Now or Never

Why do we find twins so fascinating?And what's it really like to be one?  Five sets of twins get real about the ups and downs of moving through the world with someone who looks exactly like you. From dressing alike to developing secret languages, Now or Never producer Jessica Singer and her twin sister Nicole kick the show off by answering all your nosy questions about life as a twin.For first-time parents Kim Miller and Robert Jiang, having toddler twins has been a handful. But Robert's mom Sufan Lu has jumped in to become a lifeline for Kim and Robert, and a delight to her grandchildren. Find out why all parents of multiples need a nai nai (grandmother) like Sufan in their lives.Identical twins Niko and Marko Martinovic grew up pulling off pranks together, switching spots on unsuspecting friends and family. Today they've turned those pranks into a full-time job, as the creators and stars of the "Even Out Twins" on YouTube. But ten years in, Niko and Marko are starting to question how constantly assuming the same identity has affected their individuality. Rory and Camilla Turnbull were born identical twin sisters, but now that Rory has come out as trans they're navigating life as brother and sister for the first time. Mercedes Sheen vividly remembers the time she fainted dramatically in the dining hall at primary school. But her twin sister, Michaela Sheen, insists it was she who fainted dramatically that day. These sorts of disagreements are what Mercedes calls “disputed memories,” and it's a phenomenon that happens mostly with twins. Mercedes and Michaela reunite to tell us how this unique twin experience (and childhood argument) led Mercedes to do a PhD on it.Twin sisters Chantal and Jeannelle Tousignant aren't just best friends. At the age of 35, they've decided they'll also be lifelong roommates. How a low point in each of their lives caused them to move back in together, and led to a surprising realization they share the same life dream -- one they only want to achieve together. 

What happens after you witness something you can't get out of your mind?Today on Now or Never, stories from the bystanders, and how their lives changed in the aftermath.Trevor asks strangers on the street to share the most memorable thing they've ever witnessed, from northern lights to Beyonce sightings.As a kid growing up in Barrier Lake, Quebec, Shannon Chief has a vivid memory of coming across 12 moose in the woods one cold wintery night, "like grandfathers standing around me." Today, seeing a moose in the wild is rare. As Shannon and elders witness the animal's decline, they've banded together to take action to stop sport hunting in a Quebec wilderness reserve.Marla Minshall has been supported by friends and family all their life. Now they're looking for a chance to do the same for others - by serving as a witness at strangers' weddings.Darrell Warren is determined to fight crime in his neighbourhood. At 64 years old, he's voluntarily staking out suspected drug houses in Winnipeg's North End, and starting a tip line so other community members can come forward as witnesses. But is it safe?When Ti-Anna Wang was 13, her father — Chinese pro-democracy activist Dr. Wang Bingzhnag — was charged with terrorism and espionage and sentenced to life in prison in China. Much of Ti-Anna's life has been spent advocating for her father's freedom, but today she's ready to embrace a new chapter. 

Your long weekend just got better, because Now or Never's latest podcast just dropped and we're taking you on adventures across the country.We start in Winnipeg, where Trevor has been wondering about a huge pirate ship in someone's backyard for years. Today, he knocks on the door and meets “Captain” Doug Cook and discovers how his dream of a place where his grandchildren could play has helped him deal with loneliness after the death of his wife.Farkhunda Muhtaj had big dreams of kicking her way into soccer history this summer, playing for the Calgary Wild FC as part of Canada's first women's pro soccer league. A tendon injury has kept her on the sidelines for now, but Farkhunda is doing everything in her power to get back on the pitch - carrying the dreams of young Afghan soccer players on her shoulders. The bustling Rawlins Cross intersection in downtown St. John's, N.L. is notorious for collisions. But when the weather gets warmer, 87-year-old William Pryse-Phillips gives people in the area a reason to stop and smell the roses…literally. It's been a tough year for beekeepers in Manitoba, but that isn't stopping 18-year-old April Steppler from following her dad, Ian's footsteps, and managing her first hive ever. Trevor visits the apiary to find out what's hurting the bees and how this father/daughter team is determined to make the best of the season.In a Nova Scotia forest, Nina Newington and Lisa Proulx are putting up tents, turning on camp stoves, and settling in for a summer of trying to protect the forest from logging. Their tools are tiny —endangered lichens almost imperceptible to the naked eye — but their love for the forest is big, and determination is growing by the day.Finally, listeners call in their favourite sounds of summer.

First day on the job. The last time your kid holds your hand. Life is full of firsts and lasts, and today you'll hear some memorable ones.At Montrose Elementary School in Winnipeg, the students are celebrating 70 years of school history with the most ambitious spring concert ever, and that has first-time performers — and first-time performing arts teacher, Andrea Brickwood — feeling the pressure.After 15 years and three kids, Arv and his partner ended their relationship. Today he's dipping his toes back into a dating world that's changed dramatically since his last visit. Now he has to figure out the dos and don'ts of first dates all over again.April Hubbard has been a performer for much of her life. As she prepares for her death by MAiD, she's completing her final artistic creations — performances in which there's no more holding back. Looking for a change, Ti-Anna Wang left her law career to do something she's never done before – run Silly Goose Kids, a toy store in Toronto. Join in on the nerves and uncertainty less than 24 hours before opening day.After 31 years in business, Sandy Doyle was more than ready to shut down her diner Blondie's Burgers in Winnipeg. But is she ready to quit her 'Blondie' persona too? After fleeing Ukraine with only $700 in their pockets, Sofiia Dubyk and her family have purchased their first house in St. John's, N.L. They're looking forward to making their house into a home, but their excitement is tempered by the reality that back in Ukraine, war rages on. 

More than two million surgeries are performed every year in Canada, and behind every cut, stitch, or scar - there's a story. On this episode we're getting into the ripple effects of going under the knife, for better or for worse.When Gilles Landreville noticed a small cut on his foot, he couldn't have known that a week later, he'd be waking up in hospital, missing two-thirds of his left leg. But as Gilles adjusts to life in a new body, he's also finding a new identity: Gilles 2.0, an update that refuses to let his circumstances bring him down—and is determined to help other people navigate tough changes too. Ashley Hiebert wants to celebrate her 10 year anniversary of donating a kidney to a stranger, by doing it again: this time, she's donating part of her liver to someone she's never met. The only thing standing in her way isn't fear, it's finances.How does performing surgery change you? Hear from second-year medical student Samuel Bonne, pediatric surgeon Dr. Tito Daodu, and thoracic surgeon Dr. Ikennah Browne about the experiences in the OR that changed them.For some reason vasectomies are the butt of many jokes, but for 26-year-old Daniel McIntyre-Ridd, choosing to get one before ever having children was no laughing matter. Janessa Fitchett has always been good with her hands. She planned to combine welding and art to create big things. But an accident at work changed everything.When Marie and Erik Matchett travelled to India to adopt their daughter Norah, they knew she had a bilateral cleft lip and palate — but they didn't yet know the extent of the surgeries she'd need or how they'd calm their nervous little girl during hospital visits. That's when Big Brave Norah came into play, a nickname that's inspired confidence in more kids than they imagined.

As political divisiveness becomes the new norm, it can get harder to see the other side, and understand why people vote the way they do. But instead of demonizing those on the other end of the political spectrum, why not lean in and get curious as to why people believe what they do?  On this special election edition of Now or Never, hear from five different Canadians — an 18-year-old, a pastor, a Panamanian-Canadian immigrant, a gun enthusiast, and a senior citizen — about the personal experience shaping the way they'll be voting in this federal election.Gale Uhlmann has a job since she was 15-years-old, working as a trucker, waitress, and office worker. Now at 74, Gale's still working -- but not by choice. She doesn't have enough savings to retire, or to pay $10 000 for the new teeth she needs: "You're a statistic. And they don't - how can I put it nicely - they don't give a damn about what we're encountering."Firearms were a big part of what brought Patrick Osborne and his wife Tara together. After she passed away from cancer in 2022, it's also shaping how he's planning to vote in this election.Although he's been a Canadian citizen for 20 years, Fernando Ameth Pinzon has never voted in a federal election. But Donald Trump's comments about his home country have shifted something in him, bringing him back to a place he hasn't been in a while: his childhood in Panama. When Jason McAllister and his family moved into their new neighborhood in Prince George, B.C., bail reform wasn't even a thought. After five years of living near a home where he frequently witnessed drug use and police raids, it's become a key election issue. 18-year-old Harman Banga is casting her first vote in a federal election, something she's been looking forward to since she was a child. But recently, voting has become even more personal for Harman — her parents both work in the auto industry and their jobs are threatened by tariffs.

As the world faces a now or never moment, Canadians are examining their values, picking their battles, and figuring out how they can stand up for their beliefs. Today on Now or Never we're discovering how people are pushing back with big and small acts of resistance. The Trump administration's tariff war and comments about making Canada a “51st state” has spurred a wave of defensive patriotism across the country. Meet Mike Robitaille, who refuses to spend a cent on any American products or businesses - and that includes everything, from toothpaste to Netflix.When Manitoba's Janet Braun came out as a transgender woman, she knew she would have to find a new church because she didn't feel safe at her old one. Then she saw the rainbows on full display in Brandon's Knox United, and knew she'd found a home. But Reverend Craig Miller says the church's reputation as a place where all are welcome, has made it the target of hate. For 38 years Pickering's Shenul Williams has fought to keep her late father's family business alive. Just last month she was on the brink of closing her Indo-African condiment business, Aki Fine Foods, when that surge of Canadian patriotism changed everything. First Nations Chief Lance Haymond knows more about radioactive nuclear waste than he ever wanted to, but he says that's what it takes to protect his people's land. Why he has to keep fighting “a David and Goliath battle” to stop Canadian Nuclear Laboratories from building a near surface disposal site on traditional Algonquin territory. Fighting back doesn't necessarily have to mean joining a rally or boycotting a business. Sometimes, taking a stand can mean breaking your mom's curfew for the first time at 18 years old. We ask young people in St. John's, N.L. what acts of resistance they are taking part in.Plus a mashup of Canadian protest songs, Jim Cuddy's latest, and a surprise cameo by Unreserved's Rosanna Deerchild.

For nine seasons Ify Chiwetelu and Trevor Dineen have been with Canadians in their most personal now or never moments, when they're on the brink of something new, striving for a goal or making a change.But what happens after the interview?Today we're diving in with past guests to find out if they really did what they said they would, and how it all turned out.Sophie Davie was five months pregnant when she told us how nervous (but empowered) she felt having a baby all on her own. Seventeen months later, we knock on her door to meet the daughter she always wanted and see if the dream of single motherhood matches up to the reality of going it alone.In 1970 beauty queen Darlene Williams rode in a 1970 Pink Panther Dodge Challenger convertible as part of her reign. 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?When we last left De Vine Thomas she was months away from graduating high school and dreaming of leaving Peguis First Nation - the reserve where she grew up - to pursue her fashion dreams. Did she fulfill her dreams to move away from her community until she was “a real old lady”?Toronto's Aaron Brown has dreamed of competing on his favourite gameshow, Jeopardy, for as long as he can remember. He applied 16 times, he hosted trivia as his job, and carried around a clicker to practice his speed. But did all that matter when the show finally called?Two weeks after Corine Mathurin moved to Montreal from Toronto, she explained to her good friend Ify it was because she wasn't getting what she needed in her community. She wanted closer connections and more meet ups with friends in real life. Today Ify calls Corine up to find out if she got what she was looking for.

If your community was changing, what would you do about it? Today we're stepping into four different communities across Canada on the cusp of big change, and how they're grappling with this question: How do you adapt to what's coming, while still holding onto what matters to you?The Canadian border town of St. Stephen, N.B. has had a beautiful relationship with its American neighbours in Calais, Maine for more than a hundred years. But tough tariffs talks have both sides feeling like they're stuck in a breakup that nobody wants. St. Stephen mayor Allan MacEachern and resident Tracey Matheson describe the strain of when the political and the personal collide.Charles Reeves gives us a tour of A Better Tent City, a sanctioned tiny home community in Kitchener for people experiencing homelessness, that is fighting to keep going. 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. And if you've ever thought of leaving it all behind to start your own utopian community from scratch, you might want to ask Ron Berezan for advice. After years of planning, he's months away from opening a new 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.

If you're feeling stuck in limbo — about your relationship status, your job, your health, or whatever is happening with tariffs these days — you're not the only one.On this episode, stories of people stuck in between the place they don't want to be, and the place they're hoping to get to.Ify starts by asking strangers on the street about a time they fell into romantic limbo, and how they got out.After years of living and working in Afghanistan, former soldier Dave Lavery was suddenly detained by the Taliban, blindfolded and taken to a cell. For 77 days his family was in limbo, not sure if or when they'd see him again. We take you behind the scenes of their reunion and how Dave has been forever changed.Being in your twenties can feel like being in a constant state of limbo, as you're figuring out school, friends, and who you want to be. For 24-year old Hannah Cha, she's under a tight deadline to find a job, and move on to the next stage of her life. 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. Stuck playing the waiting game, Changiz is questioning whether Canada is really where he wants to build a life. And 24-year-old Kaitlin Callander has been on the waitlist for shared assisted living in Ontario for six years, with no clear date of when she'll get a bed. And that's because there are currently 52,000 people on the waiting list. We hear from Kaitlin and her mom Nicole, who believes that living in this state of limbo is inhibiting her daughter's independence.

Faith is something that motivates billions of people every single day, whether it's fasting during Ramadan, giving back to your community, or making you believe in something bigger than yourself. Today you'll hear from people whose faith has inspired them to take action in ways you might not expect.We're half-way through Ramadan, and Ify decides to try a day of fasting in solidarity with her friend (and CBC Manitoba host) Nadia Kidwai. But first she gets some advice from Nadia, on how disconnecting from the physical world allows you to connect with something higher.Former sports broadcaster Matthew Leibl tells us why getting ordained as a rabbi wasn't as big of a leap as you might think. We visit the rollicking All Nations Full Gospel Church in Ottawa, to find out how the power of music moves even the shyest of wall flowers to get up on stage and sing.Michelle Gazze grew up going to a Hindu temple in Winnipeg with her family, until she had a revelatory moment in university that compelled her to convert to Islam. She tells us how her Muslim faith is motivating her to give back to the community, and why she's roping in all her cousins (who she jokingly refers to as "Super Hindus") along for the ride.Teacher Tasha Spillett invites us to a sweat lodge, along with her grade 9 students.And former atheist Rick Loftson reveals how he ended up as a deacon in the Catholic Church. NOTE: This episode originally aired in June 2018.

People from all walks of life, taking big risks for their art.We start with Bee Bertrand, who says our show - and one innocent question from Ify - inspired him to quit his job six months ago to commit fully to stand-up comedy. He tells us what's happened since that fateful day.Illustrator Narges Noori shares how her fight to create art in Afghanistan under the Taliban, led her to seek safety in Edmonton.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 at a K-pop school 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.And 20 years into his career, Winnipeg musician Grant Davidson (of Slow Leaves) shares what it's like to give everything to his music, and still feel like he's fallen short. 

Cairo. Nairobi. Rio de Janeiro. Those are just a few of the places we're going today, to see how Canadians are making their mark around the world right now.Simran Bajwa is determined to become the youngest Canadian to hike the seven summits, the highest mountain peaks on each continent. Something that's keeping her motivated through gruelling weather and treacherous terrains is her mom, who is living vicariously through Simran because she spent many years unable to scratch her own travel bug. Despite being born and raised in Ottawa, travel journalist Joel Balsam never felt completely himself in Canada. So he started “shopping” for a new place to live in his adult years, travelling to more than 60 countries. The place he feels most alive is Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, so he decided to stay. But Joel says there's a difference between “staying” and “settling.”When Incia Khalid travelled to Cairo, Egypt at a low point in her life, she didn't expect to find the healing she needed. Today, hear how she handles life, business, and motherhood between two continents.For the last 35 years, Larry Gelmon has lived and worked in Kenya. But his time here - as a doctor and researcher at an HIV/AIDS clinic in Nairobi - Is very much up in the air, after the U.S. put a hold on international aid.This winter, Katya Castillo left her hometown of Edmonton to spend a week in Puerto Vallarta and Mexico City. But for Katya, she isn't just another tourist – she grew up in Mexico and this is her home too. She explains what it's like for her to go there as a visitor now, and be a Mexican-Canadian among the “gringos” abroad.  

Every story you hear today could be ripped from the plotline of a Hollywood movie - from 'meet-cutes' to waking up with no memory of who you are. What it's like to live out a movie cliche, in real life.Forbidden Love. Justin was told he could only be with a Korean woman, and Sarah was told her future husband had to be Muslim. When they fell in love, they knew it would be a battle for acceptance. The Meet Cute. Couples in romantic comedies often meet in unconventional ways — by literally colliding into each other on the street, or locking eyes as they reach for the same book. But you don't often see movies where the main characters fall in love in the hallway at the retirement home. Meet some speed-dating seniors at the Alderwood Retirement Centre in Witless Bay, N.L. who say it's never too late to date. 50 First Dates. Nesh Pillay has been dubbed the real-life 50 First Dates, but she says forgetting who and where you are is terrifying, and not at all like a rom-com.How the popularity of K-drama led to some strange typecasting in one man's dating life. With the rise of Korean dramas showcasing Asian men as chiselled, stoic dreamboats, Clement Goh noticed he started getting more matches on online dating apps. But that led to some weird expectations when he met up with women in person, leading him to question who he really is.Childhood friends....30 years later. Movies like Stand By Me and The Goonies show the intense bond of childhood friendship, but you never find out what happens after - did they stay friends? Did they go their separate ways? Trevor sits down with eight friends who grew up together in Terrace, B.C., to find out the secret to a 30-year friendship.

Unleash your inner snoop, with stories of people trying to get to the bottom of a mystery that's been hanging over them for years.When Darren Bernhardt and his sister Sandy started to clear out their childhood home after their dad passed away, at first it felt like they were snooping. Their dad was private, tight-lipped, and kind of a grump. But then they started finding things he'd tucked away in sock drawers and cupboards, that made them see their dad in a whole new light.Solving genealogy mysteries has become a bit of an obsession for Lauren Robilliard, who's helped hundreds of people track down biological family members. For this self-taught "super sleuth," it all started when she was a young girl who knew she was adopted, and wanting to find answers about who she is. When Now or Never producer James Chaarani bought a remote cabin in the woods with his partner, they got more than they were bargaining for — they inherited most of the belongings of the previous owner who lived (and tragically died) there. Since then, they've been trying to figure out who he was, and how to peacefully co-exist with the ghost of a dead man.Growing up near Larder Lake in northern Ontario, Jason Ploeger had always heard local rumours about a taxi cab that mysteriously ended up at the bottom of the lake. He takes us on an adventure of murky dives and unopened whiskey bottles, and tells us the surprising truth behind the legend.

Across Canada, historic Chinatowns are under threat, facing development and gentrification, soaring housing costs, and concerns about public safety. Why do these places matter, and what gets lost if they disappear completely? Today on Now or Never, we're travelling from Vancouver, BC to St. John's, Newfoundland, to meet people who are fighting for the future of their Chinatown.Ify takes a walk through Toronto's Chinatown with Sum Wong, the creative force behind Queens of Dim Sum - Toronto Chinatown's first and only public queer event. He tells us why it was so important to create this space in Chinatown, and how it's opening up new conversations within the city's East Asian community - including ones with his own mom. In Lethbridge, Alberta, Allan Chiem and his kung fu school are the last ones standing in the city's historic Chinatown. How he's breathing new life into the last remaining building, and what he dreams of for the future.Meet Carol Lee, who through sheer force of will is revitalizing Vancouver's struggling Chinatown. She takes us on a tour of the affordable housing complex she spent years trying to get built, and tells us what keeps her going - even when her own father told her she should give up.Francis Tam is on a mission: to find every person of Chinese descent currently living in Newfoundland and Labrador. It's his way of connecting a community that has never had a physical Chinatown to gather in. He takes us along for a ride as he meets up with the oldest Chinese-Canadian person in Newfoundland, 104-year-old Mrs. Kwan Hum.William Chen and his sister Winnie grew up in Edmonton's Chinatown, and have fond memories of a vibrant street culture and around-the-block lineups for dim sum. But ever since the pandemic, the area has struggled, with many long-time businesses shuttering their doors for good. Determined to save the place they call home, William and Winnie are going all in to bring people back, using the one thing they know best...food. 

Stories of people facing their worst-case scenario head on.Meet David Arama, a guy who likes to be prepared for everything - storms, floods, fire.....and World War III? He takes us on a tour of his nuclear bomb shelter, tells us why he's not one of those "extreme preppers," and shares who makes the cut to get into his bunker in case the poop hits the fan.1 in 5 new businesses in Canada don't make it to their first year, and Nicole Drakes was determined to beat that statistic. But three months after opening her bakery in Morell, PEI, things started to unravel. Nicole shares her journey of picking herself back up after losing it all.When Trevor Dineen was growing up, his mom kept a running tally of all the things that could maim or injure him. Kidnappings. Drowning. Car accidents. He sits down with his mom Carol to ask where that fear came from, and the lingering effects on him today - including how he parents his own kids.Keely McCoy is 27-years-old, and has tested positive for the gene mutation that causes Huntington's disease -an incurable neurodegenerative disorder that both her mom and grandmother had. She tells us how she's determined to live her life differently from her own mom, who lived in denial about the disease for years.

Congratulations, you've done the thing you set out to do. Your first half-marathon. A dream job. Mastering the ukulele. But what happens AFTER you accomplish something big? On this episode, stories of people trying to figure that out.In her twenties, Eman Bare personified 'girl boss' hustle culture. She earned degrees in law and journalism, designed clothes that showed at New York Fashion Week, became a certified yoga instructor, and wrote 11 books - all before the age of 30. Today, her main goal is to be in bed by eight. This recovering overachiever tells us how burnout taught her to finally say the word 'no.'Jimmy Chau was excited to run his first full-marathon, he just wasn't expecting it would take him nearly seven hours to do it. He tells us about finishing dead-last in the Manitoba Marathon, and who was there for him at the end.When Ben Scrivens retired from his career as an NHL goalie in 2016, he had to figure out how to get a “real job” for the first time in his life. Ben tells Trevor why he chose to get a master's degree in social work, helping other retired players deal with the jealousies, ego adjustments and hard truths that he struggled with after hanging up the skates for good.And Syrian-Canadian Amrou Nayal is about to visit Syria for the first time in 16 years. He reflects on lost hope, sacrifices, and staying loyal to the revolution when others gave up, and tells Ify how this moment has allowed him to dream again about the future for Syria.

In praise of putting yourself out there.Lynn Sainté has never planned an event before. But she wants to relive her church choir days, so she's booked a venue, hired musicians, and sent out invites to everyone she knows for a pop-up choir event. Now the question is….will anyone show up?One year ago, Shelby Sappier, known as the musician Beaatz, made a bold prediction on Instagram: That 2024 would be his biggest year in music ever. Now that the year is almost over, Ify checks in to find out he's one of only six people in the first ever Indigenous Music Residency at CBC. Now he just has to figure out how to keep this momentum going. Ben Shannon and his 9-year-old daughter entered an international whistling competition on a lark. But then they got accepted, and things got serious. Find out how this father-daughter faced tough-talking whistling coaches, a case of stage fright, and Ben's own shield of teenage irony.19-year-old Callum Long needs to find a job, but being on the autism spectrum is making his search a little more complicated. Trevor tags along with Callum and his dad in the family mini-van, as Callum puts on his best dress shirt and hands out resumes -- in the hopes someone says to him, "You're hired!"For Brenda Hernandez-Acosta, making empanadas and churro cheesecake has always been her love language. But now she's ready to turn her hobby into a full-time business. She tells Trevor why she's finally ready to bet big on herself.

People survive all kinds of things - sickness, accidents, heartache. On this episode, we're exploring how people come out on the other side of that.Shannon Cornelsen knows she is from a family of survivors. On her mother's side, many of her loved ones lived through the residential school system. And that's what's motivating her to take on the task of reconnecting families of those who died in the Camsell, a hospital where many Indigenous people were taken from the North and never came home.15-year-old Yemaya Azania-Merchant went viral on TikTok for bearing a striking resemblance to Adonis Graham, the son of Canadian rap superstar, Drake. It didn't take long for the negative comments to start pouring in. Yemaya tells us how they survived the wrath of the Internet.Three hundred and seventy two days. That's how long Justin Barbour survived living off the land while trekking across the tundra of northeastern Canada. It was a self-imposed expedition that pushed him to his limits - but for Justin, the biggest challenge was leaving the woods and returning to his regular lifeTrousdale's General Store in Sydenham, Ontario has been around since 1836 - surviving two world wars, pandemics, even Amazon. Fifth-generation store owner John Trousdale shares the secret to lasting this long.Back in 2016, Philippe St-Pierre's annual hunting trip with friends turned into a nightmare, when the plane he was piloting experienced engine failure and crashed into the woods. Philippe survived, but his two friends Alain Lafontaine and Eric Cossette did not. Philippe tells us how being the sole survivor left him wrestling with some big questions.

Today we're celebrating all the cool stuff people are good at, in our own version of “Canada's Got Talent.” When Rick Ammazzini sees a locked safe without a key, he doesn't see an impenetrable door, he sees an opportunity to test his skills as an amateur safe cracker. For Rick, it's not about discovering potential riches inside, it's about unlocking a portal to a specific time in history.The newest member of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is also their youngest. 17-year-old Julin Cheung shares his thoughts on being labelled a prodigy, and what it really takes to be talented. Tanya Ryan is a talented singer-songwriter from Alberta who's won country music ‘Rising Star' awards and performed at Calgary Stampede. But after 12 years of trying to make it in the music industry, Tanya is hanging up her guitar for good. She tells us about coming to terms with the fact that talent isn't always enough.Don Vickers of Sydney Mines, NS says he has a horrible memory, but he still managed to break a world record in the competitive world of memory sports.And Paul Anthony's "Talent Time!" is a long-running live show in Vancouver with a very broad definition of what it means to be talented. A seniors' vaudeville troupe, a kids' Kung Fu class, a rabbit agility club – all have a stage here. Paul tells Ify why he doesn't want to put the notion of ‘talent,' or his show, in a box. 

There are lots of reasons to volunteer - and many excuses not to. So as Canada faces a critical volunteer shortage, what is motivating those who do?Ify takes to the streets of Toronto to find out where and why people are volunteering (or not).Seven days a week, Ashley Van Aggelen is coaching kids in hockey, basketball, soccer, and badminton. She gives up all her evenings, barely sees her friends, and bounces between multiple practices and games in a week. So what keeps this super-volunteer going?After getting fed up with the lack of emergency services in his community, Ian Hicks decided to buy a fire truck from the set of Rambo: First Blood. And just like that, a small town B.C. fire department was born. How a rag-tag collection of volunteers transformed into critical first-responders.Michele Botel grew up afraid of felines. So why did she volunteer to feed a colony of feral cats?Lyall Davis has one mission: to keep the community radio station in Killaloe, Ontario from going off the air. But without volunteers, the station will have to sign off for good - something he's worked too hard to let happen.Ever since the discovery of unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, Vanessa Genier (Missanabie Cree First Nation) has been volunteering her time making quilts for residential school survivors.Angela McBride volunteers to sit with people at the end of their lives - listening to music, playing games, and talking about whatever people want to talk about. What these end-of-life conversations have taught Angela about living.

Hear the stories behind the one-of-a-kind anniversaries people mark on their calendars.Every December before Christmas, Now or Never producer Ariel Fournier goes with her mom to visit the cemetery where her dad was interred. It's a tradition they mark on December 15 – her parents' anniversary. But it's not the day they got married, or the day they met...it's the first time her parents (ahem) became intimate. Ariel and her mom, Adrienne Drobnies, address the awkwardness and discuss the deeper meaning of sharing this day together. For the last 102 years and counting, descendants and friends of what was once the largest Black settlement in Canada travel from all over to come to a homecoming celebration like no other. Michelle Robbins' family has been there for it all, and shares what this celebration means to her.3…2…1…MENOPAUSE! How do you enter menopause? Well, if you're Coral Short, you ask guests to wear red, prepare an array of red foods, and throw a party.We asked Now or Never listeners to share a personal date they commemorate, and how they do it.And World AIDS Day on December 1 is a personal one for Anita Ikwue. Not only is it a chance to remember her father who died of AIDS when she was four years old, it's a time to celebrate and fight stigma for the 27-year-old who was born with HIV. 

What happens when you're known for one thing - good or bad - and now you're trying to be something else? Stories of people trying to change the way the world sees them.Recovering addict Shane Sturby-Highfield shares the challenges of trying to make amends and regain the trust of people he's hurt.Writer Rhea Rollman has many articles she's published, but all under a different name. Now that she's come out publicly as a trans woman, she's changing that one email at a time.Yassine Nouah is currently on the adventure of a lifetime, travelling from the Arctic to the Antarctic — and his parents don't even know about it. He now has aspirations to reinvent himself and morph from Yassine the cubicle-dwelling accountant, into the Yassine he really is today.For the last two months, Stacey Chicoine has been carefully writing her own obituary. But she's not anywhere close to death. This 41-year-old mom-of-two tells us how writing her own life story, in her own words, has been such a powerful experience - and why she's sharing parts of herself in her obituary she's never shared with anyone. 

All over the country, the prices we're paying for food are giving people sticker shock, and changing behaviours.Statistics Canada tells us food prices have gone up 22 per cent in the past four years. Food Banks Canada says 40 per cent of us are feeling financially worse off than we were last year. So as we enter into a season of celebration and food we want to know: how are you putting food on the table right now?When Julianna Romanyk realized some of her friends were struggling with high grocery costs, she got an idea: invite them into her kitchen for monthly ‘meal prep parties.' Now everyone shows up to her Toronto home with one ingredient and a stack of Tupperware, and makes a week's worth of food together - creating community along the way.At a free dinner in Winnipeg's north end, we sit down with people who reveal their food security is based on dumpster diving, stealing to survive, and a calendar that keeps track of where free food can be found in the neighbourhood.In Nunavut, grocery store prices are sky high and Kyra Kilabuk is sharing the details on TikTok so everyone can know about it. On Now or Never Kyra shares what it takes for her family of five to make ends meet in Iqaluit.At Helen Detwiler Elementary School in Hamilton, 400 students are waiting for breakfast, but the school's food program can only offer half of what they once did. Find out why milk is now off the table at this school in need.If you lift the lid in Robert Gagnon's basement, you'll find hundreds of pounds of elk meat, some salmon fillets, and even a little bit of elk tongue and moose nose. Robert is bagging game on his Lheidli T'enneh First Nation territory, to help feed his family and put meat on elders' tables.

40 000 Afghan refugees have settled in Canada since the Taliban's swift and dramatic return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.Today on Now or Never, five newcomers share the realities of starting over in a new country, and what they're dreaming about next.Afghan teenager Razia Arifi grew up in a family that always encouraged education, and to get out of Afghanistan the first chance she got. So when the Taliban returned in 2021, 16-year-old Razia found herself on a plane to Canada, without her parents and siblings. Today this university student shares how she's dealing with the weight of expectations, and why her goal is to eventually get back to Afghanistan to open a school for girls. In Afghanistan, she was an award-winning journalist fearlessly fighting for women's rights and press freedom. But here, Farida Nekzad says she's starting from zero, worried about her finances, and wondering how she will pay back the transportation loan most refugees arrive with.Canadian military veteran Dave Lavery was on the ground helping evacuate people from Afghanistan when the Taliban took Kabul. But a few months after fleeing, he returned to take back his house from the Taliban and rebuild his business in a country he still calls his 'home away from home.'For many Afghani kids in Edmonton, soccer games were their first taste of life in Canada. We take you to a game with head coach Hamid Atimadi, who is sharing his love of the game with the next generation.And transgender woman Ozlam Mahshar was severely punished by her family for wearing make-up in Afghanistan. After escaping the Taliban's rule and arriving in Canada in 2022, she now has dreams of being a make-up artist, and flexes her skills on Ify for an intimate sit-down. 

