The Big Story

If you've gone to a concert recently-- or any event really-- you've probably noticed them come out. Maybe they've obstructed your view. Maybe you've pulled one out yourself. Maybe you've judged people for it. Maybe they're so ubiquitous now, you actually haven't thought about them at all. Of course, we're referring to cell phones. They're a topic of contention, with plenty of people ready to tell...

Plus: U.S. President Trump hosts Xi Jinping at the White House, two major speeches are planned for the United Nations General Assembly, a new poll shows the vast majority of Canadians support Canada becoming an 'associate member' of the EU, another animal from Marineland has died, and why British Columbians will be heading to the polls two years early. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as...

British Columbians will be heading to the polls two years ahead of schedule this fall. The snap call by Premier David Eby comes amid turmoil within the B.C. Conservative Party, his chief opponents, and at a sensitive time for the province, as the government has attempted to deal with controversy around Indigenous rights legislation. Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Shannon Waters, a B.C. political an...

PLUS: Several seniors have been arrested and charged with trespassing on Parliament Hill as they called for stronger government action to address climate change, voters in B.C. will head to the polls on October 24th after provincial NDP leader David Eby called a snap election, the Polaris music prize given to Angine De Poitrine. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future...

U.S. voters will soon head to the polls to determine who will control their Senate and House of Representatives. Happening halfway through President Trump's second term, the midterms are often considered a barometer of how Americans feel their leader is doing - and poll after poll show Trump's approval rating continue to dip to historic lows.  Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Aaron Parnas, a US-ba...

PLUS: Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is rejecting a claim from her party president that her government is muting its Pro-Canada messaging ahead of the separation vote next month. The British Columbia government has filed a lawsuit against artificial intelligence company Open AI in California over the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge that left eight people dead, including five students and a teacher'...

Alberta's unlikeliest duo is teaming up to make their case to Albertans ahead of the October 19 referendum. Rachel Notley and Jason Kenney, both from opposite sides of the political aisle have joined forces with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce to propel their campaign, 'Alberta and Canada: Stronger Together' into the hearts and minds of concerned Albertans.  Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking wit...

PLUS: Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre says Canada will never be part of the European Union, Montreal city council is set to debate a proposed bylaw this week that could ban people from insulting municipal employees and police officers, and Kerry-Lynne Findlay steps down as Conservative leader in B.C. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find u...

Camelott Hamblett is a 43-year-old Canadian man who's spent the last 20 years in isolation at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care in Penetanguishene, Ont. His family has been advocating for the Ontario Review Board to reconsider his stay in isolation, as they believe it's not helping improve his quality of life. It's a similar case for 39 year-old Andrew Azevedo, who's spent the last five years...

Enjoy this special feed drop of our sister show 'In This Economy?!'.  The first Canadian Investment Summit is in the books – attended by some of the biggest names in the financial world like Larry Fink, the CEO of Blackrock, former UK chancellor George Osborne, and RBC CEO Dave McKay. Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed more than 220 people in the hopes of attracting 1 trillion dollars in new...

PLUS: A global airline industry group says it has some major concerns about Prime Minister Carney's plan to open up operations of Canada's four largest airports to privatization. Canadian auto parts mogul Frank Stronach will be sentenced on December 11th, but won’t face jail time. Canada has the potential to bolster Europe's energy security through the new alliance. The Royal Canadian Air Force ha...

Prime Minister Mark Carney has made history in Europe. On September 16th, he became the first foreign world leader to ever attend the State of the European Union address, delivered by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. During that address, von de Leyen invited Canada to become the first ever "associate member" of the EU. On the 17th, Carney himself addressed the European pa...

PLUS: 9-1-1 service across the country appears to be getting back to normal after intermittent outages were reported. A sentencing hearing will be held today for billionaire Canadian auto parts businessman Frank Stronach on the historical offence of indecent assault. The prospect of a referendum on Quebec sovereignty took centre stage last night as the leaders of the main political parties squared...

Ottawa has confirmed plans to open up Canada’s four largest airports to private investment. It comes after Prime Minister Carney hosted some of the world's wealthiest business leaders, tech tycoons, and financiers in Toronto this past week at a chance at attracting foreign investment to fund Canadian projects.  Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Simon Enoch, a senior researcher with the Canadian Cen...

PLUS: Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered closing remarks at Canada's first-ever national investment summit - Premier Danielle Smith's office is blaming a split among Conservative votes along with a low overall turnout after a stunning NDP byelection win - The Canadian Real Estate Association says home sales in August were down - More acts are leaving Ed Sheeran's global tour after he k...

Among the steel, aluminum, and auto sectors, Canada's softwood lumber industry has also fallen victim to US tariffs. But levies on Canadian lumber are nothing new, and neither are tensions between the two countries surrounding lumber exports.  Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Russ Taylor, a global wood business and market consultant, about the impact of tariffs on Canada's lumber sector, how the i...

Plus: The New Democrats have taken a long-term Conservative stronghold with a byelection win in the Calgary-Shaw riding, the European Parliament is opening an office in Ottawa, and a tribute to Canadian actor Catharine O'Hara at the 78th Emmys. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstor...

The eastern Germany state of Saxony-Anhalt has elected far-right populist party, Alternative for Germany (AfD) in last week's election. The party was three seats shy of forming a majority, so they must now look to other parties to form a coalition, or poach individual outside members to join their party.  Germany's domestic intelligence agency has classified the AfD as an extreme right group,...

Plus: The Canada investment summit is underway, new poll finds federal Liberals lead over Conservatives, Google is bringing age assurance tech to Canada, remembering George Chuvalo, and Canada's new sanctions on West Bank settlers. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social...

Canada recently joined the UK and France in sanctioning all settler trade with the West Bank. In a joint-statement written by the three Prime Minister's, Israel's advancement of the E1 settlement, as well as the ongoing violence in the occupied strip jeopardizes the possibility of a two-state solution. Host Maria Kestane speaks to Jon Allen, the former Canadian ambassador to Israel and a senior fe...

Enjoy this special feed drop of our sister show "In This Economy?!" The trade dispute with the US rages on, our closest ally and for many decades, our closest trading partner. But it wasn’t always like that. Going back in history shows we’ve been in this position with the U-S before, and Canada found a way through without giving up our sovereignty. Host Kris McCusker speaks to Joy Nott, Partner -...

Plus: Commemoration ceremonies in the U.S. and Canada, Trump and Carney are talking, the Houthis capture a strategic island, and what happened to our attention spans? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https:/...

Are you constantly checking your phone? Do you find it harder to concentrate for long periods of time? Or plan ahead? Us too. Executive function is the ability we have as humans to suppress basic instincts and desires for long term gain. It's why you can work every day when what you really want to do is stay home. The functions, though, seem to be on the decline more and more these days. Host Mari...

Plus: Ukraine's President is in Canada, Trump's pledge ahead of the midterms, August broke heat records, TIFF begins, and the age of technological imperialism. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.ad...

Canadians have been keeping their elbows up for well over a year, but after logging on to Google Maps or Apple Maps and seeing 'Lake America' while in Canada, the feeling of despair doesn't seem too far fetched. Beit Facebook, Instagram, Google, X, Amazon, US tech giants take up lots of retail space within our digital presence, and sometimes they seem unescapable.  Host Maria Kestane is speak...