The Current

How dreams have the power to heal

Most of us give our dreams little thought. Karen Van Kampen wants to change that. Her new book is called "The Brain Never Sleeps: Why We Dream and What It Means for Our Health." Karen takes us on a journey into the dream world, exploring what our dreams reveal about our mental health and how we can work with them to improve our waking lives.

How the forest is helping Ukrainian soldiers heal

A young soldier named Kyrylo Chuvak arrives in the Ukrainian countryside after surviving years in Russian captivity. His trauma treatment is documented in a new short film called No Time To Heal. Filmmaker Ksenia Savoskina, whose father was also a patient, says the site shields soldiers from the brutality of war, if only for a short while.

Alberta is short on cash: What’s next?

Weak oil prices have meant a dip in resource royalties in Alberta. And Premier Danielle Smith pointed out that higher immigration is another reason. So, the province will hold a number of referendums this October. Albertans will weigh in on nine questions about immigration policy and constitutional issues. And if separatists are successful with their petitioning efforts, a question about whether Alberta should leave the country will be on the ballot as well. To help us unpack these developments, we talk to Kathleen Petty, host of the CBC podcast West of Centre, and Alex Boyd, who reports on Alberta for the Toronto Star.

How one community is cutting opioid deaths in half

In Renfrew County, near Ottawa, opioid deaths were at an all time high in 2023. That prompted first responders, city officials and outreach workers to band together, to rethink how they were dealing with the crisis. Now, nearly a year into a community care model, opioid deaths have dropped by more than half, and fewer people are ending up in emergency departments. Here's how it works.

Snow, snow and more snow in St. John's

With back to back storms, St. John's is digging out. Snow remover Mark Baker has been going full out — about 18 hours daily for more than a week. He'll tell us what it means to face down 100 cm of snow and help residents get back to school and work.