Conversations That Matter

Bruce Sharpe: The Future of the Electric Car

Electric cars, are they the future of individual transportation? The answer depends on who you’re talking to, electric car enthusiasts will say, “Oh Yeah”, however, energy transition specialist Markam Hislop says, “maybe, maybe not.”

 

That uncertainty arises from the fact that electric vehicles make up just two per cent of all automobiles in North America and much less than one per cent globally.  Add in the fact the electric car was introduced more than 30 years ago, raising the question, “why are sales so slow?”

 

The answers are many and they include range anxiety, the cost, a limited number of recharging stations, repair facilities and uncertainty over resale value. On the plus side, concern over greenhouses gases, the cost of gasoline and technological advances are boosting interest in electric cars.

 

As we move forward infrastructure and subsidy purchase programs will be key factors in attracting more owners of electric cars.

 

We invited the President of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association, Bruce Sharpe to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the future of the electric vehicle.

 

Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue presents Conversations That Matter. Join veteran Broadcaster Stuart McNish each week for an important and engaging Conversation about the issues shaping our future.

 

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Justin Dhaliwal: A Guide to Being a Licensed Marijuana Producer

Ep 202 Justin Dhaliwal

A Guide to Being a Licensed Marijuana Producer

The legalization of marijuana is just around the corner. The market has been projected to be worth more than $10 billion. For some that suggests the marijuana industry is going to be a gold rush, that is until you look inside.

 

It is a labyrinth of rules, regulations, background checks, banks that won’t give you an account, a reliance on investors and there are no guarantees you’ll get a license. The government won’t be propping you up, in fact it will be watching you very closely to ensure your products meet exacting standards and that everything you do conforms to the law.

 

There are, however, entrepreneurs who think it’s worth the risk. And risk is the operative word. Just because marijuana and the production of it will become legal in Canada, it doesn’t mean it’s legal anywhere else except Uruguay. The United States has already stated that if you work in or invest in marijuana you could be banned from entry to the US for life.

 

We invited medical marijuana entrepreneur Justin Dhaliwal to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the process, the risks and the benefits of obtaining a license to produce cannabis.

 

Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue presents Conversations That Matter. Join veteran Broadcaster Stuart McNish each week for an important and engaging Conversation about the issues shaping our future.

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Stephen Harrington: Future Proofing Canada's Workforce

Ep 201 Stephen Harrington

Future Proofing Canada’s Workforce

 

We are in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution and the impact it will have on work is dramatic. Rather than creating millions of jobs, the new economy will displace old technology and jobs with either automation or professions that require very few humans.

 

How then do you survive? What skills are required to meet the needs of the workplace of the future? Will full time jobs become a thing of the past? Will we all need to become entrepreneurs as we learn to survive in a gig economy?

 

One of the challenges facing Canada is our fractured education agenda. Each province and territory is different and there is no national strategy to tie into. We are at a critical junction in the digital economy transition where government, educational institutions and businesses need to work together to understand the future of work and then take action.

 

A made-in-Canada solution that includes a range of social innovations that may or may not include a universal basic income is on the horizon. How we prepare for the coming changes will either protect Canadian jobs or place them at risk.

 

We invited Stephen Harrington, the National Lead of Deloitte’s Talent Strategy, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the intelligence revolution and how to future proof Canada’s workforce.

 

Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue presents Conversations That Matter. Join veteran Broadcaster Stuart McNish each week for an important and engaging Conversation about the issues shaping our future.

 

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Andrey Pavlov - Vancouver's Commercial Real Estate Crisis

Ep 200 Andrey Pavlov

Vancouver’s Out of Control Commercial Real Estate Market

Walk down Vancouver’s Robson Street these days and you’ll see store after store papered over. The businesses that used to occupy the spaces are empty; the shops have “For Lease” signs on them.

Those businesses shut down because the cost of rent has skyrocketed in harmony with the skyrocketing value and subsequently the skyrocketing property taxes of commercial real estate – a market that was ignited when the Provincial Government introduced the “Foreign Buyers Tax” on residential properties.

To people looking to invest in Vancouver Real Estate, the "go home" tax didn’t make them walk away from owning land in Greater Vancouver; they merely shifted their focus. They were able to do this because the Province’s publicity infused, vote getting campaign designed to cool the housing market didn’t include a “stay out of BC” clause on commercial real estate.

There are no school taxes, no empty home taxes, no foreign owner taxes on commercial and industrial real estate. Human beings did what they always do, they simply adapted to government policies and found ways around the rules in an effort to meet their own needs.

In doing so they are driving up commercial property values, which in turn drive up rental rates and property taxes. Tenants are not only seeing rising rental rates, they are also responsible to pay the increased property taxes which in turn are driving many independent businesses out of business. The only companies that can afford the rent are national and international chains which charge more for their goods in Vancouver than in any other North American city.

Along the way, the very soul of Vancouver’s retail market is disappearing along with thousands of jobs.

We invited Andrey Pavlov, a Finance Professor at the Beedie School of Business to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the unintended consequences of a tax that forgot to look at the downstream effect it would have.

 

Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue presents Conversations That Matter. Join veteran Broadcaster Stuart McNish each week for an important and engaging Conversation about the issues shaping our future.

Please become a Patreon subscriber and support the production of this program, with a $1 pledge https://goo.gl/ypXyDs

Marijuana - Learning from Washington State

Rick Garza

Marijuana, What Can We Learn from Washington State?

 

On October 17, 2018, Canada will become the second nation, after Uruguay, to legalize marijuana. In doing so we have stepped outside of our commitment to the United Nations to restrict the use of Schedule 1 controlled substances. To date, the UN and other nations have not responded negatively to our new legislation.

 

Perhaps they are waiting and watching before determining if a response is required. Perhaps we can establish national protocols that will become an international standard. But where do we turn to for insights into the path from prohibition to legalization?

 

The first state in the United States to legalize marijuana was Washington State, what lessons can we learn from its experience with legalization?

 

Does marijuana use increase? Do DUI’s rise, how do you measure, monitor and ensure the highest standards? And how do you ensure use among teens does not increase? The issues are many and they cover everything from policing to public health, growing, producing, quality, retail and tax collection.

 

Will banks allow marijuana producers, processors and retailers to open bank accounts? Without them how are taxes paid? In Washington State, the national banks all said they were not going to launder drug money. The state had to pass a bill that allowed local banks to accept money from registered marijuana retailers and producers. Do we have to do the same here in Canada?

These are just some of the many issues that will arise and need to be addressed.

 

We invited Rick Garza, the Director of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the lessons our neighbour to the south has learned since legalizing marijuana in 2012.

 

Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue presents Conversations That Matter. Join veteran Broadcaster Stuart McNish each week for an important and engaging Conversation about the issues shaping our future.

 

Please become a Patreon subscriber and support the production of this program, with a $1 pledge https://goo.gl/ypXyDs

Mark Jaccard - Reducing Carbon Through Regulations

Ep 198 Mark Jaccard

Reducing Carbon Through Regulation

Carbon taxes make governments feel good about their commitment to reducing the production of greenhouse gases. They are, however, not an effective tool, it annoys taxpayers who simply pay more while continuing to live their lives the way they did before.

 

In British Columbia the money, in part, goes to low income earners, Northern and Rural Homeowners and as a tax incentive to industries that reduce their emissions. According the government’s website, these incentives help keep BC industries competitive. And finally some of the money is dedicated to, “supporting investment in eligible emissions reduction projects”

 

But, are carbon taxes really working? Following the introduction of the carbon tax in BC, emissions did drop, however, as of 2014, which is the last reporting year on the provincial government’s website, total emissions had returned to 2008 levels.

 

An alternative approach to changing behavior is to simply change the rules. The government has the power to tweak, refine and enhance rules without having to pass bills in the house. Rules manufacturers and industry have no choice but to follow.  

 

Regulations provide legislators with the ability to force the market into new ways of functioning that taxes do not. California is an example that demonstrates the effect regulations have on the altering of industry and consumer behaviour. The push to move toward electric vehicles has largely come about thanks to a shift in regulations rather than an increase in taxes.

 

We invited Mark Jaccard, a professor of sustainable energy in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at SFU, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the ways in which we can nudge, control or force all of us to transition away from fossil fuels.

 

Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue presents Conversations That Matter. Join veteran Broadcaster Stuart McNish each week for an important and engaging Conversation about the issues shaping our future.

Please become a Patreon subscriber and support the production of this program, with a $1 pledge https://goo.gl/ypXyDs

Michael Geller: Vancouver, a Real Estate Tragedy Unfolds

Ep 197 Michael Geller

Vancouver, a Real Estate Tragedy Unfolds

The tax upon tax upon tax that was implemented to make housing in BC, and in Vancouver in particular, affordable is having the opposite effect. It all started with the City of Vancouver’s Empty Home Tax which was designed to bring up to ten thousand empty homes into the rental market.

 

The prediction appears to have significantly missed the mark.  Currently, the City of Vancouver has devoted more than $10 million dollars to a program that may turn a few hundred empty or underutilized homes into rental units.

 

The provincial government of Christy Clark jumped on the bandwagon and imposed a Foreign Buyers Tax which is being challenged in the courts as unlawful and discriminatory. The John Horgan government, sensing the time was right to continue to meddle in the market, added not one but two new taxes with the objective of cooling the market and making housing more affordable.

 

It’s true, the market for homes over $3 million has cooled while at the same time, it has set the condo market ablaze making the only affordable housing less affordable.

 

We invited planner, developer and commentator Michael Geller to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the crisis that continues to unfold in BC’s real estate markets.

 

Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue presents Conversations That Matter. Join veteran Broadcaster Stuart McNish each week for an important and engaging Conversation about the issues shaping our future.

 

Please become a Patreon subscriber and support the production of this program, with a $1 pledge https://goo.gl/ypXyDs

Who Will Build Renewable Energy: Jamie Houssian

Ep 196 Jamie Houssian

Who Will Build Renewable Energy?

 

The energy transition has been underway for more than 25 years, solar, wind, run of river and geothermal are all energy sources that hold promise in our ongoing determination to move away from fossil fuels. Interestingly, utility companies are not building them, rather they are turning to the private sector as suppliers.

 

That means private enterprises are taking the risks, they’re buying or leasing the land, building the power sources, maintaining them and carrying the debt for decades. The costs are significant and the investment is not for the faint of heart.

 

A solar power plant regularly includes 45,000 or more panels, a wind turbine costs between 1.5 and 2.5 million dollars to put in place, then add in the cost of running transmission lines to the grid, run of river projects can easily run into the millions of dollars. These are investment decisions that regularly are shaded with the desire to invest in a healthier planet.

 

Then there is geothermal which many people believe is the holy grail of renewable energy. That holds true until you examine the cost of development versus the long-term payback. For independent companies, the price of geothermal and payback the equation does not add up.

 

The women and men who venture into the renewable energy sector are brave and they are devoted to ensuring we have power sources that will reduce the impact on Mother Earth.

 

We invited Jamie Houssian of Elemental Energy to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the business of renewable energy.

 

Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue presents Conversations That Matter. Join veteran Broadcaster Stuart McNish each week for an important and engaging Conversation about the issues shaping our future.

Please become a Patreon subscriber and support the production of this program, with a $1 pledge https://goo.gl/ypXyDs

John Thompson - Resources for Future Generations

Ep 195 John Thompson

Resources for Future Generations

 

French President Emmanuel Macron says, “There is no planet B”, in other words we need to take care of planet A. The statement is offered in the spirit of our environmental performance.

It suggests we need to change the way we extract, use and burn the minerals, elements and fuels of the earth or face an uncertain and potentially dire future.

 

The challenge of our time, however, lies in how to shift from where we are, to where we need to be. And recognizing at the same time the pressure to maintain our lifestyle and protect the economy will be intense as will the growing pressure to stop harming the planet.

Can science and technology provide solutions? How will we build those devices, design the systems and the vehicles we require? Where do the resources come from and are there enough essential elements?--

 

These are the questions that are being asked at, “The Resources for Future Generations” conference, an international event dedicated to the availability and delivery of resources to sustain future generations.

 

We invited John Thompson, the Chair of the conference to join us for a Conversation That Matters about strategies that will identify gaps in our knowledge base ensuring we meet the needs of future generations.

 

Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue presents Conversations That Matter. Join veteran Broadcaster Stuart McNish each week for an important and engaging Conversation about the issues shaping our future.

 

Please become a Patreon subscriber and support the production of this program, with a $1 pledge https://goo.gl/ypXyDs

Taryn Skalbania: Participatory Democracy in Action

Ep 194 Taryn Skalbania

Participatory Democracy in Action

 

Margaret Mead said, “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; it’s the only thing that ever has.”  That statement epitomizes bare-knuckled democracy.

It’s underway right now in 21 communities in British Columbia. Communities that are fed up and they’re not going to take it anymore. They’ve come together to petition the Provincial Government to change regulations that favour resource developers over local citizens, local governments and the environment.

The BC Coalition for Forestry Reform says it’s time to put an end to a Campbell Government regulation that handed land use oversight back to the companies that are logging and mining on Crown Lands. The regulation is called, “professional reliance” or self regulation. Since its introduction more than 15 years ago the coalition says, “watersheds have come under attack and there is nothing local governments can do to stop it.”

The Coalition contends “professional reliance” puts logging companies in a conflict of interest. They say, “how can a company be entrusted to protect that very environment it utilizes to make money. The environment loses”

We invited Taryn Skalbania of the Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the right to roll up your sleeves and make sure your government represents everyone’s interests.

Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue presents Conversations That Matter. Join veteran Broadcaster Stuart McNish each week for an important and engaging Conversation about the issues shaping our future.

Please become a Patreon subscriber and support the production of this program, with a $1 pledge https://goo.gl/ypXyDs