Most of us had a virtual health care appointment sometime during the pandemic. Those of us that didn't have almost certainly encountered virtual care of some form or another—whether that's a follow-up phone call from your doctor, or post-surgery instructions emailed to you. As we enter the post-pandemic era, there is a push in some quarters for more virtual care—it can improve access, speed things up and give people more control over their own care and medical records. But will it also simply create more visits, encourage unnecessary appointments and further burden an overtaxed system? There's a line we need to walk here—can we do it? GUEST: Dr. Tara Kiran, Fidani Chair in Improvement and Innovation at the University of Toronto; family doctor and scientist at St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto. Researcher for OurCare report on primary care 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

Today, evacuation alerts for several communities in BC and Alberta are in effect. You may not have noticed, because there are always evacuation alerts in effect now, and there are always fires burning, some of them out of control. When the whole country takes notice is when the skies over entire provinces go dark, the air turns bad or a blaze like the Fort McMurray fire in 2016 blitzes through a city. All of that will probably happen this year. The conditions are ripe for it, and there's not much we can do to prevent a devastating fire when it comes. But we can evolve our strategies as the fires get bigger. We can adapt. But...will we? GUEST: John Vaillant, author, Fire Weather: The making of a beast 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

In 2022, the Doug Ford government opened parts of Ontario’s protected Greenbelt for housing development, touching off a massive political scandal. But long before that, tensions over the green space outside of Toronto had been quietly simmering for nearly two decades. What is the Greenbelt? How did it end up becoming such a flashpoint for fights over the housing crisis and the climate crisis? And who stood to benefit when the Ford government tore it up after 20 years? Presented in partnership with The Narwhal, Paydirt is a three-part miniseries taking you to the heart of Ontario’s Greenbelt scandal. Hosted by Emma McIntosh, an investigative reporter with The Narwhal. 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

On Saturday's we normally drop the newest episode of In this Economy?! in the feed, but this week we wanted to spotlight another Frequency Podcast Network production that we thought you'd enjoy. Here's the first episode of the sixth season of Laura Palmer's acclaimed show, Island Crime, and we think it might be best one yet. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES For three decades, Rhonda has wondered why someone killed her high school friend Kimberly Gallup. Kimberly was a girl who loved the Kansas City Chiefs and Bon Jovi. Her death has a lasting impact on all who knew her. Subscribe to Island Crime Plus for early access to episodes, all ad-free. 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

This is one that even the police say will be a Netflix miniseries someday. On April 17, 2023, more than $20 million in gold was stolen from Pearson airport in Toronto. Nobody was hurt, and the crooks got away. It was one of those kinds of thefts. You can picture the scene in your head. Exactly one year later though, police announced arrests, including those of two Air Canada employees, making clear they believe it was at least partly an inside job. How did the crooks pull off the initial caper? How did the cops catch them? What happened to the gold, and who will play whom in the adaptation? GUEST: Andy Takagi, reporter, The 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

By far the biggest part of the federal budget is an ambitious plan that the Liberal government claims will not only hit the targeted estimate of homes Canada needs, but will blow right past it. You'd be forgiven some skepticism, since the Prime Minister stated less than a year ago that housing "isn't a primary federal responsibility." A lot has changed since then, especially the government's polling numbers. But politics aside, what's in this plan? How exactly does the government think it can hit its targets? What does one of the country's leading housing policy analysts think of those solutions? What's in this plan that will or won't solve the housing crisis in the next decade? And what's in it to help people afford homes right now? GUEST: Mike Moffatt, Senior Director of Policy and Innovation at the Smart Prosperity Institute; Assistant Professor in the Business, Economics and Public Policy group at Ivey Business School, Western University 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

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday's budget announcement, the federal government has been hammering a message that this document would make life more affordable for Canadians. Does it accomplish that? What's in here that will matter to your wallet in the months to come? What takes aim at trying to bring down the cost of living over the next several years? And who's going to end up paying for all this? GUEST: Jim Stanford, economist and Director of The Centre for Future Work 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

The former Calgary mayor is beloved by many in the province. He might well be the favourite in the race to succeed Rachel Notley as leader of the Alberta NDP. But he's never really been involved with the party, and his trademark 'purple' comes from blending Liberal red and Conservative blue. No orange in sight. But his campaign will force some fascinating questions onto the party, both in Alberta and nationally. Questions that have been bubbling just below the surface for the past couple of elections, and are making insiders wonder about the future of a unified national NDP... GUEST: Graham Thomson, Alberta-based political analyst 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

It can be easy, given our changing climate, not to worry much about events that aren't extreme. It's not flooding? No hurricanes or heat waves or wildfires? Just a little rain?! Well, we can live with that. And maybe we can, but in the Arctic, a lot of things can't. In recent years, snowfall has been replaced with rainfall more and more often. And sure, they're just different types of moisture, but the impact is fascinating and profound. And has a ton of implications for both Canadians in the region, and every other creature that makes its home up there. GUEST: Ed Struzik, writing in The Tyee 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

It was one of the strangest scandals in recent Canadian history, located right at the spot where the housing crisis collides with the climate crisis. From allegations of political corruption and RCMP investigations to endangered species and Las Vegas massages. Every Monday for the next three weeks, The Big Story, in partnership with The Narwhal, will take you into the heart of the Greenbelt scandal that rocked Ontario, speaking to the people who broke the story and people who lived it. If you think you know what happened... you don't know it all. Hosted by Emma McIntosh, investigative reporter with The Narwhal. 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

