Inside the fight to save the Ontario Science Centre

Eight years ago, the Prime Minister was welcoming Syrian refugees to Canada at the airport, to international acclaim. Canada was viewed as one of the world leaders in accepting asylum claimants from war-torn or dangerous countries. We were good at it.Last year, asylum seekers were camped out in the streets, begging for a spot in shelters. They sat on months-long waitlists for basic documents that would allow them to work. There is no space in shelters, and we're cramming them into hotels. Safe to say there are no smiles from the Prime Minister or happy headlines. How did our system come crashing down so quickly?GUEST: Jordan Michael Smith, 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 [email protected] Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemailOr @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

On Sundays, we revisit some of our favourite episodes. If you're new to the show, we hope you enjoy hearing these for the first time, and if you've been with us a while, enjoy this trip down memory lane!------------------------------------------------------------------------- ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES:When you were a child, did you have limits on the amount of TV you could watch? Or video or computer games you could play? Too much of that stuff "would rot your brain", right? It was universally accepted that too much screen time would hinder kids development.But is that still true in a world where children spent more than a year working, playing and learning online? In a world where my child will fall behind if she doesn't learn how to use a touchscreen? In a world where much of the rest of their lives will be spent online, how connected should children be?GUEST: Dr. Nusheen Ameenuddin, chair of The American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communications and Media, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Mayo Clinic. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemailOr @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

First the Ontario Science Centre was to be moved in a year or two, and that was enough to spark a protest movement to keep the iconic building designed by a renowned architect right where it was. Then, out of nowhere, it was simply closed for good, with Ontario's government citing a report that the roof would pose a danger in winter.In the wake of its sudden closure, there have been offers of private donations to fix the roof, the architectural firm that designed it has offered to lead those repairs and thousands of citizens have rallied to try and change the province's mind. But nothing's changed. Why did the Science Centre close so suddenly? Where will it live next? And who profits from that?GUEST: Aidan Chamandy, political reporter for The Trillium We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemailOr @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

By the end of this weekend, two of Canada's G7 allies could each have new governments, on opposite sides of the political spectrum. While the Labour party is expected to end 14 years of Conservative government in the UK on Thursday, France may well end up in the hands of the hardline National Rally party.Is this a case of two countries headed in opposite directions? Or is it simply the same anti-incumbent sentiment that has impacted democracies across the world, with Canada no exception? Are people turning away from progressive politics, or making their displeasure heard? And will countries ever again vote for something, rather than against a party or politician they despise?GUEST: Josh Keating, senior correspondent at Vox covering foreign policy and world affairs We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemailOr @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

Right now, the federal government is in the middle of a consultation period in which they may decide to jack up tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles. In announcing the consultation, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland called Chinese EVs "unfair competition" and said China was undermining Canada's EV sector's ability to compete.How is China's EV approach "unfair"? Why are Canadian EVs having trouble competing? Why aren't more Chinese EVs making their way overseas? And why can't you buy a simple, functional $12,000 electric car instead of a $65,000 electric truck or SUV or Tesla?GUEST: Lorraine Sommerfeld, automotive journalist, Driving.ca, host of The Driving Podcast We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemailOr @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

Microplastics are everywhere—and for the first time they've been found in penises of men suffering from erectile dysfunction. Does this mean there's a link between the two? Why have rates of infertility and ED been rising around the world? And why does it take a study that finds them in a penis to drive so much media than previous studies that have found these things in other places in the body?GUEST: Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy, reproductive urologist, study lead We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemailOr @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

They are majestic flying in a "v" overhead. A symbol of fall and spring. A true National treasure. And also, Canada geese can be...just total jerks.They flock to cities and universities, nesting and aggressively defending those nests, and leaving metric tons of goose poop just about everywhere. And you don't want to get on their bad side. This is the story of the many and varied efforts Canadian institutions have made to figure out how to live in peace with these creatures. If it's possible.GUEST: Tom Jokinen, writing in The Walrus We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemailOr @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

This is our last episode until the fall, so we thought we'd use the time to reflect on what we've learned so far, answer some of your feedback and talk about what's coming up next. In the meantime, we'll be revisiting a few of our earlier episodes and providing occasional news updates on events that matter to your wallet. Another Interest rate cut?! In this economy?!Thanks for listening and talk to you in September! Do you have a money problem? Call us and leave a message at 416-935-5935. Or email us at [email protected]. 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 [email protected] Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemailOr @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

Mess with the finely balanced ecosystem of the ocean? On purpose?! What could go wrong?! But the truth is, we've messed with it already. The oceans suck up a lot of our carbon, and you may have noticed they get hotter every year. But what if there was a way to store carbon in the ocean, possibly forever, where it wouldn't do any damage?Welcome to the world of marine geoengineering—a field gaining a lot of attention, as well as a lot of investment, including in Canadian companies. We might not understand the depths of the ocean's ecosystem enough to ensure we won't do anything truly horrible...but eventually we might have no option but to try it anyway...GUEST: Moira Donovan, writing in The Walrus We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemailOr @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

British Columbia is introducing regulations that the province says will improve the lives of gig workers who deliver meals and offer rideshares—including a minimum wage while working and safe work protections among other things. Other regulations have slowly been introduced around the world.But do these protections actually help workers? Will the companies that pay them pass the prices along to consumers, or leave these jurisdictions altogether? As more and more jobs shift to this kind of work, what needs to be done to ensure workers can actually make a living doing it?GUEST: Valerio De Stefano, Canada Research Chair in Innovation in Law and Society at Osgoode Hall Law School at York 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 by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemailOr @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter