Front Burner

We're still a long way away from getting back to the pre-pandemic normal. As shutdowns drag on in some cities across North America, some business owners are starting to close up shop for good. Today, the owner of the Storm Crow Tavern in Vancouver on why he gave up one bar to save his two others. And, writer Derek Thompson with the Atlantic on how the pandemic now could change retail - and by extension, urban streetscapes - going forward.

Loneliness posed a public health crisis for many countries years before anyone heard of COVID-19. But how does loneliness manifest at a time -- not sure that's exactly what we're trying to say; suggesting instead: how is loneliness exacerbated when we are forced to isolate for weeks and months? Who is most vulnerable? And what are some of the long-term emotional implications of this lockdown? We explore the different types of loneliness this pandemic is unlocking with cultural historian Fay Bound Alberti.

Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams is facing a backlash after posting a rant about the origins of the pandemic on Instagram Monday. And although Adams doesn’t name China, or Chinese people, the comments are clearly about them. Today we focus on concerns about growing xenophobia towards East Asians in recent months, which include a series of racist attacks, with help from Susan Eng, director of the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice, and dance artist Ziyian Kwan.

This weekend marked the return of a major sporting event to North America, the first since the pandemic forced leagues into lockdown in mid-March. UFC 249 brought mixed martial arts fighters back into the octagon in an empty stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. As other major leagues make plans to open back up, Toronto Star columnist Bruce Arthur reports on the future of sports, post COVID-19. Will it ever be the same?

Canadian newsrooms have had serious financial woes for years now. But since the coronavirus pandemic began, layoffs, cuts and closures across the country have left many teetering on the brink of survival. Today, Craig Silverman, a Toronto-based media editor for Buzzfeed News, joins us to talk about how it got to this point and what can be done to stop the hemorrhaging.

The race to become the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, previously paused by the COVID-19 outbreak, is back on. The party will select its new leader in August, by mail-in ballot. Today on Front Burner, Power & Politics host Vassy Kapelos analyzes the campaigns, and talks about how this current pandemic has changed the dynamics of the race.

North America's largest single coronavirus outbreak started at Cargill, a meat-packing plant located in High River, Alta. Over 1,500 cases have been linked to it, with 949 employees testing positive, and one death. Despite the harrowing statistics, the plant reopened this week. CBC reporter Carolyn Dunn on what led to the outbreak, and why there's such a push to keep the plant open.

Former U.S. vice-president Joe Biden is denying an allegation that he sexually assaulted a Senate staffer twenty-seven years ago. The allegation was made by Tara Reade in March. Reade was among the women who came forward last year to accuse Biden of inappropriate touching. With the 2020 U.S. election coming up, CBC Washington correspondent Paul Hunter reports on how the Democratic Party is responding to the allegation against their presumptive presidential candidate.

Could the "wealth-conjuring machine" that is Canadian real estate grind to a halt after the COVID-19 crisis exposed its worst weaknesses? That's the concern many who watch a sector that makes up a bigger part of the Canadian economy than oil and gas. Today on Front Burner, Bloomberg News' Vancouver bureau chief Natalie Obiko Pearson returns to explain how real estate became such a significant part of the Canadian economy, how Canadians went deeply into debt, and why now, the housing market in Canada could be "too big to fail."

As the world continues to socially distance - a few countries are easing restrictions for children. But, it’s still unclear how COVID-19 affects kids. Some doctors are raising concern over a mysterious illness in a small number of children, which could be linked to COVID-19. Meanwhile, public health experts in Australia say kids may not be superspreaders after all.