The Big Story

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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