CANADALAND

Progressive Conservative Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston had been one of the most popular politicians in the country. Mark Carney-level popular. Regina George-level popular. For a while, it looked like Nova Scotia would be Houston’s forever. But now his popularity is at its lowest point since he took on the top job. Host Noor Azrieh sits down with his former Justice Minister turned Liberal MLA Becky Druhan to unpack her striking political turn: how does a senior member of a government go from defending it to deciding the problem is the very government she once helped run?

Host: Noor Azrieh
Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Imogen Sayers (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Tristan Cappachione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)

Guests: Becky Druhan
Photo: Becky Druhan
Additional music: Audio Network

Background reading:

N.S. premier defends $53.6-million budget cut reversal, floats idea of ‘budget tour’ – CTV News
Houston's approval rating sinks amid budget cuts: Poll – City News
MLA Becky Druhan joins Nova Scotia Liberal Party, intends to run for leadership - Halifax – Global News
Independent MLAs slow N.S. government agenda at Province House – CBC News

Sponsors:
Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today at douglas.ca/canadaland

Visit fizz.ca to learn more about Fizz mobile and its long list of added-value features, and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN40 to get 40$ off and 10GB of free data.

Get ahead of your to-do list with fifteen dollars off your first task at Taskrabbit.ca or on the Taskrabbit app using promo code: canadaland.

Did you know we have a monthly supporter exclusive show?

Next month on Off The Record, we’re bringing you something different: Sam Konnert interviews Jesse Brown following up on what he told us 6 months ago. Did he keep his promises? That will be coming out Thursday, July 2. Stay tuned!

If you want to hear that (or if you want to catch up on all the great episodes of Off The Record you’ve missed!) become a supporter at canadaland.com/join.

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 accessible to everybody.

Do you know someone who should work at Canadaland? Well, our audio journalism fellowship is back this fall and applications are open from now til the end of June. We’re looking for a couple of recent grads or working journalists who want to move into the world of audio journalism. Find out more or apply by going to labs.canadaland.com

Make sure you’re up to date on our upcoming events by going to canadaland.com/live!

Can't get enough Canadaland? Follow us @Canadaland_Podcasts on Instagram and @Canadaland_Media on TikTok!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the past four years Canadaland has been investigating a cluster of terrible illnesses in New Brunswick. A group of people were suffering from debilitating symptoms that nobody could explain.

Those people lost neurological function. Some lost their lives. What was afflicting them? Was it a prion illness like mad cow disease? Was it somehow linked to shellfish? Might it have to do with blue-green algae blooms or environmental contamination from heavy metals or contamination from the herbicide glyphosate? Was it contagious?

Today we speak with a man who was at the centre of the investigation into this cluster of illnesses. Dr. Michael Coulthart was a microbiologist working with the Public Health Agency of Canada. He was the head of Canada’s Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) surveillance system, which surveys all of Canada for prion diseases like mad cow. And he was one of the lead investigators on a short-lived federal/provincial team of scientists investigating what was going on in New Brunswick before the province shut investigation down.

Throughout our years of covering this story he never agreed to speak with us directly. We suspected that he was not allowed to. But just a few months back, Dr. Michael Coulthart retired, and shortly after that, just a few weeks ago, he sat down with our reporter, Julian Abraham.

Host: Bruce Thorson
Credits: Caleb Thompson (Post Production), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

Additional music by Audio Network
Fact checking by Lucie Laumonier

More information:

JAMA Study - Jama Network

Top Canadian scientist alleges in leaked emails he was barred from studying mystery brain illness - The Guardian

Scientist working on mystery N.B. brain condition claimed he was 'cut off' for 'political' reasons - CBC
'The answer cannot be nothing': The battle over Canada's mystery brain disease - BBC

Sponsors:

Squarespace: Check out https://squarespace.com/canadaland for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch use code canadaland to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Douglas: Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today. Visit douglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer.

Taskrabbit: Get ahead of your to-do list with fifteen dollars off your first task at https://Taskrabbit.ca or on the Taskrabbit app using promo code canadaland.

Can’t get enough Canadaland? Follow @Canadaland_Podcasts on Instagram for clips, announcements, explainers and more.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalists and politicians are honouring Robert Fife, who retired after 48 years. Known for his big scoops, Fife leveraged anonymous sources to hold the powerful accountable. But Fife’s brand of “access journalism” also runs the risk of being used as a political tool. Jan Wong joins Jesse Brown to explain why journalists shouldn’t get too cozy with the politicians they cover.

Host: Jesse Brown
Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), imogen sayers (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)
Guest: Jan Wong
Photo: Mark Blevis

Additional music by Audio Network

Further reading:
Ottawa mayor declares June 11 ‘Robert Fife Day’ to honour veteran journalist - The Globe and Mail
Robert Fife gives a candid account of some of the biggest stories and issues of his career - The Globe and Mail
Robert Fife — 2026 Hyman Solomon Award for Excellence in Public Policy Journalism
Hear No Evil, Write No Lies | The Walrus
Change is coming to Winkler, ralliers say as southern Manitoba city hosts 1st Pride march | CBC News
Weston family-backed digital publication Be Giant launches - The Globe and Mail

Sponsors:

Fizz: Visit fizz.ca and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN40 to get 40$ off and 10GB of free data.

Douglas: Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today. Visit douglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer.

Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at Shopify.ca


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 at our store, 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 accessible to everybody.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A gun-for-hire network is revealed after a Toronto Police Officer is killed in a raid investigating a shooting at the US consulate. The network is potentially linked to a slew of shootings across the GTA, including synagogues.

Meanwhile, a US Dept of Justice indictment suggests some of these shootings may have been contracted by Iranian proxies.

Plus, an update on Canadaland’s settlement with Theresa Kielburger.

Host: Jesse Brown
Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), imogen sayers (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)
Guest: Jan Wong

Apply to CANADALAND’s Audio Journalism Fellowship at labs.canadaland.com

Go to canadaland.com/live to find out more about our live show, June 18th at the Halifax Convention Centre!

Further reading:
'Who's paying for this?': Toronto police believe youth hired for gun crimes such as U.S. consulate shooting | CBC News
Raid that left Toronto police officer dead tied to wider shooters-for-hire probe - The Globe and Mail
'The whole ring is unwinding': Gunmen-for-hire who targeted U.S. Consulate linked to earlier shootings, source says - National Post
Police reveal sprawling scope of Toronto’s gun-for-hire network: ‘Who’s paying for this?’ - Toronto Star
Dual Iranian-Iraqi National Indicted for Providing Material Support to Terrorist Organizations | United States Department of Justice
Al-Saadi Indictment - Dept of Justice [PDF]
'Boyfriend duties call,' Trudeau says after skipping Canada at World Cup to watch Katy Perry - BBC
Canadaland publisher apologizes in court to mother of WE Charity co-founders | CBC News

Sponsors:
oxio: Head over to canadaland.oxio.ca and use code CANADALAND for your first month free!

Douglas: Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today. Visit douglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer.

BetterHelp: Visit BetterHelp.com/canadaland today to get 10% off your first month.

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 at our store, 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 accessible to everybody.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Carney’s Liberals are trying to push a whole stack of bills across the finish line–and it’s no small stack. Bail reform, hate crimes, gender-based violence, housing, election financing, digital safety, lawful access, and privacy.

Is this what an efficient Parliament looks like? Or is this what it looks like when a very determined Carney turns urgency into pressure, and pressure starts to feel a lot like being yelled at?
Host Noor Azrieh asks POLITICO’s Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Mickey Djuric.

Host: Noor Azrieh
Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Annie Tuba (Producer) Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), imogen sayers (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)

Guests: Nick Taylor-Vaisey, Mickey Djuric

Background reading:
'He yells': Mark Carney's focus has Liberal MPs bristling – Toronto Star
With just over a week left on the legislative clock, here’s the current state of play in the House of Commons – iPolitics
Ottawa moves to ban kids under 16 from social media – CTV News
‘We know how to work together’: U.S. Ambassador Hoekstra on partnership with Canada amid CUSMA talks – CTV News

Sponsors:
Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today at douglas.ca/canadaland

Visit fizz.ca to learn more about Fizz mobile and its long list of added-value features, and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN40 to get 40$ off and 10GB of free data.

Get ahead of your to-do list with fifteen dollars off your first task at Taskrabbit.ca or on the Taskrabbit app using promo code: canadaland.

Did you know we have a monthly supporter exclusive show?

Next month on Off The Record, something different: Sam Konnert interviews Jesse Brown following up on what he told us 6 months ago. Did he keep his promises? Also, the deep dive on what the Theresa Kielburger lawsuit means for Canadaland and the story that was lost in the shuffle. Episode out Thursday, July 2.

If you want to hear that (or if you want to catch up on all the great episodes of Off The Record you’ve missed!), become a supporter at canadaland.com/join.

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 accessible to everybody.

Make sure you’re up to date on our upcoming events by going to canadaland.com/live!

Can't get enough Canadaland? Follow us @Canadaland_Podcasts on Instagram and @Canadaland_Media on TikTok!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.