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In recognition of World Mental Health Day, we present a powerful and timely conversation with our returning special guest, Beverly Beuermann-King, a seasoned expert in workplace mental health. Beverly shares her insights on two critical threats to workplace safety and well-being today: toxicity in the workplace and the importance of self-care for leaders. She explores real examples of toxic workplaces and offers actionable strategies to help leaders recognize warning signs, communicate effectively, and engage in difficult conversations to address issues head-on. Beverly also unpacks the deeper drivers behind workaholism, sharing how leaders can identify root causes, set healthy boundaries, and intentionally create space to rest, recharge, and reflect, prioritizing self-care to enhance both their own well-being and that of their teams. This episode highlights why mental health isn't just a personal wellness matter; it's a workplace safety issue that fosters a healthier, more resilient workplace culture. Tune in for expert insights to help leaders prevent burnout, navigate toxicity in the workplace, and build environments where people and organizations can truly thrive.  About the Guest: Beverly Beuermann-King has over 25 years of experience helping individuals and organizations master their responses to stress, build resilience, and thrive using her innovative S-O-S Principle™. Since founding WorkSmartLiveSmart.com in 1995, she has transformed teams across diverse business sectors. Her presentations, grounded in psychology, sociology, management, and adult education, offer practical strategies to enhance mental health and workplace well-being. She is also a prolific author, respected podcaster, and trusted media spokesperson, with over 500 television and radio appearances. Beverly currently serves as the National President of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. Prepare to be captivated as she empowers you to conquer stress, cultivate resilience, and unlock the secrets to a healthier, more fulfilling life. For more information: www.WorkSmartLiveSmart.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Canada’s ag retail sector is under increasing pressure from all sides. Labour shortages, regulatory complexity, and volatile global markets are creating a tough environment for service providers already stretched thin, says Myrna Graham, executive director of the Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers (CAAR). “Retailers are the interface between the manufacturer or the distributor and the grower,”... Read More

After a hiatus, we've officially restarted the Uncommons podcast, and our first long-form interview is with Professor Taylor Owen to discuss the ever changing landscape of the digital world, the fast emergence of AI and the implications for our kids, consumer safety and our democracy.Taylor Owen's work focuses on the intersection of media, technology and public policy and can be found at taylorowen.com. He is the Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications and the founding Director of The Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University where he is also an Associate Professor. He is the host of the Globe and Mail's Machines Like Us podcast and author of several books.Taylor also joined me for this discussion more than 5 years ago now. And a lot has happened in that time.Upcoming episodes will include guests Tanya Talaga and an episode focused on the border bill C-2, with experts from The Citizen Lab and the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers.We'll also be hosting a live event at the Naval Club of Toronto with Catherine McKenna, who will be launching her new book Run Like a Girl. Register for free through Eventbrite. As always, if you have ideas for future guests or topics, email us at info@beynate.ca Chapters:0:29 Setting the Stage1:44 Core Problems & Challenges4:31 Information Ecosystem Crisis10:19 Signals of Reliability & Policy Challenges14:33 Legislative Efforts18:29 Online Harms Act Deep Dive25:31 AI Fraud29:38 Platform Responsibility32:55 Future Policy DirectionFurther Reading and Listening:Public rules for big tech platforms with Taylor Owen — Uncommons Podcast“How the Next Government can Protect Canada's Information Ecosystem.” Taylor Owen with Helen Hayes, The Globe and Mail, April 7, 2025.Machines Like Us PodcastBill C-63Transcript:Nate Erskine-Smith00:00-00:43Welcome to Uncommons, I'm Nate Erskine-Smith. This is our first episode back after a bit of a hiatus, and we are back with a conversation focused on AI safety, digital governance, and all of the challenges with regulating the internet. I'm joined by Professor Taylor Owen. He's an expert in these issues. He's been writing about these issues for many years. I actually had him on this podcast more than five years ago, and he's been a huge part of getting us in Canada to where we are today. And it's up to this government to get us across the finish line, and that's what we talk about. Taylor, thanks for joining me. Thanks for having me. So this feels like deja vu all over again, because I was going back before you arrived this morning and you joined this podcast in April of 2020 to talk about platform governance.Taylor Owen00:43-00:44It's a different world.Taylor00:45-00:45In some ways.Nate Erskine-Smith00:45-01:14Yeah. Well, yeah, a different world for sure in many ways, but also the same challenges in some ways too. Additional challenges, of course. But I feel like in some ways we've come a long way because there's been lots of consultation. There have been some legislative attempts at least, but also we haven't really accomplished the thing. So let's talk about set the stage. Some of the same challenges from five years ago, but some new challenges. What are the challenges? What are the problems we're trying to solve? Yeah, I mean, many of them are the same, right?Taylor Owen01:14-03:06I mean, this is part of the technology moves fast. But when you look at the range of things citizens are concerned about when they and their children and their friends and their families use these sets of digital technologies that shape so much of our lives, many things are the same. So they're worried about safety. They're worried about algorithmic content and how that's feeding into what they believe and what they think. They're worried about polarization. We're worried about the integrity of our democracy and our elections. We're worried about sort of some of the more acute harms of like real risks to safety, right? Like children taking their own lives and violence erupting, political violence emerging. Like these things have always been present as a part of our digital lives. And that's what we were concerned about five years ago, right? When we talked about those harms, that was roughly the list. Now, the technologies we were talking about at the time were largely social media platforms, right? So that was the main way five years ago that we shared, consumed information in our digital politics and our digital public lives. And that is what's changing slightly. Now, those are still prominent, right? We're still on TikTok and Instagram and Facebook to a certain degree. But we do now have a new layer of AI and particularly chatbots. And I think a big question we face in this conversation in this, like, how do we develop policies that maximize the benefits of digital technologies and minimize the harms, which is all this is trying to do. Do we need new tools for AI or some of the things we worked on for so many years to get right, the still the right tools for this new set of technologies with chatbots and various consumer facing AI interfaces?Nate Erskine-Smith03:07-03:55My line in politics has always been, especially around privacy protections, that we are increasingly living our lives online. And especially, you know, my kids are growing up online and our laws need to reflect that reality. All of the challenges you've articulated to varying degrees exist in offline spaces, but can be incredibly hard. The rules we have can be incredibly hard to enforce at a minimum in the online space. And then some rules are not entirely fit for purpose and they need to be updated in the online space. It's interesting. I was reading a recent op-ed of yours, but also some of the research you've done. This really stood out. So you've got the Hogue Commission that says disinformation is the single biggest threat to our democracy. That's worth pausing on.Taylor Owen03:55-04:31Yeah, exactly. Like the commission that spent a year at the request of all political parties in parliament, at the urging of the opposition party, so it spent a year looking at a wide range of threats to our democratic systems that everybody was concerned about originating in foreign countries. And the conclusion of that was that the single biggest threat to our democracy is the way information flows through our society and how we're not governing it. Like that is a remarkable statement and it kind of came and went. And I don't know why we moved off from that so fast.Nate Erskine-Smith04:31-05:17Well, and there's a lot to pull apart there because you've got purposeful, intentional, bad actors, foreign influence operations. But you also have a really core challenge of just the reliability and credibility of the information ecosystem. So you have Facebook, Instagram through Meta block news in Canada. And your research, this was the stat that stood out. Don't want to put you in and say like, what do we do? Okay. So there's, you say 11 million views of news have been lost as a consequence of that blocking. Okay. That's one piece of information people should know. Yeah. But at the same time.Taylor Owen05:17-05:17A day. Yeah.Nate Erskine-Smith05:18-05:18So right.Taylor Owen05:18-05:2711 million views a day. And we should sometimes we go through these things really fast. It's huge. Again, Facebook decides to block news. 40 million people in Canada. Yeah.Taylor05:27-05:29So 11 million times a Canadian.Taylor Owen05:29-05:45And what that means is 11 million times a Canadian would open one of their news feeds and see Canadian journalism is taken out of the ecosystem. And it was replaced by something. People aren't using these tools less. So that journalism was replaced by something else.Taylor05:45-05:45Okay.Taylor Owen05:45-05:46So that's just it.Nate Erskine-Smith05:46-06:04So on the one side, we've got 11 million views a day lost. Yeah. And on the other side, Canadians, the majority of Canadians get their news from social media. But when the Canadians who get their news from social media are asked where they get it from, they still say Instagram and Facebook. But there's no news there. Right.Taylor Owen06:04-06:04They say they get.Nate Erskine-Smith06:04-06:05It doesn't make any sense.Taylor Owen06:06-06:23It doesn't and it does. It's terrible. They ask Canadians, like, where do you get people who use social media to get their news? Where do they get their news? and they still say social media, even though it's not there. Journalism isn't there. Journalism isn't there. And I think one of the explanations— Traditional journalism. There is—Taylor06:23-06:23There is—Taylor Owen06:23-06:47Well, this is what I was going to get at, right? Like, there is—one, I think, conclusion is that people don't equate journalism with news about the world. There's not a one-to-one relationship there. Like, journalism is one provider of news, but so are influencers, so are podcasts, people listening to this. Like this would be labeled probably news in people's.Nate Erskine-Smith06:47-06:48Can't trust the thing we say.Taylor Owen06:48-07:05Right. And like, and neither of us are journalists, right? But we are providing information about the world. And if it shows up in people's feeds, as I'm sure it will, like that probably gets labeled in people's minds as news, right? As opposed to pure entertainment, as entertaining as you are.Nate Erskine-Smith07:05-07:06It's public affairs content.Taylor Owen07:06-07:39Exactly. So that's one thing that's happening. The other is that there's a generation of creators that are stepping into this ecosystem to both fill that void and that can use these tools much more effectively. So in the last election, we found that of all the information consumed about the election, 50% of it was created by creators. 50% of the engagement on the election was from creators. Guess what it was for journalists, for journalism? Like 5%. Well, you're more pessimistic though. I shouldn't have led with the question. 20%.Taylor07:39-07:39Okay.Taylor Owen07:39-07:56So all of journalism combined in the entire country, 20 percent of engagement, influencers, 50 percent in the last election. So like we've shifted, at least on social, the actors and people and institutions that are fostering our public.Nate Erskine-Smith07:56-08:09Is there a middle ground here where you take some people that play an influencer type role but also would consider themselves citizen journalists in a way? How do you – It's a super interesting question, right?Taylor Owen08:09-08:31Like who – when are these people doing journalism? When are they doing acts of journalism? Like someone can be – do journalism and 90% of the time do something else, right? And then like maybe they reveal something or they tell an interesting story that resonates with people or they interview somebody and it's revelatory and it's a journalistic act, right?Taylor08:31-08:34Like this is kind of a journalistic act we're playing here.Taylor Owen08:35-08:49So I don't think – I think these lines are gray. but I mean there's some other underlying things here which like it matters if I think if journalistic institutions go away entirely right like that's probably not a good thing yeah I mean that's whyNate Erskine-Smith08:49-09:30I say it's terrifying is there's a there's a lot of good in the in the digital space that is trying to be there's creative destruction there's a lot of work to provide people a direct sense of news that isn't that filter that people may mistrust in traditional media. Having said that, so many resources and there's so much history to these institutions and there's a real ethics to journalism and journalists take their craft seriously in terms of the pursuit of truth. Absolutely. And losing that access, losing the accessibility to that is devastating for democracy. I think so.Taylor Owen09:30-09:49And I think the bigger frame of that for me is a democracy needs signals of – we need – as citizens in a democracy, we need signals of reliability. Like we need to know broadly, and we're not always going to agree on it, but like what kind of information we can trust and how we evaluate whether we trust it.Nate Erskine-Smith09:49-10:13And that's what – that is really going away. Pause for a sec. So you could imagine signals of reliability is a good phrase. what does it mean for a legislator when it comes to putting a rule in place? Because you could imagine, you could have a Blade Runner kind of rule that says you've got to distinguish between something that is human generatedTaylor10:13-10:14and something that is machine generated.Nate Erskine-Smith10:15-10:26That seems straightforward enough. It's a lot harder if you're trying to distinguish between Taylor, what you're saying is credible, and Nate, what you're saying is not credible,Taylor10:27-10:27which is probably true.Nate Erskine-Smith10:28-10:33But how do you have a signal of reliability in a different kind of content?Taylor Owen10:34-13:12I mean, we're getting into like a journalistic journalism policy here to a certain degree, right? And it's a wicked problem because the primary role of journalism is to hold you personally to account. And you setting rules for what they can and can't do and how they can and can't behave touches on some real like third rails here, right? It's fraught. However, I don't think it should ever be about policy determining what can and can't be said or what is and isn't journalism. The real problem is the distribution mechanism and the incentives within it. So a great example and a horrible example happened last week, right? So Charlie Kirk gets assassinated. I don't know if you opened a feed in the few days after that, but it was a horrendous place, right? Social media was an awful, awful, awful place because what you saw in that feed was the clearest demonstration I've ever seen in a decade of looking at this of how those algorithmic feeds have become radicalized. Like all you saw on every platform was the worst possible representations of every view. Right. Right. It was truly shocking and horrendous. Like people defending the murder and people calling for the murder of leftists and like on both sides. Right. people blaming Israel, people, whatever. Right. And that isn't a function of like- Aaron Charlie Kirk to Jesus. Sure. Like- It was bonkers all the way around. Totally bonkers, right? And that is a function of how those ecosystems are designed and the incentives within them. It's not a function of like there was journalism being produced about that. Like New York Times, citizens were doing good content about what was happening. It was like a moment of uncertainty and journalism was doing or playing a role, but it wasn't And so I think with all of these questions, including the online harms ones, and I think how we step into an AI governance conversation, the focus always has to be on those systems. I'm like, what is who and what and what are the incentives and the technical decisions being made that determine what we experience when we open these products? These are commercial products that we're choosing to consume. And when we open them, a whole host of business and design and technical decisions and human decisions shape the effect it has on us as people, the effect it has on our democracy, the vulnerabilities that exist in our democracy, the way foreign actors or hostile actors can take advantage of them, right? Like all of that stuff we've been talking about, the role reliability of information plays, like these algorithms could be tweaked for reliable versus unreliable content, right? Over time.Taylor13:12-13:15That's not a – instead of reactionary –Taylor Owen13:15-13:42Or like what's most – it gets most engagement or what makes you feel the most angry, which is largely what's driving X, for example, right now, right? You can torque all those things. Now, I don't think we want government telling companies how they have to torque it. But we can slightly tweak the incentives to get better content, more reliable content, less polarizing content, less hateful content, less harmful content, right? Those dials can be incentivized to be turned. And that's where the policy space should play, I think.Nate Erskine-Smith13:43-14:12And your focus on systems and assessing risks with systems. I think that's the right place to play. I mean, we've seen legislative efforts. You've got the three pieces in Canada. You've got online harms. You've got the privacy and very kind of vague initial foray into AI regs, which we can get to. And then a cybersecurity piece. And all of those ultimately died on the order paper. Yeah. We also had the journalistic protection policies, right, that the previous government did.Taylor Owen14:12-14:23I mean – Yeah, yeah, yeah. We can debate their merits. Yeah. But there was considerable effort put into backstopping the institutions of journalism by the – Well, they're twofold, right?Nate Erskine-Smith14:23-14:33There's the tax credit piece, sort of financial support. And then there was the Online News Act. Right. Which was trying to pull some dollars out of the platforms to pay for the news as well. Exactly.Taylor14:33-14:35So the sort of supply and demand side thing, right?Nate Erskine-Smith14:35-14:38There's the digital service tax, which is no longer a thing.Taylor Owen14:40-14:52Although it still is a piece of past legislation. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It still is a thing. Yeah, yeah. Until you guys decide whether to negate the thing you did last year or not, right? Yeah.Nate Erskine-Smith14:52-14:55I don't take full responsibility for that one.Taylor Owen14:55-14:56No, you shouldn't.Nate Erskine-Smith14:58-16:03But other countries have seen more success. Yeah. And so you've got in the UK, in Australia, the EU really has led the way. 2018, the EU passes GDPR, which is a privacy set of rules, which we are still behind seven years later. But you've got in 2022, 2023, you've got Digital Services Act that passes. You've got Digital Markets Act. And as I understand it, and we've had, you know, we've both been involved in international work on this. And we've heard from folks like Francis Hogan and others about the need for risk-based assessments. And you're well down the rabbit hole on this. But isn't it at a high level? You deploy a technology. You've got to identify material risks. You then have to take reasonable measures to mitigate those risks. That's effectively the duty of care built in. And then ideally, you've got the ability for third parties, either civil society or some public office that has the ability to audit whether you have adequately identified and disclosed material risks and whether you have taken reasonable steps to mitigate.Taylor Owen16:04-16:05That's like how I have it in my head.Nate Erskine-Smith16:05-16:06I mean, that's it.Taylor Owen16:08-16:14Write it down. Fill in the legislation. Well, I mean, that process happened. I know. That's right. I know.Nate Erskine-Smith16:14-16:25Exactly. Which people, I want to get to that because C63 gets us a large part of the way there. I think so. And yet has been sort of like cast aside.Taylor Owen16:25-17:39Exactly. Let's touch on that. But I do think what you described as the online harms piece of this governance agenda. When you look at what the EU has done, they have put in place the various building blocks for what a broad digital governance agenda might look like. Because the reality of this space, which we talked about last time, and it's the thing that's infuriating about digital policy, is that you can't do one thing. There's no – digital economy and our digital lives are so vast and the incentives and the effect they have on society is so broad that there's no one solution. So anyone who tells you fix privacy policy and you'll fix all the digital problems we just talked about are full of it. Anyone who says competition policy, like break up the companies, will solve all of these problems. is wrong, right? Anyone who says online harms policy, which we'll talk about, fixes everything is wrong. You have to do all of them. And Europe has, right? They updated their privacy policy. They've been to build a big online harms agenda. They updated their competition regime. And they're also doing some AI policy too, right? So like you need comprehensive approaches, which is not an easy thing to do, right? It means doing three big things all over.Nate Erskine-Smith17:39-17:41Especially minority parlance, short periods of time, legislatively.Taylor Owen17:41-18:20Different countries have taken different pieces of it. Now, on the online harms piece, which is what the previous government took really seriously, and I think it's worth putting a point on that, right, that when we talked last was the beginning of this process. After we spoke, there was a national expert panel. There were 20 consultations. There were four citizens' assemblies. There was a national commission, right? Like a lot of work went into looking at what every other country had done because this is a really wicked, difficult problem and trying to learn from what Europe, Australia and the UK had all done. And we kind of taking the benefit of being late, right? So they were all ahead of us.Taylor18:21-18:25People you work with on that grant committee. We're all quick and do our own consultations.Taylor Owen18:26-19:40Exactly. And like the model that was developed out of that, I think, was the best model of any of those countries. And it's now seen as internationally, interestingly, as the new sort of milestone that everybody else is building on, right? And what it does is it says if you're going to launch a digital product, right, like a consumer-facing product in Canada, you need to assess risk. And you need to assess risk on these broad categories of harms that we have decided as legislators we care about or you've decided as legislators you cared about, right? Child safety, child sexual abuse material, fomenting violence and extremist content, right? Like things that are like broad categories that we've said are we think are harmful to our democracy. All you have to do as a company is a broad assessment of what could go wrong with your product. If you find something could go wrong, so let's say, for example, let's use a tangible example. Let's say you are a social media platform and you are launching a product that's going to be used by kids and it allows adults to contact kids without parental consent or without kids opting into being a friend. What could go wrong with that?Nate Erskine-Smith19:40-19:40Yeah.Taylor19:40-19:43Like what could go wrong? Yeah, a lot could go wrong.Taylor Owen19:43-20:27And maybe strange men will approach teenage girls. Maybe, right? Like if you do a risk assessment, that is something you might find. You would then be obligated to mitigate that risk and show how you've mitigated it, right? Like you put in a policy in place to show how you're mitigating it. And then you have to share data about how these tools are used so that we can monitor, publics and researchers can monitor whether that mitigation strategy worked. That's it. In that case, that feature was launched by Instagram in Canada without any risk assessment, without any safety evaluation. And we know there was like a widespread problem of teenage girls being harassed by strange older men.Taylor20:28-20:29Incredibly creepy.Taylor Owen20:29-20:37A very easy, but not like a super illegal thing, not something that would be caught by the criminal code, but a harm we can all admit is a problem.Taylor20:37-20:41And this kind of mechanism would have just filtered out.Taylor Owen20:41-20:51Default settings, right? And doing thinking a bit before you launch a product in a country about what kind of broad risks might emerge when it's launched and being held accountable to do it for doing that.Nate Erskine-Smith20:52-21:05Yeah, I quite like the we I mean, maybe you've got a better read of this, but in the UK, California has pursued this. I was looking at recently, Elizabeth Denham is now the Jersey Information Commissioner or something like that.Taylor Owen21:05-21:06I know it's just yeah.Nate Erskine-Smith21:07-21:57I don't random. I don't know. But she is a Canadian, for those who don't know Elizabeth Denham. And she was the information commissioner in the UK. And she oversaw the implementation of the first age-appropriate design code. That always struck me as an incredibly useful approach. In that even outside of social media platforms, even outside of AI, take a product like Roblox, where tons of kids use it. And just forcing companies to ensure that the default settings are prioritizing child safety so that you don't put the onus on parents and kids to figure out each of these different games and platforms. In a previous world of consumer protection, offline, it would have been de facto. Of course we've prioritized consumer safety first and foremost. But in the online world, it's like an afterthought.Taylor Owen21:58-24:25Well, when you say consumer safety, it's worth like referring back to what we mean. Like a duty of care can seem like an obscure concept. But your lawyer is a real thing, right? Like you walk into a store. I walk into your office. I have an expectation that the bookshelves aren't going to fall off the wall and kill me, right? And you have to bolt them into the wall because of that, right? Like that is a duty of care that you have for me when I walk into your public space or private space. Like that's all we're talking about here. And the age-appropriate design code, yes, like sort of developed, implemented by a Canadian in the UK. And what it says, it also was embedded in the Online Harms Act, right? If we'd passed that last year, we would be implementing an age-appropriate design code as we speak, right? What that would say is any product that is likely to be used by a kid needs to do a set of additional things, not just these risk assessments, right? But we think like kids don't have the same rights as adults. We have different duties to protect kids as adults, right? So maybe they should do an extra set of things for their digital products. And it includes things like no behavioral targeting, no advertising, no data collection, no sexual adult content, right? Like kind of things that like – Seem obvious. And if you're now a child in the UK and you open – you go on a digital product, you are safer because you have an age-appropriate design code governing your experience online. Canadian kids don't have that because that bill didn't pass, right? So like there's consequences to this stuff. and I get really frustrated now when I see the conversation sort of pivoting to AI for example right like all we're supposed to care about is AI adoption and all the amazing things AI is going to do to transform our world which are probably real right like not discounting its power and just move on from all of these both problems and solutions that have been developed to a set of challenges that both still exist on social platforms like they haven't gone away people are still using these tools and the harms still exist and probably are applicable to this next set of technologies as well. So this moving on from what we've learned and the work that's been done is just to the people working in this space and like the wide stakeholders in this country who care about this stuff and working on it. It just, it feels like you say deja vu at the beginning and it is deja vu, but it's kind of worse, right? Cause it's like deja vu and then ignoring theTaylor24:25-24:29five years of work. Yeah, deja vu if we were doing it again. Right. We're not even, we're not evenTaylor Owen24:29-24:41Well, yeah. I mean, hopefully I actually am not, I'm actually optimistic, I would say that we will, because I actually think of if for a few reasons, like one, citizens want it, right? Like.Nate Erskine-Smith24:41-24:57Yeah, I was surprised on the, so you mentioned there that the rules that we design, the risk assessment framework really applied to social media could equally be applied to deliver AI safety and it could be applied to new technology in a useful way.Taylor Owen24:58-24:58Some elements of it. Exactly.Nate Erskine-Smith24:58-25:25I think AI safety is a broad bucket of things. So let's get to that a little bit because I want to pull the pieces together. So I had a constituent come in the office and he is really like super mad. He's super mad. Why is he mad? Does that happen very often? Do people be mad when they walk into this office? Not as often as you think, to be honest. Not as often as you think. And he's mad because he believes Mark Carney ripped him off.Taylor Owen25:25-25:25Okay.Nate Erskine-Smith25:25-26:36Okay. Yep. He believes Mark Carney ripped him off, not with broken promise in politics, not because he said one thing and is delivering something else, nothing to do with politics. He saw a video online, Mark Carney told him to invest money. He invested money and he's out the 200 bucks or whatever it was. And I was like, how could you possibly have lost money in this way? This is like, this was obviously a scam. Like what, how could you have been deceived? But then I go and I watched the video And it is, okay, I'm not gonna send the 200 bucks and I've grown up with the internet, but I can see how- Absolutely. In the same way, phone scams and Nigerian princes and all of that have their own success rate. I mean, this was a very believable video that was obviously AI generated. So we are going to see rampant fraud. If we aren't already, we are going to see many challenges with respect to AI safety. What over and above the risk assessment piece, what do we do to address these challenges?Taylor Owen26:37-27:04So that is a huge problem, right? Like the AI fraud, AI video fraud is a huge challenge. In the election, when we were monitoring the last election, by far the biggest problem or vulnerability of the election was a AI generated video campaign. that every day would take videos of Polyevs and Carney's speeches from the day before and generate, like morph them into conversations about investment strategies.Taylor27:05-27:07And it was driving people to a crypto scam.Taylor Owen27:08-27:11But it was torquing the political discourse.Taylor27:11-27:11That's what it must have been.Taylor Owen27:12-27:33I mean, there's other cases of this, but that's probably, and it was running rampant on particularly meta platforms. They were flagged. They did nothing about it. There were thousands of these videos circulating throughout the entire election, right? And it's not like the end of the world, right? Like nobody – but it torqued our political debate. It ripped off some people. And these kinds of scams are –Taylor27:33-27:38It's clearly illegal. It's clearly illegal. It probably breaks his election law too, misrepresenting a political figure, right?Taylor Owen27:38-27:54So I think there's probably an Elections Canada response to this that's needed. And it's fraud. And it's fraud, absolutely. So what do you do about that, right? And the head of the Canadian Banking Association said there's like billions of dollars in AI-based fraud in the Canadian economy right now. Right? So it's a big problem.Taylor27:54-27:55Yeah.Taylor Owen27:55-28:46I actually think there's like a very tangible policy solution. You put these consumer-facing AI products into the Online Harms Act framework, right? And then you add fraud and AI scams as a category of harm. And all of a sudden, if you're meta and you are operating in Canada during an election, you'd have to do a risk assessment on like AI fraud potential of your product. Responsibility for your platform. And then it starts to circulate. We would see it. They'd be called out on it. They'd have to take it down. And like that's that, right? Like so that we have mechanisms for dealing with this. But it does mean evolving what we worked on over the past five years, these like only harms risk assessment models and bringing in some of the consumer facing AI, both products and related harms into the framework.Nate Erskine-Smith28:47-30:18To put it a different way, I mean, so this is years ago now that we had this, you know, grand committee in the UK holding Facebook and others accountable. This really was creating the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. And the platforms at the time were really holding firm to this idea of Section 230 and avoiding host liability and saying, oh, we couldn't possibly be responsible for everything on our platform. And there was one problem with that argument, which is they completely acknowledged the need for them to take action when it came to child pornography. And so they said, yeah, well, you know, no liability for us. But of course, there can be liability on this one specific piece of content and we'll take action on this one specific piece of content. And it always struck me from there on out. I mean, there's no real intellectual consistency here. It's more just what should be in that category of things that they should take responsibility for. And obviously harmful content like that should be – that's an obvious first step but obvious for everyone. But there are other categories. Fraud is another one. When they're making so much money, when they are investing so much money in AI, when they're ignoring privacy protections and everything else throughout the years, I mean, we can't leave it up to them. And setting a clear set of rules to say this is what you're responsible for and expanding that responsibility seems to make a good amount of sense.Taylor Owen30:18-30:28It does, although I think those responsibilities need to be different for different kinds of harms. Because there are different speech implications and apocratic implications of sort of absolute solutions to different kinds of content.Taylor30:28-30:30So like child pornography is a great example.Taylor Owen30:30-31:44In the Online Harms Bill Act, for almost every type of content, it was that risk assessment model. But there was a carve out for child sexual abuse material. So including child pornography. And for intimate images and videos shared without consent. It said the platforms actually have a different obligation, and that's to take it down within 24 hours. And the reason you can do it with those two kinds of content is because if we, one, the AI is actually pretty good at spotting it. It might surprise you, but there's a lot of naked images on the internet that we can train AI with. So we're actually pretty good at using AI to pull this stuff down. But the bigger one is that we are, I think, as a society, it's okay to be wrong in the gray area of that speech, right? Like if something is like debatable, whether it's child pornography, I'm actually okay with us suppressing the speech of the person who sits in that gray area. Whereas for something like hate speech, it's a really different story, right? Like we do not want to suppress and over index for that gray area on hate speech because that's going to capture a lot of reasonable debate that we probably want.Nate Erskine-Smith31:44-31:55Yeah, I think soliciting investment via fraud probably falls more in line with the child pornography category where it's, you know, very obviously illegal.Taylor Owen31:55-32:02And that mechanism is like a takedown mechanism, right? Like if we see fraud, if we know it's fraud, then you take it down, right? Some of these other things we have to go with.Nate Erskine-Smith32:02-32:24I mean, my last question really is you pull the threads together. You've got these different pieces that were introduced in the past. And you've got a government that lots of similar folks around the table, but a new government and a new prime minister certainly with a vision for getting the most out of AI when it comes to our economy.Taylor32:24-32:25Absolutely.Nate Erskine-Smith32:25-33:04You have, for the first time in this country, an AI minister, a junior minister to industry, but still a specific title portfolio and with his own deputy minister and really wants to be seized with this. And in a way, I think that from every conversation I've had with him that wants to maximize productivity in this country using AI, but is also cognizant of the risks and wants to address AI safety. So where from here? You know, you've talked in the past about sort of a grander sort of tech accountability and sovereignty act. Do we do piecemeal, you know, a privacy bill here and an AI safety bill and an online harms bill and we have disparate pieces? What's the answer here?Taylor Owen33:05-34:14I mean, I don't have the exact answer. But I think there's some like, there's some lessons from the past that we can, this government could take. And one is piecemeal bills that aren't centrally coordinated or have no sort of connectivity between them end up with piecemeal solutions that are imperfect and like would benefit from some cohesiveness between them, right? So when the previous government released ADA, the AI Act, it was like really intention in some real ways with the online harms approach. So two different departments issuing two similar bills on two separate technologies, not really talking to each other as far as I can tell from the outside, right? So like we need a coordinating, coordinated, comprehensive effort to digital governance. Like that's point one and we've never had it in this country. And when I saw the announcement of an AI minister, my mind went first to that he or that office could be that role. Like you could – because AI is – it's cross-cutting, right? Like every department in our federal government touches AI in one way or another. And the governance of AI and the adoption on the other side of AI by society is going to affect every department and every bill we need.Nate Erskine-Smith34:14-34:35So if Evan pulled in the privacy pieces that would help us catch up to GDPR. Which it sounds like they will, right? Some version of C27 will probably come back. If he pulls in the online harms pieces that aren't related to the criminal code and drops those provisions, says, you know, Sean Frazier, you can deal with this if you like. But these are the pieces I'm holding on to.Taylor Owen34:35-34:37With a frame of consumer safety, right?Nate Erskine-Smith34:37-34:37Exactly.Taylor Owen34:38-34:39If he wants...Nate Erskine-Smith34:39-34:54Which is connected to privacy as well, right? Like these are all... So then you have thematically a bill that makes sense. And then you can pull in as well the AI safety piece. And then it becomes a consumer protection bill when it comes to living our lives online. Yeah.Taylor Owen34:54-36:06And I think there's an argument whether that should be one bill or whether it's multiple ones. I actually don't think it... I think there's cases for both, right? There's concern about big omnibus bills that do too many things and too many committees reviewing them and whatever. that's sort of a machinery of government question right but but the principle that these should be tied together in a narrative that the government is explicit about making and communicating to publics right that if if you we know that 85 percent of canadians want ai to be regulated what do they mean what they mean is at the same time as they're being told by our government by companies that they should be using and embracing this powerful technology in their lives they're also seeing some risks. They're seeing risks to their kids. They're being told their jobs might disappear and might take their... Why should I use this thing? When I'm seeing some harms, I don't see you guys doing anything about these harms. And I'm seeing some potential real downside for me personally and my family. So even in the adoption frame, I think thinking about data privacy, safety, consumer safety, I think to me, that's the real frame here. It's like citizen safety, consumer safety using these products. Yeah, politically, I just, I mean, that is what it is. It makes sense to me.Nate Erskine-Smith36:06-36:25Right, I agree. And really lean into child safety at the same time. Because like I've got a nine-year-old and a five-year-old. They are growing up with the internet. And I do not want to have to police every single platform that they use. I do not want to have to log in and go, these are the default settings on the parental controls.Taylor36:25-36:28I want to turn to government and go, do your damn job.Taylor Owen36:28-36:48Or just like make them slightly safer. I know these are going to be imperfect. I have a 12-year-old. He spends a lot of time on YouTube. I know that's going to always be a place with sort of content that I would prefer he doesn't see. But I would just like some basic safety standards on that thing. So he's not seeing the worst of the worst.Nate Erskine-Smith36:48-36:58And we should expect that. Certainly at YouTube with its promotion engine, the recommendation function is not actively promoting terrible content to your 12 year old.Taylor Owen36:59-37:31Yeah. That's like de minimis. Can we just torque this a little bit, right? So like maybe he's not seeing content about horrible content about Charlie Kirk when he's a 12 year old on YouTube, right? Like, can we just do something? And I think that's a reasonable expectation as a citizen. But it requires governance. That will not – and that's – it's worth putting a real emphasis on that is one thing we've learned in this moment of repeated deja vus going back 20 years really since our experience with social media for sure through to now is that these companies don't self-govern.Taylor37:31-37:31Right.Taylor Owen37:32-37:39Like we just – we know that indisputably. So to think that AI is going to be different is delusional. No, it'll be pseudo-profit, not the public interest.Taylor37:39-37:44Of course. Because that's what we are. These are the largest companies in the world. Yeah, exactly. And AI companies are even bigger than the last generation, right?Taylor Owen37:44-38:00We're creating something new with the scale of these companies. And to think that their commercial incentives and their broader long-term goals of around AI are not going to override these safety concerns is just naive in the nth degree.Nate Erskine-Smith38:00-38:38But I think you make the right point, and it's useful to close on this, that these goals of realizing the productivity possibilities and potentials of AI alongside AI safety, these are not mutually exclusive or oppositional goals. that it's you create a sandbox to play in and companies will be more successful. And if you have certainty in regulations, companies will be more successful. And if people feel safe using these tools and having certainly, you know, if I feel safe with my kids learning these tools growing up in their classrooms and everything else, you're going to adoption rates will soar. Absolutely. And then we'll benefit.Taylor Owen38:38-38:43They work in tandem, right? And I think you can't have one without the other fundamentally.Nate Erskine-Smith38:45-38:49Well, I hope I don't invite you back five years from now when we have the same conversation.Taylor Owen38:49-38:58Well, I hope you invite me back in five years, but I hope it's like thinking back on all the legislative successes of the previous five years. I mean, that'll be the moment.Taylor38:58-38:59Sounds good. Thanks, David. Thanks. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.uncommons.ca

