The Rizzutos are Canada’s first family of crime. For decades, they dominated Montreal’s underworld with an iron fist. With the help of corrupt politicians and police officers, the Rizzutos built one of the most fearsome and lucrative criminal enterprises this country has ever seen.  Their reign was long and bloody. But their fall, was even more gruesome. Featured in this episode: Peter Edwards (Toronto Star), Pietro Poletti  To learn more: Business or Blood: Mafia Boss Vito Rizzuto’s Last War by Peter Edwards and Antonio Nicaso The Sixth Family: The Collapse of the New York Mafia and the Rise of Vito Rizzuto by Lee Lamothe and Adrian Humphreys “Death of the Don” by CBC’s The Fifth Estate This show was brought to you by our patrons. Please consider becoming a monthly supporter.  This episode is sponsored by Freshbooks, Leesa and HelloFresh. Additional music: I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque Spheres (Hip Hop Instrumental) by Robbero (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.  “Cylinder Five” by Chris Zabriskie, adapted. 

This is the story of Canada’s first-ever video game union. And the lengths that the industry went to try to stop it in its tracks

The huge rise in international students in Canada — most of them from Punjab, India — has become one of the biggest stories in the country.

She expected to face opposition from tech companies and governments that are hostile to workers. But what she didn’t anticipate was that one of the biggest obstacles in her path would be a labour union. 

Mandalena Lewis is one of far too many flight attendants who have been harassed or assaulted on the job. And her story is just one example of a culture of sexism and abuse that she alleges pervades the airline industry.

In 2006, Zakaria Amara was arrested and imprisoned for planning what could have been one of the deadliest terror attacks in Canadian history. A ringleader of the so-called “Toronto 18,” he’s one of the most infamous Canadian convicts of the last few decades. 

♩♪ But Spotify, it’s nearly killed us Ticketmaster’s ground us to dust The companies got too large Now monopolies are in charge ♩♪

Not only do Canadian prisoners work for for-profit businesses, but they’re sometimes doing the most dangerous and nauseating work around