- ICYMI: Understanding the measles outbreak and what’s truly at stake
Saturday, June 7th 2025
We are revisiting this episode of The Big Story from March, as we learned this week, an infant died this week in Southwestern Ontario, who was born premature and infected with measles.
In a statement, Dr. Kieran Moore said the infant contracted the virus before birth from their mother, who had not received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
However it's important added that while measles may have been a contributing factor in both the premature birth and death, the infant also faced “other serious medical complications unrelated to the virus.”
Officials are still calling it a "preventable crisis".
The highly contagious viral infection was considered eliminated in 1998 in Canada and in 2000 in the U.S., but a number of factors have contributed to its recent resurgence.
Host Melanie Ng speaks with Sabina Vohra-Miller, @unambiguousscience, a Doctor of Public Health candidate and expert in clinical pharmacology and toxicology, about this issue.
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- Interest rates weren't cut this week. Why? It's complicated.
Friday, June 6th 2025
Interest rates weren't cut this week. Why? Well, it's complicated. The Bank of Canada didn't give borrowers a break when it set policy on Wednesday, as Tiff Macklem cited the need to wait for more data points. The word "uncertainty" is being thrown around, although ironically, the economy was actually stronger in the first quarter than forecast. Host Mike Eppel speaks to experts about the lack of a cut and what that means for the market, home buyers and home owners. Guests: Claire Fan, Senior Economist, Royal Bank of Canada Phil Soper, President Royal LePage We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at [email protected] Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
- What happened to the Sullivan kids in Nova Scotia?
Thursday, June 5th 2025
It's a mystery in Nova Scotia that's gained attention across the country.
This week marked one month since the disappearance of 6 year old Lilly Sullivan and her 4 year other brother Jack.
The kids were reported missing by their stepdad and mother on the morning of May 2nd. RCMP in Nova Scotia immediately launched a missing persons' investigation and in the days that followed, numerous searches of the area were carried out, but the children still haven't been found.
The case is being watched by people across the country as there are more questions than answers.
Where are the Sullivan kids? Host Dan Ahlstrand speaks with citynews.ca writer Natasha O'Neill, who's been following the case.
You can find continued coverage of the story at: https://halifax.citynews.ca/.
We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:
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- Behind the scenes of this week's First Ministers' meeting from someone who's been at the table
Wednesday, June 4th 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney held his first meeting with Premiers since the election and by most accounts it was a big success, with Ontario’s Doug Ford claiming it was the best in 10 years.
The 14 leaders discussed the federal plan to fast track nation building projects and despite some rhetoric in advance of the gathering, even Alberta was encouraged about the path ahead.
But will a new pipeline become a reality, can premiers expect federal funds to match their projects, was it a mistake to not have Indigenous leaders at the table, and what may be the challenges ahead?
Host Cormac Mac Sweeney tries to get answers and insight from former Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil.
We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:
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- What does Ukraine’s largest-ever drone attack tell us about the war?
Tuesday, June 3rd 2025
Ukraine has shocked the world by carrying out a daring attack on Russian bomber planes thousands of kilometres inside enemy territory.
It’s a feat that would have been unimaginable before the war. Now, Ukraine has shown it has the capabilities to take its fight directly to its much more powerful foe.
What will Vladimir Putin do now? And what does it mean for hopes of peace negotiations?
Host David Smith speaks with security expert Marcus Kolga about the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war.
We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:
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