Podcasts about Halifax

In this edition of 32 Thoughts, Kyle Bukauskas and Elliotte Friedman open with the remarkable starts from Brandon Bussi, nine wins in his first ten games, and Canadiens rookie Jacob Fowler holding his own between the pipes (4:22). The guys touch on key injuries to Roope Hintz and Logan Cooley (11:33) before diving into Nashville's offensive surge (15:03) and the Rangers' letdown in a 3–0 loss to Chicago (17:40 ). They discuss JT Miller's slipping Olympic stock (18:49), the disappointing state of the St. Louis Blues (20:17), and Ryan Strome's search for stability in Anaheim as the Kings keep tabs (31:10). Elliotte breaks down the latest Olympic developments, including player-driven decisions, Ron Hainsey's focus on safety, and frustration over the lack of a hockey hospitality area in Milan (25:36). The fellas also revisit the growing hand-pass controversy in video review and why the first-challenge penalty feels too harsh for certain plays (32:23). The Final Thought features Elliotte's recent trip to Washington for a sit-down with Tom Wilson (42:23).Kyle and Elliotte answer your emails and voicemails in the Thoughtline (50:02).Today we highlight Beauts, an indie rock back out of Halifax, and their song Cave. Check out their music here.Listen to all the 32 Thoughts music here.Email the podcast at 32thoughts@sportsnet.ca or call the Thought Line at 1-833-311-3232 and leave us a voicemail.This podcast was produced and mixed by Dominic Sramaty and hosted by Elliotte Friedman & Kyle Bukauskas.The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates

This week's episode opens with the news of the sudden death of Russia's ambassador to North Korea, Alexander Matsegora, who died at 70 on Saturday following decades of diplomatic service on the Korean Peninsula. NK News founder Chad O'Carroll then discusses his recent appearance at a high-profile press conference with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, where his question about long-detained South Korean citizens in North Korea unexpectedly became a national story.  Finally, O'Carroll reflects on his trip to the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada. He describes conversations with Western officials, Ukrainians, and journalists, expressing frustration at what he sees as a persistent lack of understanding or urgency around North Korea's role in supplying Russia during the war in Ukraine.  About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insights from our very own journalists.

We welcome Moody's Mark Zandi, Moody's Chief Economist and one of the most influential and trusted macroeconomic voices shaping markets, policy, and business strategy worldwide. Zandi begins by explaining how today's consumer landscape is defined by a widening K-shaped economy—an income and wealth split decades in the making and now intensified by rising asset values and post-pandemic dynamics. Households at the top of the income spectrum are spending freely, while middle-class consumers remain pressured and those at the bottom struggle to keep up, borrowing to sustain purchases.Zandi also connects the affordability crisis to structural issues like housing supply, wage pressures, labor shortages, and the unpredictable impact of tariffs—which are simultaneously slowing job creation, lifting inflation, and clouding retailers' pricing strategies. He warns that delayed tariff pass-through may soon accelerate and that upcoming legal decisions could radically alter retail margins.Perhaps most striking is Zandi's analysis of AI's fingerprints on the labor market. He highlights rapidly rising unemployment among younger workers and the risk that productivity gains arrive faster than hiring can adjust—potentially tipping the economy toward recession just as retail faces profit pressure, concentration of growth among a handful of giants, and shifts in category performance.Before joined by Zandi, Steve and Michael dig into the retail headlines: strong BFCM e-commerce results , Buy Now Pay Later surging again, and evidence that AI-driven traffic is now materially influencing online demand. They examine the evolving performance of dollar stores, with Five Below delivering standout comps, the ongoing stampede to value, and whether the end of de minimis rules may reshape the bargain landscape.They then break down Macy's mixed but improving traction, tariff lawsuits led by Costco, and the broader retail question of whether top-line growth is increasingly profitless prosperity—a theme reinforced by margins squeezed across beauty, off-price, and specialty retail formats.In a quick recap of the most remarkable stories of the week Steve is stunned that Meta still invests heavily in the metaverse—even while shrinking budgets Michael questions whether defunct brands like Bed Bath & Beyond can meaningfully return in the Canadian retail market dominated by TJX, HomeSense, and IKEA.Expect the annual game of holiday discount chicken to intensify as promotions escalate, plus intriguing experiments like Netflix House in former department-store spaces—potentially hinting at new opportunities for mall real estate. SPECIAL OFFER for our listeners! SAVE 20% on registration for the all new Shoptalk Luxe event in Abu Dhabi January 27-29.For more info go to https://luxe.shoptalk.com/page/get-ticket and then register using our special code : RRLUXE20 About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

Halifax at the Berghof and Soviet Paranoia: Colleague Charles Spicer explains that by late 1937, the Anglo-German Fellowship was infiltrated by spies including Soviet mole Kim Philby, fueling Stalin's fear of an Anglo-German alliance; the narrative focuses on Lord Halifax's visit to the Berghof, where he famously mistook Hitler for a footman, and despite witnessing Hitler's brutal rants about India, Halifax returned to London believing Hitler did not desire war, a misjudgment Spicer attributes to Hitler's ability to fool the "religious" Halifax, underscoring the dangerous disconnect between British diplomatic expectations and Hitler's aggressive reality. 1933

Teo Kim is a story-driven marketer and creator based in Halifax. He shares the people, culture, and everyday life of Atlantic Canada through film, conversations, and community projects. His work connects communities by blending marketing, storytelling, and culture into one cohesive voice. Find out more @teokim.ca

C Stone-Léon, a rapper/producer/curator residing in Halifax, NS. He draws inspiration from underground and old-school sounds, citing influences like Westside Gunn, Roc Marciano, MF Doom, and The Alchemist. Collaborating with long-time friend French, they released Léon's debut mixtape “Burning Bushes on Marble Floors” in January 2021. The lead single “Matilda” received recognition from Ghostface Killah, Redman, and Busta Rhymes. Léon is the founder of DIRECTOR, a brand spanning music, film, art, and fashion, and has released 9 projects and various singles. His newest collaboration effort with Luke French & Ghostboyrj “Tokyo, Sayonara!” Is out now everywhere.Check him out @cstoneleon

Canada's Olympic Curling teams have been determined and there are new European champions and we're here to talk about it. We start with the Canadian Trials and Team Homan and Team Jacobs' wins, how the Finals played out, and other takeaways from the week in Halifax. We then chat about the Swedish sweep at the European championship and how things played out in the race to qualify for the world championship.For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Sally Wainwright, the award-winning writer and director of the UK series "Happy Valley" and "Last Tango in Halifax," has a new show called "Riot Women," about a group of middle aged women in the north of England who form a rock band for a charity talent show. What starts out as a lark turns into something more meaningful. Wainwright discusses the show, which was recently greenlit for a second season. Riot Women premieres on BritBox January 14th.

Lori has returned from Halifax and she and Mary are finally able to discuss all the happenings from the trials in Halifax.  Congratulations to Team Homan and Team Jacobs on their epic wins!  Please enjoy Part 2 of the 2025 Trials Recap!

Lori is joined by Kerry Galusha and Kevin Palmer to break down the action at the trials after the Round Robin.  The group discuss the 10 teams that did not make the playoffs and share their thoughts on what happened.  Lori, Kerry and Kevin also discuss their thoughts about the event in Halifax: the arena, ice, patch and the fan experience.  With the shocking news about the death of Colleen Jones, the group offer their sympathies and some stories about Colleen.  Please enjoy the episode and stay tuned for Part 2.

We chat with Kathy McCabe all about traveling to Italy. Kathy is the founder of Dream of Italy and Dream of Europe and hosts PBS shows of the same name. She is one of America's leading voices on Italian culture and travel, and she shares some of Italy's hidden gems, how to explore Italy during the Olympics, tips for buying a house in Italy, and so much more.Episode Resources:Dream of Italy websiteDream of Italy InstagramDream of Europe websiteSupport the Travel Mug Podcast by buying us a coffee! You'll make our day & you'll get access to fun stuff like bloopers and extra content.We have Merch! Shop the Travel Mug Podcast Store Check out our fav items here: Our Favourite Travel ProductsGRAB OUR MASTER PACKING LIST HERE*****************************************We are travel enthusiasts who do not claim to be professionals! Instead, we are two Halifax, NS natives with travel blogs who somehow found one another on the internet, and now, we have a podcast!!Join us every week as we talk about our favourite destinations, travel tips, travel fails, and all things travel!We have a big passion for travelling and talking about travel, so we hope you will listen and join the conversation.You can find us here:Our WebsiteFacebookInstagramJenn's Travel Blog Jenn's YouTube channelDisclaimer: All episodes are based on our opinions and experiences. Always do your research and make travel plans based on your budget and comfort levels.Support the show

The latest edition of the retail industry's leading podcast features an in-depth conversation with Jason Buechel, CEO of Whole Foods Market and Vice President of Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores, who shares Amazon's rapidly expanding grocery ambitions. Already surpassing $100 billion in gross sales, Amazon is leaning into grocery as a strategic category driven by frequency, loyalty, Prime stickiness, and the potential to unite all household purchasing into a seamless digital and physical ecosystem.Buechel explains how Amazon is transforming grocery shopping—a category in which consumers currently visit four to five retailers a month—into a single, unified experience. With more than 1,000 same-day grocery delivery locations today scaling to 2,300 cities, store-level innovations such as Whole Foods Daily Shop formats, and the integration of perishables directly into Amazon baskets alongside electronics or apparel, the company is erasing long-standing channel barriers. He also outlines the “one grocery” operational vision: unified supply chains, technology stacks, and customer journeys across banners, while preserving the brand trust and standards that Whole Foods customers demand.The episode opens with co-hosts Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc breaking down early holiday results. This year's hottest retail storyline, however, may be the sudden emergence of agentic AI. Tools such as Amazon's Rufus and ChatGPT are now influencing search and conversion decisions, helping fuel what the hosts dub “the most agentic Christmas yet.” With traffic gains from AI agents multiplying, the shift from traditional search to intelligent assistants is poised to accelerate dramatically in 2026.The discussion then turns to Kohl's, and the decision to name interim CEO Michael Bender to the permanent position. The hosts frame this as symptomatic of a deeper issue: a retailer with declining relevance in a shrinking total addressable market.On the heels of new quarterly earnings reports they also spotlight the theme of “profitless prosperity”—brands reporting modest sales improvements but sliding EBITDA as tariffs, promotions, and supply chain pressures erode margin—the overarching message: top-line growth is not victory unless gross profit dollars follow.The episode concludes with the remarkable rise of Google's AI game, and Sears inexplicably still operating a handful of stores (though likely not for much longer). SPECIAL OFFER for our listeners! SAVE 20% on registration for the all new Shoptalk Luxe event in Abu Dhabi January 27-29.For more info go to https://luxe.shoptalk.com/page/get-ticket and then register using our special code : RRLUXE20 About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

From Halifax to the four Maritime provinces, Stil James founders share how timeless design, regional sensibilities, and entrepreneurial grit shape their work and new cabinetry brand, Loran. There's a kind of quiet confidence in the design work coming out of Canada's Maritime provinces—projects that don't chase trends but instead reflect the rhythm of life shaped by weather, culture, and community. In this episode of Convo By Design, I'm talking with the founders of Stil James, a Halifax-based design studio that embodies this spirit of regional purpose. Their approach blends design restraint with deep practicality, and their new cabinetry brand, Loran, takes that philosophy even further. Designer Resources Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise. Design Hardware - A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home! TimberTech - Real wood beauty without the upkeep In this episode, we explore how two designers are navigating generational shifts in lifestyle, climate challenges, and a conservative market while building a business rooted in curiosity, learning, and partnership. From kitchens and mudrooms to cabinetry and color palettes, they reveal what it means to design for both function and future in Atlantic Canada. We talked about how the pandemic reshaped design thinking in the Maritimes—how open spaces replaced formal dining rooms, and how designers are reimagining older homes to suit how families actually live. The team at Stil James described the region's unique relationship with design: working “ten to fifteen years behind the trends” not as a limitation, but as an advantage that allows for timelessness and reflection. They draw more inspiration from Europe than North America, taking cues from craftsmanship, heritage, and texture rather than fleeting style cycles. Our conversation moved into climate resiliency—a constant design driver in Atlantic Canada, where homes must withstand everything from coastal winds to heavy snowfall. Mudrooms become essential transitional spaces, designed for the reality of shifting weather and active family life. Clients are increasingly focused on systems, materials, and sustainable practices that ensure their homes can adapt with the climate. We also discussed how lifelong learning has become central to the Stil James ethos. They encourage their team to attend design shows, seek global perspectives through digital tools, and value soft skills—resilience, empathy, and curiosity—just as highly as formal training. Then came Loran, their new cabinetry venture, born out of a clear market need for design-forward millwork in Halifax. Partnering with an Ontario-based manufacturer allows them to maintain quality and scale while keeping exclusivity within the Maritimes. Loren's mission extends beyond their own design projects, serving other designers and homeowners seeking elevated cabinetry built with longevity in mind. Show Topics Shifts in design philosophy post-2020 Retrofitting Maritime homes for modern living Working “behind the trends” as an advantage Designing for climate resiliency and functional living Building a culture of curiosity and continuous learning Launching Loren: a cabinetry company for the Maritimes Rejecting color trend cycles for timeless design Entrepreneurship, partnership, and the business of expansion The dynamics of collaboration and shared creative leadership We closed with a conversation about color and timelessness—how they resist seasonal trend reports and instead design for relevance over the next decade or more. They balance enduring finishes with accents that allow for evolution and personal expression. Entrepreneurship runs deep in their story, both having grown up in business-minded families. Their partnership was forged during the pandemic, when shared values and complementary strengths—operations and development—created a foundation of trust that continues to shape ...

