Change My Mind

Canada is having a complicated moment. The country is experiencing increasingly destructive wildfires, extreme heat, floods and drought, while at same time pushing ahead with plans for more oil pipelines and LNG development.

So what do we do with that contradiction?

On this episode of Change My Mind, Lynda Steele sits down with award winning author and journalist John Vaillant, whose book Fire Weather takes readers inside the devastating 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire. John is well known for his work exploring what happens when a changing climate collides with an economy built around fossil fuels.

This isn't a conversation focused on whether pipelines are good or bad. It's about something much harder to untangle.

Canada depends heavily on its natural resources. Oil and gas generate jobs, exports and government revenue. Also, global demand for fossil fuels does not appear to be dwindling anytime soon.  At the same time, the climate is changing and the costs are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

That’s where Lynda and John dig in.  Together, they explore what happens when those two realities collide. Can Canada continue to benefit from its fossil fuel economy while seriously addressing the climate crisis? Can we expand production and still make meaningful progress toward lower emissions? Can resource wealth help pay for the transition, or does continued expansion make that transition harder?

There are no easy answers. There are competing interests, real economic consequences and increasingly visible environmental ones. This is a conversation about the choices Canada is making now and what those choices could mean for the country today, tomorrow and into the future.

No debate. No winning. Just talking it through.

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Disagreement is part of everyday life. We disagree about politics, public health, immigration, climate change, foreign affairs and increasingly, just about everything else. Even family dinners and workplace conversations can become battlegrounds.

The problem isn't disagreement itself. In fact, democracies depend on it. The problem is what happens when disagreement hardens into polarization. When the person on the other side stops being someone we disagree with and starts becoming someone we fear, dismiss or even hate.

On this episode of Change My Mind, Lynda Steele sits down with conflict resolution and engagement expert Dr. Aftab Erfan to explore why we are so quick to see the world as “us versus them” and what we can actually do about it.

Together, they discuss moments many of us recognize, such as when a family member’s comments cross a line or small frustrations build quietly with a friend until emotions explode. The conversation also explores the role of social media, fear-based messaging, misinformation, as well as who benefits when people remain divided.

Dr. Erfan, who is the Executive Director of SFU Centre for Dialogue, also offers practical tools for navigating disagreement in our everyday lives. Whether you're dealing with family conflict, workplace tension or someone whose views seem completely opposite to your own, she has insights to share.

At the heart of the conversation is this simple idea: you don't have to change someone's mind to have a meaningful conversation, but you might just understand them a little better.

No debate. No winning. Just talking it through.

Enjoyed this episode? Please like, rate, and review on your favorite platform to help others find the show!

AI is moving faster than most of us can process. While it promises breakthroughs in everything from healthcare to productivity, there’s increasing unease about what happens when the technology moves faster than our ability to understand or control it.

Lynda Steele, the host of Change My Mind, has mixed feelings about AI. She can see the enormous potential, but she’s also worried about deepfakes, teen safety, data centres and whether the guardrails we need are coming too late. There’s also this important question: are we comfortable leaving so much of our future in the hands of a small number of powerful tech companies and their leaders?

To help make sense of it all, Lynda talks with technology expert Amber Mac. A bestselling author, entrepreneur, guest lecturer and well-known podcaster, Amber has spent more than two decades helping people understand how emerging technology is changing our lives.

Together, they break down what AI is actually doing right now, what happens when we stop checking its work, AI literacy and why the pace of this technological revolution is so different from what we experienced with the internet. 

They also explore AI’s potential to transform healthcare, including a deeply personal story from Amber that shows what can happen when this technology catches something missed by humans. 

So, are we moving too fast? Can we find the balance between embracing what AI can do and making sure we’re still in control of where it takes us? This is a conversation about the risks, the possibilities and the choices we still have to make about AI, without the hype and without the panic.

No debate. No winning. Just talking it through.

Enjoyed this episode? Please like, rate, and review on your favorite platform to help others find the show!

Many of us grew up trusting the media. It was a pillar of democracy, a source of information and a way to understand the world around us. Today, that trust is being tested like never before. Why? And more importantly, what does the future of journalism look like?

In this episode of Change My Mind, Lynda Steele is joined by award-winning journalist and communications leader Jennifer Burke for an honest conversation about the seismic shifts transforming Canadian media.

Journalism was once widely seen as a cornerstone of public life, holding power to account, informing citizens and helping communities make sense of the issues shaping their lives. Today, local newsrooms are disappearing, traditional business models are under pressure and more Canadians are getting their news from social media, influencers and algorithms.

So what happened?

Lynda and Jennifer draw on decades of experience to explore how digital platforms disrupted the economics of journalism, why AI and misinformation are accelerating the spread of false information and what it will take to rebuild credibility in an increasingly polarized, algorithm-driven world. This isn't just a conversation about what's been lost. It's about understanding the forces reshaping journalism and whether there is still a path forward.

At its heart, this episode isn't just about lamenting the decline of journalism, it’s about understanding the pressures that are reshaping it and whether there is still a path to strengthen it. Because when newsrooms disappear, when algorithms shape what we see and when misinformation moves faster than reporting, journalism is left under extraordinary strain financially, politically and culturally.

No spin. No polarizing debate. Just talking it through.

For generations, Canadians have viewed the United States as our closest ally, largest trading partner and trusted neighbour. But in the wake of President Donald Trump's increasingly confrontational approach to Canada, including tariffs and annexation rhetoric, many are asking a question that once seemed unimaginable:Can our relationship ever be the same?

In this episode of Change My Mind, Lynda Steele is joined by Eric Miller, an international trade and foreign policy expert, who spent years working on Canada–U.S. relations, including serving as the first representative of Canada’s Department of Industry in Washington, D.C.

Together, Lynda and Eric unpack what has changed between the two countries, why the relationship has shifted so dramatically and whether the damage is temporary or signals a more fundamental change.

This thoughtful conversation explores the forces driving today's tensions, from trade and tariffs to sovereignty, diplomacy and public sentiment. It examines why the United States has taken its current approach, how Canada is responding and what the future may hold for the relationship. Can trust be rebuilt? What would it take to restore confidence? If the relationship has changed for good, what does that mean for Canada's future?

At its heart, this episode is about more than politics or policy. It’s about how we understand a changing relationship with a country that has shaped Canada’s economy and identity for generations.

No debate. No winning. Just talking it through.

What does it mean to be conservative in Canada today? Is the political movement still defined by fiscal responsibility and limited government, or has it evolved into something else?

In this episode of Change My Mind, Lynda Steele sits down with Brian Lee Crowley, founder of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, to explore the issue through the lens of a longtime conservative public policy thinker.

Together, they discuss how conservatism has changed and what those changes could mean for Canadian politics. They also examine the forces shaping today's movement, from regional tensions to political polarization to the growing influence of cultural issues.

Rather than asking whether these changes are good or bad, the conversation explores why many Canadians, including some longtime conservatives, feel uncertain about what conservatism stands for today. It considers how the movement is balancing tradition with transformation, and what its evolution may mean for the country's future.

As always, Change My Mind isn't about winning an argument. It's about asking better questions, listening with curiosity and considering different perspectives before deciding where you stand.

No debate. No winning. Just talking it through.

The FIFA World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events on the planet. But for host cities, it's about far more than what happens on the pitch.

Hosting a global event of this scale comes with enormous public investment, high expectations and no shortage of debate. Is it money well spent? Or could those dollars be better used elsewhere?

In this episode of Change My Mind, Lynda Steele is joined by veteran sports broadcaster, Don Taylor, to explore whether mega-events like the World Cup are still worth it in an era of housing shortages, affordability pressures and competing public priorities.

Together, they examine the promises that accompany events like FIFA 2026, including tourism, global exposure and civic pride. They also dive into  concerns about rising costs, public risk and who ultimately benefits.

Drawing on decades of experience covering sports, Don also offers a perspective that extends beyond economics. He shares why he thinks major sporting events have the power to unite communities, inspire the next generation and create moments people remember for years, even decades. Despite all the controversy and complexity, there’s still something undeniably powerful about watching a city and a country rally around the same moment.

This episode isn't about choosing between celebration and skepticism. It's about exploring whether both can exist at the same time, and whether the value of hosting a global event can be measured by more than a balance sheet.

No debate. No winning. Just talking it through.

Social media was supposed to bring us together.

Instead, many people now describe it as exhausting, divisive but also impossible to escape.

In this episode of Change My Mind, Lynda Steele examines her own complicated relationship with social media and asks a question that feels increasingly relevant: is staying online still worth it?

Joined by technology analyst and journalist Carmi Levy, the conversation explores how social media evolved from a tool for connection into an ecosystem driven by algorithms, outrage and engagement at all costs.

Together, they discuss misinformation, online harassment, the decline of civil discourse and whether today's platforms are capable of becoming healthier spaces. They also wrestle with a more personal question: at what point does participation become complicity?

For Carmi, the answer is sobering. Despite making his living covering technology and digital culture, he says he would likely leave social media behind if his work didn't require him to be there.

Lynda begins the episode frustrated with what social media has become. But after exploring the issue from every angle, will the conversation change her mind?

The discussion doesn't seek easy answers. Instead, it explores the trade-offs, the benefits and the growing costs of life online.

No debate. No winning. Just talking it through.

Ozempic arrived and suddenly the conversation around obesity changed.

New medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists are transforming how many people think about weight, health and obesity. But they are also raising difficult questions about access, stigma, personal responsibility and the role of public health systems.

In this episode of Change My Mind, Lynda Steele sits down with Dr. Ali Zentner, a British Columbia–based physician and advocate for evidence-based obesity care, to explore what the rise of obesity medications reveals about how society understands obesity itself.

Together, they examine whether these medications are changing the definition of obesity as a medical condition, how they fit into broader conversations about body positivity and weight stigma, while also exploring why access to treatment remains deeply unequal.

The discussion moves beyond the question of whether these drugs are "good" or "bad" and instead explores what happens when a new medical treatment challenges long-held beliefs about health, choice and responsibility.

As always, the goal isn't to win an argument. It's to think differently.

No debate. No winning. Just talking it through.

What does it mean to force someone to get better — and does it work?

In this episode, host Lynda Steele sits down with Guy Felicella, a harm reduction advocate and addiction educator, whose life story resists easy categorization. Over nearly two decades, Guy cycled through addiction, homelessness, gang involvement and incarceration, surviving six overdoses before finding his way to recovery. Today, he speaks publicly and passionately about stigma, trauma and the urgent need for a full spectrum of care.

The conversation centres on one of Canada's most contested policy debates: involuntary care. Should governments have the authority to compel people living with severe addiction or mental illness into treatment — even against their will? And if voluntary systems are underfunded, inaccessible or failing, does that change the calculus?

Lynda opens by sharing her initial position — and invites Guy to weigh in. What follows is a meaningful exchange, shaped by lived experience and an honest discussion about the limits of any single answer.

Together, they explore:

• How trauma underlies addiction in ways that policy often fails to address.
• The difference between compassion and coercion — and when one becomes the other.
• What the research and real-world evidence actually shows about forced treatment.
• Why Guy believes involuntary care is not a simple solution — and what he'd put in its place.
• What recovery actually looks like, and the role of love, support and dignity in getting there.

At the heart of this episode is a thread Guy returns to again and again: "If you don't deal with trauma, it's going to deal with you."

This is not an episode that tells you what to think. It's one that asks you to be curious, to listen and to make room for the full humanity of people caught between addiction, policy and survival.