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   Justin divides this episode into three segments. He first interviews Eddie Tettevi, Sandbox Mutual Insurance CRO and RIMS Canada Council Chair — DEI and Comms, about his risk career and his service on the RIMS Canada Council. In the second segment, Justin interviews Janiece Savien-Brown, Metro Vancouver, and Shaun Sinclair, BCIT, about the C2C Challenge and the winning student team. The third segment is a recording of "Intentional Mentorship," an improvised session from the DEI Studio, featuring Dionne Bowers, Co-Founder & Chair of the Canadian Association of Black Insurance Professionals (CABIP), Ray Chaaya, Head of talent for Zurich Canada, and Natalia Szubbocsev, Executive Vice President at Appraisals International Inc.   Listen to learn about some exciting events of the RIMS Canada Conference 2025.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. This episode was recorded live on September 15th, 16th, and 17th at the RIMS Canada Conference 2025, at the Telus Convention Center in Calgary. We had a blast! We will relive the glory of the RIMS Canada Conference in just a moment, but first: [:50] RIMS Virtual Workshops! RIMS has launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” It will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. [1:07] On November 11th and 12th, my good friend Chris Hansen will lead “Fundamentals of Insurance”. It features everything you've always wanted to know about insurance but were afraid to ask. Fear not; ask Chris Hansen! RIMS members enjoy deep discounts on virtual workshops! [1:26] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:37] Several RIMS Webinars are being hosted this Fall. On October 9th, Global Risk Consultants returns to deliver “Natural Hazards: A Data-Driven Guide to Improving Resilience and Risk Financing Outcomes”. [1:50] On October 16th, Zurich returns to deliver “Jury Dynamics: How Juries Shape Today's Legal Landscape”. On October 30th, Swiss Re will present “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times”. [2:07] On November 6th, Hub will present “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World”. Register at RIMS.org/Webinars. [2:20] On with the show! It was such a pleasure to attend the RIMS Canada Conference 2025 in Calgary. There's always electricity in the air at RIMS Canada, and I wanted to capture some of it!  [2:33] We've got two interviews, and then an improvised session I recorded at the DE&I Studio. The sound came out great, and I used it here with the panelists' permission. [2:49] We've got excellent education and insight for you today on RIMScast! My first guest is Eddie Tettevi. He is the Chief Risk Officer at Sandbox Mutual. He's a very active member of the Saskatchewan RIMS Chapter and a member of the RIMS Canada Council. [3:11] We're going to talk about his risk management career, his RIMS involvement, and how his insights from one of his RIMS DE&I sessions led to this discussion. [3:24] First Interview! Eddie Tettevi, welcome to RIMScast! [3:38] Eddie is the Chief Risk and Compliance Officer at Sandbox Mutual Insurance. He's also the Corporate Secretary, which means he helps the organization navigate strategic initiatives within the boundaries of risk appetite and regulatory compliance. [4:12] Eddie has been at Sandbox for approximately two years. When he joined the company, Sandbox was going through a period of rapid growth and taking the right risks. That was something Eddie looked forward to being involved in. [4:54] The CRO role was not an independent role at Sandbox before Eddie started. It was held by the Chief Financial Officer. The CCO role was held by HR. The Corporate Secretary role was held by the CEO. Eddie fills the three roles in his new position. His background fits all three roles. [6:06] Eddie normally leads a risk group of three. Eddie was previously in cyber for 13 or 14 years. His background is in electrical engineering and computer science. He helped organizations secure their software and network. [7:02] Eddie doesn't think risk management is any different. He's helping organizations make the right decisions. The difference is that the portfolio is much larger. Cybersecurity is one aspect of Eddie's risk management work. [7:33] Eddie says cyber attacks are growing. Individuals who may not be skilled are using AI tools to perpetrate cyber attacks. The attacks are increasing exponentially in skill and sophistication. [8:09] Eddie co-hosted a session in the DE&I Studio with Aaron Lukoni and Tara Lessard-Webb, focused on understanding how mental health plays a part in risk management and how organizations should think about mental health as part of a risk management framework. [8:31] The session was “Building Resilient Workplaces, the Role of Mental Health in Risk Management.” In it, Eddie revealed he is skilled in multiple languages, but an expert in none, including English. He grew up with influences from English, French, Malay, and Creole Patois. [9:38] Eddie loves learning about new cultures. That has influenced his accent. In every language he speaks, he has an accent, which makes it interesting. He has worked in French and English organizations. He learns languages in six months. He picks them up quickly. [10:50] Eddie, Aaron, and Tara emphasized making sure we are thinking about and embedding mental health in our risk framework. [11:02] When designing any strategies and initiatives, risk professionals should consider what's happening in the organization. An organization going through a lot of change is already a stressed organization. You have to consider that as you introduce more change. [11:40] Eddie says the award-winning Saskatchewan RIMS Chapter is exciting. It's great to work with people who are interested, dedicated, and committed. He says the chapter is doing some incredible things, such as introducing risk courses into the universities in the province.  [12:15] Eddie was a RIMS member before joining Sandbox. You can be a RIMS member without joining a chapter. Moving to Saskatoon created the opportunity for Eddie to join the Saskatchewan RIMS Chapter, which he had been looking forward to, to connect with people. [12:36] Justin gives shoutouts to various Saskatchewan Chapter members. [13:03] Eddie serves on the RIMS Canada Council as Chair of the Communications, External Affairs, and DEI Committee. [13:22] The committee is responsible for making sure that all RIMS communications have a DEI lens and advocate for the risk community, partnering with other advocacy groups around Canada. [13:52] Justin says it's been such a pleasure to meet you and hang out with you! I look forward to seeing you at more RIMS Canada and RIMS events. [14:02] Our next guests organized the 2025 C2C Coast to Coast Challenge. This is a competition for risk management students based in Canada. We'll learn about the case studies and what it took to produce their presentations, and also have a chance to acknowledge the winners. [14:19] We will hear from Shaun Sinclair, the Program Head of General Insurance and the Risk Management Program at British Columbia Institute of Technology, and Janiece Savien-Brown, the Manager for Risk and Claims Management at Metro Vancouver. [14:35] We're going to learn about their various roles, as well. Let's get to it! [14:39] Second Interview! Shaun Sinclair and Janiece Savien-Brown, welcome to RIMScast!  [14:47] Janiece Savien-Brown is the Manager of Risk and Claims Services with Metro Vancouver by day. She has been involved with BCRIMA for 17 or 18 years. BCRIMA started the Coast 2 Coast Legacy Challenge three years ago. Last year was its first year in Vancouver. [15:07] Shaun Sinclair is the Program Head of the General Insurance and Risk Management Program at BCIT, an institute of technology in Vancouver and Burnaby, B.C. [15:17] They teach students insurance and risk management courses. Students graduate with a CRM and a Chartered Insurance Professional designation. [15:26] Shaun is also the President of BCRIMA this year. He has been a BCRIMA member for a long time. This C2C Legacy Challenge was awesome for Shaun because two teams from BCIT got into the finals. Shaun had to recuse himself.  [15:51] Janiece says the RIMS Canada Conference 2025 was fantastic! Shaun was there with seven students, and it was awesome to see what they were learning. The students told Shaun they loved everything about it. [16:45] The two finalist teams were The Deductibles and Insure and Conquer. This year's submissions were highly creative and impactful. [17:10] Shaun has been involved in Risk Management Challenges for years and has been to the nationals several times with groups. Shaun stays pretty hands-off. The students get the challenge, and Shaun discusses it with them. He figures out what they need from him to do it. [17:42] In this case, a root cause analysis wasn't needed. They learned how to do a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), a heat map, and gather general knowledge. Then he let them go. They came up with the 10-page report. He didn't watch their presentation until they went live. [18:14] Their champion for the challenge was Ken Letander. The challenge was a procurement question. If your organization's ownership is 51% Indigenous, and you keep your staff 33% Indigenous, money comes your way for contracts. [18:48] When the contract is over and it's time to get the money, but the organization refuses to give that information, how do you make sure they have the 33% Indigenous staff and 51% Indigenous ownership? Do you need pictures, or can you use Elders to say it's enough? [19:12] The students had to read a lot about risk and the rules and regulations regarding this question. They had to read the Canadian government's language on what the rules are. It was an interesting case. [19:38] Janiece didn't envy them at all. The students came up with some solutions for Ken Letander, and he was thrilled with what came from all of the reports. [20:33] Janiece says the presentations were phenomenal from both teams, as well as the written submissions. The collaboration came through and showed they owned the essence of the project. You could see the desire of the top team to make it work. [21:12] Shaun says the cases used in C2C are pretty much real cases. Janiece says last year's case competition had to come up with an equitable access tool to use in the system. After Janiece had surgery, she was given a survey, and she recognized it from the case study. [22:26] Justin says it's great that the students collaborate. You need teamwork. [22:54] Shaun says you hear a lot about isolation. He says BCIT is sometimes called “Being Crammed Into Teams.” Shaun and the other teachers assign projects where students are forced to work with at least three or four people. [23:13] After two years of group projects, collaboration is relatively easy. Shaun also makes the students hand-write their exams. They learn how to think through a problem and put it down on paper. Afterward, they go outside and talk about what they did. [24:52] Shaun's advice to academics and students entering a C2C challenge is to follow the rules. If they say 8-point font, 10-page maximum, don't send 14 pages. The instructor should help students understand the material and then step back. Let the students do it. It's on them. [25:42] Janiece says it is key to engage at the conference. While the Challenge is the key feature, the experience at the RIMS Canada Conference is a large part of it. Be present. Don't be on your phones the whole time. Attend sessions. Come to the events, have fun, and network. [26:07] Janiece was at an event, and five people came up to her and asked if she had brought the BCIT students (Shaun had). [26:22] People were absolutely amazed at how engaging the students were, willing to put themselves out there, and setting meetings with people in BC for opportunities when they come back. That's part of the experience. [26:40] Shaun points out that a couple of the students are quite shy and have come out of their shells because they've had to talk to people. The more you do it, the better you get at it. [27:01] Janiece reports that at one of the events, the students who were in Vancouver from Calgary came out and met with her students. RIMS, RIMS Canada, and the local chapter promote engagement. [27:31] The 2025 C2C Challenge Calgary winner is The Deductibles, 1.95 points ahead of Insure and Conquer. Insure and Conquer did an awesome job as well. [28:11] The Deductibles team is: Rabia Thind, Triston Nelson, and Ryan Qiu. [28:32] Parting advice for risk students as they step into their careers: Shaun says, if you're going to be an accountant or finance student, think about insurance risk management. Amazing career opportunities in fields that cover everything are all within your grasp. Put it on your radar. [29:26] Janiece says she is living proof of that. She was going to be an accountant. After a car accident, she switched to insurance and risk. It's a lifestyle. She has gained many friends, colleagues, and mentors. She started as an adjustor and after 31 years, she's still in the industry. [29:54] Shaun says you can swap jobs from broker to underwriter, to claims, to risk manager, to education, and not start again at the bottom. It's an amazing career. [30:26] Justin says Thank you so much, it's been such a pleasure to reconnect with you here at the Telus Convention Center in Calgary, for RIMS Canada Conference 2025. Shaun and Janiece are already thinking about the C2C Challenge in 2026. We'll see you there! [30:51] As I said at the top, we're going to close things out with an improvised session called “Intentional Mentorship,” which was produced at the DE&I Studio. [31:19] Improvised Session, “Intentional Mentorship,” at the DE&I Studio! With the insights of Dionne Bowers, the Cofounder and Chair of CABIP, Ray Chaaya, the Head of Talent at Zurich Canada, and Natalia Szubbocsev of Appraisals, International. Please enjoy! [31:40] Natalia Szubbocsev introduces the panel. Natalia is the Executive Vice President at Appraisals, International, an insurance appraisal company, global but small, with a diverse, inclusive team. Natalia has been a mentee and a mentor and is glad to contribute her insights. [32:38] Dionne Bowers is the Co-founder and Chair of the Canadian Association of Black Insurance Professionals, a nonprofit organization, and has recently joined Markel Canada as one of their business development Colleagues. [32:57] Ray Chaaya is head of talent for Zurich Canada. Ray oversees talent acquisition, talent development, and talent management, as well as the culture portfolio for the company, DEIB, and community impact. [33:15] Natalia asks What does mentorship, particularly inclusive or intentional mentorship, mean for you? Dionne says that it is a strong commitment by both the mentor and the mentee to work together for growth opportunities. [33:38] Intentional mentorship is the dedication that each party has to bring to the table, and fulfilling any sort of mandates that have been asked by both. Depending on the program, it's making sure that everyone is on the same page in terms of what they want from each other. [34:04] Ray agrees with Dionne. There has to be a mutual benefit. Ray has been a mentee and a mentor, and finds that the most valuable mentorship relationships are where the mentor and the mentee walk away feeling like they're learning something every day, having a conversation. [34:30] Ray says it's a two-way street and a relationship that can often last for years, because it is a relationship where the value is long-term. Ray talks to young people, and they ask, You're my mentor, what do I do? It doesn't work that way. It's a long-term investment. [34:56] Natalia says that traditional mentorship, besides being one of the best ways of professional development, is also to transfer knowledge from someone who has the experience to someone junior in his or her role. What other purpose does mentorship serve? [35:19] Dionne says it's also recognizing that it's an opportunity for learning from one another. A mentor is a seasoned insurance professional who is working with someone who is a new entrant to the industry. [35:37] It's recognizing that a mentor and a mentee are learning from each other. Strength in development is making sure that you are taking away something from each other, each time you meet, connecting and learning trends and thoughts, and diversity of thought. [36:10] Dionne asks, How can we do things differently? She has learned a lot from young people. Dionne thought she was cool, but apparently, she's not. And she's just taking away a lot of that into her own world, professionally and personally. [36:23] Natalia says her experiences are not just intergenerational, but in Canada and beyond, intercultural. She says what needs to be respected and adapted to, both by the mentor and the mentee, is that you're coming from different backgrounds. [36:45] In a global setting, that will affect communication, that will affect the thought processes, that will affect everything; the way we do things. Because Natalia leads a global team, she has to be adaptable, sensible, and respectful of the cultural nuances. [37:07] At the same time, she asks her mentees or team to do the same for her, because she comes from a very specific background. She has an Eastern European background. It doesn't matter that she's lived in Canada for 25 years. [37:25] Her background defines the way she communicates, thinks, and handles things. Every culture communicates differently. That's an overall mutual understanding, knowing that we all come from different backgrounds. [37:47] Dionne says there has to be a willingness to learn. There's no point in having a mentor-mentee relationship where it's just going to be closed off, and this is what we're going to talk about. There has to be a willingness to learn. [38:07] Ray says there's a learning agility piece. You have to be flexible in how the relationship is going to go. Every mentorship relationship is different, too. There are no steps on how to be a good mentor or a good mentee. [38:25] It's the chemistry between the two, the value that you bring to each other, and the conversations. The maturity of a mentorship can also go into sponsorship. [38:37] When Ray has a conversation with somebody, and they get to know each other, and feel what they want to get out of this, he can be a voice for that person. It goes back to the conversation of lifting others when you can. [38:54] When Ray thinks back to his mentors who stick out in his mind. He has a lot of respect for them. They are the people who spoke about him when he was not in the room, and had his back in that room when he was not there. [39:15] Those are the people, as Ray matures in his career, he doesn't know that he would be here today if it weren't for those mentors. And that is what he hopes he can bring to somebody else as a mentor. [39:29] Natalia says, in a global setting where she works, boosting confidence is very important. In a multicultural global setting, it's important to encourage someone in a different country, who communicates differently, that it doesn't matter, they can do it. [39:50] We are working on a common goal. That's part of the sponsorship/mentorship/training. [40:08] Ray says you have to be honest as a mentor. The toughest times for Ray were when he realized he was trying to make this work for a person, but to be honest with himself, as a mentor, he should be encouraging this person to look somewhere else, at what their passions are. [40:33] He went into it thinking he wanted this person to be the best they could be at this job. And he realized that's not his job as a mentor. [40:43] His job is to understand what they want out of their career, where they bring value, where their passion is, and guide them to make sure that they ultimately are happy with their career, and they're bringing value to society, and they're contributing to the community. [41:06] One specific person Ray was mentoring, he was desperate to fit them into the insurance industry, because that's how he was programmed. He was thinking, Why is this not working? And he realized it's not working because they don't want to do this. [41:25] And as a mentor, Ray's job now is to say, What do you want to do, and let's help you get there. And when he made that mind shift, it just clicked. That was a little bit of a learning opportunity. Now he's a better mentor for learning that. [41:42] Dionne agrees with that. She had one mentor who told her, If you plan to give back as a mentor, don't have any expectations, or you're setting yourself up for failure. [42:05] A lot of mentors have a similar approach, because we don't know. We want it so badly. We want to be able to say, I did that. I helped them get to wherever. If you have a mentee who is not in the mindset, and you're not sure that this is for them, have that conversation. [42:38] It's important to recognize that you're going to impact their lives differently. Even though you have that mentor-mentee relationship, you may be asking them to reconsider dipping their foot into the industry. [42:55] Natalia says not making assumptions about the other person and having that curiosity, openness, and mutual communication is very important. [43:05] How do you build in mentorship or inclusive or intentional mentorship into your organization? Ray says mentorship programs should be part of any industry, any corporation, or any organization. If you expect people to learn and grow, they need mentors. [43:30] Ray says Zurich has baked in mentorship programs into a lot of its development programs. Your development means you get a mentor, and you learn from that mentor. They bake it into the development strategy that's already there, and don't make it an off-site thing. [43:57] It shouldn't be another thing; it should just be part of your growth and development. And so, whenever they can bake it in, that's what Zurich does. [44:04] Zurich also has amazing employee resource groups that champion a lot of its programs, and the Zurich African and Caribbean Alliance, ZACA, which has worked with KBIP, is a massive champion of its mentorship program. [44:19] Just two or three months ago, Zurich held a mentorship day and increased the mentors on its mentorship platform by 48%. It was just another thing that was out there that nobody was talking about, and another thing people had to sign up for. [44:39] Zurich's employee resource group put a spotlight on it, and they showed the value, and they made it part of the ERG's culture to participate in mentorship. Then all of those ERG participants signed up to be mentors, and now are actively mentoring. [45:00] You really need to look at it from a strategy perspective. It can't just be an extracurricular activity that you add on. [45:08] Dionne agrees. KBIP works with organizations like Zurich, and with the ZACA program and the team, but also does the work for organizations that are not there yet or not willing to put the extra effort in to embed it into the DNA of the organization. [45:33] Part of KBIP's mandate is to create a mentorship program specific to Black insurance professionals. It doesn't matter where you're from, international or domestic student, or anyone who wants to be part of the organization and get extra support to build on their career trajectory. [46:02] What do mentors get out of mentorship? Dionne says as a mentor, she gets satisfaction from seeing someone excel, not necessarily from start to finish. You could be at the tail end of their journey, you could be at the beginning, or you could be in the middle. [46:36] If there is a desired outcome for both parties, and there's success, when someone calls you or texts you and says, You know what, I got that job, or I was recognized for doing XYZ, that is satisfaction. That is success. [47:00] Ray says his passion is helping people grow and develop. He started his HR career in learning and development, because he used to be intrinsically rewarded when he saw somebody learn something he taught them, or he trained them on. That felt like a superpower. [47:21] When Ray can do that with the programs Zurich runs, and he interviews people and watches their growth, and they are so grateful; to Ray, that is worth it all. You don't even have to pay him for that. He will volunteer and do that his entire life because of what he gets out of it. [47:47] Natalia agrees. There are obvious advantages from an organizational point of view, but from an individual point of view, Natalia feels that she has arrived at a point where there's no ego anymore. She wants to transfer her knowledge to someone. [48:04] Natalia wants to tell someone that they can do it. Because she did it, they can do it as well. And that's a very important aspect of mentorship. [48:15] How do you make mentorship intentional and inclusive? Ray says it means they have to see the value. It has to be part of the business strategy. Anything that is not intentional, people think, Why do I have to do this, on top of everything else that I need to do? [48:36] The second we are making it intentional, it has to make sense. This is why I'm doing this, because it's going to benefit me, it's going to benefit the company, and it's going to benefit the people I'm impacting. [48:47] They have to see the strategic business value, and with mentorship, it's easy. Because there's massive value for the organization, there is a massive competitive edge if you're doing it properly, and there is massive learning and development for your workforce. [49:05] You just need to sit down with professionals like KBIP, with people who have thought through it, and understand how to help you bake it into the strategy. Just do the work. Anything intentional has to make sense. If it does not make sense, it can't really be that intentional. [49:28] Dionne says that in every organization, when you are constructing your missions and your value statements, it's sitting down as an executive team, and asking, How can we execute on this? What does that mean? Mentorship is something that bleeds into your brand. [49:57] The brand recognition from a competitive edge standpoint is huge. Dionne says she can walk into a school for outreach programs and say, Zurich is a market of choice. You would want to work with Zurich because of this, this, and this. [50:14] If you can tell them that they're going to be supported along the way with their career, that's added value. That is something that will definitely differentiate Zurich in the marketplace. [50:26] Dionne adds that being intentional is huge because when you are not, people can see right through that. That is where you create toxic cultures. [50:39] It's not in a company's best interest to ignore the opportunities that stem from mentorship programs. [50:47] Natalia says she's not an HR professional, but she imagines that mentorship has a great role in not just attracting the right talent, but in retention as well. [50:58] Ray affirms, 100%. It's part of your growth and development. Sure, you can use it as a competitive edge to attract people, but if you're not doing it right, then they're not going to develop and grow, and that competitive edge is really just smoke and mirrors. It's not real. [51:15] So, if you're going to do it right, you have to develop people and grow people through your mentorship programs, and you have to show the results for it. [51:26] Dionne adds, That speaks to the inclusivity part of diversity, equity, and inclusion. If you can build a strategy that equates to inclusion, it equates to retention. It's not rocket science.  [51:49] Ray says Zurich is really good at that. [51:52] Final thoughts on intentional mentorship. Dionne says, “Just do it. I'm a Nike gal. Just do it.” [51:59] Ray says, “I wouldn't be where I am in my career if it weren't for my mentors and my sponsors. And so, if you see potential, mentor the heck out of that potential, because they will thrive.” [52:15] Dionne says, “And acknowledge it. I think that's a big part of that strategy.” [52:21] Natalia thanks Ray, Dionne, and the RIMS DE&I Studio for picking up this topic, a very important topic, and she hopes you enjoyed the session. [52:38] Justin says special thanks again to all of our guests here at the RIMS Canada Conference 2025. Be sure to mark your calendars for October 18th through the 21st, 2026, for RIMS Canada, which will be held in Quebec City. [52:55] Shout out to the RIMS Canada Council for producing another fantastic conference and to the RIMS Events Team and all my RIMS colleagues who worked tirelessly to make the last three days so smooth. It's such a pleasure to work with you all. I look forward to seeing you next year. [53:14] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [53:43] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [54:02] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [54:19] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [54:35] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [54:50] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [55:02] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: From RIMS Canada: “RIMS Ontario Chapter Honours Bombardier's Daniel Desjardins with the 2025 Donald M. Stuart Award” RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov. 17‒18 Spencer Internship Program — Registration Open Through Oct. 15. RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration through Sept 30! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Next bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMSCanadaConference.ca RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Natural Hazards: A Data-Driven Guide to Improving Resilience and Risk Financing Outcomes” | Oct. 9 | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants “Jury Dynamics: How Juries Shape Today's Legal Landscape” | Oct. 16, 2025 | Sponsored by Zurich “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times” | Oct. 30, 2025 | Sponsored by Swiss Re “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World” | Nov. 6 | Sponsored by Hub   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — November 11‒12 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule Risk Appetite Management | Oct 22‒23 | Instructor: Ken Baker “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Nov. 4‒5 | Instructor: Elise Farnham “Fundamentals of Insurance” | Nov. 11‒12 | Instructor: Chris Hansen “Leveraging Data and Analytics for Continuous Risk Management (Part I)” | Dec 4. See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes with 2025 RIMS Canada keynotes: “Distilling Risk and Resilience with Manjit K. Minhas” “On Resilience with Amanda Lindhout” “Thoughts and IDEAs on Inclusivity with Michael Bach”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guests: Eddie Tettevi, Sandbox Mutual Insurance CRO RIMS Canada Council Chair — DEI and Comms Janiece Savien-Brown, Metro Vancouver Shaun Sinclair, BCIT "Intentional Mentorship" improvised session from the DE&I Studio, featuring: Dionne Bowers, Co-Founder & Chair of the Canadian Association of Black Insurance Professionals (CABIP); Ray Chaaya, Head of talent for Zurich Canada; Natalia Szubbocsev, Executive Vice President at Appraisals International Inc.    Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Making her third appearance on the Podcast is Heather McDougall. Sommelier, Wine Educator, Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) Board Member, Wine cellar management …. Trust me I'm leaving off several of her other jobs. Always a fun and educational interview.

