Conversations That Matter

Ep 593 - Conservative Party of BC: Running for Leadership Guest: Yuri Fulmer

Ep 593 - Conservative Party of BC: Running for Leadership

Guest: Yuri Fulmer

By Stuart McNish

 

The race for Conservative Party of BC leader is on. “British Columbia stands at a crossroads,” says Yuri Fulmer, who was the first to put his name forward for the job. “After years of mismanagement and policies that have failed working families, it's time for a new direction,” states his leadership campaign website.

 

Fulmer was born in Australia and moved to BC after a backpacking trip. He says, “I fell in love with the gentle and equitable ethos of Canada.” He stayed and went to work at an A&W. By the time he was 22, he bought his first franchise and started to build a business portfolio. He went on to purchase the Mr Mike’s Steakhouse and Bar.

 

Fulmer’s company byline is “Business Nicely Done.” And it is clear his political lens is business-focused. His political chops are thinner – he ran in the last provincial election in West Vancouver - Sea to Sky, where he lost to the Green Party candidate. “A learning experience to be sure,” says Fulmer.

 

We invited Yuri Fulmer to join us for a Conversation That Matters about his bid to lead the Conservative Party of BC and lead the party into the next provincial election.

 

You can see the interview here https://www.conversationsthatmatter.ca/

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Ep 592 - Canadian Dental Plan: Is it Working? Guest: Dr. Bruce Ward, President of the Canadian Dental Association

Ep 592 - Canadian Dental Plan: Is it Working?

Guest: Dr. Bruce Ward, President of the Canadian Dental Association

By Stuart McNish

 

“The Canadian Dental Care Plan is working – sorta,” says Dr. Bruce Ward, the President of the Canadian Dental Association. Ward goes on to say, “As of the end of 2025, more than 5.5 million people were approved for coverage. However, not all of them have received care.” According to government figures, 3.5 million people have seen a dentist. The number of people approved is growing and is expected to reach 9 million.

 

It’s not free dental care, as was first promoted by the government. “One of the interesting challenges dentists face are patients who are shocked to learn the plan only covers a portion of the cost,” says Ward. “That confusion has led to a number of uncomfortable conversations for dentists who rather than care for a patient are taking valuable time to outline the rules of the plan.”

 

While the program has been embraced by dentists across the country, there have been growing pains. “Not all dentists have signed on because of issues around pre-authorization, fees, and the amount of administrative work,” says Ward. Even with the drawbacks, according to a 2025 survey by the Canadian Dental Association, “patients report satisfaction and positive experiences. The number of Canadians with a dentist, as a result, has increased to 71% [and] up to 63% a year earlier.”

 

We invited Dr. Bruce Ward, President of the Canadian Dental Association, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the Dental Care Plan, how it’s working and if it will stay.

 

You can see the interview here https://www.conversationsthatmatter.ca/

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Ep 591 - Save British Columbia’s Restaurants Guest: Ian Tostenson

Ep 591 - Save British Columbia’s Restaurants

Guest: Ian Tostenson

By Stuart McNish

 

“Restaurants are at the heart of every community in [British Columbia] and almost 50% of them are struggling,” says Ian Tostenson, the President of the Restaurant and Foodservices Association. “Food, labour, and rent costs are rising and customer traffic is down.” It’s a trend that has been gaining momentum since COVID and the BCGEU strike that closed down liquor stores and pushed many operators to the brink of bankruptcy.

Tostenson says, “The strike was particularly difficult because it came at a time when provincial employment regulations were already forcing restaurant operators to cut back on employment.” According to Douglas Magazine, the industry dropped 10,800 positions between September 2023 and the end of 2024.

“70% of restaurants in the province have seen a drop in customers and profitability is down for a mind numbing 81% of restaurants,” says Tostenson, who is calling on the government to reduce payroll taxes, encourage the federal government to do the same, return all or part of WorkSafeBC’s $2.1 billion surplus to employers, and implement Save BC Restaurants’ main issues. 

We invited Ian Tostenson of the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the state of the province’s food services sector.

You can see the interview here https://www.conversationsthatmatter.ca/

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Ep 590 - The Social Media Warning Paradox Guest: Iman Goodarzi

Ep 590 -  The Social Media Warning Paradox

Guest: Iman Goodarzi

By Stuart McNish

“How much time do you spend on social media? Be honest now, because the answer will surprise you,” says Yash Gupta of Lognormal Analytics. “Social media hooks the average person for at least 5 hours a day.” And everything you do is being recorded and analyzed. Algorithms retrieve psychographics from your online purchases, reviews, likes, shares, comments, emails, blog posts, tweets, posts saved, and more – all powered by A.I.

“It’s easy to understand the urge to slap a warning label on social media,” says Iman Goodarzi, a public scholar and PhD candidate in marketing at Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business. “The challenge,” Goodarzi points out, “unlike cigarettes or alcohol – which contain specific chemical payloads – social media is far more complex, coupled with a series of dopamine hits. It is a mirror of society. It’s a dynamic algorithm-driven marketplace and a void all at the same time.”

Goodarzi is responding to calls by the U.S. Surgeon General, the Governor of New York and Quebec’s all-party legislative committee’s report on screen time. In Quebec, the all-party committee recommends: “No screen time for children under two, one hour a day for children two to five, and no more than two hours for children six to 12” – a recommendation that Goodarzi says “is well-meaning but won’t work because it suggests overuse is mainly a youth problem.”

We invited Iman Goodarzi of Concordia University to join us for a Conversation That Matters on practical ways to use, understand, and curtail the mental health threats that social media presents.

You can see the interview here https://www.conversationsthatmatter.ca/

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Ep 589 - Taking Care of Men Guest: Kenton Boston, Canadian Men’s Health Foundation

Ep 589 -  Taking Care of Men

Guest: Kenton Boston, Canadian Men’s Health Foundation

By Stuart McNish

 

“Health is complex and men’s health is complicated by a variety of factors that include biology, behavioral choices, and peer pressure,” says Kenton Boston, the President of the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation. According to Boston, one of the biggest challenges is a stoic mentality. He says, “‘Suck it up’ is a phrase all too familiar to men and it can lead to severe mental and physical health challenges.”

 

Despite decades of efforts to change the “suck it up” narrative, stereotypes persist. Boston says, “Breaking down resistance to seeking help requires a patient consistent message – a message confirming men and their health matter to the people who love them.”

 

Heart disease, cancer, and a host of other major organ issues are concerns for both women and men. Boston notes, “However, for men, mental health and suicide are two major concerns men tend to face alone.” Stigma, judgement, masculinity norms, denial, and a lack of male-friendly healthcare are cited as reasons why men prefer to keep their mouths shut about their health.

 

We invited Kenton Boston of the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation to join us for a Conversation That Matters about men and their well-being.

 

You can see the interview here https://www.conversationsthatmatter.ca/

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Ep 588 - What to Do When You Grow Up Guest: Diana MacKay

Ep 588 -  What to Do When You Grow Up

Guest: Diana MacKay

By Stuart McNish

“Long gone are the days of working for the firm and retiring with a watch as a parting gift,” says Diana MacKay. “The world is careening forward at breakneck speed.” She continues, “Sometimes we are lucky enough to be holding the harness firmly and riding along – even steering things. But more likely, we’re hanging on.” 

In the 1970s, Alvin Toffler and Adelaide Farrel wrote “Future Shock,” a book that stated there is “too much change in too short a period of time” and that rate of change would accelerate. “Accelerate, it has,” says MacKay. “Informaiton overload, social media, and a sense of instability due to rapid change has left young people feeling disconnected and disoriented, especially when it comes to their careers.”

A professional antidote to the speed of change may be to avoid specialization and embrace a generalist approach. “Specialists remain essential, but generalists are vital translators, interpreters, and connectors in times of turbulence. And being a generalist can be a lot of fun too. As we collectively plow forward, this may be the norm for a lot of young people moving through an unpredictable future.”

We invited Diana MacKay to join us for a conversation about navigating wild career swings, and how that diversity of experience enables valuable insights that organizations can also embrace and leverage change and uncertainty.

You can see the interview here https://www.conversationsthatmatter.ca/

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Ep 586 - Trees, Genomics, and Climate Guest: Dr. Sally Aitken, University of British Columbia and AdapTree project

Ep 586 - Trees, Genomics, and Climate

Guest: Dr. Sally Aitken, University of British Columbia and AdapTree project

By Stuart McNish

 

According to a 2015 Nature report, there are more than 3 trillion trees on Earth. “Trees are amazing. They’re the lungs of the Earth and home to millions of organisms, fungi, and animals,” says Sally Aitken at the University of British Columbia’s Forestry Department and lead of the AdapTree project. “Without a doubt: one of the most successful species on Earth.” Aitken also warns, “They are a species under threat due to rapid environmental changes.”

 

The biggest challenge for trees is the rate of change. “For time immemorial, trees have adapted to a changing environment and they continue to do so,” says Aitken.  The objective of the AdapTree project is to address that pace of change by identifying alleles in douglas fir, spruce, western larch, jack pine, and lodgepole pine trees that have adapted to a variety of environments.

