CANADALAND

CANADALAND host Jesse Brown introduces Dylan to a strange and decaying Quebecois fast food institution… housed inside a giant orange sphere. Today, the orange is a relic of a bygone era. But decades ago, this odd establishment was on track to become the McDonalds of Canada. We hear about the rise and fall of Montreal’s Orange Julep, and how its eccentric founder envisioned a Canada scattered with glowing orange spheres.

This is ...

There’s a small, sandy island off the coast of Nova Scotia where hundreds of horses run wild. They’ve been there since the 18th century, and are genetically unlike any other horse in the world. While these horses are beloved, an official animal of Nova Scotia, there have been voices over the years saying they’re an invasive species that needs to be removed, as much for the sake of the island as for themselves. So what does the futu...

We’re launching a collaboration with The Atlas Obscura Podcast to tell the stories of Canada’s strange and wondrous places.

Today, we bring you a story about a black bear who traveled across the ocean with a group of World War 1 soldiers before becoming the inspiration for one of the most popular children’s characters of all time. 

Lindsay Mattick, author of Finding Winnie and Winnie’s Great War, tells the story.

Thi...

Hot Docs, Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Just for Laughs, just the latest cultural institutions to join a long list of Canadian arts groups facing existential threats. Why is this all happening now?

Based on recent headlines, you might think that we are in the midst of a total cultural collapse in this country. Film festivals, comedy festivals, symphonies, cinemas, theater companies, arts magazines all closing down or telling us...

Traumavertissement: Le segment ‘Bien Noté’ entre 22:30 et 27:00 aborde les violences subies par les enfants autochtones dans les pensionnats.

Fin avril, le premier ministre du Québec François Legault annonçait le contenu de son Musée national de l’histoire du Québec: des collections retraçant les 400 dernières années d’histoire, de Jacques Cartier à nos jours. Dans son discours, Legault réservait une place aux Premières Nations ...

Lessons from Winnipeg, Canada’s most Indigenous city. Emilie Nicolas talks to Niigaan Sinclair about what reconciliation looks like in practice and why Winnipeg is ground zero for Indigenous relations in Canada.

Plus, did wildfire season start early in Canada or did the fires never stop burning? Reflecting on the evacuation of Cranberry Portage and how journalism can make a difference in the face of climate fatigue and denial.&n...

Today we’re bringing you something a bit different. It’s a podcast produced by a wonderful team in the UK called Tortoise. Reporter Alexi Mostrous will tell you all about how a Canadian private intelligence practitioner and investigator, set him off on a quest to find out who trolled Amber Heard.

When you hear the name Amber Heard, what comes to mind? Liar? Survivor? Narcissist? Millions of us watched the celebrity trial of the ...

There’s a Loblaws Boycott underway, but is it actually working? Jesse breaks his silence on the Reddit-fueled consumer action and brainstorms some guerilla grocery tactics. 

A new CBC advisory committee aims to “modernize” the CBC, but Peter Menzies explains why it probably won’t move fast enough to make a difference. 

For a limited time, get 6 months of exclusive supporter benefits for just $2/month. Go to canadala...

The pretendian phenomenon has been known and discussed in indigenous circles for years, but it's become mainstream Canadian news lately thanks to three big name exposés: Buffy sainte Marie, Joseph Boyden, and Michelle Latimer. These people were arguably the most famous indigenous songwriter in Canada, the most famous indigenous novelist in Canada and the most famous indigenous filmmaker in Canada. And all three were revealed to not...

Si l’on en croit les médias et les discours des politiques, les immigrants seraient responsables de toutes les difficultés culturelles et économiques que connaissent le Canada et le Québec à l’heure actuelle. Pour décrypter ces discours nauséabonds, Emilie reçoit Mireille Paquet, professeure au département de politique de l’Université Concordia et spécialiste des politiques migratoires. Dans la deuxième partie de l’émission, elles ...

The Drake/Kendrick rap beef has overtaken the internet. A flurry of diss tracks has captured the attention of millions, but now a shooting outside of Drake’s Toronto mansion reveals the violent potential of this rhetorical battle. Jan Wong reports from the Drake’s Mansion and Jesse offers his analysis of the journalistic underpinnings of the modern rap beef.

Plus, there was foreign interference after all, but was it everything t...

Open Line on VOCM-AM in Newfoundland has been called an institution. A religion. A must-listen show. 

And we at Canadaland had never heard of it - until recently. But it attracts an audience bigger than any show in its time slot, and has consistently for years. 

So in the age of podcasts and social media, in a time of layoffs and media cuts, how has this AM radio talk show managed to thrive? 

Host: Jesse Bro...

Campus protests have migrated to Canada and McGill is asking the cops for help. Why calling in the cops is the wrong approach, despite what’s being said (and chanted) at these protests.

Justin Trudeau seems to be popping up on podcasts everywhere these days. What to make of Trudeau’s podcast populism (and why it won’t work in 2024.)

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technic...

Canadian media coverage of the war in the Middle East has, unsurprisingly, focused on the impact on diaspora communities here in Canada. We have heard about Jewish Canadians, Palestinian Canadians, and we have heard in general terms about the many Muslim communities across Canada and how this is affecting them. But there's one diaspora community that is increasingly at the center of this conflict, who we have heard very little abou...

Alors que l’année 2024 sera la plus chaude jamais enregistrée, on voit le public, épuisé par l'éco anxiété et une certaine fatigue informationnelle, se détourner des médias. Emilie Nicolas reçoit Étienne Leblanc, journaliste environnement et climat à Radio-Canada, pour échanger sur l’évolution de la couverture médiatique des changements climatiques depuis une vingtaine d’années et sur les solutions possibles afin de mieux communiqu...

As the hit Netflix documentary What Jennifer Did draws criticism for manipulating source materials, we talk to Karen K. Ho about the differences between True Crime and journalism. 

Umar Zameer is acquitted of murdering a Toronto police officer, but the way his case was handled by the media and politicians raises questions about the impact of public narratives in high-profile legal cases.

Plus, Goldsbie sits court-side, a...

On April 12, 2024, news broke that Sylvie Hauth, the former police chief of Thunder Bay, was arrested and charged with a series of criminal offenses. 

But none of the news reports explained much about just what the hell was happening this time.

Most of this story is still unknown, but this week, Karyn Pugliese, Ryan McMahon, and Jon Thompson will tell you what they can, what they have verified so far, and they will give ...

Did we just dodge WW3? As Iran retaliated against Israel with an unprecedented barrage of drones and missiles, deciphering facts from fakes and misinformation seemed trickier than ever. Is this the new digital fog of war?

Bill Maher somehow still exists, and now he’s roasting Canada for all the wrong reasons. What Bill Maher gets wrong about Canadian “Zombie Lies”?

Plus, is Rick Ross an anti-semite? Jesse weighs in on the Dra...

We’ve long heard about how the news business is failing - layoff after layoff, media execs have claimed that they have had no choice but to make cutbacks.

In Bell’s latest round of 4800 layoffs, CEO Mirko Babic defended his decision to a parliamentary committee, claiming the company was struggling in a tough economic environment - and that news was part of what was bringing them down.

But is that the full story? 

Bec...