‘Twas 6 days before Christmas, and here at Charles Adler Tonight we wanted to start off our show with a Christmas conversation about JRR Tolkein’s Letters from Father Christmas.

Guest: Harley J Sims - Writer & independent scholar

Yesterday, Wilfrid Laurier University has found there was no wrongdoing by one of their T.A.s who played a controversial YouTube clip during a class tutorial. The clip in question featured Jordan Peterson, a University of Toronto professor who infamously refuses to use gender pronouns other than “he” or “she.”

Guest: Matt Gurney - Host, Global News Radio 640 Toronto

For the second year in a row, Gord Downie has been named Canadian Press Newsmaker of the year. His hope for a better Canada is one of the reasons editors and broadcasters say they selected him as Canada’s Newsmaker of the Year for the second straight time.

And news that only our listeners here in Vancouver will care about….while the rest of the country has seen snowfall this winter...Vancouver received their first dose of winter today. Traffic was snarled, power was knocked out, and Vancouverites struggled to deal with the cold (just below freezing) temperatures.

And moving from that to a good, heartwarming story out of Regina, about a woman who is hoping to thank two strangers who gave her a life-changing early Christmas gift.

More on the Wilfred Laurier University kerfuffle. 

Guest: Mark Bonokoski - Columnist, Toronto Sun

A price war on cell phone plans has erupted in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia with providers offering 10GB of data for $60 a month. This kind of deal is unheard of. Is it a positive sign of things to come?

Guest: Reid Fiest - Reporter, Global News

Weekly check-in with Rob Breakenridge - As many of our regular listeners know, we usually check in with Rob Breakenridge on Tuesday evenings, but decided to move his interview to Monday this week because of a column he wrote while Charles was away on marijuana legislation, and how Canadian youth might actually be ok.

Guest: Rob Breakenridge - Host, 770 CHQR

It’s been a big year for Jason Kenney, and between winning the UCP leadership race and last week’s Calgary-Lougheed by-election he’s got a lot on his plate for 2018. We wrap up 2017 and look forward to the new year with Mr. Kenney.

Guest: Jason Kenney - Leader of the UCP in Alberta

That’s what radio chatter between an Amtrak train in Seattle and a dispatcher sounded like moments after the train derailed south of Seattle at 7:40am this morning. Three people have been confirmed dead in the derailment that saw at least two train cars falling off an overpass and onto the highway below.

An update to the mysterious deaths of billionaire couple Barry and Honey Sherman. Over the weekend Toronto police announced they were killed by ligature neck compression and homicide detectives have now taken over the investigation.

Wilfrid Laurier University has found there was no wrongdoing by one of their T.A.s who played a controversial YouTube clip during a class tutorial. The clip in question featured Jordan Peterson, a University of Toronto professor who infamously refuses to use gender pronouns other than “he” or “she.”

Last weekend, Mike McIntyre went to air for the last time as host of Crime and Punishment on Corus Radio. We break down what it was like to host the show, and where he is heading to next.

Guest: Mike McIntyre - Former Host, Crime and Punishment on Corus Radio