Now or Never

As we’ve seen this week, anger can change the course of an election and the future of a country. It’s a powerful emotion that we’ve been taught to tamp down. So what happens when you embrace your rage and let it motivate you into action?"Aaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!” Meet the Bedford Scream Club in Nova Scotia when we join them for their weekly group yell into the Bedford Basin. Why participants say it’s more cathartic than anything else they’ve tried.Mike Judd has spent his whole life living and working on the land of the eastern slopes of the Alberta Rockies. Since the '80s Mike has been facing down bulldozers and logging equipment, trying to protect his beloved forests. Now he’s trying to stop the West Fraser Timber Company from harvesting 1000 acres the company says needs to come down to help prevent wildfires. Why Mike isn’t backing down.Darun Khalel was working out in a Brampton park when a man tried to attack her in 2021. She punched him in the face, fought him off and took video of him running away. Then she put her daughters in kickboxing to make sure they could fight their way out too. Hear her powerful story of how her rage pushed her to fight for women’s rights to walk freely. If you're a survivor of assault who needs help, there are resources available here, listed by province.11-year-old Libby Powell thinks it’s unfair that kids don’t get a say in how schools are run. So when she found out she couldn’t vote in a school trustee by-election, she didn’t just get mad - she organized a petition, presented it to Manitoba’s Minister of Education, and threw herself a “birthday protest party” for all her friends. Find out why Libby thinks kids age seven-and-up are perfectly capable of voting responsibly. 

Luck is the ultimate wild card. When you feel like it’s on your side, it can push you to unbelievable heights.But if you push your luck too far, it can sometimes lead to disaster.Five stories of people taking big risks and hoping their luck doesn’t run out.Akshay Sapra made more than $1.7 million betting on stocks and then watched it all disappear. Even after losing hundreds of thousands more this past year, he still can’t shake the feeling that his next big win is just around the corner.Shailyn Drukis knows she's pushing her luck every time she goes for a drive in her rusty 1994 Toyota Corolla named "Ursa," that has over 430,000 kilometers on it. But even though Ursa is on her last legs, Shailyn just can't give her up.From lucky underwear to 'shoeys,' Toronto Argos fans share their weirdest game-day superstitions they believe help win games.Unlike everyone else on the show today, David Arama isn't leaving anything to chance. He's ready for the worst — like nuclear, worst. As a prepper and survivalist, he has a nuclear bomb shelter on his property that’s completely off-grid. But he’s a lot more chill than you might think. Simran Bajwa is determined to become the youngest Canadian to hike the seven summits, the highest mountain peaks in each continent. So what drives her to push her luck against unpredictable weather, treacherous terrains, and nature itself? Simran reveals she's doing it all for her mom, who was never able to scratch her own itch for adventure.

The relationship we have with our bodies - and specific body parts - is always changing, as we navigate aging, illness and injury. So when your body changes in ways you aren't expecting, what do you do about it? On this episode, five people show you how it’s done.Welcome to "Paint Your Own Booty!" night, where artist Emmy Tran teaches people to paint their own behinds in a body-positive environment. She tells us how picking up a paintbrush helped her have a healthier relationship with her own body, after struggling with body dysmorphia for years. There's an old tradition in Dawson City, Yukon which some might find…gross. It’s called the Sourtoe Cocktail and it’s a rite of passage that’s been happening since the 70s. It’s one part liquor, one part mummified toe. But where do these toes come from? We track down the owner of one frostbitten, severed toe, and ask how it ended up in a bar in Dawson City.When Edmonton’s Jesse Mulley weighed 524 pounds, he hated his life. He could barely walk, struggled with his mental health, and felt desperate for change. He made a promise to himself to start working towards healthy goals, and not quit for an entire year. Three years later, he’s lost more than 300 pounds, completely transforming his body, mind and life.  When Paralympic bronze medalist Leanne Taylor learned she was paralyzed from the waist down after a biking accident in 2018, she was afraid to ask if she could ever have children. Eight years later, she’s a mom to a one-year-old son and determined to make sure other people with disabilities know what’s possible.One of the hardest parts of Anabia Bilal's cochlear implant surgery was convincing her mom to let her do it. In 2025, Anabia became the first person in North America to have a cochlear implant that uses smart technology. Anabia and her mom Zehra Hyder share how life has changed since.

Today Now or Never digs into four mysteries that are keeping people up at night, and forcing them into action. When air cadet trainer pilot Brian Renaud was flying with a student, he saw something in the sky he couldn’t explain. Not once…twice. Now he searches the sky above Gimli, Manitoba — 24 hours a day, seven days a week — looking for other unidentified flying objects trying to figure out what it was that he saw.  For the past 26 years, someone known only as “JY” has posted thousands of lovestruck personal ads in the Toronto Star, all addressed to the same woman: Frances. So who is JY, and why does he have it so bad for Frances? Three readers — Edward Brown, Sue Brophey and Vicki McKee — share how they came together to get to the bottom of this real-life love mystery.Stan Dworkowski woke up from an eight-day coma with no memory of how he ended up badly injured in a ditch just outside of Nisku, Alberta. Now, he’s investigating his own mystery trying to piece together the hours he simply can’t remember.Have you ever loved a song so much that you want to know everything about it? Over 40 years ago, a mysterious song was recorded from a Toronto radio station onto a cassette tape. More than a thousand people all across the world are now trying to find out who wrote this song. We’ll meet the people who are searching for the band behind the song they’ve named CIA. 

What does it take to come through overwhelming odds, discover your passion, and get to the top of your game?Today on Now or Never the answer is: the right mentor.Meet three people taking stock of how far they’ve come, turning to the person who helped get them there and saying thank you. As a kid in Winnipeg’s inner city, Dale Turcotte III had to grow up fast. His biological dad was in jail. His parents struggled with addiction. And he often had to take care of his five younger siblings, while figuring out where their next meal would come from. Today Dale is 18-years-old, captain of his football team, and settling in at university on a football scholarship. He tells us the story of what it took for him to get here, and how two complicated father figures helped keep him on the right path. Twenty-nine musicians take to the stage with one goal: to thank the retired music teacherwho changed their lives. Meet David “The Proz” Proznick and find out how musician Mike Ardagh finally convinced him to come to the sold out concert you won’t want to miss.Hannah Chown thought she was hanging up her cleats and her dreams of playing pro soccer. She’d landed a teaching job and had said goodbye to her record-breaking run as the captain of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's team. But then one call from the Ottawa Rapid FC changed everything. David Chown, her dad and first coach, shares what this moment means to him.

If you're feeling sticker shock every time you fill up for gas or go to the grocery store, you're not alone. So what are you supposed to do when everything feels more expensive? Meet people finding outside-the-box ways to make their money stretch further.When magician Brian Glow sits down to a meal at Winnipeg’s Bistro on Notre Dame, he won’t pay his bill with money. He’ll use the local barter bank, MK Global Trade, and exchange magic shows for food, services, and even home renovations. Find out how it works and why Martin Kahan, the man behind the bank, says barter is growing in these expensive times.When Whitehorse resident Joanne Doyle drops stuff off at the dump, she’s not leaving empty-handed. Find out how community-driven "free stores" in the Yukon are helping people save money, declutter their homes, and score amazing free stuff.Ify goes thrift shopping with Heidi Kristensen, who tells us how thrifting isn't just helping her wallet -- it’s also helping her maintain her sobriety.After two decades in the education industry, Lethbridge, Alta. teacher Verna Mabin didn’t expect she’d still be working a side hustle…and searching for another. Nova Scotia mom Alex MacLaren has a motto when it comes to cooking on a budget: We use what we have. So every day, you'll find her MacGyvering every last vegetable in her crisper into meals even her five-year-old loves, and sharing those tips with her 800,000 followers.

We’re more divided than ever and sometimes, it feels like meanness is winning. So this week, Now or Never is going all in on kindness, with five totally unexpected stories on the kindness of strangers that will hopefully nudge you to be a little kinder, too.Two weeks ago, Ben Shannon got a call at work that every parent fears: his 12-year-old daughter, Sumire, was alone, at one of Toronto's busiest intersections, experiencing a sudden medical emergency. He raced to the scene and found a stranger cradling his daughter amidst the chaos. In the rush to get to the hospital, Ben didn't get the Good Samaritan's name. But now that Sumire is OK, Ben is on a mission to find the stranger who stepped up for his daughter in a crisis.On September 11, 2001, a terrifying plane detour brought Americans Sue Riccardelli and Maureen Murray to Gander, Newfoundland and into the life of a stranger named Mac Moss. Today, the three friends reunite to talk about kindness and gratitude, at a time when tensions between Canada and the U.S. are particularly high.We asked you for your stories about a recent moment of kindness involving a stranger, and you delivered! Hear how these small moments of connection have stayed with them.An act of kindness cost Nadine Green her business, her friendships, and her home. But that is only making Nadine double down on her efforts to help unhoused people in her community. Find out what motivates Nadine to keep giving, sometimes to her own detriment.A cancelled flight left Patricia Robinson wondering how she was ever going to make it to her 90th birthday celebration. Then two strangers stepped up and gave her a birthday road trip that she will never forget.When Colin Vickers was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a stem cell transplant was his only hope. From across the ocean came a match — an anonymous genetic twin. Once he recovered, Colin made it his mission to find the donor. Meet Scotland’s Charlie Devlin and find out how you make friends with the stranger who saved your life.

When the Canada-U.S. trade negotiations broke down in spectacular fashion last month, that got us thinking about the tough negotiations playing out in our own lives right now. Whether you're battling your kid over screen time or negotiating a pay raise, how do you find a middle ground when you don't see eye-to-eye?So on this episode of Now or Never, we're bringing you stories of people on opposite sides, who are figuring out how to talk to each other.You might remember Vivian Ketchum, kookum, activist, and long-time friend of the show. After a violent incident between a security guard and a First Nations man at the Dollarama in downtown Winnipeg, Viv took to the streets protesting the security company responsible. Enter Ron D’Errico. He's the CEO of that security company, who calls Vivian his "greatest adversary." He also knows he needs to do something about racial profiling. Trevor pulls up a chair between the two, to find out how they went from butting heads to working together.In his day job as a realtor, Mohit Agarwal makes deals and encourages his clients to negotiate before signing. He says there's always a deal to be done in everyday life. So Ify joins him as he puts his skills to the test on the streets of Toronto.As one of the stars of Dragon’s Den, Manjit Minhas knows what it’s like to negotiate under pressure. So we asked her: how does she apply her negotiation tactics as a CEO on her own teenagers?When negotiations failed and a trade war started, Osee Podolsky knew he was in trouble. As a third-generation bee farmer near Ethelbert, Manitoba, 90 per cent of his customers were big U.S. bulk buyers. So overnight, Osee had to pivot and renegotiate in order to keep the family business buzzing. 

Now or Never celebrates ten years of diving in with people as they gather the courage to take a leap into the unknown, with a live show from Winnipeg's Gas Station Arts Centre!There are always surprises in a Now or Never story, and this live show is no exception. Secret guests, a pop-up choir, confetti cannons and one hilariously unfiltered kookum who you don't want to miss.Winnipeg couple Trish Cooper and Sam Vint’s life together has been filled with hilarious and surprising (mis)adventures, including culture shock on the rez, a surprise gummy overdose, and discovering your partner is an accidental fugitive. After 23 years together, can Sam pull off a surprise for Trish live on stage?Musician Boy Golden shares songs from his new album, and a truly jaw-dropping story from the road. Now or Never all-star Vivian Ketchum is back for a record fifth appearance on the show and this time it's unhinged. We were there when she graduated high school at 58, sat on her bed as she shared the residential school memories that keep her up at night, and joined her at the post office opening letters from Canadians across the country sharing their reconciliation commitments. What is Vivian up to now? Dating! Hear her raw and unfiltered takes on sex and dating in her sixties.Two months ago, Jo Dworschak quit her job to follow her dream of being a full-time storyteller and comedian. She joins us on stage to share how fixing a broken elevator in a bathing suit at 17, lit the spark for the life she’s living today.Hundreds of Canadians have shared their stories on Now or Never over the years. Can Ify and Trevor remember them all? We challenge them with a game of "Guess the Guest," as past guests pop up on stage with three clues, while a blindfolded Trevor and Ify try to figure out who they are.Plus, Ify and Trevor try their best to surprise each other.This episode originally aired in April 2026.

An estimated four million Canadians currently live abroad. So what compels someone to ditch their life in Canada and start over somewhere new? From Bogotá to Tokyo, Cape Town to València, Now or Never crisscrosses the globe with expats living out some big, bold adventures right now.Joshua Will dreamed of living in Japan since he was 14-years-old, so when he got a job with the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET) he was ecstatic. But he never expected to find himself on tiny Yuge Island, navigating the wild world of Japanese real estate, and renovating a 100-year-old house with no experience and few language skills.At age 75, Janet Skog-Reid moved to Spain with her children and grandchildren. But when they returned to Vancouver, Janet decided to stay. How this grandmother who spent her life caring for others, is now chasing a life that is finally her own.When Calgarian Aaron Cresswell bumped into Laura Fajardo at a crowded bar in Bogotá, the two instantly hit it off — so much so, that he ended up moving to the country to be with her. But it soon sunk in that while Aaron found his forever person, he definitely didn’t find his forever home in Colombia. Barb Deck is no stranger to intense situations — when she’s at home, she’s a pediatric ICU nurse at Sick Kids in Toronto. But since joining Médecins Sans Frontières, Barb spends most of her time tackling even bigger challenges, flying to conflict zones around the world to help deliver care.Four months ago, Chloe Wilde and her partner quit their jobs, sold their Toronto home, and bought a one-way ticket to South Africa with their two-year-old son. Chloe tells us why she feels a responsibility and pressure to live a "big, bold life," and what it's really like backpacking with a toddle This is an encore presentation of Now or Never. Season 11 starts September 10