The Big Story Frequency Podcast Network

It remains to be seen if policing in Toronto will really change as a result of the past few weeks, but a tipping point certainly seems to be at hand. First, a total exoneration for a man charged with first-degree murder, in a trial that many said should have never happened at all. Then, just days later, four people, including grandparents and an infant were killed during a high-speed chase that, again, many experts said should have never happened at all.

In the aftermath of the first case, police rallied around their own, and ended up charging an innocent man. It was only after the verdict that they announced a review. Will the force once again toe the line and protect their officers, even if it means losing the public's trust?

GUEST: Patrick Watson, assistant professor, centre for criminology and sociolegal studies, University of Toronto

On the 15th floor, a former US president, flanked by secret service members and the whole nine yards, faces criminal charges, an historical first. On the floors below, the business of a city courthouse tries to continue as usual, with court appearances for things like shoplifting and public urination.

It's been two weeks since the trial began, and the former president has been complaining about the temperature. When he isn't appearing to fall asleep. What's it like in the courthouse? What's the bigger picture of a former president running to get his job back while facing jail time? Would Donald J. Trump ever actually wind up in jail? Really?!

GUEST: Andrew Rice, features writer with New York Magazine, covering the Trump trial.

It started at Columbia University. And the NYPD came in hard, right away. Which, naturally, sparked more protests on campuses everywhere from Texas to Quebec. News reports can sometimes make these encampments—which are mostly composed of students risking their academic careers to speak up for Palestinians—seem huge, chaotic and full of antisemitism.

But how much of what's actually happening on campus makes it into 30-second clips and 60-point headlines? How does the current wave of protests compare to to others in a long history of campus activism? What do the protesters want? And why are many universities trying to crack down so hard on them?

GUEST: Justin Ling, investigative journalist, reporting for The Line

Norval Morrisseau is among the most iconic Indigenous artists in Canadian history. His instantly-recognizable paintings adorn the walls of institutions across the country, from art galleries to Universities and provincial legislatures. To say nothing of the art dealers and auction houses that have made millions selling his works. The only problem? A whole lot of them have turned out to be fake.

Even in the world of Indigenous art, where artists have been complaining about forgery for years, the scale of the Morrisseau fraud is unprecedented. So how did authorities uncover the deception? Who's behind the fakes? And what does this say about artist's ability to protect their work?

GUEST: Luc Rinaldi, writing in The Walrus

In the months after the Ford government cut into Ontario’s protected Greenbelt to allow housing development, the premier’s ties with developers were suddenly under a microscope.

Rumours were flying. Journalists and independent watchdogs were digging. And the day Doug Ford swallowed a bee turned out to be very consequential for another reason.

After an announcement at a Honda plant in Alliston, Ontario that will bring billions in new electric vehicle investment, the Prime Minister sat down with The Big Story to chat in-depth about the climate crisis, the future of electric vehicles and his government’s efforts to find opportunity amid a world on fire.