The Life of a Servant

Season 2, Episode 6

This episode features a conversation with Dennis Mills and John Oakley -- host of The John Oakley Show. Originally aired on AM640 (CFIQ) on July 31, 2023, and originally titled, "Remembering Sarsfest with Dennis Mills."

This episode is the third in our series of interviews that looks back on Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto in 2003, how that event actually came to be, and what we can learn from it.

"That event really was THE template for cooperation and collaboration, of service to the people," Dennis explains. "Everybody came together to tackle the economic fallout associated with SARS in 2003."

"Today, we need a 'war room' to bring our leaders together, to put their resources on the table, and not leave that room until solutions and do-able plans can be executed," Dennis said. The very type of collaboration and cooperation that produced Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto -- against all the odds. Te lessons of Servant Leadership.

Special thanks to Lead Producer of The John Oakley Show, Michael Downey in making this episode possible. Be sure to check out The John Oakley Show, 3pm to 6pm, weekdays EST on AM640, which is also available wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Visit DennisMills.com for more information, archived episodes of this program, as well as information about Dennis' upcoming book, From the Wood Chair to the Green Chair.

Keywords: Dennis Mills, John Oakley, Justin Trudeau, Michael Cohl, Olivia Chow, Doug Ford, Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Rush, The Guess Who, Sarsfest, Molson Rocks for Toronto, The John Oakley Show, Michael Downey, Julian Fantino, Jean Chretien, Pierre Poilievre.

Season 2, Episode 5

This episode was recorded for the Brian Crombie Radio Hour, aired

In this episode, award-winning Host Brian Crombie interviews Dennis Mills about servant leadership. Dennis passionately explains that the 2003 event, Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto, was successful because leaders collaborated and cooperated selflessly. They tackled a challenge together, they acted immediately, and they served our community.

The challenges related to housing, immigration, public transit—you name it—require servants of the community to work together, selflessly, in collaboration and cooperation.

When asked what might constitute a first step in addressing the mounting challenges confronting the City of Toronto, Dennis explains, “We need Toronto healthy in every way. So I’d say to our Prime Minister, ‘Go and sit in [Mayor] Olivia Chow’s office, find out what is needed, and collaborate … because as Toronto goes, Justin, you go.”

A healthy nation requires the spirit of selflessness & collaboration

Visit the Brian Crombie Radio Hour at  www.briancrombie.com  and his official YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNI04-ugbxCp4xsFyXaQIUg .  

Also check out Brian’s podcast and others at NewsTalk Sauga

And, of course, visit DennisMills.com for more information

Featured in this episode: Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto, Brain Crombie, Dennis Mills, The Life of a Servant, From the Wood Chair to the Green Chair, Mayor Olivia Chow, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier Doug Ford, Government of Canada, servant leadership, collaboration in government.

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 4.

At the twentieth anniversary of that record-breaking event, Dennis Mills, your host of The Life of a Servant, chatted with celebrated radio broadcaster, Greg Brady, on his program, Toronto Today with

Greg and Dennis talk about some of the fascinating behind-the-scenes tidbits associated with Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto, as it was officially called. They also point out how things have changed since 2003 -- how we all feel the need for more collaboration, goodwill and selflessness; how we need more servant-leaders who can work together for the greater good. You'll even hear a recommendation or two about why Canada's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, should considering serving more closely with Toronto's Mayor, Olivia Chow, to tackle the really big issues we face today -- even if it means sharing office space for a couple of weeks!

Check out Toronto Today with Greg Brady at the following link:

And be sure to treat yourself to a compelling story about the 20th anniversary that was featured in the award-winning Ottawa Life Magazine:

https://www.ottawalife.com/article/sarstock-2003-the-untold-story-of-molson-canadian-rocks-for-toronto/

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 3, of The Life of a Servant.

In this episode, Member of Parliament for Parry Sound-Muskoka, Scott Aitchison, and Bala Legion President, Dennis Mills, talk about the need for affordable housing in Bala, Ontario. They describe a community-planned solution that would provide assisted living to people over the age of 55. The plans are in place. The community partners are totally supported. Shovels could be in the ground in a matter months, with affordable housing solutions open and operating less than a year after that.

Listen to this episode of The Life of a Servant to learn more about some of the challenges in delivering solutions to the affordable housing crisis in Canada. You'll also hear several practical and passionate suggestions from Scott Aitchison, who not only serves as a highly distinguished Parliamentarian, but whose work exemplifies what it means to be a servant-leader.

This episode was originally produced in video form by Scott Aitchison. With the permission of Scott and his team, we have adapted the audio and continue contributing to the dialogue on affordable housing in Canada through this podcast episode.

Learn more by visiting ScottAitchisonMP.ca, BalaLegion.ca or DennisMills.com.

As we celebrated Canada Day this year, my grandchildren and I and talked about the overwhelming smoke caused by the wildfires in 2023, smoke that had been polluting the air in countless communities across the continent. We talked about the environment and what people could do to make a positive difference. That conversation reminded me of something similar that my team and I put together in 1989: "Our World" – The People’s Summit on the Environment.

I was reminded of what I’ve always considered to be the most inspiring dialogue on the environment, featuring singer-songwriter, poet and environmentalist, John Denver, and then-Member of Parliament for Western-Arctic, Ethel Blondin-Andrew – two exemplary servants to the world around them.

So, we listened to that dialogue from 1989, and the podcast team for The Life of a Servant decided to feature that conversation in this special two-parter. It reminds us that a healthy environment and a sustainable future require all people working together continually in the service of our planet.

John Denver spoke those words at our event 34 years ago, which you’ll hear in this episode, words that affirmed his role as a servant and as a leader.  John is joined by Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Canada’s first indigenous woman elected to Parliament, and an outstanding servant-leader who was recently honoured with the prestigious “Maclean’s Lifetime Achievement Award”.

You’ll also hear John Denver offering practical suggestions on how to be an authentic environmentalist, spoken at time when few people really fully appreciated the meaning of environmentalism.

And be sure to join us in Part 2, which will feature a conversation with Dennis Mills and Ethel Blondin-Andrew as they reflect 34 years later on the People's Summit on the Environment; on how John, Ethel and 42,000 others participated in the event; and a fascinating story or two, including one about John Denver picking up trash along The Danforth in Toronto.

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Listen to this episode of The Life of a Servant, a podcast about servant-leadership, to hear one of the most impassioned, authentic and relatable dialogues about the environment its entirety, and to learn more about what you can do.  You can also visit www.dennismills.com for more information and archived episodes of this podcast, as well as information about the soon-to-be-released book, “From the Wood Chair to the Green Chair”.

We start Season Two with this first episode, one that was originally recorded last December, and one that exemplifies how a successful leader is also an authentic servant.

On December 3, 2022, Borys Wrzesnewskyj, former Member of Parliament in Canada, and founder/owner of Future Bakery, served as the keynote speaker at a special charitable dinner hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion in Bala, Ontario. Borys described Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine before a sell-out audience, and he provided a personal and deeply unique perspective: not only is Borys the Canadian son of Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Canada after the Second World War, he has also spent many years warning governments around the world about Vladimir Putin's intentions on Ukraine—warnings that sadly have become a tragic reality.

Yet, Borys' message is ultimately one that inspires the listener, as it celebrates the resilience of the human spirit, and encourages peace and hope. Listen to this episode of The Life of a Servant, a podcast about servant-leadership, to hear this impassioned speech in its entirety, and to learn more about what you can do to help. You can also visit www.dennismills.com for more information and archived episodes of this podcast.

Part 9: Social Cohesion and Moving the System Forward

This final episode of the series, Part 9 of 9, focuses on a discussion of social cohesion. The discussion culminates into the question of how to move the "system" forward, and is from a conference held more than 20 years ago in Toronto. Part 9 features John Duffy, Gordon Dryden, Paul Martin, Bruce Powe, Michael Kirby and Serge Joyal.

We have enhanced the quality of the original audio as much as possible, and have repurposed the discussion into this nine-part podcast series as part of our efforts to advance the dialogue, continue the debate, and share the knowledge and information exchanged in 2002. In so doing, this podcast, and this specific series in fact, serves those listeners who have a passion for public policy in Canada and around the world.

Background:

Originally produced by our team at Ingenuity Radio in 2002, Searching for the New Liberalism is a nine-part series adapted for this podcast, The Life of a Servant. These episodes are reproduced and updated audio files from a conference that my team and I streamed live and published in 2002. Held at the Munk Centre at the University of Toronto, Search for the New Liberalism involved a who's who of participants. Our group, Ingenuity Radio, in collaboration with Standard Radio and CFRB in Toronto, produced the audio stream and later converted each segment into published podcasts. Learn more about this initiative in my newest book, From the Wood Chair to the Green Chair, in the chapter, "Searching for Ingenuity". I also encourage you to check out additional information at DennisMills.com.

Part 8: Health Concerns and Moving the System Forward

This episode, Part 8 of 9, focuses on a discussion of healthcare and related health concerns, and culminates into the question of how to move the "system" forward, from a conference held more than 20 years ago in Toronto. Part 8 features Carolyn Bennett, Hugh Cameron, Jim Coutts, Michael Marzolini and Tom Kent.

We have enhanced the quality of the original audio as much as possible, and have repurposed the discussion into this nine-part podcast series as part of our efforts to advance the dialogue, continue the debate, and share the knowledge and information exchanged in 2002. In so doing, this podcast, and this specific series in fact, serves those listeners who have a passion for public policy in Canada and around the world.

Background:

Originally produced by our team at Ingenuity Radio in 2002, Searching for the New Liberalism is a nine-part series adapted for this podcast, The Life of a Servant. These episodes are reproduced and updated audio files from a conference that my team and I streamed live and published in 2002. Held at the Munk Centre at the University of Toronto, Search for the New Liberalism involved a who's who of participants. Our group, Ingenuity Radio, in collaboration with Standard Radio and CFRB in Toronto, produced the audio stream and later converted each segment into published podcasts. Learn more about this initiative in my newest book, From the Wood Chair to the Green Chair, in the chapter, "Searching for Ingenuity". I also encourage you to check out additional information at DennisMills.com.

Part 7: Social Justice and Aboriginal Issues

This episode, Part 7 of 9, focuses on a discussion of social justice issues, with a specific highlight of Aboriginal issues, from a conference held more than 20 years ago in Toronto. Part 7 features Mark Podlasly, Tom Axworthy, Carolyn Bennett, Desiree McGraw, Borys Wrzesnewskyj, John Roberts, Michael Kirby and Dennis Mills.

We have enhanced the quality of the original audio as much as possible, and have repurposed the discussion into this nine-part podcast series as part of our efforts to advance the dialogue, continue the debate, and share the knowledge and information exchanged in 2002. In so doing, this podcast, and this specific series in fact, serves those listeners who have a passion for public policy in Canada and around the world.

Background:

Originally produced by our team at Ingenuity Radio in 2002, Searching for the New Liberalism is a nine-part series adapted for this podcast, The Life of a Servant. These episodes are reproduced and updated audio files from a conference that my team and I streamed live and published in 2002. Held at the Munk Centre at the University of Toronto, Search for the New Liberalism involved a who's who of participants. Our group, Ingenuity Radio, in collaboration with Standard Radio and CFRB in Toronto, produced the audio stream and later converted each segment into published podcasts. Learn more about this initiative in my newest book, From the Wood Chair to the Green Chair, in the chapter, "Searching for Ingenuity". I also encourage you to check out additional information at DennisMills.com.

Part 6: The Economy ... Continued

This episode, Part 6 of 9, continues the discussion on economic issues, from a conference held more than 20 years ago in Toronto. Part 6 features Robert Greenhill, Barry Appleton, Kimon Valaskakis, Robert Richardson, Dennis Mills, Sandford Borins and Jerry Grafstein.

We have enhanced the quality of the original audio as much as possible, and have repurposed the discussion into this nine-part podcast series as part of our efforts to advance the dialogue, continue the debate, and share the knowledge and information exchanged in 2002. In so doing, this podcast, and this specific series in fact, serves those listeners who have a passion for public policy in Canada and around the world.

Background:

Originally produced by our team at Ingenuity Radio in 2002, Searching for the New Liberalism is a nine-part series adapted for this podcast, The Life of a Servant. These episodes are reproduced and updated audio files from a conference that my team and I streamed live and published in 2002. Held at the Munk Centre at the University of Toronto, Search for the New Liberalism involved a who's who of participants. Our group, Ingenuity Radio, in collaboration with Standard Radio and CFRB in Toronto, produced the audio stream and later converted each segment into published podcasts. Learn more about this initiative in my newest book, From the Wood Chair to the Green Chair, in the chapter, "Searching for Ingenuity". I also encourage you to check out additional information at DennisMills.com.