The Current

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Why risky play is good for kids Mar 20, 2026

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The Canadian Pediatric Society says "risky play" is good for kids’ mental, physical and social health — even if it might result in injury. In an interview from January, we hear what’s behind this new advice, why ”incredibly boring playgrounds” are part of the problem, and why parents might need to just take a deep breath.

Cigarette butts help birds Mar 20, 2026

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New research from the University of Lodz in Poland seems to show that some birds get healthier if they use cigarette butts in their nests.

A Canadian company is helping white supremacists fundraise Mar 20, 2026

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CBC’s investigative program, the fifth estate--has spent months looking into two Canadian platforms and the role they play in monetizing hate--under the banner of free speech. Rumble and Entropy both promote themselves as cancel-free spaces and have attracted extremist voices--that many say spew harmful content that may lead to real world harm.

Cubans in exile want an “end to communism” Mar 20, 2026

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Millions of people in Cuba are still without electricity after the country’s power grid collapsed on Monday. It comes as the U.S. has an oil blockade in place in the country and as President Trump says he would consider “taking Cuba.” The CBC’s Jorge Barrera is in Havana and tells us how the blackout has been impacting people's lives there. Plus Sebastián Arcos, the interim director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University, talks about what comes next at this pivotal moment for the country.

Can American doctors solve BC’s healthcare woes? Mar 19, 2026

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Is British Colombia’s push to recruit American doctors actually easing the strain on the healthcare system, or just offering a short-term fix? We look at what’s driving physicians to move, how the recruitment process really works, and if this approach is addressing the deeper, long-standing issues in Canadian healthcare.

The power of kindness and other life lessons from a priest Mar 19, 2026

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Father James Martin is known around the world for giving voice to Catholics who are often excluded from their church, including those in the LGBTQ community. In his new book “Work in Progress” he writes about how he found faith in the margins and why his most important life lessons came working as a busboy in a busy small town restaurant.

E-waste is on the rise in Canada, here’s why you should care Mar 19, 2026

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From old cellphones and chargers to fridges and washing machines, Canadians are getting rid of more old technology than ever. We speak with two Canadian researchers who study electronic waste to find out how we should be dealing with the rise of e-waste, why it's so hard to make our technology last longer, and the unseen costs, before our favourite devices even make it into our homes.

SpaceX's 1 million satellite plan could change the night sky Mar 18, 2026

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Scientists say a proposal to launch a million satellites into Earth's orbit is short-sighted, and highlights the need for more regulations as companies look to capitalize on space. We hear from Aaron Boley, Co-director at the Outer Space Institute and professor at UBC, about how having so many satellites in space can contribute to space junk and impact Earth's atmosphere.

How the US-Israel-Iran war is revealing our overdependency on fossil fuels Mar 18, 2026

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The war between the US, Israel, and Iran is driving up the price of oil and sending shockwaves around the world -- especially in Asia, which relies heavily on oil from the Middle East. But the ongoing oil crisis is also highlighting our global overdependency on fossil fuels. We speak with a reporter in Bangladesh about the situation in Asia, and Andrew Leach, an energy and environmental economist and a professor at the University of Alberta, about whether this is the moment that forces world leaders to rethink where they get their energy from.

The creator of Wordle on life after a hit and his new puzzle Mar 18, 2026

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Josh Wardle made puzzling cool with his enormously popular word guessing game Wordle. Now he has a new puzzle called Parseword that aims to make cryptic crosswords more accessible. The common thread in his games from his early days at Reddit until now -- connection.

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