The Big Story

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

[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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

[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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

[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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 NOTESToday, 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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 UniversityFor 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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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 [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky