Northern Roots tells the documentary-style stories of Canada's iconic businesses — the triumphs, scandals, and turning points behind the brands that built this country. From Tim Hortons to the Hudson's Bay Company, hosts Alex and Priya dig into the history you thought you knew.
Alex and Priya trace Tim Hortons from a 1964 Hamilton donut shop to a Canadian icon: Tim Horton the hockey legend, Ron Joyce's empire-building, Timbits and the double-double, Roll Up the Rim, the donut wars, the Wendy's merger, the 2014 Burger King deal, and what the double-double means to Canadian identity.
2 Oct 2026
The History of the CN Tower
Alex and Priya trace the CN Tower from Canadian National's bold 1970s bet to an icon of the Toronto skyline: record-breaking engineering, the world's tallest for 32 years, and a national symbol.
2 Oct 2026
The History of The Bay
Alex and Priya trace Shopify from a 2006 Ottawa snowboard shop to Canada's most valuable company: Tobias Lütke's code, a million storefronts, the e-commerce empire.
2 Oct 2026
The History of Shopify
Alex and Priya trace Shopify from a 2006 Ottawa snowboard shop to Canada's most valuable company: Tobias Lütke's code, a million storefronts, the e-commerce empire.
29 Sept 2026
The History of Rogers: From a Radio Station to a Telecom Empire
It started with an $85,000 radio station nobody could listen to. In this episode of Northern Roots, Alex and Priya tell the story of Ted Rogers — the boy who lost his inventor father at five and spent his life building on his legacy — from pioneering FM stereo and cable TV, to launching Cantel, buying Maclean Hunter for $3 billion, and putting his name on the Blue Jays, Sportsnet, and the Rogers Centre. The story of how one man's bet on convergence built modern Canada's airwaves.
29 Sept 2026
The History of RBC: Canada's Biggest Bank
Before it was Canada's biggest bank, RBC was eight merchants in Halifax with $200,000 and a bold idea. In this episode of Northern Roots, Alex and Priya trace the Royal Bank of Canada from its 1864 founding as the Merchants Bank of Halifax — through Civil War blockade runners, the Klondike gold rush, and a takeover spree that built a national empire — to the gold lion that became one of the most recognized symbols in the country. Featuring Edson Pease, the "Mary" campaign, and the century-long climb from 1.5% of Canada's bank assets to number one.
27 Sept 2026
The History of Molson
Canada's oldest brewery, pouring since 1786. Seven generations of the Molson family, the merger with Coors, and the beer that became a piece of national identity.
27 Sept 2026
The History of Lululemon
How a Vancouver yoga outfitter turned stretchy pants into a global athleisure empire. Chip Wilson's vision, the controversies, and the run to a fifty-billion-dollar valuation.
27 Sept 2026
The History of Loblaws
The most powerful company in Canadian kitchens. From the first self-serve grocery store in 1919 to the Weston empire, No Name, President's Choice, and the bread price-fixing scandal.
27 Sept 2026
The History of Couche-Tard
From a single Quebec convenience store to one of the world's biggest retailers. The Alimentation Couche-Tard story, the Circle K empire, and Alain Bouchard's relentless acquisition machine.
27 Sept 2026
The History of Canada Goose
From a Toronto parka workshop to a luxury status symbol worn on runways and Arctic expeditions alike. How Canada Goose turned a winter coat into a thousand-dollar fashion statement.
27 Sept 2026
The History of Cirque du Soleil
How a ragtag troupe of Montreal street performers reinvented the circus and conquered Las Vegas. The rise, the billion-dollar buyout era, the pandemic collapse, and the comeback.
27 Sept 2026
The History of Bombardier
How a Quebec snowmobile maker became a global train and plane giant, then sold it all off. The CSeries gamble, the Learjet years, and one of Canadian business's most dramatic shrinkages.
27 Sept 2026
The History of Canadian Tire
The store that's practically a second home for half the country. From its 1922 Toronto founding to Canadian Tire money, the triangle logo, and more than a century of fixing cars and outfitting backyards.
27 Sept 2026
The History of BlackBerry
From a Waterloo engineering startup to the world's most addictive phone: the rise and fall of Research In Motion, the CrackBerry era, the iPhone disruption, and the pivot to cybersecurity. Alex and Priya trace how Canada's most famous tech company lost the future it invented.
27 Sept 2026
The History of CN
Born from a pile of busted railroad bonds, Canadian National became the biggest rail network in Canada. Public ownership, the 1995 privatization, and Hunter Harrison's precision railroading revolution.
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