The Current

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The first female crash test dummy prepares to hit the road Dec 08, 2025

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Did you know that your vehicle won’t have been properly safety tested for female drivers or passengers? That’s because all the modern safety features we have like airbags and seatbelts have all been designed to protect the average male body. We speak with Chris O’Connor, who’s known as “the father of the modern crash test dummy” about how his company is changing that by designing the first-ever female crash test dummy.

Dave Bidini of the Rheostatics on the band's new album Dec 08, 2025

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Dave Bidini on what it means to be Canadian, why he loves the Great Lakes and what it was like to collaborate with some of Canada's most celebrated artists including Inuk throat singer and novelist Tanya Tagaq; poet and storyteller Chief Stacey LaForme; and the late Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip.

Is regime change in Venezuela imminent? Dec 08, 2025

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Deadly boat strikes, U.S. warships in the Caribbean, and now President Donald Trump is threatening to stop Venezuelan narco-traffickers on land. As the pressure to oust President Nicolas Maduro mounts, we speak with Phil Gunson, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, in Caracas about the possible outcome of a forced regime change and what Venezuelans want.

Can "Buy Now, Pay Later" lead to money problems? Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

As we all gear up to spend money on gifts this holiday season — we might be tempted by the many retailers offering some sort of "buy now, pay later" program at their online checkout. Recently, Paypal has started offering it in Canada. And while it can be appealing, as an interest-free way to purchase big-ticket items, financial experts Shannon Lee Simmons and Bruce Sellery warn that it can also lead to overspending — as we indulge in an ever-escalating list of "wants" as opposed to "needs."

‘Make the Season Kind’ with CBC Dec 05, 2025

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The CBC's annual campaign, Make the Season Kind, to support local food banks is on right now. We'll talk to our producer Anne Penman, who has coordinated the CBC British Columbia food bank fundraiser for 39 years, about the growing need and how you can help. If you want to contribute to your local food bank, go to cbc.ca/kind, or you can donate by texting KIND to 20222.

This new drug could be a game-changer for HIV/AIDS Dec 05, 2025

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We are bringing you some actually good news and a new drug that is showing incredible promise in fighting HIV/AIDS. It's called lenacapavir. It's not available in Canada yet, but it's getting its first real-world test in three African countries. We talk to Dr Darrell Tan, a leading Canadian HIV prevention researcher about the promise of lenacapavir, and why Canadian doctors should be doing more to make sure HIV prevention drugs get to the people who need them most. And Dr Catherine Martin, a senior researcher with Wits Reproductive Health and HIV in Johannesburg.

What’s the future of the Canada-US-Mexico trade deal? Dec 05, 2025

Show notes

At hearings in Washington, American business groups say that, despite some irritants, they like North American free trade. But U.S. President Donald Trump says he's willing to walk away from the three-way deal, if Canada and Mexico don't bend to his demands.

Does Canada stand a chance in the 2026 world cup? Dec 05, 2025

Show notes

For the third time in 40 years team Canada has qualified for the World Cup, but who will they play? How good is this squad and what is their ceiling in the upcoming World Cup? We take a look at arguably the best men's soccer team ever as Canada gears up to co-host its first World Cup.

Confusion for BC Cons Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

The leader of the BC Conservatives, John Rustad says he's not going anywhere. His party says they've voted in a new leader and Rustad is out. We hear from Rob Shaw about a very confusing day in British Columbia politics.

Death toll climbs from deadly floods across Indonesia Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

There’s been at least 16 storms since the start of the year across Asia. Most recently a series of cyclones, monsoons and floods have killed more than 1,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Hundreds are still missing, hundreds of thousands are displaced, and several million are impacted. We speak with Lesthia Kertopati, senior journalist for BBC Indonesia about how days after the storm many on the Indonesian island of Sumatra are still desperately looking for their loved ones — and the challenges in the way of relief efforts.

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