Front Burner | Are Canadian summers as we knew them over?

This summer is on track to being the second-worst wildfire season in Canadian history. It started earlier than usual with emergencies declared in the spring in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and is hitting locales that aren't typically fire-prone, like Vancouver Island and the Maritimes. Meanwhile, fires from neighbouring provinces gave parts of southern Ontario some of the worst air quality in the world.

So what does this mean for the Canadian summers of our childhood, spent mostly carefree and outdoors? What needs to be done for us to adapt to the prospect of more fires and heat to come — especially for kids growing up in this new reality? Denise Balkissoon, executive editor of The Narwhal, joins Front Burner guest host Allie Jaynes to talk about how to navigate the ambient dread of our country's changing climate.

New Episode | We Regret to Inform You: Rejecting the Rubik's Cube

Hosted by Sidney O'Reilly, We Regret to Inform You features fascinating stories of successful people who triumphed over debilitating career rejection and dives into the insights those rejections provide.

When inventor Erno Rubik first showcased the Rubik's Cube at fairs, he was rejected by toy companies, distributors and investors. Rubik was told his toy was too difficult to be fun. Then, once it finally made its way into stores and millions of homes across the globe, the New York Times declared the Rubik’s Cube dead. Today, 450 million Rubik’s Cubes have been sold worldwide, and the colourful creation has inspired people in the arts, in mathematics, in engineering and pop culture. It’s a story full of twists and turns.

CBC Music Playlist | Polaris Picks

The Polaris Prize recognizes the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label, and it returns on September 16. Hear this year's short-list nominees — Nemahsis, Yves Jarvis, Bibi Club, Mustafa, Marie Davidson, Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Ribbon Skirt, Saya Gray, The OBGMs, Population II — and past year's winners.