The Big Story

For more than a year, protesters have been keeping industry away from old-growth forest on this site, and for months there have been RCMP on the scene attempting to remove them. But the story of Fairy Creek is about much more than just police against Indigenous protesters. What's really at stake as the police up their aggressiveness to attempt to clear the site, and why should all Canadians be wat...

Sunny Ways aren't going to work for Trudeau and the Liberals any longer. People are tired and angry and wondering why we're even having an election right now. Trudeau is being confronted at rallies and the Conservatives have pulled even in the polls. So what can he run on this time? Will calm leadership and a caring attitude in a crisis convince Canadians that he's the guy to look out for them whe...

It seemed in the spring that kids under 12 might have a chance at getting vaccinated before school started. But that didn't happen, and it turns out the timeline is still in flux even now. What changed? And is there any chance of shots before November? Meanwhile, can we still convince Canadians who are eligible but haven't been vaccinated to get their shots? Or have opinions hardened by now? And w...

Julian Uzielli has struggled with chronic depression for years. Like many people with mental health issues, his symptoms were exacerbated by the pandemic, and his condition eventually deteriorated to the point where he was forced to take a leave of absence from his job. Therapist appointments and regular antidepressant medications were doing little to alleviate Julian's despondency, so he began lo...

The first couple of weeks of the campaign have gone very well for the Conservative leader. He's closed a gap in the polls to a sliver, and introduced himself to Canadians who didn't really know him at all. But now comes the hard part. In the coming weeks, as more Canadians begin to follow the race, O'Toole will have to define himself in the face of Liberal attempts to define him. He'll have to wea...

'Conscience rights' are what allow health professionals to refuse to provide treatment that goes against their morals or religion. In the past this has mostly meant abortion. But recently it's been applied to medically assisted death as well. And with a vague statement in the party platform, the Conservatives handed the Liberals a wedge issue, but also potentially did much more. Could a debate ove...

After a poor showing in the 2019 election campaign—his first as NDP leader—there were questions about if Jagmeet Singh would keep his job long enough to get a second try. He has, and so far the results have been very different. What has to break right for the NDP to take aim at an upset victory? What assets do they have both in platform and personality? How should they be planning the next few wee...

Three years ago, cannabis stocks were the hottest things on the market. Weed was about to become legal in Canada and it seemed everyone was going to get rich in the process. Today, millions of grams sit untouched, going stale on shelves. Some of the industry's biggest names have gone through round after round of layoffs. And even now, almost half of the pot sold in Canada is on the black market. H...

Across the country kids are preparing to return to classrooms, and covid cases are climbing in the community. How did we manage to find ourselves in the same position this September as we did last year? What have we learned about kids and the virus since last September? How have we put that knowledge to use—or not? Is our health care system ready for a fall influx of sick kids? And what do parents...

You probably heard about it when it happened. It was called Project Endgame and it was a massive police bust on what they alleged was an illegal casino operating out of a 53-room mansion in Markham, Ontario. But even as the charges were being laid and the evidence put on display, something was already going sideways. Now almost a year later, the case is in tatters and police face misconduct allega...

A Liberal government with a big lead in the polls decides to call a snap election in the hope of securing more time in power. Then the polls start to tighten. And eventually ... it doesn't work out the way they hoped. Is the Progressive Conservative victory in Nova Scotia a sign that should worry the federal Liberals, as they try to do the same thing? How did the polls get this one wrong? And what...

The promises and criticisms aren't going anywhere. Neither is the partisanship. But there's a whole lot of uncertainty about the first federal election of the pandemic era. What happens if Covid hits a campaign, or a community hosting a leader? How is Elections Canada adjusting its plans? And did you know you can vote right now if you don't want to deal with any of it? GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, P...

There are millions of Canadians for whom the rapid fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban has been a shock. The images coming from the country right now are disturbing and will likely only get worse in the days and weeks to come. This war was the longest in Canada's history, featuring 12 years of military efforts. For America, it was two full decades. But now that the US has left the country, it's wor...

