Conversations That Matter

Ep - 608 - Quiet Food Insecurity Guest: Dr Sylvain Charlebois By Stuart McNish   “Quiet food insecurity” says, The Food Professor, Sylain Charlebois, “ is a noticeable decline in the quality and variety of food in shopping baskets and that poses long-term nutritional and health risks.” The nature of the make up of the shopping cart contents is a direct reflection on the cost of food. “Prices are u...

Ep 607 - British Columbia’s Golden Moment in Mining Guest: Michael Goehring By Stuart McNish   “We’re seeing some progress in mine permitting,” says Michael Goehring of the Mining Association of British Columbia. “However,” he continues, “we need to build on this momentum to realize our once-in-a-lifetime mining opportunity.” To do that will require further action from the provincial government –...

Ep 606 - DRIPA and its legal consequences Guest: Robin Junger By Stuart McNish   The news in British Columbia is all about DRIPA – the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. The premier of the province David Eby, in response to the December 2025 BC Court of Appeal Ruling of a case known as Gitxaala, raced to amend the act. His attempts to do so have become a headspinning spectacle.  ...

Ep 605 - Track and Trace Guest: Louis Dron, Redwood A.I. By Stuart McNish   The British Columbia government launched a pilot called Track and Trace, a two-year initiative led by Aidos Innovations, a nonprofit translational science institute developed at the University of British Columbia with support from law enforcement. “This new initiative will analyze the unique chemical fingerprints of illici...

Ep 604 - Artificial Intelligence: Optimistic or Fear? Guest: Marc Low, Ignition at KPMG By Stuart McNish   “When it comes to AI, ‘you can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs’ and the same is true when it comes to the development, application, and use of AI,” says Marc Low, the Ignition Vancouver Lead at KPMG. Low goes on to say, “AI is either exhilarating and inspiring or it’s fuel for nig...

Ep 603 - More Permits, Less Talk Guest: Todd Stone, Association for Mineral Exploration BC By Stuart McNish It’s taken two years of fast-talking about fast-tracking mining permits in British Columbia to get started. On April 1, 2026, the BC government promised to approve exploration permits within 40 to 140 days, depending on project complexity. If the permit isn’t processed on time, it will be es...

Ep 602 - British Columbia Conservative Leadership Candidate Guest: Kerry-Lynne Findlay By Stuart McNish   Former Surrey MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay has put her name forward as a candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party of British Columbia. Her campaign makes it clear: Findlay is a Conservative. Her website says, “BC Liberal insiders are trying to take over the Conservative Party of BC. Th...

Ep 601 - ICBC: A Unique Insurance Provider Guest: Jason McDaniel, CEO of ICBC By Stuart McNish “The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia [ICBC] is a unique auto insurance provider,” says Jason McDaniel, the President and CEO of ICBC. “We are the only organization that supplies mandatory basic coverage to all vehicles.” That blanket coverage positions ICBC to act as much more than just an insu...

Ep 600 - Conservative Party of BC Leadership Guest: Caroline Elliott By Stuart McNish   “We have an urgent need for change in British Columbia, and we need more people with the courage to make that change happen. That’s why I’ve decided to seek the leadership of the B.C. Conservative Party,” says Caroline Elliott, one of the contenders for the leadership of the party. Her campaign is taking aim at...

Ep - 599 - A.I. Solutions in Chemical Testing Guest: Louis Dron, Redwood AI By Stuart McNish   “Chemical synthesis testing is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s biggest challenges,” says Louis Dron, one of the founders of Vancouver-based Redwood AI. The company has turned its attention to solving that bottleneck and, at the same time, propelling Vancouver to the centre of chemical synthesis test...

Ep 598 - Conservative Party of BC Leadership Guest: Iain Black By Stuart McNish   In an interview with Vancouver is Awesome in the lead-up to the 2025 federal election, Iain Black stated, “I thought my days as an MLA and Minister were behind me. But witnessing the decline of our community – due to rising affordability issues, increasing crime, and a relentless wave of overdose-related deaths – I c...

Ep 597 - Believing in Possibility Joe Roberts, Executive Director of the Push For Change Foundation By Stuart McNish   “There’s more to you than you can see,” said Gus, the man who started the turnaround in Joe Roberts' life. At the time, Joe was living on the streets of Vancouver. He was a drug user, he was struggling with mental health, and he was in and out of the criminal justice system. “I ha...

Ep 596 - Conservative Party of BC Leadership Candidate Peter Milobar By Stuart McNish   He is one of four sitting MLAs running for the leadership of the Conservative Party of BC: Peter Milobar was first elected to the legislature in 2017 as a BC Liberal in the Kamloops-North Thompson riding and is the current Finance Critic for the BC Conservatives. Prior to running provincially, Milobar was a cou...

Ep 595 - Drunk: How we Sipped, Danced and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization Guest: Dr. Edward Slingland By Stuart McNish   “It is humanity’s oldest indulgence,” says Edward Slingerland, the author of the book “Drunk.” Slingerland posits that drinking intoxicating beverages has shaped human history and played a crucial role in the rise of the first large-scale societies. Drawing on evidence from arc...

Ep 594 - Why do some children get sick? Guest: Dr. Stuart Turvey, British Columbia Children’s Hospital By Stuart McNish   “Why do some healthy children succumb to overwhelming bacterial infection while others survive or not become infected at all?” asks Dr. Stuart Turvey of British Columbia Children’s Hospital and the University of BC’s Faculty of Medicine. “Why do some children suffer crippling j...

Ep 593 - Conservative Party of BC: Running for Leadership Guest: Yuri Fulmer By Stuart McNish   The race for Conservative Party of BC leader is on. “British Columbia stands at a crossroads,” says Yuri Fulmer, who was the first to put his name forward for the job. “After years of mismanagement and policies that have failed working families, it's time for a new direction,” states his leadership camp...

Ep 592 - Canadian Dental Plan: Is it Working? Guest: Dr. Bruce Ward, President of the Canadian Dental Association By Stuart McNish   “The Canadian Dental Care Plan is working – sorta,” says Dr. Bruce Ward, the President of the Canadian Dental Association. Ward goes on to say, “As of the end of 2025, more than 5.5 million people were approved for coverage. However, not all of them have received car...

Ep 591 - Save British Columbia’s Restaurants Guest: Ian Tostenson By Stuart McNish   “Restaurants are at the heart of every community in [British Columbia] and almost 50% of them are struggling,” says Ian Tostenson, the President of the Restaurant and Foodservices Association. “Food, labour, and rent costs are rising and customer traffic is down.” It’s a trend that has been gaining momentum since...

Ep 590 -  The Social Media Warning Paradox Guest: Iman Goodarzi By Stuart McNish “How much time do you spend on social media? Be honest now, because the answer will surprise you,” says Yash Gupta of Lognormal Analytics. “Social media hooks the average person for at least 5 hours a day.” And everything you do is being recorded and analyzed. Algorithms retrieve psychographics from your online purcha...

Ep 589 -  Taking Care of Men Guest: Kenton Boston, Canadian Men’s Health Foundation By Stuart McNish   “Health is complex and men’s health is complicated by a variety of factors that include biology, behavioral choices, and peer pressure,” says Kenton Boston, the President of the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation. According to Boston, one of the biggest challenges is a stoic mentality. He says, “‘S...

Ep 588 -  What to Do When You Grow Up Guest: Diana MacKay By Stuart McNish “Long gone are the days of working for the firm and retiring with a watch as a parting gift,” says Diana MacKay. “The world is careening forward at breakneck speed.” She continues, “Sometimes we are lucky enough to be holding the harness firmly and riding along – even steering things. But more likely, we’re hanging on.”  In...

Ep 586 - Trees, Genomics, and Climate Guest: Dr. Sally Aitken, University of British Columbia and AdapTree project By Stuart McNish   According to a 2015 Nature report, there are more than 3 trillion trees on Earth. “Trees are amazing. They’re the lungs of the Earth and home to millions of organisms, fungi, and animals,” says Sally Aitken at the University of British Columbia’s Forestry Department...

Ep 585 - The Cowichan Case and Your Property Rights Guest: Radha Curpen & Robin Junger By Stuart McNish Cowichan Tribes v. Canada has rapidly become the most significant land title case in Canada – and possibly in Canadian history. It has sparked intense and competing arguments in private, in public, and in the Legislative Assembly in Victoria. Premier Eby was grilled mercilessly about his def...

Ep 584 - Ocean Wise Guest: Lasse Gustavsson By Stuart McNish   The Earth’s oceans add up to 71% of the surface of the planet and contain 96% of the water on this precious blue marble in space. The ocean produces 60% of the oxygen we need to be able to breathe. “The oceans are our greatest natural resource,” says Lasse Gustovsson, the CEO of Ocean Wise, “and they are at risk due to human activity.”...

Ep 583 - Re-engineering the human body for space travel Guest: Christopher E. Mason By Stuart McNish “To boldly go where no one has gone before” – the phrase was inspired by a 1958 White House pamphlet called "Introduction to Outer Space,” which highlighted humanity’s inherent urge to explore the unknown. It also was the opening to the monologue for Star Trek, where Captain James T. Kirk goes on t...