Grammy-winning bass player and singer esperanza spalding (she does not capitalize her first and last names) brought a jazz quartet to Ottawa recently to play with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. While she was here, she joined Paul onstage to talk about collaboration, avoiding the pitfalls of success at a young age, and working with legendary musician Wayne Shorter on his first opera.

As the UN’s Climate Change Conference takes place in Egypt, Paul talks to Susannah Pierce, President and Country Chair at Shell Canada, about the green energy transition. Susannah talks about how Shell intends to reach net zero, concerns around greenwashing, and why reducing the carbon tax may actually be bad for business.This episode was recorded live at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

In Winnipeg, problems like homelessness, addiction and crime have only been exacerbated by the pandemic. Their new mayor, Scott Gillingham, won the election with just 27.54% of the vote, on a promise to raise property taxes in order to revitalize the city. This week, Paul flies to Winnipeg to meet Gillingham and talk to him about solving big problems at a local level.

New York Times writer Max Fisher talks about his new book, The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds And Our World. Relying on international reporting, leaked corporate documents and social science, he lays out the case that the problem with social media is not just about amplifying the wrong messages; it’s that social networks are designed to bring out the worst in everyone. 

As Canada’s Ambassador to the UN, Bob Rae is not afraid to speak his mind, even when it’s not clear whether the government stands behind him. In this episode, he talks about the role of the UN in an age of mounting skepticism towards global institutions, his reputation for being outspoken, and dealing with the "cascade of crises" taking place around the world. He also challenges Paul on a column he wrote in 2020, questioning Rae’s appointment to his current job.

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Beth Macy is one of the leading chroniclers of crisis in the American heartland. Working in Roanoke, Virginia, she wrote Factory Man, an influential book about outsourcing in American industry. Then she wrote Dopesick, an account of the opioid overdose crisis. Dopesick became an award-winning TV series. Now Macy has written a sequel, Raising Lazarus, looking for hope and a path forward on overdoses.

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"We may be sick of the virus. It ain’t sick of us.” Dr. Peter A. Singer, Special Advisor to the Director General of the World Health Organization, joins Paul for a conversation about the state of the pandemic, the politicization of public health, and how to get the world back on track.This episode was recorded live at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

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Singer-songwriter Sarah Slean talks about Joni Mitchell’s enduring influence on music and women in the arts. Slean also talks about the challenges of pursuing a music career in the digital age, and what's coming next for her.Slean will be performing orchestral versions of Mitchell’s songs with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the end of October. You can find more details here: https://www.vancouversymphony.ca/event/sarah-slean-a-joni-mitchell-tribute/

Audio sources: Glenn Gould, Joni Mitchell, Sarah Slean

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney reflects on his surprise resignation, after he lost the votes of nearly half of his party. He talks about how COVID hardened the divides in the conservative movement, how Donald Trump has influenced Canadian politics, and the future of conservatism in Canada.

Roman Waschuk spent more than three decades in Canada’s foreign service, beginning in Moscow in the final years of the Soviet Union, and ending as Canada’s Ambassador to Ukraine from 2014 to 2018. He is currently Ukraine’s Business Ombudsman, a role he began shortly before the Russian invasion.

He talks to Paul about how the invasion has changed Ukraine, how it’s changing Canada, and how it might yet change Russia.

The Paul Wells Show is produced by ANTICA, in partnership with the National Arts Centre and the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. It is published by the Toronto Star and iPolitics. Our founding sponsor is TELUS and the title sponsor is Compass Rose.