Podcast
The Big Story
Episodes — page 81
- Why you can't drink the water in Iqaluit right now
Early in October, some Iqaluit residents noticed something funny about their tap water — it smelled like gas. After they raised the alarm it took more than a week of varied testing…
- Why has Covid's fourth wave been so different across Canada?
Much of the Atlantic bubble is intact, but in New Brunswick, cases are spiking. Ontario has mostly escaped unscathed so far, while Saskatchewan and Alberta grapple with a wave wors…
- How will climate migration reshape Canada?
A nation of 100 million people? New towns and cities springing up in previously rural areas? A revitalized and younger workforce? As the impact of the climate era makes parts of th…
- How can we fix North American cities?
Many North American cities are locked in a damaging cycle, whereby new suburban expansion is needed to subsidize the infrastructure costs of old development. The pattern has left m…
- How Canada's Catholic Church escaped payments to residential school survivors
The Canadian government thought it was an agreement on a minor part of the settlement the church owed for its part in residential schools. The church managed to convince a court th…
- What would electoral reform in Canada look like?
The Prime Minister said in the closing days of a close campaign that he was "open" to electoral reform. That came as a surprise to the millions of people who watched him break his…
- What does Canada do with reports of UFO sightings?
The Canadian government receives more credible information regarding Unidentified Flying Objects than you'd ever imagine. And you don't see much, if any, of it. Instead, it sends r…
- How a driving instructor allegedly got away with decades of harassment and abuse
UPDATE: On Nov. 23, 2021, Crown Counsel decided not to proceed with sexual assault charges against Steve Wallace. Wallace died within days of that decision. Steve Wallace claims he…
- How the rise and fall of Ozy illustrates what's wrong with digital media
Ozy was a digital publisher that claimed to have an audience of tens of millions. Had you ever heard of them before last week? Me neither. A New York Times expose began a flood of…
- Facebook is critical infrastructure. It also knows how bad it can be for people. What happens now?
When Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp all vanished for hours on Monday, it wasn't a nefarious plan. It was a mistake. But what it revealed about how much the world has come to depe…
- How a Calgary-based proof of vaccination app was breached
Portpass was recommended to fans by the entity that owns two Calgary sports teams. They weren't alone. According to the company's estimates, more than 500,000 Canadians were using…
- A reporter's investigation into the origins of Covid-19
In the early days of the pandemic, a conspiracy theory claimed that the virus was intentionally released from a lab. It was seized upon by the worst people and drove racist scapego…
- Are unions poised for a comeback?
Private-sector union membership has declined significantly in recent decades, in part due to a vast pool of foreign labour that has left many domestic workers in constant fear of b…
- Is your employer spying on you?
If they were, you probably wouldn't know it. Since millions of white-collar workers began working from home during the pandemic, the demand for 'Tattleware' has rapidly increased.…
- How do we move past guilt and towards action on reconciliation?
It can be daunting, as a non-Indigenous Canadian to wrestle with the enormity of the crimes committed against Indigenous people by this country. And when we're asked to reflect upo…
- How vaccine passports put workers on the front lines of the pandemic fight
Most Canadian provinces now have or are planning to implement a vaccine passport. But who will have to ask for those passports? Check their authenticity? Deny service to those who…
- The two Michaels are home, but Canada still doesn't have a foreign policy on China
It's wonderful that two Canadians caught in the middle of geopolitics are home and safe after more than 1,000 days detained in China. It's not great that the circumstances of their…
- It's like Uber, but for Health Care Workers
The app is called Staffy and it was created to help the hospitality industry fill gaps in scheduling when a server or cook couldn't work. But when the pandemic began and shortages…
- "Exist in the moment": Stephen Brunt on the Blue Jays' amazing run
A month ago, they needed a miracle. Now they're in the final stages of a playoff push—and no team in their right mind wants to face the Blue Jays in the post-season. How did Toront…
- A terrifying week on campus at Western University
Western has always been known as a party school, and with that comes a culture that can lead to sexual violence. But this year's freshman orientation week ("O-week" as the school c…
