The Jill Bennett Show

For many years smoking rates have been declining , and some new data suggests vaping is playing a significant role in helping Canadians quit smoking. The Canadian Bar Association’s BC branch is raising serious concerns about the provincial government’s plan to amend the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. A BC woman with terminal cancer says the health-care system needs help. Lear...

Westham Island Bridge in Delta is still closed after a barge strike. How long before it's repaired? Guest: Dylan Kruger - Delta City Councillor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a high-profile speech warning that the post-war international “rules-based order” is facing a serious rupture, not just a transition. More than half of the commercial vehicles inspected in Burnaby and across the Lower Mainland last year were taken off the road for safety violations. Surrey mayor Brenda Locke is cal...

A growing number of landowners in British Columbia are finding themselves in a legal and financial bind when Indigenous ancestral remains are uncovered during development or construction. Guest: Christine Elliott - Lawyer hired by the property owner to handle the details Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We bring on Claire Newell from Travel Best Bets to talk about the biggest stories coming out of the travel sector! After harsh feedback from travellers and employees, WestJet has cancelled their new seat configuration. It will be a pricey reinstallation process, and will likely result in higher fares. Guest: Claire Newell - Travel Best Bets President and Founder Learn more about your ad choices. V...

Business owners in Surrey and across the Lower Mainland have been living under the shadow of an unsettling trend... extortion attempts targeting commercial operations, ranging from threats of violence to demands for cash. In response, the province and RCMP formed the BC Extortion Task Force, which has now been active for four months. Guest: Jay Minhas - Community Activist and Businessman in Surrey...

A Kamloops landowner says a routine landscaping project on private property turned into a financial and legal nightmare after remains were discovered on the site. In just a few months, the owner has faced more than $100,000 in archaeological, legal and security costs... with no compensation, no appeal process, and no clear timeline for resolution. Guest: Ravi Parmar - B.C. Forests Minister Learn m...

President Donald Trump's tariff threats over Greenland have strained relations with America's key NATO allies. European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, criticized Trump's approach on Tuesday, warning of potential retaliation. A worsening lack of accessible public washrooms in Vancouver is fueling growing frustration among residents and businesses, and in some cases, driving pe...

Topics discussed today: 1. Surrey Extortion Shooting – Shots Fired Back 2. The Use of Public Cameras By the Police to Address Crime Issues Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A worsening lack of accessible public washrooms in Vancouver is fuelling growing frustration among residents and businesses, and in some cases, driving people to leave the city altogether. Guest: Landon Hoyt - Executive director of the Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The federal government has launched a national compensation program giving gun owners until March 31, 2026 to declare whether they’ll turn in or permanently deactivate their firearms. Small business owners across British Columbia are sounding the alarm over what they describe as a shoplifting crisis that’s hurting their bottom lines and their peace of mind. Earlier this month, a woman wrote a lett...

A person (or persons) inside a Surrey home where an extortion-related shooting took place on Saturday is now under investigation for allegedly returning fire. Guest: Elenore Sturko - MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Federal Court of Appeal on Friday ruled that the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act to quell the 2022 “Freedom Convoy” protests was unreasonable. With Vancouver set to host seven FIFA World Cup games in 2026, the hospitality industry says the province is putting unnecessary red tape in the way of businesses trying to make the most of the moment. Finally, we make some predictions f...

Reactions continue to pour in over the landmark Canada/China trade deal. How will this affect our immediate and log-term future? Guest: Flavio Volpe - President, Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Liberal government says it has reached a “preliminary but landmark” trade deal with Beijing, easing tariffs on a limited number of Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for China dropping steep duties on Canadian agricultural products like canola seed, peas, lobster and crab. Guest: Margaret McCuaig Johnston - Senior Fellow, School of Public & International Affairs, at University of Ottawa, a...

The race for the leadership of the BC Conservative Party is underway, and one of the most closely watched entrants is political pundit and commentator Caroline Elliott, who launches her campaign today with a message aimed squarely at a party still debating what it wants to be. Guest: Caroline Elliot - Running for the Leadership of the Conservative Party of BC Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

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GUEST: Carole Gordon, BCTF President Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The iconic Langley Toys “R” Us store has unexpectedly shut its doors as of Tuesday, January 13. A notice posted on the door by the mall’s property owner says the toy retailer owes more than $98,000 in unpaid rent, operating costs, taxes and fees, and has defaulted on its lease. If you’ve been feeling like airports are busier, flights are fuller, and travel priorities are changing... you’re not ima...

Today we’re shining a light on a quiet pioneer whose work has transformed how survivors of sexual violence are cared for in British Columbia — and has recently been awarded the Order of Canada! Guest: Sheila Early - Recipient of the Order of Canada Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Flu numbers in Canada remain high, but are beginning to trend down after the winter holidays. Guest: Brian Conway - President and Medical Director at Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BC made headlines in 2018 when it became the first province in Canada to commit to a $10-a-Day child care system. The promise was to make high-quality, affordable child care accessible to families across the province while supporting early childhood educators. But progress has been slow, with only about 10 percent of child care spaces now priced at $10 a day, and many parents facing long waitlists...

The Vancouver Park Board is beginning the third and final phase of work to deal with thousands of high-risk trees in Stanley Park affected by the hemlock looper infestation. A Nanaimo cidery owner is disputing a property assessment that reclassified part of his farm as light industrial, a change that could trigger a 300–500% increase in property taxes. Veterinarians in the Okanagan are warning hor...

New research out of Simon Fraser University is shedding some light on why some beginner runners are able to stick with it while others quietly give up. Guest: Teri Towner - Coquitlam City Councillor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Canadian authorities are facing a growing challenge in the digital age. The AI chatbot Grok has been generating sexualized images of people without their consent, and reports are suggesting it’s even been used to create child sexual abuse material. Guest: Molly Shamess - Senior Associate with Stern Shapray Criminal Lawyers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices