In this special co-production episode, we're diving into life on the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border. While the two Prairie provinces have many things in common, there are differences. We speak with residents of Flin Flon about how living on the divide complicates everything from buying a vehicle to emergency response efforts. Then we hear from a woman in Creighton, Sask., who says inter-provincial gaps in health care failed her mother.

Manitoba’s health-care system has been strained for years. The median wait times at Winnipeg hospitals now regularly exceed 3.5 hours, according to data from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. Waits for diagnostic testing and several key surgeries, including hip and knee operations, also rose this year, provincial data shows.

But Premier Wab Kinew says he's confident a fix is just around the corner. In a year-end interview with CBC, Kinew was asked when his government will fix those long waits. He said that will happen in 2026.

Provincial affairs reporter Ian Froese joins the show to tell us more about the interview, unpack whether this latest timeline is feasible and explain why health-care professionals say they have their doubts.

It’s been nearly a decade since Sio Silica staked its first claims in southern Manitoba.

Initially, the Alberta-based company was searching for sand deposits as a source for the material used to facilitate oil extraction, which could then be sold to the oil and gas industry for fracking.

What’s followed has been a long and winding saga for residents of southeastern Manitoba, Sio Silica executives and stakeholders –– and a battleground of political intrigue.

CBC’s Bartley Kives joins the pod to take us through the evolution of Sio Silica’s plans, why residents are concerned, and the latest political turmoil that’s unfolded around the proposed resource-extraction project.

Food insecurity is growing in Manitoba. About 60,000 people across the province access food banks every month, according to new data from Manitoba Harvest.

That represents a 150 per cent increase since 2020, and there are other notable trends. The latest numbers show that a third of people accessing food banks are employed, and more clients are families with children under the age of 18.

This week, we put faces to the numbers in the 2025 Harvest Voices report, speaking to Manitobans about their experiences using the province’s food banks. We hear from Harvest president and CEO Vince Barletta about the latest data, and small business owner Miranda Mirlycourtois explains how she’s using social media to fight the stigma of being a food bank user.

The Winnipeg Parking Authority pitched a plan to city hall that would make it possible for the public to report illegally parked vehicles by submitting photos.

It didn’t take long for city council to park the plan. The public works committee voted in favour of temporarily stopping the plan from being pursued further.

Both councillors and the public expressed concern, saying it sounded like people were being encouraged to "snitch" on their neighbours, and they worried it would pit Winnipeggers against each other.

It isn't the first time the city, or the province, has explored the option of asking Manitobans to report their neighbours for bad behaviour. We chart some of the more notable snitching schemes over the years, we hear from Len Eastoe, a former police officer and founder of Traffic Ticket Experts, about the flaws in this latest plan, and Arthur Schaefer, a University of Manitoba ethics expert, shares his take on why this pitch got people talking for all the wrong reasons. 

Violence on public transit is on the rise across the country, a new investigation from CBC News and the Investigative Journalism Foundation found. In Winnipeg, the trend is stark: violent incidents on buses have increased over 280 per cent since 2018.

The Amalgamated Transit Union has been sounding the alarm for months now. Despite new measures like protective shields for drivers and safety patrols, union president Chris Scott says much more needs to be done.

This month, the province laid out its plan for Manitoba in the speech from the throne.

An end to mandatory overtime for nurses, a new fuel-generating system in Westman, Winnipeg’s first supervised consumption site and cheaper groceries –– we get more details from Premier Wab Kinew on some of the major promises he's made.

In October, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra announced it had reached an operating surplus for the first time in five years.

It’s been a struggle for Manitoba arts organizations in the five years since the pandemic, many of whom have seen years of deficits, made programming changes, petitioned governments for more funding and appealed to audiences to come back.

And finally, they’re starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. 

WSO executive director Angela Birdsell talks about navigating post-pandemic challenges, while Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre artistic director Kelly Thornton explains how the organization is catering to audiences' changing needs.

Next week, a new bylaw goes into effect in Winnipeg that restricts where people can set up encampments. The tent cities have become more common in recent years as the number of people experiencing homelessness has surged.

We hear from CBC’s Cameron MacLean, who spoke to people living in the camps, nearby neighbours and city officials to find out what these new rules could mean. Community reporter Jim Agapito checks in with Osborne Village residents about what they think of the new plan. Shauna MacKinnon, professor and chair in the department of urban and inner-city studies at the University of Winnipeg and a member of Manitoba's Right to Housing coalition, weighs in on why the plan is flawed and reflects the growing pressure on governments to deliver on promises that are difficult to keep. 

Manitoba’s premier says the province is working on three megaprojects that will bring in a combined $30 billion of economic activity. Wab Kinew says that’s enough to transform the "have-not" province into a wealthy one.

While one of those projects, Port of Churchill Plus, has already captured Prime Minister Mark Carney's attention, CBC’s Bartley Kives takes us through what the other two might be.

