Russian trucks drive across Canada’s arctic. Foreign ships appear along our northern shores. For decades, it’s fallen on Tuktoyaktuk to be Canada’s watchful eyes in the Arctic.

But the recent surge of attention about arctic sovereignty and security from politicians in the south raises a host of concerns for residents. Will promised military funding and federal focus on security solve the local problems of high unemployment and rapidly deteriorating infrastructure? 

CBC documentary producer Julia Pagel traveled to Tuktoyaktuk to see what this conversation about arctic security looks like on the ground.

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

Stephanie Azzarello was dying. To survive, doctors told her she needed to find someone willing to donate part of their liver. 

Her story went out on social media and late one night, it reached the phone of a nurse and mother in Portland Oregon. There was something about Stephanie’s story that made Trisha Beard want to help. 

Liz Hoath brings us this story about two women whose lives became intertwined because of an act of generosity. Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

As wind energy continues to grow in Canada, so does the body count for migratory bats.

Biologist Cori Lausen has spent years advocating to help prevent bats from being killed by wind turbines. She even helped inform the rules around wind energy development and bats in Alberta. But she worries it may have been too little too late to prevent some species from going extinct. 

Molly Segal travels from Alberta wind farms to BC’s forests to discover if there’s a way to save bats without disrupting getting renewable energy from turbines. 

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit 

Indigenous communities in South America say mining threatens their water supply. But the world needs lithium for EVs to fight climate change.

In the Salinas Grandes salt flats, which hold significant lithium deposits, some residents are saying no to mining. But towns are divided. Some want the jobs that come with mining while others fear what this lithium extraction will do to the water table.

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

In Finland, bomb shelters double as playgrounds. 900,000 reservists on standby. In Sweden, millions received war prep pamphlets. Defense spending doubled in four years.

These Nordic nations aren’t taking any chances with Russia’s war in Ukraine raging. They remember what happened in 1939 when the Soviet Union invaded Finland. Both countries also joined NATO, so Canada is bound to defend them too. 

Emma Godmere travels to the Arctic Circle to discover what it means to live next to Russia, and what Canada can learn from its Nordic allies. 

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

At just 46, Jennifer Brady, a Halifax single mother and professor, made the shocking decision to apply to die. She couldn't get surgery in Nova Scotia for a painful condition called lymphedema. After six years of fighting, she saw medical assistance in dying as her only option. But what happened next set off a chain reaction that would take her case to the courts and the premier’s office.

Angela MacIvor brings us the story of one woman's battle against the bureaucracy of the healthcare system.

Produced by Angela MacIvor and Joan Webber / Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

When a grizzly bear swam to Texada Island, 5 kilometres off the mainland of BC, it arrived in a place that was known to have no predators. The bear, which soon had the nickname, “Tex,” quickly divided this community of a little more than 1000 people. Some saw a beautiful animal that deserved protection, while others saw a dangerous predator that needed to be removed.

In her documentary, “A Bear Called Tex,” Molly Segal visits Texada Island to find out what happened when a community was forced to answer the complicated question of what to do with an unwanted grizzly bear. 

Produced by Molly Segal and Liz Hoath. 

This documentary originally aired on The Current. 

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit 

Starting when she was two years old, Robin Heald endured years of sexual abuse by her stepfather.  As a young teenager, she told police, child protection services and her mother what was going on, yet little changed. Her mother even chose to stay with the man who was abusing her. 

In the documentary, “It Ends with Me,” Robin takes us on a road trip to visit her mother and sister - a journey to explore their generational trauma, a system’s failure to protect children and Robin’s determination to break their family’s cycle of abuse. 

Warning: This episode contains discussions of childhood sexual abuse. 

Produced and reported by John Chipman with story editing by Julia Pagel and Joan Webber.

This doc first aired on The Current in June of 2025.

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

It’s Friday prayers at the Masjid Al-Noor mosque in St. John's, Newfoundland and the building is packed. Worshippers squeeze into the basement, they spill into the kitchen and lay prayer mats on the lawn. The Muslim community here desperately needs a bigger space. 

Soon they’ll have one because a new mosque, under construction just up the road in a former church.  

The story of how the new mosque was built involves tragedy, faith and an extraordinary act of generosity connected to one of the most gripping news events in recent years, the imploding of the Titan submersible in the North Atlantic. 

In her documentary, The Best of Planners, Caroline Hillier explores how unexpected events can create profound connections between strangers. 

Produced by Caroline Hillier, Joan Webber and Lindsay Bird. 

This documentary first aired on The Current and Atlantic Voice in June, 2025

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

When tariffs on goods from China reached 145 percent, a cargo ship carrying tens of thousands of dollars worth of dog toys arrived in Los Angeles but was not unloaded. The toys remained on the ship as it sailed to New York City, in the hope that the tariffs would be lifted by the time it arrived. Had that plan failed, the entire cargo might have been destroyed. This was the kind of costly decision businesses have been facing during the trade war.

Behind every one of these desperate business decisions usually stands a customs broker. They're the pros who know how to navigate the maze of international trade rules. But when Trump launched his trade war, their world got turned inside out.

Their job went from filing forms and calculating duties to decoding confusing, exhaustive orders with 24 hours' notice. It also means delivering devastating news to business owners about mind-boggling new tariffs. 

In Julia Pagel's documentary, she talks to customs brokers who have been on the front lines of this evolving trade war.

Produced by Julia Pagel and Joan Webber. 

The documentary first aired on The Sunday Magazine in June of 2025.

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit