U.S. President Donald Trump has a plan to end the war in Ukraine. It's basically, cut off support, and capitulate to Vladimir Putin.

It has been three years since Russia’s illegal invasion. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have died defending their country.

This week, the Trump administration cancelled future aid for Ukraine and set up peace talks with Russia that excluded Ukrainian officials.

Host David Smith speaks with Russia expert Marcus Kolga about what will happen next at this critical juncture in the conflict.

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca

Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

The videos and images of recent airplane crashes are hard to shake.

For some, it has ignited a fear of flying – but is it warranted?

The statistics say one thing, but our minds say another. So what can we do?

Host Melanie Ng speaks with Dr. Ian Shulman, Psychologist and Clinical Director at Shift Cognitive Therapy - where even her subconscious kicks in, making an error right at the beginning of the episode, contrary to her notes!

You can learn more about Dr. Shulman at https://shiftct.com/.

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca

Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

It’s been an unusually bad start to 2025 for air travel accidents.

Monday’s crash at Pearson International Airport that saw a Delta airlines flight come to rest upside down has a lot of people wondering: is commercial air travel safe?

Host David Smith gets answers from aviation expert John Gradek with McGill University.

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca

Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

There is a crisis facing Canada’s post-secondary education sector that no one is talking about.

Now that the federal government has slashed the number of international student permits available in Canada, colleges and universities from coast to coast are facing huge budget shortfalls.

Several of Canada’s best schools are cutting programs and laying off staff just to stay afloat.

These institutions have no choice but to take drastic measures, or risk going bankrupt.

Host David Smith speaks with Elizabeth Buckner, Associate Professor of Higher Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, about what’s at stake if things don’t change.

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca

Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

On this special edition of the Big Story, we're shining a light on cold cases across Canada. The podcast, Tracking a Killer: the Cold Case files is hosted by Fil Martino and Madison Fitzpatrick. They recently released season 3 of the show so we're teaming up to try to help families find not only justice, but peace.

21-year-old Patrick Santos’ body was found in the backyard of his father’s Scarborough, Ontario home on September 17, 2006. His hands and feet were bound and tape was wrapped around his head. Police say he had been beaten and suffocated. His mother is looking for answers all these years later and still seeks justice for her son.

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca

Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

The "buy Canada" movement remains strong in the wake of tariffs levied against Canada, with more being tariffs reportedly on the way.

So how far would you go to buy Canadian?

Host Mike Eppel speaks to retail analyst Bruce Winder about economic show of patriotism and whether or not it's sustainable in this economy.

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca

Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

It sounds duller than watching paint dry, but an issue called "supply management" is one of the key factors in Donald Trump's tariff decision.

Trump has criticized Canada’s protected agriculture industries for years, and now he’s been pointing to supply management in the dairy sector as one of the reasons for his tariff threats.

What is the decades-old policy that manages how much dairy product is produced in Canada? And why does Trump care about it?

Host David Smith gets a lesson in agriculture production and trade policy from The Food Professor, Sylvain Charlebois, Director of the Agrifood Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca

Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

President Trump's threats of massive tariffs on Canadian goods has sparked a lot of fear about what a trade war would mean for our country.

Economists predict that the 25% tariffs on our goods would plunge the country into recession by the summer, but some communities will be hit harder than others.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has now compiled a list of 41 cities across the country and rated just how vulnerable or cushioned they may be to tariffs from the U.S.

Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Matthew Holmes, Executive Vice President and Chief of Public Policy at the Chamber about which cities will be hit hardest and which ones may fare better than others.

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca

Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter