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.

From Victoria to the Peace, the entire province is mourning the events and loss in Tumbler Ridge. The Province revamped its Throne Speech and start of the session, to support the community.

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 weigh in on the week's top political stories with CBC host Gregor Craigie.

An independent forestry panel released its report to the B.C. government this week, saying massive change is required to fix the industry in this province. We ask our political panel what they make of the recommendations, plus the latest political moves to deal with the ongoing extortion crisis in Surrey and beyond and just how austere they think the B.C. budget will be when it's released on February 17. 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 weigh in on the week's top political stories with CBC host Gregor Craigie.

Sport fishers in B.C. are raising concerns about proposed changes to the salmon allocation policy for B.C. - which Fisheries and Oceans Canada (aka DFO) uses to determine which who gets priority access to different types of Pacific salmon. A court ruling in 2018 said the federal government had to add First Nations' commercial rights to the list, and the ministry has been working with First Nations, sport, and commercial fishers to review the overall policy - which is nearly 30 years old. Sport fishers say a new discussion paper shows their rights are at risk - but First Nations say that's not the case. We walk you through it. 

B.C. Premier David Eby, and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, met with the prime minister this week in Ottawa. Eby called the conversations "borderline friendly" - but he also used the word "treason" in response to Alberta separatists earlier this week. Our political panelists have thoughts about the word treason, and the current state of B.C./Alberta/Canada relations. Plus, they weigh in on the growing list of candidates in the race for B.C. Conservative leader. Hear political insiders Andrew Reeve (former press secretary and deputy director of communications with the BC Liberal and BC United parties), Elizabeth Cull (a former NDP cabinet minister), and Adam Olsen (former Green Party MLA, and a member of the Tsartlip Nation) speak with CBC host Gregor Craigie. 

This week a group of Parksville-Qualicum residents presented a petition to their MLA, calling for more respite for caregivers who look after their aging loved ones. It came as B.C.’s seniors advocate pointed out there are nowhere near enough publicly-funded long term care beds to match the growing number of seniors in the province. Some island communities have the highest populations of seniors in Canada, so on today’s episode we hear from folks in Parksville-Qualicum and the Comox Valley about how some people are struggling to look after their aging spouses, with few opportunities for a break. We’ll also speak with the head of an island hospice society about how non-profits like hers are trying to support people, and their loved ones, and the end of their lives.

The whole world is talking about that speech the Prime Minister made at Davos this week - including our B.C. politics panel. They also weigh in on Premier Eby's confirmation that his government will amend the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) this spring. Hear from our political insiders Elizabeth Cull (a former NDP cabinet minister), Adam Olsen (former Green Party MLA, and a member of the Tsartlip Nation), and Andrew Reeve (former press secretary and deputy director of communications with the BC Liberal and BC United parties).

This week Lighthouse Brewing in Esquimalt announced it’s shutting down operations and selling its brand - saying it costs more to brew beer than they can bring in by selling it. On this week’s episode we hear from co-owner Ben Thomas about the difficult decision, and how the BCGEU strike was the breaking point. Plus, we talk to Chris Bjerrisgaard of Sidney’s Small Gods Brewing about how they’re managing to stay afloat as beer sales decline across the country. 

While you’re here, check out this previous episode of This is Vancouver Island, about how two local breweries are expanding into non-alcoholic drinks to adapt.