The Current

There’s fear and frustration in Surrey, BC..The city is facing a wave of violent extortion threats that have been gripping the province for the last two years. We speak with CBC’s Sohrab Sandhu about how the community is feeling. B.C. RCMP Assistant Commissioner John Brewer talks about whether law enforcement is doing enough and criminologist Wade Deisman takes a look at what the motive behind the violence might be.

Duration:00:19:30

What's the best way to manage grizzly bears?

A grizzly bear attacked a school group in a remote Indigenous community in central B.C. last week — and it brought to light an ongoing debate about what the best way to manage and co-exist with grizzly bears is. Some think hunting should be allowed back on the table — others say there's ways to co-exist with bears safely without resorting to killing them.

Duration:00:14:09

Why Bill McKibben thinks solar energy could save the world

For decades Bill McKibben has been warning the world about the risks of climate change. But his latest book is surprisingly hopeful, even if he does think it's too late to save the world from climate change. "Here Comes The Sun" documents the remarkable growth of solar power — and the dramatic drop in its cost. He joins us for a conversation about where the solar revolution is going — and what keeps him hopeful about the future of humanity.

Duration:00:20:42

Ryan Wedding: From champion snowboarder to FBI's most wanted

Ryan Wedding is now at the centre of one of the biggest international crime investigations in the world. He's wanted in connection with multiple drug and conspiracy crimes, including ordering and orchestrating murder. He's one of the FBI's most wanted criminals and there's a reward of up to $10 million US for any information that could help catch him. We speak with journalist Jesse Hyde who's been covering Wedding for over a decade about how he went from Olympian to alleged drug kingpin.

Duration:00:11:32

Alberta opts for a public-private health-care system

11/24/2025

Alberta says allowing doctors to work in the public system and bill patients privately will shorten wait times for everyone, while keeping costs down. But critics — including many Alberta doctors — say the plan will make care worse for everyone.

Duration:00:19:14

"Lentil King" wants Canadian businesses to think bigger

11/24/2025

Murad al-Katib started his pulse crop business in his basement. Now it's worth $3B a year and in 120 countries. At a time when many Canadian businesses are trying to diversify their markets, and get into value-added manufacturing, al-Katib's company AGT has actually done it. He's built rail infrastructure, manufacturing businesses, and partnerships around the world. He talks about the secret of his success, and why Canadians one day may thank Donald Trump for shaking us out of our complacency.

Duration:00:23:20

Searching for Fela Kuti

11/24/2025

Jad Abumrad’s new podcast, Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, digs into Fela Kuti’s life, the good and the bad because he not only pioneered Afrobeat and pushed against the impacts of colonialism but he was also a deeply complicated and flawed man who left a wake of inspiration and trauma.

Duration:00:26:55

How did Louise Penny predict the future in her new book?

11/22/2025

Louise Penny’s new novel explores a sinister plot to make Canada the 51st state, but she’s keen to point out that she wrote it before Donald Trump was re-elected as U.S. president. She spoke with Matt Galloway live on stage at the Haskell Free Library — right on the U.S.-Canada border — about life imitating art, and why she cancelled her U.S. book tour. They're joined on stage by Montreal singer-songwriter Patrick Watson, to discuss the intersection of art and politics. This special bonus podcast episode was recorded with a live audience at the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, a unique venue straddling the border between Quebec and Vermont.

Duration:00:33:47

Live at the Haskell Free Library, right on the U.S. border

11/21/2025

A black line on the floor marks the U.S.-Canada border that runs through the Haskell Free Library, and through the lives of the people who live in Stanstead, Quebec and Derby Line, Vermont. Matt Galloway hosts a live show in this unique venue, after months of simmering political tensions that have tested the enduring friendship of the two countries. We hear from bestselling author Louise Penny, musical guest Patrick Watson and local residents who live the reality of the border line, every day.

Duration:01:14:37

How does remote-controlled brain surgery work?

