How Canada ended up with private health care

After 13 years, how is Uber still not turning a profit?: The secret to Uber's success was always supposed to be scale. The company subsidized rides and drivers, operating at a loss on each ride, as it grew into what is now a global behemoth. At that point, with a huge chunk of the market secured, the profits would naturally follow. Uber is now as dominant in its sector as any company could hope for. It has scale to rival the world's biggest companies and ... its posting losses. Big losses. What happened here? And what does it say about the future of the app? GUEST: Alison Griswold, London-based journalist, author of Oversharing by The Big Story

26 min listen

Is Canadian intelligence to blame for this man's 14 years of incarceration?: Mohamedou Ould Slahi is not a Canadian citizen. He's Mauritanian. But he did spend a few weeks in Canada, and during that time he was watched. It is that evidence gathered by Canadian authorities, he claims, that led to his eventual detention and torture, and 14 years in security facilities. Now he's suing the Canadian government for $30 million. How did a few weeks in Montreal change his life, and how much is our government to blame? GUEST: Michelle Shephard, terrorism and human rights reporter, filmmaker and podcaster by The Big Story

21 min listen

Is the pandemic really, finally ending? And if so, what comes next?: Pandemics end. It's in their nature. And in recent weeks there's a large amount of data pointing to declining deaths worldwide and the logical end of the one that's plagued us for two-plus years. Finally. But how will we know when it's really "over"? What's the criteria? What comes after the pandemic phase of Covid-19, and what does the future look like? (Oh, and how worried should you be about Monkeypox?) GUEST: Dr. David Fisman, epidemiologist, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto by The Big Story

27 min listen

Why have the polls in Ontario barely budged?: For an election so hotly anticipated by angry partisans, Ontario's month-long campaign doesn't seem to have inspired much of a shift from pre-election polls. The province votes in two days, and a quick glance would seem to say that Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives are headed for another majority. Beyond the top line, however, things are more murky. Why have so many PC candidates dodged debates? Why have the Liberals and NDP spent so much time attacking one another, when their federal counterparts are openly working together? Why have highways taken debate time away from a climate crisis, even as a massive storm killed nine Ontarians and left thousands (still) without power? And if Ford does retain his majority, is it the end of the line for his opponents leading the NDP and Liberal parties? GUEST: Richard Southern, Queen's Park Reporter, CityNews by The Big Story

27 min listen

How did Canadian politics become so nasty?: You see it most visibly when party leaders like Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh are accosted outside of events. But ordinary MPs of all parties report increasing amounts of verbal abuse and threatening behaviour—both in Ottawa and their home ridings. And it's escalating. Some veteran MPs have walked away from politics because of it. And it's quite likely this toxic climate is preventing plenty more would-be public servants from ever running for office. So how did it get this bad? And how do we fix it? GUEST: Stephen Maher, writing in The Walrus by The Big Story

24 min listen

What's in Bill 96? And why is it tearing apart Quebec's uneasy language truce?: Fights over language have always been a part of Quebec politics, and of life in the province in general. For the most part, they tend to end in a begrudging compromise, with French protected and English available but not given equal billing. A new bill about to be passed by the province's majority Coalition Avenir Quebec government is threatening to change all that. The government says it's necessary to protect the province's official language. Everyone who isn't a native French speaker, from Indigenous people to Anglophones to new immigrants hoping to make a home in Quebec say that the bill is far too harsh and will make things like doctor-patient relationships, workplaces and institutional services far more difficult to navigate. So what's in the bill? What does it actually mean? And what happens next? GUEST: Christopher Reynolds, Montreal-based reporter, The Canadian Press by The Big Story

23 min listen

Why is BC decriminalizing drugs? And will it help?: The overdose crisis is a tragedy, and in the past couple of years the number of deaths has been staggering. Harm-reduction advocates are looking for any way possible to save lives, and decriminalization is a strategy that has been used elsewhere to great effect. So starting next January, British Columbia will try it with some drugs, at low amounts. Is this a huge step towards progressive drug policy, or too-little-too-late? Could it be both? GUEST: Manisha Krishnan, senior editor, Vice News by The Big Story

20 min listen

Hot Time: Summer in the City: Heat isn't the same everywhere. Last week Toronto was the hottest place in Canada, but even if it wasn't it might have felt like it. Large metropolises are adept at soaking up heat and trapping it. Which means even the absence of the sun won't cool things down much. If you've got a nice shady street and plenty of air conditioning, it's an annoyance. If you don't have either, it's deadly. And with records breaking annually now, and even the "normal day" temperatures increasing, cities and the people who live in them need to adapt to a future that we're already living in. GUEST: Inori Roy, The Local by The Big Story

23 min listen

For a supposedly secure currency, there are a lot of crypto thefts. Why?: You see them in the headlines every week or so: Hundreds of thousands—more often, millions—of dollars in cryptocurrency or NFTs, stolen by hackers or scammers who lured their victims into providing access to their secure wallets, only to empty them out. As more and more non-experts jump into the scene, encouraged by big stars in high-priced commercials and dreaming of riches, there's more money than ever out there for the taking. Is crypto safe? How can you spot a scam? Does it need regulation? Or does it just need to come with a disclaimer—the same way legal gambling does? GUEST: Jacob Silverman, writing in The New Republic by The Big Story

28 min listen

The CPC Leadership Race: Who is Jean Charest?: For those who have been paying attention to Canadian politics for the past 3-4 decades, Jean Charest will be a familiar figure. Charest was first elected to the House of Commons in 1984, he lead the Progressive Conservative Party from 1993-1998, he also served as the 29th premier of Quebec... as a Liberal. After a 10-year political hiatus, Charest is running for leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. His past affiliations, and some of his policies, have been touted by his rivals as proof that he's a Liberal in disguise. His chances at winning may hinge on his ability to convince party members otherwise. So what is Jean Charest's pitch? How do his politics stack up to the likely frontrunner, Pierre Poilievre? And does he actually stand a chance? GUEST: Catherine Cullen, Senior Reporter on Parliament Hill for CBC News. by The Big Story

24 min listen

How to afford groceries during a global food crisis: New numbers show Canada's rate of food inflation has hit a 40-year high, even passing the rate of the United States. Millions of Canadians are trying to balance their grocery bill with their budget and having to make difficult choices. So, where can you look for relief? What's less expensive even as other products are skyrocketing? How can you make sure you get the most for your money when there's little relief in sight? And finally, much of the world is facing a compounding food crisis, how can we make sure Canadians continue to have store shelves full of goods, even if they do cost more than in the past? GUEST: Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, co-host of The Food Professor podcast by The Big Story

26 min listen

From romance to crypto investments to broke: The pandemic's latest dating scam: It begins on a dating app you use and trust, with a user located in your city. Not with emails out of nowhere or random DMs. Even the investment part makes you money at first, and you can withdraw and spend it, and check your portfolio any time you like. But then ... everything vanished, and you're left with a broken heart and an empty bank account. Welcome to the latest, incredibly sophisticated dating scam. And what we can do to get it under control. GUEST: Carlo Handy Charles, dual PhD Candidate, McMaster University and Université des Antilles; read his work here by The Big Story

26 min listen

The frustrating, darkly funny story of Ottawa's LRT mess: The City of Ottawa paid millions of dollars for train cars that wouldn't run in the winter. The doors stuck if people tried to open them to get out. One derailment shut down the system for weeks on end. The story of what should have been the crown jewel of Ottawa's transit system is a tragic comedy. But as an inquiry right now is demonstrating, it's also a lesson to other Canadian cities. Because there's nothing as valuable to a city as public transit done right, and nothing more demoralizing than public transit done wrong. So what sent Ottawa's train project so far (sorry) off the rails? GUEST: Fatima Syed, Ontario Reporter, The Narwhal by The Big Story

23 min listen

How will the war in Ukraine end?: Almost 100 days after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Russian forces now control one-fifth of Ukraine. That is both a scary number and also a far better outcome thus far than most of the world predicted. This was a war that was supposed to be brutal and short, and it may drag on for months to come as Ukrainians fight courageously against their aggressors—but in the end, somehow, this war will end. What are the possible scenarios for how, and which is likely to play out in the coming months? GUEST: Balkan Devlen, senior fellow at McDonald Laurier Institute, Superforecaster for Good Judgment, Inc. by The Big Story

29 min listen

Was Wealthsimple wrong to bet on crypto?: Wealthsimple started with the goal of making investing, and long-term wealth building accessible to millennials. Then they became one of the first in Canada to become a regulated cryptocurrency exchange. And it went well for a while. The company made huge profits during the pandemic. But over the last month, cryptocurrencies have seen their value decrease substantially, and many investors saw their wealth evaporate. Was Wealthsimple wrong to make such a huge bet on crypto? And what does it mean for the future of the company? Guest: Jacob Lorinc, business reporter at the Toronto Star by The Big Story

22 min listen

How to build a safer internet: Scrolling through your social media feeds, especially if you work in any sort of public-facing position, can be hazardous to your mental health. A big portion of the blame belongs to the trolls, who capitalize on their online anonymity to hurl misogynistic or racist abuse at strangers. But a big part of the issue is the social media platforms themselves, and the opaque algorithms they employ that populate our feeds with derogatory posts or disinformation. What if we could wrest control of our online experience back from these media conglomerates and make sure that we're only being shown the things we want to see? How do we do that without reinforcing the filter bubbles that contribute to the social fragmentation of our societies? And could this be the first step towards a safer and more equitable online future? Guest: Tracy Chou, Founder and CEO of Block Party by The Big Story

26 min listen

What is 'synthetic identity fraud'?: By now, most of us know how to recognize the signs that our credit or debit card information has been compromised. It looks like a bunch of strange activity in your banking app, or an emailed receipt from Amazon for a heinous chaise longue you didn't order. The scam we're talking about today can be much more insidious. It can go on for years while you remain completely unaware. Then one day, you get a phone call asking why you haven't made any payments on a mortgage you never signed up for. Welcome to the world of 'synthetic identity fraud'. So how does this scheme work? How can you tell if someone has used your information to take out a fraudulent car loan or mortgage? And what should you do once you've uncovered the scam? GUEST: Jennifer Fiddian-Green, leader of the National Risk and Forensic Advisory Practice at Grant-Thornton LLP by The Big Story

31 min listen

A new, easier way for officers to search your devices at customs: The new threshold, included in an amendment to the Customs Act, is a "reasonable general concern". What's the legal definition of that? Here's the thing: There isn't one. In an attempt to create a higher barrier to opening Canadians' devices on entry, the Alberta Court of Appeals struck down the previous threshold, but left it to the government to create a new one. That's where "reasonable general concern" comes into play—and privacy advocates as well as a Canadian Senator are very concerned about the implications. GUEST: Senator Paula Simons by The Big Story

28 min listen

The CPC leadership race: Who is Patrick Brown?: Patrick Brown's career has been marked by ups and downs. In 2015, at just 36 years old, he was elected leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative party. Then, three years later he resigned following allegations of sexual misconduct from two women — allegations that he denies. That same year, he was elected mayor of Brampton, an extremely diverse city in the Greater Toronto Area. Now he's trying to leverage that success in his current bid to become leader of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC). At this point, Brown is not the frontrunner, but if we've learned one thing from his political career thus far, it's that we should be careful not to write him off entirely. So what is his strategy for winning this race? And what might the CPC look like under his leadership? GUEST: Stephanie Taylor, reporter at The Canadian Press by The Big Story

23 min listen

Inside the Jacob Hoggard trial: Almost five years have passed since the start of the #MeToo movement, and just a few days ago, a verdict was reached in the trial of a famous Canadian musician accused of sexual assault. The Hoggard trial serves as a sort of litmus test for how far Canada has (and hasn't) come in terms of its approach to cases involving allegations of sexual violence. The results were decidedly mixed, and quite revealing. Today, we'll take an in-depth look at the trial, and explore some of the evidence the jury never heard. GUEST: Alyshah Hasham, crime and courts reporter, The Toronto Star by The Big Story

29 min listen

What is the January 6 Committee revealing? And will it matter?: The more the public learns about the events in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021, the more disturbing it gets. And the public hearings currently running on (most) American networks are offering a deeper look than ever before. So what are we learning that we didn't know before the hearings began? Are they really non-partisan? Could they lead to criminal charges against Donald Trump or members of his administration? And the most crucial question of all: Will they matter to voters, who will vote, both in November and in 2024, at least in part on the issue of free and fair elections? GUEST: Aaron Rupar, American political journalist, author of Public Notice by The Big Story

30 min listen

A mine, a northern community, and 237,000 tonnes of arsenic: We've known for a long time that mining can come with harmful by-products, but Canada has often been slow to put this knowledge into action. And that's a big part of how a veritable mountain of arsenic — enough to kill everyone in this country — ended up entombed in the ground on the outskirts of Yellowknife, just across the bay from the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. How did it get there? What are we doing about it? What happens as the frozen ground up there gets warmer in the years to come? These aren't pleasant questions, but sometime soon we're going to need some decent answers. GUEST: Eva Holland, freelance journalist writing for The Walrus by The Big Story

