CBC Now or Never

11/04/2025

Are your elbows up?

As Canadians are picking their battles and standing up for what they believe in, this week on Now or Never we meet people in the middle of big and small acts of resistance.

Click the link to listen and comment below with your big and small acts of resistance.

https://link.chtbl.com/DGU2sXj_

08/04/2025

Sooooooo…..what are the chances you or someone you know is in a relationship where you both have opposing political beliefs?

It could be a marriage, a relationship, even your bestie. One of you votes one way…the other one goes the other?

Anyone fit that bill? Raise your hand!

We are putting together a show on the reasons we vote the way we do and we’d love to have this kind of dynamic be part of the episode if possible.

You can write a comment below or send a private message as well.

Cheers!

06/04/2025

De Vine Thomas knew one thing when we first met her in 2022...she wanted to leave her community of Peguis First Nation and not come back until she was a "real old lady."

But when she bought a one way ticket to Toronto, she couldn't see the stars, and discovered the pull of her culture and home was strong.

Click the link to tune in to this week's episode to find out how today De Vine is finding her way towards her dreams even though the path doesn't always look how she expected.

https://link.chtbl.com/CJ24tKeH

04/04/2025

When we first met Aaron Brown he was hosting a trivia night called 'Almost Jeopardy', named after the time he almost got on the long running tv quiz show. Since then, his dreams have come true!

How did he do? What goal is he chasing now? Find out on the latest episode of Now or Never where we're catching up with past guests: https://link.chtbl.com/CJ24tKeH

04/04/2025

In 1970 beauty queen Darlene Williams rode in a 1970 Panthet Pink Dodge Challenger convertible as part of her reign as Miss Centennial in Manitoba. More than 50 years later Winnipegger Pat Kanuiga had that same car in pieces in his garage, but promised Darlene she would ride in it again. So did it happen?

(I’ll give ya a hint…it did, but to hear how, check out the link below….after you’re done congratulating Pat of course)

https://link.chtbl.com/CJ24tKeH

30/03/2025

If you’ve ever thought of leaving it all behind to start your own community from scratch, you might want to ask Ron Berezan for advice.

After a decade of hard work, he's months away from opening Blueberry Commons, an intentional community in Powell River, B.C. where everyone farms the same land, shares amenities, and makes decisions together.

So, how do you get consensus, and decide who gets to join? Ron reveals the lessons he's learned so far on the latest episode of Now or Never https://link.chtbl.com/5snqd9hp

29/03/2025

Welcome to A Better Tent City, a 42-home tiny house community for people experiencing homelessness in Kitchener, Ontario.

This week on Now or Never, resident Charles Reeves gives us a tour of the sanctioned community, while sharing his journey to living here and worries for the future if lack of funding shuts it all down.

Listen to it all on the Now or Never podcast!
https://link.chtbl.com/5snqd9hp

28/03/2025

Old Order Mennonite, Joseph Weber, has one son who was forced to leave Canada’s largest and most diverse Mennonite community due to inflation and the rising cost of housing — a trend among this group. Now another son is forced to move, leaving Joseph planning his escape too.

Hear this story and other stories of communities in flux here: https://link.chtbl.com/5snqd9hp

28/03/2025

"I never thought this would happen in our community. I just took all this for granted"

Tracey Matheson lives in the New Brunswick border town of St. Stephen and she is heartbroken over the strain all this tariff talk has put on their relationship with their southern neighbours in Calais, Maine.

The two communities are divided by a narrow river and although they are in two different countries, they see each other as one.

Every year they have an international festival and handshake where members of both communities gather, shake hands, have a parade and show their support for one another.

It's a relationship that has been going strong for over 100 years but lately, the vibe has been different as people have stopped shopping over the border to show support for their country.

"It's kind of like you know you have an argument with your spouse or your best friend and you know you're doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do but it hurts because you know it's hurting that person."

Mayor Allan MacEachern is saddened by it all, "It gets very emotional and it gets very trying on our citizens on both sides, it's just turned into this huge divide. I just want to get back to the way we were."

To hear the full story and many others about communities at a crossroads, listen to the CBC Now or Never podcast or check out the link below.

In a world that can feel pretty scary, it’s easy to get stuck. This is a show that celebrates what it takes to try. To take the risk. To have the talk. To rock the speedo. Because making even the tiniest change takes courage, and hosts Ify and Trevor are here to remind you that you’re not alone ...

27/03/2025

If your community was changing, what would you do about it?

On this week's podcast, we're stepping into four different communities across Canada on the cusp of big change, and asking how they're grappling with the question: How do you adapt to what's coming, while still holding on to what matters to you?

From the border town of St. Stephen, N.B., to an Old Order Mennonite community in Ontario facing a big decision, to a start-up intentional community in Powell River, B.C., tune in for stories of communities in flux: https://link.chtbl.com/5snqd9hp

23/03/2025

For over a year, Changiz Varzi was stuck in Canada, waiting for a visa that would allow him to leave and re-enter the country so he could visit friends and family back in Iran.

Living in immigration limbo has left him questioning whether Canada is really where he wants to build a life.

"I think all those moments and strong sad feelings basically destroyed that will to stay in Canada and build something here. Now when I think I'm like, okay, 'They don't want me, why should I stay?'"

Hear Changiz's full story on the latest episode of Now or Never: https://link.chtbl.com/cIu69c9O

21/03/2025

When Dave Lavery boarded a plane on Remembrance Day, he snapped a picture and sent it to friends saying he planned to lay a wreath at the cemetery near his villa in Kabul. But the former soldier never made it to that cemetery.

Dave's wife, Junping was waiting for him when the plane landed in Afghanistan, but Dave had disappeared. Taliban officials blindfolded and tied him up, taking him to a solitary cell somewhere in Kabul.

As Junping fled the country, Dave's son Brant launched into action, trying desperately to get help to find his Dad and get him back before the birth of Brant's baby boy - Dave's first grandchild.

Listen to this week's show to hear what it was like for this family to live in limbo for 77 days, and find out what it took to find Dave and bring him home.

Click the link to listen: https://link.chtbl.com/2Y-7MV6g

21/03/2025

In your twenties, almost everything feels like it's in limbo: school, friends, where to live.

For 24-year-old Hannah Cha, she's under a tight deadline to find a job, and figure out her next steps: "I don't like the feeling of being a burden to other people."

Hear how Hannah is getting through this period of uncertainty, and the surprising place she's finding some relief, on this week's episode of Now or Never.

Click the link to listen: https://link.chtbl.com/2Y-7MV6g

20/03/2025

Like a lot of people in their twenties, Hannah Cha is in limbo, trying to figure out next steps when it comes to her career, friends, and where to live. This recent University of Alberta graduate is also under a tight deadline to find a job: "I don't like the feeling of being a burden to other people."

To hear how Hannah is moving through this uncertain time in her life - and the surprising ways she's coping - listen to the Now or Never podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/2Y-7MV6g

14/03/2025

If you listen to the show this week you'll hear the beautiful harmonies of the All Nations Full Gospel Church choir in Ottawa. Read what some of their members shared with us about what their faith motivates them to do.

Catch Now or Never on CBC Radio Sunday at 3pm ET/AT, 3:30 NT, 5pm CT/MT/PT or on the CBC Now or Never podcast.

13/03/2025

If you'd like to hear some inspiring (and surprising) stories about how faith is motivating people to take action, tune in to this week's Now or Never!

We'll take you inside a rollicking gospel church in Ottawa, a sweat lodge in Winnipeg, and Ify's first attempt at fasting during Ramadan. Plus, former sports broadcaster Matthew Leibl tells us why getting ordained as a rabbi wasn't as big of a leap as you might think, and an atheist reveals how he ended up as a deacon in the Catholic Church.

Hear all these stories and more, by clicking this link:

In a world that can feel pretty scary, it’s easy to get stuck. This is a show that celebrates what it takes to try. To take the risk. To have the talk. To rock the speedo. Because making even the tiniest change takes courage, and hosts Ify and Trevor are here to remind you that you’re not alone ...

09/03/2025

“I quit my job at thirty-three because I feared I’d regret not giving my music a chance. Now, I fear I’ll regret giving it too many chances to break me.”

This was a small part of a very raw and honest instagram post that musician Grant Davidson (aka. Slow Leaves) posted last year.

In it, he wrote how he was struggling with the reality that his music career has not turned out the way he had hoped and that in his worst moments it all feels like a failure.

He said he needs to find balance in his life, because as much as music is something he needs to help him connect and make sense of the world around him, he know that he has to step outside of that world for his own well being.

“Where I’ve failed in the business of art I think I’ve succeeded in the making of it. I’ve added a small bit of beauty into the world. That’s not nothing.”

Here is a live acoustic performance on Now or Never of some of that beauty. This is his song, “American Band””

07/03/2025

15-year-old Hyun Byun is so determined to become the next K-pop idol, he spent a year away from family and friends to train in South Korea.

Now he's back home in Toronto, trying to balance life as a high school student and keeping his ambitious singing and dancing dreams alive.

Hear all about Hyun's journey in the competitive world of K-pop, on the latest episode of Now or Never: https://link.chtbl.com/cIu69c9O