Coastal Front

On this episode of the Coastal Front podcast, we are joined by Wishpond CEO Ali Tajskandar, who discussed the challenges of launching a tech company in Canada and the rise of conversational AI. Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/_AsrowObXQc?si=qz1eY71bK3eP3RAC   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹 Spotify: https://...

Canada wants more EVs—but its anti-China tariffs may be sabotaging its own climate goals and hurting farmers in the process.   Read the full opinion here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/opinion-why-is-carney-making-canadians-pay-more-for-chinese-evs   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3LyTOgC 🔹...

BC posted the weakest per-capita economic performance in Canada last year, according to a new BCBC report. Private-sector activity remains sluggish while out-migration hits near-record levels.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/bc-ranks-last-in-per-capita-economic-performance-report-finds   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts:...

Carney’s bid to balance Alberta’s demands with coastal protections sparks Indigenous backlash and fresh cracks in Parliament.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/chiefs-revolt-against-alberta-pipeline-carney-forced-to-the-table   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3LyTOgC...

An in-camera vote quietly added $46 million to Vancouver’s PNE Amphitheatre budget, pushing the project close to $200 million ahead of the World Cup. Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/pne-amphitheatre-cost-soars-to-184mtriple-original-estimate   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹 Spotify: https://s...

Canada delivers the tech in a $1 billion deal, yet strategic control still sits south of the border.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/canada-secures-billion-dollar-defence-deal-but-control-still-sits-in-the-us     PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3LyTOgC 🔹 Other Podc...

A rising price tag for a New Westminster elementary school underscores growing concerns about escalating construction costs and BC’s mounting fiscal pressures.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/bc-approves-65m-elementary-school-far-above-past-costs   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹 Spotify: ht...

A steep drop in study permits for Indian students is reshaping Canadian campuses amid scrutiny of the international student system.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/canada-issues-over-50-fewer-study-permits-to-indians   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3LyTOgC 🔹 Othe...

Canada has poured more than $450 million into Haiti since 2022 — much of it into foreign-run security missions. Where is the money really going?   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/ottawas-450-million-question-what-are-we-funding-in-haiti   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹 Spotify: https://spoti....

Last week, Mayor Ken Sim’s office unveiled the 2026 Vancouver budget, outlining significant shifts across both emergency services and recreational departments.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/sims-2026-budget-cuts-arts-and-climate-increases-emergency-spending   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1...

A recent report shows that rents in Vancouver are declining, but still high compared to other cities in Canada.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/rents-fall-across-bc-but-vancouver-remains-canadas-most-expensive-city   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3LyTOgC 🔹 Other...

On this episode of the Coastal Front podcast, we are joined again by Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West, who discussed immigration, city core services, and the merging of municipalities.   Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/7CzolFszkvE?si=kVZqWUIDqpJNERFU   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/...

BC grape growers are reporting a surplus and financial strain as US imports continue under the province’s watch, undercutting its commitment to “Buy Canadian.”   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/bc-grape-farmers-report-surplus-amid-influx-of-us-imports   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹 Spotify:...

Carney’s long-anticipated first budget delivers a deep deficit, streamlines government operations, shifts Canada’s global relationships, and offers British Columbia a modest boost in resource development and infrastructure investment.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/carney-unveils-the-2026-budget-what-does-bc-get   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coasta...

After years of hostility toward Beijing, Prime Minister Mark Carney has reopened diplomatic channels with China.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/after-years-of-hostility-carney-opens-the-door-to-beijing   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3LyTOgC 🔹 Other Podcast site...

A new poll shows many Canadians remain comfortable with assisted-dying laws, but rising concern over dementia cases is deepening questions about consent, care, and moral boundaries.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/canadians-show-steady-support-for-maid-laws-but-unease-lingers-over-moral-boundaries   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 App...

With Canada’s federal budget set to be unveiled on November 4, it’s worth pausing to reflect on just how extensive the Prime Minister’s powers truly are — far more than most people realize.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/a-king-in-all-but-name-an-analysis-of-canadian-prime-ministerial-power   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Pod...

Vancouver joins a growing wave of Canadian governments mandating full-time office returns as debates over remote work’s productivity and satisfaction continue.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/city-of-vancouver-orders-1400-employees-back-amid-return-to-office   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹...

On this episode of the Coastal Front podcast, we are joined by Kindred Construction President Bryan Reid‬, who discussed the BC labour supply, approvals and permitting for new projects, and bottlenecks related to BC Hydro.   Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/xaTOmlMoIDg?si=x1SrKJWf-jvgqb_t   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple....

The BC government’s renewed $12-million annual pledge to Indigenous language revitalization highlights its commitment to reconciliation, but prompts scrutiny about fiscal efficiency and measurable outcomes.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/bc-pledges-12m-for-indigenous-language-revitalization-lacks-plan-to-measure-success   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://ww...

BC hospitality, liquor and cannabis groups say a strike by the BC General Employees’ Union could cost businesses more than $250 million and further strain the sector.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/bcgeu-strike-could-cost-liquor-stores-250m-businesses-warn   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹...

The government calls it support for “diverse journalism.” In reality, it’s another short-term fix for problems rooted in its own media law. Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/opinion-ottawas-12-million-fix-for-a-problem-it-created   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3LyTOg...

TransLink’s Rapid Transit Program faces major funding hurdles as plans for nine new Bus Rapid Transit lines continue to stall.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/translink-bus-rapid-transit-expansion-at-impasse-despite-approvals   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3LyTOg...

Despite a slight uptick in employment, BC’s stagnant labour market and fiscal uncertainty point to broader structural issues.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/bc-gained-7800-jobs-economy-still-sluggish-survey-shows   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3LyTOgC 🔹 Other P...

BC’s fall legislative session opened under a $12-billion deficit, a fifth-week public-sector strike, and growing turmoil in the Conservative opposition.   Read the full article here: https://www.coastalfront.ca/read/bc-legislature-opens-amid-12b-deficit-strike-and-political-turmoil   PODCAST INFO: 🔹 Podcast website: https://www.coastalfront.ca 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3HhcsH1 🔹 Spotif...