 

Using genetic tools, the team at AdapTree works with a variety of stakeholders within forestry to identify strains of species that will survive in regions where environmental conditions are changing. The long term goal is to ensure the health of the trees and forests using sophisticated genome-based intelligence.

 

We invited Dr. Sally Aitken of the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences at UBC to join us for a Conversation That Matters about working with our trees to ensure they have long and healthy lives.

 

You can see the interview here https://www.conversationsthatmatter.ca/

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Ep 585 - The Cowichan Case and Your Property Rights Guest: Radha Curpen & Robin Junger

Ep 585 - The Cowichan Case and Your Property Rights

Guest: Radha Curpen & Robin Junger

By Stuart McNish

Cowichan Tribes v. Canada has rapidly become the most significant land title case in Canada – and possibly in Canadian history. It has sparked intense and competing arguments in private, in public, and in the Legislative Assembly in Victoria. Premier Eby was grilled mercilessly about his defence of private property rights, his government’s slow response to file a stay, and what the decision means to homeowners.

 

Tensions flowing from the decision reflect the need to recognize that, while indigenous Nations are entitled to seek recognition of their constitutionally protected rights, there is also a need for fee-simple owners to maintain certainty in title. Central to this tension is the law does not allow for aboriginal title and fee-simple to co-exist on territory under First Nations ownership.

 

During the case, the impact on private property rights was recognized, to which the court invited the parties to inform fee-simple land owners to be notified. All parties decided not to inform private land owners. 

 

We invited Radha Curpen and Robin Junger of McMillan LLP to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the Cowichan case and its implications to landowners in Richmond and the entire province of British Columbia.

 

You can see the interview here https://www.conversationsthatmatter.ca/

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Ep 584 - Ocean Wise Guest: Lasse Gustavsson

Ep 584 - Ocean Wise

Guest: Lasse Gustavsson

By Stuart McNish

 

The Earth’s oceans add up to 71% of the surface of the planet and contain 96% of the water on this precious blue marble in space. The ocean produces 60% of the oxygen we need to be able to breathe. “The oceans are our greatest natural resource,” says Lasse Gustovsson, the CEO of Ocean Wise, “and they are at risk due to human activity.”

 

According to data collected by the Argo Network – a program utilizing over 4,000 robotic floats moving around the globe riding the currents and sinking to depths of 2,000 meters, rising to the surface, and beaming back valuable data that scientists are using to monitor the heart of the world’s climate system – the ocean is heating up.

 

Gustovsson says, “The data shows temperatures are up by more than 1 degree Celsius over the past 145 years.” The oceans are warming because they absorb more than 90% of excess energy trapped by greenhouse gases. “In the process of absorbing that energy, the acidification level of ocean waters is also rising,” says Gustavsson.

 

We invited Lasse Gustavsson, the CEO of Ocean Wise, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the vital role the ocean plays in our survival, the risks the world’s oceans face, and how we can mitigate those harms.

 

You can see the interview here https://www.conversationsthatmatter.ca/

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Ep 583 - Re-engineering the human body for space travel Guest: Christopher E. Mason

Ep 583 - Re-engineering the human body for space travel

Guest: Christopher E. Mason

By Stuart McNish

“To boldly go where no one has gone before” – the phrase was inspired by a 1958 White House pamphlet called "Introduction to Outer Space,” which highlighted humanity’s inherent urge to explore the unknown. It also was the opening to the monologue for Star Trek, where Captain James T. Kirk goes on to say, “These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations.”

 

As an aspiration, it drives the space programs of many countries and a growing number of companies. Here’s the challenge, says Dr Christopher E. Mason. “While we can build machines that can survive in space, the human body was not made for space – at least not yet.” Dr. Mason is the principal investigator of the NASA Twins study, where ten separate teams studied an astronaut and his identical twin.

 

Dr. Mason says, “We observed the physiological, molecular, and cognitive changes that happened to Scott Kelly, who spent a year in space. We monitored the changes in his body compared to his identical twin Mark, who stayed on Earth. From that study, we’re working to mitigate stresses, changes, and new diseases the body may encounter during long-term space flight. This work is the foundation of a 500-year plan to reengineer biology so that life can be possible on other planets.”

 

We invited Dr. Christopher E. Mason, the Genome BC 2025 Don Rix Distinguished Keynote Speaker, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the human body and its ability to adapt to long term voyages to the final frontier.

You can see the interview here https://www.conversationsthatmatter.ca/

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca