Front Burner

Back in 1995, a 12-year-old in Thornhill, Ontario, was so moved by a newspaper story about the death of a boy in Pakistan who fought against child labour, that he created a charity called Free the Children. Craig Kielburger, along with his brother Mark, went on to create a mass movement of youth activism. But 25 years later, and following a political controversy related to a student volunteer grant program, the Kielburgers announced they were stepping down and closing the Canadian arm of WE Charity. Today, Marie-Danielle Smith and Jason Markusoff of Maclean’s magazine report on the stratospheric rise – and the unexpected fall – of WE.

The 1950s & 60s saw a wave of radical movements. Che Guevara and the Cuban Revolution. The Black Panthers. Quebec and Canada had the FLQ — a showdown that dissolved into crisis. By October 1970, there were soldiers in the streets, communities on edge, kidnapping and terror in the headlines. But those frightening weeks were just the crescendo of a wave of terror and violence that was nearly a decade in the making. This series will reveal the stories of that time through immersive storytelling and the people who lived it: the bomb disposal expert on defusing live explosives, the survivors of terror, their families, and the radicals themselves. More episodes are available at http://hyperurl.co/recallcbc

Activists are calling for a boycott of the newly released Mulan remake, after revelations that it was partly filmed in Xinjiang, a province of China known, through extensive reporting, for the detention and persecution of Uighur Muslims. Today, freelance writer Frankie Huang on the controversy and what it reveals about China's influence on Western culture.

Justice has not come easy for the Rohingya Muslim victims of what serveral countries call a genocide in Myanmar. But a turning point could stem from the testimony of two men claiming to be deserters from the Myanmar army. Today, the CBC’s Nahlah Ayed on how these men say they committed acts of violence under orders from their military superiors.

In 2018, a BC Coroners Service panel called for provincial regulations to ensure evidence-based care at addiction recovery facilities. The panel said this system should be developed by September 2019. Now, one year later, more people are dying of overdoses than ever before, but the regulations recommended by the panel still do not exist.

The back-to-school season is in full swing this week across Canada. But this year, especially in a province like Ontario where in-class learning is completely optional, returning to school looks very different depending on your income and background. While on one end of the income spectrum, some parents are investing in “learning pods,” on the other, many are keeping their kids home to study online because high COVID-19 rates in their neighbourhoods leave them with few other options. Today on Front Burner, Globe and Mail reporters Dakshana Bascaramurty and Caroline Alphonso on those disparities, and what they might mean for the public education system more widely.

With over 4 million COVID-19 cases, and 70,000 deaths, India is set to surpass Brazil as the second most-affected country in the world by the coronavirus. But that hasn't stopped the country from reopening, because the pandemic has also taken a massive toll on India's economy and workforce. Today on Front Burner, host Josh Bloch talks to the Washington Post's India Bureau Chief, Joanna Slater, about why the Indian government is lifting its lockdown, just as the country recorded the largest single-day jump of COVID-19 cases anywhere in the world.

In the spring, Dr. Jean Robert Ngola was singled out as the source of a COVID-19 outbreak in the city of Campbellton, N.B. More than forty cases would later be linked to the outbreak and two people died. But now, an investigation by CBC's The Fifth Estate and Radio-Canada casts increasing doubt on whether he was "patient zero." CBC reporter Judy Trinh tells us more on today's episode of Front Burner.

U.S President Donald Trump visited Kenosha, Wis., this week, following Jacob Blake’s shooting by police, and days of protests. The unrest in the city has become a flashpoint for racial tensions in the U.S. Today on Front Burner, Reggie Jackson tells us how that fits into Wisconsin’s history of segregation. He’s a journalist, educator and co-host of a new podcast called By Every Measure — a series on the history of race relations in Milwaukee.

While most Canadian students head back to school next week, classes in Quebec have already resumed. But, just a few days in, there are already COVID-19 cases being recorded in schools, and teachers and parents voicing frustrations and fears about the province’s back-to-school plans. All this comes against the backdrop of rising coronavirus cases in the province. Today, host Josh Bloch talks to Allison Hanes, city columnist with the Montreal Gazette, as we explore what Quebec’s experience so far might tell us about back-to-school challenges ahead for the rest of the country.