Stephen Collette, BBEC, BBNC, LEED AP, CAHP, BSS is a Certified Building Biology Environmental Consultant, Building Biology New Build Consultant, and retired owner of Your Healthy House, living in of Lakefield, ON, Canada. Stephen is a retired straw bale builder, having worked on two dozen straw bale structures across Ontario and Quebec. Stephen has an engineering background and became passionate about healthy housing when his family became ill due to exposure to mould. Stephen carried out a few thousand indoor environmental inspections on houses and other buildings to determine health impactors based on building science and environmental health concerns. Stephen Collette is also the Building Audit Manager for Faith & the Common Good. Stephen created the Green Audit after seeing an opportunity to improve the connections between faith, buildings, and the existing passion of people to want to do the right thing within their faith community. The Green Audit has been delivered to hundreds of faith communities across Canada to rave reviews. Recently, Stephen has expanded the audits available to faith communities and heritage properties to include climate disaster preparedness audit.Stephen is a LEED AP (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional) from Canada Green Building Council. Stephen has a Building Science Certificate from the University of Toronto and is a certified Building Science Specialist. He is a professional member of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals. As a consultant Stephen helps people make more environmentally sustainable building choices. Stephen is a published author who writes and lectures across North America on sustainable buildings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode Summary  IF YOU TELL SOMEONE, IT DOESN'T COUNT If you tell someone, it doesn't count. That has always been my philosophy about acts of kindness. When you do something good, mentioning it to others makes it about your ego rather than the genuine desire to help. So, you're not supposed to tell anybody. That's why recording this today feels so bizarre; it goes against what I stand for. We're not supposed to talk about philanthropy. I didn't even want to share this news. But a friend who nominated me shared a perspective that changed my mind. She said, "If what you do inspires others to do the same, then it has an even bigger impact." That, combined with the opportunity to give visibility to the organizations I support, convinced me to record this. So here it is. Listen to Podcast to find out about it.    About the Host: Certified Speaking Professional CSP®, Recipient of the Top Executive Coach Award in 2025, the Most Empowering Confidence Coach in North America in 2023, Philanthropist of the Year in 2024 and 2021 Canadian Presenter of the Year, Nathalie Plamondon-Thomas is a Confidence Expert. She is the author of 18 books, including 12 no.1 bestsellers and a book co-written with Kevin Harrington from the Shark Tank, endorsed by Tony Robbins. She is the Founder and CEO of the THINK Yourself® ACADEMY, offering keynotes and trainings, leading-edge online courses, laser-focus business strategy and one-on-one transformation coaching.   Along the past two decades, she has inspired over 100,000 audience members and empowered thousands of clients internationally to get rid of their negative self-talk. She combines over 10 years of experience in human resources, 25 years of experience in sales and over 30 years of distinguished service in the fitness industry. She is Vice-President on the national board of directors of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and received the 2022 and 2023 President's Award.   Links: nathalie@thinkyourself.com Web: www.thinkyourself.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkYourselfAcademy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaliept/ Instagram: @nathaliepthinkyourself   Book your FREE 15-min Virtual Coffee: www.thinkyourself.com/schedule   Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.          

Our guest today, Clifford Myers is a 16-year stand-up comedy veteran, Founder of The Other Comedy Company, and President of The Canadian Association of Stand-up, Sketch and Improv Comedians (CASC).Clifford uses his unique position at the intersection of comedy, education and advocacy to speak on ADHD, humor and creativity as complex human traits, the importance of communal learning, emotional-drivers, adversity, authenticity and self-acceptance. Today we learn about how he harneses his ADHD to propel his comedic career- Enjoy! Introducing and welcome Clifford Myers So, were you diagnosed at school or did it happen years later? Tell me how the comedy started. I'm assuming it was that rush of you come off the stage, you're like, hs! When you first started versus now are people more open about their neurodiversity that you seeing Talk about how you use comedy outside of doing stand-up, outside of comedy, just on a regular basis to improve your life. How does ADHD or neurodiversity help you on stage? How can we find your great work!?  17:22 - Thank you for being here!! Give us a shout anytime! https://linktr.ee/petershankman Email: peter@shankman.com Podcast: Faster Than Normal Do you know anyone who is doing wonderful things with #ADHD or their neurodivergent brain? We would love to have them on to learn how they are using their #neurodiversity to their advantage. Shoot me an email and we will get them booked! My link tree is here if you're looking for something specific. https://linktr.ee/petershankman

Draw the Line isn't just a cross-country day of action on September 20th, 2025; activists involved have been building the structure and finding a basis of unity to bring together the movements in Canada who are all fighting the same thing - Capital.Three organizers from Draw the Line join the studio to talk about the work that went into connecting groups big and small, and finding enough common ground to build around something bigger. Hear about their five key demands, how they plan on turning this mobilization into sustainable mass organizing and what it means to "grow globally while acting locally".Guests:Willo Prince, Indigenous Climate ActionKaren Cocq, Exec Director, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change; and,Nathan Prier, President Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE).Hosted by: Jessa McLeanCall to Action: Host Your Own Action for September 20thRelated Episodes: Justice for Migrant Workers (Sept. 2023), a discussion on the conditions migrant workers face and the demands the movement is making to better protect them; and, Leftist Alliances and Power Struggles: A History Lesson (Apr. 2023), a history lesson on Labour politics and alliances with Prof. James Naylor.More Resources: Kwame Ture - Organisation vs Mobilisation — ITS-IN-SCOPEFirst Nations react to Carney's Bill C-5 | The NarwhalChrétien-Era Austerity Levels May Soon Return Under Carney - The Maple Bill C-2 Gives Government Sweeping New Powers over Immigration - The Grind MagazineLatest Press Release from Draw the Line CampaignOur podcast is also available on Our Substack, along with articles and more resources for the movements.All of our content is free - made...

This week, we continue our conversation about the evolving landscape of education in Canada—this time, in post-secondary education.  Labour reporter Gabriela Calugay-Casuga sits down with David Robinson, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, to discuss the importance of academic freedom and why a strong, well-funded public post-secondary system is essential—not just for Canada's economy, but for the well-being of its society as a whole. About our guest  David Robinson is the executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) and has served as a senior consultant on higher education, copyright and international trade issues to EI for the past several years. Prior to joining CAUT, David was the senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Canada's leading progressive think-tank. He has also been a lecturer at Simon Fraser University and at Carleton University.  If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca. 

In 1973, three young lawyers founded Heenan Blaikie in Montreal, which grew to be a prominent Canadian law firm with notable members, including former political leaders. Despite its close-knit atmosphere, the firm faced significant internal issues, leading to its collapse in 2014. Adam Dodek, an impartial observer, examines the firm's rise and fall, highlighting its unique culture alongside underlying problems like workplace bullying, challenges for women and minorities, and sexual harassment. The narrative is contextualized within broader societal changes, including economic shifts and crises. Dodek's thorough investigation serves as an essential read for legal professionals and those interested in the dynamics of corporate failure. Adam Dodek is a professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa. Among his numerous publications are In Search of the Ethical Lawyer; The Canadian Constitution, Third Edition, named by the Hill Times as one of the top 100 books on Canadian public policy; and Solicitor-Client Privilege, which won the Walter Owen Book Prize. He is a recipient of the Canadian Association of Law Teachers Prize for Academic Excellence, the Mundell Medal for excellence in legal writing, and the Law Society of Ontario's Law Society Medal. He is also a director of the Canadian Association for Legal Ethics and the Canadian Legal Information Institute, and a past governor of the Law Commission of Ontario. Image Credit: UBC Press If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society's mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada's past.

Greetings, and welcome back to the podcast. This episode we are joined by Mr. Michael Culbert - board member of ARC Resources & TC Energy. Mr. Culbert has 35 years of experience in the North American energy industry with expertise in operations, development, finance, marketing, regulatory and business development. Previously, he co-founded Progress Energy where he held the positions of President and Chief Executive Officer, and ultimately Vice Chairman of PETRONAS Energy Canada Ltd. until 2020. Mr. Culbert was also an integral member of the PETRONAS LNG team while serving as the President of the Pacific NorthWest LNG from 2013 to 2016. He has also previously served on a number of other private and public energy company boards. Mr. Culbert is a past member of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers Board of Governors. In 2019, Mr. Culbert was awarded the Distinguished Business Leader – Recognizing Ethical Leadership from the University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Culbert holds a Bachelor of Science Business Administration Degree from Emmanuel College in Boston, Massachusetts. Among other things we learned about The Home Oil Days & Building Canadian LNG in 2025.Thank you to our sponsors.Without their support this episode would not be possible:Connate Water SolutionsATB Capital MarketsEPACAstro Rentals JSGCanadian Gas AssociationSupport the show

HOW TO STOP MAKING MISTAKES Why do we keep making the same mistakes repeatedly? And more importantly, how do we stop making mistakes altogether? Listen to Podcast to find out about it.     About the Host: Certified Speaking Professional CSP®, Recipient of the Top Executive Coach Award in 2025, the Most Empowering Confidence Coach in North America in 2023, Philanthropist of the Year in 2024 and 2021 Canadian Presenter of the Year, Nathalie Plamondon-Thomas is a Confidence Expert. She is the author of 18 books, including 12 no.1 bestsellers and a book co-written with Kevin Harrington from the Shark Tank, endorsed by Tony Robbins. She is the Founder and CEO of the THINK Yourself® ACADEMY, offering keynotes and trainings, leading-edge online courses, laser-focus business strategy and one-on-one transformation coaching.   Along the past two decades, she has inspired over 100,000 audience members and empowered thousands of clients internationally to get rid of their negative self-talk. She combines over 10 years of experience in human resources, 25 years of experience in sales and over 30 years of distinguished service in the fitness industry. She is Vice-President on the national board of directors of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and received the 2022 and 2023 President's Award.   Links: nathalie@thinkyourself.com Web: www.thinkyourself.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkYourselfAcademy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaliept/ Instagram: @nathaliepthinkyourself   Book your FREE 15-min Virtual Coffee: www.thinkyourself.com/schedule   Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.

According to numbers from the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, the number of volunteer firefighters have been reduced by over 2,000 since 2022. The chief of the Greenfield and District Volunteer Fire Department, Moyal Conrad, spoke with our colleague Meig Campbell about this.

The World Health Organization and the World Meteorological Organization say "urgent action" is needed to protect workers from heat stress in a warming world. As B.C. continues to navigate more extreme heat in the coming days, advocates are raising awareness about working conditions in hot weather. Dr. Melissa Lem, a family physician and president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, joins the show to discuss heat stress and how to best protect workers.

THE SIX THINGS TO CONSIDER IN ORDER TO SUCCEED AT ANYTHING IN LIFE I realize that a lot of you have been following me for a long time and some of you just joined me. I sometimes assume that you all know the bases of the D.N.A. System that I spent the last 15 years creating as I was studying neurosciences and that is at the base of my 12 International No.1 Bestsellers. Here is a refresher. It is an excerpt of a conference I gave on the subject to a group of fitness professionals. The system however can be applied to any domain. Listen to Podcast to find out about it.     About the Host: Certified Speaking Professional CSP®, Recipient of the Top Executive Coach Award in 2025, the Most Empowering Confidence Coach in North America in 2023, Philanthropist of the Year in 2024 and 2021 Canadian Presenter of the Year, Nathalie Plamondon-Thomas is a Confidence Expert. She is the author of 18 books, including 12 no.1 bestsellers and a book co-written with Kevin Harrington from the Shark Tank, endorsed by Tony Robbins. She is the Founder and CEO of the THINK Yourself® ACADEMY, offering keynotes and trainings, leading-edge online courses, laser-focus business strategy and one-on-one transformation coaching.   Along the past two decades, she has inspired over 100,000 audience members and empowered thousands of clients internationally to get rid of their negative self-talk. She combines over 10 years of experience in human resources, 25 years of experience in sales and over 30 years of distinguished service in the fitness industry. She is Vice-President on the national board of directors of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and received the 2022 and 2023 President's Award.   Links: nathalie@thinkyourself.com Web: www.thinkyourself.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkYourselfAcademy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaliept/ Instagram: @nathaliepthinkyourself   Book your FREE 15-min Virtual Coffee: www.thinkyourself.com/schedule   Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.

During the recent Canadian Association of Optometrists Congress in Halifax, I had the opportunity to speak with outgoing President Dr. Martin Spiro and incoming President Dr. Allison Scott about how the CAO supports its members across the country.From organizing meetings such as the Optometric Leaders Forum, to leading the charge to develop a national strategy around eyecare, to negotiating better reimbursements with insurance providers... there is a long list of ways that our national association serves Canadian optometrists and moves the profession forward.Learn more about the CAO's iniatives:https://opto.ca/policyLove the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/

What tariff price predictions got right and wrong. Plus - if you aren't going to an event, do you need to RSVP? GUESTS:Ken McMullen - President, Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs and the Fire Chief in Red Deer, Alberta Joseph Steinberg - Economics Professor at the University of Toronto

Ken McMullen is the President of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs and the Fire Chief in Red Deer Alberta. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 204 WHAT? SO COOL! REAL LEADERS 2025 TOP EXECUTIVE COACH Something BIG arrived in my mailbox… and I couldn't believe what I saw inside! Let's just say… some VERY familiar big names are in there like Tony Robbins, Simon Sinek, Gary Vaynerchuk, Brenée Brown, Mel Robbins, Jay Shetty, Amy Cuddy (who I quote all the time in my work!), Seth Godin, and Les Brown, just to name a few,  — and somehow, so am I. Listen to Podcast to find out what made me say “WHAT??” out loud.    About the Host: Certified Speaking Professional CSP®, Recipient of the Top Executive Coach Award in 2025, the Most Empowering Confidence Coach in North America in 2023, Philanthropist of the Year in 2024 and 2021 Canadian Presenter of the Year, Nathalie Plamondon-Thomas is a Confidence Expert. She is the author of 18 books, including 12 no.1 bestsellers and a book co-written with Kevin Harrington from the Shark Tank, endorsed by Tony Robbins. She is the Founder and CEO of the THINK Yourself® ACADEMY, offering keynotes and trainings, leading-edge online courses, laser-focus business strategy and one-on-one transformation coaching.   Along the past two decades, she has inspired over 100,000 audience members and empowered thousands of clients internationally to get rid of their negative self-talk. She combines over 10 years of experience in human resources, 25 years of experience in sales and over 30 years of distinguished service in the fitness industry. She is Vice-President on the national board of directors of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and received the 2022 and 2023 President's Award.   Links: nathalie@thinkyourself.com Web: www.thinkyourself.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkYourselfAcademy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaliept/ Instagram: @nathaliepthinkyourself   Book your FREE 15-min Virtual Coffee: www.thinkyourself.com/schedule   Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.    

Summer rewind: Scott Demark, President and CEO of Zibi Community Utility, joins thinkenergy to discuss how our relationship with energy is changing. With two decades of expertise in clean energy and sustainable development, Scott suggests reimagining traditional energy applications for heating and cooling. He shares how strategic energy distribution can transform urban environments, specifically how district energy systems optimize energy flow between buildings for a greener future. Listen in.   Related links   ●     Scott Demark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-demark-83640473/ ●     Zibi Community Utility: https://zibi.ca/ ●     Markham District Energy Inc: https://www.markhamdistrictenergy.com/ ●     One Planet Living: https://www.bioregional.com/one-planet-living ●     Trevor Freeman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-freeman-p-eng-cem-leed-ap-8b612114/ ●     Hydro Ottawa: https://hydroottawa.com/en   To subscribe using Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinkenergy/id1465129405    To subscribe using Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7wFz7rdR8Gq3f2WOafjxpl    To subscribe on Libsyn: http://thinkenergy.libsyn.com/  --- Subscribe so you don't miss a video: https://www.youtube.com/user/hydroottawalimited    Follow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hydroottawa    Stay in the know on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HydroOttawa Keep up with the posts on X: https://twitter.com/thinkenergypod  ---- Transcript: Trevor Freeman  00:00 Hi everyone. Well, summer is here, and the think energy team is stepping back a bit to recharge and plan out some content for the next season. We hope all of you get some much needed downtime as well, but we aren't planning on leaving you hanging over the next few months, we will be re releasing some of our favorite episodes from the past year that we think really highlight innovation, sustainability and community. These episodes highlight the changing nature of how we use and manage energy, and the investments needed to expand, modernize and strengthen our grid in response to that. All of this driven by people and our changing needs and relationship to energy as we move forward into a cleaner, more electrified future, the energy transition, as we talk about many times on this show. Thanks so much for listening, and we'll be back with all new content in September. Until then, happy listening.   Trevor Freeman  00:55 Welcome to think energy, a podcast that dives into the fast changing world of energy through conversations with industry leaders, innovators and people on the front lines of the energy transition. Join me, Trevor Freeman, as I explore the traditional, unconventional and up and coming facets of the energy industry. If you have any thoughts, feedback or ideas for topics we should cover, please reach out to us at think energy at hydro ottawa.com, Hi everyone. Welcome back one of the overarching aspects of the energy transition that we have talked about several times on this show is the need to change our relationship with energy, to rethink the standard way of doing things when it comes to heating and cooling and transportation, et cetera. This change is being driven by our need to decarbonize and by the ongoing evolution and improvement of technology, more things are becoming available to us as technology improves. On the decarbonization front, we know that electrification, which is switching from fossil fuel combustions to electricity for things like space and water heating, vehicles, et cetera, is one of the most effective strategies. But in order to switch out all the end uses to an electric option, so swapping out furnaces and boilers for heat pumps or electric boilers, switching all gas cars to EVs, et cetera, in order to do that in a way that is affordable and efficient and can be supported by our electricity grid. We need to think about multi strategy approaches, so we can't just continue to have this one way power grid where every home, every business, every warehouse or office tower satisfies all of its energy needs all the time directly from the grid with no adaptability. That isn't the best approach. It's not going to be affordable or efficient. We're not going to be able to do it fast enough. The multi strategy approach takes into account things like distributed energy resources, so solar and storage, et cetera, which we've talked about many times on this show, but it also includes approaches like district energy. So district energy is rethinking how energy flows between adjacent buildings, looking for opportunities to capture excess energy or heat from one source and use that to support another, and that is the focus of today's conversation to help us dive into this topic, I'm really happy to welcome Scott demark to the show. Scott has been a champion of sustainability, clean energy solutions and energy efficiency in the Ottawa real estate and development industry for over 20 years now, he has overseen many high performance development projects, and was one of the driving forces behind the Zibi development in downtown Ottawa, and most applicable for today's conversation the renewable district energy system that provides heating and cooling to the Zibi site. Scott is the president and CEO of the Zibi community utility, as well as a partner at Theia partners. Scott the Mark, welcome to the show. Thanks. Nice to see you. Trevor, so Scott, why don't we start with definitions are always a good place to start. So when we talk about a district energy system, give us a high level overview of what exactly that means.   Scott Demark  04:15 Sure a district energy system is, is simply the connection or interconnection of thermal energy sources, thermal energy sinks. And so really, in practical terms, it means, instead of buildings having their own furnace and cooling system, buildings connect to a hydronic loop. A hydronic loop is just pipes filled with water, and then the heat or the cooling is made somewhere else, and that heat or lack of heat cooling is in a pipe. They push the pipe to the building, and then the pipe extracts the heat, or rejects the heat to that loop. And so it's simply an interconnection of. Uh, as it forces in sinks for federal energy.   Trevor Freeman  05:03 And I guess one of the important concepts here is that buildings often create heat, not just through a furnace or not just through the things that are meant to create heat, but, you know, server racks, computer server racks, generate a lot of heat, and that heat has to go somewhere. So oftentimes we're cooling buildings to remove heat that's being created in those buildings, and then other buildings nearby need to be heated in order to make that space comfortable.   Scott Demark  05:31 Is that fair to say? Yeah, absolutely. Trevor, so, a an office building in the city of Ottawa, big old government office building, you'll see a pretty big plume on the roof in the wintertime. That's not just kind of the flue gas from a boiler, but rather it is actually chillers are running inside to make cooling, and they're just selling that heat to the atmosphere, even on the coldest day of the year. So it's people, you know, people are thermal load. Computers are thermal load, and so is solar gain. You know, January is pretty dark period for us, meaning low angle sun, but by this time in a year, you know, at the end of February, there's a lot of heat in that sun. So a glass building absorbs a lot of sun an office building will lead cooling on the sunny side of that building a lot of the time, even in the dead of   Trevor Freeman  06:18 winter, yeah. So a district system, then, is taking advantage of the fact that heat exists, and we don't necessarily need to either burn fossil fuels, or, even if it's a, you know, a clean system, we don't have to expend energy to create heat, or create as much heat if we could move that heat around from where it's kind of naturally occurring to where we need   Scott Demark  06:41 it. That's right at the very core of a district energy system. You're going to move heat from a place that it's not wanted to a place that it is wanted. And so in our example of the office building, you know, on the February day with the sun shining in and the computers all running, that building's getting rid of heat. But right next door, say, there's a 20 story condo. Well, that 20 story condo needs heating and it also needs domestic hot water. So year round, domestic hot water represents 30, 35% of the heating load of any residential building, so at all times. So a district energy system allows you to take that heat away from the office building and give it to the residential building, instead of making the heat and and dissipating that heat to the atmosphere in the office building. So, yeah, it's, it's really a way to move, you know, from sources to sinks. That's, that's what a district energy system does well.   Trevor Freeman  07:37 So we've kind of touched on this a little bit, but let's dive right into, you know, we talk a lot on the show about the energy transition this, this push to one, move away from fossil fuel combustion to meet our energy needs, and two, shifting from a kind of static, centralized energy system like we have right now, big generators, large transmission lines, et cetera, to more of a two way flow, distributed energy system. What is the role of district energy systems within that transition? How do they help us get closer to that sort of reality that we talk about?   Scott Demark  08:15 I think the biggest way that they help is economies of scale. Okay, so by that, I'll explain that. Imagine there's a lot of technology that's been around a long time that is very scalable to the building level, but most of them are fossil fire. Okay, so the the cheapest way to heat a building in Ottawa is to put a gas fired boiler in. That's the cheapest capital cost, first cost, and it's also the cheapest operating cost, is to put a gas boiler in that industry is well established. There's lots of trades who could do it. There's lots of producers who make the boilers. When you start to try and think about the energy transition and think about what you may do to be different, to be lower carbon, or to be zero carbon, those industries are, are just starting right? Those industries don't exist. They don't have the same depth, and so they don't have the same cost structure, and oftentimes they don't scale well down to the building. And therefore a district energy system aggregates a bunch of load, and so you can provide a thermal energy so at scale that becomes affordable. And that is, you know, a very good example of that would be where, you know, you might want to go and and recover heat from some process. And we'll talk about Zibi as the example. But if you want to go recover heat from some process and bring it in, it doesn't make sense to run a pipeline to a source to heat one building. You can't make financial sense of it, but if you're heating 20 buildings, that pipeline, all of a sudden makes sense to take waste heat from somewhere, to move it somewhere else. The other advantage is that truly, district energy systems are agnostic to their inputs and outputs for heat. So once you. Establish that hydronic loop, that interconnection of water pipes between buildings. What the source and what the source is doesn't matter. So you may have, at one point, built a district energy system, and Markham District Energy System is a great example of this. Markham district energy system was built on the concept of using a co generation facility. So they burned natural gas to make electricity. They sold electricity to the grid, and they captured all the waste heat from that generation, and they fed it into a district energy system. Well here we are, 20 plus years later, and they're going to replace that system, that fossil fired system Augment, not fully replaced, but mostly replace that system with a sewer coupled energy recovery and drive those heat recovery chillers to a sewer system. So they're putting a very green solution in place of a former fossil solution. They don't to rip up the pipes. They don't have to change anything in the buildings. They only have to change that central concept now, again, Markham could never do that at a one building scale. They're only that at the community scale.   Trevor Freeman  11:08 So you mentioned, I want to pick on something you said there. You talked about a sewer heat energy system. They're pulling heat from the sewer. Just help our listeners understand high level kind of, why is there heat there for us to pull like, what's the what's the source there?   Scott Demark  11:26 Yeah, so when we shower, when we flush toilets, all, all of that is introducing heat into a sewer system. So we're collecting heat from everybody's house into the sewer system. The sewer system also sits below the frost line. So call it Earth coupled. You know, it's the earth in Ottawa below the frost line sits around eight, eight and a half c and so at that temperature and the temperature of flushing toilets we we essentially get a sewer temperature in the on the coldest day of the year, but it's around 1010, and a half degrees Celsius. And obviously, for lots of the year, it's much warmer than that. And so I think, you know, a lot of people are kind of familiar with the concept of geo exchange energy, or that. Lot of people call it geothermal. But geo exchange where you might drill down into the earth, and you're taking advantage of that 888, and a half degrees Celsius. So you're exchanging heat. You can reject heat to the earth, or you can absorb heat from the earth. Well, this is the same idea, but you accept or reject from this sewer. But because the sewer is relatively shallow, it is cheaper to access that energy, and because it's warm, and on the coldest day, a couple of degrees make a big difference. Trevor and most of the years so much warmer, you're really in a very good position to extract that heat, and that's all it is. You. You are just accepting or rejecting heat. You don't use the sewage itself. It doesn't come into your building. You have a heat exchanger in between. But that's what you do.   Trevor Freeman  12:58 I agree. And we've talked before on the show about the idea that you know, for an air source, heat pump, for example, you don't need a lot of heat energy to extract energy from the air. It can be cold outside, and there is still heat energy in the air that you can pull and use that to heat a building, heat water, whatever. So same concept, except you've got a much warmer source of energy, I guess. Yeah, exactly. And you know, Trevor, when you look at the efficiency curves of those air source heat pumps, you know, they kind of drop off a cliff at minus 20. Minus 22 In fact, you know, five or six years ago, they that that was dropping off at minus 10. So we've come a long way in air source heat pumps. But imagine on that coldest, coldest day of the year, you're still your source is well above zero, and therefore your efficiency. So the amount of electricity you need to put into the heat pump to get out the heat that you need is much lower, so it's a way more efficient heat exchange. Great. Thanks for that, Scott. I know that's a bit of a tangent here, but always cool to talk about different ways that we're coming up with to heat our buildings. So back to district energy, we've talked through some of the benefits of the system. If I'm a building owner and I'm have the decision to connect to a system that's there, or have my own standalone, you know, traditional boiler, whatever the case may be, or even in a clean energy want to heat pump, whatever. What are the benefits of being on a district system versus having my own standalone system for just my building?   Scott Demark  14:30 Yeah, so when you're wearing the developers hat, you know they're really looking at it financially, if they have other goals around sustainability. Great that will factor into it, but most of them are making decisions around this financially. So it needs to compete with that. That first cost that we talked about the easiest ways, is boilers, gas fired boilers is the cheapest way. And so they're going to look to see it at how. Does this compare to that? And so I think that's the best way to frame it for you. And so the difference here is that you need to install in your building a cooling system and a heating system. In Ottawa, that cooling system is only used for a few months a year, and it's very expensive. It takes up space, whether you're using a chiller and a cooling tower on the roof, or using a dry cooler, it takes up roof space, and it also takes up interior space. If you do have a cooling tower, you have a lot of maintenance for that. You need to turn it on and turn it off in the spring, on and fall, etc, just to make sure all that happens. And you need to carry the life cycle of that boiler plant you need to bring gas infrastructure into your building. You generally need to put that gas boiler plant high in your building, so, so up near the top, and that's for purposes of venting that properly. Now, that's taking real estate, right? And it's taking real estate on the area that's kind of most advantageous, worth the most money. So you might lose a penthouse to have a boiler and chiller room up there. And you also, of course, lose roof space. And today, we really do try to take advantage of those rooftop patios and things. Amenities are pretty important in buildings. And so when I compare that to district energy at the p1 level p2 level in your building, you're going to have a small room, and I really do mean small where the energy transfer takes place, you'll have some heat exchangers. And small you might have a space, you know, 10 or 12 feet by 15 to 18 feet would be big enough for a 30 story tower. So a small room where you do the heat exchange and then Trevor, you don't have anything in your building for plant that you would normally look after. So when you look at the pro forma for owning your building over the lifetime of it, you don't have to maintain boilers. You don't have to have boiler insurance. You don't have to maintain your chillers. You don't have to have lifecycle replacement on any of these products. You don't need anybody operating, those checking in on the pressure vessels. None of that has to happen. All of that happens on the district energy system. So you're really taking something you own and operate and replacing that with a service. So district energy is a service, and what, what we promised to deliver is the heating you need and the cooling you need. 24/7 you second thing you get is more resilience. And I'll explain that a little bit. Is that in a in a normal building, if you if the engineers looked at it and said you need two boilers to keep your building warm, then you're probably going to install three. And that is kind of this n plus one sort of idea, so that if one boilers goes down, you have a spare and you need to maintain those. You need to pay for that. You need to maintain those, etc. But in district energy system, all that redundancy is done in the background. It's done by us, and we have significantly more redundancy than just n plus one in this example. But overall, you know, if you have 10 buildings on your district energy system, each of those would have had n plus one. We don't have n plus 10 in the plant. And so overall, the cost is lower, I would say, if you look at it globally, except the advantages you do have better than N plus one in the plan, so we have higher resiliency at a lower cost.   Trevor Freeman  18:26 So we know there's no such thing as a miracle solution that works in all cases. What are the the best use cases for district energy system? Where does it make a lot of sense.   Scott Demark  18:37 Yeah, in terms some, in some ways the easiest thing, spray work doesn't make sense. So, so it doesn't make sense in sprawling low rise development. So the cost of that hydronic loop, those water pipes, is high. They have to fit in the roadway. It's civil work, etc. And so you do need density. That doesn't mean it has to be high rise density. You know, if you look at Paris, France, six stories, district energy, no problem. There's there's lots and lots of customers for that scale of building. It doesn't have to be all high rise, but it does. District energy does not lend itself well to our sprawling style of development. It's much more suited to a downtown setting. It also kind of thrives where there's mixed use, you know, I think the first example we're talking about is office building shedding heat, residential building needing heat, you know, couple that with an industrial building shedding heat. You know, the these various uses, a variety of uses on a district energy system is the best because its biggest advantage is sharing energy, not making energy. And so a disparity of uses is the best place to use that, I think the other, the other thing to think about, and this is harder in Canada than the rest of the world. Is that, you know, it's harder on a retrofit basis, from a cost perspective, than it is in a in a new community where you can put this in as infrastructure, day one, you're going to make a big difference. And I'll, you know, give a shout out to British Columbia and the Greater Vancouver area. So the district, you know, down in the Lower Mainland, they, they kind of made this observation and understood that if they were going to electrify then District Energy gave economies of scale to electrify that load. And they do a variety of things, but one of the things they do is, is kind of district geo exchange systems, so, so big heat pumps coupled to big fields, and then bring heat a bunch of buildings. But these are Greenfield developments Trevor. So as they expand their suburbs, they do need to build the six stories. They very much have kind of density around parks concepts. So now Park becomes a geo field, density around the geo field, but this infrastructure is going in the same time as the water pipes. It's going in at the same time as the roads, the sidewalks, etc, you can dramatically reduce your cost, your first cost related to that hydro loop, if you're putting it in the same time you're doing the rest of the services.   Trevor Freeman  21:15 So we're not likely to see, you know, residential neighborhoods with single family homes or multi unit homes, whatever, take advantage of this. But that sort of low rise, mid rise, that's going to be more of a good pick for this. And like you said, kind of development is the time to do this. You mentioned other parts of the world. So district energy systems aren't exactly widespread. In Canada, we're starting to see more of them pop up. What about the rest of the world? Are there places in the world where we see a lot more of this, and they've been doing this for a long time?   Scott Demark  21:47 Yeah. So I'd almost say every everywhere in the northern hemisphere, except North America, has done much more of this. And you know, we really look to kind of Scandinavia as the gold standard of this. You look to Sweden, you look to Denmark, you look to Germany. Even there's, there's a lot of great examples of this, and they are typically government owned. So they are often public private partnerships, but they would be various levels of government. So you know, if you, if you went to Copenhagen, you'd see that the municipality is an owner. But then their equivalent of a province or territory is, is actually a big part of it, too. And when they built their infrastructure ages ago, they did not have an easy source of fossil fuels, right? And so they need to think about, how can we do this? How can we share heat? How can we centralize the recovery of heat? How can we make sure we don't waste any and this has just been ingrained in them. So there's massive, massive District Energy loops, interconnecting loops, some owned by municipalities, some of them probably, if you build a factory, part of the concept of your factory, part of the pro forma of your factory is, how much can I sell my waste heat for? And so a factory district might have a sear of industrial partners who own a district energy loop and interfaces with the municipal loop, all sort of sharing energy and dumping it in. And so that's, you know, that's what you would study. That's, that's where we would want to be. And the heart of it is just that, as I said, we've really had, you know, cheap or, you know, really cheap fossil fuels. We've had no price on pollution. And therefore what really hasn't needed to happen here, and we're starting to see the need for that to happen here.   Trevor Freeman  23:46 It's an interesting concept to think of, you know, bringing that factory example in, instead of waste heat or heat as a byproduct of your process being a problem that you need to deal with, something, you have to figure out a way to get rid of it becomes almost an asset. It's a it's a, you know, convenient commodity that's being produced regardless, that you can now look to sell and monetize.   Scott Demark  24:10 Yeha, you go back to the idea of, like, what are the big benefits of district energy? Is that, like, if that loop exists and somebody knows that one of the things the factory produces is heat, well, that's a commodity I produce, and I can, I can sell it if I have a way to sell it right here, you know, we're going to dissipate it to a river. We may dissipate it to the atmosphere. We're going to get rid of it. Like you said, it's, it's, it's waste in their minds, and in Europe, that is absolutely not waste.   Trevor Freeman  24:36 And it coming back to that, you know, question of, where does this make sense? You talked about mixed use, and it's also like the, you know, the temporal mixed use of someone that is producing a lot of heat during the day, when the next door residential building is empty, then when they switch, when the factory closes and the shift is over and everybody comes home from work. So that's when that building needs heat, that's when they want to be then taking that heat two buildings next to each other that both need heat at the same time is not as good a use cases when it's offset like that.   Scott Demark  25:10 Yeah, that's true. And lots of District Energy Systems consider kind of surges and storage. I know our system at CB has, has kind of a small storage system related to the domestic hot water peak load. However, you can also think of the kilometers and kilometers and kilometers of pipes full of water as a thermal battery, right? So, so you actually are able to even out those surges you you let the temperature the district energy system rise when that factory is giving all out all kinds of heat, it's rising even above the temperature you have to deliver it at. And then when that heat comes, you can draw down that temperature and let the whole district energy system normalize to its temperature again. So you do have an innate battery in the in the water volume that sits in the district energy system, very cool.   Trevor Freeman  26:04 So you've mentioned Zibi a couple of times, and I do want to get into that as much as we're talking about other parts of the world. You know having longer term district energy systems. Zibi, community utility is a great example, right here in Ottawa, where you and I are both based of a district energy system. Before we get into that, can you, just for our listeners that are not familiar with Zibi, give us a high level overview of of what that community is, its location, you know, the goals of the community, and then we'll talk about the energy side of things.   Scott Demark  26:34 Sure. So Zibi was formerly Domtar paper mills. It's 34 acres, and it is in downtown Ottawa and downtown Gatineau. About a third of the land masses is islands on the Ontario side, and two thirds of the land mass is on the shore, the north shore of the Ottawa River in Gatineau, both downtown, literally in the shadows of Parliament. It is right downtown. It was industrial for almost 200 years. Those paper mills shut down in the 90s and the early 2000s and my partners and I pursued that to turn it from kind of this industrial wasteland, walled off, fenced off, area that no one could go into. What we're hoping will be kind of the world's most sustainable urban community, and so at build out, it will house, you know, about six, 7000 people. It will be four and a half million square feet, 4.24 point 4, million square feet of development. It is master planned and approved and has built about, I think we're, at 1.1 million square feet. So we're about quarter built out now. 10 buildings are done and connected to the district energy system there. And really, it's, it's an attempt to sort of recover land that was really quite destroyed. You can imagine it was a pretty polluted site. So the giant remediation plan, big infrastructure plan, we modeled this, this overall sustainability concept, over a program called one planet living which has 10 principles of sustainability. So you know, you and I are talking a lot about carbon today, but there's also very important aspects about affordability and social sustainability and lifestyle, and all of those are incorporated into the one planet program, and encourage people to look up one planet living and understand what it is, and look at the commitments that we've made at CV to create a sustainable place. We issue a report every year, kind of our own report card that's reviewed by a third party, that explains where we are on our on our mission to achieve our goal of the world's most sustainable   Trevor Freeman  28:57 community. Yeah. And so I do encourage people to look at one planet living. Also have a look at, you know, the Zibi website, and it's got the Master Plan and the vision of what that community will be. And I've been down there, it's already kind of coming along. It's amazing to see the progress compared to who I think you described it well, like a bit of an industrial wasteland at the heart of one of the most beautiful spots in the city. It was really a shame what it used to be. And it's great to see kind of the vision of what it can become. So that's awesome.   Scott Demark  29:26 Yeah, and Trevor, especially now that the parks are coming along. You know, we worked really closely with the NCC to integrate the shoreline of ZV to the existing, you know, bike path networks and everything. And, you know, two of the three shoreline parks are now completed and open to the public and and they're stunning. And, you know, so many Ottawa people have not been down there because it's not a place you think about, but it's one of the few places in Ottawa and Gatineau where you can touch the water, you know, like it's, it's, it's stunning. Yeah, very, very cool.   Trevor Freeman  29:57 Okay, so the. The the next part of that, of course, is energy. And so there is a district energy system, one of the first kind of, or the most recent big energy. District Energy Systems in Ottawa. Tell us a little bit about how you are moving energy and heating the Zibi site.   Scott Demark  30:17 Yeah. So, first I'll say, you know, we, we, we studied different ways to get to net zero. You know, we had, we had a goal of being a zero carbon community. There are low carbon examples, but a zero carbon community is quite a stretch. And even when you look at the Scandinavian examples, the best examples, they're missing their they're missing their energy goals, largely because some of the inputs that are District Energy System remain fossil, but also because they have trouble getting the performance out of the buildings. And so we looked at this. We also know from our experience that getting to zero carbon at the building scale in Ottawa is very, very difficult. Our climate's tough, super humid, super hot summer, very cold, very dry, winter, long winter. So it's difficult at the building scale. It's funny Trevor, because you'd actually have an easier time getting to zero carbon or a passive house standard in affordable housing than you do at market housing, and that's because affordable housing has a long list of people who want to move in and pay rents. You can get some subsidies for capital, and the people who are willing to pay rent are good with smaller windows, thicker walls, smaller units, and pass trust needs, all those kinds of things. So when down at Zibi, you're really selling views. You're competing with people on the outside of Zibi, you're building almost all glass buildings. And so it's really difficult to find a way to get to zero carbon on the building scale. So that moved us to district energy for all the reasons we've talked about today already. And so when we looked at it for Zibi, you really look at the ingredients you have. One of the great things we have is we're split over the border. It's also a curse. But split over the border is really interesting, because you cannot move electricity over that border, but you can move thermal energy over that border. And so for us, in thinking about electrifying thermal energy, we realized that if we did the work in Quebec, where there is clean and affordable electricity, we could we could turn that into heat, and then we could move heat to Ontario. We could move chilled water to Ontario. So that's kind of ingredient, one that we had going for us there. The second is that there used to be three mills. So originally, don't target three mills. They sold one mill. It changed hands a few times, but It now belongs to Kruger. They make tissue there so absorbent things, Kleenexes and toilet paper, absorbent, anything in that tissue process. That's a going concern. So you can see that on our skyline. You can see, on cold days, big plumes of waste heat coming out of it. And so we really saw that as our source, really identified that as our source. And how could we do that? So going back to the economies of scale, is could we send a pipeline from Kruger, about a kilometer away, to Zibi? And so when we were purchasing the land, we were looking at all the interconnections of how the plants used to be realized. There's some old pipelines, some old easements, servitudes, etc. And so when we bought the land, we actually bought all of those servitudes too, including a pipeline across the bridge. Canadian energy regulator licensed across the bridge into Ontario. And so we mixed all these ingredients up, you know, in a pot and came up with our overall scheme. And so that overall scheme is is relatively simple. We built an energy recovery station at Kruger where, just before their effluent water, like when they're finished in their process, goes back to the river. We have a heat exchanger there. We extract heat. We push that heat in a pipe network over to Zibi. At Zibi, we can upgrade that heat using heat recovery chillers to a useful temperature for us, that's about 40 degrees Celsius, and we push that across the bridge to Ontario, all of our buildings in Ontario then have fan coil units. They use that 40 degree heat to heat buildings. The return side of that comes back to Quebec. And then on the Quebec side, we have a loop. And all of our buildings in the Quebec side then use heat pumps so we extract the last bit of heat. So imagine you you've returned from a fan coil, but you're still slightly warm. That slightly warm water is enough to drive a heat pump inside the buildings. And then finally, that goes back to Kruger again, and Kruger heats it back up with their waste heat and comes back. So that's our that's our heating loop. The cooling side is coupled to the Ottawa River. And so instead of us, we. Rejecting heat to the atmosphere through cooling towers. Our coolers are actually coupled to the river. That's a very tight environmental window that you can operate in. So we worked with the Ministry of the Environment climate change in Quebec to get our permit to do it. We can only be six degrees difference to the river, but our efficiency is on average, like on an annual basis, more than double what it would be to a cooling tower for the same load. So we're river coupled, with respect to cooling for the whole development, and we're coupled to Kruger for heating for the whole development. And what that allows us to do is eliminate fossil fuels. Our input is clean Quebec electricity, and our output is heating and cooling.   Trevor Freeman  35:44 So none of the buildings, you know, just for our listeners, none of the buildings have any sort of fossil fuel combustion heating equipment. You don't have boilers or anything like that. Furnaces in these in these buildings?   Scott Demark  35:54 No boilers, no chillers, no. that's awesome. And   Trevor Freeman  35:58 That's awesome. And just for full transparency, I should have mentioned this up front. So the Zibi community utility is a partnership between Zibi and Hydro Ottawa, who our listeners will know that I work for, and this was really kind of a joint venture to figure out a different approach to energy at the Zibi site.   Scott Demark  36:16 Yeah, that's right. Trevor, I mean the concept, the concept was born a long time ago now, but the concept was born by talking to hydro Ottawa about how we might approach this whole campus differently. You know, one of hydro Ottawa companies makes electricity, of course, Chaudière Falls, and so that was part of the thinking we thought of, you know, micro grids and islanding this and doing a lot of different things. When Ford came in, and we were not all the way there yet, and made changes to Green Energy Act, it made it challenging for us to do the electricity side, but we had already well advanced the thermal side, and hydro, you know, hydro makes a good partner in this sort of thing, when a when a developer tells someone, I'd like you to buy a condo, and by the way, I'm also the district energy provider that might put some alarm bells up, but you put a partnership in there with a trusted, long term utility partner and explain that, you know, it is in the in the public interest. They're not going to jack rates or mess with things, and then obviously just hydro has had such a long operating record operating experience that they really brought sort of an operations and long term utility mindset to our district energy system.   Trevor Freeman  37:35 So looking at a system like the Zippy community utility or other district energy systems. Is this the kind of thing that can scale up over time? And, you know, I bring this up because you hear people talk about, you know, a network of district energy systems across a city or across a big geographic area. Are these things that can be interconnected and linked, or does it make more sense as standalone district energy systems in those conditions that you talked about earlier.   Scott Demark  38:06 Very much the former Trevor like and that's, you know, that's where, you know, places like Copenhagen are today. It's that, you know, there was, there was one district energy system, then there was another, then they got interconnected, then the third got added. And then they use a lot of incineration there in that, in that part of the world, clean incineration for garbage. And so then an incinerator is coming online. And so that incinerators waste heat is going to be fed with a new district energy loop, and some other factory is going to use the primary heat from that, and then the secondary heat is going to come into the dictionary system. Disciplinary system. So these things are absolutely expandable. They're absolutely interconnectable. There are temperature profiles. There's modern, modern thoughts on temperature profiles compared to older systems. Most of the old, old systems were steam, actually, which is not the most efficient thing the world. But that's where they started and so now you can certainly interconnect them. And I think that the example at Zibi is a decent one, because we do have two kinds of systems there. You know, I said we have fan coil units in in the Ontario side, but we have heat pumps on the other side. Well, those two things, they can coexist, right? That's there. Those two systems are operating together. Because the difference, you know, the difference from the customer's perspective in those two markets are different, and the same can be true in different parts of the city or when different sources and sinks are available. So it is not one method of doing district energy systems. What you do is you examine the ingredients you have. I keep saying it, but sources and sinks? How can I look at these sources and sinks in a way that I can interconnect them and make sense? And sometimes that means that a source or a sink might be another district energy system.   Trevor Freeman  39:59 Yeah. Yeah, yeah, systems that maybe work in parallel to each other, in cooperation with each other. Again, it's almost that temporal need where there's load high on at one point in time and low on the other point in time. Sharing is a great opportunity.   Scott Demark  40:14 Yeah, absolutely great.   Trevor Freeman  40:17 Okay, last question for you here, Scott, what is needed, maybe from a regulatory or a policy lens to encourage more implementation of district energy systems. How do we see more of these things happen here in Canada or in   Scott Demark  40:32 North America? The best way to put this, the bureaucracy has been slow to move, is, is what I'll say, and I'll use Zibi as that example. When we, when we pitched the district energy system at Zibi, we had to approach the City of Ottawa, and we had to approach the city of Gatineau, the City of Ottawa basically said to us, No, you can't put those in our streets. Engineering just said, no, no, no, no. And so what we did at Zibi is we actually privatized our streets in order to see our vision through, because, because Ottawa wasn't on board, the city of Gatineau said, Hmm, I'm a little worried. I want you to write protocols of how you will access your pipes, not our pipes. I want to understand where liability ends and starts and all of this kind of stuff. And we worked through that detail slowly, methodically, with the city of Gatineau, and we came to a new policy on how district energy could be in a public street and Zibi streets are public on the Gatineau side today. You know, come forward 10 years here, and the City of Ottawa has a working group on how to incorporate District Energy pipes into streets. We've been able to get the City of Ottawa to come around to the idea that we will reject and accept heat from their sewer. You know, hydro Ottawa, wholly owned company of the City of Ottawa, has an active business in district energy. So Trevor, we've come really far, but it's taken a long time. And so if you ask me, How can we, how can accelerate district energy, I think a lot of it has to do with the bureaucracy at municipalities. And you know, we're we see so much interest from the Federation of Canadian municipalities, who was the debt funder for ZCU. We have multiple visits from people all over Canada, coming to study and look at this as an example. And I'm encouraged by that. But it's also, it's also not rocket science. We need to understand that putting a pipe in a street is kind of a just, just a little engineering problem to solve, whereas putting, you know, burning fossil fuels for these new communities and putting in the atmosphere like the genies out of the bottle, right? Like and unfortunately, I think for a lot of bureaucrats, the challenge at the engineering level is that that pipe in the street is of immediate, complex danger to solving that problem, whereas it's everybody's problem that the carbons in the atmosphere. So if we could accelerate that, if we could focus on the acceleration of standards around District Energy pipes and streets, the rights of a district energy company to exist, and not to rant too much, but give you an example, is that a developer is required to put gas infrastructure into a new community, required, and yet you have to fight to get a district energy pipe in the street. So there needs to be a change of mindset there, and, and we're not there yet, but that's where we need to go.   Trevor Freeman  43:54 Yeah. Well, the interesting, you know, in 10 years, let's talk again and see how far we come. Hopefully not 10 years. Hopefully it's more like five, to see the kind of change that you've seen in the last decade. But I think that the direction is encouraging. The speed needs a little bit of work. But I'm always encouraged to see, yeah, things are changing or going in the right direction, just slowly. Well, Scott, we always end our interviews with a series of questions to our guests, so as long as you're okay with it, I'll jump right into those. So the first question is, what is a book you've read that you think everybody should read?   Scott Demark  44:29 Nexus, which is by Harari. He's the same author that wrote sapiens. Lots of people be familiar with sapiens. And so Nexus is, is really kind of the history of information networks, like, how do we, how do we share and pass information? And kind of a central thesis is that, you know, information is, is neither knowledge nor truth. It is information, and it's talking a lot about in the age of AI. Uh, how are we going to manage to move information into truth or knowledge? And I think it, you know, to be honest, it kind of scared the shit out of me reading it kind of how, how AI is impacting our world and going to impact our world. And what I thought was kind of amazing about it was that he, he really has a pretty strong thesis around the erosion of democracy in this time. And it's, it was, it was really kind of scary because it was published before the 2024 election. And so it's, it's really kind of a, both a fascinating and scary read, and I think really something that everybody should get their head around.   Trevor Freeman  45:47 It's, yeah, there's a few of those books recently that I would clear or classify them as kind of dark and scary, but really important or really enlightening in some way. And it kind of helps you, you know, formalize a thought or a concept in your head and realize, hey, here's what's happening, or gives you that kind of the words to speak about it in this kind of fraught time we're in. So same question, but for a movie or a show, is there anything that you think everybody should watch.   Scott Demark  46:16 That's harder, I think, generally from watching something, it's for my downtime or own entertainment, and pushing my tastes on the rest of the world, maybe not a great idea. I if I, if I'm, if I'm kind of doing that, I tend to watch cooking shows, actually, Trevor so like, that's awesome. I like ugly, delicious. I love Dave Chang. I like, I like mind of a chef creativity partnership. So those kind of things I'd say more so if there was something to like that, I think somebody else should, should watch or listen to, I have, I have a real love for Malcolm Gladwell podcast, revisionist history. And so if I thought, you know, my watching habits are not going to going to expand anybody's brain, but I do think that Malcolm's perspective on life is really a healthy it's really healthy to step sideways and look at things differently. And I would suggest, if you have never listened to that podcast. Go to Episode One, season one, and start there. It's, it's, it's fantastic.   Trevor Freeman  47:26 Yeah, I agree. I'll echo that one. That's one of my favorites. If we were to offer you or not, but if we were to offer you a free round trip flight, anywhere in the world, where would you go?   Scott Demark  47:38 That's hard, so much flight guilt. You know.   Trevor Freeman  47:42 I know it's a hard assume that there's carbon offset to it.   Scott Demark  47:47 It's an electric plane.   Trevor Freeman  47:48 That's right, yeah.s   Scott Demark  47:49 My family, had a trip planned in 2020 to go to France and Italy. My two boys were kind of at the perfect age to do that. It would have been a really ideal trip. And so I've still never been to either those places. And if I had to pick one, probably Italy, I would really like to see Italy. I think it would be a fantastic place to go. So probably, probably Italy.   Trevor Freeman  48:12 My favorite trip that I've ever done with my wife and our six month old at the time was Italy. It was just phenomenal. It was a fantastic trip. Who's someone that you admire?   Scott Demark  48:25 I have a lot of people. Actually have a lot of people in this in this particular space, like, what would I work in that have brought me here to pick to pick one, though I'd probably say Peter Busby. So. Peter Busby is a mentor, a friend, now a business partner, but, but not earlier in my career. Peter Busby is a kind of a one of the four fathers, you know, if you will, of green design in Canada. He's an architect, Governor General's Award winning architect, actually. But I think what I what I really, really appreciate about Peter, and always will, is that he was willing to stand up in his peer group and say, Hey, we're not doing this right. And, you know, he did that. He did that in the early 80s, right? Like we're not talking he did it when it cost his business some clients. He did it when professors would speak out against him, and certainly the Canadian Association of architecture was not going to take any blame for the shitty buildings that have been built, right? And he did it, and I remember being at a conference where Peter was getting a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian architects Association. And so he's standing up, and people are all super proud of him. They're talking about his big life. And he. He, he, he kind of belittled them all and said, You're not doing enough. We're not doing enough like he's still he's still there. He's still taking the blame for where things are, and that things haven't moved fast enough, and that buildings are a massive part of our carbon problem, and probably one of the easier areas to fix. You know, we're talking about electric planes. Well, that's a that's a lot more difficult than it is to recover energy from a factory to heat a community, right? I admire him. I learned things from him all the time. He's got a great book out at the moment, actually, and, yeah, he'd be right up there on my in my top list, awesome.   Trevor Freeman  50:44 What is something about the energy sector or its future that you're particularly excited about?   Scott Demark  50:48 You wished you asked me this before the election. I'm feeling a little dark. Trevor, I think there needs to be a price on pollution in the world needs to be a price on pollution in America, in Canada, and I'm worried about that going away. In light of that, I'm not I'm not super excited about different technologies at the moment. I think there are technologies that are helping us, there are technologies that are pushing us forward, but there's no like silver bullet. So, you know, a really interesting thing that's coming is kind of this idea that a small nuclear reactor, okay, very interesting idea. You could see its context in both localized electricity production, but all the heat also really good for district entry, okay, so that's an interesting tech. It obviously comes with complications around security and disposal, if you like, there's our nuclear industry has been allowed to drink like, it's all complicated. So I don't see one silver bullet in technology that I'm like, That's the answer. But what I do see, I'll go back to what we were talking about before is, you know, we had to turn this giant ship of bureaucracy towards new solutions. Okay, that's, that's what we had to do. And now that it's turned and we've got it towards the right course, I'm encouraged by that. I really am. You know, there are champions. And I'll, I'll talk about our city. You know, there's champions in the City of Ottawa who want to see this happen as younger people have graduated into roles and planning and other engineering roles there. They've grown up and gone to school in an age where they understand how critical this climate crisis is, and they're starting to be in positions of power and being in decision making. You know, a lot of my career, we're trying to educate people that there was a problem. Now, the people sitting in those chairs, it, they understand there's a problem, and what can they do about it? And so I am, I am excited that that the there is a next generation sitting in these seats, making decisions, the bureaucracy, the ship is, is almost on course to making this difference. So, so I do think that's encouraging. We have the technology. We really do. It's not rocket science. We just need to get through, you know, the bureaucracy barriers, and we need to find ways to properly finance it.   Trevor Freeman  53:22 Great. I think that's a good place to wrap it up. Scott, thanks so much for your time. I really appreciate this conversation and shedding a little bit of light, not just on the technical side of district energy systems, but on the broader context, and as you say, the bureaucracy, the what is needed to make these things happen and to keep going in that right direction. So thanks a lot for your time. I really appreciate it.   Scott Demark  53:43 Thank you, Trevor, good to see you.   Trevor Freeman  53:45 All right. Take care.   Trevor Freeman  53:47 Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the think energy podcast. Don't forget to subscribe. Wherever you listen to podcasts, and it would be great if you could leave us a review. It really helps to spread the word. As always, we would love to hear from you, whether it's feedback, comments or an idea for a show or a guest, you can always reach us at thinkenergy@hydroottawa.com.

Episode Summary THE STATUS TRAP: WHY WE TREAT THE ELITE BETTER THAN THE EVERYDAY PERSON Ever wonder why we treat some people differently based on their status? Is it fair? Not really. But there's something going on in your brain that explains it! Curious to know more? Listen to this episode where I break down a fascinating experiment and reveal the science behind it all!     About the Host: Certified Speaking Professional CSP®, Recipient of the Most Empowering Confidence Coach in North America in 2023, Philanthropist of the Year in 2024 and 2021 Canadian Presenter of the Year, Nathalie Plamondon-Thomas is a Confidence Expert. She is the author of 18 books, including 12 no.1 bestsellers and a book co-written with Kevin Harrington from the Shark Tank, endorsed by Tony Robbins. She is the Founder and CEO of the THINK Yourself® ACADEMY, offering keynotes and trainings, leading-edge online courses, laser-focus business strategy and one-on-one transformation coaching.   Along the past two decades, she has inspired over 100,000 audience members and empowered thousands of clients internationally to get rid of their negative self-talk. She combines over 10 years of experience in human resources, 25 years of experience in sales and over 30 years of distinguished service in the fitness industry. She is Vice-President on the national board of directors of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and received the 2022 and 2023 President's Award.   Links: nathalie@thinkyourself.com Web: www.thinkyourself.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkYourselfAcademy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaliept/ Instagram: @nathaliepthinkyourself   Book your FREE 15-min Virtual Coffee: www.thinkyourself.com/schedule   Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.        

Lara sits down with an expert who's dedicated her career to empowering parents, educators, and future teachers to understand the true impact of second language learning in childhood.Dr. Katherine Mueller is an Assistant Professor at the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, where she's been shaping future language educators since 2013. With a background in teaching everything from high school Core French to university-level courses, she brings a deep understanding of what it means to learn—and teach—a second language. As Vice President of the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers and a national leader in language education, Dr. Mueller is a passionate advocate for bilingualism, cultural connection, and accessible language learning for all families.In today's episode, we explore the myths, benefits, and realities of second language learning in childhood. Dr. Mueller breaks down what the research says about bilingual development, addresses common concerns parents have—like whether learning a second language might confuse their child—and shares her perspective on why so many more kids belong in language programs than we might think.She also offers practical advice for families who don't speak a second language themselves, including simple ways to support your child's learning journey from home. Whether your child is already in a French immersion program or you're simply curious about the possibilities, this episode will give you clarity, confidence, and encouragement.If you've ever wondered whether it's “too late” to start, whether your child is “cut out” for bilingual learning, or how you can help them thrive without being fluent yourself—this conversation is for you.-----Learn more about the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers-----Learn more about and connect with Dr. Katherine Mueller-----Follow Parenting Ed-Ventures on Instagram-----Learn more about Tutor Teach------

Good Works estimates that a staggering $280 billion in estate wealth is expected to flow into Canadian charities. That's not a number small nonprofits can afford to overlook. Planned giving doesn't have to be exclusive, intimidating, or tax-code-heavy. In this episode, we dive into how small nonprofits can approach planned giving in a way that's equitable, inclusive, and deeply aligned with community values. We're joined by Chantelle Ohrling, a thought leader in both the planned giving and Community-Centric Fundraising spaces. She is the Planned Giving Officer at Ecojustice, is the Communications Chair for the Greater Vancouver Chapter of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners and contributes her voice to the Black Canadian Fundraisers Collective and Hogan's Alley Society. Chantelle also holds a certification in Legacy Giving Psychology from the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy and received the 2023 Birgit Smith Burton R.I.S.E. Award. Chantelle brings not just technical expertise, but a fierce commitment to justice, equity, and community-led philanthropy. Planned Giving and Community-Centric Fundraising – Episode Highlights 1. Planned giving is not just for the ultra-wealthy. Many transformational legacy gifts come from long-time supporters who aren't high-dollar donors. A $50-a-year donor who volunteers, reads the newsletter, and shows up for events? They might be your next million-dollar legacy gift. 2. Racialized communities are generous and underserved. Research shows Black and racialized communities are among the most generous in Canada. The issue isn't willingness: it's access, representation, and trust. Planned giving strategies must meet these communities where they are. 3. Planned giving can close the racial wealth gap. It's not just a funding strategy, it's also a justice strategy. Promoting estate planning in underserved communities supports financial literacy, generational wealth-building, and autonomy over where wealth flows after death. 4. Values-led storytelling beats tax talk. Don't lead with tax benefits. Lead with stories. Tell donors about people like them who've left a legacy that aligns with their values. Planned giving is emotional, not transactional. 5. Don't silo legacy giving into major gifts. Some of the largest bequests come from people who've never made a major gift in their lifetime. That's why Chantelle doesn't segment her messaging by giving levels—she hand-signs 700 newsletters if she has to. Resources and Links Read more from Chantelle on the CCF Hub Read Chantelle's piece on The Philanthropist Connect with our host, Maria Rio Support our show. We are fully self-funded! Watch this episode on YouTube Need help with your fundraising? Liked this episode? Have an idea? Send us a text HERE :)Support the show

In this episode, we sit down with Aisling Bondy the President of the Canadian Association for Refugee Lawyers (CARL) to unpack one of the most pressing and controversial policy proposals on the table: Bill C-2. Though not yet passed, this bill threatens to reshape Canada's refugee system by closing vital pathways to safety for claimants. Drawing comparisons to restrictive U.S. immigration policies, our guest explores the potential implications of Bill C-2, what it signals for Canada's future, and why legal experts and advocates are raising the alarm.

Episode Summary BE A COOL BOSS. NOT A STRESSED BOSS. Leadership can be tough, but staying cool under pressure is key! Listen to this episode to get my top 3 tips to keep your Zen:  1. Take a Pause: Breathe and visualize your phone number backward to reset your mind.  2. Listen Actively: Recap and understand others' perspectives before reacting.  3. Ask Questions: You don't need all the answers. Involve your team in finding solutions. Stay cool, stay collected, and remember: You've got this!  About the Host: Certified Speaking Professional CSP®, Recipient of the Most Empowering Confidence Coach in North America in 2023, Philanthropist of the Year in 2024 and 2021 Canadian Presenter of the Year, Nathalie Plamondon-Thomas is a Confidence Expert. She is the author of 18 books, including 12 no.1 bestsellers and a book co-written with Kevin Harrington from the Shark Tank, endorsed by Tony Robbins. She is the Founder and CEO of the THINK Yourself® ACADEMY, offering keynotes and trainings, leading-edge online courses, laser-focus business strategy and one-on-one transformation coaching.   Along the past two decades, she has inspired over 100,000 audience members and empowered thousands of clients internationally to get rid of their negative self-talk. She combines over 10 years of experience in human resources, 25 years of experience in sales and over 30 years of distinguished service in the fitness industry. She is Vice-President on the national board of directors of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and received the 2022 and 2023 President's Award.   Links: nathalie@thinkyourself.com Web: www.thinkyourself.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkYourselfAcademy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaliept/ Instagram: @nathaliepthinkyourself   Book your FREE 15-min Virtual Coffee: www.thinkyourself.com/schedule   Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. 

In this episode of Defence Deconstructed we sit down with Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, Robert Baines, and Nicolas Todd to reflect on the 2025 NATO Summit in the Hague and associated NATO Public Forum and NATO Industry Forum. We explore key takeaways from the 76th NATO Summit, including its major actions, how it compared to last year's summit in Washington, D.C., progress on NATO's minimum defence spending targets, the new investment pledge, and commitments to improve allied capabilities. Our focus is on what these developments mean for Canada, particularly in light of Donald Trump's presence at the summit. // Guest bios: - Charlotte Duval-Lantoine is the Vice President, Ottawa Operations and a Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, as well as Triple Helix's Executive Director and Gender Advisor. - Robert Baines is the President and CEO of the NATO Association of Canada. - Nicolas Todd is VP Government Relations and Communications for the Canadian Association for Defence and Security Industries (CADSI). // Host bio: David Perry is President and CEO of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute // Recommended Readings: - "Values" by Mark Carney - "Forced to Change" by Bernd Horn and Dr. Bill Bentley - "Freedom's Forge" by Arthur Herman - "A Call To Arms" by Maury Klein // Defence Deconstructed was brought to you by Irving Shipbuilding. // Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll Release date: 27 June 2025

Welcome back to School Counseling Simplified! We're continuing our special Summer Summit speaker series, and today I'm joined by an incredible pair: Monique and Patti, two clinical social workers and certified play therapists who specialize in attachment and child development. They recently spoke at Summer Summit about a topic that's essential for every educator and school counselor: Attachment Theory in the Classroom. If you missed Summer Summit, it's not too late. When you join IMPACT, my monthly school counselor membership, you'll gain access to all of the Summer Summit recordings and PD hours—including Monique and Patti's impactful session. Monique Gougeon, MSW, RSW, CPTS, CTPS has a Masters Degree in Clinical Social Work and is a Certified Child Therapist and Play Therapist Supervisor with the Canadian Association of Play Therapy. Monique is certified as Theraplay Practitioner, Trainer and Supervisor with Theraplay Canada. She is also certified in Circle of Security Individual and Group models and is a Certified EMDR practitioner, specializing in Child and adolescent treatment. Monique has extensive experience working with children and families in community agencies and has worked for 20+ years in the field of children's therapy. She is the owner of Alloway Therapy Services in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where she practices alongside her talented colleagues. Monique has special interests in supporting children who have experienced loss, developmental trauma, and attachment disruption. She regularly facilitates training and presentations for caregivers and professionals regarding child trauma and attachment disruption.  Patti has a Masters in Social Work and has been a social worker for over 30 years. She has worked with children in women's shelter's, family violence programs, schools and spent 12 years in private practice. She is a Certified Play therapist with The Canadian Association of Play Therapy. She enjoys providing training for educators in the area of developmental trauma in the classroom and is currently a school social worker in the Winnipeg School Division in Winnipeg, Canada. About a year ago Patti decided she would try her hand at creating resources for school counselors and opened a TPT shop. A major learning curve, but an exciting new adventure.    In This Episode: Monique and Patti dive into how we can apply attachment theory and the Circle of Security framework within the classroom and school counseling settings. We talk about: Why attachment-based practices aren't just for “high-need” students but benefit all kids How the Circle of Security model, originally created for caregivers, can be adapted for educators and school counselors Ways to support students as they explore their world while also providing a secure base Shifting from behavior-based approaches to relational ones How restorative practices can preserve relationships, rather than relying on punitive systems A framework to help counselors and teachers feel more confident and less burned out They also share the PACE model—a mindset for working with children: Playful Accepting Curious Empathic By embodying these qualities, educators can create safer, more nurturing environments for all students.   A Day in the Life (Patti): Patti shares a glimpse into her workweek, which includes: Direct client work 3 days per week, supporting children and caregivers Teaching play therapy curriculum through Therapy Canada Institute Providing supervision and training in therapeutic models: her work centers around integrating play, attachment, and trauma-informed practices to support school-aged children. Want to Learn More? Monique and Patti are hosting a 2-day training on August 18th and 19th. This is a fantastic opportunity to dive deeper into Circle of Security and attachment-informed practices for schools. Pre-register now to save your spot!   Don't miss out! Want access to this session and more? Join the IMPACT membership to get all Summer Summit replays, monthly PD trainings, downloadable resources, and a community of fellow school counselors.   Resources Mentioned:   Join IMPACT Pre-Registration for 3Rs: Attachment in the Classroom August 18 &19, 2025   Connect with Rachel: TpT Store Blog Instagram Facebook Page Facebook Group Pinterest Youtube Connect with Patti: Teachers Pay Teachers Email Patti: ps@pattisutherland.ca PS Counseling Matters Newsletter Connect with Monique: Email Monique: monique@allowaytherapy.com   More About School Counseling Simplified: School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica. You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!    

Steve Lowell is a Master Trainer to High-Impact Speakers, Past President, Global Speakers Federation#sales #marketing #closethesale================All Episodes can be found at ⁠https://www.podpage.com/speaking-podcast/ All about Roy / Brain Gym & Virtual Assistants at ⁠https://roycoughlan.com/⁠ ------------------About my Guest Steve LowellSteve Lowell, CSP, has been speaking and performing on the live stage since the age of 6 – that's over 55 years ago! From Ottawa, Canada, Steve is a multi award-winning global speaker. For nearly 40 years, he has been training and mentoring executives, thought-leaders, and professional speakers worldwide to deliver high-impact keynote speeches, drive revenue from the platform and build wealth through speaking.Steve is a Past President of the Global Speakers Federation (GSF) and Past National President of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS). A three-time number one international best-selling author, Steve is a sought-after expert helping thought leaders, coaches, authors and sales teams sell more by changing the way they speak.He shares the stage with such greats as Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul Series), Kevin Harrington (Shark Tank and “As Seen on TV”), and Brian Tracy (Speaking legend and author of over 70 books).Together with his wife, Jayne he travels the world speaking, training, and mentoring those who have a message to monetize through the spoken word.What we Discussed: 00:33 Who is Steve Lowell01:10 Starting on Stage at 6 years02:25 Not having tyhe Fear of being on Stage04:05 How he improved his Speaking Skills07:10 The Different Speakers Associations09:30 What is Neede to Join a Speakers Associations11:00 The Psychology of Selling14:30 Who is in the Market for a Tennis Instructor16:30 How a Coach can sell19:45 His 3 Best Selling Books21:50 Tips to get a No.1 Best Selling Author23:45 Self Publishing Vs Traditional Publishers25:40 Marketing Your Business28:30 Having a Minset of Service30:20 Do not Wing a Podcast or a Speech32:40 Memorise Key Phrases of Your Speech34:40 Lessons to Speak in other Countries37:20 Lessons learnt with Equipment as a Speaker40:00 How to overcome when something goes wrong42:30 Always have a Plan B 45:45 Why he Prefers Flip Charts48:00 The only time you should use a Powerpoint Presentation How to Contact Steve LowellWebsite: www.stevelowell.comWebsite: www.stevelowell.com/free-bookFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/steve.lowell/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelowell/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/stevelowellInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealstevelowell/Twitter:https://twitter.com/stevelowell------------------All about Roy / Brain Gym & Virtual Assistants at ⁠https://roycoughlan.com/⁠___________________

Rev. David Maginley is a spiritual counselor for the cancer program, palliative care, and ICU at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and an award-winning author of Beyond Surviving: Cancer and Your Spiritual Journey.While David has degrees in philosophy and religious studies, his real education came from surviving cancer four times. This resulted in a profound near-death experience and explorations into the nature of consciousness and the connection of body, mind, and spirit.He knows what it's like to have cancer from both sides of the hospital bed and has a sense of this life from both sides of the veil.David is ordained with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, a specialist with the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care, a member of the Canadian Association for Psychosocial Oncology, and the International Association for Near-Death Studies, and is featured in the documentaries Here Right Now, and When You Die.David is also an avid photographer, using the camera as a tool for self-psychology and conducting workshops on creativity and spirituality. An advisor for provincial and federal cancer initiatives, David lectures throughout Canada on meaning in suffering, the wisdom of grief, mindfulness, death and dying, compassion fatigue, and integrative spirituality.Please enjoy my conversation with David Maginley.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/next-level-soul-podcast-with-alex-ferrari--4858435/support.

In this episode, Chad Hughes talks with Sandra Dixon, Supervisor of Western Canada Gas at Enbridge and President of the Canadian Association of Land and Energy Professionals (CALEP). Sandra discusses how she came to her role in CALEP in 2019 and what it entails. The conversation looks at the scarcity of resources in terms of new people entering the land industry, how the roles and titles have changed, and the challenge of providing education and awareness about opportunities in the land profession. Three areas of education are highlighted: awareness, recruitment, and training. Chad and Sandra address the specifics of all three and how CALEP is involved. Sandra addresses the need to change awareness of the industry by adjusting the perception of the roles as being just oil and gas-centric. She also discusses how much of the work is networking and face-to-face relationships, which are not where the younger generations have their strengths due to their greater online focus. Chad and Sandra examine how potential recruits can come from people making career transitions, the types of former jobs that are a good base for heading into the land industry, the challenges around maintaining and creating higher education training for land professionals, and what people can expect to see from CALEP in the coming year. Sandra shines an insightful light on challenges and potential in the land industry and the role of CALEP within it.“So yeah, there's definitely been a decline [in association enrollment] and we want to change that. But we have to make ourselves relevant. We have to have the education component put in play. And I would also suggest that we have to be piloting work programs, those types of aspects where we can get people some experience and exposure to what we're doing. I think that's super important.” - Sandra DixonAbout Sandra Dixon:Sandra is an accomplished Land Management Professional and the Supervisor of the Lands & Right-of-Way Western Canada Operations Team at Enbridge. In her role, she is crucial in delivering leadership, mentorship, and support for land management activities across Western Canada, with specialized expertise in British Columbia land matters. With a strong background in land management, stakeholder engagement and regulatory affairs, Sandra excels in building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders, landowners, government agencies and regulatory bodies.At Enbridge, Sandra provides expert counsel, leadership, and support to her team of regional Land Agents, overseeing land management activities in Alberta and British Columbia to ensure operational success. She plays a pivotal role in advancing regional core projects and associated operational programs. Additionally, Sandra manages the annual development of community and stakeholder engagement plans and is instrumental in shaping the strategic direction of her operational areas. Her active involvement in planning and development of teams, as well as task groups, underscores her commitment to Enbridge's objectives.Sandra has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to volunteering her time and engaging with industry initiatives. Beyond her role at Enbridge, she actively mentors and supports others, contributing to the ongoing exchange of knowledge and fostering professional development. As President of the Canadian Association of Land and Energy Professionals (CALEP), a non-profit professional association for Land Agents in Canada, Sandra plays a pivotal role in public and government relations. She is dedicated to establishing the highest professional and ethical standards for Land Agents, while also promoting education and training to set clear expectations for those who interact with stakeholders. Sandra's leadership and contributions make her a distinguished figure in her field.---Chad Hughes | CEO, Entrepreneurial Leader, Author: website |linkedinSandra Dixon |Enbridge / CALEP President: website | linkedin

0:12 -  Premiers meet with Carney to draft list of major projects to accelerate 8:31 - Your calls on the Premiers meeting. 16:01 - Wildfire season is underway. We get an update from the President of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs Ken McMullen. 23:25 -  Removing barriers to trade between Alberta and the rest of Canada could grow our economy by $72.1 billion. 32:35 - Your calls and texts on Inter-provincial Trade and work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prime Minister Mark Carney traded barbs with Leader of the Official Opposition Andrew Scheer in his first question period appearance Wednesday, while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was forced to spectate after the loss of his seat last month. CBC's Rosemary Barton and Radio-Canada's Louis Blouin grade Carney's performance. Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman explains her party's strategy while Poilievre is seatless. Plus, Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries president Christyn Cianfarani joins us from the security conference where Defence Minister David McGuinty vowed 'action to rebuild Canada's defence capacity.'

In this week's episode of Real Integrative Medicine with Dr. Jordan Robertson, we sit down with Dr. Monique Aucoin to explore her groundbreaking research on nutrition and anxiety. Learn how personalized dietary interventions, combined with omega-3 supplementation, significantly reduced anxiety symptoms in clinical trials. Dr. Aucoin shares what made the study successful and how clinicians can implement these strategies today. A must-listen for anyone interested in evidence-based nutritional psychiatry.----Monique Aucoin ND MSc is a naturopathic doctor and senior research fellow at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. She is an adjunct professor at the University of  Guelph in the department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences. She has been in practice for more than 12 years. Her clinical practice and research work are focused on the role of diet and nutrition in the treatment of mental illness. She recently led the world's first clinical trial of dietary counselling for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Monique has completed systematic and scoping reviews on the efficacy and safety of nutritional treatments and has published several case reports. She is passionate about supporting NDs and students in using evidence-based practice. Monique co-founded CCNM's annual Research Day. She is an instructor at CCNM and an editor at the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors Journal.Follow Dr. Monique on Instagram----Dr. Jordan Robertson is a leader in naturopathic and integrative medicine. She is dedicated to evidence-based healthcare and founded The Confident Clinician, which empowers practitioners with up-to-date research and practical tools. With over 15 years in clinical practice and experience teaching at McMaster University's Health Sciences program, she bridges the gap between research and real-world application.Follow Dr. Jordan on Instagram----Do you ever wish there were a knowledge base built just for you?Have you searched for a resource that supported you so you could focus on what really matters for your business?The Confident Clinician is the ONLY medical knowledge base built for integrative practitioners.Over 750 clinician members have simplified their patient care by using our knowledge base and exclusive members-only education.Our knowledge base and clinical topics are updated on an ongoing basis and, and we offer exclusive members-only courses that support you, whatever your clinical focus.Ready to be supported in your work?Learn More About The Confident Clinician HereLearn More About The Magic is in the Visit Webinar Series Discover The Confident Clinician's 5-Day AI Smart-Search ChallengeIf you're a clinician and you're loving the content of the show, I'd love to invite you to subscribe to our clinician-focused free magazine called The Stacks. The Stacks offers research focused articles, editorials and opinion pieces on business and practice and unlocks some of our best Confident Clinician content every month.Subscribe to The Stacks Here----Thank you for listening. Please subscribe and share.

Earlier in May, Grant Hardy spoke with Dr. Martin Spiro, the President of the Canadian Association of Optometrists. Dr. Spiro tells Grant about some of the events and campaigns that the CAO is running this year to mark Vision Health Month. Plus, they talk about the importance of eye exams and eye health.  Check out the Pulse on YouTube!About AMIAMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+Learn more at AMI.caConnect with Accessible Media Inc. online:X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaIncEmail feedback@ami.ca

Gut Health for Women: Why Fatigue, Bloating, and Mood Swings Might Start in Your Gut Are you feeling fatigued, moody, bloated—or just not quite yourself lately? You're not alone. And it might be your gut trying to get your attention. In this episode of The Natalie Tysdal Podcast, I open up about a deeply personal health crisis that became a turning point in my wellness journey (don't judge me for crying!). As a health journalist with over 30 years of experience interviewing doctors and wellness experts, I've learned that gut health plays a much bigger role in our energy, hormones, immunity, and mood than most of us realize—especially as women.   What You'll Learn in This Episode:   The four essential things every woman needs to know about gut health   How hidden gut issues can show up as fatigue, anxiety, poor sleep, hormone imbalance, and more   Early warning signs your gut is out of balance—and what to do before it becomes a crisis   My step-by-step strategies for gut healing, including nutrition, supplements, and lifestyle shifts   One simple thing you can do this week to start resetting your gut health  

It's Mental Health Awareness Month, and we're thrilled to welcome Beverly Beuermann-King to the show! With over 25 years of experience helping organizations build strong, resilient teams, Beverly brings a wealth of wisdom on what it truly means to lead with care. She shares powerful insights on fostering a culture of both physical and psychological safety, addressing workplace toxicity, and emphasizing the importance of supportive conversations and peer-to-peer support systems to build a strong sense of connection and belonging. Don't miss this inspiring conversation, packed with actionable tips for effective leadership to support mental health, enhance your team's well-being, and strengthen team engagement in the workplace. Tune in now! About the Guest: Beverly Beuermann-King has over 25 years of experience helping individuals and organizations master their responses to stress, build resilience, and thrive using her innovative S-O-S Principle™. Since founding WorkSmartLiveSmart.com in 1995, she has transformed teams across diverse business sectors. Her presentations, grounded in psychology, sociology, management, and adult education, offer practical strategies to enhance mental health and workplace well-being. She is also a prolific author, respected podcaster, and trusted media spokesperson, with over 500 television and radio appearances. Beverly currently serves as the National President of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. Prepare to be captivated as she empowers you to conquer stress, cultivate resilience, and unlock the secrets to a healthier, more fulfilling life. For more information: www.WorkSmartLiveSmart.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How does our relationship with nature affect our health, for better and worse? Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores this idea by pulling from personal experience as a physician, a journalist, and a father. First, he speaks with Dr. Melissa Lem, president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. And later, Britt Wray, a mental health researcher and author of Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Anxiety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened down 120-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 19,737 on turnover of 4.1-billion N-T. The market moved sharply higher on Tuesday as buying was sparked by a rally on Wall Street overnight. Analysts says the rebound largely reflected the gains on the U-S markets overnight on tariff exemptions for electronics products, which resulted in Taiwanese manufacturers in the Apple supply chain staging a rally to push up the broader market. KMT offices in New Taipei searched as part of recall fraud investigation Prosecutors has searched 30 locations in New Taipei as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of signature forgery (偽造簽名) and fraud related to recall efforts against D-P-P lawmakers. The locations searched included the K-M-T's Banqiao and Sanchong offices. The searches came after the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office released six people on bail after questioning them as part of the investigation The investigation was launched following complaints about the petitions. Those complaints allege that the petitions had over 1,700 signatures of voters who had died, while some voters have said their names had appeared on the petitions without their consent. Prosecutors say the investigation is focusing on allegations of violations of the Criminal Code and the Personal Data Protection Act. Kaitlyn Chen becomes 1st player of Taiwanese descent drafted by WNBA And, U-S college basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a W-N-B-A team. She was selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft. The point guard played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University before transferring to the University of Connecticut for her final season, which culminated in a national championship in April. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding (傑出的) player three times from 2022 to 2024. Prior to the draft, E-S-P-N described Chen as a highly underrated player, praising her for her poise, leadership and playmaking abilities. ProPalestinian Student Arrested at US Citizenship Interview A pro-Palestinian protester who organized demonstrations (遊行，示威) at Columbia University in New York has been arrested by immigration officials. Mohsen Mahdawi, a green card holder, was detained as he attended an interview to apply for US citizenship. Nick Harper reports from Washington. Canada Academic Uni Association Warning on US Travel The association that represents academic staff at Canadian universities is warning its members against non-essential travel to the United States. The Canadian Association of University Teachers released updated travel advice Tuesday due to the “political landscape” created by President Donald Trump's administration and reports of some Canadians encountering difficulties crossing the border. The association says academics who are from countries that have tense diplomatic relations with the United States, or who have themselves expressed negative views about the Trump administration, should be particularly cautious (謹慎) about U.S. travel. In addition, the association says academics should carefully consider what information they have, or need to have, on their electronic devices when crossing the border, and take actions to protect sensitive information. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. －－－－以下訊息由 SoundOn 動態廣告贊助商提供－－－－ ✨宏匯廣場 歡慶璀璨女王節✨

Alright everyone, welcome back to the "Bend Don't Break" podcast! This is episode number 87, and we're rolling right along in our six-part series on becoming an elite performer, whether that's in your job or your personal life. We've already covered the essentials of elite sleep, and last time we dove into knowing your markers with Nia Health and Sameer Dhar who talked about proactive tests for optimum health and wellbeing   And today, we're tackling part three of this elite performance puzzle, and it's a big one: elite nutrition. We've got a fantastic guest joining us today, Lynae Chodat.  Now, Lynae has a really interesting background. She grew up in Saskatchewan, moved to Alberta for her paralegal studies, and then headed to Vancouver where she worked as a paralegal and in the fitness industry . But that's not all – at 28, she became a police officer and served for 26 years1 . So, right off the bat, she understands the demands and pressures that our first responder community faces.  But Lynae's journey didn't stop there. In her mid-40s, she started to seriously study nutrition, building on decades of personal interest . Today, she's a Certified Holistic Nutritionist (CHN), Certified Holistic Counsellor (CHC), Natural Nutritional Clinical Practitioner (NNCP), and a Certified Mindset Coach. She's got diplomas in Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Consulting from Alive Academy and is registered with the Canadian Association of Natural Nutrition Practitioners.  Lynae's personal wellness journey has definitely been tested, as she describes it, building strength and resilience along the way. She even credits her fitness with helping her survive a life-saving surgery . And that's really where the "Bend Don't Break" philosophy comes in, right? As Lynae says, "Build for Impact," train for the hard days, not just the good ones. That mindset is crucial, especially for our first responders who face incredibly challenging situations. So, get ready to dive deep with Lynae Chodat as we explore the world of elite nutrition and why it's absolutely vital for those who are on the front lines, day in and day out. Let's get to it!

Ellen Wiebe is a physician who helps seriously ill patients end their lives in Canada, where assisted suicide is legal. Is death a human right? SOURCES: Ellen Wiebe, clinical professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia. RESOURCES: "The Last Decision by the World's Leading Thinker on Decisions," by Jason Zweig (The Wall Street Journal, 2025)."Most Americans Favor Legal Euthanasia," by Rachael Yi (Gallup, 2024).Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers."Medical Assistance in Dying: Overview," (Government of Canada). EXTRAS: "Can Robots Get a Grip?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2025)."Remembering Daniel Kahneman," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024)."Does Death Have to Be a Death Sentence?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman (2011).

Host Sarah Burke and journalist Karen S. Pugliese sit down in Chicago's Midway airport to test out some new mini mics and discuss the state of media, journalism & podcasting after attending the Podcast Movement Evolutions conference and speaking on a panel about opportunities in Canadian podcasting. Karyn shares her journey in journalism, highlighting her experiences in both broadcasting and podcasting. She speaks about her early work on the podcast, The Disappearance of Natasha Lynn Star, which garnered significant attention. They also discuss the challenges faced by women in media, including the impact of Rachel Gilmore's experience having an election fact-checking segment dropped due to "bandwidth." Karen emphasizes the need for media to support journalists and hold mainstream media accountable. More about Karyn S. Pugliese: Karyn Pugliese, also known as Pabàmàdiz— has worked as an investigative journalist, media executive, and press freedom advocate. Her 20-year career includes roles at Canada's National Observer (CNO), managing editor of CBC's Investigative Unit, and five years as a visiting professor at Toronto Metropolitan University. But she's probably best known for her time on Parliament Hill and her seven-year tenure as Executive Director of News and Current Affairs at APTN, where she oversaw the network's news division. She launched her first series of podcasts at APTN, and oversaw production of the award-winning podcast The Salmon People at CNO. Her own series, canadaLANDBACK, was nominated twice for Digital publishing awards, and she contributed to the award-winning series The Pretendians in her recent role as the editor-in-chief at a Canadian podcasting network. She is currently a co-host of the Podcast Auntie Up! Karyn's work has been celebrated with honours like the Hyman Solomon Award for Public Policy Journalism, the Canadian Screen Awards, and the Canadian Association of Journalism Awards. She's also a Martin Wise Goodman Canadian Nieman Fellow from Harvard University. Listen: https://www.aptnnews.ca/the-disappearance-of-natasha-lynn-starr/ https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/auntie-up/id1592723511 https://www.nationalobserver.com/podcast/salmon-people Follow Karyn on Substack: https://karynpugliese.substack.com/p/we-need-to-talk-about-rachel Women in Media Listeners get 41% off at Cozy Earth! https://cozyearth.com/discount/WOMENINMEDIA Women in Media Listeners Get 15% off at Stand! https://www.standshoes.com/discount/WOMENINMEDIA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Neuroception helps us sense danger and safety without cognition In this conversation, Dr. Ann Kelley and Occupational Therapist Kim Barthel explore the conscious evolution of the human spirit, the importance of self-compassion, and the integration of neuroception with therapeutic practices. Through Barthel's book, 'Conversations with a Rattlesnake,' they dive into the significance of sensory integration and attachment in personal development. Using Porges' "Safe and Sound Protocol", they touch on how understanding one's own nervous system and the cues of safety can lead to better emotional regulation and connection with not only oneself, but others. Follow along as they discuss the themes of trauma, healing and the science of connection. "Self-compassion is part of the evolution." - Kim Barthel Time Stamps for Neuroception and the Safe & Sound Protocol with Kim Barthel (263) 05:32 Conversations with a rattlesnake: A journey through trauma 19:57 Understanding sensory integration and attachment 33:35 Understanding neuroception and safety 34:30 The role of sound in safety cues 42:06 The mechanism of the safe and sound protocol 55:17 The process of connection and regulation About our Guest - Kim Barthel, OTR Kim Barthel is an occupational therapist, speaker, multi-disciplinary teacher, mentor and best-selling author who is active in supporting people in many contexts globally. She is passionate about understanding complex behavior, neurobiology, trauma-sensitive practice, sensory processing, attachment, and mental health. An advanced NDT (Neuro-Developmental Treatment) instructor, Kim has 40+ years of practice in helping people to be their best selves. She is a contributor to a number of textbooks on Pediatric Occupational Therapy, NDT, and Trauma, and in 2019 Kim was honored to receive the Award of Merit from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapy. Kim's overall mission is to support the conscious evolution of the human spirit. Resources for Neuroception and the Safe & Sound Protocol with Kim Barthel (263) Conversations with a Rattlesnake: Raw and Honest Reflections on Healing and Trauma - Book by Kim Barthel and Theo Fleury Kim's website - Resources and information @kimbarthelotr - Kim's Instagram Get your copy of Secure Relating here!! Interested in joining our exclusive community? Get early access and discounts to things we produce, plus a totally ad-free private feed. In addition, receive exclusive episodes recorded just for you. Sign up for our premium Neuronerd plan!! Click here!! Our Beyond Attachment Styles course is available NOW! Learn how your nervous system, your mind, and your relationships work together in a fascinating dance, shaping who you are and how you connect with others. Earn 6 Continuing Education Credits – Available at Checkout Online, Self-Paced, Asynchronous Learning with Quarterly Live Q&A's Please support our sponsors for this episode - they keep our podcast free and accessible to all!  Coffee alternative powered by mushrooms! Right now, you can get 20% off plus a FREE starter kit when you shop exclusively Piquelife.com/tu Find the doctor that is right for you, and book an appointment, in person or remotely, that works for your schedule. Go to Zocdoc.com/TU and download the Zocdoc app for FREE Integrative Attachment Therapy Course Information Therapists: THIS is our recommended course experience for the most comprehensive training on attachment out there. Use our link for a discount! Thank you for being on this journey with us! 

We discuss the border crisis, issues stemming from the Charter and international crime groups. Calvin Chrustie is a former senior operations officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), where he served for over 32 years, specializing in transnational organized crime, intelligence, and international hostage negotiations. He retired in 2017 as the Officer in Charge of Transnational Organized Crime Major Projects for Greater Vancouver. With extensive experience in complex investigations and crisis management across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Asia, Chrustie led Canada's International Negotiators Team, handling terrorist and criminal kidnappings. He is trained by the FBI and Scotland Yard in hostage negotiation and received the 2016 International Policing Award from the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs for his work combating transnational crime and kidnappings.Nathan Romas is a Canadian police officer with the Edmonton Police Service (EPS), where he has served in various capacities, including as a patrol supervisor. Beyond his policing role, he is a director with the Edmonton Police Association, advocating for officers' interests. Romas is also the creator and host of The Quiet Professional, a podcast.Cornerstone Forum ‘25https://www.showpass.com/cornerstone25/Get your voice heard: Text Shaun 587-217-8500Substack:https://open.substack.com/pub/shaunnewmanpodcastSilver Gold Bull Links:Website: https://silvergoldbull.ca/Email: SNP@silvergoldbull.comText Grahame: (587) 441-9100Bow Valley Credit UnionWebsite: www.BowValleycu.comEmail: welcome@BowValleycu.com Use the code “SNP” on all ordersProphet River Links:Website: store.prophetriver.com/Email: SNP@prophetriver.com

The oil and gas industry has a long history of attempting to shape public perceptions of fossil fuel use and sow doubt about the science of climate change. A new report by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and For Our Kids finds that oil and gas companies have funded and supplied misleading climate education to children across Canada. We're joined by Anne Keary, one of the co-authors of the report.

Freda Uwa grew up in Nygeria. There she attended college securing a bachelor's degree and then went on to do some advance studies as well. She is a trained nurse. She also is a nutrition expert and, as she tells us, she loves to cook.   Five years ago Freda moved to Canada. She spent time as a mental health case manager even before her husband and three boys moved to Canada to join her. As she tells us, while she absolutely loved her time as a case manager, the job was quite taxing on her. She had to handle many cases where she had no one with whom to share her experiences. As we discuss here, not having any opportunity to decompress by talking to a spouse or others is by no means healthy.   Eventually Freda gave up her case management job and, just about a year ago, she assumed the job of Executive Director of Independent Living Canada. This organization oversees 24 independently operated independent living centers which are spread throughout Canada. She has shown that she is ideal for the job due to her leadership and project management training and skills. Freda is the first black leader of IL Canada which has been in existence for 38 years.   Freda gives us lots of insights on leadership and community. I hope you enjoy our time with Freda and that you will take the time to give this episode and Unstoppable Mindset a 5-star rating.       About the Guest:   Freda Uwa is a distinguished leader and advocate in the fields of independent living, accessibility, and mental health. Freda draws from her extensive experience in Canada to drive impactful initiatives and foster inclusive communities.   Currently, Freda serves as the National Executive Director of Independent Living Canada, overseeing 24 Independent Living Centres led by individual Executive Directors across the country. In this role, she made history as the first Black leader in the organization's 38-year history and the first African in Canada to ever lead the sector as National Executive Director.   Freda's notable accomplishments include her work as the Project Manager for the Creating Accessible Events Project for the Government of Canada through Accessible Standards Canada. This role underscores her commitment to ensuring that events across the nation are inclusive and accessible to all individuals, regardless of their abilities.   As the Regional Coordinator for the IDEA Project for Race and Disability Canada, Freda plays a pivotal role in addressing the intersectionality of race and disability, advocating for policies and practices that promote equity and inclusion.Her extensive background in mental health is exemplified by her previous role as a Mental Health and Addictions Case Manager, where she provided critical support and care to individuals facing mental health challenges and substance use issues.   In addition to her leadership and advocacy roles, Freda holds a Canadian Red Seal Endorsement for Skills and Trades, showcasing her dedication to professional excellence and her commitment to fostering skill development and employment opportunities.     Freda Uwa's career is marked by her unwavering dedication to championing the rights and needs of marginalized communities, her innovative approach to project management, and her exceptional leadership in promoting independent living and accessibility. Her work continues to inspire and drive positive change across Canada, Africa and beyond.   Ways to connect with Freda:   IL Canada Facebook Link - https://www.facebook.com/MyIndependentLivingCanada?mibextid=ZbWKwL Freda's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/freda-uwa-7515a235?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app  Freda Instagram (Business page)  - https://www.instagram.com/luluseventsandkitchen?igsh=YW10OWs3ODY5d2Q1   About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hi everyone, and welcome once again to unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet, and we do get to talk about inclusion today. And as some of you know who are regular listeners to this podcast, the reason it is inclusion, diversity in the unexpected is it's inclusion because it is. Diversity comes second after inclusion, because if you talk to people about diversity, typically they never talk about disabilities. We get left out of the discussion. And then the unexpected is anything that doesn't have anything to do with inclusion or diversity, which is probably most of the guests that we deal with. But today, we are going to have the honor of speaking to Freda Uwa and Freda is the executive director of independent living Canada, which has responsibility or works with the 24 independent living centers around Canada. And so I'm really looking forward to learning more about that and hearing about it and looking forward to hearing all that Freda has to say. So Freda, we want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset, and we're really glad you're here.   Freda Uwa ** 02:29 Thank you, Michael, thanks for having me. Well, I   Michael Hingson ** 02:33 love to start kind of little bit different than maybe some people do tell us about the early Frida, growing up and all that sort of stuff, anything that that you want us to know, and you don't have to tell us all your secrets, but tell us about the early freedom.   Freda Uwa ** 02:49 Oh, that's fun. Thanks. Michael. Freda, the little girl. Freda i Oh, that's so much fun. Now I think about growing up and all of the memories that that comes with so I I am privileged to have grown in a closely middle class family in Nigeria. I grew up in Nigeria, one of the countries in Africa, and it was fun, right? The bills, just happy go lucky child. I was the one child that had all the breast of energy, and I just loved to laugh. So that was all of that. There was family, faith based activities, and I also had schooling, of course. And went to college, did my nursing, went on to do a BSc in home Science and Management, and with an option in nutrition and dietetics and so all of that was fun. And of course, I enjoyed having to be part of a family that loved to do things together. So that was, that's Freda, oh, the little girl. Frida, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 04:02 that's the little girl. Frida, well, that works out pretty well. So you have a bachelor's did you go anywhere beyond a bachelor's degree or   Freda Uwa ** 04:11 Yeah, so in Canada, I had, I took a post grad certificate in nursing, leadership and management, and then community mental health certificate as well. So yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 04:23 what that works out pretty well and certainly kept you busy. And what did? What did you do with all that? Once you got your degrees,   Freda Uwa ** 04:33 I evolved. You evolved.   Michael Hingson ** 04:37 You grew up then, huh?   Freda Uwa ** 04:39 Absolutely, absolutely. So there was a lot of growth that came with that, a lot of responsibilities. I moved to Canada, figured out new part and all of that. So there was all of the growth that happened and that forces you to evolve. So the degree, the experience and all of that. So in the short answer is I evolved with that. So yeah. Us.   Michael Hingson ** 05:01 Okay, and so what kind of jobs did you hold   Freda Uwa ** 05:09 all my life? You mean, or you're just asking for a period in my life?   Michael Hingson ** 05:13 Yes, so once college was over, what kind of, what kind of jobs did you actually do then for a while?   Freda Uwa ** 05:19 Okay, so I, I am a registered nurse as well, so I'm right. I have many parts, right? So I did nursing. I also have a business, a food business as well. So I was into events management and catering at the time, and then the core of what I do now, also started in Nigeria, where I led a nonprofit for about four years before moving over to Canada, did some schooling, and then came back to the space that I love, and that's social services around people, supporting people with disabilities and all of that so and that's a pack of all that I did in terms of work.   Michael Hingson ** 06:01 What brought you from Nigeria to Canada?   Freda Uwa ** 06:05 First of all, it was cooling, like I came to experience that other side of education, right? So I came with that flare, and then family moved over, and now I'm here.   Michael Hingson ** 06:19 Well, that works out pretty well we i People won't necessarily see it, but we just have company joining us. My cat has joined us. I see and I'm trying to get her up on the back of our desk chair so that she will hopefully leave us alone. Anyway, there we go. Well, so how long ago did you come over from Nigeria to Canada? I've been in   Freda Uwa ** 06:45 Canada going on five years now. I I moved here at the peak of, not the peak at the beginning of the pandemic. So I came in just as I got into Canada, everywhere was shut down. So I'm like, is this the reality? Is this what it feels like being here? So I was almost locked up right away. So yeah, that's, that's my journey. So it's about going on five years now.   Michael Hingson ** 07:10 Wow. So you've been here a while. So you, you came over here and you, you decided that your passion was really working in the arena of disabilities and and so on. So what? What really caused you to do that? Why did you decide that that's what you really wanted to do with your life?   Freda Uwa ** 07:34 Great question. Michael, so I've always known that I had what I call a greater calling, like I've always wanted to live my purpose in life. I know I did share that. I am a registered nurse in Nigeria, and having all of that, and also business owner in Nigeria, but I find that in all that I did, there was something, there was a missing piece, right? So I needed to, I needed to fill that void and recall that I told you that I grew up in a close knit family setting, so my younger sister that I love today, by the way, she has a disability, and I've been a primary caregiver I had, or I was her primary caregiver for a while, and I also watched my mother struggle through that. At some point, my mother, my mother's life, was almost on hold because she needed to take care of her child. So that, in itself, created the need for me to just fill a void, right? So it was beyond just where, where's the money, right? It was beyond that, and I needed to just leave out my purpose and find a career that would really and genuinely make me happy while I'm touching life in the way that I know how to   Michael Hingson ** 09:05 Yeah, well, and I believe very firmly in the fact that if you're really doing what you like to do, then it isn't really a job. It's it's a whole lot more fun, and it's a whole lot more rewarding. Absolutely,   Freda Uwa ** 09:19 I'm having fun, Michael, I'm having funded. So yes, which   Michael Hingson ** 09:22 is, which is really important to be able to do, what if I can ask, is the disability that your sister has? She's   Freda Uwa ** 09:30 She has intellectual disability. So it's, yeah, so it's all and again, with misdiagnosis and all of that. So that's a whole situation going on, right there. So that's why, that's how I how come I, I'm like, there is a void that needs to be filled, right? So it's all of the complications that comes out from misdiagnosis and her living through that all her life. Yeah, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 09:54 Now is, is she and your family still in Nigeria, or did they move over here too?   Freda Uwa ** 09:59 I know my my mom and my sister are still in Nigeria. In   Michael Hingson ** 10:04 Nigeria, well, I assume you go back and visit every so often. That's all we have. Yeah, you gotta do that well and and when you can't go back, you've got things like zoom so you can still look at them and talk to them.   Freda Uwa ** 10:18 Absolutely we, we thank God for technology. So it's all of that, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 10:24 yeah, technology has certainly made a significant difference in the whole art of communications over the past, oh, especially 10 years, but certainly in the last five years, just because of what the pandemic has done and so on, for sure. So how did you end up specifically deciding to get involved with independent living centers, and how did you end up being the executive director of independent living Canada?   Freda Uwa ** 10:55 Oh, interesting. That's a great question. Michael, so I, I, I say this always, my story and journey has always been that of resilience and just a journey of self discovery and awareness. I'll give you, I'll share with you. Michael, right, as I came into Canada in 2020, at the beginning of COVID, I was in, I was in a I was in on a conversation with a friend at the time, and he was sharing an experience, and was speaking to me about somebody, and speaking to me about a newcomer who had come into Canada and was leading an organization like an like an administrator at the time, and this history was about the consequences of mismanagement of some sort. Hm, and he, he let me know that the, the woman got into trouble, and, you know, was relieved of her job and all of that because she didn't do something, right? But while I was listening to that story, a seed was planted in me that, hold on, I've got this experience, I've got this much knowledge, I've got this much abilities, I've got this much skills. Then if a newcomer could transfer all of that here to Canada and do all of this. That means there is space for me somewhere. So it wasn't more so of yes, what you shouldn't do, it's something, it didn't come to me as though, like it's a test for your competence or something. I knew there was, there was a possibility somewhere. So that was when the seed was planted in me. And as soon as I began to look for jobs, I started looking out for the jobs that aligned with what I had done, including my executive executive leadership in Nigeria. And that was how it happened that I was done schooling, and I started looking for opportunities, and I went out to apply for jobs that would speak to my competencies and and the rest that says history. So I we, that's how the seed was planted. I'm like, okay, yeah, there I go, and I'll tell you what happened with my very first interview and Michael, I didn't get called for an interview and Ed role. And I, I'm not sure if you know about the process with executive hiring, it's a lot of steps, like you do the phone the phone interview, you do the writing, you go for, like a first phase, a second phase, and all of that. It was really daunting. And I went through all the phases, and I was feeling really confident and good about it. I actually went through to the last phase where I had to go in person to see the outgoing Ed who was retiring at the time, and kind of like had a meeting slash interview situation that it looked as though I was getting on boarded, but it wasn't, like official. So in my head, I felt that this is it. I'm there, yeah. So I did, I did all of that. I went back home, and a couple of days later I got the email, you know, one of those emails, and I'm like, oh, oh, no. So this is it's that's no way on from here that this is it. I And then like, Oh, thank you for your time and all of that. So we've moved on to XYZ, and you know all of those words, I'm like, oh, in that moment, I didn't feel like, I didn't feel too bad, because I felt like, Oh, this is my first and I got this close, then that's something, right? So yeah, I'm like, okay, that's not too bad. But what happened next was what really got me thinking I continued my job search, right? So a couple of weeks later, I get an email from the same organization asking if I. Still available for the role and for the job. And I was excited again. I'm like, Oh yes, I can. Why not? And then in their response there, they wanted to have a second interview, set of interview. I'm like, hold on, what's going on? I'm like, okay, that's not too bad. I will, I will make myself available for the interview, and I did, and I think we had the next one, and I got really worried. And then after that, I got an email saying the same thing, that they had given the role to somebody else, and that got me angry. Yeah, right. So I needed to know what it was. You name it. Let me what I so I sent out an email to them. I'm like, Oh, hold on. So what's all this? What's, what's, what's going on, let me know why my like, I just needed to know. And then they responded to say that I was over qualified for the role. I'm like, that's, that's, that's a dumb answer, right? So, Hawaii, why would you say that to be now that, now that I'm thinking about it, right? So I took all of that in, and I decided to move on from there and just pick up the lessons. And then went forward with that. So that experience in itself shapes me into the resilience of not just giving up, because I knew I was very close to getting what I wanted right. So I went on from there, and I became an addictions case manager, addictions and mental health case manager, a job that I really, really love. It was so beautiful I had. I had the privilege of going to flying into the isolated reserves in those little, small airplanes and all of that. So I give so many emergency responses, whether it's flawed calls for suicide and all of those mental health work. I really loved that job, but it was so heavy on me, and it was at the time when I was going through a lot in my my own self, like emotionally and my mental health, I was by myself in Canada. At the time, my my family, that my husband and kids were still in Nigeria. So the weight of all of that was too much on me, like there was nothing to decompress to, if you know what I mean, right? So you go, you hear all of these heavy things, and you cannot really process your own feelings. And then I'm also thinking about the same situation, and I'm thinking about, Oh, what's going on? What's my what's what's going on in my head? So I didn't, I didn't, I didn't stay too long on that job. And then I and also I left because it was too much, like I said, even though I loved the job. And then I went on to become the CEO of an Ability Center, which is also supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities. And from there on, was when I, I moved on to il Canada, and I'm loving it. So that's my story of resilience.   Michael Hingson ** 17:59 Yeah, it is really tough when you're you're by yourself, and you don't have anyone to talk to and to share things with, because talking with someone, talking things out, is always important and is always helpful, because it helps you put things in perspective. And when you can't do that, it just bottles up inside of you, and that's that's not good. Mm, hmm,   18:23 absolutely,   Michael Hingson ** 18:26 well, but, but you, you moved on. So how long have you been in il Canada? Now   Freda Uwa ** 18:33 going on one year? Oh, September, yes. So it's just what going on one year in September. So, yeah, feel very new.   Michael Hingson ** 18:42 So tell me a little bit about il Canada and what you do and so on.   Freda Uwa ** 18:47 Okay, so I'll Canada. It's basically a network of independent living centers across the country. It started in, it was it started in it started as a movement a long time ago, in 1986 it was formerly known as Canadian Association of Independent Living Centers, and now now independent living Canada. So it's all about providing a collective voice on the on national issues for all of our member centers and fostering and maintaining partnerships in that regard, building capacity and scaling what we're doing, especially on the national level. So our member centers have the via our foot soldiers in different different communities and different local centers. So we are we've got il member centers in almost across every project, every province in Canada. It's in Saskatchewan, Ontario, you name it, it's everywhere. So IO Canada, it's we thrive on. Four core pillars of service, which would be independent living, skills development, peer support, Networking and Information and all of the resources that we do. So we provide a national voice for all 24 member centers, and they are all run by different executive directors and offering unique needs to their communities,   Michael Hingson ** 20:25 so and so. What you do is, do you do you coordinate services? Do you act as more of a case manager and distribute funds? Or what does IO Canada do for the 24 agencies, right?   Freda Uwa ** 20:43 Great question. So these, like I said, the 24 agencies or centers, are independent of like they are autonomous, like the source funds and all of that, even though we provide some substantial but it is really, they are very independent of what we do, so we are like a collective voice for the member centers on the national level. So that's what IEL Canada does. We there's monthly meetings, there is all of the accreditations that we do and just ensuring that all accredited member centers are operating within our four core pillars of service that promotes independent living for people with cross disabilities.   Michael Hingson ** 21:29 What relationship or how do you interact with organizations like the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and so on.   Freda Uwa ** 21:39 So that in itself. It's it will totally depend on what projects we're working on, right? So it would be project based or research based, right? So we are a national voice for all of our centers. So if, if any of our Centers are partnering, partnering with any individual Association, that is the partnership we're seeking, and we will support and encourage them. But on the national level, it's usually project based or collaboration in terms of research or information, or whatever that looks like, or maybe communities of practice and all of that.   Michael Hingson ** 22:17 Well, how does well, let me rephrase that, what does CNIB do, as opposed to what the independent living centers do? Do you know,   Freda Uwa ** 22:28 again, each independent living center is operating on different like they have, they have tailored made programs for their centers, right? So some people have communities that they have programs that support vision loss or the blind and all the other centers who have programs for youth, employment, housing, transportation. So they are all direct funding to support independent living in terms of managing your resources and other skills. So for in that regard, it would naturally lie with the centers and how they want to collaborate with cnid. So it's for us at the national level. It would mostly be on research or any collaboration on the project, but to actually reach out to the consumers or participants, it will be the independent centers, like the member centers themselves, right?   Michael Hingson ** 23:24 So a CNI be more of a funding agency or, or, well, I know that they do provide services, but I was just trying to understand where the overlap is, or, or how the two types of organizations interact with each other.   Freda Uwa ** 23:39 I'm not familiar with their model, like, I don't know about their model, yeah, but most, what we do with every organization, or most organization is collaboration or partnership, right? So they may have a different funding model for us at IELTS Canada. It's it's center is working on our four core pillars, providing different programs and services within these four populars, and they're at liberty to fill up make these programs to suit their communities.   Michael Hingson ** 24:09 Okay? So they they may work, and they may get some funding from CNIB for specific projects and so on. But I, I understand that you're dealing with being closer to the individual communities where   Freda Uwa ** 24:22 you are. Oh, for sure, that's with the member centers. Yeah, for myself, I am, like the administrative head for the national organization, the National aisle, right,   Michael Hingson ** 24:31 right. Yeah, right. Well, so when, when you've been working and you've you've now been doing some of this for a while, what would be for you a pivotal moment, given our philosophy, or our title, unstoppable mindset, where is a pivotal moment in your life, where you had to really demonstrate resilience? It's an unstoppability.   Freda Uwa ** 25:03 I like that question so much. I I kind of feel like, um, I've had so many of those moments, right? I've had the moment where I had to face the pandemic, pandemic all by myself, without my family here. And I'm like, No, so I have to be here for me. I have to be here for my family as well. So all of those is all of that. It's a part of the package, right? And then I also had the moment where I started on that conversation with my friend that spoke about that lady, and it planted a seed in my heart, like I was there was something for me if I was going to transfer all of my skills from Nigeria. I could do it right and and then again, the next big thing that happened to me was having a meltdown on my job as a as a case manager for mental health and addictions. So all of those moments left me, like you said, with that unstoppable mindset, like growth is not always linear, like you get bumps, you get heat, and then you have to get up and you keep moving. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 26:13 yeah, you you've got to make that decision to do that, to make the decision to to move forward. And that's an individual choice, but when you decide to do it and you stick to it, you get such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment, don't you Exactly,   Freda Uwa ** 26:30 exactly, that's, that's, that's, yeah, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 26:35 which is, which is pretty cool. So you are able to, you know, to move forward and do the things that you do, the things that you got to do. So you're also unusual in another way, in terms of being the first black executive director of independent living Canada and one of the first two black leaders in a lot of different areas and aspects of the whole rehabilitation and independent living environment. Does that get to be a challenge for you, or do you regard that as a plus or what?   Freda Uwa ** 27:15 I think it's both, because it comes with a lot of pressure, for sure, and then there is that feeling of who, what's here, like, am I finding somebody that looks like me, and what's there to learn from? Right? So, who's gone ahead before me, and where's the where is all the mentorship? Where would that come from? Right? But I also find that I've got a lot, a ton of support from my board. Yeah, ever so supportful, self supportive and yeah, so that has helped. So it's a feeling of of there is work to be done, and, of course, a feeling of accomplishment of some sort, but more so that I I've got a bucket to feel with what's been expected, like I need to give back with what's been poured into me, right? So that's all of that, but in one hand, in the one hand, I see that I there is a gap. There is a gap in representation, for sure. I know we talk about inclusion in terms of people with disabilities, and also thinking about building capacity for young leaders and newcomer leaders coming forward, and making sure that they find a mentorship and some form of support to build capacity in leadership. In that regard, because they are usually different, different levels of expectations from a racialized person as a leader and a non racialized person. So it's all of that, all of that pressure for sure, and having to face that, and constantly telling your story or living through barriers, even as a leader, you have constant barriers you keep facing and then kind of rewriting your own story. I would say,   Michael Hingson ** 29:07 now you don't have a disability in any traditional sense, right? I   Freda Uwa ** 29:12 would say undiagnosed, because I don't know. I feel like I know I have something, but it's undiagnosed. So yes,   Michael Hingson ** 29:19 well, there you go. Something, something to figure out, right? Yes,   Freda Uwa ** 29:24 for sure. And I've always said it, it's, it's a continuum, like it's a spectrum. So it's, everybody's just one life event away from a disability, right? So you never know until you until you find out. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 29:37 of course, people have heard me say on this podcast that actually, everyone has a disability. For most of you, it's you're light dependent. You don't do well when there isn't light around for you to see what you're doing. And inventing the electric light bulb kind of led to a cover up of your disability. But it's still there. It's just that it doesn't manifest itself very often. And the reason, I think it's important. Important to take that kind of a view is that all too often, and I'd be interested in your thoughts on this, but all too often, when people think about disability, they think about, well, it's called disability because it's a lack of ability, and it isn't really, but people think less of people who they regard as traditionally having some sort of disability, and the result is that they look down on or think they're better than somebody with a disability. And I adopted the definition that we all have disabilities, they just manifest differently. In order to try to help start to level that playing field and get people to understand that in reality, we all have challenges, and we all have gifts, and we shouldn't look down on anyone just because they don't have some of the gifts that we do.   Freda Uwa ** 30:53 That's a great way to look at it. Michael, I so in recent times in my work, there is this I've heard about social location, this phrase called social location, Michael, I   Michael Hingson ** 31:07 have not heard much about that. I'm not overly familiar with it, so go ahead, I can imagine. But go ahead. Okay,   Freda Uwa ** 31:13 so that's like, exactly where you are on your social map. I would say, just to put it in a clear way, right? So it's all of those identity markers that make you, right? You might think you don't, you have it all here, but in the next high you're you're not as much privileged as the next person. So it's being on different sports in that social map, right? So I could be, let the I could, I could not have a disability that I know, but in some way I'm I'm disadvantaged, right? So it's all of that coming together and realizing that when we when we're seeking for inclusion for all, it's actually all. And the definition of all can be expanded to mean actually every single person, and not just people with stability. It's every single person ensuring, keeping, taking into consideration that you are not always at the top all the time. You could be privileged in so many areas, and then you are disadvantaged in some area. So it's that social location concept that should, that should inform our need to level the playing fields at all time.   Michael Hingson ** 32:31 Yeah, um, unfortunately, all too often, people won't adopt that principle, and they won't adopt that mindset. So they really think that they're better than others. The unemployment rate among persons with disabilities is still very high compared to the general population. It's still in the 50 to 60% range. And it's not because people with disabilities can't work. It's that people who don't happen to have those same disabilities think that people with those disabilities can't work and so as a result, they're never given the opportunity.   Freda Uwa ** 33:11 Yeah, that's a constant struggle, for sure. Yeah, and that's why we do what we do,   Michael Hingson ** 33:16 right, which is very important to do. So you, you, you work as the executive director, is the CEO of the organization. Do you do all the independent living centers, then do a lot of work with consumer organizations and other things in their local areas, so that they keep very close ties to consumers.   Freda Uwa ** 33:44 Oh, for sure, that's the, that's that's the that's the structure of innovative living Canada, right? So il Canada and il member centers are close to the local communities. So all il member centers are community based centers. So they're, they're in the communities and partnering with, partnering with local communities to meet any unmet needs for persons with disabilities. Okay, yeah, so, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 34:15 So now you're, you're obviously more in an administrative kind of role, but what kind of involvement or or interactions do you have with like consumers and consumer organizations? That's a tricky   Freda Uwa ** 34:29 question, right? So I I've only been here one year. Yeah, I understand. I can speak to the last 11 months, right? So so far with consumer organizations, I am only, only partnered in terms of a project or a research it's still a project or project, right? So whether it's but I feel like that comes from the centers as well, because my the independent living centers. You. Get us involved in partnerships that it's just beyond them, right? So we get partnership partnership, and we need to standing as a national organization to get three or four of our IELTS member centers into that partnership. So that's the level we play. More like we the go between and giving that voice to them. But generally I am more of the administrator than being involved in consumer agencies or organizations, right?   Michael Hingson ** 35:32 Yeah, no, I understand that's I was just wondering if, if, if there is involvement, or how you ever get to interact with them, because I would think that working with consumer organizations in some manner can strengthen what you do as an organization.   Freda Uwa ** 35:51 Yeah, yeah, for sure, we're still, we are open to partnerships, for sure, but it's a process. It's yeah, it's a process, and then for sure, it's what the local centers are needing, and that's what we are doing at the national level, right? So it's, it's a, it's a two way street with the local sense, local member centers. We are nothing without our member centers. So that, yeah, right,   Michael Hingson ** 36:13 right. No, I understand. Well, that's that is still pretty cool, though, and it gives you, it gives you some freedom, and it gives you the ability to look at things from a higher level. But I would assume that it also gives you the opportunity, then to look at how you can work and make a difference in the whole independent living process around Canada.   Freda Uwa ** 36:39 That's for sure. That's for sure. There is work for sure, and that's what we have started doing. So there's a lot of traction happening right now, and just taking one day at a time and reviewing all our partnerships and building other collab partnerships and collaborating in other areas as well. So yeah, I agree. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 37:01 Yeah. Now, I didn't say it earlier, but we met through Sheldon Lewis at accessibe. So I guess you have, have you looked at accessibe as a product, and are you working with Sheldon on that sort of thing, or, or, How is accessibe involved with the Independent Living Center movement in Canada, I   Freda Uwa ** 37:21 would say we are currently having that conversation right now. So, yes,   Michael Hingson ** 37:28 well, so, so at this point, you're looking to see where it might fit and and how, how it would work. Yeah.   Freda Uwa ** 37:39 So we're reviewing all of that. We are reviewing the product and going through the board and test running everything. So, yeah, so just reviewing, what, how that works, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 37:49 So you're actually, so you're actually testing it and looking at it to see what it does and doesn't do and so on.   Freda Uwa ** 37:55 Exactly, yes.   Michael Hingson ** 37:57 What about the whole concept, from your standpoint of Internet access and inclusion, the problem that we see overall is that in our world, maybe 3% of websites have really made an effort to put something on their site to make the website accessible or inclusive, but Most places still haven't done that. How do we change   Freda Uwa ** 38:22 that? I think this is as it's it's still the whole package, about 31 step at a time, and I'm very careful, and I caution against tokenism and just wanting to do something because you want to check up the boxes, right? Yeah, what? What's the intention? Really? Are you really concerned about your consumers, your customers, your clients? Are you really wanting to reach everybody, and everybody, right? So what does that look like for you? So I'm Yeah, it's concerning, for sure, that we have such low percentage of people of websites who are looking into being more accessible and not just checking off one box, right? So, and it's broad, it's really broad because accessibility is it's not just one thing, right? So internet accessibility for sure, it's the next big thing. And at our planned AGM coming up here in September, we are, that's the key, the the main theme of our of our meeting, it's AI and the future of accessibility for all. So, yeah, so that is a good thing that you asked it, because we are looking to build a future where accessibility is second nature to everybody.   Michael Hingson ** 39:51 Someone said something once, and I think is a is a really wonderful thought to have, and that is that we a. All look forward to the day when we are so inclusive that access, or accessibility is a term that we forget and never have to use anymore, because it's just so automatic.   Freda Uwa ** 40:12 I like that. I like that. That's second nature, right? So we don't have to think about it like this is what it is. It's universal. It's a universal design. This is right. Want to see, right? So, and again, like I said, it's not you're not doing it for them. It's not an us, them conversation. It's for all of us, because it's one live event from one disability to the next. So it's creating a world where everybody can thrive, and I empowered to thrive equally, right? Yeah, and   Michael Hingson ** 40:44 I think that is that is so important, and I hope that that day comes sooner than later, but I think it's still a ways off, but I think it is one of those things to really strive for, because as as you and I have both talked about today, everyone has gifts. We all don't have the same gifts, and no one should look down on anyone else just because we're different in some way. And yet, unfortunately, all too often, we do, which is a problem.   Freda Uwa ** 41:20 Yeah, that's right, Michael. And that's, it's really sad how the world has turned humans against humans. And that's, that's not the world we want to see. You know, I'll tell you something that's a renowned writer in Nigeria, Chimamanda dice, she spoke about the evil word for love. IBO is my local dialect, my native tongue, and the evil word for love, love is if unanya And that, what that literally translates to is, I see you, so Michael, if I love you, I see you beyond anything else. I see you beyond your abilities, beyond your color, beyond any other identity marker that defines you. I just see your soul. So sometimes I feel like we African language is not fully the English doesn't do the English language doesn't do justice to the weight of our native tongue, right? So that's love seeing humans, seeing who you are, for who you are, nothing beyond that. So that's really, that's, that's the world I look forward to having, for sure. And   Michael Hingson ** 42:36 it is so important that we all look at each other for who we are because one characteristic doesn't define us, blindness doesn't define me, your being from Nigeria doesn't define you. It's part of your experience, but it doesn't define you, and it shouldn't.   Freda Uwa ** 42:57 Yeah, right, yeah, absolutely, yeah. Then   Michael Hingson ** 43:01 we have politicians, and they're all defined by what they do when we can pick on them. So it's okay, that's a smart move. But, but, but really, you know, it's one characteristic or whatever doesn't define us. It is part of our makeup, but it doesn't define us. And I think that's very important, that we really understand that we are the sum of everything that we do and that we are, and a lot of what we do and what we are comes from the choices that we make. And that's why I really like unstoppable mindset, because it's a podcast that really helps to show people who listen and watch that they are more unstoppable than they think they are, and what we really need to do is to bring that unstoppability out in everyone, and if it comes out in the right way, it also means that we learn how to work more closely with each other. And I think it is important that we start having more of a sense of community throughout the whole world. I   Freda Uwa ** 44:04 like that, Michael and I like your tie into the unstoppable mindset, like it's in the mind. Yeah, the seed is planted in the mind, and that's where it blossoms, and it's all the environment you give to that seed. How are you cultivating your thoughts? How are you, what are you feeding your thoughts with, right? So, how are you accepting values and projecting values and all of that? So it's in the mind. And so once the mindset is unstoppable, you can thrive, you can bloom, you can become, you can be established in every sphere that you choose. So that's, that's, that's the goal, really so, yeah, that's the unstoppable mindset for sure.   Michael Hingson ** 44:45 Yeah, it's very important. And I think that we all usually underestimate ourselves, and we need to work on not doing that. We need. To demand more of ourselves about what we do, and if we do that, and the more of that that we do, we'll find that we can go out of our what people call comfort zones, a whole lot more, and we'll find that we can do a lot more than we think that we can.   Freda Uwa ** 45:17 Yeah, and I like that. And to your point, Michael, I also, I also feel like we also need to give ourselves credits for all of what we've been through. Yeah, keep yourself the the empathy, like, take time, take a break, recharge and come back right. Like I said, growth isn't always linear. Sometimes you need to take those pauses and recognize that you need to stop, recharge and then go for it, right? So just give yourself credit for showing up. That's it. That's enough, right? You've shown up, that's enough. You've done the step one. That's enough. Show yourself some empathy, show yourself love, and that's the way it radiates to people around you, for sure,   Michael Hingson ** 46:02 I like the idea of showing yourself love you should and and I mean that, and I know that you do as well. Mean it in a positive way. It doesn't have anything to do with ego and thinking you're the greatest thing in the world since sliced bread, but it is recognizing who you are and showing yourself as much as anything that that love is also a significant part of or ought to be a significant part of your life.   Freda Uwa ** 46:29 Mm, hmm, yeah, absolutely. And show up for yourself. Show up for yourself. Yeah, you can be so many things to so many people, but how about yourself? Right? Don't show up for yourself and let yourself enjoy you as a person, right?   Michael Hingson ** 46:46 Well, I love to say, I used to say I'm my own worst critic, and I've learned that's not the right thing to say. The right thing to say is I'm my own best teacher, because I'm the only one that can really teach me. And I think that's so important to make things positive. And when something happens, it's not so positive, figure out what the issue is and how to address it, but you, but you can do that. We all can do that. Yes, right? So I think it's so important, and you can do that with   Freda Uwa ** 47:15 love as well, right? Yes, absolutely.   Michael Hingson ** 47:19 That's a good one. So you do a lot of work in managing projects and so on. So what? How did you how did you get to be a good project manager? Because that's part of, obviously, what you do. Was it something you were trained to do? You've picked up on. You have a natural talent for it?   Freda Uwa ** 47:35 Yes. So I've got training in project management. And of course, like it's I did events management back in Nigeria. So it's all of that, that training, the experience and, of course, natural talents to knowing how to manage people and little programs. So that's built into the training that I also had. So yeah, it's all of everything, a bit of everything, I would say,   Michael Hingson ** 47:58 What do you think makes a good leader. That's a toughie, I know. Oh, right, Michael, you   Freda Uwa ** 48:05 don't want to do this.   Michael Hingson ** 48:09 This sounds dangerous.   Freda Uwa ** 48:10 I know, right? So, yeah. So you know what I used to say? I try, I try to make people happy, right? But it's a really difficult job to be a leader, really difficult one. But my concept of leadership is showing people how to follow. So my concept is building leaders right modeling the way for people to follow. So a good leader is a servant leader. They are listening. And you're also wanting to build leaders, and that is giving empowering your following to do as you what you've done. So you're showing them you're doing it, and you're ensuring that you're leaving no one behind. So a good leader is leading and moving her team from behind. That's my That's That's the summary of what I would say. But then that doesn't always mean you're making people happy, because I always tell I say this sometimes, that if you want to make everybody happy, you go sell ice cream, you don't want to take a leadership role, because you you might hurt some people, for sure.   Michael Hingson ** 49:27 Well, I think also it's important to to say that good leaders, and you, you mentioned it, train other people and teach other people how to be leaders. I think one of the most important things, and I always said it to every person I ever hired, was I didn't hire you so I could boss you around my hiring you because you convinced me you could do the job I'm hiring you to do. But what you and I have to do together is to figure out how I can add value and. And enhance what you do. And that's really a tricky and challenging thing, because it isn't necessarily something that, as the official leader, if you will, is is best done by me. It's oftentimes better done by the people I hire who observe me and observe all that goes on around us. And who will come and say, here's how I think I can do better with your help, and here's how I how I think you can add value to what I do. And you know, I've hired a lot of people who can't do that. They can't go there. They're just not used to that kind of model. But I do know that the ones who who understand it and who accept it and who follow through on it, those people do really well, because we learn to compliment each other and their skills and my skills, which are different, but can coalesce together to mean that the sum of the parts, or the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, because we work together.   Freda Uwa ** 51:13 That's right, Michael, that's right. And you've said it right there. Like a good leader is only as good you as a leader, you're only as good as your team, right? So you want to make the team work, right? So, yeah, that's, that's, that's my view on leadership as well. What, what's my team doing, and how am I supporting them to to thrive and become,   Michael Hingson ** 51:36 yeah, yeah, that's, that's really important, and I think that's really a big part of leadership. Certainly, leadership has to motivate and and overall coordinate the efforts of what the team does, but the best leaders also know when to let someone else take the lead because they've got better skills in a particular arena or project than someone someone else does   Freda Uwa ** 52:05 absolutely, yeah, yeah, for sure. So,   Michael Hingson ** 52:09 in addition to being the executive director of independent living Canada, what else do you do? What are your other passions or hobbies, or what other kinds of things do you like to get involved in   Freda Uwa ** 52:22 alright, that's fun. I am a red seal endorsed chef. So I cook. I love to cook. That's my escape. I cook for family. I cook for friends. I'm involved in my local community here in Saskatoon, and my local cultural community. So all of that are the things I do, and more. So I am just about publishing my first book I started a long time ago. And so, yeah, I'm also an author at night. And yeah, so yeah, I'm excited about my book. It's called Jollof life, and I'm excited for sure. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 53:04 when will it be published?   Freda Uwa ** 53:09 I don't have a date yet, but I will, I will let you know soon enough.   Michael Hingson ** 53:14 So roughly, when do you think it will be published? Just, I mean, is it six months away, a year or three months or   Freda Uwa ** 53:20 I'm thinking, I'm thinking, six months away. Okay,   Michael Hingson ** 53:24 okay, cool. Well, that's exciting. That's exciting that you're, you're working on a book.   Freda Uwa ** 53:32 So do you know what Jollof is? Michael, no, what is that? Tell me. Let me. Let me coach you. So Jollof is it's a dish in Africa. It's, it's a type of rice that is cooked into my tomato, tomato, tomato broth and meat stock. And it's really, really flavorful. It's red, it's rich, and all of that. It's so good that, like I have, I'm a caterer in Nigeria. I know I need to say that when I was in Nigeria, I was a caterer. So if you go to an event, you must have a stand for Jollof rice. So it's really, it's really that good that there is a saying in Nigeria that any party without Jollof rice is just a meeting, right? There you go. It's, that is that good? So I call Jollof right, the queen of the buffet. So it's, it has to be there. It just has to be there. And it's so relevant that there is an online feud amongst African countries of Who makes the best job, right? So it's, that good, right? So I took that idea and turned that into life. What's what life that is, what makes you so relevant at what you do, and that's why I'm I switched that around to Jollof life, right? Just standing out and being the queen of your life, or the. Of your life and owning that space and just being as relevant and and having to dominate your space. So I cooked through a part of the love, right, while writing that book, and I was expressing myself through the Arabs and the flavors and cooking life through that book. So that's what the book is about.   Michael Hingson ** 55:18 Oh, that's exciting. And it makes sense that that's the title. And I kind of figured maybe that was sort of what it was when you said jolla life. But it makes, makes perfect sense, what's your favorite thing to cook?   Freda Uwa ** 55:32 And now, now that you now that you know, then it's Jollof. Of course. It's chill off.   Michael Hingson ** 55:39 What's your second favorite thing to cook. Oh,   Freda Uwa ** 55:42 pasta. Okay. I kind of feel like, I mean, earlier in my blood, right? So I love to cook pasta. That's   Michael Hingson ** 55:52 pretty cool. Do you make your own pasta from scratch or,   Freda Uwa ** 55:57 Oh, I do. I do, yes. So I Buy store bought ones, but I also make mine from scratch too. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 56:03 I bet it tastes better when you make it from scratch though. Oh,   Freda Uwa ** 56:07 it's so good. Michael,   Michael Hingson ** 56:10 that's exciting. Well, and your book is coming. So what other things do you like to do besides independent living and and cooking or nutrition?   Freda Uwa ** 56:22 So, yeah, I'm, I'm involved in my local community, cultural community of women, so we are out dancing sometimes, and, you know, having local events. So that's something else that keeps me busy in the weekend. And I love, I love that I'm still, I'm able to to connect with the my culture here in Canada as well. So yeah, those are the things I love, family. I love spending time with my family. That's I've got men in my house and like that. I teach sometimes, and I say that I live with four men, right? So three of those are my boys, and one is my husband. So I take some time to have the boy time. So I'm also, I'm also, I suck myself in that as well. So I do some boy activities. So I, yeah, so yeah, that's my, my downgrade.   Michael Hingson ** 57:13 But you gotta do some girl activities too.   Freda Uwa ** 57:17 That's, that's when I have my me time. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 57:20 What's important to do? And the boys probably go off and do their things too. How old are the boys? Yeah, I've   Freda Uwa ** 57:27 got a 14 year old, an 11 year old and an eight year old.   Michael Hingson ** 57:32 Ah, so are boys? No girls, no,   Freda Uwa ** 57:37 none. Yet,   Michael Hingson ** 57:40 there's another project for you. Oh, Michael,   Freda Uwa ** 57:46 whoopee, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 57:48 I understand. No, I I appreciate that. It's, it's, that's, it's something, well, you have, you've had a lot of experiences. What do you think, or how do you think your overall life journey has made your mindset what it is.   Freda Uwa ** 58:09 Oh, boy, Michael, is I again, I said I spoke about growing and evolving. So that's the mindset. I am not there yet, like I feel like I'm not there yet. Yeah, I'm still I'm still growing and involved evolving. So it's just not being satisfied or settling for nothing short of the best. I don't like to use the word perfection, but I want to keep going and keep pushing and getting better than my just growing and getting better than yesterday. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 58:46 going and growing. And that's that's important. Well, with that in mind, if you had the opportunity to do it, what would you go back and tell your 10 year old younger self? What would you tell that 10 year old Frida, and what and more important, if you told her, would she listen? But anyway, what would you tell her?   Freda Uwa ** 59:08 She was loud. For sure she was loud. I know she'll be. She was hyperactive, so that I know, so I will let her know one step at a time you have made huge progress. You have made huge progress. I am so proud of you. I am indeed living your dreams, and I'm hoping that I have checked off most of the boxes that you've always wanted to do. So that's what I would say to my 10 year old, Frida, and I hope that she listens to that.   Michael Hingson ** 59:46 Yeah, that's the trick, of course, is with any of us is to to get the younger of us, or younger people in general, to listen all too often we just think we know everything, and it's so difficult to get people to step back and. It's one of the things that I think we really, collectively as a society, need to do a lot more of, which is at the end of the day, at the end of every day, step back. Think about what happened. How can you improve what happened? Even the good stuff, but especially the things that didn't necessarily go as you planned. Step back and look at them and adopt a mindset that you want to teach yourself how to do it better, whatever it is that that is that has got to be a way that we can help get others and ourselves to listen more than we tend to do.   Freda Uwa ** 1:00:33 Mm, hmm, yes, for sure, and and looking to give back as well. Like, are you coaching and mentoring people. So, yeah, yeah. So if there are any freedoms out there, you can always reach out to people that would speak and leave seeds in your hearts of greatness, like see the good in every situation. Like I did, see a good in the conversation that I I heard about that lady or that woman at the time. So that is a good in every situation you meet, right? So you pick the seed that you want, you want, and then water it and nurture it to grow and grow, you always find,   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:13 yeah, and I think that we, we can do that. We can do a lot more of that than we tend to do, but I think it's important that we we do our best. And you talked about servant leadership, and it's as much about serving yourself and your soul as it is about being a servant leader to other people. Absolutely. And the thing that we never, well, I won't say we never, but the thing that we don't do nearly as much as we probably could, is listen to our own inner voice that probably has the answers we seek, if we would but learn to listen for them. Mm,   Freda Uwa ** 1:01:45 hmm, absolutely, yeah. And I like I like that to your point, serve yourself too, right? So for seven leaders, serve yourself. Listen to yourself, take those pauses, give yourself credit for all your hard work. And you know, sometimes you get that guilt when you want to spoil yourself. I'm like, Okay, this body made this money, right? So I need to take care of this body. So that's, that's, yeah, that's, that's a way to give yourself some credit, like physical treats, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:17 yeah, physical treats. And not necessarily overdoing it, but physical treats and and mental treats too. This this weekend is a holiday in the United States, and I know that I'm going to take some downtime just to to kind of relax. I think it's important that we all do that all too often when people go on vacations. I'm sure it's true up there too, but it's so true down here, they go on a vacation, they go somewhere, they do a lot of hiking and a lot of work, and when they come back from the vacation, they need a vacation because they work so hard.   Freda Uwa ** 1:02:51 Oh yeah, tell me about it.   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:55 And it's it's important for us to learn to rest and let our, let our brains recuperate too. Let our, let our mind recuperate. But, you know, yeah,   Freda Uwa ** 1:03:06 it comes I, I needed that. I needed that for sure. It's a long weekend here in Canada as well. Oh yeah, so I'm just going to unplug and take some downtime and recharge, right? So it's needed for sure. It   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:21 is that's that's good. Well, you know this, this has been a lot of fun to do, and I've, I've enjoyed it, and I want to thank you for being on and I want to thank all of you who are listening to us and watching us. We really appreciate you being here. I hope that you've enjoyed what Frida has had to say, if people want to reach out to you and maybe talk with you in some manner or contact you, how do they do that? Hi.   Freda Uwa ** 1:03:47 Oh, so I'm on Instagram and I'm on LinkedIn, Freda Owa , and   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:53 yeah, is UWA, yes,   Freda Uwa ** 1:03:56 UWA, UWA. So that's Frida or right on LinkedIn. And of course, you can reach out to IO Canada website and ask to speak to me. So, yeah. Well, cool. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:12 I hope people will do that. I hope that everyone has enjoyed all of all of our discussions and your insights today, if you did enjoy it, we would really appreciate you. Wherever you're listening to us, give us a five star rating. We value your reviews and ratings very highly. If you'd like to reach out to me, you are welcome to do so. I'm easy to find. You can email me at Michael, H, I m, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, I, B, e.com, so I'd love to hear from you. If you know of anyone who you think would be a guest, that we ought to have an unstoppable mindset. Freda to you as well. If you know anyone who ought to be a guest, we want to hear from you. Just before we started this podcast, I received an email from someone who said, I got a great guest. You said, If. I found anyone that I should reach out, and I'm reaching out. I got this great person. So we hope that all of you will will do that, and that you will stick with us, and you'll be back next week to listen to more of or our next episode, more of unstoppable mindset. We really appreciate your time and value the fact that you're here. So once again, Freda, I want to thank you for being here. This has been a lot of fun, and we ought to do it again sometime,   Freda Uwa ** 1:05:28 for sure. Thanks for having me, Michael, and good luck, and very well done. Job with the unstoppable mindset.   **Michael Hingson ** 1:05:40 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

