The Big Story

The world needs Canadian grain more than ever. And they are buying it, providing a huge boost to prairie economies. This year, a bumper crop could be even better than 2021. If only we can get it all to market.For the past few weeks, train companies have not been able to provide enough cars to move all the grain that's needed to port. And when the beginning of the supply chain stalls, it creates huge problems down the line. So how did this happen, who is at fault, and how do we fix it, fast?GUEST: Lindsay Campbell, reporter at iPolitics.ca 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

All across North America, malls are vanishing. Some are simply being demolished, others are turning into condo complexes or Amazon warehouses. The rise of online shopping has made them less necessary for simply acquiring goods, but that was never all that malls were for.When was the last time you just browsed? Wandered a store with no particular purchase in mind, hoping to find something cool? Or spent some time aimlessly "just looking"? In a hyper-focused digital world, we're spending less and less time free from a specific task or goal—which is what an afternoon at the mall accomplishes, at least while they're still around.GUEST: Jason Guriel, author of On Browsing 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 Laura Robinson began reporting about violence and sexual assault in Canadian junior hockey, resistance was fierce, including from the country's top commentator. But the years have obviously proven her correct, and exposed for all to see just what happens in locker rooms, buses and hotel suites.Now that Hockey Canada's leadership has resigned, Robinson explains the long road to what she hopes will finally be real change, the challenges and opportunities facing those who guide the game, and where Canada's relationship to the game it loves goes from here.GUEST: Laura Robinson, reporter and author of the 1998 book Crossing the Line: Violence and Sexual Assault in Canada’s National Sport 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

Toronto will vote in less than two weeks. Well, some of Toronto will vote. Less than a majority of citizens, that's for sure. And the outcome of the most important race is all but guaranteed already. Why don't more Canadians care about municipal politics? Even when their vote directly impacts the services they get? Even when the winners will be tasked with reshaping the biggest city in the country, and the fourth biggest in North America?GUEST: David Rider, City Hall Bureau Chief, 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 not a crime to claim asylum in Canada. It's a process. But that hasn't stopped the Canadian Border Services Agency from using an agreement with several provinces to put some of these people directly into provincial jails, where they are housed with, and treated the same as, convicted criminals and those charged with serious crimes and awaiting trial. The asylum seekers describe inhumane conditions, especially for people who face no charges or accusations. Human rights agencies say it's a violation of international law. The federal government disagrees, but won't say much beyond that. How did this happen, and how do we fix it?GUEST: Brigitte Bureau, award-winning investigative reporter, CBC Radio-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's the morning of June 16th, 1987, in Nashville, Tennessee. Shortly after midnight, firefighters are called to a blaze at Emmanuel Church of Christ. What they find in the ashes would change this small Pentecostal congregation forever.  Thirty-five years later, Tara Jean Stevens begins to unravel this shocking crime.On the journey with her is Sharon Edwards. She was just a kid when the fire tore apart her church family. Today, she wants to know the truth about what happened. Listen to the rest of Heaven Bent: Death in Emmanuel 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

Bananas are the cheapest fruit around, and Canadians eat them by the millions. In fact during the pandemic and our current spike of inflation, bananas have only become cheaper—one of just a handful of foods to do so. But even still, some Canadians are choosing to pay more for their bananas. Why?The answer involves a long and difficult history of the banana trade, and a Montreal company with one goal and a slick marketing team trying to change how we buy our bunches...GUEST: Deborah Aarts, reporting in the Globe and Mail's ROB magazine 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

Canada has promised to reach Net Zero emissions from our grids by 2035. At the same time, as ordinary Canadians transition to things like electric vehicles and home heat pumps, we're going to need more power. Like, a lot more. So how do we scale up the system at the same time as making it cleaner? How much time do we have?What sacrifices might we have to make? And who pays the bill in the end?GUEST: Colin Guldimann, economist at RBC, author of The Price of Power report 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 two weeks after Fiona hit Atlantic Canada, many communities are still picking up the pieces. In others, there are very few pieces to pick up—because homes and businesses are just ... gone. Thousands are still without power, and don't know when or if they'll return to their communities.As the scale of the destruction becomes clear, what does the rest of Canada need to know about what happened here? What's being done to help those who have lost everything? What's to come in the next few weeks and months? And the real question: What's it like to live your life next to the sea, only to realize it won't be the same in the years and decades to come?GUEST: Greg Mercer, Atlantic Canada 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

Asked to picture the hottest economy in the country, your mind goes to one of two places—the skyscrapers of Toronto's financial district, or the oil fields and towns of Alberta. But not this time. Over the past couple of years, and particularly since this February, global events have made certain industries more precarious; certain commodities harder to easily obtain.And into that breach has stepped an unlikely winner, a province that is now pushing to figure out how to sustain its success for the next decade and beyond ...GUEST: Jason Childs, associate prof of economics, University of Regina  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