The Rodgers Brief

This week we are following up on the revelation from last week's show that Peter Griffon, a close friend of Gabriel Wortman, had a 'handler' and was likely an RCMP agent. We are joined by former long-time undercover operator, Paul Derry, who gives insight into how that relationship can work. Also discussed, the shooting in Minnesota of Renee Good by an ICE agent, and how it bears some...

We welcome everyone to 2026 in our first episode of the new year with breaking news of the Nova Scotia mass shootings. Having sifted through a trove of emails among RCMP officers assigned to the Mass Casualty Commission analysis of the shootings, citizen investigator Ryan Potter has found evidence of a key individual having had a 'handler'. Paul, Adam, and Ryan discuss what this might mean...

This week, Paul and Adam look back at the stories covered on Dispersing the Fog in 2025, themes that have weaved their ways through those stories, and some of the great guests who have added to the richness of the show over the past year. As well, they look ahead to 2026 and some of the potential developments with the RCMP, new justice legislation, and other stories that have more to come. This ep...

This week we take a dive into the new justice legislation proposed by the Federal Government. It is designed to address delays in the criminal courts, and there are elements that should have this effect. Bill C-16 also seeks to criminalize 'coercive control' and makes 'femicide' a crime equal to first degree murder by default. We also welcome back Dave Moore, who describes how he w...

This week we welcome back former CBC reporter Curt Petrovich, to discuss the report into the four RCMP officers charged after the taser death of Robert Dziekański in the Vancouver Airport in 2007. Curt has written a book on the topic, and walks us beyond the headlines to what really matters about the conduct of those in the RCMP named in the report. Also covered this week, Nova Scotia Justice Mini...

This week, we welcome Moira Webster to discuss her former husband, Mike Webster, a former clinical psychologist with a focus on policing (and also CFL football player and professional wrestler). She describes how he was smeared by the RCMP after his comments on the Robert Dziekański taser death, and his role in the Gustafsen Lake standoff (the largest ever RCMP operation to that point). Also discu...

Our guest this week is Tammy Oliver McCurdie, sister of the late Jolene Oliver, who was killed along with her partner and daughter in the Portapique, Nova Scotia mass shooting. Tammy is also a member of the Progress Review Committee, tracking the progress on recommendations from the Mass Casualty Commission. She describes the terrible hours of uncertainty while she and her family awaited word from...

This week, we have the pleasure of a rare interview with retired RCMP analyst, Dave Moore. Dave discusses his investigation into the murder of Brenda Way, which he discovered was not committed by Glen Assoun, who had been found guilty, but by serial killer Michael McGray. His investigation was quashed, and the evidence he had gathered was destroyed by officers higher up. Dave tells us about the co...

This week, we welcome back former RCMP Deputy Commissioner, Curt Allen, to discuss some of the stories we have been covering in recent weeks, and get his take on the sexual assault crisis in the Force, as well as the modernization issues flagged by Chief Edgar MacLeod. Also, we discuss wearing poppies in Court, and the recent controversy in NS and Saskatchewan on that topic, as well as the floor c...

The guest this week is former police chief Edgar MacLeod, who served in various police forces for 34 years, after which he became Executive Director of the Atlantic Police Academy. Chief MacLeod has a unique perspective on police structures in Canada, and shares his insights. This week, the Supreme Court of Canada handed down two important decisions. One affirmed the 'Good Samaritan' laws...

This week, Paul and Adam welcome Paul Derry, who has written extensively about his time as a confidential informant with the RCMP, which started when he was 15 years old. Derry discusses his time in the witness protection program, his lawsuits against the RCMP, and his efforts to work with police forces on how to better handle confidential informants and police agents. Also covered this week are t...

This week we are very pleased to welcome former longtime CBC journalist, author Curt Petrovich, to the podcast. Curt has written 'Blamed and Broken, the Mounties and the Death of Robert Dziekanski', an account of the many unusual twists in the story of a Polish immigrant who died after being tased at the Vancouver Airport on October 14, 2007. Two of the four officers involved were convicte...

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! This week, we have a special guest, Paul McNamara, who spent many years working undercover operations in Canada, and has since become a target of controversial police investigative tactics. He discusses his experiences with Paul and Adam, including how trying to get a good deal on a pool lead to suspicions that he was a spy. Also covered this week, the latest 'u...

