The Current

A Loblaws boycott kicks off Wednesday, led by consumers angry about high food prices. Matt Galloway asks an organizer what she hopes the boycott will achieve; and looks at what Canada could do to encourage greater competition and a better deal for consumers.

Duration:00:19:38

Conservation efforts are working, study suggests

A new study has looked at 600 conservation efforts around the world — and found that nature conservation is working. We talk to the study’s co-author, Stephen Woodley, about finding hope in these efforts to protect biodiversity.

Duration:00:11:53

Ben Johnson’s complicated legacy

Ben Johnson maintains he was the victim of sabotage after a positive doping test stripped him of his Olympic gold medal in 1988. Galloway talks to Johnson and Mary Ormbsy — author of World's Fastest Man* — about why they think the runner was mistreated as the scandal unfolded.

Duration:00:24:22

Calgary zoning debate gets heated

Calgary is in the throes of a contentious public hearing on new zoning rules, which has pitted the rights of property owners against the push to create much-needed housing. The CBC’s Scott Dippel talks us through what’s become a charged and emotional debate.

Duration:00:12:43

B.C. rolls back drug decriminalization

4/30/2024

B.C. is recriminalizing the use of drugs in public places, a year into a pilot project that allowed possession of small amounts of illicit drugs. We look at what that means in an opioid crisis that has claimed more than 14,000 lives in the province.

Duration:00:24:17

Lucy Lawless on ‘warrior princess’ Margaret Moth

4/30/2024

Lucy Lawless high-kicked her way to fame in ‘90s cult show Xena: Warrior Princess, but her new documentary Never Look Away focuses on photojournalist Margaret Moth, a “warrior princess in real life.” Lawless talks to Matt Galloway about the globetrotting war correspondent’s life of sex, drugs and punk music — and whether she’d ever sign up for a Xena reboot.

Duration:00:24:23

Inside the pro-Palestinian encampment at UBC

4/30/2024

The Current visits a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of British Columbia, one of several that have sprung up at universities across Canada and the U.S.

Duration:00:19:25

Does a bee have an inner life?

A new scientific declaration argues that bees, snakes and a broad array of animals experience consciousness. We talk to the declaration’s co-author Kristin Andrews about what that means, from our relationship with nature to what's for dinner.

Duration:00:13:02

Getting an IUD hurts. Does it have to?

IUDs are a common form of contraception, but women say the extreme discomfort of having one inserted — without any sedative — is often downplayed or dismissed. Some women are filming and sharing that procedure on social media, in a call for better pain management.

Duration:00:24:19

Tensions along the TMX pipeline expansion

The Trans Mountain pipeline is expected to begin expanded operations this week, after years of tension between environmentalists and the oil and gas sector — a conflict that played out in communities along the pipeline’s route. The CBC’s Erin Collins travelled along TMX to find out how people living there feel about it now.

Duration:00:19:49

Saving the tiny western chorus frog

A Quebec road development threatens the habitat of the tiny western chorus frog — but now, scientists at Montreal's Biodome are hoping they have a solution.

Duration:00:11:33

Why travel needs to change

Steve Burgess loves to travel, but he also sees how tourists are taking a toll on the places they visit. He joins us to discuss his new book, Reservations: The Pleasures and Perils of Travel.

Duration:00:24:05

Ontario scrapping sick notes for missed work

Ontario will bar employers from asking staff for sick notes, in an effort to decrease the administrative burden on doctors and give them more time with patients. Dr. Cathy Risdon says doctors face a lot of paperwork that’s necessary but doesn’t do much to help patients.

Duration:00:07:53

Push for global treaty on plastic pollution

Ottawa is hosting negotiations to hammer out a global treaty on plastic pollution, which is showing up in every corner of the earth — and even in human blood and breastmilk. Guest host Mark Kelley asks Nestle’s Jodie Roussell what her company is doing to curb the problem; and talks to scientist Pete Myers about what role consumers can play.

Duration:00:19:35

Mass graves discovered at Gaza hospitals

The UN human rights office has called for an investigation into possible war crimes by Israeli forces in Gaza, following the discovery of hundreds of bodies in mass graves at two hospitals. We talk to UNHCR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani.

Duration:00:12:43

More local politicians quitting over abuse

More and more municipal politicians are leaving their jobs because of the abuse they face and the toll it takes. Matt Galloway talks to Waterloo, Ont., city councillor Jen Vasic; Calgary city councillor Jasmine Mian; and Montreal borough councillor Younes Boukala.

Duration:00:25:41

Learning about flow from a jazz player’s brain

Neuroscientist John Kounios has been studying the brains of jazz musicians, hoping to better understand the concept of flow. He tells us what he learned about flow, the state where a person becomes so immersed in an activity that time and complexity melt away.

Duration:00:15:28

Voyager 1 gets back in touch — from 24 billion km away

NASA’s Voyager 1 started sending gibberish back to Earth a few months ago, after almost 50 years of communication from deep space. This week the space agency announced they’d fixed an error — at a distance of 24 billion kilometres. Astronaut Chris Hadfield talks to Matt Galloway about how they did it and what Voyager means to us here on this pale blue dot.

Duration:00:08:04

What Canada can learn from Australia's gun buyback