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The pandemic is forcing educators to rethink how they evaluate students. Here's why
As high schools across the country scrap exams because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some experts say now is the time to re-evaluate what those tests look like, to ensure they serve all students.
As confidence vote looms, do Liberals want an election, or a distraction?
Our national affairs panel discusses the possibility of a snap federal election, and what might be behind the Liberal federal government's move to call a confidence vote.
Tim Robbins on satirizing Trump, and the time he turned him away from a party
Tim Robbins new satirical podcast Bobbo Supreme follows a fictional, tyrannical U.S. president in frantic re-election bid. He says that while U.S. President Donald Trump may have killed parody, he has not killed satire.
The Current for Oct. 21, 2020
Today on The Current: Our national affairs panel on a possible snap election, pandemic fatigue and Nova Scotia fisheries dispute, Tim Robbins on his new satirical podcast, Debating the value of exams, André Picard on the latest in fight against COVID-19
How promoting social connection could help combat suicide among rural men
Older men living in rural areas need better access to culturally relevant programs to stem the risk of gun-related harm, says the lead author of a new study on firearm-related injuries and deaths in Ontario.
The Current for Oct. 20, 2020
Today on The Current: Gun-related suicides in rural men, Canada’s booming pandemic real estate market; American satirist P.J. O’Rourke on his new book; Trick-or-treating safety amid COVID-19.
Fed up with afros 'based on cauliflower,' Black players of The Sims eager for better representation
Calgary gamer Jade Ade-Yusuf says the current options for Black players of The Sims to recreate their own diverse skin tones and hair styles "fall short of the mark."
Genetic genealogy technique used in Christine Jessop cold case comes with privacy concerns, warns expert
A Canadian privacy expert warns that there are risks involved in using genetic genealogy as a tool for investigating crimes, despite its ability to help solve cold cases like the 1984 murder of nine-year-old Christine Jessop.
The Current for Oct. 19, 2020
Today on The Current: Privacy concerns over genetic genealogy, Nova Scotia fisheries dispute draws calls for government intervention, The Sims creators agree to make video game more diverse, COVID-19 resurgence in Europe.
Is it time for a fusion cuisine comeback? Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage think so
Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage discuss their new cookbook, Flavour, and argue that fusion cooking may have fallen out of fashion, but still has a lot to offer.
More answers needed after Christine Jessop's killer revealed: veteran reporter
Thursday’s announcement that police have identified nine-year-old Christine Jessop’s true killer leaves many unanswered questions, says a veteran justice reporter who wrote a book about the case.
The Current for Oct. 16, 2020
Today at The Current: Fisheries dispute in Nova Scotia turns violent, Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage make the case for a fusion cuisine comeback, Long lineups to vote in the U.S., Kirk Makin on the long road to find Christine Jessop’s killer.
Road to November
Activists wanted this Black race horse owner to boycott the Kentucky Derby. Here's why he said no
Greg Harbut, one of the few Black horse owners in Derby history, was asked to boycott the race this year amid protests about racism and the police killing of Breonna Taylor. He explains why he refused the request.
Road to November takes listeners down the Mississippi River, all the way to polling day
The Current's series Road to November is a virtual trip down the Mississippi River from Minnesota to Louisiana, to meet some of the people whose lives will be shaped by the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Calls to pursue herd immunity are 'callous, dangerous nonsense': immunologist
A U.S. proposal that calls for an end to lockdowns and for people to try to achieve herd immunity is raising alarm bells among health experts who say such a move would have devastating consequences.
How a convicted killer's passion for math inspired him to change his life — and others'
Convicted killer Christopher Havens taught himself advanced math from behind bars. He's now sharing his love of numbers with other inmates and says prisoners need opportunities to better themselves so they can be rehabilitated.
The Current for Oct. 15, 2020
Today on The Current: The Great Barrington Declaration calls for an end to COVID-19 lockdowns, Road to November: Kentucky, the Derby, and protests over the killing of Breonna Taylor, Christopher Havens found meaning in math while in prison for murder
This deaf author is boycotting his own book after criticism its illustrations include an 'Asian stereotype'
Saskatoon author Adam Pottle has just published his first children’s book, but he’s urging people not to buy it because it contains an illustration that he says is offensive — but the publisher won’t change it.
Indigenous people must lead way in making Canada's legal system just, says Brad Regehr
The first Indigenous lawyer to become head of the Canadian Bar Association says reconciliation will be difficult to achieve unless we have uncomfortable conversations about how the justice system impacts Indigenous people in Canada.
The Current for Oct. 14, 2020
Today on The Current: Indigenous communities and COVID-19’s second wave, Row over sexist ‘joke’ hits B.C. election, Window Swap and other pandemic distractions, Author Adam Pottle does not want you to buy his book, Brad Regehr on his priorities as first Indigenous president of the Canadian Bar Association
Q&A
Journalist Ethan Lou on living through lockdown around the world
A Canadian journalist who witnessed several countries go into lockdown in a domino effect earlier this year says, at the time, he didn't expect COVID-19 to "engulf the whole world."
Raptors coach Nick Nurse says it's a good thing Black Lives Matter has become a bigger part of our lives
Raptors head coach Nick Nurse says he hopes the anti-racism protests that followed the death of George Floyd have made everybody more political, and more aware of racism.
The Current for Oct. 13, 2020
Today on The Current: Raptors head coach Nick Nurse on leadership on and off the court, The future of Canada’s relationship with China, Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller on racism in the health-care system, Ethan Lou on his new book Field Notes From A Pandemic: A Journey Through A World Suspended.
Pandemic is creating a new type of homelessness, says outreach worker
A Halifax-based street outreach worker says that since the pandemic started, he’s met more and more people who have become homeless for the first time. But for other homeless individuals, the pandemic has meant getting a roof over their head for the first time in years.
Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe: Morley's Garden
The pandemic means many of us can’t gather as we’d like on this Thanksgiving Monday, so instead we’re spending some time with an old friend: Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Cafe. We join Morley in the garden as summer gives way to fall, and she unearths some memories as she tills the soil.
