The Big Story

This episode contains conversations about mental health, suicide, and sexual assault. Please take care. Kids Help Phone, a service offering free, mental health service over the phone or online to youth across Canada, has had a spike in overnight calls-- the most dramatic increase in their more than three-decade history. The reasons are various, but the need is great, putting strain on the service'...

Plus: Montreal’s police chief plans to provide an update on a patrol unit that disbanded in June over serious allegations, the Conservative leader writes a letter to the Prime Minister on the response to tariffs from the U.S., a toddler grounds a flight in Victoria, football officials push for heavier consequences for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and investigative genetic genealogy is used to...

It's taken Toronto Police more than 20 years to charge a suspect in the murder of Patrick Santos, a 21 year old Scarborough man that was found zip-tied and duck taped in his home in 2006.  Investigative genetic genealogy was able to match the DNA sample taken from the crime scene to that of Pierre O'Connor, a Hamilton man who had no previous criminal record. Host Maria Kestane speaks to Fil Martin...

Enjoy this special feed drop from our sister show "In This Economy?!" OpenAI recently went rogue, hacking into an AI start-up in a matter of hours. It stunned some – even those in the tech industry – but it also opened the door to a series of new questions as companies and consumers rely more and more on the technology. Host Kris McCusker gets some perspective on what it really means from Charles...

Plus: Meta is ordered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars after it was found liable for contributing to the mental health crisis in children, new salary cap circumvention allegations against the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard, a study finds a type of transmissible cancer in catfish may be more widespread than previously thought, and why are so many Canadian workers leaving some of their...

When was the last time you took a day off? Went on vacation? Gave yourself an extra-long weekend? If it's been a while, well, you're not alone.  A recent survey showed that 4 in 10 Canadians aren't using all the personal time off they're allowed from their job. And in doing so, essentially giving themselves a pay-cut, otherwise known as paying the "time-off tax." It's certainly not that people don...

Plus: Canada establishes a registry to track foreign influence, WestJet flight attendants’ union shares details of its new deal with the airline, Prime Minister Mark Carney suggests his government’s shutdown of plans to allow jets at a downtown Toronto airport may not be a permanent rejection, a multi-million-dollar contract is awarded to build a laboratory in Winnipeg that will prepare for future...

Perhaps you've heard one on the radio, or got one before a video online, or maybe even seen one on transit, but ads for full-body MRIs are everywhere these days. They tell you to book an appointment, selling it as a preventative measure to catch something early. But it's not something that's actually recommended by any medical association—anywhere. So why have they become so popular?  Host Caryn C...

Plus: An Ontario city deals with the impact of historic floods, wildfire damage in B.C. is assessed with hot days in the forecast, Canadians look at cutting back their insurance to save money in the short term, and how will Israel and Hamas resolve their stalemate on the road to peace in Gaza? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through e...

US President Trump touted about a 'great breakthrough' in a deal to bring peace to Gaza, although the two main characters in the fight seem to remain in a deadlock on who moves first. Hamas says Israel will have to withdraw forces before they disarm, meanwhile Israel says Hamas needs to disarm before they withdraw. Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Nader Hashemi, a professor of Middle East politics at G...

Plus: A Canadian astronaut gets ready to head to the International Space Station, a closed Ontario theme park ships more whales to the U.S., two flight school planes collide midair in B.C., and could the FIFA president’s failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup end his tenure as the most powerful man in soccer? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You c...

FIFA President Gianni Infantino had plans to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors, including the brother of U.S. President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. In response, UEFA had vowed to boycott soccer's biggest tournament should the deal go through. A few days later, Infantino backed down.  Guest host Devang Desai speaks to Helen Jefferson Lenskyj, professor emerita at the U...

Enjoy this special feed drop from our sister show 'In This Economy?!'. Back in June of 2021, the federal government legalized single-event sports betting in Canada, birthing a multi-billion dollar industry basically overnight. Licenses began being granted in Ontario the next year, with formerly off-shore companies rushing into Canada to apply. Now, just this past month, Alberta has decided it too...

Plus: A positive update on the health of the Canadian economy, a Canadian national detained on spying charges in Belgium wants out of pretrial detention, Prime Minister Mark Carney throws his support behind a multi-billion-dollar port expansion plan in Vancouver, European soccer’s governing body votes to boycott FIFA tournaments over an equity selloff plan, and the Odyssey sees box office success...

It's been a box office and critical success, and theatres are packed to the brim for weeks to come as audiences pack cinemas to go see Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey". But if you spend much time on Elon Musk's X, formerly twitter, this information might surprise you. That's because Musk has been championing an online, right-wing movement to boycott the movie because of its casting diversity. He...

Plus: WestJet and its flight attendants’ union issue dueling strike and lockout notices, Prime Minister Mark Carney isn’t planning to use Canadian oil exports to the U.S. as leverage in trade negotiations, a New Brunswick politician calls the AI prompts he accidentally left in a speech to the provincial legislature a “learning experience”, Toronto’s fire chief calls lithium-ion battery fires the g...

Looksmaxxing. It's a term that's started to pop up everywhere, made popular by social media personalities like Braden Eric Peters, also known as "Clavicular." And as it's started to bleed into our common parlance, you can pretty much "-maxx" anything these days, as the concept turns into a kind of joke. But the normalization of the term hides a darker and dangerous connection to the ideas surround...

Plus: The latest on revenue-sharing from the Gordie Howe bridge, actor Jared Leto is accused of sexual misconduct involving teenage girls, Prime Minister Mark Carney makes a housing announcement in Alberta, and what does Alberta’s decision to allow patients to pay out-of-pocket for surgery mean for the future of healthcare in Canada? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for fu...

Starting in the fall, Albertans will be able to pay out of pocket for surgery. The government of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the move will allow people to get off waitlists, thereby getting people the surgeries they need while also shortening lists for those who can't pay. Critics, however, say it creates a health system that prioritizes the rich over the poor, and siphons resources from t...

Plus: A study finds emergency room doctors across Canada are quitting, a wildfire in France stops growing just before a major heat wave rolls in, a Canadian with ties to China is arrested in Belgium on spying charges, a New York town honours a Canadian girl who was found dead there last year, and the debate over medical assistance in dying in Canada. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as s...

This episode contains discussion of mental illness, suicide, and death. Please take care. MAiD has caused contentious debate across Canada for years. This year marks 10 years since Ottawa allowed for certain adults to apply for medically assisted death, and since then there has been push to expand eligibility - beyond track two - to include those whose sole reason for application is mental illness...

Plus: crime rates in Canada are down for the second straight year, a poll finds many Canadians want Ottawa to retaliate against tariff threats from the U.S., three federal by-elections will be held at the end of next month, and the suspect in a terror attack at Berlin Pride celebrations is shot dead by police. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can f...

US President Trump echoed his promise to retaliate against Canada for our wildfire smoke drifting south. It comes as more than 900 fires actively burn across the country, with a number of communities evacuated from their homes. But the severity of our wildfire season should come as no surprise given Canada's track record since 2023. Yet somehow, the response from provinces and territories doesn't...

Enjoy this special feed drop from our sister show 'In This Economy?!'. The biggest World Cup ever is over – with 13 matches played on Canadian soil. The Canadian men’s team saw a fair bit of success on the pitch, but it’s more difficult to define success for the host cities, Vancouver and Toronto. Many contend there were some big positives to come out of the event – some of them unexpected. In thi...

Plus: B.C. businesses can access to a billion-dollar regional emergency fund if Canada-focused tariffs go into effect next month, Canadian officials celebrate the Gordie Howe International Bridge’s upcoming opening without their U.S. counterparts on hand, Alberta’s opposition leader raises concerns over the cost of the separation referendum, the Maritimes move to create a new regional electricity...