More and more Canadians are struggling to afford the costs associated with the death of a loved one. In Newfoundland, a recent news report reveals bodies are piling up in a freezer outside of a morgue for this reason. Jordan talks to Erin Bury, CEO and co-founder of Willful, a digital estate planning app that aims to make estate planning more accessible and affordable. Do you have a money problem? Call us and leave a message at 416-935-5935. Or email us at hello@itepod.ca. You can also find us on Instagram and TikTok @InThisEconomyPod. Don't forget to leave a call-back number, so we can get in touch. 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

Over the past few weeks, there have been hundreds of questions, plenty of notes and briefings, dozens of hours of testimony (including from the Prime Minister himself) and no shortage of references to classified intelligence—all this during an inquiry aiming to help the foreign interference commission, and the Canadian public, learn exactly who knew what about efforts to impact Canada's elections, and what they did about it. If that sounds like a mouthful, well, it is. The inquiry is attempting to balance the need for transparency with the imperative to protect Canada's intelligence operations, and it has often left questions half-answered, or responses less than declarative. So on the final day of this phase of the inquiry: What have we actually learned, for certain, about efforts to interfere in Canada's elections? GUEST: Laura Stephenson, professor of political science, Western University; co-director of The Consortium on Electoral Democracy 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

In 2021 the federal government vowed to create a pathway to allow thousands of migrants to remain the country. Instead, deportation levels the past two years are higher than they've been in more than a decade. And we've spent more than $100 million on the deportation process. How did we end up with the opposite of what the government promised? Given Canada's shortage of housing and the health care crisis, how should the government handle the hundreds of thousands of migrants in the country? Why does the deportation process cost so much money? Is there a better way? GUEST: Noushin Ziafati, reporting for The Breach 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

Recent weeks have seen gruesome and tragic incidents in both Toronto and Edmonton involving dogs attacking children, leaving one child dead and another with life-changing injuries. Those stories are backed by numbers from many Canadian cities—including Toronto and Edmonton—showing a surge in attacks or dangerous incidents over the past couple of years. What's behind the spike in attacks? Is it pandemic puppies, as some suggest? Lax enforcement? Incompetent owners? All of those and more? And more importantly, what are we doing about it? What works and what doesn't when it comes to keeping dogs under control in our cities? GUEST: Dr. Tim Arthur, Ottawa veterinarian and Canadian Veterinary Medical Association President-elect 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

In a 12-month span from 1990-1991, three teenaged girls were murdered in Victoria, BC. All three had been sex trafficked and were working on what was then the city's "stroll" where sex workers solicited clients. All three were found separately, and the ensuing investigations were a jurisdictional mess. The crimes are unsolved to this day, though some with knowledge of the cases believe they may have been committed by the same person. Who were these girls and how did they find themselves on the stroll? What might we learn about these still-open cases more than 30 years later? Why couldn't police make headway in the 1990s and what's changed that might finally help bring the killer or killers to justice? GUEST: Laura Palmer, host and creator of Island Crime Season 6: Sweethearts 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

In response to sky-high grocery costs, Canada's Competition Bureau recently issued a report calling for more competition in the sector. That call was echoed by the federal government, who had hoped to lure a foreign chain, such as Germany's Aldi, to Canada to give consumers options. But Aldi won't be coming, and neither will anyone else, at least not anytime soon. Why is it so hard for companies to enter the Canadian market and compete against homegrown companies like Loblaw, especially in the grocery sector? How could Canada make it easier for competitors to set up shop? And should we be encouraging foreign-owned businesses over ones owned and operated by Canadians in the first place? GUEST: Vass Bednar, Executive Director of McMaster University's Master of Public Policy in Digital Society Program; author of regs2riches.com 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

Should I put my savings into an RRSP? If I do that, will I pay less taxes? What happens if I want to access that money before I retire? These are just a few of the RRSP-related questions we've received lately. So, here's everything you need to know about RRSPs in one episode. Just in time for tax season! With Jackie Porter, certified financial planner and ambassador for FP Canada, a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to championing better financial wellness for all Canadians. Learn more about FP Canada 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

Do you miss that beloved cat or dog that passed away? Good news! For only tens of thousands of dollars, and probably a few failed attempts, you can have an identical genetic replacement. Years ago Barbara Streisand made news for cloning her dog. But since then the technology has become much more accessible. A woman in BC made Canadian headlines in March for her two kittens, cloned from a deceased cat named 'Bear'. But these pets can't consent to being clones--which come with more risks than a traditional cat or dog--nor can the cats or dogs who carry the fetus. And while pet cloning technology comes to the masses, scientists are working on the next step. To save endangered animals? To bring back extinct ones? And in some dark places around the world... perhaps even attempts to clone humans. GUEST: Kerry Bowman, bioethicist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto 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

It's a case that sparked protests, made national headlines and may have swung a provincial election. And it's about to head to trial. You probably know it best for the fight over whether or not police would search Winnipeg's Prairie Green landfill — but at its core this story is about vulnerable women and the system that forgot them. As Jeremy Skibicki's trial begins this month, the landfill search has not. Why not? How did the alleged killer find his victims, and why was he free to find them in the first place? What will we learn about the connections between the women and Skibicki and could this all have been prevented? GUEST: Rachel Browne, investigative journalist, writing in Maclean's 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

It can be confusing. Depending on which party you listen to, the carbon tax—or "price on pollution"—will either cost you or save you money. And both sides are using accurate information, just differently. But what isn't debatable is that the government's signature policy has been under unprecedented attack over the past year, and the increase that kicked in on April 1 was met with protests and scorn around the country. But will you actually feel it, and if so, when? Where does the policy stand five years after implementation? And is it beginning to die a death of 1,000 cuts? GUEST: Cormac Mac Sweeney, Parliament Hill reporter, CityNews 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