Storylines

CBC

Skip the headline and immerse yourself in an unforgettable story, with audio documentaries that take you into someone else’s world. From a mother who hires a private eye to track down her kid’s drug dealer to a rogue grizzly bear that divides a tiny island, we go deep on the stories you’ll keep thinking about.

Every week, our award-winning team of producers brings you true stories about real people.

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22 episodes
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Avg 22 min
English

Episodes 22

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Friday · 23 min
The toxic history haunting Canada's military
CFB Gagetown is known as the "Home of the Army" because nearly every Canadian soldier passes through for training. But some veterans say their time at Gagetown led to long-lasting illnesses from toxic chemicals sprayed there decades ago. And yet Gagetown has never been more important to Canada’s military future. This year, Ottawa announced more than a billion dollars to modernize the base.  Andrea Hoang visited Gagetown in May to examine
September 11 · 24 min
How a small town finally got rid of vats of rotting fish
The stench in St. Mary’s, Newfoundland gets so bad sometimes, it can take your breath away. The culprit? More than 100 giant, leaking vats of fermenting capelin in an old abandoned fish sauce plant, right in the centre of town. For years, residents pleaded for help to clear the vats out. But it took an unexpected turn to finally get some relief. When CBC’s Mary Catherine McIntosh went to St. Mary’s, she found a town fighting a 25-year stench - and then tracked down the man who cau
September 4 · 2 min
A brand new season of Storylines coming your way !
Storylines brings you beyond the headlines and deep into someone else's world. And, we’re about to launch a whole new season! Where you'll meet people who are trying to create change, struggling through challenges they’d never thought they’d have to face, and describing conundrums you can hardly imagine. Subscribe now, so you don’t miss an episode.
August 28 · 20 min
A piano teacher's last student
For Daniel Mergler, music was one of the true joys in life. He taught children to play piano for 50 years, and took his job very seriously. So when 9 year old Zin Ben showed special talent, a shot of excitement went through the aging teacher. This talent needed to be cultivated. Care must be taken. But, when Mr. Mergler was given a palliative diagnosis after his colon cancer spread, he found that it was now Zin Ben’s turn to offer him some care and comfort.  From our spe
August 21 · 40 min
Neighbours tried to help, she still ended up dead
When Jillian Hadley burst from her home, she was clutching her baby, and she was naked. She was screaming for help, trying to escape the grip of a man. The man was her estranged husband. He was under a court order to stay away from her.  A few brave neighbours tried to help the woman, but on that Tuesday 26 years ago, 34-year-old Ralph Hadley shot and killed Jillian Hadley and then killed himself.  In 2001 Karen Levine set out to talk to those neigh
August 14 · 21 min
Art in a time of war
It has been more than 30 years since the Siege of Sarajevo in Bosnia began. As the former Yugoslavia was falling Serb forces surrounded the city of Sarajevo, and bombarded the city daily. For nearly four years mortars and snipers gradually reduced the capital to ruin and its citizens to despair. It's believed nearly 12,000 people were killed and many were children. Lara Obrien traveled to Sarajevo in 2012 and became fascinated with some of the stories of survival during the siege and par
August 7 · 23 min
How a plane crash changed their lives
In October of 1984, a plane crash in northern Alberta led the newscasts. The leader of the Province’s New Democratic Party – Grant Notley - died in the accident along with five others. Four more had survived, but spent a cold, desperate night waiting to be rescued. They had little in common besides the fact that they lived when others did not. The then provincial housing minister, Larry Shaben was one of those survivors. His daughter, Carol Shaben, wrote a book about the experience call
July 31 · 26 min
Why a nun chose to live inside a Mexican prison
Mother Antonia lived in a prison, but she had not committed a crime. The Catholic nun chose to live inside the walls of a notorious Tijuana prison voluntarily. It’s something she did for decades. She believed everyone deserved to be loved. And her presence there made her a legend.  From our special archival doc summer series, this is Joan Webber’s 2007 doc - Faith Inside the Walls.
July 24 · 25 min
He survived the crash, but what came after was devastating
When Kevin Hollinsky and his two friends got in the car that night, they had the music turned up. They were normal teenagers, coming home from a night out drinking. But when Kevin took a corner too fast, his entire world changed. He killed his friends Joe Camlis and Andrew Thompson. Kevin survived. Kevin Hollinsky was convicted of dangerous driving that caused the death of two of his passengers. The expectation of some in 1995 was that he would do
July 17 · 26 min
Waking up in a tent camp after Haiti’s earthquake
