The Big Story Frequency Podcast Network

A few weeks ago, temperatures in India blasted past 50 degrees Celsius. Currently much of the United States and parts of Canada are in the grip of a heat dome that could shatter records. Summer's hot, and heat waves happen. We know this. But if a heat wave is a period of time with temperatures above normal, and the "normal" temperature keeps rising...

What do the heat waves of the future mean for us? What exactly is a "wet bulb" measurement? Which parts of the world can withstand the heat to come, and how can we prepare the ones that can't?

GUEST: Dr. Kent Moore, professor of atmospheric physics, University of Toronto

Typically, a broken water main does not plunge a city into weeks of critical water shortages and a state of emergency. But the pipe that broke on June 5 wasn't a typical water main. Now, almost two weeks later, the city is estimating another three to five weeks for full repairs, and until then Calgarians are under water restrictions.

How did the break happen, and could it have been prevented? Why will repairs take so long? What might happen if the city gets close to running out of water? And will the Calgary Stampede, due to start on July 5th, still go on as scheduled?

GUEST: Kerry Black, Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calgary

Richmound, Saskatchewan thought they'd have seen the last of the so-called "Queen of Canada" by now. It's been almost a year since Romana Didulo and her followers moved into an empty school in the tiny prairie town. And they're still here.

Nearly a year of living next door to a dozen or more conspiracy theorists who promise public executions does some strange things to a small community. When everyone knows everyone, and everybody has to pick a side, what happens? Nothing good.

GUEST: Rachel Browne, investigative journalist (Read Rachel's story in The Walrus.)

We're coming up on the show's six year anniversary, and so we wanted to revisit the first episode we ever released to show just how far we've come in that time. We hope you enjoy!
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau managed to green light recreational marijuana in Canada, but there is still a lot to get done before legalized weed makes its way into the hands of Canadians. Maclean's Ottawa bureau chief, John Geddes, explains how the Liberals kept their landmark promise and what will happen next.

Tova wrote into the show expressing frustration with the price of clothes at brick and mortar stores. She wants to shop online but doesn't like the hassles associated with making returns. Tova's email got us thinking about our own evolving shopping habits and what it means for both the economy and the environment. Do we need to reframe how we think about buying clothes?

Jordan talks to Kelly Drennan, the founder of Fashion Takes Action, a non profit organization that's devoted to advancing sustainability in the fashion industry.

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.

Using glue to stick cheese on a pizza. Drinking urine to pass kidney stones. The past few weeks have been filled with weird, hilarious and definitively wrong answers supplied by Google's new AI Overview. The criticism became so intense that Google has fixed many of the answers manually, but it's still determined to push forward incorporating AI into its responses. Why?

How did AI mess these simple questions up? What has Google lost as it moves forward with its plans? And ... does the company understand what its chief product is actually for, or how people use it?

GUEST: Max Read, author of Read Max on Substack