- No public inquiry on foreign interference. Why not? What happens now?
Wednesday, May 24th 2023
Despite the controversy dominating federal politics for months now, Canadians will not get a public inquiry about Chinese government interference into our democracy and elections. That's one of the takeaways from former Governor General David Johnston's report on the affair, which was released yesterday.
So why did Johnston decide it wouldn't—or couldn't—happen? What did we learn from the report he presented? What will the next few months bring? More hearings? More leaks? A reasoned, thorough and bipartisan review of the difficulties of handling classified information? Or allegations of a "cover-up"?
GUEST: Stephen Maher, reporter and commentator, writing on foreign interference in The Walrus
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- The ignoble end of "the world's worst McDonald's"
Tuesday, May 23rd 2023
It's not easy to make yourself notorious among the more than 40,000 McDonald's franchises in the world—but Ottawa's Rideau Street location accomplished it. From dangerous violence, to drug use, general chaos and viral incidents that became world famous (like the raccoon fight...) the recently closed restaurant earned the moniker given to it by a former police chief.
But the story of this McDonald's isn't just one of crime and online fame. It's a story about public space and who gets to use it, how a city changes at night, what resources we offer to people who need them and how every city's downtown is changing right now. Today, the rise and fall of the most famous McDonald's in Canada.
GUEST: Amy Dempsey, senior writer, Toronto Star
We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:
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- The past, present and future of Canadian farming
Monday, May 22nd 2023
Right now, while controlling our own food security becomes more important than ever, Canada's farming industry is in transition. An older generation of farmers are ready to retire—but many of them don't have anyone ready to take over the family business. Meanwhile, corporate megafarms are scooping up farmland where they can and a younger generation of farmers is desperately trying to get ahold of space to grow on.
Where is the next generation coming from and what are they doing differently? Why are so many older farmers having trouble keeping the business going? What does the future of Canadian farming look like and who owns (or rents) it?
GUESTS: Keith Currie, farmer and president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture; Aliyah Fraser, Owner and Operator at Lucky Bug Farm
We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:
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- The Gravy Train, Episode 3: Whispers
Saturday, May 20th 2023
If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know aboutThe Gravy Train, a podcast we released in 2019 chronicling the meteoric rise, and tragic downfall of Toronto's most notorious mayor, Rob Ford.
With Toronto in the midst of its first wide-open mayoral race since 2010, we thought now would be an opportune time to revisit this narrative, which captures a moment in politics with some striking similarities to what we're seeing in the city today.
We'll be dropping an episode in this feed every Saturday for the next two months leading up to election day, but they're all available in The Gravy Train feed if you prefer to binge them.
Enjoy!
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ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:
As Rob Ford began his term as mayor by ending taxes and cancelling transit plans, his colleagues on city council and the reporters who covered them were starting to gossip. As his first weeks turned to months, Ford was around less and less, and people were starting to wonder: What was going on with the mayor? And then, two high-profile nights out added fuel to that fire…
We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:
Through email at [email protected]
- How to vaccinate yourself (and others) against misinformation
Friday, May 19th 2023
Bad information, and the things that make us vulnerable to it, can spread like a virus. It's everywhere and at this point even the most savvy news consumers need to be in the habit of checking things twice. And with the rise of Artificial Intelligence and deepfakes, the problem will only get worse. But we're not without weapons.
Models show that misinformation spreads just like an illness, and research also shows that we can inoculate ourselves from the worst of it. And we can help our family and friends do the same. How do we do that? Just like real vaccination, it starts with a little bit of the virus itself, to help us learn what we're fighting...
GUEST: Sander van der Linden, author of Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity
We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:
Through email at [email protected]
