When a woman receives a text message from a wrong number, she strikes up an unlikely friendship with a man who says he’s a construction contractor. They develop a close relationship over five years – until a single, offhand remark gives her pause.

Is this man really who he says he is?

Her search for the truth reveals something far more disturbing than she ever expected - and she realizes she isn’t the only one. It triggers a reckoning inside the local police department along with serious questions about privacy, consent, police accountability and whether the justice system is equipped to recognize the harm these women experienced.

For this special episode, Kristi Lee sits down with award‑winning investigative journalist Jana G. Pruden of The Globe and Mail to unpack the harrowing story behind the latest season of her acclaimed podcast: In Her Defence: Breach of Trust.

Special thanks to Jana G. Pruden and producer Kasia Mychajlowycz from The Globe and Mail

Listen to the full story now.

Subscribe to In Her Defence on your favourite podcast app or platform: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts.

In the middle of the night, a farmer in rural Southwestern Ontario is woken by screams coming from a nearby farmhouse. His 32-year-old neighbour, George Campbell, has been brutally murdered.

George's wife, Phoebe, says two armed intruders attacked him before disappearing into the night, leaving her and their two young children huddled in a corner.

As investigators search for the killers, the case takes a series of unexpected turns, eventually leading to a shocking truth.

Further listening:

Canadian True Crime's “Black” Donnellys episode

Canadian True Crime donates monthly to those facing injustice.

This month we have donated to the Foundation for Black Communities (FFBC).

Look for early, ad-free release on CTC premium feeds: available on Amazon Music (included with Prime), Apple Podcasts and Patreon.

Full list of resources, information sources, credits and music credits:

See the page for this episode at www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes/224

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When a woman receives a text message from a wrong number, she strikes up an unlikely friendship with a man who says he’s a construction contractor. They develop a close relationship over five years – until a single, offhand remark gives her pause. Is this man really who he says he is?

Her search for the truth reveals something far more disturbing than she ever expected - and she realizes she isn’t the only one. It triggers a reckoning inside the local police department along with serious questions about privacy, consent, police accountability and whether the justice system is equipped to recognize the harm these women experienced.

For this special episode, Kristi Lee sits down with award‑winning investigative journalist Jana G. Pruden to unpack the harrowing story behind the latest season of her acclaimed narrative podcast: In Her Defence: Breach of Trust.

LISTEN to the full story now

Find In Her Defence on your favourite podcast app or platform: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts.

READ Jana Pruden's reporting for The Globe and Mail

Victims of ex-Regina officer describe feeling violated as judge weighs conditional sentence

Ex-Regina officer sentenced to two-year conditional sentence in community, house arrest

Women targeted by Regina police sergeant file sexual assault lawsuits

The man behind the wrong number

Special thanks to Jana G. Pruden and producer Kasia Mychajlowycz from The Globe and Mail

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most Albertans don't want the province to separate from Canada, according to the polls. So how did a once-fringe movement gain enough momentum to put independence on the ballot (sort of)?

With just ten days to go until the Alberta referendum, join award-winning independent journalists Danielle Paradis and Tim Querengesser as they travel across the province, meeting ordinary Albertans and finding out what they think about the prospect of separating from Canada.

Who are the separatists? What do they actually want? And what happens to the rest of Canada if they get it?

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We're proud to present the first episode of this five-part investigative series Separation Anxiety: The Alberta Referendum, completely AD-FREE.

Thanks to Canadian True Crime listeners like you, we've been able to help fund this independent investigation by two Alberta journalists. At a time when local newsrooms are shrinking, grassroots, on-the-ground reporting is more important than ever, especially when an issue that seems provincial could have consequences for the entire country.

In this Episode 1: Among the Separatists, you'll hear from people waving flags on a freeway overpass in Edmonton, at an Alberta Day celebration in Mirror, AB and in a Baptist church in Calgary.

Episodes 2 and 3 are also available now.

Find Separation Anxiety: The Alberta Referendum on your favourite podcast player.

Follow Separation Anxiety's substack for the latest.

Produced with the support of Canadian True Crime.

*Additional sources re introduction:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-alberta-separatism-canada-united-states-republican/

https://thewalrus.ca/is-it-treason-to-ask-america-to-help-break-up-canada/

https://globalnews.ca/news/12088176/alberta-separatism-republicans-report?

https://globalnews.ca/news/12087080/alberta-first-nations-referendum/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A brief update, with our apologies.

Despite our best efforts to return with new episodes by the end of April, we need some additional time due to some behind-the-scenes challenges beyond our control.

Thanks for your patience and understanding. As always, Canadian True Crime remains committed to presenting these cases with accuracy, care, depth and context.

Please be assured that new episodes are on the way and we’re really excited to be able to share them with you soon.

- Kristi Lee

After nearly a decade of insisting he did nothing wrong, disgraced Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has finally admitted he was guilty of sexually assaulting the Ottawa woman known as J.B.

The admission, at his first parole hearing in June 2026, was only one of several striking comments that reveal the full extent of the former Hedley frontman's years of denial, manipulation and gaslighting

In this special episode, Jessica Baker joins Kristi Lee to unpack the 11‑page Parole Board of Canada decision. She reflects on the weight of Hoggard’s admissions after he forced a years‑long trial and appeals process and subjected her to years of public scrutiny.

Hoggard wasn’t required to comment on the other two young women who testified against him, whose allegations did not result in guilty verdicts. But the parole board still chose to recognize them in a deliberate and meaningful way. You'll also hear why the board concluded Hoggard still requires “professional, arm’s‑length supervision” on day parole, why they refused to release him directly to his wife and family, and why his request for full parole was denied.

This information is in the public interest.

FURTHER READING AND HELPFUL INFO:

To read the full parole decision document and for links to other resources mentioned in this episode, visit www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes/216

Canadian True Crime donates monthly to help those facing injustice.

This month we have donated to Beyond The Verdict.

All information sources, credits and music credits:

See the page for this episode at www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A dedicated nurse. A devoted mother of three. A family home that should be the safest place in the world.

In 2018, Gerald Aquintey arrives home late to find his Toronto house in disarray. The respected Filipino chef and restaurant co-owner runs upstairs to discover his beloved wife, Rhoderie Estrada, has been brutally murdered. Rhoderie was loved by all who knew her. She'd built a life centred on family, community and caring for others.

As investigators race to find the person responsible, the painstaking work of forensic specialists becomes the key to solving a heartbreaking crime that might otherwise have remained a mystery.

Special thanks to Gerald Aquintey and family.

Thanks also to Detective Constable Adrian Piccolo with the Toronto Police’s Forensic Identification Services Unit, Constable Don Laurel, and the Ontario Forensic Investigators Association.

More information:

WATCH Crime Beat: Awaking To a Nightmare — The Rhoderie Estrada Murder

VISIT TINUNO Restaurant in Toronto

Canadian True Crime donates monthly to help those facing injustice.

This month we have donated to Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime.

Look for early, ad-free release on CTC premium feeds: available on Amazon Music (included with Prime), Apple Podcasts and Patreon.

Full list of resources, information sources, and more:

www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes/217

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A two-part series | “Mr. Wonderful” built an empire on bluntness and being the reality TV villain we love to hate. So when his speedboat collided with another boat on Muskoka's "Billionaire's Row" - leaving two people dead, the public was ready to assume the worst of him.

Early reporting - and Kevin O’Leary’s own response to the tragedy - sparked suspicion that he’d “thrown his wife under the hull”, and was using his wealth and influence to control the narrative.

In this series, we go back to the summer of 2019 to trace the chain of events that ended in tragedy on Lake Joseph, examine all the evidence, and explore why conspiracy theories continue to thrive long after the case was legally closed.

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IMPORTANT:

– If you know anyone related to this case, please respect their privacy.

– This series does not frame this incident as a "crime" - the charges ultimately fell under the Canada Shipping Act.

– This series has been pieced together from the public record, including court documents, online news sources and daily trial reporting.

– Our intention is to look beyond the headlines, rumours and conspiracy theories surrounding a highly publicized boating tragedy, and carefully examine the evidence to better understand what happened.

– Kristi Lee is not a lawyer, but a member of the general public reviewing this case through the lens of the open court principle.

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Look for early, ad-free release on CTC premium feeds: available on Amazon Music (included with Prime), Apple Podcasts and Patreon.

Canadian True Crime donates monthly to those facing injustice. This month we have donated to Feed Ontario - a charity that supports food banks across the province to help end hunger and poverty.

Full list of resources, information sources, and more:

www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes/212

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.