Solar farm projects in Alberta have stalled because of new provincial regulations. Yet some Canadian researchers are saying photovoltaic systems now produce the lowest-cost electricity in history and using them in agriculture increases crop yields. We speak with Joshua Pearce, co-author of a new study on agrivoltaics.

Dec 11 Solar panels on farm lands can increase crop yields

As hundreds of First Nations leaders gathered last week in Ottawa for their annual December meeting, the federal-provincial memorandum of understanding for a new pipeline to Asian markets was high on the agenda. The Assembly of First Nations chiefs voted unanimously on Tuesday to demand the withdrawal of the deal and expressed full support for First Nations on the British Columbia coast strongly opposing the initiative. Anna Johnston is a lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law and author of a brief on the legal and historical risk of a Northwest coast pipeline. management. We speak with her about the MOU and the risks of pursuing a new pipeline from Alberta to the BC coast.

Legal and historical risks of new pipeline to the Northwest coast

Next week Vancouver City Council will consider Mayor Ken Sim’s controversial proposal to fast-track a new Filipino Cultural Centre without community consultation. Also on the agenda, Vancouver’s Social Housing Initiative, plans to radically change the current plan for the Downtown Eastside and much more. We speak with Redeye’s Ian Mass.

City Beat: Controversy over Mayor Sim’s Filipino Cultural Centre proposal 

Forty progressive economists and policy experts gathered in Ottawa in September for an economic summit called Elbows Up: A Practical Program for Canadian Sovereignty. Marc Lee is a senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and he was both a presenter and participant in the Summit. We speak with Marc about his takeaways from the summit and the need for Canada to make a generational investment in non-market and public housing.

Canada needs a generational investment in non-market and public housing

In the wake of a serious grizzly bear attack on schoolchildren near Bella Coola, there are calls from some quarters for the province to revisit its ban on the grizzly bear hunt. The BC Wildlife Federation has called for a new trophy hunt on grizzlies.  Tandeep Sidhu is assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Manitoba. We speak with him about the human dimensions of wildlife conflict and management.

Calls for grizzly hunt in wake of attack based on poor science

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has introduced Bill 9 - a piece of legislation that aims to infringe on the rights of trans people. Smith has used the notwithstanding clause four times in the last three weeks. This time to shield three anti-transgender bills from legal challenges and to bypass Charter protected rights.  In response, queer activists are scaling up the campaign to defend these rights and protect queer and trans people. We speak with Fae Johnstone, executive director of Queer Momentum.

Resisting Danielle Smith’s attack on trans youth in Alberta

The practice of people self-identifying as Indigenous has come into sharp focus after a number of high-profile cases of “pretendians” claiming to be Indigenous without evidence. However, far less attention has been given to Indigenous people being wrongly labelled as pretendians.  In a recent article for Policy Options, Debbie Martin argues that the rush for Indigenous identity policies at universities has led to people with legitimate claims to Indigeneity being swept up in policies that will cause lasting harm.  Debbie Martin is Inuk and a member of Nunatukavut. She is a professor in the school of health and human performance at Dalhousie University and the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples’ health and well-being.

Indigenous identity policies a dangerous case of institutional overreach 

British Columbia has one of the lowest industrial water rates in Canada. Meanwhile, water advocates say communities across the province are struggling to fund efforts to fight increasing droughts, floods, and wildfires. A new report says we need to modernize industrial water rates to protect our water sources, safeguard communities and secure long-term prosperity. The report was created by the BC Watershed Security Coalition. We speak with Kyle Visvanathan, co-author of the report.

British Columbia charging industry bargain basement rates for water

On November 8, Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear of The War on Cars podcast were in Vancouver as guests of Vision Zero Vancouver to talk about their new book and to meet with local activists. There wasn’t a seat left in the house at the Djavad Mowafaghian theatre at SFU Woodwards as Doug and Sarah introduced some of the ideas in their book, Life After Cars, and interviewed two Canadian activists in the fight for safer streets, Lucy Maloney and Tom Flood. We bring you excerpts from the evening on today’s podcast.

Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear bring War on Cars podcast to Vancouver

Despite the purported ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli airstrikes continue to kill Palestinians. Canada has long downplayed its role in arming Israel, claiming it only issues a limited number of export permits and that those permits have now been suspended. But this week, a new report was released that exposes a massive ongoing flow of Canadian explosives and F-35 parts to Israel via the United States. We speak with Rachel Small, Canada lead for World Beyond War, a member of the Arms Embargo Now Coalition.

Exposing the US loophole: How Canadian arms and explosives reach Israel

A progressive take on current events. Produced by an independent media collective at Vancouver Cooperative Radio.

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