Canadian businesses don’t have an innovation problem – they have a growth funding problem. Small- and medium-sized businesses often find themselves in what’s known as the ‘valley of death’ – the crucial time when a business is ready to grow, but can’t access the funding they need to get to the next level.

Jameson Berkow reports on capital markets for the Globe. He joins the show to talk about why it’s so hard for Canadian startups to access funding they need to grow, and with a Senate report expected soon, what solutions are being considered.

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The federal government wants Canada to get back into nuclear energy, pushing to increase nuclear power use and to build and export more Canadian-made nuclear reactors. For the first time in over three decades, a large nuclear reactor is being built in Canada.

But The Globe’s investigative reporter and data journalist Matt McClearn says there’s a reason these projects fell out of favour. There are famous, very deadly examples of nuclear accidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima, and these projects can be incredibly costly and time-consuming to construct.

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On June 20, Rainbow Railroad released a report on the state of global LGBTQ+ persecution. As an advocacy group, Rainbow Railroad helps at-risk LGBTQ+ people get to safety around the world. This past year they received the highest number of requests for support since their operation began. Most of these requests came from the United States. Canada also makes the list of top ten countries for requests.

Devon Matthews is Rainbow Railroad’s chief programs officer. She’s on the show to talk about the report’s findings, what’s fueling this spike in requests and the state of safety for LGBTQ+ people.

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A court case in Winnipeg has offered a rare glimpse into the mechanics of how human trafficking can work. And it showed that short-rental rentals, like Airbnb and Vrbo, can be used by traffickers while on the move with their victims. But some cities, like Winnipeg, are taking action.

Temur Durrani is a reporter for The Globe based in Winnipeg. He explains the story of a Quebec teenager who survived being trafficked and the regulations Winnipeg has put in place to try and combat human traffickers from using short-term rentals.

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Patrick Radden Keefe, investigative journalist and staff writer at The New Yorker, is best known for his narrative non-fiction true crime stories and deep dives into history. His best selling books include Say Nothing, Empire of Pain, and The Snakehead, as well as the podcast Wind of Change.

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The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding this week to end the war, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The 14-paragraph agreement lays out the stipulations for each side – including that all military operations between the U.S., Iran and their allies will stop, that the U.S. will lift all sanctions against Iran, and Iran will allow vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

But Thomas Juneau, professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa, says this initial agreement was actually the easy part. Now comes the difficult task of sorting out the specifics around issues the two sides have disagreed on for decades.

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Could Saskatchewan be the key to unlocking Canada’s trade potential? While Ottawa works to double non-U.S. exports over the next decade and rebuild important partnerships, politicians and business leaders may learn a lot by looking to the province in the centre of the country. Nearly twenty years ago, Saskatchewan began strategically diversifying their trading partnerships. It was a great success – the province now exports over 65 per cent of what it makes to about 160 countries.

Today, the Globe’s agriculture and food policy reporter Kate Helmore explains how Saskatchewan made a name for itself overseas and what Ottawa could learn as it seeks to branch out to new trading partners.

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Canada’s Online Streaming Act is a thorn in the side of the U.S. administration. The law, passed in 2023, brings streaming platforms like Netflix, Paramount and Disney under Canada’s broadcast regulations, and requires them to support and promote Canadian content. But the implementation of the law has been slow, and the regulator, the CRTC, has been taken to court by U.S. streaming platforms. Now, the Canadian government is asking the CRTC to back down on some of its funding requirements.

Today, we speak with Barry Hertz, The Globe’s deputy arts editor and film editor. He explains the holdups in getting the Online Streaming Act off the ground, the impact on the industry and how the minister in charge of this file defends his government’s decision to push for a rollback on funding requirements for Canadian content.

The edit of this episode now includes a clarification note from Netflix on Canadian revenue contributions.

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Despite Canada’s contributions to space technology and science, it lags behind other G7 nations in rocket launching capabilities. But that’s now changing – with federal investment and private business teaming up to eventually send spacecraft into orbit. It signals a growing political and economic interest in Canada.

The Globe’s science reporter Ivan Semeniuk attended one of the recent launches in Nova Scotia. He’s on the show to explain the building up of spaceports, why the government is turning attention to space and how this fits into a larger idea of Canadian sovereignty.

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Summer is peak tourist season for the Atlantic provinces, and many restaurants rely on revenue made during the season to get them through the rest of the year. But this summer, chefs and restaurateurs are facing a challenge: Staples tourists have come to expect, like scallops, haddock, and oysters, will be in short supply.

Dakshana Bascaramurty is The Globe’s food culture reporter. She’ll explain what’s causing these shortages, what it means for businesses and customers, and how chefs are adapting to the new landscape.

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