11/20/2025

A surgical team at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto has started doing brain angiograms using a remote-controlled robot. We speak with Dr. Vitor Mendes Pereira, the neurosurgeon who has performed 10 of the procedures, and Nicole Cancelliere, a robotic medical radiation technologist at Unity Health Hospitals, about the potential of the technology, and how it can save lives and save the health system money by offering access to neurosurgical care to people living in remote communities.

Duration:00:16:47

How these dogs saved their humans' lives

11/20/2025

In her new book How My Dog Saved My Life, former CBC producer Cate Cochran tells 30 Canadian stories of dogs who have changed everything for their humans, saving their lives literally and figuratively. We'll meet some of these remarkable canines, including a black lab and golden retriever mix named Foreman who's trained to provide medical assistance for his owner, Sinead Zalitach. Sinead was born with an extremely rare congenital condition called Parkes Weber syndrome and Foreman is so attuned to her that he knows she's in trouble before she does.

Duration:00:27:24

What’s the impact of US tariffs on New Brunswick?

11/20/2025

New Brunswick is one of the provinces most vulnerable to US tariffs. And they’re hitting wood product makers and soft-wood harvesters the hardest. We'll hear from James McKenna, who owns a kitchen cabinet business, about how he's trying to keep his company afloat in the face of 50 per cent tariffs coming in January. Then Premier Susan Holt will tell us what the province is doing to help and what kind of support she's expecting from the federal government.

Duration:00:19:25

Stretching vs. Mobility: What your body really needs

To stretch or not to stretch and does it even matter. The debate over the importance of stretching is age old - now it seems like everyone is talking about mobility. What's the difference and is one better than the other? David Behm, professor at Memorial University, specializing in human kinetics and sport science breaks it down.

Duration:00:09:20

Gen Z Economist Kyla Scanlon on the "Casino Economy"

Kyla Scanlon says the economy feels like a gamble right now — one that's built on risk and speculation. We speak with the popular American economic commentator and author of "In This Economy? How Money and Markets Really Work" about how her generation is feeling in this economy, the AI boom, the future of work, and the importance of financial literacy at a time when young people face an uncertain economic future.

Duration:00:24:12

What to know about Ukraine’s corruption scandal

Two weeks ago, anti-corruption investigators in Ukraine revealed allegations that men close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received $100 million US in kickbacks through a state energy company. The list includes a friend from Zelenskyy's comedian days, who co-owned his production studio. Tim Mak, editor of The Counteroffensive, notes that people are outraged in the country because corruption is the animating force in Ukrainian politics. Simon Shuster, a Zelenskyy biographer, says the president has a history of giving people second chances, but in the middle of a scandal like this, that might come back to bite him.

Duration:00:15:28

Epstein's accusers may finally win their transparency fight

The women who survived sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein have been demanding accountability. Now Congress is acting, voting to release the government's files on the powerful and connected sex offender. Anti-trafficking advocate Lauren Hersh says that's in part thanks to the women's bravery.

Duration:00:19:21

Brazil wants to drill for oil AND cut emissions

As COP30 plays out in Belém, Brazil is trying to present itself as a climate leader while also moving ahead with a new offshore oil project. CBC’s Susan Ormiston has been on the ground in the Amazon and inside the conference halls. She tells us why this decision has hit such a nerve, what she heard from Indigenous leaders who fear what’s coming, and why others in the region see the project as a long-overdue opportunity.

Duration:00:11:18

How prop betting is undermining sports

A conversation with Dave Zirin, sports editor at The Nation, about how the Clase/Ortiz pitch-fixing scandal exposes the explosive rise of prop betting — and why it threatens the integrity of sports from baseball to hockey, basketball, and football.

Duration:00:12:33

How reliable hydro will help build Arctic sovereignty

A hydroelectric power plant underway in Nunavut is on Prime Minister Carney's nation-building project list. We speak to people living in Iqaluit about how this will transform the community and why there can be no Arctic security without Inuit sovereignty.

Duration:00:19:25

Doctors Without Borders CEO, Avril Benoit steps down