The Big Story

It's the kind of hyperbolic claim usually made by partisan contenders: "This is the most important election of your life" or "This year, democracy is on the ballot". But with candidates who deny the results of the 2020 presidential election running in races across the United States—and some of them poised to take over posts literally overseeing vote counting in future elections—non-partisan instit...

When someone steals your credit card information and uses it to buy or order things, you almost always get your money back. It's one of the reasons people trust credit cards, and policies have been in place for decades. But now a new form of payment is on the rise — the e-Transfer — and with it money can be sent between accounts in seconds. The kicker? There are none of the policies that credit ca...

Every day, Covid mutates. Many times. Most of the mutations are harmless or ineffective. Some—as everyone knows by now—are not, and can evade immunity and change the virus to better infect humans. Right now, doctors in Canada are worried about emerging variants spiking infections this fall. But how worried should they be? Today we'll go inside the network of scientists that coordinate their effort...

So are women, by the way. So is everyone, regardless of gender. For years, studies have shown that young people aren't having as much sex as in generations past. So it's not a surprise. But a recent study sparked a discussion around what young men, in particular, might do if they can't find a partner.  The numbers were used as the basis for the increasing number of shootings in the United States,...

Interest rates have risen again. Inflation has not declined. Almost everything costs more right now, especially groceries. Meanwhile, in the wake of two major companies announcing temporary price freezes within hours of one another, Canada's competition bureau has announced its intention to study why grocery prices are so high, and if having more players in the market would lower them. Are higher...

It seemed like there was a fight for the soul of the party that also governs the province. Until there wasn't. A week before the vote, the challenger with all the momentum was disqualified from the race, paving the way for longtime MLA David Eby to become leader, and the province's premiere. So what happened? What was the split dividing the party, and how did the contest come to such an abrupt end...

Our friends across the pond are about to have their third Prime Minister in two months, without an election. Boris Johnson was finally ousted, only to be replaced by Liz Truss, who managed to tank the economy before resigning last week. Now Rishi Sunak is set to take on the role, and the Conservatives hope he'll hold it until a general election that's still ... 18 months away. But why is an electi...

There's a reason OnlyFans almost banned the content that drives the vast majority of its revenue last year. It's the same reason sex workers who sell content online speak in code on social media and sometimes call themselves "accountants". If identified as someone who sells adult content, all of a sudden any financial transaction can become ten times harder, even simple things like banking or buyi...

Covid is only part of the problem. For any musical act that hasn't hit 'star' status, the current reality of putting together a tour, and keeping it on the road, is basically a highwire act. And one that can very easily lose money rather than make it. Why is it so tough to perform live music right now? Who's cancelling tours and why? And what happens to Canadian music if only the superstars can af...

A week into an inquiry looking into the so-called 'Freedom Convoy''s occupation of Ottawa, and the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act, and we've already heard several stunning revelations. It's clear there's a whole lot more to come. So what do you need to know about how this works? Who will testify? What we have learned so far and what are we still hoping to find out? And what, if an...

Mahsa Amini was not the first woman, not even close, to be arrested by Iran's morality police for how she wore her hijab But when she died in police custody, a 22 year old, full of life, snuffed out. A spark was lit. More than one month later, protests continue to rage across the country, and the regime's brutal crackdowns have not stamped them out. What happens next is unclear, but the situation...

Last week, a Swiss bank's annual ranking put Toronto No. 1 and Vancouver No. 6 on its list of the world's top housing bubbles. And although both cities have seen home prices decline this year, it's nowhere near close to matching their recent gains. So ... is this really a bubble, or will we not know until, oops, it pops? What does a popped housing bubble actually look like in cities with limited s...

The world needs Canadian grain more than ever. And they are buying it, providing a huge boost to prairie economies. This year, a bumper crop could be even better than 2021. If only we can get it all to market. For the past few weeks, train companies have not been able to provide enough cars to move all the grain that's needed to port. And when the beginning of the supply chain stalls, it creates h...

