COMMONS
258 episodes - English - Latest episode: 15 days ago - ★★★★ - 69 ratingsCOMMONS is a documentary podcast that proves Canada is anything but boring. Each season, host Arshy Mann guides you through the country’s dark underbelly, bringing you stories about crime, corruption and all manner of misdeeds.
This season will unmask the ever-present war on workers. And the many, many ways that workers have banded together to fight back against it.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episodes
WORK 3 - Bitter Harvest
April 03, 2024 08:51 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBThe creation of the Canadian Farmworkers Union, as it would come to be called, was the first step in a struggle that continues to this day. Because even now, farmworkers have far fewer rights than almost any other class of worker. And even today, the men and women who grow our food are subject to horrific working conditions and racial discrimination. But to understand why the situation remains so bad, we need to go back in time to a moment when there was progress and hope. A moment when it...
WORK 2 - State of Emergency Rooms
March 27, 2024 08:19 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBAcross Canada, emergency rooms have been shutting down, leaving desperate people in the lurch. And at the heart of this health care crisis, is a labour crisis. Nurses are leaving their jobs in droves, leaving hospitals understaffed and sometimes unable to carry out their most basic obligations. In this episode, we'll tell you how nursing went from a profession hailed as heroic to one in an utter state of crisis, all through the eyes of a woman who lived through it all. Featured in this ep...
WORK 1 - The War on Workers
March 20, 2024 09:15 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MBLabour has undergone a seismic shift over the past decade. The rise of gig work and temp agencies have made employment more precarious than ever. In the interest of profits, companies are turning more and more towards temporary foreign workers and international students for minimum wage jobs. And even for those with seemingly secure employment, wages and benefits continue to be squeezed. One thing seems clear: workers are getting screwed. This season of COMMONS will dig into the fascin...
Introducing our new season… Work
March 06, 2024 10:45 - 2 minutes - 2.39 MBLabour has undergone a seismic shift over the past decade. The rise of gig work and temp agencies have made employment more precarious than ever. In the interest of profits, companies are turning more and more towards temporary foreign workers and international students for minimum wage jobs. And even for those with seemingly secure employment, wages and benefits continue to be squeezed. One thing seems clear: workers are getting screwed. This season of COMMONS will dig into the fascin...
Bonus - Everybody Loves Romana
February 07, 2024 09:35 - 25 minutes - 22.9 MBIn this bonus episode, COMMONS producer Noor Azrieh sits down with Peter Smith to discuss his reporting on right-wing conspiracy groups like Qanon and Romana Didulo. Featured in this episode: Peter Smith To learn more: “Lead in the head”: Self-Declared Canadian Prime Minister and QAnon Adherent Calls for Executions of Officials Who Refuse Her Cease and Desists” by Peter Smith in The Canadian Anti-Hate Network “Self Declared Queen Of Canada Calling For US Supporters To Invade Canada And P...
CANADALAND #914 Stock Buybacks: How Grocers Eat Themselves
January 03, 2024 08:48 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MBThis episode was originally published on August 28th, 2023. Listen to Monopoly 1 - Lost in the Supermarket and Monopoly 17 - Food Fight In the past several years, Loblaws, Metro and Empire have spent billions on their own stock – And at a time of food price inflation and grocery workers on strike. Why are they doing it? And why do some economists say stock buybacks should be abolished? Featured in this episode: William Lazonick, professor emeritus of economics at University of Ma...
RATFUCKER Chapter Two: The Brethren
December 27, 2023 08:45 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBThis episode was originally published on November 7th, 2022. Listen to episodes 1 & 3 Richard Marsh was born into the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church. He got out of the group he calls a cult and has made it his mission to expose the Brethren for their alleged abuses. Now he’s on the run from Brethren members who’ve been searching for him for years. The man hired to hunt Marsh down? David Wallace. Written and reported by Jesse Brown and Cherise Seucharan Audio editing and sound des...
CULTS 10 - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fandom
December 20, 2023 08:32 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBWe live in a world of obsessive fandoms. The Stans, Swifties, Potterheads, Beliebers, Trekkies, Bronies, Barbs and their ilk are everywhere to be found. But at what point does it go from being harmless entertainment and turn into something more sinister? Featured in this episode: Zoe Alderton, Robert Lawson To learn more: “‘Snapewives’ and ‘Snapeism’: A Fiction-Based Religion within the Harry Potter Fandom” by Zoe Alderton in Religions “Andrew Tate: how the ‘manosphere’ influencer is se...
CULTS 9 - Romana’s Reign
December 13, 2023 09:58 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBRomana Didulo, the self-proclaimed Queen of Canada, is unlike almost any other cult leader Canada has ever seen. In an incredibly short amount of time, she’s been able to gain a mass following, despite her absurd claims and alarming rhetoric. At various points, she’s claimed to be a political leader, a monarch, an interdimensional being communing with aliens, and so much more. She’s urged her followers to take up arms and execute migrants on sight. And now, she’s taken up residence in a sm...
CULTS 8 - The Eye of the Pyramid
December 06, 2023 09:04 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MBMulti-level marketing isn’t based on rational business logic. It’s not even built on irrational business logic. It’s ideology. It’s faith. MLMs have become such a ubiquitous part of North American life that their tenets are rarely ever questioned. The sector holds enormous political sway. Millions of people join, leave and rejoin every year, almost all of them ending up poorer for the experience. And to call it a cult is not just a cute turn of phrase. The cultishness of MLMs is essential ...
CULTS 7 - Hey #Bossbabe!
November 29, 2023 08:58 - 33 minutes - 30.9 MBNearly 1.4 million Canadians and almost 50 million Americans are involved in multi-level marketing. And that sheer volume of people makes it a near certainty that you’ve encountered MLMs in your life somehow. The promise of financial freedom can be an intoxicating lure. But MLMs, like so many other cultish enterprises, are about more than just money. They’re about transcendence. And in their wake, they often leave behind ruined livelihoods and broken lives. Featured in this episode: Juli...
CULTS 6 - Being a Blackmore
November 22, 2023 08:31 - 49 minutes - 45.4 MBMary-Jayne Blackmore is one of the oldest children of Winston Blackmore, the most famous polygamist in Canada. For decades, her family has been the subject of intense media and legal scrutiny because of her father’s 27 wives and 150 children. Their lives have been dissected in documentaries and in court testimony. The name Blackmore has become synonymous with either faith-based persecution by the state or with cult-like religious fundamentalism that victimizes girls and women. But for Ma...
CULTS 5 - Alien Superstar
November 15, 2023 08:35 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MBIn 1973, a French motorsports journalist claimed to have been visited by a UFO that revealed to him the secret origins of humanity. For the next half-century, the man known as Raël would go on to create a new faith with tens of thousands of adherents all around the world. The media have portrayed the Raelians as not just a cult, but a strange phantasmagoria of extraterrestrials, orgies and clones. But its followers insist it is the only true path forward for humanity. Featured in this epi...
CULTS 4 - The Cult Wars
November 08, 2023 08:37 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBAn explosion of new spiritual movements in the 1970s led to the creation of an entirely novel academic field. But right from the beginning, the discipline was riven asunder. The Cult Wars have been raging for decades. They’re fought not only in academic journals and conference seminars, but in the press, the courts and in legislative assemblies. And their battles continue to have enormous consequences. Featured in this episode: Michael Kropveld, Stephen A. Kent, Susan J. Palmer To learn m...
CULTS 3 - MKUltra
November 01, 2023 07:25 - 42 minutes - 39.4 MBIn the 1960s and 70s, there was a fear that cult leaders were brainwashing young people into joining their new, strange movements. But is it even possible to “brainwash” anyone? At a psychiatric hospital in Montreal, one mad scientist, with the help of the CIA, tried to find out. Featured in this episode: Alison Steel, Lisa Ellenwood To learn more: Brainwashed by Michelle Shephard, Lisa Ellenwood & Chris Oke on CBC Podcasts The Search for the Manchurian Candidate: The CIA and Mind Contr...
CULTS 2 - Brother XII
October 25, 2023 07:34 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MBThe story of Brother XII still fascinates and even frightens some people in and around Nanaimo. He’s often called the Devil of De Courcy Island for good reason. Brother XII prophesied about the coming apocalypse. But instead, his story would presage something different. He was a forerunner of the strange, new religions that would sweep over the western world. Featured in this episode: Bill Miner, Justine Brown To learn more: Brother XII: The Strange Odyssey of a 20th Century Prophet by ...
CULTS 1 - Speak in Tongues
October 18, 2023 07:42 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MBAs organized religion declines in countries like Canada, we’ve experienced an explosion of what some call religious movements and what others call cults. The idea of cults has become an omnipresent part of our discourse. But what even is a cult? And why have we become so intrigued by these groups? And the language of cults has moved beyond just religion into so many different spheres — everything from fitness, to politics, to work. Featured in this episode: Harold Henning, Amanda Montell...
The End of Canadaland
October 05, 2023 07:50 - 16 minutes - 30.4 MBSupport us now! Click here: canadaland.com/join The first episode of Canadaland was published ten years ago today. If we were to announce this is the last episode of Canadaland, no one would be surprised. Journalism in Canada is in a fight for its life. You can have an impact. Head to canadaland.com/join to become a supporter today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Introducing our new season… Cults
October 04, 2023 16:34 - 2 minutes - 2.36 MBThe word cult gets tossed around a lot. The label gets applied to everything from doomsday religions, to wellness fads, to online conspiracies. Uncovering the stories of both devotees and dissenters, this season of COMMONS will go beyond the true crime cliches and will make you question everything you thought you knew about cults. Our new season launches on October 18th. Canadaland Supporters can listen to the first episode a week early! Become a supporter at canadaland.com/join. Hoste...
Bonus - Game Misconduct
September 06, 2023 07:03 - 26 minutes - 24.5 MBIn this bonus episode, COMMONS producer Jordan Cornish sits down with Jashvina Shah to talk about her book, Game Misconduct: Hockey's Toxic Culture and How to Fix It. Featured in this episode: Jashvina Shah To learn more: Game Misconduct Hockey's Toxic Culture and How to Fix It by Evan F. Moore and Jashvina Shah “No, this is not a watershed moment for hockey” by Jashvina Shah in The Globe and Mail Sex offences against minors: Investigation reveals more than 200 Canadian coaches convic...
Bonus - Overtime
August 02, 2023 07:02 - 17 minutes - 16.4 MBIn this bonus episode, COMMONS producer Jordan Cornish sits down with host Arshy Mann to discuss our recent season on hockey. If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessi...
HOCKEY 7 - Blood on the Ice
July 05, 2023 07:03 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MBDerek Boogaard made his living pummeling people on the ice. But outside the arena, he was soft-spoken and kind. Fighting was just his job. But it would end up taking everything from him. Hockey fights, and the numerous blows to the head that players have to endure, have become a moral crisis at the very heart of the sport. And the NHL is doing everything they can to deny the science and allow this gladiatorial combat to continue. And it’s enforcers like Derek Boogaard who end up paying t...
HOCKEY 6 - The Problem Hockey Won’t Name
June 28, 2023 07:03 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MBThe Hockey Canada scandal has become one of the biggest stories in the country. And now, hockey appears to be in the middle of a reckoning. But this isn’t the first time. There was another moment, just like this one. Back then, people tried to warn the hockey world — they were ignored. And even today, the sport won’t name the very specific issue they face. Hockey has a gang rape problem. Featured in this episode: Alexis Peters, Laura Robinson To learn more: Crossing the Line: Violence...
HOCKEY 5 - The Boys from Brampton
June 21, 2023 07:00 - 45 minutes - 41.3 MBMike Danton was playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the St. Louis Blues. And at the same time, he was trying to hire a hitman to kill his agent, David Frost. Danton’s arrest and conviction would become one of the biggest hockey scandals of all time. But this is not just some salacious true crime story. It’s an extreme example of everything that’s wrong with hockey culture; hazing and abuse, sexual misconduct and the adult men who control the lives of teenage boys for their own monetar...
HOCKEY 4 - The Lonely End of the Rink
June 14, 2023 07:02 - 35 minutes - 32.5 MBJustin Davis was never a superstar. He was a journeyman player, one of tens of thousands, chasing the dream. And at almost every step, when hockey gave him something, it would also take something away. Hockey exacts a heavy toll on many boys and young men — on their minds and their bodies. And then they’re told not to talk about any of it outside the locker room. It’s enough to make you ask the question. Is this a sport? Or a cult? Featured in this episode: Justin Davis To learn more: C...
HOCKEY 3 - Iced Out
June 07, 2023 07:30 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MBThe NHL likes to call Willie O’Ree the Jackie Robinson of hockey. And no one can deny how significant it was when he became the first Black player on the ice in an NHL game in 1958. But what the league doesn’t like to talk about is what happened next. Because after O’Ree, the NHL didn’t admit another black player for sixteen years. So did the NHL resegregate? And why don’t we talk about the experiences of the players who broke hockey’s second colour line? Featured in this episode: Bob ...
HOCKEY 2 - The Birth of Black Hockey
May 31, 2023 11:02 - 30 minutes - 27.7 MBOf the estimated 7000 people who have played in the NHL only around 100 of them have been Black. That’s an absurdly low number compared to any other major North American sports league. But what makes that statistic especially shocking is the fact that the modern game has its roots with Black players on Black teams. The Coloured Hockey League wasn’t just a sideshow to the main event of white hockey. And the way that league was targeted by the white establishment is reflective of the racism ...
HOCKEY 1 - The Best Game You Can Name
May 24, 2023 11:04 - 25 minutes - 23.5 MBHockey is a hell of a lot of fun. But right now, the sport is going through a reckoning. Allegations of racism, corruption, sexual misconduct and so much more are rocking the game to its core. But the truth is that in Canada, hockey is more than just a sport. It’s a civic religion, with a billion dollar business attached to it. Over the next seven episodes, COMMONS will be digging into the cult of hockey, scrutinizing its doctrines and exposing its secrets. Canadaland is turning 10! From...
Introducing our new season… Hockey
May 10, 2023 11:00 - 2 minutes - 1.95 MBLove it or hate it, hockey is inescapable in Canada. But the sport has a dark side. From violence and racism on the ice, to corruption, cover-ups and abuse off of it. In the latest season of COMMONS, host Arshy Mann and producers Jordan Cornish and Noor Azrieh will be bringing you stories from inside the cult of hockey. Our new season launches on May 24th. If you’re a Canadaland supporter, you can get access to episodes a week early! Become a supporter at canadaland.com/join Hosted on A...
BONUS: Cory Doctorow knows why monopolies are killing art
April 12, 2023 10:00 - 51 minutes - 70.6 MBIn the last season we sat down with Cory Doctorow, co-author of Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back, to find out how the music industry has become dominated by monopoly power. In this bonus episode, we’re bringing you Arshy’s full interview with Cory, complete with all the nitty gritty details around how and why musicians continue to get screwed by Spotify, music labels, ticketmaster and more. To learn more: Chokepo...
Bonus - Do Not Pass Go
March 15, 2023 07:05 - 19 minutes - 17.8 MBIn this bonus episode, COMMONS producer Jordan Cornish sits down with host Arshy Mann to talk about the grocery CEOs testifying at Parliament, their thoughts about the Monopoly season coming to an end, and what listeners can do to make change. Sponsors: USW, Free Lunch, Gardisil If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our l...
Monopoly 17 - Food Fight
March 08, 2023 08:03 - 29 minutes - 27.2 MBA Loblaws, or any other, modern-day supermarket, is many things. It’s a temple of abundance. A place where a consumer has more choice than the greatest kings, emperors and pharaohs had in their lifetimes. It’s a tech platform, tracking our every taste, transaction and even ailment. And it’s an ideological arena. Where everyday Canadians and grocery CEOs are battling over what’s to blame for our declining standard of living. Featured in this episode: Benjamin Lorr, Vass Bednar To lear...
Monopoly 16 - Amazon’s Empire
March 01, 2023 09:59 - 31 minutes - 29 MBThe Big Tech companies have ushered in a new era of global monopoly. And the most influential, the most powerful of all of them, is Amazon. In this episode, we focus in on two of the fundamental pillars of Amazon’s dominance: its online marketplace and its cloud computing arm. And a former Amazon VP speaks out. Featured in this episode: Matt Stoller, Brad Stone (Bloomberg), Dana Mattioli (Wall Street Journal), Tim Bray To learn more: Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Glo...
Monopoly 15 - Movie Monster
February 22, 2023 08:05 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MB“I love the smell of monopoly in the morning” “Forget it, Jake, it’s Cineplex” “The competition commissioner once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti” “Life is like a box of anti-competitive cinema chains that allegedly use their 75% market share to bully their competition, limit consumer choice and charge obscene junk fees. You never know what you’re going to get.” Featured in this episode: Barry Hertz (Globe and Mail), Corinne Lea, Andy Willick, So...
Monopoly 14 - Where the Sidewalk Ends
February 15, 2023 08:05 - 39 minutes - 36.2 MBGoogle, one of the world’s great tech monopolies, wanted to make a “smart city,” full of sensors and robots and self-driving cars. Toronto, one of the world’s most insecure cities, wanted a big tech firm to put it on the innovation map. What resulted was not exactly a match made in heaven. Featured in this episode: Josh O’Kane (Globe and Mail), Kurtis McBride To learn more: Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy by Josh O’Kane “Sidewalk Labs document reveals company’s early vision for ...
Monopoly 13 - The Irvings
February 08, 2023 08:05 - 36 minutes - 33.9 MBFor almost a century, the Irving family has run New Brunswick like a personal fiefdom. They own the newspapers, the industry, and, according to some, even the government. So how does a single family come to so thoroughly dominate an entire province? And what happens when that family starts to fracture and split apart at the seams? Featured in this episode: Bruce Livesey (Thieves of Bay Street). To learn more: “Are the Irvings Canada's biggest corporate welfare bums?” by Bruce Livesey in N...
Monopoly 12 - Overdrawn
February 01, 2023 08:05 - 20 minutes - 18.7 MBNot only do the Big Five banks get away with charging exorbitant fees for basic services. Not only do they block any competitors by controlling Canada’s payment infrastructure. Not only are they totally entwined with the federal government. But the Big Five banks are about to get even bigger. Featured in this episode: Colin Deacon, Keldon Bester, Alex Vronces To learn more “How blocked mergers foiled banks' ambitions — and forced the Big Six to innovate” by James Bradshaw in The Globe a...
Monopoly 11 - Flight Risk
January 25, 2023 08:05 - 30 minutes - 28.4 MBIt’s been a hard few years for Canadian air passengers. And while no one blames the airline oligopoly for COVID or winter storms, air travellers have had to put up with a lot. But Canada has consumer protections to make sure that when something goes wrong, there’s a fair process in place to make sure everyday Canadians don’t get screwed over, right? Right??! Featured in this episode: Gábor Lukács, John Gradek To learn more “Canadian airline regulator’s stance on refunds aligned with exec...
Monopoly 10 - The Way the Music Died
January 18, 2023 08:05 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MB♩♪ A long, long time ago, I can still remember How the music used to pay my bills I knew that if I got my break That I could be as big as Drake And then I could stop shopping at No Frills ♩♪ ♩♪ But Spotify, it’s nearly killed us Ticketmaster’s ground us to dust The companies got too large Now monopolies are in charge ♩♪ ♩♪ And the record labels I fear the most Have all just merged and so now we’re toast Don’t you think it’s just so gross? The way, the music, died ♩♪ Featured in ...
MONOPOLY 9 - Diamonds of Attawapiskat
January 11, 2023 08:05 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBThis episode was originally published on December 21, 2021. Attawapiskat has become famous across Canada and around the world. Not for the natural beauty that surrounds it, or for the Cree culture of the people who live there. Instead, it’s become a byword for the toxic legacy of Canadian colonialism. But while Attawapiskat faced crisis after crisis, the community was sitting on a literal diamond mine run by the world’s most famous mining company. So why is it that a community rich in di...
Monopoly 8 - Raining Cats and Dollars
January 04, 2023 08:05 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MBWhen you look at your pet, you probably see an adorable furball that you’d do anything for. A private equity firm sees dollar signs. Ever so quietly, faceless, big money firms have been consolidating Canada’s veterinary clinics. And vets are just the beginning. Featured in this episode: Michael Mossop, Denise Hearn To learn more “Inside the corporate dash to buy up dentists’ offices, veterinary clinics and pharmacies” in The Globe and Mail by Chris Hannay “Private equity groups spot pro...
Trailer: COMMONS
January 02, 2023 08:30 - 1 minute - 1.19 MBCOMMONS is a documentary podcast that proves Canada is anything but boring. Each season, host Arshy Mann guides you through the country’s dark underbelly, bringing you stories about crime, corruption and all manner of misdeeds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CANADALAND #725 The Rogers Family Compact
December 28, 2022 08:05 - 59 minutes - 54.1 MBThis episode was originally published on November 1st, 2021. Who are the Rogers family? How did they get so powerful? Why have they turned against one another? And what does it matter? We've spent a week immersed in Rogers history to bring you this unofficial narrative of Canada's telecom overlords. Further reading: Kelly Pullen’s 2014 story in Toronto Life on the “ruthless” power struggle at Rogers: https://torontolife.com/from-the-archives/edward-rogers-the-man-who-would-be-king/ Ted...
Monopoly 7 - Canada’s Competition Cop
December 21, 2022 08:05 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBSupport us at www.commonspodcast.com Matthew Boswell is the Competition Commissioner. And he's the last man trying to stand in the way of the mega-merger between Rogers and Shaw. But even he acknowledges that Canada's antitrust laws aren't just inadequate — they're weighted in favour of the monopolists. A frank discussion with Canada's top competition cop. Featured in this episode: Matthew Boswell Credits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer...
Monopoly 6 - The Urge to Merge
December 14, 2022 08:05 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MBRogers and Shaw are getting ready to tie the knot. But before they can consummate their less-than-holy union, they have to get the approval of Canada’s competition tribunal and the federal government. And even though most Canadians would find this union highly objectionable, it’s likely to be approved. Because for 150 years, Canadian politicians have been talking out of both sides of their mouths. They claim they want to promote competition. And then they pass laws that do the opposite. Fe...
Monopoly 5 - Against the WIND
December 07, 2022 08:05 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBWIND Mobile, now known as Freedom, was a small company that tried to break through Canada’s telecom oligopoly. It did not have an easy ride. WIND faced numerous hurdles from regulators, it was subjected to dirty tricks from the telecom oligopoly, and was eventually sold to Shaw. But it also helped lower cell phone rates and brought in unlimited data and U.S. roaming, changing the wireless market permanently. This is the inside story of WIND Mobile, from the people who were there. Feature...
Monopoly 4 - Teleconned
November 30, 2022 08:05 - 31 minutes - 28.4 MBThey’re the most hated companies in the country. And yet, they’re unavoidable. The telecom oligopoly seems to rule Canada’s economy with an iron fist. Canadians are paying more and more for our cell phones, cable and internet. So how was it that we ended up in this situation? And was it inevitable that things would get so bad? Featured in this episode: Ben Klass, Dwayne Winseck, Keldon Bester, Dale Eisler To learn more “A Social History of Canadian Telecommunications” in Canadian Jour...
Monopoly 3 - The Hudson’s Bay Company
November 23, 2022 08:05 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBToday, it’s a department store where you might go to buy perfume or cookware. But the Hudson’s Bay Company was Canada’s first, and its most powerful, monopoly. It grew from a largely insignificant enterprise into one of the most dominant forces in North America. The story of the HBC reveals just how deeply embedded monopoly is in Canada’s very fabric. Featured in this episode: Stephen R. Bown, Jean Teillet To learn more The Company: The Rise and Fall of the Hudson’s Bay Empire by Step...
Monopoly 2 - Big Milk
November 16, 2022 08:03 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBSome say that they’re a shadowy group that are the true power behind our elected officials, wielding enormous influence that they use to either benefit their friends or crush their enemies. Others claim that they’re a bulwark against oligopolies, ensuring that rural Canada doesn’t turn into an empty, corporatized hellscape. But what’s not up for debate is that Big Milk is a big deal. Featured in this episode: Marlene Haley, Justin Ling, Bruce Muirhead To learn more “Cheddargate” by Just...
Monopoly 1 - Lost in the Supermarket
November 09, 2022 08:37 - 32 minutes - 29.3 MBCanadians are being squeezed at every end. When it comes to cell phone bills, grocery bills, housing, entertainment, we’re all paying more than ever before. But a small number of companies that dominate their industries are reaping in enormous profits. This season of COMMONS we’ll be digging into all of the monopolies, oligopolies and cartels that dominate our lives. And for our first stop, we head to the supermarket. Featured in this episode: Vass Bednar, Marco Chown Oved (Toronto Star)...