The Kingstonian Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Sequel Episode: Jack Thompson was a guest on The Kingstonian Podcast eight years ago, and it was time to check in and see what has changed — for Jack, for radio, and for the way we listen to music. We talk about retirement and whether it has lived up to expectations, the changing face of local radio, the personalities who have made Kingston broadcasting memorable, and Jack’s own y...

Send us Fan Mail Repeat Episode: You know the place – Brian’s Record Option.  It has been a fixture on Princess Street, here in Kingston, for over 40 years.  Brian Lipsin has been in the business of  buying and selling records, CD’s and posters.  With the start of the pandemic, Brian has become a storyteller, sharing his experiences with his many Facebook friends.  This episode is a repeat broadca...

Send us Fan Mail New Episode What’s the difference between enjoying a glass of wine and actually understanding what’s in your glass? On this episode of The Kingstonian Podcast, I sit down with Ian Nicholls , a sommelier and wine educator, to explore the fascinating world of wine — without getting too technical or taking ourselves too seriously. Ian takes us through his own journey into the hospita...

Send us Fan Mail Repeat Episode: This episode takes us back to 2019, when I had the opportunity to sit down with Daniel Woolf , then Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University. I invited Daniel to share his memories of Alfred Bader —a Queen’s graduate whose remarkable life took him from Kingston to a highly successful career in business and philanthropy in the United States. But despite h...

Send us Fan Mail Sequel Episode: Four and a half years can feel like an eternity in a war. When our conversation was first recorded, Russia's full-scale invasion had only just begun. Ukraine's survival was the immediate concern, and the world was watching to see whether Kyiv would fall. Instead, Ukraine resisted — and the war evolved into one of the defining geopolitical conflicts of the...

Send us Fan Mail Repeat Episode: As part of the 10th season of The Kingstonian Podcast , we're revisiting some conversations from the program's early years. In this episode, we go back to 2017 for a conversation with Scott and Chris Bell , longtime members of Kingston's Rob Roy Pipe Band and Highland Dancers. Scott and Chris share their passion for the pipes and drums, talk about th...

Send us Fan Mail New Episode:  Few lives have followed a path as extraordinary as Harvey Brownstone's. Raised in Hamilton and a graduate of Queen's University's Faculty of Law, Harvey overcame childhood bullying, family rejection, poverty, and discrimination to become Canada's first openly gay judge. During his distinguished 26-year career on the Ontario Court of Justice, he ea...

Send us Fan Mail This tenth-season episode is a return to one of the early conversations from The Kingstonian Podcast archives. It features my conversation with John Gerretsen and his son, Mark , originally recorded in October 2016 and first published in April 2018. Both have served Kingston as City Councillors and Mayors. Following his time as Mayor, John went on to serve for 19 years as a Member...

Send us Fan Mail Economic development is a phrase we hear almost every day—but what does it actually mean, and how does it affect the communities where we live and work? In this episode, host Dave Cunningham sits down with Lindsey Fair , whose career has spanned entrepreneurship, marketing, communications, community partnerships, and economic development. Lindsey discusses how organizations can gr...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode of the podcast, Dave Cunningham welcomes award-winning journalist , Maegen Kulchar , for a conversation about the evolving world of local news. The discussion explores Maegen’s journey into journalism through Carleton University and Niagara College, early years reporting for CKWS-TV in Kingston, and the dramatic shift that followed the 2025 restructuring and layoff...

Send us Fan Mail This archival episode features a 2017 conversation with the late Jim Neill , recorded when this program was still airing as a radio show. Jim Neill was well known in Kingston, Ontario, for his decades of public service as a teacher, community activist, school board trustee, and Kingston city councillor. In this conversation, Jim reflects on several civic issues facing Kingston at...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Kingstonian Podcast , Dave speaks with a Kingston-area musician, Tom Mawhinney - songwriter, and community builder - whose journey began at Queen’s University in Kingston, in the early 1970s. Over the decades, he has released six albums for adult listeners and three children’s albums, written more than 30 songs for choirs.  The conversation explores: Early m...

Send us Fan Mail Jean Gillespie devoted more than fifty years to Scouting in Kingston and Eastern Ontario, working with an estimated 2,400 young people along the way. She was a Cub leader, a camp organizer, a traveller, and a founding force behind events like the International Brotherhood Camporee. But Jean was also a historian at heart. Through decades of careful notetaking, scrapbooks, and binde...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we mark the 150th anniversary of the Royal Military College of Canada with a wide-ranging conversation about service, education, history, and adaptation. My guest, Alexander Landry , reflects on his first days as a cadet, his decade of service in the Regular Force, and his continued involvement in the Reserves and the RMC alumni community.  Recorded during the ope...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Podcast , host Dave Cunningham sits down with Patrick Deane , Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University. Born and raised in South Africa, Principal Deane traces his academic journey from the University of the Witwatersrand to Canada, where his career has included faculty and leadership roles at the University of Toronto, Western University, the Uni...

Send us Fan Mail Artificial Intelligence is one of the most powerful and misunderstood technologies of our time. In this episode, host Dave Cunningham sits down with David Eliot, an author, academic, and former professional magician to explore the real story behind AI in his book, Artificially Intelligent , — where it began, how it evolved, and what it means for the future of humanity.  The conver...

Send us Fan Mail This episode was first published last December 2024.  It was so well received, I decided to make it available a little earlier than last time.  Enjoy! In this heartwarming holiday special, we step into Santa’s workshop for an intimate and low-key conversation. Our guest? None other than Saint Nick himself. We talk about the elves' tireless work, the reindeer team’s preparatio...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, host Dave Cunningham welcomes back Jamal Saeed , returning to the show nearly three years after the release of his acclaimed memoir, My Road from Damascus . We revisit the response to the book here in Canada and internationally, and reflect on the meaningful moments that have come from readings, talks, and community conversations. With significant political shifts...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Leo Lund , longtime member of the Canadian Armed Forces and current Past President of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 560 in Kingston, Ontario. Leo reflects on more than 30 years in uniform, the friendships that endure long after service, and what ultimately led him to make Kingston his home in retirement. We also explore the history and purpose of th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we meet Julie M. Green — a Kingston-based writer whose work has been featured in The Globe and Mail , Chatelaine , Today’s Parent , and The Washington Post . Julie’s memoir, Motherness: A Memoir of Generational Autism, Parenthood, and Radical Acceptance , explores her family’s journey with autism — beginning with her son’s diagnosis and, years later, leading to he...

Send us Fan Mail Season 9 of The Kingstonian Podcast kicks off with a legend.  Jerry Mercer has been keeping time for more than 70 years — three decades of that behind the drums with one of Canada’s most beloved rock bands, April Wine . In this conversation, Jerry talks about his lifelong passion for music, the instrument that’s captured his curiosity these days, and the moments that defined his j...

Send us Fan Mail Back in 2003, Ryan Malcolm became a familiar face across Canada as the first-ever winner of Canadian Idol . After a whirlwind year that included performing with artists like Elton John and Kelly Clarkson, Ryan returned to his roots just west of Kingston. Over the past 20 years, he’s worn many hats: musician, restaurant manager, Buddy Holly onstage, and now, real estate agent. In t...

Send us Fan Mail With Canada heading to the polls on April 28th, 2025, voters across the country are weighing some big questions. Should we re-elect the incumbent party or opt for change? Who’s best positioned to lead the country—and how will the next government navigate the relationship with the U.S.? Should we be focusing on local candidates or national leaders? In this episode, recorded on Apri...

Send us Fan Mail Kingston has a deep-rooted musical community, and few names stand out as much as Dave Barton ’s. A self-professed "guitar nerd," Dave’s passion for the instrument began in Grade 4 and has shaped a lifelong career in performance, composition, and education. As co-leader of the Big Phat Horn Band, he brings bold, dynamic energy to the stage while continuing to explore a wi...

Send us Fan Mail Physics is everywhere—even if you haven’t thought about it since high school! In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Art McDonald , a professor of astrophysics at Queen’s University and winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2015. For forty years, Dr. McDonald and his team focused their research on neutrinos—tiny, elusive particles that help us understand the fundamental workings...