Shows / The Big Story
The Big Story
An in-depth look at the issues, culture and personalities shaping Canada today.
Episodes
- The Big Story
What we think we know about human trafficking in Canada
It's one of those crimes with an image — and that image is mostly fictional. The vast majority of victims who end up trafficked in Canada are not abducted by…
- The Big Story
Enbridge has paid American police millions to protect their pipeline
Through a so-called "public safety escrow account", Canada's biggest energy company, Enbridge, has payed somewhere in the neighbourhood of $2.4 million to law…
- The Big Story
The myth of the Mountie, and how it prevents RCMP reform
To the rest of the world, the Mountie in red dress uniform is a symbol of Canada. The world has bought into the myth of the good-hearted, white man who…
- The Big Story
How the global supply chain broke down and what it means for Canada
You've probably heard warnings to start your holiday shopping early this year — this is why. With much of the global supply chain thrown into chaos by a…
- The Big Story
Why you can't drink the water in Iqaluit right now
Early in October, some Iqaluit residents noticed something funny about their tap water — it smelled like gas. After they raised the alarm it took more than a…
- The Big Story
Why has Covid's fourth wave been so different across Canada?
Much of the Atlantic bubble is intact, but in New Brunswick, cases are spiking. Ontario has mostly escaped unscathed so far, while Saskatchewan and Alberta…
- The Big Story
How will climate migration reshape Canada?
A nation of 100 million people? New towns and cities springing up in previously rural areas? A revitalized and younger workforce? As the impact of the climate…
- The Big Story
How can we fix North American cities?
Many North American cities are locked in a damaging cycle, whereby new suburban expansion is needed to subsidize the infrastructure costs of old development…
- The Big Story
How Canada's Catholic Church escaped payments to residential school survivors
The Canadian government thought it was an agreement on a minor part of the settlement the church owed for its part in residential schools. The church managed…
- The Big Story
What would electoral reform in Canada look like?
The Prime Minister said in the closing days of a close campaign that he was "open" to electoral reform. That came as a surprise to the millions of people who…
- The Big Story
What does Canada do with reports of UFO sightings?
The Canadian government receives more credible information regarding Unidentified Flying Objects than you'd ever imagine. And you don't see much, if any, of…
- The Big Story
How a driving instructor allegedly got away with decades of harassment and abuse
UPDATE: On Nov. 23, 2021, Crown Counsel decided not to proceed with sexual assault charges against Steve Wallace. Wallace died within days of that decision…
- The Big Story
How the rise and fall of Ozy illustrates what's wrong with digital media
Ozy was a digital publisher that claimed to have an audience of tens of millions. Had you ever heard of them before last week? Me neither. A New York Times…
- The Big Story
Facebook is critical infrastructure. It also knows how bad it can be for people. What happens now?
When Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp all vanished for hours on Monday, it wasn't a nefarious plan. It was a mistake. But what it revealed about how much the…
- The Big Story
How a Calgary-based proof of vaccination app was breached
Portpass was recommended to fans by the entity that owns two Calgary sports teams. They weren't alone. According to the company's estimates, more than 500,000…
- The Big Story
A reporter's investigation into the origins of Covid-19
In the early days of the pandemic, a conspiracy theory claimed that the virus was intentionally released from a lab. It was seized upon by the worst people and…
- The Big Story
Are unions poised for a comeback?
Private-sector union membership has declined significantly in recent decades, in part due to a vast pool of foreign labour that has left many domestic workers…
- The Big Story
Is your employer spying on you?
If they were, you probably wouldn't know it. Since millions of white-collar workers began working from home during the pandemic, the demand for 'Tattleware'…
- The Big Story
How do we move past guilt and towards action on reconciliation?
It can be daunting, as a non-Indigenous Canadian to wrestle with the enormity of the crimes committed against Indigenous people by this country. And when we're…
- The Big Story
How vaccine passports put workers on the front lines of the pandemic fight
Most Canadian provinces now have or are planning to implement a vaccine passport. But who will have to ask for those passports? Check their authenticity? Deny…
- The Big Story
The two Michaels are home, but Canada still doesn't have a foreign policy on China
It's wonderful that two Canadians caught in the middle of geopolitics are home and safe after more than 1,000 days detained in China. It's not great that the…
- The Big Story
It's like Uber, but for Health Care Workers
The app is called Staffy and it was created to help the hospitality industry fill gaps in scheduling when a server or cook couldn't work. But when the pandemic…
- The Big Story
"Exist in the moment": Stephen Brunt on the Blue Jays' amazing run
A month ago, they needed a miracle. Now they're in the final stages of a playoff push—and no team in their right mind wants to face the Blue Jays in the…
- The Big Story
A terrifying week on campus at Western University
Western has always been known as a party school, and with that comes a culture that can lead to sexual violence. But this year's freshman orientation week…
- The Big Story
What's happening in Alberta?
The province is suffering from an absolutely devastating fourth wave of Covid. Premier Jason Kenney was absent until it was too late to prevent the worst of…
- The Big Story
What did we learn from another Liberal minority win?
A Liberal minority government. Likely within a few seats of where we started, 37 days ago. Did this election matter? What did it reveal about Canada's…
- The Big Story
36 Days in 28 Minutes: A rapid recap of a frantic campaign
This was the shortest possible election Canada could have had — so why did it feel so long? Maybe because nobody really wanted it. As Canadians (at least those…
- The Big Story
Where The Parties Stand: The Climate Crisis
We asked our listeners what their key issues were in this election, and this week we'll tackle the top five. Every day we'll go deep on the major party…
- The Big Story
Where The Parties Stand: Truth and Reconciliation
We asked our listeners what their key issues were in this election, and this week we'll tackle the top five. Every day we'll go deep on the major party…
- The Big Story
Where The Parties Stand: Economic Recovery
We asked our listeners what their key issues were in this election, and this week we'll tackle the top five. Every day we'll go deep on the major party…
- The Big Story
Where The Parties Stand: Health Care
We asked our listeners what their key issues were in this election, and this week we'll tackle the top five. Every day we'll go deep on the major party…
- The Big Story
Where The Parties Stand: The Housing Crisis
We asked our listeners what their key issues were in this election, and this week we'll tackle the top five. Every day we'll go deep on the major party…
- The Big Story
As the PPC rises in the polls, what are parties proposing to combat the rise of hate in Canada?
Hate crimes have risen. Racialized Canadians have been attacked and killed. Angry protests follow the Prime Minister around the country and have come close to…
- The Big Story
Is Canada's international student system ethical? Or exploitative?
What agents are selling around the world is the value of a Canadian education—and people are buying in droves, especially in places like Punjab, India. But…
- The Big Story
How does each party plan to address the crisis in elder care?
It's no secret that our elders were the people hit hardest by COVID-19, but all the pandemic did was shine a deadly light on a system that has been broken for…
- The Big Story
How your donated clothes end up burning in landfills a world away
You thought you were helping someone when you put that bag of old clothes in a donation bin. But you probably didn't. A striking number of clothes donated in…
- The Big Story
Can we adapt our cities for our new climate reality?
This week, Hurricane Ida rampaged through the gulf coast, leaving power grids and water lines strewn in its wake, and when it reached New York it caused…
- The Big Story
What's at stake at the Fairy Creek blockades?
For more than a year, protesters have been keeping industry away from old-growth forest on this site, and for months there have been RCMP on the scene…
- The Big Story
Can Justin Trudeau channel his Dad Energy to a new government?
Sunny Ways aren't going to work for Trudeau and the Liberals any longer. People are tired and angry and wondering why we're even having an election right now…
- The Big Story
Vaccine FAQ: Timelines for kids, do vaccine passports help and do you need a booster?
It seemed in the spring that kids under 12 might have a chance at getting vaccinated before school started. But that didn't happen, and it turns out the…
- The Big Story
Can ketamine cure depression?
Julian Uzielli has struggled with chronic depression for years. Like many people with mental health issues, his symptoms were exacerbated by the pandemic, and…
- The Big Story
What will it take for Erin O'Toole to be Canada's next Prime Minister?
The first couple of weeks of the campaign have gone very well for the Conservative leader. He's closed a gap in the polls to a sliver, and introduced himself…
- The Big Story
How 'conscience rights' became a wedge issue, and what the CPC can do about it
'Conscience rights' are what allow health professionals to refuse to provide treatment that goes against their morals or religion. In the past this has mostly…
- The Big Story
Does Jagmeet Singh deserve a second chance?
After a poor showing in the 2019 election campaign—his first as NDP leader—there were questions about if Jagmeet Singh would keep his job long enough to get a…
- The Big Story
How did legal pot become such a tough business?
Three years ago, cannabis stocks were the hottest things on the market. Weed was about to become legal in Canada and it seemed everyone was going to get rich…
- The Big Story
Everything you need to know about Back to School and the Fourth Wave
Across the country kids are preparing to return to classrooms, and covid cases are climbing in the community. How did we manage to find ourselves in the same…
- The Big Story
Inside the huge casino bust that went bad
You probably heard about it when it happened. It was called Project Endgame and it was a massive police bust on what they alleged was an illegal casino…
- The Big Story
What does Nova Scotia's shocking election mean for the rest of Canada?
A Liberal government with a big lead in the polls decides to call a snap election in the hope of securing more time in power. Then the polls start to tighten…
- The Big Story
How this election will, and won't, be different
The promises and criticisms aren't going anywhere. Neither is the partisanship. But there's a whole lot of uncertainty about the first federal election of the…
- The Big Story
How Canada and the Western world failed Afghanistan
There are millions of Canadians for whom the rapid fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban has been a shock. The images coming from the country right now are…
- The Big Story
Why are we having an election right now?
It's August. It's hot. People are on vacation. Parents are preparing for back-to-school. There's a fourth wave of COVID-19 rising. A lot of forests are on…
- The Big Story
Is the restaurant industry about to change dramatically?
Food costs more. Employees aren't returning. Pandemic protocols are costly, but necessary. Indoor dining won't be full for some time yet. COVID-19 has altered…
- The Big Story
Will you ever shake hands with strangers again?
At the height of the pandemic last year, top public health officials were openly hoping that COVID-19 meant the end of the handshake. Even if the greeting…
- The Big Story
How the IPCC report is about more than just climate change
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a UN-sponsored body that periodically releases a synthesis of current climate…
- The Big Story
Are mandatory vaccine passports impeding our Charter rights?
In recent weeks, as demands for a vaccine passport grow around the world, politicians are citing our rights to life, liberty and security as a reason to allow…
- The Big Story
Will new federal legislation finally end the gender pay gap?
The Liberal government has released new pay equity legislation that goes into effect on August 31. The goal is to provide all employees in a few federally…
- The Big Story
How far do you go to fight for Indigenous rights and climate action?
On November 28, 2020, a 24-year-old was arrested for installing a shunt—a wire that mimics the electrical signal of a train and causes oncoming trains to…
- The Big Story
The Greatest Raptor of All Time
After nine seasons as a Toronto Raptor, Kyle Lowry is leaving for a three-year, 90 million dollar contract with the Miami Heat. He led us to our first-ever…
- The Big Story
Dear Manager, I Quit (Because I'm Burned Out)
A new study by RBC found the number of people who left their jobs in June tripled compared to the same month in 2020. RBC expects 125,000 people to retire in…
- The Big Story
How to talk about the end of the world
In recent weeks, there has been disastrous flooding in Europe, India, Arizona and in China. Summer temperatures have broken records from Canada to Pakistan…