The Big Story

From balancing busy schedules to shifting interests, managing friendships as an adult can sometimes feel like a task. Throw in the pandemic’s impact on social interactions and managing conversations around divisive politics…and you have a recipe for strained relationships (perhaps even before they start).

Host Melanie Ng speaks with clinical psychologist Dr. Loren Soeiro about how to take inventory of your friendships in order to make more meaningful connections.

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The European Union recently banned the sale and use of Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide - also known as TPO - for its alleged reproductive toxicant qualities. Most gel nail polishes contain TPO, as it's the key ingredient to ensure a shiny finish after hardening following exposure to UV light.

However, Canada has yet to take any similar action, considering its risk-based model for product regulation. But if the writing is on the wall about TPO's dangers, what is stopping Health Canada from taking a proactive stance on reproductive safety?

Host Maria Kestane speaks to Miriam Diamond, a professor in the department of earth sciences & The School of the Environment at the University of Toronto to discuss the different regulatory approaches between the EU and Canada, and how Canadians can make their own informed choices on the treatments they pay for.

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Today, Canadians from coast to coast will confront the dark legacy of residential schools and honour the children who never came home. But on this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, there are demands for more than just reflection.

Indigenous communities are at a critical point in relations with Prime Minister Mark Carney over new legislation that fast-tracks big energy and infrastructure projects, calling into focus Indigenous sovereignty and whether the country is moving backwards on the long road of reconciliation.

Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Assembly of First Nations Yukon Regional Chief Kluane Adamek about what reconciliation looks like in an era of global uncertainty, and how Canadians can meaningfully carry this work forward well beyond one day.

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It's a feeling you only want to feel once - the panic of suspecting an abrupt light flash as you're driving, only to receive a ticket in the mail a few weeks later with a picture of your car next to an owed-amount for speeding.

Well, it's a feeling Ontarians soon won't be feeling ever again.

Premier Ford plans to put pen to paper on his dislike for speed enforcement cameras, announcing last week his government's incoming legislation to ban them in a fight against what he calls a 'cash-grab', after the fact safety tool. Instead, he's investing to help municipalities implement speed bumps, round abouts and other traffic-calming measures.

But it's a move that's garnered as much support as it has pushback, with groups pleading with Ford to think twice before canning a tool that saves lives and makes drivers think twice before using their heavy foot.

Host Maria Kestane speaks to Benjamin Wolfe, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, and Co-Director of the Applied Perception and Psychophysics Laboratory to discuss what the changes in road safety measures could look like, and how driver behaviour is influenced way before someone gets in their car and turns the key.

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A recent report from the University of Ottawa shows 22 out of the 34 municipalities in Ontario were given failing grades in regards to taxes and red tape restrictions surrounding development acceleration.

And unfortunately, Toronto seems to be wearing that 'F' right on its sleeve, reporting under 120 new condo sales in the month of August - a number that hasn't been that low in decades.

And with the federal government making legislation to increase not just more housing, but affordable housing, how can we reignite builds?

Host Mike Eppel speaks to Residential Construction Council of Ontario President Richard Lyall to get the answers.

Do you have a topic that's confounding you in this economy? We'll be happy to dig into it for you and get you the answers you need. Email us at: [email protected]. Thank you for listening!

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

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This week, from a White House lectern and televised to the world, President Donald Trump gave an explicit warning to America’s pregnant women: Tylenol use during pregnancy could lead to autism.

The claim is contradicted by decades of scientific research that has not conclusively demonstrated a causal link.

It’s alarmed health experts who say Trump’s comments also amplify an entrenched prejudice around women’s pain, with real-life consequences.

Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Sabina Vohra-Miller, a Doctor of Public Health candidate and expert in clinical pharmacology, about how unproven medical advice from the highest levels of government can actively endanger women’s health.

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Prime Minister Mark Carney joined several key allies this week at the United Nations General Assembly in adding their names to the list of countries recognizing Palestinian statehood. The move is an attempt to increase pressure toward a two state solution amid the war between Israel and Hamas.

Will recognition help lead to a two state solution, will it embolden Hamas, and can Canada do more to hasten a ceasefire?

Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Colin Robertson, a former Canadian diplomat who served at the U.N., to get the answers.

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Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has returned to television screens, but concerns linger over whether free speech in America is under threat.

Kimmel’s short-lived suspension, which followed a thinly-veiled threat from a top Trump official, was viewed by many as the latest example of government censorship.

Even before Kimmel went dark, a government crackdown aimed at silencing the president’s critics was already underway, igniting a firestorm of debate about one of America’s most sacred civil liberties.

Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Eugene Volokh, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, to discuss the Trump administration's power to limit what people can say, and why free speech everywhere is vulnerable.

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A flotilla of ships has set sail from the western end of the Mediterranean to the Gaza Strip, where a devastating war has destroyed much of the Palestinian territory. The ships hope to transport food, water and medicine, in defiance of Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

But the flotilla is unlikely to reach its destination. Nearly all attempts to deliver aid to Gaza by sea have been intercepted by Israeli forces. Compounding fears of possible violence, one of the Gaza-bound vessels taking part in this latest mission was struck by a suspected drone earlier this month while docked in Tunisia.

Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Toronto-based pro-Palestinian activist Zaheera Soomar from her boat in the Mediterranean, about the mission to deliver aid to Gaza, and why she’s willing to risk her life to do it.

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The Bank of Canada has cut interest rates for the first time since March, and just a few hours later - on the same day - the U-S Federal Reserve followed suit with its first cut this year.

It comes with both economies struggling, but that’s where the similarities end.

The two central banks have very different mandates, and while trade uncertainty has made the job tricky on both sides of the border, two distinct but connected stories continue to play out.

There are also concerns about Canada's real estate market - and how interest rates could impact access to affordable housing.

Host Kris McCusker speaks to Randall Bartlett, Deputy Chief Economist at Desjardins Group, about both decisions, the thinking behind the cuts, and what might be coming next.

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