The Big Story

Recently there has been renewed talk of Canada launching a 'digital loonie'. 

We discussed the idea of a national digital currency on this very show almost three years ago, and with the idea gaining renewed traction, we felt now would be a good time to revisit that episode. 

We hope you enjoy!

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Right now, the Bank of Canada is working on a "digital loonie" that will replace cash at some point in the future. Governments around the world are either following suit or way ahead of us. While banks have been giving their customers access to digital wallets for years, cryptocurrencies are attempting to corner the market on the next generation of money.

The only thing that's clear to everyone is that actual cold, hard cash is not long for this world—with all the benefits and inequalities that will include. So in the race to become the next go-to source of currency ... who's winning?

GUEST: Michael Doyle, freelance journalist and reporter

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With the recent devastation in Jasper, Alberta, we wanted to revisit this episode we recorded back in April with author, John Vaillant, where he explains why wildfires have become more common, and much harder to fight. 

We hope you find it informative, and our hearts go out to all those affected by the current fires. 

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ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES

Today, evacuation alerts for several communities in BC and Alberta are in effect. You may not have noticed, because there are always evacuation alerts in effect now, and there are always fires burning, some of them out of control. When the whole country takes notice is when the skies over entire provinces go dark, the air turns bad or a blaze like the Fort McMurray fire in 2016 blitzes through a city.

All of that will probably happen this year. The conditions are ripe for it, and there's not much we can do to prevent a devastating fire when it comes. But we can evolve our strategies as the fires get bigger. We can adapt. But...will we?

GUEST: John Vaillant, author, Fire Weather: The making of a beast

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The Paris games kicks off with the Opening Ceremonies today, but the Canadian women's soccer team has already given the thousands of media covering the event something to talk about. Earlier this week, a team analyst was caught using a drone to spy on the New Zealand team's practice, sparking immediate consequences that have included removal from the team, multiple investigations and even police charges.

Why would anyone associated with the team try to do this, or think they'd get away with it? Is this a one-off incident or a systemic issue? How far up the Canadian soccer ladder does this scheme go? How bad will the fallout be? And has Canada tainted its games before they even begin?

GUEST: Sid Seixeiro, sports commentator, co-host of Breakfast Television, formerly of Tim and Sid

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A month ago President Joe Biden was about to debate former President Donald Trump. Everything since then has been a series of shocks that dramatically upset a race that had been static for years. Now Vice President Kamala Harris assumes the Democratic candidacy and will take on a Republican machine that had been preparing to run against the oldest candidate in history.

How does Harris' ascention impact the race? How will republicans try to define her and will it work? How has she managed to reinvigorate a party wherre morale was at a critical low? And what does this mean for the coming remaining weeks and months of the race? What twists are still to come?

GUEST: Melissa Haussman, professor of political science, Carleton University

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Last Friday, a bad update from a cybersecurity company managed to give an estimated 1 percent of the world's computers the blue screen of death. Not only that, but the initial fix was a manual procedure, meaning someone had to physically get ahold of each computer that needed a reboot.

The global impact was profound, grounding airlines, halting businesses and generally providing a wake-up call to everyone who takes the digital infrastructure most of our lives are built on for granted. Why weren't we prepared for this? How did it happen? And are we really ready for a world that could go offline at any moment?

GUEST: Jesse Hirsh, futurist, technologist and cybersecurity expert

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Canada's dental plan, the first national model in the country's history, opened earlier this year. And it's already quite different than it was at launch. For starters, it's expanding eligibility—most recently to children under 18. But the government is also tweaking it on the fly, in the hopes of getting more dentists and dental associations on board.

Why has it been so hard to convince dental practitioners to sign up? Are their concerns valid and what's the government doing about them? Who does the plan cover, and how do you get access? And compared to what advocates have long fought for, how does the current model stack up?

GUEST: Dr. Brandon Doucet, dentist, founder of the Coalition for Dentalcare

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If you get outside to enjoy Canadian nature, you've probably been warned about ticks and their potential to spread Lyme disease. But you may not have been warned about the other illnesses ticks can spread, like Anaplasmosis, which is currently on the rise in Canada.

The tick problem this year, is worse than last year, and much much worse than even a decade ago. Is there anything we can do to curb their spread? And what can you do to keep yourself safe? 

GUEST: Dr. Laura Ferguson: Biologist and Associate Professor at Acadia University

For more tick-related resources, visit: https://www.etick.ca/

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No we haven't been hacked—today's story has all of these things and more. It's a tale about what happens when a Canadian crypto company wants to add to its portfolio, an American sex doll manufacturer wants to be taken more seriously and artificial intelligence progress convinces everyone involved  that this is possible.

Welcome to Canada's strangest business tech story of the year. Burt it's not fiction, it has investors and prototypes and big plans for everything from hospitals to research to ... AI sex robots.

GUEST: Claire Brownell, digital currency reporter, The Logic

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Five years ago, the City of Toronto sounded a warning about an explosive growth in its rat population. The city planned to ... study it. Now, both Toronto and Ottawa are desperate for a plan to tackle  highly visible rodent problems. But nothing's worked yet.

Meanwhile, Alberta has been "rat-free" for decades, and the woman in charge of keeping the province that way has some thoughts about more experimental methods that might be considered. So how does Alberta do it? Why can't Ontario cities emulate their methods? And why does it seem like rats are everywhere in (most) big cities right now?

GUEST: Sheila Reid, reporter, The Canadian Press

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If you own a property, you're not allowed to kick tenants out just to raise the rent. You are, however, allowed to evict them if you've purchased the property and plan to live in the home yourself. But what happens if they...just don't leave?

A woman who recently purchased a home in Hamilton, is now living in her car and on friends' couches after she bought a home and made plans to move in—only to find  herself homeless. It's been more than six weeks, and she's planning for months to come. How do these situations happen? And what do they tell us about landlord-tenant rules and the system that enforces them...or doesn't?

GUEST: Sebastien Bron, reporter, The Hamilton Spectator

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