It's August. It's hot. People are on vacation. Parents are preparing for back-to-school. There's a fourth wave of COVID-19 rising. A lot of forests are on fire. And Canadians are going to the polls. Why? Is this a power grab by the federal Liberals? Or is it a critical time for Canadians to make decisions about the future of their country in the face of multiple crises? Or ... both of those things...

Food costs more. Employees aren't returning. Pandemic protocols are costly, but necessary. Indoor dining won't be full for some time yet. COVID-19 has altered the way restaurants survive and thrive — and it looks like there's no going back to the past, even after the pandemic ends. So what does the future of your local favourite look like? GUEST: Corey Mintz, food reporter, author of The Next Supp...

At the height of the pandemic last year, top public health officials were openly hoping that COVID-19 meant the end of the handshake. Even if the greeting doesn't effectively transmit the coronavirus, it's a very effective way to pass on other bacteria. After 18 months of non-contact greetings, will society at large return to shaking hands in casual settings? Will you? And will it become another b...

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a UN-sponsored body that periodically releases a synthesis of current climate science, doesn't reveal anything we didn't already know or experience. The Earth is hotter than it's ever been. Sea levels are rising and causing more extreme weather events. The report is a big deal for making the one conclusion no one can ever...

In recent weeks, as demands for a vaccine passport grow around the world, politicians are citing our rights to life, liberty and security as a reason to allow portions of our population to not be vaccinated. They say making vaccines mandatory will erode our rights, and nothing, not even a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, is worth that. We all have rights, but we also have a duty to keep each other saf...

The Liberal government has released new pay equity legislation that goes into effect on August 31. The goal is to provide all employees in a few federally regulated sectors "equal pay for work of equal value" and thus finally end a gender pay gap that hasn't been narrowed in decades. Canadian women have been waiting for this for 50 years, while many other countries have already taken proactive mea...

On November 28, 2020, a 24-year-old was arrested for installing a shunt—a wire that mimics the electrical signal of a train and causes oncoming trains to derail—along the railway tracks near Bellingham, Washington. She is now facing 20 years in prison and terror charges. Reports suggest she was acting in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en movement fighting to stop the construction of the Coastal Gas...

After nine seasons as a Toronto Raptor, Kyle Lowry is leaving for a three-year, 90 million dollar contract with the Miami Heat. He led us to our first-ever championship and along the way become the heart and soul of an entire city and country — an honour awarded to few athletes. Who was the man behind the title? How did he shape the team? And how will they go on without him? Guest: Doug Smith, Tor...

A new study by RBC found the number of people who left their jobs in June tripled compared to the same month in 2020. RBC expects 125,000 people to retire in the second half of the year as baby boomers just opt out of the daily grind. Managers are worried and trying to keep people by offering all kinds of mental health and wellness benefits. But nothing’s working because we’re still not addressing...

In recent weeks, there has been disastrous flooding in Europe, India, Arizona and in China. Summer temperatures have broken records from Canada to Pakistan. Toronto had the second worst air quality in the world because of wildfires in northern Ontario. Despite all this, we are still struggling to come to grips with the fact that we are living through a climate emergency. Why can't our brains proce...

In the pandemic's darkest months, millions of us were looking for comfort and solace. And we found it in an unlikely comedy about an American football coach going to England to coach a soccer team. But Ted Lasso's success is more than a funny script and a great cast—it's a sign that we're searching for more than an anti-hero, and as the culture gets meaner, kindness is more in demand than ever bef...

When Canada's intelligence agency warns about threats from foreign powers in the expected fall election, it's easy to assume they're referring to the kind of online meddling the United States saw from Russia in 2016. But they're not. Or at least, that's not all they're worried about. The latest warning from CSIS covers what might be called 'old-school' interference. The basics of blackmail, briber...