A federal group that represents university teachers is speaking out against the Houston government's proposed legislation around post-secondary education. Bill 12 would give the province sweeping powers to make changes at these institutions. The Canadian Association of University Teachers is accusing the Nova Scotia government of "unacceptable political interference" in the affairs of the province's universities.

Elizabeth Mitchell is a certified Music Therapist who holds her PhD in Music Education from Western University. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, coordinating the Bachelor of Music Therapy program, teaching courses, conducting research, and supervising master's students in their research. Elizabeth previously served as the Ethics Chair for the Canadian Association of Music Therapists. Dr. Liz Mitchell's research is grounded in her lived experiences working as a music therapist and psychotherapist, largely in mental health treatment settings.Episode Links: https://www.elizabethlmitchell.com/--Subscribe to the Able Voice Podcast, leave us a review and connect with us (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ablevoicepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @synergymusictherapy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) to share your experiences and takeaways. We release new episodes every other Sunday between the end of January and end of August.AVP Theme Music by: Christopher Mouchette. Follow him on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Soundcloud (Chris Mouchette)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Episode audio edited by: Justis Krar (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immvproductions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts here:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/able-voice-podcast/id1505215850⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://screamtherapyhq.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠https://screamtherapyhq.com/book⁠

Ask "what can I do for my profession?"Dr. Martin Spiro, current President of the Canadian Association of Optometrists, joins the podcast to discuss some of the most pressing topics that are at the forefront of optometry in Canada.Dr. Spiro had just returned from the Optometric Leadership Forum in Ottawa, which is an event held by the CAO to bring leaders in Canadian optometry together to discuss the future of the profession. Not surprisingly, the primary topic of discussion this year was scope expansion. Dr. Spiro share insights and data from the meeting to help us understand why scope expansion is necessary for our profession, the healthcare system and, most importantly, for our patients.We also dive into some of the different ways that CAO is support optometry and optometrists across the country. But, no matter how much our associations do for us, ultimately it comes down to each of us to continue to work to make the profession better.Learn more about CAO resources:http://www.opto.ca/Book your hotel for CAO Congress:https://events.canplaninc.ca/cao2025/home?lang=enConnect with Harbir:Instagram.com/harbirsian.odLove the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/

Have you listened to the FULL EPISODE yet?"I was 28 before I learned I did not have to believe every stupid thing I thought. It's a game changer for me just to like not believe every thought, but to sort of just watch the storms that come in my head." - Dr. Daniel AmenAs a pioneering psychiatrist who introduced brain scanning into mainstream psychiatric practice, Dr. Daniel Amen faced intense criticism from his peers. Despite being called a "charlatan" and facing rejection from the established medical community, he persevered, knowing that his methods were helping countless patients. His journey from anxiety over professional criticism to finding inner peace offers valuable lessons in resilience and staying true to one's mission.Dr. Amen shares profound insights about managing negative thoughts and handling professional criticism, drawing from his experience of helping thousands of patients through the Amen Clinics. His work has now gained recognition from prestigious institutions, including the Canadian Association of Nuclear Medicine, validating his approach to brain health through SPECT imaging. His story demonstrates how scientific progress often requires challenging established paradigms, even when faced with significant opposition from those invested in maintaining the status quo.Sign up for the Greatness newsletter!