Now Or Never

An extraordinarily joyful, heartfelt and life-affirming episode of Now or Never, as five people nearing the end of their lives invite us into their final wishes.When Susan LaFeuvre was told her cancer was terminal, she knew what she wanted her final wish to be: a private aerial silks performance by her 11-year-old granddaughter Lauren.Casey Kemble and his daughters Serenity and Amy made a family tradition of spotting roadside attractions while driving old beaters from Ontario to the Yukon. Now they’re planning one last trip together, as part of what Casey calls his “beaker list" -- because he doesn’t have time or money for a bucket list. Why this family is leaning into laughter as they make memories together.Ellen Nadarajah is a single mom to three teenagers, cares for her aging parents, and is the social convenor for her lifelong friend group. She also has metastatic breast cancer, weighs less than 60 pounds and wasn’t expected to still be here. So today, we’re making her final wish come true with a pho

If you’ve ever shared an idea that you’re super excited about with someone, and the response was skepticism, concern, or straight up confusion? Then this episode is for you. We're celebrating people chasing their seemingly impossible — or at least a little bit questionable — dreams.Including Newfoundland taxidermist Krista Elliott, who stuffs mice to look like tiny Dolly Partons.And Ruby Thornton, who's about to sail around the world for 11 months....even though she has zero sailing experience.And Dillon Boulanger, a guy so obsessed with the reality show Survivor, he spent an entire yearand thousands of dollars to pull off his own backyard version of the game - complete with tea light torches, tarantulas, and 18 castaways who have no idea what they've signed up for.Plus, couple Peter Glass and Bill Bryne tell us why they're moving halfway across the country to buy a 125-year-old home they've never even set foot in.And meet Jacques the Party Scientist, who holds sober raves around Vancouver, and

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 constant

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

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

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 u

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. Ikenna

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

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 fa

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 o

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

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,

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 t

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

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

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) the

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 Vancouve

It's easy to feel trapped - in dead-end jobs, ho-hum relationships, the tedium of everyday life. But what does it take to break free, and live the life you truly want? On this episode, hear from people turning their lives upside down in order to find freedom.Gilad Cohen was stressed out, uninspired, and up to his eyeballs in spreadsheets. So he stepped down from the top spot at a charity he founded, to pursue his dream of being a full-time artist. But with his newfound freedom comes a lot of uncertainty, loss of stability… and loneliness. Was it worth it?For more than 100 nights this year, Donna Kane has slept outside in an old cast iron bed, outside her farmhouse in northern B.C. She tells us why sleeping under the stars - with mice scurrying across the duvet and coyotes howling in the distance - helps "to take yourself a little less seriously."After breaking free from an abusive relationship, Sheenique is rediscovering joy and living life on her own terms. But for this single mother of two young boys,

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 Hu