Wait, There’s More

A Global News exclusive has revealed new information about WE Charity and the WE Charity Foundation, prompting further questions about the organization and the now-cancelled contract with the Candadian federal government to oversee a massive student grant program. Today, we’re joined by Global News’ investigative reporter Stewart Bell and Financial Post reporter Vanmala Subramaniam to talk about the latest revelations surrounding the charitable group and its real estate holdings.

In recent months, public experts are in agreement that wearing a mask in public is one of the only ways we can help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the absence of a treatment or a vaccine. Still, there are tons of people who refuse to wear one, saying it’s uncomfortable or a violation of their constitutional rights. Today, we’re talking to a behavioural psychologist about why we should all be wearing masks right now, and how we can convince those who won’t to change their minds.

Kids haven't physically gone to school for months now because of the pandemic. This means that parents who are working from home have been juggling a million different things. But women have been disproportionately impacted by school closures and by the economic crisis. Today, we’re talking to Lauren Dobson-Hughes, a consultant specializing in gender and equality, about plans to reopen schools and what’s at stake for the future of women.

It might seem unhinged and farfetched to the average person, but the QAnon movement seems to be gaining traction. Since the start of the pandemic lockdowns, researchers are noticing a huge spike in QAnon content on social media—and a growing presence in real life. Today, we’re joined by journalist Justin Ling to talk about the movement and whether it’s taking root in Canada.

The Twitter accounts of some of the world’s most powerful people were hacked on Wednesday in a brazen attack. Hackers took over accounts belonging to Elon Musk, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and many others, to promote a bitcoin scam. How did this happen and what should we make of it? We’ve got Motherboard’s senior editor Jordan Pearson to help us make sense of it all.

The Canadian government has been spending huge amounts on financial assistance programs for people and businesses affected by the pandemic. A major one has been the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), which is $500 a week to help those who have lost their jobs or work hours. The program has been praised for its effectiveness, and it’s also reignited the debate around universal basic income (UBI). Today, we’re joined by Sheila Block, senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, to talk about whether we could see UBI in our future.

This week, Ontario is moving into Stage 3 of reopening, which means that more places like indoor bars and gyms are opening. Even though Ontario has been flattening the curve to some extent, a lot of people are concerned that we’re moving too fast and that there could be a surge in cases. Today, we’re joined by the Globe and Mail’s health reporter Carly Weeks to talk about what Stage 3 means, why there’s a plan for reopening bars but not for schools, and whether we’re ready.

COVID-19 patients are typically split into three categories: those who are infected, those who have recovered, and those who have died. But over the last few months, we’ve been hearing more and more about the thousands of people who don’t fit neatly into these groups: the ‘long-haulers’. Even though they should have recovered, or have tested negative for the virus, they are nonetheless grappling with debilitating symptoms. Today, we’re joined by two ‘long-haulers’ and a family physician to talk about this phenomenon and what it says about the nature of the virus.

 Justin Trudeau is facing his third investigation by Canada’s ethics watchdog after outcry over a $900 million federal contract awarded to WE Charity. The controversy over the now-cancelled WE Charity government contract ramped up this week after it was revealed that Trudeau’s family members were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to speak at WE Charity events. Today, we’re joined by Global News’ chief political correspondent David Akin to break down the debacle and what it says about Trudeau and the Liberals. 

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been downplaying the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic since the start. Then this week, he became one of the 1.6 million people in Brazil to get infected by the virus. Today, we’re talking with journalist Gustavo Ribeiro, founder of The Brazilian Report and host of Explaining Brazil Podcast, about how things got so bad in Brazil and whether Bolsonaro will take it more seriously now that he’s tested positive for COVID-19.

This week, more than 200 scientists wrote an open letter to the World Health Organization urging it to acknowledge mounting evidence that the novel coronavirus is airborne. Today, we’re joined by Dr. Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist, to talk about the ongoing debate over whether the virus is airborne, what this really means, and how it could impact physical distancing guidelines.

If you’ve been paying attention to conversations happening online about race, you might’ve noticed that the acronym BIPOC is suddenly everywhere. BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and people of colour, and it’s meant to be inclusive and specific at the same time. But not everyone’s a fan of it. We’re joined by linguistics Phd student deandre miles-hercules to talk about the origins of BIPOC and whether it’s helpful when talking about race.

The COVID-19 case count in the U.S. has broken records over the last week. And more than 130,000 there have now died from the virus. Global News’s Washington Bureau Chief Jackson Proskow is back on the show today to talk about how the outbreak got so bad in the U.S. and what this could all mean for Donald Trump’s political future.

Advocates have been saying for years that police aren’t equipped to deal with mental health crisis calls. They point to a number of wellness checks that have ended up with the person in crisis getting killed. And as we talk about defunding the police, these deaths have prompted growing calls for mental health workers to be more involved in responding to these incidents. Today, we’re joined by mental health lawyer Anita Szigeti to talk about what the solutions could be.

In recent weeks, some police unions in the U.S. have been pushing back hard against criticism from the public. And as governments across North America are responding to calls to defund the police, there’s been heightened focus on how powerful these unions really are, how they’ve been an obstacle to reform in the past, and how they might stand in the way this time around. Today, we’re joined by Global News reporter Brian Hill to talk about his new story on the role of police unions.

If you’re lucky enough to still have a job, chances are it has changed pretty drastically if you’re working from home because of the pandemic. And if you’re having to back to your workplace, you might be wondering what you can do if you feel it’s unsafe. Today, we’ve got employment lawyer Lindsay Scott on the show to answer your top work-related legal questions.

There have been renewed efforts to take down statues of historical figures whose legacy includes upholding white supremacy through systems like slavery and colonization. In Canada, there have also been growing calls to rename streets like Dundas Street due to Henry Dundas’ push to delay abolishing slavery. Today, we’re talking about the debate around toppling racist statues and renaming public spaces, and how these efforts may actually help us better learn about our history.

In recent weeks, K-pop fans have come out in droves online to mobilize against anti-Black racism and police brutality, causing a Dallas Police Department app to crash, and overwhelming the #WhiteLivesMatter hashtag with content of their favourite Korean pop idols to drown out white supremacists. This weekend, they even managed to sabotage a Trump rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Today, we’re joined by Billboard’s K-pop correspondent Tamar Herman and fandom writer Stitch to talk about what’s behind these efforts and why they’re so successful.

A lot us have been distracted by things like the pandemic and anti-Black racism, but the Conservative Party leadership campaign has been in full swing. And now we’re reaching the end. Today, we’re joined by Global News’ Chief Political Correspondent David Akin to give you a primer on the remaining four candidates and where they stand on issues like systemic racism and climate change.

In the wake of a number of deaths of Indigenous people during encounters with police in Canada, the RCMP and other police services are being called out, again, for systemic racism. Today, we’re joined by Erick Laming, a  PhD in criminology at the University of Toronto… and Tanya Talaga, an Anishnaabe journalist and author to discuss how Indigenous people are policed and whether defunding is the answer.