The Big Story

The civil service in Ottawa is bracing for layoffs. It comes after Finance Minister Francois-Phillippe Champagne was tasked with finding $25-billion dollars in savings to offset the biggest increase in defense spending in a generation.

So how does that play in to our federal government's massive deficit? And how does that trickle down to you?

Host Mike Eppel speaks with Dr. Wayne Petrozzi, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

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Shocking news this week out of Quebec where charges have been laid in an alleged plot involving a militia to take over a portion of Quebec City.

Dozens of combat-like weapons were seized and it's alleged the group was running a recruitment strategy through Instagram.

Investigators allege among the four men charged are two, active Canadian Armed Forces members but fall short of naming who, or how long they've been a part of the force. The charges range from terrorism-related offences to possession of explosives and prohibited devices.

Host Richard Southern speaks to post-doctoral fellow at the University of Guelph, Dr. Dax D'Orazio, to break down the charges, and dissect the intersection of politics, misinformation and radicalism.

You can listen to Dr. D'Orazio's podcast at https://www.daxdorazio.com/.

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It's a story about a city that constantly surprises.

A random bunny spotting turned into a near-obsession for a Toronto journalist. He was trying to track down the answer to a seemingly simple question, "Are there more bunnies in Toronto?" Turns out, it's a pretty tricky question to answer.

Host Kris McCusker speaks to Nicholas Hune-Brown, executive editor at The Local, about his trip down a literal rabbit hole to find out what’s going on and why you may (or may not) be seeing more bunnies in your backyard.

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

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The Calgary Stampede is known as the greatest outdoor show on earth. It's a must attend event for most Calgarians, but more importantly for Canadian politicians.

It's an event that can make or break someone - from what they're wearing to how they flip pancakes.

Host Mark Day speaks to CityNews reporter Sean Amato in Alberta about why the Stampede is so important and a look at everything's that's happened this year so far.

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

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It’s been dramatized in countless movies and TV shows, like Law and Order or 12 Angry Men, but you may have wondered if the Hollywood portrayals match up with the reality of jury duty.

This year, CityNews Reporter, Nick Westoll, got to find out first hand when he was picked to serve on a jury in a criminal case. From the jury selection process, to the restrictions and being sequestered, to the emotional toll of deciding the fate of an accused, host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Nick about the challenging journey of being a juror in Canada.

You can read Nick's first hand account here:

https://toronto.citynews.ca/2025/07/03/what-is-ontario-jury-duty-like/

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

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A data breach used to be big news. It was disconcerting to those impacted and was normally followed filed a class action lawsuit.

But as they become more ubiquitous, are we caring less? And if you're a victim of a data breach, what is the financial impact to you?

Host Mike Eppel speaks with Mike Hortobagyi, Senior Manager, Solutions Engineering at Otka Canada.

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

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Sean “Diddy” Combs remains behind bars – awaiting sentencing – after the music mogul was found guilty on two charges and not guilty on 3 others.

He had pleaded not guilty – and has denied all allegations against him.

The 7 week trial, which saw more than 30 witnesses, started in May – months after the debut of a series on HBO Max called “The Fall of Diddy.”

Host Kris McCusker speaks to one of the co-directors of that docuseries, Yoruba Richen, about what might happen next and whether Diddy can return to the entertainment world.

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

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Masai Ujiri's time in Toronto is over.

He'll be remembered for many things, most notably for the very first NBA Championship a Canadian team has ever won.

We the North became the country's rallying cry and the signing of superstar Kawhi Leonard ignited the city behind the sport like we'd never seen.

Host Maria Kestane speaks with Toronto NewsRadio anchor Vrajesh Dave about what's next for the Raptors and what Ujiri's legacy is.

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

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The whiplash news cycle around the Trump trade war continues and if you can't keep up, you're not alone.

Last Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said all trade talks with Canada were off because of a new "digital services tax" that was supposed to come into effect on Monday, targeting companies like Netflix.

Late Sunday night, the federal government announced that the tax was being rescinded, and that talks with the U.S. were back on.

Keeping up? It's a lot.

So did Carney capitulate? The DST was set to bring in billions of dollars for Canada. Did the feds do the right thing?

Host Cormac Mac Sweeney is discussing with Dalhousie University professor Dr. Lori Turnbull.

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

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