Now or Never

An estimated four million Canadians currently live abroad. So what compels someone to ditch their life in Canada and start over in a different part of the world? From Bogotá to Tokyo, Cape Town to València, Now or Never crisscrosses the globe with expats living out some big, bold adventures right now.

Joshua Will dreamed of living in Japan since he was 14-years-old, so when he got a job with the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET) he was ecstatic. But he never expected to find himself on tiny Yuge Island, navigating the wild world of Japanese real estate, and renovating a 100-year-old house with no experience and few language skills.

At age 75, Janet Skog-Reid moved to Spain with her children and grandchildren. But when they returned to Vancouver, Janet decided to stay. How this grandmother who spent her life caring for others, is now chasing a life that is finally her own.

When Calgarian Aaron Cresswell bumped into Laura Fajardo at a crowded bar in Bogotá, the two instantly hit it off — so much so, that he ended up moving to the country to be with her. But it soon sunk in that while Aaron found his forever person, he definitely didn’t find his forever home in Colombia.

Barb Deck is no stranger to intense situations — when she’s at home, she’s a pediatric ICU nurse at Sick Kids in Toronto. But since joining Médecins Sans Frontières, Barb spends most of her time tackling even bigger challenges, flying to conflict zones around the world to help deliver care.

Four months ago, Chloe Wilde and her partner quit their jobs, sold their Toronto home, and bought a one-way ticket to South Africa with their two-year-old son. Chloe tells us why she feels a responsibility and pressure to live a "big, bold life," and what it's really like backpacking with a toddler.

Now or Never celebrates ten years of diving in with people as they gather the courage to take a leap into the unknown, with a live show from Winnipeg's Gas Station Arts Centre!

There are always surprises in a Now or Never story, and this live show is no exception.

Winnipeg couple Trish Cooper and Sam Vint’s life together has been filled with hilarious and surprising (mis)adventures together, including culture shock on the rez, surprise gummy overdoses, and discovering your partner is an accidental fugitive. After 23 years together, can Sam pull off a surprise for Trish live on stage?

Musician Boy Golden shares songs from his new album, and a truly jaw-dropping story from the road.

Now or Never all-star Vivian Ketchum is back for a record fifth appearance on the show. We were there when she graduated high school at 58, sat on her bed as she shared the residential school memories that keep her up at night, and joined her at the post office opening letters from Canadians across the country sharing their reconciliation commitments. What is Vivian up to now? Dating! Hear her raw and unfiltered takes on sex and dating in her sixties.

Two months ago, Jo Dworschak quit her job to follow her dream of being a full-time storyteller and comedian. She joins us on stage to share how fixing a broken elevator in a bathing suit at 17, lit the spark for the life she’s living today.

Hundreds of Canadians have shared their stories on Now or Never over the years. Can Ify and Trevor remember them all? We challenge them with a game of "Guess the Guest," as past guests pop up on stage with three clues, while a blindfolded Trevor and Ify try to figure out who they are.

Plus, Ify and Trevor try their best to surprise each other.

Breakups can look a lot of different ways: slow dissolves, out-of-nowhere blow-outs, mutual partings-of-ways. But the truth is, they all hurt. Today on Now or Never, we revisit the stories of people in the thick of it, and the surprising ways they're getting through.

When Litia Fleming broke up with Richard Kemick after 10 years together, it came as a shock to Richard. But two weeks later, they got an even bigger jolt: Litia was pregnant. Find out how these exes are juggling new parenthood, dating, and the joys and challenges of living together after breaking up.

After a painful divorce, Saba Ahmad vowed to go to law school and become the lawyer she never had. She graduated last spring, and is providing support to other South Asian women facing the end of a marriage, as she pursues her last steps to becoming a lawyer.

Three years ago, exhausted from all the arguing, nagging and fighting, Jessyka and Jordan Hagen called it quits — only to realize their breakup would eventually save their marriage.

Host Ify Chiwetelu heads to Next Generation Arts, a youth arts organization in Scarborough, to learn lessons on wading through heartbreak.

And we crash a support group helping men talk about their emotions after a breakup - but if you’re late, expect to do push-ups.

Towns and neighbourhoods all across the country are facing their own challenges. Now or Never is flying into a few to find out what it really takes to hold a community together, when everything's trying to pull it apart.

Little Jamaica has been the heart of Toronto for generations of Caribbean and African residents and entrepreneurs. Then the subway came. It took 15 years of constant construction to build the new line. It meant years of constant headaches for business owners. Now the ones who are left say they need more than community spirit to stay alive and vibrant. Jason McDonald, the owner of a beauty salon in the area and chair of the Little Jamaica BIA, shares what's at stake and takes us on a tour of the neighbourhood.

It took far longer to start an intentional community from scratch than Ron Berezan anticipated. But after a decade, construction equipment is in the ground at Blueberry Commons in Powell River, B.C., a co-housing project where everyone farms the same land, shares amenities, and makes decisions together. They plan on opening this summer, but there’s still a lot to do before Ron and the team’s dream officially becomes reality.

There’s a revolution going on inside Winnipeg’s Good and Plenty Arts Collective Clubhouse, where women and gender diverse musicians take the lead and learn the techniques of music production, creating community along the way. Lana Winterhalt and Veronica Blackhawk tell us why that's so important.

The remote town of Faro, Yukon has surplus housing at prices that are rare to find in other parts of the country — and mayor Jack Bowers is trying to convince people to move in. The town’s population dropped significantly after a zinc mine in the community shut down in the '90s. Jack says Faro has slowly been rising from the ashes since, but more people need to move in for the town to sustain itself in the long-term.

Darrell Warren is determined to fight crime in his neighbourhood. At 64 years old he’s voluntarily staking out drug houses in Winnipeg’s north end, and starting a tip line so other community members can come forward as witnesses, and help him try to make change. But is it safe?

The fire to compete can drive you to push against your limits, and go further than you knew possible. On this episode of Now or Never, competitive hosts Ify Chiwetelu and Trevor Dineen introduce you to people vying to win, and putting in the work to come out on top.

Identical twins Miriam and Ruth Turk have been competing with each other for as long as they remember. So what happened when they faced each other for gold in freestyle wrestling at the Manitoba Winter Games? And who do their super competitive parents cheer for?

Dave Sproull has been playing darts for over a decade, but having recently turned 55 - and having experienced a serious and life-altering illness - he’s finally getting serious about competition, and is determined to earn a spot on the Darts World Rankings.

For as long as he can remember, Aaron Brown has dreamed of competing on his favourite gameshow, Jeopardy. He walked around with a clicker and quit his day job to host weekly quiz nights in Toronto. So what happened when Aaron finally made it on as a contestant to the real-life Jeopardy?

K-pop has taken the world by storm, and Toronto’s Hyun Byun is determined to make his mark in it. When he’s not studying as a high school student, he’s busy practicing his singing and dancing in hopes of becoming a K-pop idol. Not many people make it big – but, Hyun says failure doesn’t feel like an option.

Plus a new contest where you can win a pair of tickets to Now or Never’s live show in Winnipeg, and music from Cameron Whitcomb and Boy Golden.