- How the government investigates "greenwashing" complaints
Wednesday, March 27th 2024
You may not know which ads meet the definition of greenwashing—but you know the type of ads in that discussion. Big corporations assuring you of how much they do for the environment, how sustainable their practices are and how much they've already done to make sure you can enjoy their products guilt-free.
As the climate crisis worsens, convincing your customers your business is part of the solution, not the problem, can translate to a lot of revenue. The question is, how legitimate are those claims, and what happens when someone reports you for not meeting your own lofty standards?
GUEST: Carl Meyer, climate investigations reporter, The Narwhal
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- How Loblaw became Canada's "company store"
Tuesday, March 26th 2024
You have to work pretty hard, in most of the country, to avoid spending money with a Loblaw-owned business. From its origins in groceries to market dominance there, the ubiquity of Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix, and everything from finance to clothing also under its umbrella, the Weston family has built a staggering retail empire.
How did they do it? What happens when one company controls so much of the market for essential goods? What does it mean for us? Should the government take action here, and what could they do about it if they were so inclined? After all, isn't Loblaw just...successful?
GUEST: David Moscrop, writer, author and political commentator (Read David's piece on Loblaw right here.)
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- How AI takes workplace surveillance to another level
Monday, March 25th 2024
We all know that companies track what we do on work devices. If, for example, you're listening to this show right now on a company phone or laptop, your boss could probably find that out, assuming they wanted to.
But he’s where it gets darker: your boss might not have to bother finding out. An AI-driven worker surveillance program may be logging everything you do, completely automatically. And then judging your performance based on whatever it's been told to look for...GUEST: Valerio de Stefano, Canada Research Chair in Innovation, Law and Society
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- In This Economy: How subscription fees spiraled out of control
Saturday, March 23rd 2024
Netflix. Disney+. Prime. Apple TV+. Spotify. Newspapers. Magazines. Video games. Substacks. A secret caller (hint: you know him!) has a minor subscription addiction and needs help getting his spending under control.
Jordan asks Barry Hertz, Deputy Arts Editor and Film Editor for The Globe and Mail, to explain the subscription boom we're living in, and learn a few tips to avoid high fees.
Do you have a money problem? Call us and leave a message at 416-935-5935. Or email us at [email protected]. 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.
We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:
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- The past, present and perilous future of bagged milk in Canada
Friday, March 22nd 2024
It's a Canadian institution. Or at least, a piece of Canadian culture. OK, fine, it's an interesting quirk that visitors to Eastern and Atlantic Canada are often flummoxed by, but residents have lived with all their lives. Until, perhaps, one day soon when bags of milk may vanish from grocery stores.
That's the speculation, at least, as milk consumption declines. But it offers a chance to take a little dive into the world's most interesting form of dairy delivery and see ... why? How? And for how long?
GUEST: Andy Takagi, reporter, The Toronto Star
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