All across North America, malls are vanishing. Some are simply being demolished, others are turning into condo complexes or Amazon warehouses. The rise of online shopping has made them less necessary for simply acquiring goods, but that was never all that malls were for. When was the last time you just browsed? Wandered a store with no particular purchase in mind, hoping to find something cool? Or...

When Laura Robinson began reporting about violence and sexual assault in Canadian junior hockey, resistance was fierce, including from the country's top commentator. But the years have obviously proven her correct, and exposed for all to see just what happens in locker rooms, buses and hotel suites. Now that Hockey Canada's leadership has resigned, Robinson explains the long road to what she hopes...

Toronto will vote in less than two weeks. Well, some of Toronto will vote. Less than a majority of citizens, that's for sure. And the outcome of the most important race is all but guaranteed already.  Why don't more Canadians care about municipal politics? Even when their vote directly impacts the services they get? Even when the winners will be tasked with reshaping the biggest city in the countr...

It's not a crime to claim asylum in Canada. It's a process. But that hasn't stopped the Canadian Border Services Agency from using an agreement with several provinces to put some of these people directly into provincial jails, where they are housed with, and treated the same as, convicted criminals and those charged with serious crimes and awaiting trial.  The asylum seekers describe inhumane cond...

It's the morning of June 16th, 1987, in Nashville, Tennessee. Shortly after midnight, firefighters are called to a blaze at Emmanuel Church of Christ. What they find in the ashes would change this small Pentecostal congregation forever.  Thirty-five years later, Tara Jean Stevens begins to unravel this shocking crime. On the journey with her is Sharon Edwards. She was just a kid when the fire tore...

Bananas are the cheapest fruit around, and Canadians eat them by the millions. In fact during the pandemic and our current spike of inflation, bananas have only become cheaper—one of just a handful of foods to do so. But even still, some Canadians are choosing to pay more for their bananas. Why? The answer involves a long and difficult history of the banana trade, and a Montreal company with one g...

Canada has promised to reach Net Zero emissions from our grids by 2035. At the same time, as ordinary Canadians transition to things like electric vehicles and home heat pumps, we're going to need more power. Like, a lot more. So how do we scale up the system at the same time as making it cleaner? How much time do we have? What sacrifices might we have to make? And who pays the bill in the end? GU...

Almost two weeks after Fiona hit Atlantic Canada, many communities are still picking up the pieces. In others, there are very few pieces to pick up—because homes and businesses are just ... gone. Thousands are still without power, and don't know when or if they'll return to their communities. As the scale of the destruction becomes clear, what does the rest of Canada need to know about what happen...

Asked to picture the hottest economy in the country, your mind goes to one of two places—the skyscrapers of Toronto's financial district, or the oil fields and towns of Alberta. But not this time. Over the past couple of years, and particularly since this February, global events have made certain industries more precarious; certain commodities harder to easily obtain. And into that breach has step...

Last week, the creative AI DALL-E opened to everyone wanting to use it. The program, which returns images based on text prompts provided by the user, has created mesmerizing tableaus from the gorgeous to the obscene, and it gets better all the time. But is this art? If not, why not?  Creative AI is simply the most visible aspect of an AI revolution that has taken major steps over the past couple o...

Indigenous artists are some of the world's most talented, and their unique pieces are highly valued for their creativity and culture. Unless they're not unique at all. Fraud is a huge problem, particularly in tourist areas where visitors will often want to bring home a mask or carving, and will be sold a fake duplicate of an artist's original work. Today we'll meet a man who has taken on the thank...

As Canada's health-care system fails, more and more people will be willing to pay up to avoid the most overcrowded and underserviced parts of it. While no politician will come out in favour of privatizing health care, you do here a lot about "looking for innovative solutions"—which can often mean a second, paid tier. Is this a viable solution to some of the system's burden? Or is it the beginning...