The Big Story

It's such an innocuous term, intended to define a metropolis with neighbourhoods that are walkable and livable for citizens. It's been around for a long time as a theory, and it's one well worth discussing. Except you can't discuss it anymore, at least not rationally.First in the United Kingdom, and now in Edmonton, plans for pilot projects, or even just consideration of the "15-minute" model have been met with cries of a Global World Order seeking to control the people. It's ridiculous, but it's also par for the course nowadays, when just about anything any government announces is jammed into a Universal Conspiracy Universe—featuring everything from climate lockdowns, anti-vax rhetoric and the "Great Reset". How did it happen, and is there any way back from this?GUEST: Peter Guest, Acting Business Editor, WIRED 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

They are majestic flying in a "v" overhead. A symbol of fall and spring. A true National treasure. And also, Canada geese can be...just total jerks.They flock to cities and universities, nesting and aggressively defending those nests, and leaving metric tons of goose poop just about everywhere. And you don't want to get on their bad side. This is the story of the many and varied efforts Canadian institutions have made to figure out how to live in peace with these creatures. If it's possible.GUEST: Tom Jokinen, writing 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

In the time in between peak travel windows, the problems at Canada's major airports seem to have mostly vanished. But does that mean airlines and airport authorities have actually fixed the issues that had us ranked among the worst in the world last year? Not really.The massive numbers of cancelled or delayed flights, and the chaotic snapshots of hundreds of bags scattered about are primed for a comeback, because there's an underlying problem we haven't solved. And there are lessons even a year of awful press has not helped the industry learn. So what makes Canada's airports and flights so unstable? What could have been done to fix this? And will it really take no more than a busy week or a bad storm to send this country's air travel into a tailspin?GUEST: John Gradek, aviation industry expert, Faculty Lecturer and Program Co-ordinator, Supply Chain, Logistics and Operations Management, McGill 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

Exactly what happened on February 3 in East Palestine, Ohio? What do we know about the toxic gasses that were vented from a derailed train? What kind of effect could they have on nearby residents, and could their impact reach as far as Canada?It's been a decade since Canada's Lac-Mégantic train disaster, and somehow the push for tighter regulations for trains carrying hazardous cargo weren't enough to prevent this catastrophe. It may be years until we know everything about the environmental and health impacts, but what do we need to know, like, right now?GUEST: Rebecca Burns, reporter, The Lever 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

Almost three years ago, George Floyd's murder and the ensuing protests, brought the idea of defunding the police into the mainstream, and made the concept palatable to many Canadians. And yet, with police budgets increasing in pretty much every city across Canada, it seems that momentum has yet to translate into tangible social change. So what happened to the defund movement? What are some common misconceptions about its actual aims? And although police unions and politicians seem to have won the current PR battle, is the defund ideology too entrenched at this point to really be defeated? GUEST: Ted Rutland, Associate professor of geography, planning and environment at Concordia 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

The Meeting House was meant to be a new kind of church; one that would appeal to those who felt alienated by mainstream Christianity. The church’s charismatic leader, Bruxy Cavey, with his impassioned sermons, and sometimes controversial interpretations of scripture, drew parishioners to their Oakville, Ontario headquarters from across the Greater Toronto Area. At its peak, Meeting House membership numbered 5000, and the future looked bright for the so-called ‘megachurch’.Then, in 2021, allegations of sexual misconduct were made against Cavey, and in the aftermath of that scandal, other incidents involving Meeting House staff began to surface, pointing to a more systemic issue within the church. Membership has since dwindled, and criminal proceedings against Cavey are ongoing.So what exactly happened at the Meeting House? What can this scandal tell us about the phenomenon of Church sexual abuse more broadly? And what needs to change to make sure that places of worship are also a place of safety for all?GUEST: Rachel Browne, investigative journalist and documentary producer who wrote about The Meeting House 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

The situation in Haiti, especially in and around the capital Port-au-Prince, has deteriorated in recent months. In some areas gang violence and poverty is rampant, while food, water and fuel have become scarce. While many point to the assassination of former-president Jovenel Moïse as the catalyst for the current crisis, our guest today argues that the roots of the current tumult stretch back much further, and that past Canadian foreign policy decisions have contributed heavily.Now, there are calls for foreign military intervention to stabilize the situation, and suggestions that Canada should play a leading role in that effort, many are concerned that we’ve learned nothing from our past mistakes.So what exactly is happening in Haiti? What do the Haitian people need to improve their situation? And if military intervention is not the answer, then what should Canada do to support Haiti in its struggle for peace, prosperity and justice?Guest: Jean Saint-Vil (Jafrikayiti), radio host and Member of Solidarité Québec-Haiti. 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 started with a suspected Chinese spy balloon, shot down by the American military off the coast of South Carolina after being tracked floating over the continent for at least 4 days. Since then, three more as-yet-unidentified objects have been blown out of the sky, one near the coast of Alaska, one in the northern Yukon Territory, and one over Lake Huron. At this point we can say with some certainty that the origin of these objects is terrestrial, and that’s essentially it.It may take some time before the public gets definitive answers about what, exactly, is going on here, but the events have sparked renewed debate about NORAD, and Canada’s ability to protect its airspace.So what types of risk could these aerial incursions pose to people on either side of the 49th parallel? Are these floating objects something new, or are we just noticing them more often now that we’re on higher alert? GUEST: Stephanie Carvin, Associate Professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University and a former national security analyst with the government of Canada. Read her Newsweek article about the floating objects 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

John Tory for a long time seemed like your archetypal career politician; adept at avoiding scandal, and keeping his private life out of the public eye. And so the recent revelation that the thrice-elected mayor engaged in a romantic affair with a former employee — his subordinate at the time — was shocking to say the least.On top of tarnishing his public image, the scandal has thrown the Toronto political sphere into a state of disarray. Tory, with his newly acquired ‘Strong Mayor Powers’, had an ambitious agenda for his third term, including the passage of a contentious budget that’s due to be debated in council this week.Will Tory's opponents capitalize on the scandal to impose their own will onto the future of the city? And who might end up in the mayor’s seat, after what promises to be the most compelling Toronto municipal election in nearly a decade?GUEST: Ben Spurr, reporter with The Star’s City Hall Bureau 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

Every day brings new headlines of entrance exams Chat GPT has passed, or university essays the AI tech has scored solid grades on. And the technology will only get better from here. One of the first places that will have to reckon will the AI revolution are colleges and universities, where essays and exams are traditional forms of evaluation.So what are they doing? Are they attempting to seek out AI essays, as they do for plagiarism? To ban the programs entirely? And are those options just futile hopes? And if they can't beat 'em, will they join 'em, and incorporate AI technology into assignments and evaluations?GUEST: Jeff Schatten, associate professor of business administration at Washington and Lee 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