Plus, the prime minister has highlighted the Port of Churchill as a potential nation-building project, but what will it take to make the vision a reality –– and what challenges lie ahead? Feiyue Wang, the director of the University of Manitoba's Churchill Marine Observatory and the Canada Research chair in arctic environmental chemistry, explains.

Advocates say early universal screening for learning disabilities could change lives — but teachers worry it may not be the best use of limited classroom resources. Host Marcy Markusa speaks with Karen Velthuys from the Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba, Lillian Klausen, president of the Manitoba Teachers Society, and Melanie Rosenfelt, who talks about being diagnosed with two learning disabilities at age 43.

From better work-life balance to Canada’s universal health care, more U.S. doctors are finding reasons to move to Manitoba. Dr. Arleigh Trainor shares her reasons for leaving the States, and Dr. Alison Carleton talks about what's attracting physicians to rural Manitoba.

And more U.S. doctors are on their way, Manitoba’s health minister says. What does that say about the province’s doctor recruitment push? CBC’s Faith Fundal speaks with Dr. Nichelle Desilets, president of Doctors Manitoba, about what this means for the province’s health-care system.

CBC's Cory Funk is guest host

Homeowner Carol Styles speaks with host Marcy Markusa about living on Carpathia Road, facing possible expropriation as part of the Kenaston Boulevard widening project, and the uncertainty that's shaped her family's life for more than two decades.

Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham speaks with Marcy about the $757-million plan to widen Kenaston and replace aging bridges, and addresses residents’ concerns about communication, expropriation and city growth

How can Winnipeg ramp up its nightlife? Host Marcy Markusa explores the city’s after-dark scene with Nuit Blanche Winnipeg general manager Kurt Tittlemier, who discusses how the city can keep its creative spark alive beyond one big night. 

CBC’s Djeneba Dosso hits the streets to hear what University of Manitoba students think would make Winnipeg’s nights more exciting. 

And Ottawa’s nightlife commissioner, Mathieu Grondin, joins the conversation to share lessons from his city's nightlife revival.

Premier Wab Kinew speaks about the fires and vandalism at the constituency offices of cabinet ministers Nahanni Fontaine and Bernadette Smith.

We also talk about Manitoba healthcare. It's been two years since Premier Kinew's NDP won their election. And we ask him to respond to some Manitoban's concerns that healthcare is still broken.

Half of Canadian girls drop out of organized sports by the time they're 17, according to the organization Canadian Women and Sport. Host Marcy Markusa speaks with Marijke Vandergrift, the director of brand and partnerships at the organization, about its new campaign to combat the problem.

The International Olympic Committee billed the 2024 Paris Olympics as the  first Games with "full gender parity on the field of play." Gold medal curling champ Jill Officer and Janine Stephens, who won a silver medal for rowing, talk about how they felt as they watched the 2024 Paris Olympics, and why it took so long to reach gender parity.

And Marissa Naylor talks about representing Canada at the International Bowling Federation World Championships in Hong Kong, her journey to Team Canada, training highlights and her career achievements, including six consecutive awards as Manitoba's female bowler of the year.

As people around the world react to the killing of Charlie Kirk, a vigil was held in Winnipeg this week for the American conservative activist. The CBC's Rosanna Hempel talked to people at the vigil, held at the Manitoba Legislature ground.

Meanwhile, Winnipeg criminal defence lawyer and author Zilla Jones says that vigil left her concerned for the community. She also explains why she’s demanding an apology from the prime minister and Manitoba's premier, after some Canadian politicians stood to honour Kirk.

Also on the podcast: videos of Kirk's shooting on Sept. 10 quickly circulated online. Laura Cavanagh, a registered psychotherapist and professor of behavioural sciences at Seneca Polytechnic, joins us to talk about the effect viewing graphic violence has on people, especially youth.

When you can't afford or access a therapist, is it a good idea to get mental-health advice from a chatbot? Information Radio host Marcy Markusa speaks with Mark Dale about the potential risks and rewards.

Despite popular belief, location-sharing services on your phone don't magically turn off once you stop using GPS. Your location is tracked even when your phone is in your pocket, and that information is being collected and sold by app developers. We'll ask cybersecurity expert Marc Perreault how we can protect ourselves and our data. 

Winnipeg police Insp. Max Waddell spoke with Faith Fundal about retail crime, after an incident that involved youth with a firearm at a local business.

Also on the podcast: Michael Weinrath, criminology professor at the University of Winnipeg, speaks with host Marcy Markusa about the armed robbery of the Unicity Walmart by four teens. He talks about what it reveals about youth crime in Winnipeg and how society can prevent similar incidents.

Kash Heed, former West Vancouver police chief, speaks with host Marcy Markusa about the ruling on the 2023 fatal shooting of Afolabi Stephen Opaso, police behaviour and use-of-force changes.

Also on the podcast today: Marcy speaks with Rune Glomseth, an associate professor emeritus at the Norwegian Police University College who specializes in police leadership.