BCA Podcasts

What is like to lead one of Western Canada's most iconic companies through a pandemic? On this episode, we sit down with Ed Sims, President & CEO of WestJet, for an unplugged conversation about his career journey to becoming CEO of WestJet, how he thinks about leadership, the current state of the sector, his outlook on recovery, and opportunities to transform the airline industry.

The Honourable Maryam Monsef, Canada's Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development joins the show to discuss the recently announced national childcare and early learning program, how it will roll out, and what this announcement means for Canadians—and our economy.

BCA's Chief Economist Mike Holden joins the show to talk about the federal government recently released budget. We discuss overall impressions and implications for Alberta and how well the budget delivers on some of the key priorities of Albertans, from environment to jobs to supports for Albertans and Canadians.

When we think of prosperity, we often think of business growth or government policy, but we don't often think about the vital role that non-profits play in generating prosperity. On this episode, Eva Friesen, President & CEO of the Calgary Foundation and Jeff Dyer, CEO of Trellis, discuss the state of the sector right now, how the sector needs to evolve post-COVID, and what opportunities exist to...

From financing to talent, how do you grow not one but two tech unicorns in less than two years? On this episode, Marcos Lopez, Managing Director of Shareworks and Bryan de Lottinville, Co-Founder and Executive Chair of Benevity discuss how they built $1 billion tech companies in Alberta and how we create an environment that nurtures the future growth of the tech and innovation ecosystem in Alberta...

The Industry Strategy Council was formed in May 2020 to gather the talent and experience of Canada's top business leaders to assess the economic impact COVID-19 had on the nation's key sectors and develop a series of opportunities to bring together industry and government to shape Canada's economic recovery path and future growth. This episode is a recording of a webinar BCA hosted with ISC member...

To celebrate International Women's Day 2021, co-hosts Alicia Planincic and Brittany Brander are sharing the stories of just a few of Alberta's incredible women leaders. On this episode, Terri Steeves, Vice-President, Canada Gas Operations at TC Energy, shares about her passion for building teams centered on empathy and listening, her perspective on the value of feedback, and advice for future lead...

To celebrate International Women's Day 2021, co-hosts Alicia Planincic and Brittany Brander are sharing the stories of just a few of Alberta's incredible women leaders. On this episode, Annie Korver, Principal at Rise Consulting, shares about her passion for advancing reconciliation within corporate communities, how she builds shared value in her leadership training, and how she is #ChoosingtoChal...

To celebrate International Women's Day 2021, co-hosts Alicia Planincic and Brittany Brander are sharing the stories of just a few of Alberta's incredible women leaders. On this episode, we hear from Kristi Cawthorn, CEO of Startec Compression and Process, as she shares about her passion for building organizational culture and self-development, the story behind the Startec's "every day maverick," a...

To celebrate International Women's Day 2021, co-hosts Alicia Planincic and Brittany Brander are sharing the stories of just a few of Alberta's incredible women leaders. On this episode, we hear from Karen Brookman, President and CEO of West Canadian Digital Imaging, as she shares about her journey into leadership, her passion for women's entrepreneurship, and her advice for emerging women leaders.

Productivity is essential to not only enabling economic growth but also to improving our personal well-being. Robert Asselin, Senior Vice President of Policy at the Business Council of Canada joins the show to explore why productivity is (and what it isn't), why it matters so much that Canada is simply not as productive as its comparator nations, and how we can do better.

Alberta has a fiscal challenge. For years, our governments have spent too much and earned too little. Now, the debt is racking up. BCA's Economists Mike Holden and Alicia Planincic join this episode, in advance of the release of BCA's policy paper, Towards a Fiscally Sustainable Alberta , to talk about Alberta's approach to public finance, why our current model is unsustainable, and what we can do...

From hydrogen and LNG to petrochemical and plastics recycling, Alberta's natural gas opportunity is immense. Alberta's Associate Minister of Natural Gas and Electricity, Dale Nally, joins the show to talk about the recently released provincial natural gas vision and strategy and the opportunities that lie ahead for Alberta in responsibly developing its natural gas resources.

Scotty Greenwood, CEO of the Canadian American Business Council, joins the show to discuss the historic (and historically important and successful) relationship between Canada and the United States and what a Biden-Harris administration means for Canada and Alberta.

Cory Janssen, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of AltaML and long-time champion of Alberta's tech and innovation ecosystem, joins the show to talk about how artificial intelligence and machine learning can help create real solutions for business and social challenges and what the future for tech and innovation holds for Alberta.

On this special episode, we asked BCA's President Adam Legge to share his reflections, thoughts, and insights on 2020; the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Alberta in 2021; and what gives him hope for the future of Alberta.

Explore the ecosystem of clean resource innovation in Canada. Joy Romero, President of the Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN), and VP, Technology & Innovation at Canadian Natural shares the story of CRIN and the work they are doing to reduce emissions and develop resources responsibly with innovative approaches, technologies, and products.

The Indigenous economy has been experiencing explosive growth in Canada recently. Tabatha Bull, President & CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business joins the show to talk about the drivers behind this growth, how we sustain this growth and create opportunities for further business creation and workforce entry—and enable an economy that works for everyone.

COVID devastated the air travel industry. Bob Sartor, President & CEO of the Calgary Airport Authority, joins the show to talk about the impact of the pandemic on business, the airport's innovative rapid testing pilot program, and what lies ahead for the future of the industry.  

Canada's cost to transition to a low-carbon economy is estimated to require capital investments in the $90-166 billion range. Ryan Riordan, co-author of the Capital Mobilization Plan for a Canadian Low Carbon Economy and Associate Professor at the Smith School of Business, joins the show to explore the investment requirements to achieve Canada's climate targets and how that investment should be be...

Top Alberta economists Trevor Tombe, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Calgary and Mike Holden, Chief Economist at the Business Council of Alberta join the show to dive deep into Alberta's current deficit, curing Alberta's fiscal woes and setting the province up for long-term fiscal sustainability.

The Alberta Business Expectations Survey (BES) is a quarterly tool, developed by the Business Council of Alberta, to assess forward-looking trends in business conditions and economic expectations in the province. In this episode, BCA's Chief Economist Mike Holden unpacks what the results mean for Alberta's economic outlook, including Alberta's business leaders' expectations on sales, investment, a...

The federal government delivered its much-anticipated Speech from the Throne this week. Our team breaks down what this speech means for Albertans and Canadians; for jobs and economy; for the natural resources sector; for the management of COVID-19; and for the future of our fiscal situation.

In a post-COVID economic recovery, building better businesses, industries and sectors requires an adaptable and innovative workforce. We're exploring ideas from BCA'S recent Skilled by Design report to educate and prepare Alberta's future workforce, including building our brand as a talent destination, improving work-integrated learning programs and expanding the micro-credentialing ecosystem in t...

The business case for diversity, inclusion and equity in our businesses is strong—and has been made many times over. This episode looks at three perspectives on diversity, inclusion and equity, and what it means for businesses to create inclusive and affirmative spaces and ensure that all voices within our businesses are heard and amplified—and all people have the opportunity to participate and en...