Weekends with Ben O’Hara-Byrne

Guest host Syd Smith is joined by John Davies (senior wildland fire specialist, Forsite) to talk about How do we prepare better for more wildfires in Canada? We learn what its like to be a contestant on Jeopardy with Kyle Marshall (branch manager, Edmonton Public Library). Adam Shoalts (professional explorer, best-selling author of books such as Where the Falcon Flies and The Whisper on the Night...

June 1, 2023: guest host Syd Smyth in for Ben O'Hara-Byrne What does “El Nino” mean, and is climate change creating more potential for weather disasters? Guest: Simon Donner, climate scientist and professor at the University of British Columbia Social media influencers - how do they make money? Guest: Casie Stewart, content creator and expert in digital media A woman near Halifax loses her house a...

Foreign Interference Dan Stanton, instructor in national security at the University of Ottawa's Professional Development Institute and former executive officer, operations, CSIS Journo Corner: Foreign Interference Joanna Chiu, national and international journalist for the Toronto Star, author of China Unbound: A New World Disorder What jobs are most under threat by advances in AI?  Anil Verma, Pro...

What do the election results mean for Alberta’s future? Guest: Leah Ward, Vice President at Wellington Advocacy and former Director of Communications to Rachel Notley and the NDP Caucus What does the UCP’s victory mean for the energy sector? Guest: David Yager, author, energy policy analyst, chair of the Alberta Premier’s advisory council on Alberta’s Energy Future Nova Scotia’s premier on the wil...

 A look at the most interesting storylines of the Alberta election Guest: Feodor Snagovsky, assistant professor of political science at the University of Alberta A former spy on the Johnston report fallout Guest: Phil Gurski, president/CEO, Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Alberta Election update Guest: Dave Breakenridge, editor of Edmonton Journal/Sun, host of the 10/3 podcast Stephanie Catuda...

High rents force Halifax grandmother and nurse to live in a van Guest: Terri Smith-Fraser, Halifax nurse and grandmother who lives in a van More seniors find themselves homeless - why is that happening and why might it get worse? Guest: Dennis Culhane, professor of social policy, University of Pennsylvania A preview of the Alberta election on Monday Guest: Janet Brown, pollster, political commenta...

Canada's household debt is highest in the G7, how can it be tamed? Guest: Don Drummond, the Stauffer-Dunning Fellow at Queen’s University and a former chief economist at Toronto-Dominion Bank The RCMP at 150: how the force became woven into Canada’s story Guest: Steve Hewitt, Senior Lecturer in American and Canadian Studies at the University of Birmingham, author of several books on the RCMP The R...

How advancements in DNA testing led to the solving of a 48-year-old cold case in Montreal Guest: Nicolas Tremblay, forensic biologist, spokesperson for Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale du Québec (LSJML) Journo Corner: The response to David Johnston’s critiques of media coverage of foreign interference Guest: Steven Chase, parliamentary bureau reporter, The Globe and Mail R...

David Johnston rules out public inquiry into China’s interference in Canadian politics, is it the right decision? Guest: Christian Leuprecht, professor at the Royal Military College and Queen’s University, senior fellow at the Macdonald Laurier Institute Former Conservative MP allegedly targeted by Beijing on David Johnston’s recommendations Guest: Kenny Chiu, former Conservative MP Why a public i...

Alberta parks closed over wildfire risk, Crown land campers urged to be smart May long weekend Guest: Jen Baron, PhD student focusing on wildfires and forest ecology, University of British Columbia Have you forgotten a fortune? B.C. team wants to return millions to rightful owners Guest: Sherry MacLennan, Executive Director, BC Unclaimed Property Society Disney scraps billion dollar Florida plan a...

We chat about the negotiations go down to the wire as 1800 WestJet pilots set to walk out with John Gradek (head of McGill University's aviation management program). We discuss Sean Silcoff's (technology reporter, The Globe and Mail, co-author of Losing the Signal: the Spectacular Rise and Fall of BlackBerry) new book on the rise and fall of Blackberry, and the new movie on the device. Rob Breaken...

Tonight, we get into rental prices reaching new heights across Canada with Paul Danison (content director, Rentals.ca) and with housing starting to become unaffordable, what can be done about it? Jim Dunn (Senator William McMaster Chair of Urban Health Equity, and director, Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative, McMaster University) gives us some answers. Danardo Jones, (Assistant Professor, Fac...

We head to the frontlines of the wildfires across Western Canada with Kyle Brittain (freelance videojournalist and former wildland firefighter). Duncan Dee (former chief operating officer at Air Canada) helps us understand why WestJet pilots issuing a strike notice. We get into the road rage over AM radios being removed from vehicles with Michael Harrison (publisher of Talkers, a trade journal cov...

Stellantis stops construction on Windsor, Ont., EV battery plant amid fed dispute Guest: Greig Mordue, Associate Professor, ArcelorMittal Dofasco Chair in Advanced Manufacturing Policy, Faculty of Engineering, McMaster University Another unsuccessful year for Canadian NHL teams Guest: Reid Wilkins, host of Inside Sports, 630 CHED in Edmonton Junk food is getting a lot more expensive and we’re will...

We talk about the risks presented by wildfire smoke with Michael Mehta (Professor, Department of Environment, Culture, and Society, Thompson Rivers University) and the fight against cuts to staff and resources, as Alberta firefighters are battling more than just flames, with Harold Larson (Canadian wildland firefighter, author of “The Wildfire Twenty”). Binance leaves Canada - Henry Kim (Associate...

After another OPP officer killed on duty, what is behind the disturbing trend of police officer ambushes and deaths in Canada? Greg Brown (Adjunct Research Professor and Contract Instructor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Carleton University, spent 35 years with the OPS and retired as a detective sergeant) joins us to talk about what needs to be done. She made her name blowing the whist...

What is the impact of the removal of iconic Canadian images from newly-designed passports? Brad West (mayor of Port Coquitlam) joins us to discuss. Jonny Morris (CEO, Canadian Mental Health Association of BC) talks to us about how should bystanders react to someone having a mental health crisis. On Journo Corner this week, we get into Alberta's election, thew passport redesign and pickleball with...

Tonight, Rick Mercer joins us to talk about Canada's Walk of Fame and being an inductee this year! Brett Popplewell (writer, assistant professor of journalism, Carleton University, author of Outsider: An Old Man, a Mountain and the Search for a Hidden Past) tells us the story of a super athlete in his 80s - and how it may help you re-consider what aging means. On A Little More True Crime, Tamara C...

An inside look at the toll of evacuations and wildfires in Alberta Guest: Chief Conroy Sewepagaham, Chief of Little Red River Cree Nation Canada moves to boot a Chinese diplomat out of the country, what now? Guest: Gordon Houlden, Director Emeritus of the China Institute, University of Alberta Small business owners struggling to find time away from their work Guest: Jenn Newark, owner, Pet Grocer...

Fleeing Alberta’s growing wildfires Guest: Morgan Black, digital journalist, Global News Edmonton/630 CHED Early wildfires and what they mean for the summer ahead Guest: Jen Beverly, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sci - Renewable Resources Dept, University of Alberta (former wildland firefighter) Camping out for a good spot on the Coronation procession route? ...

Coronation preview: Canadian contingent, and the royal quiche Guest: Patricia Treble, royal commentator and author of Write Royalty on Substack Canada and the monarchy under King Charles III Guest: Richard Albert, author of Constitutional Amendments: Making, Breaking, and Changing Constitutions, is a member of Jamaica’s 15-member Constitutional Reform Committee The public safety minister on the go...

Tonight, Charles Burton, senior fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute, former Canadian diplomat in Beijing) joins us to talk about the latest on China's interference & Alexandre Trudeau at committee today, and we dive intro Canada’s disturbing history of wrongful convictions with Kent Roach (professor, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto and author of Wrongfully Convicted: Guilty Pleas, Imagined C...

We discuss the CSIS confirming the Chinese government was targeting Conservative MP Michael Chong. We honor the life Gordon Lightfoot and speak to Nicholas Jennings (Canadian music journalist and author of Lightfoot), Andy Kim (Canadian singer and songwriter), and Norma Coates (professor in Music and the Faculty of Information & Media Studies, Western University) on his life, music and impact. Joe...

We get into a preview of Alberta election with Lori Williams (professor of political science, Mount Royal University) and the energy aspect of the election with Jack Mintz (Palmer Chair in Public Policy at the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy, author of “Most Favoured Nation: Building a Framework for Smart Economic Policy). Larry Gifford (National Director of Talk Radio, Corus Enter...

LCBO phasing out paper bags - will other grocers and retailers follow suit? Guest: Lisa Hutcheson, retail expert and managing partner at J.C. Williams Group Why are so many places in Canada talking about ditching the RCMP? Guest: Curt Griffiths, a professor in the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University, Bill C-11 is about to become law - so what now?  Guest: Michael Geist, Canada Researc...