Brian Crombie Radio Hour

Did Donald Trump create Canada's economic problems, or did his tariffs and threats simply expose weaknesses that have been building for decades? On this episode of the Brian Crombie Radio Hour, Brian welcomes Ian Lee, professor at Carleton University's Sprott School of Business and former banker, and Larry O'Brien, entrepreneur and former mayor of Ottawa. Together, they discuss their provocative n...

What if the biggest investment opportunities in artificial intelligence aren't found in the companies developing AI, but in the industries supplying the infrastructure needed to power it? On this episode of the Brian Crombie Radio Hour, Brian welcomes Michael (Mike) Verge, retired electrical and control systems engineer and author of AI Thunder: Build Your Investment Portfolio with an AI Partner,...

What will artificial intelligence mean for Canada's future? And are we pursuing the things that truly make us happy? On this episode of the Brian Crombie Radio Hour, Brian presents two thought-provoking conversations exploring artificial intelligence, Canada's digital independence, happiness, gratitude and the importance of meaningful relationships. Part One: The Future of AI with Jo CaudronBrian...

We hold elections, elect governments and debate politics. But does that necessarily mean we have a healthy democracy? On this episode of the Brian Crombie Radio Hour, Brian welcomes Peter Biro, founder and president of Section 1, a think tank dedicated to liberal democracy, and author of the forthcoming book Imperfect Ideal: Essays on Liberal Democracy in the Real World. Together, they explore the...

With municipal voters preparing to cast their ballots, John Wright, CEO of Canada Pulse Insights, joins me to look at the latest polling—and what could still change before Election Day. 🏙️ TORONTO — IS OLIVIA CHOW ACTUALLY IN TROUBLE? Some polls suggest a close contest. John’s data tells a different story. He sees Olivia Chow with a significant advantage, particularly in Toronto’s core and among v...

Thursday, three conversations about issues affecting our homes, our communities and the people we care about. 🏠 PART ONE — RON BUTLER: DON’T BUY YET? Mortgage broker and real estate commentator Ron Butler joins me with a stark assessment of Canada’s housing market. Ron says the recovery many expected hasn’t arrived. Sales remain weak, mortgage rates have risen again, foreclosures are increasing,...

Property taxes. Housing. Crime and policing. Traffic and transit. Development. These are some of the issues Mississauga voters will be considering as they choose their next City Council. Wednesday on The Brian Crombie Hour, I interview four candidates—two running in Ward 5 and two in Ward 7. 🏙️ WARD 5 — DR. JAMIE DOOKIE Jamie argues Ward 5 needs a strong, independent voice at City Hall. We discuss...

More than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there is still no peace. And according to my guest Tuesday, the war may actually be entering one of its most dangerous phases. I’m joined from Kyiv by Peter Dickinson, editor of the Atlantic Council’s UkraineAlert, for an extraordinary update on what is happening on the ground in Ukraine. Russia has dramatically escalated its air...

Monday night, as Quebecers choose their next government, I have a special two-part edition of The Brian Crombie Hour about an election—but also about something much bigger. What holds a country together? 🗳️ PART ONE — STEVE PINKUS: QUEBEC VOTES As the polls close, I’m joined by Steve Pinkus, Vice President, Quebec, at Mainstreet Research, to examine one of Canada’s most consequential provincial el...

What happens when fear keeps people silent? And when someone’s life goes off course, what does it really take to find a way back? On this episode of The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian brings together two very different conversations connected by questions of choice, consequence, community, recovery and redemption. Canadian writer and producer Lynne Stoltz discusses Sons 2 the Grave, her film exploring...

You go to work, pay the bills and meet your responsibilities. From the outside, everything looks fine. But are you actually flourishing—or have you simply become very good at functioning? Brian Crombie is joined by Renato Discenza, qualifying registered psychotherapist and founder of Discern Counselling, for a conversation about mental health, relationships, loneliness, purpose and why people don'...

When do two companies become more valuable together than they were apart? Brian Crombie is joined by Amanda David, a technology and transformation executive specializing in digital transformation, enterprise systems and post-merger integration, and Mark Borkowski, President of Mercantile M&A, for a practical discussion about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic partnerships. The...

Canada has energy, critical minerals, uranium, hydroelectricity, world-class universities, talent, capital and access to global markets. But can the country turn those advantages into real investment—and actual projects? Brian Crombie is joined by Mawakina Bafale, Research Officer at the C.D. Howe Institute and co-author of The Investment Summit Made the Pitch, But the Sale Isn’t Closed, to examin...

For generations, Canada and the United States have shared one of the world's closest economic and political relationships. But amid an escalating tariff dispute and growing uncertainty, has that relationship fundamentally changed? On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian is joined by two business executives and friends with different perspectives: American Francis Saleh and Canadian Philip Richardson. Fra...

What if some of the people once labelled “insane” were actually people society simply refused to hear? On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian is joined by Canadian novelist, poet and teacher Robin Blackburn McBride to discuss her new historical novel, River of Dreams—a story exploring women, mental health, intuition, family secrets and the consequences of having one's experiences dismissed. Set partly i...

If your phone or computer disappeared tomorrow, how much of your life would disappear with it? On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian is joined by digital evangelist Jason Love for a practical conversation about organizing, protecting and simplifying your digital life. From thousands of photos and forgotten passwords to scattered notes, competing calendars and endless to-do lists, people have moved enor...

Can reconciliation become more than something Canadians talk about—and become something people actually do? On this episode of The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian is joined by Lynn Taylor and Barry Gilbert of Eagle Spirits of the Great Waters Indigenous Arts and Cultures for a powerful conversation about reconciliation, healing, identity and connection. Ahead of the Eagle Spirits Gathering & Healing...

What does success mean after you’ve already achieved it? On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian sits down with entrepreneur and philanthropist Miles S. Nadal, founder and Executive Chairman of Peerage Capital, for a candid conversation about 46 years of entrepreneurship, success, adversity and reinvention. Miles shares the lessons behind his belief in “the power of human capital”—why grit, emotional int...

What if artificial intelligence's greatest advantage over human relationships isn't intelligence—but attention? On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian is joined by Dr. Thomas R. Verny to explore the rapidly evolving world of AI companions and what increasingly convincing artificial relationships could mean for human connection. AI companions can listen, remember, encourage and remain constantly availabl...

After decades in municipal politics, why come back? On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian sits down with former Markham Regional Councillor and Deputy Mayor Jack Heath, who is a certified candidate for Regional Councillor in Markham’s 2026 municipal election. Heath served 19 years as a Regional Councillor and nearly 11 years as Deputy Mayor before leaving elected office in 2022. Now he's seeking a retu...

Canada has the resources. The question is whether we can turn them into lasting economic strength. On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian is joined by Heather Exner-Pirot, a commentator on energy, natural resources, Indigenous economic development and economic security, to examine Canada's opportunity in a changing global economy. Heather argues that disruption in the Canada-U.S. relationship may be for...

What happens when two very different approaches to political leadership collide—and what does it mean for Canada’s relationship with the United States? On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian is joined by Dennis Dodo, author of The Tale of Two Men, which compares the leadership approaches of Donald Trump and Mark Carney. Dodo characterizes Trump’s approach as focused heavily on political performance, nar...

Interest rates have fallen from their peak. Home prices have corrected. Affordability has improved somewhat. So why hasn’t the Canadian housing market—particularly the GTA—recovered? On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian is joined by Ted Tsiakopoulos, senior economist and former CMHC Chief Regional Economist, to examine what he calls real estate’s “Automatic Stabilizer”—and why it may not be working th...

Why are so many employees resisting artificial intelligence—and what should leaders do about it? On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian is joined by Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts, to examine the growing tension surrounding AI in the workplace. Gleb identifies three types of resistance: AI alarmists who fear losing their jobs, pragmatic resistors concerned about losing expertise a...

If Canada's old economic assumptions no longer hold, what do we build next? On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian revisits a remarkably timely conversation with Anne Fitz-Gerald, Director of the Balsillie School of International Affairs, who warned that Canada's geography, security and extraordinary access to the U.S. market had allowed something dangerous to take hold: complacency. Anne argues that Ca...