When Hailey Cheema’s grandfather died of kidney disease in 2009, she decided something needed to change. The 22 year old SFU undergraduate began campaigning for greater awareness of organ donation in BC, noting a shortfall between the supply and demand of the various organs for transplantation.

Guest: Hailey Cheema

Chapter 1:

-The umpiring decision around Serena Williams’ US Open loss is being described as potentially the grossest example of sports sexism yet. Williams criticised a code violation given by the chair umpire, for apparent coaching.

Chapter 2:

-With less than six weeks left to go until the municipal elections, a recent survey has found more than half of people in the Lower Mainland have considered moving away, amid concerns about affordability.

Chapter 3:

-The former minister responsible for Translink says he advocated for light rail within Surrey because it’s about connecting communities, and not necessarily moving high volumes of people. Peter Fassbender, who’s running for mayor in Langley City says LRT is the most efficient way to go.

Chapter 4:

-Coquitlam councillor Teri Towner has put forward a motion which aims to reform the way councils pay elected officials, in the wake of the furore over Metro Vancouver pay rises and retirement allowances.

If we were going to pick just one word that defined the NDP election platform, The best fit would be “affordability.”  Hence the blow up on Friday when the government announced the rent increase ceiling for 2019 at 4.5%. The Vancouver Sun's Vaughn Palmer is here with his take on the day's headlines.

Chapter 1:

-Foreign minister Chrystia Freeland will return to the negotiating table this morning - continuing talks with US counterparts, trying to thrash out a new NAFTA deal that includes Canada. She says discussions so far have been “constructive” and “productive”.

Chapter 2:

-Canada’s jobless rate spiked for the month of August, hitting 6%. More than 51,000 jobs were lost that month, the decrease driving up the unemployment rate. It’s not what economists had predicted; they were expecting an increase of 5,000 jobs. What drove the job losses?

Chapter 3:

-A candidate for mayor in the upcoming fall election says his party “Safe Surrey Coalition” has carried out a poll, which revealed an overwhelming majority of people in Surrey want Skytrain over LRT. 85% of people surveyed chose Skytrain, says prospective mayor Doug McCallum.  Meanwhile, another Surrey mayoral candidate, Tom Gill, says Skytrain is perfect for transporting people downtown, but LRT is the answer for a community like Surrey. But are there better ways to sell the plan to the public?

Chapter 4:

-Yesterday on the show, we told you the story of one of North America’s worst bus stops, situated on the busy Lougheed Highway near Old Dewdney Trunk Road in Pitt Meadows. You literally risk your life waiting for a bus here! It’s technically on a bus-only lane, the only thing saving you from being run down is a jersey barrier, which you have to climb over to board the bus (unless you stand at the guardrail, risking life-and-limb).

The quarterly financial report comes out today for the first three months (april, may, june) of the first full financial year under the NDP.  The numbers Should give us some sense of revenue impact from the decline in the housing market. The Vancouver Sun's Vaughn Palmer is here with his take on the day's headlines.

Attracting and retaining staff to keep the cogs turning at local Whistler businesses continues to be a major problem area for this ever-growing tourist area. So much so, Whistler Chamber CEO Melissa Pace wrote to the federal employment minister Patricia Hajdu appealing for more help in addressing the severe labour gap. Whistler says it’s made concerted efforts to hire Canadians first, but in many instances, this isn’t an option.

Guest: Melissa Pace, Chamber CEO

Chapter 1:

-Donald Trump has responded to a scathing New York Times op-ed, written by an anonymous senior official within the Trump administration, which raised his capacity to govern. The President called the article “treasonous” on Twitter, but also denounced it during a meeting with sheriffs at the White House.

Chapter 2:

-Many politicians running for Surrey council in the upcoming municipal election say they’d abandon LRT in favour of Skytrain in the wake of Trudeau confirming on Monday Surrey will get a $1.65 billion LRT system, set to be up and running by 2024. The project is being billed as one of the most significant construction projects the City of Surrey has ever seen. But what about Skytrain?! Isn’t that what the people overwhelmingly want?

Chapter 3:

-Do you think you can identify fake news?  New exclusive polling done for Global News by IPSOS has found that 64% of Canadians think they can identify fake news articles. 39% have faith that other Canadians can.

Chapter 4:

-Where would you go to find out more about how and what an app shares about you? The privacy policy, right?? Well, a new study drilling down into Android apps reveals there’s a gap between what that privacy policy tells you, and what the app actually collects and shares.

After announcing the funding for LRT in Surrey, Questions are being asked about why Ottawa is paying only 31% of the capital costs on Vancouver SkyTrain extension and Surrey light rail, not 40% as we were led to believe when the province boosted its share to 40%.  The Vancouver Sun's Vaughn Palmer is here with his take on the day's headlines.

Chapter 1:

-After coming to BC for a 2 week vacation, She ended up staying in whistler, was a squatter for four years and is now the mayor! She tells us her story.  Our Guest Co-Host Mayor for today is Nancy Wilhelm-Morden.

Chapter 2:

-Attracting and retaining staff to keep the cogs turning at local Whistler businesses continues to be a major problem area for this ever-growing tourist area. So much so, Whistler Chamber CEO Melissa Pace wrote to the federal employment minister Patricia Hajdu appealing for more help in addressing the severe labour gap. Whistler says it’s made concerted efforts to hire Canadians first, but in many instances, this isn’t an option.

Chapter 3:

-Whistler’s housing market has always been tight, and now, it holds the dubious title of having the craziest property market in BC! The price of a townhouse has surpassed $1 million dollars this year. A detached house? $1.67 million - making it 4% more expensive than the same thing in Vancouver.

Chapter 4:

-Whistler has crafted itself into a ‘four season destination’, but as we’ve learned, that has led to the community being a victim of its own design. In terms of a tourism hub, what sets Whistler apart? How is it perceived by the rest of the world and how can its reputation as a ski mecca be protected?

“Making Cents of the Markets” is featured on The Jon McComb Show which airs every Wednesday morning at 8:40 a.m. Lori has had a regular financial column in the North Shore News since 2001, and her column is distributed to over 60,000 residents in North and West Vancouver. It has also been in newspapers across Canada such as The Province, The Globe and Mail, Montreal Gazette and Calgary Herald. Lori has also appeared on Global Morning news and BC-1 evening news. Please visit her website at: www.pinkowski.ca. Call her for a second opinion today at 604-915-LORI or email her at [email protected].