10/3: Canada Covered

It has been nine months since the horrific crash between a semi-trailer and a bus carrying players and personnel from the Humboldt Broncos hockey team. On April 6 2018, the driver of the semi failed to yield at a stop sign along a Saskatchewan Highway and hit the team’s bus, killing 16 and injuring 13. Now, nine months later, the driver of the truck has owned up for his actions, pleading guilty to...

December month marked one year since the slayings of billionaires Barry and Honey Sherman, who were found dead in their North Toronto Mansion on Dec. 15, 2017. And despite a lot of interest in this case from coast to coast, it seems like there has been little movement on the investigation. We look back at the killings, what may have stalled the investigation, and where police are at in their effor...

MPs and cyber security officials are worried Canada’s federal election, slated for next fall, could be at risk. Like with the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, there are fears that foreign actors could try to influence our next election using social media, or that data breaches could be weaponized for political gain. We look at what specific concerns are being raised and what’s being done in an att...

Despite many similarities and a shared independent streak, Quebec and Alberta have found themselves on opposite sides in a back and forth over the idea of revamping the Energy East pipeline idea. Dave is joined by Montreal Gazette National Assembly reporter Philip Authier. Update: Quebec sources 82 per cent of its oil from North American sources, according to National Bank of Canada. A different f...

Should consenting adults be allowed to strap on a pair of leather gloves, step into the ring and beat the daylights out of each other? Is the entertainment, and payday, worth the risk of potential harm, or even death? These are questions being raised after a Quebec-based boxing champ wound up in hospital with a life-threatening brain injury. Dave is joined by Montreal Gazette editorial pages edito...

Earlier this month, a top executive for Chinese tech giant Huawei, Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver at the request of the U.S. Meng was wanted on fraud charges linked to violating sanctions against Iran. We look at the fallout being felt in the wake of Meng’s arrest, whether this situation could have a chilling effect on Canada-China relations, and how tied in Huawei is with Canada’s telecom...

In Canadian politics, the legislature Clerk, Sergeant at arms and Speaker of the house aren’t often thrust into the spotlight. But in B.C. the men in those three roles have been embroiled in controversy since it was revealed that two of them have been suspended from their jobs now the subject of a secret RCMP investigation.  Dave is joined is Vancouver Sun political writer Rob Shaw. Learn more abo...

Amid a fiscal crisis caused by the low price of oil, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley took the drastic step to cut oil production. The move is seen as an attempt to shrink the difference between the price on Alberta oil and global benchmarks. We look at how industry is reacting, whether it will help Alberta’s financial picture, and how federal policy has played a role. Dave is joined by Calgary Heral...

General Motors announced Monday it is closing its Oshawa assembly plant, leaving nearly 3,000 people out of work. We look at what the closure means for the community and what the future holds for Canada's car manufacturing industry. Dave is joined by Financial Post reporters Emily Jackson and Geoff Zochodne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recent court cases on the Prairies have raised the issue of gun culture and rural crime across Canada.  But for many farmers and ranchers, a firearm is not seen as a tool for self defence, but a part of the way of life out in the country. We look at what rural residents have to say about gun culture, the rural-urban divide in attitudes when it comes to firearms, and whether there are concerns abou...

The price gap on Alberta oil has hit a crisis point. Business leaders, politicians and everyday Albertans are demanding action to fix a divide that's costing the Alberta treasury and Canadian economy billions. We look at what's being done to mitigate the damage, what help Alberta is asking for from the feds, and what the Prime Minister has to say. Dave is joined by Edmonton Journal provincial affa...

Conservative politicians across Canada are banding together to fight Justin Trudeau's carbon tax. Last month Trudeau announced that the Liberal government carbon pricing plan will include rebates for people in provinces that do not have their own plan. Dave is joined by National Post reporters Tyler Dawson and Maura Forrest to discuss the origins of the coalition of provincial politicians opposing...

As the world transitions to a knowledge-based, innovation economy, Canada is lagging behind. The Financial Post has kicked off a deep look at how this trend could endanger the country’s economic well-being, and what is needed to help businesses flourish and grow. In this episode, we speak with Jim Balsillie, a leader at the heart of the innovation movement about the challenges companies face, and...

It looks like Calgary will not be in the mix to host the 2026 Olympic winter games after all. After months of back and forth, the No side won out in a city-wide plebiscite Tuesday, leaving city council little choice but to scuttle a multi-billion dollar bid. We look at how the Yes side failed to make its case, and what the no vote says about possible future bids. Dave is joined by Calgary Herald r...

This Sunday, Buglers or trumpeters will stand stoically at ceremonies across the country and their instruments clarion call will usher in two moments of silence. The plaintive notes of the Last Post will resonate in the hearts and minds of those paying tribute to all those who have lost their lives in service of our country. Dave is joined by Ottawa Citizen reporter Bruce Deachman to look at the o...

As the trial for Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" guzman kicks off in Brooklyn, the National Post has uncovered the story of a Canadian working as a cocaine smuggler in El Chapo's operation. Mykahylo Koretskyy, also known as Russian mike and cobra was picked up earlier this year in the dutch territory of curacao, on a 2014 u.s. indictment. Dave is joined by reporter Brian Fitzpatrick. Lea...

The suspension of a B.C. university professor is being investigated over concern his employer violated his academic freedom. Derek Pyne was suspended without pay over research into the practice of his colleagues publishing in so-called predatory academic journals. And now the Canadian association of university professors is looking into how Thomson Rivers University handled the incident. Dave is j...

A gunman walked into a Pittsburgh Synagogue last weekend and open fire, killing eight people. In the wake of Pittsburgh massacre, and the Mosque shooting in Quebec city last year, we look at what is driving hateful rhetoric online, and how we’re seeing a rise in anti-Semitism in Canada. Dave is joined by Montreal Gazette columnist Bill Brownstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone....

Toronto Mayor John Tory easily cruised to a second term as leader of Canada’s largest city last week. He did so amid a fight with the provincial government over a push from Ontario’s premier to shrink the size of city council in the thick of a campaign. Dave and Toronto Sun editor-in-chief Adrienne Batra look at how the mayor and the premier are looking to put that fight behind them, and how the c...

Vancouver, a city reeling amid a housing crisis and being on the front lines of the opioid epidemic, has a new mayor. Former NDP MP Kennedy Stewart was elected last weekend as Vancouver's first independent mayor in 30 years. During the campaign he took strong positions on housing, and he has been a staunch opponent of the Trans Mountain pipeline. Dave is joined by Dan Fumano of the Vancouver Sun a...

One week into legalized cannabis, and business is booming on the prairies. In Alberta, were retail sales are privatized, stores have been lined up out the door since opening day on Oct. 17 and the novelty hasn’t worn off. One major retail says cannabis sales have even outpaced the company’s liquor business in some stores. Is that just the novelty factor? Or will the popularity, and product shortag...

The case against Vice Admiral Mark Norman doesn’t hit court until next summer, but it caused a big ruckus in the House of Commons last week. Norman, the former vice chief of defence staff is charged with breach of trust for allegedly leaking information related to a shipbuilding contract. The Tories have been making political hay over whether there was interference on the contract from Treasury Bo...

Other countries use it, Political parties use it, even the Oscars and the NHL awards use it. But so far, Canada has been reluctant to adopt the idea of ranked ballots for major elections. That could be changing. Dave is joined by London Free Press reporter Megan Stacey to look at how London Ontario is making the shift to ranked ballots for its upcoming municipal election, and whether it could spre...

We are down to the last 24 hours until cannabis becomes legal in Canada. But that doesn’t mean that all the smoke has cleared when it comes to retail sales and police enforcement of new laws around the black market. Dave is joined by Megan Henderson of the GrowthOp, Postmedia's cannabis news site, to look at how the legal pot landscape is shaping up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...

Two of Canada’s most prominent conservative leaders met in Calgary Friday, in front of hundreds of cheering supporters. Doug Ford and Jason Kenney had one other politician politician top of mind: Justin Trudeau and his planned carbon tax. Dave is joined by the always-animated Calgary Sun columnist Rick Bell to look at how the rally frames the debate around the federal climate plan, and what it mea...