There have been previous attempts to launch a professional league for the best women skaters in the world—the stars we've all watched at the Olympics, who have had to work second and third jobs to keep their careers going. Those attempts have all failed. 

In the hopes of finally, at long last, securing a stable league, with real funding and actual, professional treatment (long lacking in other women's leagues) some of the game's best players formed an association first, and only then went looking for a league to play in. This year, they got it. And the early returns have been incredible. This is the story of the long road to a real women's league, and why this time, really, is different.

GUEST: Maitreyi Anantharaman, reporter, Defector

Why this women's hockey league is truly different

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We've gained some new subscribers recently, and over the next few Sundays we want to help welcome them to the show by re-releasing some of our favourite episodes from the last few years. If you're new here, welcome! And if you've been with us for a while, we hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane. 

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The promise was pretty clear: During his first successful campaign as Liberal leader, Justin Trudeau told LGBT voters that we would end Canada’s longstanding ban prohibiting men who have sex with men from donating blood. At the time, it seemed like a simple promise to keep. A few years later, he claimed it wasn’t so simple.

Now, it’s 2021 and Erin O’Toole is criticizing Trudeau for his failure as the Conservatives seek LGBT support. How is the blood ban still in place? When Trudeau claims his government will “follow the science” what is he referring to? Is a discriminatory approach really still necessary when technology has rapidly advanced and Canada needs blood more than ever?

GUEST: Justin Ling, investigative journalist

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

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RE-RELEASE: Trudeau’s Liberals promised to end the blood ban. Now they say it’s “complicated”.

Patrick's family member is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and addicted to cocaine stimulants. Patrick and his wife have been trying to fund treatment through private means but are running out of money. They are worried long wait times and delays in the public system will be a barrier to care for their beloved family member.

Jordan speaks to Nadeem Esmail, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute who has studied the current state of mental health care in Canada and how we compare to other nations. 

Do you have a money problem? Call us and leave a message at 416-935-5935. Or email us at hello@itepod.ca. You can also find us on Instagram and TikTok @InThisEconomyPod. Don't forget to leave a call-back number, so we can get in touch.

Mental Health Crisis?! In This Economy?!

More than a year ago, BC decriminalized possession of small amounts of certain drugs. Earlier this month, they asked the federal government to recriminalize public use of those drugs. It was supposed to be a three-year pilot, but the key part of it lasted less than half that time. What made the government throw in the towel? Why didn't this project work as intended? And what does this mean for other places, specifically Toronto, that are considering similar measures?

GUEST: Jen St. Denis, reporter with The Tyee covering housing and civic issues, with a particular focus on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside

Has decriminalization failed in BC?

Recent movements, and brave survivors, have helped to shine light on some of the abuses that happen behind closed doors. But there's one that is still rarely spoken of: Incest. For years the numbers cited on how common incest was in families were simply assumptions, but the age of voluntary genealogy tracing has led to a reckoning.

It's far more common than we ever imagined, and those voluntary tests are leading to some people finding out, in an awful way, that they were the children of incest. When they do, there's almost no resources for them to lean on, nowhere for them to turn. Almost...

GUEST: Sarah Zhang, staff writer at The Atlantic

How we're learning the true prevalence of incest

We're in the middle of a month in which thousands of Canadians have sworn to boycott any store or product produced by Loblaw Companies Ltd. That includes an awful lot of stores and products, and would require some severe changing of habits. Which is why it probably won't work.

It seems that every week we're encouraged to boycott something, but how many of these protests actually result in change from the targeted company, any why? What should Canadians who want to encourage companies like Loblaw to change their strategies actually do to get some traction? And what should boycott organizers aim for to encourage the maximum number of people to join in?

GUEST: François Neville, Associate Professor of Strategic Management at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business

Why this women's hockey league is truly different

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