The Big Story

The death of a lab worker in Russia has raised fears of the plague. Authorities claim she died of pneumonia from an unknown origin, but have yet to release any other details surrounding if there's a connection to the lab she worked at.
Host Maria Kestane is speaking with Angela Rasmussen, a virologist and the Science Chair for the Save America movement, then she's joined by Maria Popova, a political scientist from McGill University. They discuss what we know about the pneumonic plague, its chances of breaking out into another global pandemic, and about the challenges of dealing with an authoritarian country like Russia, when communication is so key in a potential crisis.

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British Columbia NDP leader David Eby says Ottawa needs to impose minimum standards on all social media companies and AI companies requiring that threats of violence be reported to the police. Canada’s Defence Minister is in Alberta to highlight the billions of military dollars being spent there, with less than two weeks to go before Albertans vote on whether it’s time to quit confederation. The Parti Quebecois says it's asking for a recount in a Montreal-area riding that it lost to the Liberals by a narrow margin. Canadian poet Anne Carson wins the Nobel Prize in Literature.

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When a person hacks a government website, it's illegal. But when a rogue AI agent does it, it's an incident that needs 'further investigation'.
Canada has invested billions of dollars into AI infrastructure and education, and although safety is a top priority according to Ottawa, robust legislation and regulation to govern the software has not kept up with the momentum.
Host Maria Kestane is speaking with Takara Small, a technology journalist, about who's held to account for AI's mass destruction, and why top-down legislation isn't the end-all be-all for a solution.

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Plus: Christine Fréchette is resigning as leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec, but will stay on as premier until her P.Q. successor is sworn in. Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit Turkey from October 21st to 23rd as Canada seeks stronger trade, defence and investment ties with the NATO ally. Countries around the world are pushing Russia for more information about the death of a 28-year-old researcher who worked at a lab studying plagues in Siberia. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future
episodes. You can find us:

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Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has been voted in as Quebec's newest Premier.
His party, Parti Québécois, secured their minority government on Monday night's election with 59 seats, up from three seats back in 2022. Among his plans for the province, he eyes holding a referendum in a push to separate Quebec from Canada. And although Plamondon promised to wait until US President Trump left the White House, the new Premier would still need to gain the support from the other provincial parties.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to André Lecours, a political science professor at the University of Ottawa to discuss what PSPP's win means for the province, its future in Canada, and for Prime Minister Carney's tenure.


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