The Big Story

Plus: The Alberta government faces jeers and expletives at town halls over a planned Meta data centre, the Boston Marathon says it will count qualifying times on the Edmonton course which was accidentally made two-thirds of a kilometre longer than normal but won’t adjust them to the standard marathon length, a caver is rescued using new radio technology, and the case for more “third spaces”.

What's your go-to place to unwind? It could be a local tavern, a neighbourhood coffee shop, even a park where the kids can runaround. In the digitally-saturated era we're currently living in, those third places aren't being occupied as much, as binging a show on the couch or doom scrolling in the car afterwork seem like the more convenient, economical option. But physical, third places are more important for social connection than we think. Host Catherine Jette speaks to Toronto Star columnist, Justin Ling to discuss the case for more third spaces and where Ottawa could look to for inspiration on incentives.

Plus: A Calgary police officer will be tried for murder after two suspects in a slow-speed chase were shot and killed, a survey finds almost a fifth of Quebec teachers consider quitting, WestJet is ordered to do away with a 300-pound weight limit on wheelchairs on most of its planes, and what makes Quebec and Newfoundland’s pending energy deal historic?

Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec announced a historic energy deal with help from Ottawa to replace a detested 1969 deal and a confusing 2024 MOU. The new agreement would see Quebec pay 1.8 cents per kilowatt-hour to Newfoundland and Labrador, with that price rising to 7.4 cents over the next 50 years. The deal, however, remains un-signed, amid a looming Quebec election, as well as an absent stamp of approval from Indigenous communities in each province. Host Maria Kestane speaks to François Bouffard, electrical engineering professor at McGill University to discuss what makes this new deal so important, and the history that precedes it.

Plus: A petition calls for the U.S. ambassador to Canada to be removed, Canadians seeking treatment for rare diseases face challenges, the summer wildfire season hits a historic milestone, a union in Vancouver takes action to delay a major infrastructure project, and OpenAI launches a chatbot designed specifically for teenagers.

A petition with more than 230,000 signatures continues to make its way across Canada in hopes of ousting the US Ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra. Signatories believe the diplomat has further strained Canada-US relations by adding fuel to President Trump's annexation threats, and allege he's made "repeated interventions in Canadian political discourse inconsistent with diplomatic protocol." Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Colin Robertson, a former Canadian diplomat and Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. They discuss whether the petition could hold any weight in Parliament, and what Canadians want out of a potential replacement.

Plus: the Quebec election frontrunner shelves a sovereignty referendum until after the Trump presidency is over, the NBA spars with ESPN over its reporting on the L.A. Clippers investigation, a grizzly bear cub escapes from his enclosure at the Calgary Zoo, and why did Pope Leo excommunicate members of a traditionalist Catholic sect?

There has been a schism in the Catholic church. In early July, Pope Leo excommunicated an ultra-conservative sect known as the Society of St. Pius X, after they ordained new Bishops against his orders. It's the largest break in the church in 156 years. With its members and followers, Leo has effectively kicked out 600,000 Catholics-- a tough move by the still new Leo, who has made church unity a central theme of his pontificate. Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Dr. Catherine Foisy, a professor of Christianity at the University of Quebec in Montreal about why the Pope made the move, what it says about the state of the Catholic Church, and what it says about how Pope Leo is approaching this geopolitical moment.

Plus: Statistics Canada says the annual rate of inflation accelerated to three per cent in July, Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to make an announcement about energy security regarding Churchill Falls, an autopsy is being performed following the death of television star Hayden Panettiere, new research shows the beneficial relationship between young teens struggling with anxiety and dog ownership, and how do we stop antisemitism on university campuses?

A new report commissioned by the federal government says antisemitism is a systemic problem on university and college campuses, adding post-secondary institutions have failed to address the problem. It finds more than 95% of Jewish students say they saw or experienced antisemitism last year, with nearly 18% of those incidents being from a faculty member. Overall, 70% of those Jewish students surveyed believe their school simply doesn't take antisemitism seriously. Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with the study's lead author, Dr. Jack Jedwab, president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies and Metropolis Institute, about the findings, where the resurgence is coming from, what can be done to address the findings, and more.