Conversations That Matter

Ep 515 - Electronic Recycling Done Right

Mohammad Doostmohammadi 

By Stuart McNish

“There are six elements that play a key role in optimizing fuel and chemical production,” says Mohammad Doostmohammdi of pH7. “Without them, green hydrogen, low-carbon steel, biofuels and other climate technologies are not possible.” Those six elements are platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, and osmium – and they are among the rarest on earth.

While challenging to identify ore bodies with mineable resources, there is an emerging opportunity in recovery. “There are 17.4 million troy ounces of these elements that have already been mined and are available to be recovered from catalytic converters, mobile phones, computer disks and aircraft turbines.”

Until now, the process of recovering these elements was uneconomical. Doostmohammdi says, “These challenges notwithstanding, several factors have combined to spotlight their growing importance.”

We invited Mohammad Doostmohammdi to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the process his team has developed that reduces costs and increases productivity in the realm of critical mineral recovery.

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

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Ep 514 - Real Estate Lessons from Singapore

Guest: Ernst Lang

By Stuart McNish

“We can learn a few things from Singapore,” says Ernst Lang, the founder and CEO of Promerita Group. “Singapore has been getting housing right for many decades. In fact, it has found a way to make most of its housing affordable whilst also protecting the value of privately owned homes.”

According to a report by the Urban Land Institute, “private homes in Singapore are the most expensive in Asia” with an average value of $1.7 million US. However, the ULI report states that public housing in Singapore is the “most attainable” when it comes to home ownership – 90 percent of the people in the country own their home.

Lang says, “Even more remarkable is the cost in relation to median annual income. In Singapore, the median home price to income ratio is 5. In Vancouver, according to Rates.ca, the average home price is 249% more than an average household can afford.”

How and what are they doing in Singapore that we can learn from?

We invited Ernst Lang of Promerita to join us for a Conversation That Matters about Singapore’s housing market and what lessons we could apply here.

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

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Ep 513 - British Columbia’s Lacklustre Prosperity

Guest: David Williams

By Stuart McNish

According to the 2024 British Columbia Prosperity Index, “BC places 11th out of 21 peer jurisdictions for overall prosperity.” The study was developed with the Centre for the Study of Living Standards, which compares BC’s performance on a range of economic, business, social and environmental indicators.

David Williams says, “There is no medal for 11th place and for good reason. This matters for young families and people aspiring to build a future in this province. Prosperity is crucial.”  The report is filled with disheartening numbers about BC’s place on the Prosperity Index.

The Index reports that British Columbia is “11th of 21 jurisdictions in Business Well-Being, 15th in Economic Well-Being, 7th in Societal Well-Being, 12th in Labour Productivity, 13th in Innovation Ranking, 13th in Income Inequality and 18th for Housing Affordability.”

We invited David Williams, the Vice President of Policy at the Business Council of British Columbia, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the factors that are driving down prosperity in BC and what we can do to reverse this trend.

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

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

July 12, 2024

Ep 512 - To the Edge of Death and Back

Guest: Paul Dragan

By Stuart McNish

Ten years ago on June 10, 2014, Paul Dragan sat down to enjoy a cup of coffee across the street from his business, Reckless Bikes. He took a sip and as he looked up, a heavyset man wearing a bicycle helmet came around the corner, pulled out a gun and shot Paul in the chest. He landed on the ground, blood pouring out of his chest.

“Were it not for a series of remarkable events, I’d be dead,” says Dragan. “A doctor was standing feet away at the time I was shot. An ambulance miracle – Vancouver Hospital was minutes away and 14 minutes later, I was in the emergency room with my life in the hands of a surgeon who was not going to let me die.”

Six days later Dragan woke up in a hospital bed, his wife and son next to him. For six days, they’ve been racked with the fear that Paul would die. “Classically,” says Dragan, “my first words were, ‘Where am I and what happened?’ I had no idea. I don’t even recall being shot or anything else from that morning.”

We invited Paul Dragan to join us for a Conversation That Matters about his incredible journey to the darkness of death and back.

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

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Ep 511 - Drug Free Kids

Guest: Chantal Vallerand

By Stuart McNish

On Dec 8th, 2022, Jennifer Whiteside was appointed Minister for Mental Health and Addictions. At the time she said, “The Premier has asked me to prioritize accelerating BC’s response to the illicit drug toxicity crisis. The Premier has also asked me to expand new complex care, treatment, recovery, detox and after-care facilities across the province.”

Months later, the BC Centre for Disease Control released its report showing that in 2022, overdoses from opioids and illicit drugs were now the leading cause of death for youth 10 to 18 years old.  The Minister issued a statement saying, “The toxic drug crisis continues to have a devastating impact on families and communities in B.C., and the impact on children, youth is heartbreaking,”

These are hollow words to Garth Mullins, an organizer with the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, who said, “It seems to me that the Minister’s job is to be the official mourner – someone who is there to cry publicly about the mass deaths but isn’t empowered.”

So where does a family turn when they need help? Chantal Vallerand, the Executive Director at Drug Free Kids Canada, says, “We know how difficult it is for families. Most don’t know the boundaries of what they can and cannot say or do. We created Drug Free Kids to help parents facing the life and death reality of drugs where there is no margin for error.”

We invited Chantal Vallerand of Drug Free Kids to join us for a Conversation That Matters about resources and strategies that can and do help families address the growing drug crisis in Canada.

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

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Ep 510 - Post-Pandemic Leadership

Guest: Ron Bremner

By Stuart McNish

COVID-19 disrupted supply lines and our lives. Now that the lockdowns are over, the lingering impact of the dramatic shifts in the workplace remain. During the pandemic, work from home became the rule. Many employees seized the opportunity and not only thrived, but they moved away – far away, so far that coming into the office became a remote possibility.

“The work from home practice was needed during the pandemic; now it poses a new challenge,” says executive coach Ron Bremner. “Going forward, remote work will fracture company culture. For leaders… the new norm will be to manage in a state of chaos where they will need to be remarkably innovative as they strive to create safe, productive and effective workplaces.”

“[The] key to navigating the changing dynamics of a disassociated workplace,” says Bremner, “will be to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset” – a mindset of constant adaptation and continual improvement.

We invited Ron Bremner to join us for a Conversation That Matters about post-pandemic leadership.

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

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Ep 509 - Meet the BC Conservative Leader

Guest: John Rustad

By Stuart McNish

It’s been two years since John Rustad parted ways with the BC United Party over differences about climate change science. Regarding the reason for his removal from the party, Kevin Falcon is quoted as saying, “Climate change is one of the most critical threats facing our future.” And he added that Rustad “does not speak on behalf of [the] caucus on this issue.”

Six months later, John Rustad took over the leadership of the BC Conservative Party. At the time, the party was without a sitting member of the legislature. Today, there are four. Rustad and the BC Conservative party’s rankings are soaring in the polls.

Who is John Rustad and what is his vision for British Columbia, should he do the seemingly impossible and win the next election? We invited John Rustad to join us for a Conversation That Matters about his agenda for British Columbia.

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

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Ep 508 - Generously Giving

Guest: Megan Owen-Evans

By Stuart McNish

In the book “Why Good Things Happen to Good People,” Stephen Post writes that “giving to others” has been shown to increase health benefits. A separate study by Michael Norton from Harvard Business School revealed that “people are happier when they spend money on others versus themselves.” Megan Owen-Evans went far beyond the giving of money – she donated a kidney and part of her liver to two different anonymous recipients.  

“Donating a kidney or a part of your liver is an enormous undertaking,” says Owen-Evans. “Not only do you need to take time for the surgery and recovery, [but] you also undergo a plethora of tests that consume vast amounts of time” – time that takes the donor away from work and family. “The cost in lost salary is significant.”

Fully aware of the impact on donors, Owen-Evans set out to change the financial impact on these generous souls who give of themselves. As President of Neptune Terminals, Owen-Evans established a new policy: “paid time off for donors.” It's a concept that is gaining support from other major employers in British Columbia, such as Beedie Development and the David Foster Foundation. 

We invited Megan Owen-Evans to join us for a Conversation That Matters about corporate giving that supports employees and offers the gift of life to people in desperate need.

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

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Ep 507 - A Bleak Market for EVs

Guest: Adam Pankratz

By Stuart McNish

“Little did we know how fast the free market would slap the electric vehicle mandate back to reality, while Canadian taxpayers continue to subsidize green fantasies,” says Adam Pankratz, a lecturer at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business. The “slap” is in reference to plummeting sales of electric vehicles in North America.

Pankratz says, “The signs emerged in September 2023 when Volkswagen announced it was ‘cutting EV output’ due to low demand and in November, Ford announced it would ‘be scaling back’ EV battery production due to lackluster demand.” 

As the new year emerged, EV news stayed on the same trendline. Pankratz said, “General Motors, Mercedes Benz and even Tesla warned EV sales were projected to be significantly lower than predicted.” Add in Hertz’s decision to sell off most of its EVs and the message is clear – the market is cool on electric cars.

We invited Adam Pankratz to join us for a Conversation That Matters on the trajectory of electric vehicle sales and what that says about government directives versus market forces.

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

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Join us June 18 for Conversations Live - Food Security

Ep 506 - Will AI produce a state of Deep Utopia?

Guest: Nick Bostrom

By Stuart McNish

In his new book “Deep Utopia: Life and Meaning in a Solved World,” philosopher Nick Bostrom ponders what life could be like in a “solved world” – a world where everything works and works better than if human hands got in the way. “What then?” asks Bostrom, is the reason to work? “Is it to earn extra income or because working is an intrinsically valued activity?” 

Bostrom is the head of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford and a philosopher with a background in theoretical physics, computational neuroscience, logic, and artificial intelligence. He has been called the “Superintelligent Swede” because of the deep philosophical work he undertakes as he examines the trajectory of human life at the intersection of destruction and possibility.

Bostrum says, “If artificial intelligence can be achieved, it would be an event of unparalleled consequence – perhaps even a rupture to the fabric of history” – a rupture, Bostrom says, “will change the course of human history but is it the end of human history?”

We invited Nick Bostrom to join us for a Conversation That Matters about our flirtatious and tempestuous relationship with the evolution of intelligence.

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

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Join us June 18 for Conversations Live - Food Sustainability