- What’s behind a rise in dog attacks?
Wednesday, April 10th 2024
Recent weeks have seen gruesome and tragic incidents in both Toronto and Edmonton involving dogs attacking children, leaving one child dead and another with life-changing injuries. Those stories are backed by numbers from many Canadian cities—including Toronto and Edmonton—showing a surge in attacks or dangerous incidents over the past couple of years.
What's behind the spike in attacks? Is it pandemic puppies, as some suggest? Lax enforcement? Incompetent owners? All of those and more? And more importantly, what are we doing about it? What works and what doesn't when it comes to keeping dogs under control in our cities?
GUEST: Dr. Tim Arthur, Ottawa veterinarian and Canadian Veterinary Medical Association President-elect
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- Has a serial killer walked free for decades?
Tuesday, April 9th 2024
In a 12-month span from 1990-1991, three teenaged girls were murdered in Victoria, BC. All three had been sex trafficked and were working on what was then the city's "stroll" where sex workers solicited clients. All three were found separately, and the ensuing investigations were a jurisdictional mess. The crimes are unsolved to this day, though some with knowledge of the cases believe they may have been committed by the same person.
Who were these girls and how did they find themselves on the stroll? What might we learn about these still-open cases more than 30 years later? Why couldn't police make headway in the 1990s and what's changed that might finally help bring the killer or killers to justice?
GUEST: Laura Palmer, host and creator of Island Crime Season 6: Sweethearts
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- Why is competition so hard to find in Canada?
Monday, April 8th 2024
In response to sky-high grocery costs, Canada's Competition Bureau recently issued a report calling for more competition in the sector. That call was echoed by the federal government, who had hoped to lure a foreign chain, such as Germany's Aldi, to Canada to give consumers options. But Aldi won't be coming, and neither will anyone else, at least not anytime soon.
Why is it so hard for companies to enter the Canadian market and compete against homegrown companies like Loblaw, especially in the grocery sector? How could Canada make it easier for competitors to set up shop? And should we be encouraging foreign-owned businesses over ones owned and operated by Canadians in the first place?
GUEST: Vass Bednar, Executive Director of McMaster University's Master of Public Policy in Digital Society Program; author of regs2riches.com
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- In This Economy: How to handle RRSPs in an affordability crisis
Saturday, April 6th 2024
Should I put my savings into an RRSP? If I do that, will I pay less taxes? What happens if I want to access that money before I retire? These are just a few of the RRSP-related questions we've received lately. So, here's everything you need to know about RRSPs in one episode. Just in time for tax season!
With Jackie Porter, certified financial planner and ambassador for FP Canada, a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to championing better financial wellness for all Canadians. Learn more about FP Canada here.
We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:
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- We can clone your pet now. So what's next?
Friday, April 5th 2024
Do you miss that beloved cat or dog that passed away? Good news! For only tens of thousands of dollars, and probably a few failed attempts, you can have an identical genetic replacement. Years ago Barbara Streisand made news for cloning her dog. But since then the technology has become much more accessible. A woman in BC made Canadian headlines in March for her two kittens, cloned from a deceased cat named 'Bear'.
But these pets can't consent to being clones--which come with more risks than a traditional cat or dog--nor can the cats or dogs who carry the fetus. And while pet cloning technology comes to the masses, scientists are working on the next step. To save endangered animals? To bring back extinct ones? And in some dark places around the world... perhaps even attempts to clone humans.
GUEST: Kerry Bowman, bioethicist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto
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