2% of GDP on their military, and Canada has always fallen short of that benchmark. But now, more frequent domestic crises, mounting geopolitical turmoil, and harsh rhetoric from south of the border, may mean that it's time to put up or shut up when it comes to military spending.
So where do the biggest gaps in our capabilities exist? How difficult will it be to remedy them? And what sort of military do we as Canadians actually want?
GUEST: Matt Gurney, Columnist, Co-founder of The Line
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On what is a sweltering weekend across much of Canada, we thought we'd revisit an episode that takes place in cooler climes. It's the quirky story of how a war fought using bottles of whisky led to the establishment of Canada's first and only land border with Europe. Enjoy!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
50 years ago, a dispute arose between Canada and Denmark over Hans Island, a piece of land that exists almost exactly halfway between the coast of Nunavut and Greenland, a Danish territory. The island holds value as a hunting ground for local Indigenous populations, but holds no strategic or economic value for either nation. And yet, for five decades our two countries were unable to reach an agreement over ownership of the island. Canadian and Danish troops would, reportedly, exchange bottles of booze with one another, which is why the conflict is sometimes called the 'whisky war'.
Recently, Canada, Greenland and Denmark reached an agreement that brought the conflict to the close. Essentially, they drew a line down the middle of the island, thus creating the first land border between Canada and Europe.
So what does that actually mean in a geopolitical sense? Why did it take half a century to come up with a solution that sounds like it was written by a third grader? And as wider swathes of the region become accessible due to climate change, could the resolution serve as a framework for future Arctic diplomacy?
GUEST: Martin Breum, Danish journalist and Arctic expert.
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This month, schools across the country will be closing for the summer. And the kids? Well, their parents will have to figure out what to do with them. Nowadays, there's a lot of pressure to register kids for expensive camps and classes, but is all that really necessary? Can the kids just do nothing all summer?
Jordan speaks with Alyson Schafer, one of Canada's leading parenting experts, to find some affordable ways to make sure the kids are safe and occupied this holiday.
Here's a link to the episode about having kids!
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For decades, the sight of a bald eagle anywhere near Southern Ontario was basically an impossibility. The species has nearly been extinguished twice in the past century, and while many of the majestic birds had bounced back on the west cost, there simply weren't enough of them around the Great Lakes to sustain a population boom.
Over the past few years, slowly and carefully, and with plenty of help from dedicated conservationists, that's changed. There are even bald eagles nesting in Toronto. How did it happen? And what can it teach us about preserving iconic species in the years to come?
GUEST: Emma McIntosh, Ontario Reporter, The Narwhal
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The Liberals say their changes to the capital gains tax mean that Canada’s ultra rich will pay a little more, money they can easily afford. The Conservatives say the Liberals are taxing small business owners and Canadians already struggling to get by. Who’s right? What if they both are?
The changes to the tax were bound to become a political football: A complicated tweak to an existing tax that can be easily spun by either side of the aisle. So who will it really hurt? Will it help? What do you need to understand before you panic sell the family cottage?
GUEST: Laura Dhillon Kane, Ottawa bureau chief, Bloomberg News
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The Liberals say their changes to the capital gains tax mean that Canada's ultra rich will pay a little more, money they can easily afford. The Conservatives say the Liberals are taxing small business owners and Canadians already struggling to get by. Who's right? What if they both are?
The changes to the tax were bound to become a political football: A complicated tweak to an existing tax that can be easily spun by either side of the aisle. So who will it really hurt? Will it help? What do you need to understand before you panic sell the family cottage?
GUEST: Laura Dhillon Kane, Ottawa bureau chief, Bloomberg News
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A few weeks ago, temperatures in India blasted past 50 degrees Celsius. Currently much of the United States and parts of Canada are in the grip of a heat dome that could shatter records. Summer's hot, and heat waves happen. We know this. But if a heat wave is a period of time with temperatures above normal, and the "normal" temperature keeps rising...
What do the heat waves of the future mean for us? What exactly is a "wet bulb" measurement? Which parts of the world can withstand the heat to come, and how can we prepare the ones that can't?
GUEST: Dr. Kent Moore, professor of atmospheric physics, University of Toronto
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Typically, a broken water main does not plunge a city into weeks of critical water shortages and a state of emergency. But the pipe that broke on June 5 wasn’t a typical water main. Now, almost two weeks later, the city is estimating another three to five weeks for full repairs, and until then Calgarians are under water restrictions.
How did the break happen, and could it have been prevented? Why will repairs take so long? What might happen if the city gets close to running out of water? And will the Calgary Stampede, due to start on July 5th, still go on as scheduled?
GUEST: Kerry Black, Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calgary
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Richmound, Saskatchewan thought they’d have seen the last of the so-called “Queen of Canada” by now. It’s been almost a year since Romana Didulo and her followers moved into an empty school in the tiny prairie town. And they’re still here.
Nearly a year of living next door to a dozen or more conspiracy theorists who promise public executions does some strange things to a small community. When everyone knows everyone, and everybody has to pick a side, what happens? Nothing good.
GUEST: Rachel Browne, investigative journalist (Read Rachel’s story in The Walrus.)
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Richmound, Saskatchewan thought they'd have seen the last of the so-called "Queen of Canada" by now. It's been almost a year since Romana Didulo and her followers moved into an empty school in the tiny prairie town. And they're still here.
Nearly a year of living next door to a dozen or more conspiracy theorists who promise public executions does some strange things to a small community. When everyone knows everyone, and everybody has to pick a side, what happens? Nothing good.
GUEST: Rachel Browne, investigative journalist (Read Rachel's story in The Walrus.)
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We're coming up on the show's six year anniversary, and so we wanted to revisit the first episode we ever released to show just how far we've come in that time. We hope you enjoy!
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau managed to green light recreational marijuana in Canada, but there is still a lot to get done before legalized weed makes its way into the hands of Canadians. Maclean's Ottawa bureau chief, John Geddes, explains how the Liberals kept their landmark promise and what will happen next.
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Tova wrote into the show expressing frustration with the price of clothes at brick and mortar stores. She wants to shop online but doesn't like the hassles associated with making returns. Tova's email got us thinking about our own evolving shopping habits and what it means for both the economy and the environment. Do we need to reframe how we think about buying clothes?
Jordan talks to Kelly Drennan, the founder of Fashion Takes Action, a non profit organization that's devoted to advancing sustainability in the fashion industry.
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Using glue to stick cheese on a pizza. Drinking urine to pass kidney stones. The past few weeks have been filled with weird, hilarious and definitively wrong answers supplied by Google's new AI Overview. The criticism became so intense that Google has fixed many of the answers manually, but it's still determined to push forward incorporating AI into its responses. Why?
How did AI mess these simple questions up? What has Google lost as it moves forward with its plans? And ... does the company understand what its chief product is actually for, or how people use it?
GUEST: Max Read, author of Read Max on Substack
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Last week, a bombshell report revealed multiple Canadian parliamentarians have, intentionally and unintentionally, worked with foreign agents to interfere in our politics. The revelation sparked furious debate around who these MPs are, what they've done to undermine Canada's interest and whether or not the "traitors"—as many called them—should be named.
Today, we'll bring you on a deep dive into the world of foreign interference, security clearance, intelligence gathering and how to protect Canada's interests while still keeping the public informed. It's not as simple as naming names.
GUEST: Stephanie Carvin, former national security analyst, Associate Professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, author of Stand on Guard: Reassessing threats to Canada's National Security
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The CRTC decided last week to levy a tax on the Canadian revenue made by the giant streaming services. This money will ostensibly go towards supporting Canadian creators and improving Canadian content...which is what exactly?
This is where Bill C-11 gets interesting, because streamers already spend a ton of money making content in Canada, or purchasing stories and IP created by Canadians. Much of that won't count, so what will? And who will end up paying for the tax on those services—American corporations or, as some experts have warned, all of us, with rising Netflix prices?
GUEST: Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law at the University of Ottawa
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This weekend saw four Israeli hostages rescued at the cost of at least 200 Palestinian lives. While the world debates the calculus of that manoeuvre, it is either way more lives lost in a conflict overflowing with them. When this began, very few experts could have imagined Israel's bloody response to Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks lasting eight months. But here we are, with ceasefire deals and hostage exchanges having failed every time they've seemed close.
Is there still a way to end the bloodshed? Will there be anything left of Gaza by the time there is?
GUEST: Khaled Elgindy, senior fellow, Middle East Institute; Director of the Middle East Institute's Program on Palestine and Israeli-Palestinian Affairs
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The 1930s was a disastrous time for Alberta, as crops failed and topsoil blew away in the wind. And while the province is not currently at that level today, all signs are pointing towards a period of prolonged drought in the province.
This is a problem even a month of rain can't fix. And every government in the province is having to dramatically rethink how they handle water when it becomes scarce. What does the future hold for Alberta's crops? And what are we doing now to avoid the worst-case scenarios?
GUEST: Tyler Dawson, Alberta correspondent, National Post
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Traditionally, we think of a tip as an acknowledgement of a job well done, usually by someone who performs a service for us. It's become impolite not to tip, of course, but until recently the standards were still mostly understood. Then society began to go cashless...
Over the past few years, tipping has crept into far more transactions than it had previously. Now businesses don't need to rely on tradition, they can simply add a tip prompt to their transaction machines, and presto! Tip creep. This creates confusion, and often resentment, when being asked to tip for handing over some goods across a counter, or ringing up groceries. And it's not the workers' fault—but they're caught in the middle.
So where did tip creep come from? How much and when should you tip now, and what are the forces at work behind this dynamic?
GUEST: Corey Mintz, food reporter, author of The Next Supper
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In pop culture, pre-nuptial agreements (or pre-nups) are usually talked about as something that protects a rich person from marrying a gold digger. But these days, most of us don’t have much gold to dig for; that said, there are still things couples need to think about before combining finances.
Jordan talks to Georgina Carson, a family lawyer and partner at Carson, Chousky and Lein to get the low-down on marriage and cohabitation contracts, and find out what steps couples should take when they start to think about sharing bank accounts, property and debt.
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hello@itepod.ca
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Scientists are very careful about throwing around words like 'breakthrough' or 'cure'—especially when it comes to diseases like ALS that are so devastating to their victims. But the past few months have seen an incredible sense of optimism around research being done by a team at Western University, who seem to have found a way to prevent the cell death that is the core of the disease.
How did they make this discovery? How does it work so far in experiments? And why is this step turning heads around the entire medical world?
GUEST: Dr. Michael Strong, professor of neurology at Western University's Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry; Arthur J. Hudson Chair in ALS Research
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On Wednesday the Bank of Canada lowered its key interest rate for the first time in four years, after months spent at a 20-plus year high. The cut was just a quarter-point, but it could be a signal that easier economic times are on the way for millions of Canadians struggling with servicing their debt.
So what does this latest cut mean right now, and what might it mean in the future? And is this the start of a trend, or could the bank decide to walk it back later this year?
GUEST: David, senior economist for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ National Office
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Heat pumps could fundamentally shift the way we heat and cool our homes, but high costs and misconceptions about their performance in cold weather have served as barriers to their mass adoption in North America.
So how do they work? How effective could they be in reducing carbon emissions? And what's being done to make them more attainable for the average household?
GUEST: Matt Simon, Senior staff writer, WIRED
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There are some large companies in Canada that have a history of breaking environmental laws. But the framework for fining them can be complex, and often struggles to make the larger businesses feel serious financial ramifications.
How does this system work? Or does it? How could we adapt it for a world in which the pursuit of profits that cause environmental harm will become more and more dangerous?
GUEST: Ben Collison, PhD student at Dalhousie University, writing for The Conversation
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It's been decades since the Conservative party played any real role in British Columbia's legislature. But that might be changing. With a little over four months to go before the next provincial election, they BC Conservatives are neck and neck with the NDP to form the next government, at least according to polls?
Is it a mirage? A sign of a serious shift in the electorate? Or an indication of pure frustration and anger with the current government, so much so that anyone else, even a party that has spent decades in the province's political wilderness, will do?
GUEST: Andrew MacLeod, Legislative Bureau Chief, The Tyee
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Over the next few weeks, we'll be revisiting some of our favourite episodes from the catalogue. If you're new to the show, we hope you enjoy hearing these for the first time, and if you've been with us a while, enjoy this trip down memory lane!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
It's not easy to make yourself notorious among the more than 40,000 McDonald's franchises in the world—but Ottawa's Rideau Street location accomplished it. From dangerous violence, to drug use, general chaos and viral incidents that became world famous (like the raccoon fight...) the recently closed restaurant earned the moniker given to it by a former police chief.
But the story of this McDonald's isn't just one of crime and online fame. It's a story about public space and who gets to use it, how a city changes at night, what resources we offer to people who need them and how every city's downtown is changing right now. Today, the rise and fall of the most famous McDonald's in Canada.
GUEST: Amy Dempsey, senior writer, Toronto Star
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Cheap. Entitled. Greedy. Those are just a few things that come to mind when one thinks about a landlord. But have you ever considered becoming one?
According to data collected by the Canadian Real Estate Association, the current average cost of a house in Canada is just over $700 thousand dollars. Simultaneously, the cost of renting remains at an all-time high. Buying a house that has a basement unit, or something you can rent out to help cover your mortgage, might seem like an appealing option. But is it really that easy?
Jordan speaks with Nelda Schulte, a landlord coach and author of "Canadian Landlords Handbook" to find out the hidden reality of rental properties.
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The debate around Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying legislation is exhaustive, and there is no shortage of opinion out there from doctors, advocates, experts and academics, as well as first-person testimonials from terminally ill people who are availing themselves of the system. One of the perspectives often missing in that debate, however, are disabled people, many of whom say they feel the system pushes them towards using MAiD by making them feel like a burden on society.
Today, using a text-to-speech program, we present one of those opinions, a woman who is leading a charge to preserve some MAiD-free spaces within the Canadian health care system, where disabled people can seek treatment without the spectre of assisted death near them.
GUEST: Gabrielle Peters, disabled writer, policy analyst and the co-founder of Disability Filibuster
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Welcome to a fascinating little corner of contract and competition law that could leave a lasting impact on Canada's grocery industry. Last week, the competition bureau revealed it was investigating the parent companies of two of the country's largest grocers in relation to controls they have applied to their lease agreements.
These sorts of controls are common in all sorts of agreements—but the bureau alleges that Loblaws and Sobeys are using them in an unfair and anticompetitive manner, so it's begun a process that could ultimately see them taken to court. Exactly what is the bureau looking at? How much power does it have in this situation? And how much might Canadians learn about the inner workings of our grocery giants?
GUEST: Jennifer Quaid, Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law, specializing in corporate accountability, competition and business regulation
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A couple of years ago, angry Taylor Swift fans filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster, after a presale event for her tour went haywire and resulted in millions of disappointed fans. That lawsuit is still before the courts. But it's one thing to have Swifties suing you, and another to face the United States Department of Justice, who also sued Ticketmaster's parent company Live Nation last week, alleging that the company is a monopoly and accusing it of several practices that combine to give it unfair control of the live music industry.
Live Nation is a giant corporation. The US DoJ is one of the world's most powerful government agencies. The two entities are on a collision course, and in the middle are millions of music fans, wondering if this lawsuit might finally do something about ever-rising concert prices and fees.
GUEST: Joel Khalili, business reporter, WIRED
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Aiden Pleterski was charged with fraud a couple of weeks ago. On the face of it, it's a simple charge, but the story behind those charges is one that could only happen in the world of cryptocurrency. Pleterski, a native of Whitby, Ontario, built a reputation as the 'Crypto King' and is alleged to have been living lavishly on investors' money.
Now there are handfuls of lawsuits, allegedly tens of millions in missing money and a tangled web of angry investors. How did this all go down? How did Pleterski allegedly defraud investors? And why were investors handing their money to a kid barely out of high school in the first place?
GUEST: Jennifer Pagliaro, crime reporter, The Toronto Star
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The internet changed nearly everything about real estate. Now buyers can see all the listings, everywhere; they can learn the price histories and estimated values of houses they look at, and can see the minute details of those houses before ever visiting them or retaining an agent. But one thing never did change: they still can't easily see an agent's commission.
But a settled lawsuit in the United States and two more in the courts in Canada are preparing to change that and then we'll learn just how much of the market this simple but incredibly opaque part of the industry influences the whole thing.
GUEST: Murtaza Haider, professor of real estate management at Toronto Metropolitan University
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We've gained some new subscribers recently, and over the next few Sundays we want to help welcome them to the show by re-releasing some of our favourite episodes from the last few years. If you're new here, welcome! And if you've been with us for a while, we hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.
It's here. It's become a part of summer in most areas of Canada. It's bad for you.
What exactly makes wildfire smoke harmful to breathe? And what about the mental health impact of hazy skies and a darkened future?
If we're going to live with this we need less speculation, and more science and solutions. Here they are.
GUEST: Dr. Courtney Howard, emergency physician; Vice-Chair of the Global Climate and Health Alliance
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Summer is around the corner, and a lot of us are dreaming of a holiday. But post pandemic it feels like everything has skyrocketed. So how can you still have a fun and meaningful family vacation in this economy?
Natalie Preddie is a writer and a TV personality who specializes in travel. As a seasoned traveler herself, whether that's solo or with a family, on a plane or in a train, she is full of tips for how to make that dream of vacation a reality.
Do you have a money problem? Call us and leave a message at 416-935-5935. Or email us at hello@itepod.ca. You can also find us on Instagram and TikTok @InThisEconomyPod. Don't forget to leave a call-back number, so we can get in touch.
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Have you met Shrimp Jesus yet? He's Jesus, only a shrimp. Or maybe a half-man, half-shrimp. Anyway...he's the most recognizable example of thousands upon thousands of bizarre AI-created images that are flooding Facebook's algorithm and its users feeds.
These images go viral because the algorithm boosts them, because other Facebook accounts are engaging with them. But who, exactly, is engaging with these random fake images? And why? The answer tells a story that will give you a whole new perspective on just how many people on the world's largest social media platform are, well, actually humans.
GUEST: Jason Koebler, cofounder of 404 Media, cohost of the 404 Media podcast
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Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has promised to use the notwithstanding clause to enact criminal justice reform if elected. Liberals have pointed to this as an indication that Conservatives would use it for other things, including restricting abortion.
How much of this is political posturing from either side? How huge a precedent would using the notwithstanding clause this way represent? If a Conservative government went down this path, would access to abortion really be at risk? And what could the Liberals do now if they believed that to be the case?
GUEST: Daphne Gilbert, professor of criminal and constitutional law at the University of Ottawa
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It's known as the third rail of Canadian politics, and maybe that's why we've never properly addressed it—but as long as Canada has had universal health care, people have been paying out of pocket for faster service. It's only in the past few years, though, as the public system has crumbled, that the trickle has turned into a flood.
What exactly qualifies as private health care in Canada, and who gets it? Where are the loopholes in the system that allow it to proliferate? And why does nobody in Ottawa want to talk about how to tackle a system that's not working for anyone?
GUEST: Christina Frangou, writing in Maclean's
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For a number of years, some of the world's biggest brands painted themselves as shining lights of progressive values. There was more to it than altruism, of course—at the time it was seen as good for business. But now retail experts are wondering if the winds are shifting.
While "go woke, go broke" has always been a farcical maxim, it's worth asking why some companies have begun pulling back on showing off their dedication to social issues like diversity or sustainability, and what message that sends to their customers but also those watching where things might be headed...
GUEST: Emily Stewart, senior correspondent at Business Insider
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A long weekend means it's time to go through the mailbag. And this time there is actual mail in it. When you report on Canada Post, it turns out, you get physical letters. So we'll read those, discuss meeting and trying to pin down Justin Trudeau and the making of our latest narrative series, and what might be coming next...
As always, get in touch with us, and you might find yourself in these episodes.
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We've gained some new subscribers recently, and over the next few Sundays we want to help welcome them to the show by re-releasing some of our favourite episodes from the last few years. If you're new here, welcome! And if you've been with us for a while, we hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.
The promise was pretty clear: During his first successful campaign as Liberal leader, Justin Trudeau told LGBT voters that we would end Canada’s longstanding ban prohibiting men who have sex with men from donating blood. At the time, it seemed like a simple promise to keep. A few years later, he claimed it wasn’t so simple.
Now, it’s 2021 and Erin O’Toole is criticizing Trudeau for his failure as the Conservatives seek LGBT support. How is the blood ban still in place? When Trudeau claims his government will “follow the science” what is he referring to? Is a discriminatory approach really still necessary when technology has rapidly advanced and Canada needs blood more than ever?
GUEST: Justin Ling, investigative journalist
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Patrick's family member is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and addicted to cocaine stimulants. Patrick and his wife have been trying to fund treatment through private means but are running out of money. They are worried long wait times and delays in the public system will be a barrier to care for their beloved family member.
Jordan speaks to Nadeem Esmail, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute who has studied the current state of mental health care in Canada and how we compare to other nations.
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More than a year ago, BC decriminalized possession of small amounts of certain drugs. Earlier this month, they asked the federal government to recriminalize public use of those drugs. It was supposed to be a three-year pilot, but the key part of it lasted less than half that time. What made the government throw in the towel? Why didn't this project work as intended? And what does this mean for other places, specifically Toronto, that are considering similar measures?
GUEST: Jen St. Denis, reporter with The Tyee covering housing and civic issues, with a particular focus on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside
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Recent movements, and brave survivors, have helped to shine light on some of the abuses that happen behind closed doors. But there's one that is still rarely spoken of: Incest. For years the numbers cited on how common incest was in families were simply assumptions, but the age of voluntary genealogy tracing has led to a reckoning.
It's far more common than we ever imagined, and those voluntary tests are leading to some people finding out, in an awful way, that they were the children of incest. When they do, there's almost no resources for them to lean on, nowhere for them to turn. Almost...
GUEST: Sarah Zhang, staff writer at The Atlantic
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We're in the middle of a month in which thousands of Canadians have sworn to boycott any store or product produced by Loblaw Companies Ltd. That includes an awful lot of stores and products, and would require some severe changing of habits. Which is why it probably won't work.
It seems that every week we're encouraged to boycott something, but how many of these protests actually result in change from the targeted company, any why? What should Canadians who want to encourage companies like Loblaw to change their strategies actually do to get some traction? And what should boycott organizers aim for to encourage the maximum number of people to join in?
GUEST: François Neville, Associate Professor of Strategic Management at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business
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On the surface, it was just another writer's festival, with perhaps some local food vendors. But as soon as the Ottawa International Food and Book Expo got underway, it became clear something about this one was a little bit ... off.
First, a local group warned of far-right speakers on the panels. Then the MCs pulled out. The food vendors weren't quite sure what was going on. Some sponsors either removed themselves or claimed they'd never been associated with the festival in the first place ... and, well, there was more. So what exactly happened in the nation's capital on the last weekend of April?
GUEST: Luke LeBrun, editor of Press Progress
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Ask anyone how they want to spend their final years, and nobody will say "in a long-term care facility." And that was true ever before the pandemic showed us just how awful they can be. Most people want to grow old in their own home, but many of them simply can't access the care they need as they age.
What if there was a way to meet in the middle of those two problems? A solution that would ease the burden on LTC facilities, while also keeping more seniors in their own homes, receiving proper care? What if we were already doing it—just not doing anywhere near enough of it?
GUEST: Cathrin Bradbury, writing in The Walrus
You can find more info on NORCs here
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We've gained some new subscribers recently, and over the next few Sundays we want to help welcome them to the show by re-releasing some of our favourite episodes from the last few years. If you're new here, welcome! And if you've been with us for a while, we hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.
You probably heard about it when it happened. It was called Project Endgame and it was a massive police bust on what they alleged was an illegal casino operating out of a 53-room mansion in Markham, Ontario. But even as the charges were being laid and the evidence put on display, something was already going sideways. Now almost a year later, the case is in tatters and police face misconduct allegations. What happened here?
GUEST: Leah McLaren, reporting for Toronto Life
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In 2017, the Ontario Liberal government instituted a basic income pilot where participants across the province would receive $1,400 a month for three years. That project has since been cancelled, but basic income, as an idea, continues to be brought up as a potential solution to our money problems. So, could it be? And how would it work in practice?
Jordan invites health economist Evelyn Forget from the School of Medicine at the University of Manitoba on to find out. Forget has been studying the effects and feasibility of basic income for many years. She's also written books on the subject, including "Basic income for Canadians, from the COVID-19 Emergency to Financial Security for All."
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Tim Hortons. Coffee, donuts and Canadian identity. What more could you possibly want? Well, maybe quenchers? Chilli? Beef lasagna casserole? Pulled pork sandwiches? Pizza?! Please, just tell them so they can sell it.
In all seriousness, Tim Hortons offering new menu items isn't a bad thing, but it does let us ask an important question about what the chain has become: Is it a Canadian staple, that both aspiring politicians and savvy marketers use as a stand-in for what makes Canada great? Or is it one arm of a huge, soulless global food brand with no motivation other than to suck up as much market share as it possible? Could it be the answer is ... somehow, both those things?
GUEST: Tom Jokinen, writing in The Walrus
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India was the first country to ban TikTok—and they did it years ago. The United States just passed a law that would see the popular app banned if it isn’t sold in the coming months. Canada is conducting a security review of the app and is believed to be considering similar actions. All of this because the app’s owner, ByteDance is a Chinese company based in Beijing.
What exactly are the security concerns here? How much do they matter to ordinary Canadians? What measures might Canada take, and when? And how would Canadians feel about the house of commons deciding what apps they get to download?
GUEST: Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press
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The latest strain of H5N1 avian flu has been doing some ... unusual things. It's infecting a wide swath of mammals. It's spreading rapidly among cattle in the United States, many of them along Canada's border. And it's now been found in the milk supply of those cows, though FDA officials say that pasteurization means the milk is still safe to consume.
It's clear this strain is different from previous versions of the virus. And scientists are watching it very closely. But to a world that has recently suffered through a pandemic, any new virus doing unusual things may seem terrifying. So: What happens next? How worried should you be?
GUEST: Dr. Scott Weese, infectious disease veterinarian at the Ontario Vet College at the University of Guelph
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Two watchdog reports into Ontario’s Greenbelt scandal in summer 2023 triggered sudden resignations and sent the Ford government spiraling into disarray. Public anger started to boil over. Questions swirled about massages in Las Vegas.
Right when the crisis reached a fever pitch, Premier Doug Ford faces the people to make an enormous mea culpa. But is that enough to satisfy the RCMP — or to settle questions about whether the government is really working for the people?
Presented in partnership with The Narwhal, Paydirt is a three-part miniseries taking you to the heart of Ontario’s Greenbelt scandal.
Hosted by Emma McIntosh, an investigative reporter with The Narwhal.
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We've gained some new subscribers recently, and over the next few Sundays we want to help welcome them to the show by re-releasing some of our favourite episodes from the last few years. If you're new here, welcome! And if you've been with us for a while, we hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.
A study published in December offered science's most complete look at what domestic cats around the globe hunt and consume. The short answer? Absolutely everything, with no regard for any prey's place on endangered species lists. Some of the species found in cats' diets over the past few decades are now extinct, as outdoor domestic cats have spread to every place on earth save for Antartica.
We've long been told to keep cats indoors to save the lives of thousands of birds. But what if they need to be kept indoors to save the lives of ecosystems themselves? What if cats—yes, like the small, purring cutie on your couch right now—were the worst invasive species the world has known? And what if we were their willing accomplices?
GUEST: Christopher Lepczyk, ecologist and professor at Auburn University in Alabama; lead author of "A global synthesis and assessment of free-ranging domestic cat diet"
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A 44-year-old listener named Brian is wondering if retirement is a reality for him. And if it is, what that retirement will look like. Is it the image of cocktails on the beach and days spent playing golf that many of us associate with this stage of life? Or is it something a little different?
Jordan speaks with Alyssa Brierley, Executive Director of the National Institute on Aging at Toronto Metropolitan University to help define what retirement looks like in this era.
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It remains to be seen if policing in Toronto will really change as a result of the past few weeks, but a tipping point certainly seems to be at hand. First, a total exoneration for a man charged with first-degree murder, in a trial that many said should have never happened at all. Then, just days later, four people, including grandparents and an infant were killed during a high-speed chase that, again, many experts said should have never happened at all.
In the aftermath of the first case, police rallied around their own, and ended up charging an innocent man. It was only after the verdict that they announced a review. Will the force once again toe the line and protect their officers, even if it means losing the public’s trust?
GUEST: Patrick Watson, assistant professor, centre for criminology and sociolegal studies, University of Toronto
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On the 15th floor, a former US president, flanked by secret service members and the whole nine yards, faces criminal charges, an historical first. On the floors below, the business of a city courthouse tries to continue as usual, with court appearances for things like shoplifting and public urination.
It’s been two weeks since the trial began, and the former president has been complaining about the temperature. When he isn’t appearing to fall asleep. What’s it like in the courthouse? What’s the bigger picture of a former president running to get his job back while facing jail time? Would Donald J. Trump ever actually wind up in jail? Really?!
GUEST: Andrew Rice, features writer with New York Magazine, covering the Trump trial.
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It started at Columbia University. And the NYPD came in hard, right away. Which, naturally, sparked more protests on campuses everywhere from Texas to Quebec. News reports can sometimes make these encampments—which are mostly composed of students risking their academic careers to speak up for Palestinians—seem huge, chaotic and full of antisemitism.
But how much of what's actually happening on campus makes it into 30-second clips and 60-point headlines? How does the current wave of protests compare to to others in a long history of campus activism? What do the protesters want? And why are many universities trying to crack down so hard on them?
GUEST: Justin Ling, investigative journalist, reporting for The Line
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Norval Morrisseau is among the most iconic Indigenous artists in Canadian history. His instantly-recognizable paintings adorn the walls of institutions across the country, from art galleries to universities and provincial legislatures. Art dealers and auction houses have made millions selling his works. The only problem? A whole lot of them have turned out to be fake.
Even in the world of Indigenous art, where artists have been complaining about forgery for years, the scale of the Morrisseau fraud is unprecedented. So how did authorities uncover the deception? Who’s behind the fakes? And what does this say about artists’ ability to protect their work?
GUEST: Luc Rinaldi, writing in The Walrus
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In the months after the Ford government cut into Ontario’s protected Greenbelt to allow housing development, the premier’s ties with developers were suddenly under a microscope.
Rumours were flying. Journalists and independent watchdogs were digging. And the day Doug Ford swallowed a bee turned out to be very consequential for another reason.
Presented in partnership with The Narwhal, Paydirt is a three-part miniseries taking you to the heart of Ontario’s Greenbelt scandal.
Hosted by Emma McIntosh, an investigative reporter with The Narwhal.
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After an announcement at a Honda plant in Alliston, Ontario that will bring billions in new electric vehicle investment, the Prime Minister sat down with The Big Story to chat in-depth about the climate crisis, the future of electric vehicles and his government’s efforts to find opportunity amid a world on fire.
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Recently the department of defence announced a plan to pour billions of dollars into Northern security. And there's no doubt that in a changing world the Arctic region has become more important, for Canada and our allies, as well as for our adversaries.
But what does 'security' or sovereignty even mean when we're discussing a huge swath of land, sparsely populated and lacking the infrastructure to change that? What does the DoD plan to use that money for, exactly? And how will it work with the Indigenous people who live in the region?
GUEST: Andrea Charron, professor and the Director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba.
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Most of us had a virtual health care appointment sometime during the pandemic. Those of us that didn't have almost certainly encountered virtual care of some form or another—whether that's a follow-up phone call from your doctor, or post-surgery instructions emailed to you.
As we enter the post-pandemic era, there is a push in some quarters for more virtual care—it can improve access, speed things up and give people more control over their own care and medical records. But will it also simply create more visits, encourage unnecessary appointments and further burden an overtaxed system? There's a line we need to walk here—can we do it?
GUEST: Dr. Tara Kiran, Fidani Chair in Improvement and Innovation at the University of Toronto; family doctor and scientist at St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto. Researcher for OurCare report on primary care
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Today, evacuation alerts for several communities in BC and Alberta are in effect. You may not have noticed, because there are always evacuation alerts in effect now, and there are always fires burning, some of them out of control. When the whole country takes notice is when the skies over entire provinces go dark, the air turns bad or a blaze like the Fort McMurray fire in 2016 blitzes through a city.
All of that will probably happen this year. The conditions are ripe for it, and there's not much we can do to prevent a devastating fire when it comes. But we can evolve our strategies as the fires get bigger. We can adapt. But...will we?
GUEST: John Vaillant, author, Fire Weather: The making of a beast
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In 2022, the Doug Ford government opened parts of Ontario’s protected Greenbelt for housing development, touching off a massive political scandal. But long before that, tensions over the green space outside of Toronto had been quietly simmering for nearly two decades.
What is the Greenbelt? How did it end up becoming such a flashpoint for fights over the housing crisis and the climate crisis? And who stood to benefit when the Ford government tore it up after 20 years?
Presented in partnership with The Narwhal, Paydirt is a three-part miniseries taking you to the heart of Ontario’s Greenbelt scandal.
Hosted by Emma McIntosh, an investigative reporter with The Narwhal.
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On Saturday's we normally drop the newest episode of In this Economy?! in the feed, but this week we wanted to spotlight another Frequency Podcast Network production that we thought you'd enjoy. Here's the first episode of the sixth season of Laura Palmer's acclaimed show, Island Crime, and we think it might be best one yet.
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES
For three decades, Rhonda has wondered why someone killed her high school friend Kimberly Gallup. Kimberly was a girl who loved the Kansas City Chiefs and Bon Jovi. Her death has a lasting impact on all who knew her.
Subscribe to Island Crime Plus for early access to episodes, all ad-free.
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This is one that even the police say will be a Netflix miniseries someday. On April 17, 2023, more than $20 million in gold was stolen from Pearson airport in Toronto. Nobody was hurt, and the crooks got away. It was one of those kinds of thefts. You can picture the scene in your head.
Exactly one year later though, police announced arrests, including those of two Air Canada employees, making clear they believe it was at least partly an inside job. How did the crooks pull off the initial caper? How did the cops catch them? What happened to the gold, and who will play whom in the adaptation?
GUEST: Andy Takagi, reporter, The Toronto Star
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By far the biggest part of the federal budget is an ambitious plan that the Liberal government claims will not only hit the targeted estimate of homes Canada needs, but will blow right past it. You'd be forgiven some skepticism, since the Prime Minister stated less than a year ago that housing "isn't a primary federal responsibility." A lot has changed since then, especially the government's polling numbers.
But politics aside, what's in this plan? How exactly does the government think it can hit its targets? What does one of the country's leading housing policy analysts think of those solutions? What's in this plan that will or won't solve the housing crisis in the next decade? And what's in it to help people afford homes right now?
GUEST: Mike Moffatt, Senior Director of Policy and Innovation at the Smart Prosperity Institute; Assistant Professor in the Business, Economics and Public Policy group at Ivey Business School, Western University
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In the weeks leading up to Tuesday's budget announcement, the federal government has been hammering a message that this document would make life more affordable for Canadians.
Does it accomplish that? What's in here that will matter to your wallet in the months to come? What takes aim at trying to bring down the cost of living over the next several years? And who's going to end up paying for all this?
GUEST: Jim Stanford, economist and Director of The Centre for Future Work
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The former Calgary mayor is beloved by many in the province. He might well be the favourite in the race to succeed Rachel Notley as leader of the Alberta NDP. But he's never really been involved with the party, and his trademark 'purple' comes from blending Liberal red and Conservative blue. No orange in sight.
But his campaign will force some fascinating questions onto the party, both in Alberta and nationally. Questions that have been bubbling just below the surface for the past couple of elections, and are making insiders wonder about the future of a unified national NDP...
GUEST: Graham Thomson, Alberta-based political analyst
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It can be easy, given our changing climate, not to worry much about events that aren't extreme. It's not flooding? No hurricanes or heat waves or wildfires? Just a little rain?! Well, we can live with that. And maybe we can, but in the Arctic, a lot of things can't.
In recent years, snowfall has been replaced with rainfall more and more often. And sure, they're just different types of moisture, but the impact is fascinating and profound. And has a ton of implications for both Canadians in the region, and every other creature that makes its home up there.
GUEST: Ed Struzik, writing in The Tyee
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It was one of the strangest scandals in recent Canadian history, located right at the spot where the housing crisis collides with the climate crisis. From allegations of political corruption and RCMP investigations to endangered species and Las Vegas massages.
Every Monday for the next three weeks, The Big Story, in partnership with The Narwhal, will take you into the heart of the Greenbelt scandal that rocked Ontario, speaking to the people who broke the story and people who lived it. If you think you know what happened... you don't know it all.
Hosted by Emma McIntosh, investigative reporter with The Narwhal.
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More and more Canadians are struggling to afford the costs associated with the death of a loved one. In Newfoundland, a recent news report reveals bodies are piling up in a freezer outside of a morgue for this reason.
Jordan talks to Erin Bury, CEO and co-founder of Willful, a digital estate planning app that aims to make estate planning more accessible and affordable.
Do you have a money problem? Call us and leave a message at 416-935-5935. Or email us at hello@itepod.ca. You can also find us on Instagram and TikTok @InThisEconomyPod. Don't forget to leave a call-back number, so we can get in touch.
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Over the past few weeks, there have been hundreds of questions, plenty of notes and briefings, dozens of hours of testimony (including from the Prime Minister himself) and no shortage of references to classified intelligence—all this during an inquiry aiming to help the foreign interference commission, and the Canadian public, learn exactly who knew what about efforts to impact Canada's elections, and what they did about it.
If that sounds like a mouthful, well, it is. The inquiry is attempting to balance the need for transparency with the imperative to protect Canada's intelligence operations, and it has often left questions half-answered, or responses less than declarative. So on the final day of this phase of the inquiry: What have we actually learned, for certain, about efforts to interfere in Canada's elections?
GUEST: Laura Stephenson, professor of political science, Western University; co-director of The Consortium on Electoral Democracy
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In 2021 the federal government vowed to create a pathway to allow thousands of migrants to remain the country. Instead, deportation levels the past two years are higher than they've been in more than a decade. And we've spent more than $100 million on the deportation process.
How did we end up with the opposite of what the government promised? Given Canada's shortage of housing and the health care crisis, how should the government handle the hundreds of thousands of migrants in the country? Why does the deportation process cost so much money? Is there a better way?
GUEST: Noushin Ziafati, reporting for The Breach
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Recent weeks have seen gruesome and tragic incidents in both Toronto and Edmonton involving dogs attacking children, leaving one child dead and another with life-changing injuries. Those stories are backed by numbers from many Canadian cities—including Toronto and Edmonton—showing a surge in attacks or dangerous incidents over the past couple of years.
What's behind the spike in attacks? Is it pandemic puppies, as some suggest? Lax enforcement? Incompetent owners? All of those and more? And more importantly, what are we doing about it? What works and what doesn't when it comes to keeping dogs under control in our cities?
GUEST: Dr. Tim Arthur, Ottawa veterinarian and Canadian Veterinary Medical Association President-elect
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In a 12-month span from 1990-1991, three teenaged girls were murdered in Victoria, BC. All three had been sex trafficked and were working on what was then the city's "stroll" where sex workers solicited clients. All three were found separately, and the ensuing investigations were a jurisdictional mess. The crimes are unsolved to this day, though some with knowledge of the cases believe they may have been committed by the same person.
Who were these girls and how did they find themselves on the stroll? What might we learn about these still-open cases more than 30 years later? Why couldn't police make headway in the 1990s and what's changed that might finally help bring the killer or killers to justice?
GUEST: Laura Palmer, host and creator of Island Crime Season 6: Sweethearts
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In response to sky-high grocery costs, Canada's Competition Bureau recently issued a report calling for more competition in the sector. That call was echoed by the federal government, who had hoped to lure a foreign chain, such as Germany's Aldi, to Canada to give consumers options. But Aldi won't be coming, and neither will anyone else, at least not anytime soon.
Why is it so hard for companies to enter the Canadian market and compete against homegrown companies like Loblaw, especially in the grocery sector? How could Canada make it easier for competitors to set up shop? And should we be encouraging foreign-owned businesses over ones owned and operated by Canadians in the first place?
GUEST: Vass Bednar, Executive Director of McMaster University's Master of Public Policy in Digital Society Program; author of regs2riches.com
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Should I put my savings into an RRSP? If I do that, will I pay less taxes? What happens if I want to access that money before I retire? These are just a few of the RRSP-related questions we've received lately. So, here's everything you need to know about RRSPs in one episode. Just in time for tax season!
With Jackie Porter, certified financial planner and ambassador for FP Canada, a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to championing better financial wellness for all Canadians. Learn more about FP Canada here.
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Do you miss that beloved cat or dog that passed away? Good news! For only tens of thousands of dollars, and probably a few failed attempts, you can have an identical genetic replacement. Years ago Barbara Streisand made news for cloning her dog. But since then the technology has become much more accessible. A woman in BC made Canadian headlines in March for her two kittens, cloned from a deceased cat named 'Bear'.
But these pets can't consent to being clones--which come with more risks than a traditional cat or dog--nor can the cats or dogs who carry the fetus. And while pet cloning technology comes to the masses, scientists are working on the next step. To save endangered animals? To bring back extinct ones? And in some dark places around the world... perhaps even attempts to clone humans.
GUEST: Kerry Bowman, bioethicist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto
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It's a case that sparked protests, made national headlines and may have swung a provincial election. And it's about to head to trial. You probably know it best for the fight over whether or not police would search Winnipeg's Prairie Green landfill — but at its core this story is about vulnerable women and the system that forgot them.
As Jeremy Skibicki's trial begins this month, the landfill search has not. Why not? How did the alleged killer find his victims, and why was he free to find them in the first place? What will we learn about the connections between the women and Skibicki and could this all have been prevented?
GUEST: Rachel Browne, investigative journalist, writing in Maclean's
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It can be confusing. Depending on which party you listen to, the carbon tax—or "price on pollution"—will either cost you or save you money. And both sides are using accurate information, just differently.
But what isn't debatable is that the government's signature policy has been under unprecedented attack over the past year, and the increase that kicked in on April 1 was met with protests and scorn around the country. But will you actually feel it, and if so, when? Where does the policy stand five years after implementation? And is it beginning to die a death of 1,000 cuts?
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill reporter, CityNews
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You know how your iPhone uses a different charging cable than your friend's Android? Well, imagine you've just bought a $50,000 tractor ... that only works with parts from the company you bought it from. Or an expensive printer that only takes one kind of ink. Welcome to the fight for interoperability, a battle against the plans of companies to use digital technology to lock customers into their platforms, forever.
How did we let things get this far? Who's fighting back and what regulations are they fighting for? One of the first victories in this war was Apple being forced to move to a universal charger on its' new iPhone. Now what's next?
GUEST: Anthony Rosborough, Assistant Professor of Law & Computer Science at Dalhousie University; doctoral researcher in Law at the European University Institute.
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Maple syrup isn't just a staple of Canadian culture. It's big business, especially in Quebec, where the sugary liquid is so vital to the economy that the province keeps a special syrup reserve on hand to control price fluctuations.
Except that reserve is running low, dangerously low, after a couple of warm winters coupled with increased demand ate up most of the excess. And with climate change bringing even warmer winters in the years to come, the syrup industry is on alert. Is this a challenge to be overcome with ingenuity, or a crisis in the heart of syrup country?
GUEST: Warren Mabee, director of the Queen's Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy at Queen's University
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Frozen bank accounts, financial chaos, job loss, poverty. Those are all things Gonzalo witnessed while living through the largest foreign default in world history. Other than putting our current financial crisis into perspective, he wants to know if there’s anything we can learn from living through challenging times.
Jordan speaks with David Coletto, founder and CEO of Abacus Data, and Tanya Woods, Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs and Policy Council at Questrade Financial Group, to find an answer.
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It's time again for us to dip into our trove of listener emails and voicemails and share with you some of our favourite pieces of feedback we received over the past month or so.
A special thanks to everyone who's taken the time to tell us how you feel. Even if your submission didn't make it into this episode, please keep writing and calling in. Your input helps us make the show better.
Have a great long weekend!
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In November 2019, months before the pandemic made heroes of public sector workers like teachers and (especially) nurses, Ontario's government passed Bill 124, attempting to cap their pay increases at one percent for the next three years. It didn't go very well.
Earlier this month, after years of protests and bad press, and a legal challenge that went to the highest court ion the province, the same government repealed the bill. And then announced in the budget that the entire fight, including years of back pay, has already cost the province $6 billion in taxpayer money, and could cost billions more. So...what happened here? Why did this fight drag on for years? And would the government have been better off just paying up in the first place?
GUEST: Richard Southern, Queen's Park reporter, CityNews
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You may not know which ads meet the definition of greenwashing—but you know the type of ads in that discussion. Big corporations assuring you of how much they do for the environment, how sustainable their practices are and how much they've already done to make sure you can enjoy their products guilt-free.
As the climate crisis worsens, convincing your customers your business is part of the solution, not the problem, can translate to a lot of revenue. The question is, how legitimate are those claims, and what happens when someone reports you for not meeting your own lofty standards?
GUEST: Carl Meyer, climate investigations reporter, The Narwhal
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You have to work pretty hard, in most of the country, to avoid spending money with a Loblaw-owned business. From its origins in groceries to market dominance there, the ubiquity of Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix, and everything from finance to clothing also under its umbrella, the Weston family has built a staggering retail empire.
How did they do it? What happens when one company controls so much of the market for essential goods? What does it mean for us? Should the government take action here, and what could they do about it if they were so inclined? After all, isn't Loblaw just...successful?
GUEST: David Moscrop, writer, author and political commentator (Read David's piece on Loblaw right here.)
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We all know that companies track what we do on work devices. If, for example, you're listening to this show right now on a company phone or laptop, your boss could probably find that out, assuming they wanted to.
But he’s where it gets darker: your boss might not have to bother finding out. An AI-driven worker surveillance program may be logging everything you do, completely automatically. And then judging your performance based on whatever it's been told to look for...
GUEST: Valerio de Stefano, Canada Research Chair in Innovation, Law and Society
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Netflix. Disney+. Prime. Apple TV+. Spotify. Newspapers. Magazines. Video games. Substacks. A secret caller (hint: you know him!) has a minor subscription addiction and needs help getting his spending under control.
Jordan asks Barry Hertz, Deputy Arts Editor and Film Editor for The Globe and Mail, to explain the subscription boom we're living in, and learn a few tips to avoid high fees.
Do you have a money problem? Call us and leave a message at 416-935-5935. Or email us at hello@itepod.ca. You can also find us on Instagram and TikTok @InThisEconomyPod. Don't forget to leave a call-back number, so we can get in touch.
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It's a Canadian institution. Or at least, a piece of Canadian culture. OK, fine, it's an interesting quirk that visitors to Eastern and Atlantic Canada are often flummoxed by, but residents have lived with all their lives. Until, perhaps, one day soon when bags of milk may vanish from grocery stores.
That's the speculation, at least, as milk consumption declines. But it offers a chance to take a little dive into the world's most interesting form of dairy delivery and see ... why? How? And for how long?
GUEST: Andy Takagi, reporter, The Toronto Star
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Canada has already seen more cases of measles in 2024 than in all of 2023. And rates of the disease in Europe and the United States are also rising. Meanwhile, vaccine uptake for the MMR shot, which protects against measles, has collapsed in recent years.
So how worried should we be about what is—for now—still just a handful of cases? Why have vaccine rates for a decades-old and proven vaccine fallen so quickly? What do you need to know about a disease that, just a few years ago, was all but eradicated in Canada?
GUEST: Dr. Raywat Deonandan, epidemiologist, associate professor at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Health Sciences
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When announced in December, it seemed like a new immigration program would allow Canadians with extended family in Gaza to finally bring them to safety. More than three months later, not a single person has arrived in the country.
And it's not for lack of trying. Thousands have applied, and hundreds of applications are stuck in bureaucratic purgatory. Even Canada's minister of immigration has said Canada is "failing" Gazans. So what's gone wrong? Is the government to blame? Or is this the fog of war at work?
GUEST: Yara El Murr, reporting in The Guardian
CORRECTION: Eman al-Atbash is 29, not 20.
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You might have used the app during the pandemic. It may have saved you time at the airport. It may have cost you an unnecessary quarantine. Either way, even if you never downloaded it, you paid for it.
Tens of millions of taxpayer dollars went into developing, releasing and updating (dozens and dozens of times) the government's pandemic travel app. The question now is about how that money was spent, who received it, and how much work they did for it. The scandal has twists and turns and detail upon detail, but it really boils down to this: Was this a government in a hurry, wasting money but with good intentions in an emergency? Or something worse than that?
GUEST: Irem Koca, journalist, The Hill Times
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With the rise in both legality and popularity of gambling, it can seem like images of both winners and losers are everywhere. Images of men, that is. Take a look at gambling advertising on TV, or even promotions offering help for problem gamblers. Men. Picture gamblers in your own head. They're probably men, too.
This even extends to research, where numbers show that women do indeed gamble, nearly as much as men in some cases. And they may even develop gambling problems faster than men do. But almost no research exists to explore it. This is because women gamble in secret, in silence, and often with little help when things go wrong. Almost everyone can gamble these days. Why does the world ignore nearly half of them?
GUEST: Rob Csernyik, 2022 Michener-Deacon Investigative Journalism fellow, freelance journalist.
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Not too long ago, cigarettes were everywhere. Lighting up in a restaurant, on a flight, or even in a doctor’s office was just part of the smoky fabric of Canadian life. Until it wasn’t.
Now smartphones are the constant thing we carry. We can’t seem to put them down. Will we ever?
What does our culture’s current addiction to smartphones have in common with cigarettes?
GUEST: Richard Warnica, business reporter and opinions writer for the Toronto Star
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Cody wants to find a new job, in a new industry, but doesn't have the qualifications listed on the job postings he's seeing. Alan feels trapped in his current job by an unstable and unpredictable market. They both want to know if now is a good time to change careers, and how they should go about the transition.
To find out, Jordan reaches Alan Kearns, founder of CareerJoy, a firm that helps guide people through career transitions. Together they outline the costs that need to be considered when planning a career change.
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If you've tried to use Google to research a purchase recently, you've probably encountered—right at the top of the rankings—a whole lot of extremely similar Best Of lists published by familiar brands, even trusted names like Forbes, Popular Science or even Rolling Stone. Big names...but unlikely to have suddenly started thoroughly product testing things like air purifiers or humidifiers.
What's happening here is a tangled story of a collapsing media industry, affiliate marketing gone mad and an algorithm that's incapable, or unwilling, to stop it. What's happening to Google results in the age of sold-off legacy brands, artificial intelligence and sponsored content? Nothing good.
GUEST: Gisele Navarro, managing editor, HouseFresh
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On March 6th, six people, including four children, were killed in their home in Barrhaven ,O.N., a suburb of Ottawa. The man accused of committing the alleged mass murder shared a home with the family. The killing has left their community and the public at large with many questions.
So who was the family, and what did they mean to their community? Who stands accused? And what do we know about what happened inside that house, and why?
GUEST: Marlo Glass, reporter, The Ottawa Citizen
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Officially known as Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton has not been seen in months, aside from a quick glimpse in a dark car. Officially, she's recovering after undergoing abdominal surgery. Unofficially, if you follow the conspiracy theories, she's somewhere between divorced and dead.
On Sunday, a picture she posted showing her with her children on the UK's Mother's Day, was killed by wire services, diagnosed as a "manipulated" image. Obviously, that hasn't done much to quell speculation. Where is Kate? Why does the world care so much and suspect such trickery? What does this all say about both the royal couple's press strategy and the world in general's ability to trust?
GUEST: Patricia Treble, royal family expert, author of WriteRoyalty on Substack
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Last week, Juste Pour Rire announced that it would not hold Just For Laughs festivals in Montreal and Toronto in 2024, and that it was entering creditor protection. Toronto has already seen the cancellation of its Taste of The Danforth food festival, as well as scaled down versions of the Fringe and Luminato festivals. Hot Docs is struggling to survive and other major festivals like Shaw are facing record deficits.
Meanwhile, government help for arts institutions during the pandemic era is all but gone, while crowds have still not returned to their pre-pandemic levels. What's happening? Could it be the end of many long-running Canadian festivals? And what will we lose if it is?
GUEST: Joshua Chong, culture reporter and arts critic, the Toronto Star
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Canada is not the only country in the world experiencing skyrocketing costs and a shortage of available housing options. Across the world nations are coming up with creative solutions to deal with their own housing crises.
There’s no silver bullet for fixing the Canadian housing market, and addressing the issue will require a whole slough of short and long-term strategies to alleviate the current crunch, and accommodate future population growth. It does seem as though most governments at all levels are waking up (albeit, slowly) to the fact that real action is needed to address our housing woes, but we’re in desperate need of ideas.
So how are other countries coping? And what can Canada learn from them?
GUEST: Gregor Craigie, host of CBC's On The Island and author of Our Crumbling Foundation: How We Solve the Housing Crisis
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Olivia is going through a divorce. And while it has been amicable, splitting assets feels impossible, especially when it comes to the home they share.
Jordan talks to Eva Sachs, the financial expert at The Modern Divorce, a Toronto company that helps couples reach divorce settlements without going to court.
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There’s a chance that one day, we humans could have a conversation with whales. Seriously. Scientists are working on a way to make it happen.
If technology does eventually allow us to talk to these majestic mammals, what should we say? And what message will they send back?
Ross Andersen, a staff writer at The Atlantic, is exploring those questions by reaching out to experts who specialize in paleontology, philosophy, animal-rights law, and beyond for their take.Now, he’s sharing his intriguing findings.
GUEST: Ross Andersen, staff writer at The Atlantic
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Haiti is in the grip of a deepening crisis. Armed gangs are expanding their control of the Caribbean nation through increasingly violent attacks.
A state of emergency was declared on Sunday after gangs raided two prisons, freeing thousands of inmates. Hours later, they launched an assault on the country’s main airport.One gang leader is warning of a “civil war that will end in genocide” if Haiti’s Prime Minister remains in power.
Will a planned Kenya-led security mission bring calm to Haiti? Or is the country on the verge of plunging into worsening chaos?
GUEST: Robert Fatton Jr. is the Ambassador Taylor Professor of Politics in the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia.
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In some parts of Canada, carbon pricing is a four-letter word.
Now, one province is taking a dramatic stand against the federal government’s carbon levy. Saskatchewan’s government says it’s refusing to remit carbon tax funds to Ottawa.
“This is a decision that we do not take lightly and we recognize that it may come with consequences,” SaskEnergy Minister Dustin Duncan said in video posted to social media announcing the move last week.
What consequences could Saskatchewan face? Will other provinces follow suit? And what could this mean for the Trudeau government’s controversial policy?
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill Reporter for CityNews
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Lynx Air is no more.
The ultralow-cost airline abruptly announced its exit from Canadian skies just ahead of busy March Break travel. Customers were left scrambling to make new – and likely more expensive – bookings.
The company now joins a growing list of failed discount airlines in the country. Why can’t they seem to stick around for the long haul? Are Canadians just doomed to always pay more for our air travel?
GUEST: Jonah Prousky, Management consultant and freelance writer who focuses on business, technology and society
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Last week, it came out that Wendy’s was considering using dynamic pricing, which sparked concern that would mean increased prices during peak hours. Immediately, the company was met with a deluge of criticism and they reversed their decision.
While dynamic pricing is off Wendy’s menu for now, the practice is still common in everything from ride hailing services to air fare and even concert tickets.
What does the heated backlash reveal about what customers will accept? And where could dynamic pricing sneak in next?
GUEST: Corey Mintz, freelance food reporter and author of The Next Supper: The End of Restaurants as We Knew Them, and What Comes After
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Matt is struggling to keep up with the cost of heating his home. And he's not alone, Canadians are reporting higher energy consumption costs across the country.
Jordan calls Violet Kopperson, a registered energy advisor from the Windfall Ecology Centre, to find out how Canadians can pay less to heat and cool their homes.
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Just 20 years ago, Canadian cities were seeing a few dozen bed bug infestation reports a year. Now they get thousands—and in Toronto, tens of thousands. In Canada and around the world, the terrifying creatures are back, and they're getting stronger. (Seriously, they're becoming harder to kill, we told you this was stuff you "never wanted to know".)
How did bed bugs come back to become such a huge problem? What works against them and what doesn't? How can you recognize them, prevent infestations and how should you handle one it it happens? Also: Why are these bugs, of all the things that crawl on this Earth, the ones that make us so nauseatingly uncomfortable and paranoid?
GUEST: Lauren McKeon, journalist and author, deputy editor at Toronto Life (Read Lauren's bed bugs opus right here.)
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Usually when both sides are mad, it's a sign of a good political compromise. But when your new housing law manages to anger both tenants and landlords over completely different parts of the same bill, that's less of a compromise and more of a mess. But Quebec's housing minister maintains the new legislation will help ease the province's growing rental and housing crisis.
What's in this bill? Why do tenant advocates think it will send rents skyrocketing? Why do landlords say it will cost them money? And is it better, in a crisis like this, to simply try something, even if nobody can agree on whether it'll work or not?
GUEST: Erika Morris, CBC Montreal
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Whatever we've been taught, it seems like the lessons aren't sticking these days. And the most obvious result is the dramatic resurgence of a sexually transmitted infection that was once rare in this country: Syphilis. It's not the only STI with rates on the rise, but it is the most troubling—especially cases of congenital syphilis, in which a pregnant mother transfers the infection to her unborn baby.
Why have syphilis and other STIs returned with a vengeance? Is it a matter of education and prevention? Or is it a symptom of a larger problem?
GUEST: Dr. Vanessa Allen, Medical Microbiologist and Infectious Diseases Physician at Sinai Health; Associate Professor at the University of Toronto
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Elizabeth Payne is a longtime health reporter. She knows the ins and outs of Canada's healthcare system—its triumphs and tragedies. At least, intellectually.
But when her father suffered a fall that brought him first to the emergency room, and then deeper and deeper into an overcrowded, short-staffed system that failed him even as it tried its best, she got a different kind of look at what's wrong, and what it means for every senior who might suffer an extremely common accident.
GUEST: Elizabeth Payne, Ottawa Citizen (You can read Elizabeth's detailed chronicle of her father's experience right here.)
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Recent reports have seen Russian forces make some of their biggest gains into Ukrainian territory in recent weeks, while aid for Ukraine from western allies has become harder and harder to come by. Does that mean a Russian victory is inevitable? Or does it merely signal a new phase of a conflict that will continue for some time?
If Ukraine can't get help from its allies as it has since Russia's invasion, what happens to its forces? And what happens to NATO and other allies if Russia is able to scale up its aggression? Two years into this war, so much of the world's future still hangs in the balance...
GUEST: Oleksa Drachewych, Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Western University, lecturer in History at King’s University College
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When the longtime CBC news anchor began his career as a reporter in the early 1970's, giving people the news was among the most trusted and important occupations in the country. When he retired in 2017, it was the era of "fake news", as trust in the media was at an all-time low. Seven years later, it's even lower than that.
So what happened? Did the media lose people's trust? Did the internet do it for them? How does a legendary face of Canadian news grapple with the fact that, if he were in the chair today, less than half of Canadians would trust the news he delivered? Can anything be done to fix it? Or is it already too late?
GUEST: Peter Mansbridge, former anchor of CBC's The National, host of The Bridge podcast
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Most people would support the concept of preventing children from accessing online pornography. But the devil is in the details. How exactly do you do that? And what level of privacy will you ask adults to give up to make it happen.
A bill currently sitting in committee has this very goal, but no details yet to go with it. It may involve asking sites like industry leader PornHub to take access users' identification. It may even require facial recognition software. Nobody knows. PornHub, meanwhile, is saying it won't break the law, but it also might just decide to block all Canadians from the site, just to be safe.
When politicians staret legislation pornography, it can get messy pretty quickly. And here we are...
GUEST: Stephanie Taylor, Parliament Hill reporter, The Canadian Press
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In early February, a man was stabbed at what was believed to be an illegal rooming house in Toronto. A few weeks earlier, a fire at another left one person dead. The city says it can't count the number of illegal rooming houses that exist right now. And the people who live in them often pay a lot of money for a small room and what can be unsafe living conditions.
And they don't have a lot of options if something goes wrong -- which it often does. The city plans to tackle the problem by allowing legal rooming houses across the city, but advocates are unsure if this will help or hurt the problem. How do these houses exist? Who lives in them? And what can illegal homes do to their tenants, and the neighbourhoods where they sit?
GUEST: Pat Taney, CityNews
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Every criminal case up for trial needs a judge. But in Canada, not every case gets one. Recent years have seen a severe and growing shortage of judges across many levels of the justice system—in some cases this means cases that have waited years for a trial must be thrown out.
Not only does this mean people accused of serious crimes simply walk free, it means that potentially innocent people are spending years waiting for a trial that never comes. How did we end up in this mess? Why hasn't the government appointed more judges? How many more cases will be tossed in the meantime?
GUEST: Jacques Gallant, courts and legal affairs reporter, The Toronto Star
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Welcome to the first feedback episode of The Big Story. Today lead producer Joe Fish and host Jordan Heath-Rawlings go through your comments, questions and concerns to shed a little light on TBS listeners, how we make the show and what you think of some of our topics and guests.
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Jennie has been searching for a one-bedroom condo in Vancouver for over two years. Despite having money for a downpayment, her search has been largely unsuccessful. Now, she's wondering if home ownership is really the best option.
Jordan calls Dr. Tom Davidoff, housing economist and real estate development expert, to find out if buying a condo is a good investment in today's market.
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It can -- but the better question might be: Is it something that could be used against you? The technology does exist to use a sample to create a sketch of a person's face, but there are doubts about its accuracy, and how much value it provides.
But that hasn't stopped police from taking these sketches and running them through facial recognition software. Searching for ... someone who looks like the a drawing a computer made when it was given your DNA? Welcome to the next level of investigative technology. As you might imagine, the experts have concerns...
GUEST: Dhruv Mehrotra, staff writer at WIRED
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When Toronto's mayor presented her budget on Wednesday, the city's police services got everything they had asked for, with Olivia Chow retreating from her original plans to fund a smaller increase. Across Canada, police budgets continue to increase by millions of dollars per year, as the associations representing the police effectively lobby politicians and the public—often with vague warnings about rising crime and public safety.
So let's look at the numbers. What is the correlation between police spending and crime rates? Why do police say it's taking them longer to respond to calls? Will more officers actually improve the force's efficiency? And ... is crime, including car thefts, really spiking in Canada right now?
GUEST: Ted Rutland, associate professor at Concordia University, research focusing on policing in Canada.
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There's simply never been a Canadian sex survey that's comprehensive, scientific and intimate all at once. For decades we've relied on data from the United States, unscientific surveys thrown together by brands around Valentine's Day or specific looks at one narrow aspect of sexuality—such as contraception or monogamy.
In her new book released today, Sex in Canada: The Who, Why, When, and How of Getting Down Up North, McMaster University sociology professor Tina Fetner examines every aspect of how we do it, who we do it with, how often and ... if it's good. As well as everything else you always wondered about your neighbours in the bedroom...
GUEST: Tina Fetner, professor, McMaster University
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Cory Doctorow is one of the world's leading technology journalists and activists. Some of his specialties include information security, fraud and technology. He's written books about these things. And a little while ago...he got scammed. Totally ripped off.
The lesson is an old one: If it can happen to him, it can happen to you. But it's also bigger than that. How quickly are fraudsters evolving their approaches? What is "swiss-cheese security"? How did one of the internet's leading experts get duped, and how can you learn from his example?
GUEST: Cory Doctorow, technology journalist and activist, author of many books, including The Bezzle, releasing Feb. 20, 2024
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Last year, small business insolvencies hit a level not seen in more than a decade. And that was before this January's deadline to repay pandemic relief loans in order to have some portion of them forgiven. Most businesses haven't seen pre-pandemic levels of business return—and inflation coupled with high interest rates mean consumers have less and less money to spend.
How precarious are the independent businesses in your neighbourhood right now? If they close up shop, will anything replace them? Why has the government declined to extend loan repayment further? And what happens to our neighbourhoods if these businesses keep vanishing?
GUEST: Ryan Mallough, Ontario vice president with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business
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Kacey and her partner just welcomed a new baby girl into their lives. And with this bundle of joy has also come a ton of new expenses.
Jordan talks to money expert and mom of two, Melissa Leong, to find out how new parents are making it work.
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It would have to be quite the drug, right? Actually, no. While these are real health problems, with many of the impacts of a chronic physical illness, the fix isn't a new pharmaceutical. It's a new approach to a cure as old as society itself—social interaction with one's community.
The problem is, lots of people who struggle with isolation might not have the means or ability to simply get out and do it. That's where the prescriptions come in...
GUEST: Sonia Hsiung, director, Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing
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There was once a memorable slogan, used by everyone from booksellers to presidents, that proclaimed "the world needs more Canada". Now, in an era defined by chaos and conflicts, climate change and a return of authoritarian politics, what role should Canada play?
Traditionally, our country has had an outsized presence on the global stage—at least when compared to our population and our tiny military—but is that still true? As the world changes, and new players rise to power, does Canada still have an important part to play? Do we even have a coherent approach to the current combination of crises?
GUEST: Louise Blais, foreign policy analyst; formerly senior diplomat and Canada's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations
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Men are this way, and women are that way. Entire careers in industries ranging from self-help to advertising to standup comedy have been based on this premise. Superficially, it can sometimes be sort of true. But generally, when it comes to political ideology, it hasn't been. Until now.
It's a very recent phenomenon, but it's pronounced. And it's accelerating—the percentage of young men and women who describe themselves as liberal and conservative is breaking wide apart in many countries, including here in Canada. We don't know why this is happening, but we do have some good ideas. And we don't know what the implications are, but most of them seem pretty bad...
GUEST: John Burn-Murdoch, columnist and chief data journalist for the Financial Times
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In much of the world, fertility rates are falling—but very few countries have seen theirs fall as far and as fast as Canada. With just 1.33 children per woman, we're not close to a stable level, meaning that without immigration Canada's population will decline.
Why aren't Canadians having more kids? Do we need to? How did fertility rate become such a polarizing statistic? And if we did want Canadians to have more children, what could we do?
GUEST: Don Kerr, Demographer, Kings University College at Western University; formerly Statistics Canada
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Since October 7, there has been no shortage of reporting about Israel's invasion of Gaza. And the death toll keeps climbing. But what has been rare are firsthand accounts of daily life in the region. Today, our guests describes being in Gaza on October 7, the days that followed, as well as what's missing from the mainstream reporting and why.
GUEST: Louis Baudoin-Laarman, Doctors Without Borders Communications Manager for Palestine
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Lynda has a dental emergency and is struggling to cover the cost of treatment.
Jordan speaks with Dr. Carlos Quiñonez to figure out how Canadians can get the dental care they need right now.
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A study published in December offered science's most complete look at what domestic cats around the globe hunt and consume. The short answer? Absolutely everything, with no regard for any prey's place on endangered species lists. Some of the species found in cats' diets over the past few decades are now extinct, as outdoor domestic cats have spread to every place on earth save for Antartica.
We've long been told to keep cats indoors to save the lives of thousands of birds. But what if they need to be kept indoors to save the lives of ecosystems themselves? What if cats—yes, like the small, purring cutie on your couch right now—were the worst invasive species the world has known? And what if we were their willing accomplices?
GUEST: Christopher Lepczyk, ecologist and professor at Auburn University in Alabama; lead author of "A global synthesis and assessment of free-ranging domestic cat diet"
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Recently, in an effort to keep children from hurting themselves, the City of Toronto banned tobogganing at 45 parks it deemed too risky for kids. This is the latest example, but it's not a one-off. For decades now, parents, schools and governments have taken action on all sorts of things, to make things safer for kids. But is it really helping them?
New research shows that "risky play" is part of the building blocks of childhood, and teaches children how to process and redirect feelings like fear and anxiety into healthier places. As we've worked to make things "as safe as possible" for kids, have we been denying them the tools they need to handle adult life when they grow up?
GUEST: Dr. Marianna Brussoni, Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership; professor at the University of British Columbia; leader of the Play Outside UBC Lab
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It hasn't been an easy few years for global shipping—to say the least. From the pandemic to multiple conflicts, to accidents and disasters, getting products from point A to point B has never been less reliable or more expensive. And now a prolonged drought has the Panama Canal operating at a fraction of its usual capacity.
What kind of price hikes or product shortages are at stake here? Is this temporary, or a new normal in the climate era? And if it is a new normal, what other shipping lanes might open as southern ones dry up? Should Canada be looking North?
GUEST: Mie Højris Dahl, reporting in Foreign Policy
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The names aren't official yet, but a look at a roster and a little research will tell you that the four remaining players who have yet to surrender to police to face charges in a 2018 sex assault case play in hockey's biggest league.
There has long been talk of a 'reckoning' for hockey culture—which has usually referenced perception, culture and lessons that are imparted behind locker room doors. This case, which will result in household names in major professional markets facing courts and consequences, has the potential to blow all that wide open.
What do we know about what happened that day? Who will be charged, and with what? Has anything changed in the six years since the attack allegedly occurred?
GUEST: Laura Robinson, investigative reporter and author of the 1998 book Crossing the Line: Violence and Sexual Assault in Canada’s National Sport
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The state recently asked the US FDA for approval to purchase Canadian pharmaceuticals wholesale, and the US regulator said, "sure." And why not? As many Americans who live near the border know, it can be significantly cheaper to fill prescriptions in Canada. But while we may not mind doing it for a few folks making the trip, supplying a state of 21 million people, when we already have our own drug shortages, is pretty much impossible.
Canada has passed regulations against foreigners buying in bulk, but there are grey areas and loopholes to contend with—not to mention the US-Canada relationship in general to keep in mind. But Florida isn't the only state that wants to try this gambit, so it will be up to Health Canada to say no, and then enforce that no. What happens next?
GUEST: Joelle Walker, Vice President, Public Affairs, Canadian Pharmacists Association
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Rachael feels trapped in her Toronto rental because she can't afford to move. She has no plans of ever owning a home and wants to know what, if any, rental protections exist to curb rising rates.
Jordan talks to political economist and author Ricardo Tranjan about how policy can help protect renters in Canada.
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Most of the large record chains of the heyday of physical music are gone now. If the chains haven't vanished entirely, most of their stores have, and the last few are disappearing one by one. But somehow...not Sunrise Records. In recent years the chain has been expanding across Canada, buying up Canadian HMV outlets and now boasts more than 80 stores and hundreds of employees. But ... why? And how?
What made Sunrise the last Canadian music chain standing, even as music industry revenues crashed, streaming services swallowed the market and much of physical retail in general began struggling? The result is a fascinating look at what distressed businesses are worth, and what consumers really want from their retailers...
GUEST: Richard Trapunski, digital editor at Billboard Canada, writing in The Walrus
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Experts predict the Bank of Canada will begin to lower interest rates later this year—just not Wednesday when it held the rate flat. But as inflation has slowed in many areas, it's created an interesting problem for the bank and a troubling one for many Canadians.
One of the main factors driving inflation right now is the cost of shelter—otherwise known as rising rents and mortgage costs. Those increases are driven by ... the high interest rates the bank is waiting to lower. The BoC wants to follow through on its "soft landing" by taking a cautious approach to lowering rates. But by waiting too long, are they courting disaster for millions of Canadians trying to make their monthly home payments?
GUEST: David Macdonald, senior economist for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ National Office
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You would expect that advances in forensics and genetic technology would lead to fewer and fewer wrongful convictions. The truth is that we have no idea how many people are in prison for crimes they didn't commit—we only know that we keep finding them.
How do wrongful convictions happen in the age of DNA evidence? How hard are they to overturn? And what about all the wrongful convictions that aren't murders? Do we ever try to grapple with those?
GUEST: Kelly Lauzon, PhD student in the department of Law and Legal Studies at Carleton University; cohost of Real Life Wrongs
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Over the past several years, the number of international students Canada admits has exploded—to more than one million in 2023. While these students have struggled to find housing and work, they've also often been deceived by marketers in their home country, promising a top-tier education that they don't actually get.
Will the federal government's cap, announced Monday, help ease the burden, both on students themselves and the Canadian rental market? What does it mean for schools that rely on these students for revenue? And how did they problem become so massive the government thought this action needed to be taken?
GUEST: Laura Dhillon Kane, Ottawa bureau chief, Bloomberg News
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The New York Times is suing the creator of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence bot the Times alleges was trained on millions of its copyrighted articles. It's not the only such lawsuit, but it is the biggest. What this all boils down to are questions that will determine the future of a technology that has the potential to change the world, for good or ill.
How different are a human and a computer, when each is learning from example? As machines become able to mimic the creative endeavours humans have mastered, what compensation is owed to the creators they learned from? And can bots like ChatGPT even survive without free access to a world of copyrighted material?
GUEST: James Grimmelmann, Tessler Family Professor of Digital and Information Law, Cornell Tech and Cornell Law School
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This year, Erica is getting married! Together, with her fiancé, they set a budget of $50,000, however, she's a few months away from the big day and the actual cost is closer to $75,000. Erica blames the inflated budget on hidden fees from vendors and wants to know if she's being charged fairly.
Jordan talks to wedding planner, Shalini Misri, to figure out what's behind these hidden fees and how how to avoid them.
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There have been previous attempts to launch a professional league for the best women skaters in the world—the stars we've all watched at the Olympics, who have had to work second and third jobs to keep their careers going. Those attempts have all failed.
In the hopes of finally, at long last, securing a stable league, with real funding and actual, professional treatment (long lacking in other women's leagues) some of the game's best players formed an association first, and only then went looking for a league to play in. This year, they got it. And the early returns have been incredible. This is the story of the long road to a real women's league, and why this time, really, is different.
GUEST: Maitreyi Anantharaman, reporter, Defector
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In 2021, then-Infrastructure minister Catherine McKenna announced a process to assess all of Canada's existing infrastructure in order to better use $180 billion to fix, modernize and improve it over the next dozen years. After that announcement the government began a consultation process on how to do the assessment. At some point in the process there were roundtable discussions, written submissions, a report summarizing those submissions and discussions and ... everything but an infrastructure assessment.
What do we know and what don't we know about the state of Canada's roads and bridges, pipes and public places? Why hasn't the assessment even begun, years later? Why does the saga of the infrastructure assessment seem to explain so much of how our governments can operate, and why is it so darkly funny?
GUEST: David Reevely, Ottawa reporter, The Logic
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It's shaping up to be a very strange year for electric vehicles. The market leader by a mile has just launched a much-ridiculed truck. Despite growing market penetration, analysts worry the share of EVs is no longer rising fast enough. And in Canada, governments face a tough choice between offering incentives to get drivers in the cars, or to the factories to make them.
We have incredibly ambitious goals for electric vehicles in this country. We're off to a good start. Can we keep the momentum going when the people who really want them, and can afford them, all have them?
GUEST: David Booth, senior writer, Driving
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Starting this month, Saskatchewan has stopped collecting a carbon levy on home heating. This is, of course, against the carbon tax legislation passed by the federal Liberal government. Premier Scott Moe acknowledges the Liberals will "say it's illegal". The Liberals say they expect the province to follow the law.
Once the bill comes due in February, Saskatchewan will have a choice to make: Back down and pay, or risk fines and even charges against its energy minister for ignoring federal policy. Is this a stunt? Will Moe Flinch? And if he doesn't, is the federal government prepared to follow through?
GUEST: Larissa Kurz, reporter, Regina Leader-Post
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Winter on the prairies is not usually a time to worry about drought, and fire. At least, it wasn't. But large swaths of the country, from BC through Ontario, are currently seeing a lack of snow and water accumulation that is "unprecedented in modern times," according to an expert.
In one BC town, the drought is so severe residents are using bottled water. The Alberta government is already making water restriction plans for the spring and summer to come. The conditions will be perfect for a wildfire season that could eclipse last year's records. And farmers will be making choices on which crops to keep, and which to let die. Welcome to the new world, where a large chunk of Canada ... simply doesn't have enough water.
GUEST: John Pomeroy, hydrologist, Professor in the department of Geography and Planning at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change
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Kara is being asked to pay back all the money she received from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit back in 2020. But she’s making less now than she was before the pandemic and all of her expenses have gone up. She doesn't have the means to pay the Canada Revenue Agency and might have to file bankruptcy as a result.
Jordan talks to Elizabeth Mulholland to find out why the CRA is going after this money now. Then speaks with licensed insolvency trustee, Doug Hoyes, to learn more about what it means to go bankrupt in Canada.
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If you compare us to peer countries, it's an embarrassment. Other nations have high-speed rail corridors shuttling thousands of people across distances between cities at speeds of up to 300 km/h. They are fast, sleek and almost always on time. Even the United States, which hasn't bothered to do much of anything with its vast resources, has better, faster trains than we do.
If you ride Via Rail on its busiest corridors, you're planning for a delay—or at least, you should be. The trains and tracks we're using now haven't changed much in decades. If anything, thanks to more traffic, they've gotten slower. Canada has had many opportunities to fix our nearly-broken passenger rail system. We've even made real plans to do it. So why hasn't it happened?
GUEST: Gabrielle Drolet, writing in Mainsonnneauve magazine
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None of the 177 passengers on an Alaska Airlines flight was seriously hurt, despite a panel blowing out of the middle of the aircraft at 16,000 feet shortly after takeoff. The emergency landing is a credit to the people involved. What we've since learned about this series of aircraft, though, is deeply troubling.
Outsourcing is a growing trend in the aircraft industry. The company the built the key part of this aircraft—as well as others that have since been grounded—was already mired in an ongoing court case for allegedly cutting corners. This is not the first time a large chunk of Boeing planes have been grounded over safety concerns. What's happening in the airplane industry? And what do you need to know if you're flying?
GUEST: Katya Schwenk, reporter at The Lever
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They're in every city and town in Canada—the visible evidence of overlapping crises and a lack of resources to help people in need. In the past, most governments and police have dealt with encampments by tearing them down and moving their residents on. But recently courts have become more inclined to grant injunctions against that, in some cases even requiring governments to provide working bathrooms or water.
As this trend continues, one expert on the legal fight over these tent cities believes we'll see more courts refusing to let cities destroy the encampments. Which will leave most communities and governments with two options: Find the resources to safely house their most vulnerable residents, or accept that tent cities will become a fixture in many public parks and spaces—and everything that entails.
GUEST: Stepan Wood, Professor at the Peter Allard school of law at the University of British Columbia; Canada Research Chair in Law, Society and Sustainability
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You're not supposed to be paying to be prescribed drugs in Canada. You're also not generally supposed to get those prescriptions without being examined and, you know, speaking to a real live human being. But a recent investigation found that it's possible to be prescribed the country's hottest drug, which is currently facing a shortage, by using an online portal and paying $99.
Where did this loophole come from? Who's exploiting it and why? Why do government regulations allow this? And what does this kind of process say about our current system as a whole, and the future of for-profit health care in Canada?
GUEST: Morgan Bocknek, investigative reporter at the Toronto Star
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Conspiracy theories used to be weird, and kinda fun. Now they're everywhere, and pretty dangerous. Last year marked a significant evolution in the mainstreaming of fringe beliefs—and we're not talking about "The moon landing was faked". These conspiracy theories are often hateful, and frequently cited as a call to arms.
With 2024 being a key year for elections around the globe—headlined by an American presidential campaign that will feature these theories at its core—what do you need to know about how these theories spread, where they go from here, and what new fringe beliefs will enter the mainstream conversation this year?
GUEST: Amarnath Amarasingam, Assistant Professor in the School of Religion as well as Department of Political Studies at Queen's University; research focus on conspiracy theories, terrorism and online communities
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The Big Story has been telling the stories that matter to Canadians for over five years, and through all of our coverage, one thing has become abundantly clear: A growing percent of the population can't afford to live basic, comfortable lives — and they want answers. In Frequency's newest show, In This Economy?! Jordan attempts to get to the bottom of how we got to this point, and share tips for how to achieve your goals despite living in a time of extreme economic uncertainty. Enjoy!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
Frances has been a freelancer for the past 10 years. In that time she's never been able to stick to a budget. This year, she wants to change that, but an unpredictable payment schedule mixed with the rising cost of goods is making that goal more difficult.
Jordan talks to small business accountant, Joe Collins, about how to build and maintain a budget when nothing in your financial world is predictable.
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Now that Sydney—a town of 30,000 people on Cape Breton Island—has put its toxic sludge behind it, it's looking for a fresh economic start. Many towns in Atlantic Canada have found that in tourism, which usually comes from advertising to fellow Canadians in other provinces that the east coast is affordable, beautiful and perfect for a family vacation.
Sydney, however, is taking a different path. A path that hopes to encourage the 1% of the world's 1% to bring themselves, and especially their outrageously expansive, ridiculously extravagant and, yes, environmentally sketchy mega vessels to its harbour. And, of course, their untold wealth to local businesses. Will this plan work? Is it a massively ambitious way to boost the economy? Is it a little ridiculous and perhaps foolishly careless of its environmental impact? Is the answer to all of those questions is "yes"?
GUEST: Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press
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It certainly seems like this season has been worse for illness than most previous years. But has it? If it has, is it the pandemic? Is it the "triple-demic"? Or is it a normal pre-pandemic cold and flu season that we use to just live through, or do we know it's worse?
Whatever the reasons, hospitals are crammed, polls say nurses and doctors are fleeing their professions and we're trying to figure out: Will winters just be like this now? If they are, what do we do about that?
GUEST: Dr. Raywat Deonandan, epidemiologist, science communicator specializing in global health, Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Health Sciences
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For the first time in years, 2023 saw Canadian voters shift their federal vote intention in a meaningful way, giving the Conservative Party a huge lead in the fall, before the Liberals clawed back a few points in December. With a federal election a year or less away, the race in more volatile than it's been in recent memory—so what might make a difference this year?
Meanwhile, three provinces will also go to the polls, and we'll learn a lot from the results of those elections as well. From the man who watches every riding, poll and election across the country, we take you through what could be a year of big changes in Canada's political landscape.
GUEST: Philippe J. Fournier, Editor In Chief and creator of 338Canada.com
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Canadian grocery giants have long claimed that they've only raised food prices to offset their increased expenses. But now, with many supply chain issues having been resolved, and energy prices coming down, the Canadian consumer still isn't feeling any relief, and the grocers continue to post record profits.
With many Canadians already struggling to feed themselves and their families, and food prices projected to rise even further in 2024, restoring food affordability has become an absolute necessity. So how do we do that?
GUEST: Jim Stanford, Economist and Director of the Centre for Future Work
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To mark the end of 2023, we're taking a look back at some of our favourite episodes from this past year.
We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane, and please stay tuned to the feed for new episodes coming in 2024.
Happy new year!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
One of the biggest problems facing humans attempting to travel anywhere in space that's farther than the moon is the years it will take to get there. A small ship simply can't support normal human life for that long. We need too much food, water, exercise and stimulation. But ... what if we didn't? What if we could shut ourselves down, the way animals do in the middle of winter, needing limited supplies and passing months as though they were days?
This used to be the realm of science fiction. It's not anymore.
GUEST: Brendan I. Koerner, contributing editor at WIRED, author of The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking
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To mark the end of 2023, we're taking a look back at some of our favourite episodes from this past year.
We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane, and please stay tuned to the feed for new episodes coming in 2024.
Happy new year!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
Over the next few months, we're likely to find out how well Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms actually protects marginalized groups. A divisive policy enacted in Saskatchewan would require students to obtain parental consent before using a different name or pronouns at school. Advocates say the policy will out transgender kids in potentially dangerous homes.
A challenge to the policy is currently before the courts, but rather than wait for an answer, Premier Scott Moe plans to use the "nuclear option"—the notwithstanding clause—to push the policy through. This will likely spark protests, court challenges and perhaps even an escalating response from the federal government. It's a complex and compelling governmental battle—with some of the country's most vulnerable kids caught in the middle of it...
GUEST: Charlotte Dalwood, freelance journalist specializing in legal issues, writing in Xtra magazine
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To mark the end of 2023, we're taking a look back at some of our favourite episodes from this past year.
We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane, and please stay tuned to the feed for new episodes coming in 2024.
Happy new year!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
For the past few years, orcas off the coast of Portugal and Spain have been attacking, and sinking, small boats. At least three boats have been completely sunk, and many more have needed urgent rescue. This behaviour doesn't occur in other orcas, and nobody can figure out exactly what's changed.
There are some theories regarding trauma, or differences in their habitat. There are very real things called "orca fads"—like that time they wore dead salmon on their heads. And there is, always, humanity's endless desire to use our own narratives to explain animal motives—which is why you see people asking if the orcas are fighting back. But what's really at the heart of this behaviour? And what happens if it spreads?
GUEST: Stephanie Pappas, science journalist, writing in Scientific American
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Before we break for the holidays, The Big Story team decided to try to end our year on a positive note with a week of good news stories. We hope this week brings you hope, light and laughter. It might be our job to often deliver bad news, but that doesn't mean that's all the world is.
Coral is disappearing across the world. As much as 50 percent of it is gone. But technology we've been working on for decades is beginning to pay off, allowing us to thaw cryogenically preserved coral and mature it to adulthood. It won't fix everything overnight, but it's a major breakthrough for our hopes of regrowing the reefs we've lost, and preserving other sorts of vanishing biology.
GUEST: Brent Foster, independent science writer, in Hakai Magazine
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Before we break for the holidays, The Big Story team decided to try to end our year on a positive note with a week of good news stories. We hope this week brings you hope, light and laughter. It might be our job to often deliver bad news, but that doesn't mean that's all the world is.
Lots of companies make a tidy profit from the notion that you'll throw out their products and buy new ones every so often. This applies to everything from clothes to appliances to electronics. They don't really want you wearing that shirt you like forever, or installing the latest software on your phone from six years ago. But...tough luck. A growing community of millions of DIYers is rediscovering the lost art of repair, teaching others how to do it and fighting for the access and tools needed to make our stuff last, at long last.
GUEST: Allie Volpe, senior reporter for Vox
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Before we break for the holidays, The Big Story team decided to try to end our year on a positive note with a week of good news stories. We hope this week brings you hope, light and laughter. It might be our job to often deliver bad news, but that doesn't mean that's all the world is.
"Superbugs" are antibiotic resistant bacteria that have for years now been winning the war against medicine. Part of that is because we haven't been able to find any new drugs that work against them. But a new antibiotic, and a new way of funding the creation of these drugs, may have just swung the war drastically in humanity's favour.
GUEST: Dr. Gerry Wright, Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University
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Before we break for the holidays, The Big Story team decided to try to end our year on a positive note with a week of good news stories. We hope this week brings you hope, light and laughter. It might be our job to often deliver bad news, but that doesn't mean that's all the world is.
Today: A story about birds that might as well be a Netflix reality show. No spoilers here. You have to trust us.
GUEST: Fatima Syed, Ontario Reporter, The Narwhal
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Before we break for the holidays, The Big Story team decided to try to end our year on a positive note with a week of good news stories. We hope this week brings you hope, light and laughter. It might be our job to often deliver bad news, but that doesn't mean that's all the world is.
Today: You might have thought—based on everything you've seen and heard in the media and through your social channels—that the pandemic turned us all into angry lunatics, yelling at one another and throwing tantrums. We're delighted to inform you that's simply not remotely true, and we have the data to prove it.
GUEST: Dr. John Helliwell, professor emeritus at The Vancouver School of Economics at the University of British Columbia; a founding editor of The World Happiness report
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The Big Story has been telling the stories that matter to Canadians for over five years, and through all of our coverage, one thing has become abundantly clear: A growing percent of the population can't afford to live basic, comfortable lives — and they want answers. In Frequency's newest show, In This Economy?! Jordan attempts to get to the bottom of how we got to this point, and share tips for how to achieve your goals despite living in a time of extreme economic uncertainty. Enjoy!
Anna has $9000 in credit card debt and needs help getting her spending under control.
Jordan talks to money expert, Tori Dunlap, about why our collective credit card debt is rising and how users can avoid accumulating more debt than they can handle.
Do you have a money problem? Call us and leave a message at 416-935-5935. Or email us at hello@itepod.ca. You can also find us on Instagram and TikTok @InThisEconomyPod. Don't forget to leave a call-back number, so we can get in touch.
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In 2025, Canadian astronaut Josh Kutryk will take to the stars for a stint on the International Space Station, the latest in a long string of examples of Canada punching above its weight in space exploration. What will he be doing there? How does the ISS manage to stay above the global geopolitical fray? How on Earth (literally) do you prepare for months in space?
And just how far beyond the ISS will Canadian astronauts one day travel?
GUEST: Josh Kutryk, Canadian astronaut, engineer and pilot, and occupant of the International Space Station in 2025
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Even if you didn't know his name, you knew Daniel Langlois' work. Everyone who likes movies did. Langlois was the man who ushered Hollywood into an era of 3-D special effects, including on films like Jurassic Park and The Matrix.
On Dec. 1 he and his partner, Dominique Marchand, were found dead in Dominica, in a burnt out car. Police say they had been shot. Their neighbour and another man have been charged with the crime, and court documents reveal a previous dispute between Langlois and the neighbour. What do we know about Langlois' life, his death and the potential story behind it? What might we still learn as police investigate?
GUEST: Kenyon Wallace, investigative reporter, The Toronto Star
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It started as a way to earn a few extra bucks on the side—or at least that's how Uber was pitched to potential drivers when it came to Canada in 2014. But now for many it's way to (try to) earn a living, one that's been getting tougher for years, and streets become crowded with empty Ubers hunting their next fares.
That's one of many reasons Toronto placed a cap on handing out new rideshare licenses this fall, a move that's prompted Uber to sue the city. The fight between Toronto an Uber offers a perfect window into ridesharing grew beyond what cities prepared for, and where it will go next, win or lose.
GUEST: Thorben Wieditz, urban geographer and the co-founder of MetStrat, a research and campaign firm that specializes in public interest campaigns, including RideFairTO (Read his piece in Ricochet.)
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If you've been fooled by a viral photo or video out of Gaza in the past two months, you're far from alone. In fact you're in the company of journalists and media outlets as well, that's how fogged with mis and disinformation this conflict has become. You may not even know you were fooled, because the debunking of the information didn't travel nearly as far and wide as the initial report.
Why is Israel's invasion of Gaza more difficult to parse than even the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia? Why is it so hard to get on-the-ground reporting from inside the region? How does this problem keep getting worse and what can you do to protect yourself from bad information?
GUEST: Dr. Valerie Wirtschafter, fellow at the Brookings Institution in Foreign Policy, and the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative.
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If you know one food that's bad for the planet, it's probably beef. It's one of the worst polluters in the entire food industry, and its popularity means the scale of the beef industry is enormous. So much so that convincing people to give up beef has been a staple of the climate movement.
But people who like beef don't want to forego their steaks and hamburgers, so one of the world's largest producers is now selling "climate-friendly" beef, and its been USDA approved. But how "friendly" is it? Is it enough to offset the damage? And will we ever be able to enjoy both prime rib and a stable climate future?
GUEST: Kenny Torrella, staff reporter at Vox
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The Big Story has been telling the stories that matter to Canadians for over five years, and through all of our coverage, one thing has become abundantly clear: A growing percent of the population can't afford to live basic, comfortable lives — and they want answers. In Frequency's newest show, In This Economy?! Jordan attempts to get to the bottom of how we got to this point, and share tips for how to achieve your goals despite living in a time of extreme economic uncertainty. Enjoy!
Sal is getting ready to host family and friends for the holidays but is worried about how much food, drinks and gifts will cost this year.
Jordan talks to retail analyst, Bruce Winder, to breakdown the cost of hosting and find creative ways to save. Then, he talks to financial expert, Kelley Keehn, about how to handle tricky money conversations with your guests.
Do you have a money problem? Call us and leave a message at 416-935-5935. Or email us at hello@itepod.ca. You can also find us on Instagram and TikTok @InThisEconomyPod. Don't forget to leave a call-back number, so we can get in touch.
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Most of you probably at least glanced at it. And many of you were excited and eager to share your Spotify Wrapped details with your friends and followers. After all, isn't that the whole point? To show off your musical taste, connect with others who share it and provide free marketing for a streaming behemoth?
Spotify's Wrapped is the biggest and most popular of algorithmically created personal year-end lists, but it isn't alone. Why do these things always suck us in? How has Spotify managed to convince us to pay them, instead of the artists we love directly? And if Spotify is getting all our money, why isn't it turning much of a profit?
GUEST: Kelsey McKinney, reporter and writer at Defector, host of Normal Gossip
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"The pill" has been around for more than 60 years now. And while it changed society, sparked a sexual revolution and helped reshape the workforce ... it still kind of sucks for a lot of people who take it. The past six decades have seen incredible medical advancements, but somehow hormonal birth control remains the go-to for a lot of people who menstruate—even though we keep discovering new side effects even today.
Why hasn't the pill gotten much better over six decades? Why haven't better alternatives come to market? What is possible in the world of birth control and science pushes further? And why, despite promising research, is there still no proper birth control for men?
GUEST: Nicole Schmidt, writing in The Walrus
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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith doesn't think the federal government's proposed clean energy regulations are fair, and last year she gave herself the tool she needs to fight them. The Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act is designed to allow the province to refuse to enforce specific federal laws or policies "that violate the jurisdictional rights of Alberta."
Of course, the act hasn't been tested in court, and it's difficult to know if Smith is doing this because she intends to fight these regulations all the way, or as a bargaining chip, since Ottawa has not officially confirmed the specifics of the regulations. Either way, the use of the act sets a precedent that the country should be watching closely on every issue that divides federal and provincial governments...
GUEST: Rod Nickel, Reporter, Reuters, covering energy, agriculture and politics in Western Canada, focusing on energy transition
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Very soon, Canada will introduce legislation to offer massive tax credits for projects that include a significant amount of carbon capture. In theory, this is a good way to make sure new projects don't add much in emissions. But in practice, most carbon capture projects are used to allow us to keep harvesting fossil fuels, which will then be burned somewhere else, adding to emissions in Canada and beyond.
What is carbon capture technology and how does it work? Could it be a powerful tool to help us cut emissions? Why is it mostly used by fossil fuel companies? And why does so much of the discussion of saving the planet these days feel like haggling over bookkeeping?
GUEST: Dr. Emily Eaton, professor, Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, University of Regina
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The concept of retirement used to be a few years at the end of your life, between when you stopped working and when you died. But the average lifespan kept increasing, while the retirement age stayed at 65. Now Canadians believe they'll need $1/7 million to retire in comfort, and most of the 1,000 people retiring each day in this country don't have it.
When you combine that with the economic turmoil, high interest rates and increasing cost of living, the savings they do have aren't stretching as far as expected, either. So many "retirees" are going back to work. How did we end up here? And given what we've learned about aging recently, is working during "retirement" really a bad outcome?
GUEST: Cathrin Bradbury, formerly "retired" journalist, writing in The Walrus
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The Big Story has been telling the stories that matter to Canadians for over five years, and through all of our coverage, one thing has become abundantly clear: A growing percent of the population can't afford to live basic, comfortable lives — and they want answers. In Frequency's newest show, In This Economy?! Jordan attempts to get to the bottom of how we got to this point, and share tips for how to achieve your goals despite living in a time of extreme economic uncertainty. Enjoy!
Mo feels guilty spending money on social events like concerts, restaurant outings and shopping trips. But they are tired of missing memorable moments with friends.
Jordan interviews personal finance expert, Shannon Lee Simmons, to determine if there’s a way to have fun without ditching your financial goals or racking up credit card debt.
Do you have a money problem? Call us and leave a message at 416-935-5935. Or email us at hello@itepod.ca. You can also find us on Instagram and TikTok @InThisEconomyPod. Don't forget to leave a call-back number, so we can get in touch.
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When Olivia Chow was running for mayor, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said a Chow victory would be an "unmitigated disaster". Almost six months later, he was on stage with her, thanking her on working with him on a historic deal. He called their collaboration "amazing" and the deal "one-sided" in the mayor's favour.
How has the most important relationship in Ontario politics evolved? How did this deal come together? Why isn't the federal government involved? How soon will Torontonians see the impact of it? And how does Chow plan to prioritize the many problems her city faces?
GUEST: Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto
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For years, some researchers have been sounding the alarm, about the spread of wild boars—called 'super pigs" for reasons that will become clear—on Canada's prairies. A few years ago, the situation was bad. Now it's critical. The pigs are multiplying and becoming harder to hunt or capture. They've now been seen in British Columbia and Ontario. And the US media is now reporting on the threat of Canadian super pigs. So yeah, not good.
How did we end up here? How did the pigs become "super" in the first place, and what have we done about them so far? What could we do, and would it work? And what's the worst-case scenario here if we don't get their spread under control?
GUEST: Dr. Ryan Brook, professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan
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If you squint, it could be a trip back to 2017, when cannabis was on the cusp of becoming legal and most cities in Canada were inundated with 'dispensaries'—unlicensed retail storefronts selling pot as if it were already just fine. Mostly, crackdowns on those failed, pot became legal and everyone stopped caring. Until this year, when the cycle began again with a much different drug...
Now, stores with names like "Fun Guyz" and "Shroomyz" have opened across the country, and the enforcement, or lack thereof, seems similar to 2017. But how are these two situations—and two substances—different from the cannabis experience? What does the rise of retail 'shrooms' tell us about psychedelics in general? And is psilocybin really on track to become the next legal, recreational drug?
GUEST: Daniel Eisenkraft Klein, PhD Candidate at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health; Fellow at the Canadian Centre for Health Economics
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Rent in large Canadian cities is at ridiculous highs. It's hard to find a decent apartment. and sometimes even harder to keep it. Landlords can afford to neglect their buildings because units are so scarce, and what options do tenants have, exactly? Leave?! Stop paying rent?!
Well, yes, there are several rent strikes happening in Canada right now, mostly in Toronto. Some of them are closing in on six months or more. Evictions have been long-threatened, but slow to happen. Nor have the tenants received any concession or negotiation, even when the mayor stepped in. So what are rent strikes, how do they work, and what should you know about a renter's "last resort"?
GUEST: Ricardo Tranjan, Senior Researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives; author of The Tenant Class
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Picture it: Mosquitoes that don't spread disease. Aphids and potato beetles that stay away from our crops. Biting insects that don't bite humans. There's an awful lot of good in a world where we can make those changes. There's just one catch...
In order to do those things, we have to genetically modify those creatures, using cutting-edge technology that allows us to basically rewrite their code. The upside is tremendous, so the work is being done. But there are ethical questions as well as safety concerns: Are we messing with something we don't yet fully understand? What happens if it goes wrong? And ... ummm ... isn't this how the bad parts of sci-fi techno thrillers always begin?
GUEST: Ben Matthews, University of British Columbia, co-author of the Council of Canadian Academies report on regulating gene-edited organisms for pest control
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The Big Story has been telling the stories that matter to Canadians for over five years, and through all of our coverage, one thing has become abundantly clear: A growing percent of the population can't afford to live basic, comfortable lives — and they want answers. In Frequency's newest show, In This Economy?! Jordan attempts to get to the bottom of how we got to this point, and share tips for how to achieve your goals despite living in a time of extreme economic uncertainty. Enjoy!
Sam wants to leave her comfortable white collar job to pursue her passion project full time. But she's not sure if she's financially ready to make the jump.
Jordan interviews personal finance expert, Jessica Moorhouse, who went down a similar path a few years ago. Together they break down how to manage this massive transition.
Do you have a money problem? Call us and leave a message at 416-935-5935. Or email us at hello@itepod.ca. You can also find us on Instagram and TikTok @InThisEconomyPod. Don't forget to leave a call-back number, so we can get in touch.
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Cameron Ortis was once seen as a fast-rising RCMP intelligence official. This week, he was found guilty of offering up Canadian intelligence to people for cash. How did he fall so far? What was he attempting to sell, and to whom?
In the bigger picture, Ortis' trial was a first for Canada, in a year of many unprecedented national security issues. What can we learn from this trial, and from Canada's approach to national security in 2023? Are we finally getting serious about threats and how we tackle them?
GUEST: Catharine Tunney, parliamentary reporter, CBC, covering national security and the RCMP
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It's one of the world's strangest alcohol sales arrangements. Since the end of prohibition, beer in Ontario has primarily—sometimes nearly exclusively—sold at a signle chain of stores, that sell only beer. Nothing else. And while The Beer Store began as a collection of Canadian brewers, it is now almost totally owned by two megacompanies who hold a huge competitive advantage.
A report last week indicated that the agreement that governs the situation will be allowed to expire, and the announcement will come before the end of the year. How did Ontario end up with The Beer Store in the first place? How has it held so much power for so long? And what will happen when it loses its hold on the industry?
GUEST: Josh Rubin, business reporter, The Toronto Star
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If you haven't noticed yet, Canada's labour movement is undergoing a bit of a resurgence. Workers are unionizing more, and those that are already unionized are using their newfound leverage to win concessions from employers. Amid this climate comes Bill C58, which will prohibit some employers from using replacement workers (commonly known in unions as "scabs") during strikes or lockouts.
How long has this bill been in the works, and exactly what does it cover? What happens if critical workers leave the job? How will non-unionized Canadians feel it, if at all? And what can it tell us about the direction of both the labour movement and the federal government right now?
GUEST: David Reevely, Ottawa correspondent, The Logic
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In June 2021, Nathaniel Veltman intentionally ran his truck into the Afzaal family, who were simply out for a walk. All but one member of the family was killed, and Veltman later said he did it because he was looking for Muslims to run over. Last week, Veltman was quickly found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
His trial, the first in Canada to officially associate terrorism with white supremacy, offered a glimpse into where he found his hatred, how it twisted him, and how similar attacks might be prevented. His sentencing may also indicate just how the courts will treat terrorism charges in cases like these going forward.
GUEST: Wendy Gillis, crime reporter, The Toronto Star
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Every year, hundreds of thousands of immigrants come to Canada, looking for a better future for themselves and their children. The federal government is aiming to keep that number rising—but it's a tough time to be a new Canadian, with affordability and housing crises, an uncertain future and rising numbers of hate crimes.
So how do recent Canadian immigrants feel about their decision to make this country their home? What did they expect coming here, and what did they actually get? Do they feel the dream they came here chasing is still within reach? Or do they regret their decision? A massive new cross-country survey from OMNI News gives us an exclusive look into the Canadian immigrant experience.
GUEST: Rhea Santos, journalist, OMNI News Filipino
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The Big Story has been telling the stories that matter to Canadians for over five years, and through all of our coverage, one thing has become abundantly clear: A growing percent of the population can't afford to live basic, comfortable lives — and they want answers. In Frequency's newest show, In This Economy?! Jordan attempts to get to the bottom of how we got to this point, and share tips for how to achieve your goals despite living in a time of extreme economic uncertainty. Enjoy!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
Suki is in the market for her first car. She would like to purchase an electric vehicle but doesn't know if she can really afford it.
Jordan interviews an auto industry expert to better understand current market trends and develop a roadmap for buying a car right now.
Do you have a money problem? Call us and leave a message at 416-935-5935. Or email us at hello@itepod.ca. You can also find us on Instagram and TikTok @InThisEconomyPod. Don't forget to leave a call-back number, so we can get in touch.
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If there's been one progressive assumption about cities over the past couple of decades, it's that they need to be greener—more trees, more parks, more green projects on top of buildings, all of that. And while the goals are laudable, and the plant life will surely help in the climate era, a new books asks if we're so concerned with making cities green that we're forgetting to make them functional for the people who use them?
What exactly makes for a great city? Why does every development project you see now have a tinge of 'greenwashing' to it? Is there a way to make our cities better for everyone, and better prepared for the climate era that might not be as pretty, but would provide much more formidable infratructure and services?
GUEST: Des Fitzgerald, Professor of Medical Humanities and Social Sciences at University College Cork, Ireland. Author of The Living City: Why cities don't need to be green to be great
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Shots fired at Jewish schools in Montreal. Slurs screamed as Muslims outside a mosque. Clashes of protesters on Canadian campuses and at weekend marches. General demands to pick a side, or be placed on the other one. While every day in Gaza and Israel brings more death and tragedy, and more allegations of atrocities, the fallout from the conflict here is taking its toll on the fabric of Canadian unity.
Where is the line between free speech and hate speech? What are police and governments doing to keep Jewish and Muslim Canadians safe? How can their neighbours help? And how do we find dialogue and push for human rights and freedom amid so much hate and death?
GUEST: Dr. Mira Sucharov, professor of Political Science at Carleton University, specializing in Israeli-Palestinian relations
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It's not the old former players in charge of the NHL—the guys who thought banning pride jerseys and tape was a smart idea—who will determine the future of hockey. It's the kids playing now, with big dreams and bright futures ahead of them, who will ultimately create whatever the game becomes.
So how do we make sure hockey really is for everyone? How different is the culture right now among young players? And how are the youngest players in the NHL now bringing a different approach to their locker rooms and benches?
GUEST: Brock McGillis, advocate and activist; first openly gay men's professional hockey player, speaker on the Culture Shift tour
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Every week brings more layoffs and closures to local news outlets across the country, especially newspapers. It's a result of a business model that simply doesn't work anymore, say the owners making the decision, and it's tough to argue with that. But there is a business model that has begun to succeed—small, community- or subject-focused digital outlets that survive and even thrive thanks to government grants and funding from a small number of passionate readers.
These are the publications that might replace the outlets that are vanishing, but they need to find an audience. And Bill C-18, designed to help Canadian media survive in the digital era, has set the world's biggest platforms against these tiny but growing outlets, making an uphill climb even steeper...
GUEST: April Lindgren, principal investigator for the Local News Research Project (LNRP) at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Journalism.
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Last year, Canadian restaurants took in roughly $100 billion in revenue, more than the pre-pandemic year of 2019. This year it's pegged to be $110 billion. Yet a third of all restaurants report they are losing money, up from just seven percent before the pandemic.
Even as lockdowns eased and diners returned, a complex set of problems face restaurants in particular—and now the industry's lobby group says we're beginning to see double the numbers of closing as openings. How did this happen, and how do we keep small, local restaurants afloat?
GUEST: Kelly Higginson, president and CEO of Restaurants Canada
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The Big Story has been telling the stories that matter to Canadians for over five years, and through all of our coverage, one thing has become abundantly clear: A growing percent of the population can't afford to live basic, comfortable lives — and they want answers. In Frequency's newest show, In This Economy?! Jordan attempts to get to the bottom of how we got to this point, and share tips for how to achieve your goals despite living in a time of extreme economic uncertainty. Enjoy!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
Daniella wants to prioritize her health. But is having a hard time justifying the costs she has incurred trying to eat healthier and feel stronger.
Jordan interviews an author who has written about modern wellness culture to unpack the ways we've altered our understanding of health and wellness. Together they try to answer: How much should it really cost to take care of our well being?
Do you have a money problem? Call us and leave a message at 416-935-5935. Or email us at hello@itepod.ca. You can also find us on Instagram and TikTok @InThisEconomyPod. Don't forget to leave a call-back number, so we can get in touch.
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Everyone knows by now about health-care worker burnout. Nurses fleeing the profession. Doctors retiring early. And the absence of so many of both leaving more crucial work for their increasingly strained colleagues, and the system as a whole. What you may not know, is that things are much the same for vets and vet technicians across the country—and it's taking a massive toll on the animal caregivers who remain.
Canadians adopted an additional 500,000 pets during the pandemic, and right now there are fewer vets to care for them than there were in 2019. And the ones who are trying to keep Canadians' pandemic pets healthy are seriously struggling.
GUEST: Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
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For months now, recent polls have been terrible for the federal Liberals—and specifically so when it comes to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. A recent survey found that a majority of Canadians want him to step down before the next election in favour of a new lIberal leader, and a longtime Liberal senator recently called for him to do the same.
Surveys and suggestions are a long way from reality, though, and there's no clear idea if Trudeau will walk away, or if he does if any member of his cabinet would perform any better. There are rumours, though, about an outside who wants the job—a non-politician with an impressive resume and the credibility to be an instant contender. So who is he? And have we seen this movie play out before?
GUEST: Stephen Maher, writer, reporter, political commentator at ipolitics.ca
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Airline passengers in Canada have rights. They're called the Air Passenger Protection Regulations, and they determine how much you're owed if your flight is delayed, overbooked or cancelled for various reasons. The problem is, the compensation is often tough to get, and there's very little incentive for the airlines to simply pay it every time.
In an effort to simply get what they are owed, some Canadians take the airlines to small claims court. Sometimes they settle, and sometimes they even win. But the process is long and difficult and doesn't result in punitive action. Why is it so hard for some Canadians to get what they're owed when the airline gets it wrong? And what should you do if it happens to you?
GUEST: Gabor Lukacs, president of Air Passenger Rights
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Regulating short-term rentals like AirBnB to ease the housing crisis isn't a new idea. It's been tried in plenty of cities in North America and beyond. But British Columbia's new legislation goes much further than most, and though it was just announced two weeks ago, a glance at apartments on sale in Victoria and Vancouver show that it's having an impact already.
What's in the Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act that makes it a step beyond other North American efforts. Has it gone too far, or not far enough? And if it works, could it become a model for other provinces to follow?
GUEST: Ryan Hook, writing for Ricochet
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Jane Doe was assaulted by a police officer. That's never an easy case to win, but she wasn't without allies. Even still, her case was lost. At least, at first.
This is a story of what happens when you don't stop fighting for justice. When you end up at the Supreme Court, with an officer from a 300-year-old police force on the other side, and you don't waver. It's a story about how you change more than just the outcome of your own case...
GUEST: Lindsay Jones, Atlantic Canada reporter, The Globe and Mail (Writing in The Walrus)
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The Big Story has been telling the stories that matter to Canadians for over five years, and through all of our coverage, one thing has become abundantly clear: A growing percent of the population can't afford to live basic, comfortable lives — and they want answers. In Frequency's newest show, In This Economy?! Jordan attempts to get to the bottom of how we got to this point, and share tips for how to achieve your goals despite living in a time of extreme economic uncertainty. Enjoy!
Jeremiah has seen real estate prices sky rocket to astronomical levels and he's worried he won't be able to afford a home. He's curious about co-ownership and wonders if it's possible for him.
Jordan interviews two real estate professionals who specialize in co-ownership sales. Then, he speaks with someone who's living in a home he owns with his partner and another couple. Together they try to answer: Is co-ownership a viable path to home ownership?
Do you have a money problem? Call us and leave a message at 416-935-5935. Or email us at hello@itepod.com. You can also find us on Instagram and TikTok @InThisEconomyPod. Don't forget to leave a call-back number, so we can get in touch.
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One hundred years ago, raccoons were so rare in Toronto, that a mysterious creature rummaging in a garbage bin warranted a newspaper report. Today, raccoons are basically the city's mascot—literally, the creatures are on all sorts of Toronto memorabilia. The war Toronto waged on raccoons spanned decades, with no end of amusing skirmishes. But it's abundantly clear that it's over. The raccoons won, the people lost, and now we just try to protect our garbage and hope the mess isn't too bad.
This is how Toronto became the raccoon capital of the world—gradually, then suddenly.
GUEST: Amy Dempsey, senior writer, The Toronto Star
(Looking for a new podcast? Have a listen to the team behind The Big Story's newest show, In This Economy?! The first episode is out right now, with new ones arriving each Thursday.)
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Quebec's CAQ government has spent years tightening laws around languages in the province, with a stated aim to protect French as its predominant language. Their latest attempt, doubling the tuition paid by out-of-province students attending English universities in Quebec, has led to anger, condemnation and protests in the streets.
One of the policy's stated aims is to change the linguistic makeup of downtown Montreal, where thousands of students and others recently marched against it. Why target Canadian students this way? Will it work to achieve the government's aims, or could the new policy have consequences nobody has considered?
GUEST: Alyssia Rubertucci, reporter, CityNews Montreal
(Looking for a new podcast? Have a listen to the team behind The Big Story's newest show, In This Economy?! The first episode is out right now, with new ones arriving each Thursday.)
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It's a very small piece, to be sure. But it's also a huge precedent. Almost immediately after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement last week, the government was fielding requests for similar carve-outs from across the country. on Tuesday, Saskatchewan made formal plans to stop paying part of the tax entirely, daring the federal government to enforce it. Meanwhile, everyone from the opposition to climate advocates have criticized the message the decision sends.
So what, exactly, are the Liberals doing to their signature policy? What's the motivation for the move? Is it practical, or panic-induced? And what's coming next?
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill reporter, CityNews
(Looking for a new podcast? Have a listen to the team behind The Big Story's newest show, In This Economy?! The first episode is out right now, with new ones arriving each Thursday.)
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It can be difficult to sort fact from fiction, or anecdotes from data, when it comes to a subject like assisted dying. The topic itself is so emotional. The stories of those who don't qualify or from family left behind, can be heartbreaking. And the terms and conditions used to assess someone's eligibility for the process are complex and opaque.
All of that is an environment ripe for misinformation—or for potential disasters to be imagined. Next year, restrictions on the MAiD law will fall away, allowing mental illness to be a sole condition for MAiD applicants. substance use disorders may qualify under mental illness, so ... yes, drug users may be able to apply for MAiD. But that's a long way from saying their application will be granted. Today, a trip through the subtlety often missing in discussions of this controversial policy.
GUEST: Jocelyn Downie, Professor Emeritus at the Faculties of Law and Medicine, Dalhousie University; works at the intersection of health care ethics, law, and policy
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Depending on where you live, there's a between one-in-three and one-in-six chance that you don't have a family doctor. And the number of Canadians without one is rising rapidly. Now, at a time when older doctors are leaving the profession, the College of Family Physicians of Canada has announced plans to increase the time would-be family doctors are required to train from two years to three.
Even if it's well-intentioned, the move has sparked opposition from experts and health ministers, who say we're in a crisis and desperately need new doctors. So just how rapidly is the problem escalating? What does the research tell us about the health of people with and without family doctors? Why raise the years required to become a family doctor now? And what could we do that would help encourage young students to choose this path?
GUEST: Dr. Cathy Risdon, family doctor and Chair of Family Medicine at McMaster University
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With the increasingly polarized rhetoric surrounding the terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7, and the IDF's continuous bombing of the Gaza strip, we felt it was an opportune time to revisit this episode that outlines a better way to discuss uncomfortable subjects with people you may disagree with. We hope you enjoy this episode, and find it helpful in navigating difficult conversations in your own lives.
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
And how to listen to people you disagree with, so they'll listen to you.
It feels like we're more stubborn than ever before. More likely to dig in our heels, refuse to listen to facts and in general hold tight to our positions no matter what. But is that true, or is that just a function of the new ways of communication that we're still learning to use?
Regardless, if we can't figure out how to find solutions together, we may not have the time to figure it out. So the next time you're inclined to blow up at someone for believing in something dumb, or refusing to listen to reason, ask yourself if there's a better way to convince them.
GUEST: David McRaney, author of How Minds Change
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Depending on your mood, it sounds either terrifying, or like a sweet release from modernity. But solar storms hit the Earth all the time, and it's only a matter of time until a truly gigantic one fries us—it's happened before, and will again.
We're more reliant on electricity and connectivity than ever before, obviously, and we don't know how the grid will handle the power of such a storm—but we know it won't be good. The problem is, we can't test for it without, well, turning it all off and then back on again. Maybe we should do that?
GUEST: Christopher Mims, technology columnist, The Wall Street Journal
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This week, Ontario Housing Minister Paul Calandra (new to the job after his predecessor resigned amid scandal in September) announced another reversal of a key government policy. This time, it was massive changes to urban boundaries outside several Ontario cities—changes most of the cities themselves fought against.
Coming a week after the government introduced legislation to officially reverse its actions on Ontario's Greenbelt, and on the heels of reversals of everything from pandemic policy to license plates, is it a positive thing that this government can admit when it's wrong and change, or a worrisome sign that so many of its major initiatives need fixing?
Today, a trip inside Queen's Park, where nothing is ever certain ... or dull.
GUEST: Richard Southern, Queen's Park reporter, CityNews
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The promise of untold millions once puffed up the legal cannabis industry to unimaginable highs. Then blunt reality set in. Now, with dreams of fortunes going up in smoke, some producers are entering joint ventures into other industries, hoping to find ways to keep business rolling.
Meanwhile, the government's long-awaited review of the Cannabis Act is still pending, and everyone with money still invested in the industry is hoping the grass will be greener on the other side of that process. Is there still upside in the weed business? Or does the industry have too many chronic problems?
GUEST: Tara Deschamps, reporter, The Canadian Press
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Two weeks after a terror attack by Hamas, and two weeks into a devastating retaliatory bombing campaign by Israel, thousands of lives are gone, and the world wonders how and when the horror might stop. There are calls for a humanitarian pause. A ceasefire. Deescalation. It seems impossible in the moment, but then, it usually does.
So today, a brief history of ceasefires, peace deals, and other quests for a pause in a deadly conflict—and an explanation from a longtime observer of how they come together...or don't. How far away might a ceasefire be now? What needs to happen? Who brings what to the table? How can Israel possibly back down now?
GUEST: Dr. Randa Slim, Director of the Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program at the Middle East Institute
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Technically, it's called "extended producer responsibility"—and in practice it means governments handing over the task of recycling packaging to the companies that produce the waste. It happens in some capacity in most of Canada, and now Ontario is turning all of its recycling over to this model.
But can we really trust for-profit companies to take recycling seriously? Are we seeing the lower costs and packaging innovations that are supposed to be the upsides of using this strategy? When we say, "It's your mess, you clean it up!"—what happens if they don't?
GUEST: Calvin Lakhan, co-investigator of the “Waste Wiki” project at York University's Faculty of Environment and Urban Change, a research project devoted to advancing understanding of waste management research and policy in Canada.
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The team behind The Big Story, has a new podcast! Hosted by Jordan Heath-Rawlings, In This Economy?! debuts with weekly episodes on Nov. 2. You can follow the show on your preferred podcast app right here!
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We've all been told not to judge a book by its cover. So why do so many people—from readers, to retailers, to publishers and reviewers—judge them by one little name, next to a little generic quote, that appears on that cover?
If you've ever chosen your next read because the book came with a kind word from your favourite author, or if you've ever read some of those effusive blurbs, then read the book and wondered, "Did that person even read this thing?!" ... well, welcome to the publishing industry's weirdest little secret world.
It's "an amazing episode of The Big Story, one of the best for sure!" — Producer Joseph Fish
GUEST: Sophie Vershbow, writing in Esquire
(The team behind The Big Story, has a new podcast! Hosted by Jordan Heath-Rawlings, In This Economy?! debuts with weekly episodes on Nov. 2. You can listen to the trailer and follow the show on your preferred podcast app right here!)
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The Israel-Hamas war is near a tipping point. At some point Israel will have to decide to push forward with a massive and unprecedented ground offensive into Gaza in an attempt to eradicate Hamas, or find a way to back down from its stated goal of its response. A large-scale ground invasion, however, may well draw other entities into a widening conflict.
If Israel sends in ground troops, what happens next? How reliable is information coming out of Gaza right now? Will US President Joe Biden's presence in the region Wednesday accomplish anything? And is there any hope of a ceasefire?
GUEST: Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent for The Economist; Author, How Long Will Israel Survive? The Threat From Within.
(The team behind The Big Story, has a new podcast! Hosted by Jordan Heath-Rawlings, In This Economy?! debuts with weekly episodes on Nov. 2. You can listen to the trailer and follow the show on your preferred podcast app right here!)
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Earlier this year, the province decriminalized certain amounts of some hard drugs, in an attempt to curb the overdose crisis. Nine months later, the same government has introduced legislation to ban those same drugs from public use. On the surface it looks like two conflicting approaches to the same problem—but is that true?
What do we know about how decriminalization has gone so far? What will the new act mean for users in the province, and for non-users who share public space with them? How will the ban be enforced, and who will it impact? And most importantly, with the crisis closing in on a decade, and deaths still mounting ... will it help?
GUEST: Dr. Lindsay Richardson, associate professor, University of British Columbia; Canada Research Chair in Social Inclusion and Health Equity
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Now that we know how huge the gap on housing is—Canada needs 3.5 million more homes by 2030—you would think governments across the country would be doing everything they can to narrow it. But instead, it's widening.
In fact, our rate of building new homes has slowed to less than what it was during 2020, when many construction sites were shuttered for weeks during the first wave of Covid. How did this happen? Why aren't companies building? And if they won't, why aren't governments? Why is the problem every party acknowledges is Canada's biggest challenge still getting worse?
GUEST: David Macdonald, Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (author of Canada is building fewer homes today than during pandemic economy shutdown)
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After a Charter challenge was turned away in Ontario, an appeal may bring the laws that govern sex work in this country directly to the supreme court—and these laws are a battleground right now.
At the heart of it is this question: Is sex work inherently exploitative? Or can it be just a job? And if it can't be, then why have the courts sided with a Halifax sex worker who took a non-paying client to small claims court, and won?
GUEST: Dr. Meredith Ralston, professor, Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax; filmmaker and author focusing on sex work
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A couple of years ago, NFTs were the Next Big Thing. They were everywhere, with celebrity endorsements, big media companies jumping on the bandwagon and ceaseless promotion from nearly everyone in the crypto sphere. They were "valued" as one-of-a-kind tokens to exclusive communities and riches to come.
Today? A new report finds that 95 percent of them are absolutely worthless, and the communities that sprung up around them are ghost towns. Millions of dollars have been lost. But whose millions? The people who created and promoted them? Or the folks who saw a chance to join that club and put the money they couldn't afford to lose into a risky play?
GUEST: Ed Zitron, writer of Where's Your Ed At? and CEO of EZPR
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If you, like millions of people in Canada—and two million in Ontario alone—do not have a family doctor, the prospect of paying hundreds of dollars for the services they provide might be something you'd do, if you could afford it. That's the demand that has "nurse practitioner clinics" springing up across the province, fuelling accusations that Ontario is hurtling towards a Pay For Access system.
The province's minister of health says the government is investigating the claims of patients being charged fees for these clinics—but the clinics themselves don't appear to be breaking any rules. They're just taking advantage of loopholes to find ways to charge the public for care they aren't getting under the current system. So what are the loopholes? How did we end up here? And is this really the road Ontario's health care system is headed down?
GUEST: Richard Southern, Queen's Park reporter, CityNews
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Since Saturday's horrific Hamas attacks and Israel's brutal response, fighting has continued, but has been contained to those two sides. There are worries, though, that may not last. Some reporting suggests that Iran, which supports Hamas and calls for the end of a Jewish state, gave approval for the attacks, which has already started some of America's hawks calling for the United States to get involved against Iran.
The past four days have been bloody and heartbreaking. Many nations are trying to find a way to end the violence. Will they succeed? Or will the conflict escalate, drawing in other nations in the region, and making an already devastating tragedy so much worse?
GUEST: Arash Azizi, senior lecturer in history and political science at Clemson University. Azizi's new book, What Iranians Want: Women, Life, Freedom, will be published in January 2024.
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Every use of deadly force by police in the province requires an inquest to determine how and why it happened. In theory, this prevents fear or favour from influencing the decision whether or not to hold one, ensures that an initial investigation will not simply shut down a case, and offers every family suffering through a loss the chance to ask their questions, and get their answers.
In practice? As a recent investigation has revealed, it rarely works that way. And the families of those killed by police are wondering where their answers are...
GUEST: Marsha McLeod, investigative reporter with The Winnipeg Free Press
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Today, we're lending the feed to our friends over at Heaven Bent, a show hosted by Tara Jean Stevens that examines trends in modern christianity, and explores her own complex relationship with faith. In the first episode of the newest season, Tara Jean begins digging into an organization known as The International House of Prayer, and what she uncovers is both fascinating and thought provoking.
You can listen to the rest of the season here.
Enjoy!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES
The International House of Prayer, or IHOP as it's unofficially known, is a multi-million dollar, non-denominational, Christian organization that boasts a 24/7 Prayer Room. Thousands and thousands of people have been through its doors over nearly 25 years. In season four of Heaven Bent, host Tara Jean Stevens takes a closer look at the organization between 1999 and 2015, a period when the organization was experiencing exponential growth and their leadership was put to the test.
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Romana Didulo rose to prominence in 2020, gained a massive number of followers, moved her followers from online talk to in-person action, and has been traversing thew country in a notorious RV for the past year. All of this sounds absurd, but it's all tinged with the very real threat of violence.
Today, Didulo and her followers have holed up in a tiny prairie town, that absolutely does not want them there. They are encamped at an abandoned school, refusing to leave and urging more to join them. Today's episode is about the pandemic's oddest phenomenon, how it led to Richmound, Sask. and what the small community is doing about it.
GUEST: Peter Smith, investigative journalist and researcher with the Canadian Anti-Hate Network
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Over the next few months, we're likely to find out how well Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms actually protects marginalized groups. A divisive policy enacted in Saskatchewan would require students to obtain parental consent before using a different name or pronouns at school. Advocates say the policy will out transgender kids in potentially dangerous homes.
A challenge to the policy is currently before the courts, but rather than wait for an answer, Premier Scott Moe plans to use the "nuclear option"—the notwithstanding clause—to push the policy through. This will likely spark protests, court challenges and perhaps even an escalating response from the federal government. It's a complex and compelling governmental battle—with some of the country's most vulnerable kids caught in the middle of it...
GUEST: Charlotte Dalwood, freelance journalist specializing in legal issues, writing in Xtra magazine
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The Canada Pension Plan is a world-renowned fund that controls hundreds of billions of dollars earmarked for our retirements. Alberta premier Danielle Smith, unhappy that Alberta contributes more to the fund than its citizens receive, has plans to leave the fund and start the Alberta Pension Plan—while taking more than half the CPP's money on the way out the door.
Can she actually do this? How much money would Alberta get? Why would the province want to go it alone as opposed to staying in one of the world's best plans? And what happens to the CPP if Alberta leaves, even is most of the money stays?
GUEST: Graham Thomson, political columnist and commentator
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This is the first generation of kids to grow up entirely with smartphones in hand. Most of the time, even during school hours. Schools who have tried to ban or regulate their use have mostly failed—with a few notable exceptions. And when teachers have tried to enforce these rules on the ground in their classrooms, it can get ugly.
Just how addicted are students to their phones? What are they being used for in class? Is there a way to incorporate them into learning that doesn't enable their detrimental effects? And what do we know about the long-term impact of these devices on kids who should be focusing on their studies?
GUEST: Naomi Buck, writing in The Globe and Mail
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You and a friend might be given two different prices by the same website for the same item. Heck, you might be given two different prices yourself depending on where you are when you're browsing the site. It's a phenomenon that began as dynamic pricing—a computer balancing supply and demand to ensure everything was sold at a price the market was prepared to pay—but it's now gone well beyond that.
As algorithms become smarter and more advanced, and as we voluntarily offer our devices and the companies we do business with more of our information, the prices you see may take into account things like where you are, what device you're on, your shopping history and... well, everything the machine knows about you. Is this the kind of shopping experience we want? If not, what do we do about it?
GUEST: Colin Horgan, writing in The Walrus
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Somehow, nobody involved in the now-infamous affair clued into the fact that a man who was fighting against the Russians in 1943 would have been fighting ... with the Nazis. That's at the core of last week's House of Commons' screwup that has made international waves, become a hyperpartisan blame game in Ottawa and has many people speedrunning the history of the Second World War.
But who's really to blame for this failure? Why will the blame land at the feet of the Liberals and Justin Trudeau regardless of the answer? And what do these frequent missteps signal about a government that seems to be getting tired, or at least giving observers that perception?
GUEST: David Moscrop, author, podcaster and political commentator
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Yup, the government body overseeing the economy has been hoping for a while now that some of the low unemployment rates that have been driving up salaries and opportunities for workers will vanish. It's a key pillar of their plan to steer the country away from a recession. That, and higher interest rates. All good, right?
Right now a surprising amount of our economic future is being determined because, according to contemporary economic thought, things were going too well. So now we're paying for it, and hoping we don't end up paying even more. Here's how we got here, what the BoC hopes will happen, and what we can expect those forces to do to, you know, us.
GUEST: Jim Stanford, economist, director of the Centre for Future Work
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Last week, Ontario premier Doug Ford caved, spectacularly. He apologized for breaking his promise, and vowed to reverse his decision to open up parts of the province's Greenbelt to development. The move came after months of scandal, investigations and public outcry—it's a rare example of a politician listening and admitting he screwed up, and got it wrong.
But the saga isn't over yet. There are developers who spent billions buying up land they assumed would be developed. They may sue. There are still ongoing investigations. And there is still an electorate that was showing clear signs of abandoning Ford over this move before his reversal. Will they reverse themselves, too?
GUEST: Emma McIntosh, Ontario reporter, The Narwhal
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The numbers have been climbing for years, and last year was a high not seen since the old days of manual hot-wiring. This year figures to be even worse, as a perfect storm of factors make modern cars vulnerable, movable and the target of highly organized thieves.
How does a modern car-theft work, anyway? Why do the thieves seem to be ahead of the automakers? What's the best way to stop this wave, on both an individual and regulatory level? OH—and just where do all those stolen cars wind up, anyway?
GUEST: Bryan Gast, vice president of investigative services at Equite Association
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In many regions of Europe, wild boars roam the landscape. Also, they're radioactive. For a long time, it was assumed the Chernobyl disaster was the cause, and that's still partly true. But the real answer goes back even further, and offers us a glimpse of how the byproducts of nuclear technology can lay dormant for decades, only detected in the most visible part of a system we're still learning to understand.
This is the wild boar paradox, and this is what it can teach us about nuclear technologies past, present and future...
GUEST: Becky Ferreira, science writer, regular contributor at Motherboard
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You've probably got some in your medicine cabinet right now, and if you take them hoping for a relief from congestion, you're pretty much taking a placebo. A recent FDA review found that one of the most most popular active ingredients in these medications is basically useless.
So how has this drug been approved and available for decades when evidence shows it doesn't do what it's supposed to? Why did it take us so long to realize it? Which medications actually will relieve congestion? And what should you do when the first cold of the fall hits your household?
GUEST: Mina Tadrous, pharmacist and the host of the I'm Pharmacy podcast at the University of Toronto's Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
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When Justin Trudeau told the country that his government has evidence implicating India in a June murder of a Sikh leader in BC, it shocked even seasoned intelligence experts. Foreign interference is by now a nationally known problem in this country, but extrajudicial killings are a large step beyond that.
What would India's role in the murder tell us about the state of Canada's national security? Will we ever find out what the government actually knows about the murder? Was there any way to stop the killing before it happened? And what must Canada do to be able to protect its citizens, even those wanted dead by their former countries?
GUEST: Jessica Davis, national security expert, president and principal consultant, Insight Threat Intelligence
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Last week, the president of Spanish soccer resigned amid a furor over a nonconsensual kiss given to one of the Spanish women's team's players in the wake of their world cup triumph. Players around the world—not only women—had demanded this resignation and more, pushing for the total restructuring of Spanish soccer.
In Canada, last month's collapse at the world cup marked a long-running battle between our women's team and the federation that pays and oversees the national teams. Women's teams around the world have faced similar fights. Many of them are winning. Is this the seismic shift that soccer's sexist structure has long had coming?
GUEST: Shireen Ahmed, Sr. contributor, CBC sports; sports media instructor, Toronto Metropolitan University; Co-host, Burn It All Down
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This afternoon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons, and all of Canada, that this country has credible evidence that India was behind the killing of a high profile Sikh leader in BC in June.
This evening we're re-sharing with you an episode we published in June, a few days after the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a well-known community leader and pro-Khalistan activist who the Indian government had previously accused of terror offences. There were questions when it happened about if the Indian government could have been involved in his death. Canada now says it has answers. This episode explores his murder, his life, and his potential targeting by the Indian government.
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
Nine days ago, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was killed in a targeted daylight shooting in a crowded area outside of a Sikh temple in Surrey, BC. Nijjar was a well-known community leader and pro-Khalistan activist who the Indian government has previously accused of terror offences— allegations he vehemently denied.
His activism and controversial past have spawned many theories about who may have done this and why, but more than a week after his death, the public has seen little evidence to substantiate those rumours. Meanwhile, a community is in mourning, and they took to the streets on Sunday to demand answers.
So what, if anything, can we say for certain at this point? And could this horrific crime spark further violence?
GUEST: Sonia Aslam, reporter, CityNews Vancouver
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In many places across Canada, outdated 911 systems are strapped for operators and barely holding on to functionality. That has led to some people calling with emergencies—like a Brampton, Ont. family dealing with a home invasion—not being able to get through to an operator. It should go without saying that if 911 doesn't work properly, lives are at risk ... yet here we are.
What are the problems here? A combination of factors that are creating a serious problem. What's being done about it? Lots, but not fast enough. How do we modernize and adequately staff Canada's most critical phone number?
GUEST: Graeme Frisque, reporter, Brampton Guardian and Mississauga News
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You've probably noticed there are a lot of streaming platforms available these days. There are the traditional big players like Netflix, Amazon and Apple. There's Disney, with decades of family content, as well as superheroes and Star Wars. But there are also streaming platforms that cater to...everything: Horror films, British TV, Major League Soccer, Professional Tennis, theatrical performances, documentaries, influential classic films and the list goes on.
All of those cost money. Add 'em up and you have something approaching or exceeding a traditional cable bill. So it's not serving most consumers well, the streamers are currently struggling to gain market share, while cancelling or not even releasing expensive projects that they've already made and are now pushing to introduce advertising.
Add all that up, and what does the future of streaming look like to you? And does it work for anyone?
GUEST: Angela Watercutter, Sr. Editor, WIRED
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More than 250 cases, more than 20 victims in hospital. Almost all of them children, some of them in serious condition. The kids are linked to several daycares across the city. Those daycares have been linked to a kitchen, which an inspection revealed Tuesday was filled with violations.
How much danger are the kids in? How on earth could this happen? Who will face consequences and where was the government during the first full week of the outbreak, as numbers climbed and parents panicked?
GUEST: Courtney Theriault, reporter, CityNews
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CPC leader Pierre Poilievre spent the weekend hammering a message of affordability and economic focus at his party's convention in Quebec. Most of the delegates were right there with him—but not all of them.
After a great summer that saw them surge past the federal Liberals in the polls, the Conservatives are aiming to stay on track, stay unified and form government the next time Canada goes to the polls. To do that they'll have to avoid the kind of divisive, "culture-war" policies championed by some of their base. Can they do it? Will Poilievre keep the party in lockstep? And how does a party keep momentum going for two whole years, anyway?
GUEST: Stephanie Taylor, Parliament Hill reporter, Canadian Press
This summer, a whole bunch of companies—including, ironically, Zoom—announced return-to-office mandates, with few exceptions. Some of those companies have since backtracked, while others have held firm. This is, however, the third September to feature these attempts to lure employees back to downtown office buildings, and it hasn't really worked so far.
Will tougher measures get it done where snacks and perks have failed? Will anything convince employees who have options to give up their work-life balance for a pointless commute? What have we learned about in-person vs. remote work over the past few years, anyway? Is there really any reason this fight is still going?
GUEST: Dr. Catherine Connelly, Professor of Human Resources & Management, McMaster University
On June 6, 2021, the beloved Afzaal family of London, Ontario were out for a walk, when they were hit by a speeding truck that killed four of them. Police allege that the perpetrator acted intentionally, motivated by a hatred of Muslims, and have charged him not just with first-degree murders, but also acts of terrorism.
This week, Nathaniel Veltman's trial begins, and it will be closely watched to see if prosecutors can prove to a jury that far-right, white supremacist ideology motivated the attack, and if that indeed qualifies as 'terrorism' in Canada, a precedent that could change the way hate crimes are prosecuted in this country. So what will the court hear? And what might the outcome tell us?
GUEST: Wendy Gillis, Crime Reporter, Toronto Star
A sign telling dogs not to park at a dog park. A regulation prohibiting baseball players from hitting home runs. A billboard the size of a small car to list extensive rules around enjoying a beer in a pilot project that has been criticized for 'encouraging' the act it explicitly permits.
There are times when the rest of Canada's criticism of Toronto for being uptight and backwards is unfair. This is not one of those times...
GUEST: Ben Spurr, reporter at the Toronto Star's City Hall bureau
If you've watched a sporting event—or even tuned into network TV in general—in the past year, you're probably familiar with advertisements for sports betting. There are millions of dollars being spent in the race to sign up users and encourage them to wager on everything from games themselves to tiny outcomes in real time. And some companies are using superstar athletes like Connor McDavid to do it.
But at least in Ontario, that won't last much longer. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission announced new regulations in late August that will prohibit athletes from appearing in betting ads. It remains to be seen if companies will search out loopholes, create other ads, or even ramp down their TV buys to accommodate the new rules. Why are there so many gaming ads anyway, and what does the future hold for the industry as the dust starts to settle?
GUEST: Dr. Timothy Dewhirst, Professor and Senior Research Fellow, University of Guelph’s Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics
You may have noticed a lack of plastic bags at some of your favourite stores, as many places in Canada phase out single-use plastics. In their place you may have been offered 'reusable' shopping bags, which are ... also often made of plastic. You may have used sustainable containers or cups—but unless you were also told how to properly dispose of them, it probably didn't make a difference.
Moving towards less and more sustainable packaging is necessary. The question is all in how we do it, and how we communicate that to people who are just trying to get through their shopping, or takeout, or coffee run. So what actually makes packaging sustainable, and how can we make these products actually work for consumers?
GUEST: Natalia Lumby, Toronto Metropolitan University
The brand synonymous with facial tissue is being pulled from the Canadian market, as its manufacturer cites challenges in the space. And Kleenex isn't the first big-name brand to exit Canada while succeeding in other markets. What gives?
When you look deeper at how Canada encourages competition and innovation, you can see threads that go beyond facial tissue, salty snacks or name-brand frozen pizza. Kleenex's exit is a good time to examine how Canada regulates and protects foreign and domestic competitors, and whether or not that's good for us as consumers, or the economy as a whole.
GUEST: Walid Hejazi, Professor of Economic Analysis and Policy at the Rotman School of Management; co-author of Everybody's Business
With back to school mere days away, we thought it would be an opportune time to revisit this episode, which serves as a powerful cautionary tale about the dangers of underfunding and neglecting education.
We hope you're having a restful long weekend, and that you enjoy revisiting this old favourite.
Happy labour day!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
After a fire forced their high school to close, the Toronto District School Board decided to relocate the roughly 900 students and teachers from York Memorial Collegiate Institute to the nearby George Harvey Collegiate Institute. But George Harvey wasn't equipped to absorb all those new kids, and students showed up in September to find a school that was over-crowded, under-staffed and unsafe for them and their teachers.
The York Memorial fiasco isn't just a one-off, either. The school's struggles highlight systemic challenges across Canada's largest school board, namely staffing shortages, crumbling facilities and the lack of funding to properly address those issues. And the situation may only get worse as thousands of children lag behind socially and academically after the pandemic kept them home for nearly two years.
At York Memorial, it took an outcry from students, teachers and staff to spark meaningful change. What will take to get those in power to give schools the money and resources they desperately need?
GUEST: Danielle Groen, Toronto-based writer and editor, wrote about York Memorial for Toronto Life
Quebec isn't the only province facing a teacher shortage, but it may be the most severe, with more than 8,000 educators missing from classrooms. Where did they go, and where are their replacements?
In the meantime, the government has tried to get creative by lowering standards required to preside over a classroom. Sometimes to as low as "an adult." As shortages in general become more pronounced every year, what's happening to classrooms left without a teacher, or children learning from an under-qualified adult?
GUEST: Toula Drimonis, writing for CultMTL.com
The places that most rely on tourism to support their economy are some of the world's most vulnerable areas when it comes to climate disasters. As we saw after the tragically devastating fire that ripped through Maui, in the wake of extreme weather all a city's resources are needed to support those who have lost loved ones and homes. And tourism isn't an option.
But as these events become more common, the way we travel, and the places we travel to, will change. Tourism is one of the most valuable industries on the planet, and as the crisis worsens it's poised to become one of the most volatile as well. What will tourism look like in the climate era?
GUEST: Daniel Scott, Professor of Geography and Environmental Management at Waterloo University, researching climate change and tourism
For a year now, various economic predictions have marked Canada down for a looming recession. With more economic data due on Friday, that's expected to show some positive signs, it doesn't look like we're getting what we were promised. And that's a good thing, right?
Why have some experts said that Canada needs a recession? How have we managed to avoid this one, at least so far? If inflation keeps falling, will the Bank of Canada stop raising interest rates? What can you expect from Canada's rollercoaster of an economy this fall and beyond?
GUEST: David Macdonald, senior economist for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ National Office
Barely two weeks ago, a scathing auditor general's report sent shockwaves through Ontario's political class—detailing how acres of greenbelt land were to be handed over the developers who stand to make more than $8 billion from the move. Since then...things have only gotten stranger.
We've seen the RCMP get involved, a chief of staff resign, both the Integrity Commissioner and Information and Privacy Commissioner the join the list of departments examining the scandal and a week-ending confrontational news conference from Premier Doug Ford. All this, and new stories surface every day. So what's at the bottom of this mess? And will it get even uglier before the end?
GUEST: Emma McIntosh, Ontario reporter, The Narwhal
In 2015, three women were murdered in rural Ontario, by a former partner who had been stalking them. Last summer an inquest into the murders was held and came back with more than 80 recommendations. This month, the federal government joined Toronto and other municipalities in Canada in following one of them: Declaring intimate partner violence "an epidemic" in this country.
Is this declaration meaningful? Just ask the advocates and activists who have been fighting for it, including today's guest. It's a massive step. But what comes next will truly define how seriously we're willing to take an escalating danger to women across the country...
GUEST: Julie Lalonde, educator, advocate, expert on intimate partner violence (find Julie's resources on stalking and harassment here.)
It's an issue that sits at the intersection of Canada's identity and reality. Our country is extremely diverse and pro-immigration, but a massive housing crisis means we simply don't have enough homes for everyone who needs one.
This week, Canada's housing minister said the government would consider a cap on the number of international students who can enter the country, in hopes this might ease the housing crunch. Would it? What are the trade-offs to such a move? And is there a risk that the housing crisis pushes more Canadians towards anti-immigration sentiment?
GUEST: Laura Dhillon Kane, Ottawa bureau chief, Bloomberg News
There's always a question after tragedies like the December, 2022 shooting at a condo in Vaughan that left six people dead, including the shooter: "How did nobody see this coming?!"
In this case, the killer had long held a grudge against the members of the condo board he fired upon. He was known around the property as an angry man, and had a history of domestic abuse and violence. In hindsight, all the signs were there—but that's what makes mass shooters so easy to see in the rearview mirror, but almost impossible to see coming...
GUEST: Michelle Henry, reporter, The Toronto Star (Read Michelle's investigation here.)
Would it shock you to know that a significant number of homes in Canada are already uninsurable for flood damage? And as the impact of the climate crisis creates more extreme and unpredictable weather, that number is likely to climb sharply? The insurance companies are in the risk-reward business, and if there's too much risk, they'll simply say, "Nope."
So what makes a home uninsurable? How rapidly is the risk-reward equation changing? How can we adapt our homes and buildings to mitigate the worst impacts of extreme weather? And what does the future of property insurance look like in the years to come?
GUEST: Kathryn Bakos, Director of Climate Finance and Science at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo
Canada's housing crisis is bad and getting worse, and a huge part of it is a lack of rental units in major cities. Every government has its own proposed solutions, but none of them work without the others.
A detailed report last week outlines ways that every level, from federal to municipal, can work together to speed up the process, eliminate lengthy delays and actually get shovels in the ground. The only catch is it requires everybody in power to get on the same page. How likely is that? And what happens if they can't?
GUEST: Dr. Mike Moffatt, co-author of A Multi-Sector Approach to Ending Canada’s Rental Housing Crisis; Assistant Professor in Business, Economics, and Public Policy at Ivey Business School, Western University; Senior Director of Policy at the University of Ottawa's Smart Prosperity Institute
Alberta's renewable energy sector is one of the province's great success stories. It's been growing rapidly, attracting top industry talent and becoming the envy of Canada for its size and innovation. SO naturally, the Alberta government has paused all new approvals for renewable projects for six months.
So ... why? And especially, why now, with the impact of the climate crisis truly hitting home at the same time the province is actively recruiting workers from other provinces? What does this move do to the province, the industry as a whole, and Canada's plans to hit aggressive renewable energy targets?
GUEST: Bob Weber, reporter, The Canadian Press
A recent report found that 6.6 million cars are being driven in Canada that have been recalled by a manufacturer for one reason or another. Some issues are minor, some could be deadly, and in many cases, the owners simply don't know the issue exists.
How does this happen? Well, the world of automotive recalls is changing fast, technology is taking leaps that make some vehicles less reliable and the recall system itself is ... a little convoluted. Today, a look inside the world of getting your car fixed, for free. Or not.
GUEST: Lorraine Sommerfeld, columnist at driving.ca
(UPDATE: Late Wednesday night, the government of the Northwest Territories announced a phased evacuation order for Yellowknife as the fires closed in.)
There are hundreds of fires burning in the Northwest Territories right now. Some are threatening Yellowknife, leaving parts of the city under evacuation watch. Others have already forced evacuations by plane in remote communities without road access. The challenge is immense. The area is vast, much of it is on fire, and communication can be unstable.
How bad is this season compared to seasons past? How much has already been destroyed and how tense is the situation? Is any relief in sight? And why can't the local radio station that's been a lifeline during this emergency post to Facebook, where much of its audience is desperate for up-to-date information?
GUEST: Emily Blake, reporter and assistant editor, Cabin Radio (Find Cabin Radio’s up to date reporting here: https://cabinradio.ca/category/news/)
By now you are likely familiar with the long, sad story of the Ottawa LRT—which just returned from being totally shut down for a month. But that project is far from the only large Canadian transit project to run into delays, mistakes, errors, sky-high budgets and everything else that can turn an ambitious idea into a headache.
Why are so many of these projects stalled or broken? How hard is it to get new transit built in Canada, and why? Are there examples in this country other cities could follow if they wanted to do things right? Are we really awful at building this stuff, or do we just love to complain about our infrastructure?
GUEST: Reece Martin, former transportation planner, creator of the RM Transit YouTube channel and substack.
Right now, thousands of grocery store workers are striking because, they say, they can't afford to buy food at the chain they work for. Food bank use has skyrocketed. Shopifting has increased so rapidly that stores are using it as a reason to try to check customers' bags and receipts. Food inflation still hovers near double digits, even as general inflation has cooled. And the heads of Canada's huge grocery chains have testified that billions in profits don't come from hikes to food prices.
Amid all this, the federal government has given some Canadians a one-time grocery rebate and ... so far, that's it, across all levels of government. But food inflation is here to stay and if politicians wanted to help, there are plenty of other options they could consider. So why wouldn't they? What's the hold up?
GUEST: Corey Mintz, food reporter, author of The Next Supper: The End of Restaurants as We Knew Them, and What Comes After
By now everyone is aware of the strains that short-term rentals like Air BnB can place on a city's housing market. But recently Montreal has seen that problem compounded to devastating effect. A deadly fire earlier this year brought national attention to the way traditional rental units are being carved up and turned into multiple short-term rentals, and a real estate manoeuvre known as 'the Montreal shuffle' makes these moves possible at scale.
So what's happening exactly and how does it work? What is the proliferation of short-term rentals doing to a city once known for as one of Canada's best places to rent? What is the government doing to attempt to regulate the problem, and why isn't it working?
GUEST: Ethan Cox, senior editor and co-founder of The Ricochet (read The Ricochet's extensive work on short-term rentals in Montreal here.)
The Greenbelt is one of Ontario's biggest environmental success stories—millions acres of protected land that capture carbon, protect at-risk species and play a huge role in feeding the province. Unless of course the land is carved up and sold to developers to create housing.
Ontario's auditor general released a report this week that found the Doug Ford's government, in choosing portions of land to be developed, was influenced by developers who now stand to make billions, their "information gathering and decision protocols were sidelined and abandoned" and did not consider environmental, agricultural or financial impacts of the move.
It's a damning report that needs to be explained in detail—how we got here, what it means and what might happen now. So we'll do that with a member of the team that led the reporting on the issue since last year.
GUEST: Fatima, Syed, Ontario reporter, The Narwhal (Read Fatima's and her colleague Emma McIntosh's full coverage of the Greenbelt scandal here.)
The polls are not looking good for Justin Trudeau and company. The Liberals' recent cabinet shuffle failed to halt their downward slide. And even their territorial advantage in Ontario seems to be waning. But there's still likely another year-plus to go before the next election, so plenty of time...right? Well, maybe.
Canadian history tells us that governments winning a fourth straight election is rare, and that voters definitely tire of prime ministers after multiple campaigns—so what might the Liberals do to change the narrative? And will it matter if Canadians are just angry? At Trudeau, inflation, the climate and whatever else happens to be blamed on the government.
GUEST: David Moscrop, writer, author, podcaster, and political commentator, find him at: davidmoscrop.substack.com
A new report looks at the circumstances that led to the convoy's arrival in Ottawa (and other places across Canada) in early 2022, and finds that it stems from a series of events that began in 2015. It took years before efforts at forming a convoy and rolling to Ottawa actually came together—and there were several failed tries along the way.
So what changed during the pandemic? How were far right Canadians able to band together long enough to organize the event, and why were so many more relatively moderate citizens drawn to their cause? Was this an example of lightning in a bottle, or the new face of extremism in Canada?
GUEST: Stephanie Carvin, national security expert, author of Polarization and Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism in Canada since 2015
It's almost time for what will likely become your annual covid shot—assuming you're one of the people who will actually get it. Canada's vaccine advisory committee updated its guidelines to urge everyone in the authorized age groups (which are still to be determined) to get the new booster when it arrives this fall.
What is the booster and who needs it? What will the fall bring in terms of covid and other respiratory viruses? Why are so many people still refusing to get an annual shot, when so many more get the flu shot every year, and how should public health be tackling that problem?
GUEST: Sabina Vohra-Miller, masters in clinical pharmacology
We realized recently that we've done an awful lot of climate coverage this summer, and that it's been overwhelmingly depressing. So, as we take a brief hiatus for this long weekend Monday, we thought we'd dig this old episode out of the vault, where climate scientist, Katharine Hayhoe, outlines a better way to do climate discourse.
We hope you enjoy!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
Reports on the impact of a rapidly warming globe make some people depressed. They make some people angry. And they make others deny scientific research altogether. They don't make anybody hopeful...but maybe they should?
Today's discussion with climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe—guest editor of this month's issue of Chatelaine—is an answer to the despair you might feel when reading the latest news stories. It's also a lesson in how to talk to your friends and family who either don't believe in climate change or aren't willing to take any action because "it's too small to make a difference." You don't have to go vegan, sell your car, or move to the forest to make a difference—even though it might feel you do. There's a better way.
GUEST: Katharine Hayhoe, climate scientist, guest editor of Chatelaine
It turns out Taylor Swift is coming to Canada after all! And if you're hoping to see her, you already know you'll be forking over hundreds of dollars. But in the past few years, even mid-tier concerts have crossed well into three-digit territory, and if smaller acts can afford to tour at all, they're taking a huge financial gamble to head out on the road.
What's driven these prices through the roof? How has the streaming era impacted the life of a non-superstar musician? Will live music eventually end up with Taylor, Beyonce and Drake raking in billions, and everyone else fighting for the scraps? And if it does, what happens to the industry as a whole?
GUEST: Soraya Roberts, culture reporter
On Tuesday Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, made good on a threat to block all news from Canadians on its platforms. Google is promising to do much the same thing, and has already tested its capacity to do so. Whatever side of the political debate over Bill C-18 you might be on, it's time to look at what the tech companies' retaliations to the bill will do in practice.
How do Canadians find specific news without Google, Facebook and Instagram? If they're not encountering reliable news sources on those platforms, what will they find in their place? What does this do to smaller, independent publishers who rely on discoverability to grow their audience and what are some of them trying to do to get around the blocks?
GUEST: Sarah Krichel, social media manager, The Tyee (read Sarah's analysis of the Meta/Google blocks here)
First it was fires. Then floods. Now the province, already devastated by two extreme events, will wait to see what kind of impact unusually warm ocean temperatures will have on this year's hurricane season.
As the Earth heats up, the impact of the climate crisis is speeding up. Nowhere is safe, but places like Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada, surrounded by so much ocean, might bear a heavier load. What can this summer of extremes teach us about the future of Eastern Canada? What comes next, and how should we prepare for it?
GUEST: Dr. Kent Moore, professor of atmospheric physics at the University of Toronto, joins us from Nova Scotia
Recently a feature story in Maclean's magazine described parents who were "losing their kids to Fortnite." While some gamers may hear that and see the kind of rhetoric that has followed video games around since their inception, others heard recognition and acknowledgement.
Many behaviours, including video games, can be addicting, usually to a very small subset of people. But what makes video games different is that they are constantly evolving, and rapidly—usually with the goal of increasing the time spent playing them. As technology has improved, so has game design, and games with an online element have a social aspect that can also offer Fear Of Missing Out. So are modern games more addicting than ever? And if they are, how do we recognize and deal with that?
GUEST: Luc Rinaldi, writing in Maclean's
This is the story of a scam that lasted for decades, and cost its victims over $200 million. It was run by a Canadian man who now sits in an American prison. It sold the services of a psychic, but that wasn't the problem with it—the issue was that the scammer used a particular psychic's likeness without permission.
How did the scheme work, and who fell for it? Can you really scam people who are already voluntarily paying for a service that promises to tell you the future or make you rich? What can the saga of Patrice Runner teach us about the nature of deceit?
GUEST: Rachel Browne, an investigative journalist and documentary producer, wrote about Patrice Runner for The Walrus
Since the last covid lockdowns ended in 2021, barely a month has passed without major job actions—union drives at huge companies, or massive strikes in the public or private sectors—making headlines. If you look at the numbers, we're seeing the kind of labour push we haven't seen in decades. From Hollywood's writers and actors, Canada's federal government workers, Ontario's education support staff and BC's port workers, employees from all over are fighting for what they see as long overdue gains.
Why is now the time, and will this moment last? Is this the return of a militant workforce ready to withhold their labour? A true generational shift? Or a brief moment that will be met with ferocity from employers trying to regain the upper hand?
GUEST: Dr. Stephanie Ross, associate professor in the School of Labour Studies at McMaster University
Cabinet shuffles ahead of a fall session of parliament aren't unusual, but Wednesday's changes which saw most of Justin Trudeau's ministers switch roles or exit cabinet altogether definitely are. All told 30 of 38 positions were shifted in sweeping changes that clearly show the government is ... what?
Are they terrified by their recent drop in the polls? Chasing fresh voices and new perspectives? "Listening to Canadians," as Trudeau put it in his announcement Wednesday? Or even preparing for an election? We'll look at who's in, who's out and what it all means both for the upcoming session and for the next election, whenever that is...
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill reporter, CityNews (You can find a full list of the new ministers and their portfolios right here)
Last year, a man was arrested and charged with the murder of four Indigenous women in the Winnipeg area. When the charges were laid police said they believed the remains of two of the women would be found at the Prairie Green landfill, but that they wouldn't be searching for them.
This sparked outrage from the victims families and the Indigenous community, and a push for a search began. Experts weighed in, the federal government was petitioned, costs and concerns were cited and last week Manitoba's provincial government decided not to allow a search, and the protests began. Why would the government prevent a search? What impact could this have on the case, and on families and community? And with protests not stopping anytime soon, what happens next?
GUEST: Brittany Hobson, reporter, The Canadian Press
Every so often, federal and provincial governments reexamine plans they have made in the event of a nuclear accident or missile exchange, which have existed in one form or another since the beginning of the cold war. Last week, we learned those plans had been updated very recently, at least in part due to Russian control of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
These plans cover everything from trying to protect Canadians overseas who may be impacted by an accident, to more classified documents working out emergency preparations in the event of nuclear missiles being fired. How likely is either the former or latter? What do these plans entail? What would happen should Russia sabotage the plant? And should we really worry about an actual nuclear exchange?
GUEST: Ed Waller, Professor in the Faculty of Energy Systems and Nuclear Science at OntarioTechU, NSERC Senior Industrial Research Chair in Health Physics and Environmental Safety
Reaching net-zero emissions by 2035 will require major overhauls to Canada's national power grid. One of the major challenges to doing so is the patchwork of power-generation methods across different provinces, making it impossible to implement a one-size-fits-all approach to decarbonization. And political differences between provincial leaders and the federal government will only complicate things further.
So what will it take to develop a clean national grid in Canada? What are the feds doing to bring resistant provinces on-side?
GUEST: Adam Radwanski, climate change columnist and feature writer for The Globe and Mail
Last week, after negotiations with studios and streaming giants failed to yield an agreement, the 160000 performers represented by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) decided to go on strike. They're joined on the picket lines by Writers Guild of America members — the first time both unions have been on strike simultaneously since the 1960's.
Their demands differ, but both group's grievances boil down to two things: revenue decreases in the age of streaming, and concern about AI-induced job losses. And with their collective actions bringing many major productions to a screeching halt, and leaving thousands of people out of work, the pressure is on both sides to come up with a reasonable compromise.
So what's really at stake here? And who might blink first?
GUEST: Barry Hertz, Deputy Arts Editor and Film Editor for The Globe and Mail
Drug busts have long been a go-to tactic for law enforcement in the so-called 'war on drugs', but with the ubiquity of powerful narcotics like fentanyl, it's doubtful that they do much to actually stem the flow of substances to the street. And a new study out of the United States demonstrating a link between drug seizures and overdose deaths, suggests the approach may actually be making things worse.
So what does this new research show, exactly? And if these old tactics don't seem to be working, then why are governments and law enforcement agencies so hesitant to try something new?
GUEST HOST: Manisha Krishnan, Senior Reporter at Vice News
GUEST: Grant Victor, Assistant Professor at Rutgers University, co-author of the study on overdose deaths
Asylum seekers come to Canada for safety and a better life, but instead a group of them ended up sleeping on the streets of the country’s biggest city.
The Peter Street shelter intake office was thrust into the national spotlight after the city–dealing with an overwhelmed shelter system–started to refer asylum seekers to federally run programs. But when people in need showed up to Peter Street site they were met with long waits, forcing them to stay on the street out front for weeks with no other place to go.
Community leaders have taken matters into their own hands, helping move the unhoused people to GTA churches. Hours after they stepped up, the federal government announced more than $200 million nationally to fund interim housing for asylum seekers, with about half going to Toronto.
But will this last-minute funding make a difference? And what will it take to create sustainable housing for asylum seekers in Toronto – and beyond?
GUEST HOST: Melissa Duggan, reporter for CityNews
GUEST: Sharry Aiken, Associate Professor specializing in immigration and refugee law at Queen’s University
This episode is guest-hosted by Erica Lenti, deputy features editor at Chatelaine.
27-year old Breeanna Bascombe was trying to rock her infant daughter to sleep when police descended on her parents' Brampton, Ontario home to arrest her, and charge her as an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. The charge was related to a crime allegedly committed by Breanna's ex-boyfriend that she had absolutely nothing to do with. Breeanna thinks her very public arrest was an attempt to coax him out of hiding.
Eventually, her charges were stayed, but Breeanna was left with what's called a 'non-conviction', which can remain on your record in perpetuity and negatively impact your ability to work, travel or even adopt a pet. And her story is far from unique; in Ontario, around half the people charged with crimes end up with non-conviction records.
So why are so many innocent people being caught up in the Canadian criminal justice system? How do we prevent it? And is there any way for them to get their lives back?
GUEST: Eternity Martis, award winning journalist and author, writing about Breeanna Bascombe in Chatelaine
This week we have guest hosts filling in for Jordan Health-Rawlings. Today, we have Justin Ling interviewing Erin O’Toole.
Like many places around the world, politics has become more polarized. It seems that long gone are the days of trying to pander to the majority of voters, and now some parties have gone to their most extreme constituents for support.
Probably the best example of this was the election of Pierre Poilievre as the new Conservative Party leader. No matter how you feel about Poilievre, there’s little doubt that he’s a sign of a new type of political polarization happening inside Canada.
Last month, former Conservative Parter leader Erin O’Toole resigned his seat in the House of Commons and delivered an emotional goodbye to his colleagues. He made an appeal to everybody in politics to make Ottawa less combative, less toxic, and less polarized.
So what exactly is wrong with Ottawa these days? What’s going on behind the scenes? And can we fix it?
GUEST HOST: Justin Ling, freelance investigative journalist
GUEST: Erin O’Toole, former leader of the Conservative Party
This is the final episode of Small Town Week, a five-part series in which we examine big problems facing small communities.
So far this week, we’ve covered problems facing small communities—from housing to the economy to health care. Although these issues are felt across pretty much every community, big or small in Canada, there’s one existential threat we must face globally: the climate crisis.
We are hurtling rapidly towards a point of no return, and that’s pushing us towards alternative ways to create energy. In some communities, this is viewed as a threat perhaps as dire as the climate crisis itself. In other places, like a First Nation in southern Ontario, it’s a solution to the needs of a province. It’s a chance to turn the tide of our increasing demand for power, and move away from reliance on fossil fuels.
Here’s how one energy project near Six Nations of the Grand River could revolutionize the national grid.
GUEST: Fatima Syed, Ontario reporter, The Narwhal
This is the fourth episode of Small Town Week, a five-part series in which we examine big problems facing small communities.
The smaller your community is, the more likely it is to rely on a handful of employers to keep its economy stable. So when employers are looking for a place to set up shop—especially if that shop might be a little noisy or disruptive or require some tax breaks—they know that promising a certain number of well-paying jobs is a pretty good way to get the community on board.
That’s how it’s worked forever. But sometimes, as is the case in one town in New Brunswick, it stinks. Literally. A shell-drying company moved into Richibucto, N.B., promising jobs and prosperity, and the process produced a stench so bad it makes people gag.
So what happens when the jobs are fewer than hoped for? When the byproduct of the plant actively drives people away? What are the consequences, if any? And is there any way to stop the stink?
GUEST: Lindsay Jones, reporter, The Globe and Mail
This is the third episode of Small Town Week, a five-part series in which we examine big problems facing small communities.
With Canada having its worst wildfire season on record, people across the country are waking up to the reality of what it’s like to live with these natural disasters. But for many communities, the dangers of wildfire season have long been felt and understood.
Perhaps few communities understand this reality better than Lytton, B.C., which was burned to the ground in 2021 after a wildfire. The town and the province pledged at the time that they would rebuild, but two years later, the work has barely begun.
Does that represent a failure, or simple reality? Should the town, which holds the record for being the hottest place in Canada, be rebuilt on the same spot? Is it smart to build in an area vulnerable to these types of fires? And what happened to Lytton, BC, and its people, when the media moved on to other fires, and new climate disasters?
GUEST: Tyler Olsen, editor and reporter, Fraser Valley Current
This is the second episode of Small Town Week, a five-part series in which we examine big problems facing small communities.
Canada’s health care system has been stressed for many years, but the pandemic pushed the threadbare system past its breaking point.
And nowhere else has our capacity for care—in everything from family doctors to walk-in clinics to hospitals—been tested more than rural areas, and small towns. Emergency rooms in smaller areas have cut back hours, or closed temporarily, often due to a lack of either doctors or nurses. But now Minden, Ontario’s emergency room is closed for good.
Is Minden’s ER the first of more to come? What happens to a town when its primary centre of medicine evaporates? What other options are there for care, in both Minden and other communities like it?
GUEST: Emily Stonehouse, Editor of The Minden Times
Welcome to Small Town Week, a five-part series in which we examine big problems facing small communities.
Access to affordable housing is not just an issue in large cities across Canada anymore—small communities are also struggling to provide affordable places for the people who need them. And perhaps nowhere is that crunch felt harder than Canada’s north. Everything costs significantly more there, from groceries to basic supplies to houses.
To address the high cost of living, Nunavut relies heavily on an already overwhelmed public housing framework. But it wasn’t always that way. For many years, people in the area that would eventually become Nunavut were regularly building their own homes to live in.So why did that stop? And would bringing it back offer a glimpse of a way out of the crisis we’re facing?
GUEST: David Venn, journalist formerly based in Iqaluit, wrote this series for Nunatsiaq News
We've known for decades the world is warming, so it shouldn't come as a shock when some records get broken along the way. But what has set off alarm bells among the scientists who study our changing climate recently is just how fast it's happening, in ways that don't match up with any previous models. From ocean temperature to sea ice, forest fires to heat domes and the world's daily average temperature record being broken at least twice just this week, warning lights are flashing.
Is this truly the tipping point for our climate crisis? What does that even mean in this context? And as the bad news rolls in, is there another tipping point coming—a moment in which we collectively realize we can't survive without massive change?
GUEST: Catherine Abreu, Executive Director of Destination Zero
This isn't about streaming services, like Spotify or Netflix, that rent you endless content for a monthly fee. It's about digital copies of art that you've purchased via a link or button that indicates a paid transaction. In many cases, the companies that sold them to you ... haven't, really.
Earlier this year, this became abundantly clear when e-books by authors like Roald Dahl or Agatha Christie were changed to make certain phrases less offensive. Whether you agree with those changes or not, they were applied to all e-books that updated automatically. And if you read the fine print, the control publishers have over your purchases doesn't stop there...
GUEST: Reggie Ugwu, pop culture reporter, The New York Times
Last week three people were stabbed inside a classroom at the University of Waterloo. The class dealt with philosophy of gender issues, and the attacker reportedly asked about the subject before drawing a knife.
For quite some time now anti-feminist and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric has been growing harsher and more violent. Was it only a matter of time until something like this happened in Canada? How does a simple word like 'gender' become a red flag to disturbed individuals? What's stochastic terrorism and what can we do to stop it?
GUEST: Dr. Shana MacDonald, Associate Professor of Communication Arts at the University of Waterloo; author of this analysis in The Conversation
As awful as Canada's legacy of residential schools is, there are some in this country who don't want to believe it. In recent months, there's been a rise in attempts to use linguistic missteps on the part of journalists or Indigenous leaders to "expose" what minimizers claim is a lack of proof that thousands of children died at these schools.
The case hinges on the difference between terms like "anomalies", "unmarked graves" and "remains" used when sites are explored with ground-penetrating radar. So how do the searches at the school sites work? What, precisely, has been found there? And if we know there are remains in the ground, why haven't more of them been exhumed?
GUEST: Niigaan Sinclair, professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Manitoba
It's here. It's become a part of summer in most areas of Canada. It's bad for you.
What exactly makes wildfire smoke harmful to breathe? And what about the mental health impact of hazy skies and a darkened future?
If we're going to live with this we need less speculation, and more science and solutions. Here they are.
GUEST: Dr. Courtney Howard, emergency physician; Vice-Chair of the Global Climate and Health Alliance
Let's say you've been victimized by romance fraud. You are humiliated and embarrassed beyond belief, but you have evidence to prove the fraudster is guilty. So, you turn that information over to the police and hope there will be charges, maybe even a conviction.
The truth is, in Canada, these cases are difficult to pursue, often leaving perpetrators free to go with a slap on the wrist and victims shocked and traumatized. But romance fraud is on the rise with more and more losses being reported each year. So, what can the authorities do about it? How do we change our system to stop fraudsters? And how can we rewrite the narrative to better support victims?
If you're held "on remand" it means you haven't been convicted of a crime yet, but also that you can't secure bail or a judge's release. Practically, it means you go to jail, and stay there while your case crawls through the courts.
In some provinces there are thousands more people on remand in jail than there are convicted criminals serving jail time. It leads to crowding, illness and sometimes death. Should a person who hasn't been convicted ever die in jail? How is this system supposed to work, and what's led to its current state?
GUEST: Geena Mortfield, court and crime reporter for the Brandon Sun; writing in The Walus
Nine days ago, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was killed in a targeted daylight shooting in a crowded area outside of a Sikh temple in Surrey, BC. Nijjar was a well-known community leader and pro-Khalistan activist who the Indian government has previously accused of terror offences— allegations he vehemently denied.
His activism and controversial past have spawned many theories about who may have done this and why, but more than a week after his death, the public has seen little evidence to substantiate those rumours. Meanwhile, a community is in mourning, and they took to the streets on Sunday to demand answers.
So what, if anything, can we say for certain at this point? And could this horrific crime spark further violence?
GUEST: Sonia Aslam, reporter, CityNews Vancouver
In the age of the internet, it's understandable to wonder what function, if any, our libraries still serve. But the shifting needs of the communities they cater to, and widening holes in the social safety net, have actually made these institutions more essential than ever.
As homelessness and mental health crises have spiked, libraries and the people who work inside them have become de facto social workers, sometimes tasked with everything from finding shelter beds to administering naloxone.
While the work they do is inspiring, is this really a viable way to approach the problems in towns and cities across the country? And are librarians equipped to deal with what has become an entirely different job?
GUEST: Nicholas Hune-Brown, writing in The Walrus
It's hard to believe but The Big Story launched on this date, five years ago, June 25, 2018. Since then we've recorded more than 1,250 episodes and listeners have spent millions of hours listening to this podcast. As a token of our appreciation, we made a special bonus episode, digging into the archives for some of our oldest, biggest, strangest and best-remembered clips.
If you've listened to this show, even just once, thank you. We wouldn't be here without you.
As always, you can find us on Twitter @ThebigStoryFPN, via email: hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca or with a voicemail at 416-935-5935. We love hearing from listeners, so don't be a stranger!
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know aboutThe Gravy Train, a podcast we released in 2019 chronicling the meteoric rise, and tragic downfall of Toronto's most notorious mayor, Rob Ford.
With Toronto in the midst of its first wide-open mayoral race since 2010, we thought now would be an opportune time to revisit this narrative, which captures a moment in politics with some striking similarities to what we're seeing in the city today.
We'll be dropping an episode in this feed every Saturday for the next two months leading up to election day, but they're all available in The Gravy Train feed if you prefer to binge them.
Enjoy!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES
Toronto never got the chance to reelect Mayor Rob Ford. Nor did it get the chance to kick him out of office. It wasn’t the ending anyone wanted, it’s just what happened. And over the next few years, it would become clear just how profoundly Rob had changed politics, at home and around the world.
For a long time now, Toronto has been run by conservative mayors. But all the polls indicate that will change on Monday, with former NDP MP and longtime progressive Olivia Chow holding a commanding lead. Chow ran for mayor before, in 2014, and lost badly. What's different this time, about both the city and her?
Whomever wins the job will have to work with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who said this week that Chow would be an "unmitigated disaster" as mayor. So first, will she pull it off? And second, what happens if she does, and has to try to fix a crumbling city while needing the help of her political opposite to get things done with the province?
GUEST: Ben Spurr, City Hall bureau, Toronto Star
It's one thing when companies that exist entirely online—like Facebook and Instagram—use chatbots and emails instead of a real person as a customer service solution. That's annoying, but understandable. It's another when business like appliance vendors, airlines and shipping companies have no way to connect a customer with a problem to an actual human who can help them.
But this trend has been gathering steam for years now, and the problems it creates are worth examining. What happens when business-customer exchanges are entirely impersonal? What's the cost-benefit decision the company is making here? How does an actual human voice change tense interactions? And what happens when more and more companies turn this stuff over to artificial intelligence?
GUEST: Emily Stewart, business and economics reporter at Vox
A submersible intended to take five people to visit the wreck of the Titanic was missing as of Wednesday night. If the people inside are still alive, they are rapidly running out of air. A massive search is underway, but the ocean is huge, and the vehicle could be anywhere.
The expedition is a commercial endeavour run by a company called OceanGate, that runs out of St. John's. Would-be explorers pay $250,000 to risk death in exchange for a glimpse of the fabled wreck more than three kilometres below the surface. Why would someone pay so much to risk their life this way? What do we know about the craft that carries the crew, and the company that built it? And why does the Titanic still hold such a grip on our psyches after all this time?
GUEST: Leyland Cecco, Canadian reporter with The Guardian
It wasn't that long ago that airlines were slashing prices and offering huge seat sales to lure timid customers back onto planes during the pandemic. Safe to say, those days are over. For at least a year now, prices have been climbing and the summer travel season marks a new peak. A peak that likely won't last past next summer.
How are seat prices set, anyway? How much of this is based on an airline's increased costs, and how much is a profit grab? What can you do to try to find cheaper fares? Do price-busting apps actually work? And why do you and your friend see different prices for the same seat on the same plane?
GUEST: John Gradek, Faculty Lecturer in Supply Chain, Logistics, Operations and Aviation Management at McGill University
After a fire forced their high school to close, the Toronto District School Board decided to relocate the roughly 900 students and teachers from York Memorial Collegiate Institute to the nearby George Harvey Collegiate Institute. But George Harvey wasn't equipped to absorb all those new kids, and students showed up in September to find a school that was over-crowded, under-staffed and unsafe for them and their teachers.
The York Memorial fiasco isn't just a one-off, either. The school's struggles highlight systemic challenges across Canada's largest school board, namely staffing shortages, crumbling facilities and the lack of funding to properly address those issues. And the situation may only get worse as thousands of children lag behind socially and academically after the pandemic kept them home for nearly two years.
At York Memorial, it took an outcry from students, teachers and staff to spark meaningful change. What will take to get those in power to give schools the money and resources they desperately need?
GUEST: Danielle Groen, Toronto-based writer and editor, wrote about York Memorial for Toronto Life
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know aboutThe Gravy Train, a podcast we released in 2019 chronicling the meteoric rise, and tragic downfall of Toronto's most notorious mayor, Rob Ford.
With Toronto in the midst of its first wide-open mayoral race since 2010, we thought now would be an opportune time to revisit this narrative, which captures a moment in politics with some striking similarities to what we're seeing in the city today.
We'll be dropping an episode in this feed every Saturday for the next two months leading up to election day, but they're all available in The Gravy Train feed if you prefer to binge them.
Enjoy!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES
More than a year after the first stories about a ‘crack video’ broke, and months after the mayor admitted he’d tried the drug ‘during one of (his) drunken stupors’, Rob Ford admitted to the public that he had a substance abuse problem, and that he needed help. And he went to rehab. For a few weeks. Then he returned to the race for reelection. A race he very much expected to win. So Toronto had a choice. Four more years of this…or something else.
You know how sometimes you notice that it's eerily quiet? That's because we're so accustomed to the background noise of life in a city of any size, that sudden silence catches our attention. From cars and trucks to neighbours and kids, modern appliances to incessant TV, music or videos, we rarely have a silent waking moment.
New research is beginning to discover exactly what that's doing to us, and the results are fascinating. It's not just us, either. When the world's water traffic mostly stopped during the first month of Covid lockdowns, the absence of the usual noise actually changed the way some sea creatures communicate... so what does a noisy world do to us all?
GUEST: Bojan Furst, writing in The Walrus
Right now, Canada is working on a process to improve our tracking and reporting of sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects. In late May, NASA and the US Department of Defence help a joint public meeting, where it was revealed that the Five Eyes—an alliance of intelligence agencies including the US and Canada—held a private forum about the sightings, which have included, specifically, metallic orbs seen all over the world.
All of this could sounds like the opening of a blockbuster, or just a conspiracy theory. But it's neither. It's a serious attempt by some of the world's biggest military and intelligence agencies to figure out exactly what's going on in our skies, be it natural phenomena, secretive new aerospace technology or, yes, something out of this world...
GUEST: Daniel Otis, freelance journalist reporting on UFOs
This is an immigrant's story. A Canadian story. A mystery. Six months ago, Eduardo Malpica went missing after a night at a bar in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Last week, his body was pulled from the St. Lawrence RIver. Was he hurt by men he argued with outside the bar? Did he wander off, embarrassed and drunk, and kill himself? Was his drink spiked? Nobody's sure.
But Malpica came from nothing, built a life here and was beloved by so many, especially new Canadians that he often took under his wing. He was a professor with a family and a lovely home. What happened to him, and why?
GUEST: Christopher Curtis, journalist and co-founder of The Rover
Two weeks ago, special rapporteur David Johnston said nothing would stop him from completing his work investigating foreign interference in Canadian politics. Friday, he stopped. A surprise resignation meant a weekend of confusion in Canadian politics, followed by a chaotic Monday when the house resumed.
Why did Johnston quit? Will Canada now finally get the public inquiry many have lobbied for? Will Johnston's resignation satisfy opposing critics? Will anything? And ... are we gonna end up having an election over this?
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, parliament hill reporter, CityNews
Sam Altman, the CEO of Open AI, the company behind ChatGPT, has co-founded a cryptocurrency project called Worldcoin, which is currently scanning people's eyeballs using an orb and digitizing their irises for use as identification.
Currently more than 1.8 million people have had their irises scanned in exchange for the promise of some Worldcoin later (it doesn't exist yet), local currency, or small gifts. This is taking place mostly in poorer countries, but not in the US or Canada, where regulations discourage things like collecting people's irises for some vaguely-defined future use.
If this all sounds incredibly strange to you, you're not alone. So what the heck is going on here?
GUEST: Jacob Silverman, co-author of Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud, host of The Naked Emperor.
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know aboutThe Gravy Train, a podcast we released in 2019 chronicling the meteoric rise, and tragic downfall of Toronto's most notorious mayor, Rob Ford.
With Toronto in the midst of its first wide-open mayoral race since 2010, we thought now would be an opportune time to revisit this narrative, which captures a moment in politics with some striking similarities to what we're seeing in the city today.
We'll be dropping an episode in this feed every Saturday for the next two months leading up to election day, but they're all available in The Gravy Train feed if you prefer to binge them.
Enjoy!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES
Mayor Rob Ford publicly admitted to smoking crack “in one of my drunken stupors” on Nov. 5, 2013. And then all hell broke loose.
Right now, the federal government is reviewing the laws that made recreational pot legal in Canada. Everything is theoretically on the table, even if the basics of the act are unlikely to change much. But there are things we could fix that would make the system work better—and more fairly—for everyone.
From the pardon process to the makeup of the industry and who gets licenses and sits on boards, legal Cannabis has resembled the days of prohibition in one way—a lack of racial justice, and an inability to truly grant amnesty to everyone who should have it. This is our chance to fix that. Will we take it?
GUEST: Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, associate professor of criminal justice, University of Toronto; co-author of Waiting to Inhale: Cannabis Legalization and the Fight for Racial Justice.
For the past few years, orcas off the coast of Portugal and Spain have been attacking, and sinking, small boats. At least three boats have been completely sunk, and many more have needed urgent rescue. This behaviour doesn't occur in other orcas, and nobody can figure out exactly what's changed.
There are some theories regarding trauma, or differences in their habitat. There are very real things called "orca fads"—like that time they wore dead salmon on their heads. And there is, always, humanity's endless desire to use our own narratives to explain animal motives—which is why you see people asking if the orcas are fighting back. But what's really at the heart of this behaviour? And what happens if it spreads?
GUEST: Stephanie Pappas, science journalist, writing in Scientific American
For the past few weeks, military analysts have been expecting a Ukrainian offensive in the conflict with Russia, one that might the tables on the Russians, break past the front lines and bring the war home to the aggressors. That offensive might still happen, but a more immediate problem emerged Tuesday—a collapsed dam releasing a torrent of water, endangering civilians, military, home and infrastructure, and perhaps even threatening a nuclear plant.
As Russia's invasion of Ukraine has faltered, it's become clear just how far Putin's regime will go to continue it. As Ukraine prepares to take the fight to them, the war might just be coming to a turning point. But right now, chaos reigns, so what just happened and what comes next?
GUEST: Balkan Devlen, Superforecaster at Good Judgement Inc. senior fellow and director of the transatlantic program and the McDonald Laurier Institute.
In the grips of a deadly emergency, Canada's health care system stood on its head. It's what the people who sign up to save lives do. But after three years of fending off both a virus and systemic problems, our capacity is at an all-time low. ERs are closing—some temporarily, some permanently. Family doctors in some places are impossible to find. In Lethbridge, AB there is precisely one OB-GYN for the entire community's pregnancy needs. The anecdotes are endless, and that doesn't even count general burnout.
Ahead of a Premiers meeting next month, the Canadian Medical Association issued a call Monday to the leaders of the provinces: Work together and start fixing this mess. Money alone won't get it done, but spending it the right way just might. So where are the problems, and what are the opportunities?
GUEST: Dr. Alika Lafontaine, President of the Canadian Medical Association and rural anesthesiologist
A policy in New Brunswick that took 10 years to create, and was implemented by a Conservative government three years ago, is now being “reviewed” by that same government. Policy 713 was designed to provide safety for LGBTQIA+ kids in public schools, from washroom use to students being able to change their names or pronouns without parental contact. Premier Blaine Higgs has been vague about what that review actually entails, and phrases such as “parents have a right to know” have been used.
Thus far, while the homophobia and transphobia driving anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation in the United States is definitely present in Canada, our governments have not allowed it space in policy. The review of Policy 713 in New Brunswick is the first real test of whether we'll go down the same road, and it comes at the beginning of the most politically fraught Pride month in years...
GUEST: Dale Smith, parliamentary press gallery journalist, national columnist for Xtra
We love hearing from our listeners. If you'd like to offer feedback, suggest an episode topic or have a question about this episode or any other, you can find The Big Story on Twitter @thebigstoryfpn, you can email us at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca, and you can call and leave a voicemail at 416-935-5935.
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know aboutThe Gravy Train, a podcast we released in 2019 chronicling the meteoric rise, and tragic downfall of Toronto's most notorious mayor, Rob Ford.
With Toronto in the midst of its first wide-open mayoral race since 2010, we thought now would be an opportune time to revisit this narrative, which captures a moment in politics with some striking similarities to what we're seeing in the city today.
We'll be dropping an episode in this feed every Saturday for the next two months leading up to election day, but they're all available in The Gravy Train feed if you prefer to binge them.
Enjoy!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES
The whole world was talking about whether or not Toronto’s mayor smoked crack. You might think that the mayor would change his behaviour following the headlines about his drug use. But he didn’t. We know this because the police were watching him with a secret investigation named Project Brazen II.
Last week it was The Little Mermaid. The week before that, the tenth Fast and Furious movie. Soon, it will be Spider-Man and then Barbie's turn. Until the next comic book movie shows up. Reboots, remakes and familiar characters can sometimes feel like the only things on screen. They're not, of course. They just get all the marketing money.
What began as a profitable sideline for Hollywood has come to consume the entire industry in a search for intellectual property. It's not about a lack of ideas, though, it's just about one thing: The hunger for more. This is the story of how the venture capital mentality is destroying movies.
GUEST: Jacob Oller, movies editor, Paste Magazine
They were born in the early days of Facebook. Now they're becoming adults and have spent the past few years realizing just how much of their lives their parents turned into content—in many cases, embarrassing, humiliating content. And they don't own or control any of it.
Some of these kids have convinced their parents to remove it. In some cases it has fractured the relationship. Some of them have even gone to court to try to get control of their baby pictures back, or in the cases of influencers, to recoup some of the money their parents made with them. And as the kids of YouTubers and TikTokers grow up, the problem will only get bigger. So what rights do kids have to privacy when their parents' post?
GUEST: Kate Lindsay, culture writer and cofounder of Embedded. She wrote this piece for The Atlantic.
Canadian households owe more in debt than the total of Canada's GDP. That's first among the G7 and near the top of all the world's developed countries. And as the cost of living increases, if we can't afford to service that debt, things could get bad, quickly.
How did we get ourselves into this situation? Why do we see household debt as a moral failing instead of the product of the country's economic realities? What's to blame for skyrocketing debt, and what could curtail it? And why do we spend so much time thinking about if a government can balance its budget, and so little thinking about how they can help balance ours?
GUEST: Jim Stanford, economist and director of the Centre for Future Work
It happened so, so fast. Less than an hour after the first spark, thousands were evacuating, and crews were racing to close thew roads behind them on their way out. One of the fastest fires the province has ever seen was just outside the city, in no time at all.
Since yesterday afternoon, more than 14,000 people have been evacuated, resources have been deployed fro other provinces—at least those that hadn't already been sent to Alberta—and a State of Emergency had been declared. Now hundreds of firefighters are digging in to halt the fire where it stands ... but a change in the wind could still change everything.
GUEST: Dan Ahlstrand, news director at CityNews 95.7 in Halifax
It's a rarely used program—little-known and tough to qualify for—that allows children under five to live inside Canadian women's prisons with their mothers. And a look inside those prisons at the moms and their kids offers a glimpse we don't often get inside Canada's institutions.
How does this program work? Is it better for the kids than living outside prison, but without their moms? Who can qualify? And what is it actually like inside these places? Where convicted killers can be found living in small homes with private kitchens and bathrooms, choosing and cooking their own meals, wearing their own clothes and helping out with nap time and diaper changes?
GUEST: Cristina Howorun, CityNews reporter; host and writer of VeraCity: Prison Moms
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know aboutThe Gravy Train, a podcast we released in 2019 chronicling the meteoric rise, and tragic downfall of Toronto's most notorious mayor, Rob Ford.
With Toronto in the midst of its first wide-open mayoral race since 2010, we thought now would be an opportune time to revisit this narrative, which captures a moment in politics with some striking similarities to what we're seeing in the city today.
We'll be dropping an episode in this feed every Saturday for the next two months leading up to election day, but they're all available in The Gravy Train feed if you prefer to binge them.
Enjoy!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
As Rob Ford began his term as mayor by ending taxes and cancelling transit plans, his colleagues on city council and the reporters who covered them were starting to gossip. As his first weeks turned to months, Ford was around less and less, and people were starting to wonder: What was going on with the mayor? And then, two high-profile nights out added fuel to that fire…
Harm reduction programs in general tend to be divisive, but safe supply might be the most controversial of them all. It involves providing drug users with, well, drugs—in the hopes they won't use more dangerous ones.
The programs have been criticized by politicians, "exposed" in long newspaper features and serve as an easy target for anyone focused on "getting users off drugs" as a strategy to fight the overdose crisis. The reality is complex, and there's still a lot we don't know. But as overdose deaths continue to break records, we can't afford not to explore every option. So, what is safe supply? Does it work or are the claims made by its opponents true? Or both?
GUEST: Dr. Lindsey Richardson, Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of British Columbia; Canada Research Chair in Social Inclusion and Health Equity
We love hearing from listeners! If you'd like to offer feedback, suggest an episode topic or have a question about this episode or any other, you can find The Big Story on Twitter @thebigstoryfpn, you can email us at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca, and you can call and leave a voicemail at 416-935-5935.
If you'd like to share The Big Story with a friend, you can send them this link, which will allow them to open the podcast in their favourite podcast player.
The climate is changing, so wildfires are changing too. The "unprecedented" fires of the past few weeks, won't be unprecedented when they happen again, and again. And the conditions that created them aren't going away. But we aren't helpless against them.
The way we fight fires is changing, too. From earlier detection, more accurate predictions, a different approach to management and ways to get boots on the ground faster in the places where they'll make a difference, the playbook is being written in real time. Here's what we're learning, how we'll use it and how to keep the fires of the future away from homes.
GUEST: Dr. Mike Flannigan, professor at Thompson Rivers University; BC Research Chair in Predictive Services, Emergency Management and Fire Science
We love hearing from listeners! If you'd like to offer feedback, suggest an episode topic or have a question about this episode or any other, you can find The Big Story on Twitter @thebigstoryfpn, you can email us at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca, and you can call and leave a voicemail at 416-935-5935.
If you'd like to share The Big Story with a friend, you can send them this link, which will allow them to open the podcast in their favourite podcast player.
Despite the controversy dominating federal politics for months now, Canadians will not get a public inquiry about Chinese government interference into our democracy and elections. That's one of the takeaways from former Governor General David Johnston's report on the affair, which was released yesterday.
So why did Johnston decide it wouldn't—or couldn't—happen? What did we learn from the report he presented? What will the next few months bring? More hearings? More leaks? A reasoned, thorough and bipartisan review of the difficulties of handling classified information? Or allegations of a "cover-up"?
GUEST: Stephen Maher, reporter and commentator, writing on foreign interference in The Walrus
It's not easy to make yourself notorious among the more than 40,000 McDonald's franchises in the world—but Ottawa's Rideau Street location accomplished it. From dangerous violence, to drug use, general chaos and viral incidents that became world famous (like the raccoon fight...) the recently closed restaurant earned the moniker given to it by a former police chief.
But the story of this McDonald's isn't just one of crime and online fame. It's a story about public space and who gets to use it, how a city changes at night, what resources we offer to people who need them and how every city's downtown is changing right now. Today, the rise and fall of the most famous McDonald's in Canada.
GUEST: Amy Dempsey, senior writer, Toronto Star
Right now, while controlling our own food security becomes more important than ever, Canada's farming industry is in transition. An older generation of farmers are ready to retire—but many of them don't have anyone ready to take over the family business. Meanwhile, corporate megafarms are scooping up farmland where they can and a younger generation of farmers is desperately trying to get ahold of space to grow on.
Where is the next generation coming from and what are they doing differently? Why are so many older farmers having trouble keeping the business going? What does the future of Canadian farming look like and who owns (or rents) it?
GUESTS: Keith Currie, farmer and president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture; Aliyah Fraser, Owner and Operator at Lucky Bug Farm
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know aboutThe Gravy Train, a podcast we released in 2019 chronicling the meteoric rise, and tragic downfall of Toronto's most notorious mayor, Rob Ford.
With Toronto in the midst of its first wide-open mayoral race since 2010, we thought now would be an opportune time to revisit this narrative, which captures a moment in politics with some striking similarities to what we're seeing in the city today.
We'll be dropping an episode in this feed every Saturday for the next two months leading up to election day, but they're all available in The Gravy Train feed if you prefer to binge them.
Enjoy!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
As Rob Ford began his term as mayor by ending taxes and cancelling transit plans, his colleagues on city council and the reporters who covered them were starting to gossip. As his first weeks turned to months, Ford was around less and less, and people were starting to wonder: What was going on with the mayor? And then, two high-profile nights out added fuel to that fire…
Bad information, and the things that make us vulnerable to it, can spread like a virus. It's everywhere and at this point even the most savvy news consumers need to be in the habit of checking things twice. And with the rise of Artificial Intelligence and deepfakes, the problem will only get worse. But we're not without weapons.
Models show that misinformation spreads just like an illness, and research also shows that we can inoculate ourselves from the worst of it. And we can help our family and friends do the same. How do we do that? Just like real vaccination, it starts with a little bit of the virus itself, to help us learn what we're fighting...
GUEST: Sander van der Linden, author of Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity
Technically, the Ontario Liberals aren't officially a party anymore. They lost that status when they were shellacked in the 2018 election after being in power for 15 years. When the Ontario Progressive Conservatives won a large majority last year, the Liberals won eight seats and finished a distant third. It's not an exaggeration to say the once-proud party is in shambles.
Last week, the first person threw his hat in the ring as the man who plans to fix that. Nathaniel Erskine-Smith is a federal Liberal MP from east-end Toronto who became the first contender for leadership of the Ontario Liberals. So how does he plan to bring the party back from the wilderness? Why leave federal politics for a provincial race? Why do so many of his fellow Liberals underestimate Doug Ford? And what does his Ontario look like?
GUEST: Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, MP for Beaches-East York; Candidate for Ontario Liberal party leadership
Nobody who covers the business of sports can remember a bidding process quite like this one. For one thing, everybody's talking! Normally this is a behind-the-scenes process that only goes public when a winner is chosen, or a final bid or two is being examined. But this time, ever since actor Ryan Reynolds threw his hat into the ring early, the whole saga has largely played out in public.
And not just in public, in Hollywood and beyond. After Reynolds got involved, other bidders added Snoop Dogg and The Weeknd, respectively, to their bids, and Snoop has been doing media interviews talking up his love for hockey, and the city of Ottawa in general. It's safe to say that nobody expected the sale of the NHL's smallest Canadian-market team to make international headlines like this. So ... what's going on here?
GUEST: Elliotte Friedman, Sportsnet insider, Hockey Night In Canada panelist, co-host of the 32 Thoughts podcast
Last week's exchange that saw each country expel a diplomat was called a "spat"—but really it was the latest volley in a low-heat diplomatic conflict that's been simmering for years. Every new twist, from takeovers to arrests, from allegations of election interference and threats of retaliation, only makes the next more likely.
How did China and Canada end up here? What have we learned in the past few months about just what China is trying to do in this country? What steps has our government taken to protect our democracy from outside interference? And what should we expect if China decides to retaliate?
GUEST: Stephanie Carvin, former national security analyst, Associate Professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, author of Stand on Guard: Reassessing threats to Canada's National Security
On Halloween night in 2020, a mass shooting took place near the resort community of Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island. Three people are found dead in a make-shift encampment deep in the woods. Beside them, four dead dogs and a burned-out trailer. Now, more than two years on, the case is at a standstill.
This week, a new podcast, Island Crime Season 5: Whiskey Creek explores the secrecy and fear surrounding the shootings. And asks the question: Who deserves to have their story told?
GUEST: Laura Palmer, host and producer of Island Crime
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know aboutThe Gravy Train, a podcast we released in 2019 chronicling the meteoric rise, and tragic downfall of Toronto's most notorious mayor, Rob Ford.
With Toronto in the midst of its first wide-open mayoral race since 2010, we thought now would be an opportune time to revisit this narrative, which captures a moment in politics with some striking similarities to what we're seeing in the city today.
We'll be dropping an episode in this feed every Saturday for the next two months leading up to election day, but they're all available in The Gravy Train feed if you prefer to binge them.
Enjoy!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
Rob Ford’s colleagues laughed off his campaign for mayor. They shouldn’t have. They assumed the numerous scandals he’d already suffered through, and the fresh ones that would dominate his campaign, would crush his chances. They shouldn’t have. They ran traditional campaigns and counted on Torontonians to make a relatively traditional choice, the kind they’d always made. They really, really shouldn’t have.
Whether or not you think it's "becoming more efficient" or "being dismantled piece by piece", it's pretty clear Universal Health Care in Canada is changing. This week, Ontario passed Bill 60, which allows private clinics to perform some surgeries and procedures—theoretically at no additional cost to the patient. This is already happening in Quebec and British Columbia, and Alberta's election is currently partly a debate about how involved the private system should be with public care.
So what exactly is in Bill 60? What language protects the patient, if any? What are medical groups so concerned about? What are the upsides and the downsides? And how will we know if this is working or not?
GUEST: Richard Southern, Queen's Park reporter, CityNews Toronto
Last week, police in Peel, Ontario charged a man with aiding or counselling suicide, after they allege he preyed upon people in distress online and sold them sodium nitrite intended to be used for suicide.
The charges relate to two Canadian deaths, but reporting in other countries has linked at least seven deaths to the substance—which police claim Kenneth Law sold online and encouraged victims to use. What do we know so far about what happened? How common is suicide soliciting online? And what will we learn as the case continues?
GUEST: Lucas Casaletto, reporter, CityNews Toronto
That's not a metaphorical question. As Alberta deals with an ongoing wildfire situation the premier has called "unprecedented", the province goes to the polls in less than three weeks for the closest election in decades.
Over the weekend a state of emergency was declared and the federal government promised support. But though temperatures have cooled, the scorching weather blamed for starting these fires is forecast to return. Tens of thousands of Albertans have already evacuated their homes, and it remains to be seen when they might return.
So what happens now? To the fires? To the campaign? On election day itself?
GUEST: Courtney Theriault, reporter, CityNews Edmonton
Last week, the World Health Organization announced that Covid-19 was no longer a "global health emergency"—a declaration that can be seen as either a hopeful sign or dangerously naive. But while many people have gone "back to normal" or "learned to live" with the virus, the search for understand of long covid continues.
We've learned much about the condition in the past three years—but not enough to know how it happens, or how to stop it. And as covid continues to circulate, there will be more and more long covid cases in the years to come. So who gets it? What can we do to treat it? What do we know and what's still a mystery? And how hard is it just to agree on a definition of what it is?
GUEST: Dr. Kieran Quinn, long covid researcher and assistant professor, University of Toronto; general internist and palliative care physician, Sinai Health System
Welcome to the 'psychedelic renaissance', as anyone who follows research into and access to this class of drugs will call it. The past few years have brought a perfect storm of new knowledge, loosening of restrictions and curiosity from new users searching for medical solutions.
Right now, in cities like Toronto and Vancouver, you can buy psilocybin, also known as 'magic mushrooms' in storefront dispensaries—and although that appears to be illegal, not much is being done about it. Meanwhile, doctors and patients are requesting, and getting, access to both psilocybin and MDMA to treat PTSD and depression.
So, in a few years, will psychedelics be the new recreational marijuana?
GUEST: Erika Dyck, historian and researcher; Canada Research Chair in the history of health and social justice; author of Psychedelic Psychiatry: LSD from Clinic to Campus
Whatever your opinion of the monarchy, it's always fascinating to walk into a history textbook. Saturday's coronation of King Charles III was the first such event since the 1950s, and the rituals performed go back a millennium.
On a rainy London Saturday, Canadian broadcaster Lisa LaFlamme was live from the ceremony, taking in all the pomp and circumstance, as well as the challenges and uncertain future of the Crown. What did the ceremony look like? What was changed for a modern audience? Who is King Charles III and does he understand the task in front of him if he's to keep his family relevant?
GUEST: Lisa LaFlamme, reporting for CityNews from London
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know aboutThe Gravy Train, a podcast we released in 2019 chronicling the meteoric rise, and tragic downfall of Toronto's most notorious mayor, Rob Ford.
With Toronto in the midst of its first wide-open mayoral race since 2010, we thought now would be an opportune time to revisit this narrative, which captures a moment in politics with some striking similarities to what we're seeing in the city today.
We'll be dropping an episode in this feed every Saturday for the next two months leading up to election day, but they're all available in The Gravy Train feed if you prefer to binge them.
Enjoy!
ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
This is the story of how our subject goes from the outskirts of the city to a seat in the building at the heart of its power. Before he was the Mayor of Toronto, and before all the insanity that came in the years following that, Rob Ford was just a young man working at the family business in the suburbs, looking for a spark. An unlikely business request led Rob and his family into politics, and Toronto hasn’t been the same since.
There are exactly three spotted owls not in captivity left in the entire country, only one of which was originally born in the wild. That's a steep precipice from which to revive a majestic bird, especially when its habitat is shrinking.
But all is not lost, if the federal and provincial governments can work together, the remaining habitat can be preserved and programs designed to repopulate the owls bear fruit. None of it is easy—but when you're trying to fight extinction, nothing ever is.
GUEST Sarah Cox, BC Investigative Reporter, The Narwhal
The streaming era has changed Hollywood forever. Unfortunately it's made things worse for the people who write the shows and films we love (or hate). In an effort to level the playing field the 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America are on strike for the first time in 15 years—and it looks like this could be a long fight.
How will the writers' strike change the shows you see on your favourite platforms—now and in the future? Which shows and films are most at risk? And if the strike drags on what happens to Canada's screen production industry and the billions of dollars and thousands of jobs it supplies?
GUEST: Barry Hertz, film editor, The Globe and Mail
Most of us would assume that child sexual abuse material hides in the corners of the dark web, far from easy detection. But it doesn't. It's also found on websites and platforms you likely use every day.
Project Arachnid is the work of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. It has flagged at least 10 million suspected cases of child pornography. And it's only after the images have been flagged that the real fight often begins...
GUEST: Jacques Marcoux, Director of Research and Analytics for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection
It's the biggest piece of broadcast or media legislation in this country in decades. You would think we'd have a clear picture of its implications. But despite receiving royal assent and becoming law, not even leading experts in the field can say what the bill's many changes will look like in practice.
There are basic parts of the law — What counts as a streaming service? what counts as digital Canadian content? Will user-created content be subject to the same regulations as corporate-made media? — that the government has left to the CRTC to define via a policy letter. This is a bill with profound implications both for creators and consumers of basically any kind of digital media. So why are we all so confused?
GUEST: Dr. Michael Geist, law professor, University of Ottawa; Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law
We'll probably never know if Hassan Diab, a Lebanese Canadian sociology professor, had any role in the 1980 bombing of a Paris synagogue that killed four people and injured dozens more. But he's been found guilty, in absentia, by a French court, anyway.
This is the second time France has attempted to punish Diab for his alleged role in the attack, and the evidence has been described as flimsy. The first time, he was extradited and jailed in France before charges were dropped, prompting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to criticize the case and the extradition.
But now that a court has convicted, will France ask Canada for Diab a second time? If they do, will Canada comply? This is a case that could test the relationship between the two countries, and Canada's policy on extraditions in general.
GUEST: Leyland Cecco, reporting for The Guardian
It's known as endovascular thrombectomy—or EVT—and in the decade-plus since it was developed it has evolved to be something of a miracle for people unlucky enough to suffer a stroke, but lucky enough to be able to access it quickly. If performed in time it can turn a potentially deadly or life-altering stroke to something that can be rehabbed in a couple of weeks.
But it's an incredibly complex procedure, there aren't expert teams able to handle it everywhere, and as we all know: when it comes to strokes, time is precious. So how does a complicated medical intervention get from a lifesaving specialty to globally available? And how many lives could be saved if it does?
GUEST: Eva Holland, writing in The New York Times Magazine
There are about 28 million pets in Canada. And on any given day, most of them are probably bored to tears. This doesn't mean their owners don't love them, or provide for them, or even try to exercise and stimulate them regularly. It just means that they are animals, mostly or totally confined. So they're bored.
Does that mean we shouldn't own pets? Maybe, but it's safe to say that ship has sailed. Does it mean we could do better? Absolutely. So what do we know about what domesticated animals need, compared to what they get? How can you identify signs your pet might be bored or depressed? Does this podcast hate puppies and kittens and want to take yours away? No! We swear!
GUEST: Kenny Torrella, staff writer, Vox, focusing on animal welfare
It's hard to overstate just how dire things are in Sudan's capital right now, with violence on the streets and almost no access to food and water for millions, including Canadians and their families. Our government's initial response was scorned, but things are changing rapidly as the situation evolves.
So what is happening right now on the ground? Who is getting out, and how? What is Canada doing? How might this conflict end, and will Canada play a role in getting it done?
GUEST: Dr. Khalid Mustafa Medani, associate professor, Political Science and Islamic Studies; chair of the African Studies program, McGill University
Everything still feels expensive, but if you look at the numbers, inflation is falling quickly. Grocery prices are falling too, but they're still well above the overall inflation rate. And that makes prices three or six months down the line much tougher to predict.
It's been well over a year since food prices began to spike all over the globe, and a number of complex systems have been behind the fluctuations. But with food prices no longer so closely indexed to inflation, and climate change and a volatile geopolitical situation only increasing—we can hope for the best, and perhaps plan for the worst.
GUEST: Dr. Kelleen Wiseman, Academic Director, Master of Food and Resource Economics program at the university of British Columbia, one of the authors of the Canada’s Food Price Report for 2023
It's been a long time since Canada saw a strike this big, and as the Public Service Alliance of Canada's action nears the one-week mark, there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. Meanwhile, services in many federal departments are reduced to emergency-only levels, and unions and employers across the country watch to see what comes next.
Why is this strike so important? Because it's massive, and comes at a critical time for both the economy and labour relations, with inflation, pay scale, return-to-work policies and more likely to set a precedent here that will be followed in bargaining to come. So what are the issues? How long could it go? What do you need to know?
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill reporter, CityNews
His name was Gabriel Magalhaes, and he was minding his own business at Keele subway station in Toronto. His alleged killer's name is Jordan O'Brien-Tobin, and he had been released from custody just a couple of weeks ago. He has been in and out of jail for years.
The death shocked the city and the country, and in the immediate aftermath, calls for harsher sentencing and bail reform were understandable. But the victims's mother thought otherwise. This is how the system failed absolutely everyone involved in this death. So why is Gabriel gone? What could have prevented this? What changes might save the next young man?
GUEST: Jennifer Pagliaro, crime reporter, Toronto Star
A few years ago, a feature called Voice ID was probably perfectly secure. It's used by many companies—including some banks—as a way to verify your identity by having you speak a phrase or two in your own unique voice. The problem is, these days, your own unique voice doesn't necessarily have to come from your own mouth.
Today, a reporter explains how he used AI to hack his own online banking account, what the rapid advance of this technology means for existing forms of online security, and how to protect yourself in an age of an escalating cybersecurity arms race.
GUEST: Joseph Cox, reporter, Motherboard
Every city in Canada has struggled to solve the problem. And what's mostly ended up happening is tent cities in public places, controversial and sometimes violent removal of those encampments and then a whole new cycle begins. So many people in this country have nowhere to go, and we simply don't have adequate shelter for all of them.
This is where tiny home communities come in. Self-sufficient, stable and outside the official system enough to provide places for those who simply won't fit anywhere else. So where have these places sprung up? What's it like inside them? And can they really be a viable solution to a crisis that continues to escalate?
GUEST: Justin Chandler, Hamilton-Niagara reporter, TVO.org
It's a phenomenon that was born out of the pandemic, but can't be completely attributed to it. It's difficult to quantify and hard to get to the bottom of, but if you ask teachers, counsellors, parents or anyone who works or lives with school-age children, they'll tell you what they're seeing.
Discipline problems, socialization struggles, attention trouble and lots and lots of anxiety. It's causing disruptions and delays in classrooms and severely straining a system that was struggling even without the added load. What's happening with school-aged kids, and what do they need to get back on track?
GUESTS: Sonia Aslam and Mike Lloyd, reporters at CityNews Vancouver
Read part one of Sonia and Mike's five-part series on BC schools here
There are currently almost 50 candidates running to become Toronto's next mayor. And there's no incumbent, since John Tory resigned in a scandal in February. That means anyone's got a shot, and at this point nobody can say for certain how this will shake out.
The last time a Toronto mayoral race was this wide open, the city got Rob Ford. This time the cast of characters spans the entire political spectrum, from bleeding heart liberals to hard-ass former cops. So who's in the race? Who might join them? Who's got a shot? And what issues will decide the fate of Canada's largest city?
GUEST: Momin Qureshi, City Hall reporter, CityNews
Col. Jeremy Hansen will soon become the first Canadian ever to travel to the moon. He's a member of the four-person Artemis II crew, which will leave low Earth orbit next year and swing out and around the moon before returning to splashdown in the ocean.
Jeremy talks to us about being chosen for the team, what this mission will accomplish, its margin for error, and how it feels to be part of a project that will pave the way for humanity to venture further into the cosmos than ever before.
GUEST: Col. Jeremy Hansen, Canadian astronaut, Artemis II crew member
This isn't just a big city issue. Even in smaller municipalities, the average cost of rent has skyrocketed. More and more Canadians, priced out of the housing market, are looking to rent. And, at least right now, there simply aren't enough rental properties to go around. Hence ... boom!
But this is more than a recent explosion. It's part of a decades-long trend that views renting as transitional and home ownership as the ultimate goal. Does it have to be this way? Should it? What would it take to make Canada once again a place where renting a family home was seen as a viable alternative and not just a failure to buy?
GUEST: Brad Badelt, writing in The Walrus
You can't do it one at a time, or even ten at a time. When an independent Alberta chocolatier found herself with an unexpected surplus of 133,000 Rum ad Butter bars facing an expiration date in June, she turned to Facebook. The result is a sweetly puzzling predicament. She doesn't want to profit off these bars, she just wants people to enjoy them before they expire.
But in order to do that, she has to find takers. Takers who are willing to pick them up, not by tens or even hundreds—in pallets of 11,000 bars each. So, how do you give away that much chocolate? With a clock ticking?
GUEST: Jana Pruden, feature writer, The Globe and Mail
If you've watched TV or attended a sporting event recently, chances are you've seen an ad for Ozempic. Originally created to treat Type-2 Diabetes, the drug is now most commonly used for weight loss, and it's become so popular that some places in Canada have had to ban Americans from crossing the border to get it. And that isn't the only controversy associated with the medication, which has intensified an age old debate about obesity, how it's defined, and how doctors should treat it.
Should insurance companies cover obesity and weight loss drugs? Should doctors differentiate between people who have serious health concerns, and those who may just want to drop 20 pounds? And how do we provide treatment to those who need it without furthering the stigmatization of people who may not fit into societies narrow definition of what the 'ideal' body looks like?
GUEST: Carly Weeks, health reporter, The Globe and Mail
It's the official residence of the leader of the entire country. And it's a mess. Last week's report about dead rodents and their droppings in the walls was gross, but it's far from the first tale of how awful things are at 24 Sussex. The residence has been in a state of disrepair, to put it mildly, for a decade or more, and almost nothing has been done to fix it.
The obvious question is: Why not? And the answer to that question will only provoke a much bigger one: What does it say about our politics in this country that we can't find a way to keep a house that is supposed to house the head of our government from becoming an embarrassment? The answer to that one can tell us a lot.
GUEST: David Moscrop, writer and political commentator, author of Too Dumb For Democracy
Ever since author Joseph Boyden was called out for his claims of being an Indigenous author, every few weeks seems to bring a new story of a prominent researcher, writer or academic who has exaggerated or falsified their Indigeneity in order to secure grants or posts. But it's not just them, the numbers of people claiming Indigenous heritage in general has skyrocketed.
What changed? Why are these claims only being parsed now? What do people who make these claims stand to gain, and how does it harm people of actual Indigenous ancestry?
GUEST: Michelle Cyca, writing in The Walrus
It's only half a joke. A recent report found that by 2030 demand for water will outstrip the world's supply by 40 percent. In the United States, the Colorado River and other major sources of water are drying up. The number of droughts worldwide is skyrocketing. Water is clearly no longer plentiful forever, even in wealthy nations.
And Canada has a lot of water that other nations will someday soon not just want but badly need. Does this mean that wars over water are inevitable? No. But increasing scarcity of a resource necessary to life is how conflicts are born. So where does water fit into our current geopolitical tensions? What can we do now to avoid fights later? And ... can't we science out way out of this somehow?
GUEST: Dr. Jay Famiglietti, hydrologist and Global Futures Professor at Arizona State University; former Executive Director Emeritus of the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan; host of the What About Water podcast
It was protected just about a month ago, and it’s located about 100 kilometres off the coast of Vancouver Island. And as for what’s in there … well, almost everything. That’s what happens when you take 133,000 square kilometres of some of the most diverse oceanic ecosystems in the world and stop it from being exploited.
Far too often we report on parts of Canada’s natural beauty that are vanishing. Today, we’ll do the opposite.
GUEST: Jimmy Thomson, writing in The Narwhal
It was protected just about a month ago, and it's located about 100 kilometres off the coast of Vancouver Island. And as for what's in there ... well, almost everything. That's what happens when you take 133,000 square kilometres of some of the most diverse oceanic ecosystems in the world and stop it from being exploited.
Far too often we report on parts of Canada's natural beauty that are vanishing. Today, we'll do the opposite.
GUEST: Jimmy Thomson, writing in The Narwhal
Just days after Canada's official unofficial border crossing at Roxham Road was shut down, eight bodies were recovered from the waters of the St. Lawrence River near the Canada-US border. The bodies belong to migrants believed to be travelling from Canada to the United States, but without the Roxham crossing, advocates say we should expect to see more dangerous attempts to cross the border that could end in tragedy.
What changed to close Roxham Road, and was it the right call? What comes next for the border, and those seeking to cross it? Could the tragedy on the St. Lawrence have been avoided and how should Canada balance the needs of border security and a migrant crisis that is only going to accelerate in the years to come?
GUEST: Nicholas Keung, Immigration Reporter, Toronto Star
At the end of January, British Columbia began a pilot program that decriminalized small amounts of drugs, including heroin, cocaine and opioids. It's the first province-wide program of its kind in Canada and it comes amidst a spiralling overdose crisis. Already, opinions on the program are polarizing and some municipalities in BC are trying to find ways around it.
But will the program work? It's been tried elsewhere in the world and results have been positive, but there's simply not enough data yet in the province to tell. Meanwhile, other critics say the program doesn't go far enough to make a real impact, and risks further stigmatizing those who need the most help.
GUEST: Dr. Lindsey Richardson, Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of British Columbia; Canada Research Chair in Social Inclusion and Health Equity
Tight elections are, simply, not Alberta’s thing. After decades of Conservative blowouts, the NDP’s unlikely 2015 win was … also a blowout, and then the united Conservative Party returned the favour. You have to go back decades to find a provincial election that was any kind of race, and yet with two months to go, polls show the UCP and the NDP basically tied, within the margin of error.
How did that happen? Has Rachel Notley been able to take advantage of Danielle Smith’s many gaffes and scandals? Are voters simply immune to weird Covid stuff from the UCP by now? Could this maybe, possible, be an election actually decided by policy and not partisanship?
GUEST: Courtney Theriault, CityNews Edmonton
When a leader sticks around a long time, it's natural that his popularity declines. That's how politics goes. But as Justin Trudeau heads towards a decade in power, there's a big chunk of Canadians who do more than just disapprove of him. They loathe the man.
Meanwhile, Trudeau's top challenger, Pierre Poilievre, hasn't led the Conservative party very long, but he's still managed to rack up impressive unfavourability numbers in a short amount of time.
What's fascinating is what the data reveals about who dislikes Poilievre, and who really hates Trudeau, and why. And what those numbers can tell us about the next election, and the political makeup of Canada in 2023.
GUEST: David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data
The five-day work week has been the standard for decades. But not forever. Once upon a time, it was a six-day week. So why can't it go from five to four?
This isn't an idle question. Pilot projects and studies in countries around the world, including some in Canada, have proven that a four-day week can make employees more productive, as well as cause them to miss less time leaving work for appointments. Companies that have experimented with a four-day work have mostly decided to keep it. If at one time, it seems a crazy idea that just might work, by now there's enough data to show us that it does.
So ... why are you working today? Why am I?
GUEST: Jared Lindzon, writing in The Globe and Mail
With $432 billion in spending, it's safe to say not everything included in Tuesday's federal budget got its share of headlines. And for top-line items, that makes sense. Health care and the cost of living are things that impact every Canadian.
But it can sometimes take a day or two to sort out all the rest—smaller line items that might matter a lot to some people, or long-awaited promises that have finally made it into the document. Or, on the flip side, to get through the entire document and realize what's not in there at all...
So what do you need to know about this budget that can't be summed up by a headline? And what will its real impact be down the road?
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill reporter, CityNews
It's a sport well over a century old. It has historically resisted change. It has also, however, been losing relevance by the year, as it gets slower and slower and the action becomes rarer and rarer. Baseball has been withering on the vine. Until (allegedly) this year!
For the first time in decades, Major League Baseball has made substantial and fundamental changes to its rules, including a previously unthinkable addition — a clock for the timeless game. So why now? What will these changes do to the sport, and its audience? Is this enough to finally fix baseball?
GUEST: Shi Davidi, senior baseball columnist, Sportsnet
Almost five years ago, one of the very first episodes of this podcast was about how baseball was a sport in decline. Games were too long, and too boring. The fan base was getting older and older, and younger generations didn't care. The game was less diverse and had less action, and attendance and ratings were declining.
In the years to follow, this problem grew worse and worse—until finally even the traditionalists at the heart of the sport realized the game they loved, and profited from, was becoming increasingly irrelevant.
So today, we visit the past, and the problem with baseball. Tomorrow, the solution ... if it works.
GUEST: Stephen Brunt, sportswriter
First it was a campaign promise. Then a key plank of the Liberal-NDP supply and confidence agreement. Then it morphed into drug pricing reforms, which were delayed, and changed and delayed and ... well, we're still waiting. Meanwhile, the organization that helped devise the plan has seen resignations, amid accusations that the federal Liberal government has caved to huge pharmaceutical companies.
The promise of pharmacare goes back decades in Canadian politics. For a while it seemed like it might be within reach, or at least we'd get price relief on expensive drugs for those without insurance. Instead, we're still in limbo. What happened?
GUEST: Dr. Danyaal Raza, family physician; Assistant Professor, University of Toronto Department of Family & Community Medicine
It's the most ambitious offshore mining project in Canadian history, and the fight for approvals has been long and arduous. That's because of both its scope, its dangers and the potential windfall to a province that badly needs it.
So what is Bay du Nord? What does it promise and what, exactly, are the risks? And how do you balance the need to phase out fossil fuels with the future of an entire province's economy?
GUEST: Lyndsie Bourgon, writing in Maclean's magazine
Your friends and family live in your phone. Sure, you see them from time to time, but usually for scheduled events, planned well in advance, with an agenda and a timeframe. How often do you just find a friend … and chill?
A new book illustrates the kinds of casual hangouts that are dying out, at the same time as loneliness rates are rising around the world. There’s a particular kind of energy we get from just killing time, or wandering, and we’re losing it. What’s that doing to us?
GUEST: Sheila Liming, author of Hanging Out: The Radical Power Of Killing Time
Your friends and family live in your phone. Sure, you see them from time to time, but usually for scheduled events, planned well in advance, with an agenda and a timeframe. How often do you just find a friend ... and chill?
A new book illustrates the kinds of casual hangouts that are dying out, at the same time as loneliness rates are rising around the world. There's a particular kind of energy we get from just killing time, or wandering, and we're losing it. What's that doing to us?
GUEST: Sheila Liming, author of Hanging Out: The Radical Power Of Killing Time
Around the world, transgender people are under attack. Often legislatively, other times physically. And many of us would like to think of Canada as an oasis amidst this rise in prejudice. But we’re not.
Today, a look at a clinic that provides gender-affirming care virtually to trans and non-binary people across the entire province of Ontario. Except right now it doesn’t, because new legislation makes it impossible, and the provincial government has so far refused to provide an exemption. What’s standing in the way? What is gender-affirming care, and why is it so important? And why is virtual health care, the only option for many communities, being trimmed by the government?
GUEST: Kai Jacobsen, steering committee, Trans PULSE Canada; co-author, The Conversation
Around the world, transgender people are under attack. Often legislatively, other times physically. And many of us would like to think of Canada as an oasis amidst this rise in prejudice. But we're not.
Today, a look at a clinic that provides gender-affirming care virtually to trans and non-binary people across the entire province of Ontario. Except right now it doesn't, because new legislation makes it impossible, and the provincial government has so far refused to provide an exemption. What's standing in the way? What is gender-affirming care, and why is it so important? And why is virtual health care, the only option for many communities, being trimmed by the government?
GUEST: Kai Jacobsen, steering committee, Trans PULSE Canada; co-author, The Conversation
It was thought that the former president might be arrested on Tuesday, and charged in relation to alleged hush-money payments to an adult film star. That hasn’t happened, but many who have been watching the case still expect charges to come. When they do, what will happen next?
But this isn’t the only investigation into Trump’s potential crimes. There are more, and they involve more sinister allegations. So who exactly is investigating Donald Trump, and for what? Where do those investigations stand? What would a nomination race and potential presidential campaign look like, if one of the contenders is preparing to face a trial? Or perhaps more than one trial?
GUEST: Aaron Rupar, independent political and policy journalist, author of Public Notice
It was thought that the former president might be arrested on Tuesday, and charged in relation to alleged hush-money payments to an adult film star. That hasn't happened, but many who have been watching the case still expect charges to come. When they do, what will happen next?
But this isn't the only investigation into Trump's potential crimes. There are more, and they involve more sinister allegations. So who exactly is investigating Donald Trump, and for what? Where do those investigations stand? What would a nomination race and potential presidential campaign look like, if one of the contenders is preparing to face a trial? Or perhaps more than one trial?
GUEST: Aaron Rupar, independent political and policy journalist, author of Public Notice
Today it's Nordstrom, fleeing Canada after failing to turn a profit in almost a decade of trying. Before them, it was Target, thought to be a sure thing in this country. So far, Walmart is the exception that proves the rule: If you're an American retailer with your eyes on the Canadian market, you better do your research and have a plan.
The loss of Nordstrom is sad for those who love its designer names, sure, but the stores themselves are a bigger loss as anchor tenants for premium locations in big cities that are slowly being taken over by empty storefronts. So what happened here? Was it them, or us? And what can we learn from the latest American brand to fail in Canada?
GUEST: Gary Newbury, retail supply chain expert, Strategic Advisor and Delivery Executive with RetailAID
Even three years after it emerged, there's still no consensus on the origin of the virus that shut down the world. Last week, the US Department of Energy said that its conclusion (albeit with "low confidence") was that the virus escaped from a lab. Three days later new genetic research pointed to the presence of the virus in racoon dogs found in Wuhan at the time the virus began to spread.
So chalk up another data point for each side, and still we're searching for answers. What does the new evidence tell us about each theory? How has this debate become politicized? Will we ever know where the virus truly came from? And if we did, what would it change ... if anything?
GUEST: Umair Irfan, correspondent at Vox writing about climate change, Covid-19, and energy policy. (Read Umair's latest piece on Covid's origins here.)
It's called chlorpyrifos, and it's actually still being used in Canada right now. Despite years of reports on the danger it might pose, it was only last year that the government banned it, and it's using a gradual phase out that won't end until the end of this year.
So what is chlorpyrifos and what's the risk? What kind of foods is it used on? What can exposure do to us? And why was Canada behind both Europe and the United States in getting rid of it?
GUEST: Marc Fawcett-Atkinson, reporter and writer covering food, climate, plastics and the environment for Canada’s National Observer
We're already in another space race. The question this time is who gets the prize at the end of it. Both China and NASA have committed to plans to put bases on the moon in the next decade or so, and one of the main attractions is its resources.
There are lots of valuable commodities on the moon, and it also makes a great jumping point for further space travel in the future. So the competition to extract the moon's minerals first, in harsh, remote conditions, with the use of space robotics, will give someone a huge advantage. And there just happens to be a country to the north of the United States that is a world leader in all those things...
GUESTS: Alex Ellery, Canada Research Professor in space robotics and space technology at Carleton University;
Heather Exner-Pirot, senior fellow and director of natural resources, energy and environment at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute
Everyone who lived through 2008 as an adult flinched when Silicon Valley Bank failed last week. But was the bank's crash a unique situation, or something that should make us question our own financial institutions?
What makes Canadian banks different from banks like SVB? What can we learn about the future of the economy from this failure? Why is the US government helping already-rich tech investors? And what do we need to watch for in the coming weeks and months?
GUEST: William O’Connell, PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. His research includes global management of financial crises and the regulation of cryptocurrency markets
Over the past couple of decades, five workers have died on the job at Fiera Foods, sparking protests, investigations and allegations of a dangerous workplace. But where did those workers come from? Fiera says they are employed through temp agencies, and they have filed for the tax breaks to prove it. But the CRA says those agencies aren't real, and Fiera workers tell stories of showing up at the factory and being put right out onto the floor.
This legal fight sheds light on just how companies can use temp agencies to reduce liability and save money, even when the jobs can be deadly.
GUEST: Sara Mojtehedzadeh, investigations team, Toronto Star
For the past month, headlines have been dominated by leaked CSIS documents, intelligence sources, fears of foreign interference in Canadian elections and the political fallout of all that. But most Canadians don't know much about how our intelligence community operates. Which agencies do what? Who do they report to? Who can access their information? Why would they release it to the press?
Because this is already shaping up to be the political story of the year in Canada, we wanted to lay out the basics. Here's what you need to know to understand what matters and why.
GUEST: Stephanie Carvin, former national security analyst, Associate Professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, author of Stand on Guard: Reassessing threats to Canada's National Security
Twice in the last month, Canadians were shown just how open our Northern border can be. First, the Prime Minister ordered a UFO shot down. Then, we learned that Canadian Forces had found Chinese monitoring buoys in our arctic waters.
As geopolitical tensions rise, the arctic is perhaps where Canada is most vulnerable. So how do we monitor it? What do we need to do to protect ourselves? How is a changing climate making it more vulnerable? And what keeps the security experts up at night?
GUEST: Dr. Whitney Lackenbauer, Canada Research Chair in the Study of the Canadian North; Professor, School for the Study of Canada, Trent University
There are indeed medical reasons that require your driver's licence to be suspended. But there are a host of other issues, everything from depression to cold sores, that have been cited as medical reasons in licence suspensions in Ontario. What's happening here.
At the core of the issue are MCRs—medical condition reports that can often trigger an automatic suspension, even for a condition that doesn't impact driving, or a condition the driver may not even have. Why is Ontario handing out hundreds of thousands of these suspensions? Who benefits from all these filings? And what recourse do people have when their ability to drive—and with it, often, their livelihood—is taken away?
GUEST: Declan Keogh, Investigative Journalism Bureau
Read his most recent Toronto Star article about MCRs here
It's Canada's most famous ongoing whodunnit. More than five years after the murders of the billionaire couple, the case is still open, the police are still chasing leads, and reporters are still getting new tips. But that hasn't resulted in a concrete suspect ... yet.
Why not? What makes this case so hard to crack? And so compelling to the public? What could have been done earlier to make a difference in the information available? What are we still learning now? What might we learn in the months to come? And why does the reporter who has spent years investigating this case believe that we will, eventually, crack it?
GUEST: Kevin Donovan, chief investigative reporter, Toronto Star; host of The Billionaire Murders podcast
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the case that legalized abortion in the country in 1973. The decision shocked many around the world, and has had folks wondering: could this happen here, at home, in Canada? And what led up to this historic moment in the U.S.? What are the real and current issues facing the state of abortion in Canada, and how can we make a difference?
This two-part mini series is hosted by Sarah Sahagian, a feminist podcaster, writer, and non-profit executive living in Toronto. Her byline has appeared in such outlets as The Washington Post, The National Post, The Toronto Star, Refinery29, Romper, and Scary Mommy. In her previous life, she was a gender studies academic who studied parenting and mother blame. Sarah is also the co-host of Frequency Podcast Network’s The Reheat.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada’s Morgentaler Decision. That landmark decision decriminalized abortion across Canada and turned the courageous Dr. Henry Morgentaler into a household name. As pivotal a part of Canada’s abortion rights story as Dr. Morgentaler was, many of us are unfamiliar with the stories of woman-identified activists who fought alongside him to ensure people who didn’t want to be pregnant wouldn’t have to be.
So, who were the women who fought for abortion rights – and even helped others access illegal abortions – before The Morgentaler Decision? This two-part miniseries introduces listeners to a few of those voices.
Hosted by Sarah Sahagian, a feminist podcaster, writer, and non-profit executive living in Toronto. Her byline has appeared in such outlets as The Washington Post, The National Post, The Toronto Star, Refinery29, Romper, and Scary Mommy. In her previous life, she was a gender studies academic who studied parenting and mother blame. Sarah is also the co-host of Frequency Podcast Network’s The Reheat.
Last month a horrific earthquake in Turkey made it clear that outdated building codes—or non-compliance with updated codes—can turn a normal disaster into an historic one. And while Canada may not have the same earthquake risk or code non-compliance that Turkey has, we have our own problems.
Simply, our building own codes are an outdated, confusing mess, and we're finding out regularly just how unequipped the current system is for the extreme weather that's coming. What makes sense about the systems surrounding building regulations in Canada? How are we adapting, if at all, for what's to come? And why can't we figure out a solution that puts the whole country on safer, and saner, footing?
GUEST: Kathryn Blaze Baum, investigative reporter, The Globe and Mail
Some Canadians cannot see Canadian news on Google right now. It's because of what Google calls a 'test' that it only admitted when a reporter noticed it happening to them and asked the company. The government, meanwhile, calls it 'bullying' as it prepares to pass Bill C-18, which would force companies like Google to compensate Canadian media companies for serving up their content. If the bill passes, Google could theoretically block all Canadians from finding their news on Google.
Will Google's flex work? The government says it won't back down, and that C-18 will pass, so it's preparing to call Google's bluff. What happens when a tech giant goes head-to-head with a government? And what does it say about the state of media that one company could hold such power over audiences?
GUEST: Mickey Djuric, Canadian Press reporter
It costs more these days. But yeah, so does everything. What makes coffee a perfect product to explore the world's rising costs, though, is its ubiquity. You can get it absolutely anywhere in the world—but not only that, dozens upon dozens of countries grow, produce and export it, so no one factor in one nation or on one continent explains why your latte costs more.
So how does the coffee industry work? Why and how is it changing? And what can that tell us about ... everything else?
GUEST: Gavin Fridell, author of Coffee, Canada Research Chair in International Development Studies, St. Mary's University
It used to be a threat almost exclusively to the poultry industry. But the current strain of H5N1 avian flu has spent the past year infecting millions of wild birds, thousands of mammals, and even humans. To experts who track the disease, it's clear something is up. But we're not yet sure what comes from it.
The virus could become more contagious in mammals, but less harmful. It could remain difficult to transmit widely outside of bird populations. It could, theoretically, go away gradually. But it also might not. There is pandemic potential here and the questions on experts' minds is if we are sleepwalking towards another disaster...
GUEST: Dr. Shayan Sharif, acting dean of the Ontario Veterinary College, professor of pathobiology
If the questions are "Who knew what, and when?", then Canadian voters aren't the answer. Not only have recent reports shed light on Chinese attempts to influence the 2019 and 2021 elections, but The Globe and Mail Tuesday reported that these attempts stretch back to 2014-2015, after Justin Trudeau became Liberal leader, but before his party rose to power.
There are surely more revelations to come ... but why are Canadians finding out this way, through leaked bombshells in the press, instead of learning about it at the time, or at least finding out now through a public inquiry? What should we expect to learn in the coming days? And will we ever get transparency on this from Trudeau and his government?
GUEST: Robert Fife, Ottawa Bureau Chief, The Globe and Mail
Thankfully, Canada's process for updating its federal electoral map is nothing like America's partisan nightmare. But that doesn't mean it won't have an impact on the results. Every decade, boundaries are moved, new seats are added, and somebody has to win them. The questions are what's changing, what's moving where, and who stands to benefit?
GUEST: Éric Grenier, political and polling expert, founder of The Writ
It's such an innocuous term, intended to define a metropolis with neighbourhoods that are walkable and livable for citizens. It's been around for a long time as a theory, and it's one well worth discussing. Except you can't discuss it anymore, at least not rationally.
First in the United Kingdom, and now in Edmonton, plans for pilot projects, or even just consideration of the "15-minute" model have been met with cries of a Global World Order seeking to control the people. It's ridiculous, but it's also par for the course nowadays, when just about anything any government announces is jammed into a Universal Conspiracy Universe—featuring everything from climate lockdowns, anti-vax rhetoric and the "Great Reset". How did it happen, and is there any way back from this?
GUEST: Peter Guest, Acting Business Editor, WIRED
They are majestic flying in a "v" overhead. A symbol of fall and spring. A true National treasure. And also, Canada geese can be...just total jerks.
They flock to cities and universities, nesting and aggressively defending those nests, and leaving metric tons of goose poop just about everywhere. And you don't want to get on their bad side. This is the story of the many and varied efforts Canadian institutions have made to figure out how to live in peace with these creatures. If it's possible.
GUEST: Tom Jokinen, writing in The Walrus
In the time in between peak travel windows, the problems at Canada's major airports seem to have mostly vanished. But does that mean airlines and airport authorities have actually fixed the issues that had us ranked among the worst in the world last year? Not really.
The massive numbers of cancelled or delayed flights, and the chaotic snapshots of hundreds of bags scattered about are primed for a comeback, because there's an underlying problem we haven't solved. And there are lessons even a year of awful press has not helped the industry learn. So what makes Canada's airports and flights so unstable? What could have been done to fix this? And will it really take no more than a busy week or a bad storm to send this country's air travel into a tailspin?
GUEST: John Gradek, aviation industry expert, Faculty Lecturer and Program Co-ordinator, Supply Chain, Logistics and Operations Management, McGill University
Exactly what happened on February 3 in East Palestine, Ohio? What do we know about the toxic gasses that were vented from a derailed train? What kind of effect could they have on nearby residents, and could their impact reach as far as Canada?
It's been a decade since Canada's Lac-Mégantic train disaster, and somehow the push for tighter regulations for trains carrying hazardous cargo weren't enough to prevent this catastrophe. It may be years until we know everything about the environmental and health impacts, but what do we need to know, like, right now?
GUEST: Rebecca Burns, reporter, The Lever
Almost three years ago, George Floyd's murder and the ensuing protests, brought the idea of defunding the police into the mainstream, and made the concept palatable to many Canadians. And yet, with police budgets increasing in pretty much every city across Canada, it seems that momentum has yet to translate into tangible social change.
So what happened to the defund movement? What are some common misconceptions about its actual aims? And although police unions and politicians seem to have won the current PR battle, is the defund ideology too entrenched at this point to really be defeated?
GUEST: Ted Rutland, Associate professor of geography, planning and environment at Concordia University
The Meeting House was meant to be a new kind of church; one that would appeal to those who felt alienated by mainstream Christianity. The church’s charismatic leader, Bruxy Cavey, with his impassioned sermons, and sometimes controversial interpretations of scripture, drew parishioners to their Oakville, Ontario headquarters from across the Greater Toronto Area. At its peak, Meeting House membership numbered 5000, and the future looked bright for the so-called ‘megachurch’.
Then, in 2021, allegations of sexual misconduct were made against Cavey, and in the aftermath of that scandal, other incidents involving Meeting House staff began to surface, pointing to a more systemic issue within the church. Membership has since dwindled, and criminal proceedings against Cavey are ongoing.
So what exactly happened at the Meeting House? What can this scandal tell us about the phenomenon of Church sexual abuse more broadly? And what needs to change to make sure that places of worship are also a place of safety for all?
GUEST: Rachel Browne, investigative journalist and documentary producer who wrote about The Meeting House in The Walrus
The situation in Haiti, especially in and around the capital Port-au-Prince, has deteriorated in recent months. In some areas gang violence and poverty is rampant, while food, water and fuel have become scarce. While many point to the assassination of former-president Jovenel Moïse as the catalyst for the current crisis, our guest today argues that the roots of the current tumult stretch back much further, and that past Canadian foreign policy decisions have contributed heavily.
Now, there are calls for foreign military intervention to stabilize the situation, and suggestions that Canada should play a leading role in that effort, many are concerned that we’ve learned nothing from our past mistakes.
So what exactly is happening in Haiti? What do the Haitian people need to improve their situation? And if military intervention is not the answer, then what should Canada do to support Haiti in its struggle for peace, prosperity and justice?
Guest: Jean Saint-Vil (Jafrikayiti), radio host and Member of Solidarité Québec-Haiti.
It started with a suspected Chinese spy balloon, shot down by the American military off the coast of South Carolina after being tracked floating over the continent for at least 4 days. Since then, three more as-yet-unidentified objects have been blown out of the sky, one near the coast of Alaska, one in the northern Yukon Territory, and one over Lake Huron. At this point we can say with some certainty that the origin of these objects is terrestrial, and that’s essentially it.
It may take some time before the public gets definitive answers about what, exactly, is going on here, but the events have sparked renewed debate about NORAD, and Canada’s ability to protect its airspace.
So what types of risk could these aerial incursions pose to people on either side of the 49th parallel? Are these floating objects something new, or are we just noticing them more often now that we’re on higher alert?
GUEST: Stephanie Carvin, Associate Professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University and a former national security analyst with the government of Canada. Read her Newsweek article about the floating objects here.
John Tory for a long time seemed like your archetypal career politician; adept at avoiding scandal, and keeping his private life out of the public eye. And so the recent revelation that the thrice-elected mayor engaged in a romantic affair with a former employee — his subordinate at the time — was shocking to say the least.
On top of tarnishing his public image, the scandal has thrown the Toronto political sphere into a state of disarray. Tory, with his newly acquired ‘Strong Mayor Powers’, had an ambitious agenda for his third term, including the passage of a contentious budget that’s due to be debated in council this week.
Will Tory's opponents capitalize on the scandal to impose their own will onto the future of the city? And who might end up in the mayor’s seat, after what promises to be the most compelling Toronto municipal election in nearly a decade?
GUEST: Ben Spurr, reporter with The Star’s City Hall Bureau
Every day brings new headlines of entrance exams Chat GPT has passed, or university essays the AI tech has scored solid grades on. And the technology will only get better from here. One of the first places that will have to reckon will the AI revolution are colleges and universities, where essays and exams are traditional forms of evaluation.
So what are they doing? Are they attempting to seek out AI essays, as they do for plagiarism? To ban the programs entirely? And are those options just futile hopes? And if they can't beat 'em, will they join 'em, and incorporate AI technology into assignments and evaluations?
GUEST: Jeff Schatten, associate professor of business administration at Washington and Lee University
In October of 1988, 23 year old Tatiana “Tania” Anikejew was found in her Toronto apartment by a friend and her parents days after she had been stabbed to death. Her killer has never been found. Tania's parents died before any arrest was ever made in this case, but three of her friends have never given up on finding out the truth behind her violent death. They share her story in this episode.
Listen to more episodes of Tracking a Killer.
Traditionally, we think of a tip as an acknowledgement of a job well done, usually by someone who performs a service for us. It's become impolite not to tip, of course, but until recently the standards were still mostly understood. Then society began to go cashless...
Over the past few years, tipping has crept into far more transactions than it had previously. Now businesses don't need to rely on tradition, they can simply add a tip prompt to their transaction machines, and presto! Tip creep. This creates confusion, and often resentment, when being asked to tip for handing over some goods across a counter, or ringing up groceries. And it's not the workers' fault—but they're caught in the middle.
So where did tip creep come from? How much and when should you tip now, and what are the forces at work behind this dynamic?
GUEST: Corey Mintz, food reporter, author of The Next Supper
Keira Kagan should be an anonymous little girl—going to school, playing in the park, growing up. Instead, after three years of her mother fighting for answers and change and demanding better, she's a tragic example.
Keira and her father—who should never have been able to pick her up for the weekend—went over a cliff together, three years ago. Every year, 30 children in Canada are killed by a parent. Many of those deaths are preventable, if the system works, and those charged with that do their jobs. In Keira's case, neither of those things happened. This is how the unthinkable happens, way too often.
GUEST: Cynthia Mulligan, reporter, CityNews
In April of 2021, the federal government announced their intention to give all Canadians access to $10-a-day childcare, amounting to roughly $30-billion of federal funds over three years. It's a huge deal, as any parent who has ever paid for daycare can tell you.
For the program to actually work though, daycares need to be barrier-free and high quality. Here’s the catch: there’s a staffing shortage, workers are underpaid, and working in poor conditions. How can governments make childcare accessible to parents in need? How will the childcare system ensure that needs of early childhood educators are met? And what comes next?
GUEST: Emma Arkell, freelance reporter, writing in Chatelaine
A Canadian tank arrived in Poland on Monday, and will head off to bolster Ukrainian efforts agains a Russian invasion. The single tank, obviously, isn't critical on its own, but what it represents definitely is: It's a German tank, which Canada could not have offered without German agreement, which shouldn't be taken for granted.
Nearly a year after the war started, holding NATO's supportive alliance together is paramount, and these tanks are a symbol that it remains. They are also critical because as the territory warms up, Russia is likely planning new incursions—and the tanks will allow Ukrainian forces to bring the fight to them. After nearly a year of death and resistance, and a cold, slow winter, what happens when the thaw arrives?
GUEST: Matt Gurney, reporter and columnist, writing in The Line
What counts as "work" and what doesn't? If you're sitting there, doing nothing, thinking of how to accomplish your goals ... are you working? Well, if you're using a company laptop, the software watching your every move might not agree. And now there's a chance the courts will agree with them.
Welcome to the still-very-new era of "time theft", where employee tracking can result in a case being made against workers who were using their work time for something else, at least in the eyes of their employers. What kind of rules exist around employee monitoring in Canada? How far can this go? And who among us has never "stolen" some time? Like, really?
GUEST: Valerio De Stefano, Canada Research Chair in Innovation, Law and Society at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto and co-author of the 2022 book “Your boss is an Algorithm”
Much of humanity's search for extraterrestrial life has focused on, well, our kind of life—the conditions that make possible the biology we see on Earth. But what if the conditions that make life possible are far from what we imagine? What if we don't actually know what "life" is, even? Woah, dude...
Seriously, though, in recent years scientists have been working to reframe our parameters in hopes that we'll find unlikely life, in unlikely places. What might that look like? The possibilities are infinite.
GUEST: Sarah Scoles, science writer, reporting in Scientific American
Even if you don't live in the city, you've probably heard about the recent spate of violence on Toronto's transit system. There have been some really ugly, seemingly random incidents. And while anecdotes may not be reliable, in this case the numbers back them up: Even with far fewer riders, there has been a sharp spike in the number of serious incidents on the system since the pandemic began.
The question is what happens now. When fear spreads, that keeps riders away. With fewer riders comes worse service and safety, which keeps the cycle going. Add in the failings of Toronto's shelter system and other public health initiatives to help care for the city's vulnerable population, and you have a collapsing transit system also taking on the weight of other services.
Are more cops the answer? What else could the city try? Will they tackle the root cause of the problems, rather than simply the problems themselves? And what happens if they don't?
GUEST: Lex Harvey, transportation reporter, Toronto Star
Pain and fever meds for children—acetaminophen and ibuprofen, usually—have been in short (or no) supply across the country for several months. Purchases made by the government have begun to hit shelves, but for many parents it's still difficult to find. How did a handful of factors combine to cause this shortage? Why has it lasted so long?
And although these medicines have been the ones grabbing headlines, why don't many Canadians know just how many drugs we're running out of?
GUEST: Carly Weeks, health reporter, The Globe and Mail
When new drinking guidelines for Canadians were released, it was the headline takeaway that got the most attention, and scorn. And viral interview responses. In fact, many of the other recommendations were ignored. There is a lot of science behind limiting alcohol consumption, and there are many ways to do it.
But is setting a goal that is daunting for many Canadian drinkers the best way to do it? How important is the messaging to actually achieving results? Are there lessons we can learn, both from the pandemic and Canada's approach to tobacco, that could help us drink less, while also not sparking ridicule from those who enjoy a few beers?
GUEST: David Sweanor, chairman of the advisory committee for the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics.
It's fair to be skeptical of ANY deal announced by a government or resource company that will lead to natural resource extraction on Indigenous land. They don't have a good track record here, to put it mildly. But even with that said—last week was very good week for putting more power over the land back in the hands that once held it.
Are these deals, the sign of a new era in recognizing Indigenous rights, or will they prove to be more of the same when push comes to shove? Are they a sign of things to come, or outliers that will be overlooked?
GUEST: Leyland Cecco, reporter, The Guardian
It seems Impossible. Plant-based meat products were supposed to take us Beyond our love for beef, save the environment and maybe even make us healthier. For a while, it seemed the hype was real, and the growth was sustainable. Billions of dollars were spent backing that up. Three years later, it's pretty clear something went wrong.
Where did the hype come from? What was expected from these products and how did they fail to deliver? What happened to the plant-based meat revolution?
GUEST: Deena Shanker, Bloomberg food industry reporter
In one word: Cameras. If you live in a city, you should probably assume there's at least one camera watching you at all times, never mind the phones that are whipped out the second anything interesting happens. Reporters who cover the courts now report that basically every case features video compilations that track every moment of the suspect's day, as well as that of the victim. Through security cameras, store cameras, traffic cameras, even doorbell cameras—it's impossible not to be seen.
On one hand, solving murders is a good thing. On the other hand is ... everything that goes along with living in an age where you're under surveillance the moment you step out your door, and where the police have many more video resources than the average defendant ever will.
GUEST: Alyshah Hasham, former crime and courts reporter, current city hall reporter, Toronto Star
It's a process that can take up to a decade. And individual aspects of it can take up to a year or more. Or... it can take, like, a month.
The drug development process is time-consuming, intense and very, very expensive. So much so that only huge pharmaceutical companies can afford to keep swinging and missing. But a Canadian team using AI programs is aiming to change that—everything from the length of time to who can afford to do the work, and it just might revolutionize the entire process.
GUEST: Alán Aspuru-Guzik, professor of Chemistry and Computer Science at the University of Toronto; director of the Acceleration Consortium
In 2021, Statistics Canada reported 5.8 million Canadians suffered some level of food insecurity. As inflation has spiked, so have stories of hungry families needing food banks to fill their tables. But the root causes of food insecurity aren't captured by expensive groceries, nor are they solved with monthly boxes of food.
If you want to know why millions of citizens of one of the world's richest countries are hungry, you have to look deeper than that. And if we're going to solve the problem, the solutions have to go beyond simply "give them food".
GUEST: Valerie Tarasuk, professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto; leader of PROOF, an interdisciplinary research program studying effective policy approaches to reduce food insecurity
Canadians are passionate about their healthcare. Even when the system is in crisis, we're proud of having universal care, and we want it to work. So when Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced his government would move some surgeries into private clinics ... all hell broke loose.
So what exactly is happening in Ontario? How is it different from what's already happening in British Columbia and Quebec? What are critics concerned about and just how can we tell if this is a necessary move, or a step onto a slippery slope? Or both?
GUEST: Richard Southern, Queen's Park reporter, CityNews
It's probably the single brand most associated with Canada. It's also the single brand most associated with colonization, stolen land and genocide of Indigenous peoples.
Yes, the Hudson's Bay company has a long legacy. But for how much longer? The company's retail footprint is shrinking and it hasn't become much of an online shopping destination. One thing it does have though, is billions of dollars in prime downtown real estate. It's given one building away already—and the motives behind that are up for debate. What will happen to the rest of them?
GUEST: Don Gillmor, award-winning Canadian novelist, journalist and children's book author. Writing in The Walrus.
Many think of Canada as a promised land for immigrants from all over the world. That's because Canada literally needs immigrants and or refugees of any kind to survive. Though, as much as we love the image, that it's this, kind of, safe haven of some kind. The land occupiers are not altruistic. Do they have the political and popular will to sustain big immigration targets? Canada might even rank among the top destinations in the world for immigrants. That's a great place to work from, if it were on some list that decides your fate.
The question, though, is what are we doing to make sure some immigrants will continue to want to come here? To attract the workers in sectors that we need the most? To make sure the infrastructure that already struggles, can accommodate another half million new Canadians, and do it well?
GUEST: Rupa Banerjee, Canada Research Chair in Economic Inclusion, Employment and Entrepreneurship of Canada’s Immigrants, associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University.
It's known as Chronic Wasting Disease, and it's been around for more than a decade. In recent years, however, it has spread across Canadian prairies and animals at an alarming rate. In some places, up to 80 percent of deer populations tested may be infected. The illness makes animals like deer and elk waste away from the inside, looking like something from a horror movie (hence 'Zombie Deer').
So far the disease has not moved to humans, or other unrelated animals. But it is certainly possible. Meanwhile, funding for testing, research and potential vaccines is tough to come by. So why aren't we taking this seriously? Should we? How urgent is this crisis?
GUEST: Debbie McKenzie, University of Alberta professor and prion disease researcher
If that headline stunned you, you're not alone. Even veteran police officials and crime reporters can't recall a case like this one, in which eight teen girls ranging in age from 13 to 16 allegedly swarmed and attacked a homeless man, leading to his death from stab wounds. Police say there is an indication the group connected online and were involved in other altercations on the same night the attack took place.
The accused are all under 18, and cannot be identified. Hard information in this case has so far been difficult to come by, and the media is fighting for more of it in court. In the meantime, what can we say about a crime with so little precedent?
GUEST: Jennifer Pagliaro, crime reporter, The Toronto Star
Lobbying is a tricky part of politics. It can be tricky to define, tricky to identify and really, really tough to analyze at scale. That's because of how it's tracked—across several different databases, with no standards, no searchability and often completely different spellings of the businesses, organizations and politicians involved.
But a new data journalism project has tried to overcome that, and put everything we know about lobbying the highest levels of government in one place, so the public can see (and search) for themselves. And once they do that, you can answer the real questions: Who gets the most facetime with the most powerful people in the country, and what are they talking about?
GUEST: Roberto Rocha, data journalist, Investigative Journalism Foundation
Maybe it's the top you bought on Instagram or the flashy new appliance with a touchscreen. Maybe it's an Apple product that you can't repair yourself or a replacement for a product you've been buying forever that simply ... doesn't last as long as it once did. You've probably experienced at least one of these and likely more.
You're not imagining things or just getting old and grumpy. There are a number of reasons—some purposeful, others a result of circumstances—that are lowering the lifespans of products that used to last years, even decades. So why is this happening and what can we do about it?
GUEST: Izzie Ramirez, deputy editor of Vox's Future Perfect
Stop us if you've heard this one before: It's more contagious, we're seeing it make up a higher percentage of cases, hospitalizations are beginning to climb, and we don't yet know if it's more severe or not. Playing the role of Omicron in this winter's version of a January spike is sub-variant XBB 1.5, otherwise known as The Kraken.
So should you be worried? Will vaccines still protect us? How will we know if it's time to be concerned? What should we be doing now to make sure we can have a safe winter? And should we just prepare for this to be our seasonal situation for the next few years, as the virus moves towards real endemicity?
GUEST: Dr. Raywat Deonandan, Global Health Epidemiologist, and Associate Professor with the Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences at The University of Ottawa
Since Doug Ford reneged on his promise to protect the Greenbelt in November, resistance to his proposal has been fierce. In the past week that has culminated in a court challenge as well as a potential investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police. There are other investigations ongoing as well, and public protests at Queen's Park and elsewhere—but can any of it really stop development of the land for new homes?
What basis do the investigations and challenges have? What does the Ford government say to answer them? What comes next in Ontario's fiercest environmental battle in years?
GUEST: Emma McIntosh, Ontario reporter, The Narwhal
In early December, scientists announced a major breakthrough on the way to a fusion-powered world of unlimited clean energy. It received reams of media coverage and lots of hope for a miracle future that would solve the climate crisis.
The problem is that it won't. It can't possibly scale up in time to solve our current problems, never mind the ones we'll develop while waiting for it. But for the people who pay attention to clean energy and the climate emergency, the coverage was frustrating. Why? Because we don't need a miracle cure, we just need to focus on the technology we can scale up, right now.
GUEST: David Roberts, editor, reporter and host at Volts
Canadians were stranded in Mexico. They were on VIA trains for 20 hours, stopped on the tracks. They were stuck in airports waiting for flights that never took off or luggage that never arrived. The 2022 holiday season exposed just how fragile this country's transportation network has become. So who's to blame? What are they going to do about it? And will this ever get better?
GUEST: Stephanie Taylor, Parliament Hill reporter, The Canadian Press
This year marks the beginning of a delayed phase-out of single-use plastics, mandated by Canada's federal government. As the rules change over the coming months, restaurants are trying to figure out what to do—with plastic cutlery, plastic bags and most importantly with the takeout containers themselves.
Over decades, plastic takeout containers have been adapted to hundreds of different meals, from soups, to burgers, curry dishes and products that must stay really hot or really cold. So now, they're experimenting, and you might find your food looking different from one week to the next as they hunt down solutions. So what will the end result be? Can restaurants afford it? And ... will any of this really make a difference to the glut of plastic clogging the planet?
GUEST: Rosa Saba, business reporter, The Canadian Press
Unlike the most recent Conservative Party of Canada leaders to attempt to win a federal election, Pierre Poilievre has a new strategy. Since he won the job last fall, he has avoided the typical shift to the centre that his predecessor's have attempted. How does he plan to win by holding firm to the right? Can he win without centrist suburban support?
What would it take to get an election this year, anyway? And what would the campaign look like if one were called?
GUEST: Stephen Maher, writing in The Walrus with Frank Graves
This is the time of year when many people try to organize their finances for the coming year—how much things will cost, how much to spend, how much to save, all of that. But after one of the most turbulent economic years in recent memory, 2023 is shaping up to be even more unpredictable.
What should Canadians expect from their economy this year? How can you make financial plans in an age of inflation and interest rates, when everything from everyday groceries to the stocks in your portfolio are volatile? Should we still be worried about filling our RRSPs and savings accounts, or just stashing anything possible to try and get by? What does a 2023 budget look like?
GUEST: Shannon Lee Simmons, certified financial planner, chartered investment manager, founder of the New School of Finance and author of No-Regret Decisions
One of the biggest problems facing humans attempting to travel anywhere in space that's farther than the moon is the years it will take to get there. A small ship simply can't support normal human life for that long. We need too much food, water, exercise and stimulation. But ... what if we didn't? What if we could shut ourselves down, the way animals do in the middle of winter, needing limited supplies and passing months as though they were days?
This used to be the realm of science fiction. It's not anymore.
GUEST: Brendan I. Koerner, contributing editor at WIRED, author of The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking
We asked different Frequency staff members which TBS episodes resonated most with them in 2022. As we take a break from releasing new episodes over the holidays, we felt this was the perfect time to revisit these old favourites, and give you a bit of a glimpse into all the work that goes into making your favourite shows.
In the sixth and final instalment of our Staff Picks series, TBS host Jordan Heath-Rawlings explains why he selected an episode from July about our ever-decreasing attention spans, and what he's been doing to help regain his focus.
—ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES—
Have you by any chance been struggling to focus recently? Maybe you used to read long books, or dive into old hobbies and learning new things, and now that feels a lot harder than it should. You are not alone. Research shows that we are suffering through a profound loss of attention, and it's getting worse every day.
So what happened to us? Did we lose ourselves in our new devices, or has our attention been deliberately stolen? And what can we do to get it back?
GUEST: Johann Hari, journalist and author of Stolen Focus
We asked different Frequency staff members which TBS episodes resonated most with them in 2022. As we take a break from releasing new episodes over the holidays, we felt this was the perfect time to revisit these old favourites, and give you a bit of a glimpse into all the work that goes into making your favourite shows.
In the fifth instalment of our Staff Picks series, TBS producer Joe Fish explains why he selected an episode from September about counterfeit toonies.
—ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES—
They call it the "camel-toe toonie", and you will understand why as soon as you look at the front right paw of the polar bear on it. Since they were first discovered in circulation in 2020, estimates range from at least tens of thousands to likely millions of them reaching circulation.
But who is behind it? How do you counterfeit toonies at scale and get them into the banking system? And ... why toonies?
GUEST: Brent Mackie, creator of cameltoetoonies.ca, numismatist, treasurer of Waterloo Coin Society
We asked different Frequency staff members which TBS episodes resonated most with them in 2022. As we take a break from releasing new episodes over the holidays, we felt this was the perfect time to revisit these old favourites, and give you a bit of a glimpse into all the work that goes into making your favourite shows.
In the fourth instalment of our Staff Picks series, TBS producer Ebyan Abdigir explains why she selected an episode that originally aired in the wake of the Pope's apology tour back in August.
—ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES—
Now that the Pope has left Canada, it's worth looking at what he's leaving behind. It's complicated. Was the Papal Apology a sincere expression of regret and compassion and a promise to do better? Or was it checking off call to action #58 from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's list?
Will his visit help to heal the pain of survivors and the grief of their families? Or will it be seen as an unsatisfying end to a story that once hoped for so much more real change? Or ... both? What needs to come from this historic apology to make it meaningful?
GUEST: Patty Krawec, Anishnaabe writer from Lac Seul First Nation, co-host of the podcast Medicine for the Resistance, and author of the upcoming book, Becoming Kin.
What mattered most? What changed us? What didn't we pay enough attention to? And what will we remember about 2022 in 2025 or 2030?
As the year wraps up we called some of our favourite guests from a variety of fields to ask them what stood out, and what really mattered. And we made you a blooper reel. Have a safe and happy new year from all of us at TBS, and we'll return with brand new episodes on January 3, 2023.
GUESTS:
Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill reporter, CityNews
Vass Bednar, author of Regs 2 Riches
Balkan Devlen, Superforecaster at Good Judgement Inc.
Donnovan Bennett, Sportsnet Writer, host of Going Deep
Fatima Syed, guest host of TBS, Ontario reporter at The Narwhal
Sabina Vohra-Miller, clinical pharmacologist
Grab a hot chocolate and settle in by the fire for two tales of supernatural wonder from Canada’s frozen north: one from the Yukon Territory, one from the coast of Labrador. The first is a long-forgotten, supposedly “true” tale about how a mining engineer from Alaska was saved by a stranger who appeared to him in a dream. The second is well-known story of a phantom trapper said to roam the wilds of Labrador. Both are deeply set in the snowy wilds of the north, and deal with themes of the supernatural and salvation—perfect for sharing on a cold winter’s night.
Listen to more Fireside Canada. And read the complete show notes and more at FiresideCanada.ca
We asked different Frequency staff members which TBS episodes resonated most with them in 2022. As we take a break from releasing new episodes over the holidays, we felt this was the perfect time to revisit these old favourites, and give you a bit of a glimpse into all the work that goes into making your favourite shows.
In the third instalment of our Staff Picks series, Frequency's Digital Editor, Mary Jubran, explains why she selected an episode from April about a lack of available sex assault evidence collection kits in Canadian hospitals.
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Many victims have come to Canadian hospitals after they've survived a sexual assault, only to be informed that the hospital doesn't have either the equipment or the personnel to properly collect evidence for a future investigation. In some cases, victims have been sent to hospitals many miles away. Why are these kits scattered around the country, instead of being immediately available at any hospital? And who has the power to fix it?
GUEST: Jacqueline Villeneuve-Ahmed is the founder and director of She Matters, a community of women-identifying survivors and allies
We asked different Frequency staff members which TBS episodes resonated most with them in 2022. As we take a break from releasing new episodes over the holidays, we felt this was the perfect time to revisit these old favourites, and give you a bit of a glimpse into all the work that goes into making your favourite shows.
In the second instalment of our Staff Picks series, Frequency's manager of business development, Diana Keay, explains what she found so fascinating — and heartbreaking — about journalist Omar Mouallem's deep dive into the Canadian cannabis industry.
—ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES—
It was supposed to make billions upon billions as an industry, and the investors were chasing millions of their own. Instead, thousands of Canadians were left holding empty bags, having lost jobs, savings and opportunities to the promise of fast money and an industry that could never have possibly matched the hype.
How did (almost) everyone get the weed industry so wrong? And what happened to those Canadians who bought into the hype?
GUEST: Omar Mouallem, reporting in Canadian Business
Christmas trees won't vanish in this country, but the people who farm them are facing some tough decisions in the coming years. As the climate changes, trees grown apart, in neat little rows, simply can't take it as well as trees that make up a natural forest. As this worsens, the cost of farmed trees will continue to rise, and farmers may have to look at non-native species.
How does the tree farm industry work? Where does your perfect little triangle tree come from and why is it so difficult to grow? And ten years from now will more Canadians be heading out to the woods with axes, as our grandparents might have done?
GUEST: Richard Hamelin, head of Forest Conservation Sciences at the University of British Columbia
We asked different Frequency staff members which TBS episodes resonated most with them in 2022. As we take a break from releasing new episodes over the holidays, we felt this was the perfect time to revisit these staff picks, and give you a bit of a glimpse into all the work that goes into making your favourite shows.
Up first we have Stefanie Phillips, the show runner at Frequency Pods, telling us why she chose an episode from back in May, about rising food prices.
—ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES—
New numbers show Canada's rate of food inflation has hit a 40-year high, even passing the rate of the United States. Millions of Canadians are trying to balance their grocery bill with their budget and having to make difficult choices. So, where can you look for relief? What's less expensive even as other products are skyrocketing? How can you make sure you get the most for your money when there's little relief in sight?
And finally, much of the world is facing a compounding food crisis, how can we make sure Canadians continue to have store shelves full of goods, even if they do cost more than in the past?
GUEST: Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, co-host of The Food Professor podcast
It's a cliche to say the holidays can be a tough time for some people, but the truth is that almost everyone will spend some time this month exhausted, worried, lonely or just generally trying to make it through.
If you're not one of those people, congratulations! For everyone else, or even for those with friends or family who may need some extra care, this is the prep session for you.
GUEST: Erica Djossa, registered psychotherapist, host of Happy As A Mother
Most Ontario rifle hunters get less than two weeks a year to bag their deer. On Griffith Island they got 11 weeks—until the provincial government recently raised it to 13. Why such a long season? Nobody wants to talk about it. Not the government, and definitely not the exclusive hunting club on the island with its secretive membership list.
On the surface, Griffith Island is an interesting curiosity that can spark discussion of privilege. More than that, however, it raises questions about who sets hunting laws, who those laws are designed to benefit, and whether those decisions are driven by the best interests of conservation, or the best interests of the wealthy few.
GUEST: Emma McIntosh, Ontario reporter, The Narwhal
At the time of year when we should be trying to help others, those struggling with homelessness might not be feeling the love. In some Canadian cities, encampment communities have been taken down, sometimes violently. Temporary hotel shelters created during the pandemic are being shut down. And all just in time for winter.
Why has homelessness spiked in Canada? What's the root cause, and why aren't governments addressing it? We know we're not creating enough affordable housing, but what good does affordable housing do if you still can't afford it? What do those living outside, in the shelter system or in community encampments actually need—from governments, and from us?
GUEST: Jen St. Denis, housing and civic issues reporter, The Tyee
You've heard parts of this story in every report of a teacher preying on a vulnerable student. What makes this case different is the sheer scale of the abuse. Nearly twenty years, dozens of students ... how did it go on for so long?
Michael Gregory could have been stopped before most of this happened. But he wasn't. What can this horrific case teach us about protecting children from systematic abuse in the school system?
GUEST: Omar Mouallem, writer, editor, and filmmaker. (You can read Omar's piece in Maclean's right here.)
Trials will begin in Uganda this week for three vaccines that could combat the Ebola outbreak—and one of those vaccines was created here in Canada. But it was created years ago, and simply sat there, waiting for someone, anyone, move it to trial and manufacture. And this is something of a pattern.
Why is Canada among the world leaders in finding vaccines, and never doing anything with them? Why does it take for-profit companies or dozens of deaths before these projects move forward? How many lives could be saved from how many viruses if Canada, and the world, were just a little more proactive?
GUEST: Jason Nickerson, humanitarian representative to Canada for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières
For the first time ever, snow crab season has been cancelled. A survey of the population revealed thousands of tons of crabs, more than eleven billion animals estimates had said were on the Pacific Ocean floor, simply weren't there. The reason for their absence is a mystery, with many possible solutions—disease, migration, cannibalism and more.
In the days after the discovery however, most narratives focused on climate change's role in their absence. And while it surely played some part, what does it say about our rapidly changing world that this has become the first and simplest answer to any mystery in the natural world?
GUEST: Spencer Roberts, writing in Nautilus
Bill C-21 would change Canada's approach to gun control. A little bit. But an amendment to Bill C-21 would radically alter it, and it seems that the party pushing the legislation may not even realize it. In theory, the bill is intended to ban "assault-style" weapons. In practice it could ban hundreds of guns that have been legal to own for decades.
As you might imagine, this is not going over well with military gun owners, hunters and others who have used firearms safely and legally for many years. And the Liberals may now walk back to proposed amendment. But the big question here is this: How did a party that has made a ton of political hay on gun policy walk right into this mess with its eyes closed?
GUEST: Matt Gurney, print and broadcast journalist, co-founder of The Line
Has anyone in your family ever gotten away with murder? Are you sure? Because a new investigative DNA technique allows police to search a database for DNA linked to samples obtained in cold case investigations. Companies like 23andMe won't share your DNA with police, but many people who use those services choose to upload their results to other databases, in hopes of finding a match, or medical information, or many other things ... and they either allow, or forget to opt out of, police searching that data.
Recently Toronto Police cracked two decades-old cold cases this way, and the process is gaining popularity with police forces everywhere. So how does it work? Is it legal, or ethical? And are we about to see a flood of cold cases coming off the books, thanks to curious but innocent people who don't realize there's a killer in their family tree?
GUEST: Jennifer Pagliaro, crime reporter, Toronto Star
Yes, sports betting has technically been around for a long time in this country. But it's only been a little more than a year since single-game sports betting arrived to change the landscape completely. Now it's difficult to watch any kind of sporting event without commercials urging viewers to get in on the action.
What does that mean for the industry, for viewers and, perhaps most importantly, people who struggle with problem gambling? How does sports betting compare to other forms of legal gambling? Will we eventually see betting commercials and content recede as the industry establishes itself? And ... from the government's point of view, is this another legal cannabis fiasco?
GUEST: Mark Hill, reporter and editor at Inverse
Last week, a judge in Ontario ruled that Iran's Revolutionary Guard was in fact a "terrorist entity". This is a move that politicians on all sides have advocated for, as well as human rights groups and ordinary Iranian and Jewish Canadians. So why was a judge making the call and not the federal government, who has so far declined to do so?
What makes the IRGC a terrorist organization, by our standards? Who should be making that call, and what does it mean for the groups that meet the definition? And what's the story behind this unique ruling?
GUEST: Stewart Bell, National Online journalist, Global News
Canadians are using credit cards to pay for purchases more than ever before.Why wouldn't they? Cash has been on the decline and rewards programs are better than ever. But small businesses say these programs are killing them, and it has become almost impossible to understand the complex system of fees that go into these payments.
Right now, Ottawa is asking card companies and retailers to come to an agreement, before it has to step in and regulate. But why? How does the system work? Who pays for what? And what do you need to know the next time you whip out a card and chase the points during your holiday shopping?
GUEST: Susan Krashinsky Robertson covers the retail industry for the Globe and Mail's Report on Business
Anytime any government misplaces taxpayer money, it's a bad thing—whether that's wasteful spending, overpaying, mismanaging the budget or losing track in a spreadsheet. But when the government in question presides over a small municipality in rural Manitoba where a) $500,000 is an awful lot of money and b) the government is comprised of neighbours and business owners, friends and enemies, and everyone knows everyone, it can bring all kinds of long-simmering tensions and resentments to the surface.
Here's what happened in Westlake-Gladstone when the money vanished.
GUEST: J.R. Patterson, writing in The Walrus
There has been no shortage of political mudslinging regarding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's testimony at the Emergencies Act Inquiry last week—but perhaps the most important thing was that he took the stand at all. Beyond the Prime Minister answering questions, Canadians also got looks at emails, text messages, phone calls and all sorts of communications between governments and police services, different levels of leadership, different departments and more.
It's important to understand how rare this is—because once we understand that, we can ask the inevitable follow-up questions: Why is it rare? Why should it be rare to see how our governments work behind closed doors?
GUEST: David Moscrop, political writer and commentator; author and podcaster
It's the "Death Dilemma". When someone we love is at the end of their life, unresponsive in the ICU, our natural instinct when doctors ask us is to tell them to "do everything" to save them. But should it be?
How has our changing relationship with the end of life altered the medical system? Do we prioritize quantity of life over quality? Are we costing both our loved ones and the medical system added pain by not just letting them go? And how do we balance that with the desperate need to keep them with us?
GUEST: Dr. Blair Bigham, ER physician, author of Death Interrupted
Right now, Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board is barely functional. The backlog of eviction challenges, both legal and illegal, is miles long, and currently the board is focused on rent increases. Meanwhile, in landlord Facebook groups, some are asking about penalties for illegal evictions, perhaps planning to simply do that and pay for it later. While tenants, tossed by the hundreds for potentially dubious reasons since the eviction moratorium lifted, have nowhere to go—both literally, and with regards to their challenges.
How did it get this bad? What, if anything, is being done to fix it? And what do both renters and landlords need to know about the situation?
GUEST: Jack Hauen, reporter, QP Briefing
Depending on who you ask it will either help Canadian creators level the online playing field, or wreck their business model. The bill is intended to apply Canadian Content rules to online streaming—but it's incredibly complex and difficult to judge how it will work in practice. So what's in the bill? Why are some independent creators critical of it? What does it do in an ideal world, and will it actually work as intended? And what does it mean for the average Canadian who loves to surf YouTube or TikTok?
GUEST: Vass Bednar, executive director of the Masters of Public Policy in Digital Society program at McMaster University, author of the Regs 2 Riches newsletter
It goes without saying that police services often have their own version of events—which are often revealed in press releases or in conversation with reporters. But with public opinion turning against them as abuses of power are continually revealed, some police forces are going much further than that in an attempt to burnish their image.
Should cops write newsletters on Substack with their side of the story? Should they hire crisis communication firms using tax dollars? And even as they do it, does it accomplish anything?
GUEST: Julia-Simone Rutgers, writer and reporter based in Winnipeg, inaugural Justice Fund writer-in-residence at The Walrus
Surgeries for children are being cancelled at paediatric hospitals as staff race to care for a huge surge in kids arriving in the ER, or needing ICU space. This fall it seems like every child is coming down with something. What's going on? Can our children's hospitals handle it? What should parents be doing to keep their kids safe? And if you do need to take a child to the ER, what do you need to know?
GUEST: Dr. Katherine Smart, practicing paediatrician, past president of the Canadian Medical Association
It's only Team Canada's second time ever in FIFA's crown jewel tournament. They will be looking for their first goal. Making it to Qatar for the World Cup is the culmination of years of hard work, sacrifice and program building from Canada Soccer. For them, and the players and fans, it's a celebration.
But this World Cup was ugly before it began, and has become uglier still since it kicked off. In Qatar, same sex relationships are illegal, thousands of migrant workers have died building the stadium where the team will play, and already stories of censorship and bigotry have been reported by journalists on the ground.
How much ugliness will fans endure for the beautiful game?
GUEST: Donnovan Bennett, Sportsnet (You can find Donnovan's new show, Going Deep, right here)
There's still some debate over a possible recession in Canada, but less and less of it every day. If Canada's economy does slide, however, what will be the root causes? What are policymakers doing—and not doing—to prevent it? Where will Canadians feel it worst, and what can we look at right now to judge where we'll be in six months?
OH, and how does the whole "recession" thing work, anyways?
GUEST: Jim Stanford, economist and director of the Centre for Future Work
This is the fifth episode in a weeklong collaboration between The Big Story and The Narwhal, an award-winning non-profit publication that provides in-depth coverage of climate issues across Canada.
You’ve heard of Coastal GasLink: it’s the name of a fracked-gas pipeline under construction in northern B.C. The project, spearheaded by Calgary-based TC Energy, spans 670 kilometres and crosses mountain passes, salmon rivers and Indigenous lands. Those lands include around 190 kilometres of Wet’suwet’en territory, where Hereditary Chiefs have long opposed this project that’s being built without their consent. A year after the RCMP conducted raids and arrested more than 30 land defenders and two journalists, TC Energy is now drilling and laying pipe under a sacred Wet’suwet’en river — and tensions are as high as ever. The Narwhal’s northwest B.C. reporter Matt Simmons shares his first-hand view of what’s happening on the ground.
Read Matt’s story about the latest tensions on Wet’suwet’en territory here.
Read Matt’s explainer on the route of the Coastal GasLink pipeline here.
This is the fourth episode in a weeklong collaboration between The Big Story and The Narwhal, an award-winning non-profit publication that provides in-depth coverage of climate issues across Canada.
Indigenous Peoples have long taken care of the land — in fact, they still steward 80 per cent of remaining global biodiversity. With the world facing an extinction crisis, one solution gaining momentum is the creation of more Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas. As Montreal prepares to host COP15, the United Nations conference on biodiversity, experts say Canada has a responsibility to take the lead on implementing Indigenous-led conservation practices. Will it? B.C. reporter Steph Wood and biodiversity reporter Ainslie Cruickshank dig deep.
GUESTS: Stephanie Wood, B.C. reporter; Ainslie Cruikshank, B.C. biodiversity reporter
Read Stephanie's story about Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas here
Read Ainslie's story about British Columbia's lack of protections for at-risk species here
This is the third episode in a weeklong collaboration between The Big Story and The Narwhal, an award-winning non-profit publication that provides in-depth coverage of climate issues across Canada.
More than 200 million people could be displaced from their homes worldwide in the next few decades as extreme weather events become more frequent and intense. The biggest climate change risk in Canada? Flooding. Just last year, floods in B.C. wiped out roads, killed five people and left thousands stranded without food and water. In the Prairies, reporter Drew Anderson talked to people in the tiny, flood-prone community of Lehigh, Alta., who are being bought out of their homes before rising waters destroy them. Government reports say that Canadians need to learn to live with water — but what exactly does that mean?
GUEST: Drew Anderson, Narwhal’s Prairies reporter, based in Calgary
You can read Drew’s story, “This was our forever home”: floods, climate change and the end of one Alberta community, here.
Read more of Drew’s stories here.
This is the second episode in a weeklong collaboration between The Big Story and The Narwhal, an award-winning non-profit publication that provides in-depth coverage of climate issues across Canada.
For decades, Canada’s environmental policy has been greatly influenced by the interests of oil, gas and mining industries. And the close-knit bonds between these companies and government officials have been detrimental to climate action — they’ve successfully persuaded governments to weaken emissions regulations and commit billions toward pipeline projects. Oh, and both fossil fuel companies and Canada’s banks are pushing to delay climate transparency rules, climate investigations reporter Carl Meyer tells Fatima. So how do we make sense of this dark underbelly of Canadian politics? Tune in to find out.
GUEST: Carl Meyer, The Narwhal's climate investigations reporter
Read more about Brock Harrison and his move to the private sector here
Read about oil and gas companies lobbying against climate financial transparency here
Read Carl's coverage of efforts to regulate methane emissions here
This is the first episode in a weeklong collaboration between The Big Story and The Narwhal, an award-winning non-profit publication that provides in-depth coverage of climate issues across Canada.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford just broke his promise to not open up the protected Greenbelt to development. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to bleak news these days for the province’s environmental protections: conservation authorities are being gutted, flood-mitigating wetlands are at risk and citizens are losing their voice at the table. Plus, cities that don’t want sprawl are being ordered to grow beyond their boundaries. So what’s driving Ford’s decision-making? In a word: housing.
GUEST: Emma McIntosh, Ontario reporter at The Narwhal
Read Emma's Greenbelt coverage here
Read Fatima's coverage of Doug Ford's sprawl policies here
Read Emma and Fatima's coverage of Ontario Conservation Authorities here, and their writing on Doug Ford's overhaul of environmental protections here
Recently Bruce Willis's digital likeness was licensed for use in a Russian telecom commercial. And as both technology and acceptance of 'deepfakes' like this are improving, opportunities will soon abound for people with value attached to their names and likenesses. But who controls a digital instance of someone? Can an actor sell his or her likeness in perpetuity, to star in films when they're long dead? Can a celebrity endorse products without ever going near them or consuming them?
And what happens to the aspiring actors and musicians who would otherwise have gotten the less-publicized gigs that could now go to the mere image of someone way more famous than they are? The possibilities are endless...
GUEST: Will Bedingfield, London-based staff writer at WIRED
Yesterday, Canada's new Indo-Pacific strategy specifically targeted China's human rights abuses, its threats against Taiwan and Hong Kong and increasing aggression in dealings with the west. Earlier this year, there were reports Canada would not even mention the country's name for fear of provoking retaliation.
The new strategy comes on the heels of changes to the rules around foreign takeovers of Canadian businesses, and divestment orders given to three Chinese companies who purchased critical minerals businesses in Canada. Put it all together and it seems Canada has decided now is the time to push back against China. Why now? And how might China push back against Canadians?
GUEST: Stephanie Carvin, former national security analyst, Associate Professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, author of Stand on Guard: Reassessing threats to Canada's National Security
This is Mia's story, but she is far from the only one. When the BC government decided to take her from her band and her closest family, and ship her halfway across the country to non-Indigenous foster parent, the Gitxsan fought back. What happened offers a glimpse into a system that supposedly has learned the lessons of residential school horrors, but somehow hasn't learned enough to stop taking kids from Indigenous communities that want to care for them...
GUEST: Amy Romer, writing in The Walrus
Ontario kids will be back in school Tuesday, after the provincial government backed down on its use of the notwithstanding clause to force CUPE workers into a contract. That's the simple part. But this fight was important well beyond a few days of school—with unions across the country threatening solidarity strikes, sending money to support Ontario's education support workers and generally creating a show of force not seen in decades.
So will the two sides at the heart of this now find a solution? How will Doug Ford's government handle other upcoming labour battles, now that they know how hard the pushback can be? What does this one fight mean for labour in Canada this month and beyond?
GUEST: Cynthia Mulligan, Queen's Park reporter, CityNews
Nearly three years of into the on-going pandemic and there's still plenty of unused office spaces in most downtowns right now.
The City of Calgary is leading the trend of office to residential space conversion projects. So much so that American media in San Francisco and other places has picked up on it. This kind of urban revitalization is called "adaptive re-use," and it turns out, it's not actually as inexpensive or easy to do as it seems. So, what's required to get office conversion projects off the ground, in terms of legislation, but also, just, practically? And could this plan scale up quickly, to solve a housing crisis?
Guest: Tracy Hadden Loh, Fellow with the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking at Brookings Metro.
If you listen to the show with any regularity, you know that we recently concluded a TBS listener survey. We appreciate all of you who took the time to give us your feedback, and with this special Saturday release we're hoping to show you that we've taken all of your suggestions to heart.
In this episode, Jordan and TBS producer, Ebyan Abdigir, discuss some of the more revealing results of the survey, and the ways in which your comments and thoughts will influence the way we do things moving forward. They also provide a small sneak peek into some of the more exciting projects we've got coming down the pipe.
We hope you enjoy!
There are roughly 300 wild horses left, and sometimes Aaron Stelkia has awful decisions to make as he tries to ensure their survival. But this is his job, and he's been doing it his entire life. Stelkia is a member of the Okanagan Syilx community. He's known locally as "the last Syilx cowboy". And his story is what happens when one person takes on a task because the land and its animals need him. But what happens when he's gone?
GUEST: Kate Helmore, writing in the Globe and Mail
Between Meta (formerly Facebook) losing $80 billion and Elon Musk's fumbling start to his Twitter acquisition, it's been a pretty good week for anyone who hates social media. But today's guest argues that even if you never use these platforms, what happens to them impacts your life, simply because they've grown too influential to remain in the digital world.
So what does Mark Zuckerberg's relentless pursuit of the Metaverse and Musk's plans to shake up Twitter mean for the future of social media in general? And what does it mean for the future of the world that it influences?
GUEST: Jesse Hirsh, technologist and futurist
It's the kind of hyperbolic claim usually made by partisan contenders: "This is the most important election of your life" or "This year, democracy is on the ballot". But with candidates who deny the results of the 2020 presidential election running in races across the United States—and some of them poised to take over posts literally overseeing vote counting in future elections—non-partisan institutions and journalists are sounding the alarm.
What should Canadians expect from our neighbours on November 8 and beyond? Is political violence at the polls a real possibility? What does it mean for our own political future if America continues to slide away from democratic norms?
GUEST: James McCarten, Washington correspondent, The Canadian Press
When someone steals your credit card information and uses it to buy or order things, you almost always get your money back. It's one of the reasons people trust credit cards, and policies have been in place for decades. But now a new form of payment is on the rise — the e-Transfer — and with it money can be sent between accounts in seconds.
The kicker? There are none of the policies that credit cards have in place with e-Transfers. If some can gain access to your account, or convince you to send them money ... that money is gone. And this opens up a whole new can of worms for people figuring out finance policy, as well as a new world of opportunity for scammers. So what are we going to do about it?
GUEST: Alex Vronces, executive director of Paytechs of Canada, an industry association of technology companies that move money. He blogs at https://themox.substack.com.
Every day, Covid mutates. Many times. Most of the mutations are harmless or ineffective. Some—as everyone knows by now—are not, and can evade immunity and change the virus to better infect humans. Right now, doctors in Canada are worried about emerging variants spiking infections this fall. But how worried should they be?
Today we'll go inside the network of scientists that coordinate their efforts to better understand each emerging variant, how much of a threat it might pose, and what we need to watch out for. Before you read about a new rise in infections in the news, these are the folks sounding the alarms.
GUEST: Dr. Sarah Otto, evolutionary biologist, professor at the UBC’s department of zoology, expert at the Coronavirus Variants Rapid Response Network.
So are women, by the way. So is everyone, regardless of gender. For years, studies have shown that young people aren't having as much sex as in generations past. So it's not a surprise. But a recent study sparked a discussion around what young men, in particular, might do if they can't find a partner.
The numbers were used as the basis for the increasing number of shootings in the United States, and even a proposal of a "right to sex". But what do the numbers actually say? And why, when everyone is having less sex, are young men the focus here?
GUEST: Jude Ellison S. Doyle, feminist author of Trainwreck and Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers
Interest rates have risen again. Inflation has not declined. Almost everything costs more right now, especially groceries. Meanwhile, in the wake of two major companies announcing temporary price freezes within hours of one another, Canada's competition bureau has announced its intention to study why grocery prices are so high, and if having more players in the market would lower them.
Are higher prices a result of inflation, profiteering, or both? How can we tell, anyway? Did the price freezes spur this investigation, or was this something planned all along? And is raising interest rates to combat inflation really our best option? What else could we try if this doesn't work?
GUEST: Jim Stanford, Economist and Director of the Centre for Future Work
It seemed like there was a fight for the soul of the party that also governs the province. Until there wasn't. A week before the vote, the challenger with all the momentum was disqualified from the race, paving the way for longtime MLA David Eby to become leader, and the province's premiere.
So what happened? What was the split dividing the party, and how did the contest come to such an abrupt end? What happens now to challenger Anjali Appadurai and the thousands of new members she'd recruited? And what does this do to Eby's forthcoming attempts to govern a province on the front lines of Canada's climate crisis?
GUEST: Arno Kopecky, BC-based environmental journalist, covering the race for Canada's National Observer
Our friends across the pond are about to have their third Prime Minister in two months, without an election. Boris Johnson was finally ousted, only to be replaced by Liz Truss, who managed to tank the economy before resigning last week. Now Rishi Sunak is set to take on the role, and the Conservatives hope he'll hold it until a general election that's still ... 18 months away.
But why is an election so far away? How exactly did Johnson manage to resign and then almost get his old job back? Exactly how did Truss screw things up so badly so fast? And just ... in general ... what the hell is going on over there?
GUEST: Professor Matthew Flinders, Politics, University of Sheffield; Founding Director, Sir Bernard Crick Centre for the Public Understanding of Politics
There's a reason OnlyFans almost banned the content that drives the vast majority of its revenue last year. It's the same reason sex workers who sell content online speak in code on social media and sometimes call themselves "accountants". If identified as someone who sells adult content, all of a sudden any financial transaction can become ten times harder, even simple things like banking or buying airline tickets.
A new case that will make its way to the Supreme Court of Canada may decriminalize all sex work in this country, but even that may not stop financial discrimination. In the year 2022, why are creators who sell perfectly legal content and services still facing this discrimination?
GUEST: Maggie MacDonald, PhD candidate, University of Toronto, research focus on pornography platforms. Read her article in The Walrus here
Covid is only part of the problem. For any musical act that hasn't hit 'star' status, the current reality of putting together a tour, and keeping it on the road, is basically a highwire act. And one that can very easily lose money rather than make it.
Why is it so tough to perform live music right now? Who's cancelling tours and why? And what happens to Canadian music if only the superstars can afford to show up for the fans? How do artists stay afloat?
GUEST: Kyle Mullin, writing in Exclaim
A week into an inquiry looking into the so-called 'Freedom Convoy''s occupation of Ottawa, and the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act, and we've already heard several stunning revelations. It's clear there's a whole lot more to come.
So what do you need to know about how this works? Who will testify? What we have learned so far and what are we still hoping to find out? And what, if anything, will come of this whole process?
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill reporter, CityNews
Mahsa Amini was not the first woman, not even close, to be arrested by Iran's morality police for how she wore her hijab But when she died in police custody, a 22 year old, full of life, snuffed out. A spark was lit.
More than one month later, protests continue to rage across the country, and the regime's brutal crackdowns have not stamped them out. What happens next is unclear, but the situation is not tenable, and change is coming, fast or slow. So what should Western democracies be doing to help the protesters? And what happens if they succeed?
GUEST: Maziar Bahari, Iranian Canadian journalist and filmmaker, editor of IranWire.com and author of Then They Came For Me
Last week, a Swiss bank's annual ranking put Toronto No. 1 and Vancouver No. 6 on its list of the world's top housing bubbles. And although both cities have seen home prices decline this year, it's nowhere near close to matching their recent gains. So ... is this really a bubble, or will we not know until, oops, it pops?
What does a popped housing bubble actually look like in cities with limited supply? What would it do to homeowners who have their life savings in their property? And what would it mean to those who currently feel like they will never be able to own a home in these cities?
GUEST: Ari Altstedter, Reporter at Bloomberg News
The world needs Canadian grain more than ever. And they are buying it, providing a huge boost to prairie economies. This year, a bumper crop could be even better than 2021. If only we can get it all to market.
For the past few weeks, train companies have not been able to provide enough cars to move all the grain that's needed to port. And when the beginning of the supply chain stalls, it creates huge problems down the line. So how did this happen, who is at fault, and how do we fix it, fast?
GUEST: Lindsay Campbell, reporter at iPolitics.ca
All across North America, malls are vanishing. Some are simply being demolished, others are turning into condo complexes or Amazon warehouses. The rise of online shopping has made them less necessary for simply acquiring goods, but that was never all that malls were for.
When was the last time you just browsed? Wandered a store with no particular purchase in mind, hoping to find something cool? Or spent some time aimlessly "just looking"? In a hyper-focused digital world, we're spending less and less time free from a specific task or goal—which is what an afternoon at the mall accomplishes, at least while they're still around.
GUEST: Jason Guriel, author of On Browsing
When Laura Robinson began reporting about violence and sexual assault in Canadian junior hockey, resistance was fierce, including from the country's top commentator. But the years have obviously proven her correct, and exposed for all to see just what happens in locker rooms, buses and hotel suites.
Now that Hockey Canada's leadership has resigned, Robinson explains the long road to what she hopes will finally be real change, the challenges and opportunities facing those who guide the game, and where Canada's relationship to the game it loves goes from here.
GUEST: Laura Robinson, reporter and author of the 1998 book Crossing the Line: Violence and Sexual Assault in Canada’s National Sport
Toronto will vote in less than two weeks. Well, some of Toronto will vote. Less than a majority of citizens, that's for sure. And the outcome of the most important race is all but guaranteed already.
Why don't more Canadians care about municipal politics? Even when their vote directly impacts the services they get? Even when the winners will be tasked with reshaping the biggest city in the country, and the fourth biggest in North America?
GUEST: David Rider, City Hall Bureau Chief, Toronto Star
It's not a crime to claim asylum in Canada. It's a process. But that hasn't stopped the Canadian Border Services Agency from using an agreement with several provinces to put some of these people directly into provincial jails, where they are housed with, and treated the same as, convicted criminals and those charged with serious crimes and awaiting trial.
The asylum seekers describe inhumane conditions, especially for people who face no charges or accusations. Human rights agencies say it's a violation of international law. The federal government disagrees, but won't say much beyond that. How did this happen, and how do we fix it?
GUEST: Brigitte Bureau, award-winning investigative reporter, CBC Radio-Canada
It's the morning of June 16th, 1987, in Nashville, Tennessee. Shortly after midnight, firefighters are called to a blaze at Emmanuel Church of Christ. What they find in the ashes would change this small Pentecostal congregation forever. Thirty-five years later, Tara Jean Stevens begins to unravel this shocking crime.
On the journey with her is Sharon Edwards. She was just a kid when the fire tore apart her church family. Today, she wants to know the truth about what happened.
Listen to the rest of Heaven Bent: Death in Emmanuel here.
Bananas are the cheapest fruit around, and Canadians eat them by the millions. In fact during the pandemic and our current spike of inflation, bananas have only become cheaper—one of just a handful of foods to do so. But even still, some Canadians are choosing to pay more for their bananas. Why?
The answer involves a long and difficult history of the banana trade, and a Montreal company with one goal and a slick marketing team trying to change how we buy our bunches...
GUEST: Deborah Aarts, reporting in the Globe and Mail's ROB magazine
Canada has promised to reach Net Zero emissions from our grids by 2035. At the same time, as ordinary Canadians transition to things like electric vehicles and home heat pumps, we're going to need more power. Like, a lot more. So how do we scale up the system at the same time as making it cleaner? How much time do we have?
What sacrifices might we have to make? And who pays the bill in the end?
GUEST: Colin Guldimann, economist at RBC, author of The Price of Power report
Almost two weeks after Fiona hit Atlantic Canada, many communities are still picking up the pieces. In others, there are very few pieces to pick up—because homes and businesses are just ... gone. Thousands are still without power, and don't know when or if they'll return to their communities.
As the scale of the destruction becomes clear, what does the rest of Canada need to know about what happened here? What's being done to help those who have lost everything? What's to come in the next few weeks and months? And the real question: What's it like to live your life next to the sea, only to realize it won't be the same in the years and decades to come?
GUEST: Greg Mercer, Atlantic Canada reporter, The Globe and Mail
Asked to picture the hottest economy in the country, your mind goes to one of two places—the skyscrapers of Toronto's financial district, or the oil fields and towns of Alberta. But not this time. Over the past couple of years, and particularly since this February, global events have made certain industries more precarious; certain commodities harder to easily obtain.
And into that breach has stepped an unlikely winner, a province that is now pushing to figure out how to sustain its success for the next decade and beyond ...
GUEST: Jason Childs, associate prof of economics, University of Regina
Last week, the creative AI DALL-E opened to everyone wanting to use it. The program, which returns images based on text prompts provided by the user, has created mesmerizing tableaus from the gorgeous to the obscene, and it gets better all the time. But is this art? If not, why not?
Creative AI is simply the most visible aspect of an AI revolution that has taken major steps over the past couple of years. But how does it work? What else can it be used for and ... ummm ... should we be concerned?
GUEST: Stephen Marche, writer and cultural critic, has reported on Creative AI for The New Yorker and The Atlantic
As Canada's health-care system fails, more and more people will be willing to pay up to avoid the most overcrowded and underserviced parts of it. While no politician will come out in favour of privatizing health care, you do here a lot about "looking for innovative solutions"—which can often mean a second, paid tier.
Is this a viable solution to some of the system's burden? Or is it the beginning of a downward spiral we need to be very careful about?
GUEST: Natalie Mehra, Executive Director, Ontario Health Coalition
Indigenous artists are some of the world's most talented, and their unique pieces are highly valued for their creativity and culture. Unless they're not unique at all. Fraud is a huge problem, particularly in tourist areas where visitors will often want to bring home a mask or carving, and will be sold a fake duplicate of an artist's original work.
Today we'll meet a man who has taken on the thankless job of trying to fight back against the fraudsters, and make people aware of how to ethically purchase real Indigenous art.
GUEST: Jason Hunt, artist specializing in traditional Kwagiulth carvings
As stretched as our health-care system is right now, it may be nothing compared to what will test it in the years to come. Even if we've handled the worst of Covid, and no new disease emerges, Canada still has to reckon with an aging population. And a new landmark study details just what we'll be grappling with.
As our elders age, many of them will develop symptoms of early dementia. And thanks to a lack of resources, many of the early signs will go unnoticed or untreated. Eventually, these people will need a lot of care, and as things stand right now, we don't have the people, or the facilities, to provide it. So how long do we have and what should we do? Unlike Covid, this is a crisis we can clearly see coming. So are we going to meet it?
GUEST: Dr. Brian Goldman, Host of The Dose, ER physician, author of the foreword for the landmark study
When Canadians can't get family doctors, walk-in clinics are backlogged and there are no nurses available to provide long-term care in homes or facilities, it doesn't take much for a patient to arrive at an emergency room as a last resort. But even there, they may not find help, unless they're willing to wait, and wait, and wait.
A doctor who works in emergency rooms describes lines of ambulances, waiting but unable to drop off patients. Patients in chairs waiting for beds. And in the middle of it all, fewer doctors and nurses to care even for the critically ill patients that do make it to a bed. Emergency rooms were in trouble before the pandemic. Now they are about to collapse. But there are solutions, if we have the courage for them.
GUEST: Dr. Kashif Pirzada, emergency room physician
If everyone in Canada had a family doctor, we could prevent hundreds of thousands of emergency room visits before they happen. But millions of Canadians don't have one, and can't find one. And as family doctors get older and retire, while the population continues to grow, this is only going to get worse.
Why are family doctors in Canada an aging population? How can we attract more young doctors to take up family practices? And what kind of strain does it put on the system when millions of us have no first option when something is wrong, other than the local ER?
GUEST: Dr. Alika Lafontaine, President of the Canadian Medical Association and rural anesthesiologist
(This is part one of a five-part series examining Canada's health care crisis. How we got here, what comes next, and what we can do about it.)
Nurses are almost everyone's first point of contact with our health care system. And if you need extensive care, they will be your most reliable caregivers. But they're quitting. In droves. And without them, well, things like hospitals and long-term care facilities don't actually work.
What's causing the mass exodus? What can we do to stop it? And what do people hoping to enter the nursing profession need to make an impact when they get here?
GUEST: Natalie Stake-Doucet, former practicing nurse, Faculty Lecturer and PhD, Université de Montréal
Polls show a lot of support among Canadians for reexamining, and perhaps even ending, our relationship with the monarchy. This is clearly an opportunity to do something. But what does that something actually entail?
What would happen if Canada tried to reopen the Constitution to become a republic? If that's not feasible, what other steps could we take to distance ourselves from the royal family? And in 10 years, who will be on the Toonie?
GUEST: Stephen Maher, journalist and author, writing in ipolitics.ca
In recent years many conservative politicians have catered to the more extreme parts of their base to get elected, only to find that once in power they are obliged to continue to serve them. In the CPC leadership race, Pierre Poilievre managed to peel support away from would-be PPC voters and others on the fringe.
He needs these votes to beat Justin Trudeau and the Liberals in the next election. But the challenge he will face is harnessing their support without falling prey to their worst tendencies. Can he do it? How?
GUEST: Justin Ling, investigative journalist, author of the Bug-Eyed and Shameless newsletter
As they choose a new leader and prepare for a looming 2023 election, Alberta's United Conservative Party is looking ... anything but. Never mind leadership hopefuls taking shots at one another, outgoing leader Jason Kenney is still premier and is openly deriding some of the proposals from his would-be successors.
Meanwhile, Albertans care about the rising cost of living more than they do about picking yet another fight with Ottawa, so who among the UCP hopefuls is ready to help them, and how? And what is the leadership fight doing to the UCP's prospects in the next election, which will come no later than next May?
GUEST: Jason Ribeiro, political commentator and doctoral researcher at the University of Calgary
Three people, including a police officer, were killed. The gunman dies as well. The crimes stretched over three cities, five police agencies and hours of the middle of a day in Southern Ontario. But more than a week after the shooter was killed by police, there still isn't much to explain why this happened.
What do we know about the victims and the suspect? Why would he begin his attack by ambushing a cop in a coffee shop? What will we learn in the weeks ahead? And, once again, without a proper trial, how much of what police do eventually discover will they share with the public and the media?
GUEST: Wendy Gillis, crime and police reporter, Toronto Star (Read a minute-by-minute account of the shootings right here.)
As September begins, many companies are making a big push to bring their employees back to the office. But new data shows that employees are getting even more comfortable working from home, and are reporting improved mental health as a result. Meanwhile, the labour market favours workers, and employers are struggling to retain talent—which leaves them with little leverage when employees say they'd rather work remotely.
So what happens now? Because one thing is becoming clear: If employers can't get their workers back at the start of a new school year, with no pandemic restrictions and office space begging to be used ... they're probably not coming back to the office, ever.
GUEST: Vanmala Subramaniam, Future of Work reporter, The Globe and Mail
Queen Elizabeth II is at rest, but history is moving forward. This weekend, hundreds of thousands will say their final goodbyes to the monarch. On Monday tens of millions around the world will watch her funeral, attended by royals, world leaders and other dignitaries. And then, sometime soon, the world will have to grapple with King Charles III, the legacy of the monarchy and what commonwealth countries like Canada want to do next...
GUEST: Lisa LaFlamme has covered almost every major moment in the monarchy over the past 20-plus years. She joins The Big Story from London, where she is covering the Queen's death for CityNews.
We learned earlier this summer just how vulnerable our connected services can be. It seems like the government did, too. With a new memorandum of understanding and revisions to the competition act, it looks as if the federal government is trying to stabilize what many consider an essential service. But will new regulations have any teeth? And how could it change what services Canadians receive, and how much they pay?
GUEST: Vass Bednar, executive director of the Masters of Public Policy in Digital Society program at McMaster University
In less than a week, Ukrainian forces have regained more than 3000 square kilometres of territory occupied by Russia, and they plan to keep pushing. Videos show Russian tanks and ammunition left behind as soldiers flee. It's been an incredible offensive—but is it enough to turn the tide of this conflict? And what happens if Russia is humiliated in front of the world? What might Vladimir Putin do then?
GUEST: Balkan Devlin, Senior Fellow at the MacDonald-Laurier Institute, Superforecaster for Good Judgment, Inc.
In the moment, details in a breaking story are hard to come by. So are context and understanding. But as we begin to learn the facts of what transpired last week in Saskatchewan, we start to know what questions still need to be answered.
Even as reporters on the ground discover more about Myles Sanderson's possible motive, or his movements the day before the massacre, we're still trying to learn just how he ended up dead in police custody, what role, if any, his brother Damien played in the crimes... and most importantly, how the community can begin to heal, and what they need from us.
GUEST: Jana Pruden, feature writer, The Globe and Mail
Ever since Canada became a nation, we've been secretly worried about our friends to the south, just as we have been publicly supportive. Recent events in the United States have only exacerbated those concerns.
So what do experts think Canada should be doing to prepare for the worst? What scenarios are we gaming out? Is this even a realistic fear? And if so ... what exactly do we think we can do about it?
GUET: Ira Wells, writing in The Walrus
What happens in the halls of power when a monarch dies? Who will succeed Elizabeth? And what will this mean for the Royal family, and the commonwealth more generally?
(This interview was recorded in 2019, and covers the protocol for the minutes, hours, days and weeks following the passing of the Queen. Queen Elizabeth II died Thursday at the age of 96.)
GUEST: Patricia Treble, Royal reporter at WriteRoyalty.com
There are the normal kinds of toxins that your body can break down over time. These are different. But they're still found in plenty of every day household items, fast food and even the water you drink. It's almost impossible to avoid them. The CDC in the United States has said they are a public health concern. But they're still being manufactured, right now, by massive companies.
So what are they? Why do they stick around forever? Why are they still being made despite the fact we know they are harmful? And where, exactly, are they found and how can you best avoid them?
GUEST: Benji Jones, environmental reporter, Vox
(As well as a note from The Big Story about covering breaking news.)
On October 3, nearly everyone agrees that Premier Francois Legault and the CAQ will win another election. But after that, there's a lot in flux. The Parti Quebecois have shrunk to almost nothing, the Liberals are fighting to offer voters a vision ... and the Quebec Solidaire party has a progressive platform and an entirely different approach to sovereignty: Why should it only be for Quebec?
Can they win over enough disgruntled CAQ voters to make it close? Will Quebec's younger voters come out in droves for a young leader who rose with them in university protests? And what does the future of La Belle Province look like?
GUEST: Lisa Fitterman, writing in The Walrus
The weather's getting colder, the kids are back at school, people are returning to work, and that means we're probably going to see more Covid. How much more depends on things like the efficacy and uptake of the new Omicron-specific vaccine, and people's adherence to preventative measures. With little appetite for the reinstatement of lockdowns, school closures or mask mandates, it may now be incumbent on individuals to make good choices to protect themselves and their loved ones.
So what does it mean that provincial governments seem to have unilaterally decided that the pandemic is over? Without freely available data on Covid cases and deaths, how will we even know the level of risk in the community? And with the increasing specificity of Covid vaccines, could this be the last back-to-school where we even need to ask these questions?
GUEST: Dr. Raywat Deonandan, Global Health Epidemiologist, and Associate Professor with the Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences at The University of Ottawa
Every month or two, more Starbucks vote to unionize. In Canada, that fight is mostly spreading from west to east, with the first in Victoria, BC, and now others even in large Alberta cities. But why Starbucks? Why not Tim Horton's or McDonald's? What makes this coffee shop a good battleground for a labour movement that is gaining power?
And how is Starbucks fighting back? Is service worker organizing inevitable, or can companies like Starbucks still halt the momentum?
GUEST: Jeremy Appel, writing in Jacobin
They call it the "camel-toe toonie", and you will understand why as soon as you look at the front right paw of the polar bear on it. Since they were first discovered in circulation in 2020, estimates range from at least tens of thousands to likely millions of them reaching circulation.
But who is behind it? How do you counterfeit toonies at scale and get them into the banking system? And ... why toonies?
GUEST: Brent Mackie, creator of cameltoetoonies.ca, numismatist, treasurer of Waterloo Coin Society
When CPC leadership frontrunner Pierre Poilievre shook hands with Jeremy MacKenzie, a founder of the Diagolon movement, he likely had no idea who he was. But he soon found himself being asked to distance himself from the man. That's because although many in the movement will tell you that Diagolon is a joke, or a meme, the values it espouses are the opposite.
But is it really a call for a new nation? Is it just a way to justify being a troll online? What is it, actually, out in the real world? And why are people who cover hate groups worried about it?
GUEST: Peter Smith, investigative reporter, Canadian Anti-Hate Network
It's called the Default Prevention and Management Policy. And for decades it was used to take control of budgets and finances away from First Nations leaders, and put them in the hands of "default managers" appointed by the government to supposedly better manage a community’s finances.
Now an expansive investigation has examined just what happened in those communities that had financial control taken away. And in the vast majority of them...things got worse. In some cases, much worse. The government promised in 2017 to replace this policy — so far, without much action. Why?
GUEST: Patti Sonntag, investigative and data journalist, working with a large team for Canada's National Observer
Many of Canada's politicians spent their weekend condemning the behaviour of a man who angrily confronted Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in Alberta on Friday. The video, which includes screamed profanities as Freeland tries to board an elevator, went viral. But what Freeland experienced is just the tip of the iceberg.
There's currently a targeted hate campaign aimed at female journalists, many of them racialized. The abuse and threats they are subjected to is unprintable. There are health care workers leaving the profession in droves, tired of constant harassment. Canada has a real problem on its hands, and asking ourselves "Is this really who we are?" isn't enough to solve it.
GUEST: Fatima Syed, Vice President, Canadian Association of Journalists
HBO is really, really hoping that you streamed House of the Dragon last night. And Amazon is desperate for you to do the same with its Lord of the Rings prequel, Rings of Power, in September. These shows cost tens of millions of dollars per episode, at a time when the future of streaming platforms has never been cloudier.
This year has seen layoffs, declining subscriber numbers for Netflix, a coming merger between HBOMax and Discovery+ and many other signs that after years of upward trends, the market is saturated. And what happens when the market saturates? Well, only the strongest survive. It's a plot that wouldn't look out of place on HBO on Sunday nights.
GUEST: Brian Steinberg, Senior TV Editor, Variety
It's one of the most beautiful places in Canada. It's also on a list of Places To Visit Before They're Gone Forever. But if the people who refuse to give up on their homes and businesses have anything to say about it, even soil erosion from rising sea levels won't claim their islands.
They're using everything from lobster traps to sea barriers, moving what needs to be moved, to prove that even in the middle of a climate crisis, humans are adaptable and creative enough to save the places they love.
GUEST: Taras Grescoe, writing in Hakai magazine
Some United Kingdom supermarkets have done away with 'best before' dates on most of their products. Others are planning to follow their lead. Research shows that best before dates lead to food waste, as still-edible items are frequently tossed in the trash. And with food inflation making waste more costly, it seems like an idea worth considering...
So a new survey asked Canadians just that. Would they buy products without best before dates? Which ones? Do they ever consume products past those dates? The results illustrate Canada's culture of food safety, but also the hypocrisy in some of our food decisions.
(You can find the full survey right here.)
GUEST: Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, co-host of The Food Professor podcast
You've seen the little buttons right next to your 'checkout' box when you're shopping online. Would you like to break this payment up into four or six instalments, with no interest? With no interest? It's tempting!
As online shopping skyrocketed during the pandemic, so did the new way to buy now and pay later, with companies like PayBright or Sezzle receiving increasing amounts of business. But what's the catch? Why offer no-interest loans? What do you need to know about how this business works, and what's coming next?
GUEST: Kelsey Rolfe, writing in Canadian Business
It's a conversation nobody wants to have with aging loved ones. But right now Canada's Long-Term Care Facilities are struggling. They are crowded, conditions can be awful, and at least in Ontario seniors waiting in hospitals for beds can now be moved far from their families. It's urgent.
When we talk to older family members, they often say, "Just don't put me in a home." But unfortunately, in Canada's current system, that's the default. If we can't have honest conversations with our loved ones, we can't take our demands to the government effectively. If we really love our elders, we need to start speaking up, loudly.
GUEST: André Picard, Health reporter and columnist, The Globe and Mail, author of Neglected No More.
Peacocks look beautiful. They sound horrible. They're unique and special and can bring some whimsy to a town. They're a nuisance, and they damage property, chase cars and ruin gardens. This is the story of a peacock named Pearl, who made a town fall in love with her, until she started having more chicks....
GUEST: Lyndsie Bourgon, writing in The Walrus
It's no longer a question of if our comfortable lives will change as the climate does over thew next few decades. The questions are how much will they change, and where will they change the least?
People with lots of money are already buying property in places they believe will be safe from disaster. You can Google "Best places to live in climate crisis" and find a lot of listicles. But very few of us have the money to buy everything we'll need, or move across the world. So how can you prepare for whatever comes next in the safest and most sensible way possible?
GUEST: Alex Steffen, climate futurist, author of The Snap Forward
Early in the pandemic, nothing had to be perfect, governments just needed solutions. And Canada's developed the ArriveCAN app to help process returning Canadians and incoming foreigners, to ensure their compliance with what were then very strict Covid protocols. It might have been messy, but it sure seemed necessary.
Today, most of those protocols no longer exist. But ArriveCAN is still going strong. In fact, the government recently expanded the app to help modernize the border process. Which is fine...for those who want to use it. But why is it still mandatory? What do we know about the data it collects and what is done with it? And what's the danger of a government requiring citizens to use a piece of digital technology?
GUEST: Bianca Wylie, technology expert, partner at Digital Public, co-founder of Tech Reset Canada
The former US President once said he could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and his supporters would never waver. After a week in which it was revealed that his Florida property was searched by the FBI in an ongoing investigation related to classified documents—including some pertaining to nuclear weapons—that statement looks prophetic. Trump's base and the Republican party have rallied around him, with escalating threats of violence against the departments conducting the investigation.
But it does seem like the FBI and DOJ may be closing in. So what happens now? How far are we from an indictment, if one ever comes? Could a former president actually find himself under arrest? And if it does happen, what mayhem will it spark in a country that feels like a political powder keg?
GUEST: Aaron Rupar, independent political and policy journalist, author of Public Notice
It's tempting to see Romana Didulo and her followers as a big joke. No, she's not the "Queen of Canada", or the world, so have a laugh. Why not?
The answer to that question was on display in Peterborough, Ontario this weekend, when her followers attempted to perform citizens' arrests on members of the police force. Of course it didn't work, but things very nearly got out of hand. And if there were more people there, it might have.
In the meantime, her followers have lost money, homes and freedom following her various directives, and it's proving difficult to help them find reality once again.
GUEST: Kurt Phillips, founder of and former lead writer for Anti-Racist Canada, board member at the Canadian anti-hate network
It seems like a problem half a world away that doesn't concern us. But it's not. Strict new targets for fertilizer emissions have Dutch farmers fighting back, saying they will be forced to close. Canada's targets are not nearly as aggressive, but they have been poorly explained and may be badly implemented, causing a lot of fear among Canadian farmers worried they won't be able to care for their crops.
This fear is being preyed upon by some people, who would like to stoke anger against the government, and radicalize Canadians towards their ideology. Here's what you need to understand about the difference between the emissions targets, the fear of fertilizer restrictions and the bad actors taking advantage of it.
GUEST: Kelvin Heppner, field editor for RealAgriculture, family farmer in Manitoba
Kitsault was a mining town of 1,200 or so people in one of the most remote areas of British Columbia. It opened in 1981. It was empty by 1982. That was its first lifetime.
Since then, however, something has happened to Kitsault. Unlike other abandoned towns, Kitsault has been maintained. First by the mining company, later by a private owner. So today it sits, almost perfectly preserved, ready for a small town's worth of people to show up and move in. Will they?
GUEST: Justin McElroy, CBC reporter, personal Kitsault investigator
There's a lot of money in creating and patenting new drugs. Like, tens of billions of dollars. But the field is crowded, competitive and dominated by large pharmaceutical companies. So some new startups are looking elsewhere.
For decades psychedelics have been illegal, taboo and largely considered the drugs of hippies. The past decade, though, has changed that, as psilocybin, ketamine and others have been increasingly used therapeutically. So now the race is on to create brand new psychedelics, that can be approved, patented and ... yup, marketed to you. Welcome to the psychedelic arms race.
GUEST: John Semley, writer and researcher (Read John's piece in WIRED, right here.)
Ontario's health minister wants regulators to figure out a way to expedite the licensing of internationally trained doctors and nurses to help staff the province's ICUs, ERs and long-term care facilities. She hasn't said much about how, but it's a first step.
There are thousands of people who would like to work in the province's hospitals, but can't. It takes money, patience and years to become licensed. Why? Why have other countries figured this out but we can't?
GUEST: Dr. Shafi Bhuiyan, assistant professor at the Dalla Lana school of Public Health, founder and board member of the Canadian Association of Global Health
The World Junior Championships begin today in Edmonton. And the summer date is not the reason they'll be different this year. The past few months have seen disturbing accusations of sexual assault against several members of two team Canadas — 2003 and 2018.
Hockey Canada has spent decades of time and energy turning its world juniors into a Canadian myth, and lots of people have profited from that. These accusations, and revelations from Hockey Canada itself to a government committee have shattered that. Can it ever be put back together? And finally, why did it take so long to get here? It's not as though there haven't been plenty of warning signs ignored along the way...
GUEST: Michael Grange, Sportsnet
When 40-year-old Amber Manthorne fails to show up to work on Friday, July 8th, 2022, her friends immediately believe something is wrong. At first, it is thought that Amber is with her boyfriend, Justin Hall, but then Justin surfaces days later, without Amber, leaving more questions than answers.
In this episode, host Laura Palmer outlines the timeline of events surrounding Amber's disappearance and sits down with Amber's friend, and family spokesperson, Kristie St. Claire.
Listen to the rest of the series here.
We've known about fast radio bursts (or FRBs) for 15 years now. But nobody had seen one quite like this. A Canadian telescope detected an FRB that not only was much longer than usual, it had a distinct repeating pattern.
We learn more and more about the universe every year, and we're finding more and more things we can't quite understand. What are FRBs? Why was this one so special? And what's at the end of the discovery trail?
GUEST Marina Koren science writer, The Atlantic
You may have missed the final Conservative Party of Canada leadership debate Wednesday night. No worries! Pierre Poilievre missed it, too. The frontrunner has such a huge lead according to every report, that he had nothing to gain by attending.
How did this race go from competitive to ... not? Will Poilievre be different as CPC leader than he was as a candidate? How will this change both the Conservative party and the landscape of the next election, whenever that is?
GUEST: David Moscrop, political analyst, columnist, author of Too Dumb For Democracy
A seminal 2006 research paper on Alzheimer's has been cited more than 2000 times over the past decade and a half. Its conclusions have informed much of the direction the field has taken since then. And recently an investigation concluded that critical images in the paper may well have been fabricated.
Alzheimer's is already something of a mystery of a disease. We know so little about it. And now it appears we may not even know what we thought we knew. What happened? And what does it mean for so many years of work by so many doctors and scientists?
GUEST: Charles Piller, investigative journalist, Science Magazine
Now that the Pope has left Canada, it's worth looking at what he's leaving behind. It's complicated. Was the Papal Apology a sincere expression of regret and compassion and a promise to do better? Or was it checking off call to action #58 from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's list?
Will his visit help to heal the pain of survivors and the grief of their families? Or will it be seen as an unsatisfying end to a story that once hoped for so much more real change? Or ... both? What needs to come from this historic apology to make it meaningful?
GUEST: Patty Krawek, Anishnaabe writer from Lac Seul First Nation, co-host of the podcast Medicine for the Resistance, and author of the upcoming book, Becoming Kin.
Even if you haven't been there, you've heard the stories. Every airport is troubled this summer, but Toronto's may literally be the worst in the world. While blame is passed from the federal government to the airlines to the airport authority and back again, one reporter decided to find out what was really behind the utter collapse of the complex systems that keep planes and passengers moving on time. It's not as simple as anyone would have you believe...
GUEST: Richard Warnica, business feature writer at The Toronto Star
And how to listen to people you disagree with, so they'll listen to you.
It feels like we're more stubborn than ever before. More likely to dig in our heels, refuse to listen to facts and in general hold tight to our positions no matter what. But is that true, or is that just a function of the new ways of communication that we're still learning to use?
Regardless, if we can't figure out how to find solutions together, we may not have the time to figure it out. So the next time you're inclined to blow up at someone for believing in something dumb, or refusing to listen to reason, ask yourself if there's a better way to convince them.
GUEST: David McRaney, author of How Minds Change
As the world continues to hope for the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization has declared an outbreak of monkeypox a "global health emergency". But what makes this monkeypox virus different from ones that have been under control for decades?
As numbers rise around the world and here in Canada, public health messaging needs to walk a fine line between informing the public of the realities of the outbreak, while not contributing to the stigma attached to an outbreak that appears to centre on men who have sex with men. Oh, and monkeypox won't be the last outbreak the globe has to worry about. If you're curious, look up the Marburg virus...
GUEST: Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, assistant professor in Medical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases at the University of Manitoba, Canada Research Chair in the molecular pathogenesis of emerging viruses
Or was it never really a bubble in the first place? What we know right now is that sales are falling, prices are dropping (slightly!) and some investors are getting out. What we don't know are the full ramifications of rising interest rates on a market that has been white hot for more than a decade now.
Over the next few months, we'll see if this is a correction, a cooling or a crash. What will that mean for home owners? For aspiring buyers? For those stuck in a tough rental market? And even, yes, for people using homes as investment properties, which helped drive the market to such incredible highs?
GUEST: Ari Altstedter, Bloomberg
Heat isn't the same everywhere. Last week Toronto was the hottest place in Canada, but even if it wasn't it might have felt like it. Large metropolises are adept at soaking up heat and trapping it. Which means even the absence of the sun won't cool things down much. If you've got a nice shady street and plenty of air conditioning, it's an annoyance. If you don't have either, it's deadly.
And with records breaking annually now, and even the "normal day" temperatures increasing, cities and the people who live in them need to adapt to a future that we're already living in.
GUEST: Inori Roy, The Local
50 years ago, a dispute arose between Canada and Denmark over Hans Island, a piece of land that exists almost exactly halfway between the coast of Nunavut and Greenland, a Danish territory. The island holds value as a hunting ground for local Indigenous populations, but holds no strategic or economic value for either nation. And yet, for five decades our two countries were unable to reach an agreement over ownership of the island. Canadian and Danish troops would, reportedly, exchange bottles of booze with one another, which is why the conflict is sometimes called the 'whisky war'.
Recently, Canada, Greenland and Denmark reached an agreement that brought the conflict to the close. Essentially, they drew a line down the middle of the island, thus creating the first land border between Canada and Europe.
So what does that actually mean in a geopolitical sense? Why did it take half a century to come up with a solution that sounds like it was written by a third grader? And as wider swathes of the region become accessible due to climate change, could the resolution serve as a framework for future Arctic diplomacy?
GUEST: Martin Breum, Danish journalist and Arctic expert.
This week, Doug Ford announced an expansion of mayoral powers in Ontario's two largest municipalities, Toronto and Ottawa. The move would provide the mayors of both cities with significant veto power, giving them the ability to force motions through council without broader support. The changes come at an interesting time for Toronto, which is in the midst of a mayoral race where the incumbent, John Tory, is the heavy favourite.
So will the new powers give mayors the ability to make headway on vital issues like housing or transit? Will it lead to an erosion of democracy in two of Canada's most influential cities? And what might Toronto look like under the reign of a largely unbounded John Tory?
GUEST: Ben Spurr, city hall reporter at the Toronto Star.
Depending on which columnist you read or pundit you watch, it seems likely that Canada is headed for a recession in the not-too-distant future. People treat that word like it's the end of days, and many Canadians will definitely be feeling the pinch, but there are also things you can do that may mitigate the strain a recession will put on your personal finances.
What those precautionary steps look like depends heavily on your financial situation. But regardless of your tax bracket there's always something you can do, even if that something is a step that many people are terrified to take when it comes to money: recognizing that there's an issue, and asking for help.
GUEST: Kelley Keehn, personal finance expert, and author.
To be famous now, all you really need is an iphone, a TikTok account and some creativity. Gone were the days when celebrity status was dependent on starring film roles, or recording contracts, and the lowered barriers to entry have been great news for voices, like BIPOC or LGBTQ+ people who have long been excluded from the popular discourse.
Has this increased access to celebrity caused a dilution of its power? And even as platforms allow people to cut out the middlemen and connect directly with their audience, will we see a new class of gatekeepers arise in their place? Is a more equitable media industry even possible when the profit motive still influences decisions above all else?
GUEST: Stacy Lee Kong, Toronto-based writer, editor and critic. Founder of Friday Things
Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth is a family physician in Ottawa who was thrust into the limelight early on in the Covid-19 pandemic, when she was vocal in advocating for greater PPE access for physicians. She later shifted her focus towards vaccine access, and recently threatened to sue the Ontario government if they continued to limit booster access to those above the age of 65.
Dr. Kaplan-Myrth joined us to share her thoughts on healthcare worker burnout, booster access and the ways you can continue to protect yourself as infections continue to increase across Canada. She also spoke to us at length about the upsides and downsides to being a public figure, especially when it comes to vaccine advocacy.
GUEST: Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth, family physician. You can read a profile of her here
The COVID-19 pandemic caused many to quit their jobs. We know it as The Great Resignation. And while the pandemic was clearly the catalyst that pushed many across the world to re-evaluate their relationship with work, it likely wasn't the only factor. The biggest culprit might be stress, and it's actually the precursor to burning out.
Today, we're exploring burning out at work, what it means, how to spot it before it's too late, and what you can do to advocate for yourself, and maybe even change some work norms.
Guest: Vanessa Bohns is a professor of organizational behaviour at Cornell University and author of the book You Have More Influence Than You Think.
At the end of June, we released the 1000th episode of The Big Story, which felt like a huge accomplishment. From our team to you, here's a little message to show our appreciation.
Long lines. Flight delays and cancellations. Lost and missing luggage.
Airports in Canada have been a mess, for weeks now. And it'll likely stay this way until September, experts warn.
One way to avoid travel disappointment at airports in Canada and elsewhere, is simple: just don't take flights. Explore your own backyard!
But, if you must travel by airline, we've got you covered with a survival guide.
Guest: Jennifer Foden is a travel writer and editor based in Toronto. She was previously the editor of EnRoute, Air Canada’s travel magazine.
This week, the Council of the Federation, a group consisting of all 13 Canadian provincial and territorial leaders, met in Victoria B.C. to discuss a whole host of issues. At the top of the list: healthcare.
The Canadian medical system has had issues coping with demand since long before the pandemic, but Covid-19 has pushed an already struggling system to the brink. Now, with rampant staffing shortages, emergency room closures and delayed surgical procedures, it's clear something needs to give, and fast.
So how do we fix it? And as we enter a summer Covid wave, how much worse could it get?
GUEST: Dr. Katharine Smart, paediatrician and president of the Canadian Medical Association
On Monday, Ottawa called Canada's telecom giants to the table to talk about ways to prevent future large scale disruptions like Friday's nationwide Rogers outage, demanding a plan from telecom providers within 60 days.
On top of that, the CRTC, Canada's regulatory agency for broadcast and telecommunications has launched an investigation.
But many of us are still feeling the sting from being disconnected on Friday and wondering what happens next? What does this say about the vulnerabilities of telecommunications infrastructure in this country? What is the government’s role in all of this? And what solutions should we be pushing for?
Today, we're looking at what possible solutions are within reach.
Guest: Vass Bednar, executive director of the masters of public policy in digital society program at McMaster's University.
Their names were Anastasia Kuzyk, Nathalie Warmerdam and Carol Culleton, and on September 22, 2015, all three were killed by the same man, within hours of one another. The perpetrator had a history of abusive behaviour towards these women, and demonstrated a pattern of violent conduct spanning the last forty years. That makes this crime both predictable, and preventable; a devastating thought for the victims' family and friends.
Seven years later, a coroners inquest into the murders has yielded more than 80 recommendations for how the system can better protect those experiencing intimate partner violence. So what evidence did the jury hear during the inquest? What were some of their most noteworthy recommendations? And how do we make sure their words actually translate into action?
GUEST: Sarah Boesveld, Freelance journalist. You can read her inquest coverage in The Guardian here
After nearly 50 years, the repeal of Roe v Wade happened on June 24th. Immediately reproductive rights advocates, took to the streets in America to protest the U.S. Supreme Court's decision.
Here in Canada, and across the world, people also took to the streets in solidarity... on both sides of the issue.
In Canada the worry isn’t as much over losing the right to abortion…in 1988 abortion was decriminalized... the worry is how our neighbours to the south might start to sway the political and ideological arguments around reproductive rights taking place within our borders.
Canada is also accepting of those seeking abortions coming our way from the U.S.
What will that mean for an already taxed healthcare system? What happens next? How does this play out? And what other choices are left for people seeking abortions?
Guest host: Garvia Bailey, journalist, and co-founder of Media Girlfriends based in Toronto.
Guest: Hilary Beaumont, investigative journalist based in LA.
(This is the final part of a five-part series called Interconnected, detailing how technology is changing humanity.)
When you were a child, did you have limits on the amount of TV you could watch? Or video or computer games you could play? Too much of that stuff "would rot your brain", right? It was universally accepted that too much screen time would hinder kids development.
But is that still true in a world where children spent more than a year working, playing and learning online? In a world where my child will fall behind if she doesn't learn how to use a touchscreen? In a world where much of the rest of their lives will be spent online, how connected should children be?
GUEST: Dr. Nusheen Ameenuddin, chair of The American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communications and Media, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Mayo Clinic.
(This is part four in a five-part series called Interconnected, detailing how technology is changing humanity.)
The Lomi is a high-tech composter made by a Canadian company. It looks elegant and sleek. It claims to turn your leftover organic waste into compost, with no mess, no smell and no need to feel "gross"—which is how it assumes everyone feels about garbage.
But does it work? Will its compost actually do for your plants what regular, messy organic waste does? Or does it sanitize the process and remove the mess, but also the life? This is a look at how modern technology deals with death and decay, two things that humans have been trying to avoid for a very, very, very long time.
GUEST: Tynan Stewart, independent journalist based in Fort Worth, Texas. Tynan wrote about how the Lomi, a plastic composting gadget exemplifies tech’s desire – and failure – to smooth away imperfections of life and death for Real Life Magazine.
(This is part three in a five-part series called Interconnected, detailing how technology is changing humanity.)
Do you know how much sleep you got last night? How much of it was REM sleep? What was your heart rate? Should you be worried if it was high? Just how fit are you, exactly?
Many of us know more about ourselves—from exercise habits, to vital signs, to where we go and how fast we get there—than any humans in history. What are we doing with that knowledge? It can empower us to change our habits, or it can help us give into our more anxious impulses. What happens when we fully quantify ourselves?
GUEST: Natasha Schull, cultural anthropologist and associate professor in the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University. Her second book, Keeping Track, explores the relationship between an individual self and her personal data by exploring the advance of digital data-gathering techniques, like wearables.
(This is part two in a five-part series called Interconnected, detailing how technology is changing humanity.)
We tend to think of algorithms as something hidden and unknowable, at least to us. But of course they are not. Algorithms are tools, and humans are tool-users. And right now there are organizations and people using these tools to hack away at the social and political ties that bind us all together.
It's not something that just happened by accident. The technology made this kind of warfare possible, and as we have always done, we began to use new weapons on one another. What remains to be seen is if we can find peace at the end of the road...
GUEST: Renee DiResta, technical research manager at Stanford Internet Observatory, a cross-disciplinary program of research, teaching and policy engagement for the study of abuse in current information technologies.
(This is part one in a five-part series called Interconnected, detailing how technology is changing humanity.)
Have you by any chance been struggling to focus recently? Maybe you used to read long books, or dive into old hobbies and learning new things, and now that feels a lot harder than it should. You are not alone. Research shows that we are suffering through a profound loss of attention, and it's getting worse every day.
So what happened to us? Did we lose ourselves in our new devices, or has our attention been deliberately stolen? And what can we do to get it back?
GUEST: Johann Hari, journalist and author of Stolen Focus
Under the shadow of the MacKay Bridge in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the protest camp of Eddy Carvery has stood firm as the longest civil rights protest in North American history.
Eddy has remained in defiance for nearly half a century. In this episode, Eddy introduces us to the protest that has defined his adult life. The fight to claim the land of Africville back for its people.
If you care about racism, displaced peoples, and social justice, then you need to know the story of Africville Forever. Listen to the rest of the series here.
Join the fight at AfricvilleForever.com
According to race-based data released by the Toronto Police Service earlier this month, Black people and other people of colour are disproportionately over-policed compared to white people.
The data found that people of colour were 1.2 to 1.6 times more likely to face force when engaging with Toronto police in 2020.
Alongside the release of these findings, which the police service was mandated to conduct, was an apology from interim police chief James Ramer… that nobody asked for. For decades, Black and other racialized people have known that systemic racism exists within the police force.
So, what will these findings mean for the future of policing in Canada’s largest city?
Today, we speak to assistant professor in the department of health and society at the University of Toronto, Notisha Massaquoi who helped develop the framework for the Toronto Police Service’s race-based data policy.
You will no doubt be shocked to learn that the federal liberal government may have tried to politically influence an agency that should be independent. Who would have thought? Evidence released at an inquiry into the Portapique massacre seems to indicate that government officials the RCMP commissioner to release information about a weapon used by the shooter.
We don't know yet if the request came from the government, or the commissioner herself. We don't know yet if the Prime Minister or Public Safety Minister were personally involved. But what do we know? What needs to happen next? And will this divert attention away from an incredibly important inquiry into the worst mass shooting in Canadian history?
GUEST: Stephen Maher, Nova Scotian journalist and novelist, writing in The Line
Lately we've been wondering: why are we so distracted all the time? Always on our phones, tracking steps, anxious about the future, angry about politics? It probably has something to do with the leap we made into the digital world in 2020 — a rapid acceleration of what has been a slow process for most of our lives. But we wanted to know — what is it doing to us as a species? Because it feels like we’re evolving… digitally.
Starting July 4, join us for a special series called, Interconnected, that looks into what the first 30 years of life online can tell us about humanity’s present and future.
The City of Ottawa paid millions of dollars for train cars that wouldn't run in the winter. The doors stuck if people tried to open them to get out. One derailment shut down the system for weeks on end. The story of what should have been the crown jewel of Ottawa's transit system is a tragic comedy.
But as an inquiry right now is demonstrating, it's also a lesson to other Canadian cities. Because there's nothing as valuable to a city as public transit done right, and nothing more demoralizing than public transit done wrong. So what sent Ottawa's train project so far (sorry) off the rails?
GUEST: Fatima Syed, Ontario Reporter, The Narwhal
A leaked intelligence document suggests that the vast majority of protesters planning to be at Parliament Hill on Canada Day will be peaceful. Many of the organizers say the same. But not everyone...
The document also warns of extremist elements that are trending towards hatred and violence. Will we see these people at what is usually a happy celebration? Are police prepared this time to prevent a situation from escalating? Should members of parliament meet with organizers? And ... with almost all covid restrictions gone, what are these protests about now, anyway?
GUEST: Justin Ling, investigative journalist, writing in Vice, newsletter: bugeyedandshameless.com
“Don't get into a vehicle with a driver you don't know.” This was the golden rule Don Young taught his daughter, Lisa Marie Young. But twenty years ago, on June 29th 2002, Lisa broke her father's rule. She got into a red Jaguar driven by a charming young man and was never seen alive again.
Where is Lisa?: Red Jag Guy marks the 20th anniversary of Young's disappearance with a two-part story of the man behind the wheel. The man is Christopher William Adair, and the myth in Lisa's story is that the driver of the vehicle is a young man of considerable wealth and privilege. But as usual, the truth is more complicated. In part one, host Laura Palmer focuses on Chris's world before he met Lisa in 2002. She examines what is known about the last person to see Lisa alive, and asks what more might he know about what happened the night she vanished?
Listen to Island Crime Season 1 Where is Lisa?: Red Jag Guy here.
At some point the "how did we get here?" questions about the current state of inflation become less relevant than "how do I deal with this?" With inflation reaching its highest point since the early 1980's this week, and little relief in sight, that time is now for many of us.
We've done episodes about the Why and How and what happens next, but today we're trying to prepare for what we're going to be dealing with for the foreseeable future. So how should you handle your day-to-day expenses? Your savings and your investments, if you're lucky enough to have them? Your future retirement, or your next mortgage? Unless you're squarely in the top half of the 1%, you've probably been worrying about some of that, so let's ask some practical questions.
GUEST: Jason Heath (no relation to the host), financial planner and personal finance columnist with The Financial Post and MoneySense
By now, you might be familiar with images of RCMP officers using an axe to break down the door of a tiny house built by Indigenous land defenders on Wet'suwet'en territory. The structure was part of a camp that was blocking access to a site run by Coastal GasLink, who is currently building a natural gas pipeline through the territory, without the blessing of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs.
The raid made headlines across the country, in part because two journalists ended up being detained by the RCMP along with protestors. Why they were arrested, is just one of the questions that remains unanswered about the RCMP and B.C. government's conduct before, during and after the raid.
Guest: Matt Simmons, Northwest B.C. Reporter for The Narwhal
Read Matt's coverage here
Canada's Supreme Court said "yes," back in a May ruling. Now the federal government is tabling a bill to say "no," in June. The defence itself is narrow and nuanced, but the idea of allowing intoxicated people to to shirk responsibility in court is highly divisive.
So what is the actual definition of "self-induced extreme intoxication"? What happened in the cases that set this precedent? And what would the impact be in the day-to-day operation of our justice system?
GUEST: Pam Hrick, Executive Director & General Counsel at LEAF, the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund
And why isn't it a bigger story? Perhaps it's because the circumstances around their detention — the discovery of $25 million worth of cocaine in bags in a plane's maintenance bay — are so mysterious. But either way five Canadians have spent several weeks first in jail and then essentially under house arrest, without being charged with a crime. And even if they never are, it may still be months before they get home.
So what has the Canadian government done for them? What do authorities in the Dominican Republic have to say? What is the airline doing about it? And what happened to the seven people the crew was supposed to fly back to Toronto before the plane flight was halted when the drugs were found?
GUEST: Tracey Lindeman, writing in The Guardian
Wealthsimple started with the goal of making investing, and long-term wealth building accessible to millennials. Then they became one of the first in Canada to become a regulated cryptocurrency exchange. And it went well for a while. The company made huge profits during the pandemic. But over the last month, cryptocurrencies have seen their value decrease substantially, and many investors saw their wealth evaporate.
Was Wealthsimple wrong to make such a huge bet on crypto? And what does it mean for the future of the company?
Guest: Jacob Lorinc, business reporter at the Toronto Star
Scrolling through your social media feeds, especially if you work in any sort of public-facing position, can be hazardous to your mental health. A big portion of the blame belongs to the trolls, who capitalize on their online anonymity to hurl misogynistic or racist abuse at strangers. But a big part of the issue is the social media platforms themselves, and the opaque algorithms they employ that populate our feeds with derogatory posts or disinformation.
What if we could wrest control of our online experience back from these media conglomerates and make sure that we're only being shown the things we want to see? How do we do that without reinforcing the filter bubbles that contribute to the social fragmentation of our societies? And could this be the first step towards a safer and more equitable online future?
Guest: Tracy Chou, Founder and CEO of Block Party
Last week, LIV Golf held its first tournament, in London. Under normal circumstances, there would be no reason for anyone who isn't a diehard fan the sport to care. These, however, are anything but normal circumstances.
LIV Golf is backed by a Saudi Arabian fund that invests in projects to help burnish the image of a regime that has a dismal record on human rights. That money has been used to lure away some star golfers, including Phil Mickelson, from the PGA Tour. And when Mickelson found himself defending his decision while asserting publicly that he has "deep, deep empathy" for the survivors of the 9/11 attacks, it became pretty clear something had gone badly wrong somewhere...
GUEST: Donnovan Bennett, Sportsnet
The more the public learns about the events in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021, the more disturbing it gets. And the public hearings currently running on (most) American networks are offering a deeper look than ever before.
So what are we learning that we didn't know before the hearings began? Are they really non-partisan? Could they lead to criminal charges against Donald Trump or members of his administration? And the most crucial question of all: Will they matter to voters, who will vote, both in November and in 2024, at least in part on the issue of free and fair elections?
GUEST: Aaron Rupar, American political journalist, author of Public Notice
The new threshold, included in an amendment to the Customs Act, is a "reasonable general concern". What's the legal definition of that? Here's the thing: There isn't one.
In an attempt to create a higher barrier to opening Canadians' devices on entry, the Alberta Court of Appeals struck down the previous threshold, but left it to the government to create a new one. That's where "reasonable general concern" comes into play—and privacy advocates as well as a Canadian Senator are very concerned about the implications.
GUEST: Senator Paula Simons
In short? That it was a huge mess. But that's not enough. An inquiry is trying to get to the bottom of the police response to the worst mass shooting in Canadian history, and around every corner seems to lurk a new detail about delays, misinformation, too many commanding officers and, above all, inaction.
As Canadians learned in horror how police in Uvalde, Texas stood by while a shooter was murdering children in a school, they didn't have to look hard for a Canadian example of how utterly a response to a gunman can be botched. So what are the details? What do we still have to learn? And will there be any change, consequences or closure?
GUEST: Greg Mercer, Atlantic Canada reporter, The Globe and Mail
For those who have been paying attention to Canadian politics for the past 3-4 decades, Jean Charest will be a familiar figure.
Charest was first elected to the House of Commons in 1984, he lead the Progressive Conservative Party from 1993-1998, he also served as the 29th premier of Quebec... as a Liberal.
After a 10-year political hiatus, Charest is running for leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. His past affiliations, and some of his policies, have been touted by his rivals as proof that he's a Liberal in disguise. His chances at winning may hinge on his ability to convince party members otherwise.
So what is Jean Charest's pitch? How do his politics stack up to the likely frontrunner, Pierre Poilievre? And does he actually stand a chance?
GUEST: Catherine Cullen, Senior Reporter on Parliament Hill for CBC News.
Almost five years have passed since the start of the #MeToo movement, and just a few days ago, a verdict was reached in the trial of a famous Canadian musician accused of sexual assault. The Hoggard trial serves as a sort of litmus test for how far Canada has (and hasn't) come in terms of its approach to cases involving allegations of sexual violence. The results were decidedly mixed, and quite revealing.
Today, we'll take an in-depth look at the trial, and explore some of the evidence the jury never heard.
GUEST: Alyshah Hasham, crime and courts reporter, The Toronto Star
On its surface, "long-Covid" might seem self-explanatory — symptoms that linger following a COVID-19 infection. But beyond the prevalence of symptoms like extreme fatigue, chest pain, and loss of smell and taste, not much is known about what exactly causes the condition, or the best way to treat it.
So how are health care professionals helping Covid long-haulers regain their quality of life? Can an already over-burdened healthcare system deal with the disturbingly high number of people struggling with this chronic illness? And what is day to day life actually like when you're living with long-Covid?
Guests: Susie Goulding, COVID Long-Haulers Canada, and Dr. Marina Wasilewski, Sunnybrook Research Institute.
Patrick Brown's career has been marked by ups and downs. In 2015, at just 36 years old, he was elected leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative party. Then, three years later he resigned following allegations of sexual misconduct from two women — allegations that he denies. That same year, he was elected mayor of Brampton, an extremely diverse city in the Greater Toronto Area. Now he's trying to leverage that success in his current bid to become leader of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC).
At this point, Brown is not the frontrunner, but if we've learned one thing from his political career thus far, it's that we should be careful not to write him off entirely. So what is his strategy for winning this race? And what might the CPC look like under his leadership?
GUEST: Stephanie Taylor, Reporter at The Canadian Press
By now, most of us know how to recognize the signs that our credit or debit card information has been compromised. Maybe you see some strange activity in your banking app, or an emailed receipt from Amazon for a heinous chaise longue you didn't order.
The scam we're talking about today can be much more insidious. It can go on for years while you remain completely unaware, until one day, you get a phone call asking why you haven't made any payments on a mortgage you never signed up for. Welcome to the world of 'synthetic identity fraud'.
So how does this scheme work? How can you tell if someone has used your information to take out a fraudulent car loan or mortgage? And what should you do once you've uncovered the scam?
GUEST: Jennifer Fiddian-Green, leader of the National Risk and Forensic Advisory Practice at Grant-Thornton LLP
Almost 100 days after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Russian forces now control one-fifth of Ukraine. That is both a scary number and also a far better outcome thus far than most of the world predicted.
This was a war that was supposed to be brutal and short, and it may drag on for months to come as Ukrainians fight courageously against their aggressors—but in the end, somehow, this war will end. What are the possible scenarios for how, and which is likely to play out in the coming months?
GUEST: Balkan Devlen, senior fellow at McDonald Laurier Institute, Superforecaster for Good Judgment, Inc.
The overdose crisis is a tragedy, and in the past couple of years the number of deaths has been staggering. Harm-reduction advocates are looking for any way possible to save lives, and decriminalization is a strategy that has been used elsewhere to great effect.
So starting next January, British Columbia will try it with some drugs, at low amounts. Is this a huge step towards progressive drug policy, or too-little-too-late? Could it be both?
GUEST: Manisha Krishnan, senior editor, Vice News
Canada's governments are very good at commissioning reports, listening to recommendations and then ... not doing much. It's a pattern we've perfected over the years. In fact, a damning report delivered this week on sexual assault and harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces was actually the second on the same subject in seven years.
But advocates have hope that this report, and the government's reaction, will be different. The report is comprehensive and the recommendations demand large-scale systemic change. Many of them are recommendations the government can put into effect in short order if they have the will to do so. So... do they?
GUEST: Julie Lalonde, advocate and educator, author of Resilience is Futile: The Life and Death of Julie S. Lalonde
For an election so hotly anticipated by angry partisans, Ontario's month-long campaign doesn't seem to have inspired much of a shift from pre-election polls. The province votes in two days, and a quick glance would seem to say that Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives are headed for another majority. Beyond the top line, however, things are more murky.
Why have so many PC candidates dodged debates? Why have the Liberals and NDP spent so much time attacking one another, when their federal counterparts are openly working together? Why have highways taken debate time away from a climate crisis, even as a massive storm killed nine Ontarians and left thousands (still) without power? And if Ford does retain his majority, is it the end of the line for his opponents leading the NDP and Liberal parties?
GUEST: Richard Southern, Queen's Park Reporter, CityNews
You see them in the headlines every week or so: Hundreds of thousands—more often, millions—of dollars in cryptocurrency or NFTs, stolen by hackers or scammers who lured their victims into providing access to their secure wallets, only to empty them out.
As more and more non-experts jump into the scene, encouraged by big stars in high-priced commercials and dreaming of riches, there's more money than ever out there for the taking. Is crypto safe? How can you spot a scam? Does it need regulation? Or does it just need to come with a disclaimer—the same way legal gambling does?
GUEST: Jacob Silverman, writing in The New Republic
We've known for a long time that mining can come with harmful by-products, but Canada has often been slow to put this knowledge into action. And that's a big part of how a veritable mountain of arsenic — enough to kill everyone in this country — ended up entombed in the ground on the outskirts of Yellowknife, just across the bay from the Yellowknives Dene First Nation.
How did it get there? What are we doing about it? What happens as the frozen ground up there gets warmer in the years to come? These aren't pleasant questions, but sometime soon we're going to need some decent answers.
GUEST: Eva Holland, freelance journalist writing for The Walrus
Pandemics end. It's in their nature. And in recent weeks there's a large amount of data pointing to declining deaths worldwide and the logical end of the one that's plagued us for two-plus years. Finally. But how will we know when it's really "over"? What's the criteria? What comes after the pandemic phase of Covid-19, and what does the future look like? (Oh, and how worried should you be about Monkeypox?)
GUEST: Dr. David Fisman, epidemiologist, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
New numbers show Canada's rate of food inflation has hit a 40-year high, even passing the rate of the United States. Millions of Canadians are trying to balance their grocery bill with their budget and having to make difficult choices. So, where can you look for relief? What's less expensive even as other products are skyrocketing? How can you make sure you get the most for your money when there's little relief in sight?
And finally, much of the world is facing a compounding food crisis, how can we make sure Canadians continue to have store shelves full of goods, even if they do cost more than in the past?
GUEST: Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, co-host of The Food Professor podcast
It begins on a dating app you use and trust, with a user located in your city. Not with emails out of nowhere or random DMs. Even the investment part makes you money at first, and you can withdraw and spend it, and check your portfolio any time you like. But then ... everything vanished, and you're left with a broken heart and an empty bank account.
Welcome to the latest, incredibly sophisticated dating scam. And what we can do to get it under control.
GUEST: Carlo Handy Charles, dual PhD Candidate, McMaster University and Université des Antilles; read his work here
Fights over language have always been a part of Quebec politics, and of life in the province in general. For the most part, they tend to end in a begrudging compromise, with French protected and English available but not given equal billing. A new bill about to be passed by the province's majority Coalition Avenir Quebec government is threatening to change all that.
The government says it's necessary to protect the province's official language. Everyone who isn't a native French speaker, from Indigenous people to Anglophones to new immigrants hoping to make a home in Quebec, say that the bill is far too harsh and will make things like doctor-patient relationships, workplaces and institutional services far more difficult to navigate. So what's in the bill? What does it actually mean? And what happens next?
GUEST: Christopher Reynolds, Montreal-based reporter, The Canadian Press
You see it most visibly when party leaders like Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh are accosted outside of events. But ordinary MPs of all parties report increasing amounts of verbal abuse and threatening behaviour—both in Ottawa and their home ridings. And it's escalating.
Some veteran MPs have walked away from politics because of it. And it's quite likely this toxic climate is preventing plenty more would-be public servants from ever running for office. So how did it get this bad? And how do we fix it?
GUEST: Stephen Maher, writing in The Walrus
The secret to Uber's success was always supposed to be scale. The company subsidized rides and drivers, operating at a loss on each ride, as it grew into what is now a global behemoth. At that point, with a huge chunk of the market secured, the profits would naturally follow.
Uber is now as dominant in its sector as any company could hope for. It has scale to rival the world's biggest companies and ... its posting losses. Big losses. What happened here? And what does it say about the future of the app?
GUEST: Alison Griswold, London-based journalist, author of Oversharing
Mohamedou Ould Slahi is not a Canadian citizen. He's Mauritanian. But he did spend a few weeks in Canada, and during that time he was watched. It is that evidence gathered by Canadian authorities, he claims, that led to his eventual detention and torture, and 14 years in security facilities. Now he's suing the Canadian government for $30 million. How did a few weeks in Montreal change his life, and how much is our government to blame?
GUEST: Michelle Shephard, terrorism and human rights reporter, filmmaker and podcaster
For decades, insurance companies devoted thousands of hours and millions of dollars to complex investigations of insurance claims, trying to determine whether claimants were lying or telling the truth. Now, a would-be fraudster can concoct an elaborate excuse only to find their scheme foiled by the gadgets within the very vehicle they may be trying to get fixed.
As digital technology becomes a standard part of every car, so do tracking devices that can determine everything from the route you took, where you stopped and if you were, say, going even just a kilometre or three over the speed limit. What are the implications for drivers, and the insurance industry at large?
GUEST: Aaron Hutchins, Maclean's
The murder victim in Thailand was a known gangster who had spent years in and around Vancouver. One of the four men who died in the mysterious crash was wanted by Thai police for his alleged role in the killing. In between the two events is four months, multiple police investigations across the world, a second fugitive also on the run, two young pilots and dozens of unanswered questions.
Who was Gene Lahrkamp? How did he end up dead near Sioux Lookout, Ontario? Why would he have travelled to Thailand to murder a gangster? What will happen when this story begins to be told?
GUEST: Kim Bolan, crime reporter, Vancouver Sun
They call themselves the Norman Brigade, and they're led by Hrulf, who won't reveal his real name. But he's from Quebec, served in the Canadian military and has a Ukrainian wife and children. The brigade is composed of foreign fighters from around the world, including several Canadians. The brigade recruits through Facebook. They even sell merchandise.
But former members question the leader's ability and the safety of the unit—citing poor accommodations, insufficient weapons and ammunition and a reckless leadership style. What is the Norman Brigade? Why are they fighting in Ukraine? And how dangerous are they, to themselves or to the Russians?
GUEST: Tom Blackwell, senior reporter, National post
Looking at gas and grocery prices, it might be hard to believe inflation is anywhere close to stopping, but economists see some promising signs. Whether it has peaked yet or not, however, the real test will be if the inflation rate recedes or stabilizes at five percent or higher.
How did we end up with this spike in the first place? What has (and hasn't) been done by Canada's federal government to control them? What should you watch for in the next couple of months, and how can you prepare for whatever comes next?
GUEST: Pedro Antunes, Chief Economist, The Conference Board of Canada
It was supposed to make billions upon billions as an industry, and the investors were chasing millions of their own. Instead, thousands of Canadians were left holding empty bags, having lost jobs, savings and opportunities to the promise of fast money and an industry that could never have possibly matched the hype.
How did (almost) everyone get the weed industry so wrong? And what happened to those Canadians who bought into the hype?
GUEST: Omar Mouallem, reporting in Canadian Business
Employees are returning to offices this spring. Some, just for a day or two per week. Some are back in their desks full-time. But without any kind of standard, how will office employment ever find a new normal? What rights do workers have when told they must come back in person? How has the possibility (or not) of remote work changed recruiting?
Is there anything to be gained from a return to office work in terms of productivity, or is it just a case of millions of dollars in expensive real estate sitting empty? And what comes next?
GUEST: Vanmala Subramaniam, Future of Work reporter, The Globe and Mail
The virus driving an outbreak that's spread to almost every province is a variant. It's a more pathogenic bug that renders the host infectious even before it displays any symptoms. Sound like any other virus you know?
The risk to humans is extremely low. So far. But what's already happening is devastation in the poultry industry, and widespread infections creating conditions for a potential mutation that could make things worse. Here's what you need to know.
GUEST: Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt, veterinarian and researcher, Université de Montréal
The news leaked Monday night. It was shocking, but not all that surprising. A woman's right to choose has been under attack for a long time in America, and states have spent the past five years chipping away at access, first with knives and then with axes. But the crown jewel of the anti-abortion movement has always been Roe—and the leaked supreme court decision overturning it would also open up pathways to remove other rights once set in law, like contraception access, or gay marriage.
What is happening in America? And what comes next? And will Canada be drawn down the same path in the years to come?
GUEST: Carter Sherman, Senior Reporter, Vice News
Say what you want about Doug Ford (and people do!), there are very few people in the province he's run for four years who are neutral about him. Ontario heads into an election at a crossroads on a number of policy issues, and it's never been more important to examine where the parties each stand on them. So what's Ford's real record? What do we know about a second Ford term? Can Andrea Horwath finally win an election? Who is Liberal leader Steven Del Duca, and could his relative anonymity help keep the focus on the issues?
But mostly, will this campaign turn into a fight over Ford, or not? And what should Ontarians expect to see over the next month?
GUEST: Richard Southern, Queen's Park reporter, CityNews
There have been some heartbreaking headlines recently, about people who are living with chronic conditions in situations that force them to suffer—and choosing a medically assisted death because they can't find affordable housing that can accommodate them. These stories are complicated, but so is every conversation around a medically assisted death.
Now that the law has been around for years, it's better understood but it's also evolving. Next year, patients will be able to request MAiD with the sole condition of mental illness, which will make these conversations even more difficult. So who can access MAiD, how is it changing? What's next? And ... why is it so difficult for Canadians to talk about death?
GUEST: Dr. Stefanie Green, MAiD practitioner, co-founder and current president of the Canadian Association of MAiD Assessors and Providers
Recently the Progressive Conservative government released a climate plan. Actually, they specifically said not to call it a "plan". It's a set of emissions targets and how they plan to hit them. It's not very long and thin on details, and the government's budget didn't add much to it. But does any party in Ontario have a serious climate plan? And with a pandemic, a housing crisis and an inflation spike blowing through household budgets, it's worth asking how big an issue the climate will be in the upcoming election campaign.
But what happens to us if it isn't?
GUEST: Fatima Syed, Ontario reporter, The Narwhal
It's impossible to discuss a new film or show these days without someone reminding you, "No spoilers!" Purposefully spoiling a plot point in a popular work is considered just short of evil. Entire trailers and hype campaigns are based on you not knowing one particular thing about a film, so you spend the entire time waiting, just waiting, for the big reveal.
But what if all of this was ruining our ability to enjoy creativity and art for their own sake? What if when we were waiting for the guest star or unexpected twist, we were missing the things that made the piece exceptional? What if we can't see the forest because we keep looking for one special tree that everyone has told us is a big surprise? What if ... (most) spoilers were good?
GUEST: Emily St. James, senior correspondent, Vox
His name was Traevon Desjarlais-Chalifoux. He was 17. And in the wake of his death, there are so many questions and so few answers. Will the system admit any responsibility? Will the government that oversees it make any changes? How big is this long-ignored systemic problem, and can we fix it before it costs another young Indigenous person their life?
GUEST: Nancy Macdonald, The Globe and Mail
The Canada Emergency Response Benefit was a lifeline to millions in the early days of the pandemic. Then, in early 2021, letters went out to more than 400,000 Canadians informing them that they may not have qualified and might have to pay the money they received back to the Canada Revenue Agency. For folks already struggling to make ends meet, this was a terrifying thought.
When you dig into who received those letters, though, something disturbing appears. Certain regions of the country received a disproportionately higher percentage of these frightening letters. Why? Who was targeted? And in general, who may end up owing the government money and what should you do if you receive one of these notices?
GUEST: Kelly Geraldine Malone, Canadian Press
Typically, taking care of these pests has meant, well, pesticides. And sometimes, lots of them. But one Canadian city is working to curb the use of chemicals by deploying different tactics to control its mosquito population. What does Edmonton plan to do with all those bats and dragonflies, anyway?
And as the weather warms up in most of the country, what can we all do to handle our own mosquito problems? It turns out there are some newer solutions than simply crowding the air with foul-smelling spray... though that still works in a pinch. Oh, and, couldn't we just exterminate all these little jerks and be done with them? No? Why not?
GUEST: Sean Prager, assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan, research in insect ecology
Depends on how you do it, and who you ask. Regenerative agriculture is a practice almost as old as farming itself. But recently it's been touted as a potential climate saviour for its ability to help capture more carbon in the soil. But with no real regulation or certification, it can be a dedicated, environmentally healthy way for farmers to make their produce better and more sustainable, or a pretty claim to put in a press release. How can you tell which is which?
GUEST: Marc Fawcett-Atkinson, reporter and writer covering food, climate, plastics and the environment for Canada’s National Observer.
March Vautour is a border-hopping Canadian con artist who's tricked women and men out of over a million dollars. He's been getting away with it for over 20 years, but now his survivors have teamed up to do everything they can to stop him. From Pink Moon Studio and Frequency Podcast Network, Catch Him if You Can mixes documentary and drama to tell the story of a man who thought he was untouchable and his survivors' real-time crusade to catch him.
Check out Catch Him If You Can here.
When Canadians were asked to get their first two covid vaccines, they were told that doing so would get them back to normal. Now some of them are booking and receiving their fourth shots. And more than that, we originally called two shots "fully vaccinated"—when clearly time and the virus have proven that wrong.
So what happened to our plan for vaccinations and how has it changed? Could a new, targeted vaccine expected this fall put an end to endless boosters? Did we get the messaging about vaccines wrong a year ago? And how do we make sure that vaccine hesitancy around Covid shots doesn't spread to shots that we've all been giving our children for decades?
GUEST: Sabina Vohra-Miller, clinical pharmacologist
Probably! It's called dynamic pricing, and it's very different than paying extra for premium matchups at the ballpark or seats on an airplane. Dynamic pricing in an online marketplace is an opaque system that uses an algorithm to determine how much to charge you (or someone else) for anything from milk and paper towels to books or even a Tinder subscription.
Factors at play when a price is set can include your neighbourhood, shopping history, recorded preference and many others. If it sounds shady, well, it's impossible to determine just how shady it is because none of this is public to would-be consumers. And none of our existing regulations address it. Should they? And if so, how?
GUEST: Vass Bednar, Executive Director, MPP in Digital Society at McMaster University, Author at Regs2Riches.com
Many victims have come to Canadian hospitals after they've survived a sexual assault, only to be informed that the hospital doesn't have either the equipment or the personnel to properly collect evidence for a future investigation. In some cases, victims have been sent to hospitals many miles away. Why are these kits scattered around the country, instead of being immediately available at any hospital? And who has the power to fix it?
GUEST: Jacqueline Villeneuve-Ahmed is the founder and director of She Matters, a community of women-identifying survivors and allies
Last week, Conservative leadership favourite Pierre Poilievre released a video excoriating both municipal and federal governments for failing to keep housing affordable for the average family. It struck a chord with conservatives and many liberals as well, because of just how hopeless home ownership seems to so many. But are Poilievre's solutions workable? Are anyone's?
For a long time now housing has been a commodity, an investment—not a place of shelter and safety. What will it take to actually make a dent in the affordability crisis? And does any party or politician have the guts to do it?
GUEST: Leilani Farha, global director, The Shift
When the Toronto Raptors face the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night in the opening game of their NBA Playoffs series, thousands of fans will be gathered in the square outside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, watching the game from what has come to be known as 'Jurassic Park'.
The last time they did this, the Raptors became the 2019 NBA Champions. And since then, everyone's life has been turned upside down. The team's journey has mirrored ours, and the hope is that Saturday marks the beginning of the end of a couple of really tough years...
GUEST: William Lou, co-host of The Raptors Show, Sportsnet
At the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, two things became immediately clear. First, this would not go according to Putin's plans. Russia has met fierce resistance every step of the way and has been forced to retreat from its attempt to take the Ukrainian capital. Second, it became obvious that misinformation would play a role in what we learned and didn't learn about the situation on the ground. Russia, obviously, has some experience in that area.
So how are Ukrainians surviving and resisting, and how long can they hold out?
GUEST: Stewart Bell, Global News Online
The supply chain is a problem. The cost of raw materials is rising. The cost of labour is up, too. But while we tend to assume inflation is caused by companies hiking prices due to reasons that are beyond their control, the truth is much more complicated. So, how much of Canada's current price hikes are due to market factors, and how much is simply companies taking the opportunity to increase their profits? And what can we do about it?
GUEST: Jacob Lorinc, business and economics reporter, Toronto Star.
Very early in the pandemic, Canada put a pause on deportations. Conditions were unsafe, the world had stopped, and a lot of these workers were doing jobs Canadians badly needed done. But the pause didn't last long, and since deportations have resumed more than 18,000 people have been sent back to their country of origin, even as frontline labour is at a premium and some of them face health and safety risks upon their return.
What's the rationale behind this? What options do these aspiring Canadians have? And could we have found a different way?
GUEST: Isabel Macdonald, researcher and writer based in Montreal, writing for The Walrus
The housing crisis is one of Canadians' biggest concerns, and in last week's federal budget it got some top-line attention. But inflation didn't receive nearly as much attention, and the cost of everything is rising. How will the plans unveiled by the government make your own budget easier or harder to balance?
And beyond personal finances, what's in store for the environment, defence and other critical national issues? And did the Liberals deal with the NDP make this budget bigger and better, or buy the government time to plan for the long term?
GUEST: Mike Eppel, senior business editor at CityNews
Every year, most Canadian provinces release lists of the top wages among public servants. And every year, lots of people get mad about them. It's easy to say that it's unfair to publish these names and salaries, as it inevitably makes some people a target. But what if instead, we made more salaries public, not less?
Secrecy around salaries is just another part of Canada's lack of transparency as a country. From government records to police investigations to any number of things, we prefer to keep things in the dark. And the darker things are, the easier it is for them to remain unequal. There are places in the world where everyone's salary is public. What would this country look like if your co-workers knew what you made, or vice versa?
GUEST: Robyn Doolittle, investigative reporter, The Globe and Mail
He returned to the province as a conservative saviour, uniting the right under one banner and vanquishing the NDP. But just a few short years later, Jason Kenney's own party—or at least a substantial chunk of it—wants him gone. A leadership review attracted so many interested voters that it was moved from an in-person event to a mail-in ballot, which has only furthered the cries of skullduggery from his opponents within the UCP. It also probably didn't help that Kenney was taped referring to them as "kooks" and "lunatics" in a leaked audio clip.
What happened to Kenney's conservative support in Alberta? And what happens next if his party ousts him?
GUEST: Jason Markusoff, Alberta-based staff writer, Maclean's
Hospitalizations are climbing again in parts of the country, and cases are rising in others. It's deja vu all over again. It's clear we're in for at least some sort of Spring rise in Covid-19, driven by the BA.2 subvariant, but how bad could it be? Is it possible this is a sign of a virus playing itself out? What can people who are worried do to protect themselves?
And ... haven't we done this enough by now? Will we ever figure this out?
GUEST: Colin Furness, infection control epidemiologist at the University of Toronto
The federal government has ambitious targets set for the percentage of cars in Canada that will be electric by 2030. We're a long way from meeting them. But research shows hundreds of thousands of Canadians would like to purchase one. They just can't find one, can't afford one, or don't have the access to charging to make it worth their time.
Meanwhile, the country's auto manufacturing hub needs help transitioning to be ready for the demand of the next generation of cars. All this adds up to problems at both ends of the supply chain, and a ticking clock making each project and incentive count.
GUEST: Zoe Long, Research Manager for SFU’s Sustainable Transportation Action Research Team (START)
When you trust someone with your heart, you have to accept that it might get broken. Things might not work out. You might grow apart. But at the least, you would hope for honesty. And if not honesty then ... maybe, at least not outright fraud and theft?
Sadly though, not everyone gets that — which brings us to a group of Canadian women, all of whom, had their hearts broken and bank accounts emptied by a con artist. And their sadness and loss could have been the end of the story. But it's not...
GUEST: Emilia King, host and co-creator of Catch Him If You Can
For decades, Canada's men's soccer team was irrelevant at best, a punchline at worst. While the women's side went on to Olympic medals and World Cup runs, the Canadian men ... did nothing. Until a few years ago, when the tide began to turn. And then last year, when the unthinkable started to happen.
Now Canada is not only headed to the World Cup for just the second time in its history, but the team also looks ready to do some damage when it gets there. How did the unthinkable happen?
GUEST: John Molinaro, veteran Canadian soccer journalist, founder of TFC Republic
(This episode originally aired on Feb. 2, 2022)
The ISS has long been well above Earth's political squabbles. But since Russia invaded Ukraine, and most of the world began sanctioning Putin's regime, it seems less likely it will remain that way. On the station, Russian and American (and other countries') astronauts work together to research and problem solve. But on Earth, the head of Russia's space agency says the US will be to blame for the death of the space station.
Can The ISS even function without both sides cooperating? Does either side want it to, really? And with private companies like SpaceX pushing hard for increasing ISS access and work with space agencies—are we on the cusp of an entirely new era for humans in outer space?
GUEST: Ivan Semeniuk, science reporter, The Globe and Mail
There are places on the coast of British Columbia that can go weeks without a visit from the coast guard or government official. But the land is cared for all the same, and so is anyone who finds themselves in danger while they're on it. The practice of Indigenous guardians goes back centuries, but recently it has been both formalized and funded by the government, giving First Nations the authority and resources to watch over their lands. It's an arrangement that may spread across the country and return more stewardship of forests, lakes and oceans to the people who have lived on them for so long... and this is how it works.
GUEST: Jimmy Thomson, writing for The Narwhal
A week ago, it was record-breaking temperatures. In the Arctic as well as the Antarctic. This weekend, an ice shelf the size of New York City broke off one of the parts of Antarctica that's supposed to be stable. Is this another frightening sign of how quickly the climate crisis is escalating? A series of coincidences that ultimately won't have massive consequences? Or a chance for us to learn that the answer to both those questions can, in fact, be "Yes"—and that scary headlines ultimately might not be the best way to wake up the world?
GUEST: Simon Donner, professor of climatology at the University of British Columbia
Canadian white-tailed deer can get SARS-CoV-2. More importantly, they can maybe transmit it back to humans. This may sound scary, but it's unclear how often it might happen. What's more important, however, are the questions this raises.
Will animals remain a reservoir for the virus, continuing its life in areas where human cases are close to zero? Can different species create new variants that could spread to humans? How could we monitor these animals for the virus anyway, even if we wanted to? And is the same kind of transmission possible in household pets like cats and dogs?
GUEST: Denise Balkissoon, Ontario Bureau Chief, The Narwhal
He's the heavy favourite to be the next leader of the federal Conservatives. He's a relentless attack dog that loves a good partisan brawl. He's angry. Especially at Justin Trudeau. Just ask him. But that's not all there is to the man. Under the public persona is something else. The question is why it's mostly kept buried, and if Poilievre thinks it's better to keep it that way?
GUEST: Shannon Proudfoot, Ottawa bureau chief, Maclean's magazine (Read Shannon's profile of Poilievre right here.)
Two years ago, things started changing ... quickly. They haven't stopped since. Yes, eventually the pandemic will end, but the normal we hoped would return is long gone. After decades of unprecedented stability, especially in places like Canada, many people have simply never experienced a world in constant flux. It's a funny feeling, and one we're still learning how to cope with.
So how should we grapple with the new world we inhabit?
GUEST: Elamin Abdelmahmoud, culture writer at Buzzfeed News, host of Pop Chat from CBC podcasts. Elamin's book, Son of Elsewhere, is available for pre-order.
Discussion of Ukraine aid has focused mostly on military equipment—how NATO allies can aid the Ukrainians against Russia. Meanwhile, staggering numbers of Ukrainian civilians have either fled the country or are trapped in regions being devastated by Russian bombardment. The needs of the Ukrainian people are massive and varied. How can we help get them what they need, where they are or aid those who do manage to make it to Canada? And what should we expect of our government to help us get it to them?
GUEST: Orest Zakydalsky, Senior Policy Advisor for the Ukrainian Canadian Congress
When the federal Liberal and New Democratic Parties announced an agreement that would keep the Liberals in power until 2025 in exchange for advancing key policy initiatives, it turned Ottawa upside down. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his frequent critic, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, are working together. The Conservatives, in the middle of a leadership race, are irate. And there are a ton of questions to answer.
What kind of deal is this, and what are the precedents for it? What kinds of policy will it produce? How will Canadians' lives change? What happens if one party breaks its word? Is this really "backdoor socialism"? And how does this change the federal political landscape, for the next few years and beyond?
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill Reporter
It's been one request that absolutely nobody is willing to grant. While many NATO members are sending arms and aid to Ukrainians, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's pleas for a no-fly zone over his country have been rebuffed. And there's a good reason for that.
Today: How a no-fly zone works, why allies are refusing to enact one, and what happens next in Ukraine, where Russian forces continue to increase the destructiveness of their attacks...
GUEST: Abbie Shull, junior military and defense reporter at Business Insider
When anomalies arose about nearly $2 million in grant money obtained by Toronto Pride, it prompted the new guard running the organization to commit to a review and transparency around funding. As it became clear how the grants were obtained, it has raised larger questions about who Pride events are for, why they have become such huge, corporate-money-friendly events and what Pride should be at its roots: A party or a protest?
GUEST: Krishna Rau, writing for Xtra
We almost didn't have baseball back. In a winter filled with loss and discontent, maybe that wouldn't have mattered much. But the return of the game mattered a lot to millions of people looking for signs of spring. And it mattered even more to a Toronto Blue Jays team that was counting on this season to make a big push towards a World Series.
A labour deal got done at the 11th hour. A full 162-game season is on the books. And the Jays wasted no time in making more moves designed to load up a talented team with even more players. So, just how good can this team be?
GUEST: Shi Davidi, senior baseball columnist, Sportsnet
Thunder Bay, Ontario already had a reputation as a place with a racist police force, uninvestigated Indigenous deaths and missing persons who were barely even searched for. So it shouldn't be shocking that new reports this month confirmed more of exactly that. But somehow it is.
These issues have been well known for many years now—why has nothing changed? What is the municipal government prepared to do about it? What would actually make a difference?
GUEST: Willow Fiddler, The Globe and Mail
By now many people assume we'll be getting annual covid boosters for the rest of our lives. That's possible, but there are other possibilities, too. In the past two years we've learned so much about how to rapidly create and deliver vaccines that there are projects in front of us that could offer much more optimistic futures.
At McMaster University, one of them involves no needles at all... and might eliminate the need for yearly updates.
GUEST: Dr. Matthew Miller, Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University
These last few weeks, the war in Ukraine has been at the front of everyone’s mind, and rightfully so. And while we in Canada have so far been insulated from the conflict and its worst humanitarian and economic impacts, we are starting to feel its effects, at the pumps.
Across Canada, gas prices have hit historic highs, and experts say they could, and likely will rise even more in the coming weeks and months. Even if you don’t drive to work every day, or even own a car for that matter, you will feel the rising cost of energy as it drives up the price of virtually all goods and services.
So what’s really behind skyrocketing gas prices? How high could they go? And is there anything anyone can do to bring them back down?
GUEST: Roger McKnight, Chief Petroleum Analyst at En-Pro International Inc.
Tse Chi Lop immigrated to Toronto from Guangzhou in 1988. As part of a collection of criminal associates known as The Big Circle Boys, he worked alongside the Montreal-based Rizzuto crime family to allegedly build one of the biggest heroin smuggling operations in history. The effort would eventually earn him six years in an American Federal prison.
In the years following his release, Tse allegedly turned his attention towards Asia, specifically the region's burgeoning appetite for methamphetamines. With ready access to cheap precursor materials, a global network of criminal organizations, and a business proposition that was just too enticing to turn down, Tse and his criminal network known as 'Sam Gor' allegedly dominated the Asian meth trade, and raked in billions of dollars while doing it.
So how was Tse allegedly able to build not one, but two of the biggest drug smuggling rings the world has ever seen? How was he eventually caught? And what's happened to his alleged empire since his arrest?
GUEST: Stephen Marche, Freelance Writer and Reporter
Read the Toronto Life story here
For the first time, this year's JUNO's Fan Choice award will be decided in partnership with the social media platform. TikTok has allowed a new era of Canadian musicians to find their way into ears and hearts around the country in a space that has no CanCon requirements.
At a time when artists are increasingly dissatisfied with streaming platforms like Spotify, traditional record sales are almost zero and the most notable independent music platform was just purchased by a gaming company, it's worth considering how the platforms we listen on shape the music that we hear.
GUEST: Richard Trapunski, editor of music, tech and local business at NOW Magazine
This isn't intended to scare you. But with Vladimir Putin making clear threats towards potential nuclear warfare, it's certainly a question worth asking. And a question that not very many people have considered for decades now. So, what's the status of our nuclear defenses? How do they work? And what would it take to be ready for a worst-case scenario?
GUEST: Dr. James Fergusson, Deputy Director, Centre for Defence and Security Studies; Professor of Political Studies at the University of Manitoba.
One of the reasons the carbon footprint was created was to put personal responsibility for the climate crisis onto ordinary people, instead of large corporations. If we are constantly feeling guilty for eating red meat and driving, how can we possibly criticize companies who are hurting the planet but paying it off with carbon credits?!
Today, a new way to think about your personal contributions to the climate fight. Should you still walk instead of drive? Of course. But the concept of a 'climate shadow' takes into account everything a person does to work on the climate crisis, not just what a calculator can attest to. If you've been searching for a better way to figure out what you can do, this one is for you.
GUEST: Emma Pattee, creator of the climate shadow
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has deep Ukrainian roots. Depending on who you ask, those roots have been an asset or an anchor over the past few weeks, as she has been able to lead the political movement to sanction Russia, while also starring in a number of misinformation campaigns based on her history.
But there is no doubt that she has been a major global player in the finance fight against Vladimir Putin, and has given Canada its first tangible foreign policy strategy in some time.
GUEST: Justin Ling, freelance investigative reporter
Will it all probably be fine, or are we asking for another wave? With Alberta already ending masking, and Ontario promising to follow suit, it's likely that much of Canada will be Covid-restriction free by April.
Cases and hospitalizations are trending down, and much of the country has at least two doses of vaccine. But with a new subvariant already here, and showing infection rates higher than Omicron, will wee see another spike? And it's also important to ask, as the pandemic closes in on its two-year anniversary ... if not now, when?
GUEST: Dr. Raywat Deonandan, Global Health Epidemiologist and Associate Professor with the Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa
They probably don't look like your typical picture of anti-vaxxers. They own yoga studios, or push organic juice on Instagram. But the wellness space has been home to some of the pandemic's most unexpected sentiment against vaccinations. And it shouldn't really surprise anyone who has been paying attention. Today we'll explain how it happened.
GUEST: Stacy Lee Kong, writer and editor, creator of the Friday Things newsletter
It's the worst mass killing in Canadian history, and there are hundreds of questions still unanswered almost two years later. A public inquiry into the Portapique shootings is happening right now, and the early answers to some of those questions are disturbing. What more will we learn about how many lives could have been saved? Will RCMP officers actually agree to testify at all? And what about the killer's rumoured connections to the RCMP itself?
How much of this mystery will we unravel? And how bad will it get?
GUEST: Greg Mercer, Atlantic Canada reporter, The Globe and Mail
For all the bad news (and there is a lot of it) contained in the newest IPCC report, there is also one very clear message: It's still possible to save our world from the worst outcome, and we have about eight years to do it. The impacts of climate change are already being felt around the globe, including in many parts of Canada—but all is not yet lost.
What will it take to win this fight? And what can we learn from the global response to the pandemic, or more recently from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, that we can apply to the biggest existential crisis humanity has ever faced?
GUEST: Catherine Abreu, founder and executive director of Destination Zero, a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating the global transition away from fossil fuels; member of Canada's net-zero advisory board
The footage of that legendary fighter pilot is from a video game. The Ukrainians who told the Russian warship to "go f--- yourself" were not killed and are still alive. Even the image you see attached to this episode—a still from a widely circulated video that was supposedly shot during the current conflict—was actually captured in Libya back in 2011. All this might seem obvious, but there are dozens, likely hundreds, of pieces of misinformation being shared widely as the world's attention turns to the war in Ukraine.
So how can you tell real from fake? What's at play in our hearts and minds that helps us fall victim to this stuff? What should be the first thing you do when you see footage that purports to show something unbelievable from the war zone? We'll help you figure out where to start.
GUEST: Craig Silverman, reporter covering misinformation and digital manipulation for ProPublica, editor of the Verification Handbook
When we share stories of immigration to Canada, we often tell them and hear them as individual, personal tales. And those stories are great—but they don't illustrate just how big a part of Canada's history programs like the West Indian Domestic Scheme really were.
Thousands of women came to this country, brought their families, made Canada home and supercharged Canadian women's entry to the workforce. Why don't we view this as one of our country's building blocks?
GUEST: Garvia Bailey, co-creator of Strong and Free, a Historica Canada podcast
It sounds like hyperbole—unless you listen to the Russian president's thinly veiled threat to use nuclear weapons on any country that intervenes with his aggression in Ukraine. That doesn't mean this conflict will escalate to a multi-nation war, but the possibility is certainly there, according to experts. And nobody knows what happens next.
What does this mean for the future of the international order and traditional alliances? What does it mean for millions of innocent Ukrainians? For countries like Canada who are on the sidelines? How will this conflict reshape the world in the weeks and months to come?
GUEST: Balkan Devlen, senior fellow at McDonald Laurier Institute, Superforecaster for Good Judgment, Inc.
On the surface it seems silly. Why hold a vaccination clinic at a strip club in downtown Toronto? But once you look a little deeper, the answer becomes obvious. Ontario currently has 92% of its 12+ population with at least one dose. Finishing the last eight percent will require reaching the people who are hardest to find, and who don't trust the traditional healthcare system. So you have to go where they can find you, safely.
GUEST: Ellie Ade Kur is a board member at Maggie's Toronto Sex Workers Action Project
Both the occupation of Ottawa and the federal government's use of the emergencies act were unprecedented. And it's hard to see a future where neither one is used again. If the game is truly changing, what does that mean for Canada's national security? And for Canadians' personal freedoms?
GUEST: Stephanie Carvin, former national security analyst, author of Stand on Guard: Reassessing threats to Canada's National Security
You would think that after so much "listening and learning" by white people over the past few years, we'd stop seeing them wearing blackface in Canada. But it still happens. Relatively often.
Why do Canadians consider this an American phenomenon? What's the history of blackface in this country? And how can we provide the proper context to explain why it's so awful?
GUEST: Dr. Cheryl Thompson
Yes, it's worse in America. But it's not great here, either. The past few years have seen an alarming rise in hate groups in Canada—and there's nothing on the horizon that appears set to slow it down. It's a recipe for the sort of violence we've seen in Washington recently, and have seen on our own soil more frequently in recent years.
So what does defuse the growth of white supremacy? What can governments do to curtail the kind of polarizing anger that leads to reactionary violence? And what can we do, each of us, when we see people we know who may be taking the first steps down a road that leads to conspiracy theories, hate and violence?
GUEST: Shakil Choudhury, Anima Leadership
This episode was first released in January 2021.
Do you remember the Ikea Monkey? That's just the tip of the iceberg. A lack of provincial laws around exotic animals in Ontario means that there's nothing preventing you or I from owning just about any kind of dangerous animal. To illustrate how this works today: The story of some lions who are in Ontario, were once a part of a roadside zoo and are now ... well, we don't know exactly where they are now. Really.
GUEST: Grant LaFleche, investigative team The Toronto Star (Read Grant and reporter Sarah Crookall's investigation right here.)
Quick, name a signature, unique, statement building opened in Canada in the past couple of decades! Your choices are few and far between. And aside from some of the oldest buildings in the entire country, Canada is known by enthusiasts around the world for having ... not much, when it comes to beautiful public buildings and spaces.
There are reasons for that. And it's possible to change our approach. But will we? Do we care enough? Do our leaders? Or will Canada remain a country of mostly grey boxes, forever?
GUEST: Tracey Lindeman, writer and author, writing in the Walrus
It's a tricky phrase—but these days you are as likely to hear it from a government official or public health officer as you are from someone who is just sick of vaccine passports. As the Omicron wave subsides and governments across the country ease or eliminate restrictions, a growing number of Canadians are in favour of a future where we no longer tailor our lives to the virus.
But is that possible? If it is, what would that look like? Who will thrive in this future and who will suffer? And is there a way, with proper planning and enough commitment, to have the best of both worlds? A world where we can protect the vulnerable and let everyone get "back to normal"?
GUEST: Timothy Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in health law and policy at the University of Alberta
You might assume that millions of crowdfunded dollars are behind the scenes on the streets of Ottawa and at border crossings across the country. But very little of the money raised on GoFundMe or GiveSendGo has been released, and what was released was mostly frozen. So where is the money to support these lengthy protests coming from? How is it getting into the hands and bank accounts of organizers? And what does it tell us about the future of fundraising and foreign influence in Canadian affairs?
GUEST: Jessica Davis, president and principal consultant at Insight Threat Intelligence
This Olympics will make history for an uncomfortable reason: It will be the first winter games where basically all the snow used will be man-made. Past Olympics have needed snow machines to varying degrees, but never before to make all the snow. It's a sign of the times as a warming planet makes snowfall less reliable—but what does it mean for the future of the Olympics, and winter sports in general?
GUEST: Kathryn Blaze Baum, environment reporter, The Globe and Mail
Some people deserve to have awful Google results. But a lot more people don't, and end up with them thanks to a vendetta, a soured relationship, or a targeted harassment campaign. Regardless of whether or not the reputation is deserved, there's basically one way to fix it — online reputation rehab, companies that take your money to fix your Google results.
Some of these companies are totally above board, but others can trap victims in cycles of endless payment to remove new results. And there's not much stopping them.
GUEST: Paul Gallant, Toronto-based reporter, writing for The Walrus
It might not look like it, but when you walk among them it becomes clear there's more than one group in Ottawa. If you want to find evidence that the protesters are peaceful, ordinary, frustrated Canadians who came to Ottawa to make their displeasure known, you can find those folks. And if you want evidence that the protesters are angry, racist, far-right agitators here to attempt to overthrow the government, you can find that, too.
This is what makes the scene on the street so difficult to capture in a 60-second news report, or a short video stream. So we called in someone who has spent a couple of days attempting to blend in with both kinds of protesters, to tell us what he's seen and heard.
GUEST: Matt Gurney, writer and commentator, co-founder of The Line (You can read Matt's dispatches from Ottawa right here.)
Or is Vladimir Putin bluffing to gain the world's attention? The history of Russia-Ukraine conflict dates back decades and can only be properly understood by looking at what has come before.
But right now, Canadian citizens are being warned it's time to come home, there are massive amounts of troops on the border and the world is worried diplomacy might not work. So ... what happens next?
GUEST: Seva Gunitsky, associate professor of political science, the University of Toronto.
If you want to know which kids are least likely to get vaccinated, there’s a decent way to tell — they're the ones attending an alternative school. Even before covid, with traditional vaccines that were proven safe over decades, the opt-out rate among alternative school kids was many times higher than kids in traditional classrooms.
Why is that? Where does the hesitancy come from? And what can we learn about the factors parents weigh when they make these decisions by studying the philosophies of the schools they choose?
GUEST: Inori Roy, investigative journalist, writing in The Local
Amid the current rhetoric around protests across Canada, it's worth examining what successful, peaceful protest looks like, and what we can learn from it. It took more than half a decade, work by Indigenous women and leaders and non-Indigenous allies. It took a deep understanding of treaties and laws and relentless positive commitment. And in the end, an oil and gas company simply gave up, and left a beautiful river system alone. This is the story of how it happened.
GUEST: Cheryl Maloney, protest leader, Mi'kmaq woman, former national environment coordinator for the Native Women’s Association of Canada
Since Stephen Harper left, the federal Conservatives are on their fifth leader in six years. Later this year they'll likely choose a sixth—and the party's eventual choice will go a long way to determining its future. What does O'Toole's exit and the choice of Candice Bergen as interim leader reveal about the state of the party currently? Is this really good news for the federal Liberals as some pundits claim?
The next few months will be critical to determining what Canadians are choosing the next time they go to the polls. Will it be a united CPC, led by the right wing of the party? A fractured party still trying to hold its various factions together? Or could the unification that led to Harper's success end with O'Toole, producing a split between the party's two ideologies?
GUEST: David Moscrop, political writer and commentator, author, host of the Open To Debate podcast
Depending on where you stand, you may have blamed anything from Covid-19 to vaccine mandates, protesters to climate change, or even the federal government for the empty shelves you’ve seen. And all those answers are valid. But the reasoning you'll hear from politicians depends on who you ask. And of course, so does the assessment of how much of a crisis this actually is.
So how big a problem are the scattered empty shelves? How precarious is Canada's food supply chain? When will the pressure ease? And when it does, how much more will it cost to put food on your table?
GUEST: Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, co-host of The Food Professor podcast
For decades, Canada's men's soccer team was irrelevant at best, a punchline at worst. While the women's side went on to Olympic medals and World Cup runs, the Canadian men ... did nothing. Until a few years ago, when the tide began to turn. And then last year, when the unthinkable started to happen.
Now undefeated during qualifying, having beaten both the United States and Mexico, Canada is not only likely headed to the World Cup for just the second time in its history, but the team also looks ready to do some damage when it gets there. How did the unthinkable happen?
GUEST: John Molinaro, veteran Canadian soccer journalist, founder of TFC Republic
It was only ever barely about vaccine mandates. As thousands of Canadians took their grievances to Ottawa, some of the ugliest parts of the far-right joined them, distorting a message that was never that clear to begin with. After a weekend of blockades and plenty of bad behaviour, lots of legitimate protesters went home. Those who remain have vowed to occupy Canada's capital, and demand the end of the Liberal government. Who are these people? What happens next? And why are leaders from both sides pouring gas on the fire?
GUEST: Elizabeth Simons, deputy director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network
The four-year-old boy, who went missing in 1991, might be Canada's most famous missing person. Thirty years after he vanished from a Victoria, BC playground, a new podcast retraces the investigation, connects with his family and tries to figure out both what happened, and why the case matters so much to so many.
GUEST: Laura Palmer, investigative reporter and host of Island Crime: Missing Michael
Some critics have declared Harry Potter "over", or Lin-Manuel Miranda "cringe". In the real world, both Potter and Miranda remain enormously popular with people of all ages. Do critics become irrelevant when their views fall out of step with the vast majority of the audience? Or is shifting people's views towards a differing viewpoint part of a critic's job? How do we explain the vast gap between what an elite corner of social media feels is worthy, and what the sales numbers tell us?
GUEST: Yair Rosenberg, Deep Shtetl, The Atlantic
You could hear it as far away as Alaska and the West coast. It was many, many more times powerful than an atomic bomb and the largest volcanic eruption in more than 25 years. What was so unique about the underground volcano that shook the Pacific nation last week? And what can it tell us about the climate and what's to come?
GUEST: Shane Cronin, volcanologist at the University of Auckland
Every province and territory except Ontario has made a deal with the federal government on its affordable child care plan. And with an election looming most think Doug Ford will fall into line soon. National, affordable child care has been decades in the making, and it couldn't come at a more critical time.
Research shows that women have borne the brunt of the pandemic's impact on careers, often due to a lack of child care. Can this help them make up for lost time? What do we stand to gain as a country with a plan that makes it affordable for everyone?
GUEST: Carolyn Ferns, Public Policy and Government Relations Coordinator, Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care.
The first summer and fall of the pandemic, foreign migrant workers who come to pick Canada's fruits and vegetables were experiencing some of the toughest working conditions around. In response, more inspections were promised, and the government vowed to make Covid-19 protocols safer for these vulnerable workers. Since then, what has actually happened to help protect them? What's it actually like on the farms where they work? And despite their necessity to Canada's agriculture industry, why don't many of us seem to care?
GUEST: Hilary Beaumont, investigative journalist, writing for The Narwhal. Hilary worked with photographer, Chris Katsarov Luna on the project.
British Columbia has put regulations in place to protect its dwindling salmon stocks, as fewer and fewer fish are returning to spawn. But those regulations don't apply in Alaska, and fish don't respect borders. Meanwhile Alaskan fishers are catching fish bound for BC rivers, depleting the stocks further.
What should Canada do? Rely on diplomacy? Start taking fish bound for Washington State in retaliation? Is there any hope of cooperation as the industry on both sides of the border faces a supply crunch that will only get worse?
GUEST: Stefan Labbe, climate and environment solutions journalist, Glacier Media.
Investors — a lot of them — were told there was gold in the Cordova mine, and that's what they believed. But there wasn't. All that was there was a rundown office inhabited by bats. So begins the long fight to reclaim a lifetime of savings. Who sold them on the mine? Why did they buy-in? How were they bilked? And what could have prevented them from losing their shirts?
GUEST: Grant LaFleche, investigative reporter, St. Catharines Standard
Almost since the day the pandemic began, provincial leaders have promised more hospital and ICU capacity. They've promised hundreds of beds, thousands of beds...and two years later, only a fraction of the promised amount are available, and our hospitals are still at the breaking point during every wave. How was Canada's health care system set up to fail? Why haven't we been able to meaningfully fix it?
Like it or not, at some point there will be a discussion about letting the private sector pick up some slack, if only because it's necessary to keep Canadians alive. If Canadians don't want to go down that road, then something has to change, and quickly.
GUEST: Justin Ling, writing for Maclean's
If Keegan Mitchell had just kept his head down and played hockey, none of this would have happened. And we'd all be worse off for it. But when the junior player stood up for a teammate who was called a racial slur, and then broke the league's social media policy by condemning the matching suspensions the two players received, an otherwise ugly part of the game was dragged into the spotlight.
Now Hockey PEI is promising to do better, and players from the Hockey Diversity Alliance are reaching out to Mitchell to thank him for demonstrating how the culture can change. And where it starts.
GUEST: Keegan Mitchell, Sherwood Metros
Toronto's Vision Zero plan is now five years old. The city's residents are still waiting for it to work. On Boxing Day, the latest tragedy saw a car jump a downtown curb onto a busy corner, injuring several and killing a teenager. It would be shocking, if it weren't for the fact that barely a week goes by without a driver striking someone just minding their own business.
Why is Toronto so bad at this? Is it a lack of will, or a problem with how the city was built? What are other cities doing that Toronto isn't, and how fast can that change?
GUEST: Ben Spurr, transportation reporter, Toronto Star
Fifteen years ago, a human rights complaint was filed against the federal government over their fundamentally unequal treatment of First Nations children in the child welfare system. Earlier this month, after years of fighting it in court, the government agreed to a $40-billion settlement. And now as an April 1, 2022 deadline approaches, advocates for these children and families are holding their breath until the money actually comes through.
Why did it take so long? Why did the government go to court, even as it admitted how badly it has handled Indigenous issues? What will this money do, and can it ever make right what our government has done wrong?
GUEST: Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, and professor at McGill University's School of Social Work
In the 1950s, before they fuelled the acid-trips of the '60s, psychedelics were being passed around the Weyburn Mental Hospital in Saskatchewan. And not just among the patients—as well as being given to those struggling with mental illness, doctors and their spouses were using them on themselves—for "research purposes".
How did Saskatchewan become the world's psychedelic hub? What did we learn there that would inform the rise in use and then strict enforcement of these drugs in the decades to come? And how can it help us understand why these drugs are now making a return to therapy?
GUEST: Erika Dyck, historian of health, medicine, and Canadian society at the University of Saskatchewan and Canada Research Chair in the History of Medicine; author of Psychedelic Psychiatry: LSD on the Canadian Prairies
With hospitals under stress across the country, governments are pulling out all the stops to keep the health care system working. Ontario will allow internationally educated nurses to apply for accreditation. And Quebec has floated the idea of a tax on those who are eligible for vaccination but refuse. Is this ethical? Or is this a slippery slope?
Meanwhile, with testing capacity breached in many parts of the country, how will we even know when we are starting to turn the corner on this awful winter wave?
GUEST: Dr. Christopher Labos, cardiologist, master's in epidemiology, co-host of The Body of Evidence podcast.
It's called Trikafta, and people living with Cystic Fibrosis describe it as a true game-changer. It can treat symptoms at the source rather than manage them endlessly every day. It was approved in the United States in 2019 but only arrived in most Canadian provinces a few months ago. Why did it take so long? How does this drug work? And is the approval process it went through a precedent of better days to come for Canada's health care system?
GUEST: Jeremie Saunders, host of Sickboy, living with Cystic Fibrosis
This is not an episode about whether or not schools should be open. We've had that conversation. This is a discussion of what two years of on-again-off-again in-person schooling has done to Canadian kids, what we're learning from this huge and unwanted experiment and how we can help them adapt and, eventually, put this strange development stage behind them.
GUEST: Dr. Rebecca Pillai Riddell, clinical development psychologist and professor at York University
A fresh annual report shows that by January fourth the average CEO of a top-100 Canadian company had already made the annual salary of the average Canadian worker. This shouldn't surprise anyone. The scale of CEO compensation has been escalating for years, even as regular wages have remained mostly stagnant.
But it wasn't always this way. CEO salaries used to be tied to the same things as frontline workers' salaries. They were higher, but not insanely higher. How did that change? And what would it take to return to a more equitable sharing of the wealth?
GUEST: David Macdonald, senior economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ National Office
It begins a couple of decades ago, with a Saskatchewan farmer spotting some black shapes sniffing around his crops. Today these wild pigs number in the tens of thousands and may even have spread as far as Ontario. And wherever they go, they leave a trail of destruction and decimated ecosystems. What is Canada doing to stop the spread of these creatures?
GUEST: Omar Mosleh, Edmonton-based journalist, the Toronto Star
Last year's attack on the Capitol building by supporters of former president, Donald Trump, was a shocking scene. But it was merely a visual representation of the problems that have long been simmering below the surface. The nation is divided and political violence grows more popular in opinion polls. Right-wing militias are ready to fight, and Republican lawmakers seem either afraid of them or complicit. The end of American democracy used to be unthinkable. Now there are several ways it could happen, far sooner than we think.
GUEST: Stephen Marche, author of The Next Civil War: Dispatches from the American Future
At least one group of hospitals has called a "Code Orange" this week as health care workers battle a tsunami of Covid-19 admissions. That's a protocol usually reserved for mass casualty incidents, when there are too many victims to care for. It's a sign of just how brutal the January Omicron wave may be.
Schools are closed and restrictions are back in place to help stem the tide—but did it have to be this way? Could we have increased hospital capacity, kept health care workers healthy and safe and kept schools open? What would it have taken and why didn't it happen?
GUEST: Dr. Katharine Smart, President, Canadian Medical Association
It's called solar geoengineering, and it's an idea being researched right now. If we can't blunt the impact of global warming with the measures available to us, eventually time will run short and humanity will need to take drastic action.
By preventing some of the sun's heat from reaching the earth, we could attempt to cool the planet down. Would it work? Possibly! Could it backfire enormously, leading to massive crop die-off? Also possibly!
GUEST: Climate reporter Bob Berwyn, for Inside Climate News
In June of 1990, 22-year-old University of Toronto student Elizabeth Bain disappeared. Her body has never been found, but police say it was a homicide. Elizabeth’s boyfriend Robert Baltovich was convicted of her murder. He spent eight years in prison before being deemed not guilty by the courts in 2008. Elizabeth Bain's killer remains at large.
Check out Tracking a Killer here!
Whether a publicity stunt or revenge porn, the celebrity sex tape has long been a salacious and voyeuristic fascination for the media and its subjects' fans. But when it comes to male stars, their tapes have seemed to serve as fuel for their fire, while for female stars, the only rhetoric has been slut-shaming. Hosts, Sarah and Sadaf dive into the story behind the tapes of everyone from Rob Lowe to Pam Anderson and Tommy Lee to Paris Hilton to understand why, and what sort of ripple effect celebrity sex tapes have left in the years since.
Check out The Reheat here!
If you're a Christmas movie person, then you already know Hallmark is a behemoth. But you might not know just how it became so dominant. It's a long story, born from a collision of religion and capitalism. But now, with critics crying for diversity, and traditionalists desperate for them to focus on family, Hallmark is at a crossroads.
Will they make good on their progressive promises and risk alienating the core audience that has made them so much money? And can they afford to budge when Netflix and other streaming services are trying to carve into their market share?
GUEST: Sadaf Ahsan, co-host of The Reheat (Listen to The Reheat's deep dive into Hallmark movies right here.)
As The Big Story takes its annual (and long overdue in 2021) holiday break, the team answers some questions from Jordan and shares their memories of a very strange and very tough year to be trapped in a news cycle. This is a glimpse behind the mics and mixers. If you've stuck with us all year, thank you for listening.
GUESTS: The Big Story producers Stefanie Phillips, Joseph Fish and Braden Alexander
If you've heard any of our bite-sized interviews with small business owners, then you know they've faced closure so many times during this pandemic it's become part of their lives. But if we look at the big picture, what kind of help has actually made an impact? Which programs really worked? And what do the businesses that are still thriving during the pandemic have in common?
This is a bonus episode of The Big Story, sponsored by Mazda's Local Legends initiative. (However, Mazda did not have any role or input in producing the editorial content of this episode.)
GUEST: John Rocco, Scotiabank
From the great resignation to rising wages and the comeback of unionization, this was a year in which workers realized they don't have to take inhumane conditions and poverty-level income anymore. And all signs point to this viewpoint spreading. For the first time in decades, the labour market appears to be shifting in favour of the people who actually do the hard work that keeps society running. Can workers in North America continue to leverage that in 2022? Are we witnessing a tipping point here, or will capitalism fight back?
GUEST: Juliana Kaplan, Business Insider
It will be the biggest foreign policy question of the next year, and so far our government doesn't have a concrete answer. Canada will not send diplomats to the Beijing Olympics, but we will (probably) send our athletes. The two Michaels are home in Canada, but there are other Canadians in Chinese jails. As we find ourselves torn between the traditional alliances of America and the UK, and the rising power of China ... where will Canada go in 2022?
GUEST: Stephanie Carvin, former national security analyst, author of Stand on Guard: Reassessing threats to Canada's National Security
Hopefully, an ending! But we have hoped all along that the end was right around the next corner, only to be disappointed. It looks like we will enter 2022 riding a new wave of Covid-19 driven by the omicron variant—but will this prove to be a new evolution in the virus' takeover of our way of life or the beginning of the end? What will we learn in the next month or two that could determine how long it takes for Covid to evolve into an endemic nuisance rather than a deadly threat?
And how can we get from now to whenever that happens?
GUEST: Dr. Raywat Deonandan, Global Health Epidemiologist and Associate Professor with the Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa.
The staggering toll on people and infrastructure over three separate climate disasters in British Columbia this year was highly unlikely, even considering the degree of warming the world has seen. But we also just don't know how weather systems will react in the climate era. As BC plans to rebuild, how should its government be thinking about adaptation? How can it be ready for whatever comes next, even if it's not as bad as this past year ... yet.
GUEST: Ainslie Cruickshank, climate and environment reporter
We've told ourselves this whole time that our children are resilient. Every missed event, virtual school session or socially distant celebration, we've clung to that thought. But after nearly two years we're seeing the impact of Covid-19 on children and teens' mental health. And one of the ways it is registering frequently is through eating disorders.
What do we know about the huge spike in teens and others struggling with this? How can we try to mitigate it? What should you watch for if you are worried about someone you love?
GUEST: Dr. Ayisha Kurji, consultant pediatrician in Saskatoon, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Saskatchewan
It's referred to as "benzo dope", or even as "robbery dope" because it leaves its users vulnerable to theft or worse. It appears to be both more harmful and addictive than regular fentanyl and it has users and their advocates struggling to find ways to limit it or provide alternatives.
The overdose crisis is already worse than ever. Do we have the will in Canada to act now to save lives?
GUEST: Manisha Krishnan, ViceNews (Read Manisha's story on benzo dope here.)
We're starting to see some data on how well a two-dose vaccine series protects people from the omicron variant. It seems scary, but it actually might be hopeful? Meanwhile, Canada has been slow to scale up its booster shot program. Will the new variant give governments some urgency to move faster? And what about kids who just had their first dose or younger ones who haven't had any? How do they fare against the new variant?
GUEST: Sabina Vohra-Miller, clinical pharmacologist
After years of negotiations got them nowhere, last year, the Wolastoqey nations of New Brunswick filed a legal claim for title to their traditional lands. Those lands cover almost 60 percent of the province. With no response forthcoming, last week they upped the ante, taking the rare step of including corporations in the claim, including some of New Brunswick's biggest companies.
The premier has responded by telling citizens that the lawsuit may involve them losing their land and houses—which the chiefs explicitly deny in the text of the claim. And now, with the long standing acrimony between the province and First Nations in NB, a long, bitter and potentially historic fight looms.
GUEST: Angel Moore, Atlantic region video journalist, APTN
In case you've been under a rock, or are rich enough not to care, ordinary Canadians (and people around the world) are paying a lot more for basic stuff like groceries and gas. Why? Is this an effect of a two-year pandemic? A glimpse into the new reality of the climate era? Or a blip that will soon correct itself?
We don't know yet, and until we do it's going to impact our daily lives in several ways. It will hit our wallets, of course, but perhaps also our wages, and that might not be a bad thing. With everyone being forced to pay more for things, it's fair to ask what our government plans to do, or not do, about it. Can they be blamed for whatever comes next?
GUEST: Max Fawcett, National Observer columnist
The package at the Calgary airport was ... moving. Inside were 11 baby turtles who never should have crossed the border. Who never should have left their New Jersey marsh. But they were victims of a global smuggling ring which deals in a very specific kind of turtle. This is the story of how those turtles got to the airport, and who sent them there.
GUEST: Dr. Clare Fieseler, journalist and Fellow at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. (Read Clare's investigation in The Walrus.)
They've been around in one form or another for almost two decades. And the impact these apps have had on the restaurant business has been immense, and costly. But even as they take over every aspect of food delivery, these apps aren't turning a profit — so whatever their final form, they haven't found it yet.
The real value of these apps is in the data they collect from their users—and that leads to the next logical question: If tech companies know everything about what kind of food we like, when we like it and how much we're prepared to pay...what do they need local, independent restaurants for, anyway?
GUEST: Corey Mintz, food reporter, author of The Next Supper: The End of Restaurants as We Knew Them and What Comes After
It's only been a few days since the world learned of a new variant of Covid-19. There is a ton of data we don't have yet. But when the world's leading epidemiologists look at what we do know, they see some worrying signs. How worried should we be? That still depends. What can we do to stop it? We already know that, and there is one thing we still haven't really done in Canada that could make a huge difference...
Have our public health officials tell Canadians clearly that Covid-19 is airborne, and adapt our public health guidelines right now to reflect that, even if it means admitting we've been wrong. Scientists have known this for 18 months. Our federal government reluctantly admitted it, just barely, a month ago. Why?
GUEST: David Fisman, epidemiologist, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Since the initial storm that caused severe flooding, mudslides, evacuations and forced the province to call in the armed forces, things haven't improved much in British Columbia. Yesterday, the third major storm in the past two weeks dumped a new round of heavy rain onto much of the province, raising fears that rivers already above their banks could overwhelm dikes. Meanwhile, gas is being rationed and highways are open for essential use only.
A state of emergency will last at least two more weeks, and nobody knows when life could hope to return to normal. Is the rest of Canada paying enough attention to what's happening on the West Coast right now?
GUEST: Monika Gul, morning reporter, CityNews1130 Vancouver
In Canada, the WE scandal was a big deal. So big, in fact, that the organization promised it would wind down its Canadian charity. And then, mostly, the story vanished. In the United States, however (where it had never promised to close anything), WE is growing rapidly. Why has one of the biggest scandals in Canadian non-profit history not even made a dent in WE's global ambitions? Why hasn't the American media taken up the story? And will we ever know what happened to the money?
GUEST: Jesse Brown CANADALAND (Listen to CANADALAND's The White Saviors here). In this episode, Jesse Brown expresses his own ideas and opinions.
For centuries Quebec saw few, if any, immigrants from France. Over the past several decades that trend began to change, and in the past few years, it's been accelerating rapidly. So why are French ex-pats settling in the province en masse? What do they find when they get there? And from housing, to the workforce, to the currently booming economy: how might this influx change Quebec?
GUEST: Eric Andrew Gee, Quebec correspondent, The Globe and Mail
In 70 days, the Winter Olympics will open in China. Probably, everything will proceed as though it's a normal games. But maybe not. For the first time, many athletes have been speaking out against China for silencing—or even disappearing—tennis player Peng Shuai after she made an allegation of sexual assault against a prominent Chinese politician.
Meanwhile, the NHL is grappling with the fallout of a sex abuse scandal of its own. The NFL is confronting what appears to be years of racism and sexism from one of its most prominent coaches, and anti-vax rhetoric from its reigning MVP. Fans might still enjoy the spectacle, but it's clear the ugly underbelly of the games are increasingly on full display. The question is, will anyone do anything about it? Or does money still talk too loudly?
GUEST: Donnovan Bennett, Sportsnet
A few years ago, the world was dotted with proposals for utopian Smart Cities, like Toronto's Sidewalk Labs. One by one, those ambitious dreams were scaled down or, in the case of Toronto, canceled altogether. But the technology behind them hasn't gone away—it's still being adopted in cities around the world. Only instead of being a part of a complex urban renewal project aimed at sustainability, it's mostly used for surveillance, by police and other organizations.
What happened to the dream of the smart city—and what are we willing to trade for a little more convenience?
GUEST: Anna Artyushina, research fellow in data governance; Ph.D. Candidate, Science and Technology Studies, York University
In January of 2020 one of Canada's senior military men warned that domestic deployments in response to weather events were stretching the military too thin to properly prepare for exercises or deployments. Since then we've had a pandemic, a deadly heat wave, massive forest fires and a devastating flood. The military has been called upon repeatedly and they've done all they can.
But it's becoming clear that these crises aren't slowing down. And we're running out of personnel and equipment to properly respond to them. Why is Canada's military so poorly funded and equipped? How did we end up in this situation? And are the compounding catastrophes of the climate era waking us up to the need for more resources?
GUEST: Matt Gurney, reporter and columnist (Read Matt's piece in The Line right here.)
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of projects underway to get plastic out of the ocean. They range from hands-on cleanups of beaches (Canada's effort here is one of the best) to incredibly complex solutions involving fleets of plastic scoopers working in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. None of them are perfect, all of them will miss a lot, but every one is vital.
As we try to save the world's oceans over the next decades, there is still a place for both old-fashioned hard work, and daring dreams. But the resources we devote to each project will determine what gets done. So...what has the best chance of actually working?
GUEST: Ryan Stuart, writing for Hakai magazine
In September's election, the federal Liberals won the right to govern with the support of less than a third of voters, a record low for a ruling party. They achieved this by hyper-targeting ridings they knew could change the result, and ignoring ones that couldn't. With the example of the past two elections to go on, other parties are following suit in aiming for maximum vote efficiency.
What happens when the best strategy to win involves ignoring most of the population? Is this a natural outcome of a longstanding strategy, or a warning that our governments are getting less representative every time we go to the polls?
GUEST: Stephen Maher, journalist and writer
Everyone knows that in order to save the planet, electric vehicles need to replace internal combustion engines. And it's happening, at a more rapid pace than we might have expected. But something else is happening, too: As companies race to grab market share in the EV space, they are replicating recent trends that have made fuel-powered cars more dangerous to everyone not inside them. And since EVs are even heavier than traditional vehicles, that could be very bad news for pedestrians.
What if the car of the future ends up just as bad as the cars of the present? Or worse?
GUEST: Tim Querengesser, journalist and writer, CityHack
A little more than a century ago, Abbotsford's Sumas Prairie was actually Sumas Lake. It might be about to return to that state, as massive storms, lake overflows and a pumping station threaten to fill the plains once again, covering homes, fields, crops, cattle and any humans who failed to heed the evacuation order.
Why did Sumas Lake become Sumas Prairie in the first place? How did the complex conditions around Abbotsford combine to create a potentially lethal danger? How has it (so far) been averted? And what is it like living in and reporting on British Columbia, a province that is quickly becoming the front line of the climate crisis?
GUEST: Tyler Olsen, Managing Editor, Fraser Valley Current
You may remember that focusing solely on transit and road messaging is something of a Ford family trademark. Ontario Premier Doug Ford's late brother Rob put it succinctly: "Subways, subways, subways!" Now that his party is staring down the barrel of a 2022 provincial election, Doug Ford has similarly put a laser-like focus on one message: Highways.
The Conservatives want to build two new ones, long discussed but never actually paved: The 413 and the Bradford Bypass. How much will it cost? How much time will they really save commuters? What's with the whispering around Ford and his relationship with area developers? And can Ontario's Greenbelt deal with the environmental impact of these new roads?
GUEST: Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal
You would think we'd have learned this lesson by now—but alas. Yukon had one of the best records in Canada for managing the pandemic. Then they tried to go back to normal, and it didn't work so well. What happened to lead them down this path? What does a packed concert with no masks, distancing or capacity limits feel like? And what happens if a territory without a real ICU suddenly needs dozens of those beds?
GUEST: Jackie Hong, CBC North
Try to walk just a few blocks in the downtown core without passing a cannabis retailer. Good luck! You'll probably pass at least two. Since the lottery process ended and applications for retailers were opened up, hundreds of stores have flocked to...basically the same neighbourhoods. Obviously it's not optimal business strategy to open a store next to two or more other stores selling exactly the same thing, so what's going on here? Is this a bubble ready to burst? Is there an endgame for the companies and entrepreneurs still opening stores right now? What happens next?
GUEST: Jennifer Pagliaro, Toronto Star
We've known for some time that we're due for a massive earthquake—but it could happen tomorrow or 20 years from now. In geological terms that's roughly the same. But it's not for us—if the Big One happened tomorrow, Canada's west coast would be devastated. We know what we need to do to prepare for it. We even have the blueprints for how to reinforce our structures. We could prepare properly anytime ... so why don't we? And what happens if we're not ready when the day arrives?
GUEST: Gregor Craigie, author of On Borrowed Time: North America's Next Big Quake
Almost one million American children under 12 have been vaccinated against Covid-19 since the FDA approved the shot more than a week ago. The Canadian total is still zero, and parents are getting angry. When can we expect approval? How will the shots get into those little arms? What concerns do hesitant parents have and how can public health ease their minds?
And finally, for adults who are still contracting the disease every day, what are the new oral Covid-19 treatments? And why do medical professionals call them the game-changer that could be our ticket out of the pandemic?
GUEST: Sabina Vohra-Miller
More than a decade ago, a Canadian researcher tracked local media coverage given to cases of missing Indigenous and missing white women. You can probably guess what that revealed. Since then, however, Canada and other countries have spent time discussing racial bias, and attempting to correct it. Canada even had an entire national inquiry dedicated to the travesty of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
Yet in late summer, when a pretty young white woman named Gabby Petito disappeared, none of that mattered. The media was flooded with a continent-wide search for Petito while Indigenous and Black women who had vanished just as recently were barely mentioned. Why is this phenomenon so pervasive and how has seemingly nothing aside from words changed in a decade?
GUEST: Kristen Gilchrist-Salles, researcher
It's been more than a year and a half since Canadians could freely drive across the border to the United States — to visit friends and family, to see a game or do some shopping. But maybe "freely" isn't the most accurate way to put it, since the crossing process will be more regulated and restricted than pre-pandemic times.
So what do you need to cross? What arrangements do you have to make? How much might it cost? What about kids? And what else do you need to know before finally heading south again?
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill reporter
The minister who managed to secure tens of millions of Covid-19 vaccines gets the toughest job in government as a thank you. or much of the past year, barely a month has gone by without a new sexual harassment or assault scandal in the Canadian Armed Forces — and all too often those scandals have involved some of the military’s top ranked officials.
Previous attempts at reform have failed, efforts to shift the culture have barely budged it and meanwhile, recruitment has fallen dramatically. So something needed to change. Why not the minister? What challenges will Anand face and where should she start if this is to be the reform that actually works?
GUEST: Julie Lalonde, advocate and educator, author of Resilience is Futile: The Life and Death of Julie S. Lalonde
The Eternals hits theatres today, and will no doubt earn Marvel Studios and Disney hundreds of millions of dollars. But is it really fair to call these things "movies" anymore? They are projects that require viewers to come equipped with vast background knowledge and exist to set up the next film, and the film after that. Today we examine what has become of the modern "Super Hero Movie" through the lends of the seven (soon to be eight) big-budget Spider-Man films.
How did we get from a Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man, to whatever this has become?
GUEST: Jeremy Gordon
Amid a worsening climate crisis and reports detailing the need for urgency, world leaders took to the stage at COP26 this week to ... promise to do more. There were impressive promises, to be sure, including several from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. But at least from the leaders there were precious few details about exactly how these ambitious targets would be achieved. We know the goals we need to hit to keep our planet livable—the question is if we're prepared to do more than agree we should hit them.
GUEST: Fatima Syed, The Narwhal and The Backbench
It's a problem that predates the pandemic—but eighteen months of a public health crisis has only made it worse. Every day nurses and emergency room staff in Canada face threats and assault from the public they care for. For decades they have suffered mostly in silence. But as Covid-19 has made their jobs even less safe, some of them are finally speaking out.
These are critical workers, who are already dealing with exhaustion and burnout. What's being done to protect them? Why is this happening now? And what becomes of the health care system if even more of them give up and walk away?
GUEST: Flannery Dean, writing in The Globe and Mail
John Tory has a longstanding relationship with Rogers Communications Inc., as a previous executive and as a friend of the late founder, Ted Rogers. Toronto voters knew he would maintain some ties with the company when he ran for office—but the depth and power of those ties went largely unreported—until an internal fight for company control made it obvious that Tory would be a key mediator and decision-maker in the ultimate outcome.
What did the public know of this relationship—and what has it only learned now? Where has Tory recused himself and where could conflicts remain? And will the fact that the city's mayor was making six figures from one of Toronto's biggest companies, and the public didn't know, be a re-election issue?
GUEST: Jennifer Pagliaro, City Hall reporter, Toronto Star
Meth has always been a dangerous drug — but never this dangerous, users and social workers across the continent tell Sam Quinones in his new book. A new production method has made the drug easier to and cheaper to make, allowing it to spread from the Mexican border all the way up to Canada, with devastating effects. Amid the opioid and fentanyl crises, the impact of new meth can be lost among the overdoses, but this drug seems to attack users' minds in a way it hasn't before.
How did meth spread so fast and so far? What's different about the meth on the streets today? What is it doing to users, and what is being done to help them? And why can't researchers dig into what's happening in users' brains?
GUEST: Sam Quinones, author of The Least Of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth
Most cold cases ... stay cold. For every one that closes, and makes headlines, dozens or hundreds more are left languishing in files and databases. But sometimes, if you ask the right question, to the right person, after enough time has passed, you learn something new. And one new fact can be enough to unearth a bunch more, if you're lucky enough to find the right one.
So how do you reheat a cold case? Where do you start? What do you do with something new when you find it? What happens if you approach a decades-old murder with the urgency of breaking news?
GUEST: Fil Martino, crime reporter, co-host of Tracking a Killer: The Cold Case Files
There are many communities and public health units across Canada where, for one reason or another, vaccination rates lag way behind other population centres. In many places, this happens quietly. In Aylmer, Ontario, it happens very loudly. Aylmer isn’t a big town. And it wouldn’t be particularly notable, except for one man, and one church, and the national and international attention he has brought to it.
Why are Henry Hildebrandt and the Church of God Restoration so against public health measures? What has the town done about their refusal to comply with them? How did Hildebrandt turn this small Ontario town into a magnet for prominent anti-vaxxers from across North America and if and when this is all over, what happens to a community that has been fractured?
GUEST: Luc Rinaldi, writing for Toronto Life
You probably know Bonavista best from the Canadian lyrics to "This land is your land". It's a town of a few thousand people on the far east coast of the country. And it's growing—especially during the pandemic. But it's not alone. Towns, villages and even cities across Newfoundland and all of Atlantic Canada have seen a population boom during the pandemic as newly-freed remote workers relocate to places with space and affordable housing.
But are these towns equipped to handle a sudden influx of citizens? Are citizens prepared for life in a small town and everything that comes with it? How do you walk the fine line of needing new residents with the reality of welcoming them all to town without spoiling what you've got?
GUEST: John Norman, Mayor of Bonavista, Newfoundland
It's one of those crimes with an image — and that image is mostly fictional. The vast majority of victims who end up trafficked in Canada are not abducted by strangers and chained to beds as Hollywood depicts. They are victims of intimate partner violence, often pushed into the industry by a person they know. And it doesn't happen in dark warehouses, but in well-lit chain hotels, like one's you've stayed at on a business trip.
Today we'll meet the women fighting to help trafficking victims, learn where and how this crime really happens, and why police charge so few people in these cases. And you'll learn how to recognize a potential trafficking situation when it's right in front of you.
GUEST: Cristina Howorun, CityNews, lead reporter on VeraCity: Fighting Traffick documentary
Through a so-called "public safety escrow account", Canada's biggest energy company, Enbridge, has payed somewhere in the neighbourhood of $2.4 million to law enforcement agencies in Minnesota, ostensibly to reimburse police for any help provided in 'protecting' the construction of the new Line 3 oil pipeline through the state.
While Enbridge claims that there is nothing untoward about the arrangement, others have been sounding the alarm that this sort of arrangement between public and private entities is unethical, and may serve to incentivize the use of violence against demonstrators.
And so it begs the question: what exactly is Enbridge paying for?
GUEST: Hilary Beaumont, investigative journalist
Read Hilary's coverage HERE
To the rest of the world, the Mountie in red dress uniform is a symbol of Canada. The world has bought into the myth of the good-hearted, white man who protects the little guys and always gets his man. Even a cursory look at the history of the RCMP would reveal that to be far from the truth—and in-depth reporting over the past decade has made it very clear just how poorly reality compares to the image.
But the image endures. Why? How did it come to be so powerful? Why is the RCMP so resistant to reform? And if an ongoing investigation into Canada's largest shooting reveals that their actions made a bad situation deadly, will even that be enough to change things?
GUEST: Jane Gerster, journalist and author
You've probably heard warnings to start your holiday shopping early this year — this is why. With much of the global supply chain thrown into chaos by a combination of several complicating factors, it's impossible to tell when or if you'll be able to find exactly what you want. But a little shipping inconvenience is hardly the end of the world. What should concern us all about the current situation is what it reveals about the fragility of the systems the world uses to manufacture and move goods with pinpoint efficiency.
Has our quest for the most efficient system created a system that can't handle it when something goes awry? What are the implications of that?
GUEST: Michael LeBlanc, retailer, host of The Voice of Retail podcast, Senior Retail Advisor at the Retail Council of Canada
Early in October, some Iqaluit residents noticed something funny about their tap water — it smelled like gas. After they raised the alarm it took more than a week of varied testing to confirm the presence of fuel in the water. Since last week, citizens have been told not to drink the water at all, not even to boil it first. How did this happen and how can it be fixed? Why are health officials dodging questions about how much fuel is in the water? And what does the entire mess reveal about infrastructure in Canada's northernmost regions?
GUEST: Kent Driscoll, APTN Iqaluit
Much of the Atlantic bubble is intact, but in New Brunswick, cases are spiking. Ontario has mostly escaped unscathed so far, while Saskatchewan and Alberta grapple with a wave worse than the first three. Is this evidence of the pandemic diverging regionally across Canada, or just a more infectious variant that can better find holes that existed the entire time?
What have we learned from previous waves that we're employing now? What are we still finding out? And, most importantly, will this be Covid's last wave in Canada?
GUEST: Dr. Raywat Deonandan, Global Health Epidemiologist and Associate Professor with the Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa.
A nation of 100 million people? New towns and cities springing up in previously rural areas? A revitalized and younger workforce? As the impact of the climate era makes parts of the world uninhabitable, billions of people will need to move to survive — one of the largest migrations in human history. Where will these people go? Who is equipped to best take them in, and help them build new homes and lives? Canada may not have taken the lead on fighting climate change yet, but this is an area in which we're perfectly equipped to blaze a trail.
GUEST: Parag Khanna, author of Move: The Forces Uprooting Us
Many North American cities are locked in a damaging cycle, whereby new suburban expansion is needed to subsidize the infrastructure costs of old development. The pattern has left many municipalities teetering on the brink of insolvency, and led to the decimation of once vibrant streetscapes to make way for unsightly, car-friendly strip malls.
What went awry in this continent's approach to urban planning? And to the extent that it's even possible, how can we even begin to correct the mistakes of the past?
GUEST: Jason Slaughter, Creator and Host of the Youtube channel, Not Just Bikes
https://www.youtube.com/c/NotJustBikes
The Canadian government thought it was an agreement on a minor part of the settlement the church owed for its part in residential schools. The church managed to convince a court that the government had agreed to waive the entire remaining amount — potentially more than $20 million. How did a legal loophole allow the church to avoid payment, and ... it has to be asked: Why didn't the Catholic Church just pay what it owed as reparations for the part it played in residential school horrors?
GUEST: Tom Cardoso, The Globe and Mail investigations team
The Prime Minister said in the closing days of a close campaign that he was "open" to electoral reform. That came as a surprise to the millions of people who watched him break his promise on the issue after the 2015 election. But it's worth asking, as Canada's elections continue to reward parties who win fewer votes with more seats — what would equitable electoral reform look like in Canada? How could it be accomplished? Which systems offer which parties advantages? And is it even a possibility?
GUEST: Max Fawcett, political writer and commentator
The Canadian government receives more credible information regarding Unidentified Flying Objects than you'd ever imagine. And you don't see much, if any, of it. Instead, it sends reports to a private citizen, in Winnipeg, who has become something of a UFO consultant for sightings across Canada. Why?
GUEST: Daniel Otis, reporting for Vice Canada
(Today's episode is brought to you by CBC's War of the Worlds. You can watch it right here on CBC Gem.)
UPDATE: On Nov. 23, 2021, Crown Counsel decided not to proceed with sexual assault charges against Steve Wallace. Wallace died within days of that decision.
Steve Wallace claims he's taught more than 25,000 people to drive. Dozens of them say he harassed and abused them while he did so. The allegations which now date back into the 1970s came to light after one young woman, who says he harassed her during a lesson, created a social media account about it—and the victims have been sharing stories since. Now Wallace faces charges and two communities ask themselves the same questions: How did this happen? Why did nobody come forward sooner?
GUEST: Brishti Basu, Capital Daily
(Read the Capital Daily's coverage of Steve Wallace here and here.)
Ozy was a digital publisher that claimed to have an audience of tens of millions. Had you ever heard of them before last week? Me neither. A New York Times expose began a flood of reporting that showed us all just how little most of us understand about ad fraud, digital media and the ecosystem that drives this multi-billion-dollar industry. From absurd claims, to impersonations, paid traffic and more, major brands stuck by Ozy and continued to invest with them. Why?
GUEST: Craig Silverman, ProPublica, formerly of Buzzfeed News
When Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp all vanished for hours on Monday, it wasn't a nefarious plan. It was a mistake. But what it revealed about how much the world has come to depend on Mark Zuckerberg's collection of apps was plain: Millions of people and businesses around the world—and even one nation's government—were completely cut off.
What Facebook has built has become essential to the functioning of much of global communications. So what are we going to do about that?
GUEST: Jesse Hirsh, Metaviews.ca
Portpass was recommended to fans by the entity that owns two Calgary sports teams. They weren't alone. According to the company's estimates, more than 500,000 Canadians were using Portpass to show proof of their vaccination status. And then a local app developer got curious about what was under the hood of this supposedly secure application and started digging around. Now the police are investigating and Portpass is no longer in application stores. What happened, and how many people's records may have been exposed?
GUEST: Sarah Rieger, CBC Calgary
In the early days of the pandemic, a conspiracy theory claimed that the virus was intentionally released from a lab. It was seized upon by the worst people and drove racist scapegoating of Asian people around the world. And if that wasn't horrific enough, it also managed to poison the well for the investigations that must be done now. Not to prove that the virus was released on purpose—that's conspiracy—but to pinpoint as accurately as we can how the virus made its way into humans and what we can learn from understanding that.
So: What's the case for Covid-19 having leaked from a laboratory?
GUEST: Elaine Dewar, investigative journalist and author of On the Origin of the Deadliest Pandemic in 100 Years
Private-sector union membership has declined significantly in recent decades, in part due to a vast pool of foreign labour that has left many domestic workers in constant fear of being outsourced.
The stresses of the pandemic, and a historically high cost of living is putting the squeeze on North American low-wage workers, but as the current labour shortage worsens and companies become increasingly desperate to hire employees, people in industries like hospitality, or healthcare, or manufacturing find themselves in a much-strengthened bargaining position.
As workers become more empowered, will they be emboldened to organize and advocate for their rights?
GUEST: Stephanie Ross
If they were, you probably wouldn't know it. Since millions of white-collar workers began working from home during the pandemic, the demand for 'Tattleware' has rapidly increased. What does this software do? How sophisticated is it? How invasive? Is it ethical? And do employees have any option other than to suck it up, or quit? As the office vs. remote battle continues, the amount of privacy workers will part with, in exchange for staying home, will be an important front in the fight...
GUEST: Sandy Milne, writing for The Guardian
It can be daunting, as a non-Indigenous Canadian to wrestle with the enormity of the crimes committed against Indigenous people by this country. And when we're asked to reflect upon it, the guilt can be overwhelming. But the same guilt can stop us from taking action, from making progress and from delivering results instead of symbolic gestures. On Canada's first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, one of the leading voices from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls shares a vision for reconciliation based on hope, not guilt.
GUEST: Karine Duhamel, Anishinaabe-Métis, Director of Research for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
Most Canadian provinces now have or are planning to implement a vaccine passport. But who will have to ask for those passports? Check their authenticity? Deny service to those who refuse to show one?
It'll be the same people who have already spent the pandemic bearing the brunt of anger over public health restrictions: Frontline service and hospitality industry workers who didn't sign up to enforce health regulations. Is there a way to both protect necessary measures like the passports, but give these workers the help and support they need to deal with the inevitable garbage that will come their way?
GUEST: John Sinopoli, restaurateur, co-founder of savehospitality.ca
It's wonderful that two Canadians caught in the middle of geopolitics are home and safe after more than 1,000 days detained in China. It's not great that the circumstances of their return seem to imply that hostage diplomacy works. How should Canada be dealing with China? Do we have any power in this situation? Was this a win, or a capitulation? And what's to stop it from happening again the next time we make China angry?
GUEST: Stephanie Carvin, former National Security Analyst, author of Stand on Guard: Reassessing Threats To Canada's National Security
The app is called Staffy and it was created to help the hospitality industry fill gaps in scheduling when a server or cook couldn't work. But when the pandemic began and shortages rose at long-term care homes and hospitals, Staffy pivoted to focus on demand. Now nurses and care workers and more are taking day gigs through the app, with no benefits, insurance, sick days or anything else.
Is it ethical to bring health care into the gig economy? And if it isn't, why do we think drivers or handymen are different?
GUEST: Alison Motluk, writing for The Local
(This is what Staffy looks like.)
A month ago, they needed a miracle. Now they're in the final stages of a playoff push—and no team in their right mind wants to face the Blue Jays in the post-season. How did Toronto turn it all around? What will it take to bring it home this final week? And what does a thrilling September for baseball in Canada mean to a country that just trudged through a joyless election and is facing a fourth pandemic wave?
GUEST: Stephen Brunt, Sportsnet
Western has always been known as a party school, and with that comes a culture that can lead to sexual violence. But this year's freshman orientation week ("O-week" as the school calls it) was horrifying even by that standard. Multiple accounts of sexual assault and violence are being investigated both by the school and the police. A fed-up student body led a 12,000-person walk out. And the administration has promised to take action and change the culture.
How? What happened two weeks ago on campus? How inevitable was something like this? And did an influx of young students, who had spent most of the past 18 months in lockdown only to emerge on their own for the first time, lacking support, make this even worse?
GUEST: Rebekah Rodrigues, news editor at the Western Gazette (You can read the Gazette's coverage right here.)
The province is suffering from an absolutely devastating fourth wave of Covid. Premier Jason Kenney was absent until it was too late to prevent the worst of it. Now, as hospitals blow past their capacity, Kenney is shuffling his cabinet and hoping vaccine passports can help right the ship. How did it come to this? What could have been done to prevent it? And will this cost the premier his job?
GUEST: Jason Markusoff, Maclean's
A Liberal minority government. Likely within a few seats of where we started, 37 days ago. Did this election matter? What did it reveal about Canada's political mood? About the health of our electoral system? And about the future of the two leaders who went head to head for the past six weeks? Turns out, more than you might think.
GUEST: David Moscrop
This was the shortest possible election Canada could have had — so why did it feel so long? Maybe because nobody really wanted it. As Canadians (at least those who haven't voted in advance) head to the polls today, we offer you a rapid recap of the highs and (mostly) lows of this campaign. If you have mercifully had other things to do all day, this will give you everything you need to know. If you have been paying attention this whole time, you will marvel at how long ago the beginning of a very short election feels...
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney
We asked our listeners what their key issues were in this election, and this week we'll tackle the top five. Every day we'll go deep on the major party platforms with an expert immersed in that field. Today, the climate crisis. This was our listeners' top issue, and it wasn't particularly close.
For the first time in a federal election, every major party has a legitimate plan to deal with the climate crisis. But those plans are wildly different. Which plan is ambitious enough to be effective, but rational enough to be achievable? What do we know about the climate now that we didn't know in 2019? How much time do we have left to act, and where do our targets need to be to make a difference?
GUEST: Fatima Syed, climate and environment reporter, The Narwhal Ontario
We asked our listeners what their key issues were in this election, and this week we'll tackle the top five. Every day we'll go deep on the major party platforms with an expert immersed in that field. Today, truth and reconciliation. A few months ago, when news of hundreds of unmarked graves at residential schools was horrifying Canadians, it seemed unimaginable that dealing with Canada's legacy of racism and implementing meaningful reconciliation would not be a leading issue in the next election. Now here we are and ... is it?
Every party has a plan to tackle the darkest element of Canada's history and culture — but what are those plans, and how do they sound to Indigenous people who have been promised so many things, and let down so many times? And speaking of that: How many boil-water advisories are still in effect, and why should any party that has held power in the past four decades be taken seriously on this issue while they remain?
GUEST: Jaida Beaudin, Indigenous journalist, currently at the Waniska Research Centre
We asked our listeners what their key issues were in this election, and this week we'll tackle the top five. Every day we'll go deep on the major party platforms with an expert immersed in that field. Today, the economy. How far back from pre-COVID levels has Canada's economy come? What do the parties propose to take us the rest of the way? In a world as rapidly changing and volatile is the current one, should we worry about balancing the budget? Is childcare the most important economic investment? And who is best suited to watch over an economy in transition?
GUEST: Ben Dachis, Director of Public Affairs for the C.D. Howe Institute
We asked our listeners what their key issues were in this election, and this week we'll tackle the top five. Every day we'll go deep on the major party platforms with an expert immersed in that field. Today, health care. The pandemic has exposed what we thought were cracks in our health care system for the wide gaps they really are—does any party have a reasonable plan to fix it? What kind of leadership role can the federal government take in improving a system under massive pressure? Where does provincial jurisdiction end and how could a Prime Minister get around it—if they were committed to taking action?
GUEST: Dr. Katharine Smart, President, Canadian Medical Association
We asked our listeners what their key issues were in this election, and this week we'll tackle the top five. Every day we'll go deep on the major party platforms with an expert immersed in that field. Today, the housing crisis. By now it's more than a bubble, and the lack of affordable of housing has spread from cities to small towns and everywhere in between. Each of the parties claims they can solve this. Can they? How do they propose to do it? And does anyone have a real solution?
GUEST: Mike Moffat, Senior Director, Smart Prosperity; Assistant Professor, Ivey Business School
Hate crimes have risen. Racialized Canadians have been attacked and killed. Angry protests follow the Prime Minister around the country and have come close to turning violent. Protesters scream at healthcare workers outside hospitals and, as if to quantify this anecdotal evidence, Maxime Bernier's People's Party rises in the polls—with one recent survey putting the PPC at nine percent support.
Where did this anger and hate come from? How has it grown? And what is there in the platforms of the major parties that could do something about it?
GUEST: Evan Balgord, investigative journalist, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network
What agents are selling around the world is the value of a Canadian education—and people are buying in droves, especially in places like Punjab, India. But they're not buying it for the value of the degree. Many international students have families who sacrifice everything to get their children into a Canadian post-secondary institution because it is seen as a pathway to permanent residency and a better life. And for some students it is—but only for some of them.
Is this an ethical system? Is it regulated—and by whom? Who helps these young people and makes sure they don’t fall through the cracks? What happens to them when they do?
GUEST: Nicholas Hune-Brown
It's no secret that our elders were the people hit hardest by COVID-19, but all the pandemic did was shine a deadly light on a system that has been broken for years. Canada's population is aging. Our long-term care facilities are passable at best, and we don't have enough of them. And we're staring down a critical labour shortage among caregivers. So does any party have a plan for this? And are any of them realistic?
GUEST: André Picard, Health Reporter, The Globe and Mail
You thought you were helping someone when you put that bag of old clothes in a donation bin. But you probably didn't. A striking number of clothes donated in Canada and other wealthy countries end up clogging landfills in African nations. While a good suit or jacket might make a real difference to someone who needs one, the vast majority of donated clothes are cheap, fast fashion — and often totally unwearable. And the rise of disposable clothes has swamped the system, turning a process once intended to help into one fraught with inequality and pollution.
GUEST: Linton Besser, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
This week, Hurricane Ida rampaged through the gulf coast, leaving power grids and water lines strewn in its wake, and when it reached New York it caused massive flooding that has already resulted in at least two dozen deaths. Most North American cities — including Canada's — simply weren't built for the weather extremes we're now facing with regularity. And even 'safer' cities like Toronto and New York are now seeing massive floods. Can we adapt cities to handle this weather? What will it cost and do we have the will to do it?
GUEST: Alex Steffen, The Nearly Now
For more than a year, protesters have been keeping industry away from old-growth forest on this site, and for months there have been RCMP on the scene attempting to remove them. But the story of Fairy Creek is about much more than just police against Indigenous protesters. What's really at stake as the police up their aggressiveness to attempt to clear the site, and why should all Canadians be watching closely?
GUEST: Jerome Turner
Sunny Ways aren't going to work for Trudeau and the Liberals any longer. People are tired and angry and wondering why we're even having an election right now. Trudeau is being confronted at rallies and the Conservatives have pulled even in the polls. So what can he run on this time? Will calm leadership and a caring attitude in a crisis convince Canadians that he's the guy to look out for them when things get tough? Or has he squandered too much of his electoral goodwill?
GUEST: Max Fawcett, political columnist at the National Observer
(This is the third in a series of episodes examining how the major party leaders could each become Prime Minister.)
It seemed in the spring that kids under 12 might have a chance at getting vaccinated before school started. But that didn't happen, and it turns out the timeline is still in flux even now. What changed? And is there any chance of shots before November?
Meanwhile, can we still convince Canadians who are eligible but haven't been vaccinated to get their shots? Or have opinions hardened by now? And will you be getting a booster while the rest of the world waits for their first shots?
GUEST: Sabina Vohra-Miller, clinical pharmacologist
Julian Uzielli has struggled with chronic depression for years. Like many people with mental health issues, his symptoms were exacerbated by the pandemic, and his condition eventually deteriorated to the point where he was forced to take a leave of absence from his job.
Therapist appointments and regular antidepressant medications were doing little to alleviate Julian's despondency, so he began looking into alternative treatments. During his research he encountered a clinic in Toronto called Field Trip Health, who offer a service called "ketamine-assisted therapy." Having exhausted all his other options, Julian decided to give it a go, and a few months later he's feeling better than he ever has.
So what is ketamine? How accessible is it to Canadian's who feel like they could benefit from its use? Could this be the miracle drug that sufferers with treatment-resistant depression have been waiting for?
The first couple of weeks of the campaign have gone very well for the Conservative leader. He's closed a gap in the polls to a sliver, and introduced himself to Canadians who didn't really know him at all. But now comes the hard part. In the coming weeks, as more Canadians begin to follow the race, O'Toole will have to define himself in the face of Liberal attempts to define him. He'll have to weather the storm of attacks that are sure to come from his opponents after labour day and he'll have to do it while keeping his base firmly in line. If he can do all that, it seems like he's got a real shot. Can he? And if so, how?
GUEST: Stephen Maher, reporter and political commentator; contributing editor at Maclean's
'Conscience rights' are what allow health professionals to refuse to provide treatment that goes against their morals or religion. In the past this has mostly meant abortion. But recently it's been applied to medically assisted death as well. And with a vague statement in the party platform, the Conservatives handed the Liberals a wedge issue, but also potentially did much more.
Could a debate over how conscience rights are applied across the country, and who is allowed to refuse what to whom force the CPC to confront the difference between its leader's support for LGBTQ2S+ Canadians and the conservative base that has advocated for anti-LGBTQ2S+ policy?
GUEST: Justin Ling, writing for Maclean's
After a poor showing in the 2019 election campaign—his first as NDP leader—there were questions about if Jagmeet Singh would keep his job long enough to get a second try. He has, and so far the results have been very different. What has to break right for the NDP to take aim at an upset victory? What assets do they have both in platform and personality? How should they be planning the next few weeks if they want to try to replicate the Liberals' underdog win of 2015?
GUEST: Jen Gerson, The Line; Maclean's
(This is the first in a series of episodes examining how the major party leaders could each become Prime Minister.)
Three years ago, cannabis stocks were the hottest things on the market. Weed was about to become legal in Canada and it seemed everyone was going to get rich in the process. Today, millions of grams sit untouched, going stale on shelves. Some of the industry's biggest names have gone through round after round of layoffs. And even now, almost half of the pot sold in Canada is on the black market. How did Canada's legal pot industry blow its opportunity?
GUEST: Kieran Delamont, writing in The Walrus
Across the country kids are preparing to return to classrooms, and covid cases are climbing in the community. How did we manage to find ourselves in the same position this September as we did last year? What have we learned about kids and the virus since last September? How have we put that knowledge to use—or not?
Is our health care system ready for a fall influx of sick kids? And what do parents need to know to keep their kids safe, and need to hear to keep their fear at bay?
GUEST: Dr. Katharine Smart, paediatrician and president of the Canadian Medical Association
You probably heard about it when it happened. It was called Project Endgame and it was a massive police bust on what they alleged was an illegal casino operating out of a 53-room mansion in Markham, Ontario. But even as the charges were being laid and the evidence put on display, something was already going sideways. Now almost a year later, the case is in tatters and police face misconduct allegations. What happened here?
GUEST: Leah McLaren, reporting for Toronto Life
A Liberal government with a big lead in the polls decides to call a snap election in the hope of securing more time in power. Then the polls start to tighten. And eventually ... it doesn't work out the way they hoped.
Is the Progressive Conservative victory in Nova Scotia a sign that should worry the federal Liberals, as they try to do the same thing? How did the polls get this one wrong? And what can we learn about federal elections from provincial results?
GUEST: Philippe J. Fournier, 338Canada.com
The promises and criticisms aren't going anywhere. Neither is the partisanship. But there's a whole lot of uncertainty about the first federal election of the pandemic era. What happens if Covid hits a campaign, or a community hosting a leader? How is Elections Canada adjusting its plans? And did you know you can vote right now if you don't want to deal with any of it?
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill Reporter
There are millions of Canadians for whom the rapid fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban has been a shock. The images coming from the country right now are disturbing and will likely only get worse in the days and weeks to come.
This war was the longest in Canada's history, featuring 12 years of military efforts. For America, it was two full decades. But now that the US has left the country, it's worth asking: If this is the result, why were we there? What were we doing? What did decades of death and trillions of dollars get the people of Afghanistan?
GUEST: Stephen Saideman, Paterson Chair in International Affairs at Carleton University, author of Adapting in the Dust: Lessons Learned from Canada’s War in Afghanistan
It's August. It's hot. People are on vacation. Parents are preparing for back-to-school. There's a fourth wave of COVID-19 rising. A lot of forests are on fire. And Canadians are going to the polls. Why?
Is this a power grab by the federal Liberals? Or is it a critical time for Canadians to make decisions about the future of their country in the face of multiple crises? Or ... both of those things?
GUEST: David Moscrop
Food costs more. Employees aren't returning. Pandemic protocols are costly, but necessary. Indoor dining won't be full for some time yet. COVID-19 has altered the way restaurants survive and thrive — and it looks like there's no going back to the past, even after the pandemic ends. So what does the future of your local favourite look like?
GUEST: Corey Mintz, food reporter, author of The Next Supper: The End of Restaurants as We Knew Them, And What Comes After.
At the height of the pandemic last year, top public health officials were openly hoping that COVID-19 meant the end of the handshake. Even if the greeting doesn't effectively transmit the coronavirus, it's a very effective way to pass on other bacteria. After 18 months of non-contact greetings, will society at large return to shaking hands in casual settings? Will you? And will it become another battleground in the culture war that has already politicized masks and vaccinations?
GUEST: Daniel Dumas, Editor-at-Large, Esquire
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a UN-sponsored body that periodically releases a synthesis of current climate science, doesn't reveal anything we didn't already know or experience. The Earth is hotter than it's ever been. Sea levels are rising and causing more extreme weather events. The report is a big deal for making the one conclusion no one can ever question again: climate change is human-caused and is having a tremendous impact. That impact isn't just on our planet but on us humans: our health, safety and well-being are at stake. The report tells us what actions we can take to protect ourselves. So what do governments, industries and individual citizens need to do?
Guest: Rick Smith
Guest-host: Fatima Syed
In recent weeks, as demands for a vaccine passport grow around the world, politicians are citing our rights to life, liberty and security as a reason to allow portions of our population to not be vaccinated. They say making vaccines mandatory will erode our rights, and nothing, not even a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, is worth that.
We all have rights, but we also have a duty to keep each other safe. How do we do that?
Guest: Emmett Macfarlane
Guest-host: Fatima Syed
The Liberal government has released new pay equity legislation that goes into effect on August 31. The goal is to provide all employees in a few federally regulated sectors "equal pay for work of equal value" and thus finally end a gender pay gap that hasn't been narrowed in decades.
Canadian women have been waiting for this for 50 years, while many other countries have already taken proactive measures to force companies to report and correct the gender pay gap. Is this a turning point? And will we finally succeed?
Guest: Andrea Gunraj
Guest host: Fatima Syed
On November 28, 2020, a 24-year-old was arrested for installing a shunt—a wire that mimics the electrical signal of a train and causes oncoming trains to derail—along the railway tracks near Bellingham, Washington. She is now facing 20 years in prison and terror charges. Reports suggest she was acting in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en movement fighting to stop the construction of the Coastal Gaslink pipeline.
This is a form of radical and often dangerous act of protest that people are turning towards to demand change. Are these acts effective? And how far is too far?
Guest: Hilary Beaumont
Guest-host: Fatima Syed
After nine seasons as a Toronto Raptor, Kyle Lowry is leaving for a three-year, 90 million dollar contract with the Miami Heat. He led us to our first-ever championship and along the way become the heart and soul of an entire city and country — an honour awarded to few athletes.
Who was the man behind the title? How did he shape the team? And how will they go on without him?
Guest: Doug Smith, Toronto Star
Guest-host: Fatima Syed
A new study by RBC found the number of people who left their jobs in June tripled compared to the same month in 2020. RBC expects 125,000 people to retire in the second half of the year as baby boomers just opt out of the daily grind. Managers are worried and trying to keep people by offering all kinds of mental health and wellness benefits. But nothing’s working because we’re still not addressing the root causes of burnout. We need a new kind of corporate workplace that doesn’t make us feel this way. How do we do that?
Guest: Karen K. Ho
Guest-host: Fatima Syed
In recent weeks, there has been disastrous flooding in Europe, India, Arizona and in China. Summer temperatures have broken records from Canada to Pakistan. Toronto had the second worst air quality in the world because of wildfires in northern Ontario.
Despite all this, we are still struggling to come to grips with the fact that we are living through a climate emergency. Why can't our brains process the reality in front of us? If seeing the effects of climate change in our own backyards doesn't make us take the threat seriously then what will? Is there anything anyone can say that will wake people up to the need for serious climate action?
The first step might be to stop framing it as the end of the world.
Guest: Alex Steffen, The Snap Forward
Guest Host: Fatima Syed
In the pandemic's darkest months, millions of us were looking for comfort and solace. And we found it in an unlikely comedy about an American football coach going to England to coach a soccer team. But Ted Lasso's success is more than a funny script and a great cast—it's a sign that we're searching for more than an anti-hero, and as the culture gets meaner, kindness is more in demand than ever before.
Why Ted? Why now? What does it mean to celebrate a privileged white man in an authority position simply for ... being nice? Will the show's second season explore the complexity of its characters? Does Ted Lasso have a dark side?
GUEST: Norm Wilner, NOW Magazine
When Canada's intelligence agency warns about threats from foreign powers in the expected fall election, it's easy to assume they're referring to the kind of online meddling the United States saw from Russia in 2016. But they're not.
Or at least, that's not all they're worried about. The latest warning from CSIS covers what might be called 'old-school' interference. The basics of blackmail, bribery and threats. So how is Canada preparing, and what should we be worried about when it comes to our election security?
GUEST: Stephanie Carvin, author of Stand on Guard: Reassessing Threats To Canada's National Security
Over the past few weeks, Toronto police have stormed into at least three park encampments where homeless people have been living. They've been met with protesters and journalists, and police have sometimes responded with violence.
In the end, not many people have ended up in homes, and the city's reputation is in tatters. How long can Toronto sustain this strategy? What could the city do differently, if it's willing to admit to its past failures? And what should other places in Canada who face similar crises, learn from this?
GUEST: Leilani Farha, global director of Make The Shift
Since the early days of the pandemic, experts have been warning about the stress constant emergency work places on medical professionals. And after more than a year on the front lines of the pandemic, Canada has a nursing crisis. Why are nurses walking away? Why can't we recruit more quickly? And what happens in the fall if we see another wave of covid without enough nurses to keep the system running?
GUEST: Tim Guest, president of the Canadian Nurses Association
Masking has become second nature to most of us during the pandemic. But with the end cautiously in sight, how many of us will still cover up once we're no longer forced to?
In eastern nations like Japan, masking in crowded public spaces in simply part of the culture — especially during flu season. Why hasn't that taken hold here, and how can masks continue to help us stay safe without remaining a battleground in the culture wars?
GUEST: Dr. Mitsutoshi Horii, professor of Shumei University in Japan
Their last game in Toronto was in September of 2019. Since then, the Blue Jays have been on one of sports' longest odysseys—playing home games as the road team, then in Buffalo, then Florida and back to Buffalo again, waiting for permission to enter Canada.
That finally changes next week as the team comes home on July 30. The exemption that allows them to do so is the result of months of back and forth between the team and the government. And it could provide an emotional boost for a country that needs one, and a team that could use a real home crowd behind it for a pennant race.
GUEST: Shi Davidi, Sportsnet
Recent polls from across the spectrum show the Conservative Party of Canada struggling to mount a meaningful challenge to the Liberals in the next election—which seems to be fast approaching. More concerning than the low polling numbers is another statistic: The percentage of Canadians who would be willing to consider voting conservative. That’s at 41 percent, down seven points since 2019.
The Conservative party’s current pool of voters is shrinking. Who are they losing, and why? What might bring them back into the fold? Are their other groups who might be drawn to a more centrist party and is the CPC willing to take the short-term pain of alienating a hard-right base to chase votes in the centre?
GUEST: Max Fawcett
You’ve probably thrown something out when it was past the date on the package—even if it didn’t really seem like it had gone bad. Better safe than sorry, or as the campaign used to tell us, “When in doubt, throw it out.” But best before dates are not the same as expiry dates, and this misunderstanding is behind millions of kilograms of food wasted every year.
Where did best before dates come from and what was their initial intention? Why does everything have a best before date now, even things like candy or chips … or water? How can we reverse decades of conditioning and teach people to use common sense and good judgement, rather than an arbitrary date, to determine when to toss otherwise edible food?
GUEST: Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest
The public is currently being told to venture into the crown jewel of Vancouver’s park system “at their own risk” as dozens of people, including a two-year-old child, have been attacked by wild coyotes this year. And Stanley Park is not the only green space in Canada dealing with the newly-aggressive animals attacking human visitors.
Something seems to have shifted in the way coyotes and humans are usually able to coexist in places like this, but what? How should cities deal with these animals? Are there options besides extermination? If given enough time, will the coyotes’ behaviour revert to form? And what will become of these parks if it doesn’t?
GUEST: Colleen Cassady St. Clair, Professor, Biological Sciences, University of Alberta
Last week, retired general Jonathan Vance, former chief of the defence staff, was charged with obstruction of justice related to an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. That sounds like a shocking piece of news, but really it was an almost inevitable conclusion of the latest scandal that put Canada’s military justice system, or lack thereof, on the front pages.
This has been a story for decades now, and various governments and the armed forces have frequently vowed to fix it. Committees are formed. Reports are written. Recommendations are made. And then we end up here. Again. Why?
GUEST: Marie-Danielle Smith, Maclean’s
Most vaccines in Canada are administered by family doctors, so when Covid-19 vaccinations began to receive approval late in 2020, those physicians got ready to roll up their sleeves and dive in. But the call never came. While a few pilot projects let a relative handful of doctor’s offices receiving doses, the vast majority of family physicians were left out.
And now that Canada’s vaccine uptake has plateaued and begun to decline, those doctors could be the key to reaching the holdouts. They want to leverage their relationships with patients to get results that mass clinics can’t. Will provincial governments let them into the game?
GUEST: Dr. Elizabeth Muggah, President, Ontario College of Family Physicians
On Friday Canada’s largest province enters stage three of reopening—by far the biggest move since early this year, before the third wave of Covid-19 hit. Other places around the world have had varying degrees of success as they’ve come out of restrictions, but perhaps the best example to reassure anxious Canadians is out west, where Alberta has been almost back to normal for two weeks now, and—so far!—there has been no cause for concern.
Is this really what back to normal feels like? What’s it like to realize you can remove your mask indoors if you want to? And is there a plan if cases do start to climb again?
GUEST: Darcy Ropchan, video journalist, CityNews Edmonton
And why were the police so focused on the 15-month old’s parents in the wake of his death? Nathaniel died in 2015, after sustaining a severe brain injury. And in the weeks and months and years to come, the investigation narrowed to his parents as the prime suspects. It was a preoccupation that, in hindsight, many observers thought was strange.
But then a reporter started asking questions about the investigation, and what happened that day, and how police conducted their work … and weeks later a charge was laid. Not against Nathaniel’s parents, but his babysitter, who is facing one count of manslaughter. What happened to Nathaniel, and what went so wrong with the investigation into his death?
GUEST: Kevin Donovan, Chief Investigative Reporter, Toronto Star
(Read Kevin’s five-part investigation right here.)
Right now, across Canada, there are questions around the names of places, institutions and even streets. The debate about whether or not we should rename something that honours problematic and sometimes racist historical figures is a question all sorts of organizations, from governments to companies to school boards are wrestling with.
But more interesting questions come afterward. So you’ve decided to change a name: To what? Who gets a say? How exactly do you go about correcting the historical record? Do you wipe all references to the former person clean, or acknowledge the former name? And how minute can you get with the names of places and things before logistics become a problem?
GUEST: Dr. Vidya Shah, York University
If you spent time outdoors this weekend, we hope you did a thorough tick check when you got back inside. The creatures have been on the rise in Canada for years, and this summer is no exception. The increase is not just in numbers, but in wide swaths of habitat which used to be tick-free.
Why is this happening? How can you spot them? Where are you likely to encounter them? And most importantly, if you find one, how can you remove it safely, and what do you need to do after that?
GUEST: Justin Wood, founder of Geneticks
As the United States winds down its involvement in Afghanistan, things are becoming more and more dangerous for Afghan citizens who have aided soldiers over the past two decades. And nobody is in more danger than those who worked as interpreters for Canadian and allied forces.
Years ago, Canada had a program to fast-track visas for Afghan interpreters, but it’s long gone. Now, veterans who served with the interpreters are sounding the alarm for the government to help hundreds of them and their families, who risked so much to help Canadians on the ground. Will the feds listen?
GUEST: Lt.-Col. Mark Popov
Two people are dead, a town is all but destroyed and more than a thousand people have essentially become climate refugees. And that is the toll of just one of the hundreds of forest fires raging in British Columbia at the moment.
But it's in the future of Lytton that we can get a glimpse of what Canada must grapple with. Do you rebuild a town in the hottest place in Canada, at a time when fire season is getting longer and more intense every year? Or do you simply expect people, many of whom belong to the Lytton First Nation, to pick up the pieces and head elsewhere—until "elsewhere" is threatened, too?
GUEST: Monika Gul, News 1130, CityNews, Vancouver
The heated discussion over a full return to business as usual versus an embrace of remote, flexible work is often couched in language of productivity, creativity and efficiency. But as more and more corporations announce their post-pandemic plans, it's becoming clear that there's a bigger, deeper issue at stake: Control.
What makes companies feel like in-person office work is essential? Why are workers so reluctant to give up their new flexibility, even when working from home can be fraught with problems? Are we entering a new era that could end the monoculture of the office... or just one more push from labour to be beaten back by The Man?
GUEST: Charlie Warzel, journalist, Galaxy Brain
Now that vaccines are widely available to almost any Canadian who wants one, the focus turns to convincing people who haven't had one yet to get their needle. It's easier said than done, for more reasons than just hesitancy. And if our inbox is any indication, after months of mixed messaging, Canadians have a lot of questions.
What does the science say about mixing mRNA vaccines? When will we have data and shots for kids under 12? How do various brands of vaccines cope with the Delta variant? And why does the threshold for herd immunity keep changing?
GUEST: Sabina Vohra-Miller, clinical pharmacologist
Traditionally, Ontario (and parts of Quebec) would see outbreaks of the creature known as the Gypsy Moth every decade or more. But the past two years have seen back to back outbreaks, each of them much larger than what we'd seen in the past. And we're currently not sure if this is an anomaly, or the new normal.
What are these creatures and how did they get here? What do they do to the trees they attack? Do we have a plan to stop their explosive spread? And what can you do if you spot them on trees in your backyard or at your favourite park?
GUEST: David Dutkiewicz, entomology technician, Invasive Species Centre
A lot of us are lucky enough that we've never thought of Canada Day as anything but a day off to enjoy all the country has to offer, and to celebrate the story we tell ourselves about this land. It's a good story, honestly. But as so many of us have learned over the past year—it's not true.
So today we'll hear some perspectives on Canada Day from people whose stories don't often get heard on July 1, and maybe that can help us see what is both great and terrible about this country.
GUESTS: Eva Jewell, Donnovan Bennett, Fatima Syed
You can donate to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society by visiting their website.
First of all, what is a heat dome? How rare is it? How deadly? Are the all-time high temperatures the Pacific Northwest experienced this week an anomaly, or a terrifying glimpse of the new normal?
Can we pin this all on a warming climate? Or is some of it an unlucky combination of weather systems? And if this is a sign of things to come, what do Canadians, and governments across the country, need to do to prepare for summers to come?
GUEST: Katharine Hayhoe, climate scientist
Right now, the Bank of Canada is working on a "digital loonie" that will replace cash at some point in the future. Governments around the world are either following suit or way ahead of us. While banks have been giving their customers access to digital wallets for years, cryptocurrencies are attempting to corner the market on the next generation of money.
The only thing that's clear to everyone is that actual cold, hard cash is not long for this world—with all the benefits and inequalities that will include. So in the race to become the next go-to source of currency ... who's winning?
GUEST: Michael Doyle, freelance journalist and reporter
Last week, Core Development Group announced its intention to spend a billion dollars buying family homes in hot markets across Canada and converting them to rental units. On the surface, this would seem to bring badly needed family rentals into markets that are in desperate need of them—but there's a lot more going on here than just that.
What does a billion dollars in corporate money do to an already overheated housing market? Will these rental units be affordable for families that have been priced out of home ownership? How does a condo developer plan to become a landlord at a cross-Canada scale? And why do so many housing advocates warn this will set a dangerous precedent?
GUEST: Rachelle Younglai, Real Estate Reporter, The Globe and Mail
Her real name is Romana Didulo, and over the past few months her following has grown to tens of thousands. And she's putting them to use in real life—handing out cease and desist "orders" to authorities and businesses across the country. The penalty she promises for not complying and removing all Covid-19 restrictions is death.
Obviously, Didulo's claims are ridiculous, and completely false. There's zero truth to anything associated with her. But when organizations that work to combat extremism see a new figure rise to prominence and begin to immediately take their goals off the internet and into the streets ... they get very worried.
GUEST: Peter Smith, journalist, Canadian Anti-Hate Network
Too bad, you're likely getting one anyway! Over the past few weeks there have been unmistakeable signs that the governing Liberals as well as opposition parties are getting ready to send Canadians to the polls—whether they want to go or not. From fundraising to renting rooms, passing bills that will look great in campaign literature and reminding voters how long they waited for their vaccines, it's pretty clear that the machines are revving up.
So why now? What will a federal election in a country still recovering from Covid look like? Are the Liberals planning this because they think they can come back with a majority? And will there be room for any issues beyond the pandemic?
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill Reporter
One year after being singled out—first by Premier Blaine Higgs, then by members of his own community—as "Patient Zero" for a New Brunswick Covid-19 outbreak, Dr. Jean-Robert Ngola is still putting his life back together. Last May an outbreak in Campbellton, NB, was blamed by Higgs on an "irresponsible medical professional", and online Dr. Ngola was identified less than an hour later.
Since then he's been suspended, had charges filed, then eventually dropped. He's asked for and been refused an apology. He's left Campbellton, and now lives in another province and is still wondering where he might be if the premier had been patient and waited for proper tracing to occur.
GUEST: Judy Trinh, CBC's The Fifth Estate
Usually, when someone is charged with murder, their name is all over police statements, and then all over the media. But when police neglect to release that information—and some forces have been doing that more and more frequently—the murder itself can go missing. From the media, from the conversation, and eventually from the statistics kept that guide community safety policies.
Why have police begun withholding the name of people accused of murder, and what are the ramifications for the criminal justice system and vulnerable communities?
GUEST: Alyshah Hasham, Toronto Star courts reporter
When Alberta announced last week it would join several U.S. states in offering the chance of life-changing prizes to citizens who get their Covid-19 vaccine, they were chasing a simple truth: For some reason, we tend to value the remote chance of a big reward far more than the certainty of a small one.
This is something that governments and companies are proving true right now as they try all sorts of things to help everyone get vaccinated and get life back to normal. And it begs the question: If it works for vaccines, what else could governments entice us to do by dangling a lottery lure? And what's happening in our brains when we do it?
GUEST: Adam Rogers, senior correspondent at WIRED
Across Canada, in every municipality, there are people experiencing homelessness. It happens everyday. But what really matters is what happens to those people after they become homeless.
Homelessness can quickly become a cycle, a self-fulfilling prophecy, a chronic condition. And in many places policy treats it that way, creating benchmarks for people to clear before they qualify for assistance, or tracking people living on the streets as numbers instead of names. What if there was a better way? What if that better way was actually easier and cheaper? And what if it was not some far-left Canadian municipality leading the way, but a conservative stronghold in Alberta?
GUEST: Jaime Rogers, Manager of Homeless and Housing Development, Medicine Hat Community Housing Society
The months-long blockade at Fairy Creek is something of a tipping point for the province's NDP government's attempt to balance its environmentalism and its logging interests. Before his party was re-elected, Premier John Horgan pledged to follow a report with recommendations to protect B.C.'s old-growth forests, of which only three percent remain.
Almost a year later, none of the recommendations have been acted upon and the blockade that has led to hundreds of arrests shows no signs of stopping. Will the province agree to a deferral? Will that buy it time to figure out a solution? Logging vs. the environment is a decades-old fight in the province, but the government has run out of time to find a solution that pleases everyone.
GUEST: Sarah Cox, B.C. Investigative Reporter, The Narwhal
That's not hyperbole. Many Americans (and Canadians, and citizens around the world) hoped that once Donald Trump was out of office, and Joe Biden became president, the country would experience a snap-back towards political normalcy. That hasn't happened. And driven by their fears of being ousted by Trump's base, Republicans around the country are continuing to push the United States towards the brink.
How did this happen? When did Trumpism become the entire identity of the Republican party? Can America wake up to the threat posed to its most crucial institutions, or is it already too late?
GUEST: Peter Wehner, contributing writer at The Atlantic, senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Peter has worked in the three Republican presidential administrations previous to Trump's.
It's a gigantic update to Quebec's language laws, which have been part of the cultural fabric of the province for 50 years—and the proposal even goes so far as to update Canada's constitution.
But does Bill 96 actually protect French in Quebec? Does it help newcomers learn and use the language? Will it make it easier for badly-needed immigrants to Canada to choose to settle there? And does taking such measures to protect French do a disservice to the many Indigenous languages that are at risk of disappearing across the country?
GUEST: Toula Drimonis, CULT MTL.com
Last week the federal government announced a tentative plan to announce a less-tentative plan for a July border reopening in the coming weeks. What we do know: It'll be fully-vaccinated Canadians only who can skip the quarantine, and there will still be plenty of checks and balances.
What we don't know: Almost everything else. After 15 months of near total shutdown, there are millions of Canadians anxious to see family they have missed, take a long-delayed vacation or even just catch a Jays game in Buffalo or Seattle. How easy will it be to do that? When should they count on being able to travel?
