We explore the cost of delayed Olympic dreams, as we hit the time that Tokyo 2020 would have been getting started… before it changed to Tokyo 2021. How does postponing the Games affect the finances of Canadian athletes? Plus despite many businesses refusing to accept cash in the first two months of the pandemic, Canadians seemed to really want to keep their hands on those plastic carriers of currency. Finally, we explore the costs associated with wildfires in multiple parts of this country, and how they're affecting businesses, whole industries and our insurance premiums.

Much of Canada's economic recovery post-COVID-19 relies on people getting back to work. But without a firm plan for schools to resume classes in September or childcare centres to offer alternatives, many families can't see how both parents can return to work when there's no plan for their kids. Host Paul Haavardsrud speaks with two mothers and economist Armine Yalnizyan to understand the extent of this economic issue.

Also on the program, we pull back the masks to uncover a literally-eyebrow-raising trend, hiding in plain sight. Producer Falice Chin looks into why cosmetic procedures — like facelifts, cheek implants or lip injections — have become more popular in the age of the coronavirus.

Finally, as we look back at some of the top stories from this past season, we replay producer Tracy Fuller's segment on windfalls and the people whom fortune favoured. Does winning the lottery really ruin your life? And assuming your life isn't ruined, just how much you need to win to be able to retire comfortably in 2020?

A $343 billion deficit from the federal government means Canada's total debt will exceed a trillion dollars for the first time ever — does that number ever start to look smaller, and when? And while summer camps being cancelled across the country mean that hundreds of campers and their parents are disappointed … what does it mean for the counselors who could see lasting financial consequences? Plus we revisit our investigation into why Canadians haven't heard of one of the world's most popular sauces: Maggi.

The Cost of Living investigates the mysteries our listeners have been calling in. Just where is the money for COVID-19 bailouts coming from? How much of an allowance should we give our children each week? Are there other ways to measure economic activity that take more than just gross domestic product into account? And why can't I find grapenut ice cream (yes, grapenut) anywhere except the East Coast?

We look at what COVID-19 has done to the 2020 tourism economy on both east and west coasts of Canada, and what "high season" will look like if international tourists can't cross borders before the summer is out.

Also, host Paul Haavardsrud finds out what RobinHood Investing is exactly, and what the risks and rewards of using it are. How did it become the gateway to day trading for so many millennials in the United States?

Plus CBC Radio's car columnist Paul Karchut asks: has the pandemic created a renaissance for the car? Drive-in movies are back, along with drive-through graduations … even drive-through zoos! Is your car the best place to self-isolate in 2020?

Billions of dollars go into policing in this country, but where is that money going now and what happens to it amid the calls to defund police? We break down the numbers in police budgets and explain just how much police officers make.

Plus we turn to teenagers — and someone from the opposite end of the age spectrum — to find out how to look professional and up your video-charisma-game in the age of home webcam meetings.

And if everyone is working from home, what happens to the land of fluorescent lights and thermostats held under plastic lock and key? is the office dead? Or is the shift to the virtual workplace just that — virtual — and we'll be back to the office just as soon as you can type CTRL-Z on the pandemic.

How are business leaders — like Capital One Canada's president Jennifer Jackson — discussing the Black Lives Matter movement with their employees? Jackson speaks with host Paul Haavardsrud to discuss, while sharing her own experience of racism within corporate America and corporate Canada.

And have you called the CRA to report anyone you know? We look at the snitch line for people suspected of cheating the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

Finally, international students pay $6 billion in tuition to Canadian universities every year. But what happens if the COVID-19 pandemic forces some of those students to stay home in September?

This week on The Cost of Living:

#BLM Marketing: Corporate responses to the Black Lives Matter movement range from courageous to tone-deaf. What makes a campaign inauthentic?

Plumbing Rush: More kids staying at home all day means more ping pong balls rolling down the drain. How are plumbers dealing now that they're flush with house calls.

Municipalities: Cities and towns across the country are staring at a $10-20 billion financial hole. But unlike other levels of government, they cannot run deficits. What will this mean for our property taxes and the services we rely on?

Beer pong isn't exactly the NHL — but it might be one of the sports gamblers are turning to when they can't place a bet on the usual suspects. We also look at some of the deregulation taking place in markets like liquor or cannabis as a result of the pandemic. Plus what could an ugly round of bank earnings tell us about the Canadian economy?

What is the future of retail in the wake of COVID-19? Also, we follow one Canadian who has been collecting the Canada Emergency Relief Benefit — could CERB could transform into a universal basic income? And we prove the power of online love, with a look at how online dating continues to profit despite social distancing rules.