The Big Story

The climate is changing, so wildfires are changing too. The "unprecedented" fires of the past few weeks, won't be unprecedented when they happen again, and again. And the conditions that created them aren't going away. But we aren't helpless against them.The way we fight fires is changing, too. From earlier detection, more accurate predictions, a different approach to management and ways to get boots on the ground faster in the places where they'll make a difference, the playbook is being written in real time. Here's what we're learning, how we'll use it and how to keep the fires of the future away from homes.GUEST: Dr. Mike Flannigan, professor at Thompson Rivers University; BC Research Chair in Predictive Services, Emergency Management and Fire ScienceWe love hearing from listeners! If you'd like to offer feedback, suggest an episode topic or have a question about this episode or any other, you can find The Big Story on Twitter @thebigstoryfpn, you can email us at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca, and you can call and leave a voicemail at 416-935-5935. If you'd like to share The Big Story with a friend, you can send them this link, which will allow them to open the podcast in their favourite podcast player. 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 @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

Despite the controversy dominating federal politics for months now, Canadians will not get a public inquiry about Chinese government interference into our democracy and elections. That's one of the takeaways from former Governor General David Johnston's report on the affair, which was released yesterday. So why did Johnston decide it wouldn't—or couldn't—happen? What did we learn from the report he presented? What will the next few months bring? More hearings? More leaks? A reasoned, thorough and bipartisan review of the difficulties of handling classified information? Or allegations of a "cover-up"?GUEST: Stephen Maher, reporter and commentator, writing on foreign interference in The Walrus 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 @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

It's not easy to make yourself notorious among the more than 40,000 McDonald's franchises in the world—but Ottawa's Rideau Street location accomplished it. From dangerous violence, to drug use, general chaos and viral incidents that became world famous (like the raccoon fight...) the recently closed restaurant earned the moniker given to it by a former police chief.But the story of this McDonald's isn't just one of crime and online fame. It's a story about public space and who gets to use it, how a  city changes at night, what resources we offer to people who need them and how every city's downtown is changing right now. Today, the rise and fall of the most famous McDonald's in Canada.GUEST: Amy Dempsey, senior writer, Toronto Star 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 @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

Right now, while controlling our own food security becomes more important than ever, Canada's farming industry is in transition. An older generation of farmers are ready to retire—but many of them don't have anyone ready to take over the family business. Meanwhile, corporate megafarms are scooping up farmland where they can and a younger generation of farmers is desperately trying to get ahold of space to grow on.Where is the next generation coming from and what are they doing differently? Why are so many older farmers having trouble keeping the business going? What does the future of Canadian farming look like and who owns (or rents) it?GUESTS: Keith Currie, farmer and president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture; Aliyah Fraser, Owner and Operator at Lucky Bug Farm 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 @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

If you're a newer listener to The Big Story, you may not know aboutThe Gravy Train, a podcast we released in 2019 chronicling the meteoric rise, and tragic downfall of Toronto's most notorious mayor, Rob Ford. With Toronto in the midst of its first wide-open mayoral race since 2010, we thought now would be an opportune time to revisit this narrative, which captures a moment in politics with some striking similarities to what we're seeing in the city today. We'll be dropping an episode in this feed every Saturday for the next two months leading up to election day, but they're all available in The Gravy Train feed if you prefer to binge them. Enjoy! --------------------------ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:As Rob Ford began his term as mayor by ending taxes and cancelling transit plans, his colleagues on city council and the reporters who covered them were starting to gossip. As his first weeks turned to months, Ford was around less and less, and people were starting to wonder: What was going on with the mayor? And then, two high-profile nights out added fuel to that fire… 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 @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

Bad information, and the things that make us vulnerable to it, can spread like a virus. It's everywhere and at this point even the most savvy news consumers need to be in the habit of checking things twice. And with the rise of Artificial Intelligence and deepfakes, the problem will only get worse. But we're not without weapons.Models show that misinformation spreads just like an illness, and research also shows that we can inoculate ourselves from the worst of it. And we can help our family and friends do the same. How do we do that? Just like real vaccination, it starts with a little bit of the virus itself, to help us learn what we're fighting...GUEST: Sander van der Linden, author of Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity 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 @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

Technically, the Ontario Liberals aren't officially a party anymore. They lost that status when they were shellacked in the 2018 election after being in power for 15 years. When the Ontario Progressive Conservatives won a large majority last year, the Liberals won eight seats and finished a distant third. It's not an exaggeration to say the once-proud party is in shambles.Last week, the first person threw his hat in the ring as the man who plans to fix that. Nathaniel Erskine-Smith is a federal Liberal MP from east-end Toronto who became the first contender for leadership of the Ontario Liberals. So how does he plan to bring the party back from the wilderness? Why leave federal politics for a provincial race? Why do so many of his fellow Liberals underestimate Doug Ford? And what does his Ontario look like?GUEST: Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, MP for Beaches-East York; Candidate for Ontario Liberal party leadership 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 @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

Nobody who covers the business of sports can remember a bidding process quite like this one. For one thing, everybody's talking! Normally this is a behind-the-scenes process that only goes public when a winner is chosen, or a final bid or two is being examined. But this time, ever since actor Ryan Reynolds threw his hat into the ring early, the whole saga has largely played out in public.And not just in public, in Hollywood and beyond. After Reynolds got involved, other bidders added Snoop Dogg and The Weeknd, respectively, to their bids, and Snoop has been doing media interviews talking up his love for hockey, and the city of Ottawa in general. It's safe to say that nobody expected the sale of the NHL's smallest Canadian-market team to make international headlines like this. So ... what's going on here?GUEST: Elliotte Friedman, Sportsnet insider, Hockey Night In Canada panelist, co-host of the 32 Thoughts podcast 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 @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

Last week's exchange that saw each country expel a diplomat was called a "spat"—but really it was the latest volley in a low-heat diplomatic conflict that's been simmering for years. Every new twist, from takeovers to arrests, from allegations of election interference and threats of retaliation, only makes the next more likely.How did China and Canada end up here? What have we learned in the past few months about just what China is trying to do in this country? What steps has our government taken to protect our democracy from outside interference? And what should we expect if China decides to retaliate?GUEST: Stephanie Carvin, former national security analyst, Associate Professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, author of Stand on Guard: Reassessing threats to Canada's National Security 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 @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

On Halloween night in 2020, a mass shooting took place near the resort community of Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island. Three people are found dead in a make-shift encampment deep in the woods. Beside them, four dead dogs and a burned-out trailer. Now, more than two years on, the case is at a standstill. This week, a new podcast, Island Crime Season 5: Whiskey Creek explores the secrecy and fear surrounding the shootings. And asks the question: Who deserves to have their story told?GUEST: Laura Palmer, host and producer of Island Crime   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 @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky