The Current
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The Current for May 28, 2020
Today on The Current: Canada and China’s complicated relationship; David Frum on Trump’s re-election bid; Calgary teens set up joke hotline for seniors; Should for-profit model of long-term care be replaced
Without data, press releases of COVID-19 vaccine findings create 'false impression' of progress: expert
Former Harvard professor William Haseltine says publishing early results of COVID-19 research could be damaging if not properly peer reviewed.
McNeil rejects 'offensive' idea he's avoiding shooting inquiry for political reasons, urges feds to take lead
Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil is renewing his call for Ottawa to lead any inquiry into last month's mass shooting in the province, adding the suggestion his government is avoiding the issue for political reasons is "offensive."
The Current for May 27, 2020
Today on The Current: Disturbing report on long-term care home conditions; Concerns over rushing COVID-19 vaccine; Calls for an inquiry into Nova Scotia mass shooting
Minister of rural development 'open' to internet access becoming public utility
Minister for Rural Economic Development Maryam Monsef says internet access is an essential service, and the idea of it becoming a public utility, funded like water or electricity, is not out of the question.
The Current for May 26, 2020
Today on The Current: How provinces differ on COVID-19 testing; Rural internet access; André Picard on public gatherings; Frustration over refunds for cancelled flights
As 'the worst may be yet to come,' WHO assistant chief stresses global unity with vow to review
World Health Organization Assistant Director-General Peter A. Singer says no country in the world will be safe until all countries have curbed COVID-19. That means a global effort, he says.
The Current for May 25, 2020
Today on The Current: WHO special advisor Peter A. Singer on agency’s pandemic response, Reopening Italy, Kids write about lockdown, and end of life planning spurred by COVID-19.
Without more support for child care, economic recovery will be slow, says expert
Economist Armine Yalnizyan said we need an economic “she-covery” — one that focuses on getting women back to work and increasing child-care support for working parents.
This aquarium set up video calls at tanks so its eels could get used to people again
Zookeepers say animals are having a range of reactions to the disappearance of humans during the COVID-19 pandemic, from begging for more attention to complete indifference.
The Current for May 22, 2020
Today on The Current: Could limited childcare cause a ‘she-cession’?; Reimagining meat processing after COVID-19 outbreaks; Saskatchewan Roughriders superfan; Zoo animals wondering where all the noisy humans went
B.C.'s top doctor Bonnie Henry says 2nd wave of COVID-19 inevitable, but current lessons will guide response
British Columbia's provincial health officer says that a second wave of COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus is inevitable in Canada, but that the lessons learned over the past few months will help inform future responses.
Want a song written about your pet? Musician Hawksley Workman might oblige
Pent up at his in-laws' home thanks to COVID-19 restrictions, the Peterborough, Ont.-based rocker is collecting stories about fans' pets to set to music for his upcoming Hawksley Night in Canada live streams.
Applying terror laws to incel violence must not 'distract' from everyday misogyny women face: expert
Experts say classing misogynist violence as terrorism will give authorities more tools to fight the problem, but there are concerns that crimes like domestic violence could be pushed to the side for a focus on large-scale terror attacks.
The Current for May 21, 2020
Today on The Current: B.C. Health Officer Bonnie Henry on a second wave of COVID-19; The path to a vaccine; Calling incel violence terrorism; Hawksley Workman wants to write a song about your pet
Suspend standardized testing until 2022 to let students 'focus on rebuilding,' says Ont. teachers' union head
The head of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association is calling for the suspension of standardized testing in the upcoming academic year to help relieve the pressure of returning to school after a prolonged absence due to the pandemic.
The Current for May 20, 2020
Today on The Current: Pandemic pushing restaurants out of business; National affairs panel on border restrictions and more; How can schools reopen safely?; Dr. Catherine Hankins on AIDS research and COVID-19
What this doctor hopes his own experience with a rare disease can teach us about COVID-19
Pennsylvania doctor David Fajgenbaum believes his years-long search to treat a rare disorder that led him to five near-death experiences could hold clues for approaching COVID-19.
Testing, contact tracing crucial to reopen U.S.-Canada border, says Obama's former acting labor secretary
Weighing up the impact on the economy, and the risk of spreading infection, what will it take to reopen the Canada-U.S. border? Former acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Seth Harris and former Minister of Foreign Affairs John Manley join Matt Galloway to discuss.
The Current for May 19, 2020
Today on The Current: When is the right time to reopen Canada-U.S. border?; International travel while we wait for a vaccine; Health writer André Picard on the pandemic version of safer sex; Remembering Capt. Jenn Casey; Dr. David Fajgenbaum on cytokine storms and COVID-19, and turning attention to COVID-19
After COVID-19 turned his voyage into months of floating lockdown, this Canadian is finally sailing for home
Canadian sailor Alan Mulholland has been stuck in Martinique for weeks because of lockdown, but is now starting his month-long journey back home.
Listen
Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe: Odd Jobs
Today, one of the most requested stories from the Vinyl Cafe archives. In Odd Jobs, Dave tries his hand at some home improvement.
The Current for May 18, 2020
Today on The Current: Could Canada see a second wave of COVID-19?; Gardening in the pandemic; Canadian sailor Alan Mulholland starts long journey home; Vinyl Cafe: Odd Jobs
Personal Essay
How tapping sugar maples is reconnecting me to the land — and my roots
The pandemic has upended the plans, and even traditions, of so many people in this country. On a reserve just outside Thunder Bay, freelance journalist Jolene Banning has spent the spring trying to carry on with a practice her ancestors began well over a century ago: tapping the sugar maples.
Who will we be after the pandemic? We asked three of Canada's brightest to weigh in
We ask three of Canada’s finest how they feel about the way the country has responded to COVID-19, and what we might be like after the pandemic passes. Matt Galloway is joined by Giller Prize-winner Madeleine Thien, Olympian Clara Hughes and entrepreneur and philanthropist Mohamad Fakih.
