WONK

Scott Balfour is the CEO of Emera, the owner of Nova Scotia Power and a major player in energy in the United States. He is central to the efforts to wean Canada off carbon and build a clean electricity system – all at a time when demand for power is soaring. He talks to host Edward Greenspon about investments, promising technologies and the so-called ‘energy trilemma.’

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After 12 years leading one of Canada’s fastest growing cities, Halifax Mayor Mike Savage recently announced he’ll be stepping down. In his time as mayor, Halifax went from worrying about its declining, aging population to becoming a magnet for newcomers and residents from other provinces. Savage joins host Edward Greenspon to talk about his successes, managing growth and the importance of local journalism.

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David Shoemaker is the CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee, the organization tasked with promoting Olympic values and helping get Canadian athletes onto the podium. He talks to host Edward Greenspon about why he expects big things in Paris, the challenge of making sport safer in Canada, and the delicate balance of international competition in a time of war.

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Canada is perhaps the most successful immigration nation in the world. But its system is showing some cracks, as immigration is twinned in the public mind with housing shortages and high rental costs. Rupa Banerjee, Canada Research Chair in Economic inclusion, Employment and Entrepreneurship of Canada’s Immigrants, talks to host Edward Greenspon about what Canada’s getting wrong and why it’s unfair to blame foreign students for housing woes.

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The longest-serving Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, and the first woman to hold the position, weighs in on the good and the bad of the federal government’s long-awaited online harms bill. She talks to host Edward Greenspon about anti-hate laws, freedom of expression and why some provisions in the new bill will likely end up before the courts.

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JP Gladu is one of Canada's visionary leaders in the national dialogue around Indigenous ownership in the economy. He has decades of experience bringing Indigenous communities together with industry and governments in pursuit of their economic sovereignty. He joins host Edward Greenspon to talk about the rise of Indigenous business, getting the government to say 'yes', and overcoming fear and ignorance of Indigenous ownership.

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John Hannaford is the Clerk of the Privy Council, the most senior job in the public service. It is really three jobs rolled into one: deputy minister to the Prime Minister, Secretary to the cabinet and head of the public service. Hannaford talks to host Edward Greenspon about the historic challenges facing the public service, the renewed focus on ethics and the importance of fearless advice.

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Paul Wells is the dean of political reporting in Canada. For 30 years he wrote for national news outlets before recently launching his own little media empire. He has a buzzing Substack and podcast. His brand name is now, well, his name. He joins host Edward Greenspon to talk about his life in a fast-changing media landscape, the future of journalism and why he stopped caring about being edgy.

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Shingai Manjengwa is one of the leading AI educators and thinkers. She is the head of AI education at chainML, the founder of Fireside Analytics, and the director of professional development at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence. She talks to host Edward Greenspon about how AI actually works, its challenges and why we shouldn’t fear the future.

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Dr. Vivek Goel was an ace up Canada’s sleeve when the pandemic hit. He’s a physician and top public health researcher. He was on COVID-19’s Immunity Task Force and advised the national body for COVID-19 research. He’s also the president of the University of Waterloo. He talks to host Edward Greenspon about the unrest in higher education institutions, the importance of health data and what a better pandemic response could have looked like.

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