“The whole history of Canada is the history of the fear of being taken over by the United States”. Come along for a wander through the woods with author and historian Stephen R. Bown. His latest work of literary non-ficiton is titled "Dominion: The Railway and the Rise of Canada".
A walk with 91 year old Richard Flohil is like a walk back in time.Miles Davis tried to buy his car to skip out on a gig. Benny Goodman was “miserable as sin”. Chuck Berry would only play an encore “if you slipped cash under his dressing room door”. And The Chieftains were “a feckless bunch of good time people who drank a lot”. Keep walking, and he’ll tell stories of working with Eric Idle, Alice Cooper, k.d. lang, and Billy Connelly. As a nonagenarian, he is a living repository of music history, and he tells his (often profane) stories with a twinkle in his eye, a delight in mischief, and with little regard to what anyone else thinks.
She’s acerbic, insightful, passionate, and blunt. She’s Catherine Ford. The former national newspaper columnist is 80 years old, and still has a lot to say about life, politics, the human condition, the current plight of the media, and her immunity to hangovers. What do two veteran journalists talk about when they wash up on the same beach? Tune in to find out.
Marc Garneau was the first Canadian in space, and later served as Transport Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In this revealing one-on-one conversation we talk about his "Most Extraordinary Ride", a phrase that both describes his life and is the name of his new memoir. We cover topics as wide-ranging as Canada’s space program, the rise of commercial space travel, his roll in navigating the country through the Covid pandemic, and his frustrations working with Justin Trudeau and the Prime Minister’s office.
Martin Gray is a lifelong beachcomber on the wild islands of Orkney, off Scotland’s northern coast. Orkney men have been beachcombers for generations; making use of whatever washes ashore.Most of what washes up these days comes from Canada, and to be blunt, it makes an ugly mess. But the sea also brings mystery. Martin’s lifetime spent among Scotland’s remote islands has lead him to both find and lose far more than he ever could have expected.
For a quarter century Ed Miller has toured all corners of Scotland, singing songs and recording stories that reveal the beating heart of his home country; a world apart from the “shortbread tin” version found on tourist brochures. Tune in to join us for a walk through the real Scotland.
Every winter the leeward waters of the island of Maui are home to the world's densest humpback whale population. They migrate from cold northern waters to mate, and give birth. A time when the whales and their offspring are at their most vulnerable.Dr. Rachel Cartwright leads a team of researchers tracking and counting the whales. The current focus of their study; how have the whales been impacted by the devastating fire that swept through and utterly destroyed the seaport town of Lahaina in 2023?
Is it really as bad as all that? Are Canadians as divided as our politicians would have us believe? What feeds this narrative of a binary political world? A walk with Senator Paula Simons, in search of sober second thought.
Dr. Rachel Cartwright tackles some of the great mysteries of the giants of the deep. Why do whales breach? What is a whale birth like? And just what are they talking about down there? Come for a walk on deck the Cunard Queen Elizabeth.
What's funny, and what's cruel? And is there such a thing as a Canadian sense of humour? For fifty years the Royal Canadian Air Farce ruled Canada's comedy airwaves. This is a walk and talk through one of Toronto's oldest neighbourhoods with founding member, Don Ferguson.
For 30 years Newfoundland has had a declining population, as young Newfoundlanders leave the island to find their fortunes elsewhere. But for some the call of the sea and the place they call home is so strong, they find ways to stay. This is the story of Melanie Rideout.
Ed English is the innkeeper, owner, and storyteller-in-chief of Quirpon Island, situated on the extreme northern tip of Newfoundland's Great Northern peninsula . In this podcast he tells tales of giant icebergs, French demons, lost owls, wandering whales, and the occasional prowling Polar Bear.
“The frequencies of the land have been unlocked, the wifi passwords have been figured out. We have them and we’ve been trying to share them.” A shoreline amble in the heart of Calgary, where the Bow and Elbow rivers meet, with Cowboy Smithx, Blackfoot filmmaker and founder of the acclaimed International Indigenous speaker series REDx Talks.
Each spring migrating birds follow ancient flyways, along fault lines and mountain ranges, guided by gravity, polarity, and stars. Billions of creatures worldwide, continuing a ritual that began eons before we crawled out of the mud. This plodcast is a walk through the rainy Carolinian forests of Canada's southernmost tip, Point Pelee National Park, with birdwatcher extraordinaire Don Enright.
Why would anyone start a newspaper in this day and age? A wander through Toronto's West End with author and musician Dave Bidini. We talk about journalism, the Rheostatics, pranking the Tragically Hip, pissing off Gordon Lightfoot, and why every kid should join a rock band.
Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi has thrown his hat back into the political ring, running for the leadership of the Alberta NDP. We stroll through Calgary’s East Village and try to answer three big questions. Why would anyone run for political office in this day and age? If he wins what will he be up against? And how would he change Alberta if he gets the chance? We talk about unions, taxes, human rights, an alt.reality government, his health, and why he believes the Daniel Smith Conservatives are “incompetent, immoral, and dangerous”.
What do radio hosts talk about when they're not on the air? A heart to heart, host to host conversation about the joy of radio, the legacy of Gzowski, and having a daily conversation with an entire country.
Musician Matt Mays on the hoser vibe, a musician’s confidence, dealing with the normal world, and being newly sober— 90 meetings in 90 days battling “the only disease you can get yelled at for having.”
Gaajiaawaa (Linda Tollas) is a respected Haida Elder who has been deeply involved in sharing and preserving the Haida culture. She participates on occasional expedition cruises through Haida Gwaii, where her presence and storytelling enrich the experience for travelers, offering a personal understanding of the Haida heritage and the significance of the ancient villages and remote beaches visited. James Williams is a former Haida Watchman, and is currently a guide at the Haida Gwaii Museum, which is known for its extensive collection of Haida historical objects, contemporary art, archives, and natural history collection. The museum offers a rich experience of Haida culture, blending Haida knowledge with western science, art, and politics.
Lorna Crozier has won just about every literary award our country has to offer. She’s an officer of the Order of Canada, has at last count five honourary doctorates. She’s been asked to read her work on every continent except Antarctica, and has mentored dozens of Canada’s best writers. She’s also patient enough to dawdle along a sea side path with me.