People First Radio - Full Episodes

Exploring reconnecting with old friends. Plus Anglican Bishop Anna Greenwood-Lee expresses reservation with signing on to run a shelter while a proposal for long term housing on church land was turned down.

Sharing the experience of obsessive compulsive disorder (ocd) through a video game. Taking action to address homelessness in Yellowknife.

Exploring the idea of social media posts as a potential diagnostic aid for psychosis related mental health conditions.

Researcher Kora DeBeck explores the idea of drug regulation.

Part 2 of a focus on brain injury. Featuring conversations with Sandy Shultz, director of the Centre for Trauma and Mental Health Research at Vancouver Island University, and Lea-lah Manson and Lance Point, outreach workers with Snuneymuxw First Nation.  

Exploring brain injury. Featuring conversations with Mauricio Garcia-Barrera, Adele Rogers, and Sandy Shultz.

Charlie Cavanagh of Saint John talks mental health in high performance sport and life after retiring from boxing. Ashley Kendrick of Campbell River shares some of her experiences as a foster parent.

Featuring conversations with Matthew Heneghan, Kim Burden, and Kerri Isham.

Elizabeth Farkouh with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria evaluates Canada’s federal alcohol policies. Happipad founder and CEO Cailan Libby explores the room sharing model he hopes can help fill some of what he describes as 13 million empty bedrooms across the country.

Guy Felicella and other speakers from a May 28th community dialogue on the toxic drug crisis in Nanaimo. Connally Mcdougall shares her journey running a clothing brand focused on inclusivity and sustainability, and moving forward after a life changing skull fracture.

Sarah Marsden gives insight into eviction mapping based on data collected by First United. BC Achievement Community Award recipient Earl Blacklock talks counseling on Vancouver Island. Christoper Lee shares the story of Vancouver based, youth led non profit Helping Hearts.

Featuring a visit to the Monday Lunch Together program from the Nanaimo Foodshare, a conversation with Imagine Studio Café’s Managing Director Dorothy Morrison, and reflections from Charlene Davis, one of the founders of WeCan Shelter Society in the Comox Valley.

Featuring conversations on sensory processing disorder, Victoria’s Red Cedar Cafe, and the use of AI chat bots for therapeutic purposes.  

Zakia Moulaoui Guery shares the story behind Invisible Cities, which trains people who’ve experienced homelessness to become walking tour guides of their communities. Marlo Renee Mayers speaks ahead of moving into a new supportive housing building in Nanaimo.

Retired RCMP officer Laurie White shares her story returning to work following a traumatic injury she received in the line of duty in 1998. Parksville Qualicum resident Amarii on being signed to a record label and his journey in music so far.

In conversation with Moms Stop The Harm co-founder Leslie McBain on the 8 year anniversary of British Columbia declaring a public health emergency due to toxic drug deaths. Exploring the emotional impacts of overdose and overdose related death on harm reduction workers with Memorial University professor Gillian Kolla.

Nisha Patel shares her experience turning her medical records into poetry, which resulted in her new collection A Fate Worse Than Death. Sachin Maharaj discusses a lawsuit by a group of Ontario school boards against social media companies, and the idea that “for too long, we’ve sought individual solutions to a collective problem.”  

University of Alberta student Gurleen Kaur shares her experiences with psychosis. Vancouver Island Construction Association CEO Rory Kumala talks the Tailgate Toolkit program, designed to provide education and training on topics related to mental health, substance use, and pain management to those working in the industry.

Looking at how our brains are depicted onscreen with Heather and Sarah Taylor. The Canadian sisters work in the film industry, and explore depictions of mental illness, disability, and a variety of other topics on their podcast Braaains.

Exploring experiences of the Canadian prison system from the inside. David Dorson is the pen name of someone who spent a few years in prison in Ontario. he writes a column about his experiences on the website of Law 360 Canada. Lee Chapelle is the founder and president of Canadian Prison Consulting, where he works […]

Finland, with a population of around 5.5 million, has just over 1000 people who are considered to be experiencing long term homelessness. That number has been steadily decreasing for decades, thanks to investment in social and affordable housing. The country’s largest non profit housing provider is a group called the Y foundation, founded in 1985. […]

Part one of a conversation with journalist Meagan Gillmore on her experiences with disability culture. Pacifica Housing CEO Carolina Ibarra reflects on developments related to supportive housing in Nanaimo, and across BC.

In conversation with Dr. Alex Nataros, who speaks about experiences personal and professional with ADHD. Port Hardy CAO Heather Nelson-Smith shares the model behind the community’s new Situation Table, an initiative designed to allow community organizations to meet regularly and cooperate on how to support individuals at acute risk of harm. Adrienne Montani of First […]

In conversation with Michelle Gamage of The Tyee, who explains how people in Vancouver are experiencing “street feet”. Campbell River’s Sue Moen shares her takeaways from a night spent in her truck on the streets of the community.

In conversation with Stephen Gaetz of The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness.