NOTE: This special episode of Explore is being re-released to mark an important moment in Canadian history: the original 1670 Hudson’s Bay Company Royal Charter is being sold at auction. But thanks to a joint purchase by the Thomson and Weston families, the charter will remain in Canada, ensuring this remarkable artifact of colonial history stays in public hands

In 2020, the Hudson’s Bay Company marked its 350th anniversary. At this time, podcast host David McGuffin headed deep into the HBC vault with Amelia Fay, curator of the HBC Collection at the Manitoba Museum. Together, they unpacked the story and the symbolism of the Royal Charter granted by King Charles II in 1670, a document that established what was then known as “The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading into Hudson’s Bay.”

Fay describes the charter in vivid detail, from its shimmering vellum pages to its exceptional state of preservation, and explains how this corporate decree laid out the governance structures and sweeping territorial claims that would shape the future of northern North America. Their conversation explores the charter’s complex legacy: how it empowered the HBC to act as a government, shaped settlement and trade across a vast section of the continent and how it is inseparable from the Doctrine of Discovery and the harmful concept of terra nullius, both of which displaced and ignored the sovereignty of Indigenous nations.

With the charter now back in the public spotlight through its historic sale, this episode offers timely context on why the document remains both foundational and deeply problematic, and why understanding its legacy is essential to understanding Canada today.

Few Canadians have been closer to the front lines of global climate action than Catherine McKenna, Canada’s former Environment Minister. And this week on Explore, she opens up about what she’s learned from the fight.

Joining podcast host David McGuffin, McKenna discusses her new book Run Like a Girl: A Memoir of Ambition, Resilience, and Fighting for Change. She reflects on how a childhood insult became a personal rallying cry, how competitive swimming shaped her approach to tough political battles and what it actually felt like inside the high-pressure rooms of the Paris climate negotiations. McKenna also talks frankly about online abuse targeting women in public life and why she remains a realistic optimist about climate action.

Speaking candidly about the online harassment she faced, including being dismissed as “Climate Barbie” by a Conservative MP in 2017, and why these experiences only strengthened her commitment to supporting women in public life. Despite the noise, she remains a realist and an optimist about where climate action can go next.

McKenna served as Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change from 2015 to 2019 and Minister of Infrastructure and Communities from 2019 to 2021, helping negotiate the Paris Agreement and introducing Canada’s first national climate plan. An honorary RCGS Fellow, she is now the founder and CEO of Climate and Nature Solutions, leads Women Leading on Climate and chairs a UN expert group advising the Secretary-General on credible net-zero commitments.

Run Like a Girl is her first book, and, as listeners will hear, the culmination of a career spent pushing for a better, faster, fairer climate future.

On this episode of Explore, host David McGuffin is joined by Arctic explorer and elementary school teacher Dave Greene. Earlier this year, Greene completed his fourth RCGS-flagged expedition across northern Quebec’s Ungava Peninsula. As the leader of this ski expedition, Greene shares his experience, traversing the harsh landscape alongside teammates Chris Giard and Lee Fraser.

Skiing hundreds of kilometres through -40°Celsius temperatures, the goal of the expedition was to reach the spectacular Pingualuit Crater, a 450-million-year-old meteor impact site. Greene shares stories of extreme cold, frostbite, whiteouts and life above the tree line, as well as the moments of awe and resilience that define Arctic travel.

As a Nova Scotia teacher and a new CanGeo Education board representative, Greene also brought the expedition into the classroom, connecting students to Canada’s North with live updates, weather tracking and daily Arctic haikus.

Follow Greene on Instagram @greeneradventures

In this episode of Explore, podcast host David McGuffin speaks with Canadian climber and expedition leader Shira Biner, who led the first female-plus team to establish a new 600-metre route on Eglinton Tower in the remote fjords of Baffin Island. Biner recounts the 2025 expedition, which was partly funded by The Nat Gillis Adventure Photography Expedition Grant awarded by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

Over 29 days, the team travelled entirely under human power, skiing 150 kilometres across Arctic sea ice with teammates Kelly Fields, Heather Smallpage and Nathalie Afonina to reach the towering granite walls of Eglinton Fjord.

From navigating crevassed ice and polar-bear country to sleeping on narrow ledges high above the fjord, Biner shares the physical and emotional demands of exploratory climbing at the edge of the world.

Through her work as an expedition leader and a climber, Biner explores the intersection of human-powered travel, alpine climbing and geographic discovery. Based in Squamish, B.C., she approaches mountaineering as both an athletic pursuit and a form of storytelling. 

In 2023, Biner received an RCGS Expedition Grant to support an alpine rock-climbing journey on the east coast of Baffin Island. In 2025, she received the RCGS Nat Gillis Adventure Photography & Expedition Grant, recognizing her leadership and visual storytelling in the North.

Topics covered:

• The 2025 Baffin Island expedition and first female-plus ascent of Eglinton Tower
• Skiing and hauling gear 150 kilometres across Arctic sea ice
• Climbing with Kelly Fields, Heather Smallpage and Nathalie Afonina
• Team dynamics, leadership and risk management in remote climbing
• The legacy of the late Natalie Gillis and women-led exploration
• Why human-powered travel remains central to adventure and storytelling

“From 1875 to 1975, there were 6,000 shipwrecks on the Great Lakes — one a week for a century. Everyone remembers one: the Edmund Fitzgerald. And that’s because of the song.”

— John U. Bacon, Explore Podcast

This year marks 50 years since the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the most famous shipwreck in Great Lakes history. In this episode of Explore, host David McGuffin welcomes back John U. Bacon, New York Times bestselling author of The Great Halifax Explosion, Cirque du Soleil: The Spark and The Greatest Comeback about the 1972 Canada–Soviet hockey Summit Series.

In this conversation, Bacon discusses his latest book, Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which revisits the tragedy that claimed 29 lives on Lake Superior and inspired Gordon Lightfoot’s haunting ballad, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Through rich storytelling and meticulous research, Bacon brings new insight into the ship’s storied history, its legendary Canadian captain, and the perilous world of Great Lakes shipping, where danger, devotion and duty collide with the power of nature. Bacon also explores the human stories behind the headlines and the Gordon Lightfoot song that has kept the memory alive for half a century.

The conversation also explores the haunting story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which is often called the “Titanic of the Great Lakes.” Then, we dive into the brutal realities of Great Lakes shipping and why navigating these inland seas can be even more perilous than the open ocean. You’ll hear about Captain Ernest McSorley’s fateful final voyage, the mystery that still surrounds that November night, and how Gordon Lightfoot’s iconic ballad immortalized the tragedy and honoured the lost crew. We also reflect on the enduring importance of the Great Lakes, a lifeline that continues to shape North America’s history, economy, and identity.

The episode closes with a touching reflection on the late Ken Dryden, the Hall of Fame goaltender, author, politician and poet laureate of hockey, whom Bacon got to know when profiling him for The Greatest Comeback, Bacon’s earlier book on the '72 Summit series.

The bells ringing during the interview and at the end of the episode were recorded on May 2, 2023, at the Mariners Church in Detroit. They rang 30 times,  once for each of the 29 men lost aboard the Edmund Fitzgerald, and once more for Gordon Lightfoot.

" Hubert Darrell is the greatest explorer of all time that no one has ever heard of. The Norwegian great Amundsen, the first to the South Pole and first person to sail through the Northwest Passage successfully, actually met Darrell in the Arctic. He was in awe, and he wrote that with men like Darrell, 'I could go to the moon.'"

In this episode of Explore, RCGS Explorer-in-Residence and bestselling author Adam Shoalts discusses his latest book, Vanished Beyond the Map, which chronicles the life of the nearly forgotten Arctic explorer Hubert Darrell.

Darrell, once a legendary figure from the early 20th century, made incredible solo journeys on foot across the Arctic, from Alaska to Hudson's Bay and onto the Arctic Ocean, earning the respect and praise of more renowned explorers like Roald Amundsen, Vilhjalmur Stefansson and many others Shoalts shares his exhaustive, years-long research process, which includes tracking down archival materials and retracing Darrell's steps in remote northern regions, seeking the answer to the mystery of Darrell's disappearance in 1910. The conversation delves into Darrell's respect for Indigenous cultures, his disdain for conventional society and the enduring call of the wild.

Adam Shoalts is a Canadian explorer, adventurer and bestselling author renowned for his epic solo journeys through some of the world’s most far-reaching northern landscapes. Shoalts has paddled nearly 4,000 kilometres alone across Canada’s Arctic, mapped uncharted northern rivers, and authored books like Beyond the Trees and Where the Falcon Flies. Shoalts currently serves as the Explorer-in-Residence at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) and is a passionate storyteller about wilderness, history and adventure.

This episode also features a brief interview with my 26-year-old nephews, Callum and Cianan McGuffin, who are on the final leg of a three-year sailing expedition around the world. They are currently navigating one of the most challenging passages on Earth, the Canadian Northwest Passage. You can follow their journey on social media at @mcguffinbrothersadventures.

For listeners interested in learning more about Shoalts’ expeditions and his latest book, they can attend a fireside chat, taking place on October 17th at 8:30 p.m. at the Arc’teryx Store located in Toronto at 339 Queen St W, ON.

“I think in any exploration there’s a nobility of purpose — it’s more than just pounding my chest and saying, ‘Hey, I’m on top of Mount Kilimanjaro.’ It’s about filling a knowledge gap or serving the greater good.” — Richard Wiese, President, The Explorer's Club

Join us for a fascinating conversation with Richard Wiese, world-renowned explorer, Emmy Award-winning host of Born to Explore and the newly re-elected 46th President of The Explorers Club, a role he has held seven times, including as the youngest-ever club president in 2002.

Wiese has spent decades leading expeditions around the world, from skiing to the North Pole to summiting Mount Kilimanjaro 18 times, all while championing conservation, inclusivity and the future of exploration. 

In this episode, he shares incredible stories of adventure, discovery and resilience, along with his vision for what comes next in the world of science and exploration.

We also delve into the 2025 Global Exploration Summit (GLEX), which will take place from September 12 to 14 at 50 Sussex Drive in Ottawa, headquarters of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society and Canadian Geographic (RCGS).

Hosted in partnership with the RCGS, this landmark event will bring together explorers, scientists, and storytellers from around the world to chart the future of exploration and celebrate the shared human pursuit of discovery. This year’s event will also mark the first time GLEX will be held on Canadian soil.

Founded in 1904, The Explorers Club, headquartered in New York City, has supported legendary figures such as Jane Goodall, Dr. Sylvia Earle, James Cameron, Sir Edmund Hillary, Tenzing Norgay, and the Apollo 11 crew, among many others.

“On a paddleboard, you‘re vulnerable to tides and winds. You don‘t fight them—you learn to fit into natural rhythms.”

Journalist and author Dan Rubinstein joins the Explore Podcast for the second instalment in our annual canoe/paddling series to share the story of his epic three-month, 2,000-kilometre paddleboarding journey, which took him from Ottawa to New York City and back via the Ottawa River, the St. Lawrence River, Lake Champlain, the Hudson River, the Erie Canal and Lake Ontario. Along the way, he explored the idea of blue space—the powerful impact of water on our bodies, minds, and communities. In this conversation, Dan reflects on his new book Water Borne, the physical and spiritual pull of water, and why paddleboarding offered a unique way to connect with people, places, and history. From Mohawk communities reclaiming their relationship with the St. Lawrence River to grassroots activists restoring the Hudson to strangers offering kindness along the Erie Canal, Dan’s journey reveals how water shapes us, heals us, and connects us across boundaries.

“Days on the water have produced in me the intensifying feeling of somehow growing together with the river: not thinking with it, but being thought by it.” - Robert Macfarlane, Is a River Alive?

This episode of Explore was recorded live in May 2025 at the Ottawa International Writers Festival.

Robert Macfarlane’s latest book asks the question: Is a River Alive? To answer it, the award-winning British author, academic and environmentalist spent four-and-a-half years exploring rivers and their watersheds across four continents. His journeys take him from an Ecuadorian cloud forest, where pristine waterways are threatened by Canadian gold mining interests, to Chennai, India, where activists are working to bring dead rivers back to life.

Macfarlane also led a personally transformative kayak expedition down Quebec’s Magpie River, or Muteshekau Shipu, on the territory of the Innu Nation. In 2021, the Magpie became the first river in Canada to be granted legal personhood, a landmark effort to prevent it from being dammed by Hydro-Québec.  

This conversation explores the rights of nature, environmental activism and the interconnectedness of rivers and people. Through his book and this dialogue, Macfarlane underscores the need for a reimagined relationship with nature, emphasizing the importance of rivers as living entities and the hope found in environmental guardianship. It's a great and thought-provoking talk. Enjoy! 

Robert Macfarlane is the bestselling author of the award-winning trilogy on landscape and the human heart: Mountains of the Mind, The Wild Places, and The Old Ways, as well as Landmarks and Holloway. His work has been translated into more than a dozen languages and published in more than 20 countries, and widely adapted for television, film and radio by the BBC among others. Macfarlane has contributed to Harper’s Magazine, The New York Times, The Times Literary Supplement and the London Review of Books. In 2012, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and he is currently a Fellow in English at Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

This episode is one of our annual canoe and paddling series. Next up is former Canadian Geographic editor Dan Rubinstein, who will discuss his epic 2000-kilometre waterboard adventure from Ottawa to Manhattan and back. His new book, Waterborne, details the expedition.

This special live episode of Explore features a thought-provoking conversation about the deep importance of our relationship with water between host David McGuffin and acclaimed Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg scholar, writer, and musician Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, recorded at the Ottawa Writers Festival in May.

Leanne discusses her latest book, The Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead, a genre-defying work that weaves together traditional storytelling, theory, and land-based knowledge. Through various lenses — skiing, eels, beavers, canoes, shorelines — Simpson reflects on the interconnectedness of people, water, and the natural world, and on how we might reimagine our relationships in a time of climate grief and transformation.

This live conversation touches on land based learning, Indigenous ethics, and the hopeful possibilities of communal learning, all grounded in Simpson’s unique voice as both an academic and artist.

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson is an award winning, best-selling Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg scholar, writer, artist, and musician. She is the author of eight books, including the award-winning Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies and As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance. Her newest work, The Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead, continues her powerful exploration of land-based knowledge, community, and hope.

Simpson has been widely recognized for her contributions to Indigenous thought, activism, and the arts. She is a member of Alderville First Nation and is based in Peterborough, Ontario.