Canada faces a real conundrum in its post-pandemic recovery -- our population is set to shrink without outside help. On this episode of This Is Why, we find out why increased immigration will be increasingly important in the years following the coronavirus pandemic. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us - [email protected] Guests: Adwoa Buahene, CEO of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment...

A symbol connected to white nationalist and white supremacist movements has made its way into two back-to-back anti-lockdown protests in two Canadian cities. On this episode of This Is Why, we find out why mobs carrying torches is a sign of intimidation with racist overtones. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us - [email protected] Guests: Irfan Chaudry, director of the Office of Human Rights...

With public health orders mandating everyone shelter in place, more and more Canadians have been looking at their shelters in a new light. And that's caused a run in real estate markets across the country. On this episode of This Is Why, we find out what surprising real estate trends emerged during the pandemic and why. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us - [email protected] Guests: Rachelle...

Vaccines for the novel coronavirus are being rolled out around the world, addressing the most vulnerable members of society first. But the risk they pose to pregnant and lactating women is currently unknown.  On this episode of This Is Why, we learn about why the study of vaccines on pregnant women has largely been unaddressed and how that is changing. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us -...

With vaccines for the novel coronavirus viewed as the gateway for a "return to normal," some countries are putting themselves ahead of others, hoping to get back to normal faster.  On this episode of This Is Why, we learn about the phenomenon known as "vaccine nationalism" and how it is affecting Canada and Canadians. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us - [email protected] Guests: Dr. Joel...

More and more car manufacturers are pledging to have their fleets turn electric in as little as a decade. And those changes will affect more than just the new car lot. On this episode of This Is Why, we learn about how electrification of automobiles will affect other industries in Canada, and what the country can do to not be left behind. Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us -...

A change to a 45-year-old coal policy in a province known for resource extraction has people from all walks of life up in arms. And the people are saying the government has gone too far. On this episode of This Is Why, we learn about the changes to the 1976 coal policy and the people affected by the change. Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us - [email protected] Guests: Jill Croteau, senior reporter,...

The coronavirus pandemic has hit all of Canada but one group has been hit especially hard -- senior citizens. And through all of the waves of the pandemic, long-term and assisted living homes have been sites of outbreaks, resulting in deaths. On this episode of This Is Why, we learn about the system weaknesses in the long-term care system, how they were exploited by COVID-19, and what can be done to fix the system. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on...

New variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been discovered around the world, and present new and different threats to public health. On this episode of This Is Why, we learn about the new variants and what could be done about them. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us - [email protected] Guests: Dr. Frank Van Der Meer, associate professor of virology at the University of Calgary Dr. Matthew S. Miller,...

With a new president entering the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2021, a new era can begin in relations between the two countries who share the world's longest undefended border: Canada and the United States. On this episode of This Is Why, we learn about why the change from President Trump to President Biden will impact Canada. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us - [email protected] Guests: Melissa...

While the coronavirus pandemic rages on, the climate change crisis continues to march on as another threat to the health of people worldwide. On this episode of This Is Why, we learn about why climate change will affect the health of Canadians while also affecting climate. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us - [email protected] Guests: Dr. Claudel Petrin-Desrosiers and Dr. Finola Hackett,...

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on more than 15,000 families, taking their loved ones from this world. And COVID-19 has brought a topic to the forefront that isn't usually brought up in polite society: death. On this episode of This Is Why, we learn about why talking about death more can change a person's life. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us - [email protected] Guests: Angela...

Staying at home has been one of the most powerful tools in preventing the spread of COVID-19 during this pandemic. But it has contributed to a parallel mental health pandemic. On this episode of This Is Why, we look at loneliness during the pandemic and what one can do to make it through tough times alone. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us - [email protected] Guests: Dr. Heather MacIntosh,...

The coronavirus pandemic has brought up all sorts of emotions and feelings, as we all try to navigate this 'new normal.' But perhaps instead of asking 'Why is this happening?,' there are better questions to ask, like 'What can I control?' On this episode of This Is Why, we learn about an ancient philosophy and some of its modern implementation. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us -...

The coronavirus pandemic has had millions of Canadians work from home for months. Offices in office buildings have largely sat dormant and downtowns are closer to ghost towns. But whether that is a temporary or a structural change is up for debate. On this episode of This Is Why, we find out what the future of work looks like post-pandemic. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us -...

One of the differences between the 1918 influenza pandemic and COVID-19 is that a majority of citizens have radios and computers they can fit in their pockets -- smartphones. And apps run on smartphones could be an important tool in the fight against the novel coronavirus. But two governments' approaches in Canada have led to very different results in apps that have been developed and how effective those apps are. On this episode of This Is Why, we look into the pair of contact tracing apps...

The conversation we had with Calgary-based project manager Ziad Fazel about contact tracing apps went into such detail and went longer than we usually go, so we decided to put the whole conversation into a bonus episode for you. Enjoy! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic raging in Canada, hospitalizations and admissions to intensive care units are at all-time highs, and that has a lot of people worried. On this episode of This Is Why, we find out what the breaking point could be for Canada's public health care system and what the effects could be. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us -...

It's not a stretch to say that the coronavirus pandemic is an historic event, but it's not without precedent. Epidemics have been a part of human history for as long as people have gathered together. So it's not uncommon to look back in order to plot a path forward. On this episode of This Is Why, we look back at how pandemic influenza affected a western Canadian city in 1918. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on...

The second wave of the coronavirus pandemic is in Canada, with record numbers of new cases and deaths bearing that out. Except the wave hasn't hit Atlantic Canada in the same manner as the rest of the country, due to a bubble. On this episode of This Is Why, we find out why the Atlantic travel bubble has been so effective at keeping COVID-19 numbers at bay and what it's like living in the bubble. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why -...

As the coronavirus pandemic wears on, inequalities in society are becoming clearer and clearer, like the inequalities facing women and gender-minorities. On this episode of This Is Why, we find out why women are facing challenges by the coronavirus and pandemic that are specific to the group. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us - [email protected] Guests: Andrea Gunraj, Canadian Women's...

As global warming continues to melt Arctic ice, the threat to the Inuit of Canada and Greenland is becoming more and more dire. And that melting is leading to one last patch of Arctic ice. On this episode of This Is Why, we find out why the last ice is important for the lives of people beyond the Arctic and what a National Geographic team found. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us -...

The need to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic has driven more and more Canadians online, as we found out in an earlier episode of 'This Is Why.' And in October, Canada's privacy commissioner raised the flags around the laws around privacy, saying the laws aren't enough in this new reality. On this episode of This Is Why, we find out why the acceleration towards a fully digital life is putting the privacy of Canadians at risk. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor -...

With the science around the novel coronavirus changing so quickly, it's tough to determine what to follow and what to ignore. And the opportunity some charlatans are trying to seize on don't make things any easier. In this episode of This Is Why, we look at why this pandemic has given rise to all sorts of bad information. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us - [email protected] Guests: Timothy...

One of the most common arguments anti-mask advocates use is that mandating the use of face coverings is the government running afoul of rights and liberties. In this episode of This Is Why, we look at how civil liberties could be contravened during a pandemic, and the careful balance legislators have to walk when considering public health orders. Contact: Adam Toy - @Adam_Toy on Twitter Dave McIvor - @d_mac1519 on Twitter This is Why - @ThisIsWhy on Twitter Email us -...