An in-depth look at the issues, culture and personalities shaping Canada today.
Thu, April 17, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, April 16, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, April 15, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, April 14, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, April 12, 2025
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.comWe 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
Fri, April 11, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, April 10, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, April 09, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, April 08, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, April 07, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, April 06, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, April 05, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, April 04, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, April 03, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, April 02, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, April 01, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, March 31, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, March 30, 2025
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. 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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, March 29, 2025
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 future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, March 28, 2025
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. 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
Thu, March 27, 2025
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. 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
Wed, March 26, 2025
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 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
Tue, March 25, 2025
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. 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
Mon, March 24, 2025
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. 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
Fri, March 21, 2025
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. 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
Thu, March 20, 2025
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. 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
Wed, March 19, 2025
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. 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
Tue, March 18, 2025
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. 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
Mon, March 17, 2025
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. 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
Sun, March 16, 2025
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. 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
Sat, March 15, 2025
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. 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
Fri, March 14, 2025
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. 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
Thu, March 13, 2025
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. 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
Wed, March 12, 2025
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. 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
Tue, March 11, 2025
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. 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
Mon, March 10, 2025
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. 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
Sun, March 09, 2025
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. 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
Sat, March 08, 2025
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
Fri, March 07, 2025
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. 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
Thu, March 06, 2025
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. 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
Wed, March 05, 2025
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. 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
Tue, March 04, 2025
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. 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
Mon, March 03, 2025
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. 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
Fri, February 28, 2025
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. 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
Thu, February 27, 2025
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. 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
Wed, February 26, 2025
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. 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
Tue, February 25, 2025
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. 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
Mon, February 24, 2025
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. 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
Sun, February 23, 2025
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. 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
Fri, February 21, 2025
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. 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
Thu, February 20, 2025
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/. 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
Wed, February 19, 2025
It’s been an usually 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. 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
Tue, February 18, 2025
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. 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
Mon, February 17, 2025
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. 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
Sun, February 16, 2025
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. 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
Fri, February 14, 2025
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. 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
Thu, February 13, 2025
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. 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
Wed, February 12, 2025
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. 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
Tue, February 11, 2025
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. 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
Mon, February 10, 2025
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. 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
Sun, February 09, 2025
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. 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
Sat, February 08, 2025
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. 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
Fri, February 07, 2025
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. 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
Thu, February 06, 2025
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. 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
Wed, February 05, 2025
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. 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
Tue, February 04, 2025
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. 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
Mon, February 03, 2025
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. 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
Mon, February 03, 2025
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. 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
Fri, January 31, 2025
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. 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
Thu, January 30, 2025
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. 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
Wed, January 29, 2025
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. 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
Tue, January 28, 2025
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. 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
Mon, January 27, 2025
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. 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
Sun, January 26, 2025
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. 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
Sat, January 25, 2025
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. 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
Fri, January 24, 2025
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. 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
Thu, January 23, 2025
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. 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
Wed, January 22, 2025
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. 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
Tue, January 21, 2025
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.. 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
Mon, January 20, 2025
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. 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
Sun, January 19, 2025
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. 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
Sat, January 18, 2025
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. 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
Fri, January 17, 2025
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) 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
Thu, January 16, 2025
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. 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
Wed, January 15, 2025
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. 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
Tue, January 14, 2025
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. 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
Mon, January 13, 2025
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. 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
Sun, January 12, 2025
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. 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
Sat, January 11, 2025
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. 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
Fri, January 10, 2025
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. 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
Thu, January 09, 2025
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. 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
Wed, January 08, 2025
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. 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
Tue, January 07, 2025
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. 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
Mon, January 06, 2025
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. 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
Mon, January 06, 2025
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. 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
Sat, January 04, 2025
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. 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
Sat, January 04, 2025
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 Chris Day. political communications expert and president of the public affairs firm Winston Wilmont. 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
Fri, January 03, 2025
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. 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
Thu, January 02, 2025
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. 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
Tue, December 31, 2024
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. 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
Mon, December 30, 2024
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
Sun, December 29, 2024
The Big Story partners with NewsRadio to break down the biggest stories in politics in 2024. 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
Sat, December 28, 2024
The Big Story partners with NewsRadio for a look back at some of the biggest stories of 2024. 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
Fri, December 27, 2024
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. 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
Tue, December 24, 2024
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. 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
Mon, December 23, 2024
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. 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
Sun, December 22, 2024
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. 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
Sat, December 21, 2024
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. 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
Fri, December 20, 2024
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. 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
Thu, December 19, 2024
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. 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
Wed, December 18, 2024
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. 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
Tue, December 17, 2024
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. 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
Mon, December 16, 2024
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. 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
Sun, December 15, 2024
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. 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
Fri, December 13, 2024
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. 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
Thu, December 12, 2024
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. 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
Wed, December 11, 2024
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. 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
Tue, December 10, 2024
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. 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
Mon, December 09, 2024
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. 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
Sun, December 08, 2024
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. 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
Sat, December 07, 2024
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. 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
Fri, December 06, 2024
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. 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
Thu, December 05, 2024
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. 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
Wed, December 04, 2024
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. 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
Tue, December 03, 2024
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. 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
Mon, December 02, 2024
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. 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
Sat, November 30, 2024
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. 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
Fri, November 29, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, November 28, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, November 26, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, November 26, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, November 25, 2024
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 pissing part of the picture with its new policy. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, November 22, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, November 21, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, November 20, 2024
Guest: Patrick Groom, labour lawyer with McMillan LLP 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, November 19, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, November 18, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, November 17, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, November 16, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, November 15, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, November 14, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, November 13, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, November 12, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, November 11, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, November 10, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, November 09, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, November 08, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, November 07, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, November 06, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, November 05, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, November 04, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, November 03, 2024
This week, with all of the wrappers and candy scattered around after Halloween, we're revisiting a episode from 2023 about Toronto's so-called trash bandits. Enjoy! -------------------------------------------------------- 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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, November 02, 2024
This episode first aired on October 31, 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! Many of us, at one point or another, have thought about changing banks. But with those thoughts comes a little uncertainty. How much time will it take? How much money will it cost? Will it impact my borrowing power? Today we tackle everything you need to know about switching banks, so you can understand your options and make a sound decision. GUEST: Rubina Ahmed-Haq, personal finance expert and multimedia journalist. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, November 01, 2024
Two weeks from today, Taylor Swift will land in Toronto for the first of six shows in the city on the Eras Tour's Canadian leg. In December she'll play three more shows in Vancouver. And when the Eras Tour comes to a city, it makes its presence felt in the form of hundreds of millions of dollars, tens of thousands of fans, security challenges, snarled traffic, price gouging and more. So what happens when Swift lands in Canada? What should we expect? And exactly how did a teenage country singer out of Nashville become, quite literally, bigger than the Beatles? How did Taylor Swift take over the entire music industry? And will she ever give it back? GUEST: Rob Sheffield, American music journalist, author of Heartbreak is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, October 31, 2024
In 2002, Ryan James Wedding was a member of Team Canada at the Salt Lake City Olympics. Today, if you know where he is, the police will pay you $50,000. In the 22 years in between, he's alleged to have been a part of everything from trafficking and distribution thousands of kilos of cocaine to a series of contract killings in Ontario. How did an Olympic athlete come to this? It's a story police and reporters and still trying to untangle... GUEST: Calvi Leon, reporter, The Toronto Star 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, October 30, 2024
If anyone ever tries to tell you that your vote doesn't matter, you can tell them about this election. The final results of BC's vote took a week to calculate—and even then two ridings need judicial recounts. It was as close as an election can possibly be, and that means that the government it produces will be ... precarious, to say the least. So why was it so close? Where was the election ultimately decided? Will David Eby's NDP actually be able to form a government? If they do ... how long can it possibly last, and what could it actually get done? GUEST: Jen St. Denis, reporter, The Tyee 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, October 29, 2024
One of the tools scientists have used in autism research has been lab mice, genetically engineered to display similar behavioural characteristics as some humans with autism. But the value of those experiments, has become the subject of fierce debate amongst neuroscientists. It's also that debate that gets at the heart of what we do and don't understand about autism: Should we be trying to "cure" it by identifying its genetic causes? How? What exactly would that look like in practice? Where should we be focusing our research efforts, and why? As you might imagine, none of those answers are easy, or without contention... GUEST: Celia Ford, PhD, neuroscience; Future Perfect fellow at Vox 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, October 28, 2024
For our guest, it was a sandwich. For you it might be a box of cereal or a favourite candy bar. It doesn't matter what it is. What matters is that it makes you mad. There are plenty of signs that things are looking up in terms of affordability: Inflation is down and interest rates are declining fast—but somehow none of that is impacting how the economy makes Canadians feel. How has consumer rage becoming the defining issue of today's political landscape? If it brings down one federal government, what happens to the next one if things don't magically get cheaper? Why do we feel the price of a candy bar more than all the numbers that tell us things are getting better? And how are smart politicians channeling that rage? GUEST: Ira Wells, Toronto-based journalist writing in The Walrus 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, October 27, 2024
This week, in honour of Halloween, we're revisiting an episode from 2023 about a quintessentially spooky topic: UFOs. Enjoy! -------------------------------------------------------- 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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, October 26, 2024
This episode first aired on October 23, 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! You may have seen recent headlines about Canada's economy adding 47,000 new jobs in September and full-time employment seeing the largest gain in two years. These numbers sound positive, but do they tell the full story? What does this mean for people currently looking for work? And how does it help, or hinder, those who are currently employed but hoping for a raise or promotion? 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, October 25, 2024
You've walked past them or through them. They're in every Canadian city and town. The result of the housing crisis colliding with the opioid crisis and slamming into a pandemic. And for all the reporting has been done on them, for all the politicization of the camps themselves and what they do to a neighbourhood, perhaps not much is understood about the people inside them. Who they are, how they got there, what they need to get back on their feet and where they might get it. Today's episode, whatever you think of that encampment in your neighbourhood, is a chance to understand the phemomenon a little bit better. GUEST: Brennan Doherty, reporting for The Local 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, October 24, 2024
For years, advocates have been citing the damage open-net salmon farming does to the environment off the BC coast. And in recent years the government has agreed with them. But salmon farming is a key part of BC's identity, and economy. Now a deadline has manufacturers looking for ways to sustainably farm the lucrative fish, but many are skeptical there's a way to make the switch in time without going bankrupt. What does the future hold for BC's salmon farming industry? What's so wrong with the industry's current practices? And is there a way to thread the needle and find a sustainable future that satisfies everyone? GUEST: Shannon Waters, B.C. politics and environment reporter at The Narwhal 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, October 23, 2024
Stop us if you've heard this one before: Liberal MPs are voicing concerns about Justin Trudeau's ability to lead the party in the next election, saying that he should step down for the good of the party. No, this isn't June. Or August. The difference this time is in the sheer numbers of them, and that they've apparently drafted a formal letter ahead of Wednesday's caucus meeting. Will this be the shove that finally begins the exit process for the Liberal's longtime leader? If not, just how bad would the polls have to get? Does the party even have a mechanism to remove Trudeau without his consent? And if not, what would the next few months look like in Ottawa, as a leader attempts to govern without the support of some of his own party? GUEST: Glen McGregor, Parliament Hill reporter 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, October 22, 2024
