
The Big Story
An in-depth look at the issues, culture and personalities shaping Canada today
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Episodes (1902)
Ep 1985 – Big Headlines: Iconic Canadian sports broadcaster passes away and select international students under review for protests in Calgary
Plus: Farage secures victory over Binface, some students protesting work permit denials face scrutiny over their current status in Canada, officials in B.C. say the public will still be able to access a Vancouver Island castle if it’s handed over to First Nations, some companies opt to weather the possible storm with more U.S. tariffs looming, and could Canada put American alcohol back on shelves to secure tariff relief?
Today • 8m 40s
Ep 1982 – Is it time to end the U.S. "booze bans"?
Since almost the very beginning of the trade war, alcohol from the United States has been banned from most Canadian shelves. It was done as a way of putting pressure on the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump-- and it's worked. The so-called "booze ban" has been a constant irritant south of the border, hitting hard at states like California and Kentucky. But that soon could be coming to an end, with new reporting suggesting that Canada is willing to get rid of the ban in exchange for relief on some tariffs, as the deadline for new duties looms.
Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Kaylie Tiessen from the Canadian Shield Institute-- a thinktank that looks to grow Canadian economic leadership-- about the effectiveness of the bans, if they're worth giving up for relief, and more.
Today • 21m 2s
Ep 1971 – Big Headlines: Farage vs. Binface: Voters in Clacton head to the polls
Plus: Canada and the U.S. continue to negotiate with new tariffs looming, the U.S. ambassador to Canada responds to a petition calling to kick him out of the country, four of the five former World Juniors players acquitted of sexual assault last summer will stay banned from Hockey Canada after they were found to have breached its code of conduct, three Moncton teens face charges after a boy was seen riding down a major street on the roof of a car, and why did tens of thousands of migrants surge into a Spanish exclave in North Africa?
1 days ago • 7m 55s
Ep 1981 – What's behind 70,000 migrants flooding a Spanish town?
On the northeastern tip of Morocco, just south of Gibraltar, the Spanish city Ceuta was recently overwhelmed by Moroccan migrants. At the end of last month, tens of thousands of Moroccans flooded border crossings, or tried to get around them by swimming in the Strait of Gibraltar. Dozens of people died in the attempt. Now, while the majority of the migrants have been returned to Morocco, hundreds, if not thousands, still remain in Ceuta, struggling to access food and water, while inflamed anti-immigrant sentiment tears at the fabric of the city, and European Union at large.
Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Gerald Knaus, President of the European Stability Initiative, about the crisis, what's behind it, and the political upheaval in Europe, as the far-right continues to make gains in major nations on the backs of anti-migration seeker sentiment.
1 days ago • 26m 48s
Ep 1983 – Big Headlines: Rescuers in Colombia racing against the clock to save survivors from quake that rocked multiple cities
Plus: Canada's top trade negotiator has a warning ahead of new impending tariffs, thousands of Canadians want Trump's trade rep to Canada removed from Ottawa, the federal government is ramping up funding to fight climate risks, Europe is set to experience a total solar eclipse, and Canada has a new "Highway of Tears" - used for sex trafficking.
2 days ago • 7m 48s
Ep 1977 – What Canada is missing toward finding MMIWG
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls have been a problem in Canada for decades, and one that went ignored for far too long. Going back to the late 60s, women and girls were taken especially along a stretch of road in British Columbia known as The Highway of Tears. But now, there is a new highway of tears. By tracking sex ads posted online, a team from Thompson Reuters was able to follow the routes traffickers used to move their victims from one end of the country to the next, following along some of Canada's busiest highways and airports.
Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with, Temur Durrani, a national correspondent for the Globe and Mail based out of Manitoba, who's done in-depth coverage of sex trafficking and the report, to break down the information, and learn what it might tell us about how to fight this criminal enterprise.
2 days ago • 22m 24s
Ep 1980 – Big Headlines: Death toll mounts in Colombia following 7.4-magnitude earthquake and Canadian military on standby for B.C. wildfires
Plus: A Montreal father is found guilty of murdering his daughter in upstate New York, Alberta reviews its Amber Alert criteria following the death of a boy with autism, Environment Canada makes significant changes to its tornado warning system, auto thefts across Canada trend down toward pre-pandemic levels, and a youth mental health service says it’s seeing a spike in overnight calls.
3 days ago • 9m 52s
Ep 1975 – Where are youth turning in the lonely hours?
This episode contains conversations about mental health, suicide, and sexual assault. Please take care.
Kids Help Phone, a service offering free, mental health service over the phone or online to youth across Canada, has had a spike in overnight calls-- the most dramatic increase in their more than three-decade history. The reasons are various, but the need is great, putting strain on the service's volunteer force.
Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Rebecca Shields, President and CEO of Kids Help Phone, about the spike they've seen, what's driving it, how they're handling it, and more.
3 days ago • 21m 50s
Ep 1978 – Big Headlines: Tens of thousands forced to evacuate as B.C. declares state of emergency over wildfires
Plus: Montreal’s police chief plans to provide an update on a patrol unit that disbanded in June over serious allegations, the Conservative leader writes a letter to the Prime Minister on the response to tariffs from the U.S., a toddler grounds a flight in Victoria, football officials push for heavier consequences for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and investigative genetic genealogy is used to charge a suspect in a decades-old murder case in Toronto.
4 days ago • 8m
Ep 1973 – The reopening of the Patrick Santos cold case
It's taken Toronto Police more than 20 years to charge a suspect in the murder of Patrick Santos, a 21 year old Scarborough man that was found zip-tied and duck taped in his home in 2006.
Investigative genetic genealogy was able to match the DNA sample taken from the crime scene to that of Pierre O'Connor, a Hamilton man who had no previous criminal record.
Host Maria Kestane speaks to Fil Martino, co-host of Tracking a killer, to dig into the details of the 20 year-old cold case. Then she's joined by Steen Hartsen, a faculty member of the British Columbia Institute of Technology to learn more about genetic genealogy - including its ethical risks.
4 days ago • 24m 30s
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An in-depth look at the issues, culture and personalities shaping Canada today.
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