It’s a little money saving trick Canadians who live near a provincial border know well. They drive to another province to save a bit because products are cheaper there. It’s the kind of thing you’d do without giving it a second thought. However, for Gerard Comeau, driving from New Brunswick to Quebec to buy a case of beer resulted in a ticket and a constitutional challenge that made it all the way to the Supreme Court.  

In her documentary, “A Case of Beer …. and Borders,” CBC producer Jodie Martinson explores how Comeau’s beer run became a high-stakes legal battle over interprovincial trade barriers in Canada. The case pittled those who wanted to maintain provincial control of some industries against others pushing for free trade.  

The documentary was produced by Jodie Martinson, Liz Hoath, and Joan Webber, with assistance from Mary-Catherine McIntosh. The doc originally aired on The Sunday Magazine.

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

Over the past near-century, Academy Award categories have come and gone. In the silent film era there was an award for Best Title Writing. You know, the written cards that summarized the “dialogue”? Oscar worthy. 

This year’s 96th Academy Awards broadcast saw Oscars handed out in a whopping 23 different categories, from the big wins like Best Picture, to awards for behind-the-scenes expertise in costuming and score. But one group of people thinks there should be yet another added to that list: best stunts. 

Stunt actors are real life action heroes behind the biggest movies, but it’s unlikely we know their names and faces, at least not if they’re doing their jobs right. They risk life and limb to bring films to life. The chariot race in Ben-Hur? The entire Fast and Furious franchise? None of them would be possible without stunt coordinators and performers. 

On this week's Storylines, Joan Webber tells the story of a decades-long effort to get stunt workers their Oscar due.

Produced by Joan Webber. Story editing by Julia Pagel.  This documentary first aired on Storylines back in April of 2024.

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

The Chinook salmon of the Yukon River are on the brink of extinction. This cultural keystone species has  the longest salmon migration in the world, up to 3,200 kilometres. But warming waters caused by climate change, along with other stresses, have decimated their numbers, forcing a seven-year fishing ban. 

For Indigenous communities in the region, this is not only an environmental tragedy but also a loss for their culture. 

In her documentary Ghosts in Their Nets, Laura Lynch takes us to Whitehorse, Yukon, where she meets First Nations leaders and advocates who are leading the charge to protect the species and demanding that the irreplaceable Chinook salmon be better taken care of. 

The doc was produced by Laura Lynch and  Rachel Sanders, with help from Molly Segal, Mathias Wolfsohn, Catherine Rolfsen and Joan Webber with the CBC Audio Documentary Unit / The doc originally aired on What on Earth. 

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

In July 2024, seven fishermen from around New-Wes-Valley, Newfoundland set out on their fishing boat in search of turbot.  

While at sea that day a fire broke out near the engine room, before long the bunkroom was full of smoke. The seven sailors had no choice but to abandon ship and before long they were  sitting in a small life-raft. 

What followed was a 52-hour ordeal that tested not just their will to survive, but the bonds between them. The situation could not have been more dire, two of the men couldn’t swim, supplies were dwindling and a thick fog hampered rescue efforts.  

In this documentary, 52 Hours Lost at Sea, find out what it was like to spend more than two days adrift in the North Atlantic. 

Produced by Mary-Catherine McIntosh and the Audio documentary unit / the doc originally aired on The Current. 

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit 

The stories of undocumented people living in the United States are well known, especially since President Donald Trump began a major immigration crackdown. However, there is also a sizable population of undocumented people in Canada. According to the federal government, there could be as many as 500,000 people living here without legal status. Many of them work in jobs that make them like "ghosts" in our society, such as farmwork, cleaning homes, or working late shifts in grocery stores.

In this episode of Storylines, a documentary by Lyndsay Duncombe called, Living in the Shadows, that brings us the stories of people living in Canada without legal status. Many of them live in fear of deportation and without access to healthcare. Her documentary reveals the human impact of living in the shadows of Canadian society.

Undocumented was produced by Lyndsay Duncombe with help from Liz Hoath and Marnie Luke / originally aired on The Current. 

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

Early one August morning, the cameras outside Jas Arora's house in Abbotsford, B.C., recorded someone throwing glass bottles at his home. When Jas stepped outside to investigate, he found broken glass and smelled gasoline. He then got a call from a man speaking Punjabi, demanding millions of dollars.

Jas is among many South Asian Canadians targeted by people who, the RCMP says, have connections to Indian gangs and the Indian government. They demand millions of dollars over the phone, and have targeted both homes and businesses.  Many of the victims are scared to report what is happening to the police. 

This week on Storylines is CBC journalist Sohrab Sandhu’s documentary Our House. His doc will delve into the threats and extortion targeting members of the South Asian community in Canada, and what Canadian law enforcement is trying to do about it.

Produced by Sohrab Sandhu with help from Liz Hoath / originally aired on The Current

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

A rogue wave is defined as being at least 2.2 times as high as the average waves which have come before. They are described as coming out of nowhere and their consequences can be deadly. 

In her documentary, The Wave, Joan Webber chronicles swimmers struck by these potentially deadly maritime phenomena. Though rogue waves themselves are not infrequent, it's considered rare that a person is hit by one. But rare .… is not never.

We also bring you another story about the sea titled, When I Came to Canada. It’s Hon Lou’s harrowing account of fleeing Vietnam by boat as a child following the end of the Vietnam war. 

The Wave was produced by Joan Webber with help from Liz Hoath and originally aired on The Current. 

When I Came to Canada first aired on Living Out Loud and was produced by Steve Wadhams.

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

In Vancouver's Lower Mainland, a dealer known only as "Jay" sold drugs to teens, making drop-offs right next to their high schools and homes, offering free "goodie bags" of Xanax and other drugs. 

When Julie Nystrom discovered her 17-year-old daughter was hooked on counterfeit pills from Jay, she went to the police. The cops told her that they needed names, details, so she decided to take matters into her own hands and hired a private investigator. 

On this episode of Storylines, the documentary Everybody Loves Jay, which tells the story about the lengths one mother went to protect her daughter from a drug dealer.

Produced by Enza Uda and Joan Webber / originally aired on The Current. 

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

In an empty parking lot somewhere in northern California, Andrew Song and Luke Iseman inflate a balloon the size of a small car, full of sulfur dioxide. They will then launch the balloon high up into the stratosphere where it will pop, releasing its sulfur dioxide contents. 

Song and Iseman are the co-founders of Make Sunsets, a geoengineering startup that sells cooling credits. For a price, you can purchase a bit of the sulfur dioxide they’re pumping into these balloons and launching into the stratosphere, with the belief it will offset the warming effects of CO2. 

Because if you send enough sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere --- we’re talking a million tonnes a year --- it’ll significantly cool our warming planet. But the idea raises scores of complicated scientific and moral dilemmas. 

In this documentary, John Chipman goes to California to learn about the potential risks and benefits of solar geoengineering. 

Reported and produced by John Chipman, with assistance from Joan Webber and Catherine Rolfsen. Mixed by Michelle Parise . It originally aired on What on Earth. 

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

Despite being our national sport, and that most Canadians agree it should be for everyone, hockey remains surprisingly exclusive, especially when it comes to ice time. For some, the barriers to access the game are significant, and the sport can feel unwelcoming. 

In his documentary, “Hockey for All,” CBC journalist Douglas Gelevan uncovers how the complex system of ice time allocation often favours elite male players, while pushing others to the margins. 

Reported by Douglas Gelevan and produced by Michelle Parise / originally aired on The Current