Episodes
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Ep 459- British Columbia’s economy is a question mark Guest: Jock Finlayson
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Ep 459- British Columbia’s economy is a question mark
Guest: Jock Finlayson
By Stuart McNish
British Columbia is but a speck on the global GDP map. “We are 0.3% – in other words, not very significant,” says economist Jock Finlayson. He goes on to point out that our place in the world isn’t about to change. In fact, it’s going to slip. “We are entering a lost decade of real per-capita GDP growth, which means growing real salaries will be challenging.”
It’s not all doom and gloom, however. BC does have some strengths. Finlayson says, “Steady in-migration is creating a positive consumer faced economic setting. We have an educated workforce. There are positive signs in the life sciences and tech sectors. BC has a strong and exceptionally diverse natural resource economy and, importantly, we are the gateway to Asia.”
That’s the good news on the other side of the balance sheet. Finlayson points out, “We are a long way from the economic, political and financial power centres of Canada. The cost of housing is staggering. BC has the highest household debt burden in Canada. When it comes to head offices, there are few and NIMBYism makes getting anything done difficult.”
We invited Jock Finlayson to join us for a Conversation That Matters about BC’s economy – now and for the foreseeable future.
Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca
Join me Oct 3 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall: AI - Friend or Foe
https://www.conversationslive.ca/
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Ep 458 - Vaccinating against rejection Guest: Dr Eli Joseph
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Ep 458 - Vaccinating against rejection
Guest: Dr Eli Joseph
By Stuart McNish
It is common to be intimidated by rejection. The thought of failing or getting turned down for an opportunity that we have always wanted can influence the way we make genuine decisions toward our goals. Moreover, the overall experience of getting rejected can negatively affect our self-esteem.
Dr Eli Joseph says, “You can get over this fear of rejection! In fact, you can become immune to it.” Based on his own experience of thousands upon thousands of rejections, he says, “I emerged from the ordeal of rejection stronger than I was before.” In a sense, he was following Mithridates’ example of dosing poison to become immune to poison.
Dr Joseph points out that “the total of human accomplishment is rooted in the fact that everything that has been developed and learned was through trial and error.” According to him, “Failure and rejection are on a continuum; either can stop you in your tracks or they can motivate you to go further, try harder, become stronger and immunize you against undermining your self esteem.”
We invited Dr Eli Joseph, the author of “The Perfect Rejection Resume,” to join us for a Conversation That Matters about embracing your bumpy, rejection-laden path through life.
Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca
Join me Sept 19 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall: AI - Friend or Foe
https://www.conversationslive.ca/
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Ep 457 - Can Fish be Farmed on Land? Guest: Tony Pantages
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Ep 457 - Can Fish be Farmed on Land?
Guest: Tony Pantages
By Stuart McNish
In February 2023, federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray announced that licenses for 15 open-net Atlantic salmon farms around British Columbia's Discovery Island will not be renewed – a planned cancellation that has now been delayed in large part due to concerns raised by indigenous leaders, who point to problems associated with moving fish farms on shore.
Norway has generated a depth of knowledge and experience in the field of land-based salmon farming in state-of-the-art recirculating aquaculture systems and is leading the way, including identifying challenges. According to Norwegian SciTech News, “ land-based fish farming is not free of challenges. The sector suffers from mass mortalities and fish meat tainted with an earthy flavour because the biological conditions in land-based facilities are difficult to control and very young fish are sensitive to poor water quality. In the worst cases, many thousands of smolt can die relatively suddenly, which can lead to major losses.”
BC-based Octaform has developed a land-based construction system that is addressing the issues associated with land-based fish farms in Norway and around the world, and is poised to offer the same technology and construction methods to the sector in BC. Tony Pantages, the CEO of Octaform, says, “We have a technology that addresses the issues related to land-based fish farming.”
We invited Tony Pantages to join us for a Conversation That Matters about protecting wild salmon through the use of new tank materials and construction materials and processes.
Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca
Join me Sept 19 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall
https://www.conversationslive.ca/
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Ep 456 - A Lost Decade Ahead for Canada Guest: David Williams
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Ep 456 - A Lost Decade Ahead for Canada
Guest: David Williams
By Stuart McNish
“The Canadian economy is on track to be the worst performing economy out of 38 advanced countries over the next 40 years, with the lowest growth in real GDP per capita,” says David Williams, the Vice-President of Policy at the Business Council of British Columbia. He goes on to say, “Young Canadians entering the workforce today are facing 40 years of stagnant average real incomes, according to OECD projections.”
That is a dire warning to policymakers in Canada: one that demands a need to address the underlying causes. “If they don’t,” Williams says, “there will be a decline in real incomes relative to all other advanced OECD countries.”
We invited David Williams to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the bleak forecast of stagnation young Canadians will face over the course of their careers.
Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca
Join me June 20 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall
https://www.conversationslive.ca/
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Ep 455 - Women on Corporate Boards Guest: Jennifer Reynolds
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Ep 455 - Women on Corporate Boards
Guest: Jennifer Reynolds
By Stuart McNish
Here, it is 2023 and according to Forbes Magazine, only ten percent of Fortune 500 companies are led by women. The magazine, however, sees that ten percent as “a new milestone. While these numbers may not seem like a cause for celebration, they are when one considers the history of women achieving top leadership roles in business.”
The history of women at the top of Fortune 500 companies has included just two CEOs for decades. Forbes points out that “as recently as 2000, only four women led Fortune 500 companies.” Fast-forward to today and 53 women are in the top spot at those same companies.
Where to go from here? Is it a straight line to gender parity? In a Harvard Business Review study from 2006, “when there is one woman on a board, progress is difficult, but when three or more women are on a board, dynamics shift.” The question, according to the foundation Women Corporate Directors is, “How are these leaders effecting change in the world?”
We invited Jennifer Reynolds, the CEO of Women Corporate Directors, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about changes in the structure of boardrooms and how companies benefit from more women and greater diversity in senior roles.
Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca
Join me June 20 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall
https://www.conversationslive.ca/
Saturday Jun 03, 2023
Ep 454 - The Power of Giving Guest: John Bromley
Saturday Jun 03, 2023
Saturday Jun 03, 2023
Ep 454 - The Power of Giving
Guest: John Bromley
By Stuart McNish
In the book “Why Good Things Happen to Good People,” Stephen Post writes that “giving to others” has been shown to increase health benefits. A separate study by Michael Norton from Harvard Business School revealed that “people are happier when they spend money on others versus themselves.”
These are all wonderful reasons to give. As Martin McNish stated in “Give a Damn” (a Conversations That Matter episode), “giving proves that you can make a difference in the lives of others and to not give is to give up on the belief that you can make a difference.” Give a Damn is a small crowdfunding not-for-profit that raises money for micro-charities that do not have the resources to fundraise.
Here’s the challenge, says McNish. “We too are small and only have limited resources, all of which are dedicated to raising awareness and money for other charities.” Enter Charitable Impact, a Vancouver-based foundation that was created to help donors and charities connect. John Bromley says, “It started with the goal of making it easier for people to come together to change the world.”
We invited John Bromley of Charitable Impact to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the power of giving.
Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca
Join me June 20 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall
https://www.conversationslive.ca/
Saturday Jun 03, 2023
Ep 453 - Top Sixty Over 60 Guest: Helen Hirsh Spence
Saturday Jun 03, 2023
Saturday Jun 03, 2023
Ep 453 - Top Sixty Over 60
Guest: Helen Hirsh Spence
By Stuart McNish
“‘Sorry, you’re too old. Sorry, you’re too experienced. Sorry. Sorry, but we’re looking for someone younger who will stay with us longer.’ These are just some of the reasons employers use to overlook talented over 60 applicants,” says Helen Hirsh Spence of Top Sixty Over Sixty. The mission, according to the organization’s website, is to “provide tools and training to address ageism and promote age diversity in the workplace.”
Organizations that turn their back on workers over 60 are doing themselves a disservice. According to a Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health study, “Older workers are skilled and experienced, they stay with jobs longer and take fewer days off, they have a strong work ethic and they demonstrate [that] age-diverse workplaces make for the best teams.”
The study goes on to point out that “older workers attract more business.” Remarkably, tourism companies that employ older workers appeal to older tourists who have the greatest amount of discretionary income. The study points out that “the Upper West Side of New York Apple store strategically places older workers toward the front of the store so customers who might be overwhelmed by technology feel more comfortable.”
We invited Helen Hirsh Spence of Top Sixty Over Sixty to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the benefits to businesses that are age smart.
Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca
Join me June 20 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall
https://www.conversationslive.ca/
Thursday May 18, 2023
Ep 452 - Wrestling with Democracy Guest: Dennis Pilon
Thursday May 18, 2023
Thursday May 18, 2023
Ep 452 - Wrestling with Democracy
Guest: Dennis Pilon
By Stuart McNish
Justin Trudeau had promised that the 2015 federal election would be the last time a government would be chosen in Canada using the first-past-the-post voting system. That promise promptly evaporated and morphed into support for a proportional representation voting system. In the following months, the Prime Minister directed the Minister of Democratic Institutions to drop the idea.
In 2021, the Liberals set a record for the lowest vote share of a party that would go on to form government, winning 32.6 percent of the popular vote, while losing the popular vote. According to the federal Elections Canada, voter turnout numbers were just less than half of the population of the country. Only 17 million of Canada’s 35 million people voted. The Liberals only received 5.6 million votes, yet went on to form a minority government in a coalition with the NDP, which received only 2.3 percent of the popular vote.
Despite those numbers, the Liberals and the NDP signed a pact to support one another and govern as though they have a majority mandate. The results suggest that democracy is not being served and needs to be reformed. Dennis Pilon, a York University Professor in the Department of Politics, urges caution in making such an assertion. He argues, “Voting system reform has been a part of larger struggles over defining democracy itself.”
We invited Professor Dennis Pilon to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the way in which we choose our government and whether the system needs to be reformed.
Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca
Join me June 20 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall: BC’s Economy - A SWOT Analysis https://www.conversationslive.ca/
Thursday May 18, 2023
Ep 451 - Cathedral Thinking Guest: Rick Antonson
Thursday May 18, 2023
Thursday May 18, 2023
Ep 451 - Cathedral Thinking
Guest: Rick Antonson
By Stuart McNish
Groucho Marx once quipped, “Why should I care about future generations? What have they ever done for me?” According to Rick Antonson, “You have a responsibility to your children’s great grandchildren.” In fact, Antonson says, “You need to wrench yourself from your phone and become a cathedral thinker about the big issues of our times.”
The concept crosses many cultures. Chief Oren Lyons, of the Onondaga Nation, a member of the Iroquois Confederacy, says, “Looking ahead is one of the first mandates given us as chiefs, to make sure every decision that we make relates to the welfare and well-being of the seventh generation to come.”
Antonson rhetorically asks, “Is cathedral thinking a relic of the past or does it still apply?” He says, “Yes. More, now than ever, we need to apply it to social policy issues, racial injustice, technological risks such as AI, public health and space to name but a few.”
We invited Rick Antonson to join us for a Conversation That Matters about why we should care about future generations.
Join me May 16 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall: Life Sciences - BC’s Innovation Future https://www.conversationslive.ca/
If you love communications and speech writing you'll gain valuable insights from Presidential SpeechWriting which I narrated. Here’s the link
Wednesday May 03, 2023
Ep 450 - Fighting Cancer with CAR-T Cells Guest: Sarah Roth
Wednesday May 03, 2023
Wednesday May 03, 2023
May 5, 2023
Ep 450 - Fighting Cancer with CAR-T Cells
Guest: Sarah Roth
By Stuart McNish
Cancer – there are more than 200 different types. The odds are high that you or someone you know will get cancer. It is an insidious disease; it can start almost anywhere in your body and spread. Stopping its spread is the work of cancer researchers all over the world and experts in British Columbia are developing breakthroughs.
Recently a multi-site Phase-I clinical trial, launched by BC Cancer and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, of made-in-Canada chimeric antigen receptor T-cells demonstrated positive results. CAR-T cells are powerful new tools for treating cancer that are created by genetically modifying a person’s existing T-cells. These T-cells are being used to target CD19, a protein marker found on all B-cells in patients with leukemia and lymphoma. Phase-II will allow BC Cancer to produce the CAR-T cell product and run the trial for 20 patients in BC over the next two years.
Dr. Brad Nelson, director of Deeley Research Centre, says, “Over the next several years, BC Cancer’s CAR-T cell program will expand beyond leukemia and lymphoma to create new and improved treatments for a wide spectrum of cancers.” Sarah Roth, the CEO of the BC Cancer Foundation, says, “The Deeley Research Centre in Victoria is a world pioneer in immunotherapy, harnessing the body’s own immune system to prevent, control and eliminate cancer – and has already revolutionized cancer care.”
We invited Sarah Roth to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the many research projects underway in British Columbia that will help us defeat cancer.
Join me May 16 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall: Life Sciences - BC’s Innovation Future https://www.conversationslive.ca/