Storylines

Jordan Verner has spent his entire adult life obsessed with a song he hasn’t heard since he was a kid. He doesn’t know what it’s called, what the lyrics are or even who wrote it. What he does know is that it was from Dimoitou -- a series of cassettes used to teach French in some Canadian elementary schools in the 80’s and 90’s. Jordan’s been searching unsuccessfully for years. When Doc Project producer Althea Manasan learns of it, she decides to join Jordan on his quest.

Two friends find a 70-million-year-old petrified tree stump in Edmonton's River Valley. They face challenges moving the stump to a museum, showcasing dedication and scientific rigor. The artifact is now displayed, celebrating natural history and citizen scientists.

Pooja Joshi is an independent woman in her thirties – she has her own place, can assemble IKEA furniture, and change a flat tire if she needs to. While she doesn’t actually need a husband, she would like a romantic partner to share her life with. Pooja’s parents have been urging her to marry for years. So when she tells them she’s willing to let them get involved in finding the right match, they don’t hesitate. We follow along as Pooja signs up to an Indian matchmaking website, where her parents do the swiping.

Julia Lipscombe and her husband's first-wife, Shannon Tyler, have a relationship neither anticipated: they are straight up friends. They spend most major holidays together, and even vacation together, along with their combined three kids and partners (including Shannon’s ex/ Julia’s husband). It’s the kind of harmonious relationship most blended families dream of… or raise a skeptical eyebrow at. Julia and Shannon know they’re lucky, but this friendship also took hard work. Last Spring, the two moms sat down to have a frank conversation about their unique relationship for the first time. This Mother’s Day, we hear their story.

Jirard Saddleback and Kwaku Frimpong are both proud fathers and they’re both trying to parent from behind bars. It’s estimated that around 450,000 children in Canada have a parent in prison, and that more than half of the men in prison are fathers. Yet until recently very little has been done to support these dads. Now a program for incarcerated fathers, called Dad Hero, is helping prisoners parent from behind bars, a win for their families and maybe for society in general. Jirard and Kwaku both signed up, and decided to share their stories.

Shimshon Obadia has had many bags over the years, each endeavouring to be the "perfect" one, each promising to be the last bag they'll ever need, and each inevitably being merely the last one they bought... But that might be because Shimshon was still in the closet and afraid that purchasing a bag that looked too fun, flamboyant, or queer might accidentally out them. Now, as a transgender nonbinary person, Shimshon goes on a quest to find the perfect purse -- and ends up finding so much more: a sense of belonging with their beloved grandma and her eclectic purse collection.

Amber Sheasgreen is a search and rescue veteran, based in the coastal waters of B.C. But last winter she took her skills to the Mediterranean Sea, where the refugee crisis has driven thousands of people to brave the dangerous central Mediterranean crossing, trying to get to Europe. Volunteering with a non-profit organization, Amber and her team head out in search of asylum seekers on the water, hoping to help them on their perilous journey. With dispatches recorded on her phone, Amber takes us with her.

It was 1980, and 21-year-old Ilie Irinici was lying in a marsh, hiding from police dogs, meters from the Yugoslavian border, trying to escape communist Romania. Thousands had tried before, but many were caught and imprisoned or murdered and buried in graves on the shores of the Danube River. But Ilie was desperate. His daring choice would lead to a life full of incredible coincidences, and the kind of uniquely Canadian love story that's written with plot points from all over the world.

"I wouldn't wish this upon anyone. The pain is so bad." - Anna. "I would compare it to an invading army coming in and occupying my head." - Sean. "If someone was punching you continuously in the head for a full day, that's probably the equivalent of what a migraine is." - Christina... A migraine is more than just a headache — it's an often debilitating headache disorder experienced by approximately 3 million Canadians. Yet, migraine sufferers are often dismissed. Producer Shari Okeke and host Acey Rowe compare their own stories about coping with migraines and Shari speaks to other sufferers about how migraines disrupt their lives, and what they're trying to do about it. She also gets some insight from Dr. Elizabeth Leroux, one of the country's foremost specialists, about why it has taken so long for the medical community — and society at large — to take migraines seriously and her work to change that.

As a teenage girl, Tanya Marie Lee felt like a second class citizen. So, as an adult she decided to create the kind of space she wished she’d had growing up. Now, Tanya’s “A Room Of Your Own” book club is joined by hundreds of girls across Canada every month.