The Big Story

Last week, it came out that Wendy’s was considering using dynamic pricing, which sparked concern that would mean increased prices during peak hours. Immediately, the company was met with a deluge of criticism and they reversed their decision. While dynamic pricing is off Wendy’s menu for now, the practice is still common in everything from ride hailing services to air fare and even concert tickets...

Matt is struggling to keep up with the cost of heating his home. And he's not alone, Canadians are reporting higher energy consumption costs across the country. Jordan calls Violet Kopperson, a registered energy advisor from the Windfall Ecology Centre, to find out how Canadians can pay less to heat and cool their homes.  We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episode...

Just 20 years ago, Canadian cities were seeing a few dozen bed bug infestation reports a year. Now they get thousands—and in Toronto, tens of thousands. In Canada and around the world, the terrifying creatures are back, and they're getting stronger. (Seriously, they're becoming harder to kill, we told you this was stuff you "never wanted to know".) How did bed bugs come back to become such a huge...

Usually when both sides are mad, it's a sign of a good political compromise. But when your new housing law manages to anger both tenants and landlords over completely different parts of the same bill, that's less of a compromise and more of a mess. But Quebec's housing minister maintains the new legislation will help ease the province's growing rental and housing crisis. What's in this bill? Why d...

Whatever we've been taught, it seems like the lessons aren't sticking these days. And the most obvious result is the dramatic resurgence of a sexually transmitted infection that was once rare in this country: Syphilis. It's not the only STI with rates on the rise, but it is the most troubling—especially cases of congenital syphilis, in which a pregnant mother transfers the infection to her unborn...

Elizabeth Payne is a longtime health reporter. She knows the ins and outs of Canada's healthcare system—its triumphs and tragedies. At least, intellectually.  But when her father suffered a fall that brought him first to the emergency room, and then deeper and deeper into an overcrowded, short-staffed system that failed him even as it tried its best, she got a different kind of look at what's wron...

Recent reports have seen Russian forces make some of their biggest gains into Ukrainian territory in recent weeks, while aid for Ukraine from western allies has become harder and harder to come by. Does that mean a Russian victory is inevitable? Or does it merely signal a new phase of a conflict that will continue for some time? If Ukraine can't get help from its allies as it has since Russia's in...

When the longtime CBC news anchor began his career as a reporter in the early 1970's, giving people the news was among the most trusted and important occupations in the country. When he retired in 2017, it was the era of "fake news", as trust in the media was at an all-time low. Seven years later, it's even lower than that. So what happened? Did the media lose people's trust? Did the internet do i...

Most people would support the concept of preventing children from accessing online pornography. But the devil is in the details. How exactly do you do that? And what level of privacy will you ask adults to give up to make it happen. A bill currently sitting in committee has this very goal, but no details yet to go with it. It may involve asking sites like industry leader PornHub to take access use...

In early February, a man was stabbed at what was believed to be an illegal rooming house in Toronto. A few weeks earlier, a fire at another left one person dead. The city says it can't count the number of illegal rooming houses that exist right now. And the people who live in them often pay a lot of money for a small room and what can be unsafe living conditions. And they don't have a lot of optio...

Every criminal case up for trial needs a judge. But in Canada, not every case gets one. Recent years have seen a severe and growing shortage of judges across many levels of the justice system—in some cases this means cases that have waited years for a trial must be thrown out.  Not only does this mean people accused of serious crimes simply walk free, it means that potentially innocent people are...

Welcome to the first feedback episode of The Big Story. Today lead producer Joe Fish and host Jordan Heath-Rawlings go through your comments, questions and concerns to shed a little light on TBS listeners, how we make the show and what you think of some of our topics and guests.  We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at hello@...

Jennie has been searching for a one-bedroom condo in Vancouver for over two years. Despite having money for a downpayment, her search has been largely unsuccessful. Now, she's wondering if home ownership is really the best option. Jordan calls Dr. Tom Davidoff, housing economist and real estate development expert, to find out if buying a condo is a good investment in today's market.  We love feedb...

It can -- but the better question might be: Is it something that could be used against you? The technology does exist to use a sample to create a sketch of a person's face, but there are doubts about its accuracy, and how much value it provides. But that hasn't stopped police from taking these sketches and running them through facial recognition software. Searching for ... someone who looks like t...

When Toronto's mayor presented her budget on Wednesday, the city's police services got everything they had asked for, with Olivia Chow retreating from her original plans to fund a smaller increase. Across Canada, police budgets continue to increase by millions of dollars per year, as the associations representing the police effectively lobby politicians and the public—often with vague warnings abo...

There's simply never been a Canadian sex survey that's comprehensive, scientific and intimate all at once. For decades we've relied on data from the United States, unscientific surveys thrown together by brands around Valentine's Day or specific looks at one narrow aspect of sexuality—such as contraception or monogamy. In her new book released today, Sex in Canada: The Who, Why, When, and How of G...

Cory Doctorow is one of the world's leading technology journalists and activists. Some of his specialties include information security, fraud and technology. He's written books about these things. And a little while ago...he got scammed. Totally ripped off. The lesson is an old one: If it can happen to him, it can happen to you. But it's also bigger than that. How quickly are fraudsters evolving t...

Last year, small business insolvencies hit a level not seen in more than a decade. And that was before this January's deadline to repay pandemic relief loans in order to have some portion of them forgiven. Most businesses haven't seen pre-pandemic levels of business return—and inflation coupled with high interest rates mean consumers have less and less money to spend. How precarious are the indepe...

Kacey and her partner just welcomed a new baby girl into their lives. And with this bundle of joy has also  come a ton of new expenses. Jordan talks to money expert and mom of two, Melissa Leong, to find out how new parents are making it work.  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 @theb...

It would have to be quite the drug, right? Actually, no. While these are real health problems, with many of the impacts of a chronic physical illness, the fix isn't a new pharmaceutical. It's a new approach to a cure as old as society itself—social interaction with one's community. The problem is, lots of people who struggle with isolation might not have the means or ability to simply get out and...

There was once a memorable slogan, used by everyone from booksellers to presidents, that proclaimed "the world needs more Canada". Now, in an era defined by chaos and conflicts, climate change and a return of authoritarian politics, what role should Canada play? Traditionally, our country has had an outsized presence on the global stage—at least when compared to our population and our tiny militar...

Men are this way, and women are that way. Entire careers in industries ranging from self-help to advertising to standup comedy have been based on this premise. Superficially, it can sometimes be sort of true. But generally, when it comes to political ideology, it hasn't been. Until now. It's a very recent phenomenon, but it's pronounced. And it's accelerating—the percentage of young men and women...

In much of the world, fertility rates are falling—but very few countries have seen theirs fall as far and as fast as Canada. With just 1.33 children per woman, we're not close to a stable level, meaning that without immigration Canada's population will decline. Why aren't Canadians having more kids? Do we need to? How did fertility rate become such a polarizing statistic? And if we did want Canadi...

Since October 7, there has been no shortage of reporting about Israel's invasion of Gaza. And the death toll keeps climbing. But what has been rare are firsthand accounts of daily life in the region. Today, our guests describes being in Gaza on October 7, the days that followed, as well as what's missing from the mainstream reporting and why. GUEST: Louis Baudoin-Laarman, Doctors Without Borders C...

Lynda has a dental emergency and is struggling to cover the cost of treatment.  Jordan speaks with Dr. Carlos Quiñonez to figure out how Canadians can get the dental care they need right now.  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