The Big Story

Ten months into this pandemic, after so many of us rediscovered how vital local news can be, there are even fewer local newsrooms in Canada than when it began. How did we end up here? What are we losing when small-town papers die? How is it possible this virus has made local news both more necessary, and more impossible to sustain as a business, than ever before? GUEST: April Lindgren, principal investigator for the Local News Research Project 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 as ambitious as any Canadian government has been so far—but is it enough? A new climate plan rolled out by Justin Trudeau last week takes aim at some real metrics for change. So how would it directly impact your life, and your wallet? What else is the government doing to move us into the future? How much depends on cooperation from the provinces? And is this another target we make plans for but never hit, or is this a real, bold step towards climate action? GUEST: Catherine Abreu, Executive Director, Climate Action Network 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

A moratorium on evictions in Ontario was once part of Premier Doug Ford's plan to "make sure you and your family can stay in your home during this difficult time." But that moratorium didn't last forever and the past month has seen a torrent of virtual eviction hearings, with tenants often left frustrated, confused and in tears by the process. What happened to "no Covid-19 evictions" in Ontario? Why have so many been happening at once? What are the opposition at Queen's Park and activists on the ground doing to stop it? And what are the real problems with tenant rights in Canada's largest province? GUEST: NDP MPP Suze Morrison, Official Opposition Critic for Tenant Rights 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 will always be a group of people who flatly refuse to get vaccinated, and public health messages probably won't convince them. But there are far, far more Canadians who might get vaccinated, but are nervous of what they see as a potential risk. In some online communities, misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines, as well as other common vaccinations, is rampant—and it has left a lot of people afraid. What are they worried about? How can governments and public health officials provide clear, concise information that allays their fears? How can you start a conversation with someone you know who might be hesitant to get vaccinated? And how much work do we have in front of us if we want enough Canadians to get their shots to put the pandemic behind us? GUEST: Sabina Vohra-Miller, clinical pharmacologist, co-founder of the Vohra Miller Foundation 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

Welcome to the newest era of consumer capitalism. It's dominated by 'Blands' — clean, sleek, online products that bill themselves as the handcrafted little guy here to disrupt the giant corporations. They have origin stories. They care about values and design. And they're unique—except they're all exactly the same. From toothbrushes to mattresses, health insurance to hipster clothing and glasses to luggage, almost every product on Earth has a Bland claiming to do it better. How did we end up here and have we reached 'Peak Bland'? GUEST: Ben Schott, Bloomberg Opinion 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

Middle Class is a term that comes from the 1950s, and while the economics surrounding it have changed fundamentally in 70 years, the goals and hopes and dreams of the people that belong to it have not. How long can that continue? What does a modern Middle Class look like? What should they aspire to? How should they be defined? How different will their lives, homes and finances be from past decades? And how should governments work to make sure they get a chance to thrive? GUEST: Max Fawcett, writer and reporter (Read Max's piece on the Middle Class in The Walrus) 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

An investigation into an allegation of a racist game being played by hospital staff turned into a detailed report about system racism in British Columbia's health care system. The province has vowed to take action, but Indigenous people have heard those promises before. What will it take to really transform the system? How will the government even begin? And how long will it take in the middle of two separate health emergencies—both of which disproportionally impact Indigenous and racialized people? GUEST: Liza Yuzda, legislative reporter, News1130 and CityNews Vancouver 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

This is the time of year when Canadians traditionally up their giving. But a lot of that tends to happen in person. This year, Covid-19 has made that tough. And the big picture isn't much better: In a year of economic hardship, fewer Canadians have money to spare for charity, and more Canadians than usual need the help these organizations provide. How has the pandemic hit charities? What have they done to adjust to "these unprecedented times"? And how can Canadians who do have the means get their money where it needs to be for the holidays? GUEST: Bruce MacDonald, President and CEO of Imagine 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

You probably don't have a PlayStation 5. And even if you don't want one, there's likely someone in your life who is desperate to get their hands on it. Sony—a company that once sold just about every kind of electronics imaginable—has become 'The PlayStation Company'. And this Christmas marks the first skirmish in the latest console war between it and Microsoft's X-Box. How did video games come to dominate the future of two of the world's biggest tech companies? How did they come to dominate so much of our entertainment landscape? What's on the horizon for these new consoles? (And also: If you can find them, which one should you buy?) GUEST: Seth Schiesel, contributor at the New York Times, contributing editor at Protocol.com 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 have more doses on order per capita than any other nation. But we also have no real domestic production capacity. If you ask the Liberals, we're among the world leaders in terms of when Canadians can expect to be vaccinated. If you ask the Conservatives, we're well behind our peer countries already. Who is telling the truth? What are the facts on the Covid-19 vaccines Canada has ordered? What needs to happen next? And when will needles start going into arms on Canadian soil? GUEST: Matt Gurney 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