The Big Story

They call themselves the Norman Brigade, and they're led by Hrulf, who won't reveal his real name. But he's from Quebec, served in the Canadian military and has a Ukrainian wife and children. The brigade is composed of foreign fighters from around the world, including several Canadians. The brigade recruits through Facebook. They even sell merchandise.But former members question the leader's ability and the safety of the unit—citing poor accommodations, insufficient weapons and ammunition and a reckless leadership style. What is the Norman Brigade? Why are they fighting in Ukraine? And how dangerous are they, to themselves or to the Russians?GUEST: Tom Blackwell, senior reporter, National post We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

Looking at gas and grocery prices, it might be hard to believe inflation is anywhere close to stopping, but economists see some promising signs. Whether it has peaked yet or not, however, the real test will be if the inflation rate recedes or stabilizes at five percent or higher.How did we end up with this spike in the first place? What has (and hasn't) been done by Canada's federal government to control them? What should you watch for in the next couple of months, and how can you prepare for whatever comes next?GUEST: Pedro Antunes, Chief Economist, The Conference Board of Canada We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

It was supposed to make billions upon billions as an industry, and the investors were chasing millions of their own. Instead, thousands of Canadians were left holding empty bags, having lost jobs, savings and opportunities to the promise of fast money and an industry that could never have possibly matched the hype.How did (almost) everyone get the weed industry so wrong? And what happened to those Canadians who bought into the hype?GUEST: Omar Mouallem, reporting in Canadian Business We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

Employees are returning to offices this spring. Some, just for a day or two per week. Some are back in their desks full-time. But without any kind of standard, how will office employment ever find a new normal? What rights do workers have when told they must come back in person? How has the possibility (or not) of remote work changed recruiting?Is there anything to be gained from a return to office work in terms of productivity, or is it just a case of millions of dollars in expensive real estate sitting empty? And what comes next?GUEST: Vanmala Subramaniam, Future of Work reporter, The Globe and Mail We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

The virus driving an outbreak that's spread to almost every province is a variant. It's a more pathogenic bug that renders the host infectious even before it displays any symptoms. Sound like any other virus you know?The risk to humans is extremely low. So far. But what's already happening is devastation in the poultry industry, and widespread infections creating conditions for a potential mutation that could make things worse. Here's what you need to know.GUEST: Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt, veterinarian and researcher, Université de Montréal We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

The news leaked Monday night. It was shocking, but not all that surprising. A woman's right to choose has been under attack for a long time in America, and states have spent the past five years chipping away at access, first with knives and then with axes. But the crown jewel of the anti-abortion movement has always been Roe—and the leaked supreme court decision overturning it would also open up pathways to remove other rights once set in law, like contraception access, or gay marriage.What is happening in America? And what comes next? And will Canada be drawn down the same path in the years to come?GUEST: Carter Sherman, Senior Reporter, Vice News We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

Say what you want about Doug Ford (and people do!), there are very few people in the province he's run for four years who are neutral about him. Ontario heads into an election at a crossroads on a number of policy issues, and it's never been more important to examine where the parties each stand on them. So what's Ford's real record? What do we know about a second Ford term? Can Andrea Horwath finally win an election? Who is Liberal leader Steven Del Duca, and could his relative anonymity help keep the focus on the issues?But mostly, will this campaign turn into a fight over Ford, or not? And what should Ontarians expect to see over the next month?GUEST: Richard Southern, Queen's Park reporter, CityNews We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

There have been some heartbreaking headlines recently, about people who are living with chronic conditions in situations that force them to suffer—and choosing a medically assisted death because they can't find affordable housing that can accommodate them. These stories are complicated, but so is every conversation around a medically assisted death.Now that the law has been around for years, it's better understood but it's also evolving. Next year, patients will be able to request MAiD with the sole condition of mental illness, which will make these conversations even more difficult. So who can access MAiD, how is it changing? What's next? And ... why is it so difficult for Canadians to talk about death?GUEST: Dr. Stefanie Green, MAiD practitioner, co-founder and current president of the Canadian Association of MAiD Assessors and Providers We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

Recently the Progressive Conservative government released a climate plan. Actually, they specifically said not to call it a "plan". It's a set of emissions targets and how they plan to hit them. It's not very long and thin on details, and the government's budget didn't add much to it. But does any party in Ontario have a serious climate plan? And with a pandemic, a housing crisis and an inflation spike blowing through household budgets, it's worth asking how big an issue the climate will be in the upcoming election campaign.But what happens to us if it isn't?GUEST: Fatima Syed, Ontario reporter, The Narwhal We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

It's impossible to discuss a new film or show these days without someone reminding you, "No spoilers!" Purposefully spoiling a plot point in a popular work is considered just short of evil. Entire trailers and hype campaigns are based on you not knowing one particular thing about a film, so you spend the entire time waiting, just waiting, for the big reveal.But what if all of this was ruining our ability to enjoy creativity and art for their own sake? What if when we were waiting for the guest star or unexpected twist, we were missing the things that made the piece exceptional? What if we can't see the forest because we keep looking for one special tree that everyone has told us is a big surprise? What if ... (most) spoilers were good?GUEST: Emily St. James, senior correspondent, Vox We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter