Coastal Front

Empowering women to achieve economic independence is a top goal for our newest guest, Amy Robichaud, Executive Director at Dress for Success Vancouver. We explore how the organization goes beyond the suit and what is truly required to add more women into the force and actively retaining them moving forward.

It’s been a stressful seventeen months in our Province. With over 4500 paramedics and 270 medical dispatchers working around the clock to keep our communities healthy and safe, we forget about the sacrifices they make. Troy Clifford, President of Ambulance Paramedics of BC and Shelby Weber a full-time paramedic in Surrey join us to discuss the challenges of the job, top issues, and solutions on ho...

Prime Minister Trudeau tweeted on October 17th, 2018 that cannabis was legal in Canada. Everyone celebrated and Girl Guides stood outside the first legal cannabis storefronts to boost cookie sales. Fast-forward to 2021 and British Columbia is struggling to stop illegal operators, while also failing to allow legal retailers to flourish. Tune in as we welcome Jaclynn Pehota, Executive Director of AC...

Vancouver is growing, and we need a Mayor and Council that can reach consensuses on key issues. Luckily, we have independent thinkers on council who are looking to provide key services by cutting through the red tape. This week, we discuss the widespread success of the patio program, how discretionary spending applies to Mayor and Council, and why permit backlog is the worst it’s ever been.   Foll...

We welcome Aaron Gunn to Coastal Front this week as the latest guest on our BC Liberal Leadership series. On July 1, Aaron announced the launch of an "official exploratory committee" (find out what that means) for the coveted position of leader of the BC Liberals. Known for his unfiltered opinions on controversial issues, Aaron quotes The Iron Lady and shares his views on favouring small governmen...

Is all press good press? Its been a turbulent year for the NPA Caucus and we sat down with Melissa De Genova, the lone NPA City Councillor to discuss some of the changes over the past few months. Additionally, as the first millennial elected to Council, Melissa guides us through what she’s learned over the years, THAT tweet, and her plans moving forward.     

*Disclaimer: MP Tako Van Popta joined us in our Coastal Front Studio in early April 2021* Joining us this week is Tako Van Popta, Member of Parliament for Langley-Aldergrove. As a former lawyer, Tako brings the mindset and skills developed throughout his 30-year legal career to the floor of the House of Commons. Together we explore his reasons for running in 2019, restarting the economy after the...

Join us as we kick off our BC Liberal Leadership series with our first candidate, Val Litwin. As an outsider to the political arena, Val is looking to change the BC Liberal Party and get it ready for 2024. How will he do this? Will his lack of political experience (in the traditional sense) assist him? And finally, where does he stand on critical issues impacting British Columbians?   Follow Coast...

For President and CEO Michael Meneer and Vice President Jason Hwang, every day is BC Wild Salmon Day (June 1st). Our guests are two of the many activists, researchers, and scientists who make up the incredible team at the Pacific Salmon Foundation, right here in Vancouver BC. Throughout our two-part interview we learn why some species of salmon are going extinct at an exponential rate, how Canada’...

What do Great Wolf Lodge, Six Flags, Hawaiian Falls, Atlantis, and Cedar Fair all have in common? They’ve all had White Water West part of making their water parks exceptional. Maintaining their place as the world’s leading water park manufacturer, White Water West had its start in Penticton BC in 1980 and they haven’t slowed down. Tune in as we explore what it takes to make a company, in a unique...

If you’ve followed us in the past year you know we’ve been vocal on the federal government’s misuse of funds when it comes to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS). It is no secret that big profitable Canadian and foreign companies have accessed this benefit when they did not need to, but what we still don’t know is the total amount. Follow our journey as we uncover how much these companies rec...

With over a decade of knowledge and lived experience as the CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade, Anita Huberman is the best source of information if you want the inside scoop on the fastest growing municipality in BC. Anita was not shy about discussing unpopular topics nor giving her honest opinion. Together we dive into the problems in Surrey with infrastructure, policing, and why cannabis, while le...

