The Big Story

What the Toronto Raptors are attempting has never been done before—they're trying to shed a superstar and get even better. When the reigning champs begin the NBA Playoffs Monday against Brooklyn, they'll do so with a better winning percentage than they managed with Kawhi Leonard shutting down opponents and filling the bucket. What makes this group so special? How do they go about winning games against teams that feature Hall of Famers at the top of their rosters? What will they have to do to thrive in a star-driven playoff series? What's their biggest weakness? And can they really, actually win another NBA title? GUEST: Michael Grange, 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

There are lots of reasons schools should open in the fall. From parents' sanity and productivity to the fact that without the childcare schools provide, working parents are basically screwed and economic recovery is impossible. But there's another assumption that we make when discussing sending kids back in September: That going back will be the best thing for their mental health. What if that assumption's wrong? School can be a source of anxiety and stress for kids at the best of times, never mind how it feels when it comes with fear of contracting Covid-19 and bringing it home to make a parent or grandparent sick. Classroom learning doesn't work for some kids, even without teachers in masks and socially distanced. Maybe we should have a more nuanced conversation about what school in a pandemic could look like, instead of assuming it's either in-person or a boring, glitchy Zoom call. GUEST: Dr. Tyler Black, suicidologist and emergency psychiatrist in B.C. 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

Should you drive, take the train or fly? Where should you stay when you arrive? Can you use public bathrooms—and how do you do it safely? Are airlines still enforcing social distancing inside planes? Do you need to wipe down your tray table? Can you ride in a car with another family if you all wear masks? Travel is about getting outside of our comfort zone—which means something much different in 2020. But for those of us with loved ones in other cities, provinces and countries, it might be a necessity, either due to an emergency or just for our own mental health. So, how do you assess risk when you're on the road? And if you are going to travel, how do you do it safely? 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

Ontario's premier won a landslide election in 2018, but by the end of last year his approval rating was underwater. It's fair to say that when COVID-19 began, Ontarians were skeptical of his leadership. Six months later, though, Ford's approval is sky high. So what happened? Did Ford rise to the challenge or just beat low expectations? Has he really changed minds or is this just a crisis bump? What did Ford do right and wrong over the past six months? And what's next for a leader who could be right back on shaky ground if his plan to reopen schools ends in disaster? GUEST: Nick Taylor-Vaisey, Maclean's 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

Dead sea lions turn up from time to time on beaches in British Columbia. That's not unusual. Recently though they’ve been found missing their heads. And yes, that’s the strange part. But not the strangest part. What or who, took their heads? Before or after they died? Why? What happened to the heads after they were severed? And what does this whole strange saga tell us about the delicate balance of predator and prey … and working fisheries on our west coast? GUEST: Wanyee Li, Vancouver Bureau, Toronto Star 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 worth looking, every so often, at the stories of 2020 that haven’t gotten much attention because of the...raging global pandemic, furious protests against police brutality and racism, the never-ending saga of Donald Trump somehow being President of the United States and the general 2020 news like murder hornets, plane crashes and catastrophic global warming. It’s been a busy year and some things slip through the cracks. Little things, you know? Aliens, stuff like that. Wait! Aliens? Yup. Aliens. It's that kind of year. GUEST: Marie-Danielle Smith, Maclean's 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 they're going through elementary and high school, nobody asks these children and teens about their immigration status. That's policy in our system. When they graduate however, even if they've got straight 'A's, post-secondary education is just about impossible. So some of our brightest young people leave school, and take up under-the-table jobs in factories and bakeries, putting aside their dreams to keep themselves and their families safe in Canada. Is there a better way? Meet Canada's 'Dreamers'. GUEST: David Bruser, Investigative Reporter, The Toronto Star 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's a ton of good news about various Covid-19 vaccine trials moving to Phase Three. What does that actually mean? Some companies might even begin production now, hoping for positive results, in order to meet global demand should the vaccine be proven to work. Politicians keep touting early 2021 as a target, but... What do we still need for these vaccines to be proven effective? Who makes that call and what goes into it? What role will politics play? Can we even hope to make enough to treat everyone? And what if some people refuse to take a vaccine that's been cleared for use? GUEST: Ivan Semeniuk, Health 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

In casual discussion of the virus, the term "Long Haulers" is, generally, used to describe people for whom symptoms of Covid-19 can linger for weeks and months, long after the worst seems to be over. And that can be debilitating. But that’s not the only kind of ‘long-hauler’. There are also people, we’re learning, who recover, but continue to test positive weeks later. Even without any symptoms. How long can this virus linger inside people? What can other diseases that stay with people for years and even lifetimes tell us about what we’re seeing in these cases with Covid? What do we still not know about how all this works? GUEST: Roxanne Khamsi, science writer 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

Kanye's a celebrity. He lives his life extremely publicly and he's openly discussed his mental health. So many of us feel free to speculate about it, too. When we do, we're also talking about thousands of non-celebrities who live with mental health challenges—and they hear exactly what we're saying. Why do we feel so confident to discuss the mental health of celebrities as though we know them? What does calling Kanye 'crazy' or 'unhinged' do to other people with bipolar disorder who aren't rich and famous? And how can we call out Kanye for his offensive behaviour without blaming it on his condition? GUEST: Stacy Lee Kong, author of Friday Things 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