Western Context

Calgary’s water system may be worse than expected, Poilievre wants tariffs on Chinese EVs and metals, and the UCP has issues with the popularity of their special projects. Also, BC’s affordable housing program is not actually about affordable housing.

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“The Housing Hub program is a supply-based program. It’s not an affordability program. The whole intent of the Housing Hub was just to build more housing. And it was intended to be market (rate) rental housing.” – Michael Pistrin, vice-president of development for B.C. Housing on how the affordable housing program was not actually about affordable housing.

Duration: 56:19
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

• Urgent repairs needed for Calgary’s water system, PipeDiver inspection finds 16 new hot spots
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• As Poilievre and industry call for Chinese EV tariff package, Liberals say stay tuned
• Alberta government backs away from podcast comments made by Premier Smith, Calgary MLA
• B.C. NDP explains why $2B housing affordability program was not about, er, delivering affordable housing
• Word of the Week: Market rate

A terror plot in Toronto gets thwarted, BC United wants to put their former name on the ballot, and Calgary’s Green line is more expensive and shorter than planned. Also, Harjit Sajjan lobbied to get soldiers to participate in a pop concert.

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“Minister Sajjan will continue to support historical achievements with great economic and cultural benefits for Vancouver. Sajjan attended the concert with his family, bought his own tickets, and all expenses were covered by Sajjan personally. It was a terrific show.” – Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan’s press secretary on not apologizing for asking the Canadian Armed Forces to send 100 soldiers to participate in a Punjabi concert.

Duration: 54:22
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

• Toronto terror arrests raise questions about security screening
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• Opposition BC United party looks to add former Liberal party name to election ballot
• Council approves budget hike for Green Line LRT, cutting 6 stations from Phase 1
• Cabinet minister Harjit Sajjan requested 100 soldiers to perform with Punjabi pop star Diljit Dosanjh
• Word of the Week: Aggravate

The BC Tree Fruits cooperative shutting down spells disaster for farmers, Corus cuts hundreds of media jobs, and US senators are worried about Canada’s Gaza refugees. Also, Jasper burns as a result of bad forest management.

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“We share the sense of loss with all of those who live in the town, who care for it, and who have helped build it. And to those in Alberta and around the world who have experienced the magic of Jasper: The magic is not lost, and it never will be.” – Premier Danielle Smith on the Jasper wildfire.

Duration: 57:25
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

• B.C. Tree Fruits co-operative shutting down after 88 years
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• Changes coming to Global Okanagan amid company layoffs
• Rubio, Colleagues Warn of Terrorist-tied Gazans Crossing Northern Border
• Ottawa let wildfire fuel pile up in Jasper for decades
• Word of the Week: Cooperative

The Premiers’ meeting delivers a united message to Trudeau, the public service has grown far faster than Canada’s population, and John Rustad has a plan to fix BC’s healthcare crisis. Also, Randy Boissonnault is in hot water again.

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“[Trudeau] is delivering worse service.You can’t get anyone on the phone at CRA. Incredible delays just to get a passport. And the federal government is not delivering any services that it wasn’t delivering before. In other words, after nine years of Trudeau, Canadians are paying more for bureaucracy to get less in service.” – Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre on the decay of services in Canada.

Duration: 48:28
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

• Premiers gather in Halifax with a message for Trudeau: stick to your lane
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• Under Trudeau, the civil service has grown twice as fast as Canada’s population
• B.C. Conservatives pitch health-care changes, more private clinics
• Multiple texts about ‘other Randy’ blamed on ‘auto-correct’ by Boissonnault’s former business partner
• Word of the Week: Delivery

Canada faces pressure at the NATO summit to up defence spending, Alberta faces an electricity shortage, and BC’s economy starts to stagnate. Also KFC Canada begins to sell halal chicken.

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“We are buying big things. We are building big things, and we are protecting the longest coastline in the world, including with increased responsibilities for the Arctic.” – Justin Trudeau on his government’s efforts to protect our sovereignty.

Duration: 55:39
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

• Canada faces pressure at Nato summit for riding on ‘coattails’
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• Alberta Electric System Operator declares grid alert
• Trans Mountain Pipeline Outperforming the Entire B.C. Economy Should be a Wakeup Call
• What is halal chicken? KFC’s switch to ‘diverse menu options’ sparks boycott calls
• Word of the Week: Coattails

3 years later Lytton still hasn’t been rebuilt, the UK Labour election win shows lessons for Canada, and Poilievre promises to repeal the online harms bill. Also, Historica Canada deletes the John A MacDonald Heritage Minute.

