Atlantic Voice

Meet one St. John's mom who got sober during pregnancy, and one pediatrician trying to help every similar case she comes across. Both of them want to change a system that's struggling to help moms and babies in Newfoundland and Labrador, as the drug crisis climbs. Listen in Treated Together, a documentary by Caroline Hillier.

"Being part of the cancer club sucks." But Samantha Keays is also a member of a pretty awesome club - a choir in Saint John, made up of people who have been touched by cancer. Listen in as they practice for their first concert, and share their stories of both darkness and joy. A moving documentary - with great music - produced by Hannah Rudderham, called Healing Through Harmonies. Featuring the voices of the Healing Voices Choir.

Thousands of people wrote to Joey Smallwood with questions, needs (and even insults) around the time Newfoundland and Labrador joined Canada in 1949. 76 years later the letters live on, and actually have a lot to say to our world in 2026. Tour the archives and hear these letters come to life in this episode, that features the book Dear Mr. Smallwood: Confederation in the Words of Those Who Lived it.

The Titan submersible implosion grabbed the world's attention in 2023. Away from the headlines, the family of two of its victims found solace with the St. John's Muslim community, and ended up making a generous, and much needed, gift. That's all in The Best of Planners, a documentary from Caroline Hillier. This story first aired in June 2025.

"My biggest fear is not protest, it's not anger, it's not division - it's apathy." So starts Randy Boyagoda's thoughts on finding common ground to talk to each other in deeply partisan times. Hint: it involves putting aside the smartphone and getting curious about others lives. A talk for everyone wondering where we go from here, and how. Randy is a writer, thinker and advisor for civil discourse at the University of Toronto. This talk was recorded live at the Halifax Central Library, with the CBC's Adam Walsh, as part of the Hear Me Out conversation series, and first aired on Atlantic Voice in March 2024.

When Jazmyne McLaughlin was placed in a youth group home, she says she felt like a game piece, being moved around by adults, without a say in her own life. Now, as a law student, she's telling her story, and working to change the child welfare system for the kids and teens coming after her. This documentary was produced by CBC Fredericton's Jennifer Sweet. As a heads up, it does contain brief mentions of suicidal thoughts, so please take care while listening.

Everyone knows about purebred dogs, but what about purebred... ducks? Or chickens? Meet the Maritimers breeding beautiful poultry, and tag along on their roadtrip to show them off on Canada's biggest stage. Plus, hot tips on how to give a chicken a bath. That's all in Phlis McGregor's documentary, Standard of Perfection.

It's a calorie-burning pilgrimage: the 700 kilometre long Island Walk, looping all the way around PEI. The people you'll meet today all have personal reasons for tackling the trek, and producer Laura Meader breaks a (tiny) sweat as she catches up with a few of them in her documentary, 700 Kilometres. This story first aired on Atlantic Voice in December 2023.

Step into Christine Wu's kitchen as she takes us through making a classic Chinese dish. Mapo tofu is what the writer calls "poem food," and learning to cook it and other recipes led to her first poetry collection, Familial Hungers. As she chops up garlic and slices silken tofu, Christine guides us from plate to poem in her Halifax-area kitchen. This episode first aired in April 2025.

Renford Farrier was past his parole date by decades, when he met a Halifax lawyer who changed everything. Ren's journey in and out of prison, and the friendship he found, is chronicled in this documentary by Jane Sponagle, called Ren & Emma. Please note this story does contain some strong language.

Locals believe Hell Hill is haunted, and all because of the tragedy surrounding one lonely white cross. CBC producer Gavin Simms takes us to Newfoundland's southern shore, to understand the mystery that surrounds a triple drowning nearly 100 years ago. This story first aired on Atlantic Voice in October 2024.

In the last few years, the work of the Brooklyn Volunteer Fire Department has fundamentally changed. Follow along with these Nova Scotian fire fighters as they face floods, wildfires, and the climate crisis head on. How have they coped, and what happens going forward? A documentary by Moira Donovan.

It's thought the western world's largest deposit of a critical mineral - tungsten - lies near Fredericton. That's part of the reason the Sisson Mine is one of Mark Carney's 'nation building projects,' but not everyone shares his enthusiasm over developing this watershed. This week, the new podcast This is New Brunswick takes over our feed, and dives deep into the questions around this development.

"In medicine, we have a saying: when you hear hoofbeats, look for horses, not zebras." This is the story of a rare case - a zebra - in St. John's, the doctor who figured it out, and the medical breakthroughs that followed and put east coast research on a global map.

Jane Austen's 250th birthday is Dec 16, and fans have been celebrating the literary icon all year long. Why does Austen hold such sway, centuries later? CBC's Christina Harnett checked out the ardor, and the amazing outfits, surrounding Austen at a bunch of bookish events in Halifax this year, and brings us this story - Our Jane.

What happens when your career ends - at 30? Professional ballerina Hannah Mae Cruddas considers that question as she prepares to leave the stage behind, along with her most famous role: Anne Shirley, of Green Gables fame. Produced by Alex Guye, this documentary first aired in 2024.

A rich collection of Indigenous artifacts sat untouched for decades on the University of New Brunswick's campus. When archeologists began opening up the boxes, what they found sparked a collaboration with the Wolastoqey Nation, and has opened up new windows to the past, and new ways forward. Listen to the voices involved in this project in a new documentary from Myfanwy Davies.

Spruce budworm is considered the most damaging native insect to Canada's coniferous forest. Case in point: the stretches of Gros Morne National Park now full of damaged and dying trees. The park is the epicentre of Newfoundland's budworm outbreak, and also a giant experiment of sorts on how these can be controlled (or not) in the future. Head into the forest for the science, concern and wonder of it all in this episode, produced by Lindsay Bird.

Tanya Joy found freedom in trail running at an early age. But after a huge loss, she turned that passion into action. To mark the 5th year of the Joy Run 50 ultramarathon, here's Martin Jones story about what Tanya and her fellow trail runners have run through. This story first aired in 2024, and it deals with suicide and mental health, so take care while listening.

April 8, 2007 was a deadly day for Canadian troops in Afghanistan. Years later, the parents of one of the soldiers lost that day opened up to the CBC's Myfanwy Davies about their loss. Meet Kate and Ken Stannix, and their son Christopher in this award-winning documentary from our archives, that first aired in 2013.