The Big Story

Last month, Alberta phased out coal years earlier than expected. It was an impressive achievement for a province synonymous with fossil fuels. Next up: Oil and gas? Probably not, but like it or not the time will come when the world moves on from the fuels that has been driving Alberta—and Canada's—economy for decades.

When that happens, are we ready? What can the phase out of coal, in Alberta or elsewhere, teach us about how we do move on when the time comes? Where can we look for examples of how to scale down without crushing our economy? And can we find the will to be proactive about a change we likely won't have any control over when it arrives?

GUEST: Arno Kopecky, environmental journalist and author, writing in The Walrus

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It's been well over a week since Venezuelans votes, by all accounts, to send president Nicolás Maduro packing. He hasn't left office, and has instead presented results that claim he, in fact, won the election. Hundreds of thousands of citizens have taken to the streets to demand he transfer power to opposition leader Edmundo González. Thousands of those protesters have been detained.

Democracy around the world is under threat, and nowhere is this more clear than in a country with a president that has become more authoritarian every year. So as the world watches, what happens now in Venezuela? What can the international community do to push for the peaceful transfer of power? And what happens if Maduro simply refuses?

GUEST: Mie Dahl, reporting in Caracas, Venezuela

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Massive global events like the Olympics are a magnet for cybercriminals and hacktivists. There are incredible complex systems to disrupt, billions in digital dollars moving around and the eyes of the world's media are watching for any logistical failure. But much like intelligence services coordinate to prevent physical terrorism, there's a network of cybersecurity units from nations around the world doing the same thing in the digital space.

So how do you keep the Olympics secure, digitally? Where are the vulnerabilities in this type of event? What do organizations like the IOC or even ordinary citizens following the games need to know about the risks? We're talking to the folks that do this work for Canada to try to stay ahead in a rapid technological arms race.

GUEST: Caroline Xavier, Chief of the Communications Security Establishment of Canada

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It's a long weekend, and that means it's time for us to reach into bag and pull out some the most thought-provoking pieces of listener feedback we've received over the past few months. 

Even if your letter or voicemail didn't make it into this episode, please know that we've read them and appreciate them all the same! Please keep the feedback and story ideas coming! 

Enjoy the rest of your summer! 

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

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We recently released an episode about a woman in Hamilton, Ontario who unwittingly became a landlord after the tenants in a house she intended to move into, refused to leave. Today we're revisiting an episode from 2023 that highlights the other side of that equation: the plight of renters in an increasingly unaffordable housing market. Enjoy! 

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Rent in large Canadian cities is at ridiculous highs. It's hard to find a decent apartment. and sometimes even harder to keep it. Landlords can afford to neglect their buildings because units are so scarce, and what options do tenants have, exactly? Leave?! Stop paying rent?!

Well, yes, there are several rent strikes happening in Canada right now, mostly in Toronto. Some of them are closing in on six months or more. Evictions have been long-threatened, but slow to happen. Nor have the tenants received any concession or negotiation, even when the mayor stepped in. So what are rent strikes, how do they work, and what should you know about a renter's "last resort"?

GUEST: Ricardo Tranjan, Senior Researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives; author of The Tenant Class

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It's one thing for you or me to be skeptical of generative AI. Sure, we might not have much practical use for it, and it may keep giving us the wrong answers to questions or images of people with too many fingers ... but there are billions and billions of dollars to be made here, right? 

A report last month from investment firm Goldman Sachs says "Maybe not." The report takes a clear-eyed look at the promise and potential of generative AI, compared to what has actually come to fruition and how much better AI may or may not get. The conclusions offer a picture of a Next Big Thing that might simply never get there.

GUEST: Ed Zitron, technology writer, author of Where's Your Ed At?

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American Democrats had long prided themselves on taking the high road in the face of insults and mockery from the right. But over the past week, their tone—and the vibes of the presidential campaign—have shifted. Since Kamala Harris became the presumptive nominee, she and other top democrats have begun calling their Republican opponents just plain "weird" and sometimes "creepy".

The response to it from the right has been fascinating. And Harris certainly appears to have wiped out the deficit she inherited from Joe Biden and brought the race even again. Why has "weird" worked so well? How has the race actually changed on the ground? What will define the final few months of the campaign?

GUEST: Aaron Rupar, American political journalist, founder of Public Notice

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It's not your favourite metal band's summer itinerary. It's a group of far-right extremists who are travelling the country hosting events in venues that range from auditoriums to city parks. The content is about what you'd expect, and has led to several venues closing their doors, but that only leads to claims of censorship.

Why are we telling you about this and possibly raising its profile? Because it can be easy to pretend groups like this don't exist in Canada, or that stuff like Diagolon only exists online. But it's increasingly turning up in our neighbourhoods and communities. So what, exactly, is the purpose of the "terror tour"? Who's hosting it, how did it come to be ... and what do you need to know about it if it comes to your town?

GUEST: Jen St. Denis, reporter, The Tyee

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The call to evacuate came late at night. Thousands had to find somewhere to go. Some of them drove for up to 12 hours. Then all they could do was watched as a massive blaze in Jasper National Park tore through the town at its core.

But even as the fire continued to burn outside of the town on Monday, work was being done to save what was left, including critical infrastructure. Both the park and town of Jasper hold a special place in the hearts of so many Canadians, but was there ever a chance to protect it? Or was this destruction inevitable? And what happens to Jasper now?

GUEST: Sean Amato, reporter, CityNews Edmonton

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For the first time ever this summer—and on the 50th anniversary of Jaws—shark warning signs will go up on some Atlantic beaches in Canada. It's an effort to keep people informed as the shark population in the area seems to be surging, and with it the number of encounters with humans.

What's driving the increase in numbers? What have we learned about shark behaviour in our waters? Should kayakers and boarders be worried? And half a century after Peter Benchley's novel turned the world against these supposed "man-eaters", how much better do we understand them?

GUEST: Fred Whoriskey, executive director of the Ocean Tracking Network at Dalhousie University

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