GUEST: Charlie Pinkerton, Deputy Editor, iPolitics.ca
When Disney+ launched its newest Marvel show, Loki, this week, it came with a marketing campaign: "Wednesdays (when new episodes of Loki will be released) are the new Fridays (when Disney previously released new episodes of Marvel and Star Wars shows)." The campaign means that Disney is choosing not only to release new episodes weekly, rather than all at once, they are actively using the weekly release model as a selling point.
The past year has seen a departure from the practice of 'bingable' shows that began in 2013 with Netflix's House of Cards. It's not often that disruptors eventually reject their own premise and take on the tactics of the traditional businesses they're trying to replace. But this appears to be one example of just that. We'll go inside the rise and fall of the binge watch.
GUEST: Norm Wilner, Sr. Film Writer, NOW Magazine
This week, Canada's reckoning with its racist history was interrupted by its racist present. A terrorist attack in London, ON killed four members of a Muslim family and left a nine-year-old boy orphaned and injured. Are we finally past saying things like, "This kind of stuff doesn't happen in Canada"? Are we ready to shed the self-image that has been proven false so many times?
Are Canadians ready, en masse, to take it upon themselves to make this country safe and confront Islamophobia? Are politicians ready to shelve the thoughts and prayers and lead us in doing it? Because right now, things are getting worse, not better.
GUEST: Fatima Syed
Lots of people, when applying for jobs, hope the people doing the hiring can see them as people, instead of as assets that can deliver value for the company. For job seekers with disabilities or neurodivergence, it's just the opposite—they wish that employers could see the real value they'll bring to the business instead of just seeing the atypical applicant they're interviewing.
So what happens when businesses make a business decision and hire these applicants? They're often rewarded handsomely and there are many examples of employers who've done this. But how can the rest of Canadian employers learn to see these hires as a competitive advantage instead of an act of charity?
GUEST: Katie Lafferty, producer on Employable Me
There have been promises in the past. And committees, and commitments and commissions and no shortage of apologies. But in the wake of the 215 children found buried where a residential school once operated near Kamloops, there's a growing sense among Canadians that none of the past work has been enough.
Is this reckoning real? Do Indigenous peoples across the country believe it could be different this time? Will average Canadians demand better from their government? And if this time really is different, what happens next? And how horrific will real Truth and Reconciliation be when we learn all there is to learn about that not-so-distant past?
GUEST: Eva Jewell, Associate fellow at the Yellowhead Institute, Anishinaabekwe from Deshkan Ziibiing, Chippewas of the Thames First Nation
(Learn more about the Yellowhead Institute here.)
The promise was pretty clear: During his first successful campaign as Liberal leader, Justin Trudeau told LGBT voters that we would end Canada’s longstanding ban prohibiting men who have sex with men from donating blood. At the time, it seemed like a simple promise to keep. A few years later, he claimed it wasn’t so simple.
Now, it’s 2021 and Erin O’Toole is criticizing Trudeau for his failure as the Conservatives seek LGBT support. How is the blood ban still in place? When Trudeau claims his government will “follow the science” what is he referring to? Is a discriminatory approach really still necessary when technology has rapidly advanced and Canada needs blood more than ever?
GUEST: Justin Ling, investigative journalist
Every time there’s a protest, or dispute, or anything else newsworthy in rural Canada, the media shows up to cover it. And runs into the RCMP. Sometimes, nothing happens. But more often than not, access to the story becomes a story in itself, with the RCMP insisting media aren’t allowed in, or offering access only to “accredited media”. You can imagine where this leads, and probably guess that Indigenous journalists have born the brunt of it.
But this time, when the RCMP attempted to stop journalists from access the site of a protest against old-growth forest logging near Port Renfrew, B.C., the media went to court. What happens next will go a long way to determining who gets access to protests attempting to stop natural resource extraction in rural areas, and other contentious issues that happen far away from big cities…
GUEST: Brent Jolly, President, Canadian Association of Journalists
Less than one percent of the 1.8-billion Covid-19 vaccines used so far have gone to low-income countries. And in those countries new variants are emerging that could impact our vaccine efficacy. Canadians spent the first four months complaining about our slow rollout, but we’re soon to be second in the world among countries with the highest percentage of people receiving at least one dose.
This is vaccine inequity in action. And it’s not someone else’s problem. Today, when experts tell you “the pandemic isn’t over until it’s over everywhere” … here’s what they mean.
GUEST: Dr. Ananya Tina Banerjee, McGill University
Less than two months from now, unless something changes, the postponed 2020 Olympics will begin in Tokyo, Japan. Unless the country’s government listens to both its populace and its doctors, all of whom are urging them not to proceed.
Japan has vaccinated less than three percent of its population. A medic this week warned of the Olympics spawning a new ‘Tokyo olympic’ variant of Covid-19. The games could be exactly what the world needs to mark the beginning of the end of this pandemic. Or they could be exactly what the virus needs to keep it going. And we won’t know which, until they happen. If they happen.
GUEST: Stephen Brunt, Sportsnet
Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal … Canada truly has some of the world’s biggest and most beautiful Pride celebrations. But it also has some of the smallest. In places like Taber, Alberta (POP: 9,000), Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia (POP.: 500) and Norman Wells, Northwest Territories (POP: 800) communities have begun holding Prides of their own, often marked by some of the same traditions you find in big cities.
What does that look like? How different is it to walk in a Pride march when you know everybody who is—and isn’t—there? And when everyone will know you attended? How are these events changing what it’s like to grow up queer in small-town Canada?
GUEST: Chelle Turingan, co-director, producer, editor, Small Town Pride
It’s always been this way but … why? When it comes to everything from routine cleaning appointments and checkups to more complicated procedures like abscesses and crowns, many Canadians scramble to pay for their own dental care. Even for those lucky enough to have insurance, many employers’ plans don’t have enough coverage to take care of the really expensive stuff.
Is dental care an afterthought in this country? Was there ever a plan to include it in universal health care? What do other countries do? And does any party have a plan to fix this?
GUEST: Anne Thériault, freelance journalist (Read Anne’s piece in The Walrus)
We asked a whole bunch of questions, and hundreds of The Big Story’s listeners responded. We’re here for a special episode to share some of the most interesting questions and feedback with you — and to tell you what we’re going to do about it!
GUEST HOST: Stefanie Phillips, lead producer, The Big Story
GUEST: Jordan Heath-Rawlings, host
This is the story of a Jeopardy! contestant who made a white supremacist gesture on the program. Only he didn’t. But that didn’t stop thousands of people, including several dozen former Jeopardy! contestants from insisting that he had, and hunting ceaselessly for evidence to back up their assumptions.
This is a story about what the internet is doing to all our minds. Every day. And what we can learn from watching it happen in real time.
GUEST: Ben Smith, media columnist, New York Times
After nearly a century of moving Canadians between rural towns and big cities, Greyhound Canada announced last week it would end all Canadian routes. This is a move that could be devastating for hundreds of thousands of Canadians who lack access to a car and might be stranded without access to medical appointments, connection to family or dozens of other intercity transportation needs.
But that’s only if nobody acts to replace what Greyhound offered with a better version. There are a number of possibilities that could remake the bus landscape in Canada. The question is if any level of government has the will to implement them.
GUEST: Alexis Zhou, freelance journalist, transportation advocate
When people started presenting with symptoms, local doctors and scientists wondered if the mysterious neurological disorder might be Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. But it wasn’t. It wasn’t anything else that we recognize, either.
And the symptoms are a long list that run from inconvenient to painful to life-altering and deadly. We don’t know what’s causing it, haven’t been able to treat it and—because of the pandemic—haven’t been able to fully research the places where it may have come from. What we do know is that it’s awful. And in New Brunswick it’s becoming more common.
GUEST: Amanda Coletta, The Washington Post
Hope and optimism are the reasons we sign up for dating apps — even if we know we'll end up in the muck when we get there. We expect some bad dates and ghosting and all the rest, but the reality is that a small percentage of these dates do end in alleged sexual assaults.
That's horrific, and often the police are involved. But when the user reports their assailant to the app they met on, what happens? Who handles that complaint and escalates it? Are they trained to help victims? What actions do they take? Is there an official process or are victims fending for themselves? And if the accused user isn't removed and it happens again—is the company that makes that app to blame?
GUEST: Brian Edwards, Columbia Journalism Investigations
When Uber first arrived in Montreal, it wasn't legal—but that didn't stop it. And cabbies were angry, but little was being done at the government level, and police were rarely if ever enforcing the law.
So one man decided to take the matter into his own hands, waging a war that, while ultimately unsuccessful, left his mark on a city and an industry as an outlaw hero. This is the story of the Taxi Sheriff.
GUEST: Marcello Di Cintio, author, Driven: The Secret Lives of Taxi Drivers
A comprehensive, Canada-wide study found that Canada has some of the highest levels of radon in homes in the world. Roughly half the homes tested failed to meet WHO standards, and even by Canada's more lenient standards, one in five were above the threshold of what's considered safe. The prairie provinces scored worst in the country—but no region was immune.
Long-term impacts of radon exposure can lead to lung cancer—in fact it's the second biggest cause of lung cancer behind smoking. So why don't more Canadians know of this danger? Which homes are most vulnerable to high levels of radon? How can you easily test for it, and what can you do if your home is unsafe? As one researcher says, "This is an avoidable public health crisis."
To learn more about radon exposure visit evictradon.org.
GUEST: Declan Keogh, Investigative Journalism Bureau (You can read the project by the IJB and the Toronto Star right here)
About 40 percent of the Amazon packages delivered to Canada come through Ontario's Peel Region. It manufactures almost everything. It's where trucks get loaded up and head out across the country, full of everything. And for months now, it's been on fire with Covid-19. Vulnerable workers in multigenerational homes, without sick days, bringing home the virus and infecting their families. Yet even when the vaccination push began in earnest, Peel was left behind.
It wasn't until a massive piece of reporting a month ago connected the dots, that Canadians started to realize the tragedy that was unfolding. And that feature was in an independent publication, not a major Toronto paper. Why did so many, from politicians to journalists to the public forget about Peel? And now that help has arrived—what will it take to put out the fire for good?
GUEST: Fatima Syed, reporter (You can read Fatima's feature in The Local)
Thousands of small businesses used the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy to keep afloat and avoid laying off their staff. But they weren't the only type of business to qualify for and receive the CEWS. Among some of the companies that took government money are companies that bounced back after a bad month, companies who fared well during the pandemic and publicly-traded companies who were even able to payout dividends to shareholders in the same year they accessed this emergency funding.
All these companies qualified, so they can't be blamed for taking the funds. Should the policy have been clearer? Should the amounts and recipients be public? What could have been done to make this program more targeted and efficient?
GUEST: Patrick Brethour, Tax and Fiscal Policy Reporter, The Globe and Mail
It began with allegations of sexual misconduct, but it went beyond that into a bureaucratic tangle that left the alleged victim's parents without justice, the RCMP spending hundreds of thousands to keep a constable on leave and an embarrassing look into an organization that badly needs to fix its policies.
What went wrong in the case of Const. Justin Harris? And how systemic are the problems in the RCMP discipline process?
GUEST: Jane Gerster, investigative journalist
Shopping! Parties! Beer! Reunions! As the United Kingdom moves into phase three of its reopening on Monday, even phase two seems far beyond what Canada can expect. But it's not.
As our country struggles through what will hopefully be our last lockdown, it's worth hearing about what happens next from the places in the world that most closely resemble where we've been. This isn't a fever dream, it's just hard to believe right now. But it's happening.
GUEST: Ebony-Renee Baker, Canadian journalist reporting from London, UK
When Ontario and Alberta decided they would stop giving the AstraZeneca vaccine as a first dose, part of the reasoning was an abundant supply of other vaccines. But that feels like cold comfort to Canadians who eagerly lined up because "the best shot you can get is the one in your arm" and now might be feeling scared or ripped off. What options do those Canadians have? Another vaccine for a second dose? To wait and see? What can those of us who have one dose of any vaccine do in between our shots? Could any of this have been avoided, or is it just a case of the science changing?
GUEST: Sabina Vohra-Miller, clinical pharmacologist
We are in the home stretch of this pandemic, even if you wouldn't know it from anything Canadian officials tell you. Vaccines work, and hundreds of thousands of Canadians are getting theirs every day. We can look to the United Kingdom right now to see what happens when enough people get their shots. We know a lot more than we ever have about what's safe and what's not, how to protect ourselves and still find activities worth doing.
So why don't communications from public health reflect that? Why can't politicians and doctors give us hope, or at least a few carrots mixed in with the constant sticks? Do they not trust us with optimism? Worry we'll start breaking the rules early? Or is treating Canadians like obedient robots doing more harm than good?
GUEST: Matt Gurney, columnist with TVO and the National Post
He ran for mayor, and won three times, on a platform of bipartisanship, even as political squabbles were getting nastier by the day. He used social media to drive his campaign before 'going viral' became the goal of a comms staff. He took over the job of running a city that had never declared a state of emergency, then had to do it three times in his decade in charge.
Naheed Nenshi is leaving office after 10 years of being one of the most interesting politicians in the country. And no -- we didn't ask him what he wants his legacy to be. This isn't that kind of exit interview.
GUEST: Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary
There are tens of thousands of infant Canadians who have never been held by anyone but their moms and dads; who have never played with another real live child or spent a second in daycare or with a babysitter. Sometime soon, when restrictions are lifted, all that will change. What do we know about how a year without socialization will impact these infants? How can parents help them enter a world they've never met? And what will we learn about how babies adapt from this unexpected global experiment?
GUEST: Dr. Sheri Madigan, University of Calgary, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development
The forest in question this time is a piece of land known as the Greenbelt. The highway, if it's built, would be known as Hwy. 413. If you think this is just a story about Toronto—you're wrong.
The fight over Hwy. 413 has arrived at the federal government's level. And how the government chooses to use the powers it has in this situation will decide the project's fate. And quite possibly the fate of the next big highway vs. forest battle.
GUEST: Emma McIntosh, National Observer
You know something's gone wrong when the government is promising to amend their changes to the broadcasting act to make sure it doesn't apply to, say, your personal Twitter feed. But that's what the federal government had to do this week after public outcry surrounding Bill C-10.
That is just one of the more obvious examples of the problems with this bill, which has been trounced by experts on both sides of the aisle. So what's in the actual bill? What did the government get wrong? And how can they fix it?
GUEST: Jesse Hirsh, metaviews.ca
How many strangers have you chatted with recently? Probably not a lot. And while your immediate reaction to that might be, "Great, I hate talking to strangers about nothing"—the research doesn't back you up.
Casual small talk plays a larger role in our well-being than we assume it does, and most of us are doing much, much less of it these days. What does that mean for our happiness? And for our pathetic attempts at chit-chat once we emerge back into a world full of random social interactions?
GUEST: Hannah Seo (You can read Hannah's piece in The Walrus)
A year ago we never would have imagined that humanity could collectively change its work habits so quickly, or that governments could unveil ambitious national programs so quickly. We all saw a silver lining last Spring when the global shutdown brought with it clearer waters and skies and a record drop in emissions.
If we're smart enough to harness what we've learned over the past 15 months, it could go a long way in the fight to keep our planet livable. If we don't ... we could end up right back where we started. Are we smart enough to apply pandemic lessons to the climate crisis?
GUEST: Catherine Abreu, Executive Director, Climate Action Network Canada
The Alberta Premier does not like restrictions, or telling people to stay home. His caucus likes that stuff even less. But the third wave of Covid-19, which is hammering Alberta thanks to looser restrictions than the rest of Canada, has left Kenney with no choice.
Kenney hasn't been tough enough on restrictions to contain Covid-19, or loose enough to please his base. Now, more than a year into the pandemic he and his party trail Rachel Notley and the NDP in the polls. How did Kenney end up in a no-win situation? Where could he have taken a different path? And what does this mean for the future of his party and his province?
GUEST: Jason Markusoff, Alberta Corespondent, Maclean's
We have a certain image of the sort of person who reports encounters with Unidentified Flying Objects. It's a ... skeptical image, to put it mildly. And it couldn't be further from the truth, at least according to the actual reports that are filed.
And there are actual reports. Dozens of them. Filed by pilots and crew and air traffic controllers — not exactly the sort of people you'd expect to be claiming they saw a UFO in the sky. They report them, though. The question is what happens to those reports?
GUEST: Daniel Otis, for Vice Canada
A year ago, as the pandemic's first wave began to recede, British Columbia was held up as a shining example of a large Canadian province that managed to beat back Covid-19. Its top doctor, Bonnie Henry, was a hero and even something of a celebrity.
A year later, all that has changed. BC has been one of Canada's worst hit province's in the third wave, Dr. Henry's decisions are being second guessed, and a government that won a majority this past fall is no longer being hailed as the pinnacle of pandemic leadership. What happened?
GUEST: Liza Yuzda, Legislative reporter, CityNews1130
In neighbourhoods like Peel in Ontario, South Asian-Canadians are being impacted by Covid-19 at a much greater number than their share of the population. At the same time, many have friends and family in India, which is facing perhaps the worst outbreak of the entire global pandemic. As South Asian-Canadians in hotspots try to navigate inequality at home, they're also desperate to help their loved ones overseas.
Now that India's hospital system has collapsed, global aid is finally on the way. But will it be enough? How did things get so bad? What can Canada, and Canadians, do to help both a country in trouble, and our neighbours in despair?
GUEST: Sabina Vohra-Miller, clinical pharmacologist, co-founder of the South Asian Health Network
You probably know already that most of the illegal guns in Canada come from the United States. But how much do you—or the police—really know about the long journeys they take to get here? Who's buying them and moving them? How do they get across the border? Why aren't more stopped before they can enter Canada? And how do they get from the border to the street to the hands of a would-be killer?
A new documentary takes a look inside how the guns get here, and what might actually work to stop them.
GUEST: Cristina Howorun, CityNews (You can watch The Gun Chase tonight on CityTV.)
A rare side effect has dominated the discussion of the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Some people have used the potential for blood clotting as a reason to "hold out" for other vaccines, even as the wait leaves them vulnerable to Covid-19. How realistic are their fears? What are we learning about this side effect? And what could that learning do to help us understand the virus itself?
GUEST: Roxanne Khamsi, independent science journalist
Today we revisit the van attack of April 23, 2018. It's been three years since a van mounted the sidewalk near Yonge and Finch in Toronto's north end, killing 10 and injuring 16. All it took was 7 minutes to terrorize a community and traumatize a city. Now we reflect on how the attack impacted the people who lived through it.
We'll hear from first-hand witnesses, family members of victims, and people who didn't even think twice to jump right in the middle of everything and help those injured.
If you would like to make a donation to the Anne Marie D'Amico Foundation visit their website.
Even people who have spent their lives covering governments of all stripes can't recall a week like the one Ontario's Progressive Conservative government has had. New restrictions, massive public blowback, and immediate reversal on some just-announced measures. Rising ICU numbers threatening to overwhelm the hospital system. Police forces publicly declining to enforce new tactics the government claimed would be implemented. Calls for Doug Ford's resignation. A mad vaccine appointment scramble. And now, a premier isolating after a close Covid-19 contact.
That's not everything. It's just a handful of the strangest headlines. It's been quite a week in Ontario. We'll get an insider's take.
GUEST: Cynthia Mulligan, Queen's Park Reporter, CityNews
Picture the moment Covid-19 became real to you—when you left to work from home, or sports shut down, or someone you know got sick. How accurate is that memory? Now, what do you remember about the days, weeks and months that came afterward? When you tell these stories to your grandchildren one day, how will you frame them?
The past year has been unbelievably hard, and if you've lost something it can often feel like it was needless and hopeless. But what we learn from studying memory is that those aren't the stories we end up telling ourselves about difficult struggles...
GUEST: Melissa Fay Greene for The Atlantic
In one week, the @VaxHuntersCan Twitter account has grown from a few thousand followers to more than 85,000. By the time you read this it may be close to 100,000. And that's because the account has one simple mission: find available Covid-19 vaccination appointments in clinics, hospitals and pharmacies across Canada, and find people ready to take them.
In the middle of a vaccine rollout that has been convoluted and sometimes confusing, the Vaccine Hunters have been a godsend. But what does it say about our government that they're needed at all? How did this project come together and evolve? And what have they learned while doing it that can help you book your vaccine?
GUEST: Josh Kalpin, Vaccine Hunters Canada
In the middle of a world gripped by plague, a major scientific discovery passed nearly unnoticed. If it's verified, it means one of the most important models we use to understand particle physics is incomplete. And that would open a doorway to a world of things we can't explain yet. If you've spent that past few days gripped in a cycle of Covid-19 rage and anxiety, come and rediscover the wonder of the universe...
GUEST: Dennis Overbye, Science Reporter, New York Times
In recent years, meditation has become a huge business in the western world—with millions of people testifying it has helped them calm their minds, improve their mood or even work through bouts of mental illness.
There is no shortage of press about the positive effects of meditation on people, and there are plenty of studies to back them up. But there is also evidence—evidence that's been growing for decades—that prolonged meditation can have a drastic negative impact on some people. This doesn't make the practice bad, or invalidate the help it has given to many ... but ask yourself if you've ever heard anything about the possible dangers of meditation. Why is that?
GUEST: David Kortava (Read David's piece in Harper's Magazine)
Last weekend, protesters clashed with police over the closing of GraceLife Church in Alberta. It's not the first time that houses of worship have been a flashpoint for anti-lockdown action. Why has religion, and in particular evangelical and fundamentalist Christianity been so opposed to restrictions on in-person gatherings, even in provinces run by conservatives? How have churches of all denominations handled a year of virtual worship? How do you keep faith in a time of plague, when some of your fellow Christians seemed determined to spread it?
GUEST: Michael Coren, Anglican cleric, author, broadcaster
In the late 1990s, it became clear that Canada's health data systems would need to go digital. A thorough report was presented, the first of many to come, laying out what needed to happen for Canada to lead the world in digital health data. A national data system would track everything from outbreaks and symptoms to vaccinations and side effects. But...we never built it. Over the next 20-plus years, little was done—and nothing at all from a truly national level.
Now, when we desperately need to be able to have access to real-time data on what's happening where, every province relies on a different system, and many of them are duct-taped together from the bones of what was supposed to be a world-leading piece of infrastructure. What happened?
GUEST: Justin Ling (Read Justin's reporting here.)
It increased it, obviously. But how? And what is that doing to us. A dive into the data that shows us where we spent our extra time, how it made us feel and which platforms have become indispensable and which ones we actually enjoy can reveal a lot about how the apps that live on our phones can change our behaviour. And how they can change to be more useful to us ... if that's their goal.
GUEST: Rani Molla, Senior Data Reporter, Recode
And also... bubbles are supposed to burst, aren't they? At some point? It's been more than half a decade since house prices in Canada began to truly climb, and that climb has accelerated even through a pandemic. It's no longer just the big cities that are driving prices, either. It's the smaller towns outside them—and the towns even further down the road when those smaller towns get too expensive.
What has the unending surge done to the Canadian economy? What could stop it? What happens in small Ontario towns when people from Toronto start flooding in and pushing home prices way over asking? And can we still call this a bubble, if some of the underlying factors driving it appear to be here to stay?
GUEST: Economist Mike Moffatt, Smart Prosperity Institute
Have you ever been mistaken for somebody else by a stranger? They call you by another name and you say "Sorry, that's not me." And they say something like, "Oh, I’m sorry, you look just like them." Sometimes, they might add with a smile, "Are you sure you’re not related?" And you say nope, and off you go.
Today’s story is what happens when you discover that, actually, you are related. That other person is your sibling, and you should have come home from the hospital with their mother, and grown up as a member of that family. But you didn't.
GUEST: Lindsay Jones, writing for The Atavist
It's been ... a bad year for economies, to put it mildly. The jobless rate has risen just about everywhere. Small businesses across Canada have scratched and clawed to stay afloat. Larger businesses have fared better, but have also issued layoffs to compensate for loss of revenue. And even as vaccines roll out and the end of the pandemic is in sight, there's still uncertainty as to what economic recovery will look like.
But one glimpse of it can be found in the number of new businesses that have started up over the past several months. Whether they are in response to needs created by Covid-19, the result of recently laid-off workers striking out on their own or incredibly low interest rates and rental office space—or a combination of all of these—Canada is seeing tens of thousands of entrepreneurs taking a leap. And that will be crucial to the economy as the country looks to bounce back from an ugly recession. So what are these businesses? Who is starting them and why? And how many of them will make it to next year?
GUEST: Matt Lundy, Economics Reporter, The Globe and Mail
You've probably never heard of Line 5. It's an offshoot of Enbridge's main pipeline and it moves more than a half-million barrels of crude oil and natural gas from Alberta, through the United States and back across the border to Sarnia, Ont. Unless the state of Michigan gets its way and shuts it down on May 12.
The pipeline is more than 60 years old, and though Enbridge claims it's safe, a study reports that a spill could devastate the shorelines of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. So Michigan wants it shut off. But an immediate shutdown would leave Sarnia in economic crisis and hike energy prices across Ontario and Quebec as fuel would need to be moved by truck or train. So Canadian governments want the line to keep flowing. It has all the makeup of at least a legal mess, and possibly an environmental one, too.
GUEST: Hilary Beaumont, freelance investigative reporter (Read Hilary's story in The Narwhal)
We all want this pandemic to be over. But it's not. And vaccines alone won't stop the third wave of Covid-19 that's now rolling over much of Canada.
The third wave is driven by variants, and you've probably heard them mentioned many times. But what are they? How are they worse than original Covid? What stops them and what doesn't? Do vaccines work on them? And what do we need to do in the meantime to keep Canadians alive until this is over?
GUEST: Dr. David Fisman, epidemiologist, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Most of us have been isolated for more than a year. Many of us, though, have been isolated for longer than that, and will feel it even more sharply when those of us who do have lots of friends and family can resume seeing them. Before there was a global pandemic, there was an epidemic of loneliness spiking in many countries around the world.
And if there's one thing capitalism knows how to do, it's how to take an unfulfilled basic human need and turn a profit on it—hence, the loneliness industry. Would you like to buy a hug, or rent a friend for an afternoon of shopping? Maybe you'll eventually need your own robot buddy. Have no fear, with enough money you can do all this and more!
GUEST: Brian Bethune
It ramped up with Canada's detention of a Huawei executive, and China's retaliatory detention of two Canadian citizens. But it didn't begin there. And tensions are not likely to end if and when Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, or Meng Wanzhou, are released.
The truth is, the diplomatic relationship between us and the emerging superpower has been decaying for years, and the past six months has only added fuel to the fire. But as Canada stands up to human rights abuses and claims of genocide by China's government...should we even want to improve them? If we did, what would it take? And can we rely on our allies if China decides to flex its muscles on us?
GUEST: Stephanie Carvin, Assoc. Prof. of International Affairs, Carleton University
Its name is the Ever Given. It will forever be a part of the history of this odd time. And when it lodged itself horizontally in the Suez Canal last week, it launched a thousand memes—but also brought global shipping and supply chains to the brink of disaster.
How could such a simple screwup cause so many problems? What could have gone wrong? What did the Stuck Boat Disaster teach us all about the fragility of both supply chains and human planning? And, uh, why was it so funny?
GUEST: Lori Ann LaRocco Author of Trade War: Containers Don't Lie, Navigating the Bluster, trade columnist for FreightWaves, reporting on the Ever Given for CNBC
Picture the last story you read or heard about a woman killed by a man. Where did she live? How old was she? Why did you picture it that way?
With much of 2020 spent under stay-at-home orders, it's not a surprise that Canada saw a jump in femicide. But what is surprising is what we do and don't do about it. And which stories get told. This is the pandemic you haven't been hearing about.
GUEST: Julie Lalonde, speaker and educator, women's rights advocate, author of Resilience Is Futile
For almost a year now, reporter Cynthia Mulligan has been staying in touch with people who caught Covid-19 early and survived, only to see their debilitating symptoms linger. What do their symptoms and experiences have in common? Not much, except for two things: None of them has fully recovered, and nobody has been able to figure out how to help them.
With new research estimating that long-haul Covid can impact between 10-20% of people who catch the virus, science is scrambling to figure out how to help what could be tens of thousands of Canadians who may never again live a normal life. What do these sufferers need? From doctors, from governments, and from the rest of us?
GUEST: Cynthia Mulligan, CityNews
Canada's Supreme Court issued an historic ruling yesterday, deciding by a 6-3 margin the the federal government does indeed have the power to implement a carbon tax (or a price on pollution) in provinces that don't set their own. The decision has implications on both sides of the fight, and on how future governments could use this ruling to perhaps expand their powers.
What's in the ruling, exactly? What does it mean for Canadians, for the climate and for its political opponents? How will it impact the next election, and what will the premiers who fought so hard against it do next?
GUEST: Fatima Syed, for The Narwhal
A long time ago, an amenity in a condo was limited to things like a pool, a gym or maybe a patio. Now, as units grow smaller and developers court buyers, they've become more and more luxurious. You want a rock-climbing wall? Access to communal BMWs? A rooftop running track that lights up at night? A full library and study area? No problem.
But what happens when many of the services that used to belong to the neighbourhood become accessible to condo owners only? If nobody uses the neighbourhood pool, or library, or running track—because they already have a private one in their building—how long do cities fund those things? What does a downtown look like where every development is built to be self-contained, and nothing is made for everyone to access?
GUEST: Aaron Hutchins, Maclean's
The second graduating class of this pandemic is about to enter the workforce. There are still very few jobs and thousands of grads desperate for them. Plus, this year's grads have the added benefit of an entire year without mentorships, extra-curricular activities or all the other ways young adults make themselves more attractive to recruiters. (Also ... this year, what recruiters?!)
What can governments and the private sector do to help spur the hiring of young adults? What kinds of work could they do? We've seen massive employment pushes before, and we still enjoy their legacies today. If we wanted to make sure today's graduates aren't still living at home waiting to launch a year from now, what has to be done and who has to do it?
GUEST: Karim Bardeesy, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Ryerson Leadership Lab
So, now the AstraZeneca vaccine is OK for people over age 65? What about the blood clot risk?! Why are some pharmacies taking walk-ins for people in their 60s right now, but some government portals are only booking for people 75 and up? Why is it suddenly alright to go four months between doses? Why are we leaving so many vaccines in the freezer? Is there enough supply or not? Why do Quebec, Ontario and Alberta have such wildly different priorities when it comes to who gets it?
The first few months of Canada's vaccination rollout have been slow, and extremely confusing. When supply was limited, perhaps that wasn't such a huge deal. But with two million doses at least expected every week for the next month, now is when push comes to shove. Is this just about to really get going? Or have our governments dropped the ball?
GUEST: Sabina Vohra-Miller, clinical pharmacologist, co-founder of the Vohra Miller Foundation
Hundreds of thousands of Canadians have lost loved ones to this pandemic. And most of them lost them without being able to say goodbye or to properly mourn them. Grief over a death is challenging at any time, but how are we coping without the two parts of the process that can offer us comfort.
A last hug or hand squeeze, a wake and a communal gathering have been part of our grief as long as we've been human. For the past year we've done without them. How will that impact us when all this is over?
GUEST: Dr. Mary Fernando
The Simpson family's circumstances have barely changed at all over 30 years—but the world around them has dramatically shifted. When the show debuted, Homer and his family were holding onto the bottom rung of the lower class, and were portrayed that way through all sorts of financial crises.
But by today's standards, Homer—who has a steady job that pays enough for Marge not to work, belongs to a union, owns his own multi-bedroom home and can afford annual vacations—would be among the most economically stable millennials. The way income inequality has shifted the window of dreams for a young family can be clearly seen in TV's longest-running sitcom. But how did it happen?
GUEST: Dani Alexis Ryskamp, freelance journalist, The Atlantic
For more than 12 months, Asian-Canadians and Asian-Americans have been targeted for harassment, assault and worse. In the early days of the pandemic, it was words. Then actions. Then violence. And all along they have found it difficult to get a real, comprehensive response from police or government—often being forced to document their own assaults and collect databases with entries from community members to be taken seriously.
And then Tuesday night in Georgia, eight people were shot, allegedly by the same man. Six of those eight people were Asian women. In the aftermath, police are still hesitant to label this a hate crime, but anybody who has been watching the steady rise in both the number and intensity of these incidents recognizes what's happening. So the question now is who will step up to help? What can we do? And where does this end?
GUEST: Amy Chung, freelance reporter and writer
Dr. Jennifer Kwan is just one of dozens of ordinary Canadians who decided early in the pandemic to spend their free time presenting data on the virus to the masses via easy to understand charts. These unlikely dataviz experts have been integral to the general public's familiarity with things like waves, exponential growth, positivity percentage and other key indicators.
How and why did they decide to start making these graphs and charts? What has come along with their status as virus experts online? What holes in government communications are they filling? And when, oh when, will they finally make their last chart and get some rest?
GUEST: Dr. Jennifer Kwan
And will Canada ever remove the monarchy? A week ago, it seemed like a tipping point was at hand, as the world reacted with shock and scorn to allegations of mistreatment and racism from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. But what has happened since the interview aired?
How did the Royal family defend itself? What are Commonwealth nations planning to do in response? And what would it take if Canada really wanted to get the Queen off our money?
GUEST: Patricia Treble, Maclean's
...and what our governments can learn from it. While crowdfunding sites were originally intended to help with getting projects off the ground, over the past decade they’ve increasingly become a last-resort for people who have fallen through the cracks of the services government provides. It’s not just raw funds that the digital safety net provides where governments don’t—it’s everything from reddit users helping you navigate complex taxes, or benefits to crowdsourced neighbourhood childcare.
Should Canadians facing eviction have to rely on going viral to stay in their homes? The obvious answer is, no, they probably shouldn’t. But they are anyway, so what should we do about it?
GUEST: Vass Bednar, Executive Director, Master of Public Policy Program at McMaster University; author of Regs 2 Riches
In 1994, a small Toronto church gave birth to a bizarre spiritual movement that spread across the country and the globe. It was known as the Toronto Blessing, and among its many eventual destinations was a church named Bethel in Redding, California.
More than a quarter century later, Bethel is one of the most powerful—and strangest—churches in America, featuring worshipping that has been described as cult-like, flaunting public health orders and claiming evidence of all sorts of supernatural phenomenon. How did this church become so huge? What role did the Toronto Blessing play in its evolution? And how much power do its leaders wield in the United States and beyond?
GUEST: Tara Jean Stevens, host and creator of Heaven Bent
If there's one thing this pandemic has taught us, it's how poorly we care for our elders in Canada. The stories of the carnage in long-term care facilities have been endless and bleak. The gaps in the system have been laid bare for all to see.
That's the bad news. And it's horrific. But the good news is that this is fixable. This is not an insurmountable challenge. The only question is we are ready and willing, finally, to pay for it? And where do we need to start?
GUEST: André Picard, Health Reporter, The Globe and Mail; Author, Neglected No More
In most Canadian towns and cities, public health is still trying to vaccinate people 80 and up. In Canada's North, it's a whole different story. In larger northern cities, 40-somethings are getting their shots. And in small, more remote places, everyone over 18 has been offered a jab.
No, it's not practical in places like Toronto or Calgary because of sheer scale—but it's worth noting that Northern communities have traditionally been underserved when it comes to health resources, and COVID-19 outbreaks in these settings can spread like wildfire. And so far at least, all levels of government have gone to extraordinary lengths to get needles to everyone. How much had to happen for this to go so right?
GUEST: Kent Driscoll, APTN National News
Once you've received your COVID-19 vaccine, you'll also receive proof that you've got it. That's not a new concept—we do it for children's vaccinations all the time. The big question health organizations, governments and even businesses are currently contemplating though is what you'll be able to do with it.
Will you need proof of vaccination to attend a concert this fall? What about to return to work in your office? To get on an airplane? The answers to these questions are ethically complex and need to be addressed thoroughly to ensure equitable access to society and to aim for any real semblance of a "return to normal"? So...will we get it right?
GUEST: Nicole Hassoun, ethicist at Binghamton University, director of the Global Health Impact project
When we focus on gender-based inequality in the workplace, we usually talk about money. The wage gap has been a problem since women began joining the work force in large numbers. We’ve acknowledged it, companies have pledged to fix it and governments have passed laws to end it. But it persists.
The wage gap has become a shorthand way of referring to inequality at work. But it’s not the only gap. Think about the last time you worked in an office. How many other workers at your level were women? What about their managers, how many of them were women? And those managers' managers? That, in a nutshell, is the Power Gap.
GUEST: Robyn Doolittle, The Globe and Mail
It's been a sign of spring for well over a century—baseball players heading down south to meet their teammates, toss around a few balls and play some meaningless games. In the grand scheme of things, not much about Spring Training matters, but it's still become a symbol of rebirth, and the end of winter, to millions of North Americans.
This year, more than ever, we need things to look forward to. We need things that promise better days to come. And the return of baseball, and the sun, and the real chance of a contending Blue Jays team, offers that.
GUEST: Stephen Brunt, Sportsnet
(Stay tuned at the end of today's episode for the sounds of spring.)
It's tax season! If you took any form of government COVID-19 relief this year, you've probably got all sorts of questions about how that impacts your return. If you didn't, but you worked from home, you might be eligible for deductions you haven't even considered.
As tax season begins, the pros are being swamped with questions from anxious Canadians. We asked one of those pros to clarify the confusion she hears from clients, debunk the most common misconceptions about the CERB, and share her best tips for navigating the most complicated tax year in recent memory.
GUEST: Shannon Lee Simmons, The New School of Finance
Since the 2008 financial crisis, the single-family rental industry has exploded in the United States, with massive companies buying up as many single-family homes as possible, and renting them out en masse. What that means is that millions of Americans now have megacorporations as their landlords—and that's going about as well as you'd expect.
And here's the kicker: One of the largest of these companies is doing hundreds of millions of dollars in business with a Canadian government pension fund. This means that hundreds of thousands of Canadians are seeing their retirement savings grow as Americans lose their homes during a pandemic...
GUEST: Richard Warnica, business feature writer, The Toronto Star
Provinces are rolling out their vaccination plans for the general public, and they all seem pretty similar. After the initial push to vaccinate frontline health-care workers and residents of long-term care facilities, programs will proceed by age groups, starting with the 80+ cohort. It makes sense, as the elderly are most at risk from COVID-19.
But what if there was another factor that could guide our plans to where shots would do the most good? Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table has published a new report that offers evidence that simply using age is not the best way to save lives and stop the spread of the virus. But will health units take their advice, if it means prioritizing at-risk neighbourhoods over wealthy ones?
GUEST: Peter Jüni, member of Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table
Even without a global pandemic, we're spending less and less time just doing nothing. The urge to check our phone every 20 minutes is the same urge that leads us to online shopping and bread making and ... anything else to distract us from our current predicament.
But what if we could learn to turn our boredom into a strength? If we could train ourselves to once again sit quietly in the moments we get to ourselves? It's no secret the past year has taken a toll on our mental health. But can we help ourselves by embracing the stillness forced upon us?
GUEST: Mark Hawkins, author of The Power of Boredom
Temperatures are rising everywhere. Severe weather is becoming more common. And climate disasters are becoming an increasing part of our lives. So it can feel like we're hurtling off a cliff.
But in the past few years, we've also made incredible progress on reducing emissions, renewable energy and other efforts—so much so that the grimmest of possible futures is much less likely to occur. It can feel like a naive question to ask, but are we turning a corner in our fight to save the Earth?
GUEST: David Wallace-Wells, author of The Uninhabitable Earth
What if your face could serve as your passport and identification? Does that sound convenient, or incredibly creepy and invasive? As advances in technology spread from pilot programs to wider use at borders around the world, there's very little governing what agencies can and can't do with the data they capture. And there's almost no way for us to opt out—at least, if we want to ever visit the United States again.
How far can this technology go? What can it be used for? Are there any regulations in place to protect you? And just how much of our body's unique signature are we prepared to hand over, anyway? Where does this end?
GUEST: Hilary Beaumont, freelance investigative reporter
The social media giant is currently negotiating with the Australian government—which is a big improvement from last week, when Facebook was blocking all links from Australian news media. In Canada, the federal government has indicated it will follow Australia's lead in taxing Facebook and distributing the revenue to struggling news media. Facebook has no plans to let that happen and has shown it will do whatever it takes to keep its ad money for itself.
Why does this fight matter? How nasty could it get? And who would even decide what qualifies as "news" on the platform anyway? Welcome to the first volley in what could be a long war.
GUEST: Jesse Hirsh, metaviews.ca
You remember it, even if you've forgotten how to pronounce it. Oumuamua was a cigar-shaped object that passed through our inner solar system and mystified plenty of scientists. It didn't fit any of the categories we have for space debris, comets or meteors. So what was it? Where did it come from? When will we find more?
A new book by a Harvard University astrophysicist makes the case that Oumuamua was proof of intelligent life beyond Earth. And as we build more powerful instruments, he says, it will only be the first of many we'll find.
GUEST: Avi Loeb, Harvard University, author of Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth
Today we meet the woman who can win over a crowd of cowboys in one of Canada's whitest places. All while telling jokes about systemic racism. She is one of the only Black women comics in Alberta, maybe the only one in Calgary. But she wields her power on, and off, the stage to make her province a better place.
Guest: Adora Nwofor
You can watch the documentary on Feb. 22 at 10 p.m. EST on CityTV or on-demand later at CityNews.ca.
Remember when flour disappeared for a brief moment as we stocked up for the pandemic? It wasn't because we bought up all the flour in the world. Companies were just struggling to mill it, package it, and transport it to us as quickly as we were using it. Take King Arthur Flour, one of the oldest companies in the United States. It saw sales skyrocket by 2,000 per cent. When demand started to shoot up, their mills had the flour to replenish supply but had run out of packaging. So how did they cope? And will the unprecedented demand for flour continue in 2021?
Guest: Meghan McCarron
In February 2020, RCMP officers raided Wet’suwet’en camps along the route of the $6.6 billion Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern B.C that plans to transport natural gas through Indigenous territory. Police arrested dozens of Indigenous people, including seven matriarchs gathered to pray for missing and murdered Indigenous women, who refused to cede their land for development. The events led to protests of solidarity across the country but little has changed in the time since. So how do the people of Wet'suwet'en carry on? And what happens next in the clash between the oil and gas industry and Indigenous communities?
Guest: Freda Huson
Host: Fatima Syed
The history of every Canadian city isn't always what we think it is. We stumble upon some of it, on plaques in parks or benches across our cities but a lot of it remains unknown, especially the contributions of Black Canadians. This is the story of Oakville, Ontario, a predominately white, affluent neighbourhood that was shaped by 400 Black people who escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad in the mid 1800s. Through their entrepreneurial work, they shaped the city into what it is today. What other Canadian cities have similar unknown histories? And do we do enough to recognize those who really help create and shape the cities we live in?
Guest: Genelle Levy
In a breakaway from the pains of the pandemic, today we bring you the sappiest Canadian love story we could find. She was a master's student visiting London, searching for someone to see her favourite show with. He already had tickets. It was love at first sight. Ten months later they were engaged. Yes, the pandemic forced them to cancel their big 200-member transatlantic wedding, but a quiet elopement and a perfect first dance in their living room somehow made things even more special.
Guests: Sharmin Rahman and Tom Goldsmith
Host: Fatima Syed
As new variants of Covid-19 spread around the world, we're all a little worried about the strength of our masks. New guidelines are now emerging from various health agencies around the world recommending that everyone should double-mask: that's a cloth mask over a medical mask. So how do we best do that? Is it a sure-fire way to keep us safe from the aerosol transmission of Covid-19? What's the difference between a mask and a respirator? And how can we know if the masks we’re buying are the real deal or counterfeit products?
Guest: Dr. Jennifer McDonald
Earlier this month, Toronto City Council approved a plan to build its own high-speed broadband network. It’s an ambitious idea that will be tried out in three low-income neighbourhoods. The goal: to combat rising internet prices at a time when access to a good internet connection is becoming an essential need. Will it work?
Guest: Vass Bednar
Host: Fatima Syed
In June 2020, Canada established its COVID-19 vaccine task force. The federal government recruited 11 vaccine and infectious disease experts from across the country. The task force helped make more purchasing agreements than any other country in the world, but along the way they also learned the missteps we took in our vaccine strategy. Yesterday we looked at how the Canadian government scrambled to secure millions of vaccines. Today we ask what could Canada have done to get vaccines more quickly?
Guest: Dr. Alan Bernstein
Host: Fatima Syed
Canada's efforts to secure vaccines started with a phone call between a trade commissioner in Boston and a senior member of Moderna. In the weeks and months that followed, the federal government has scrambled to secure the most doses per person than any other country in the world. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured us the vaccines are coming, but they're not coming as quickly as we expected. Is this another government failure? Or is this, like the pandemic, just another extremely complicated thing out of our control?
Guest: Nick Taylor-Vaisey, Maclean's
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, Ryerson's school of journalism emailed students asking how to improve their program. Students responded by creating a petition demanding a Black-Canadian reporting course; over 3,000 people signed in mere hours of its release. It was the first course of its kind but will definitely not be the last. Black educators are hoping the summer of racial reckoning will mean that Canadian youth will learn about a history that has long been ignored.
Guest: Eternity Martis
Guest host: Fatima Syed
Over the past several years, vulnerable men have been disappearing from communities around Vancouver Island. They walk away, and then they are never seen again. Are they running? Have they gotten lost, and perished in the woods? Is there something more sinister happening? The host of Island Crime: Gone Boys, which launches on Monday, has spent months investigating the case, speaking to the families, authorities and experts in criminology. What did she find? What happens next?
GUEST: Laura Palmer, host of Island Crime (You can hear the trailer and subscribe for free to S2 of Island Crime right here.)
It could be a sign of the oncoming resource apocalypse. It could be a useful tool to determine the market value of regional water reserves. It could just be an experiment that goes no further than a small part of California. Or it could be the first domino to fall on the march towards commodifying the basics of life.
Either way, water futures are now being traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. And as one of the most water-rich countries on the planet, it's critical that Canada is paying attention.
GUEST: Diane Dupont, Economics Professor, Brock University; co-author of Running Through Our Fingers: How Canada Fails to Capture the Value of its Top Asset.
One of Joe Biden’s first actions as President of the United States was to cancel the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. And one of Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s first reactions to Biden taking office was to get really mad about that.
Alberta had a lot of money invested in this pipeline being built. They were counting on it for a lot of jobs. It’s no wonder Kenney was angry. But, considering that the Premier of a Canadian province’s anger is unlikely to shake the resolve of the new leader of the free world...it's fair to ask: What is Alberta’s Plan B? And how is the province prepping for a world far less reliant on oil and gas?
GUEST: Jason Markusoff, Maclean's
The past 12 months have seen a flood of scientific misinformation on social media. Some of it is lies for profit. Some of it is myths and hoaxes for engagement. And a whole lot more of it is just unintentionally wrong—complex science parsed by scared amateurs in the middle of a terrifying pandemic. But it all gets attention—a lot of attention.
A new group aims to meet this bad information where it lives. Not in papers and journals and books, but in social media posts and threads and DMS. Science Up First hopes to create an army of fact-wielding social soldiers to do battle with info that needs debunking. But they'll be fighting an uphill battle every step of the way.
GUEST: Science Up First co-founder Timothy Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, University of Alberta
A man in Montreal was found dead in a portable toilet. The shelter he often used had been temporarily closed for overnights due to a Covid-19 outbreak. The Canadian winter puts those without homes in danger every year—but Covid-19 has made it impossible for them to access many of the resources that can be lifesaving.
How did the system fail Raphaël André? How are advocates fighting to prevent further deaths? Have we learned anything during this horrible year that could help us solve the problem? And, simply, why hasn't more been done?
GUEST: Jake Kivanc (You can read Jake's reporting here.)
He goes by Real Dr. 6ix. He has 140,000 followers on Instagram, where he posts before and after photos of his clients—and also graphic videos of surgeries he performs. And this is where the ethical trouble starts. There is a whole subculture of influencer surgeons who take their followers inside the operating room. Their patients sign waivers giving them permission, but some of them feel pressured, or feel that once they were on the table, the doctor went too far.
What kind of rules govern this new promotional space? Does Real Dr. 6ix cross the line? What punishment is he facing, and how far is too far for reality surgery on social media?
GUEST: Katherine Laidlaw
The investors came from Reddit. They came in droves. They bought GameStop stock and sent it soaring. They cost massive hedge funds hundreds of millions of dollars. They sent shockwaves through the markets. Now a full-fledged mania is underway, with several other stocks in play as well.
How did all this happen? Is it a fluke? A new strategy that will change the game? Will the people who have the power on Wall Street take steps to shut it down? And what happens if and when these bubbles burst?
GUEST: Mike Eppel, Sr. Business Editor, 680 News, CityNews
Sometime soon, if all goes well, we'll have four or even five approved vaccines for Covid-19. Do they work differently? Is there a "best" one, and will some Canadians hold out for that brand? How many eligible people are opting out of the early doses? Are reports of allergic reactions and even deaths following vaccination worth worrying about? And what happens when rich people try to jump the queue?
GUEST: Sabina Vohra-Miller, masters in clinical pharmacology, co-founder of the Vohra Miller Foundation
He was known to have a fascination with the markets, court documents reveal. So when a retired officer began inviting others to join an investment group, many of them went along. And some of them saw a return on their money. For a while. What happens next offers a glimpse inside Ponzi schemes, internal investigations and how the police can be taken for a ride just as easily as anyone else.
GUEST: Kevin Donovan, Chief Investigative Reporter, Toronto Star (Read Kevin's reporting on the case right here.)
Good morning. It’s Monday. It’s January. It’s cold. It’s dark. There’s a pandemic. If you have been following public health guidelines in many parts of the country, you probably went, roughly, nowhere this weekend. And saw nobody. And now it’s back to work.
What responsibility do employers have for helping their employees with their mental health? What's the business case for taking it seriously? How can we all help our friends and coworkers make it to the spring with their mental health intact?
GUEST: Liz Horvath, Manager, Workplace Mental Health at the Mental Health Commission of Canada
You can find the mini-guide on MHCC’s COVID-19 Resource Hub.
On his first day in office, President Joe Biden cancelled a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, keeping a campaign promise to Americans but bitterly disappointing Albertans and many Canadian politicians. It may be a relief to have a more stable US President in charge, but Biden wasn't elected to help Canadians.
What does the new administration mean for Canada-U.S. relations? For trade? For foreign affairs, especially with China? And for Canada's chances at climbing out of a recession and into a greener economy?
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill Reporter
There were no mass arrests, military tribunals or public executions. Donald Trump went to Florida and Joe Biden went to the White House and nothing 'Q' said actually happened. So once Biden was inaugurated, what did the QAnon army do? What happens to a movement when ... nothing happens? Where do the followers, who have thrown away family and friends, credibility and cash, go from here? And should we pity them, or laugh and gloat?
GUEST: Justin Ling
Joe Biden will be sworn into office today, hopefully without incident. But in the United States, proponents of democracy are analyzing how close their own came to collapsing. When one party, or even just one powerful politician, decides to disregard norms that have always held fair elections together, it creates stress on a system not designed with bad actors in mind.
So how safe, by comparison, is our democracy in Canada? What checks and balances exist here that don't exist in the US? How could determined parties or politicians attempt to undermine democracy? And how much depends not on laws but on a collective belief in the democratic process?
GUEST: Stewart Prest, political scientist
Covid-19 devastated long-term care facilities across the country in the Spring of 2020. But over the summer months, many provinces found ways to reinforce the places that care for our most vulnerable. Ontario, however, did not. What did Quebec and other provinces do to mitigate the impact of the second wave on long-term care residents? Why didn't Ontario follow suit? What's being done now? And will anyone be held accountable for this systemic failure?
GUEST: Cynthia Mulligan, CityNews
Yes, it's worse in America. But it's not great here, either. The past few years have seen an alarming rise in hate groups in Canada—and there's nothing on the horizon that appears set to slow it down. It's a recipe for the sort of violence we've seen in Washington recently, and have seen on our own soil more frequently in recent years.
So what does defuse the growth of white supremacy? What can governments do to curtail the kind of polarizing anger that leads to reactionary violence? And what can we do, each of us, when we see people we know who may be taking the first steps down a road that leads to conspiracy theories, hate and violence?
GUEST: Shakil Choudhurt, Anima Leadership
We're now 10 months into a global pandemic and solidly into its second wave. And across the country, many workers are still not staying home when they're sick—because they simply can't afford to.
Why don't so many businesses offer their employees paid sick days? Why haven't provincial governments mandated that they do? Why do critics say the federal government's attempt at paid sick leave is woefully inadequate? And why are we having this conversation almost a year into this pandemic?
GUEST: Stefanie Marotta, The Globe and Mail
Most of us have spent the past year closer to home than ever before. And for a lot of Canadians part of that process has involved realizing just what their neighbourhood does and doesn't have. Maybe it's time to rethink how we create neighbourhoods, in order to maximize livability in our towns and cities. Maybe there's an easy formula we can follow to start doing that right now....
GUEST: Alex Bozikovic, staff columnist and architecture critic, The Globe and Mail
Our host would be fine with never seeing another Donald Trump tweet ever. But is that fair? Is it a slippery slope? Social media companies, and other service providers, have the right to refuse service to anyone breaking the rules they promised to abide by — but not even the most left-wing voters would pretend that Trump is the only politician or person flouting those regulations.
Why would Facebook and Twitter finally remove Trump now? Should they have done it years ago? What precedent are they setting? And when we look back at this week in the years to come, will we be able to say it has changed anything about the way politics are done on the Internet?
GUEST: Jesse Hirsh, metaviews.ca
Our parents warned us that the Internet could harm us—from stalkers to kidnappers, pedophiles, the dangers of too much screen time and countless other things—but did they heed their own lessons? Boomers lead the pack as the generation most likely to share disinformation, and over the past few months we've seen some of the results play out in real time.
How can those of us who grew up online help the people we love who didn't learn the nuances of the way algorithms try to seduce them? Help them tell the difference between reliable and sketchy news reports? Help them understand exactly how and why social media wants them to be so angry? Can we help our parents stay safe online the way they once tried to do for us?
GUEST: Bonnie Kristian, The Week
Ridership is down by more than half, while costs to keep vehicles clean and employees and passengers safe are higher than ever before. Covid-19 has put an incredible strain on transit agencies across Canada.
But at the same time, has the pandemic begun to change how we operate public transit—perhaps not with a break-even mentality but as a moral obligation to get Canadians where they need to go? Might more funding become available to run different routes at different times and ease crowding? Or will politicians back off as soon as the pandemic begins to ease?
GUEST: Ben Spurr, Transportation Reporter, Toronto Star
At the time it seemed like it might be the worst disaster of 2020. When Flight 752 was shot down in Iran, 176 passengers and crew, including 55 Canadians, were killed. In the months to come, the cries for answers would be drowned out by the rise of Covid-19, leaving the victims' loved ones still searching for answers and justice.
What can be done to get them the concrete information that might give them closure? What does justice look like? What's it like when the world forgets a tragedy that you live with every day?
GUEST: Hamed Esmaeilion had family on Flight 752
The world watched as an angry mob stormed the US Capitol Wednesday. It was a scene few imagined we'd ever see—but it was also, somehow, inevitable. In the weeks since the election Donald Trump had been broadcasting his desire for his followers to take action. Then they did.
The mob was cleared. Joe Biden's win was certified and it appears there will be a peaceful transfer of power. But what does an early-January insurrection attempt portend for US and global politics in 2021? And how safe are we in Canada from the sort of angry political uprising we just watched our neighbour grapple with?
GUEST: Balkan Devlen, senior fellow at McDonald Laurier Institute, Superforecaster for Good Judgment, Inc.
The past year has been hard on all of us—but especially for those to whom we entrust our children. From a rush to online learning with schools closed, to a hasty back-to-school plan that was followed by rising Covid-19 numbers in schools, to the uncertainty of not knowing when or how they'll be able to teach their students this winter...many educators are close to giving up.
How can we keep our education system functioning while also protecting our kids, our families and the people we need to teach them? What have we learned about our education system that could help us adapt in the future? And what happens to it if enough teachers decide they simply can't take it anymore, and leave the public system for private schools?
GUEST: Inori Roy
In some parts of Canada—especially Ontario—hospitals are close to the breaking point. At the same time, tests are finding a variant of Covid-19 that may spread much faster than the usual virus. How worried should we be about what this means for the next several weeks?
What do we know, and what don't we know, about the newest version of the virus? How precarious is our current situation? Is there a way to bring numbers down before the spring thaw and what would it take to do it? This is a look inside the second wave and at the light at the end of the tunnel.
GUEST: Dr. David Fisman, epidemiologist, Dalla Lana School of Public Health
This past week, Ontario broke its seven-day average Covid-19 case record. Its hospitals are nearly full. Its vaccine rollout is slow. And the government lost its finance minister, who became the first of several politicians around the country to be found travelling outside of Canada in the middle of the pandemic.
When Covid-19 first hit Ontario, Premier Doug Ford's straight-talk and frank empathy drove his approval rating through the roof. Ten months later, he's facing a host of of issues that threaten not just that rating, but the wellbeing of the entire province. It's been a bad month for the Ontario government—but the next few weeks will determine if it gets worse.
GUEST: Cynthia Mulligan, Queen's Park reporter, CityNews
Welcome to 2021! It's going to cost more to eat this year. The unprecedented events of 2020 combined with longer-term issues will lead to a massive spike in the prices the average Canadian pays for most groceries — and restaurant food, too, when dining out returns again. How much? Which foods and why? Is this a one-time increase or the start of something that will only accelerate? And where can bargains still be found in the grocery store?
GUEST: Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University, lead author of the Canada Food Report.
It's the ability to put ourselves in another's shoes and it's been needed more this year than ever. But what kinds of experiences teach us empathy? How do our childhoods shape the people we become? What can second-generation immigrants teach the rest of Canada about the skill? And how will Canada change when the unprecedented number of second-gen kids grow up and lead the country?
GUEST: Sadiya Ansari, writer and reporter
Blink and you could miss it—the Richview Memorial Cemetery sits nestled on a thin slice of land between two of North America’s busiest highways. The cemetery is guarded by one Randall Reid, but not all such places are so fortunate. Today we bring you an episode of a new Frequency podcast hosted by Big Story producer Stefanie Phillips. In this first episode of the series, Stefanie digs into the world of "cemetery hunters"— a unique special interest group that tracks down cemeteries that are forgotten and in imminent danger of being paved over to become parking lots. What does the future of our cemeteries look like—and who will save them when we’re gone? Listen to Paradigm on your favourite podcast player today.
Over the past ten months we've been accustomed to seeing our daily routines change in ways large and small. Covid-19 has popularized phrases from "in these unprecedented times" to X "will look a little different this year". And for many Canadian families there is no annual tradition as profound as the holidays. And for those families' children there's nothing quite like Santa Claus.
So how is the Jolly Old Elf coping with Covid, keeping his workplace safe and making sure that even if Christmas is different, it's still special? Well, we asked him.
(Yes, this episode is child-friendly! Happy holidays from the Big Story team.)
GUEST: ... Santa!
Ten months into this pandemic, after so many of us rediscovered how vital local news can be, there are even fewer local newsrooms in Canada than when it began.
How did we end up here? What are we losing when small-town papers die? How is it possible this virus has made local news both more necessary, and more impossible to sustain as a business, than ever before?
GUEST: April Lindgren, principal investigator for the Local News Research Project
It's as ambitious as any Canadian government has been so far—but is it enough? A new climate plan rolled out by Justin Trudeau last week takes aim at some real metrics for change. So how would it directly impact your life, and your wallet?
What else is the government doing to move us into the future? How much depends on cooperation from the provinces? And is this another target we make plans for but never hit, or is this a real, bold step towards climate action?
GUEST: Catherine Abreu, Executive Director, Climate Action Network Canada
A moratorium on evictions in Ontario was once part of Premier Doug Ford's plan to "make sure you and your family can stay in your home during this difficult time." But that moratorium didn't last forever and the past month has seen a torrent of virtual eviction hearings, with tenants often left frustrated, confused and in tears by the process.
What happened to "no Covid-19 evictions" in Ontario? Why have so many been happening at once? What are the opposition at Queen's Park and activists on the ground doing to stop it? And what are the real problems with tenant rights in Canada's largest province?
GUEST: NDP MPP Suze Morrison, Official Opposition Critic for Tenant Rights
There will always be a group of people who flatly refuse to get vaccinated, and public health messages probably won't convince them. But there are far, far more Canadians who might get vaccinated, but are nervous of what they see as a potential risk. In some online communities, misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines, as well as other common vaccinations, is rampant—and it has left a lot of people afraid.
What are they worried about? How can governments and public health officials provide clear, concise information that allays their fears? How can you start a conversation with someone you know who might be hesitant to get vaccinated? And how much work do we have in front of us if we want enough Canadians to get their shots to put the pandemic behind us?
GUEST: Sabina Vohra-Miller, clinical pharmacologist, co-founder of the Vohra Miller Foundation
Welcome to the newest era of consumer capitalism. It's dominated by 'Blands' — clean, sleek, online products that bill themselves as the handcrafted little guy here to disrupt the giant corporations. They have origin stories. They care about values and design. And they're unique—except they're all exactly the same. From toothbrushes to mattresses, health insurance to hipster clothing and glasses to luggage, almost every product on Earth has a Bland claiming to do it better. How did we end up here and have we reached 'Peak Bland'?
GUEST: Ben Schott, Bloomberg Opinion
Middle Class is a term that comes from the 1950s, and while the economics surrounding it have changed fundamentally in 70 years, the goals and hopes and dreams of the people that belong to it have not. How long can that continue?
What does a modern Middle Class look like? What should they aspire to? How should they be defined? How different will their lives, homes and finances be from past decades? And how should governments work to make sure they get a chance to thrive?
GUEST: Max Fawcett, writer and reporter (Read Max's piece on the Middle Class in The Walrus)
An investigation into an allegation of a racist game being played by hospital staff turned into a detailed report about system racism in British Columbia's health care system. The province has vowed to take action, but Indigenous people have heard those promises before. What will it take to really transform the system? How will the government even begin? And how long will it take in the middle of two separate health emergencies—both of which disproportionally impact Indigenous and racialized people?
GUEST: Liza Yuzda, legislative reporter, News1130 and CityNews Vancouver
This is the time of year when Canadians traditionally up their giving. But a lot of that tends to happen in person. This year, Covid-19 has made that tough. And the big picture isn't much better: In a year of economic hardship, fewer Canadians have money to spare for charity, and more Canadians than usual need the help these organizations provide.
How has the pandemic hit charities? What have they done to adjust to "these unprecedented times"? And how can Canadians who do have the means get their money where it needs to be for the holidays?
GUEST: Bruce MacDonald, President and CEO of Imagine Canada
You probably don't have a PlayStation 5. And even if you don't want one, there's likely someone in your life who is desperate to get their hands on it. Sony—a company that once sold just about every kind of electronics imaginable—has become 'The PlayStation Company'. And this Christmas marks the first skirmish in the latest console war between it and Microsoft's X-Box.
How did video games come to dominate the future of two of the world's biggest tech companies? How did they come to dominate so much of our entertainment landscape? What's on the horizon for these new consoles? (And also: If you can find them, which one should you buy?)
GUEST: Seth Schiesel, contributor at the New York Times, contributing editor at Protocol.com
We have more doses on order per capita than any other nation. But we also have no real domestic production capacity. If you ask the Liberals, we're among the world leaders in terms of when Canadians can expect to be vaccinated. If you ask the Conservatives, we're well behind our peer countries already.
Who is telling the truth? What are the facts on the Covid-19 vaccines Canada has ordered? What needs to happen next? And when will needles start going into arms on Canadian soil?
GUEST: Matt Gurney
It's a cycle that repeats itself in many ecosystems where humans live: Harmony, profit, imbalance and then a desperate need to fix things. When wild salmon runs around Wuikinuxv, BC, dwindled to almost nothing, the local grizzly bears grew hungry — and dangerous to humans. Now the salmon are returning, but the community must find a way to manage both the fish and bear populations, and keep the forest healthy.
GUEST: Jimmy Thomson, Beside.media
Last week Vancouver's City Council voted unanimously to ask the federal government for an exemption that would allow the city to decriminalize small amounts of all drugs. The move comes amidst a surge in the overdose crisis that has killed more Vancouver citizens than Covid-19. The city is looking at anything it can do to save lives, and there are studies and examples around the globe that indicate decriminalization can help.
Will the federal government grant the exemption? Will this move become a political football? What would a Canadian city that decriminalized drugs look like on the street? Where do the police stand? And how soon might it happen? Because the crisis has advocates close to the breaking point...
GUEST: Travis Lupick, journalist and author of Fighting for Space: How a Group of Drug Users Transformed One City’s Struggle with Addiction
One thing people around the game who know Kim Ng agree on is that she should have had a top job long ago. But considering baseball's legacy of promoting ex-players, many doubted the day would ever come. In November, the Florida Marlins made Ng the first female general manager in the history of the game. The questions now are around what she'll do with the team, why it took so long, and who else will follow in her footsteps...
GUEST: Christina Kahrl, Senior Editor, ESPN MLB
It seemed like a prank posted to social media—but there are witnesses who confirmed that the advertised fight night between McGill University students actually happened. Nobody was hurt, and it might have been a harmless enough story, but it illustrates the challenges first-year students are facing this year in dorms that they joke have become their prisons.
GUEST: Selena Ross, digital reporter, CTV News Montreal
The irresponsible and illegal opening of an Etobicoke, Ontario BBQ joint this week ended Thursday when the owner was finally arrested. But in the Toronto area, it remains to be seen if he'll be the last person to defy the province's regulation.
There's no excuse for breaking the law and endangering public health, but the Adamson BBQ saga is a symbol of just how angry and desperate small businesses in lockdown zones are as they face what they say are unfair restrictions that allow big-box stores to remain open while they are forced to close. Did the Ontario government screw this up? What needs to change? And how can these businesses survive in the meantime?
GUEST: Ryan Mallough, director of provincial affairs for Ontario, Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses
For the first six months of the pandemic, Alberta was one of the best provinces in Canada at containing Covid-19. Then it all went wrong. This week alone, the province had a day in which its case count was higher than Ontario's, despite having barely a third its population. How did it all fall apart out west, and who's to blame? And what needs to happen next to salvage a dangerous situation?
GUEST: Courtney Theriault, CityNews Edmonton
Halton Hills is just over an hour's drive from Toronto. Many of its residents have been working from home for months. Issues were first raised about its internet connectivity 15 years ago—and many households struggle to get reliable connections today.
As the pandemic pushes everything online, regions in rural Canada struggle to keep up. And we all too often think of rural areas as sparsely populated lands far from big cities. But they aren't. They're often just down the road and they need help to get online.
GUEST: Melanie Hennessy, Georgetown Independent Free Press
Families have spent the past eight months in closer quarters than ever before. But what about people who share a home and aren't related or dating one another? How are roommates negotiating the many precarious situations that have arisen from sharing a house amid a pandemic? With more younger adults living in roommate situations later into their lives and careers, it's a path that millions are going to be navigating this winter.
GUEST: Kelli María Korducki
We want elderly Canadians, who are heightened risk from Covid-19, to be safe. For much of the past eight months, that has meant hundreds of thousands of grandparents haven't seen their grandkids, parents haven't seen their children, or their siblings — and for many of them, this has harmed them as much as a bout with the virus might.
We all want our elderly loved ones to be around forever, but even forgetting about Covid-19, they won't be. And as they face another four to six months without much contact or support, many of them are wondering if they might not choose to take the risk with the time they have left.
GUEST: Christina Frangou, science and health writer
As you might imagine, QAnon supporters believed that Donald Trump would handily win reelection. When he didn't, it blew a hole in the conspirac--hah, of course it didn't. New theories popped up to take its place, new 'loaves' were baked. New enemies were found. What can we learn from how the world's most dangerous conspiracy adapts to overwhelming evidence to the contrary? And can we find ways to help believers see the evidence in front of them?
GUEST: Justin Ling
The proposal is called the Great Barrington Declaration, and while it's couched in lots of scientific language, herd immunity is what it boils down to. It has support from a group of scientists and is scoffed at by many, many more.
But during a time when Canada's various Covid-19 regulations, thresholds, protocols and half-lockdowns can seem incredibly confusing, the Barrington approach offers a simple answer. Especially as a dark winter looms and it feels easier to just give up. What do we know about herd immunity? Why is it so attractive? And if it's too dangerous to consider, what are our other options to get through the months ahead?
GUEST: Andre Picard, health reporter, The Globe and Mail
At least in the spring, there was a summer to come and some sort of certainty — restaurants would stay closed until Covid-19 was under control. This Fall, in most places in Canada, neither of those things are true. Opening plans and case thresholds are constantly shifting, while cities and provinces have different opinions about what should be open and when.
Beyond all that, of course, there are climbing covid case counts, which means that even open restaurants are far from guaranteed enough business to survive. So...will they? How many will make it? And what can we (and governments at all levels) do to help them get through?
GUEST: John Sinopoli, restaurateur, co-founder of savehospitality.ca
The territory went more than seven months as the last Covid-19-free spot in North America, but the past weeks have seen one case turn into a couple of dozen. Why did the bubble work so well for so long? What are the unique dangers the virus poses to Northern communities? How will officials try to reign in spread now that the virus is here? And what can we learn from how long the bubble kept Nunavut safe?
GUEST: Kent Driscoll, APTN National News
Almost two weeks after the American election, leading social media platforms are inundated with false claims about the results. Claims that are supported and amplified by Donald Trump and key members of his administration. After talking tough regarding disinformation in the months leading up to the election, and even slapping warnings on the president's posts, have Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok lived up to their promises?
And the big question: Will Twitter ever ban Donald Trump? Where would their business be without him?
GUEST: Jesse Hirsh, researcher and futurist, metaviews.ca
This is the finale of our five-part series in partnership with The Narwhal. Scientists have found protecting nature can provide more than one-third of the emissions reductions required to meet the world’s 2030 climate targets, thrusting Canada — home to 25 per cent of the planet’s wetlands and boreal forests — into the hot seat. There are more than enough challenges facing those fighting to save the climate, but there are some solutions right in front of us, too.
GUEST: Emma Gilchrist, Editor-in-Chief of The Narwhal
You can learn more at thenarwhal.ca.
This is part four of a five-part series in collaboration with The Narwhal. There are no viable solutions to stop the tide of selenium leaching into Canadian and U.S. water from a 100-kilometre stretch of coal mines near Elk Valley, B.C., which are owned and operated by mining giant Teck Resources. Deformed fish, a potential fish population collapse and contaminated drinking water signal more trouble to come...
GUEST: Carol Linnitt, Managing Editor
You can learn more at thenarwhal.ca.
This is part three of a five-part series in collaboration with The Narwhal. Alberta’s oil and gas workers can be underrepresented — or even maligned — in conversations about an energy transition in Canada. The Narwhal met with former oil and gas workers to learn more about their lives and personal reasons for transitioning to solar, and look at the process as a whole.
GUEST: Sharon J. Riley, Alberta investigative journalist
You can learn more at thenarwhal.ca.
This is part two of a five-part series in collaboration with The Narwhal. Canada’s westernmost province markets itself as 'Super, Natural, B.C.,' but more than 2,000 species of animals and plants are at risk of disappearing — and unlike six other provinces, British Columbia still has no endangered species law, despite the NDP's election promise to introduce one
GUEST: Sarah Cox, environmental reporter
You can learn more at thenarwhal.ca.
This is part one of a five-part series in collaboration with The Narwhal. Two communities — one in Canada, one in the U.S. — share both a border along the St. Marys River and a toxic legacy that has contributed to high rates of cancer. Now the towns are banding together to fight a ferrochrome plant planned to process chromite from Ontario’s Ring of Fire, in turn generating the so-called ‘Erin Brockovich contaminant’ hexavalent chromium.
GUEST: Hilary Beaumont
You can learn more at thenarwhal.ca.
Almost everything the President of the United States has been saying since election day is false. His family and supporters are following suit. How is the internet handling a flood of misleading claims and outright lies? What makes the post-election disinfo so hard to debunk? How did we end up so far down this rabbit hole and is it even possible to climb back out?
GUEST: Jane Lytvynenko, Disinformation Reporter, BuzzFeed News
As of Wednesday night, things looked relatively positive for Joe Biden's bid for the presidency. But Donald Trump's team is filing lawsuits, demanding recounts, or halted counts, and looks like it plans to scrap tooth and nail to win the election in the courts no matter the results on the ground. How successful that attempt will be depends on the judges themselves—but either way it puts the leaders of democracies around the world, including Canada, in a tough position until someone concedes.
How would a protracted court battle for the American presidency impact Canada? What changes if Biden wins cleanly? What will Trump's mark on America's international reputation be if he is a one-term president? And what if he actually manages to find his way to a victory?
GUEST: Balkan Devlen, senior fellow at McDonald Laurier Institute, Superforecaster for Good Judgment, Inc.
No, the US election is not what spawned this question. New research in a field called 'simulation theory' pegs the odds that we're just AI creations in somebody's supercomputer at about 50-50. Really? How can we possibly determine this? What does simulation theory propose? What evidence do we have? Will we ever really find out? And could humanity one day create a simulation of our own?
GUEST: Anil Ananthaswamy, Scientific American, author of Through Two Doors At Once
Is Democracy on the ballot in the American election tonight? How real is the threat of violence at the polls? What happens if Donald Trump squeaks out a reelection victory? What happens if Joe Biden blows him out but Trump refuses to concede? What could the courts do with a close election? And what does America's election mean for democracies around the world, like Canada's, where millions will be watching and waiting to see what happens to their ally?
GUEST: David Moscrop, political scientist, author of Too Dumb For Democracy
Why don't more Canadians know about the criminal masterminds behind some of Canada's most legendary capers? A new audiobook, True North Heists, tells the tales of some of the most outlandish capers ever committed on Canadian soil. Actor Colm Feore (Bon Cop Bad Cop, Trudeau) dramatically weaves together “in the moment” storytelling with interviews with those with deep knowledge of the heists themselves, including law enforcement officers, writers and the criminals themselves. You might know the stories of some legendary American thefts, but you might not know these ones. And yes, there's maple syrup involved.
GUEST: Geoff Siskind, executive producer, True North Heists.
In a normal year, the start of November would mark the beginning of the prestige movie push, with award hopefuls, franchise films and feel-good family flocks crowding theatres. This year though, there's almost nothing left on the calendar and the top-grossing box office list features rereleases of films from the 1990s.
Hollywood has been hoarding its blockbusters in preparation for a vaccine and a return to normal life in 2021...but what if that doesn't happen quickly enough? How long can studios sit on their biggest films in hopes of a return? Why is the system built to rely so much on a handful of megamovies that need to earn billions in order to be worth making at all? And when will our host finally get to see Dune and Black Widow?
GUEST: Norm Wilner, senior film writer at NOW Magazine, host of Someone Else's Movie
It was perfect timing, really, for OnlyFans. The website was growing in popularity because it allowed people to charge followers for exclusive content, and it didn't forbid pornography. And then the pandemic hit, and basically every mainstream porn studios had to shut down, and the performers flocked to OnlyFans as a way to keep their income afloat without professional work.
Once again, a digital tool not intended for pornography had become a purveyor of it. Once again, the porn industry has adapted more quickly than any other entertainment medium. But how much of this change is permanent? And how much can other entertainment industries learn from pornography's lead?
GUEST: Lina Misitzis, producer of The Last Days of August and The Butterfly Effect
You might think that it's gang-related shootings in Toronto that drive gun-violence statistics in the province. You'd wind up surprised. A new study examined in detail firearms-related injuries and deaths in Ontario for 15 years, from 2002-2016. What the authors found was that while urban gun violence drives headlines, a larger part of the problem happens outside of the spotlight, outside of the cities, in quiet, lonely places...
