Shows / The Big Story
The Big Story
An in-depth look at the issues, culture and personalities shaping Canada today.
Episodes
- The Big Story
Three killings, a coroner's inquest, and a wake-up call on intimate partner violence
Their names were Anastasia Kuzyk, Nathalie Warmerdam and Carol Culleton, and on September 22, 2015, all three were killed by the same man, within hours of one…
- The Big Story
What Roe v Wade means for Canada
After nearly 50 years, the repeal of Roe v Wade happened on June 24th. Immediately reproductive rights advocates, took to the streets in America to protest the…
- The Big Story
Is screen time still bad for kids?
(This is the final part of a five-part series called Interconnected, detailing how technology is changing humanity.) When you were a child, did you have limits…
- The Big Story
The story of the Lomi, and how our technology handles death and decay
(This is part four in a five-part series called Interconnected, detailing how technology is changing humanity.) The Lomi is a high-tech composter made by a…
- The Big Story
What happens when you track everything about yourself?
(This is part three in a five-part series called Interconnected, detailing how technology is changing humanity.) Do you know how much sleep you got last night?…
- The Big Story
The algorithmic weapons aimed at our democracies
(This is part two in a five-part series called Interconnected, detailing how technology is changing humanity.) We tend to think of algorithms as something…
- The Big Story
What happened to our attention spans?
(This is part one in a five-part series called Interconnected, detailing how technology is changing humanity.) Have you by any chance been struggling to focus…
- The Big Story
Africville Forever: Have you heard of Africville?
Under the shadow of the MacKay Bridge in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the protest camp of Eddy Carvery has stood firm as the longest civil rights protest in North…
- The Big Story
Toronto police used more force against Black people, then gave an apology nobody asked for
According to race-based data released by the Toronto Police Service earlier this month, Black people and other people of colour are disproportionately…
- The Big Story
Will the latest Liberal scandal take our eyes off a massacre inquiry?
You will no doubt be shocked to learn that the federal liberal government may have tried to politically influence an agency that should be independent. Who…
- The Big Story
Interconnected: Coming soon to The Big Story
Lately we've been wondering: why are we so distracted all the time? Always on our phones, tracking steps, anxious about the future, angry about politics? It…
- The Big Story
The frustrating, darkly funny story of Ottawa's LRT mess
The City of Ottawa paid millions of dollars for train cars that wouldn't run in the winter. The doors stuck if people tried to open them to get out. One…
- The Big Story
What should we expect from the "freedom" protests on Canada Day?
A leaked intelligence document suggests that the vast majority of protesters planning to be at Parliament Hill on Canada Day will be peaceful. Many of the…
- The Big Story
Island Crime: Red Jag Guy
“Don't get into a vehicle with a driver you don't know.” This was the golden rule Don Young taught his daughter, Lisa Marie Young. But twenty years ago, on…
- The Big Story
How to handle your finances in the new era of inflation
At some point the "how did we get here?" questions about the current state of inflation become less relevant than "how do I deal with this?" With inflation…
- The Big Story
An investigation into an RCMP raid on Wet'suwet'en territory
By now, you might be familiar with images of RCMP officers using an axe to break down the door of a tiny house built by Indigenous land defenders on…
- The Big Story
Should "self-induced extreme intoxication" be a valid defence for murder or sexual assault?
Canada's Supreme Court said "yes," back in a May ruling. Now the federal government is tabling a bill to say "no," in June. The defence itself is narrow and…
- The Big Story
Why is a Canadian flight crew being held in the Dominican Republic?
And why isn't it a bigger story? Perhaps it's because the circumstances around their detention — the discovery of $25 million worth of cocaine in bags in a…
- The Big Story
Was Wealthsimple wrong to bet on crypto?
Wealthsimple started with the goal of making investing, and long-term wealth building accessible to millennials. Then they became one of the first in Canada to…
- The Big Story
How to build a safer internet
Scrolling through your social media feeds, especially if you work in any sort of public-facing position, can be hazardous to your mental health. A big portion…
- The Big Story
Saudi Arabia, "sportswashing" and the future of golf
Last week, LIV Golf held its first tournament, in London. Under normal circumstances, there would be no reason for anyone who isn't a diehard fan the sport to…
- The Big Story
What is the January 6 Committee revealing? And will it matter?
The more the public learns about the events in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021, the more disturbing it gets. And the public hearings currently running on…
- The Big Story
A new, easier way for officers to search your devices at customs
The new threshold, included in an amendment to the Customs Act, is a "reasonable general concern". What's the legal definition of that? Here's the thing: There…
- The Big Story
What we're learning about the RCMP's response to the Portapique massacre
In short? That it was a huge mess. But that's not enough. An inquiry is trying to get to the bottom of the police response to the worst mass shooting in…
- The Big Story
The CPC Leadership Race: Who is Jean Charest?
