This week our political panel discusses: David Eby's response to the federal government's plan to expand the temporary foreign workers program for rural employers, the province's plan to change the rules for FOI (freedom of information) requests, and the news that B.C. has hired more than 400 health care workers from the U.S. over the past year. 

Former Green Party MLA and Tsartlip First Nation member Adam Olsen, former BC Liberal and BC United staffer Andrew Reeve, and former NDP cabinet minister Elizabeth Cull discuss with CBC host Liz McArthur.

Ninety-seven American healthcare workers have accepted jobs on Vancouver Island since the province began recruiting across the border last spring. That includes a nurse practitioner from Kentucky, who was inspired by Nanaimo content creator Tod Maffin to make the move. We’ll hear from them both, as well as B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne on what’s needed to address the systemic issues still plaguing the island’s health staffing shortages.

This week on our B.C. politics episode, the panel tackles Premier David Eby's concerns about sluggish housing starts, a plan to create bubble zones around places of worship, and the fact that the province's post-secondary institutions are struggling financially. 

Our political panel is Andrew Reeve (former press secretary and deputy director of communications with the BC Liberal and BC United parties), Adam Olsen (former Green Party MLA and member of the Tsartlip Nation), and Elizabeth Cull (former NDP cabinet minister.)

The Canadian government is currently deciding between two bids to both renew, and expand, the country’s submarine fleet - a project that will cost more than $20 billion. While both bids are from international companies, the economic development arm of the Songhees Nation is involved in one of them. In this episode, we learn how the Songhees Development Corporation hopes the submarine deal could help both its members, and the region as a whole.

This week our political panel looks at how the provincial government fumbled news of an Aboriginal title agreement between the federal government and the Musqueam Indian Band; new legislation to help organizations that run supportive housing; and why B.C. chose now to change our time zone. Our panel is Adam Olsen (former Green Party MLA and a member of the Tsartlip Nation), Andrew Reeve (former press secretary and deputy director of communications with the BC Liberal and BC United parties) and Elizabeth Cull (former NDP cabinet minister).

Want to hear that inteview they refererred to, about the supportive housing changes? Listen here.

We went to Quw’utsun Secondary in North Cowichan to talk to three First Nations students about storytelling. They shared traditional stories from their communities (plus a new one about a raven who mountain bikes!) and talked about why it's so important to them to share stories and the lessons that can be learned from them. 

This was part of a bigger CBC Victoria project looking at the role of storytelling in community. Listen to a live recording of our afternoon radio show, All Points West, from the Cowichan library here. 

Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Peter Milobar got endorsements from five of his colleagues this week in the race to replace John Rustad as leader of the B.C. Conservatives. The decision will be made in May - but does this make him the front runner? Our political panel discusses the state of the leadership race, concerns about ChatGPT and the Tumbler Ridge shooter, and business community frustrations about the expansion of the PST. 

There is global demand for critical minerals, and those can be found right here on the island. This week, we hear about two proposals to mine critical minerals, including one that uses a process called “re-mining”. This is where gold and copper would be extracted from the waste piles of an old mine at the same time as hazardous materials are removed. That’s at the old Mount Sicker site in the Cowichan Valley. Plus, we’ll hear about the proposed Northisle copper and gold mine near Port Hardy.

The B.C. government is facing a record-setting deficit, but didn’t announce drastic cuts in this week's budget. While there are some job cuts and tax increases, there’s also spending on health care and education. Our three political insiders have different takes on whether they made the right moves. 

Former Green Party MLA and Tsartlip First Nation member Adam Olsen, former BC Liberal and BC United staffer Andrew Reeve, and former NDP cabinet minister Elizabeth Cull discuss with CBC host Gregor Craigie.

The province recently announced new funding to support families of children with disabilities. It means some children who live with conditions such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and fetal alcohol syndrome will get support they’ve never had before - but it also means some families of children with autism will lose that funding. We’ll hear from two Vancouver Island parents with two different perspectives on the news. 

Here’s the province’s website with information about the new program, and the transition away from the autism funding.