In this episode of Nonpartisan Hacks, Joel Grenz and Sean Wood sit down with Peter Milobar, MLA for Kamloops Centre and BC Conservative leadership candidate. Milobar's political résumé spans city councillor, three-term mayor, regional district chair, and provincial legislator — what Sean calls "a full political bingo card." The conversation covers what he learned managing a city through the 2008 financial crisis, why infrastructure funding has dried up, and how he got all 10 regional district projects funded when no one else could get one.

Milobar also shares candid advice for anyone thinking of running for local office, explains why councillors shouldn't try to make it a full-time job, and makes the case that fixing a road has nothing to do with how you vote federally.

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Episode keywords: Peter Milobar, BC Conservative leadership race, MLA Kamloops Centre, local government governance, BC provincial budget deficit, municipal infrastructure funding, running for local government, nonpartisan municipal politics, BC politics podcast, elected officials and staff relationships, civic engagement podcast

Public hearings, council emails, Facebook rants — everyone has an opinion on how to make their voice heard in local government. But most people have no idea how any of it actually works from the other side of the table.

Joel Grenz and Sean Wood — both three years into life as Parksville city councillors — break down what public engagement is actually for, what works, what doesn't, and why your strongly worded Facebook post probably isn't moving the needle the way you think it is.

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We're a representative democracy. That means we elect people to make tough calls on our behalf — even the unpopular ones. This episode is about understanding that system well enough to actually work within it.

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In this episode of Nonpartisan Hacks, Joel Grenz and Sean Wood sit down with Mayor Nicole Minions of Comox to talk about leadership at the municipal level, and how governing really works when you move from being one vote at the table to chairing the meeting.

Minions reflects on becoming mayor by acclamation in 2022 under extraordinary circumstances, what surprised her most about the role, and why “mayoring” is less about power and more about facilitation, decorum, and trust. From public hearings with hundreds of residents to regional collaboration across the Comox Valley, the conversation digs into the skills that separate functional councils from dysfunctional ones.

Recorded in Sean’s kitchen (fresh bread included) the discussion ranges from core services and infrastructure financing to Bee City designations, asset management, working with opposition MLAs and MPs, and why most of the mayor’s real work happens far from the spotlight.

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Joel Grenz and Sean Wood sit down with Donna Hais, longtime community leader, business executive, and chair of the Fair Care Alliance, to unpack how advocacy really works inside complex municipal, provincial, and federal systems.

Recorded in Nanaimo, just steps from the regional hospital at the centre of Fair Care’s work, the conversation uses healthcare as a case study to explore something bigger: how communities organize, how governments actually hear messages, and why meaningful change only happens when voices are aligned across institutions.

Hais draws on years of experience spanning chambers of commerce, port governance, hospital foundations, and grassroots advocacy to explain why isolated pressure fails, how to build credibility across political cycles, and what it takes to speak the language of government without becoming partisan. The discussion moves from relationship-building and message discipline to media strategy, professional risk, and why persistence, not outrage, moves billion-dollar decisions.

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Lessons on leadership inside British Columbia politics after 20 years in the Legislature.

Joel Grenz and Sean Wood sit down with former Conservative Party of BC leader and longtime MLA John Rustad for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, governance, and the forces reshaping provincial politics. Rustad reflects on serving under multiple leaders, the rise and collapse of centre-right coalitions, and why he believes conviction matters more than triangulation in today’s polarized political landscape.

From cabinet decision-making and the growing power of the premier’s office, to affordability, productivity, reconciliation, and the hollowing out of the middle class, Rustad offers his unfiltered reflections and thoughts on where he believes British Columbia has gone off track.

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How does effective chairing turn a room full of strong opinions into real decisions?

Brown traces how Nanaimo moved from national-news dysfunction to a functional council, why “righting the ship” was only the beginning, and how the real work of a chair happens long before the meeting starts. He breaks down staff–council dynamics, the pressures elected officials actually face, and why healthy governance depends on clarity, preparation, and a steady hand.

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What happens when short-term politics collides with long-term obligations?

Joel Grenz and Sean Wood sit down with former MLA Adam Olsen to break down what the Cowichan Tribes decision actually means for British Columbia and why the province keeps deferring the same structural problems.

The conversation traces the pattern: governments chasing headlines, grant cycles built for ribbon-cutting, and a land system held together by avoidance. Olsen lays out how exclusion shaped B.C.’s foundations, why litigation produces lose-lose outcomes, and what responsible negotiation should look like when title is already established in law.

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What’s the difference between shaming people and shaming harmful behaviour?

Parksville councillors Joel Grenz and Sean Wood take on one of the trickiest words in modern politics: stigma.

From anti-smoking campaigns and seatbelts to vaping, littering, and impaired driving, this episode explores how culture and policy have worked together to steer society, using stigma as a tool for good.

And with B.C.’s legislature debating whether schools should promote stigma against drug use, the conversation turns to where compassion ends and accountability begins.

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From street disorder and involuntary care to a record-setting provincial deficit and party leadership reviews, this year’s UBCM had no shortage of debate …or drama.

Hosts Joel Grenz and Sean Wood sit down on the deck (yes, with fingerless gloves) to unpack the biggest stories and sessions from the 2025 Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Victoria.

They dig into the shifting tone on addiction and public safety, Premier David Eby’s acknowledgement of policy missteps, and the growing conversation around stability, leadership, and what “compassionate” policy really means.

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👉 Catch this wrap-up episode and revisit our UBCM interviews with Pete Fry, Jeff Ferrier, and Rob Shaw at nonpartisanhacks.com.

What separates functional government from frustrated government?

In this special episode recorded amongst the hustle and bustle of the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Victoria, hosts Joel Grenz and Sean Wood sit down with political reporter Rob Shaw (CHEK News, Business in Vancouver, Political Capital) to explore what makes governments succeed or stumble.

From the tension between local and provincial priorities to the challenge of maintaining trust in an age of cynicism, Shaw shares insights from years of covering B.C. politics and the people behind it.

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