Ahead of BC Budget 2026, the provincial government was already laying the groundwork to defend austerity measures by arguing that there is not enough wealth to redistribute.  Economist Alex Hemingway disagrees. He and fellow economist Silas Xuareb at Canadians for Tax Fairness say that there is wealth in BC and Canada, and claiming otherwise is a way to distract us from the massive concentration of wealth in this country. Alex Hemingway is Senior Economist and Public Finance Policy Analyst with BC Policy Solutions. He joins me today to talk about the report published last week, The New Robber Barons.

For more than six decades, the U.S. has targeted Cuba with economic sanctions, blockades and campaigns to destabilize the Cuban government. Now, Trump’s latest salvo toward Cuba is his January executive order that sanctions any nation that provides oil to Cuba.  The result has led to severe consequences for the Cuban economy and is harshly affecting the daily life of Cuban citizens. Medea Benjamin has just returned from a humanitarian trip to Cuba. Medea Benjamin is a cofounder of both CODEPINK and the international human rights organization, Global Exchange. She joins us on the podcast today.

Redeye’s Ian Mass joins us to talk about calls for unity on the progressive left which heated up this week. Plus he wonders if, after 19 years, a school in Olympic village will finally be approved, and asks if the city is ready for when the FIFA World Cup comes to Vancouver in June. All this and lots more in Ian’s regular City Beat report.

British Columbia’s Finance Minister Brenda Bailey said that the budget she brought down on Tuesday wasn’t an austerity budget.  However, key spending areas have been given very small budget increases spread over the three-year fiscal plan, which will mean real cuts to services. In addition, the B.C. government’s tax increases will hit low- to moderate income households. In their analysis released Tuesday, Marc Lee and Andrew Longhurst say the budget lays a financial burden on the poorest in BC. Marc Lee is an economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. He joins me today to talk about this week’s provincial budget.

Following recent court decisions around Indigenous rights and Aboriginal title in BC, public discourse is full of conflicting assertions. Premier David Eby has criticized the court and called their decisions overreaching and unhelpful. RAVEN works to support Indigenous Nations upholding their rights in court. It published an article to clarify some of the confusion, comparing what they are hearing to what they know to be true. We speak with Jamie-Leigh Gonzales of RAVEN.

Vancouver City Council will hold public hearings on redevelopment of the 800 block of Granville and the old Army and Navy department store on Hastings, as well as a proposal for a 25-storey hotel a block from Stanley Park. Also this week, OneCity has chosen their candidate for mayor, Vancouver’s auditor general comes down hard on the real estate department and lots more in City Beat with Ian Mass.

In his new book If You Want to Win, You’ve Got to Fight, transportation activist Carter Lavin shares strategies about how to create the change we want to see in our communities. Whether it’s more protected bike lanes, improved bus service, or safer streets for pedestrians, Carter provides a comprehensive toolbox of campaign tactics and advocacy tips. He is co-founder of the TransBay Coalition and has helped lead and study over a hundred advocacy campaigns across the United States. Carter Lavin joins us this episode.

The No More Loopholes Act, Bill C-233, is a private member’s bill put forward by Vancouver-East MP Jenny Kwan. It puts pressure on the Canadian government to abide by the Arms Trade Treaty it signed in 2019. Currently, arms exported to the US are exempted and have ended up being used by Israel in Gaza, by Saudi Arabia in Yemen and by ICE in Minnesota. The private member’s bill will be voted on in Parliament at Second Reading in late February. We speak with Johanna Lewis of the Arms Embargo Now coalition.

Vancouver City Council will hold public hearings on redevelopment of the 800 block of Granville and the old Army and Navy department store on Hastings, as well as a proposal for a 25-storey hotel a block from Stanley Park. Also this week, OneCity has chosen their candidate for mayor, Vancouver’s auditor general comes down hard on the real estate department and lots more in City Beat with Ian Mass.

As Canada grapples with a deep housing affordability crisis, women continue to experience some of the most severe housing needs. The Women’s National Housing & Homelessness Network say the role of anti-feminist ideology shapes who gets safe, adequate, and affordable housing—and who does not. We speak with research assistant Aymen Sherwani.