Three months after a wildfire burned 32,500 hectares of Jasper National Park, locals in the municipality are finding a way to rebuild their lives next to the charred remains of what they've lost. As this fire season comes to an end and the tourist town prepares for winter, Now or Never meets Jasperites as they navigate grief and new beginnings together. Joe Urie, a Métis tour guide and longtime local, brings Ify Chiwetelu and Trevor Dineen up to Old Fort Point, for a mountain top view of  what Jasper looks like today. Lorraine Stanko searches through the debris of her friends' and neighbours' homes, trying to find valuables that weren't destroyed by the wildfire. She hopes to bring them, and herself, closure, after her own home in town burned down. Blocks away from where the Stanko's house once stood, Sviatoslav Rud and Nina Egorova's rented home is still standing, but it is still uninhabitable due to smoke damage. They're sleeping in a borrowed RV in front of their house even as the temperatures dip. As volunteer firefighter Kim Stark battled the blaze in town, her own house burned to the ground. Now, as she tries to talk to her three young children about the devastation she's learning as much from them as they are from her.Grab a plate at the town's community dinner, a 20-year-old tradition in Jasper, that has new meaning and urgency right now.And we meet Stephen Nelson in a Hinton Hotel after his seniors lodge burned down. After 16 years in Jasper with no stable home - he moved into the lodge 11 days before the evacuation order. He is preparing to leave Jasper for good -- "the love of his life" that won't seem to let him stay.

Have you ever seen someone do something so bold, with so much confidence, and think to yourself….where did they get the nerve? On this episode, we find out.You've probably seen the viral video of the guy in BC who came face-to-face with a black bear in his garage. Alex Gold tells us how he managed to keep his cool with one angry mama bear.When we last talked to Ben Pobjoy, he was in the middle of trying to break a Guinness World Record for most marathons run in a year. And to make it even harder, he was doing it in 90 different countries. He tells us how he transformed from a self-described ‘hot dumpster fire party animal” into a guy who can run 242 marathons in 365 days.Would you ever sit down with your parents to show them a box of sex toys? Entrepreneur Mathusha Senthil is doing that and more with her company Thaen Pot — a project aimed at starting healthy discussions about sex among the South Asian diaspora. Oh, and she's running the whole thing from her bedroom closet. Lyle Odjick was a parking lot security guard when he decided to enter a blues harmonica contest on a whim. And that's how he found himself under the glare of the stage lights, playing the harmonica his grandmother gifted him, fronting a legendary Ottawa blues band…the very first time he ever played in public.Meet a Winnipeg renovation company with a bold mission: to get around only by bicycle. Trevor joins the crew from Velo Renovations to find out how you lug around 30-foot ladders and table saws to construction sites, using only two wheels. In winter. In Winnipeg. Lynn Burton has been trying to work up the courage to wear leggings in public for more than a month. Enter body-confident powerhouse Michelle Osbourne for an intervention.

When something's been lost or taken from you, how far would you go to get it back?Mohammed Aljadba's seven year old daughter lost a year of her childhood in Gaza when the war began last October. They managed to escape to Canada after a grueling journey, and he's now trying to give her and her cousins — who escaped with them — the childhood they deserve. After a lifetime of focusing on others and believing she wasn't quite smart enough, 56-year-old Colleen Sharpe is finally chasing the university degree she dreamed of.Meet a group of women in Opaskwayak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba who are training to become midwives - so babies can be born at home once again, and include the ceremonial birth practices that have been absent for so long.And when Lynn Lau found herself struggling to pay the rent as a newly single parent, she opened her home to guests to help pay the bills. How hosting strangers has helped Lynn glue the pieces of her life back together. 

Breakups can look a lot of different ways: slow dissolves, out-of-nowhere blow-outs, mutual partings-of-ways. The truth is, they all hurt. Today you'll meet people in the thick of it, and the surprising ways they're getting through.When Litia Fleming broke up with Richard Kemick after 10 years together, it came as a shock to Richard. But two weeks later, they got an even bigger jolt: Litia was pregnant. Find out how these exes are juggling new parenthood, dating, and the joys and challenges of living together after breaking up.After a painful divorce, Saba Ahmad vowed to go to law school and become the lawyer she never had. She graduated last spring, and is providing support to other South Asian women facing the end of a marriage, as she pursues her last steps to becoming a lawyer.   Three years ago, exhausted from all the arguing, nagging and fighting, Jessyka and Jordan Hagen called it quits - only to realize their breakup would eventually save their marriage.Ify heads to Next Generation Arts, a youth arts organization in Scarborough, to learn lessons on wading through heartbreak.And we crash a support group helping men talk about their emotions after a breakup - but if you're late, expect to do push-ups. 

We know that people love their pets - the pet industry is worth billions of dollars in this country. But on this week's show, Ify and Trevor join Canadians who are truly going beyond for the animals in their lives and asking, "How far is too far?"When she was growing up, Ify's parents disliked pets, but today they've fallen for Kiki the cat. Ify asks her mom Vicky Chiwetelu how this unexpected love story came to be.After Kendal Crawford and Shaun Stephens-Whale, of Squamish BC, adopted two rats, friends refused to come over to their house. But the couple is out to prove that Kuzko and Kronk are not only adorable, they're smart pets who have learned to drive a homemade "rat rod".Ottawa's Duane Taylor puts his money where his mouth is when it comes to stray dogs. For the last two years, he has spent $80K and travelled to conflict zones in Ukraine, bringing food and medicine to four legged friends in need. When will he stop and how will he measure success?When Sahar Bayat broke up with her boyfriend, he took their dog, Stella. But Sahar couldn't live without her golden retriever, so she took him to court to fight for custody, despite the $60K price tag. The emotional story behind this first case in Canada, where a dog was seen as a child instead of a piece of property. Edmonton's Marla Smith says that it wasn't for her own good that she learned to drive an adapted van as a bipedal amputee. It was so she could take her service dogs to the vet and obedience competitions around the prairies. Find out what makes them best in show and how they've expanded Marla's world.

