The Big Story

Depending on which columnist you read or pundit you watch, it seems likely that Canada is headed for a recession in the not-too-distant future. People treat that word like it's the end of days, and many Canadians will definitely be feeling the pinch, but there are also things you can do that may mitigate the strain a recession will put on your personal finances.  What those precautionary steps loo...

To be famous now, all you really need is an iphone, a TikTok account and some creativity. Gone were the days when celebrity status was dependent on starring film roles, or recording contracts, and the lowered barriers to entry have been great news for voices, like BIPOC or LGBTQ+ people who have long been excluded from the popular discourse. Has this increased access to celebrity caused a dilution...

Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth is a family physician in Ottawa who was thrust into the limelight early on in the Covid-19 pandemic, when she was vocal in advocating for greater PPE access for physicians. She later shifted her focus towards vaccine access, and recently threatened to sue the Ontario government if they continued to limit booster access to those above the age of 65. Dr. Kaplan-Myrth joined us...

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many to quit their jobs. We know it as The Great Resignation. And while the pandemic was clearly the catalyst that pushed many across the world to re-evaluate their relationship with work, it likely wasn't the only factor. The biggest culprit might be stress, and it's actually the precursor to burning out.  Today, we're exploring burning out at work, what it means, how...

At the end of June, we released the 1000th episode of The Big Story, which felt like a huge accomplishment. From our team to you, here's a little message to show our appreciation.  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

Long lines. Flight delays and cancellations. Lost and missing luggage.  Airports in Canada have been a mess, for weeks now. And it'll likely stay this way until September, experts warn.  One way to avoid travel disappointment at airports in Canada and elsewhere, is simple: just don't take flights. Explore your own backyard!  But, if you must travel by airline, we've got you covered with a survival...

This week, the Council of the Federation, a group consisting of all 13 Canadian provincial and territorial leaders, met in Victoria B.C. to discuss a whole host of issues. At the top of the list: healthcare. The Canadian medical system has had issues coping with demand since long before the pandemic, but Covid-19 has pushed an already struggling system to the brink. Now, with rampant staffing shor...

On Monday, Ottawa called Canada's telecom giants to the table to talk about ways to prevent future large scale disruptions like Friday's nationwide Rogers outage, demanding a plan from telecom providers within 60 days.  On top of that, the CRTC, Canada's regulatory agency for broadcast and telecommunications has launched an investigation. But many of us are still feeling the sting from being disco...

Their names were Anastasia Kuzyk, Nathalie Warmerdam and Carol Culleton, and on September 22, 2015, all three were killed by the same man, within hours of one another. The perpetrator had a history of abusive behaviour towards these women, and demonstrated a pattern of violent conduct spanning the last forty years. That makes this crime both predictable, and preventable; a devastating thought for...

After nearly 50 years, the repeal of Roe v Wade happened on June 24th. Immediately reproductive rights advocates, took to the streets in America to protest the U.S. Supreme Court's decision. Here in Canada, and across the world, people also took to the streets in solidarity... on both sides of the issue. In Canada the worry isn’t as much over losing the right to abortion…in 1988 abortion was decri...

(This is the final part of a five-part series called Interconnected, detailing how technology is changing humanity.) When you were a child, did you have limits on the amount of TV you could watch? Or video or computer games you could play? Too much of that stuff "would rot your brain", right? It was universally accepted that too much screen time would hinder kids development. But is that still tru...

(This is part four in a five-part series called Interconnected, detailing how technology is changing humanity.) The Lomi is a high-tech composter made by a Canadian company. It looks elegant and sleek. It claims to turn your leftover organic waste into compost, with no mess, no smell and no need to feel "gross"—which is how it assumes everyone feels about garbage. But does it work? Will its compos...

(This is part three in a five-part series called Interconnected, detailing how technology is changing humanity.) Do you know how much sleep you got last night? How much of it was REM sleep? What was your heart rate? Should you be worried if it was high? Just how fit are you, exactly? Many of us know more about ourselves—from exercise habits, to vital signs, to where we go and how fast we get there...

(This is part two in a five-part series called Interconnected, detailing how technology is changing humanity.) We tend to think of algorithms as something hidden and unknowable, at least to us. But of course they are not. Algorithms are tools, and humans are tool-users. And right now there are organizations and people using these tools to hack away at the social and political ties that bind us all...

(This is part one in a five-part series called Interconnected, detailing how technology is changing humanity.) Have you by any chance been struggling to focus recently? Maybe you used to read long books, or dive into old hobbies and learning new things, and now that feels a lot harder than it should. You are not alone. Research shows that we are suffering through a profound loss of attention, and...

Under the shadow of the MacKay Bridge in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the protest camp of Eddy Carvery has stood firm as the longest civil rights protest in North American history.   Eddy has remained in defiance for nearly half a century. In this episode, Eddy introduces us to the protest that has defined his adult life. The fight to claim the land of Africville back for its people. If you care about ra...

According to race-based data released by the Toronto Police Service earlier this month, Black people and other people of colour are disproportionately over-policed compared to white people.  The data found that people of colour were 1.2 to 1.6 times more likely to face force when engaging with Toronto police in 2020.  Alongside the release of these findings, which the police service was mandated t...

You will no doubt be shocked to learn that the federal liberal government may have tried to politically influence an agency that should be independent. Who would have thought? Evidence released at an inquiry into the Portapique massacre seems to indicate that government officials the RCMP commissioner to release information about a weapon used by the shooter. We don't know yet if the request came...

Lately we've been wondering: why are we so distracted all the time? Always on our phones, tracking steps, anxious about the future, angry about politics? It probably has something to do with the leap we made into the digital world in 2020 — a rapid acceleration of what has been a slow process for most of our lives. But we wanted to know — what is it doing to us as a species? Because it feels like...

The City of Ottawa paid millions of dollars for train cars that wouldn't run in the winter. The doors stuck if people tried to open them to get out. One derailment shut down the system for weeks on end. The story of what should have been the crown jewel of Ottawa's transit system is a tragic comedy. But as an inquiry right now is demonstrating, it's also a lesson to other Canadian cities. Because...

A leaked intelligence document suggests that the vast majority of protesters planning to be at Parliament Hill on Canada Day will be peaceful. Many of the organizers say the same. But not everyone... The document also warns of extremist elements that are trending towards hatred and violence. Will we see these people at what is usually a happy celebration? Are police prepared this time to prevent a...

“Don't get into a vehicle with a driver you don't know.” This was the golden rule Don Young taught his daughter, Lisa Marie Young. But twenty years ago, on June 29th 2002, Lisa broke her father's rule. She got into a red Jaguar driven by a charming young man and was never seen alive again. Where is Lisa?: Red Jag Guy marks the 20th anniversary of Young's disappearance with a two-part story of the...

At some point the "how did we get here?" questions about the current state of inflation become less relevant than "how do I deal with this?" With inflation reaching its highest point since the early 1980's this week, and little relief in sight, that time is now for many of us. We've done episodes about the Why and How and what happens next, but today we're trying to prepare for what we're going to...

By now, you might be familiar with images of RCMP officers using an axe to break down the door of a tiny house built by Indigenous land defenders on Wet'suwet'en territory. The structure was part of a camp that was blocking access to a site run by Coastal GasLink, who is currently building a natural gas pipeline through the territory, without the blessing of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs.  Th...

Canada's Supreme Court said "yes," back in a May ruling. Now the federal government is tabling a bill to say "no," in June. The defence itself is narrow and nuanced, but the idea of allowing intoxicated people to to shirk responsibility in court is highly divisive. So what is the actual definition of "self-induced extreme intoxication"? What happened in the cases that set this precedent? And what...