Could the Canadian curse finally lift in the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

It’s been 30 years since a team from this side of the border hoisted the top prize in hockey, and heading into the second round, two Canadian teams were being eyed by oddsmakers as the favourites to make the finals.

Postmedia national sports writer Scott Stinson joins the show to discuss why a Canadian team winning the Stanley Cup is a perennial topic, what makes the Leafs and Oilers the favourites, and what it could mean to Toronto or Edmonton to have their team take the league title.

Background reading: Maple Leafs favoured to win the Stanley Cup in latest odds

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Polls show Alberta’s election will be a close race, and could ultimately come down to which leader voters like more.

UCP leader Danielle Smith and NDP leader Rachel Notley are definitely political opposites, but as people? They may not be as different as you’d imagine.

National Post reporter, and producer of this podcast, Tyler Dawson joins the show to discuss how each leader got her political start, how those closest to them would describe the leaders, and how the election could hinge on personal popularity.

Background reading: The comeback queens: Rachel Notley vs Danielle Smith in the battle for Alberta

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Albertans go to the polls in late May, but the campaign is already in full swing.

Danielle Smith’s UCP and Rachel Notley’s NDP are jockeying for position in what polls are showing is going to be an extremely tight race for control of the legislature.

Edmonton Journal legislature reporters Matthew Black and Lisa Johnson join the show to break down key issues of the campaign, which ridings could be close, and why the battle will largely be fought over Calgary.

Background reading: UCP and NDP both pledge personal income tax freeze

Smith defends taxpayer dollars for Calgary arena infrastructure as NDP calls for transparency

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You’ve seen the headlines: Teen fatally stabbed on Transit in B.C., a man seriously injured after being knifed while waiting for a bus in Edmonton, a woman dying after being set on fire in Toronto.

From coast to coast, Canada has seen an uptick in what police are calling unprovoked stranger attacks. They’re not just happening in big cities either.

National Post reporter Tristin Hopper joins the show to discuss what’s driving these sometimes deadly assaults, what it has meant to how safe Canadians feel, and what can be done to address the issue.

Background reading: Background reading: Canada is seeing violent crime like never before. What's behind the wave of killings and attacks

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Are social media apps like TikTok causing users to exhibit signs of disorders like Tourette’s or other conditions?

Or because people seem to congregate in communities online, is social media just amplifying what’s already there?

National Post reporter Tyler Dawson, who also produces this podcast, joins the show to discuss research showing young people are acquiring symptoms via social media use, what may be causing these tics, and whether some people are faking symptoms for online clout. 

Background reading: Your kid suddenly has Tourette’s? 'TikTok tics' may be to blame

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Nearly three years after Canada’s worst mass killing, a report looking into the RCMP response has been released.

The Mass Casualties Commission report has laid blame on the RCMP’s handling of the incident and suggested sweeping police reform.

National Post political reporter Ryan Tumilty joins the show to discuss where the inquiry found the RCMP failed, what changes it recommends to the national police force, and whether there is political will for major reform.

Background reading: Key witnesses ignored, no warnings: N.S. mass shooting inquiry lays blame on RCMP

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This is a story of the Sixties Scoop. Of a family torn apart and separated for decades before being reunited.

This is also a story of identity, and the long-lasting effects that these separations can have on a family.

London Free Press reporter Randy Richmond joins the show to discuss how one family was separated by the Sixties Scoop, ultimately re-united and how they had to reckon with their own histories, and come to terms with trauma and tragedy.

Background reading: The boy with two names: A scattered family, a nation's shame, a death in jail

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A number of NHL players have kicked off controversy by refusing to wear rainbow-themed jerseys as part of their teams’ Pride Night festivities.

It has put the notion of the players’ individual beliefs at odds with the league’s attempts to grow the game, and make more people feel included in the hockey world.

Postmedia national sports columnist Scott Stinson joins the show to discuss how the NHL has responded to these cases, what the refusal means to the league’s efforts for inclusivity, and what more can be done to promote the message that hockey is in fact for everyone.

Background reading: NHL's Pride Nights were to send a message of inclusivity. They are doing the opposite

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As calls grow for more action from the Liberal government on allegations of election interference by China, there were new developments this week.

The PMO released the mandate for special rapporteur David Johnston and, after several days of pushing back against the suggestion, it was announced Justin Trudeau’s chief of staff would appear before MPs looking into the issue.

National Post political reporter Bryan Passifiume joins the show to discuss what Johnston will be looking into, what we hope to learn from Telford’s appearance at committee, and whether it’s likely we’ll see a public inquiry into election interference.

Background reading: PMO releases mandate for 'special rapporteur' tasked with probing foreign interference allegations

Trudeau's chief of staff Katie Telford to testify on foreign interference at committee: PMO

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They’re potentially lurking in grasslands and forests across several provinces, prepared to cause devastation, eating and digging their way through crops and gardens, and could even wind up in our cities.

Wild hogs are a growing problem in Canada, especially on the prairies, where they’ve become an invasive species.

Tyler Dawson, National Post reporter and producer of this podcast, joins the show to discuss how wild hogs have thrived here, why they’re such a pesky animal to deal with, and why our neighbours to the south are worried about a porcine invasion.

Background reading: Latest border-crossing crisis for U.S.: a potential flood of Canadian 'super pigs'

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