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The Big Story

An in-depth look at the issues, culture and personalities shaping Canada today.

  1. How consumer rage defines Canadian politics

    Monday, October 28th 2024

    For our guest, it was a sandwich. For you it might be a box of cereal or a favourite candy bar. It doesn't matter what it is. What matters is that it makes you mad. There are plenty of signs that things are looking up in terms of affordability: Inflation is down and interest rates are declining fast—but somehow none of that is impacting how the economy makes Canadians feel.

    How has consumer rage becoming the defining issue of today's political landscape? If it brings down one federal government, what happens to the next one if things don't magically get cheaper? Why do we feel the price of a candy bar more than all the numbers that tell us things are getting better? And how are smart politicians channeling that rage?

    GUEST: Ira Wells, Toronto-based journalist writing in The Walrus

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

    Through email at [email protected] 

    Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

  2. Canada and the world get serious about UFOs

    Sunday, October 27th 2024

    This week, in honour of Halloween, we're revisiting an episode from 2023 about a quintessentially spooky topic: UFOs. Enjoy!  

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    Right now, Canada is working on a process to improve our tracking and reporting of sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects. In late May, NASA and the US Department of Defence help a joint public meeting, where it was revealed that the Five Eyes—an alliance of intelligence agencies including the US and Canada—held a private forum about the sightings, which have included, specifically, metallic orbs seen all over the world.

    All of this could sounds like the opening of a blockbuster, or just a conspiracy theory. But it's neither. It's a serious attempt by some of the world's biggest military and intelligence agencies to figure out exactly what's going on in our skies, be it natural phenomena, secretive new aerospace technology or, yes, something out of this world...

    GUEST: Daniel Otis, freelance journalist reporting on UFOs

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

    Through email at [email protected] 

    Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

  3. Is the Canadian job market really improving?

    Saturday, October 26th 2024

    This episode first aired on October 23, 2024 over at In This Economy?!, our sister show at the Frequency Podcast Network. The show helps Canadians understand the systems behind their money problems so they can make informed decisions about their personal finances. If you like what you hear, please consider giving us a follow! 

    You may have seen recent headlines about Canada's economy adding 47,000 new jobs in September and full-time employment seeing the largest gain in two years. These numbers sound positive, but do they tell the full story? What does this mean for people currently looking for work? And how does it help, or hinder, those who are currently employed but hoping for a raise or promotion?

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

    Through email at [email protected] 

    Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

  4. What's it like inside a park encampment?

    Friday, October 25th 2024

    You've walked past them or through them. They're in every Canadian city and town. The result of the housing crisis colliding with the opioid crisis and slamming into a pandemic. And for all the reporting has been done on them, for all the politicization of the camps themselves and what they do to a neighbourhood, perhaps not much is understood about the people inside them. Who they are, how they got there, what they need to get back on their feet and where they might get it.

    Today's episode, whatever you think of that encampment in your neighbourhood, is a chance to understand the phemomenon a little bit better.

    GUEST: Brennan Doherty, reporting for The Local

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

    Through email at [email protected] 

    Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

  5. Are BC's salmon farms doomed?

    Thursday, October 24th 2024

    For years, advocates have been citing the damage open-net salmon farming does to the environment off the BC coast. And in recent years the government has agreed with them. But salmon farming is a key part of BC's identity, and economy. Now a deadline has manufacturers looking for ways to sustainably farm the lucrative fish, but many are skeptical there's a way to make the switch in time without going bankrupt.

    What does the future hold for BC's salmon farming industry? What's so wrong with the industry's current practices? And is there a way to thread the needle and find a sustainable future that satisfies everyone?

    GUEST: Shannon Waters, B.C. politics and environment reporter at The Narwhal

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

    Through email at [email protected] 

    Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

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