An inside look at what it's like to be a sequestered juror in a criminal case in Canada

It’s been dramatized in countless movies and TV shows, like Law and Order or 12 Angry Men, but you may have wondered if the Hollywood portrayals match up with the reality of jury duty. This year, CityNews Reporter, Nick Westoll, got to find out first hand when he was picked to serve on a jury in a criminal case. From the jury selection process, to the restrictions and being sequestered, to the emotional toll of deciding the fate of an accused, host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Nick about the challenging journey of being a juror in Canada.You can read Nick's first hand account here: https://toronto.citynews.ca/2025/07/03/what-is-ontario-jury-duty-like/ We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

A data breach used to be big news. It was disconcerting to those impacted and was normally followed filed a class action lawsuit. But as they become more ubiquitous, are we caring less? And if you're a victim of a data breach, what is the financial impact to you? Host Mike Eppel speaks with Mike Hortobagyi, Senior Manager, Solutions Engineering at Otka Canada. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

Sean “Diddy” Combs remains behind bars – awaiting sentencing – after the music mogul was found guilty on two charges and not guilty on 3 others.He had pleaded not guilty – and has denied all allegations against him.The 7 week trial, which saw more than 30 witnesses, started in May – months after the debut of a series on HBO Max called “The Fall of Diddy.” Host Kris McCusker speaks to one of the co-directors of that docuseries, Yoruba Richen, about what might happen next and whether Diddy can return to the entertainment world. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

Masai Ujiri's time in Toronto is over.He'll be remembered for many things, most notably for the very first NBA Championship a Canadian team has ever won.We the North became the country's rallying cry and the signing of superstar Kawhi Leonard ignited the city behind the sport like we'd never seen.Host Maria Kestane speaks with Toronto NewsRadio anchor Vrajesh Dave about what's next for the Raptors and what Ujiri's legacy is. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

The whiplash news cycle around the Trump trade war continues and if you can't keep up, you're not alone.Last Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said all trade talks with Canada were off because of a new "digital services tax" that was supposed to come into effect on Monday, targeting companies like Netflix. Late Sunday night, the federal government announced that the tax was being rescinded, and that talks with the U.S. were back on.Keeping up? It's a lot. So did Carney capitulate? The DST was set to bring in billions of dollars for Canada. Did the feds do the right thing?Host Cormac Mac Sweeney is discussing with Dalhousie University professor Dr. Lori Turnbull. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

On this Canada Day, we’re reflecting on our national identity – but dependent on who you ask, you’ll get a different answer. Being Canadian comes with a complex mix of opinion, taking into account politics, history and geography. Are we still considered the polite neighbours to the north? Are we more united as a country since our sovereignty has been threatened by President Donald Trump? Host Melanie Ng reflects on these questions and more with Howard Ramos, a political sociologist at Western University.We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at [email protected]  Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

Statistics Canada just wrapped a 30 year study where they examined how Canadians spent their time and with whom. It found that in 2022, only 19% of working-age people saw their friends on a regular basis, marking a drop from almost 48% in 1986. And considering the pandemic is long-gone, what's sustaining this change in the way Canadians interact with loved ones, and how they use their time? Host Pooja Handa speaks to Pete Bombaci, Founder of the GenWell Project, to make sense of both the numbers and this new social era for Canadians. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at [email protected]  Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

It's the mid-point of the year and it's the economic question everyone is asking - what's going to happen with interest rates?On this episode of In This Economy - you'll hear from an expert about whether our economy is weakening and what that means for you. Host Mike Eppel speaks with Royce Mendes, Managing Director of Macro Strategy at Desjardins. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

Stop us if you're heard this one before - a Trump threat on social media about tariffs rattles Canada.Because of a digital tax that's supposed to come into effect on Monday, Trump says that any trade talks with our country are done. The statement was made on his Truth Social account Friday afternoon.This ends any optimism that was there after the G7 summit when we were hearing that a new trade deal could be forthcoming in 30 days.So what happens next?Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Carleton University Professor of International Affairs Fen Hampson. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

Tens of thousands of migrants choose between life or death in a quest to leave home in hopes of a better life, even if it means spending months working for cash just to pay a smuggler who will hopefully get a small boat filled past the brim to the other side of the journey.Aliou Candé made that very decision in 2019 - in hopes of a better future for his parents, two children and pregnant wife. A bullet to the neck at a secret, Libyan prison in 2021 killed that dream. He never saw the better life. Host Maria Kestane speaks to Ian Urbina, Director of the Outlaw Ocean Project and host of the Outlaw Ocean Podcast about season two of the anthology where he details the story of Aliou Candé, and how his reporting of those secretive, migrant prisons almost cost him his life at the hands of Libyan militias. You can find more on the CBC series below:The Outlaw Ocean is an anthology podcast that plunges you into the vast and often lawless world of the open seas. In season two, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Ian Urbina sheds light on the secretive Libyan prisons swallowing up sea-faring migrants; flagrant human rights abuses in China’s massive off-shore fleet; the horrors of a shrimp processing plant in India; and the wild story of a modern-day James Bond — if he were a repo man. Urbina and his team repeatedly risk their safety to tell stories powerful people don’t want you to know. As podcast reviewer Lauren Passell notes, “Ian’s not relying on research, he was there [...] Outlaw Ocean makes you feel like you’re there, too.” This immersive audio documentary series brings together more than eight years of reporting at sea on all seven oceans and more than three dozen countries.You can find The Outlaw Ocean wherever you get your podcasts, and here: https://link.mgln.ai/Ci678x We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter