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COMMONS

270 episodes - English - Latest episode: 24 days ago - ★★★★ - 69 ratings

COMMONS 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

THE POLICE 2 - The Secret History of the RCMP

October 28, 2020 09:54 - 38 minutes - 35.3 MB

Support us: canadaland.com/join The RCMP is one of the most famous police forces in the world — the red serge and stetson hat are practically synonymous with Canada. But that image obscures the profound power the Mounties have held throughout Canadian history. And the dark legacy of ethnic cleansing and genocide at their core. Featured in this episode: Jean Teillet, Sean Carleton, Steve Hewitt To learn more: The North-West Is Our Mother: The Story of Louis Riel's People, the Métis Nation...

We Need Your Support

October 21, 2020 03:00 - 12 minutes - 11.5 MB

Canada is a big, interesting, and complicated place and COMMONS is committed to bringing you thoughtfully crafted and illuminating stories that will challenge everything you think you know about this country. This past year, we have brought you stories from all across the country. We told your stories about some of Canada's most powerful families. We launched an emergency season to cover the COVID-19 crisis in long-term care. And right now, we're taking a hard look at how the police operate...

THE POLICE 1 - Julian Fantino

October 14, 2020 08:58 - 51 minutes - 47.6 MB

Julian Fantino may be the most famous cop in Canadian history. He was the chief of four different police forces. And for decades, he was one of the most influential voices in law enforcement. But during his rise, people critical of the police had a way of finding themselves in the crosshairs. They were smeared, surveilled, intimidated and arrested. The police are a singularly powerful institution in this country. How far are the cops willing to go to keep it that way? Featured in this epis...

Introducing our new season...

October 07, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.78 MB

Stories about the power that police wield in Canada, and about the lengths they're willing to go to hold on to it. First episode drops Wednesday, October 14.   Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PANDEMIC 12 - The Most Dangerous Story

August 05, 2020 10:03 - 47 minutes - 43.2 MB

Support us at commonspodcast.com   In the final episode in our series about the COVID-19 pandemic and the crisis in long-term care, we’re going to tell you a different kind of story. A story of hope. About how the people we treat as disposable, can have lives of joy and dignity. And about one place where they were given exactly that.   COMMONS: Pandemic is currently focusing on how COVID-19 is affecting long-term care in Canada. Featured in this episode: Moira Welsh (Toronto Star),...

PANDEMIC 11 - It Didn’t Have To Be Like This

July 22, 2020 08:13 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MB

Support us at commonspodcast.com Four months after the first outbreak in a Canadian nursing home, over 7000 long-term residents have died of COVID-19. But if you look at the news or social media or our political debates, it seems like we’ve already moved on. Maybe that’s because it feels like this kind of tragedy was inevitable during a pandemic. It wasn’t. And we know that because in some places in Canada, politicians and public health officials made decisions that saved hundreds, if not ...

PANDEMIC 10 - Burn It Down

July 08, 2020 09:09 - 31 minutes - 29 MB

Support us at commonspodcast.com   Jonathan Marchand is one of the thousands of young disabled people living in long-term care. But Marchand doesn’t want to fix the system. He doesn’t think it can be reformed. Marchand is an abolitionist. For a century and a half, Canada has hidden away disabled people in institutions where they were neglected and abused. Is long-term care just the latest incarnation of this dark history?   COMMONS: Pandemic is currently focusing on how COVID-19 is a...

PANDEMIC 9 - Mend the World

June 24, 2020 10:52 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MB

Support us at commonspodcast.com   After a stroke left him locked in his own body, Rabbi Ronnie Cahana has found ways to lead an incredibly full life. Then the pandemic came. It swept through Quebec, leaving a trail of devastation. Today, Rabbi Cahana is one of the thousands of Quebeckers left stranded in the middle of one of the worst disasters in modern Canadian history.   COMMONS: Pandemic is currently focusing on how COVID-19 is affecting long-term care in Canada. Featured in t...

PANDEMIC 8 - Hunger Strike

June 17, 2020 06:34 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MB

Support us at commonspodcast.com Innis Ingram’s mother is his hero. But today, she’s living in one of the worst hit long-term care homes in Ontario. She has a terminal illness. Dozens and dozens of people around her have died, including her friend and roommate. And she’s had minimal human contact for three months. But even though he can’t be there with her, Innis is determined to get her the care she needs.   COMMONS: Pandemic is currently focusing on how COVID-19 is affecting long-ter...

BONUS: The Honest Fakery of Wrestling

June 10, 2020 10:00 - 7 minutes - 7.25 MB

Support us at commonspodcast.com We take a break from our PANDEMIC season with an extended interview with Damian Abraham, a guest from our episode about Canada's wrestling dynasty, The Harts. Damian explains the art of juggling the real and the fake, wrestling's dying language and how Canadians helped build World Wrestling Entertainment. Damian Abraham is the host of Turned Out A Punk Podcast, the creator and host of The Wrestlers, and a member of Toronto hardcore band, Fucked Up. Suppo...

PANDEMIC 7 - The Frontline

June 03, 2020 07:15 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MB

Support us at commonspodcast.com Long-term care workers are in the vanguard in the war against COVID-19. They’re not the kinds of workers who get movies or TV shows made about them. In fact, their stories are rarely told. But not only are they battling heroically against this pandemic. They’re fighting for recognition and respect within a system built to marginalize them.  COMMONS: Pandemic is currently focusing on how COVID-19 is affecting long-term care in Canada.   Featured in thi...

PANDEMIC 6 - Northwood

May 27, 2020 07:59 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MB

$5/month for-adree COMMONS by clicking here. Over the last two months, Nova Scotians have endured tragedy upon tragedy. The worst mass murder in modern Canadian history. A helicopter crash and the death of a Snowbirds’ pilot. And all the while, COVID-19 ravaged the biggest long-term care home in Atlantic Canada. COMMONS: Pandemic is currently focusing on how COVID-19 is affecting long-term care in Canada.   Featured in this episode: Jennifer Henderson (Halifax Examiner), Janice Keefe...

PANDEMIC 5 - Shirley and Tracy

May 20, 2020 09:59 - 22 minutes - 20.9 MB

Here's where you can support us: commonspodcast.com Tracy Rowley lost her surrogate mother to COVID-19 in a long-term care facility. But she’s determined that Shirley Egerdeen doesn’t become just another statistic. Tracy’s suing the company that runs the home. But one of the strangest things in this story is exactly who owns them. COMMONS: Pandemic is currently focusing on how COVID-19 is affecting long-term care in Canada. Featured in this episode: Tracy Rowley, Sherina Harris (HuffP...

PANDEMIC 4 - Ontario Reaps its Dividends

May 13, 2020 07:30 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MB

Over 1700 Ontarians have already been killed by COVID-19. And the vast majority of them died in long-term care. But if you live in a private, for-profit home, you’re much more likely to die from this virus. The for-profit long-term care industry is politically powerful and deeply entrenched. Is this their moment of reckoning? COMMONS: Pandemic is currently focusing on how COVID-19 is affecting long-term care in Canada. Featured in this episode: Sharleen Stewart (SEIU Healthcare), Natalie...

PANDEMIC 3 - McKenzie Towne

May 06, 2020 06:37 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MB

The McKenzie Towne Continuing Care Centre has experienced the deadliest COVID-19 outbreak in Alberta. But some people say that their loved ones were killed by neglect at McKenzie Towne long before the pandemic even began. COMMONS: Pandemic is currently focusing on how COVID-19 is affecting long-term care in Canada. Featured in this episode: Breanne Sinclair, Shauna Parks To learn more: “'I'm numb': families beg for help as care home outbreak spreads” by Timm Bruch in CTV News Calgary...

PANDEMIC 2 - When the Plague Came

May 02, 2020 06:28 - 9 minutes - 8.83 MB

Why did Commons drop everything and focus in on long-term care? Because the vast majority of deaths are happening in those homes. Because we should have known that was going to be the case, but we let it happen anyways. And because the level of suffering, isolation and trauma happening in long-term care today is almost too much for us to face up to. Featured in this episode: Nathan Stall, Jane Meadus This show was brought to you by our patrons. Please consider becoming a monthly supporte...

PANDEMIC 1 - 33 Dead in Dorval

April 29, 2020 06:09 - 20 minutes - 18.4 MB

They were found abandoned in the facility. The conditions were described as “akin to a concentration camp.” Within two weeks, over thirty of them would be dead. The story of the Résidence Herron in Dorval, Quebec is a national shame — and a preview of the carnage still to come. COMMONS: Pandemic is currently focusing on how COVID-19 is affecting long-term care in Canada. Featured in this episode: Aaron Derfel (Montreal Gazette) To learn more: Public health, police find bodies, feces...

An emergency season: PANDEMIC

April 27, 2020 04:51 - 1 minute - 1.67 MB

COVID-19 has upended everything, and forced us to change plans. From here on out, COMMONS will be bringing you stories about the people and institutions most impacted by the pandemic. And first up is long-term care. If you or someone you know have any stories about Canada’s long-term care system, get in touch with us at [email protected]. Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more ...

RADICALS 3 - The Last Pandemic

April 15, 2020 12:10 - 48 minutes - 44.3 MB

It began as a mysterious disease from a far off place. It turned into the deadliest plague humanity has faced since the Black Death. AIDS has ravaged and reshaped us in so many ways. But in Canada, the battle against AIDS wasn’t just a fight against a virus. It was a fight against a system that didn’t care if some people lived or died. Featured in this episode: Gary Kinsman, Darien Taylor, John Kozachenko To learn more: Queer Progress: From Homophobia to Homonationalism by Tim McCaskel...

RADICALS 2 - They Buried Her Heart at Wounded Knee

April 01, 2020 16:42 - 55 minutes - 51 MB

There have been books and songs and plays written about Anna Mae Aquash. But she was no folk hero — she was flesh and blood. A young Mi'kmaq woman who took up arms against the United States government, Anna Mae was a revolutionary. But when she was found murdered in the South Dakotan countryside, it tore her movement apart. It took thirty years to find out who pulled the trigger. But that’s not the same thing as knowing who’s responsible for her murder.  Featured in this episode: Kevin McK...

RADICALS 1 - Nazi Island in the Sun

March 18, 2020 11:23 - 29 minutes - 27 MB

It’s one of the most audacious plots in North American history. Turn a Caribbean island nation into a criminal state — then use the money to fund Neo-Nazis and Klansmen across Canada, the US and Europe. The scariest part? They almost pulled it off.  Featured in this episode: Stewart Bell (Global News) To learn more: Bayou of Pigs: The True Story of an Audacious Plot to Turn a Tropical Island into a Criminal Paradise by Stewart Bell Cups Up: How I Organized a Klavern, Plotted a Coup...

Our new season: RADICALS

March 13, 2020 03:00 - 1 minute - 1.38 MB

Our new season is about the people on the extremes. The activists, the terrorists, and the revolutionaries who took things right to the edge for what they believe in... for good or for ill. Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing: Cool Mules

March 02, 2020 04:50 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MB

A new investigative series about the cocaine smuggling ring inside Vice Media. To hear episode 2 right now, subscribe to Cool Mules. Or get all six episodes ad-free for $5/month by clicking here. Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DYNASTIES 9 - The Harts

February 05, 2020 12:22 - 51 minutes - 46.9 MB

The Harts are Canada’s first family of professional wrestling and one of the most famous dynasties the country has ever produced. And sure, wrestling is scripted.  But what happens when reality begins to invade that fiction? The story of the Harts is one of triumph and tragedy that transcends the world of pro wrestling.  Featured in this episode: Damian Abraham, Omar Mouallem To learn more: Wrestling With Shadows by Paul Jay The Squared Circle: Life, Death, and Professional Wrestli...

DYNASTIES 8 - The Regans

January 22, 2020 11:50 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MB

Gerald Regan was the premier of Nova Scotia, the founder of a powerful political dynasty, and one of the most prolific sexual predators in Canadian political history. Even after his death last November, few in the establishment are willing to recognize, let alone reckon with, his crimes.  This episode contains graphic depictions of sexual violence and won’t be suitable for all listeners. Featured in this episode: Stephen Kimber, Maggie Rahr To learn more: Aphrodisiac: Sex, Politics,...

DYNASTIES 7 - The Olands

January 08, 2020 11:38 - 42 minutes - 38.9 MB

For 150 years, the Olands have been one of Canada’s most prominent brewing dynasties, the makers of Moosehead Beer. But in the last decade, they’ve made the news for much darker reasons. Richard Oland was murdered in 2011. And police and prosecutors believe that he was killed by his only son.  Featured in this episode: Greg Marquis To learn more: Truth & Honour: The Oland Family Murder Case that Shocked Canada by Greg Marquis Shadow of Doubt: The Trials of Dennis Oland by Bobbi-Jea...

DYNASTIES 6 - The Desmarais

December 11, 2019 11:38 - 39 minutes - 36.6 MB

The Desmarais family is by far the most influential Canadian dynasty of the last half-century. But if you don’t live in Quebec, chances are you haven’t even heard of them. Paul Desmarais had Prime Ministers and Premiers in his pocket and billions of dollars at his disposal. He wasn’t just a Laurentian elite; he was the Laurentian emperor.  Featured in this episode: Robin Philpot (Derrière l'État Desmarais: Power) To learn more: Derrière l'État Desmarais: Power by Robin Philpot Ri...

DYNASTIES 5 - The Sahotas

November 27, 2019 08:53 - 49 minutes - 45.2 MB

The Sahotas are Vancouver’s most notorious slumlords. For decades they’ve let their buildings rot, leaving their tenants to live in filth and desolation. But the Sahotas are not like any other dynasty you’ve ever heard of. Their story is far stranger, and far darker, than anything you can imagine. Featured in this episode: Jen St. Denis, Christopher Cheung (The Tyee), Sam Dharmapala To learn more: “For low-income residents in Vancouver, a different kind of real estate crisis” by Wendy...

DYNASTIES 4 - The Rizzutos

November 12, 2019 06:43 - 37 minutes - 34.8 MB

The Rizzutos are Canada’s first family of crime. For decades, they dominated Montreal’s underworld with an iron fist. With the help of corrupt politicians and police officers, the Rizzutos built one of the most fearsome and lucrative criminal enterprises this country has ever seen.  Their reign was long and bloody. But their fall, was even more gruesome. Featured in this episode: Peter Edwards (Toronto Star), Pietro Poletti  To learn more: Business or Blood: Mafia Boss Vito Rizzuto's ...

COMMONS Needs Your Help

October 29, 2019 05:10 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MB

Canada is a big, interesting, and complicated place and COMMONS is committed to bringing you thoughtfully crafted and illuminating stories that will challenge everything you think you know about this country.  We make a complex scripted podcast that’s unlike anything else available in this country and cover stories from all across the nation. We want to keep doing this work, but we need your support.   This week we’re going to tell you a little bit about the work that goes into making th...

DYNASTIES 3 - The Fords

October 15, 2019 23:57 - 40 minutes - 37 MB

They call themselves the Canadian Kennedys. And they’re one of the most famous political dynasties to ever exist in this country. But the rise of the Ford family has been marred by violence and self-destruction at almost every turn. The story of the Fords is tragic — for them, for everyone who falls into their orbit, and for the people of Toronto. Featured in this episode: Jonathan Goldsbie (Canadaland). CORRECTION [Nov. 18, 2019]: We state in this episode that Rob Ford died in 2014. He ...

DYNASTIES 2 - The Irvings

October 01, 2019 08:12 - 35 minutes - 32.2 MB

For 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 ...

DYNASTIES 1 - The Stronachs

September 17, 2019 08:21 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MB

Canada is a country ruled by dynasties — political, commercial and criminal. In the first episode of our new series, we bring you the story of an eccentric, billionaire patriarch; his famous, charismatic daughter; a fire-breathing monument the size of the Statue of Liberty; and the battle over one of Canada’s great business empires.  Featured in this episode: Robert Fife (Globe and Mail). To learn more: “The $500 Million Family Feud” by Leah McLaren in Toronto Life “A Stronach Fami...

Our new season: DYNASTIES

September 12, 2019 03:00 - 1 minute - 1.37 MB

Stories about the rich and powerful families who run Canada. Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CRUDE 10 - The Apocalypse is Now

August 20, 2019 07:57 - 30 minutes - 27.8 MB

Canoe-borne bandits strike an underwater town. A new generation of wealthy lobstermen is minted. An island disappears. And hellfire engulfs a highway jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive. Just another normal day amidst Canada’s climate catastrophe.  Featured in this episode: Catherine Griwkowsky (Alberta Today), Brendan Kennedy (Toronto Star), Keith Stewart (Greenpeace), Markus Harvey. To learn more: “There will be floods” by Brendan Kennedy in the Toronto Star “Bi...

CRUDE 9 - Tar Teck: The Final Frontier

August 06, 2019 06:04 - 22 minutes - 20.5 MB

Teck Resources just got approval to build the largest tar sands operation ever. The Frontier mine would have serious and permanent consequences for the local environment, Indigenous peoples and the global climate. So why haven’t you ever heard about it? Featured in this episode: Nikki Way (Pembina Institute), Kecia Kerr (Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society), Cleo Reece (Keepers of the Athabasca), Violet Cheecham Clark. To learn more: “10 things you need to know about the massive new...

CRUDE 8 - Spies, Lies and Private Eyes

July 23, 2019 06:54 - 21 minutes - 20 MB

Ever get the feeling someone is watching you? If you’ve been to an environmental protest recently, you might be right. Private intelligence firms, the RCMP and even Canada’s spies have all been caught collecting information on everyday Canadians speaking out against the oil industry. Featured in this episode: Ron Tremblay (Wolostoq Grand Council), Mike De Souza (National Observer), Meghan McDermott (BC Civil Liberties Association) To learn more: “Spies in our midst: RCMP and CSIS snoo...

Introducing Wag The Doug

July 09, 2019 03:01 - 41 minutes - 38.2 MB

In the past few weeks, Ontario Premier Doug Ford was loudly booed at the Raptors' victory parade, demoted a bunch of star members of his Cabinet amid sagging poll numbers and lost his Chief of Staff, who got caught up in a nepotism scandal.  Are we witnessing the downfall of a government, or is this just another month in Ontario?    If you like Wag the Doug, subscribe to hear more! Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hoste...

CRUDE 7 - The Billionaire Plot to Destroy Alberta’s Economy is Totally Real!

June 25, 2019 07:13 - 23 minutes - 21.3 MB

Has Canada been a casualty of a nefarious campaign by foreign-funded radicals to landlock our country’s energy resources? Is Big Oil the victim of a vast international conspiracy? Naaaah. But there is, as always, another conspiracy afoot.  Featured in this episode: Markham Hislop (Energi Media) Here's what Vivian Krause has said in response to Markham Hislop's piece. To learn more: “Debunked: Vivian Krause’s Tar Sands Campaign conspiracy narrative” by Markham Hislop in Energi Media....

CRUDE 6 - The Devil in the Deep Blue Sea

June 11, 2019 06:30 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MB

An unspeakable tragedy occurs off the coast of Newfoundland. But this isn’t just a story about a nautical disaster. It’s about what happens when a poor province finds immense riches just within reach. And how the promise of oil wealth can twist history around itself. Featured in this episode: Susan Dodd, Danny O’Brien, Sean Cadigan ADDITIONAL MUSIC CREDITS: "Seeker" and "Scenery" by Kai Engel, adapted To learn more: The Ocean Ranger: Remaking the Promise of Oil by Susan Dodd Rig:...

CRUDE 5 - A Town, Annihilated

May 28, 2019 07:03 - 28 minutes - 39.6 MB

The Lac-Mégantic rail disaster was a calamity like we’ve never seen before. The families of the victims never got justice. But the conditions that made it possible have barely changed. And the next time could be far worse. Featured in this episode: Bruce Campbell, Dylan Robertson (Winnipeg Free Press) To learn more: The Lac-Mégantic Rail Disaster: Public Betrayal, Justice Denied by Bruce Campbell. “Alberta Crisis, Winnipeg Danger” by Dylan Robertson in the Winnipeg Free Press Thi...

CRUDE 4 - Orphan Wells: Citizen Con

May 14, 2019 08:00 - 26 minutes - 36.9 MB

What happens when the oil wells run dry? Environmental damage, government bailouts and a scheme that some are comparing to the subprime mortgage crisis. And all of this is just the beginning. Featured in this episode: Sharon J. Riley (The Narwhal), Jeff Lewis (Globe and Mail), Alana Bartol (Orphan Well Adoption Agency), Herman, Shirley and Mark Dorin. To learn more: Hustle in the oil patch: Inside a looming financial and environmental crisis by Jeff Lewis, Jeffrey Jones, Chen Wang, Re...

CRUDE 3 - Let the Bastards Freeze in the Dark

April 30, 2019 06:28 - 31 minutes - 43.2 MB

The Alberta oil sands. It’s a cold patch of land (which we once almost nuked into oblivion) that’s become Canada’s economic engine. Governments have fought over it for decades. And now it’s one of the most controversial places on the planet. Will it finally tear our politics apart? Featured in this episode: Mary Janigan, Chris Turner To learn more: Let the Eastern Bastards Freeze in the Dark by Mary Janigan The Patch: The People, Pipelines, and Politics of the Oil Sands by Chris Tu...

CRUDE 2 - Bombs, Blood & the Battle of Trickle Creek

April 16, 2019 06:41 - 41 minutes - 57.5 MB

A family poisoned in their homes. Bombs going off in the night. Shots fired and inside jobs. The story of Wiebo Ludwig is There Will Be Blood come to life. So was he a man of faith facing down the full might of Big Oil? Or a terrorist with blood on his hands? Featured in this episode: David York (Wiebo’s War), Levi Ludwig To learn more: Saboteurs: Wiebo Ludwig’s War Against Big Oil by Andrew Nikiforuk Wiebo’s War by David York “Adventures in Wieboland” by Brian Bergman in Maclean’...

CRUDE 1 - Smell This Town

April 02, 2019 14:49 - 24 minutes - 33.2 MB

If you don’t understand oil, you can’t understand Canada. We take you to a place unlike anywhere else in the world, where the booms and busts all began. And find out why just a short distance away, children grow up afraid of the very air they breathe. Featured in this episode: Pat McGee and Charlie Fairbank (Fairbank Oil Properties), Vanessa Gray.   To learn more:   “Time stands still in oil industry's birthplace” in the Toronto Star by Murray White.   “Canada’s Toxic Secret:...

CRUDE 1 - Smell This Town

April 02, 2019 14:49 - 21 minutes - 30 MB

If you don’t understand oil, you can’t understand Canada. We take you to a place unlike anywhere else in the world, where the booms and busts all began. And find out why just a short distance away, children grow up afraid of the very air they breathe. Featured in this episode: Pat McGee and Charlie Fairbank (Fairbank Oil Properties), Vanessa Gray.   To learn more:   “Time stands still in oil industry's birthplace” in the Toronto Star by Murray White.   “Canada’s Toxic Secret:...

Introducing Our New Season: CRUDE

March 28, 2019 12:11 - 1 minute - 1.57 MB

Last season Commons covered corruption in Canada. This time around we're talking about Canada's relationship with the oil industry. The good, the bad, the ugly, and the weird.  Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CORRUPTION 10 - The Canadian Company Accused of Using Slaves Today

February 19, 2019 05:15 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MB

Canadian companies have committed all kinds of wrongdoing abroad. But this is on a different level. One Vancouver-based company has been accused by the United Nations and Human Rights Watch of using slaves to build a mine with one of the world’s most oppressive governments. Featured in this episode: Geoffrey York (The Globe and Mail) & Aaron Berhane (Mefti) To learn more: “Canadian miner Nevsun Resources has a tangled relationship with one of the world’s most repressive regimes” in Th...

CORRUPTION 9 - Victoria's Secrets

February 05, 2019 06:14 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MB

Tens of thousands of dollars in suits, luggage, magazines and mustard. An epic booze heist from the legislature. An undercover legislator exposing corruption. And a wood-splitter that’s transfixed a province. Just another day in the wild world of B.C. politics.   Featured in this episode: Andrew MacLeod (The Tyee)   To learn more:   “Speaker Report Alleges ‘Flagrant’ Misspending by Two Senior Legislative Officials,” in The Tyee by Andrew MacLeod “Whistleblower alleges legisla...

CORRUPTION 8 - Hockey's Hall of Shame

January 22, 2019 10:19 - 26 minutes - 30.3 MB

Canada is hockey crazy. But at the heart of the sport is a system of unpaid labour that scars some boys for life. And the teams and leagues are doing whatever it takes to make sure things stay exactly the way they are. Featured in this episode: Scott Wheeler (The Athletic)   To learn more: “Hockey’s Puppy Mill” in The Walrus by Nicholas Hune-Brown “How a Dad with NHL Dreams Bankrolled a Hockey Empire” in The Toronto Star by Robert Cribb “Why Junior Hockey’s Financial Statement ...

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