Conversations That Matter

Pamela McDonald - “We’re all F**ked”

Ep 550 - “We’re all F**ked”

Guest: Pamela McDonald

By Stuart McNish

 

“British Columbians and Canadians are losing billions to online investment fraud,” says Pamela McDonald of the British Columbia Securities Commission. The perpetrator of the fraud is artificial intelligence and it’s happening online. McDonald says, “These fraudsters hide behind layers of technology and we can’t get to them. It’s offshore organized crime.”

 

To make matters worse, McDonald says, “the traditional enforcement tools of investigating, prosecuting and sanctioning don’t work in this environment – for us or for other law enforcement agencies.” That means as an online investor  you’re on your own. The BC Securities Commission says that “self awareness, diligence and education are powerful defensive tools.” 

 

The Securities Commission has taken an edgy, bold, and “out there” public awareness campaign to draw attention to a problem that AI investment scams are creating. The Securities Commission has created a music video to raise awareness about the online scams it says are “creating  massive social harm.” You can see the video online, titled”‘We are all F**ked.”

 

We invited Pamela McDonald to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the AI threats online investors are being bombarded with and what they can do to defend themselves.

 

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

 

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Kareem Allam - Elections Matter

Ep 549 - Elections Matter

Guest: Kareem Allam

 

By Stuart McNish

 

“Pierre Poilievre won 2024,” says Stewart Prest, a political lecturer at UBC’s Political Science Department, “but there wasn’t an election in 2024.” What seemed like a certainty in early December now appears to be a scramble to hold onto a fighting chance.

Political strategist Kareem Allam says, “I feel bad for him – the winds of change are blowing in the opposite direction. These things are out of his hands and they’re not breaking for him.” Poilievre made Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his carbon tax policy the issues he wanted Canadians to focus on. 

On Nov 26, 2024, United States President-elect Donald Trump posted, "On January 20th, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States." From that moment forward, Canada went from a so-called “post national country” to one where nationalism has soared. “That rise in populism, combined with a new Liberal leader, has swung the polls from an outright victory for the Conservatives to a questionable outcome for the Tories,” says Allam. 

We invited Kareem Allam to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the direction the country is going and who he believes will form the next government.

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

 

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Michael Goehring - The Minerals We Need: They’re Critical

Ep 548 - The Minerals We Need: They’re Critical

Guest: 

 

By Stuart McNish

“We’re sitting on a gold mine, in reality and figuratively,” says Michael Goehring of the Mining Association of British Columbia. “We’re sitting on it at the most critical time in our relationship with the United States… We’re not mining critical minerals because the permitting process is too long.” It’s a problem on a number of fronts. One of them is the foreign investment needed to support critical mineral mining in Canada: foreign investments that are needed to establish new trading channels – investment funds that are running out of patience.

 

In October, BHP Chief Executive Mike Henry told the Globe and Mail, “When it comes to these big capital projects, time is both money and risk… So permitting time frames have to be shorter.” A failure to speed up the permitting process means capital slated for investment here is starting to look elsewhere. Henry said, “Canada is a resource-rich nation, steeped in mining history, and has a really good talent base. But many other countries also have resources, they’ve spotted the opportunity, and they’re chasing after it pretty aggressively.”

 

Michael Goehring agrees: “Of course, we need to attend to environmental regulations; however, there are many areas where Canada and British Columbia can streamline the permitting process. It’s essential that we do to meet North American demands for the minerals and elements that power the green economy.”

 

We invited Michael Goehring, the President of the Mining Association of British Columbia, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about permitting prosperity.

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

 

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Glyn Lewis - Demolition Crisis

Ep 546 - Demolition Crisis

Guest: Glyn Lewis 

 

By Stuart McNish

 

With the British Columbia provincial government’s mandate to increase density by allowing the building of fourplexes on single family lots, we’re going to experience a demolition crisis, says Glyn Lewis of Renewal Development. “From an environmental and economic perspective, demolition is not a wise choice.” 

 

Currently, 2,700 homes are demolished each year across Metro Vancouver to make room for higher density development. Most go to landfill sites. Lewis says, “Every day, we come across a home slated for demolition that is in perfectly good condition – homes that can be saved and repurposed.”

 

The average 1,500-square-foot home sent to a landfill contains 100 tons of raw materials that have substantial market value. “Wood, drywall, plastics, carpets, insulation, roofing materials all with aftermarket value,” says Lewis.

 

We invited Glyn Lewis of Renewal Development to join us for a Conversation That Matters about relocation alternatives to demolition that protect the environment and provide new housing for growing urban areas.

 

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

 

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Thomas O’Shaughnessy - Targeting Colorectal Cancer

Ep 545 - Targeting Colorectal Cancer

Guest: Thomas O’Shaughnessy

 

By Stuart McNish

 

Colorectal cancer –  it’s difficult to treat, it can and often spreads, it kills more than 5,000 Canadians a year (most of them men), and the incidence of it is increasing. The incidence of colorectal cancer is increasing in younger men and “this used to be considered an older person’s affliction," says Thomas O’Shaughnessy, the CEO of Onco Innovations, a Calgary-based cancer research company.

 

“Not anymore,” O’Shaughnessy continues. “Men under 50 are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer in increasing numbers and unfortunately more younger people are dying from the disease.” One of the reasons why colorectal cancer is deadly is the challenge it poses for treatment. “Radiation and chemotherapy are supposed to destroy cancer cells. In colorectal cancer they aren’t as effective.”

 

Onco Innovations has developed a treatment that targets solid cancer cells only. The goal is to destroy only the cancer cells' ability to replicate. “Our treatment is targeted and it aids and enhances the ability of other treatments to destroy and prevent the spread of the cancer,” says O’Shaughnessy.

 

We invited Thomas O’Shaugnessy of Onco Innovations to join us for a Conversation That Matters about targeting and destroying colorectal cancer.

 

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

 

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Lenore Newman - Can British Columbia be an agricultural superpower?

Ep 542 - Can British Columbia be an agricultural superpower?

Guest: Lenore Newman

 

By Stuart McNish

 

According to the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, “It is estimated that B.C. farmers produce 40% of all foods consumed in the province.” It’s a frightening statistic – one that demonstrates how much food is imported into the province to ensure you can enjoy a healthy number of calories.

 

According to Professor Lenore Newman of the University of the Fraser Valley, “We have the ability to provide food security in BC coupled with the opportunity to create innovative ways of growing it.” A key step forward is the just-launched Sustainable Food Systems for Canada platform that will create a national agrifood innovations and entrepreneurship program.

 

Newman is one of two national directors of the program who says that “the world is facing significant challenges with food security. We need to support agri-food entrepreneurs and encourage the development of technologies that will increase Canada’s food production and resiliency.”

 

We invited Lenore Newman to join us for a Conversation That Matters about bolstering our food security and developing food production systems and equipment that meet domestic and international needs.

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

 

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Vina Nadjibulla - Indo-Pacific region: Our economic saviour?

Ep 541 - Indo-Pacific region: Our economic saviour?

Guest: Vina Nadjibulla

 

By Stuart McNish

 

“In the face of threatened tariffs, shifting security dynamics, and changing domestic priorities, Canadian policymakers and businesses alike need to assess how best to safeguard their interests and manage relations with key Indo-Pacific economies,” says Vina Nadjibulla of the Asia Pacific Foundation.

 

Nadjibulla continues, “The return of Donald Trump to the White House has brought heightened uncertainty to the Indo-Pacific region, posing new challenges for Canada’s evolving Indo-Pacific Strategy and its key relationships in Asia.”

 

Asia-Pacific Senior Fellow Patrick Leblond says, “While Trump’s foreign policies  may unleash turbulence, Canada’s long-term Indo-Pacific objectives remain valid. While China relations are likely to stay rocky, Canada needs to double down on Southeast Asia to maintain Canada’s relevance as a partner in the region.”

 

We invited Vina Nadjibulla of the Asia Pacific Foundation to join us for a Conversation That Matters about fortifying existing trading relationships and building new ones in the Indo-Pacific region.

 

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

 

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

 

Beau Jarvis & Kerri Jackson - Rental Development: Risky Business

Ep 540 - Rental Development: Risky Business

Beau Jarvis & Kerri Jackson

By Stuart McNish

 

The rental vacancy rate in Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley is tight – less than one per cent, year over year. “That, on its own, puts pressure on the market driving up rental rates,” says Kerri Jackson of Concert Properties. Building new supply is a long and challenging process in a remarkably complex municipal landscape made up of 21 different jurisdictions. 

 

Add in factors such as a decades-long shift away from purpose built rental in favour of condo developments that once sold to investors became rental properties. Beau Jarvis of Wesgroup says, “Recently, purpose-built rental housing has resurfaced as a way of easing the tight supply – a good idea, but one that developers are hard-pressed to jump onside with minimal uptake from developers.”

 

As of October 2024, there are minimal purpose-built rental properties throughout the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley region. Those properties are a step in the right direction; however, they do not come close to the volume of new projects that are required to meet demand.

 

We invited Kerri Jackson of Concert Properties and Beau Jarvis of Wesgroup to join us for Conversation That Matters about the value of purpose-built rentals and why it’s a risky business.

 

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

 

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Jacquie Griffiths - Selling Vancouver

Ep 538 - Selling Vancouver

Jacquie Griffiths

By Stuart McNish

 

“France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Mexico, Singapore, and the United States have successful Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) agencies. Canada can learn from these nations,” states a 2016 Government of Canada report called “Bringing Foreign Investment to Canada.”

 

The report points out Canada is trailing far behind in efforts to invite foreign companies to set up shop here, despite the benefits FDI brings. The report points out, “FDI strengthens Canadian productive capacity through knowledge transfer, the development of human capital, and new technology, management techniques, and production processes.”

 

According to the report, central to attracting foreign business “is a commitment at the highest political level as well as the provision of financial support and resources needed, active involvement from senior government officials, a single agency that coordinates information and services across various government offices, top-level talent, a clear investment strategy, use of a ‘concierge’ service for investors, from initial contact and cultivation to assistance after the investment takes place. In the United States, the president, governors, and ambassadors are all involved in marketing and recruiting efforts.”

 

We invited Jacquie Griffiths, the CEO of Invest Vancouver, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about Greater Vancouver’s efforts to attract foreign direct investment.

 

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

 

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Dr Linda Rapson - Mindful Cancer Care

Ep 528 - Mindful Cancer Care

Guest: Dr. Linda Carlson

 

“Your thoughts and feelings could impact hormones and the immune and nervous systems” was  Dr. Linda Carlson’s thesis. Her goal was to confirm that mindfulness could impact and improve cancer care. “Some doctors thought that was all hocus-pocus or new-agey,” says Carlson. A well respected and rigorous researcher, Carlson says, “My approach was to conduct a disciplined scientific study that would produce evidence based therapies.”

 

In 2018, Carlson realized her goal and launched the Tom Baker Cancer Centre at the University of Calgary, known as the ACTION Centre or the Alberta Complementary Therapy and Integrative Oncology Centre, the first of its kind in Canada.

 

Using patient-centred, evidence-based therapies, Carlson says, “We use mind and body practices along with natural products coupled with lifestyle modifications alongside conventional cancer treatments.”

 

We invited Dr. Linda Carlson, a 2023 Dr. Rogers Prize co-winner, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about “Mindful Cancer Care.”

 

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

 

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca