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COMMONS

COMMONS is a documentary podcast that proves Canada is anything but boring. Each season, host Arshy Mann guides you through the country’s dark underbelly, bringing you stories about crime, corruption and all manner of misdeeds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

19:28

Bonus - Do Not Pass Go

COMMONS ·

2023/03/15

In this bonus episode, COMMONS producer Jordan Cornish sits down with host Arshy Mann to talk about the grocery CEOs testifying at Parliament, their thoughts about the Monopoly season coming to an end, and what listeners can do to make change.Sponsors: USW, Free Lunch, GardisilIf you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and

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29:42

Monopoly 17 - Food Fight

COMMONS ·

2023/03/08

A Loblaws, or any other, modern-day supermarket, is many things.It’s a temple of abundance. A place where a consumer has more choice than the greatest kings, emperors and pharaohs had in their lifetimes.It’s a tech platform, tracking our every taste, transaction and even ailment.And it’s an ideological arena. Where everyday Canadians and grocery CEOs are battling over what’s to blame for our declining standard of living.Featured in this episode: Benjamin Lorr, Vass BednarTo learn more:The Secret

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31:43

Monopoly 16 - Amazon’s Empire

COMMONS ·

2023/03/01

The Big Tech companies have ushered in a new era of global monopoly. And the most influential, the most powerful of all of them, is Amazon.In this episode, we focus in on two of the fundamental pillars of Amazon’s dominance: its online marketplace and its cloud computing arm.And a former Amazon VP speaks out.Featured in this episode: Matt Stoller, Brad Stone (Bloomberg), Dana Mattioli (Wall Street Journal), Tim BrayTo learn more:Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire by Brad

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31:30

Monopoly 15 - Movie Monster

COMMONS ·

2023/02/22

“I love the smell of monopoly in the morning”“Forget it, Jake, it’s Cineplex”“The competition commissioner once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti”“Life is like a box of anti-competitive cinema chains that allegedly use their 75% market share to bully their competition, limit consumer choice and charge obscene junk fees. You never know what you’re going to get.”Featured in this episode: Barry Hertz (Globe and Mail), Corinne Lea, Andy Willick, Sonya WilliamTo

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39:32

Monopoly 14 - Where the Sidewalk Ends

COMMONS ·

2023/02/15

Google, one of the world’s great tech monopolies, wanted to make a “smart city,” full of sensors and robots and self-driving cars.Toronto, one of the world’s most insecure cities, wanted a big tech firm to put it on the innovation map.What resulted was not exactly a match made in heaven.Featured in this episode: Josh O’Kane (Globe and Mail), Kurtis McBrideTo learn more:Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy by Josh O’Kane“Sidewalk Labs document reveals company’s early vision for data collection, tax

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36:59

Monopoly 13 - The Irvings

COMMONS ·

2023/02/08

For almost a century, the Irving family has run New Brunswick like a personal fiefdom. They own the newspapers, the industry, and, according to some, even the government. So how does a single family come to so thoroughly dominate an entire province? And what happens when that family starts to fracture and split apart at the seams?Featured in this episode: Bruce Livesey (Thieves of Bay Street).To learn more:“Are the Irvings Canada's biggest corporate welfare bums?” by Bruce Livesey in National

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20:26

Monopoly 12 - Overdrawn

COMMONS ·

2023/02/01

Not only do the Big Five banks get away with charging exorbitant fees for basic services. Not only do they block any competitors by controlling Canada’s payment infrastructure. Not only are they totally entwined with the federal government.But the Big Five banks are about to get even bigger.Featured in this episode: Colin Deacon, Keldon Bester, Alex VroncesTo learn more“How blocked mergers foiled banks' ambitions — and forced the Big Six to innovate” by James Bradshaw in The Globe and Mail“How the

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30:59

Monopoly 11 - Flight Risk

COMMONS ·

2023/01/25

It’s been a hard few years for Canadian air passengers. And while no one blames the airline oligopoly for COVID or winter storms, air travellers have had to put up with a lot.But Canada has consumer protections to make sure that when something goes wrong, there’s a fair process in place to make sure everyday Canadians don’t get screwed over, right? Right??!Featured in this episode: Gábor Lukács, John GradekTo learn more“Canadian airline regulator’s stance on refunds aligned with execs’ requests from

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30:40

Monopoly 10 - The Way the Music Died

COMMONS ·

2023/01/18

♩♪ A long, long time ago, I can still rememberHow the music used to pay my billsI knew that if I got my breakThat I could be as big as DrakeAnd then I could stop shopping at No Frills ♩♪♩♪ But Spotify, it’s nearly killed usTicketmaster’s ground us to dustThe companies got too largeNow monopolies are in charge ♩♪♩♪ And the record labels I fear the mostHave all just merged and so now we’re toastDon’t you think it’s just so gross?The way, the music, died ♩♪Featured in this episode: Simon Outhit, Cory

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42:43

MONOPOLY 9 - Diamonds of Attawapiskat

COMMONS ·

2023/01/11

This episode was originally published on December 21, 2021.Attawapiskat has become famous across Canada and around the world. Not for the natural beauty that surrounds it, or for the Cree culture of the people who live there. Instead, it’s become a byword for the toxic legacy of Canadian colonialism.But while Attawapiskat faced crisis after crisis, the community was sitting on a literal diamond mine run by the world’s most famous mining company.So why is it that a community rich in diamonds is so

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21:37

Monopoly 8 - Raining Cats and Dollars

COMMONS ·

2023/01/04

When you look at your pet, you probably see an adorable furball that you’d do anything for. A private equity firm sees dollar signs.Ever so quietly, faceless, big money firms have been consolidating Canada’s veterinary clinics. And vets are just the beginning.Featured in this episode: Michael Mossop, Denise HearnTo learn more“Inside the corporate dash to buy up dentists’ offices, veterinary clinics and pharmacies” in The Globe and Mail by Chris Hannay“Private equity groups spot profit in UK's

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1:17

Trailer: COMMONS

COMMONS ·

2023/01/02

COMMONS is a documentary podcast that proves Canada is anything but boring. Each season, host Arshy Mann guides you through the country’s dark underbelly, bringing you stories about crime, corruption and all manner of misdeeds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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59:08

CANADALAND #725 The Rogers Family Compact

COMMONS ·

2022/12/28

This episode was originally published on November 1st, 2021.Who are the Rogers family? How did they get so powerful? Why have they turned against one another? And what does it matter? We've spent a week immersed in Rogers history to bring you this unofficial narrative of Canada's telecom overlords.Further reading:Kelly Pullen’s 2014 story in Toronto Life on the “ruthless” power struggle at Rogers: https://torontolife.com/from-the-archives/edward-rogers-the-man-who-would-be-king/Ted Rogers’ last

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28:18

Monopoly 7 - Canada’s Competition Cop

COMMONS ·

2022/12/21

Support us at www.commonspodcast.comMatthew Boswell is the Competition Commissioner. And he's the last man trying to stand in the way of the mega-merger between Rogers and Shaw.But even he acknowledges that Canada's antitrust laws aren't just inadequate — they're weighted in favour of the monopolists.A frank discussion with Canada's top competition cop.Featured in this episode: Matthew BoswellCredits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), André Proulx

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23:21

Monopoly 6 - The Urge to Merge

COMMONS ·

2022/12/14

Rogers and Shaw are getting ready to tie the knot. But before they can consummate their less-than-holy union, they have to get the approval of Canada’s competition tribunal and the federal government. And even though most Canadians would find this union highly objectionable, it’s likely to be approved.Because for 150 years, Canadian politicians have been talking out of both sides of their mouths. They claim they want to promote competition. And then they pass laws that do the opposite.Featured in

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31:54

Monopoly 5 - Against the WIND

COMMONS ·

2022/12/07

WIND Mobile, now known as Freedom, was a small company that tried to break through Canada’s telecom oligopoly. It did not have an easy ride.WIND faced numerous hurdles from regulators, it was subjected to dirty tricks from the telecom oligopoly, and was eventually sold to Shaw. But it also helped lower cell phone rates and brought in unlimited data and U.S. roaming, changing the wireless market permanently.This is the inside story of WIND Mobile, from the people who were there.Featured in this

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31:00

Monopoly 4 - Teleconned

COMMONS ·

2022/11/30

They’re the most hated companies in the country. And yet, they’re unavoidable.The telecom oligopoly seems to rule Canada’s economy with an iron fist. Canadians are paying more and more for our cell phones, cable and internet.So how was it that we ended up in this situation? And was it inevitable that things would get so bad?Featured in this episode: Ben Klass, Dwayne Winseck, Keldon Bester, Dale EislerTo learn more“A Social History of Canadian Telecommunications” in Canadian Journal of Communication

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27:40

Monopoly 3 - The Hudson’s Bay Company

COMMONS ·

2022/11/23

Today, it’s a department store where you might go to buy perfume or cookware. But the Hudson’s Bay Company was Canada’s first, and its most powerful, monopoly.It grew from a largely insignificant enterprise into one of the most dominant forces in North America.The story of the HBC reveals just how deeply embedded monopoly is in Canada’s very fabric.Featured in this episode: Stephen R. Bown, Jean TeilletTo learn moreThe Company: The Rise and Fall of the Hudson’s Bay Empire by Stephen R. BownThe

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28:35

Monopoly 2 - Big Milk

COMMONS ·

2022/11/16

Some say that they’re a shadowy group that are the true power behind our elected officials, wielding enormous influence that they use to either benefit their friends or crush their enemies.Others claim that they’re a bulwark against oligopolies, ensuring that rural Canada doesn’t turn into an empty, corporatized hellscape.But what’s not up for debate is that Big Milk is a big deal.Featured in this episode: Marlene Haley, Justin Ling, Bruce MuirheadTo learn more“Cheddargate” by Justin Ling in

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32:02

Monopoly 1 - Lost in the Supermarket

COMMONS ·

2022/11/09

Canadians are being squeezed at every end. When it comes to cell phone bills, grocery bills, housing, entertainment, we’re all paying more than ever before.But a small number of companies that dominate their industries are reaping in enormous profits.This season of COMMONS we’ll be digging into all of the monopolies, oligopolies and cartels that dominate our lives. And for our first stop, we head to the supermarket.Featured in this episode: Vass Bednar, Marco Chown Oved (Toronto Star)To learn

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