With two weeks to go before America votes, it may seem that nothing at all can possibly move the polls. But what about a story about the size of a dead golfer's genitals? No? How about appearances on popular podcasts from Barstool to Call Her Daddy? Still nothing? Can I offer you some McDonald's served up by a candidate who refuses to promise to raise the minimum wage? As the US election enters its final stages, all signs point to a nail-biter. But how accurate are polls at this stage anyway? Is there anything left out there that could actually swing this race? What should America, and the world, expect from these final weeks and the ones to follow? GUEST: Aaron Rupar, political commentator, creator of Public Notice 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, October 21, 2024
The stories of crimes committed by people out on bail are horrific. And they hit close to home. So of course they get outsized attention. But they're also perfect fuel for a political fire that has been burning hotter and hotter in Canada for years. Bail reform is complicated. It's not as simple as locking up the "thugs" that commit these crimes. Nor is it as simple as ensuring nobody is held in custody before a guilty verdict. So...what is it, then? Let us explain. GUEST: Nicole Myers, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Queens University, researcher focused on the Canadian bail system 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, October 20, 2024
Two years ago, the host and creator of Island Crime, Laura Palmer, appeared on The Big Story to detail the case of a missing young woman named Amber Manthorne, from Port Alberni, BC. This week, the police held a press conference that explained the end of the mystery. Mostly. Laura was there, and has all the details. Here's the end of the story. You can listen to Island Crime right here , or wherever you get your podcasts. Amber's case is season four. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, October 19, 2024
This episode first aired on October 17, 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! Credit card debt has been skyrocketing among many Canadians, basically since the pandemic began. And while it would be nice to be able to go without it, that's not a reality for many of us. So how do you sort through the hundreds of cards out there—and their various rewards, annual fees and interest rates—and choose one that actually works for you? We speak to Shannon Terrell, who's sifted through every card out there for NerdWallet, to find out how you can end up in a better financial place. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, October 18, 2024
At this point, so many facets of old science fiction have become reality, from AI to robots and gene editing technologies. But one classic sci-fi signifier of technological advancement has remained stubbornly elusive — where are all the flying cars? As it turns out, they are out there. In fact, if you have the money, you can buy one right now. What you can do with that flying car, however, is another story. And what happens if you crash your flying car? That's where it gets really complicated. GUEST: Jeff Wise, Science Journalist, writing in New York Magazine , host of Finding MH370 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, October 17, 2024
We all watched in horror as America was pummelled by two massive storms in the span of ten days, the second of which gained intensity incredibly quickly before making landfall. Many experts have said this is the future of storms in the climate era—regardless of whether you believe climate change influences individual storms. In Atlantic Canada, it's hurricane season now, and our meteorologists watched Helene and Milton closely, trying to determine if the factors that created two storms so close together and so destructive might apply to our own Eastern coast. So what did they learn from what Americans suffered through? How do you separate hyperbole and conspiracy from calm, rational science? And is Canada ready for the storms of the future, whatever they might look like? GUEST: Chris Fogarty, Meteorologist, program manager at the Canadian Hurricane Center 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, October 16, 2024
Millions of Canadians don't have a family doctor. Walk-ins and ERs are packed. Access to primary care can be almost impossible for many of us. In an attempt to ease some of that burden on the system, a handful of provinces have allowed pharmacists to diagnose and prescribe medications for so-called "minor ailments". And in some provinces the list of those ailments is growing. For those without access to care, it can be a huge help. But it also raises questions about everything from training and privacy to conflicts of interest and misdiagnoses. So, is the potential cost worth the benefit of easing some of the strain on the system? And if not, what else are we supposed to do? GUEST: Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, October 15, 2024
At the time it was implemented, there was nothing at all remarkable about Policy 713. It was an update to previous guidance, based on research, and very similar to policies in place at school boards across the country. But then the angry phone calls started coming, the premier got on board with repealing it ... and all hell broke loose. The fight over "parental rights" that started in New Brunswick last year has now spread to much of the rest of the country. And in the province where it began, it's currently an election issue. How did a simple policy become such a Canada-wide chasm? GUEST: Simon Lewsen, writing in Maclean's 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, October 14, 2024
It's a long weekend, and that means it's time to go back into the bag of listener feedback and pull out some of the most thought provoking responses we've received to recent episodes. We hope you enjoy! Depending on what holiday you're celebrating this weekend, happy thanksgiving or chag sameach! 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, October 13, 2024
Saint Leonards, Newfoundland, is a community with more than its fair share of ghost stories. Headless dogs are said to wander the abandoned churchyard at night. A phantom ship was seen gliding through the eastern reach. And some believe long ago, an unearthed skull taught the town a powerful lesson about honouring the past, and respecting the dead. Tonight, we unpack the myths, legends and lore of this once-thriving coastal town. This is Part One in a four-part series called Ghost Town Ghosts which explores the phantoms and spirits once said to haunt Canadian communities that no longer exist. Fireside Canada is a podcast about Canadian legends, lies and lore. Focused on both the storytelling and the historical aspects of folklore, each episode includes a creative retelling or story inspired by the folklore as well as an exploration and analysis of its history and cultural significance: the story behind the story. You can learn more at FiresideCanada.ca . David Williams is the host, writer and researcher behind the show. You can find him on Instagram and X (formerly 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, October 12, 2024
This episode first aired on October 10, 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! New data shows that consumer insolvency rates in Canada are approaching highs not seen since the financial crisis of 2008-09. Why are so many Canadians going broke? Will falling interest rates help change that? How can you tell if you're dangerously close to the edge, and what should you do about it if you are? We speak to licensed insolvency trustee, Doug Hoyes, to help understand the rising numbers and current options. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, October 11, 2024
On Sunday and Monday, many of us will celebrate Thanksgiving with family and a full table. But so, so many of us—a staggering number that keeps climbing—will be making do with much less than that. Food insecurity in Canada keeps rising, and food banks in this country are strained to the limit, with no relief on the horizon. But why are food banks our only plan for the growing number of hungry Canadians? If we're so keen to help people eat, especially around the holidays, why aren't we doing anything before they end up lining up down the block for charity? What policies could meaningfully change how we feed people in this country? And what will it take for us to get them enacted? GUEST: Dr. Valerie Tarasuk, principal investigator for PROOF , Professor Emerita at the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, October 10, 2024
The rural area around Toronto's major highways is some of the most fertile land you'll find in Canada, and its zoned that way. It's agricultural land, with plenty of space for peaceful rural homesteads—or, as the city grows, townhouses and small communities. Oh, and trucks. Thousands of them, rolling up and down those rural roads all day and night, and parking at one of literally hundreds of illegal truck depots that are operating throughout the region. It's been happening for years. And there's nothing, at least so far, anyone has been able to do to stop them.... GUEST: David Rider, Senior Political Reporter, The Toronto Star 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, October 09, 2024
Did Canada's competition tribunal just get serious about extra online fees? In a recent decision the tribunal levied its harshest punishment in history against the country's leading theatre chain, Cineplex, over what it says is a failure to disclose an extra fee during online ticket purchases. While Cineplex plans to appeal, the ruling is seen as a warning shot to other online retailers regarding add-ons and fees on their websites. Will it make a difference? What qualifies as "drip pricing", anyway? And what happens now to the $38.9 million? GUEST: Tara Deschamps, business reporter, The Canadian Press 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, October 08, 2024
Last month, the US Department of Justice charged two employees of RT, a Russian state-controlled media outlet, in a $10 million scheme to create and distribute content to US. As the story evolved it became clear that the content was distributed by far-right influencers, including a Canadian. But Russia's been playing this game since it was the USSR. Its attempts to fracture politics in the west is nothing new. SO why has it worked so well? And what have we actually done in Canada to confront it? 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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, October 07, 2024
Being a part of a clinical drug trial can pay very well—up to several thousand dollars. And a lot of people need that cash and are desperate to take part. But when someone's desperate for that money, they'll cut a lot of corners: lie to be accepted, fail to report adverse reactions or other complicating factors and skip the mandatory recovery time between trials. When that happens, it can throw everything off, including the data that Health Canada may be relying on in order to approve these drugs for all of us to use... GUEST: Rob Cribb, director of the Investigative Journalism Bureau, investigative reporter at the Toronto Star 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, October 06, 2024
For this weekend's look back, we're revisiting an episode from June 2023 about the level of noise we've become accustomed to in our daily lives, and the effect it's having on us. We hope you enjoy! ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, October 05, 2024
The Big Story is happy to present the second season of Africville Forever. Season 1 told the story of the destruction of a community, season 2 is telling the story of its rebirth. If you enjoy, please check out the rest of the episodes here . ------------------------------------- For too long, the Africvillian survivors and descendents have been divided, hampering our efforts to take back the land and rebuild our unique community. Solutions exist, so we are looking around the world for stories, experts and activists who have helped displaced communities rebuild, in an effort to learn. We'll be speaking to people like Ms. Paula Gaviria Betancur, Human Rights Lawyer and a Forced Displacement Expert, UN Special Rapporteur and Kavon Ward, Founder of Where Is My Land. We will also be looking inward, speaking to the next generation of Africvillians who are making waves and fighting their own battles in the name of advancement. So join us as we explore practical, inclusive solutions to unite our people. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, October 04, 2024
Almost everywhere in Canada, the car is king. Even in walkable downtowns of our largest cities, traffic is generally given priority over pedestrians, and any proposal to change that is met with complaints from drivers, businesses and delivery services. But it doesn't have to be that way. There's one Canadian city that has, slowly but surely, taking back some of its most beloved streets and neighbourhoods from daily commuter traffic. This is how Montreal just ... went ahead and did it, and what we can learn from that. GUEST: Toula Drimonis, writing in The Walrus 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, October 03, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, October 02, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, October 01, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, September 30, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, September 29, 2024
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 P sychedelic Psychiatry: LSD on the Canadian Prairies 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, September 28, 2024
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' 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, September 27, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, September 26, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, September 25, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, September 24, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, September 23, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, September 22, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, September 21, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, September 20, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, September 19, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, September 18, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, September 17, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, September 16, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, September 15, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, September 14, 2024
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.) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, September 13, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, September 12, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, September 11, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, September 10, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, September 09, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, September 08, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, September 06, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, September 05, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, September 04, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, September 03, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, September 02, 2024
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! 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, September 01, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, August 30, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, August 29, 2024
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”) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, August 28, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, August 27, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, August 26, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, August 25, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, August 23, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, August 22, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, August 21, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, August 20, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, August 19, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, August 18, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, August 16, 2024
[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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, August 15, 2024
[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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, August 14, 2024
[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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, August 13, 2024
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 . 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, August 12, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, August 11, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, August 09, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, August 08, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, August 07, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, August 06, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, August 05, 2024
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! 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, August 04, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, August 02, 2024
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? 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, August 01, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, July 31, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, July 30, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, July 29, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, July 28, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, July 27, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, July 26, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, July 25, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, July 24, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, July 23, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, July 22, 2024
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/ 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, July 19, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, July 18, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, July 17, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, July 16, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, July 15, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, July 14, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, July 12, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, July 11, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, July 10, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, July 09, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, July 08, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, July 07, 2024
On Sundays, we revisit some of our favourite episodes. 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: 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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, July 05, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, July 04, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, July 03, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, July 02, 2024
Microplastics are everywhere—and for the first time they've been found in penises of men suffering from erectile dysfunction. 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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, June 30, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, June 29, 2024
This is our last episode until the fall, so we thought we'd use the time to reflect on what we've learned so far, answer some of your feedback and talk about what's coming up next. In the meantime, we'll be revisiting a few of our earlier episodes and providing occasional news updates on events that matter to your wallet. Another Interest rate cut?! In this economy?! Thanks for listening and talk to you in September! 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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, June 28, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, June 27, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, June 26, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, June 25, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, June 24, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, June 23, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, June 22, 2024
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! 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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, June 21, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, June 20, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, June 19, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, June 18, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, June 17, 2024
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, June 16, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, June 15, 2024
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. 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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, June 14, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, June 13, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, June 12, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, June 11, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, June 10, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, June 09, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, June 08, 2024
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. Do you have a money problem? Call and leave us 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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, June 07, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, June 06, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, June 05, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, June 04, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, June 03, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, June 02, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, June 01, 2024
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. 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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, May 31, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, May 30, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, May 29, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, May 28, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, May 27, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, May 26, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, May 25, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, May 24, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, May 23, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, May 22, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, May 21, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, May 20, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, May 19, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, May 18, 2024
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. 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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, May 17, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, May 16, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, May 15, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, May 14, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, May 13, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, May 12, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, May 11, 2024
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." 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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, May 10, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, May 09, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, May 08, 2024
The crown corporation is losing a ton of money, and the volume of mail it's delivering is dropping rapidly. Its annual report, released last week, hinted that major changes could be in store. That could include paring back mail delivery to every second or third day, which the corporation confirmed yesterday it was looking into. What would ending daily mail delivery mean for Canadians? How many would notice, or care? But what about those among us—people and small businesses alike—who rely on timely, every day delivery of letters and packages? What does the future hold for Canada Post in an increasingly paperless world? GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill reporter, CityNews 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, May 07, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, May 06, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, May 05, 2024
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" 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, May 04, 2024
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. 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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, May 03, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, May 02, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, May 01, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, April 30, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, April 29, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, April 26, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, April 25, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, April 24, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, April 23, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, April 22, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, April 20, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, April 19, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, April 18, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, April 17, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, April 16, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, April 15, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, April 14, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, April 13, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, April 12, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, April 11, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, April 10, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, April 09, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, April 08, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, April 06, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, April 05, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, April 04, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, April 03, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, April 02, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, April 01, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, March 30, 2024
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. 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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, March 29, 2024
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! 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, March 28, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, March 27, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, March 26, 2024
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, March 25, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, March 23, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, March 22, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, March 21, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, March 20, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, March 19, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, March 18, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, March 17, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, March 16, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, March 15, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, March 14, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, March 13, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, March 12, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, March 11, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, March 09, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, March 08, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, March 07, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, March 06, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, March 05, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, March 04, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, March 02, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, March 01, 2024
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, February 29, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, February 28, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, February 27, 2024
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, February 26, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, February 23, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, February 22, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, February 21, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, February 20, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, February 19, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, February 17, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, February 16, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, February 15, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, February 14, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, February 13, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, February 12, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, February 10, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, February 09, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, February 08, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, February 07, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, February 06, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, February 05, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, February 03, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, February 02, 2024
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" 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, February 01, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, January 31, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, January 30, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, January 29, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, January 27, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, January 26, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, January 25, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, January 24, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, January 23, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, January 22, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, January 20, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, January 19, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, January 18, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, January 17, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, January 16, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, January 15, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, January 13, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, January 12, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, January 11, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, January 10, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, January 09, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, January 08, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, January 06, 2024
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, January 05, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, January 04, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, January 03, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, January 02, 2024
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, December 29, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, December 28, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, December 27, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, December 22, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, December 21, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, December 20, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, December 19, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, December 18, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, December 16, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, December 15, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, December 14, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, December 13, 2023
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, December 12, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, December 11, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, December 09, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, December 08, 2023
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, r eporter and writer at Defector , host of Normal Gossip 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, December 07, 2023
"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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, December 06, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, December 05, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, December 04, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, December 02, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, December 01, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, November 30, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, November 29, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, November 28, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, November 27, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, November 25, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, November 24, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, November 23, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, November 22, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, November 21, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, November 20, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, November 18, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, November 17, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, November 16, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, November 15, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, November 14, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, November 13, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, November 11, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, November 10, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, November 09, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, November 08, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, November 07, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, November 06, 2023
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 ) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, November 04, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, November 03, 2023
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.) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, November 02, 2023
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.) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, November 01, 2023
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.) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, October 31, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, October 30, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, October 28, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, October 27, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, October 26, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, October 25, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, October 24, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, October 23, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, October 21, 2023
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 ! 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, October 20, 2023
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 !) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, October 19, 2023
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, H ow 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 !) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, October 18, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, October 17, 2023
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) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, October 16, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, October 13, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, October 12, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, October 11, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, October 10, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, October 07, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, October 06, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, October 05, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, October 04, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, October 03, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, September 29, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, September 28, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, September 27, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, September 26, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, September 25, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, September 22, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, September 21, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, September 20, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, September 19, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, September 18, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, September 18, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, September 15, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, September 14, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, September 13, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, September 12, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, September 11, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, September 08, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, September 07, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, September 06, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, September 05, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, September 03, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, September 01, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, August 31, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, August 30, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, August 29, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, August 28, 2023
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, August 25, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, August 24, 2023
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, August 23, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, August 22, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, August 21, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, August 18, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, August 17, 2023
(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/) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, August 16, 2023
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 . 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, August 15, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, August 14, 2023
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, August 11, 2023
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, August 10, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, August 09, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, August 08, 2023
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, August 07, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, August 04, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, August 03, 2023
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 ) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, August 02, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, August 01, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, July 31, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, July 28, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, July 27, 2023
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 ) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, July 26, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, July 25, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, July 24, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, July 21, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, July 20, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, July 19, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, July 18, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, July 17, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, July 14, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, July 13, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, July 12, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, July 11, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, July 10, 2023
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, July 07, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, July 06, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, July 05, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, July 04, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, June 30, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, June 29, 2023
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? 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, June 28, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, June 27, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, June 26, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sun, June 25, 2023
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! 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, June 24, 2023
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know about The 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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, June 23, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, June 22, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, June 21, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, June 20, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, June 19, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, June 17, 2023
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know about The 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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, June 16, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, June 15, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, June 14, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, June 13, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, June 12, 2023
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 . 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, June 10, 2023
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know about The 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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, June 09, 2023
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 . 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, June 08, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, June 07, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, June 06, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, June 05, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, June 03, 2023
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know about The 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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, June 02, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, June 01, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, May 31, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, May 30, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, May 29, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, May 27, 2023
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know about The 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… 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, May 26, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, May 25, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, May 24, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, May 23, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, May 22, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, May 20, 2023
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know about The 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… 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, May 19, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, May 18, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, May 17, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, May 16, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, May 15, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, May 13, 2023
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know about The 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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, May 12, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, May 11, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, May 10, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, May 09, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, May 08, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, May 06, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, May 06, 2023
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know about The 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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, May 05, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, May 04, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, May 03, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, May 02, 2023
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, May 01, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, April 29, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, April 28, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, April 27, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, April 26, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, April 25, 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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, April 24, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, April 22, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, April 21, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, April 20, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, April 19, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, April 18, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, April 17, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, April 14, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, April 13, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, April 12, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, April 11, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, April 10, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, April 07, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, April 06, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, April 05, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, April 04, 2023
Tight elections don't seem to be 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 during the next contest. But now, with two months to go before Albertans vote on a new premier, polls indicate that the UCP and the NDP are basically tied. This might actually be a close race. So how did we get here? Have Rachel Notley and the NDP been able to capitalize on Danielle Smith's many gaffes and scandals? Are voters simply immune to weird Covid stuff from the UCP by now? And could this maybe, possibly, be an election actually decided by policy and not partisanship? GUEST: Courtney Theriault, CityNews Edmonton 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, April 03, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, March 31, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, March 30, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, March 29, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, March 28, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, March 28, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, March 27, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, March 24, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, March 23, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, March 22, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, March 21, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, March 20, 2023
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, March 18, 2023
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, March 17, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, March 16, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, March 15, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, March 14, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, March 13, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, March 11, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, March 10, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, March 09, 2023
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 . 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, March 08, 2023
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 . 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, March 07, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, March 06, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, March 03, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, March 02, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, March 01, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, February 28, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, February 27, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, February 24, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, February 23, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, February 22, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, February 21, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, February 17, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, February 16, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, February 15, 2023
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 . 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, February 14, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, February 13, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, February 11, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, February 10, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, February 09, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, February 08, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, February 07, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, February 06, 2023
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” 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, February 03, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, February 02, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, February 01, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, January 31, 2023
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, January 30, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, January 27, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, January 26, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, January 25, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, January 24, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, January 23, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, January 20, 2023
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 . 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, January 19, 2023
Many think of Canada as a promised land for immigrants from all over the world. That's because Canada literally needs newcomers to survive. As much as we love that image, it's not altruistic. Right now, we have the political and popular will to sustain big immigration targets and Canada ranks among the top destinations in the world for immigrants. That's a great place to start from. The question, though, is what are we doing to make sure 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? And then again? GUEST: Rupa Banerjee, Canada Research Chair in Economic Inclusion, Employment and Entrepreneurship of Canada’s Immigrants, associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, January 18, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, January 17, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, January 16, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, January 13, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, January 12, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, January 11, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, January 10, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, January 09, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, January 06, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, January 05, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, January 04, 2023
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, January 03, 2023
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, December 30, 2022
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, December 29, 2022
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, December 28, 2022
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 . 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, December 27, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, December 23, 2022
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, December 22, 2022
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. —ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES— 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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, December 21, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, December 20, 2022
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, December 19, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, December 16, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, December 15, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, December 14, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, December 13, 2022
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, December 12, 2022
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, to 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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, December 09, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, December 08, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, December 07, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, December 06, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, December 05, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, December 02, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, December 01, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, November 30, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, November 29, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, November 28, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, November 25, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, November 24, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, November 23, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, November 22, 2022
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 ) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, November 21, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, November 18, 2022
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 . 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, November 17, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, November 16, 2022
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 . 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, November 15, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, November 14, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, November 11, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, November 10, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, November 09, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, November 08, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, November 07, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, November 05, 2022
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! 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, November 04, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, November 03, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, November 02, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, November 01, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, October 31, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, October 28, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, October 27, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, October 26, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, October 25, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, October 24, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, October 21, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, October 20, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, October 19, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, October 18, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, October 17, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, October 14, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, October 13, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, October 12, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, October 11, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, October 08, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, October 07, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, October 06, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, October 05, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, October 04, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, October 03, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, September 30, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, September 30, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, September 29, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, September 28, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, September 27, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, September 26, 2022
(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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, September 23, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, September 22, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, September 21, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, September 20, 2022
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, September 19, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, September 16, 2022
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, September 15, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, September 14, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, September 13, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, September 12, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, September 08, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, September 08, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, September 07, 2022
(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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, September 06, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, September 05, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, September 02, 2022
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, September 01, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, August 31, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, August 30, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, August 29, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, August 26, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, August 25, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, August 24, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, August 23, 2022
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 . 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, August 22, 2022
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 CORRECTION: In this episode, Okanagan Lake is erroneously referred to as "Lake Kelowna". We apologize for the error. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, August 19, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, August 18, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, August 17, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, August 16, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, August 15, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, August 12, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, August 11, 2022
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, August 10, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, August 09, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, August 08, 2022
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, August 08, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, August 05, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, August 04, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, August 03, 2022
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 . 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, August 02, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, July 29, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, July 28, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, July 27, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, July 26, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, July 25, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, July 22, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, July 21, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, July 20, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, July 19, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, July 18, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, July 16, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, July 15, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, July 14, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, July 13, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, July 12, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, July 11, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, July 08, 2022
(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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, July 07, 2022
(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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, July 06, 2022
(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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, July 05, 2022
(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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, July 04, 2022
(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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, July 01, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, June 30, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, June 29, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, June 28, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, June 28, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, June 27, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, June 25, 2022
“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 . 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, June 24, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, June 23, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, June 22, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, June 21, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, June 20, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, June 17, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, June 16, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, June 15, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, June 14, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, June 13, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, June 10, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, June 09, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, June 08, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, June 07, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, June 06, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, June 03, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, June 02, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, June 01, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, May 31, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, May 30, 2022
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, May 27, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, May 26, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, May 25, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, May 24, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, May 20, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, May 19, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, May 18, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, May 17, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, May 16, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, May 13, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, May 12, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, May 11, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, May 10, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, May 09, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, May 06, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, May 05, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, May 04, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, May 03, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, May 02, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, April 29, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, April 28, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, April 27, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, April 26, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, April 25, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, April 23, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, April 22, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, April 21, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, April 20, 2022
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, April 19, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, April 15, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, April 14, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, April 13, 2022
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 . 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, April 12, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, April 11, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, April 08, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, April 07, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, April 06, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, April 05, 2022
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) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, April 04, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, April 02, 2022
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) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, April 01, 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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, March 31, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, March 30, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, March 29, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, March 28, 2022
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, March 25, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, March 24, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, March 23, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, March 22, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, March 21, 2022
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, March 18, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, March 17, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, March 16, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, March 15, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, March 14, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, March 11, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, March 10, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, March 09, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, March 08, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, March 07, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, March 04, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, March 03, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, March 02, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, March 01, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, February 28, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, February 25, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, February 24, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, February 23, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, February 22, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, February 21, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, February 18, 2022
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, February 17, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, February 16, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, February 15, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, February 14, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, February 11, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, February 10, 2022
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, February 09, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, February 08, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, February 07, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, February 04, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, February 03, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, February 02, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, February 01, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, January 31, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, January 28, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, January 27, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, January 26, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, January 25, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, January 24, 2022
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, January 21, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, January 20, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, January 19, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, January 18, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, January 17, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, January 14, 2022
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 P sychedelic Psychiatry: LSD on the Canadian Prairies 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, January 13, 2022
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 . 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, January 12, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, January 11, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, January 10, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, January 07, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, January 06, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, January 05, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, January 04, 2022
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, December 30, 2021
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! 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, December 27, 2021
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! 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, December 23, 2021
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, December 20, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Sat, December 18, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, December 17, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, December 16, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, December 15, 2021
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. 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, December 14, 2021
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, December 13, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, December 10, 2021
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 love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, December 09, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, December 08, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, December 07, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, December 06, 2021
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, December 03, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, December 02, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, December 01, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, November 29, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, November 26, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, November 25, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, November 24, 2021
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 .) 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Tue, November 23, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Mon, November 22, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Fri, November 19, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Thu, November 18, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
Wed, November 17, 2021
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 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
loading...