In 2010, producer David Gutnick travelled to Haiti soon after the devastating earthquake there. Embedding with a local family, he slept on the ground alongside hundreds of thousands of others, now homeless after the earthquake. The 7.3 magnitude earthquake killed more than 220,000 and some 300,000 were injured. Those survivors were left eking out survival in their already impoverished and insecure nation. David spent a day and a night living with The Merisier family, N
July 10 · 16 min
How music revealed his hidden life
When Thelon Oeming first met Vern Nash, he was yelling in the street. Thelon had just moved into a new apartment in Toronto, and he decides he wants to get to know his new neighbour. As they talk, Thelon realizes Vern has voices in his head, but that he also can play the accordion. Very well. From our special archival doc summer series this is Who is Vern Nash, produced by Thelon Oeming and Steve Wadhams
July 3 · 16 min
How this mother and daughter survived as their ferry sank
When Trina Benedict tucked her 6 year old into the bunk on the Queen of the North ferry that evening in 2006, she had no idea what nightmare was about to unfold. Just a few hours later, they’d be running for their lives from the ship, as it slowly sank into the cold ocean water.  It’s 20 years since that ferry sank off the coast of British Columbia. 101 passengers were onboard. Two - Gerald Foizy and Shirley Rosette - were never found, and are presumed dead.
June 26 · 1 min
Storylines has made something special for you …
Starting next week we’re sharing some of the best of CBC’s audio documentary history. Shocking, funny, beautiful stories that we’re so excited to bring into your podcast feed.  Here at the doc unit we LOVE long form audio, and we know how powerful these stories can be. And at CBC, we have a long, award winning history of audio documentaries. But many of those stories aren't available on the internet. They are carefully stored away in our CBC arch
June 19 · 26 min
He injects drug users for money
Alan is an entrepreneur of sorts. Ten years into a public health emergency in British Columbia, most deaths from toxic drugs are happening behind closed doors. Men at home alone. This is where Alan comes in. For a fee, he injects users with their drugs and watches them for signs of an overdose. To those who employ him, he’s known as “The Doctor,” but he’s not a physician and his work is illegal.
June 12 · 27 min
The Canadian Epstein survivor
Sharlene Rochard was 16 when she left Ontario for the bright lights of New York City and Los Angeles to pursue a modelling career. She was booking multiple jobs a week and starting to make a go of it when she met Jeffrey Epstein. For decades she stayed quiet about what happened to her — but now she’s speaking up. She’s testifying at committees and knocking on politicians’ doors, demanding justice for her and the women she calls her survivor sisters. She’s the only Canadian to come forwar
June 5 · 26 min
Who Killed the 21st Century Milkman?
The milkman model is simple. Bottles are filled, dropped off, emptied and picked up over and over again. That system got a Canadian entrepreneur thinking. In this day and age of mountains of plastic waste — why not re-use containers? His system, called Loop, was launched in 2019 at Davos Switzerland — to great fanfare. Environmentalists welcomed it and big corporations signed on to be part of the re-use movement. This documentary explores what happened to that grand plan and why North America
May 29 · 27 min
A dead horse at the end of the driveway
When Loretta Zaluski found the skeleton of a dead horse near her home she was a little scared, and worried. But she wasn’t as confused as some might be. She knows some people in the Yukon aren't pleased with her, so Loretta believes someone deposited these horse remains to make a point Loretta is part of a group called The Yukon Wild Horse Society, which is deeply concerned about the wellbeing of what they call “wild horses” that roam the wild spaces of the Yukon. <
May 22 · 26 min
How it feels to get caught in an avalanche
Backcountry skier Hannah Hughes realized she couldn’t fight the wall of snow when it hit her. She survived but the experience has her rethinking her relationship with risk, and she isn’t alone. The 2025-2026 ski season has been a brutal year for avalanche-related deaths in many parts of the world. Some scientists say climate change is now one more factor to consider when heading out into the backcountry. Molly Segal explores how climate is colliding with the increasingly popular sport of back
May 15 · 28 min
The game, the wager, and the cost for young men
Online sports betting and casino games in Canada generated $12.5 billion in revenue last year. But more than half that money ends up offshore, where there are no Canadian taxes, and little to no consumer protections. That's why the province of Ontario opened up its online gambling market to private operators four years ago, and why Alberta is following suit later this year. But for a small but growing number of people, all this gambling has led to financial hardship... or worse.  A
May 8 · 23 min
A birth without doctors
Sarah Essiambre was determined to give birth to her third baby at home. But, she said doctors told her she’d never have a vaginal birth after her first C-section. She decided to ignore their advice and instead went online to get information.  She’s not alone. Doctors and midwives are reporting an increased interest in giving birth with little to no medical help at all. Some even choose freebirth which means there are no prenatal tests or licensed practitioners at the bir

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