Even before Omicron, Tessa Dupuis was tired of COVID-19 and the negative talk that filled her Saskatchewan salon. She’s been trying to spread positivity and kindness by barring COVID-19, vaccine and political talk within her salon.

As the Omicron COVID-19 variant spreads, the federal government is advising Canadians against non-essential travel outside the country. This could affect some Canadians’ holiday plans for the second year in a row. We hear if and how Canadians can safely celebrate the holidays from Dr. Susy Hota, an infectious diseases specialist at the University Health Network; and Samantha Yammine, a neuroscientist and science communicator.

In his new book Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World, historian and journalist Wil Haygood analyzes race relations in the United States through the lens of cinema. He highlights how Black people haven’t been fully recognized for their contributions to film.

We check in on vaccine progress in parts of Africa. In South Africa, we speak to Petro Terblanche, the managing director of Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines, whose company is working to develop a shot based closely on what is known about the mRNA vaccine made by Moderna. And in Malawi, we speak to Dr. Titus Divala, an epidemiologist at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, about some of the challenges preventing more of the country being fully vaccinated.

Canada’s inflation rate hit an 18-year high of 4.7 per cent in October. As a result, the prices of everyday products are on the rise. Armine Yalnizyan, Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Workers and a columnist at the Toronto Star, explains why inflation is on the rise, and some Canadians highlight how their shopping habits have changed as a result.

The Canadian government promised to give asylum to 40,000 Afghan refugees after the Taliban took over. But as 2021 comes to an end, only about one tenth of that number have set foot on Canadian soil. We speak to Saeeq Shajjan, an Afghan lawyer and recent refugee to Canada, about the work his law firm has done with the Canadian government in Afghanistan; and Carla Potter, a lawyer at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, who’s leading the team advocating for Shajjan’s employees.

Science and environment writer Edward Struzik tackles the world of peatlands in his new book, Swamplands: Tundra Beavers, Quaking Bogs and the Improbable World of Peat. He talks about how humans have misunderstood peatlands for decades and why we’re paying the price for it now.

Cows are significant contributors to climate change thanks to their belches, which emit methane. But could a type of seaweed feed help block some of that gas and fight climate change? Federal scientist Karen Beauchemin explains how it works.

As the omicron variant takes hold, there are growing calls for expanded access to COVID-19 booster shots. Epidemiologist Dr. Prabhat Jha talks about the best way to curb the spread of the variant leading up to the holidays.

Defence Minister Anita Anand, Gen. Wayne Eyre and deputy defence minister Jody Thomas apologized on Monday to the women and men whose lives were scarred by sexual assault and discrimination in the military. We discuss the apology and changing the culture within the Canadian Armed Forces with Leah West, who served as an armoured officer for a decade and is now an assistant professor at Carleton University; and Maj. Donna Riguidel, the co-founder of Survivor Perspectives Consulting Group.