In 2002, Ryan James Wedding was a member of Team Canada at the Salt Lake City Olympics. Today, if you know where he is, the police will pay you $50,000. In the 22 years in between, he's alleged to have been a part of everything from trafficking and distribution thousands of kilos of cocaine to a series of contract killings in Ontario. How did an Olympic athlete come to this? It's a story police and reporters and still trying to untangle... GUEST: Calvi Leon, reporter, The Toronto Star We love fe...
Oct 31, 2024•17 min•Ep 1269•Transcript available on Metacast If anyone ever tries to tell you that your vote doesn't matter, you can tell them about this election. The final results of BC's vote took a week to calculate—and even then two ridings need judicial recounts. It was as close as an election can possibly be, and that means that the government it produces will be ... precarious, to say the least. So why was it so close? Where was the election ultimately decided? Will David Eby's NDP actually be able to form a government? If they do ... how long can...
Oct 30, 2024•18 min•Ep 1267•Transcript available on Metacast One of the tools scientists have used in autism research has been lab mice, genetically engineered to display similar behavioural characteristics as some humans with autism. But the value of those experiments, has become the subject of fierce debate amongst neuroscientists. It's also that debate that gets at the heart of what we do and don't understand about autism: Should we be trying to "cure" it by identifying its genetic causes? How? What exactly would that look like in practice? Where shoul...
Oct 29, 2024•27 min•Ep 1266•Transcript available on Metacast For our guest, it was a sandwich. For you it might be a box of cereal or a favourite candy bar. It doesn't matter what it is. What matters is that it makes you mad. There are plenty of signs that things are looking up in terms of affordability: Inflation is down and interest rates are declining fast—but somehow none of that is impacting how the economy makes Canadians feel. How has consumer rage becoming the defining issue of today's political landscape? If it brings down one federal government,...
Oct 28, 2024•26 min•Ep 1265•Transcript available on Metacast This week, in honour of Halloween, we're revisiting an episode from 2023 about a quintessentially spooky topic: UFOs. Enjoy! -------------------------------------------------------- Right now, Canada is working on a process to improve our tracking and reporting of sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects. In late May, NASA and the US Department of Defence help a joint public meeting, where it was revealed that the Five Eyes—an alliance of intelligence agencies including the US and Canada—held a ...
Oct 27, 2024•27 min•Ep 1264•Transcript available on Metacast This episode first aired on October 23, 2024 over at In This Economy?!, our sister show at the Frequency Podcast Network. The show helps Canadians understand the systems behind their money problems so they can make informed decisions about their personal finances. If you like what you hear, please consider giving us a follow! You may have seen recent headlines about Canada's economy adding 47,000 new jobs in September and full-time employment seeing the largest gain in two years. These numbers s...
Oct 26, 2024•17 min•Ep 1262•Transcript available on Metacast You've walked past them or through them. They're in every Canadian city and town. The result of the housing crisis colliding with the opioid crisis and slamming into a pandemic. And for all the reporting has been done on them, for all the politicization of the camps themselves and what they do to a neighbourhood, perhaps not much is understood about the people inside them. Who they are, how they got there, what they need to get back on their feet and where they might get it. Today's episode, wha...
Oct 25, 2024•27 min•Ep 1263•Transcript available on Metacast For years, advocates have been citing the damage open-net salmon farming does to the environment off the BC coast. And in recent years the government has agreed with them. But salmon farming is a key part of BC's identity, and economy. Now a deadline has manufacturers looking for ways to sustainably farm the lucrative fish, but many are skeptical there's a way to make the switch in time without going bankrupt. What does the future hold for BC's salmon farming industry? What's so wrong with the i...
Oct 24, 2024•24 min•Ep 1261•Transcript available on Metacast Stop us if you've heard this one before: Liberal MPs are voicing concerns about Justin Trudeau's ability to lead the party in the next election, saying that he should step down for the good of the party. No, this isn't June. Or August. The difference this time is in the sheer numbers of them, and that they've apparently drafted a formal letter ahead of Wednesday's caucus meeting. Will this be the shove that finally begins the exit process for the Liberal's longtime leader? If not, just how bad w...
Oct 23, 2024•24 min•Ep 1260•Transcript available on Metacast With two weeks to go before America votes, it may seem that nothing at all can possibly move the polls. But what about a story about the size of a dead golfer's genitals? No? How about appearances on popular podcasts from Barstool to Call Her Daddy? Still nothing? Can I offer you some McDonald's served up by a candidate who refuses to promise to raise the minimum wage? As the US election enters its final stages, all signs point to a nail-biter. But how accurate are polls at this stage anyway? Is...
Oct 22, 2024•24 min•Ep 1259•Transcript available on Metacast The stories of crimes committed by people out on bail are horrific. And they hit close to home. So of course they get outsized attention. But they're also perfect fuel for a political fire that has been burning hotter and hotter in Canada for years. Bail reform is complicated. It's not as simple as locking up the "thugs" that commit these crimes. Nor is it as simple as ensuring nobody is held in custody before a guilty verdict. So...what is it, then? Let us explain. GUEST: Nicole Myers, Associat...
Oct 21, 2024•25 min•Ep 1258•Transcript available on Metacast Two years ago, the host and creator of Island Crime, Laura Palmer, appeared on The Big Story to detail the case of a missing young woman named Amber Manthorne, from Port Alberni, BC. This week, the police held a press conference that explained the end of the mystery. Mostly. Laura was there, and has all the details. Here's the end of the story. You can listen to Island Crime right here , or wherever you get your podcasts. Amber's case is season four. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as...
Oct 20, 2024•27 min•Ep 1257•Transcript available on Metacast This episode first aired on October 17, 2024 over at In This Economy?!, our sister show at the Frequency Podcast Network. The show helps Canadians understand the systems behind their money problems so they can make informed decisions about their personal finances. If you like what you hear, please consider giving us a follow! Credit card debt has been skyrocketing among many Canadians, basically since the pandemic began. And while it would be nice to be able to go without it, that's not a realit...
Oct 19, 2024•19 min•Ep 1255•Transcript available on Metacast At this point, so many facets of old science fiction have become reality, from AI to robots and gene editing technologies. But one classic sci-fi signifier of technological advancement has remained stubbornly elusive — where are all the flying cars? As it turns out, they are out there. In fact, if you have the money, you can buy one right now. What you can do with that flying car, however, is another story. And what happens if you crash your flying car? That's where it gets really complicated. G...
Oct 18, 2024•22 min•Ep 1256•Transcript available on Metacast We all watched in horror as America was pummelled by two massive storms in the span of ten days, the second of which gained intensity incredibly quickly before making landfall. Many experts have said this is the future of storms in the climate era—regardless of whether you believe climate change influences individual storms. In Atlantic Canada, it's hurricane season now, and our meteorologists watched Helene and Milton closely, trying to determine if the factors that created two storms so close ...
Oct 17, 2024•23 min•Ep 1254•Transcript available on Metacast Millions of Canadians don't have a family doctor. Walk-ins and ERs are packed. Access to primary care can be almost impossible for many of us. In an attempt to ease some of that burden on the system, a handful of provinces have allowed pharmacists to diagnose and prescribe medications for so-called "minor ailments". And in some provinces the list of those ailments is growing. For those without access to care, it can be a huge help. But it also raises questions about everything from training and ...
Oct 16, 2024•22 min•Ep 1253•Transcript available on Metacast At the time it was implemented, there was nothing at all remarkable about Policy 713. It was an update to previous guidance, based on research, and very similar to policies in place at school boards across the country. But then the angry phone calls started coming, the premier got on board with repealing it ... and all hell broke loose. The fight over "parental rights" that started in New Brunswick last year has now spread to much of the rest of the country. And in the province where it began, i...
Oct 15, 2024•27 min•Ep 1251•Transcript available on Metacast It's a long weekend, and that means it's time to go back into the bag of listener feedback and pull out some of the most thought provoking responses we've received to recent episodes. We hope you enjoy! Depending on what holiday you're celebrating this weekend, happy thanksgiving or chag sameach! 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...
Oct 14, 2024•18 min•Ep 1252•Transcript available on Metacast Saint Leonards, Newfoundland, is a community with more than its fair share of ghost stories. Headless dogs are said to wander the abandoned churchyard at night. A phantom ship was seen gliding through the eastern reach. And some believe long ago, an unearthed skull taught the town a powerful lesson about honouring the past, and respecting the dead. Tonight, we unpack the myths, legends and lore of this once-thriving coastal town. This is Part One in a four-part series called Ghost Town Ghosts wh...
Oct 13, 2024•31 min•Ep 1243•Transcript available on Metacast This episode first aired on October 10, 2024 over at In This Economy?!, our sister show at the Frequency Podcast Network. The show helps Canadians understand the systems behind their money problems so they can make informed decisions about their personal finances. If you like what you hear, please consider giving us a follow! New data shows that consumer insolvency rates in Canada are approaching highs not seen since the financial crisis of 2008-09. Why are so many Canadians going broke? Will fa...
Oct 12, 2024•14 min•Ep 1249•Transcript available on Metacast On Sunday and Monday, many of us will celebrate Thanksgiving with family and a full table. But so, so many of us—a staggering number that keeps climbing—will be making do with much less than that. Food insecurity in Canada keeps rising, and food banks in this country are strained to the limit, with no relief on the horizon. But why are food banks our only plan for the growing number of hungry Canadians? If we're so keen to help people eat, especially around the holidays, why aren't we doing anyt...
Oct 11, 2024•24 min•Ep 1250•Transcript available on Metacast The rural area around Toronto's major highways is some of the most fertile land you'll find in Canada, and its zoned that way. It's agricultural land, with plenty of space for peaceful rural homesteads—or, as the city grows, townhouses and small communities. Oh, and trucks. Thousands of them, rolling up and down those rural roads all day and night, and parking at one of literally hundreds of illegal truck depots that are operating throughout the region. It's been happening for years. And there's...
Oct 10, 2024•23 min•Ep 1248•Transcript available on Metacast Did Canada's competition tribunal just get serious about extra online fees? In a recent decision the tribunal levied its harshest punishment in history against the country's leading theatre chain, Cineplex, over what it says is a failure to disclose an extra fee during online ticket purchases. While Cineplex plans to appeal, the ruling is seen as a warning shot to other online retailers regarding add-ons and fees on their websites. Will it make a difference? What qualifies as "drip pricing", any...
Oct 09, 2024•14 min•Ep 1247•Transcript available on Metacast Last month, the US Department of Justice charged two employees of RT, a Russian state-controlled media outlet, in a $10 million scheme to create and distribute content to US. As the story evolved it became clear that the content was distributed by far-right influencers, including a Canadian. But Russia's been playing this game since it was the USSR. Its attempts to fracture politics in the west is nothing new. SO why has it worked so well? And what have we actually done in Canada to confront it?...
Oct 08, 2024•23 min•Ep 1246•Transcript available on Metacast Being a part of a clinical drug trial can pay very well—up to several thousand dollars. And a lot of people need that cash and are desperate to take part. But when someone's desperate for that money, they'll cut a lot of corners: lie to be accepted, fail to report adverse reactions or other complicating factors and skip the mandatory recovery time between trials. When that happens, it can throw everything off, including the data that Health Canada may be relying on in order to approve these drug...
Oct 07, 2024•24 min•Ep 1245•Transcript available on Metacast For this weekend's look back, we're revisiting an episode from June 2023 about the level of noise we've become accustomed to in our daily lives, and the effect it's having on us. We hope you enjoy! ----------------------------------------------------------------- You know how sometimes you notice that it's eerily quiet? That's because we're so accustomed to the background noise of life in a city of any size, that sudden silence catches our attention. From cars and trucks to neighbours and kids, ...
Oct 06, 2024•24 min•Ep 1244•Transcript available on Metacast The Big Story is happy to present the second season of Africville Forever. Season 1 told the story of the destruction of a community, season 2 is telling the story of its rebirth. If you enjoy, please check out the rest of the episodes here . ------------------------------------- For too long, the Africvillian survivors and descendents have been divided, hampering our efforts to take back the land and rebuild our unique community. Solutions exist, so we are looking around the world for stories, ...
Oct 05, 2024•15 min•Ep 1241•Transcript available on Metacast Almost everywhere in Canada, the car is king. Even in walkable downtowns of our largest cities, traffic is generally given priority over pedestrians, and any proposal to change that is met with complaints from drivers, businesses and delivery services. But it doesn't have to be that way. There's one Canadian city that has, slowly but surely, taking back some of its most beloved streets and neighbourhoods from daily commuter traffic. This is how Montreal just ... went ahead and did it, and what w...
Oct 04, 2024•20 min•Ep 1242•Transcript available on Metacast Liberals, whether that's the capital-L liberal party in Canada, or the Biden administration or the Labour party in the UK, are almost always the party of immigration. They celebrate it, they value it and — at least in Canada —they have recently raised targets to record levels. And with this comes an assumption. That because the Liberals are the party of immigration, most immigrants are voting for the Liberals. But, simply put, what if that's just not true in Canada today? Like, not at all? GUEST...
Oct 03, 2024•21 min•Ep 1240•Transcript available on Metacast In the past 48 hours, Israel has invaded Lebanon and Iran has fired missiles directly at Israel. Nobody knows what comes next, but it will be difficult for anyone in the region to back down now. Has the larger conflict the world has feared for the past year finally begun? What happens if Israel retaliates? How did the past month lead to this? And what do you need to know to understand what comes next? GUEST: Dr. Randa Slim, Director of the Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program at th...
Oct 02, 2024•27 min•Ep 1239•Transcript available on Metacast 
