Storylines

Bette-Joan Rac was a quiet piano teacher known as Madame Rac to her students. After she died, thousands of dollars worth of incredible clothes were found in her Edmonton home. Through the stories of the student who knew her best, and clues offered by the stylish clothing and treasures she left behind, CBC Reporter Alex Zabjek gets to know this magical, mysterious woman. PLUS, Why are Edmontonians so obsessed with magpies? It may have something to do with the fact that Edmonton is the black-billed magpie capital of the entire world. Or perhaps it has something to do with how similar magpies and humans are in their quest for survival. Either way, in Edmonton magpies are like religion and politics: if you bring it up, there’s going to be a debate.

Christopher has always had difficulty with reading. He struggled through most of high school but by 17-years-old, remained functionally illiterate. But after gaining access to a little-known resource in the Ontario school system, things may be changing for Christopher. PLUS, Kent Hoffman thinks about walking all the time. If he doesn't pay attention, he could end up falling. He lives with Becker muscular dystrophy. Now, after years of trying to hide his condition, he finally comes out of the disability closet.

Mykella Van Cooten was raised to be a “strong Black woman”. That meant she was a high achiever in sports, academics, anything she touched—and she was proud. But one night she spotted a massive ad on the side of a bus that included those exact words. Mykella began to question the societal pressure to be strong... and nothing else. She set out to document the history of the “Strong Black Woman” archetype and to take a close look at how trying to live up to it has affected her life. PLUS, we go inside the Montreal ballroom scene, a community where queer and trans young people of colour vogue, walk, and dance their way through contests with people who feel more like family than competitors. A community that is helping one young Montrealer finally celebrate her body, and talk more openly with her mom about "queer stuff" and who she really is.

Regan Burden grew up in Port Hope Simpson, Labrador, surrounded by husky puppies. Regan has Inuit ancestry on her father’s side. Her dad, like his dad before him, and family members going back at least four generations, all had dog sled teams. Dog sled teams were an important means of transportation right up until the 1950s, but as snowmobiles have increasingly replaced sled dogs, the tradition has been displaced. Now, Regan is trying to figure out if she wants to keep it alive, and run her own dog team. But she still has a lot to learn if she wants to follow in her family’s—and 10 dog’s—footsteps.

Jason Herterich lives with fibromyalgia. It’s a chronic condition that affects the nervous system, and causes pain throughout his entire body. Coping with constant pain has forced Jason to overhaul his life. He had to leave a job he loved. He was a rower and a triathlete, but is now sometimes too sick to get outside for a walk. But beyond the physical pain, there is something else that has hurt Jason too: disbelief. Fibromyalgia is commonly referred to as an “invisible illness”. This is an umbrella term describing conditions that can be hard for others to see and recognize. People with certain kinds of invisible illnesses are often accused of faking it or imagining things. It’s been about a decade since Jason first got sick, and while his family believes him now, that took years. And Jason has decided it’s time to talk to them about it.

Mark Drysdale loves his lions and wishes his neighbours did too. Instead, his presence in various southern Ontario communities over the past decade has caused quite the uproar. Battles have been waged across Wainfleet, Grand Bend, and most recently Maynooth, Ontario over his roadside zoos for exotic animals. It has led some residents to demand bylaws to prohibit big cats, meanwhile Drysdale insists it is his right to keep them. Doc Project producer Joan Webber tells the tale of these towns and speaks directly to the man who plays fetch with lions and does not appreciate being called "Canada’s Tiger King".

St. Patrick’s High School in Ottawa has always had a strong basketball team, but in 1999-2000, the “Fighting Irish” were riding high. They won game after game, made it to the Ontario play-offs, and were invited to represent Ontario in a national tournament. But for a high school all-star, what happens in the years after the “Big Game”? And how do high school sports echo (like sneakers on a gym floor) for the rest of a player’s life? Meet some of the former members of that standout team and discover how basketball shaped who they are today.

Gina Laing and Dennis Bob are survivors of the Alberni Indian Residential School on Vancouver Island. Both experienced abuse at the school, and still navigate the effects of that trauma. But Gina and Dennis are finding ways to heal and to regain agency in their lives. That includes returning to the grounds of the former school. PLUS, 15-year-old Skyla Hart chooses to remain seated every Monday when O Canada plays on the intercom at her high school. For Skyla, it’s a sign of respect to her Ojibwe and Cree ancestors. Skyla, her mom Raven Hart, and researcher Rob Houle share their thoughts on re-imagining O Canada for today -- a conversation that is starting with Indigenous youth, and inviting everyone.

The Highvale coal mine, operating since 1970, was the largest strip coal mine in Canada. There is still plenty of coal underground at the mine, but that is where it will stay. Coal is the single biggest global contributor to climate change and Canada has committed to putting an end to coal-fired electricity by 2030, with talk of a “just transition” away from coal. As part of the efforts to meet this target, the Canadian Government has paid out coal mines to leave coal in the ground. TransAlta, the company that owns the Highvale coal mine and adjacent power plants the coal has fueled, committed to being coal-free by 2022. It closed the Highvale mine December 31st, New Years Eve 2021, laying off 78 workers. Previous rounds of layoffs had already eliminated hundreds of unionized jobs that were once stable, paid well and offered benefits. Doc Project producer Kristin Nelson was in Wabamun for the days leading up to mine’s closure, asking the people living through it, what it takes to achieve a “just transition” away from fossil fuels… and what’s at stake if we don’t get it right?

Back in 1987, Janice Hoy was 17, and pregnant. She and her high-school boyfriend, Earl, placed their son for adoption. Years passed, Janice and Earl stayed together and had three more boys. But they never told them about their older brother. Decades later when Earl died suddenly in a snowmobile accident, Janice decided to face the trauma of losing both her husband and her firstborn son… by searching for Kevin.