This week we are thrilled to welcome Janet Merlo to the show. Janet is a former RCMP officer, who was central to the exposing of sexual abuse within the force. Her efforts resulted in a multi-million dollar settlement, involving over 3000 complainants from all provinces and territories, and all ranks and ages. Janet describes her time in the Force, talks about the barriers in reporting, and also e...

This week, Paul and Adam discuss the news that Lisa Banfield (along with two co-authors, her sister Maureen, and writer Sherri Aikenhead) has written a book about her experiences with NS mass shooter Gabriel Wortman. The book is set for release in January, 2026. The guys deconstruct the news release, and predict what might be included in the upcoming work. Also covered this week is the news that d...

This week, Paul is joining from BC, having spent an eventful week on an Alaskan cruise. In a very 'Paul' coincidence, he had dinner one night with a woman who worked on the Swiss Air investigation for Delta Airlines, who had some interesting details to pass on. For this week's show, Adam and Paul discuss the Charlie Kirk assassination, Amy Hamm's article comparing Vancouver's a...

In the second part of our conversation with forensics expert, and author of a book detailing the cover up of the true cause of the Swiss Air 111 crash off of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Tom Juby. In this part of the discussion, Mr. Juby details the efforts he made to make his (verified) findings accepted by those in authority, and the direct pushback and interference he experienced as he did so...

Tom Juby joins the show again for an in-depth discussion of Swiss Air Flight 111, which crashed into the ocean off Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia just over 27 years ago, on September 2, 1998. Mr. Juby was assigned to document and catalogue the recovered bodies, and hundreds of thousands of plane parts that were recovered from the water. In the face of direction from his superiors to alter his notes...

This week, Paul and Adam welcome retired undercover operator and supervisor Claude Chapados to discuss how undercover operations unfold, how officers from different police forces are trained, and many other topics. He gives his view on what involvement Gabriel Wortman may have had with the police. Also discussed are the updates on the Jack and Lilly Sullivan disappearance in Nova Scotia, the $94K...

This week, we are happy to welcome our friend, citizen investigator Chad Jones. Chad is here to give us new insight into how the final moments of the NS mass shooting lend credence to theories about the killing of Corie Ellison. Before speaking with Chad, Adam and Paul discuss the recent criticism of NS Premier Houston from the Canadian Bar Association over the NS Court of Appeal's refusal to...

This week we are very pleased to be joined by Prof. Wayne MacKay. If you have listened or read any Nova Scotia story about law in the past decade, you will be familiar with Prof. MacKay. Here, he shares his views on the recent NS Police Review, issues with transparency in government, and the proceedings of the Mass Casualty Commission. Prof. MacKay also discusses the recent ban on forest-based act...

This week, we are very pleased to be joined by former Deputy Commissioner of the RCMP, Curt Allen. He discusses the policing review recently released by the NS government, as well as his experiences with the upper levels of RCMP management. Before Dep. Comm. Allen joins the show, Paul and Adam discuss the recent Junior hockey player sexual assault trial verdict and the fallout from it, as well as...

This week, Paul discusses some unexpected, and knowledgeable, visitors he had who came to discuss his book, and the podcast. Paul and Adam also discuss a central figure in the Government of Nova Scotia's response to the policing review, Executive Director of Public Safety, Haley Crichton. A witness for the government of NS at the Mass Casualty Commission, Ms. Crichton has been involved in deci...

This week we welcome back forensics expert, and author of a book on his experiences with the Swiss Air disaster, Tom Juby. Tom discusses the DNA evidence that was presented at the Mass Casualty Commission, and theorizes on what the presence of two unknown DNA samples might mean. Paul and Adam discuss the missing children case out of Pictou County, where police have announced that they have receive...

This week, Paul and Adam are pleased to welcome retired RCMP forensics expert, Tom Juby, to the show. Tom has reviewed the forensics evidence surrounding the shooting of Corrie Ellison, and gives us his insights into what they reveal, and how the case should have been handled. Before speaking with Tom Juby, Paul and Adam discuss the Federal Court decision this week ordering the RCMP to disclose th...