Cross Talk

We are approaching mid-May. Today's show can help get you in a gardening frame of mind. Guest: Meghan McCarthy, assistant horticulturist, Memorial University Botanical Garden

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in Newfoundland and Labrador. On this episode of The Signal, a panel of motorcyclists highlight how road safety is everyone's responsibility as riding season begins. GUESTS - Lez Snow, Motorcycle Safety Coordinator for the Iceberg Alley Riders; Wayne Morgan, Chapter Director of the Iceberg Alley Riders; Ellen Thompson, Chapter Director of the Iceberg Alley Riders; David Moores, Motorcyclist traveller

Today on the show we talk about the importance of funding and supporting research about the historic, geographic, and economic circumstances of Newfoundland and Labrador.Guests: Sharon Roseman, director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research; Barbara Neis, professor emerita, Dept. of Sociology at MUN; Lisa Rankin, research chair in Northern Indigenous Community Archaeology; Alison Carr , managing editor, Memorial University Press; Fiona Polack, academic editor at Memorial University Press.

A recent report from the Fraser Institute says young people are leaving Atlantic provinces in search for jobs. On this episode of The Signal we have a panel of economic and business experts talking about the changing demographics of Newfoundland and Labrador and what it means to the workforce. GUESTS - Tony Fang, economist and professor at Memorial University; Tom Cooper, business professor at Memorial University; Wanda Cuff Young, vice president of operations at Work Global Canada Inc.; Sharon McLennon, director at NL Workforce Innovation Centre; and Alexandra Stefanovic-Chafe, faculty researcher with NL Workforce Innovation Centre.

We are approaching mid-May. Today's show can help get you in a gardening frame of mind. Guest: Tim Walsh, nursery manager, MUN Botanical Garden

In a time of big defence spending and the re-tooling of the Canadian military we spend the hour talking about it what it means for this province.Guest: Mark Norman, retired vice-admiral who commanded Canada's Navy and was vice-chief of Defence.

It is the 5th time for The Signal to attend the Municipal Symposium in Gander. We take the show on the road each year because we get to meet municipal leaders from right across the province.

Today's show is about the joys and challenges of motherhood with a guest panel full of moms just in time for Mother's Day.GUESTS - Opeyemi Jaunty-Aidamenbor, Mom of two and owner of St. John's Kumon Math and Reading Centre;Terrilyn Pickett, mom of 3, and owner of Making Music Academy; Damilola Akingbola, Mom of 3; Ogaga Johnson, Mom of 2 and business owner; Tess Hartmann. postpartum doula.

It's the first gardening show of the season. Horticulturist Todd Boland joins us to talk tips and take questions from callers.

On this episode we are taking a look at education in Newfoundland and Labrador. More specifically we talk about the demand for teachers and the challenges of recruitment and retention. We also highlight a Memorial University program that is trying to help teachers stay rural towns.GUESTS - Pamela Osmond-Johnson, dean and professor at Memorial University's faculty of education; Dale Lambe, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers Association; Corey Samson and Theresa OKeefe , education students in the MUN's rural cohort.

The provincial budget is out and people are taking in what it may mean for the year ahead. It focuses on affordability and spending promises made by Premier Tony Wakeham's Progressiv Conversatives, but also flags some big decifits in the years to come. Today on the show, we drill into what it may mean for you.

Today on the show we're talking to authors and publishers about Breakwater Books' spring launch, and what goes on behind the scenes to get these books from inspiration to the shelves.

April is Cancer Control Month, dedicated to raising awareness about cancer prevention, early detection and improving the quality of life for those living with and recovering from cancer. Today on the show you will hear a story about patient innovation that restored comfort and confidence.

Today on the show we are talking to the Kidney foundation of Canada and medical professionals on kidney health. From catching the signs of kidney diseases, to treatments, dialysis, diets and the supports available to people in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Ahead of a global conference on a "just transition" away from fossil fuels, Memorial University students discuss their research, and how this could be applied to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Sci-Fi on The Rock is back in St. John's this weekend and we have a panel of lovers of fantasy, dressing up as their favorite characters, crafting and telling stories to talk about the event. Plus, what it means to find a friendly space for friendship and community building.

The 2026 Canadian Housing and Renewal Association National Congress on Housing and Homelessness is taking place in St. John's so we went and met up with folks from across the country to talk housing, homelesness and solutions. Guests: Sheldon Pollett, executive director, Raising the Roof; Leslie Bellingham, director of strategic initiatives and partnerships, Raising the Roof; Lisa Ker, executive director, Canadian Housing Transformation Centre; Shannon Wiebe, architect, lead of Shared Ground Initiative; and others

More and more babies are born exposed to substances in N.L. as one doctor says the system struggles to keep up.GUESTS: Dr. Anne Drover; Renee Williams, executive director, Daybreak

The Health Accord for Newfoundland and Labrador was released in 2022 as a 10-year plan to transform this province's heath-care system. So where do things stand with it in 2026? We have both former co-chairs in studio to talk about it. Guests: Former co-chairs Sister Elizabeth Davis and Dr. Pat Parfrey

Low funding, low volunteering and burnout: challenges plaguing the community sector in N.L.. On today's show: what do communities need to do to adapt and thrive in today's world? This episode's panel are organizing a festival aiming at “future-proofing” community organizations. GUESTS - Nicole Dawe, Executive Director, Community Foundation of Newfoundland an Labrador; Mariana Jiménez Ojeda, Manager of Social Innovation, Community Sector Council of Newfoundland and Labrador; Nancy Leung, Strategic Initiatives Coordinator, Centre for Social Enterprise, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador; Kristen Murray, Co-operative Development Officer, Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Cooperatives; Genevieve McCorquodale, Project Manager with Irish Loop Tourism with CBDC Celtic; and Sean Wiltshirewith Avalon Employment.

On this episode of the Signal, we play two episodes of the podcast This is Newfoundland and Labrador. First, the trial of the accused killer Dean Penney explained. From the day his estranged wife Jennifer Hillier-Penney went missing to how, years after, police arrested Penney. Second, how computers in NL are becoming more expensive because of AI and one small but crucial memory chip.

The report's title is Overrepresented and Undercounted: A Snapshot of Indigenous Adult Incarceration in Newfoundland and Labrador, 2025. Today on the show we talk about it and what needs to change. Guests: From First Light: Noah Sheppard relational connections coordinator; Teri Slade, research and public policy lead; Michael Johnson, coordinator of justice supports

The N.L. Historic Heritage recently gave out awards to people whose projects were on preserving, restoring or designing buildings with N.L. heritage in mind. From a hundred year old homes to memorials, todays' panel talks about their projects and the importance of keeping remnants of history alive. GUESTS - Luke Quinton, President of the NL Historic Trust; the wiiners of the Southcott Awards: Matthew Mills and Tom Wright with Mills&Wright Landscape Architecture, Kris Drodger and Amy Chislet, Stephanie Moyst and Tyler Stapleton.

We are living in a time of climate change charged extreme weather and dealing with its impacts. Today we speak with people who after seeing the impacts of climate change took action and started supporting renewable energy solutions.Guests: Community Organizer Sophia Lindfield, Spencer Scott from Fridays for Future, Atlantic Organizer of the National Campaign for a Youth Climate Corps and Volunteer Coordinator of the Social Justice Co-op NL. Lea Movelle, Student Jessica Warren, AngajukKak for Makkovik Barry Andersen, Student Brandon Power

Today on the show we speak with folks from the Food Producers Forum who have a new report out that attempts to answer the question 'How dow we feed ourselves?' Guests: Alison Snow, chair of the Food Producers Forum, Heather Zurel founder, Data Farms; John Finn, executive director, School Lunch Association

Today on the show we talk about Love Our Local Authors (LOLA) Month which is brought to you by Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries. So join us for a conversation about writers and stories that help shape the province's literary culture.

Today on the show we talk science with eight univeristy researchers and it's all jargon free. It's part of this week's Scientific Endeavours in Academia conference at Memorial University.

A show where we play episodes from This is Newfoundland and Labrador podcast all under the theme of policing. From gun crime, officers quitting and calls for more policing in rural N.L.

Today on the show we talk about wild foods. Whether it's foraging, hunting or harvesting what the ocean has to offer, we ask guests if we have enough access to wild foods, what's working and what may need changing. Guests: Todd Perrin, chef; Barry Fordham, hunting and fishing advocate; Lori McCarthy, food and culture advocate; Byron Alexander, Chief of Indian Head First Nations; Patricia Kemuksigak, chairperson for the NunaKatiget Inuit Community Corporation.

The Newfoundland Quarterly magazine is out with a new issue this spring with the theme this time around being “fabric.” We invited the editor and contributors to the show to talk about their pieces and the inspiration behind them.

We have a changing word and and a changing economy, today on the show we ask how do we make sure people are equipped for the jobs of today and tomorrow? Education is part of it and so is understanding what employers want and how jobs are changing. We've got a great panel that digs into all of it. Guests: From College of the North Atlantic: Brent Howell, dean, Natural Resources and Industrial Trades; Brenda Lockyer, associate dean, Business & IT; Fergus O'Brien, vice-president, Academic & Applied Research.

Team Broken Earth is celebrating 15 years conducting medical relief missions around the world. Today on the show we talk about this milestone, as well as recent missions conducted in Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Uganda and for the first time, Jamaica.

Today on the show we talk about housing supports needs in Newfoundland and Labrador. We start with a look at the recent Auditor General report which found social housing supports stagnated as waitlists swelled.GUESTS - Hope Jamieson, housing researcher and the president of Annex Consulting; Angela Crockwell, executive director of Thrive; Rebecca Larkham, supportive living co-ordinator with Mokami Status of Women Council; Doug Pawson, executive director of End Homelessness St. John's.; Kelly Rogers, executive officer of Canadian Home Builders' Association Newfoundland and Labrador.

Today on the show we look at how local tourism businesses are preparing for the summer plus we talk about the industry's importance for Newfoundland and Labrador's economy. GUESTS - Dave Lank, owner and operator of The Cape; Alex Blagdon, culinary director at The Cape; Deborah Bourden, owner and operator at Anchor Inn Hotel; John Devereaux, chair of hospitality N.L.; and John Fisher, director of Fisher's Loft in Port Rexton.

We start today's show with a weather update from CBC meteorologist Ashley Brauweiler. Then we are joined by Michael Murray for a pre-season gardening show.

Today on the show we talk about a court case that could decide the future of press freedom, and police oversight, in Canada. Guests: Justin Brake reporter/editor at The Independent; Geoff Budden, St. John's Lawyer; Brent Jolly, national president, Canadian Association of Journalists; Ethan Cox, editor, Ricochet Media; Karyn Pugliese, journalist/editor

A discussion about ultra processed foods (UPF) and their affect on our health. We also talk about the history of UPF, how they ended up on our plates, climate change impacts on getting fresh foods and relying on UPF, policy and diet, etc…GUESTS - Rachel Prowse, registered dietitian and assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics at Memorial University; Daniel Zaltz, assistant professor at the University of Ottawa School of Epidemiology and Public Health; Sarah Parsons, registred dietitian and postdoctoral fellow at MUN's biochemestry department; and Nicholas Fairbridge, Research Associate within the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University.

Today's show is about the spirituality of both Ramadan and Lent. We dive into how people observe respective months of fasting and prayer. Today's panel talks about why they participate the lessons their practice teaches them for life in general. GUESTS - Sa'adatu Usman, founder of a non-profit organization called Global Citizen Inc; Ayse Sule Akinturk, executive member of the Muslim Association of Newfoundland and Labrador; Father Tony Bidgood; Bonnie Morgan, author and public services librarian at the centre of N.L. studies at Memorial University; and Nancy Nochasak, first-time participent of Ramadan

Easy for the federal government to say, but hard for towns and cities to put into practice. Many municipalities in this province are struggling to comply with federal wastewater regulations. We'll talk about sewage treatment and other challenges facing towns and cities in Newfoundland and Labrador.Guests: Alexis Foster, director of advocacy and communications, Municipalities NL, Aaron O'Brien, assistant director of engineering, City of Corner Brook and Josie Wittmer, an assistant professor of Environment and Sustainability at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University.

MUN's music department is celebrating 50 years of making music and creating musicians. Today on the show we have a panel from the music department on how they are celebrating, what music education can offer and how MUN's music programs are integral to the culture of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Today on the show have a conversation about the business of brewing and distilling. We'll talk about crafting beer, distilling whiskey, non-alcoholic trends, preparations for St. Patrick's Day and the link between communities and craft breweries. We also have a special guest who can give a national and global perspective on things. GUESTS: Christina Coady, Landwash general manager and co-owner; Don Livermore, master blender for Hiram Walker & Sons; Brenda O'Reilly, owner of O'Reilly's Irish Newfoundland Pub and Yellowbelly Brewery.

N.L. and the offshore oil business: Bay du Nord explained. We talk about the new benefits agreement, Ottawa's involvement, and what it could mean in terms of royalties. Plus we have analysis. Guests:Lynn Gambin, economist; Larry Short, senior wealth advisor, ShortFinancial; Rob Strong, oil and gas consultant