[You've probably heard—from politicians, experts or even just friends and family—that "Canada is broken". Everyone can draw their own conclusions about that, but there's no denying some key aspects of the country aren't working well for many of us. And complaining about that is easy, it's fixing it that's the tough part. This week, The Big Story is trying to do that with Fixing Canada—a five-part series featuring deep dives into five issues that touch every Canadian, looking to experts to diagnose the problem—but most importantly, to prescribe the cure.]

For part four of our series, we’re talking about health care. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have heard constantly about our crumbling system. But the cracks didn't just start four years ago.

Many health care workers have said the system may soon be pushed past the point of repair - or already has been. So can we spend our way out of this? Or do we need to reimagine the entire thing?

GUEST: Dr. Alika Lafontaine, physician, former president of the Canadian Medical Association, and the first Indigenous doctor listed in Medical Post's 50 Most Powerful Doctors

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

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Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail

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[You've probably heard—from politicians, experts or even just friends and family—that "Canada is broken". Everyone can draw their own conclusions about that, but there's no denying some key aspects of the country aren't working well for many of us. And complaining about that is easy, it's fixing it that's the tough part. This week, The Big Story is trying to do that with Fixing Canada—a five-part series featuring deep dives into five issues that touch every Canadian, looking to experts to diagnose the problem—but most importantly, to prescribe the cure.]

For part three of our series, we’re talking about immigration. An issue as politically charged as it is a problem that needs solving. You can be as far left or right as you like and still think our approach to immigration is seriously flawed.

So what we need to do somehow, is find a way to thread the needle. And there are ways to do that, if we want to get serious about it.

GUEST: Rupa Banerjee, associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada Research Chair in Economic Inclusion, Employment and Entrepreneurship of Canada's Immigrants

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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail

Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

You've probably heard—from politicians, experts or even just friends and family—that "Canada is broken". Everyone can draw their own conclusions about that, but there's no denying some key aspects of the country aren't working well for many of us. And complaining about that is easy, it's fixing it that's the tough part. This week, The Big Story is trying to do that with Fixing Canada—a five-part series featuring deep dives into five issues that touch every Canadian, looking to experts to diagnose the problem—but most importantly, to prescribe the cure.

Today we’re talking about transportation. A system that you only notice when it breaks and your 20 minute commute turns into an hour.

Is Canada's transit -- both public networks inside of cities and larger routes between them—truly as bad as it sometimes seems? And how could we do better?

GUEST: Reece Martin, creator of the RM Transit YouTube channel and substack.

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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail

Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

You've probably heard—from politicians, experts or even just friends and family—that "Canada is broken". Everyone can draw their own conclusions about that, but there's no denying some key aspects of the country aren't working well for many of us. And complaining about that is easy, it's fixing it that's the tough part. This week, The Big Story is trying to do that with Fixing Canada—a five-part series featuring deep dives into five issues that touch every Canadian, looking to experts to diagnose the problem—but most importantly, to prescribe the cure.

Today we're talking about competition. Or rather, Canada's lack of it. You may have noticed consolidation in high-profile sectors like groceries or telecommunications. But the problem goes well beyond that. Right now competition is vanishing in sectors like medical technology, funeral services and even veterinary care. How do we get it back?

Guests: Vass Bednar and Denise Hearn, authors of The Big Fix: How Companies Capture Markets and Harm Canadians, available for pre-order here

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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail

Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

Canadians love our toonies. And that might explain why a story about bogus ones became our most listened to episodes of all time.

So on one of the last remaining summer weekends, enjoy this trip inside the shadowy world of Canadian coin counterfeiting, and make sure to take a look in your own change bowl to see if you've been carrying around any fakes.

Enjoy!

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They call it the "camel-toe toonie", and you will understand why as soon as you look at the front right paw of the polar bear on it. Since they were first discovered in circulation in 2020, estimates range from at least tens of thousands to likely millions of them reaching circulation.

But who is behind it? How do you counterfeit toonies at scale and get them into the banking system? And ... why toonies?

GUEST: Brent Mackie, creator of cameltoetoonies.ca, numismatist, treasurer of Waterloo Coin Society

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We've all done it. Life is hard, the week is long and rather than force yourself to be out and about on a Friday night, you just need to unwind. All by yourself. Maybe do a little online shopping or pamper yourself however you please... so you turn down the invite, sit down on the couch and practice a little "self-care".

There's nothing inherently wrong with this. We all need breaks! But you should be aware that it's not that simple. There are trillions of dollars to be made from self-care practices and products, and the industry is only growing as we become more isolated and lonely. So next time you feel like backing out of something to stay inside alone, maybe ask yourself: Why am I doing this? Is it just because it's easier?

GUEST: Allie Volpe, senior reporter at Vox

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Last month, Alberta phased out coal years earlier than expected. It was an impressive achievement for a province synonymous with fossil fuels. Next up: Oil and gas? Probably not, but like it or not the time will come when the world moves on from the fuels that has been driving Alberta—and Canada's—economy for decades.

When that happens, are we ready? What can the phase out of coal, in Alberta or elsewhere, teach us about how we do move on when the time comes? Where can we look for examples of how to scale down without crushing our economy? And can we find the will to be proactive about a change we likely won't have any control over when it arrives?

GUEST: Arno Kopecky, environmental journalist and author, writing in The Walrus

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It's been well over a week since Venezuelans votes, by all accounts, to send president Nicolás Maduro packing. He hasn't left office, and has instead presented results that claim he, in fact, won the election. Hundreds of thousands of citizens have taken to the streets to demand he transfer power to opposition leader Edmundo González. Thousands of those protesters have been detained.

Democracy around the world is under threat, and nowhere is this more clear than in a country with a president that has become more authoritarian every year. So as the world watches, what happens now in Venezuela? What can the international community do to push for the peaceful transfer of power? And what happens if Maduro simply refuses?

GUEST: Mie Dahl, reporting in Caracas, Venezuela

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

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