An extraordinarily joyful, heartfelt and life-affirming episode of Now or Never, as five people nearing the end of their lives invite us into their final wishes. When Susan LaFeuvre was told her cancer was terminal, she knew what she wanted her final wish to be: a private aerial silks performance by her 11-year-old granddaughter Lauren. Casey Kemble and his daughters Serenity and Amy made a family tradition of spotting roadside attractions while driving old beaters from Ontario to the Yukon. Now...
Jun 19, 2025•54 min
If you’ve ever shared an idea that you’re super excited about with someone, and the response was skepticism, concern, or straight up confusion? Then this episode is for you. We're celebrating people chasing their seemingly impossible — or at least a little bit questionable — dreams. Including Newfoundland taxidermist Krista Elliott, who stuffs mice to look like tiny Dolly Partons. And Ruby Thornton , who's about to sail around the world for 11 months....even though she has zero sailing experienc...
Jun 12, 2025•52 min
Why do we find twins so fascinating? And what's it really like to be one? Five sets of twins get real about the ups and downs of moving through the world with someone who looks exactly like you. From dressing alike to developing secret languages, Now or Never producer Jessica Singer and her twin sister Nicole kick the show off by answering all your nosy questions about life as a twin. For first-time parents Kim Miller and Robert Jiang, having toddler twins has been a handful. But Robert’s mom Su...
May 29, 2025•53 min
What happens after you witness something you can't get out of your mind? Today on Now or Never, stories from the bystanders, and how their lives changed in the aftermath. Trevor asks strangers on the street to share the most memorable thing they've ever witnessed, from northern lights to Beyonce sightings. As a kid growing up in Barrier Lake, Quebec, Shannon Chief has a vivid memory of coming across 12 moose in the woods one cold wintery night, "like grandfathers standing around me." Today, seei...
May 22, 2025•53 min
Your long weekend just got better, because Now or Never’s latest podcast just dropped and we’re taking you on adventures across the country. We start in Winnipeg, where Trevor has been wondering about a huge pirate ship in someone’s backyard for years. Today, he knocks on the door and meets “Captain” Doug Cook and discovers how his dream of a place where his grandchildren could play has helped him deal with loneliness after the death of his wife. Farkhunda Muhtaj had big dreams of kicking her wa...
May 15, 2025•53 min
First day on the job. The last time your kid holds your hand. Life is full of firsts and lasts, and today you'll hear some memorable ones. At Montrose Elementary School in Winnipeg, the students are celebrating 70 years of school history with the most ambitious spring concert ever, and that has first-time performers — and first-time performing arts teacher, Andrea Brickwood — feeling the pressure. After 15 years and three kids, Arv and his partner ended their relationship. Today he's dipping his...
May 08, 2025•53 min
More than two million surgeries are performed every year in Canada, and behind every cut, stitch, or scar - there's a story. On this episode we're getting into the ripple effects of going under the knife, for better or for worse. When Gilles Landreville noticed a small cut on his foot, he couldn’t have known that a week later, he’d be waking up in hospital, missing two-thirds of his left leg. But as Gilles adjusts to life in a new body, he’s also finding a new identity: Gilles 2.0, an update tha...
May 01, 2025•53 min
For nine seasons, Ify Chiwetelu and Trevor Dineen have been with Canadians in their most personal now or never moments, when they’re on the brink of something new, striving for a goal or making a change. But what happens after the interview? Today we’re diving in with past guests to find out if they really did what they said they would, and how it all turned out. Sophie Davie was five months pregnant when she told us how nervous (but empowered) she felt having a baby all on her own. Seventeen mo...
Apr 23, 2025•52 min
As political divisiveness becomes the new norm, it can get harder to see the other side, and understand why people vote the way they do. But instead of demonizing those on the other end of the political spectrum, why not lean in and get curious as to why people believe what they do? On this special election edition of Now or Never, hear from five different Canadians — an 18-year-old, a pastor, a Panamanian-Canadian immigrant, a gun enthusiast, and a senior citizen — about the personal experience...
Apr 17, 2025•53 min
As the world faces a now or never moment, Canadians are examining their values, picking their battles, and figuring out how they can stand up for their beliefs. Today on Now or Never we’re discovering how people are pushing back with big and small acts of resistance. The Trump administration’s tariff war and comments about making Canada a “51st state” has spurred a wave of defensive patriotism across the country. Meet Mike Robitaille, who refuses to spend a cent on any American products or busin...
Apr 10, 2025•48 min
If your community was changing, what would you do about it? Today we're stepping into four different communities across Canada on the cusp of big change, and how they're grappling with this question: How do you adapt to what's coming, while still holding onto what matters to you? The Canadian border town of St. Stephen, N.B. has had a beautiful relationship with its American neighbours in Calais, Maine for more than a hundred years. But tough tariffs talks have both sides feeling like they're st...
Mar 27, 2025•48 min
If you're feeling stuck in limbo — about your relationship status, your job, your health, or whatever is happening with tariffs these days — you're not the only one. On this episode, stories of people stuck in between the place they don’t want to be, and the place they’re hoping to get to. Ify starts by asking strangers on the street about a time they fell into romantic limbo, and how they got out. After years of living and working in Afghanistan, former soldier Dave Lavery was suddenly detained...
Mar 20, 2025•47 min
Faith is something that motivates billions of people every single day, whether it's fasting during Ramadan, giving back to your community, or making you believe in something bigger than yourself. Today you'll hear from people whose faith has inspired them to take action in ways you might not expect. We're half-way through Ramadan, and Ify decides to try a day of fasting in solidarity with her friend (and CBC Manitoba host) Nadia Kidwai. But first she gets some advice from Nadia, on how disconnec...
Mar 13, 2025•54 min
People from all walks of life, taking big risks for their art. We start with Bee Bertrand , who says our show - and one innocent question from Ify - inspired him to quit his job six months ago to commit fully to stand-up comedy. He tells us what's happened since that fateful day. Illustrator Narges Noori shares how her fight to create art in Afghanistan under the Taliban, led her to seek safety in Edmonton. 15-year-old Hyun Byun is so determined to become the next K-pop idol, he spent a year awa...
Mar 06, 2025•53 min
Cairo. Nairobi. Rio de Janeiro. Those are just a few of the places we're going today, to see how Canadians are making their mark around the world right now. Simran Bajwa is determined to become the youngest Canadian to hike the seven summits, the highest mountain peaks on each continent. Something that’s keeping her motivated through gruelling weather and treacherous terrains is her mom, who is living vicariously through Simran because she spent many years unable to scratch her own travel bug. D...
Feb 27, 2025•45 min
Every story you hear today could be ripped from the plotline of a Hollywood movie - from 'meet-cutes' to waking up with no memory of who you are. What it's like to live out a movie cliche, in real life. Forbidden Love. Justin was told he could only be with a Korean woman, and Sarah was told her future husband had to be Muslim. When they fell in love, they knew it would be a battle for acceptance. The Meet Cute. Couples in romantic comedies often meet in unconventional ways — by literally collidi...
Feb 13, 2025•54 min
Unleash your inner snoop, with stories of people trying to get to the bottom of a mystery that's been hanging over them for years. When Darren Bernhardt and his sister Sandy started to clear out their childhood home after their dad passed away, at first it felt like they were snooping. Their dad was private, tight-lipped, and kind of a grump. But then they started finding things he'd tucked away in sock drawers and cupboards, that made them see their dad in a whole new light. Solving genealogy m...
Feb 06, 2025•52 min
Across Canada, historic Chinatowns are under threat, facing development and gentrification, soaring housing costs, and concerns about public safety. Why do these places matter, and what gets lost if they disappear completely? Today on Now or Never, we're travelling from Vancouver, BC to St. John's, Newfoundland, to meet people who are fighting for the future of their Chinatown. Ify takes a walk through Toronto's Chinatown with Sum Wong, the creative force behind Queens of Dim Sum - Toronto China...
Jan 30, 2025•53 min
It's easy to feel trapped - in dead-end jobs, ho-hum relationships, the tedium of everyday life. But what does it take to break free, and live the life you truly want? On this episode, hear from people turning their lives upside down in order to find freedom. Gilad Cohen was stressed out, uninspired, and up to his eyeballs in spreadsheets. So he stepped down from the top spot at a charity he founded, to pursue his dream of being a full-time artist. But with his newfound freedom comes a lot of un...
Jan 23, 2025•52 min
Stories of people facing their worst-case scenario head on. Meet David Arama, a guy who likes to be prepared for everything - storms, floods, fire.....and World War III? He takes us on a tour of his nuclear bomb shelter, tells us why he's not one of those "extreme preppers," and shares who makes the cut to get into his bunker in case the poop hits the fan. 1 in 5 new businesses in Canada don’t make it to their first year, and Nicole Drakes was determined to beat that statistic. But three months ...
Jan 16, 2025•54 min
Congratulations, you've done the thing you set out to do. Your first half-marathon. A dream job. Mastering the ukulele. But what happens AFTER you accomplish something big? On this episode, stories of people trying to figure that out. In her twenties, Eman Bare personified 'girl boss' hustle culture. She earned degrees in law and journalism, designed clothes that showed at New York Fashion Week, became a certified yoga instructor, and wrote 11 books - all before the age of 30. Today, her main go...
Jan 09, 2025•52 min