22 min listen

Why this report on military sexual assault might, just might, be different: Canada's governments are very good at commissioning reports, listening to recommendations and then ... not doing much. It's a pattern we've perfected over the years. In fact, a damning report delivered this week on sexual assault and harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces was actually the second on the same subject in seven years. But advocates have hope that this report, and the government's reaction, will be different. The report is comprehensive and the recommendations demand large-scale systemic change. Many of them are recommendations the government can put into effect in short order, if they have the will to do. So... do they? GUEST: Julie Lalonde, advocate and educator, author of Resilience is Futile: The Life and Death of Julie S. Lalonde by The Big Story

26 min listen

Is Ukraine's staggering advance a turning point in the war?: In less than a week, Ukrainian forces have regained more than 3000 square kilometres of territory occupied by Russia, and they plan to keep pushing. Videos show Russian tanks and ammunition left behind as soldiers flee. It's been an incredible offensive—but is it enough to turn the tide of this conflict? And what happens if Russia is humiliated in front of the world? What might Vladimir Putin do then? GUEST: Balkan Devlin, Senior Fellow at the MacDonald-Laurier Institute, Superforecaster for Good Judgment, Inc. by The Big Story

29 min listen

What's it like to live with, or treat, long-Covid?: On its surface, "long-Covid" might seem self-explanatory — symptoms that linger following a COVID-19 infection. But beyond the prevalence of symptoms like extreme fatigue, chest pain, and loss of smell and taste, not much is known about what exactly causes the condition, or the best way to treat it. So how are health care professionals helping Covid long-haulers regain their quality of life? Can an already over-burdened healthcare system deal with the disturbingly high number of people struggling with this chronic illness? And what is day to day life actually like when you're living with long-Covid? Guests: Susie Goulding, COVID Long-Haulers Canada, and Dr. Marina Wasilewski, Sunnybrook Research Institute. by The Big Story

31 min listen

Africville Forever: Have you heard of Africville?: Under the shadow of the MacKay Bridge in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the protest camp of Eddy Carvery has stood firm as the longest civil rights protest in North American history. Eddy has remained in defiance for nearly half a century. In this episode, Eddy introduces us to the protest that has defined his adult life. The fight to claim the land of Africville back for its people. If you care about racism, displaced peoples, and social justice, then you need to know the story of Africville Forever. by The Big Story

31 min listen

Why is a Canadian flight crew being held in the Dominican Republic?: And why isn't it a bigger story? Perhaps it's because the circumstances around their detention — the discovery of $25 million worth of cocaine in bags in a plane's maintenance bay — are so mysterious. But either way five Canadians have spent several weeks first in jail and then essentially under house arrest, without being charged with a crime. And even if they never are, it may still be months before they get home. So what has the Canadian government done for them? What do authorities in the Dominican Republic have to say? What is the airline doing about it? And what happened to the seven people the crew was supposed to fly back to Toronto before the plane flight was halted when the drugs were found? GUEST: Tracey Lindeman, writing in The Guardian by The Big Story

20 min listen

Should "self-induced extreme intoxication" be a valid defence for murder or sexual assault?: Canada's Supreme Court said "yes," back in a May ruling. Now the federal government is tabling a bill to say "no," in June. The defence itself is narrow and nuanced, but the idea of allowing intoxicated people to to shirk responsibility in court is highly divisive. So what is the actual definition of "self-induced extreme intoxication"? What happened in the cases that set this precedent? And what would the impact be in the day-to-day operation of our justice system? GUEST: Pam Hrick, Executive Director & General Counsel at LEAF, the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund by The Big Story

19 min listen

The story of the Lomi, and how our technology handles death and decay: (This is part four in a five-part series called Interconnected, detailing how technology is changing humanity.) The Lomi is a high-tech composter made by a Canadian company. It looks elegant and sleek. It claims to turn your leftover organic waste into compost, with no mess, no smell and no need to feel "gross"—which is how it assumes everyone feels about garbage. But does it work? Will its compost actually do for your plants what regular, messy organic waste does? Or does it sanitize the process and remove the mess, but also the life? This is a look at how modern technology deals with death and decay, two things that humans have been trying to avoid for a very, very, very long time. GUEST: Tynan Stewart, independent journalist based in Fort Worth, Texas. Tynan wrote about how the Lomi, a plastic composting gadget exemplifies tech’s desire – and failure – to smooth away imperfections of life and death for Real Li by The Big Story

22 min listen

An investigation into an RCMP raid on Wet'suwet'en territory by The Big Story

27 min listen

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How Canada ended up with private health care

How Canada ended up with private health care

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