Épisodes

  • Weekend listen: What can you expect from the economy in the second half of the year?

    Weekend listen: What can you expect from the economy in the second half of the year?
    Jun 29 2025

    It's the mid-point of the year and it's the economic question everyone is asking - what's going to happen with interest rates?

    On this episode of In This Economy - you'll hear from an expert about whether our economy is weakening and what that means for you.

    Host Mike Eppel speaks with Royce Mendes, Managing Director of Macro Strategy at Desjardins.

    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
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    24 min
  • Oops he did it again....another Trump social media post rattles Canada

    Oops he did it again....another Trump social media post rattles Canada
    Jun 28 2025

    Stop us if you're heard this one before - a Trump threat on social media about tariffs rattles Canada.

    Because of a digital tax that's supposed to come into effect on Monday, Trump says that any trade talks with our country are done. The statement was made on his Truth Social account Friday afternoon.

    This ends any optimism that was there after the G7 summit when we were hearing that a new trade deal could be forthcoming in 30 days.

    So what happens next?

    Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Carleton University Professor of International Affairs Fen Hampson.

    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
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    17 min
  • The Outlaw Ocean Project: a journalist's near-death experience in Libya

    The Outlaw Ocean Project: a journalist's near-death experience in Libya
    Jun 27 2025
    Tens of thousands of migrants choose between life or death in a quest to leave home in hopes of a better life, even if it means spending months working for cash just to pay a smugger who will *hopefully* get a small boat filled past the brim to the other side of the journey. Aliou Candé made that very decision in 2019 - in hopes of a better future for his parents, two children and pregnant wife. A bullet to the neck at a secret, Libyan prison in 2021 killed that dream. He never saw the better life that he risked his own for. Host Maria Kestane speaks to Ian Urbina, Director of the Outlaw Ocean Project and host of the Outlaw Ocean Podcast about season two of the anthology where he details the story of Aliou Candé, and how his reporting of those secretive, migrant prisons almost cost him his life at the hands of Libyan militias. You can find more on the CBC series below: The Outlaw Ocean is an anthology podcast that plunges you into the vast and often lawless world of the open seas. In season two, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Ian Urbina sheds light on the secretive Libyan prisons swallowing up sea-faring migrants; flagrant human rights abuses in China’s massive off-shore fleet; the horrors of a shrimp processing plant in India; and the wild story of a modern-day James Bond — if he were a repo man. Urbina and his team repeatedly risk their safety to tell stories powerful people don’t want you to know. As podcast reviewer Lauren Passell notes, “Ian’s not relying on research, he was there [...] Outlaw Ocean makes you feel like you’re there, too.” This immersive audio documentary series brings together more than eight years of reporting at sea on all seven oceans and more than three dozen countries. You can find The Outlaw Ocean wherever you get your podcasts, and here: https://link.mgln.ai/Ci678x 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
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    31 min
  • ‘Razor blade throat’ and summer viruses: what you need to know

    ‘Razor blade throat’ and summer viruses: what you need to know
    Jun 26 2025
    A few months ago, COVID variant NB.1.8.1 wasn’t making headlines. However, after first being detected in China in January, reported cases have risen drastically. As of mid-May, the variant had reached 10.7% of global reported COVID-19 cases, according to the World Health Organization. The strain, given the nickname ‘razor blade throat’, after some who fell ill described a painfully sore throat as one of the symptoms – but how serious is this variant and are the current vaccines effective against it? Host Melanie Ng speaks with infectious diseases specialist, Dr. Isaac Bogoch, about the latest COVID strain, as well as an overview of travel-related, seasonal viruses and infections heading into the summer months.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
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    17 min
  • In an uncertain world, Canada overhauls its approach to defence

    In an uncertain world, Canada overhauls its approach to defence
    Jun 25 2025
    From the EU to NATO, the Prime Minister is focused on two defence fronts this week. A new partnership with the European Union could overhaul our approach to military purchases at a time the Carney government is looking to end our reliance on the US. At the same time Canada and other NATO countries are facing pressure from the US to massively increase our defence spending by more than doubling our goal from 2% of GDP to 5%. Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Canada’s former Chief of Defence Staff about the federal government changing the approach to our armed forces, whether we can hit the new target, and if the United States will continue on in the military alliance.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
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    24 min
  • Canada’s challenging wildfire season: why its impact goes beyond the smoke

    Canada’s challenging wildfire season: why its impact goes beyond the smoke
    Jun 24 2025
    Canada is on track to see the worst wildfire season since 2023. Millions of hectares of land scorched, thousands displaced and the smoke creating air quality warnings. So how bad can it get? Should we be paying closer attention to the bigger picture? Host Melanie Ng speaks with Dr. Lisa Patel, a paediatrician at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health hospital in San Francisco and Executive Director for the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health. 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
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    19 min
  • There is a way to make flying more affordable, but will the government actually do it?

    There is a way to make flying more affordable, but will the government actually do it?
    Jun 23 2025

    In a newly released study, Canada's Competition Bureau says there is a way to lower the cost of plane tickets and give Canadians more flight options.

    The Bureau suggests changing the rules around foreign ownership, which is currently capped in this country, leading to what it says is weak competition and therefore, an impediment to lower prices.

    Host Cormac Mac Sweeney talks about the new report with Brad Callaghan, Associate Deputy Commissioner at the Competition Bureau of 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
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    16 min
  • Weekend listen: How do we REALLY deal with the issue of affordable housing?

    Weekend listen: How do we REALLY deal with the issue of affordable housing?
    Jun 22 2025

    Housing affordability is a buzz word lately but how likely is it that it will actually become reality?

    Actual action on the issue has been really slow and housing starts aren't running at a pace that's it would need to be from a supply standpoint to make a meaningful difference.

    So what are the issues? What are the barriers to fixing this serious problem?

    Host Mike Eppel talks to Jordan Thomson, Director , Infrastructure Advisory at K-P-M-G 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
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    19 min