The Big Story

We learned earlier this summer just how vulnerable our connected services can be. It seems like the government did, too. With a new memorandum of understanding and revisions to the competition act, it looks as if the federal government is trying to stabilize what many consider an essential service. But will new regulations have any teeth? And how could it change what services Canadians receive, and how much they pay?

GUEST: Vass Bednar, executive director of the Masters of Public Policy in Digital Society program at McMaster University

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In less than a week, Ukrainian forces have regained more than 3000 square kilometres of territory occupied by Russia, and they plan to keep pushing. Videos show Russian tanks and ammunition left behind as soldiers flee. It's been an incredible offensive—but is it enough to turn the tide of this conflict? And what happens if Russia is humiliated in front of the world? What might Vladimir Putin do then?

GUEST: Balkan Devlin, Senior Fellow at the MacDonald-Laurier Institute, Superforecaster for Good Judgment, Inc.

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In the moment, details in a breaking story are hard to come by. So are context and understanding. But as we begin to learn the facts of what transpired last week in Saskatchewan, we start to know what questions still need to be answered.

Even as reporters on the ground discover more about Myles Sanderson's possible motive, or his movements the day before the massacre, we're still trying to learn just how he ended up dead in police custody, what role, if any, his brother Damien played in the crimes... and most importantly, how the community can begin to heal, and what they need from us.

GUEST: Jana Pruden, feature writer, The Globe and Mail

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Ever since Canada became a nation, we've been secretly worried about our friends to the south, just as we have been publicly supportive. Recent events in the United States have only exacerbated those concerns.

So what do experts think Canada should be doing to prepare for the worst? What scenarios are we gaming out? Is this even a realistic fear? And if so ... what exactly do we think we can do about it?

GUET: Ira Wells, writing in The Walrus

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What happens in the halls of power when a monarch dies? Who will succeed Elizabeth? And what will this mean for the Royal family, and the commonwealth more generally? 

(This interview was recorded in 2019, and covers the protocol for the minutes, hours, days and weeks following the passing of the Queen. Queen Elizabeth II died Thursday at the age of 96.)

GUEST: Patricia Treble, Royal reporter at WriteRoyalty.com

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There are the normal kinds of toxins that your body can break down over time. These are different. But they're still found in plenty of every day household items, fast food and even the water you drink. It's almost impossible to avoid them. The CDC in the United States has said they are a public health concern. But they're still being manufactured, right now, by massive companies.

So what are they? Why do they stick around forever? Why are they still being made despite the fact we know they are harmful? And where, exactly, are they found and how can you best avoid them?

GUEST: Benji Jones, environmental reporter, Vox

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(As well as a note from The Big Story about covering breaking news.)

On October 3, nearly everyone agrees that Premier Francois Legault and the CAQ will win another election. But after that, there's a lot in flux. The Parti Quebecois have shrunk to almost nothing, the Liberals are fighting to offer voters a vision ... and the Quebec Solidaire party has a progressive platform and an entirely different approach to sovereignty: Why should it only be for Quebec?

Can they win over enough disgruntled CAQ voters to make it close? Will Quebec's younger voters come out in droves for a young leader who rose with them in university protests? And what does the future of La Belle Province look like?

GUEST: Lisa Fitterman, writing in The Walrus

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The weather's getting colder, the kids are back at school, people are returning to work, and that means we're probably going to see more Covid. How much more depends on things like the efficacy and uptake of the new Omicron-specific vaccine, and people's adherence to preventative measures. With little appetite for the reinstatement of lockdowns, school closures or mask mandates, it may now be incumbent on individuals to make good choices to protect themselves and their loved ones. 

So what does it mean that provincial governments seem to have unilaterally decided that the pandemic is over? Without freely available data on Covid cases and deaths, how will we even know the level of risk in the community? And with the increasing specificity of Covid vaccines, could this be the last back-to-school where we even need to ask these questions? 

GUEST: Dr. Raywat Deonandan, Global Health Epidemiologist, and Associate Professor with the Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences at The University of Ottawa

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Every month or two, more Starbucks vote to unionize. In Canada, that fight is mostly spreading from west to east, with the first in Victoria, BC, and now others even in large Alberta cities. But why Starbucks? Why not Tim Horton's or McDonald's? What makes this coffee shop a good battleground for a labour movement that is gaining power?

And how is Starbucks fighting back? Is service worker organizing inevitable, or can companies like Starbucks still halt the momentum?

GUEST: Jeremy Appel, writing in Jacobin

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They call it the "camel-toe toonie", and you will understand why as soon as you look at the front right paw of the polar bear on it. Since they were first discovered in circulation in 2020, estimates range from at least tens of thousands to likely millions of them reaching circulation.

But who is behind it? How do you counterfeit toonies at scale and get them into the banking system? And ... why toonies?

GUEST: Brent Mackie, creator of cameltoetoonies.ca, numismatist, treasurer of Waterloo Coin Society

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