Member of Parliament for Vancouver-Kingsway, Don Davies, has introduced more legislation in the House of Commons than any MP in the country. That’s a big feat since he only became an MP in 2008! It's no secret that the NDP have repeatedly called for a federal dental plan for Canadians, so it would only make sense that we ask Don how the proposed plan would work, the impact on dentists, and why we’...

Full Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYiQumPzdBA With a little over a year under our belt, BC health officials need to ask themselves if they know more about the virus today compared to this time last year. If the answer is yes, great they should share it with the population and get things moving in a real way. If the answer is no, then we need to seriously re-visit the methods we have in p...

Canadians have been anxious to see what would be included in the 2021 Federal budget. There has been no shortage of opinions, positive or negative. At the end of the day, the budget tabled on April 19th, 2021 will become the basis of the Liberal Party’s election platform, which will no doubt be announced later this year. The new Luxury Tax for example, sounds like a great idea on paper- taxing the...

With 2022 around the corner, we spoke with one of Vancouver’s Mayoral candidates, Ken Sim. With no shortage of important issues impacting the City of Vancouver, we put Ken on the spot and asked him about his reasons for running, his vision for the City, and what sets A Better City apart from the other municipal parties. 

Hard work and determination got Councillor Rebecca Bligh to where she is now, and the City of Vancouver is better for it. Tune in as we explore the days before politics and what Rebecca saw as some of the initial challenges when she entered the political arena. Additionally, Rebecca sheds light on the wrap around services required to successfully eliminate tent cities, the NPA, and her future ambi...

Full Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXppSkfPAqo Creative BC is a staple in British Columbia for providing ample support for the arts community, which in turn benefits the community and economy. However, no matter how essential an organization is to the Province, it should always be held accountable for how funds are spent. We did a little digging on the recipients of Amplify BC. Watch to s...

Colleen Hardwick was elected to the Vancouver City Council in 2018, however, involvement in municipal politics has run through her veins for three generations. Sitting down with Councillor Hardwick we discuss the challenges within Council surrounding the position of the City Manager, her motion to establish the Office of the Auditor General, transparency, and housing.

Full Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcwSE6NpGM8   Today the BC Gov’t at the hands of Premier John Horgan, Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Public Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced what they titled a “Three-week circuit breaker” to “bend the curve and protect people” ... again! This government has a track record of leading people on and making people believe the end is near - whe...

Full Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUpymGkr_gI     Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy program (AKA Global corporations, sponsored by Government of Canada) was aimed to help struggling businesses. Unfortunately, it opened the floodgates for foreign companies to continue to rake in millions, while receiving subsidies paid for by the average Canadian taxpayer. There are simple solutions to fix...

Full Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls_9s7FVFNA   Meet my grandfather. A 97-year-old veteran who was willing to die for our country, and now the systematic failures of Canada’s healthcare system are rushing him to his deathbed. This message is for: Minister of Health, Adrian Dix Board Chair for Fraser Health Authority, Jim Sinclair Parliamentary Secretary, Mable Elmore Deputy Minister, Ste...

Trudeau pledged to help “small business owners pay workers… because of COVID-19 ” with the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), and while it certainly has been a lifeline for some small businesses, it has also been a huge cash grab by major corporations – and not just Canadian ones. So, what do Toyota, Loreal and the Roman Catholic Church have in common? These foreign corporations received big pa...

The BC Recovery Benefit (BCRB) is deeply flawed in execution. The application is convoluted and time consuming. Seriously. Just watch my earlier video to see the tedious process first-hand. Many people who don't qualify should, and just as notably, an alarming amount of people who qualify shouldn't. I have a simpler solution.   Editors note: apologies for audio quality at 06:00 onwards. We’re work...

We had the pleasure of interview the president of the Conservative Party of Canada, Scott Lamb. If you're interested about the operations and the business behind politics, you don't want to miss this interview. See chaptered time stamps below: 00:08 - Introduction: Welcome Scott Lamb 2:40 - What does the President of Conservative Party do? 4:28 - Administrative process of MP nominations 6:16 - Wha...