GUEST: Dr. Natasha Saunders, co-author of Firearm-related injuries and deaths in Ontario, Canada, 2002–2016: a population-based study
Our government has spent hundreds of billions of dollars supporting Canadians through this pandemic. They're deep in debt—but how worried should they be? Traditional economic policy would have the Liberals reign in spending and make some cuts as soon as they can to try to mitigate the damage. Otherwise we might find ourselves hit by massive inflation. A newer economic theory, however, would urge the government to spend as much as needed as long as Canadians are struggling and simply print money as necessary to pay for it.
OK, that's a simplification of modern monetary theory, but it gets at the basic point. Maybe we don't need to worry about how much debt we rack up?
GUEST: Max Fawcett, The Walrus
Annamie Paul made history earlier this month when she became the first Black woman to lead a Canadian party when she became the successor to Elizabeth May. Now that the party is hers though, where is she going to take it? How can she bring the Green Party's branding beyond "the environment"? How will her party hold the Liberals to account without forcing an election Canada doesn't need? And how does she hope to snap Canadian voters out of their Liberal-versus-Conservative approach?
GUEST: Annamie Paul, leader of the Green Party of Canada
It's called Six Mile Beach, and it sits in a remote part of British Columbia. It’s not on any of the tourism brochures. You need to know how to find it to get there, but once you do, it’s stunningly beautiful. You can stand well out from shore and a sand bar makes it feel like you're walking on top of the water. It's a secret spot worth savouring.
And every so often, someone dies. And no level of government wants to be responsible for those deaths.
GUEST: Tyler Harper, Nelson Star
Not your pocket change, either. We're talking about thousands of dollars in a no-strings-attached payment. A project in British Columbia did just that, and then followed 50 homeless people (as well as a control group that received nothing at all) for a year to discover what came next.
The results of the study are making headlines and forcing us to confront both our own biases and policy decisions that might be costing taxpayers money without solving any problems.
GUEST: Dr. Jiaying Zhao Associate Professor, Psychology, UBC, research lead for the New Leaf Project
Research lead NLP
Trick or Treating is cancelled in some Ontario hotspots, and it's easy to be upset on behalf of the kids and wonder why. After all, we've been told the safest things are done outside, wearing masks. This seems like something that kids—who are also in closed school rooms all week—should be allowed to do. And this is the problem of communication during this pandemic—when numbers in Ontario and elsewhere have been climbing for a month but death rates and hospitalizations haven't kept pace with the spike.
The more we learn about COVID-19, the more our understanding of risk and recommended best practices evolve. But the more you change the messaging, the less people can follow it. So when we're in the middle of a spike and we're hearing we should all be extra cautious, holding off on Halloween may be more of a communications problem than a safety issue.
GUEST: David Fisman, epidemiologist, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
For almost two years an investigative team has been digging into into claims of child sexual assault by priests who belong to a Canadian Catholic order known as the Basilian Fathers. The results of their work form Unrepentant, a film that includes firsthand accounts from victims of abuse, the near-murder of an accused pedophile, the mystery death of a priest after he is exposed, secret church files that show a pattern of shuffling around known abusers and a victim’s journey to Vatican City to confront church leaders…and more. The project's lead reporter joins us for a look at how it came together.
GUEST: Adrian Ghobrial, CityNews
In the early days of the pandemic, it was fun to compare crude work-from-home setups. Eight months later, with no end in sight, the novelty is long gone. What's changed about the traditional career over the past year? How can workers do more than try to get through the day and move on with their careers? What does every manager need to be doing to support them? And how the hell are you supposed to network over Zoom?
GUEST: Dr. Sonia Kang, Canada Research Chair in Identity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the University of Toronto; Host of For The Love of Work
Amir Omidvar left Iran during the revolutionary crisis in 1982. For twenty months after leaving his home, Amir did everything he could to cross the Atlantic ocean. While taking refuge in Spain, he made three failed attempts to enter the US; a fake passport in Heathrow, a Mexican jail, and a beating by customs officers in Milan — until a fourth and final attempt brought him to Canadian shores. Amir speaks to his daughter, Shayda, about why he decided to leave and how arriving in Canada has impacted his life and the life of his family. Listen and subscribe to The Hopeful wherever you get your podcasts.
Most Canadians didn't learn much about slavery in Canada in history class. Curriculums in this country have mostly focused on the Underground Railroad and largely glossed over the fact that slavery was legal here. That history explains much about the blatant racism that still exists in this country today, but it also explains far less obvious things about the everyday lives of many Black Canadians. We're starting to confront that history now, but we have a long way to go.
GUEST: Charmaine A. Nelson is the Tier I Canada Research Chair in Transatlantic Black Diasporic Art and Community Engagement at NSCAD University. She will direct the first-ever institute for the study of Canadian Slavery.
Unless you’re lucky enough to live in some of the areas of Canada that are largely free of Covid-19, you’re likely staring down a long few months spent isolated from most of the community, and spent largely inside your house. The case numbers are rising. We’re told it’s not safe to socialize indoors and we’re just weeks away from the first deep freeze and snow storm.
It can feel like a lot—if you let it. That’s not us pep-talking you. It’s science. There are people who live so far north that winter dominates their lives; who live with darkness during the day for weeks at a time. And if you survey those people about winter, well, you’d find they’re better at dealing with it than you are. So what's their secret?
GUEST: David Robson, science journalist and author of The Intelligence Trap
We don’t have to look as far as New Zealand to find examples of how the battle against COVID-19 can be won. We have a success story right here in Canada, where the so-called Atlantic Bubble has held up very well over the past several months, and where life is mostly back to normal. There is even hockey, with fans in the stands and everything.
So how can the rest of Canada follow the Atlantic Bubble's example? Is it even possible for larger provinces? How have they managed to stamp out COVID-19, and what kind of price have they paid for doing so?
GUEST: Greg Mercer, Atlantic Canada reporter, The Globe and Mail
You have heard plenty of dire predictions and seen hundreds of horrible photographs. The Earth is in trouble, there's no doubt. But when coverage of climate change always focuses on so-called "disaster porn", it can create a self-fulfilling prophecy. How can reporters covering the very real danger we're facing avoid fostering a sense of inevitability among the people we need to make changes?
GUEST: Sheril Kirshenbaum, host of NPR's Serving Up Science
Our neighbour is in trouble. Whatever the results of the American election on November 3, there's only a small chance they won't be contested. The upheaval could last for months. It could get violent. It could fracture America.
All of this obviously impacts Canada, so what are we doing to prepare? What should we be doing? How can our government gameplan for whatever happens in the coming months, and what are the best-case and worst-case scenarios for Canada if chaos reigns to the south?
GUEST: Balkan Devlen, senior fellow at McDonald Laurier Institute, Superforecaster for Good Judgment, Inc.
Many of us take pride in Canada's diversity—but not all of us embrace it. And critics cite large numbers when discussing immigration policy. What that does is take the power of individual stories out of the equation. A new podcast examines the refugee journey through one man's harrowing journey across borders and an ocean to his new home, and what it can tell us about our country and what drives the Canadian Dream.
GUEST: Shayda Omidvar, host of The Hopeful
In mid-September, commercial fishers began to protest and threaten First Nation lobster fishermen who were exercising their treaty rights to make a moderate living out of season. Traps were cut, boats burned and flares were fired. But it's not a new story. This is a decades-old problem that's never been solved.
Why is a supreme court ruling from more than 20 years ago still largely ignored? Why do Indigenous communities face so much anger over such a relatively small catch? And what are the authorities—from the fisheries department to the RCMP—doing to protect a group that's just trying to take what Canada's courts have already granted them?
GUEST: Trina Roache, APTN Investigations
The federal government may not be working towards decriminalization of banned substances, but if you follow the proper procedures, as some churches have, you can receive permission to import and use them.
Recently a church in Winnipeg became the latest organization to receive permission to use daime tea, a psychedelic substance also known as ayahuasca. How did they receive permission? What is the drug and how do they use it? And what does the growing number of these exemptions say about the future of Canada's drug policy?
GUEST: Rachel Browne
If all goes well, sometime in the next six months, one of the many Covid-19 vaccine candidates will receive approval for human use. It will be a day to celebrate. The end of the pandemic will at long last be in sight.
But what happens next? Who gets the first doses? The second batch? How do you actually vaccinate billions and billions of people, quickly and safely? A vaccine isn't the end of the road, as today's guest will tell us, it's more like an off-ramp.
GUEST: Danielle Groen
You're a good citizen, so you probably toss your plastic into the recycling bin. Especially if it has those little recycling arrows on it. Why wouldn't you? Public service campaigns have been telling you to do this forever. But what if those campaigns were a lie, designed to make you feel better about the plastic you use? What if plastic recycling was never going to be effective, except at selling more plastic?
GUEST: Laura Sullivan, NPR News investigative correspondent
September was a month for rising COVID-19 case counts in British Columbia. October will be a month for an election. Why now? That depends on who you ask. The NDP claim they need a mandate to govern more responsively during a pandemic. Their opponents say it's a power grab because the NDP's poll numbers are high.
What will British Columbians think? Will they punish the NDP for forcing them to the polls? Will they lock in a government they appear to approve of? And how do you run an election in a pandemic anyway? What will be different about this one, and how can other provinces learn from what happens in B.C. this October?
GUEST: Liza Yuzda, Legislative Reporter, News 1130
Cases are increasing exponentially. Hospital admissions are beginning to follow them. The doctors who oversee ICUs are nervous. And the public is looking for clear rules they can follow—only those seem to vary by public health unit.
Dr. Michael Warner runs an ICU in Toronto. He can see the line from his hospital's COVID-19 assessment centre stretching down the road from his office. Along with other doctors and epidemiologists, he's been sounding warning bells about how close COVID-19 is to being out of control all over again. So what needs to happen now?
GUEST: Dr. Michael Warner
They played zero games in Toronto. They spent the first three weeks on the road. They lost their best hitter for half the year. Their ace welcomed a baby during a pandemic. They were written off as young but not ready. They ended up in the playoffs, by clinching a spot that had never existed until this season.
The Blue Jays are a bunch of talented kids of former big leaguers, a South Korean ace and a handful of fireball arms out of the bullpen. They are flawed, but they don't care. They're not supposed to be here and they don't care about that, either. This is an unlikely team in the most unlikely of circumstances. So what do they do with it?
GUEST: Arden Zwelling, Senior Writer, Sportsnet
If you think that parents are nervous about Back To School, imagine how the kids are feeling. You’re going back to school, or maybe trying to learn from home. You’re not allowed to hang out with your friends except with masks and at a distance, yet you’re still supposed to share rooms with them. Your teachers are masked. They’re measuring space between your desks. You're worried about a virus you could spread to your parents and grandparents. And you’re supposed to go on with your school year as best you can.
That’s...not easy. So how are kids coping? We spoke to one, and got some advice.
GUEST: Andy Binau
Last week, an unlikely research project made a startling discovery: Phosphine gas in the atmosphere of Venus. That's something that, as far as we know, is created by living organisms. Our efforts to find signs of life on other worlds, and a lot of our space dreaming in general, tend to focus on Mars. But all of a sudden we need to take a closer look at our other planetary neighbour.
So how can we find out if there's really life right next door? What do we know about Venus and why has it been so hard to figure out so far? What else could possibly cause the presence of Phosphine and what would it mean, to space exploration and everything else, if this is really true?
GUEST: Neel Patel, space reporter, MIT Technology Review
Because the coffee bean is in danger. A rapidly spreading fungus is threatening both the plants themselves and the farmers who make a living from them. The fungicides that used to stop it no longer work in many cases and climate change is making life easier for the fungus every day in areas where coffee grows.
How long until there's a coffee shortage? Or until we start losing some of the more unique varieties? We don't know, but there is still time to fight the problem.
GUEST: Maryn McKenna, science journalist and author
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Quebec police estimate threats made against public officials are up about 400 percent. Most of the people arrested for making those threats show evidence of believing in conspiracy theories. In fact, belief in these theories, as well as distrust in the mainstream media, is rising quickly in the province. And not all of these theories are coming from the United States. Some of them are coming from inside the province.
So what should police and governments be doing? Because things seem to be getting dangerous quickly.
GUEST: Jonathan Montpetit, CBC Montreal
It’s not Donald Trump’s fault. He’s just an accelerant. America has been churning towards a crisis of democracy for decades. Our guest today created a model that predicted the 2020s would be the ultimate test for the future of America. The crisis point is here, so how will America respond? And what does it mean to Canada if our neighbours fail the democratic test?
GUEST: Jack Goldstone, George Mason University
On this show, we usually talk to experts—and that means during Covid-19 we've been speaking with doctors and infectious disease specialists, researchers and scientists, pundits and journalists, but not very often with average Canadians. Fortunately, someone has been.
A new documentary that airs tonight follows several Canadians through the past six months, and takes us into their homes and virtual offices, giving us a glimpse of how all the big issues we discuss on The Big Story end up impacting folks who are just trying to live their lives in these "unprecedented times".
GUEST: Pat Taney, Reporter/Producer, CityNews
In 1988, Toronto lawyer Clayton Ruby represented the family of a young man named Michael Wade Lawson. Though neither Ruby, the family or anyone else involved at the time knew it, it’s a case that's had a profound impact on how police forces in Canada’s largest province do—and don’t—hold themselves accountable.
Michael Wade Lawson, you see, was 17—a young Black man who was shot and killed by the police. After his death, amid a public outcry, Ontario's Special Investigations Unit was created, to investigate cases of police misconduct that resulted in injury or death to civilians. And that’s where today's story begins.
GUEST: Clayton Ruby
This November, accused killer Alek Minassian will face trial for the 2018 Toronto van attack that killed 10 people and injured 16. In the aftermath of that attack, we learned that Minassian subscribed to the incel ideology—which has been linked to mass killings around the world.
Incels entered the public consciousness as lonely people obsessed with other people's sex lives. But in recent years they've become increasingly deadly. How do young men find themselves radicalized into the incel subculture online? Where are they slipping through the cracks? And how can we respond more effectively to signs of violence before it happens?
GUEST: Katherine Laidlaw
There are a lot of things that provincial back-to-school guidelines don't cover—because they can't. Every school is different, and so are the neighbourhoods they serve. And as students return, teachers and administrators often need answers, quickly, to problems they couldn't have foreseen. This is where a new program led by hospitals and doctors in Toronto's east end comes in.
Each school is matched up with a doctor or hospital worker who can take their unique questions and come back to them with solutions. How can we do safe screenings with hundreds of kids and little outdoor space? How do you get toddlers to wear masks? What if physical distancing is impossible in my classroom? And at what point do we have to worry about uncontrolled outbreaks and school closures?
GUEST: Dr. Janine McCready, infectious disease physician, Michael Garron Hospital
It's been 25 years since the Ipperwash crisis and the killing of Dudley George. Long enough that there's a generation that doesn't remember it—but they have plenty of examples of modern-day land defenders standing up against the government. But the original protesters, who took back land the government had promised to return to them 50 years ago and won?
They're still there. Still living at Stony Point. Still waiting for the military to clean up the mess it left behind. Still holding out hope of returning the land to its lush former glory. And in the meantime, they're trying to live on what the government left behind.
GUEST: Cristina Howorun, CityNews
Are you addicted to the news? Don't lie! It's understandable. This year has been hard, and everything feels like a crisis sometimes, and some of us can't look away. Not knowing what's happening in the world at all is not an option, but what if we don't have to know everything absolutely immediately? Is it possible to regulate the way you consume the news without missing out on the things that matter? Is it possible to go cold turkey for a little while to break the habit?
GUEST: Peter Laufer, James Wallace Chair Professor in Journalism at the University of Oregon, author of Dreaming in Turtle and Up Against the Wall: The Case for Opening the Mexican-U.S. Border.
It's been a chaotic and eventful—and still not yet close to done—return to schools across Canada. A majority of parents have chosen to return their kids to the classroom. Other have opted for remote learning either by necessity or preference. And then there are the private pods—small bubbles of a few families, taught by a teacher hired to work privately.
Of course, having the means to afford private instructions for your kids is a privilege. It's a sign of inequality in education access. And if the pandemic lingers and drives more families to this solution, it could potentially undermine the school system. But should any of that matter to parents whose first job is to keep their children safe in the best environment possible?
GUEST: Matt Gurney, National Post, Code 47
In a large house, in a very nice area of Toronto, in the 1970s and 80s, there lived a normal family: Mom, dad, kids. Roughly thirty kids, actually, most of them adopted from all over the worlds. Thirty kids with different languages, needs, dreams and personalities.
Why did they do it? What happened when they did? What kind of legacy does the Simpson family leave behind today in a city and country they helped build just be being a normal, loving, ever-growing family?
GUEST: Nicholas Hune-Brown, Toronto Life
When SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy took off from a NASA launchpad this year, it marked a new era of manned spaceflight, one in which private businesses have as much of a stake in success as government space agencies. But have we stopped along the way to think about the ramifications of that?
What rules do companies like SpaceX have to follow once they are out on the final frontier? If they break them, who makes sure they pay for it? And as technology evolves at a rapid pace and these partnerships become more common, who or what stops space from becoming the new wild west?
GUEST: Michael O'Shea
A lot of Canadians are obese. That's a fact. But a lot of the things you think you know about that fact—why they're obese, how they could lose weight, what they need to hear from their doctors—just aren't true. Last month Canada unveiled a new set of guidelines for treating obesity, and the biggest headline among the recommendations was: "No dieting."
But the guidelines don't stop there. From an acceptance of surgery as a solution, challenging the biases of doctors and looking at obesity as a science-based problem, they call for a dramatic change in approach to the problem. Will they work? Will we follow them?
GUEST: Dr. Sean Wharton
It was a program created at unimaginable speed under incredible circumstances. And it has helped millions of Canadians. But six months later—two months longer than initially planned—the federal government is ending the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. So what’s next?
Expanded EI qualifications, new programs for those who don't qualify for EI and other efforts aimed at supporting workers still impacted by COVID-19. Who qualifies? For how much? How quickly and for how long? And what do you need to prepare to apply? We've got a guide to post-CERB Canadian government help.
GUEST: Rosa Saba, business reporter, Toronto Star
One of the goals of the movement to defund the police is to limit a police force's ability to acquire expensive, military-style equipment. Even if that movement is successful, however, the police have other ways of funding their purchases. It doesn't get much attention, but police foundations across Canada have in recent years used money given to them by corporate donors to help police purchase everything from a patrol boat to an armoured vehicle and a drone program.
None of those purchases needed the approval of city hall or the public. None of them was open and transparent. And none of them would have been stopped by defunding the police department. In fact, as defunding the police gains momentum, these foundations will become more attractive to police departments and more outrageous to people who worry about preferential treatment for donors.
GUEST: Martin Lukacs
It's already something some people try to avoid—and the thought of spending hours in a courtroom with others, masked or not, doesn't make jury duty any more appealing. But jury trials are returning this month, and so jury questionnaires are already on the way to mailboxes.
But what's being done to keep jurors safe? To make it worthwhile for them to serve? And to mitigate that added burden on any disruption to work or home life that comes with COVID-19? Should we be trying to make jury trials function well enough, or take this opportunity to rethink jury duty forever?
GUEST: Mark Farrant, CEO of the Canadian Juries Commission
The practice of solitary confinement in Canada had been found to violate inmates' human rights. The government had been given a year to fix it, and last December, the year was almost up.
Since then, a lot has changed in the world. But it seems not a lot has changed in our prison system. And if anything had really changed, we likely wouldn’t know, because the government won’t tell us. It won't even tell the panel it appointed to watch over its work. Why?
GUEST: Justin Ling
It sucks to think about cold weather and flu season when BBQs and beaches are still on the menu, but that’s the life of epidemiologists during a global pandemic.
School starts next week. Fall is almost here. We’ve learned a lot about Covid-19 since February but have we used that knowledge to prepare for an inevitable second wave? And when that wave does come, how bad will it be?
GUEST: Dr. David Fisman, epidemiologist
We're bringing you a special episode of our sister show, Black Tea. In this one, Mel and Dalton talk to Celina Caesar-Chavannes, a former Member of Parliament, about how a lack of political will directly harm Black communities. We hope you'll listen.
A special episode of the Big Story looks at what has happened in sports over the past 48 hours and asks a question: If it isn't business as usual, and talking won't get things done, what will?
GUEST: None.
You’ve probably lived most of your life with rising income inequality. The rich steadily get richer while the rest of us just try to keep up. It’s difficult sometimes to keep in mind that it wasn’t always this way; that this is a choice we made—maybe not us, but the people we put in power.
What Covid-19 has done to steadily rising inequality is, basically, the equivalent of throwing gas on a fire. We're getting dangerously close to a tipping point. What happens when we reach it?
GUEST: Bruce Livesey, investigative reporter and writer
He loves Top Gun, but he admits he's not Maverick. He courted the social conservative vote, then turned around and made a play for moderates. He wants a more inclusive Conservative Party of Canada, but he won't budge on the carbon tax.
How did Erin O'Toole pull off the upset victory? What's his vision for the party he now leads? Where did he come from and is he just boring enough to put a real scare into Justin Trudeau and the Liberals?
GUEST: Marie-Danielle Smith, Maclean's (Read Marie-Danielle's profile of O'Toole right here.)
It's perhaps the worst news you can imagine getting—and the only way to make it worse is to get it via videoconference in the midst of a pandemic. COVID-19 has forced sudden changes to the medical system, and created a flood of new health questions for anyone at risk. But do we have the answers? How do we give patients the care they need for life-threatening illnesses, and the support they need to fight through them, when we're still learning about a new virus?
GUEST: Anne Borden, writer, host of Noncompliant.
The past six months have featured a lot of speculation about what the pandemic has done to the average workday for those lucky enough to have a job that can be done at home. Now we have some real data on how the lives of millions of workers have changed.
Are we working more or less? Are our meetings getting longer? What are we missing about the office? How can companies adapt to what their workforce needs? And which strategies that we're learning now will stick around?
GUEST: Jeff Polzer, Professor of Human Resource Management, Harvard Business School
Anne With An E is a reimagining of Lucy Maude Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables tales. It ran for three seasons, and then got cancelled. And the fans took it personally.
This isn’t a conversation about Anne With An E, though, it's a conversation about what happens when popular culture becomes a political identity.
GUEST: John Semley
Since Monday, the nation’s federal government has seen a high-profile resignation, a historic appointment, a prorogation of parliament in the middle of a pandemic, the release of 5,000 pages of documents concerning the government’s latest scandal, the promise of a reset and the threat of a fall election. Just another lazy August weekend in Ottawa.
So why did the Liberals prorogue parliament? What will happen when it returns? Did Bill Morneau resign or was he fired? And what will Chrystia Freeland include in what is expected to be an ambitious plan for economic recovery?
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, parliament hill reporter
You probably first heard it from the mouth of a losing coach or player—but that's not where it came from. You may have noticed that US President Donald Trump used it to brush off 150,000 dead Americans, and everything that happened afterwards. It's a phrase that means almost nothing, yet is used to describe everything. So why has it become so ubiquitous?
When we say "It is what it is", what are we trying to convey? How versatile is it and how much depends on who's using it? And when we do use it, what precisely is the "it" we're referring to?
GUEST: Miles Klee, MEL Magazine
In most places, restaurants can reopen for indoor dining—with a whole lot of restrictions. But with limited seating available, it's going to be impossible for most places to sustain their business on diners alone. And most of us don't feel great about going right back to a restaurant anyway. So...what next?
As awful as COVID-19 has been for the hospitality industry, it has merely accelerated some longtime trends like to move to delivery and takeout, the phenomenon of Ghost Kitchens and other, more creative, ways of doing business. So what will the restaurants that survive the pandemic look like when life returns to normal?
GUEST: Corey Mintz, food reporter
Tracy Moore took over as host of Cityline 12 years ago, the first black woman to host a Canadian daytime lifestyle show. The reaction to her debut was…ugly. But 12 years later, Tracy is still here, and has been talking fashion and health and recipes and everything else you’d expect for more than a decade.
But now, she’s also talking about anti-racism and white supremacy. On a lifestyle show. In a space that’s traditionally been considered out of bounds for anything political or uncomfortable. So how is that working out?
GUEST: Tracy Moore, host of Cityline
What the Toronto Raptors are attempting has never been done before—they're trying to shed a superstar and get even better. When the reigning champs begin the NBA Playoffs Monday against Brooklyn, they'll do so with a better winning percentage than they managed with Kawhi Leonard shutting down opponents and filling the bucket.
What makes this group so special? How do they go about winning games against teams that feature Hall of Famers at the top of their rosters? What will they have to do to thrive in a star-driven playoff series? What's their biggest weakness? And can they really, actually win another NBA title?
GUEST: Michael Grange, Sportsnet
There are lots of reasons schools should open in the fall. From parents' sanity and productivity to the fact that without the childcare schools provide, working parents are basically screwed and economic recovery is impossible. But there's another assumption that we make when discussing sending kids back in September: That going back will be the best thing for their mental health. What if that assumption's wrong?
School can be a source of anxiety and stress for kids at the best of times, never mind how it feels when it comes with fear of contracting Covid-19 and bringing it home to make a parent or grandparent sick. Classroom learning doesn't work for some kids, even without teachers in masks and socially distanced. Maybe we should have a more nuanced conversation about what school in a pandemic could look like, instead of assuming it's either in-person or a boring, glitchy Zoom call.
GUEST: Dr. Tyler Black, suicidologist and emergency psychiatrist in B.C.
Should you drive, take the train or fly? Where should you stay when you arrive? Can you use public bathrooms—and how do you do it safely? Are airlines still enforcing social distancing inside planes? Do you need to wipe down your tray table? Can you ride in a car with another family if you all wear masks?
Travel is about getting outside of our comfort zone—which means something much different in 2020. But for those of us with loved ones in other cities, provinces and countries, it might be a necessity, either due to an emergency or just for our own mental health. So, how do you assess risk when you're on the road? And if you are going to travel, how do you do it safely?
Ontario's premier won a landslide election in 2018, but by the end of last year his approval rating was underwater. It's fair to say that when COVID-19 began, Ontarians were skeptical of his leadership. Six months later, though, Ford's approval is sky high. So what happened? Did Ford rise to the challenge or just beat low expectations?
Has he really changed minds or is this just a crisis bump? What did Ford do right and wrong over the past six months? And what's next for a leader who could be right back on shaky ground if his plan to reopen schools ends in disaster?
GUEST: Nick Taylor-Vaisey, Maclean's
Dead sea lions turn up from time to time on beaches in British Columbia. That's not unusual. Recently though they’ve been found missing their heads.
And yes, that’s the strange part. But not the strangest part. What or who, took their heads? Before or after they died? Why? What happened to the heads after they were severed?
And what does this whole strange saga tell us about the delicate balance of predator and prey … and working fisheries on our west coast?
GUEST: Wanyee Li, Vancouver Bureau, Toronto Star
It’s worth looking, every so often, at the stories of 2020 that haven’t gotten much attention because of the...raging global pandemic, furious protests against police brutality and racism, the never-ending saga of Donald Trump somehow being President of the United States and the general 2020 news like murder hornets, plane crashes and catastrophic global warming.
It’s been a busy year and some things slip through the cracks. Little things, you know? Aliens, stuff like that. Wait! Aliens? Yup. Aliens. It's that kind of year.
GUEST: Marie-Danielle Smith, Maclean's
When they're going through elementary and high school, nobody asks these children and teens about their immigration status. That's policy in our system. When they graduate however, even if they've got straight 'A's, post-secondary education is just about impossible.
So some of our brightest young people leave school, and take up under-the-table jobs in factories and bakeries, putting aside their dreams to keep themselves and their families safe in Canada. Is there a better way? Meet Canada's 'Dreamers'.
GUEST: David Bruser, Investigative Reporter, The Toronto Star
There's a ton of good news about various Covid-19 vaccine trials moving to Phase Three. What does that actually mean? Some companies might even begin production now, hoping for positive results, in order to meet global demand should the vaccine be proven to work. Politicians keep touting early 2021 as a target, but...
What do we still need for these vaccines to be proven effective? Who makes that call and what goes into it? What role will politics play? Can we even hope to make enough to treat everyone? And what if some people refuse to take a vaccine that's been cleared for use?
GUEST: Ivan Semeniuk, Health Reporter, The Globe and Mail
In casual discussion of the virus, the term "Long Haulers" is, generally, used to describe people for whom symptoms of Covid-19 can linger for weeks and months, long after the worst seems to be over. And that can be debilitating.
But that’s not the only kind of ‘long-hauler’. There are also people, we’re learning, who recover, but continue to test positive weeks later. Even without any symptoms. How long can this virus linger inside people? What can other diseases that stay with people for years and even lifetimes tell us about what we’re seeing in these cases with Covid? What do we still not know about how all this works?
GUEST: Roxanne Khamsi, science writer
Kanye's a celebrity. He lives his life extremely publicly and he's openly discussed his mental health. So many of us feel free to speculate about it, too. When we do, we're also talking about thousands of non-celebrities who live with mental health challenges—and they hear exactly what we're saying.
Why do we feel so confident to discuss the mental health of celebrities as though we know them? What does calling Kanye 'crazy' or 'unhinged' do to other people with bipolar disorder who aren't rich and famous? And how can we call out Kanye for his offensive behaviour without blaming it on his condition?
GUEST: Stacy Lee Kong, author of Friday Things
A landmark ruling last week found that sending refugee claimants back to the United States under the Safe Third Country Agreement violates their human rights—and a federal judge has given the government six months to fix or terminate the policy. What does this mean for the US-Canada border? For the thousands of refugees every year that arrive in the United States then try to make it to Canada?
To understand this agreement you have to go back to the months after 9/11, when immigration and border security were undergoing massive changes. And to understand why the agreement has been invalidated in court, you need to look at what's changed at the border in the years since then.
GUEST: Sharry Aiken, Professor of Immigration Law, Queen's University
There are at least 102 kids. Most of them are Indigenous. Over seventeen years their money was stolen from their bank accounts, pushing them into poverty, homelessness and worse. And nobody noticed. Nobody cared.
A multimillion dollar settlement from the BC government admits that this happened, and attempts to make up for the failures with at least $25,000 per victim. But no criminal charges have been filed. No inquiry is forthcoming. And the details of how this happened gives us a look into just how unfair the system that's supposed to help these kids can be.
GUEST: Holly Moore, Investigative Producer, APTN
It began as a strange conspiracy theory in American politics. It's since become much strange, much more widespread and much more dangerous. QAnon has spread around the world and driven real-life events that put lives in danger, including here in Canada.
How did this happen? What's behind QAnon's rapid spread and how can we try to convince believers that none of it is true? And what happens if we simply can't stop it and something awful happens?
GUEST: Marc-André Argentino, Concordia University
Last summer, long before a pandemic was on the horizon, the biggest story was a teenage manhunt. After discovering the bodies of Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese at one location and Leonard Dyck at another, the RCMP named an 18 and a 19-year-old as their main suspects. And they were on the run.
After a nationwide sweep that involved the military and tons of media coverage, police found the killers' bodies in the brush of northern Manitoba. In a video found on site, Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky confessed to the murders and voiced their plans to end it all with a murder suicide.
Now, a year later, the RCMP are preparing to close the case for good. But one major question remains: Why did they do it?
GUEST: Alex McKeen, Vancouver bureau reporter for the Toronto Star, who, with colleague Douglas Quan, recently wrote about the anniversary.
As the nation yawns awake following a months-long shutdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19, restaurants are welcoming diners again. This once fully relaxing experience is now riddled with reminders to be vigilant: Sign-in sheets to allow for contact tracing. Strict rules about wearing face masks indoors. Tables positioned six feet apart.
This is a whole new world — unfamiliar to diners, for sure, but also nearly unrecognizable to restaurant staff who’ve gone from being out of work to being frontline workers. And the tips? Let’s just say they’ve been better.
As the restaurant industry adjusts to this new reality, there may well be an opportunity for fundamental change — and some advocates have put the practice of tipping on the chopping block. What’s so bad about the gratuity system? And what would a world without tipping look like?
Guest: Hassel Aviles, co-founder of Not9to5, a Canadian nonprofit that empowers hospitality workers by connecting them with resources on mental health and substance use.
It’s an iconic image of Canada: A Mountie, donning a red serge, Stetson hat, combat boots, standing on guard for thee, which is usually taken to mean “all of us.” But this image, as mighty as it seems, is attached to what critics call a massive, dysfunctional, paramilitary institution that can’t seem to ever hold itself accountable. Its relationship with Indigenous peoples is as strained as ever and there is quaking within its ranks, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars spent on inquiries and settlements.
While the residents of Portapique, Nova Scotia took to the streets this week demanding a public inquiry into the RCMP’s response the day 22 of its residents died at the hands of a gunman, the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission found the Mounties’ “command and control” approach to policing has led to “unreasonable" use of force in their response to mental health and wellbeing calls. It doesn’t help that their top official can’t answer a basic question on whether systemic racism exists in the force. Can the RCMP be truly and meaningfully reformed? Does it need to be?
GUEST: Jane Gerster, a national features reporter for Global News, who has done in-depth investigative reporting on the RCMP.
GUEST HOST: Sarah Boesveld
Radiyah Chowdhury first thought about leaving the media business when she was still in journalism school. Back in her first year classes, sitting amongst a sea of white peers, she remembers getting an introduction to the idea of “objectivity” and feeling awash in anxiety.
“Objectivity, as it was presented to us seemed to be tailored for a specific type of person, one whose capacity to be dispassionate about certain issues came from a place of privilege that was unfamiliar to me,” she wrote in an essay that won this year’s Dalton Camp Award.
The industry, as it is, poses a next to impossible ask for journalists of colour, wrote the assistant editor at Chatelaine. These storytellers have been tokenized and largely shut out of an industry dominated by white people. Now that the news business is being taken to task for systemic racism, will we finally see meaningful change? Or will the media cycle churn on?
GUEST: Radiyah Chowdhury, assistant editor at Chatelaine and winner of the 2020 Dalton Camp Award
Matthew McKnight was a fixture in the Edmonton bar scene, known for partying in colourful animal themed jumpsuits and sometimes only his underwear. He’d buy rounds of drinks, distributing them to pretty young women enjoying a night on the town.
In April 2016 the first — a 17-year-old girl — would report to police that she had been sexually assaulted by McKnight. Many other women soon came forward with their own experiences of assault at the hands of a man whose exploits had been an “open secret” for far too long.
This past fall, Matthew McKnight pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of sexual assault against 13 different women. In January, a jury found him guilty of five of them. Now, as he awaits sentencing, the case is being scrutinized as one of Canada’s first legal reckonings of the MeToo era — a test of how the court handled a rare case of multiple charges of assault against one serial sexual predator. Can justice really be served?
Guest: Jana Pruden, crime and feature writer with The Globe and Mail. You can read her feature about the McKnight case right here.
By now we've become at least semi-acquainted with the idea that advertisers and social media companies scrape and use our personal information in ways we can't even begin to comprehend.
But a new analysis of the ways LGBTQ people are targeted, surveilled and censored online reveals a disturbing and disheartening tool international governments are using to persecute the queer community: Data from dating apps.
In a report released last week, cybersecurity company Recorded Future found dating apps like OKCupid, Grindr and Tinder collected user data, including users' exact location, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, political beliefs, drug use and more, and shared it with at least 135 third party entities. The company observed multiple cybersecurity attacks traced back to Russia and other Eastern European countries as well as cases all over the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and Africa. Sometimes, people were entrapped, beaten and tortured.
What implications does this data collection and dissemination have for queer peoples' safety online — and what can be done to protect them?
GUEST: Jane Lytvynenko, senior reporter with Buzzfeed News, who wrote about the Recorded Future report.
GUEST HOST: Sarah Boesveld
Last week, Harper’s magazine published an open letter, speaking out against a culture of “intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming and ostracism, and the tendency to dissolve complex policy issues in a blinding moral certainty.”
The letter was signed by 150 people. Among them, prominent figures like J.K. Rowling, Margaret Atwood, and Salman Rushdie. Once published, it created a wave of backlash, and at least two people withdrew their names when they saw who else had signed it.
Today, a discussion with one of the letter’s signatories about flawed democracies, and why she felt it was important to sign the letter.
GUEST: Anne Applebaum, author of Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism
Last week the Canadian Association of the Chiefs of Police announced their support for decriminalizing the personal possession of illicit drugs. Drug use and addiction, they said, is a public health issue. And simple possession should be treated with health and social service resources, rather than through the criminal justice system. It’s an idea researchers and people who work in addiction have hammered away at for decades. But it's still a shocking position for the association representing police chiefs across the country. So why now? And what does this mean for drug policy in Canada?
GUEST: Justin Ling, investigative reporter.
GUEST HOST: Sarmishta Subramanian
We can joke as much as we want about it, but the reality is that we all go to the bathroom, every single day. It’s a basic human need. Yet many cities are failing at providing accessible public toilets for everyone. What will it take for politicians and city planners to take the issue seriously and address the underlying discrimination and inequality? Which cities are doing it right? How has the pandemic highlighted the need for accessible public washrooms? Could this be a turning point?
GUEST: Lezlie Lowe, author of No Place to Go: How Public Toilets Fail Our Private Needs
GUEST HOST: Sarmishta Subramanian
When the entire country went into lockdown a few months ago, it meant kids would be staying home and most of their parents would be too. But now, as businesses reopen and people start going back to work, parents are wondering where their kids are supposed to go. With Labour Day fast approaching, are we doing all that we can to ensure a safe full return to school and protect the educational rights of children? If not, how many parents will have to leave the workforce to provide for their kids? And can you take a wild guess as to which parent that responsibility will usually fall on?
GUEST: Lauren Dobson-Hughes, gender and international health consultant. Read her opinion piece here.
GUEST HOST: Sarmishta Subramanian
In nearly a single week, three global hot spots ushered in some dramatic changes. Russia made a constitutional amendment allowing Vladimir Putin to add 16 additional years to a 20-year run. China put into effect new security law, stripping Hong Kong of its autonomy and shuttering the democracy movement. And in Israel, a looming annexation plan could take over as much as 30 percent of the West Bank. Why did all this happen now? Did the global pandemic play a part? Did an America in free fall encourage it? And what will it do to the peace and balance of power on the world stage?
GUEST: Mark MacKinnon, senior international correspondent for The Globe and Mail.
GUEST HOST: Sarmishta Subramanian
We're just a few weeks away from the return of the NBA, NHL and MLB. The NFL plans to join them soon afterwards. It could be a wonderful few months for sports fans ... but it's also unnecessary, risky and could end very, very badly.
How badly do leagues, players and networks want the games to return? What happens as more and more players test positive? What do we know about how the plans are working so far? What would it take to shut down a single team, or a whole league? What if someone dies? It's a grim but real possibility.
GUEST: Donnovan Bennett, Sportsnet
If Canada is going to keep COVID-19 under control, contact tracing and tracking will have to play a huge part in it. You hear about contact tracing in every interview or article about controlling the virus—but how does the process actually work?
Who are the people tasked with the often difficult job? How do they deal with people who are scared or angry to hear from them? How many cases can be missed before an outbreak looms? And as Canada prepares for a second wave...do we have enough of them to handle what's coming?
GUEST: Aaron Hutchins, Maclean's
There's another public outcry about Facebook! Shocking, right? But this time over 800 companies are putting their advertising dollars behind it, in an attempt to force the social media giant to confront hate speech and white supremacy on its platform. Will it work? Is there a dollar amount big enough to force Mark Zuckerberg to back down? And how much of a role will Facebook play in the upcoming U.S. election? Are we in for a repeat of 2016?
GUEST: Jesse Hirsh, Futurist, Metaviews.ca
The organization was supposed to distribute more than $900 million in student grants, but the reaction when the deal was announced was immediate and intense. There's now an ethics investigation and WE has walked away from the plan. What happened? Why did the Liberals agree to this, and what should they have known about the organization before announcing it would be handling nearly a billion dollars of taxpayer money?
GUEST: Jesse Brown, Canadaland
Warning bells were sounding. Some of the country's leading scientists were writing urgent emails to politicians and public health units. There was an emergency coming. It was going to get bad. We should take action now.
Still, Canada waited to take steps such as closing borders, securing PPE and planning for a massive wave of COVID-19. Compared to our neighbours to the south, we've handled the crisis fairly well—but what could we have done with an extra month to plan? How many lives and millions of dollars could we have saved? Who sounded the warnings, and who listened? And who didn't?
GUEST: Robyn Doolittle, The Globe and Mail
It's clear from the politicization of masks in the United States, and the mandatory mask policies being enacted in Canada, that we're not seeing enough voluntary compliance to impact the spread of COVID-19. So who's to blame? And how do we get where we need to be to curb the virus?
Messaging on masks has been abysmal since the early stages of the pandemic, so you can't simply blame people for not complying now. And the shaming and shunning of non-mask wearers isn't what's needed to convince everyone to buy in to something that represents a huge change in everyday behaviour. So what kind of messaging works? Well, we actually do have a pretty good idea...
GUEST: Dr. Julia Marcus, epidemiologist and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School; writer at The Atlantic
Since the pandemic put a sudden stop to foreign travel, places around the world that were once overrun by tourists have had a chance to breathe. And the people living in them have started to realize what life is like without all those extra people. For some, the break has been nice — a chance to finally visit the monuments that were always just around the corner, but never empty enough to enjoy. For others, it's revealed a deep-rooted dependency on an industry that doesn't always love them back. As travel restrictions start to ease in Europe and other parts of the world, are we going to revert to our old habits or look for ways to create new experiences?
GUEST: Christopher de Bellaigue, writer for The Guardian.
Hundreds of migrant farm workers in Ontario have tested positive for COVID-19 and three have died, leaving behind wives and children. Health officials say the workers arrived healthy and that the virus was spread locally. How do these outbreaks happen even with regular screening in place? What measures are now being put in place to control the spread? Are they enough?
GUEST: Kathryn Blaze Baum, The Globe and Mail
You may have seen the picture during one of its many trips around the internet over the past seven years. It's a honeycomb shaped like a heart, allegedly made by the bees themselves, freeform, when their keeper forgot to put the frame in their hive.
It's a lovely story, and that's why it sticks around. Is it true? Not entirely. Does that matter? Maybe. But the case of the heart-shaped honeycomb provides a look inside a rapidly developing field called Internet Folklore, and can teach us a lot about the stories we tell and why some of them endure.
GUEST: Steve Bryne, Folklorist
In this special episode of the Big Story, Arash Madani of Sportsnet hosts a discussion of racism and activism in sports. The games we love have been at the forefront of many waves of social change, and they have the power to bring us together for a common cause. From John Carlos' raised fist at the Olympics to Colin Kaepernick's brave protest that cost him his job, we'll explore athletes, activism and what needs to happen now if real progress is to be made.
GUEST HOST: Arash Madani, Sportsnet
In a perfect world, a "wellness check" would be exactly what it says. A person seems like they’re having trouble or are in crisis, so we call someone to check on them, to help them get well. As you probably know by now, that's not always what happens, and the results are people dead at the hands of the police.
Why are police the default when a wellness check is called for? Does it have to be that way? How is a wellness check supposed to be conducted—are there protocols that aren't being followed? How are officers trained for them? Exactly how much mental health training do prospective officers get?
GUEST: Uzma Williams, teaches a mental health course to students and prospective police officers at MacEwan University in Edmonton; she's also a co-editor of Police Response to Mental Health in Canada
The Big Story turns two today. We're officially entering our toddler years, just in time to throw a tantrum at the news cycle with two of our favourite guests. This year is not yet half done and it either feels like it's been a week or a decade long. How will we remember 2020? Among the thousands of things that we've changed so far this year, which ones will last when things return to normal? How have we done, as the media, covering history as it happens? And is there ANY good news in this year? ... Anything?
GUESTS: Sarah Boesveld and Fatima Syed
The allegations in a recent lawsuit are horrifying to read. Teenagers allegedly being bullied and abused by older teammates as coaches watched and did nothing. These aren't the first stories to come from Canadian junior hockey players and they likely won't be the last.
The initial reaction from those without a stake in the game, including our host, is to burn the whole system down. Is that the only way to fix it? What needs to change for the game we love to be safe for the kids who play it? Who's standing in the way of that? And what does real change look like inside locker rooms everywhere?
GUEST: Brock McGillis, former OHL and pro player, LGBTQ+ speaker and advocate
Today is the 35th anniversary of the Air India bombing, which killed 329 people, 280 of them Canadian citizens. In the immediate tragedy, the terrorist attack was seen largely as a foreign incident. As recently as 2007, not even half of Canadians considered it a "Canadian" tragedy. Why did the largest mass murder of Canadians in the country's history remain for so long a story about India and Ireland? And how have things changed in the past decade to reframe it?
GUEST: Chandrima Chakraborty, Professor, Department of English and Cultural Studies, McMaster University
When we discuss how COVID-19 has changed everything on this show, there's one big topic we haven’t covered yet. It’s sensitive. It’s intimate. It’s not easy to talk about even when there is no pandemic. It’s … just messy.
It’s marriage. And living together. And partnership, with kids or without. If you’re married, or partnered, you haven’t been alone through all this. So you’re lucky. But you’ve also likely spent the last few months navigating an entirely different landscape, adjusting to a new daily life and, probably, fighting. At least sometimes.
GUEST: Stephen Marche, host, How Not To F**k Up Your Marriage Too Bad (Available on Audible for free until July 11)
You might expect the world's biggest technology companies to have your data and know a lot about your life. But your favourite (or least favourite) coffee chain?!
This is the story of what happened when one reporter saw a notification on his phone and followed it down a rabbit hole to find out what, exactly, Tim Horton’s knows about him—and you too, if you use their app. Also, why exactly do they need to know that stuff? And what do they do with it?
And who else might be doing it? Because if your local coffee chain can compile this stuff...what’s stopping everyone else?
GUEST: James McLeod, business and technology reporter, Financial Post
The Hospital for Sick Children issued a report Wednesday that recommends children go back to school in September—even though it admits the virus likely won’t be eradicated by then. It says the risks of infection and transmission need to be balanced with the effects closed schools are having on their physical and mental health.
What do we know about the long-term impacts of kids being yanked out of school and isolated from their friends for months on end? How does it impact different kids at different ages and in different situations, and how do researchers try to quantify it? What don’t we know right now? And what will be likely found out years down the line as the Pandemic Generation grows up?
GUEST: Sarmishta Subramanian, Editor At Large, Maclean's
It's a slogan gathering steam, and support--but not enough support to make it practical. Yet. What don't people understand about the phrase and the options on the table for police reform, which range from abolishment of the police, to superficial changes that advocates say won't make much of a difference?
How well do we understand what needs to happen next? And what reforms can actually make a difference now?
GUEST: Monica Bell, associate professor of law and sociology, Yale University
It's been closed to all but essential travel for months, and polls show most Canadians want it closed for a good while longer. The border is the most visible symbol of the increasingly divergent paths taken by Canada and the United States—paths that began before COVID-19 struck.
In the 208 year history of the "longest undefended border", the experience of crossing has changed several times, and each event has left a lasting impact. What does the future hold for the relationship between the two neighbours, the border itself and the communities that live on either side of it?
GUEST: Alex Bitterman, professor at Alfred State College of Technology at The State University of New York; Contributor, The Conversation
Most of us have a very specific image in our minds of what country music is. It shouldn’t be surprising—that's how it’s been promoted and sold for decades.
But it wasn’t how the music was born. And it’s not representative of the artists who make it today, either. So what’s the real history of country music?
GUEST: Elamin Abdelmahmoud, Editor of News Curation, BuzzFeed; contributor, Rolling Stone
It's been a banner year for disinformation, and the past few weeks have been the worst of all. Coronavirus hoaxes and miracle cures are still circulating, but there's also been a deluge of confusion, lies and misrepresentation around what's happening at the protests that have taken over streets in almost every town and city in North America.
So how do you tell the real from the fake, especially when the misinformation is sometimes coming from traditional sources of authority? What are the most common hoaxes surrounding these protests? What's the goal of them? And how close are these social media hoaxes getting to inciting real-life violence?
GUEST: Jane Lytvynenko, senior reporter, BuzzFeed News
Three months ago, Canadians were asked to adapt to a 'new normal'. We were told to stay inside, avoid contact with others, and limit trips to the bare necessities. It was awful, and scary, but we did it. Now, as case numbers of COVID-19 decline across the country, we're opening things back up—stores, parks, salons...even daycares. And some of us are anxious about returning to the world.
What has the past three months done to our brains and the levels of anxiety we live with? Why have some people struggled to cope with isolation, while others are nervous to resume daily life? What will the long-term legacy of the pandemic on Canadians' mental health look like? And what are some coping strategies we can use if we're having trouble?
GUEST: Judith Law, executive director of Anxiety Canada
The rates of COVID-19 among Black and other racialized communities in the United States and around the world are staggering. It would be interesting to have that data in Canada...but we don't have the numbers. Only recently has Toronto begun releasing COVID-19 cases broken down by postal code, and the map of where the disease is spreading is exactly what you may have expected.
Even in a country with "universal" health care, racism and classism still play a determining role in far too many medical outcomes. What data do we need to do something about it? What do health care workers on the front line say is needed? Are they getting it? And how can we ensure the systems we change for the better to fight COVID-19 don't regress when the pandemic is over?
GUEST: Dr. Naheed Dosani, palliative care physician and health justice advocate.
Several of the world's leading technology companies—including Shopify, the largest in Canada—have announced that they don't ever plan to return to full-time office work. Other companies plan to stagger the return of employees as the pandemic wanes. Some may have to refit their entire floor plans in order to maintain social distancing if they want their staff back in the office. None of that is easy, or cheap.
We might not know what the future of work looks like once a vaccine for COVID-19 is found, but it's safe to say that office work will never be the same. And what we've learned in the past few months, under the pressure of an emergency in a desperate situation, is not a fair proxy for what remote work in a normal world would look like. So what do we know about 'working from home' and productivity outside of a pandemic? What data will companies use to inform their decisions about how many employees return how often? And what should employees be doing to prepare for a future that might involve a four-day work week, or a drastically different schedule?
GUEST: Nicholas Bloom, Stanford University
Right now, Canadian businesses are vulnerable. Many of them are worried they won't survive COVID-19, and that makes them attractive targets for foreign investors. In some cases, it's a win-win: Canada needs foreign capital, and these companies want to acquire assets in a stable and prosperous country. But some of these deals raise real security concerns.
When a state-owned Chinese company pays millions more than anyone else is willing to for a Canadian operation...why is that? What do they think they're getting out of it? How can our government balance the need for foreign money with the risk of handing over Canadian assets and property to other governments? And how many of us are even paying attention?
GUEST: Stephanie Carvin, assistant professor of international affairs at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University
You may have heard the phrase this week, or even just this year, that we are living history right now. The truth is we are always living history, but some of us can afford to ignore it until it boils over. So what's the historical context for this moment in time? What can we learn from it?
When racism, police brutality and the rage that comes in response to that are laid bare for the world to see, in the middle of a pandemic everyone wants to know what happens next. Where do we go from here? Is it possible to eliminate racism without dismantling capitalism? And what do we each have to do to steer the course towards a positive ending?
GUEST: Andray Domise, contributing editor, Maclean's; Nathanson Fellow (History), York University
Chika Stacy Oriuwa graduated from the University of Toronto's faculty of medicine on Tuesday as valedictorian—the first black woman in the faculty's history to receive the honour alone (Dr. Kristine Whitehead, a Black woman, was co-valedictorian for the Class of 1992). She is also the only black student in her class of 259. But thanks to her advocacy and the university's willingness to work with her, the medical school class accepted for next year has 24 Black students, the highest number in the school's history.
Oriuwa's story is inspiring, but it also highlights just how many systemic barriers face Black students in Canada as they take aim at the highest levels of education. What needs to be done to fix this, and how can other schools and students follow her lead?
GUEST: Chika Stacy Oriuwa, valedictorian, class of 2020, U of T Faculty of Medicine
(CORRECTION: This episode states that Dr. Oriuwa was the first Black female graduate to be named valedictorian. She is the first to receive the honour alone. Dr. Kristine Whitehead, a Black woman, was co-valedictorian for the Class of 1992.)
There’s a natural instinct a lot of Canadians have to look at the United States and feel better about ourselves. It’s obviously not a great look for us as a country at the best of times. And right now we’re a long long way from the best of times.
And anyone looking for examples of police brutality in Canada won’t have to go far. Nobody knows yet exactly what happened when Regis Korchinski-Paquet was alone with two Toronto officers last week. But she fell to her death with them there. Where does police oversight in Canada succeed or fail? What needs to actually happen to make progress, and how can it be done? What are the actual differences in process between us and the United States?
GUEST: Asha James, human rights lawyer and partner at Falconers, LLP
The images of police killing black men or assaulting protesters are horrifying and disgusting, but they are just the most visible tip of an ugly, ugly iceberg. Before we talk about how far we'll really have to go to change a culture of police brutality, we're going to talk about what each of us, especially those with privilege, should be ready to do right now.
Many of us won't be in harm's way on the front lines of a protest—but we also miss the many chances we have to be an ally when it can make a difference. Today, we revisit a conversation about what keeps us quiet or still when racists, sexist and homophobic acts occur in front of us, and how we can change that. Until tomorrow, stay safe and help each other out.
GUEST: Shakil Choudhury, Anima Leadership
On January 20th, 1994, strange things started happening at a small Christian church in Toronto, Canada. Worshipers found themselves laughing, shaking, falling, rolling around on the ground. That was only the beginning. How did the church suddenly become one of Toronto’s ‘Top Tourist Attractions’? Was something supernatural truly happening? Did gold teeth miraculously appear in people’s mouths?
Tara Jean Stevens was a teenager when this bizarre movement spread from Toronto to her childhood church on the other side of the country. More than 25 years later, her new podcast, Heaven Bent, searches for the truth behind the miracles and explores big questions of faith and feeling. The first episode was released today, and you can find it right here.
GUEST: Tara Jean Stevens, host and creator of Heaven Bent
Imagine you're a Canadian musician about to go international. You've been working your way up the charts, year by year, with awards, acclaimed albums, and bigger and bigger tours. You've now got a new album on the way and a full European tour planned. You're ready for this to be the biggest year of your career. And it's February 2020...
The music industry has been 'disrupted' a whole bunch of times in recent years, but never have the lives of the people who make the music and the thousands of people who make the magic happen been changed like this. When will live shows return? When would you feel comfortable at a packed concert? How do non-superstar artists survive without tour income? And how well can living room concerts replicate the intimacy of a killer live show?
GUEST: Hannah Georgas, pop rock singer/songwriter
You may have heard that lots of people saw this pandemic coming. We still weren't adequately prepared. So what do we need to do now to make sure we are ready for whatever comes next?
A pandemic is a low-probability, high-consequence events—it probably won't happen tomorrow, but it will happen eventually. Every year intelligence agencies, scientists and analysts spend a lot of time figuring out which of these events may be looming. Today's episode is about what they see right now.
GUEST: Garrett M. Graff, Politico
New infections are up. Testing is down. Contact tracing is late. People are partying in parks. A report from members of Canada's armed forces on conditions in long-term care facilities is deeply disturbing. And just a month ago it looked like the province was headed in the right direction.
How did things go wrong? Were they ever really right in the first place? How does Ontario get back on track and... is a second lockdown possible now?
GUEST: Dr. David Fisman, Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Imagine being a high-school graduate right now, deciding whether to pay your tuition for post-secondary education in the fall. How do you know what you'll be getting for your money? Do the lessons in your program even translate to virtual education? And what about the hundreds of things that aren't taught in classes but make up university life? How much of that will even be possible?
Meanwhile, colleges and universities are trying to make plans on the fly, survive the sudden lack of international students and keep their enrolment numbers from dropping in a world that could look dramatically different in September. It's going to be a very strange fall term on (or off) campus.
GUEST: Joe Friesen, The Globe and Mail, postsecondary education reporter
A few months ago, a group of couriers won a huge victory for gig economy workers in Canada. And you won't believe what happened next...
We're relying on this sort of work more than ever as we attempt to stay inside and order our meals and groceries delivered. And it has never been more dangerous. With that in mind, it's a perfect time to explore the fight for better conditions for precarious workers in Canada, and how the pandemic has (and hasn't) changed things.
GUEST: Sara Mojtehedzadeh, Work and Wealth Reporter, Toronto Star, host of Hustled
Nearly every story on a housing crisis casts Airbnb as one the chief villains driving up rents and home prices. So it should not come as a shock that the crisis facing the company as worldwide travel grinds to a halt has been met with glee from people who have struggled to find affordable housing. But will this virus kill the short-term rental app, or merely change it?
What has happened to rents and home prices in cities like Toronto and Vancouver where Airbnb hosts hold a massive amount of units? What about Airbnb landlords, some of whom have sunk their life savings into properties they rent through the app? And what can we learn from this situation about how our cities function and what they should be when life returns to normal?
GUEST: Matt Elliot, municipal affairs columnist, Toronto Star, CBC
The crime itself did not generate many headlines at the time it happened. Partly because the COVID-19 pandemic was ramping up, and partly because women are killed with shocking regularity in Canada. But three months later, two words were added to the murder charge against the accused: "terrorist activity".
For those who watch the way these crimes are usually prosecuted, the change this week was an incredibly significant one, signalling both our willingness to move on from the "terrorist" stereotype, and the growing concern authorities have with the self-described 'incel' ideology. So why was the charge changed? What does it mean, both symbolically and legally? And what happens next?
GUEST: Stewart Bell, reporter with Global News
Have you found yourself joking about drinking your way through quarantine? You are, anecdotally and statistically, not alone. We know more people are reporting increased use of substances—but we still imagine there's a world of differences between people living with substance use disorders and those of us chasing boredom with beer. Why is that?
What's happening in our minds when we turn to our favourite vices to pass the time? What do we need to know about substance use, both among people who may be struggling to find a place to live and those of us with more privilege and more money to use to cope?
GUEST: Gord Garner is the executive director of the Community Addictions Peer Support Association, and lives with a substance use disorder himself.
Employees returning to work is a positive sign in our battle against COVID-19, but it's also scary, and raises a lot of questions. Is my workplace safe? What is my employer required to do to make it safe? What do I do if I don’t think it is?
What if my daycare is still closed and I don’t have childcare? What if I’ve been temporarily laid off—do I get my job back now? What if my office is safe, but I don’t have a safe way to get to it? Am I allowed to keep working from home, or can my company force me back?
Today, a primer, from an employment lawyer who is in the thick of this right now.
GUEST: Lindsay Scott, Paliare Roland and Pro Bono Ontario
Every bottom-trawling fishing boat off the coast of British Columbia has an independent observer on board. The observers monitor the catch and protect against overfishing and environmental harm.
But when they do that, they're the only person on the boat with the power to report the captain and crew and cost them fines or perhaps their jobs. And many of them say they've been pressured to ignore violations, to the point where some have felt unsafe and have overlooked things they knew were going wrong.
This is the story of the investigation that turned up an ugly practice happening way out at sea...
GUEST: Jimmy Thomson, The Narwhal
Schools in parts of Quebec reopened this week—though they look different. And other parts of the country will likely be considering this move soon. And as this happens we still don't know exactly how children contribute to the spread of COVID-19. Nor do we know how they're impacted by it.
There are a couple of efforts underway to change that in Canada, if we can gather enough data quickly enough to report it. And even though we're doing all we can, we also won't really know how this virus behaves in kids until they're back in their natural element...which means school. So what happens next? And what do we need to be aware of?
GUEST: Kelly Grant, national health reporter, The Globe and Mail
You know the timeline we've been quoted every time a COVID-19 vaccine is discussed: 12-18 months. But how accurate is that? What if we get lucky? What if we really, really don't?
When you see news of a new vaccine entering a trial, how should you react? What percentage of vaccines that enter trials actually end up working? And if we do find a vaccine, how can we possibly make enough for more than seven billion people, and get it to them across the world?
GUEST: Robert Van Exan
You've seen the stories and images from around the world. Hospitals built in China in 10 days. Convention centres turned into temporary Covid-19 care centres. A medical train moving patients around France.
When healthcare systems become overwhelmed, solutions are needed quickly—and they need to be executed in a span of days or weeks, not months. Canada has avoided that drastic situation thus far, but if the virus spikes in the fall, officials will have a plan to create temporary hospitals wherever they're needed. This is the story of how that plan came together.
GUEST: Kenny Smith, Temporary Healthcare Creative.
If there was one thing almost all governments—liberal, conservative, whatever—agreed upon when disaster struck, it was the need to get money into people's hands quickly. And in Canada right now, millions of people are receiving $2,000 per month from their government.
This isn't universal, but it's a huge step towards a policy that has been fought for and fought against for decades, and not always by the people you'd assume would be for it or against it. So what is a Universal Basic Income? Where did the idea come from? How does it work and what would it take for us to give it a real chance at fighting poverty in the next few years?
GUEST: Max Fawcett, writer and reporter
Well, you probably shouldn't call them that. They may kill—but they don't intend to murder, which is what passes for good news in 2020. Since a New York Times headline vaulted the asian giant hornet onto the list of everyone's nightmares last weekend, it may seem like a new plague is almost upon us.
But these hornets—at least a few of them—have been in Canada since last year. So what have we learned about their behaviour? How did they get here? What is British Columbia doing to find and extinguish them? How big a threat are they, really, to humans and to our ecosystem?
GUEST: Paul Van Westendorp, provincial apiarist for British Columbia
Over the past two months, several programs worth billions upon billions of dollars were rolled out to Canadian people and businesses faster than we could have imagined. So...do they work? How many people have needed them? How are they being tweaked on the fly? And why do opposition parties say they either don't do enough or need to be scaled back?
After the initial burst of "We're All In This Together"—the politics as usual is returning to Parliament Hill, albeit virtually. And that may not be a bad thing, because as the first wave of COVID-19 dies down and we plan for the second, it's worth taking a hard look at what worked and what didn't.
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill reporter
OK, maybe it's not necessarily flour, but surely there's been something missing from your shopping list since COVID-19 struck. You might be surprised to know that there haven't actually been any shortages. There's still more than enough flour, toilet paper, bread and milk to go around...it's just a matter of adjusting massive supply chains to get it to you where you need it.
Today we'll walk you through how Canada's food supply chains work, why they've had to adjust and how they've worked remarkably well given the circumstances.
GUEST: Michael von Massow, University of Guelph
All of the psychoactive recreational drugs you can name are illegal in Canada. But if you're smart enough to make a new drug yourself? Well, it's not on the banned list yet. This is the story of a strange but fascinating ingredient called MEAI, the substance its inventor created, called Pace, and the inventor himself, who is also strange but fascinating.
It's also a story about recreational drugs, and the push to legalize them as research becomes more expansive. (It's also not a story about COVID-19, because you deserve one this week.)
GUEST: Jonah Brunet, The Walrus
In order for us to go back to day-to-day lives that are even close to normal, we’re going to have to be able to track contacts of people who test positive for COVID-19—and we’re going to have to be able to do that unbelievably quickly. Right now, we don't have the capacity to do that on a large scale. And if we don't promptly hire an army of health workers to do it manually, we will have to look to technology.
Using surveillance to track citizens in the interests of public health, though, is an incredibly slippery slope. What would it look like? Who would have access to the data? How could people who don't want to participate opt-out? Is this even possible in a democracy? Should it be? These are the questions we need to think about before an emergency leaves us with no time to figure out the details.
GUEST: Jesse Hirsh, research and futurist, writer at metaviews.ca
In the days after Canada’s worst mass shooting, there were dozens of questions we couldn’t answer. The list started with things as basic as "How many victims?" and "Who were they?" It ended with the biggest one of all: Why?
Police were clear that there would be no quick, neatly reported answers to anything. Now two weeks later, we know more, but not enough. We know Who and What and Where and, mostly, How. That’s what we can lay out for you today. The why, though? We might never know.
GUEST: Greg Mercer, Atlantic Canada reporter, The Globe and Mail
This is a report from the front lines, and it's about both tragedy and triumph. When the COVID-19 crisis began, Canadian ICU doctors looked at their colleagues in Italy and Spain and feared that would happen here—that they would have to make horrible choices about who to treat and who to let die.
That hasn't happened, in part because all of Canada came together to stay home and flatten the curve, and in part because we've been learning. About the virus. About how to treat it. About which strands of red tape to cut to free doctors up to do their jobs more efficiently. And a lot of those lessons will help us as this continues.
GUEST: Dr. Michael Warner, medical director of critical care at Michael Garron Hospital
It sounds like a first-world problem: "What if people can't visit their second homes?" But behind the stereotype there are hundreds of thousands of people facing tough choices. People who flee cities for rural areas in the summer are not exclusively rich folks off to a lakefront mansion, and the communities people visit on hot summer weekends depend on that influx of cash to get businesses through the winter.
So with Victoria Day weekend approaching, what guidelines have been given to people who own cottages? To people who live year-round in the communities visitors frequent? What happens if small towns are overrun with city visitors, or if those visitors never show up at all? We're about to find out.
GUEST: Matt Gurney, National Post
Ontario and British Columbia discovered their first cases of COVID-19 just one day apart. B.C. was the first province to report community transmission. But since early March, while the virus numbers skyrocketed in Ontario and Quebec, B.C. kept the pandemic largely under control. How?
What did B.C. do that other large provinces didn't? Who is Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer who has become a rock star in her adopted province? How much of this was preparation, how much reaction and how much luck? And what happens if the curve starts to bend upwards again?
GUEST: Liza Yuzda, legislative reporter in Victoria, B.C. for NEWS1130
All the reports say that, so far, Canada's strategy is working. The curves from province to province are beginning to flatten. That's thanks to Canadians isolating themselves for almost two months now. But how long can this high level of cooperation keep up?
The weather in many parts of the country is getting warmer, we're already seeing some tiny protests, and if some people start bending and breaking the rules, how will we collectively respond to that? What do we need from governments and health officials to convince us to keep it up, but also give us enough hope that people won't be tempted to start finding ways around the rules?
GUEST: Dr. Caroline McDonald-Harker, Sociologist at Mount Royal university, Director of the Centre for Community Disaster Research
We figured you might have exhausted your first choices and the obvious options by now—and with at least a few more weeks to go of self-isolation and sheltering in place, we wanted to make sure that you had something to take your mind off things.
So we gathered up viewing types from across the spectrum, and put them to our media expert, who keeps tabs on what's available everywhere as part of his job. Whether you want to binge old rom-coms, miss sports dearly or want a jump on seeing things that will win awards next year, we've got a recommendation for you.
GUEST: Norm Wilner, senior film writer for NOW Magazine, host of Someone Else's Movie and NOW WHAT?
It's been six weeks since every major sports league hit pause on their seasons. We still don't have a timetable for their return. But the world of sports is as busy as ever, just in a very different way.
There's no question COVID-19 will dramatically change the games we love to watch. But how? And for how long? And what have we realized about our relationship with sports in the time that they've been gone?
GUEST: Richard Deitsch, The Athletic, Sportsnet (Check out Richard's new podcast, Sports On Pause, right here.)
Dr. David Fisman has been at the forefront of the battle against infectious diseases, from SARS to COVID-19. We asked him about this new virus in January, and he got it wrong. He was far from alone in that. The nature of discovering new diseases is making hypothesis based on what's known, and then adjusting as new data becomes available.
But in a world where we are held to our predictions or told not to flip-flop our positions, that nuanced approach can be mistaken for failure. Today, Dr. Fisman joins us again to walk us through everything we've been wrong about since COVID-19 emerged, how new discoveries have informed our approach and what we could still be wrong about as we plan for the months to come.
GUEST: Dr. David Fisman, professor of epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health
It’s been almost 48 hours, and police still aren’t sure how many people are dead. But it’s at least 19. It’s the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history. We don’t yet have a motive.
The surest piece of information we have about the tragedy in Nova Scotia this weekend, is that it’s going to be weeks and months, not hours or days, before we learn the full story. That, and that a province in the middle of a tragedy is not trying to properly mourn a second one.
GUEST: Dan Ahlstrand, news director, News 95.7 Halifax
Open-concept floor plans. Roads designed for peak traffic at peak times on week days. Apartments built for sleeping and eating but not extended isolation. Sidewalks built for...closeness. This pandemic has cast a spotlight on the nature of how we design our homes, offices and cities. It's left huge swaths of space empty, and crammed some people into tiny boxes.
There are design and planning lessons we can learn from what we're seeing now that could impact the way we live forever—but only if we want them to. What does a city look like after it's been changed by a year of social distancing? And which of those changes will become permanent?
GUEST: Toon Dreessen, president of Architects DCA; former president of Ontario Association of Architects
In the early days of self-isolation, for some people food was an adventure. For others, an obstacle. But now that we've been at this for a while, perhaps you've realized that your standards are slipping. How can we possibly feed ourselves well through this when there are so many barriers?
Some of us have lost access to ingredients, or the income to buy them. Some of us are alone—and cooking for one is hard. Some of us are trying to keep young children fed—when they aren't getting enough exercise to make them properly hungry. And a lot of us are anxious, or depressed, and that makes it really tough to work up the energy to cook a proper meal. So when you do get the chance to shop or order, what should be on your list to help change that?
GUEST: Leslie Beck, dietician
Shelters and advocates and even governments have sounded the alarm about what our efforts to stay in our homes and battle COVID-19 means for people who have an abusive partner. Many of the usual paths out of an awful situation have become much more complicated, if not impossible.
As we face potentially several more weeks of sheltering in place, how can we help people who are living with abuse and violence in the home? What's the government doing to help them? How are shelters adapting to comply with social distancing? What needs to be done to protect people who are in vulnerable situations where they're supposed to be staying for their own safety?
GUEST: Sarah Boesveld, reporter and guest-host of The Big Story
Health stories are basically the only stories now. There are reams of sometimes-conflicting data, no shortage of sources (though some are much better than others) and someone has to sift out the themes that will have lasting impacts from the one-day scares and triumphs.
This is where those who have made the health beat their career are essential. It might be the toughest job in journalism right now. So how do they do it? And what are they seeing?
GUEST: Carly Weeks, Health Reporter, The Globe and Mail
It's been used in desperate times of disease for a century—but there's never been a large-scale study of its effectiveness. It's relatively simple to administer, but requires a lot of resources to get right. Will it work? We don't know, but if it does it could be the armour the front-line workers need to battle COVID-19.
Today we look at a Canada-wide experimental treatment that could provide some important insights into how we beat this virus.
GUEST: Michael Doyle, journalist (Read Michael's piece in the Globe and Mail here.)
A global pandemic has trapped most of us inside our homes. We're cut off from friends and family. We're scared and lonely and worried about our jobs and the rent or the mortgage. Which means, sadly, that we've never been riper targets for scammers and fraudsters looking to profit off our collective misery.
The scams began as soon as news of a virus made its way out of China in January, and as COVID-19 spread, so did they. And once you lose your money or information to a scammer, it's far too late. So today, we'll try to arm you with information—to identify a fraud and protect yourself if you're targeted.
GUEST: Sam Cooper, National Investigative Reporter, Global News
An early estimate says perhaps one in 10 non-chain restaurants have already closed for good. This month could add 15-20% more. The hospitality industry depends so closely on incoming cash flow, that they simply aren't built to survive a shutdown like this.
A group of independent restaurant owners have banded together to lobby all levels of government for the only thing they say can keep them alive through Canada's physical distancing regulations. Why are they different from other industries? Will they get it? And what will your local bar or eatery look like when this is all over?
GUEST: John Sinopoli, co-organizer of savehospitality.ca.
When Shannon Fleming's loved ones gathered to mourn her passing, there hadn't yet been any official bans on gatherings of this size in Newfoundland. Attendees remember it as a normal funeral, though the funeral home says it took precautions.
A week later, someone who had visited the funeral home tested positive for COVID-19. More and more positive tests followed. Now it's Canada's largest single outbreak, and what should have been a farewell that drew a community together has become the centre of suspicion and anger between neighbours.
GUEST: Greg Mercer, The Globe and Mail (Read Greg's story right here.)
Everyone you know probably has an opinion on whether or not we should be wearing masks outside. So does Canada's chief public health officer—and her opinion has evolved over the past month.
Canadians are now being encouraged to wear non-medical masks in places where social distancing is difficult. Which raises a couple of questions: What difference is this supposed to make, and to whom, and if it is supposed to make a difference, then why weren't we told to do so earlier?
GUEST: Stephen Maher, contributing editor, Maclean's
Pandemics force us into a lot of changes that otherwise might never have been made. Some of those changes are horrible choices between 'bad' and 'worse'. But not every one of them. In an effort to help both drug users and the front-line care workers who support them, British Columbia is changing its drug policy in a way that advocates have long hoped for.
Will this approach spread to the rest of Canada, as provinces move to protect a vulnerable population? Will the results it delivers help modernize our approach to this problem for good? Time will tell, but for now those who have been pushing for progressive solutions say it's a welcome step taken under horrible circumstances.
GUEST: Justin Ling, writer and reporter (Read Justin's piece on B.C.'s approach right here)
The novel coronavirus presents in different ways for different people, and that means that experts think we're likely missing lots of cases due to mild symptoms, test shortages or both. This, perhaps, includes our host. But it definitely includes today's guest, who despite not being tested, due to not being at risk, was told by doctors that she had COVID-19, and then was told to go home and ride out the worst of it, unless she needed help breathing.
So what are the course of symptoms, day by day, for one healthy young woman hit hard by the virus? She'll tell you, and also give you an idea of what to expect if you have to go through the process yourself.
GUEST: Meghan Kraft
POP QUIZ! If a province's report says it has 426 new cases of COVID-19 in one day, which brings the provincial total to 2392 and represents a 22% increase day-over-day—but the number of test results on that day tops 6,200, a figure more than double the total previous day's test results, when 260 new cases were found...is that a good day or bad day in the fight against this virus?
The Coronavirus numbers come in a swirl, the data is not always accurate, and sometimes it's weeks behind. And yet everyone who has ever made a chart in Excel has a theory on what today's numbers mean for our effort to flatten the curve. Today, we'll tell you why the datasets aren't reliable, which numbers really matter and how we're doing—or how we think we're doing—based on the numbers we have. If you've been confused by conflicting reports based on the same numbers, this episode is for you.
GUEST: Dr. Tim Sly
For decades, the image of Montreal apartments has been a lure to the rest of Canada: Huge, spacious units in beautiful old walkups, for prices that wouldn't get you a basement in most other cities. Those days are gone.
Montreal today features rising rents, evictions and the same short-term AirBnB challenges that have decimated the rental availability in Toronto and Vancouver.
And now, in a city where a huge percentage of people have leases that expire at the end of June, a pandemic forcing the city into lockdown has the potential to upend the city's entire rental culture.
GUEST: Tracey Lindeman, reporter, Montreal (Read Tracey's piece in Maisonneuve right here)
These are stressful times, to put it lightly. And the message from Canada's health officials is that there's no clear end in sight for physical distancing measures. As we go longer and longer without the sort of everyday things that make us feel good, the COVID-19 pandemic will take a higher emotional toll.
But that doesn't mean we're powerless. We actually know quite a bit about what our brains crave, and what makes us feel good. And there's a lot of it that can be done without leaving our houses. So, here's a little helpful instruction on how to get what you need no matter what's outside your door.
GUEST: Dr. Elizabeth Dunn, University of British Columbia, Happiness researcher
The last time we talked to Dr. Michael Warner, he was headed in a week leading his time in the critical care unit at a Toronto hospital. He joins us to update what teams at hospitals across the province are seeing on the front lines.
The worst is coming, and it's scary, but the community response has also buoyed his spirits. This is a fight everyone can help win, by listening to doctors and helping frontline care workers. Want to pitch in? Start at ThePPEDrive.com. Start with one mask.
GUEST: Dr. Michael Warner, medical director of critical care at Michael Garron Hospital
Do you qualify? How much will you get? For how long? What if you still have a tiny bit of income, but it's not enough to live on? What if you're already on EI? What if you haven't been fired, but can't work? What if the rent's due before the money arrives?
The federal government announced an unprecedented aid package for Canadians who have lost their incomes in the pandemic. But the bill is complicated and there's more in it than the headlines you've read. Today we'll break down exactly who qualifies for what, and how you can get it if you're eligible.
GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, parliament hill reporter