The Big Story

They're in every city and town in Canada—the visible evidence of overlapping crises and a lack of resources to help people in need. In the past, most governments and police have dealt with encampments by tearing them down and moving their residents on. But recently courts have become more inclined to grant injunctions against that, in some cases even requiring governments to provide working bathrooms or water.

As this trend continues, one expert on the legal fight over these tent cities believes we'll see more courts refusing to let cities destroy the encampments. Which will leave most communities and governments with two options: Find the resources to safely house their most vulnerable residents, or accept that tent cities will become a fixture in many public parks and spaces—and everything that entails.

GUEST: Stepan Wood, Professor at the Peter Allard school of law at the University of British Columbia; Canada Research Chair in Law, Society and Sustainability

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You're not supposed to be paying to be prescribed drugs in Canada. You're also not generally supposed to get those prescriptions without being examined and, you know, speaking to a real live human being. But a recent investigation found that it's possible to be prescribed the country's hottest drug, which is currently facing a shortage, by using an online portal and paying $99.

Where did this loophole come from? Who's exploiting it and why? Why do government regulations allow this? And what does this kind of process say about our current system as a whole, and the future of for-profit health care in Canada?

GUEST: Morgan Bocknek, investigative reporter at the Toronto Star

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Conspiracy theories used to be weird, and kinda fun. Now they're everywhere, and pretty dangerous. Last year marked a significant evolution in the mainstreaming of fringe beliefs—and we're not talking about "The moon landing was faked". These conspiracy theories are often hateful, and frequently cited as a call to arms.

With 2024 being a key year for elections around the globe—headlined by an American presidential campaign that will feature these theories at its core—what do you need to know about how these theories spread, where they go from here, and what new fringe beliefs will enter the mainstream conversation this year?

GUEST: Amarnath Amarasingam, Assistant Professor in the School of Religion as well as Department of Political Studies at Queen's University; research focus on conspiracy theories, terrorism and online communities

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The Big Story has been telling the stories that matter to Canadians for over five years, and through all of our coverage, one thing has become abundantly clear: A growing percent of the population can't afford to live basic, comfortable lives — and they want answers. In Frequency's newest show, In This Economy?! Jordan attempts to get to the bottom of how we got to this point, and share tips for how to achieve your goals despite living in a time of extreme economic uncertainty. Enjoy!

ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:

Frances has been a freelancer for the past 10 years. In that time she's never been able to stick to a budget. This year, she wants to change that, but an unpredictable payment schedule mixed with the rising cost of goods is making that goal more difficult.

Jordan talks to small business accountant, Joe Collins, about how to build and maintain a budget when nothing in your financial world is predictable.

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Now that Sydney—a town of 30,000 people on Cape Breton Island—has put its toxic sludge behind it, it's looking for a fresh economic start. Many towns in Atlantic Canada have found that in tourism, which usually comes from advertising to fellow Canadians in other provinces that the east coast is affordable, beautiful and perfect for a family vacation.

Sydney, however, is taking a different path. A path that hopes to encourage the 1% of the world's 1% to bring themselves, and especially their outrageously expansive, ridiculously extravagant and, yes, environmentally sketchy mega vessels to its harbour. And, of course, their untold wealth to local businesses. Will this plan work? Is it a massively ambitious way to boost the economy? Is it a little ridiculous and perhaps foolishly careless of its environmental impact? Is the answer to all of those questions is "yes"?

GUEST: Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press

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It certainly seems like this season has been worse for illness than most previous years. But has it? If it has, is it the pandemic? Is it the "triple-demic"? Or is it a normal pre-pandemic cold and flu season that we use to just live through, or do we know it's worse?

Whatever the reasons, hospitals are crammed, polls say nurses and doctors are fleeing their professions and we're trying to figure out: Will winters just be like this now? If they are, what do we do about that?

GUEST: Dr. Raywat Deonandan, epidemiologist, science communicator specializing in global health, Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Health Sciences

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For the first time in years, 2023 saw Canadian voters shift their federal vote intention in a meaningful way, giving the Conservative Party a huge lead in the fall, before the Liberals clawed back a few points in December. With a federal election a year or less away, the race in more volatile than it's been in recent memory—so what might make a difference this year?

Meanwhile, three provinces will also go to the polls, and we'll learn a lot from the results of those elections as well. From the man who watches every riding, poll and election across the country, we take you through what could be a year of big changes in Canada's political landscape.

GUEST: Philippe J. Fournier, Editor In Chief and creator of 338Canada.com

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Canadian grocery giants have long claimed that they've only raised food prices to offset their increased expenses. But now, with many supply chain issues having been resolved, and energy prices coming down, the Canadian consumer still isn't feeling any relief, and the grocers continue to post record profits.  

With many Canadians already struggling to feed themselves and their families, and food prices projected to rise even further in 2024, restoring food affordability has become an absolute necessity. So how do we do that? 

GUEST: Jim Stanford, Economist and Director of the Centre for Future Work 

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

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To mark the end of 2023, we're taking a look back at some of our favourite episodes from this past year. 

We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane, and please stay tuned to the feed for new episodes coming in 2024.

Happy new year! 

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ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:

One of the biggest problems facing humans attempting to travel anywhere in space that's farther than the moon is the years it will take to get there. A small ship simply can't support normal human life for that long. We need too much food, water, exercise and stimulation. But ... what if we didn't? What if we could shut ourselves down, the way animals do in the middle of winter, needing limited supplies and passing months as though they were days?

This used to be the realm of science fiction. It's not anymore.

GUEST: Brendan I. Koerner, contributing editor at WIRED, author of The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

Through email at [email protected]

Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

To mark the end of 2023, we're taking a look back at some of our favourite episodes from this past year. 

We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane, and please stay tuned to the feed for new episodes coming in 2024.

Happy new year! 

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ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:

Over the next few months, we're likely to find out how well Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms actually protects marginalized groups. A divisive policy enacted in Saskatchewan would require students to obtain parental consent before using a different name or pronouns at school. Advocates say the policy will out transgender kids in potentially dangerous homes. 

A challenge to the policy is currently before the courts, but rather than wait for an answer, Premier Scott Moe plans to use the "nuclear option"—the notwithstanding clause—to push the policy through. This will likely spark protests, court challenges and perhaps even an escalating response from the federal government. It's a complex and compelling governmental battle—with some of the country's most vulnerable kids caught in the middle of it...

GUEST: Charlotte Dalwood, freelance journalist specializing in legal issues, writing in Xtra magazine

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

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