QOL

CARP member Jack Decorby shares the story of a bicycle accident and his subsequent hospitalization.  Now in recovery and rehabilitation we talk about the process and his experiences in healthcare during COVID.  Jack and Joyce volunteer extensively in the community including 12 years of engagement with NOSM (the Northern Ontario School of Medicine) where he is a standardized patient parta...

Author of "The Essence of Wine: Celebrating the Delights of the Palate" Alder Yarrow shares his enthusiasm for wines in his backyard (California) and the wines of the world.  I seemed to be following Alder some years ago on an exploration of Hungary's Tokaji region, and though we never caught up then we do now on QOL.  Alder talks about his own wine education and journey - and how he beg...

One career?  No more.   Paul Gault followed his passion from print media to wine and wine education.  A graduate of the Algonquin College Sommelier  program he fast-tracked into a new industry.   Now as Somm4ALL he provides learning opportunities and quality representation for wineries in the National Capital Region.  Listen to Paul's journey and his words on wine. &n...

Contributor to CBC's Radio Noon and Ontario Today Konrad Ejbich has decades of understanding the wines of Ontario and Canada.  Author, broadcaster, and travel writer Konrad has provided insights and information to listeners that was valuable to them as consumers.  He challenges you to recognize the excellence in our home grown industry.  

As (hopefully) the Pandemic wanes it is time to restart various sectors of the economy.   Meredith Armstrong . Acting Director , Economic Development speaks on the plans for Greater Sudbury.  The opportunities and challenges we talk about from this conversation in the Spring of 2020 may already have morphed, and the implemented efforts too may have shifted.  This program was origina...

I want to sing "over the rainbow" as the downtown "City Centre" is now renamed Elm Place.  This is not just a refresh of name only.  Office and retail spaces are not static and the owners of this mall are acutely aware of the transformations happening not just in this downtown.  Property Manager Robert Green walks me through the changes "in the heart of Sudbury."  For those lis...

How have, how are, and how will businesses cope with the impacts of Covid-19?  What impacts has it had on members of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce? Syed Raza speaks from his experience and position at the Chamber adding insights and interpretations.  Though this episode is focused on Sudbury, we go broader into provincial, national, and global implications.  

Stevie Kim is the publisher of "The Jumbo Shrimp Guide to Italian Wine" and in her role of marketing all that is Italian Wine this is a marvelous primer.  I spoke with Stevie as Northern Italy was emerging from lockdown so naturally we also included a conversation about the effects of the Pandemic on the sales of wine as well as international travel connected with promoting product and provid...

Restaurateur Steve Beckta talks about dining in Ottawa and specifically the world of Play , Gezellig , and Beckta , and how he and his team pivoted during the Pandemic with Curated by Beckta home delivery.   A graduate of the early days of the sommelier program at Algonquin College Steve spent 4 years in New York City honing his skills at top properties.  Influential in changing the...

Who doesn't love cashews?  Well Nuts for Cheese are making a non-dairy cheese... and now two butter options. Cashews are the base for it all.  Organic and Fair Trade cashews!  Join me as I ask Candace Campbell, marketing director, about the process, the progress, and the progression of the company as it reaches across Canada and now into the United States marketplace.  

21 years ago the community of Inuvik turned their hockey arena into a community garden.  Replacing the roof with a transparent surface essentially offered an 18,000 square foot space to grow vegetables in a moderated space.  They only use the growing season as there is no supplemental heating, but when summer arrives things thrive. 56 days of continuous sunlight. The result is amazing bo...

In the 2000s while attending Royal Roads I got the opportunity to reconnect with Bob Bateman.  He was giving a series billed as "Sketchbook Talks" and would show up on campus every few months to describe trips, travels and adventures.  While on location he would compile a series of impressions into pages and pages of detailed images with words and sometimes arrows highlighting features o...

Benjamin MacKenzie is BACK!  Yes, with movie theatres still closed the summer pop-up drive-in is a great option for entertainment.  In this episode Benjamin discusses the logistics, locations, and love people have for the iconic drive-in.  Of course observing pandemic protocols there is pre-booking / pre-payment for tickets and concessions.  Two nights in Sudbury, add Manitouli...

Augustina Valenza CEO of Fragola Baby and Toddler Food describes her entrepreneurial journey.  Mouth watering options introduce flavours and textures in nourishing combinations at the right time for your child.  Brain food, body food this is not just time saving, but the home delivered packaging is reusable. Recorded in April 2020 this episode is part of an exploration of the impacts of...

In the vastness of that which is the Canadian Arctic a lone figure canoes and portages west to east.  Read his best selling book "Beyond the Trees" or download and watch the 4 month journey.  Fraught with contrary winds, hordes of biting insects, and the horizon to horizon daylight Adam shares stories - challenges and awe - on this episode of QoL.  

Marketing; we love it, we hate it.  But at its core it connects you with goods and ideas, and those offering with an audience.  Jeff MacIntyre has a wealth of knowledge and practical experience in helping retailers and regions share their story.  He talks about how downtown districts can revitalize by showcasing their uniqueness.  Naturally we do back and forth on restaurants a...

The Pandemic is having ripple effects throughout our economy and our lives.  David St. George is the Communications Director at reThink Green.  Our conversation goes from rethinking urban and personal transportation to food security to choices in everything we do.  Listen along on this wide ranging dialogue.  This episode was recorded at the end of May 2020.

Travel with the amazing Nelles Shakleton as she describes her employment arc. Decades in the hospitality industry started with her birth into a prairie diner run by her parents, then service at the iconic (Westin) Bayshore in the time of Howard Hughes.  I caught up with Nelles at the Tea Room at Government House on the grounds of the home of BC's Lt. Governor.  

Leaders Under Fire: The CEO's Survival Guide to Navigating Corporate Crisis  by Jeff Chatterton and Conway Fraser Conway Fraser shares his insights on leadership, and being a leader in a time of crisis.  Co-authored with Jeff Chatterton this guide is just over 140 pages of valuable, distilled, learnings from two top industry gurus.   At one time there was a red book any CEO could pu...

Two conversations.  The first with Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), Ernie Hardeman, and the second with a Metro Grocery Store manager, highlight the complexity of field to table systems.  Reduction in migrant worker numbers, challenges at food processing plants, and the intricacies of the distribution are topics in this program.   OMAFRA has lau...

Working his way up through the ranks Zoltan Szabo acknowledges the guidance, nurturing, and support by many in the hospitality industry that eventually put him on the top of the sommelier circle.  He knows and loves not only wines the Niagara Peninsula, but the wider new world and the classics of the old.  More than a quarter century of Canadian exposure he was heavily visible in the med...

James Delsaut has devoted a large part of each day to learn more about SARS Covid-2 (Covid-19).  It is both a professional and natural curiosity that drives him:  Dr. Delsaut is a Pharmacist in Northern Ontario.  Listen to this conversation on how his operation has changed and improved services to protect both himself and coworkers, as well as the public during this Pandemic. 

Calen McNeil of Big Wheel speaks about the restaurant world in the time of Covid-19.  His responses include protecting and retaining employees thru task changes, cross-training and doing their own delivery system.

This was recorded today, April 4th, 2020.  It is a frank discussion on the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic on the hospitality industry.  

I had this conversation with Dr. Peter Zalan this morning.  He is a retired ICU doctor and offers a series of suggestions for stopping the spread of Covid-19.