Conversations That Matter

Ep 449 - Eight Deaths a Day Guest: Troy Clifford

Ep 449 - Eight Deaths a Day

Guest: Troy Clifford

By Stuart McNish

 

Eight people in British Columbia will die today from a drug overdose – eight people yesterday, eight the day before, eight the day before that, and so on. On March 22nd, BC’s Emergency Health Service responded to 205 overdose poisoning patients – “a new provincial record” says Troy Clifford, the Provincial President of the Ambulance Paramedics & Emergency Dispatchers of BC. He continues to say, “On April 2nd, BCEHS experienced the nineteenth consecutive day in a row where we attended to more than 100 overdose calls. It’s taking a toll on the system and putting paramedics at risk.”

 

“Every single one of those calls for assistance brings with it tremendous risks to paramedics,” he says. “We’re first responders who encounter and adapt to a wide range of on-scene hazards at every overdose call. Paramedics, in addition to being medical professionals, need to be highly attuned to apparent and hidden threats [and] employ exceptional interpersonal skills and assertiveness, when needed in order to protect themselves.”

 

“The working conditions are challenging,” says Clifford. “Paramedics face two types of hazards – immediate ones like uncapped needles and aggressive patients. Then there are the even more worrying ones like weapons, aggressive bystanders, and the threats associated with working in confined spaces, all of which undermine a paramedic's ability to be and feel safe.”

We invited Troy Clifford the Provincial President of the Ambulance Paramedics & Emergency Dispatchers of BC to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the relentless toll drug poisoning is having on patients, the system, and paramedics.

 

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

Ep 448 - Space – The Final Food Frontier Guest: Prof. Mike Dixon

Ep 448 - Space – The Final Food Frontier

Guest: Prof. Mike Dixon

By Stuart McNish

 

Captain James T. Kirk starts “Star Trek” by saying, “Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore new worlds; to seek out new life and civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before!” Five years is a long time and packing five years of food would be impossible.

 

While the writers of the series dealt with the production of food in a variety of ways – everything from coloured cubes to a protein resequencer that could replicate certain foods and an onboard hydroponic greenhouse to grow fruits and vegetables. The reality of producing food in space is extremely complex. And if we are planning three and more years in space missions, we need to learn how to grow it on the way and on whichever plant we land.  

 

At the University of Guelph, Professor Mike Dixon and a team of researchers have been tackling this challenge for 20 plus years, and Dixon says, “We can grow food – not all of the food we grow here on earth, but we can grow food.” That, he points out, is just the beginning. “Being in space means you have no choice. You have to have a zero environmental footprint – that means zero waste. The waste you produce has to be recycled and put back to work immediately. We can’t wait for nature because nature isn’t fast enough.”

 

We invited Professor Michael Dixon to join us for a Conversation That Matters about growing food in space and what lessons we can apply to growing climate-smart food here.

 

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

Ep 447 - One Girl Can Guest: Natasha Questel

Ep 447 - One Girl Can

Guest: Natasha Questel

By Stuart McNish

 

“Every girl should have the opportunity to rise to her full potential,” says Natasha Questel, the CEO of One Girl Can, a British Columbia-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing assistance to some of the world’s most vulnerable girls. Questel adds, “Girls with high-potential deserve a chance to rise above extreme poverty and gender inequality.”

 

As citizens of the world, we have a responsibility to aid others in reaching their full potential. Questel says, “One Girl Can is dedicated to educating, training and mentoring girls – to empower them to achieve their goals, earn a meaningful living and build better lives for themselves, their families and their communities.” 

 

One Girl Can is an organization that is built on three foundational pillars: “education, training and mentoring.” Questel notes, “I am a living example of what one girl can do given a chance. I came from humble beginnings in Trinidad – I went on to graduate from the Stanford Graduate School of Business LEAD program and ultimately became the President of Happy Planet.” 

 

We invited Natash Questel to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the mission of One Girl Can.

 

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.

Ep 446 - Can data help at-risk youth? Guest: Bill Warburton

Ep 446 - Can data help at-risk youth? 

Guest: Bill Warburton

By Stuart McNish

 

Can “a scientific approach to addressing social issues using administrative data” improve outcomes in education, health, social services and crime? That is the hypothesis of a new paper published by four distinguished Canadian economists. The authors say there is a “relationship between measures of secondary educational attainment and indicators of poor outcome later in life. Poor outcomes are seen to primarily manifest among high school dropouts.”

 

One of the authors of the paper, Bill Warburton, says that, “By using data, we can identify 2,000 students in a given year that are at extreme risk of having poor educational outcomes.” Warburton goes on to say, “The earlier we can identify these students, the earlier we can provide them with the specific resources they need to dramatically improve the likelihood of graduating from high school.”

 

The paper boldly states the challenge: “At first blush, the solution seems clear: governments should invest in proven interventions early in children’s lives.” But Warburton says, “The political will needs to be there because, as a BC cabinet member pointed out, there is a deficiency in public trust, noting the very long time between investment and payoff.”

 

We invited economist Bill Warburton to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the data and how we can use it to improve students' lives.

 

Join me April 6 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall with Premier David Eby. https://www.conversationslive.ca/

 

If you love communications and speech writing you'll gain valuable insights from Presidential SpeechWriting which I narrated.

Ep 445 - Purpose and how it works Guest: Jade Simmons

Ep 445 - Purpose and how it works

Guest: Jade Simmons

By Stuart McNish

 

The world as you knew it has been upended. First, by the pandemic; and now emerging from lockdown, what you thought was going to be a return to your old life isn’t happening – and it's not going to. Jade Simmons knows all too well that life does not unfold the way you hope it will. She says, “You have to know what you want and where to find it.”

 

Simmons says, “Finding purpose in life isn’t easy. It’s not a formula that you pick up on the internet and suddenly realize this is what my life is about. It takes work and it takes the right kind of work.”  Simmons knows this – she is a highly-regarded concert pianist and sought-after professional speaker who, one day, said: "I need to shift my focus, I need to shake it up and find my true calling.”

 

“People are leaving their jobs, changing careers, starting businesses and ministries, often taking bold leaps,” says Simmons. She continues, “I remixed my careers in classical music and professional speaking and I want to empower others to do the same.”

 

We invited Jade Simmons, the number-one maverick in classical music, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about how to find freedom through finding purpose.

 

Join me April 6 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall with Premier David Eby.

 

If you love communications and speech writing you'll gain valuable insights from Presidential SpeechWriting which I narrated.

Ep 444 - Grey Zone Warfare Guest: Calvin Chrustie

Ep 444  - Grey Zone Warfare

Guest: Calvin Chrustie

By Stuart McNish

 

According to “On Track,'' the magazine published by the CDA (Conference of Defence Associations) Institute,  “hybrid warfare,” also known as grey zone conflict or unrestricted warfare, is a real and present danger.

 

“On Track” states that “these are just three terms used to describe the same phenomenon – multi-faceted attacks against a country that have serious implications for its national security and defence institutions. They may include military elements, but may also be mounted using cyber tools, public and commercial corruption, weaponization of legal systems, transnational organized crime, and disinformation campaigns, along with a host of other methods. Effective responses will demand an unprecedented level of cooperation between military, intelligence, cyber and other security experts in partnership with experts in the management of conflict in business, legal and public settings.”

 

Critical risk expert Calvin Chrustie points out that FBI Director Christopher Wray stated, “The Chinese government is a serious threat to Western business. The Chinese government sees cyber as the pathway to cheat and steal. In addition to traditional and cyber enabled thievery, there are even more insidious tactics they use to essentially walk through your front door and rob you… by making investments and creating partnerships that position their proxies… They use elaborate shell games to disguise these efforts from foreign companies… including shutting off data that used to enable effective due diligence… A 2017 law allowed them to force Chinese employees in China to assist in Chinese intelligence operations.”

 

We invited Calvin Chrustie, a critical risk consultant with a depth of experience in anti-terrorism and complex international investigations and intelligence operations, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the nefarious activities of countries that do not have Canada’s best interests at heart.

 

Join me Mar 28 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall: Climate Smart Ag - Raising Better Food?

 

If you love communications and speech writing you'll gain valuable insights from Presidential SpeechWriting which I narrated.

Ep 443 - Monitoring the Ocean in Real-Time Guest: Dr. Scott Beatty

Ep 443  - Monitoring the Ocean in Real-Time

Guest: Dr. Scott Beatty

By Stuart McNish

 

The odds are good that you live on the coast. In Canada, according to Natural Resources Canada, 38.3 percent of us live within 20 kilometres of the coast. In the US, more than 52 percent live within miles of the coast. What happens on the waters that lap against our shores matters. According to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, “we rely on our oceans for food, jobs, [and] clean air. Our social fabric is woven into the vast history of maritime and indigenous traditions.”

 

What happens at sea is, however, a mystery. Key to understanding what is happening along the vast coastline is data – real-time data. Not just modelling or satellite imagery – real data gathered from the ocean and beamed up in real-time. Enter Victoria-based MarineLabs’ “CoastAware” ocean buoys that are now providing critical information to ships’ captains, coastal communities, port authorities and governments.

 

Data that helps to ensure safe passage, data that helps ports react to changing weather, and data that ensures coastal communities have time to batten down the hatches in advance of storms and rogue waves.

 

We invited Dr. Scott Beatty of MarineLabs to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the importance of real-time wind and wave data and the long-term insights it provides to coastal communities and the plan for changing climatic conditions.

 

Join me Mar 28 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall: Climate Smart Ag - Raising Better Food?

 

If you love communications and speech writing you'll gain valuable insights from Presidential SpeechWriting which I narrated.

Ep 442 - What is Putin’s End Game? Guest: John Stufflebeem

Ep 442  - What is Putin’s End Game?

Guest: John Stufflebeem

By Stuart McNish

 

The one-year mark of the invasion of Ukraine has come and we’ve sailed past it with no end in sight. Vice Admiral (Ret) of the US Navy John Stufflebeem says, “Putin continues to ramp up pressure by withdrawing from the New START treaty, implying he's getting closer to going nuclear.”

 

Stufflebeem says, “For as long as Putin remains in power, he will continue his ‘military operation’ of defending Russia and use it to work to exhaust and destroy American and NATO resolve and weapons.” Stufflebeem goes on to say, “The Russian leader is throwing many more bodies at the front than the allied forces have bullets to shoot back with.”

 

As a result, Stufflebeem says, “There are two threats at work. First: Putin’s goal of breaking up NATO, which has the Polish government so nervous they will be next, that they’re offering to build a substantial US military base in Poland.” The second threat, Stufflebeem says, is in Asia: “Premier Xi of China is fully aware of the depletion of American armaments and he is calculating what the US resolve will be, should he move to annex Taiwan.” 

 

We invited retired Vice-Admiral and military historian John Stufflebeem to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the tense and fluid conflict in Ukraine that is slowly drawing the major powers into a proxy war between Western and Eastern centres of influence.

 

Join me Mar 28 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall: Climate Smart Ag - Raising Better Food?

 

If you love communications and speech writing you'll gain valuable insights from Presidential SpeechWriting which I narrated.

Ep 441 - Our Digital Technology Supercluster Guest: Sue Paish

Ep 441  - Our Digital Technology Supercluster

Guest: Sue Paish

 

In space, a supercluster forms massive structures of galaxies called filaments or supercluster complexes. Here in British Columbia, the Canadian digital supercluster was designed to build networks of “big and small tech companies to develop, scale and unleash digital technology breakthroughs,” says Sue Paish, the CEO of the Digital Technology Supercluster.

 

The initiative is a joint Canadian government and member collective that was designed to bring together business, academia, community and government agencies to work on and solve some of our biggest challenges. Paish says, “We have more than 1100 members and growing, who are dedicated to advancing net-zero technologies, securing food supply chains, building a healthier Canada and developing a skilled workforce.”

 

Since its inception, the digital supercluster has supported over 490 projects that are valued at more than $3.5 billion, a number that includes more than 80 COVID-19 response projects. In 2022, the federal government committed to investing another $750 through to 2028 in the five different innovation clusters.

 

We invited Sue Paish of BC’s Digital Technology Supercluster to join us for a Conversation That Matters on the progress and challenges of developing a “Silicon Valley North.”

 

Join me Mar 28 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall: Climate Smart Ag - Raising Better Food?

 

If you love communications and speech writing you'll gain valuable insights from Presidential SpeechWriting which I narrated.

Ep 440 - Surviving the Tech Layoffs Guest: Brian Pulliam

Ep 440  - Surviving the Tech Layoffs

Guest: Brian Pulliam

 

Tech layoffs have been making the headlines. The numbers are staggering, according to TrueUp’s tech layoff tracker. In 2022, through more than 1,400 rounds of layoffs, 220,000 people lost their jobs. And the layoffs continued through January this year, where another 107,000 people were let go. Then in February, the layoffs carried on, and another 35,000 people were shown the door.

 

The emotional and financial impact is devastating, especially considering the unprecedented growth in the sector between 2008 and now. People hired in 2009 experienced “eleven years of summer,” says Brian Pulliam of Refactor Coaching. He goes on to say, “Don’t lament the loss of your job despite the punch in the gut that it feels like. Refocus and find a new and better path.”

 

For some, that may seem insensitive. But Pulliam explains, “For many in the tech sector, they are in golden handcuffs. They may not like their jobs, but the money is so incredible [that] they feel handcuffed to it, rather than pursue a career that is more in keeping with their likes and values. Getting fired with severance can [be] – and often – is a gift.”

 

We invited Brian Pulliam to join us for a Conversation That Matters about how to survive a tech industry layoff. 

 

Join me Mar 28 for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall: Climate Smart Ag - Raising Better Food?

 

If you love communications and speech writing you'll gain valuable insights from Presidential SpeechWriting which I narrated. Here’s the link