In 2014, Shams Erfan was pulled off a bus by members of the Taliban who accused him of being a traitor. A bystander intervened, saving his life, but Shams knew he was no longer safe in Afghanistan. 

This threat set Shams on a treacherous 8-year journey. He hoped to find a safe haven in Indonesia. Instead, he spent years stuck in a refugee prison camp. When he finally reached Canada, Shams vowed to help bring others like himself to safety—and he found the people who could help him do it. 

On this week's Storylines, Alisa Siegel follows three strangers from vastly different worlds, united in a single mission: to rescue refugees trapped in Indonesia and help them begin new lives. 

Produced by Alisa Siegel. Story editing by Liz Hoath. Storylines is produced by Acey Rowe. 

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit. 

When Russia invaded Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put out a call to foreigners with combat experience to come and help. Paul Hughes, a former marksman and paratrooper with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, went. 

Paul has been in Ukraine ever since, where he founded HUGS: Helping Ukraine, Grass Roots Support.

Run out of a garage through donations and volunteers, HUGS mostly helps fix army vehicles and distribute food and supplies to Ukrainians. But when Paul got a call asking him to cross Russian lines to rescue a six-year-old Ukrainian who’d been separated from her mother, he knew he had to accept the mission. 

On this week’s Storylines, CBC reporter Danny Kerslake, an old army buddy of Paul’s, catches up with his friend to hear the story of how Paul risked his own life to save another’s.

Produced by Danny Kerslake. Story editing by John Chipman. Storylines is produced by Acey Rowe.

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

24 Sussex Drive. That Ottawa address has been the official residence for the prime minister since the 1950s, but Canada’s current one doesn’t live there because the house is in disrepair. 

Workers have already removed  asbestos, mould and rodents, but it’s estimated it will cost millions more to make the building habitable—and secure. Critics call the languishing home an “embarrassment” to a G7 nation. And so far, no politician has been willing to make the decision to either fix it or tear it down. 

On this week’s Storylines, Jennifer Chevalier dives into the history of 24 Sussex Drive: from the lumber baron who built it as a pre-confederation wedding present, to the man who fought against its expropriation, to the political families who have called it home, asking how politics are getting in the way of a decision on what should be done about Canada’s most famous heritage home.

Produced by Jennifer Chevalier. Story editing and mixing by Acey Rowe.

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit.

It’s been 12 years since Widlene has seen her son. She had to leave the little boy in Haiti with family after she was targeted by gang members. The plan was to get out, find somewhere safe, make a home there, and have her son join her. So when she was granted asylum in Canada, Widlene believed her fight would be over. 

Instead, it was only just beginning. Asylum seekers are supposed to be able to bring their dependent children to Canada once their claim has been approved. But critics say some of the most vulnerable family members are facing the longest delays. 

This week on Storylines, Craig Desson follows Widlene as she and her lawyer navigate a complicated immigration bureaucracy that’s processing a record number of applications. All while Widlene tries to keep her son safe from a world away. 

You might associate sommeliers (wine experts) with fancy restaurants and snooty attitudes, but Canada’s Best Sommelier is as likely to be found traipsing the backwoods in steel toed boots and a cowboy hat, as in a MICHELIN starred restaurant in a three piece suit. 

It all depends on what he’s up to: is he harvesting maple syrup at the sugar shack he runs with his family? Or is he representing Canada as he competes for the title of World’s Best Sommelier in Paris? 

This week on Storylines, Acey Rowe follows Pier-Alexis Souliere as he does both.

We’re heading from Pier's home town in rural Quebec where he learned about wine and service at his mother’s knee, to the international capital of wine (Pairs!) where he’s determined to champion Canada on the world stage—and prove himself.

But this competition has left him conflicted. Where wine and home were once entwined, Pier’s heart may now be asking him to choose.  

The Great Bear Rainforest on BC’s coast is a spectacular place. Rugged mountains and old growth forests stretch all the way to Alaska. It was here that nearly a decade ago a group of coastal First Nations decided to halt most of the logging in their territories. And in the areas where they did log, they would do it differently. But ten years on the plan hasn’t gone quite as expected… And it’s left the First Nations with a difficult question: can they sustain sustainable logging?