Storylines

Booze costs Canadian society an estimated $20 billion a year. It causes far more harm overall than any other drug in the country including tobacco and opioids. Every day, nine people die in Canadian hospitals from damage caused by alcohol. So, doctors and advocates are questioning why more isn’t being done to help people who are suffering. People like Jordan Kawchuk who shares his very personal struggle in Liz Hoath’s documentary, Nothing Else Matters.

Grey whales on the West Coast of North America are in trouble. They’re skinny, starving and dying. Their numbers dropped from an estimated 26,000 to roughly 12,000 in just under a decade. Scientists blame climate change. Twelve dead whales have been discovered already this year in BC. Laura Lynch’s documentary explores what’s happening to the whales.

On the evening of August 7th - a forest fire northwest of Summerland, BC spread at an alarming speed. The entire district of Summerland appeared to be in its path. Suddenly, air raid sirens blare into the darkness. Twenty-thousand people are forced to flee their homes - some driving through flames and thick smoke. 

Sarah Penton brings us this documentary about the terror of that night - and what is being done to guard against it happening again.

Competitive cycling is a dangerous sport. Crashes are common. Even deadly. Just this year, at least 11 riders have died during races or training rides. 

The end of September was a big week for elite cycling in Canada, with Montreal hosting the road world championships. Competitors were laser focused on two things: having the races of their lives, and not getting hurt. 

At a time when the sport is getting faster and faster … the winner of the Tour de France now averages about 42 kilometres per hour over the entire race …  some competitive cyclists say there is an urgent need to better protect riders.

John Chipman investigates the problem, and the legacy of one crash in particular.

You can hear a pin drop inside a grade four class in Gimli, Manitoba. Kids racing to fill in as many math answers as they can. It’s something they do most days in this class  - part of a style of teaching math that’s new to this school. A math teaching strategy that’s trying to rectify some really low test results in the district. Staff say it’s working. Big time. But as Julia Pagel discovered, how math is taught can be surprisingly controversial. And with math scores on a downward slide for the past two decades, many across the country, and around the world, are determined that we finally get it right.

CFB Gagetown is known as the "Home of the Army" because nearly every Canadian soldier passes through for training.

But some veterans say their time at Gagetown led to long-lasting illnesses from toxic chemicals sprayed there decades ago.

And yet Gagetown has never been more important to Canada’s military future. This year, Ottawa announced more than a billion dollars to modernize the base. 

Andrea Hoang visited Gagetown in May to examine how this legacy still touches lives today, and why some veterans feel the government is investing in the future without reckoning with the past.

The stench in St. Mary’s, Newfoundland gets so bad sometimes, it can take your breath away. The culprit? More than 100 giant, leaking vats of fermenting capelin in an old abandoned fish sauce plant, right in the centre of town. 

For years, residents pleaded for help to clear the vats out. But it took an unexpected turn to finally get some relief. When CBC’s Mary Catherine McIntosh went to St. Mary’s, she found a town fighting a 25-year stench - and then tracked down the man who caused it.

Storylines brings you beyond the headlines and deep into someone else's world.

And, we’re about to launch a whole new season!

Where you'll meet people who are trying to create change, struggling through challenges they’d never thought they’d have to face, and describing conundrums you can hardly imagine.

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For Daniel Mergler, music was one of the true joys in life. He taught children to play piano for 50 years, and took his job very seriously. So when 9 year old Zin Ben showed special talent, a shot of excitement went through the aging teacher. This talent needed to be cultivated. Care must be taken. But, when Mr. Mergler was given a palliative diagnosis after his colon cancer spread, he found that it was now Zin Ben’s turn to offer him some care and comfort. 

From our special summer archival doc series - this is David Gutnick’s doc from 2003 Beethoven's Bust

When Jillian Hadley burst from her home, she was clutching her baby, and she was naked. She was screaming for help, trying to escape the grip of a man. The man was her estranged husband. He was under a court order to stay away from her. 

A few brave neighbours tried to help the woman, but on that Tuesday 26 years ago, 34-year-old Ralph Hadley shot and killed Jillian Hadley and then killed himself. 

In 2001 Karen Levine set out to talk to those neighbours. 

For our special archival doc summer series, This is her Peabody award winning documentary … 'A Murder in the Neighborhood.'