- As pandemic bills come due, are Canada's small businesses in danger?
Monday, February 12th 2024
Last year, small business insolvencies hit a level not seen in more than a decade. And that was before this January's deadline to repay pandemic relief loans in order to have some portion of them forgiven. Most businesses haven't seen pre-pandemic levels of business return—and inflation coupled with high interest rates mean consumers have less and less money to spend.
How precarious are the independent businesses in your neighbourhood right now? If they close up shop, will anything replace them? Why has the government declined to extend loan repayment further? And what happens to our neighbourhoods if these businesses keep vanishing?
GUEST: Ryan Mallough, Ontario vice president with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business
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- Have a Kid?! In This Economy?!
Saturday, February 10th 2024
Kacey and her partner just welcomed a new baby girl into their lives. And with this bundle of joy has also come a ton of new expenses.
Jordan talks to money expert and mom of two, Melissa Leong, to find out how new parents are making it work.
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- Can a prescription cure loneliness and isolation?
Friday, February 9th 2024
It would have to be quite the drug, right? Actually, no. While these are real health problems, with many of the impacts of a chronic physical illness, the fix isn't a new pharmaceutical. It's a new approach to a cure as old as society itself—social interaction with one's community.
The problem is, lots of people who struggle with isolation might not have the means or ability to simply get out and do it. That's where the prescriptions come in...
GUEST: Sonia Hsiung, director, Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing
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- What is Canada's role in a chaotic world?
Thursday, February 8th 2024
There was once a memorable slogan, used by everyone from booksellers to presidents, that proclaimed "the world needs more Canada". Now, in an era defined by chaos and conflicts, climate change and a return of authoritarian politics, what role should Canada play?
Traditionally, our country has had an outsized presence on the global stage—at least when compared to our population and our tiny military—but is that still true? As the world changes, and new players rise to power, does Canada still have an important part to play? Do we even have a coherent approach to the current combination of crises?
GUEST: Louise Blais, foreign policy analyst; formerly senior diplomat and Canada's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations
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- Inside the massive ideological split between young men and women
Wednesday, February 7th 2024
Men are this way, and women are that way. Entire careers in industries ranging from self-help to advertising to standup comedy have been based on this premise. Superficially, it can sometimes be sort of true. But generally, when it comes to political ideology, it hasn't been. Until now.
It's a very recent phenomenon, but it's pronounced. And it's accelerating—the percentage of young men and women who describe themselves as liberal and conservative is breaking wide apart in many countries, including here in Canada. We don't know why this is happening, but we do have some good ideas. And we don't know what the implications are, but most of them seem pretty bad...
GUEST: John Burn-Murdoch, columnist and chief data journalist for the Financial Times
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