The Current

In Renfrew County, near Ottawa, opioid deaths were at an all time high in 2023. That prompted first responders, city officials and outreach workers to band together, to rethink how they were dealing with the crisis. Now, nearly a year into a community care model, opioid deaths have dropped by more than half, and fewer people are ending up in emergency departments. Here's how it works. 

Most of us give our dreams little thought. Karen Van Kampen wants to change that. Her new book is called "The Brain Never Sleeps: Why We Dream and What It Means for Our Health." Karen takes us on a journey into the dream world, exploring what our dreams reveal about our mental health and how we can work with them to improve our waking lives.

A young soldier named Kyrylo Chuvak arrives in the Ukrainian countryside after surviving years in Russian captivity. His trauma treatment is documented in a new short film called No Time To Heal. Filmmaker Ksenia Savoskina, whose father was also a patient, says the site shields soldiers from the brutality of war, if only for a short while.

A platter of cigarettes at Charlie XCX's wedding in Italy last year. Gracie Abrams, Charli XCX, Will Arnett, Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams — all photographed openly smoking cigarettes recently. So is smoking cool again? And what does that mean for smoking rates?

Winnipeg police have launched a campaign called "Just Hang Up" to warn seniors about scams, many of them fooled by artificial intelligence. But experts warn that it's not just older people getting duped out of money. It could happen to anyone, thanks to AI.

With back to back storms, St. John's is digging out. Snow remover Mark Baker has been going full out — about 18 hours daily for more than a week. He'll tell us what it means to face down 100 cm of snow and help residents get back to school and work. 

Loneliness has been called a public health crisis, but it’s also a workplace one. Julie McCarthy, a University of Toronto professor who reviewed more than 200 studies, says loneliness at work isn’t just about feeling sad. It affects engagement, productivity and even performance. As companies rethink hybrid work and return-to-office mandates, we explore what it really means to design workplaces for belonging, not just output.

There's been backlash against Amazon's Ring doorbells after the company put out a commercial showing how footage from their devices can help find lost pets. Kristen Thomasen is the University of Windsor's Chair in Law, Robotics, and Society and she talks about why people should feel concerned about their privacy in their own neighbourhoods and what further guardrails need to be in place around surveillance technology

OpenAI banned the Tumbler Ridge school shooting suspect’s ChatGPT account months before the attack, but didn’t alert police. On Tuesday Canada’s AI minister summoned the company’s safety team to Ottawa to explain its reporting protocols. Emily Laidlaw, a cybersecurity law expert and Canada Research Chair at the University of Calgary, joins us to explain who decides when AI companies escalate threats — and whether that threshold should be written into law.

We've all waited in an online queue to get a table at a busy restaurant or buy concert tickets for our favourite big artist. But what about waiting to see a doctor at the emergency room? A hospital in Sault Ste. Marie, ON., is offering their patients just that --and staff say it's cut their patient wait times in half. We speak with Dr. Stephen Smith, an ER physician and the vice president of medical affairs at the Sault Area Hospital, who came up with the idea after a family vacation at Disneyworld.

As some provinces look to change or remove class size caps, experts are divided on whether it's the right choice. Research shows smaller class sizes have minimal affect on student achievement - but is that giving us a full picture? The teaching style, and curriculum being taught might be a better indicator of whether class sizes are impacting students at school. 

As President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union, two people who voted for him reflect on their choice. Indiana contractor Pablo Payan says he made a mistake. But masonry, Jon Palaima still thinks Trump is the best of two bad options. 

Why is it so hard for us humans to come to grips with what it means to be conscious? We talk to bestselling author Michael Pollan about how scientists have tried, and often failed, to unlock the mysteries of consciousness, whether plants could be considered conscious, and why he believes that we need to "defend" human consciousness against those who may try to simulate it with computers and AI. 

1 in 40 Canadian adults live with OCD. But work being done at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto is making life for some of those people a little easier. We hear from two people about their journey with OCD and how treatment helped, and why OCD is a mental disorder that deserves our attention. 

Mexico is reeling and Canadians are stranded after the Jalisco New Generation Cartel retaliates for their leader El Mencho’s death. 

The Prime Minister is pledging to buy 70 percent of the country's military gear here at home within a decade. That's promising news for Canadian companies like Kraken Robotics. But experts say the change won't be easy. We speak with Bernard Mills, the executive vice-president of defence of Kraken Robotics, a marine technology company founded in Newfoundland, David Perry, president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute think tank, and Erin O'Toole, the former leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, a veteran of the Canadian armed forces, and a distinguished fellow specializing in international trade at the Hudson Institute. 

The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled on Friday that the majority of Donald Trump's tariffs are unconstitutional. We’ll talk about what that decision means, and how it’ll affect Canada with Josh Gerstein, senior legal affairs reporter for Politico, and Carlo Dade, the Director of International Policy and the New North America Initiative at the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary.

Puerto Vallarta is a favourite vacation destination for Canadians. But yesterday, that region of Mexico exploded into violence after a cartel leader was killed during a clash with military special forces. The state of Jalisco remains under a “code red” status today. We speak with CBC's Jorge Barrera in Mexico City about the latest situation, and what Canadians there need to know.

We all feel guilt at some point in our lives, and for all kinds of reasons. It seems natural to feel guilty for what we've done, or not done, or should be doing. But can guilt be good for us? Chris Moore, the author of “The Power of Guilt: Why We Feel It and Its Surprising Ability to Heal,” tells us why he thinks guilt has an "image problem.”

Take a listen to Matt's conversations with Canadian Olympians Piper Gilles, Paul Poirier and Mikaël Kingsbury

As conditions in Cuba continue to deteriorate, the country is facing fuel shortages, blackouts, and a decline in tourism, while pressure from the United States intensifies. We hear from a Canadian traveller who has just returned home, a reporter in Cuba, and an economist on what could happen next.

Parents and experts have claimed for years that social media is addictive and damaging to children's mental health. Now, a lawsuit against Meta and YouTube in L.A. wants to prove big tech knew about these risks.Advocates are calling this Big Tech's "Big Tobacco's moment" because the outcome of the trial will set a precedent for thousands of other cases, could result in billions of dollars in payouts, and changes to how social media platforms are allowed to operate.

Canada's men's curling squad may be the bad boys of these Olympics but they have also been a big part in the pandemodium for the sport. Social media is ablaze with new curling fans and it has become the darling of this Olympic games. Hear how long time curlers are feeling about both the buzz and the finger.

Norway has taken a different approach to youth sports - and it seems to be paying off at the Winter Olympics. How centering joy rather than competition is keeping kids playing and what Canada might be able to learn from this system.

Our national affairs panel: Stephanie Levitz, senior reporter with the Globe and Mail and Rosemary Barton, CBC's chief political correspondent, take us through what the loss of another MP means for the Conservative party, and what the gain means for the Liberals

An unprecedented judgment declared Aboriginal title over privately held land, not far from the Metro Vancouver area. It has stirred a divisive debate in British Columbia around reconciliation and legal commitments to First Nations.

Team Canada goes for gold against the US for the fifth straight winter Olympics. It's best on best hockey in a new era of women's sport, with the PWHL seeing many of these athletes compete together. What's at stake-- and what it means to young women coming up in the game.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windson is currently in police custody. Andrew, brother of King Charles, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office for his connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The latest on that story from CBC’s senior international correspondent.

Matt Galloway goes to the last migrant camp in Mexico City. With Donald Trump shutting the US border, migrants searching for a better life have been left in limbo — do they keep going north, return home, or stay in Mexico? Hear from the people living here, including a mother of a two-day-old baby, about what the future holds.

Mexico City has hosted the World Cup twice before — now they’re sharing the stage with Canada and the United States. Hear how people are getting ready. Plus from a Mexican Canadian soccer star hoping to make Canada’s squad.

Canada and Mexico are crafting a new friendship in light of a very different United States. Hear how business leaders in both countries are working together. Plus Mexico's former permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva and deputy foreign minister during the original NAFTA negotiations talks about this new normal. 

This summer CUSMA gets a reset, and with Donald Trump setting a new tone with Canada and Mexico who knows what the negotiations will hold. Luis Rosendo Gutierrez is Mexico's deputy secretary for international trade and will play a key role in the CUSMA renegotiations. He tells Matt Galloway how Mexico is approaching this US administration and how he sees his country’s partnership with Canada.

This is a city in a moment of change. It is the hot new travel spot, tourists are pouring in daily. Expats and digital nomads are also snapping up real estate in the ‘nice’ parts of town. But this popularity comes with a cost. Locals are being pushed out, some by price others by physical force and criminal threats. Hear how a city going global comes with a cost.  

Chinese EVs are coming to Canada. It is a done deal. Mexico has had them for years. Hear the impact these vehicles have had on not just the automotive industry but on driver’s wallets. Plus Matt Galloway gives one a test drive through the wild Mexico City streets.

The godmother of punk says she never had a choice when it came to being an artist — it was her calling from the moment she first laid eyes on a Picasso in a Philadelphia gallery. She talks about creating through loss, listening to omens and reliving her childhood, in new memoir Bread of Angels.

In the wake of the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, a mother from another community is finding ways to honour her neighbours. Plus, political and faith leaders on how the community grieves and supports one another.

Team Canada is gaining momentum after securing their first gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina, Italy — but what’s the deal with this curling controversy? Team Canada’s Chef de Mission Jennifer Heil is here. Plus, Olympic favourites and bronze medal winners, figure skaters Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.

In her new book How My Dog Saved My Life, former CBC producer Cate Cochran tells 30 Canadian stories of dogs who have changed everything for their humans, saving their lives literally and figuratively. We'll meet some of these remarkable canines, including a black lab and golden retriever mix named Foreman who's trained to provide medical assistance for his owner, Sinead Zalitach. Sinead was born with an extremely rare congenital condition called Parkes Weber syndrome and Foreman is so attuned to her that he knows she's in trouble before she does.

Pressure is mounting to allow Russian athletes compete at the Olympics under the Russian flag. Reporter Georgi Kantchev with Wall Street Journal is in Italy, he'll take us through what the International Olympic Committee has been saying. We'll also hear from Bruce Berglund, historian and author, about how Russia has used sport as a political tool.

Mechanical shop teacher Jarbas Noronha told his students to barricade the door and prepare to flee out of the garage, if the shooter made it inside. He kept them calm while they got frightening messages about the attack unfolding outside their classroom.

More details are emerging about the mass shooting in B.C. that left nine people dead. We get an update on the shooter. And a town resident describes the pain people in Tumbler Ridge are feeling and the kindness and patience they need, in the absence of answers. Plus, we hear from two people who offer trauma care in the wake of school shootings, to help us all begin to process this unthinkable tragedy

Joe MacInnis has spent his life going where very few people ever have — beneath the ice at the North Pole, down to the wreck of the Titanic, and into the deep waters of Lake Superior to visit the Edmund Fitzgerald. Now 88, the Canadian physician and deep-sea explorer looks back on a lifetime of high-risk exploration. He talks about the moment he caught “sea fever” as a teenager, what those extreme environments taught him about fear and teamwork, and why leadership — not technology is what really matters when survival is on the line.

It's been one month since Iran was rocked by what’s being called the country's deadliest crackdown in modern history. On January 8th and 9th, security forces brutally attacked protesters who had taken to the streets calling for regime change. It’s still unclear how many people were killed. A shut down of communications has made it tough for people living outside of the country to get information on exactly what happened. CBC's Liz Hoath brings us this story about Canadians who are slowly learning what’s happened to friends and family back in Iran.

 An 'unimaginable tragedy' in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. Yesterday afternoon, a shooter entered the local secondary school and opened fire. At least 10 people in the tight-knit rural community are dead, including the suspected shooter. It's the second deadliest school shooting in Canadian history. We check in with the community to hear what happened, and how they are leaning on each other in the wake of this tragedy. We also speak with Dr. Shimi Kang, a child psychiatrist about how to talk to your kids about school violence.

President of the Angus Reid Institute, Shachi Kurl breaks down new polling data that shows the number of Albertans committed to leaving Canada remains low, despite a number of events held by separatist around the province. Plus veteran strategists talk about how the separatist movement could play out politically across Alberta and the rest of the country.

The Gaza-Egypt border crossing partially opened last week, after the return of the body of the last Israeli hostage. However very few people have been able to leave Gaza for medical care or return to reunite with their families. A pediatrician describes the young patients he saw dying or suffering in Gaza, unable to get outside help. A 29-year-old woman says she fears her dream to study abroad is in jeopardy.

Recently Vancouver city council passed a unanimous motion calling on Transport Canada to do something about LED headlight glare. Saskatoon optometrist Rachael Berger welcomes the motion because she's seeing more and younger patients who are finding it difficult to drive at night. Vehicle lighting expert Daniel Stern says Canada needs to change its current regulations because they had halogen bulbs in mind, not modern LED lights.

Zadie Smith wonders if she's weird. She pays attention to a lot in an age when our attention has been captured and her phone-free life can be lonely. It's been twenty-five years since Zadie Smith published her widely acclaimed novel 'White Teeth.’ We talk to her about aging, attention, clubbing, why she loves Billie Eilish, and her most recent book of essays 'Dead and Alive.’

Turkey has become a top destination for the booming business of hair transplants. But why are so many men opting for the procedure? We talk to John Paul Brammer, a writer and artist based in Brooklyn about his own experience with hair transplants. Plus, Glen Jankowski, an adjunct lecturer and researcher in the School of Psychology at University College Dublin, and the author of a forthcoming book, Branding Baldness, about how our perception of baldness changed over the years. 

Food prices have climbed for years and for families on fixed incomes, every increase means another trade-off. As the federal government rolls out a new grocery rebate, we hear from a single mother of four on the Ontario Disability Support Program about what it could change for her family, and from food economist Michael von Massow on what the rebate can and can't do to ease food insecurity.