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On April 18-19, a gunman went on a shooting rampage across central Nova Scotia, killing 22 people. Since then, families of the victims have been pushing for a public inquiry. That's because there are still questions about the RCMP's response to the shooting. After initially opting for a review into the tragedy, which drew much criticism, provincial and federal governments have now committed to a joint public inquiry. This comes in the same week as the release of some previously redacted court documents that could reveal more about the case. Today on Front Burner, CBC Nova Scotia's Brett Ruskin on these recent developments.
There are daily COVID-19 tests, no fans and no going home. For the 24 NHL teams in Toronto and Edmonton, however, the prize for spending two months in a “bubble” could be the Stanley Cup. Last night, the NHL played its first exhibition games since pausing the season in March. It also showed fans how the sport will be different in the league’s hub cities. Today on Front Burner, The Athletic senior writer Dan Robson tells us about what’s changed, what life is like in these hub cities, and whether the playoffs are actually safe from COVID-19.
For more than 60 nights, protesters have gone out on the streets of Portland, Ore. to fight anti-Black racism and police violence. It seemed like things were calming down, but then U.S. President Donald Trump sent federal agents into the city. Today on Front Burner, we're joined by Tuck Woodstock, an independent journalist who has spent the majority of the last two months out at the protests. They tell us what it looks like on the ground, and how the violence has escalated since federal agents arrived.
D'Andre Campbell. Ejaz Choudry. Chantel Moore. Those are just some of the names of people killed by police in Canada this year. Until now, there hasn't been a national database to keep track of these deaths. The CBC recently made one called "Deadly Force." It goes back 20 years, and it found what many people have been saying: Black and Indigenous people are disproportionately killed by police. Today on Front Burner, the CBC's Mark Kelley on what those numbers tell us and why 2020 is on track to be a particularly deadly year.
Film buffs were still holding out hope that Christopher Nolan’s highly-anticipated movie “Tenet” could salvage what is left of the summer movie season. But when it was indefinitely postponed this week, it raised questions about how the pandemic will shape the future of Hollywood blockbusters. Today, CBC Entertainment reporter Eli Glasner breaks down how COVID-19 is changing the industry, and what he misses most about going to the movies.
There's new hope this week in the quest for a COVID-19 vaccine. Trials for two vaccines, one at Oxford University and another being worked on here in Canada, are showing some promising results. And they're just two possible frontrunners from scores of vaccines being tested around the globe. Today, Emily Chung, the creator of CBC's vaccine tracker, tells us where we are on the path to approving vaccines, and what bumps may lie in the road ahead.
While Robert Riley Saunders worked as a social worker in British Columbia, he was supposed to provide care and guardianship to some of the province’s most vulnerable foster children. Instead, he is alleged to have stolen from them, leaving many to fend for themselves. Now, the B.C. government has reached a proposed multimillion dollar settlement for more than 100 of his former clients, admitting harm done by their ex-employee. Today, CBC reporter Jason Proctor walks us through the extraordinary case, and how it reveals cracks in a system that is supposed to keep young people safe.
After a four-month suspension due to COVID-19, Major League Baseball returns for a condensed 60-game season on Thursday. The old ball game, however, is going to look a bit different: there’s social distancing in the dugouts, no fans in the stands and no games in Canada. This weekend, the federal government announced that the Blue Jays can’t play in Toronto during the pandemic. Today on Front Burner, The Athletic staff writer Kaitlyn McGrath tells us where the Jays could go, and what baseball’s tumultuous summer could mean for the future of the MLB.
It’s been 30 years since an explosion of violence and the death of a Quebec provincial police officer on an early July morning marked the beginning of the Oka Crisis. That summer, thousands of Canadian soldiers surrounded two Mohawk communities, just outside Montreal, who were trying to protect a forest and burial ground from the expansion of a golf course. Today on Front Burner, we speak to Mohawk filmmaker Tracey Deer who grew up in Kahnawake, Quebec. She shares what it was like living through a standoff that came to be a defining conflict in Canadian history.
Puerto Rican TV personality Walter Mercado wasn’t just one of the world’s most famous astrologers — for his millions of viewers, he was a spiritual guide, motivational speaker, and a bedazzled fashion icon. And for generations of queer Latino kids, his refusal to conform to gender norms was a sign that they, too, could be adored and accepted. Today, Kareem Tabsch, co-director of the new Netflix documentary Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado, gives us an intimate look at the larger-than-life performer in the last years of his life — and explores why, even after his death, Mercado is resonating with a whole new generation.
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