10/3: Canada Covered

In the debate over provincial restrictions to stem the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been holdouts. Restaurants who ignore bans on indoor dining, hair salons cutting instead of closing. And there have been churches keeping their pews filled instead of abiding by capacity restrictions or moving services to the web.   

In Alberta, one Edmonton-area church has become a flashpoint in the COVID culture war between the power of the government to impose restrictions and the rights of those opposed to them. 

Edmonton Journal justice reporter Jonny Wakefield walks us through the history of GraceLife Church, why the community is opposed to limits on worship, and how it could be following a template set out by the pastor at a California mega-church. 

Background reading: How an Edmonton-area church became the centre of Alberta's COVID-19 fight 

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Canada’s economy may have slowed through the pandemic, but the housing market has remained hot. 

And, unlike past years where price increases have been focused on major centres, we’re seeing growth right across the country, due in part to an exodus to the suburbs. 

Tristin Hopper from the National Post explains why people are flocking to smaller centres, how that’s affecting the market across the country, and whether this is a bubble that could eventually burst. 

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While the country has been consumed with COVID-19, a deadly epidemic continued unabated. 

Drug overdose deaths linked to the opioid crisis hit record levels in 2020, in part due to the pandemic, and 2021 is shaping up to be another tragic year. 

Alanna Smith, who covers the opioid crisis for the Calgary Herald, joins the show to discuss the role the pandemic played in a spike in overdoses, what is being done now to limit the death toll, and what’s behind the push to explore safe supply programs and decriminalization. 

Background reading: How COVID-19 overshadowed the worst year on record for overdose deaths 

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The COVID-19 outbreak that has hit the Vancouver Canucks has shown the virulence of the virus and how vulnerable league play is in the face of a pandemic.

With the playoffs looming, many are wondering how the league is going to mitigate the danger.

Postmedia national hockey writer Michael Traikos joins the show to discuss the impact of the Canucks outbreak, what it means for the rest of the season, and how the NHL could be preparing for the playoffs.

Background reading: COVID-19: Canucks winger Jake Virtanen joins NHL protocol list amid variant confusion

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After a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Canadians are feeling the fatigue, but even as vaccines are rolling out, a third wave is setting in. 

Variant strains have cropped up and appear to be affecting younger people, and it has now become a race between the variants and the vaccines. 

National Post health reporter Sharon Kirkey walks us through why the variants have changed the face of the pandemic, why it’s crucial to get more vaccines to more Canadians, and what’s driving vaccine hesitancy in this country. 

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The Supreme Court of Canada recently held up the federal government’s carbon pricing scheme, striking down challenges from three provinces. 

While the majority of justices felt the plan was in the national concern, those in opposition felt it “rejects the Constitution and rewrites the rules of confederation,” while stepping into provincial jurisdiction. 

Columnist Sean Speer walks us through the significance of the minority opinion on the court, the Justice who penned it, and what it could mean for the conservative legal movement in Canada and future debates over the powers of the federal government. 

Background reading: The Supreme Court Justice who's not afraid to shake things up 

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As we spend more of our lives online, people are looking at more ways to make money online. 

From delivering food, to being a YouTube star, to turning your instagram following into cash, the platform economy is growing, and the taxman wants his cut. 

National Post politics reporter Christopher Nardi walks us through how lucrative business is for some influencers, how Canada Revenue Agency put a team together to track posts from social media influencers, and the ways in which people have been caught ducking their taxes. 

Background reading: The CRA is watching you — Auditors scouring social media for unreported income from influencers

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The killing of Colten Boushie and the trial of Gerald Stanley raised concerns about rural crime and racism across Canada. 

But the RCMP also faced scrutiny from the start, and new reports offer condemnation of how police handled the homicide investigation, and how they treated Boushie’s family. 

Saskatoon Star Phoenix reporter Thia James walks through why these reviews were conducted what the reports into the RCMP investigation dug up, and what it means to Boushie’s family. 

Background reading: Watchdog reports find RCMP discriminated against Colten Boushie's family following shooting death 

'We were never going to be swept away': Colten Boushie's mother encourages others to continue fighting injustice 

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Alberta Premier Jason Kenney won a decisive victory in 2019 on the strength of his messaging about the economy and jobs and being a stronger option than the NDP. 

 

Halfway through his mandate, and a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, support for the government has dropped and even the party’s base is frustrated. 

 

Calgary Sun columnist Rick Bell joins the show to discuss when things started to turn for the UCP, why voters are frustrated, and what Kenney could do to turn things around. 

Background reading: Bell: Jason Kenney wants to change the channel 

Bell: Premier Kenney, it's wakey-wakey time 

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Subject of a lot of scrutiny last summer, the founders of WE Charity, Marc and Craig Kielburger, again found themselves before a house of commons committee this week. 

MPs continued to question the brothers about how WE Charity operated and communicated with the government and they responded with accusations that their charity is being dragged through the mud in a “political trial.” 

National Post Reporter Brian Platt walks us through why this issue is lingering from last year, what the committee is trying to uncover, and whether there were any new revelations. 

Background reading: Kielburgers accuse MPs of subjecting them to political 'trial' and destroying WE Charity 

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