The Big Story

Today marks 100 days since Mark Carney was voted in as the 24th Prime Minister of Canada. It was an election that marked a turning point for a handful of the federal political parties, but especially so for the Liberals. A party once well behind in support against the Conservatives, gained new momentum with a new yet familiar face. But Prime Minister Carney knew exactly what kind of role he was st...

In less than 2 weeks, it's do or die for Pierre Poilievre. Not only is he in for a political battle to get into the House of Commons, he's got other forces working against him, including another lengthy ballot. Most of the candidates are associated with the Longest Ballot Committee, a grassroots electoral reform group seeking to draw attention to itself by flooding ballots with as many names as po...

It's the latest among the vast plethora of parenting styles: gentle parenting...but just how gentle is it? And for whom? The U.S. General Surgeon has issued public health advisory on the impact of modern stresses on parents' mental health, listing six factors it says contributes to parent/caregiver burnout. They include financial strain, time demands, children’s health & safety, loneliness & isola...

It's been 40 years since Nicole Morin disappeared. The little girl was 8 at the time when she went down to her apartment building's lobby to meet a friend for a swim. She hasn't been seen since. This week, Toronto Police offered up a $50,000 reward for any new information about Nicole's disappearance. On today's Big Story, you'll hear Fil Martino and Madison Fitzpatrick explain the case on their p...

To retaliate or not to retaliate? That's the question after President Donald Trump's trade deadline hit, and he once again slapped tariffs on Canada. Without an agreement between our countries, Trump followed through on his threat to increase his tariff on non-CUSMA goods from 25 to 35%. This is on top of tariffs on autos, steel, aluminum and copper. Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Maaw Law tr...

The truth is out there...but are we any closer to knowing what it is? On the heels of World UFO Day, on today's show, we talk to journalist Daniel Otis about a new federal government report that's calling for the creation of a new Canadian federal agency to manage UFO reports. You'll also hear about his reporting on Canadian pilots who have encountered strange objects in the sky, and his battle wi...

In a time where a multi-step skin care routine seems to be the epitome of self care and wellness, where does it stand in the fight against climate change's effects on our skin barrier? The rise in pollution, pollens and heat can exacerbate inflammatory responses from our bodies, making us vulnerable to even hereditary diseases such as eczema or psoriasis, and not to mention the harmful effects of...

Sometimes it's easy to tell whether a video is fake, other times, it's not. Watermarking is used to digitally stamp fake videos, whether that stamp is visible to the human eye or is embedded in the video's data. But with new technology that allows for the stamp to be removed without anyone noticing, how is regulation enforced? Host Mike Eppel speaks to Andre Kassis, University of Waterloo PhD cand...

Legacy media is under pressure. Whether it's the constant cries of "fake news" to huge lawsuits filed, trust remains a huge issue. The audience is splintered and traditional advertising revenue is migrating to digital. Then there's the huge issue of A.I. How are newsrooms using it and how does that impact trust? Online news sources are drawing away traditional audiences including on Instagram and...

A warning to our listeners: this episode includes description and discussion of sexual assault. Please take care. It is a trial that has gripped the nation - and a verdict that has sparked even more conversation. Five former members of Canada’s World Junior hockey team have been acquitted of sexual assault charges centred around a night in 2018 and a woman identified as “E.M.” The tumultuous eight...

Light's up, let's go! Canadian baseball fans are in a pretty good mood lately, as the Toronto Blue Jays are on their hottest run since their memorable 2015 season. They're currently in possession of the best record in all of baseball , with the entire team firing on all cylinders. The team culture is light and fun and every game at Rogers Centre is electric. Will the good times continue to roll? H...

The worries of a 16-year-old can include what to wear, cramming for exams, keeping up on social gossip, and taking a driving test. But what about voting in the next federal election? The push to lower Canada’s voting age is getting new energy following an announcement by the U.K. that 16- and 17-year-olds will be allowed to vote in their next general election. So, should Canada follow suit and let...

We are in the height of summer travel season, but given the ongoing trade tensions with the United States, are plans being detoured? If you read the headlines around the latest Statistics Canada data, it paints a bleak cross-border travel picture, but that doesn’t necessarily show the full truth behind the industry as a whole. In fact, data from Destination Canada shows a major increase in oversea...

Abbey Sharp is a world-renowned Registered Dietitian (RD), content creator, award-winning author, TV personality, host of the podcast Bite Back, CEO of Abbey’s Kitchen Inc, and Co-Founder of Neue Theory. With over 2 million followers across social media, Abbey shares her core philosophy that a pleasurable relationship with food, your body and yourself is the fundamental secret to good health. She...

It's been 3 years since Elon Musk bought Twitter. The revamped "X" remains extremely polarizing with many leaving the platform for a number including concerns about bots, racism and misinformation. Recently, the CEO of X stepped down and on top of all the other issues, the account for Sesame Street icon Elmo had his X account hacked. Host Kris McCusker speaks to Kurt Wagner, senior reporter for Bl...

The federal NDP remains in a political limbo as members continue to lick their wounds from the spring election that left the party with its worst election result ever. The party has launched an official review to figure out what went wrong with their campaign that saw its caucus shrink from 24 MPs to just 7. However the NDP already has its eyes set on a rebuild, starting with a leadership race tha...

Despite all the noise about tariffs and their potential impact, it appears the Canadian economy is actually weathering the storm. An interest rate cut looked like a slam dunk a month ago and now, with signs that the economy isn't falling off a cliff, it's highly doubtful that those rates will be going down. So what to make of where we're at in this economy? How do you plan when things are so unpre...

At one point in time, Canada was ranked as the 5th happiest country out of 147 countries across the globe. 10 years since that ranking, and Canada has dropped to 18th place...a ranking that's continued on a steady decline since 2020. But why? How do Canadians express happiness? How much of their well-being is shaped by the economy, their friends, their perception of the world around them, or all t...

It's one of the most popular social networks in the world and it's fighting for survival in both Canada and the U.S. But it appears TikTok Canada will not go down without a fight, even it means spending millions in advertisements or pulling the plug on big name sponsorships. It's all in response to the federal government's recent decision to shut down its sales office over national security concer...

In Provincial Ombudsman, Paul Dubé's, latest report, he calls on the Ford government to take a closer look at Ontario jails, sounding the alarm on what he calls a growing crisis. According to his findings, overcrowding, unlawful treatment, and the high volume of inmates awaiting trial all shine a bright light on the current realties inside some of the most secretive places in the province. But how...

There are few things more precious in this world than your morning coffee - and add that to the list of things that have become more expensive this year. So what's the cause? Are the reasons legitimate? Is it tariffs or is it greed? Host Richard Southern talks to Robert Carter, President of the Canadian Coffee Association. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episod...

Perhaps you’ve used it to help spruce up a resume, write a report or find a recipe — but have you ever turned to artificial intelligence for your mental health? A.I. therapy is a growing trend, but could turning to a bot for deeply personal life advice be a problem in itself? Host Melanie Ng speaks with psychotherapist Roxanne Francis about the benefits and potential dangers around using algorithm...

The civil service in Ottawa is bracing for layoffs. It comes after Finance Minister Francois-Phillippe Champagne was tasked with finding $25-billion dollars in savings to offset the biggest increase in defense spending in a generation. So how does that play in to our federal government's massive deficit? And how does that trickle down to you? Host Mike Eppel speaks with Dr. Wayne Petrozzi, Profess...

School is out for the summer, and for most teens, that means unlimited access to doom scrolling and binge watching! And while a little celebratory, post-exam screen time is warranted, the slippery slope of a constant screen in your teen's face presents real threats to their emotional and behavioural development. But how do we get ahead of the algorithms that are designed to keep its users engaged...

Shocking news this week out of Quebec where charges have been laid in an alleged plot involving a militia to take over a portion of Quebec City. Dozens of combat-like weapons were seized and it's alleged the group was running a recruitment strategy through Instagram. Investigators allege among the four men charged are two, active Canadian Armed Forces members but fall short of naming who, or how l...