The Big Story

This weekend, we're revisiting an episode from earlier in the year.

We hope you enjoy!

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There's simply never been a Canadian sex survey that's comprehensive, scientific and intimate all at once. For decades we've relied on data from the United States, unscientific surveys thrown together by brands around Valentine's Day or specific looks at one narrow aspect of sexuality—such as contraception or monogamy.

In her new book released today, Sex in Canada: The Who, Why, When, and How of Getting Down Up North, McMaster University sociology professor Tina Fetner examines every aspect of how we do it, who we do it with, how often and ... if it's good. As well as everything else you always wondered about your neighbours in the bedroom...

GUEST: Tina Fetner, professor, McMaster University

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This episode first aired on September 19, 2024 over at In This Economy?!, our sister show at the Frequency Podcast Network. The show helps Canadians understand the systems behind their money problems so they can make informed decisions about their personal finances. If you like what you hear, please consider giving us a follow! 

It's been quite a long (and expensive!) journey, but the latest numbers show that the inflation rate in Canada has finally fallen to the Bank of Canada's "target rate" for the first time in more than three years. So does that mean all our troubles are over? Why is two percent the ideal target for the BoC? And what does this data tell us about the economy we'll be living in for the next several months? 

GUEST: Mike Eppel, 680 News Sr. Business Editor

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This is a province with a long and strange history of alcohol regulation. But when Ontario premier Doug Ford announced plans to allow convenience stores to sell beer, wine and coolers beginning in September, it seemed like a modest step—one in keeping with similar provinces and states which have long allowed this.

However, this being Ontario and alcoholic beverages, it is not that simple. The move has cost the government hundreds of millions of dollars, sparked a discussion about the availability of intoxicants, incited outrage from various advocacy groups and has lived up to Ontario's reputation as a province who cannot simply be normal about its booze.

GUEST: Matt Gurney, journalist, commentator and co-founder of The Line

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An Ohio town is thrown into chaos from bomb threats that stem from racist lies. Immigrants across the United States are demonized for political gain. Women are dying from a lack of access to reproductive care. Donald Trump promises to jail his enemies. And on the internet, the cat memes proliferate...

For some reason, in the current presidential campaign, cats have played an outsized role in the political conversation. From Trump's morals, to "childless cat ladies" to unfounded rumours of their consumption by Haitian immigrants in Springfield, there's something strange going on right meow in America...

GUEST: Igor Bobic, senior HuffPost reporter covering Congress, the White House, and political campaigns

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Over 11 days recently, six Indigenous people were killed in separate encounters with police departments across the country. The outcome of any one incident isn't surprising, but so many, so quickly, is shocking. And there are hopes amidst the loss that this might, perhaps, be the thing that shocks the country's leaders to action.

On Monday, MPs in Ottawa held an emergency meeting. Indigenous leaders across the country are desperate to see some action. There are community groups on the ground ready and able to help deescalate these situations. It just isn't happening. Why not? And what would it take to create impactful change?

GUEST: Joanne Roberts, filmmaker, reporter at CityNews Winnipeg

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A few days before Sept. 11, police arrested a Pakistani man living in Canada with allegedly planning to travel to New York to commit a large-scale terror attack on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. Since laying charges, police have been tight-lipped about the case, and haven't revealed how they found the suspect, or who he may have been talking to.

But reporters have been digging and a picture is emerging—and it's one we're going to have to wrestle with further in the months to come. So what do we know about this suspect? What can we surmise about how the alleged plan was to come together? And how does a young man allegedly end up in a car, headed to the border, to attempt a massacre?

GUEST: Peter Edwards, crime, courts and justice reporter, The Toronto Star

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It's got a conservative pundit that wants a council seat and has his eyes on another shot at the mayor's chair. It has three liberal candidates lining up to stop him, which might be two candidates too many. It's got high stakes, citywide implications and an ex-premier and a former mayor politicking behind the scenes.

Normally city council byelections are boring, low-turnout affairs. This one ... won't be.

GUEST: Ben Spurr, City Hall Bureau Chief, Toronto Star

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With the American election fast approaching, we thought it would be an appropriate time to revisit this episode from February about how political beliefs seem to be increasingly divided along gender lines. Enjoy! 

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Men are this way, and women are that way. Entire careers in industries ranging from self-help to advertising to standup comedy have been based on this premise. Superficially, it can sometimes be sort of true. But generally, when it comes to political ideology, it hasn't been. Until now.

It's a very recent phenomenon, but it's pronounced. And it's accelerating—the percentage of young men and women who describe themselves as liberal and conservative is breaking wide apart in many countries, including here in Canada. We don't know why this is happening, but we do have some good ideas. And we don't know what the implications are, but most of them seem pretty bad...

GUEST: John Burn-Murdoch, columnist and chief data journalist for the Financial Times

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After years of shortages, dealership lots are finally full of new vehicles again. The question is if this will bring down prices that spiked during the pandemic? In this episode of Today, In This Economy, we chat with Driving.ca columnist Lorraine Sommerfeld about what to expect in the marketplace and everything you need to know about buying a new or used car this fall.

(We're hard at work a new season of In This Economy?!—but this fall we're also introducing shorter episodes that let our experts explain what the latest piece of economic news means for you, right now, Today, In This Economy.)

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

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Some stories are better if you don't know much going in. So, no spoilers.

All you need to know is this: An American university is suing a woman who lives in Kitchener, Ontario. It's trying to recover millions of dollars from her, that it claims she received as a result of fraud. The woman in question denies this. She worked for the money, she says, and earned it.

All the stuff that comes before that though—the sex, the real estate, the pseudonyms and investigations... you'll have to listen to find out.

GUEST: Jeff Outhit, reporter, Waterloo Region Record

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

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