As many as 12 per cent of all workers in Canada are on the clock after midnight. And that can have an impact on your health, your relationships, and your home life. Today we hear from some of the people who work while the rest of the country sleeps, including long-haul truckers, health-care aids and DJs.Trucker Leah Gorham regularly goes on long-haul treks with her boyfriend Roland Bereczki, where they trade off shifts so they can be on the move 24 hours a day. They tell us how they maintain a relationship when your bodies are on opposite clocks - while doing one of the most dangerous jobs out there.For the last four years, health-care aid Tes has been working the night shift at a personal care home in Aldergrove, BC. And not all those nights are peaceful.Sam Stratigeas has always loved the night, and pumping up nightclub crowds as his alter ego DJ Sammm. But it wasn't until his divorce and coming out that he took it more seriously, and now at 62 he can be found spinning at venues across Toronto's gay village. Some people say nothing good ever happens at 2 am, but don't tell that to the overnight staff at the WE24 Safe Space For Youth in Winnipeg. Every night, they open up their doors to provide food, laundry and a safe sleeping area for vulnerable youth in the neighborhood. And more importantly, they offer hope.When Binita Lamsal needed a second job to make ends meet, she asked Deepak Kumar for work at his overnight cleaning business. They tell us how their friendship bloomed into a romance on the night shift, and what they're dreaming of next.

We all feel stuck sometimes - in habits, relationships, or just general middle-age malaise. So how do you get "unstuck?" On this episode, hear from people in the thick of it - and what they're doing to get their lives back on track.Emily Baadsvik is stuck between an idealism of what she thinks she should have accomplished by age 41, and the realities of her life today. She tells Ify why she feels like she's slowly unravelling, 10 years after she was on the Canadian Olympic bobsled team, dreaming big.Musician Boy Golden is currently stuck in a van while on tour, so we decided to call him up for his best stories from the road.Chet Breau was stuck in behaviours that were going to kill him, until a moment that turned everything around. How he overcame addictions to food and alcohol and helped save his own life.Dominique Robichaud swears being stuck on an island together with her partner is the best thing for their relationship. And after fleeing Gaza on foot, Marilyn Kasken's brothers Talal and Fahed have been stuck for months in Egypt, waiting to join their sisters in Newfoundland.

At 15, Bee Bertrand's life was changed when he went to a Bif Naked concert. Finally, he was able to see "weirdos" just like him: queer people living loudly and proudly. And for decades, her music got him through the highs and lows of life. But after a late-night DM, Bee went from Bif's fan to one of her best friends.

It's always bugged Toronto journalist Adrian Ma that there is *another* Adrian Ma out there, a journalist and podcast host who is more famous, more accomplished, and “approximately 20% better looking" than him. So this summer, Adrian reached out to his doppelganger, and flew down to Washington, D.C. to meet him in person. The surreal moment when Adrian Ma meets Adrian Ma.Plus, Trevor talks to an old-school matchmaker with some unusual methods of scouting for singles.And what happens when 60 strangers dressed up in mumus and curly orange wigs get together to channel their inner Mrs Roper? We crash a "Mrs. Roper Romp" to find out how the wise-cracking landlady from 70s sitcom Three's Company is bringing people together in unexpected ways. At 15, Bee Bertrand's world changed when he saw a Bif Naked concert: it was the first place he felt a sense of belonging as a queer person. And for decades, Bif's music was the soundtrack to the highs and lows of Bee's life. But now, thanks to a late-night DM, Bee and Bif have connected IRL - and are building a life-changing friendship. 

All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories. When Carl Clarke struggled to find love after his divorce, a friend suggested he try an app for an AI companion. Now Clarke says he is in a committed relationship with Saia and says she's helping him improve his life and expand his world.

All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories!Richard Kemick is looking to dip his toe into the dating world again. There's just one problem. His living situation is a little…..complicated. And tough to sum up in the six minutes he has to make a good first impression during speed-dating.

All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories. A year and a half ago, Trevor's dad, Dave Dineen, underwent a laryngectomy to battle throat cancer. The surgery took away his vocal cords and forced him to find a new way to speak. He's never spoken about how hard the recovery has been...until now.

All summer long we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories, and this one is fun! What happens when you put CBC Radio hosts Paul Haavardsrud, Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe and Piya Chattopadhyay on the hot seat? Ify and Trevor ask nosy questions to find out how much personal information they're willing to reveal...on air.

All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories. This is one that was part of our "Lost and Found" episode.When Chuck the parrot escaped, the Porte family didn't know if they would ever see their pet again. But days later and six kilometers away, Trevor Van Huit noticed a yellow bird land in his backyard. And then it started talking...

All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories. Here is one from our "Around The World" episode.Lima Al-Azzeh may live in Canada, but her heart is in Gaza. This intensely personal interview shines a light on the lasting imprint of family, home, and when being 'on the run' is baked into your DNA.

All summer long we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories, and this one takes us to Los Angeles for an international whistling competition - yes that's a thing!Ben Shannon first entered he and Sumire, his 9-year-old daughter, in the competition as a joke, then it got serious.Find out what happened when this father-daughter duo were faced with tough-talking whistling coaches and a case of stage fright.