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“People don’t expect the timeline in terms of what it takes for insurance to process their claim. And then and it’s probably not as much insurance as it is the bureaucracy within the provincial governments wanting to do this right.” – Dan Wollf, founder of Legacy Pro Contractors, a company working on the rebuilding of Lytton, BC.

Duration: 58:08
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

• 3 years and a record $239M in recovery funding later, Lytton still hasn’t rebuilt
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• 2024 UK Election: Keir Starmer becomes Labour PM
• Poilievre would repeal online harms bill after PBO report finds $200 million in new bureaucracy
• Historica Canada deletes John A. Macdonald Heritage Minute from YouTube
• Word of the Week: Artifact

The Conservatives win a by-election in Toronto, Naheed Nenshi is crowned Alberta NDP leader, and William Shatner swears a lot in an attack ad on fish farms. Also, Harjit Sajjan played politics with the Afghanistan evacuation.

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“Sadly, this response from people like Mr. Shatner and Mr. Reynolds is all-to-common in today’s Canada. This is a classic example of … rich, elite, removed, urban white men overriding the wishes of vulnerable Indigenous communities.” – the Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship’s statement on Pacific Wild’s attack ad on open net fish farms.

Duration: 50:25
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

• Conservatives win longtime Liberal stronghold Toronto-St. Paul’s in shock byelection result
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• Nenshi crowned new Alberta NDP leader
• B.C. First Nations involved in salmon farming demand apology from William Shatner, Ryan Reynolds
• Sajjan instructed special forces to rescue Afghan Sikhs during fall of Kabul
• Word of the Week: Upset

Doug Ford calls for tariffs on Chinese EVs, an unknown group funds BC attack ads, and Bill C-59 reduces advertising transparency from companies. Also, Trudeau racks up a $223k catering bill on the Indo-Pacific trip.

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“It might be tough to connect with the middle class while chowing down on lamb shanks served on fine China and billing taxpayers for it. You shouldn’t need a focus group to recommend telling the prime minister to turn down the baked cheesecake with pistachio brittle when Canadians are lining up around the block at the foodbank.” – Canadian Taxpayers Federation Director Franco Terrazzano on Trudeau’s $220k catering bill for the Indo-Pacific trip.

Duration: 59:24
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

• Doug Ford calls for tariffs on Chinese EVs: ‘We risk Ontario and Canadian jobs’
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• Here’s what we know about the ‘secretive’ group targeting B.C. NDP rivals with attack ads
• Pathways Alliance oilsands group removes content from website and social media, citing Bill C-59
• Airplane food cost more than $220K on Trudeau’s Indo-Pacific trip
• Word of the Week: Style

BC Premier David Eby is frustrated about immigration, a former Alberta NDP cabinet minister resigns, and Eby may join Newfoundland and Labrador’s premier against equalization. Also, Russian, US and Canadian warships all take a trip to Cuba.

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“Building out the Massey Tunnel — here’s a $4-billion project where a federal government minister took out a full-page ad to say the feds are going to pay for it, during the election. [The current funding is] Zero right now. Zero. Taxpayers in B.C. can’t afford to build everything for the federal government, so that they can just rain cash down on Ontario and Quebec.” – BC Premier David Eby on unfair federal funding and equalization.

Duration: 55:08
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

• Frustrated’ B.C. premier says Quebec gets immigration money ‘at the expense’ of Western Canada
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• Lethbridge MLA resigns, opening potential seat for leadership hopeful Naheed Nenshi
• B.C. may work with N.L. on court challenge of federal equalization payments, David Eby says
• Canadian warship sharing an anchorage with Russian vessels in Cuba
• Word of the Week: Equalization

The CRTC taxes 5% of streaming giants’ revenues, the UCP asks the public for input on auto insurance, and speed limit reductions in BC show the need for careful city planning. Also, Canadian parliamentarians could be compromised by foreign powers.

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“This week’s Bill C-11 streaming ruling acts as if consumers, competition, and affordability are irrelevant issues that are at best someone else’s concern. The result is that Canadians have been largely removed from broadcasting and Internet policy at the regulator, expected to pay up and shut up.” – Michael Geist on this week’s CRTC ruling.

Duration: 52:51
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

• Foreign streamers must pay into fund to boost Canadian content, CRTC says
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• Premier says ‘no appetite’ for government-run auto insurance despite savings
• Jogger clipped by fast-moving e-bike on E&N Rail trail
• Some Canadian politicians are ‘wittingly’ participating in foreign interference
• Word of the Week: Wittingly