The Big Story

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls have been a problem in Canada for decades, and one that went ignored for far too long. Going back to the late 60s, women and girls were taken especially along a stretch of road in British Columbia known as The Highway of Tears. But now, there is a new highway of tears. By tracking sex ads posted online, a team from Thompson Reuters was able to follow the routes traffickers used to move their victims from one end of the country to the next, following along some of Canada's busiest highways and airports.

Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with, Temur Durrani, a national correspondent for the Globe and Mail based out of Manitoba, who's done in-depth coverage of sex trafficking and the report, to break down the information, and learn what it might tell us about how to fight this criminal enterprise. 

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Plus: A Montreal father is found guilty of murdering his daughter in upstate New York, Alberta reviews its Amber Alert criteria following the death of a boy with autism, Environment Canada makes significant changes to its tornado warning system, auto thefts across Canada trend down toward pre-pandemic levels, and a youth mental health service says it’s seeing a spike in overnight calls. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future
episodes. You can find us:

Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca 

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This episode contains conversations about mental health, suicide, and sexual assault. Please take care.

Kids Help Phone, a service offering free, mental health service over the phone or online to youth across Canada, has had a spike in overnight calls-- the most dramatic increase in their more than three-decade history. The reasons are various, but the need is great, putting strain on the service's volunteer force.

Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Rebecca Shields, President and CEO of Kids Help Phone, about the spike they've seen, what's driving it, how they're handling it, and more.

If you need to reach Kids Help Phone, you can text 686868, or message them online by following this link: Get support with these mental health resources - Kids Help Phone

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 @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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Plus: Montreal’s police chief plans to provide an update on a patrol unit that disbanded in June over serious allegations, the Conservative leader writes a letter to the Prime Minister on the response to tariffs from the U.S., a toddler grounds a flight in Victoria, football officials push for heavier consequences for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and investigative genetic genealogy is used to charge a suspect in a decades-old murder case in Toronto. 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 @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

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It's taken Toronto Police more than 20 years to charge a suspect in the murder of Patrick Santos, a 21 year old Scarborough man that was found zip-tied and duck taped in his home in 2006. 

Investigative genetic genealogy was able to match the DNA sample taken from the crime scene to that of Pierre O'Connor, a Hamilton man who had no previous criminal record.

Host Maria Kestane speaks to Fil Martino, co-host of Tracking a killer, to dig into the details of the 20 year-old cold case. Then she's joined by Steen Hartsen, a faculty member of the British Columbia Institute of Technology to learn more about genetic genealogy - including its ethical risks.

Listen to Tracking A Killer here. 

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 @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.