Now or Never

CBC STORIES
Now or Never

In a world that can feel pretty scary, it’s easy to get stuck. This is a show that celebrates what it takes to try. To take the risk. To have the talk. To rock the speedo. Because making even the tiniest change takes courage, and hosts Ify and Trevor are here to remind you that you’re not alone when you do. New episodes every Thursday.

  1. 29 MAY

    Double the fun? The ups and downs of being a twin

    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.

    53 min

  2. 22 MAY

    The Witness

    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.

    53 min

  3. 15 MAY

    Why is there a pirate ship in that backyard?! (And other summer adventures)

    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.

    53 min

  4. 8 MAY

    Firsts and lasts: "Obviously I'm rusty, I haven't had a first date in 15 years"

    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.

    53 min

  5. 1 MAY

    Under the knife: The stories beneath the scars

    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.

    53 min

  6. 23 APR

    Did this Jeopardy super-fan ever make it on the show? I'll take "Where are they now" for $500, please

    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 Mathelier 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.

    52 min

  7. 17 APR

    You're voting for who?!

    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.

    53 min

  8. 10 APR

    Elbows Up!

    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.

    48 min
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About

In a world that can feel pretty scary, it’s easy to get stuck. This is a show that celebrates what it takes to try. To take the risk. To have the talk. To rock the speedo. Because making even the tiniest change takes courage, and hosts Ify and Trevor are here to remind you that you’re not alone when you do. New episodes every Thursday.

Information

  • Channel
    CBC STORIES
  • Creator
    CBC
  • Years Active
    2006 - 2025
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    Copyright © CBC 2025
  • Show Website
    Now or Never

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