The Big Story

Canadian white-tailed deer can get SARS-CoV-2. More importantly, they can maybe transmit it back to humans. This may sound scary, but it's unclear how often it might happen. What's more important, however, are the questions this raises.Will animals remain a reservoir for the virus, continuing its life in areas where human cases are close to zero? Can different species create new variants that could spread to humans? How could we monitor these animals for the virus anyway, even if we wanted to? And is the same kind of transmission possible in household pets like cats and dogs?GUEST: Denise Balkissoon, Ontario Bureau Chief, 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

He's the heavy favourite to be the next leader of the federal Conservatives. He's a relentless attack dog that loves a good partisan brawl. He's angry. Especially at Justin Trudeau. Just ask him. But that's not all there is to the man. Under the public persona is something else. The question is why it's mostly kept buried, and if Poilievre thinks it's better to keep it that way?GUEST: Shannon Proudfoot, Ottawa bureau chief, Maclean's magazine (Read Shannon's profile of Poilievre right here.) 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

Two years ago, things started changing ... quickly. They haven't stopped since. Yes, eventually the pandemic will end, but the normal we hoped would return is long gone.  After decades of unprecedented stability, especially in places like Canada, many people have simply never experienced a world in constant flux. It's a funny feeling, and one we're still learning how to cope with. So how should we grapple with the new world we inhabit?GUEST: Elamin Abdelmahmoud, culture writer at Buzzfeed News, host of Pop Chat from CBC podcasts. Elamin's book, Son of Elsewhere, is available for pre-order. 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

Discussion of Ukraine aid has focused mostly on military equipment—how NATO allies can aid the Ukrainians against Russia. Meanwhile, staggering numbers of Ukrainian civilians have either fled the country or are trapped in regions being devastated by Russian bombardment. The needs of the Ukrainian people are massive and varied. How can we help get them what they need, where they are or aid those who do manage to make it to Canada? And what should we expect of our government to help us get it to them?GUEST: Orest Zakydalsky, Senior Policy Advisor for the Ukrainian Canadian Congress 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

When the federal Liberal and New Democratic Parties announced an agreement that would keep the Liberals in power until 2025 in exchange for advancing key policy initiatives, it turned Ottawa upside down. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his frequent critic, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, are working together. The Conservatives, in the middle of a leadership race, are irate. And there are a ton of questions to answer.What kind of deal is this, and what are the precedents for it? What kinds of policy will it produce? How will Canadians' lives change? What happens if one party breaks its word? Is this really "backdoor socialism"? And how does this change the federal political landscape, for the next few years and beyond?GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill Reporter 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 been one request that absolutely nobody is willing to grant. While many NATO members are sending arms and aid to Ukrainians, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's pleas for a no-fly zone over his country have been rebuffed. And there's a good reason for that.Today: How a no-fly zone works, why allies are refusing to enact one, and what happens next in Ukraine, where Russian forces continue to increase the destructiveness of their attacks...GUEST: Abbie Shull, junior military and defense reporter at Business Insider 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

When anomalies arose about nearly $2 million in grant money obtained by Toronto Pride, it prompted the new guard running the organization to commit to a review and transparency around funding. As it became clear how the grants were obtained, it has raised larger questions about who Pride events are for, why they have become such huge, corporate-money-friendly events and what Pride should be at its roots: A party or a protest?GUEST: Krishna Rau, writing for Xtra 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

We almost didn't have baseball back. In a winter filled with loss and discontent, maybe that wouldn't have mattered much. But the return of the game mattered a lot to millions of people looking for signs of spring. And it mattered even more to a Toronto Blue Jays team that was counting on this season to make a big push towards a World Series.A labour deal got done at the 11th hour. A full 162-game season is on the books. And the Jays wasted no time in making more moves designed to load up a talented team with even more players. So, just how good can this team be?GUEST: Shi Davidi, senior baseball columnist, Sportsnet 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

Thunder Bay, Ontario already had a reputation as a place with a racist police force, uninvestigated Indigenous deaths and missing persons who were barely even searched for. So it shouldn't be shocking that new reports this month confirmed more of exactly that. But somehow it is.These issues have been well known for many years now—why has nothing changed? What is the municipal government prepared to do about it? What would actually make a difference?GUEST: Willow Fiddler, 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

By now many people assume we'll be getting annual covid boosters for the rest of our lives. That's possible, but there are other possibilities, too. In the past two years we've learned so much about how to rapidly create and deliver vaccines that there are projects in front of us that could offer much more optimistic futures.At McMaster University, one of them involves no needles at all... and might eliminate the need for yearly updates.GUEST: Dr. Matthew Miller, Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University 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