For those who have been paying attention to Canadian politics for the past 3-4 decades, Jean Charest will be a familiar figure. Charest was first elected to…
- The Big Story
Inside the Jacob Hoggard trial
Almost five years have passed since the start of the #MeToo movement, and just a few days ago, a verdict was reached in the trial of a famous Canadian musician…
- The Big Story
What's it like to live with, or treat, long-Covid?
On its surface, "long-Covid" might seem self-explanatory — symptoms that linger following a COVID-19 infection. But beyond the prevalence of symptoms like…
- The Big Story
The CPC leadership race: Who is Patrick Brown?
Patrick Brown's career has been marked by ups and downs. In 2015, at just 36 years old, he was elected leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative party…
- The Big Story
What is 'synthetic identity fraud'?
By now, most of us know how to recognize the signs that our credit or debit card information has been compromised. Maybe you see some strange activity in your…
- The Big Story
How will the war in Ukraine end?
Almost 100 days after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Russian forces now control one-fifth of Ukraine. That…
- The Big Story
Why is BC decriminalizing drugs? And will it help?
The overdose crisis is a tragedy, and in the past couple of years the number of deaths has been staggering. Harm-reduction advocates are looking for any way…
- The Big Story
Why this report on military sexual assault might, just might, be different
Canada's governments are very good at commissioning reports, listening to recommendations and then ... not doing much. It's a pattern we've perfected over the…
- The Big Story
Why have the polls in Ontario barely budged?
For an election so hotly anticipated by angry partisans, Ontario's month-long campaign doesn't seem to have inspired much of a shift from pre-election polls…
- The Big Story
For a supposedly secure currency, there are a lot of crypto thefts. Why?
You see them in the headlines every week or so: Hundreds of thousands—more often, millions—of dollars in cryptocurrency or NFTs, stolen by hackers or scammers…
- The Big Story
A mine, a northern community, and 237,000 tonnes of arsenic
We've known for a long time that mining can come with harmful by-products, but Canada has often been slow to put this knowledge into action. And that's a big…
- The Big Story
Is the pandemic really, finally ending? And if so, what comes next?
Pandemics end. It's in their nature. And in recent weeks there's a large amount of data pointing to declining deaths worldwide and the logical end of the one…
- The Big Story
How to afford groceries during a global food crisis
New numbers show Canada's rate of food inflation has hit a 40-year high, even passing the rate of the United States. Millions of Canadians are trying to…
- The Big Story
From romance to crypto investments to broke: The pandemic's latest dating scam
It begins on a dating app you use and trust, with a user located in your city. Not with emails out of nowhere or random DMs. Even the investment part makes you…
- The Big Story
What's in Bill 96? And why is it tearing apart Quebec's uneasy language truce?
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…
- The Big Story
How did Canadian politics become so nasty?
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…
- The Big Story
After 13 years, how is Uber still not turning a profit?
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…
- The Big Story
Is Canadian intelligence to blame for this man's 14 years of incarceration?
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…
- The Big Story
How your own car will ruin your attempt at insurance fraud
For decades, insurance companies devoted thousands of hours and millions of dollars to complex investigations of insurance claims, trying to determine whether…
- The Big Story
The mysterious link between a murder in Thailand and a plane crash in Northern Ontario
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…
- The Big Story
How did a Quebecer end up leading a foreign fighter brigade in Ukraine?
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…
- The Big Story
Has inflation peaked? Could it still get worse? How will we know?
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…
- The Big Story
The rise and fall of Canada's cannabis industry
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…
- The Big Story
What does the future of office work look like?
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…
- The Big Story
Everything you need to know about Canada's massive avian flu outbreak
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…
- The Big Story
If Roe v. Wade falls, what happens next in America?
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…
- The Big Story
Ontario Election FAQ: Will it be a referendum on Doug Ford?
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…
- The Big Story
As medically assisted dying evolves, who can access it? And why?
There have been some heartbreaking headlines recently, about people who are living with chronic conditions in situations that force them to suffer—and choosing…
- The Big Story
As an election looms, will climate policy be an issue in Ontario?
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…
- The Big Story
Why spoilers are good, actually
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…
- The Big Story
A Cree teen's death in a B.C. group home, and what it reveals about the system
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…
- The Big Story
Who might have to pay back CERB? And why?
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…
- The Big Story
Is there a better way to keep mosquitoes under control?
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…
- The Big Story
Will regenerative agriculture help save the world? Or help make giant produce companies richer?
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…
- The Big Story
Catch Him If You Can: Taking down March Vautour
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…
- The Big Story
A fourth Covid-19 shot? Really?! And other vaccine FAQs
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…