Hacer click aquí para enviar sus comentarios a este cuento.Juan David Betancur Fernandezelnarradororal@gmail.comHabía una vez en la ciudad de Halifax en Canada durante la primera guerra mundial una combinación de hechos que resultaría fatal. Era el 6 de diciembre de 1917 y el comercio de municiones entre america y Europa estaba en todo sus apogeo. Aquel día el carguero Frances SS Mont-Blanc se aprestaba a entrar a el puerto de Halifax después de haber cargado casi 3000 toneladas de explosivos en nueva york y esperando ser parte de un convoy que partiría a Europa. En su entrada a puerto  el capitán de el Mont Blanc  vio aproximarse el  SS Imo de bandera noruega., El  IMO era un  barco dedicado a transportar suministros de ayuda sanitaria a Europa y necesitaba llegar a Nueva York lo antes posible y ya iba con retrazo. Eran las 8:45 de la mañana El piloto del Mont-Blanc emitió un solo silbato corto, la señal estándar que indicaba que tenía el derecho de paso. En respuesta, el Imo emitió dos silbidos cortos en un desafío desafio indicando que no cedería su posición, el Mont Blank repitió el silbido pero de nuevo el IMO rechazo el pedido y continuo. . A pesar de los repetidos intentos del Mont-Blanc de reafirmar su derecho, el Imo se mantuvo en su rumbo erróneo.Finalmente Ambos barcos cortaron sus motores, pero el movimiento continuo debido a la inercia propia de grandes barcos llevo a ambos en curso de colision . El Mont Blanc giro bruscamente a babor, pero desafortunadamente el IMO termino incrustándose lentamente , muy lentamente en el costado del Mont Blanc a la altura de la bodega principal llena de explosivos. El golpe sacudió violentamente el Mont blanc causando el derramamiento de los barriles de benceno que llevaba en la cubierta. Este benceno altamente inflamable se filtro en las bodegas de carga y. allí el vapor del benceno comenzó a llenar las bodegas repletas de acido pícrico y TNTHasta ese primer momento nada explosivo había sucedido, todo parecía simplemente un golpe entre dos barcos sin perdidas humanas. En Halifax los traunseuntes del puerto vieron la escena y muchos corrieron hasta la orilla para presenciar dicho espectáculo. Dos barcos chocando no se veía todos los días.  Pasaron 20 minutos y nada había explotado milagrosamente. De pronto el SS IMO comenzó a retroceder tratando de desbloquear la situación y apartarse del Mont blanc. Pero esto fue fatal. El roce del metal de ambos barcos mientras se lentamente se retiraban causpo chispas que encendieron de inmediato los vapores de benzol derramado en la bodega. El fuego comenzó alcanzando el combustible de la cubierta. El capitán del Montblanc ordeno a su tripulación que abandonaran el Barco y todos trataron de llegar en bote o a nado a la costa de Halifax. Mientras tanto el barco ya en llamas era un espectáculo para las dos ciudades de Halifax y Dartmouth a ambas lados del estrecho. Era la oportunidad para miles de habitantes de presenciar un incendio espectacular. El Mont blanc siguió sin control y sin piloto y capitán y después de algunos minutos encallo contra el Muelle numero 6. Todo era sorpresa y excitación en la  ciudad ya que un gran barco en fuego había golpeado el puerto, pero solo los pocos marineros del mont blanc que todavía  remaban desesperados hacia la costa  sabían y entendían el  potencial peligro en el que todos los habitantes  estaban.  Y llego las 9 :04 de la mañana el fuego ya era incontrolable y había alcanzado la explosiva carga de la bodega creando una  gigantesca explosión nunca antes vista en la historia. Una bola de fuego se elevo desde aquel barco. El Mont blanc se desintegro instantáneamente y una onda explosiva se movió a más de 1000 metros por segundo a una temperatura de 5000 grados similar a la temperatu

The Halifax International Security Forum always includes a sizable and bi-partisan group of United States Senators who were suddenly put on the spot: Did they think Ukraine should accept this ultimatum? By Saturday afternoon, several senators issued a joint statement condemning this plan. Then something extraordinary happened. A couple hours after this joint statement was released, an even larger and more bi-partisan group of senators gave a press conference in which Republican Senator Mike Rounds said that he and two other senators had just got off the phone with Marco Rubio, who was en route to Geneva to meet with Ukrainian officials and European allies. According to Senator Rounds, Rubio said this stridently pro-Russian 28 point plan was not an American plan at all, but rather a Russian proposal that was improperly leaked to the press. But then, about two hours later, Rubio publicly disavowed that disavowal! He posted on Twitter that "The peace proposal was authored by the U.S." So what the heck is going on here? I caught up with Toronto Star columnist and fellow Substacker Justin Ling to try to make sense of this bizarre turn of events. We kick off discussing the back and forth on this plan, but then have a deeper conversation about what this episode reveals about American global leadership and what the conversations in Halifax revealed about how America's traditional middle power allies, like Canada and Europe, are adjusting to a world order in which the United States is an unreliable ally and unstable international actor.  

Maral Porretta is a stylist and creative director who blends fashion, storytelling, and culture into everything she touches. Her work is rooted in authenticity and the belief that style is a language that connects people.She built her career through content creation, community building, and a sharp creative eye that pulls from her experiences in fashion, entrepreneurship, and global travel. Her perspective is shaped by her Mongolian heritage, her time in the corporate world, and her commitment to showing up as her real self online.Maral is also the founder of Club Kind, a new cultural café and laundromat concept opening in Halifax that's designed to bring people together through creativity, good energy, and a sense of belonging. Her mission is to build spaces and stories that make people feel seen, inspired, and part of something bigger.

During Hour 4 Brier & Olympic champion curler Marc Kennedy joined the show discussing the past week's trials in Halifax and heading back to the Olympics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 66 Taylor Samson   Dalhousie University physics student, Taylor Samson, left his apartment right before school began in 2015. He told his girlfriend he'd be right back, but he never returned. A missing persons report soon turned into a murder investigation that would haunt Halifax, Nova Scotia for the next decade. Please consider donating to the Taylor Samson Memorial scholarship through GoFundMe.  Check out the book, First Degree: From Med School to Murder by Kayla Hounsell.  To listen to every episode of Campus Killings ad-free and get other benefits, simply  visit our channel page on Apple Podcasts to get started with an AbJack Insider subscription.  Follow Campus Killings on Social Media via the following: Facebook - Instagram - Threads - X Formerly Twitter - BlueSky - Tik Tok -  Twitch - Youtube Or find ALL of our social media platforms with one link: https://linktr.ee/campuskillings   Campus Killings is hosted by Dr. Meghan Sacks and Dr. Amy Shlosberg. Research and Writing by Abagail Belcastro Produced by Mike Morford of AbJack Entertainment

We're back....AGAIN! We're joined by Mike Hunau and Kevin Donlon from the band Great Danes. We talk a little pop punk history as we dive into their time in the band Halifax, their fall out as a band, and reconnection into a sick new project. We even challenged them both to create a little playlist of their favorite songs right now! Listen to the playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6F2Z2ZWQAmu02tQToLkiap?si=YV_Hg8jgTJScHaqysO1SiQ&pi=zyEzyRayRdyJw

Mark interviews Meaghan Smith about the new children's book IT SNOWED that she wrote and illustrated, which was inspired by her popular holiday song of the same name. This Juno-Award winning singer-songwriter shares her many creative passions for music, writing, and art. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark and Meaghan talk about: The origin of Meaghan's song "It Snowed" and how quickly it came together once the inspiration struck her on wanting a seasonal holiday song for people who might not celebrate Christmas One of Meaghan's favorite things about the snow How this song has gone on to become one of her most popular songs and now it's a picture book Studying animation at Sheridan College and the ongoing art that Meaghan has been creating all of her life The voice recording for an animation project in a studio in college that led to others recognizing her singing voice and an eventual career as a musician Meghan's experience in "if you just show up" and try something, things can have a way of working out Painting in the hotel rooms and green rooms while traveling as a musician as a way to alleviate her anxiety The additional stationery line that Meghan has which includes greeting cards How the manager of Woozles bookstore in Halifax asked Meaghan if she ever considered writing a book Getting better at accepting things without needing them to be perfect The "grumpy little cat" who is present throughout Meaghan's IT SNOWED book How snow can be such an interesting substance and the way Meaghan wanted to capture all the magic of it in her book How the book follows the lyrics of Meaghan's song, but also goes through the entire day for the kids in the story The way snow can make us all feel like kids again Meghan's current bread-and-butter writing custom songs for people  The Christmas concert Meaghan is doing Dec 19th and 20th in Halifax The second book Meaghan is working on for Nimbus based on a song she wrote for her baby when he was still inside her body How Meaghan divides up her work day and the various creative forms of expression that she exercises And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on Meaghan's multiple creative outlets and the various ways that authors, artists, poets, musicians can give a gift to the world born from their inspiration and passion.   Links of Interest: Meaghan Smith (Website) It Snowed (Picture Book) Meaghan Smith: The Holiday Show (2025 - Halifax, NS) Friday Night Tickets (Fri Dec 19, 2025) Saturday Matinee Tickets (Sat Dec 20, 2025) Meaghan's OUR SONG "Wonder Woman" - An example of an OUR SONG written and performed by Meaghan Smith and Jason Mingo inspired by Liz Anderson Woozles Bookstore (Halifax, NS) EP 146 - Finding Yourself in Our Song by Meaghan Smith Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises   Meaghan Smith is a JUNO Award-winning musician, visual artist, and storyteller whose creative life bridges the worlds of music and fine art. Born in London, Ontario—known as The Forest City—Meaghan grew up drawing and exploring the woods and fields near her home. Her love of art led her to study classical animation at Sheridan College, later working as a storyboard artist before shifting her focus to music. That leap brought her to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she now lives with her husBand, producer and songwriter Jason Mingo, and their two sons. Over the past 20 years, Meaghan has built a multifaceted creative career. As a musician signed to Warner Brothers Records, she toured internationally, sharing stages with artists such as Sarah McLachlan, Tracy Chapman, Ron Sexsmith, and k.d. lang. Her debut album The Cricket's Orchestra earned her the 2011 JUNO Award for Best New Artist, multiple East Coast Music Awards, and a Polaris Prize nomination. Her song Mirror, from her sophomore album Have a Heart, was a semifinalist in the International Songwriting Competition. Today, Meaghan continues to release collections of music characterized by her sweetly smoky vocals and vintage pop sensibility. Her songs have appeared widely across film and television—on platforms ranging from Netflix to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Through her company Our Song, she and Jason write and produce custom songs for individuals and special occasions, helping others tell their stories through music. While her music career flourished, Meaghan also found her way back to visual art. On tour, she began painting tiny oil portraits of the forest animals she missed from home—foxes in fedoras, bears in flower crowns, fish in monocles—each one nestled in a miniature vintage frame she found in antique shops along the way. What began as a creative escape in hotel rooms and green rooms evolved into her acclaimed Miniature Art Show, with over 500 original paintings sold worldwide and exhibits in galleries such as Galerie d'Art Charlevoix in Quebec. Using oils on heavyweight paper, Meaghan's paintings capture the personality and soul of her subjects with vivid detail and a playful sense of nostalgia. Her art celebrates the small wonders of the natural world and invites viewers to see beauty in the quiet, whimsical corners of life. In addition to her paintings, Meaghan owns and operates M. Kind Papersmith, a small stationery studio based out of her home in Halifax. The line focuses on locally printed, hand-folded greeting cards designed to help people stay in touch and spread a little kindness through the mail. Each card reflects her signature warmth and attention to detail, combining her love of illustration with her belief that connection matters. Meaghan recently signed a publishing deal with Nimbus Publishing, the renowned East Coast publisher, for her holiday hit It Snowed. Having created the illustrations herself in coloured pencil, she now proudly adds published author and illustrator to her creative credits. Though she has illustrated works for other authors, It Snowed marks the first book she has both written and illustrated from her own material. Alongside her art and music, Meaghan leads Creativity Through Songwriting Workshops, coaching others to unlock their creative potential through the songwriting process. Now based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Meaghan continues to paint, write, and make music—working to incorporate creativity, family, and an ever-evolving artistic life that celebrates imagination in all its forms.   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  

In the latest episode of The Voice of Retail, host Michael LeBlanc sits down with Liza Amlani, Chief Merchant and Principal of Retail Strategy Group, who returns to the podcast to share timely insights from her new book, "The Material Life: Process Innovation for Retailers and Brands" Recognized globally as a retail thought leader, Amlani brings her two decades of merchandising expertise to a provocative argument: the retail industry has been obsessed with what products it sells, while neglecting how those products are made—a blind spot costing brands both time and money.Amlani illustrates how process innovation begins long before a product hits the shelf. Traditional apparel development starts with a design concept, hunting for materials to match. Her materials-first model flips that dynamic, accelerating time to market, reducing over-development, and eliminating redundant fabric, trim, and colour decisions. She cites examples where retailers were creating thousands of unnecessary material variations—like zippers—without realizing the margin erosion and operational chaos this creates.Throughout the conversation, Amlani explains how silos between merchants, sourcing, materials, design, and marketing teams create a “butterfly effect” where one late-stage decision can unravel deadlines, sample production, and vendor negotiations. Breaking those silos strengthens governance, reduces waste, and aligns teams around measurable outcomes including her Material Adoption Rate (MAR) framework—an accountability tool that tracks how many material developments actually make it into assortments.The episode also explores the rising influence of AI in fabric research and digital product creation, the impact of sourcing regulations emerging in North America and Europe, and how leading brands like lululemon are quietly reshaping their operating models through materials-led go-to-market roles. Amlani argues that brands embracing transparency, vendor partnership, and digital material workflows will unlock significant margin upside at a time when inflation, tariffs, supply chain friction, and fast-fashion disruptors are redefining consumer expectations.Finally, the discussion turns to the road ahead. As retailers prepare for 2026, Amlani urges leaders to rethink the fabric of product creation itself, invest in consumer-centric assortments, and treat materials not as an afterthought but as a strategic asset. For retailers, merchants, product developers, and sourcing teams eager to future-proof their business, this episode is a masterclass in modern merchandising excellence. The Voice of Retail podcast is presented by Hale, a performance marketing partner trusted by brands like ASICS, Saje, and Orangetheory to scale with focus and impact. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has designated Michael as on their Top Retail Voices for 2025, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on November 28th, 2025, your hosts start with the biggest story of the week before veering off into a surprisingly long but very entertaining tangent about seafood and the possible unsustainability of our entire civilization. Trust us, it's a good one.They do eventually get to the Memorandum of Understanding signed this week between Ottawa and Alberta. Both hosts agree it ended up being a solid week for Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. They also wonder whether it somehow turned into a good week for Steven Guilbeault, who is now out of Carney's cabinet. Did Guilbeault's decision to walk away mark the moment more Liberals finally realized the Trudeau era is really, truly over? Matt also notes that Carney can't keep offering everyone carrots; sooner or later, someone is going to need to get the stick. And he names the province he thinks should be made example of ... to encourage the others, of course.From there, the conversation shifts to Matt's recent trip to the Halifax International Security Forum. He's working on a series of columns about it that will begin rolling out soon, but he shares a few early stories — all circling the theme of America having ghosted the world, and how some Americans, bless them, still think this is something they can fix quickly after a midterm or the next election. Matt isn't convinced. He also has a few thoughts about the relative cleanliness of some Canadian cities he has visited lately. Halifax, you're looking good.All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

In this episode, we feature two conversations that highlight PWL's culture, values, and intentional approach to advice. We first sit down with Trevor Daigle and Brett Watt, founders of EB Wealth in Halifax, to talk about why they chose to merge their thriving independent practice with PWL — PWL's first acquisition in Atlantic Canada. Trevor and Brett open up about what they saw in PWL's infrastructure, culture, and client-first philosophy, the internal hurdles they had to clear (including their own egos), and the moment they realized they "couldn't unsee" what PWL had built. Then, in the second half of the episode, PWL Portfolio Manager and Financial Planner Phil Briggs walks us through a remarkable real-world case. A podcast listener's father decided to take the commuted value of his defined benefit pension… and the family approached PWL to invest it. Rather than simply execute the plan, Phil stepped back to rigorously analyze whether that decision made sense at all. The result is one of the most compelling demonstrations of evidence-based financial planning we've featured on the show — covering risk pooling, tax implications, Monte Carlo results, survivor benefits, and the emotional side of decision-making. Key Points From This Episode: (0:00:51) Welcoming Trevor and Brett — and why their practice, EB Wealth, aligned so closely with PWL's holistic philosophy. (0:02:30) How long-term cultural fit, infrastructure, and research depth drove their decision to join PWL. (0:04:57) "We can't unsee that": The moment a visit to Ottawa convinced them PWL's values were real at every level. (0:07:45) Their biggest concern: giving up control after years of running an independent practice — and how that shifted. (0:09:43) Setting aside ego: How thinking long-term and client-first changed their perspective on joining PWL. (0:11:35) What excites them most about the future: growth, learning, and being surrounded by experts who prioritize client outcomes. (0:13:17) Seeing PWL's collaborative culture in action — and why industry-typical "sales meetings" were nowhere to be found. (0:14:43) Transitioning clients and feeling the immediate impact on conversations and relationships. (15:05) The setup: A podcast listener reaches out after his father already decided to take the commuted value of a DB pension. (17:25) Why Phil was surprised — and the questions he wanted answered before talking about investing. (17:25–18:49) The benefits of staying in a DB pension: risk transfer, inflation protection, and mortality pooling. (19:07) The risks: employer insolvency, underfunding, and historical examples like Sears Canada and Nortel. (20:10–22:04) Evaluating pension solvency: sponsors, surplus status, funding ratios, diversification, and regulatory filings. (23:49) Reasons someone might take the commuted value: investment preferences, life expectancy concerns, and survivor benefits — the central issue in this case. (25:15–30:52) The tax trap: how the "excess amount" of a commuted value can trigger immediate taxation — in this case at the 53.53% marginal rate — and how RRSP room and PARs interact. (31:26–33:53) Modeling the decision: building retirement scenarios in financial planning software, including spending, inflation, CPP/OAS, rental income, and Monte Carlo analysis. (34:00–37:54) Results: 60/40 investment after commuting: overfunded plan but with significant volatility. 100% equity: higher legacy, similar failure rate. Leaving the pension with the employer: similar retirement score but dramatically higher Monte Carlo success (96%) due to guaranteed income, inflation hedging, and tax smoothing. (38:32–40:55) Why the pension's stable income floor and deferred taxation made such a big difference — even in a shortened-life-expectancy scenario. (41:05–41:37) Other firms simply accepted the commuted-value plan; PWL was the only firm to fully analyze the decision. (43:50–44:53) How personal values, risks, and emotional comfort interact with data in real financial planning decisions. (45:00–47:28) The next decision: choosing between a higher pension with a 2/3 survivor benefit or a lower pension with a 100% survivor benefit — and how break-even analysis (age 81) informed the client's choice. (47:44–48:31) Why planning software provides clarity people can't get through gut feel alone. (48:31–49:59) Trust and incentives: why turning down a large investable sum was the right decision — and why PWL celebrates that. (50:08–51:01) Culture + incentives: how PWL's structure allows advisors to prioritize clients without sales pressure. Links From Today's Episode: Meet with PWL Capital: https://calendly.com/d/3vm-t2j-h3p Rational Reminder on iTunes — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rational-reminder-podcast/id1426530582. Rational Reminder on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/rationalreminder/ Rational Reminder on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/ Benjamin Felix — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/ Benjamin on X — https://x.com/benjaminwfelix Benjamin on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwfelix/ Cameron Passmore — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/ Cameron on X — https://x.com/CameronPassmore Cameron on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronpassmore/ Ben Wilson on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wilson/ Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

"The The Office of the US Trade Representative has released their 2024 Piracy Report listing the notorious markets for counterfeiting and piracy. The practice is alive and well. This report dedicated an entire section just to music. We will tell you what it said."

The round robin is completed at the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials and we are recapping the goings on of the week so far as well as our time at the Trials. We break down the playoff teams and hear from, Mike McEwen, Brett Gallant, Jocelyn Peterman, Rachel Homan, Selena Sturmay, Marc Kennedy, Matt Dunstone, Colton Lott, Christina Black, Kaitlyn Lawes, Heather Nedohin, Reid Carruthers, and Shannon Kleibrink. We also talk about the tragic passing of the great Colleen Jones.For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

This episode of The Food Professor Podcast takes a deep dive into one of the most powerful forces now reshaping the food industry: the rapid rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy. Hosts Michael LeBlanc and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois begin with a run-through of current food and retail headlines, including controversy at Campbell Soup, conversations around AI adoption and innovation in the food sector, and early teasers from the 2026 Canada Food Price Report. These stories set the stage for this week's feature discussion: how GLP-1 medications are altering what consumers eat, where they shop, and which products they choose.The heart of the episode features an in-depth interview with Ransom Hawley, Founder and CEO of Caddle, a Canadian mobile-first consumer insights platform with access to real-time behavioural data. Hawley shares new Canadian research showing GLP-1 household usage has jumped from 10% to 14% over two years, a dramatic 40% increase. Equally important is the shift in why people are taking these drugs: where most users initially relied on them to manage type-2 diabetes, an increasing number now use them primarily for weight loss. That consumer pivot mirrors rapid adoption trends in the United States and offers important clues about what's coming next for Canadian retailers, manufacturers and restaurants.Hawley reveals that GLP-1 users report eating less, losing weight, buying fewer groceries, and reducing restaurant visits. Consumption of alcohol, sugary beverages and impulse-driven snack foods is falling, while protein-rich foods, functional beverages and satiety-oriented products are gaining momentum. Categories seeing the steepest declines include bakery goods, packaged cookies, chocolates, soft drinks and sweet snacks—all long-time staples of convenience-driven food consumption. This suggests a structural shift, not a temporary fad.The conversation expands to consider the broader implications. As GLP-1 usage rises, brands face new challenges and opportunities: How should they reformulate products for consumers who eat less? Should retailers redesign planograms to reflect category shrinkage? Will foodservice operators pivot toward protein-forward meals, smoothies and portion-smart menu strategies? As the hosts discuss, this is the first time since COVID-era lockdowns that such a large segment of the population is simultaneously changing eating behaviours, and its ripple effects will reshape category strategies, promotional plans, and innovation pipelines.By the end of the episode, one thing is clear: GLP-1 drugs are not just a pharmaceutical phenomenon—they are transforming food culture, retail economics, and consumer expectations. Retailers and brands that ignore this shift risk falling behind; those who understand it may unlock a once-in-a-generation competitive advantage. The Food Professor #podcast is presented by Caddle. About UsDr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph's Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre's Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

In this episode The Remarkable Retail Podcast's co-host Michael LeBlanc's guest is with Lauren Price, Senior Vice President, E-Commerce & Digital Marketing for COS North America discussing her impressive career trajectory and work positioning the H&M-owned brand for growth in a competitive, fast-moving fashion retail landscape.Lauren's career began in the early days of luxury e-commerce at Createthe Group, building first-generation online stores for high-end brands . Her path included consulting with Demandware and L2 (Scott Galloway's firm), leading to her first in-house brand role at J.Crew before joining COS—a globally recognized fashion brand known for exceptional quality, timeless style, and meticulous craftsmanship.At COS, Lauren oversees North American marketing and digital commerce, a key growth market. She explains how COS benefits from the resources of a global parent company while operating with the agility of a smaller regional business. This unique position allows for strategic experimentation while maintaining the brand's commitment to premium quality.A highlight from the conversation is COS's viral marketing moment: a $45 T-shirt compared on TikTok to a $15 Uniqlo tee, with the influencer praising COS's superior quality and construction. This sparked organic buzz and significant new customer acquisition, prompting Lauren's team to launch a targeted influencer gifting campaign. The lesson: seize authentic, organic momentum quickly and amplify it with campaigns that focus on authenticity, craftsmanship, and product education—especially to win over savvy Gen Z shoppers.Lauren also tackles the emerging challenge of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), advising brands to prepare product catalogs for AI-driven search while maintaining current SEO performance. She predicts AI search adoption will accelerate faster than previous digital shifts, urging retailers to run both short-term and long-term optimization in parallel.As the discussion turns to holiday planning, Lauren offers several pieces of practical, results-focused advice. About UsJennifer MarloHead of Content, CommerceNextJennifer Marlo drives industry-leading programming at CommerceNext, drawing on experience from Ascendant Network and iMedia Connection, where she spearheaded content strategies to inspire retail, brand and agency marketing leaders. Guided by the belief that “a rising tide lifts all boats,” Jennifer uses in-person and digital platforms to educate and foster industry collaboration. Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, top retail influencer, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Robin Nelson, a member of the Fargo School Board who is chairing a ballot measure committee aimed at universal school lunches, says her group tried to get their goal accomplished through the legislative process. It didn't work, so now they're taking their case to the voters. "We went through two legislative sessions, and we're thankful. There was some movement, but that is not what our goal was," she said on this episode of Plain Talk, referring to expansions to the lunch program made by lawmakers. "We respectfully followed that process, and due to the overwhelming support through polls in the state of North Dakota that support this concept of universal school meals, the next logical step was to take it to the voters in an initiated measure." Nelson took questions on how the measure will work, including how it will cover school lunches served through the existing program in private and tribal schools, as well as what it will cost. When a bill similar to what Nelson and her group are looking to put on the ballot was considered by lawmakers earlier this year, the Department of Public Instruction estimated the cost at $140 million. "I think it's a fair estimate" of what this new measure would cost if implemented, Nelson said, though she also pointed out that a new fiscal note will be created through the ballot measure process. If the measure passes, it would shift the cost of paying for the school lunch program away from just parents, who foot the bill through user fees, and to the broader tax base. Nelson said it will also cut out some red tape at the schools which must currently levy and collect lunch fees. "We won't have to worry about collection efforts," she said. "It will save a lot of time on the back end. Also on this episode, my co-host Chad Oban and I discuss Sen. Kevin Cramer's tough trip to Halifax, and we respond to some reader messages. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

Robin Nelson, a member of the Fargo School Board who is chairing a ballot measure committee aimed at universal school lunches, says her group tried to get their goal accomplished through the legislative process. It didn't work, so now they're taking their case to the voters. "We went through two legislative sessions, and we're thankful. There was some movement, but that is not what our goal was," she said on this episode of Plain Talk, referring to expansions to the lunch program made by lawmakers. "We respectfully followed that process, and due to the overwhelming support through polls in the state of North Dakota that support this concept of universal school meals, the next logical step was to take it to the voters in an initiated measure." Nelson took questions on how the measure will work, including how it will cover school lunches served through the existing program in private and tribal schools, as well as what it will cost. When a bill similar to what Nelson and her group are looking to put on the ballot was considered by lawmakers earlier this year, the Department of Public Instruction estimated the cost at $140 million. "I think it's a fair estimate" of what this new measure would cost if implemented, Nelson said, though she also pointed out that a new fiscal note will be created through the ballot measure process. If the measure passes, it would shift the cost of paying for the school lunch program away from just parents, who foot the bill through user fees, and to the broader tax base. Nelson said it will also cut out some red tape at the schools which must currently levy and collect lunch fees. "We won't have to worry about collection efforts," she said. "It will save a lot of time on the back end. Also on this episode, my co-host Chad Oban and I discuss Sen. Kevin Cramer's tough trip to Halifax, and we respond to some reader messages. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

In this episode of OurSpace with Matt Vettese, I sit down with Halifax emo band Customer Service to talk all about their new EP If You're Here, You Must Be Fine. We dig into their place in the growing Halifax music scene, and how 90s emo influences shaped their sound. We also dive into the meaning behind the new EP, the band's evolution beyond breakup songs, and why the East Coast might secretly have the strongest scene in Canada right now. If you're into emo, indie rock, Canadian punk, or Halifax bands, this one's for you.

Steve and Michael open this week's episode with a deep dive into the retail news of the week, marked by sharp contrasts in performance across the retail landscape. Walmart continues to separate itself from the pack, delivering another standout quarter, as omni-channel rival Target delivers another challenging quarter. The news segment analyses strong results from the off-price sector as TJX and Ross Stores both post impressive sales gains. The turnaround at Gap Inc. shows encouraging signs  under CEO Richard Dickson despite continued weakness at Athleta. In home improvement, both Home Depot and Lowe's see essentially flat comps as rate-locked consumers and affordability issues continue to weigh on spending. Furniture and home categories face rising tariff exposure, with Williams-Sonoma projecting its blended tariff rate jumping from 6% to 35%—a margin headwind that underscores industry-wide challenges. All told, the week's earnings reveal a retail landscape where the biggest players capture more share while many others struggle to keep pace.Steve and Michael revisit their encore interview with Artemis Patrick, President & CEO of Sephora North America—one of the most inspiring and resonant conversations in the show's archive. Artemis shares her extraordinary personal journey from immigrating from Iran and growing up in foster care to becoming one of the most influential leaders in global beauty.She details Sephora's global reach (34 markets, 3,000 stores), 700+ North American freestanding locations, a huge presence at Kohl's, and 40M+ Beauty Insider members, while unpacking the brand's unique power in incubating indie brands, championing diverse founders, and uniting physical and digital experiences long before Omni became a buzzword. Artemis also previews two transformational initiatives: a next-generation e-commerce platform enabling deeper personalization and a five-year renovation of every Sephora store—the largest capital project in the brand's history.After the interview the hosts each share their choice for buzziest story of the week before concluding with what's on their radar screens for the weeks ahead. SPECIAL OFFER for our listeners! SAVE 20% on registration for the all new Shoptalk Luxe event in Abu Dhabi January 27-29.For more info go to https://luxe.shoptalk.com/page/get-ticket and then register using our special code : RRLUXE20 About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

Remembering Colleen Jones. The 65-year-old was a world champion curler, and a member of the Order of Canada. She was also a longtime CBC personality, telling the stories of Canadians over a career that spanned four decades, starting in 1986 as Halifax's first woman sports anchor. Jones died today following a battle with cancer.And: For a deal that hasn't been officially announced yet, there's already a lot of debate in the House of Commons. Prime Minister Mark Carney was in Parliament today, defending a proposed energy agreement with Alberta. Plans the opposition says are moving too slow, while some in British Columbia worry about the idea itself.Also: Now that parents can immunize infants against RSV, hospitalizations are down roughly 80%. But not every province is publicly funding the pricey injections, so not all Canadians have equal access.Plus: Thomas King revelation reaction, more recall petitions in Alberta, optimism and apprehension in Ukraine peace talks, cuts to university sports programs, and more.

Meggan shares details on the Entry/Exit System (EES) for the Schengen Area, which began in October 2025. Learn if it applies to you and how the system works.Episode Resources:European Union websiteSupport the Travel Mug Podcast by buying us a coffee! You'll make our day & you'll get access to fun stuff like bloopers and extra content.We have Merch! Shop the Travel Mug Podcast Store Check out our fav items here: Our Favourite Travel ProductsGRAB OUR MASTER PACKING LIST HERE*****************************************We are travel enthusiasts who do not claim to be professionals! Instead, we are two Halifax, NS natives with travel blogs who somehow found one another on the internet, and now, we have a podcast!!Join us every week as we talk about our favourite destinations, travel tips, travel fails, and all things travel!We have a big passion for travelling and talking about travel, so we hope you will listen and join the conversation.You can find us here:Our WebsiteFacebookInstagramJenn's Travel Blog Jenn's YouTube channelDisclaimer: All episodes are based on our opinions and experiences. Always do your research and make travel plans based on your budget and comfort levels.Support the show

When she's up on stage, Meredith Moon comes across as a confident, powerful performer. But when she was growing up, she struggled with stage fright. The Canadian singer-songwriter conquered her fear by busking on sidewalks from Halifax to Vancouver. Now, she's released her third and latest album, “From Here to the Sea.” Meredith joins Tom Power to tell us about the record, and how it's the first without her late father and mentor, a Canadian music legend.

Waves, river currents, and tidal turbines could help power Canada's clean energy future. Trevor speaks with Elisa Obermann, Executive Director at Marine Renewables Canada, about the promise of marine energy and how countries like Canada are pursuing its potential. They explore how emerging 'blue energy' technologies complement solar and wind, support coastal and Indigenous communities, and move us toward a more sustainable, diverse net-zero grid.   Related links    Marine Renewables Canada: https://marinerenewables.ca/ Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE): https://fundyforce.ca/ canmetENERGY: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/science-data/science-research/research-centres/canmetenergy Yuquot Wave Energy Project: https://barkley.ca/project/yuquot-wave-energy-project/ Blind Channel Tidal Energy Demonstration Centre: https://onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca/primed/blind-channel/ European Marine Energy Center (EMEC): https://www.emec.org.uk/ Canadian Hydrokinetic Turbine Test Centre: (CHTTC): http://www.chttc.ca/ Elisa Obermann on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisa-obermann-07469245/    Trevor Freeman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-freeman-p-eng-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 Welcome to thinkenergy, 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, and welcome back. I have a really great conversation for you today, but before I get to that, I think it's worth a minute or two of time to revisit some first principles people approach the energy conversation from all different backgrounds and angles, and I think it's good to make sure that we're all on the same page when it comes to some foundational knowledge before we dive into our topic today, the thing that I want to quickly review is electricity generation. Now don't worry, we're not going to get into an advanced physics level of knowledge on this, but I just want to quickly refresh everyone on the basics. And by the same token, to all of you advanced physics folks out there that are listening, please forgive me if I'm slightly off on a detail or two, as long as I don't mess up the core foundational information. So for the most part, the electricity that we use is primarily generated by spinning a coil of wire around a magnet, or inversely, spinning a magnet inside a coil of wire that causes electrons to move, and that flow of electrons is electricity. For the most part, that combination of coiled wire and magnets and a spinning motion is what makes most of our electricity. There is one major exception to this, which is solar power that doesn't involve spinning anything. But other than that, our major electricity sources utilize that spinning motion, and I'm not including hydrogen fuel cells here as a major source of electricity. So let's keep going with this spinning idea. Then the next question is, how do we make things spin? One very common method is heat. Let's say you burn something, coal or natural gas, for example, which creates heat. You then use that heat to boil water, which makes steam, which you can push at high pressure against turbine blades to make them spin. It's as simple as that. The problem is, burning things creates harmful emissions, which are causing climate change. You can also generate heat with non emitting sources, and a major one, especially here in Ontario, is nuclear power, splitting atoms in a controlled environment, a nuclear reaction generates heat and then the process is the same as previously described. So as complex as a nuclear reactor is its main purpose when it comes to electricity generation, is simply making heat so we can boil water and create steam, et cetera, other than heat. The other way to make things spin is to utilize naturally occurring kinetic energy. So that means something that's already happening out there that carries a lot of force that can push a turbine blade. This would include wind energy, so using the force of the wind to turn large wind turbines and hydro electricity, which uses water being pulled downhill by gravity, so a flowing river or a large dam to turn that turbine the same end results that spinning motion, but no need to create heat to get there. We're almost done with the science lesson, so just bear with me for another few seconds as we think about reducing our carbon emissions, finding ways to generate electricity that don't require burning fossil fuels is really important. Solar definitely has a role to play, but we also need more emissions free ways to spin things. I mentioned some of the more traditional ones, like solar and wind energy, but today's conversation is about some lesser known, emerging methods, which are covered by the term marine renewable energy generation. Phew, it was a long walk to get there, but we finally got here. All of that is to tee up my conversation today with Elisa Obermann, the Executive Director of Marine Renewables Canada. Marine Renewables Canada is the National Association for tidal wave and river current energy in addition to offshore wind. But it's those first three generation strategies that I am particularly interested in as non mainstream ways to spin things. These technologies are known as blue energy, but are often overshadowed by the more common renewable energies that we talked about, solar and wind generation. So I'm really excited to chat with Elisa to shed some light on them. Today. Elisa has served as the executive director of marine renewables Canada since 2015 she's a founding member of both the Electricity Alliance Canada and the Canadian Council on Renewable Electricity. She has also worked for several other organizations that focus on clean technology, tidal energy and the broader renewable energy sector, including Sustainable Development Technology Canada, the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy. Which you'll hear us talk about today as force and Nova scotia's Department of Energy. Elisa Obermann, welcome to the show.   Elisa Obermann  05:07 Hi. Thank you very much for having me.   Trevor Freeman  05:09 So, let's start off kind of with the basics. Elisa, why don't you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got into this pretty unique space in the energy sector that we're going to dive into a little bit more.   Elisa Obermann  05:22 Sure. So I decided after doing my undergrad, so I'm going kind of way back here, all the way back. Yeah, exactly. I did a degree, a bachelor's degree in English, but I really wanted to get involved in something that would help me do more for the environment, play a role in the future. So I decided to go back to school to do a public policy degree. And the first internship I had was with Nova Scotia Department of Energy, and it was actually on the oil and gas side of things, but my thinking was, well, this will get me eventually to where I want to go and working more in renewables. And that's essentially exactly what happened. And so I started working more and more there on renewable energy. Then started working on the province's marine renewable energy strategy. So it really kind of got me into this kind of path of, you know, working on climate change and renewable energy. And the other thing I will also say is that I grew up in Maine and really close to the ocean, and so after university, I moved to Toronto for a while, and I thought to myself, like, I really just want to do something that takes me back to the ocean. So this really combines both kind of goals I had for myself, in terms of working to protect and help the environment, and then also staying close to the ocean.   Trevor Freeman  06:35 Yeah. I mean, that makes a ton of sense. It's interesting. I talked to a lot of people, obviously, and often the question of career path comes up, and it's funny to see the things that we're passionate about in those early days, no one could guess how that comes to fruition later on in our careers. And you know, I've got some similar stories of wanting to save the world when I was in university and having no idea how the different paths that that would take me on. So great to hear your story. Thanks for sharing that. Tell us now a little bit about your organization, marine renewable Canada, and you know, kind of its vision for how marine renewables will fit into the energy sector.   Elisa Obermann  07:10 Yeah. So marine renewables Canada is a National Association. We're headquartered in Halifax, but we do work across the country, and actually, our beginnings were in British Columbia, really starting around like wave energy, small scale projects. One of our founding members at the time was BC Hydro. We now have over 200 members, and that's really grown just in the past couple years, because our focus is on wave, tidal, river current energy, but also offshore wind. And so there's been a lot of excitement, especially on the East Coast, around offshore wind, but today I'll probably focus mostly on kind of those water resources and how we're working to advance those. Our mandate is really to champion the sector, help with advocacy, engagement, education, and also expand market opportunities. So obviously we do a lot of work around enabling policies that help open up that market, both here, but also globally. But ultimately, what we'd like to see is that marine renewables is playing a role in getting Canada to net zero and right now. I mean, it's a more emerging technology, if you look at wave, tidal and river, but there's a lot of potential for it to play a big role.   Trevor Freeman  08:20 Yeah, so great. And that's a great segue into kind of the next thing I want to talk about on this show. We often talk about, let's call them the more traditional or conventional or well known energy sources, so our kind of traditional fossil fuel combustion, our other renewable sources, solar and wind, and even offshore wind, I think people have a sense of what that is. I mean, wind energy is the same on land as off land. It's just in a different location. But tell us about the types of marine energy that you're talking about. You just referenced some of them here, you know, take us back to basics. What are we talking about when we talk about marine energy?   Elisa Obermann  08:56  Yeah, absolutely. So I would categorize it as four main kinds, but I also will mention that there are some that our association doesn't cover. And I will touch on those, sure, primarily. So we focus on tidal energy. And when I say tidal I don't mean barrages or dams, which were kind of a more prevalent technology, you know, decades ago. What I'm talking about is what we call tidal stream and so essentially, if you think of, you know, what wind turbines look like, it's essentially a wind turbine, but in the water, so it can be developed or deployed incrementally, which is a lot different than what you think of when you think of a dam that has, you know, very long lasting effects. The idea behind title is that you can install it incrementally if there's concerns and with any kind of impacts to the environment, or concerns with, you know, the technology failing, or anything like that, you are able to remove it, or, you know, have maintenance on it fairly quickly. Wave Energy is another one that we focus on. It's the technology is not as far along as tidal in terms of, you know, getting to a commercial state. And there are many different. Different types of concepts, still for Wave technologies, but essentially, they can be placed near shore or further offshore. One of the things that's been, I think, kind of cool to think about is there's discussions around and some prototype type projects around using wave energy to power, for example, oil and gas platforms and doing that kind of, you know, pairing to help decarbonize that sector's energy use, river current. So I will say a lot of people think marine like that doesn't, you know, make sense rivers, you know, not by the ocean. And the reason we look at it and categorize it as a Marine renewable energy is that the technology is very similar to title, and so it's essentially the same technology that's used, except that it is unidirectional. So when you think of the flow of river, it's going one way, whereas tides, the technology would be used as a bi directional because the tides are going in and out. So but otherwise very, very similar. And then we actually also cover offshore wind, which is, of all of those, you know, a more mature marine renewable technology. And as I said, I think probably today I'll talk mostly about some of the earlier stage technologies. Our association doesn't cover a few others, and I just feel like they're worth mentioning, just because they're kind of cool. Also, floating solar is one that is gaining, you know, I think some more popularity, and also people are looking more what you know, how much of an impact it could have, ocean current technology, which would be kind of further offshore, and ocean thermal. And you can imagine, Ocean Thermal hasn't really been talked about a lot in Canada, because you have colder waters. Like, the technology just isn't right, the right fit.   Trevor Freeman  11:35 Got you okay? So I want to, I've got a whole whack of questions I want to understand, make sure I'm understanding the technology correctly. So let's start with Tidal. For Tidal, obviously, just a quick refresher back to, let's say grade 10 science for our listeners. Tides kind of come in and come out. The water moves up and moves down. You're utilizing that flow of water, that movement of water, which happens twice a day. Is that, right? Twice a day, every 12 hours?   Elisa Obermann  12:02 Yep,   Trevor Freeman  12:02 Good, yeah, just making sure I remember my grades and science most part. And you're using that movement of water to turn turbines that are underwater. Describe those for us. Is that, like you kind of related it to wind energy? Is it like a big wind turbine underwater? Does it look the same? Is it similar to that?   Elisa Obermann  12:20 Yeah, I mean, there's still a few different concepts, but essentially, yeah, that's how you could picture in your mind. I will say some are bottom mounted. So as an example, like it might have a gravity base and be anchored to the well, not even anchored. It could just be the weight of it is holding it to the sea floor. Some of the newer tidal technologies are floating. They're kind of like, on a pontoon type device, and they will have kind of the, you know, the turbines connected to that. But essentially, they're, you know, either way, whether it's floating or seabed mounted, it would be capturing the kinetic energy of the tides   Trevor Freeman  12:54 Gotcha, okay. And then for the run of river ones, it's, it's kind of the same thing. Water is flowing. Typically, rivers are flowing downhill, so that water is always moving, and you've got a turbine in there taking advantage of the fact that that water is moving in a situation where there isn't a dam that's using sort of gravity flow. It's, but it's the same idea. It's, it's flowing water that's turning a turbine. Yes, exactly. So then the one that I'm, I'm sort of not entirely clear on, is waves, like, what is the mechanism there? Is it just the same thing? You're just putting it in a location where there's prevailing waves generated by wind or current or whatever.   Elisa Obermann  13:28 Yeah, that one, I will say, is harder to describe, because I've mentioned there's many different concepts for it, but essentially, if you think of waves like so one concept, maybe this will be easy to visualize, would be more of like a buoy type device, and so it's capturing the height of the wave, like that energy coming through. There's some also called like an oyster. So it opens, like the device opens and closes to capture kinetic energy from waves as well. There's a number of different devices when it comes to to wave energy. And I will also say, depending on where, whether it's closer to shore or further offshore, that the strength of the energy from waves is also can be different too. .   Trevor Freeman  14:08 Yeah. So that's actually what, exactly what my next question was is, how far offshore are we placing these things? Are they like, right at the shore's edge? Are they visible? Are they kind of, you know, whatever, 100 metre out? 500 metres out?   Elisa Obermann  14:22 Yeah, in terms of for TIDAL, I mean, it would be closer to shore, but not necessary. I mean, still quite far out. It's not like you're looking at it and you're, you know, few 100 feet away, further. As an example, like in Nova Scotia, the Bay of Fundy has had several tidal deployments, and it depends on where you are. So there was one that was in a area called southwest Nova Scotia, where, if you were in the harbor, there in Briar Island, is where it was. You could see it right there, like it was very, very close, whereas those being deployed further out. So it really just depends on the location, but also potential impacts to other users. You know. Fisheries, all those kinds of things are considered when they're they're just determining location.   Trevor Freeman  15:04 Got you. And one last question, I apologize, I'm totally going off script here, but you've got me all excited about this, and lots of questions. How is this connected back to land? So you must be running cables, you're generating electricity, you're bringing that back to land, and there's some sort of transformation or storage. It's connected to the provincial grid. Like, what's the connection back to the grid look like?   Elisa Obermann  15:28 Exactly, yeah. So you're exactly right. There will be subsea cables that these devices will be connected to. They'll run to shore. Typically, they'll be connected to a substation, which then would be, you know, transmitting that energy electricity, I should say, to a distribution system or the transmission system. So as an example, force has pretty impressive subsea cables that have already been laid about 64 megawatts capacity with those and they built a substation at that site that then connects to the transmission system.   Trevor Freeman  15:59 Cool, very cool, awesome. Thank you for that. Thanks for entertaining my sort of nerdy curiosity there. So tell us about the benefits. Why is this something that the energy sector should be looking at? What are the benefits of this type of generation?   Elisa Obermann  16:14 Good question, and we get asked a lot. I will say, you know, why are we looking at Marine Renewables when we have solar and onshore wind and hydro that are proven and come at a lower cost, but we know we're going to need more electricity, and so the way we look at we can't put all of our eggs in one basket. We need energy diversity. But also marine renewables, such as Tidal and waves, they have some attributes that other renewables don't, so they can be very complementary to other renewable energy, and actually help to bring on other sources of renewables because of that, you know the synergies that they have. So as an example, and you mentioned it at the beginning, tidal is predictable, so we know when the tides are going to come in and out. We can schedule that. I mean, for energy system planning, we would know even 100 years from now, when exactly is that tide coming out? When is it going to be at peak? And so that's one that is very helpful in terms of reliability, predictability, all those things with waves also, I will say, I mean, they're very similar in some ways, because they are created by wind. So it's kind of the same concept, if you think of bringing it onto the grid, but there is an ability to forecast them further out. And one of the interesting things with wave energy, British Columbia had done some work, and I will say, I think it was the University of Victoria A while ago, just looking at the timing of them and when they're the most strong and powerful and consistent. And they found that they were strongest during peak times, like when BC would really need more power, so in the winter, during stormier times, that kind of thing. So those resources can be a very good match with other resources that maybe, you know, sometimes they they're not generating as much power at a given time.   Trevor Freeman  17:56 Yeah, yeah. I mean, that kind of gets into to where I wanted to go next is, how does this work alongside wind and solar and sort of traditional hydro? You kind of answered that a little bit. We know that we need to grow our greater our energy demand is going to grow. You know, here in Ontario, we're looking at a 75% increase. Across Canada, we're looking at sort of two to three times the growth, and especially clean energy. What sort of percentage or how much of a foothold Do you think marine renewable energy has the capability of meeting of that?   Elisa Obermann  18:30 Yeah, that's a great question. So I will tell you now, I don't have the numbers for that, but I will this January, February. We're actually working on a sector vision, looking exactly at that, like the capacity scenarios, what could be feasible, but really trying to take realistic view of you know, this is how much electricity wave, tidal and river and offshore wind could contribute. But what I will say is that when it comes to Tidal, for example, there has been some resource assessments done in the past. Canada has 40,000 megawatts of potential tidal energy, and that's looking at, you know, the best locations. So it's technical potential, but it's, it's also looking at just feasibility in terms of locations, and what might be, you know, close to grids, that kind of thing. Wave energy is between, I think, 10,000 to 16,000 megawatts, looking at both Pacific and Atlantic coasts and with river current still in early phases of doing some of this work. But Natural Resources Canada can met energy, and also the National Research Council did a pretty extensive resource assessment, and it was around 340 gigawatts of river current, I will say, I mean, that's a lot, right? So there's some factors there that are still, you know, they're working on, trying to understand, so ice, for example, because where rivers, you know, some of the strongest river resources are in areas that are in northern Canada, maybe not feasible. So there's still some more work there to determine what's actually feasible for these technologies.   Trevor Freeman  19:59 Are there this kind of just jogged a question for me. Are there other parts of the world where this technology is, let's say, more mature and greater use, or is Canada kind of leading the fray here, like, where are we compared to other parts of the world?   Elisa Obermann  20:15 So I would say Canada has been pretty well known as a global leader in marine renewable energy, and we started this in kind of the early 2000s starting to look at the resources and the technologies and how we could lead. But this was alongside some other countries that have been also doing that work. So the United Kingdom, Scotland, in particular, France and a number of other European countries. The United States has also put quite a bit of investment in R and D technologies, but the UK probably is the furthest along. And one of the reasons for that, and this is different than what we've done in Canada, is they have targeted funding and programs to really support the sector where I find in Canada, there's been, you know, a lot of great supports by both provincial and federal governments, but most of the time we're competing like, there's not a, you know, a specific program for just marine renewable technology. So I think that's had a bit of an impact even on interacting investment here.   Trevor Freeman  21:13 Gotcha, yeah. So you're trying to fit your projects into a bigger project funding envelope that could cover a bunch of different sort of energy related projects, and you're having to say, Yeah, look, ours fits in here too. Is that fair to say?   Elisa Obermann  21:24 Yeah, exactly, exactly. .   Trevor Freeman  21:27 Cool. Okay, I want to shift a little bit here. We often talk on the show about the sort of relationship between energy and society and communities. So what are some community benefits from marine renewable projects. Is this something that sort of has community ownership over it? Does the community get involved in these projects? Tell us a little bit about how that impacts kind of that local level?   Elisa Obermann  21:52 Yeah, I would say, from what we've seen so far, and this is just with, you know, very early demonstration projects, is that the local supply chain has benefited a lot. So there's been some studies showing that for both tidal and wave projects, you would be using probably about 60% local supply chain to build the project. And that's also just because the technology is massive, like you're not going to be shipping this. It's more cost effective to have most of the work done close to the site. And so as an example, again, Bay of Fundy projects that force to date, and the, you know, the research that force has been doing, and some of the R and D, I believe they've, they've used up to 500 local suppliers, or Canadian suppliers, so that's one of the biggest ones. But also just with local communities, there's been a number of things that we've also seen where they've been very engaged in some of these projects. I mean, obviously local businesses have but there are opportunities for local ownership. I think that the challenge right now is that there's still a lot of risk because the technologies aren't as mature as some others, and so some communities are more hesitant to buy into the projects. That said, there is a project in British Columbia, the Yuquot Wave Energy Project, where the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation there is partnering very closely with a wave energy developer to move ahead with a wave technology that can help power their community. So there's all those kinds of things that I think make it attractive to communities, allows them to have some self sufficiency. And in the case of some of these northern, remote and coastal and indigenous communities, there's also that whole, you know, it's potentially displacing diesel in their community. So that's one of the drivers for them, marine renewables. There's been some, you know, studies around this as well showing that it would actually be lower cost than the diesel fuel that they're using in those communities. So there's that benefit as well.   Trevor Freeman  23:42 Gotcha. Yeah, actually, I've got a question here that I wanted to ask you, and so I'll skip to that one about the impact on especially remote indigenous communities that are not connected to the grid. I've had, actually, a few conversations on this show about how, how we go about helping remote and indigenous communities decarbonize getting off of local diesel generation. Are there other projects you mentioned one? Are there other examples of collaboration here? Do you see this as being sort of a relevant tool for that challenge?   Elisa Obermann  24:12 Yeah. So there's another one that I would also mention that I think is a great example again, University of Victoria in British Columbia had been spearheading what they called, it's the blind channel demonstration center. So Initially it started as working to help a, you know, it was like a remote eco kind of lodge become, you know, fully environmentally friendly, using marine renewables for electricity rather than diesel. But since then, they've actually evolved into more of an initiative to test and demonstrate title technologies there, given that it's a remote location, but working very closely with indigenous partners. And so what I think is cool about that is that it's helping indigenous communities to get involved, but not really requiring them to take on. And know, the risk of financing a project, maintaining a project, but it's giving them the opportunity to get the skills and expertise they would need to eventually, you know, bring Tidal or wave energy into their communities at a, you know, at a later date, when they feel more comfortable with the technology and also learn about how that technology impacts the environment and vice versa. Because I have found with communities like that's one of the things that they're most concerned about, is how, you know, how is this technology going to interact with fish or other marine life or the habitat? And so those kinds of smaller demonstrations really help, especially when they're, you know, hands on, and allow community members to be part of the demonstration.   Trevor Freeman  25:40 Yeah, yeah. I mean, you're doing my job for me here, Elisa, you're setting up all my questions perfectly. How does it impact, sort of local marine wildlife? What's the what ecological impact of these we're talking about, fairly complex machinery located in a marine environment. Is there an impact? Has that been studied? Is it comparable it's a sort of a traditional hydro electric dam. What is, what is the impact there?   Elisa Obermann  26:05 So there's been a lot of work in this area, and depending on the location of the project, and that's kind of the caveat I give with us, it can be easier to understand what the impact is. So as an example, in Scotland, I mentioned there's, they've done a lot of work with marine renewables. There's a test center there called the European Marine Energy Center, EMAC, and they have very high flow tidal sites, similar to what we have in Canada. And they're able to use cameras and other equipment to really see exactly what's happening at the site. And so a number of researchers, you know, over the last couple of decades, have been doing environmental monitoring, collecting data, and what we've seen to date is, for the most part, fish and marine life avoid these devices. There's also been research done on electromagnetic fields sound, but I think the biggest concern that people still have is collision with the devices, and what could happen there. Now, coming to Canada, we're in a bit of a different situation. So at the forest site in the Bay of Fundy, you know, there has been quite a bit of environmental monitoring and research done, but the water is very different than what you'd see in Scotland. At this site EMAC, where in the Bay of Fundy, there's a lot of sediment. It's very it's a higher flow site even. So there's, you know, a lot of turbulence, and the environmental monitoring equipment there that you know that exists, it just can't gather all of that information at the site like you can't use a camera and see exactly where fish may be going. So we can't say 100% no, there has been no, you know, fish collisions. What has been happening is that force and government of Canada and the Province of Nova Scotia, and I think also indigenous partners and some of the local researchers in Nova Scotia. So Acadia University, for example, have been partnering, and just recently announced a project to be able to develop those environmental monitoring systems that can work in the Bay of Fundy. And so those will be something, you know, once that's solved, that knowledge and those systems and that technology can be used anywhere in the world to give us a better idea of exactly what are those environmental interactions. But I will say to date, the body of research does show that there hasn't been any significant interactions at this point, but I'm always hesitant to say there hasn't been any, because we can't say that yet.   Trevor Freeman  28:21 Yeah, sure, fair enough. It kind of raises another question in my mind about even just servicing the equipment, or the longevity of the equipment. I mean, in a in a solar field, if you've got a bad panel, you go and you change a panel. A wind turbine, at the very least, is above ground. Not that it's easy to change a blade on a turbine. But what is it like servicing and maintaining the equipment when it's out in a marine environment and underwater? How easy is it? Or is that a challenge?   Elisa Obermann  28:51 Yeah, it's a very good point. It's definitely more challenging than onshore technologies, because you also have, you know, weather windows. So with Tidal, for example, even though you know what stage of the tide is in, plays a huge role in when they can go out and maintain or and service the equipment. And so that's one of the reasons these technologies bring in higher cost for the project overall. Obviously. The other thing I would also mention is just that with both tidal and wave like just depending on what if it's a floating technology versus seabed mounted also makes a difference. So what we've seen is some of these technologies are now evolving to be floating, and again, one of the reasons for that is this whole operations and maintenance piece, because it's obviously a lot easier to bring a vessel out there, get onto the pontoon and be able to service it, versus a whole diving operation, or ROV to go underwater to service it.   Trevor Freeman  29:48 Gotcha, yeah, tow it back to the dock and work on it at the dock.   Elisa Obermann  29:51 Yeah, awesome, exactly.   Trevor Freeman  29:52 Okay, let's switch gears a little bit here and talk about the policy, and let's say regulatory. Worry landscape around this. I've got a question here on funding coming up too, but as our listeners will know, and as you certainly know, energy is a very regulated sector, lots of policy around it. What are some of the policy challenges? Or are there policy challenges when it comes to deploying marine renewables?   Elisa Obermann  30:20 Yeah, I would say, because they're emerging technology, that's actually been one of the biggest challenges. So when we look at legislation in Canada, I mean, it never a lot of it's very old, right? So it never envisioned that there'd be these clean technologies coming up in the market that would they would need to govern and regulate. We have had a lot of challenges with the Fisheries Act, again, just because of that, it never envisioned that it would be regulating an emerging technology. And so, I mean, luckily with that, we did a lot of work with federal and provincial governments, and we have found a path forward that had been an issue in terms of, like the regulatory barriers being created by the legislation. The other one, I would say, is just these projects are small at the moment, right? So we're talking kilowatts, maybe a couple megawatts. And what we found is the, you know, just the regulatory efficiency is not necessarily there. So applying regulation will look at it just as the same scale as any type of project, you know, could be a very large project. So I think what you know, we would ask is that regulators consider the scale of the project and the regulatory processes and requirements should balance that scale of the project, you know, with what the requirements are.   Trevor Freeman  31:34 Yeah. Do you see a world where I'm gonna assume the answer is yes to this, but I'm gonna ask anyway, do you see a world where this is just another option that utilities and energy policy makers have in their toolbox as a way to procure clean energy, that this just becomes one of an item on the menu with solar and wind, et cetera? Are we gonna get to that point? Do you see that happening in the sort of near, medium term future.   Elisa Obermann  32:01 I think we can get to that point. But what it's going to require is that there are more deployments, more demonstrations, and regulators will really need to look at those early projects of exactly that demonstrations, and not treat them as commercial projects. And the reason I say this is because to get costs down so that they can be looked at in comparison to onshore and solar, we need to see a lot more deployment like when you think of a cost curve for any technology, you have to get to that scale and volume before the costs start coming down. It's some time before we get to that point, but it's absolutely possible. It just requires the right supports.   Trevor Freeman  32:38 Got you. On the funding side. We talked about this a little bit earlier, about how you're kind of using existing funding programs. There aren't necessarily dedicated programs for this kind of technology or these projects. Are there other funding sources, like, are you attracting investors into this? Is there, you know, more public money going into this? What's the funding structure around some of these projects?   Elisa Obermann  33:02 Yeah, so,  I think to date, a lot of developers have and when I say developers, I mean the technology and project developers. But with marine renewables, sometimes it ends up being one in the same, because technology developers end up being the ones developing their projects. I think a lot of them are looking for two things at this time, so something to cover capital costs. So grants, whatever it might be, and there has, there have been a number of funding programs that the federal government has applied that have been quite useful for that, and then they usually look for something on the back end of the project once it's built. So what I mean by that is feed in tariff, something to help with their return on investment. And that seems to be kind of the right recipe for investment certainty at the moment, the other thing that I think Canada's recently done that's very helpful for this sector are the investment tax credits. And so our hope is actually that those get extended, because right now, where the sector is, and this also comes into play for offshore wind, is that they end, you know, in that 2033 timeline, 2034 I can't remember, whereas a lot of these projects wouldn't be online at that point. And so we're looking for a bit of a longer runway there. And I think tax credits are a very good tool that can help, you know, with attracting investment for these projects.   Trevor Freeman  34:16 So looking ahead, I mean, you've kind of touched on this in a few different spots, but to sum it up, what's next on the horizon for this technology and these projects? Are we expecting kind of innovation on the technological side, or is the focus still on the sort of funding and regulatory side right now? What can we expect for those of us who are going to maybe keep an eye on this moving forward?   Elisa Obermann  34:40 Yeah, it's a bit of both, I will say. So I mentioned that the tidal sector was having some challenges with the Fisheries Act a number of years ago, and that really kind of created a lull in development, but also in investment attraction. As a result of that, federal and provincial governments established a Tidal Task Force to. Look at the exact issues around you know, where the barriers are with the Fisheries Act, and then the outcome of that has been a new path under the Fisheries Act to support projects. And so there are developers that will be going through that new or revised, staged approach, is what they've been calling it. Time will tell, obviously, if that process works, but from what we've heard from developers, it does give them more certainty, because it essentially covers the entire project, rather than going through a device by device by device approach. And so that's on the regulatory side. I think if that goes well, it will give a lot of confidence to private sector and developers that this can move ahead, but it will also ensure that regulators know that they have an approach that is working, but still having those safeguards to ensure that you know they're protecting the environment and safety of communities and others on the technology side. So it's kind of like they go together hand in hand. So I mean, once we get through that process, I think there'll be more deployments, and we'll see the ability to test more technologies improve them. But to date, and where we are with especially with tidal energy, think the technologies are in, you know, they're in further generation. So we're not first generation technology anymore, and they've come a long way, and some of that's been through deployments and demonstration in other countries, Scotland, for example. So what I would envision happening is seeing some of those technologies tested in Canada, and then being able to, you know, deploy more than one and then, you know, multi device development.   Trevor Freeman  36:31 Great. One fine, maybe final question, although I keep thinking of things as we talk here, but you know, obviously this is very focused on coastal regions. You've mentioned, BC and sort of Nova Scotia where you're based. Do you envision, especially on the river side of things? Do you envision this as a technology that can be deployed kind of even in the interior provinces? Like, are we going to see river marine renewables in Saskatchewan, for example, or Ontario, where I'm based? Like, are you having those conversations? Or are we like, we're not quite ready for that yet, because we're still working on the technology piece.   Elisa Obermann  37:03 Yeah, I'm so glad that you asked that, because that's part I actually have missed in some of this. So there have been river current technologies deployed in Manitoba already. So the University of Manitoba has the Canadian hydro kinetic turbine Test Center. I know it's a bit of a mouthful, but they have been working with a number of river current developers. They've had several successful demonstrations. And there are also some companies that are that have been members of ours, that have deployed in other areas of Canada as well. In the past, even in Quebec, there's been some deployments. And so I think when it comes to river, you know, one of the challenges is there's, well, it's not a challenge. There's a huge opportunity there. It's just not very well known. And there are things like the ice, I think people are concerned about it being potentially closer to shore, just like the navigational issues, things like that, fish passage is different than what you'd see in tidal so there hasn't been as much of a focus on that. So it's earlier stage in terms of kind of that some of those environmental and social questions, but the technology is, you know, very close to where you'd see title at this point.   Trevor Freeman  38:12 Got you very cool we have so as our listeners know, I work for Hydro Ottawa, and Hydro Ottawa, parent company, owns the run-of-the-river generation dam here, right in the center of Ottawa, Chaudière Falls, and it's really fascinating. Now, it's not the same technology, of course. It's a it's a run of the river gravity fed dam, but the complexity around so the North American eel is an endangered species that's particularly impacted by dams and the technologies that we've had to put in place for that. It's really fascinating. Just kind of, I'm rambling a bit here, but all the different pieces that come together to make what should be a fairly straightforward thing, like use water to spin turbine, it's so much more complex than that. So I can appreciate that as you branch out into new areas, new technologies or new deployments of that, all those new complexities have to be figured out and worked on. But glad to hear that that's in the future, that that's on the horizon, because I think this is great, and it'd be cool to see more of this.   Elisa Obermann  39:08 Yeah, agreed. We're hoping we're getting there. It's taken time. I think things haven't gone as quickly as we had hoped. But you know, there's been a lot of learnings, lessons learned that have fed into where we are now, and I think just with what we're seeing, you know, with with government support, but also communities getting more excited about it, we'll see some real progress in the coming years.   Trevor Freeman  39:30 Okay, Elisa, we always wrap up our interviews with a series of questions to our guests. Some people love them, some people feel like they're on the hot seat, but I'm going to dive in anyway and fire these at you. So what is a book that you've read recently that you think everyone should read?   Elisa Obermann  39:45 Haven't read this one recently, but it kind of changed my thinking on everything. And I loved it, "Sapiens", I thought was great just with kind of the, you know, the history of humankind, and just made me rethink a lot of the things that. In terms of how society is structured and why we do the things that we do. Thought it was great, and if people haven't read it, I would highly recommend,   Trevor Freeman  40:06 Yes, very cool. That's a great book, and you're not the first one to mention that on the show. That's awesome. So same question. But for a movie or a show.   Elisa Obermann  40:14 There's probably a few that I would recommend, but really, I think the one that struck me the most recently, and I haven't watched a lot of movies recently, so I'll also say that, but just in the past couple years, was "Barbie". I loved it. It actually surprised me that, like, I had this totally different impression of what it was going to be, and just the kind of, you know, the key messages and things that it brought out, I thought were great. Like it was, it was very well done.   Trevor Freeman  40:38 Yeah, absolutely. It was one of those kind of cultural things that which seemed like it was going to be just another movie, and then there was some buzz behind it. And it got to the point where we, like, we did a family outing to go and, like, watch that movie with our kids, who were kind of at about the age where they can start thinking about some of these things. So it was pretty fun.   Elisa Obermann  40:56 Yeah, we did the same. We all wore pink. We really got on the bandwagon. I but it's great because as adults, you know, there were some really important things in it, but then also kids could relate, like it was a fun movie for them. So, yeah, it was good.   Trevor Freeman  41:09 Yeah, absolutely. My kids spent a long time, and still it'll come up singing the I'm Just Ken song that happens around our house often that song comes up, which, you know, wears on you after a while. Okay, so it sounds like you travel a little bit. So if someone offers you a free round trip flight anywhere in the world, where would you go?   Elisa Obermann  41:28 There's lots of places I would like to go, but I think probably Greece is where I would choose to go. I mean, I've been to Europe quite a bit for work and just also, you know, for fun. But my daughter has been saying for a really long time that she wants to go to Greece. She's only 10, so I've also kind of wondered where she got this idea, but I've also always wanted to go. So I think that would be my, my first choice.   Trevor Freeman  41:51 Very cool. I my wife and I honeymooned in Greece. It's a long time ago, but we had had a great time. It's gorgeous.   Elisa Obermann  41:56 Oh, amazing.   Trevor Freeman  41:58 Who is someone that you admire?   Elisa Obermann  41:59 That would probably be one of the tougher ones of these questions. Well, I'll say so generally, when I think about this kind of question, it's like, what are the kind of characteristics or qualities of someone that I would admire? And so I often look at how other women are, you know, conducting themselves, working in business world or in politics or whatnot. And I think what I admire most in some of those women is just the fact that they lift other women up. They're not afraid to be who they are and take a stand on things they really believe in. I think something I also really admire are women that are willing to take risks to build their business, and also in times of you know, where there's challenges or conflicts taking the high road. And so with all that said, you know, when I think about this, and I don't know if this sounds too cliche, but I think Michelle Obama's great, like when she said, 'When they go low, you go high', I just thought that was such an important message. And I actually share that with my daughter all the time when she's having trouble in school. I'm like, think of it this way. So she is a woman that I really admire. I think she's just done some wonderful things for women and just for people in general.   Trevor Freeman  43:08 Yeah, absolutely. And again, you're not the first one to mention that on the show, and I don't think that's because it's cliche. I think it's because you're right, absolutely fascinating person and leader, and just the strength of character is very evident, for sure. So, yeah, great answer. So final question, what's something about the energy sector that you're particularly excited about?   Elisa Obermann  43:29 Well, I would say, I mean, things are moving quite quickly, but also not never quick enough, yeah, and, but I think we have a lot to be excited about. So when I think about when I started my career in the energy sector, we were literally just starting to talk about renewable energy like it was a new thing, and things have evolved quite a bit since then, obviously, but in Atlantic Canada, where I'm based, so I'm in Nova Scotia, one of the things we've seen just in the past number of years has been An incredible evolution to a lot of projects being indigenous owned, indigenous LED. And I just think that's amazing so, you know, and I think that's going to continue. And it just shows, you know, that these communities are taking a lead. They're interested in ensuring that we're using clean energy, and it's also empowering them to, you know, have that ownership be able to provide investment to these projects, but it's been a big change. And so what I'm looking forward to, I guess, is what I'm saying here is that that continues, and we see more indigenous led projects, more indigenous participation in those projects, whether it be ownership, but also we've been actually working with a lot of indigenous businesses and suppliers that can get involved. And I think that will really change the energy sector. Actually, it's a lot different model from what we thought about, you know, few decades ago.   Trevor Freeman  44:49 Yeah, absolutely, I think. And again, it comes up so often on the show, the idea that there's the technological side of energy, but the societal side, and that interaction with the actual. Well stakeholders in local communities and indigenous communities. And you know, the people who are most impacted by this from a usage of energy perspective, but also a production and generation perspective. And of course, the in between, which is the transmission and distribution side of things, that's where the really interesting stories happen, and the opportunities for better collaboration and improving how we do things certainly happen. So I'm totally on the same page as you.   Elisa Obermann  45:25 Yeah, I think at the end, I always think of this like everything in the end is about people so and there's that factor that we we sometimes lose in all of this, but in the end, it comes down to the people who are involved or impacted.   Trevor Freeman  45:38 Absolutely. Elisa, thanks so much for your time. I really appreciate it. It's been great to learn more about this sector, which doesn't have enough attention on it. So happy to kind of have you explain to us and talk us through some of the exciting things that are happening. Really appreciate it.   Elisa Obermann  45:52 Yeah, no. Thank you so much for the opportunity and the time. And like you said, a lot of people don't know about the sector, so I really appreciate the you know, the time spent with you to chat a little more about it. Thank you   Trevor Freeman  46:02 For sure. We'll check back in, maybe in a year or two, and see kind of how, how far things have come.   Elisa Obermann  46:07 Yeah, that'd be great. I'd appreciate that.   Trevor Freeman  46:09 Awesome. Thanks. Elisa, take care.   Elisa Obermann  46:11 Thank you.   Trevor Freeman  46:13 Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the thinkenergy 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.  

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In this engaging and wide-ranging episode of The Voice of Retail, Michael reconnects with Selwyn Crittendon, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer for IKEA Canada, nearly two years after his arrival in the Canadian market. Selwyn reflects on his remarkable journey through IKEA over the past 23 years—from his early days in the Washington, D.C. store to leading Canadian operations—and offers an inside look at how the iconic retailer is transforming itself for the future.Selwyn begins by recounting his promise upon joining IKEA Canada: visit every unit in the country and meet the 7,000-plus coworkers who bring the brand to life. That coast-to-coast journey delivered deep insight into the business, its people and customers, the affordability crisis shaping Canadian retail, and the macro forces—tariffs, trade tensions, supply chain disruptions—reshaping global commerce. IKEA's response? A relentless focus on affordability and sustainability as its “new superpower.” Over the past two years, the company has invested over $130 million in price reductions, ensuring home furnishings remain accessible to the many, not the few.The conversation then turns to IKEA Canada's evolving footprint: 16 large-format stores, a nationwide omni-channel network, customer distribution centres, planning studios, pickup points and over 1,000 FedEx parcel locations. Selwyn lays out the strategy behind IKEA's multiformat expansion—why big blue boxes remain essential, and how plan-and-order points allow IKEA to flex into more communities. The brand's omni-channel transformation—accelerated through the pandemic—continues with major fulfilment investments in Toronto and Vancouver aimed at seamless, channel-agnostic shopping.Selwyn also breaks down the brand's thematic focus areas. Last year's theme, sleep, delivered new product development, education, and marketing storytelling. This year, IKEA shifts to cooking and eating, aligning with customer behaviour for an affordable, sustainable home and meaningful family connection. The company's food division is booming too—$143 million in sales, 70 million meatballs served—and evolving from “quirky add-on” to strategic growth engine.The duo explores customer behaviour, the integration of data and AI in retail operations, and the rising importance of trust amid an era of synthetic media. Selwyn reinforces IKEA's position: responsible data use, personalisation done properly, and maintaining IKEA Family loyalty as a driver of lifetime relationships.Finally, Selwyn shares his reflections as a new Canadian—embracing the country's diversity, culture, and warmth—and looks ahead to IKEA Canada's upcoming 50th anniversary celebrations. Authentic, inspiring, and forward-looking, this episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about modern retail, leadership, culture, and the future of accessible, sustainable living.  The Voice of Retail podcast is presented by Hale, a performance marketing partner trusted by brands like ASICS, Saje, and Orangetheory to scale with focus and impact. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has designated Michael as on their Top Retail Voices for 2025, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

Out Loud welcomes Nova Scotia Drag sensation ZARA MATRIX to the podcast. We get into some chat about what's happening in Zara land including their new event project YAS! HALIFAX, hosting live viewing parties for Canada's Drag Race season 6, the Halifax drag scene and so much more.PLUS! We have new music from AMRIO, Domino, Danah-Lee, Dyan Tai, Fabian Raad, Fedge, Flamy Grant, Kenton, Leo Von Sol, Reya Flowers, and Rita Bliss.⚡️CONNECT WITH THE Q⚡️ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.curatedbyq.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️FB/Instagram/TikTok @theqreviews ⚡️YouTube.com/@QCreativeNetwork⚡️Apparel Shop ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://qreview.threadless.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️Theme Music provided and performed by UK DJ and producer Hectic @hectictracks on Instagram⚡️ 

"This is our annual Thanksgiving show. Thanksgiving is celebrated in many counties other than the United States. We will tell you the list and and how the people celebrate. Plus play songs about Thanksgiving food."

Did you like the impact the Federal Government's Housing Accelerator Fund had on Halifax's downtown core and peninsula? By radically updating zoning requirments around Halifax's city centre, the Housing Accelerator Fund allowed the city and investors to tackle Halifax's housing crisis head on, by building more units!So what's Halifax Regional Municipalities second act to tackle the housing crisis? The Suburban Plan!The Suburban Plan looks to have similar zoning requirments in the suburban areas of Halifax, think of Lower Sackville, Fall River, Hammonds Plains, East Hants, etc! This will allow significant density, and amenities, to grow in the Suburban areas of Halifax so that the suburbs can thrive as well. Halifax Regional Municipality submitted its 1900 page report on the Suburban Plan to the province of Nova Scotia for review and approval, and the province actually rejected it, stating that the Suburban Plan doesn't go FAR ENOUGH with its goals of development and density. So Halifax is currently editing the plan and the hope is that it is submitted in early 2026 with approval by the province in the spring. Kevin Riles from Sightlines Planning + Approvals is here to break down what the Suburban Plan is, what Halifax's intentions are, and the growth Halifax is expected to see over the next 25 years!Jason Paul902-220-7357jason@infinityrealestategroup.caKevin Riles902-403-7847kevin@sightlineplanning.ca

The Canadian Olympic Curling Trials are finally here as they kick off on Saturday in Halifax. To get you set, we go through all 16 teams in the field and talk about their best and worst results on the season before making our picks for who will wear the Maple Leaf in Italy.For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Travelling to a wintry and snowy destination? We have tips for you! We share packing tips for winter weather, what to look for when renting a car, and extra things you may not consider if you're not used to cold weather!Support the Travel Mug Podcast by buying us a coffee! You'll make our day & you'll get access to fun stuff like bloopers and extra content.We have Merch! Shop the Travel Mug Podcast Store Check out our fav items here: Our Favourite Travel ProductsGRAB OUR MASTER PACKING LIST HERE*****************************************We are travel enthusiasts who do not claim to be professionals! Instead, we are two Halifax, NS natives with travel blogs who somehow found one another on the internet, and now, we have a podcast!!Join us every week as we talk about our favourite destinations, travel tips, travel fails, and all things travel!We have a big passion for travelling and talking about travel, so we hope you will listen and join the conversation.You can find us here:Our WebsiteFacebookInstagramJenn's Travel Blog Jenn's YouTube channelDisclaimer: All episodes are based on our opinions and experiences. Always do your research and make travel plans based on your budget and comfort levels.Support the show

Season 11, Episode 12 opens with a whirlwind week in retail news. Steve and Michael begin with the long-awaited end of the historic 43-day U.S. government shutdown, exploring what it means for holiday spending, federal workers, SNAP benefits, and travel recovery. While uncertainty lingers—particularly around health-care subsidies—the hosts note that retail may still experience ripple effects, especially among lower-income consumers living paycheck to paycheck. Still, retail sales continue to surprise: year-over-year spending climbed 5%, with clothing, sporting goods, electronics, and general merchandise leading the pack. Ecommerce also surged, with October online sales up 8.2%The hosts then unpack a series of strong earnings from standout brands. On continues its explosive growth with sales up over 30%, while Warby Parker posts a 15% sales jump and meaningful profitability improvement. The RealReal rebounds with 17% revenue growth, and Shopify reports a remarkable 32% increase, reflecting the strength of digitally enabled commerce. Another major storyline is the rapid rise of AI shopping: Adobe Analytics data now shows AI-driven traffic converting 16% higher than traditional channels, validating the momentum behind agentic commerce. In other tech news, Google announces an AI agent capable of calling stores, checking inventory, and completing purchases—a signal of seismic shifts underway in retail automation. And finally, the surprise timing behind the departure of Walmart CEO Doug McMillon prompts conversation about leadership transition, strategy continuity and the remarkable transformation he led. The second half of the episode features an in-depth interview with Julie Bornstein, Founder & CEO of Daydream—an AI-powered, chat-based shopping engine still in beta but already partnered with over 10,000 brands and 350 retailers that has already raised $50mm in capital. Julie shares her impressive career journey through Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, Sephora, Stitch Fix, The Yes, and Pinterest. She then goes to explain how Daydream solves fashion's most enduring problem: overwhelming choice. With generative AI enabling natural-language search, Daydream aims to deliver truly personalized recommendations by combining human stylist expertise with an ensemble of specialized models that understand fabric, fit, color, and aesthetic nuance. Julie also discusses the complexity of building a platform that merges taste-based shopping with machine learning, the importance of deep brand partnerships, and why major retailers see Daydream as both a customer-acquisition engine and an AI learning lab. She previews what's ahead: emerging social features, secondhand expansion, new iOS integrations, an upcoming app launch, and broader consumer rollout.  SPECIAL OFFER for our listeners! SAVE 20% on registration for the all new Shoptalk Luxe event in Abu Dhabi January 27-29.For more info go to https://luxe.shoptalk.com/page/get-ticket and then register using our special code : RRLUXE20 About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

#384 In this episode, Guy interviewed Rollin McCraty, one of HeartMath's founders. They delved into the concept of the energetic heart and its impact on our lives, emotions, and connections. They discussed how the heart's energy field affects and is affected by the global field environment, especially during events like the COVID-19 pandemic. Rollin explained the research behind HeartMath and its tools designed to help people tap into their heart's intuitive guidance. The conversation also focused on the importance of coherence and how individual energy fields can contribute to global consciousness. Rollin provided practical advice and resources for listeners interested in exploring HeartMath and its techniques for inner growth and emotional regulation. About Rollin: Rollin McCraty, Ph.D., director of research at the HeartMath Institute, is a professor at Florida Atlantic University. McCraty is a psychophysiologist whose interests include the physiology of emotion. One of his primary areas of focus is the mechanisms by which emotions influence cognitive processes, behavior, health and the global interconnectivity between people and Earth's energetic systems. He has been with HeartMath Institute since its founding in 1991 by Doc Childre. He has worked closely with Childre to develop HMI's research goals and has been instrumental in researching and developing the HeartMath System of tools and technology.  McCraty and the members of his research team have worked in joint partnership with research groups at Stanford University, Claremont Graduate University, Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Prince Sultan Cardiac Center in Saudi Arabia and the University of Lithuania among many others.  He has been interviewed for many feature articles in publications that include Prevention, Natural Health, Men's Fitness and American Health magazines, and has appeared in television segments for CNN Headline News, ABC World News Tonight, ABC's Good Morning America, NBC's Today Show, PBS's Body & Soul and the Discovery Channel. He has been featured in many documentary films, including I Am, The Truth, The Joy of Sox, The Power of the Heart, Solar Revolution, and The Living Matrix among others. Key Points Discussed:  (00:00) - When Billions Felt Fear — The Earth Responded. Proof we can take our power back! (00:54) - Welcome to the Let It In Podcast (03:40) - Meet Rollin McCraty: HeartMath Founder (11:45) - The Science Behind HeartMath (21:23) - HeartMath and Trauma Resolution (27:11) - Heart Coherence and Emotional Regulation (34:19) - Understanding Magnetic Fields and Their Properties (35:04) - The Heart's Magnetic Field and Its Measurement (36:04) - Emotional States and Their Vibrational Signatures (39:29) - Global Coherence and Human Interconnectivity (40:41) - Earth's Magnetic Fields and Human Resonance (44:52) - Schumann Resonances and Their Impact (50:51) - The Global Consciousness Project (59:39) - Practical Steps for Personal and Global Coherence How to Contact Rollin McCraty:www.heartmath.org   About me:My Instagram: www.instagram.com/guyhlawrence/?hl=en Guy's websites:www.guylawrence.com.au www.liveinflow.co

In the 5th episode of Season 11, Lori and Mary preview all the women's and men's team that will be competing at the 2025 Olympic Trials in Halifax.  This is the pinnacle moment that all the curlers have been striving toward during this very chaotic and tumultuous quadrennial here in Canada.  The girls make their picks, give some sage advice and can hardly wait for the show to begin!  Good luck everyone and play nice!

Show Outline:Hello Geeks!!  Welcome to another Special Episode of the Modelgeeks Podcast!  Nemo leads the way with Frilldo, and special guest Mark Robson from Kotare!  Mark provides an update on the newly announced 1/32 P-47D Razorback and 1/32 Bf-109E-4!!  Mark also gives us some updates on the 1/32 Spitfire Mk.I PR Type A, 1/32 Spitfire Mk.Vb Early, 1/32 Hurricane Mk.I, and the 1/48 Halifax! Kotare has been working hard to overcome the tariff issue in the USA, but recommend you purchase directly from Kotare to avoid any issues with shipping or tariffs.  Order directly at: www.kotare-models.com  Contact the Geeks:If you can't make it to the shows then you can still interact with us through social media, Facebook, Instagram, email, and our new website.   contact@modelgeekspodcast.comMake sure you check out our group / community on Facebook: The ModelGeeks Model Shack***NEW MODELGEEKS WEBSITE!!!!***Please check out our new website!!  www.modelgeekspodcast.comLinks to Episodes, “Meet the Geeks”, What's on our Bench, Listener Gallery, and some Gee-Dunk!  Email us pics of your completed models and we'll place them in the Listener Gallery.  We want to see what's on your  bench.  Be sure to check out the full Kotare 1/32 Bf-109K-4 Test Shot Build tab on the main page of our website. Nemo did a great job completing the kit so check out what can be achieved with the incredible Kotare 1/32 109K-4.  You'll find a complete write up, along with pics and detailed descriptions of the build.Modelgeeks Sponsors:When you have the time, pay a visit to their web sites, and have a look at their fine products.Tamiya USA, Furball Aero-Design, Detail and Scale, Sprue Brothers, LionHeart Hobby, Bases by Bill, Hypersonic Models, Matters of Scale, and our newest sponsor, Kotare Models!Fellow Podcasts:We are very fortunate to be a part of the scale modeling podcast community and are in the company of several other amazing modeling podcasts. Hopefully, someday we'll earn our podcast wings and be able to keep up with those guys!  Please check them out at Scale Model Podcasts.Blogs:The Kit BoxSprue Pie with FretsMatters of ScaleModel Airplane MakerInch High GuySupport the show via Patreon.Support the show via PayPal.Thank You's!!Hope you enjoy Special Episode #3 with Mark Robson.  Thanks again to Mark and Frilldo for making the podcast on short notice.  Be excellent to each other and get out there and build something!  -Out from the Geeks! Support the showModel Geeks PodcastSupport the showModel Geeks Podcast

In this episode of Rational Reminder, Ben Felix, Cameron Passmore, and Ben Wilson return with a classic AMA format—answering listener questions that dig deep into the behavioral and evidence-based foundations of sensible investing. From lump-sum investing to the psychology of advice, the trio blend data, humor, and clear thinking to demystify complex financial ideas. They discuss the behavioral logic behind dollar-cost averaging, why mutual funds might actually be more tax-efficient than ETFs in Canada, and whether technology could ever truly replace human financial advisors. Plus, they share their biggest investing mistakes (yes, Bitcoin makes an appearance), dissect the rise of "buffered" ETFs, and explain why chasing complexity usually costs investors more than it helps. Key Points From This Episode: (0:00:05) Introduction – The first episode featuring all three hosts together: Ben Felix, Cameron Passmore, and Ben Wilson. (0:44) OneDigital update: expanding evidence-based advice across Canada with new PWL partners in Halifax. (2:36) The mission in motion – bringing the "markets work and planning matters" philosophy to more Canadians. (5:29) "Finding and funding a good life" – how PWL integrates wellness and happiness into financial planning. (6:16) AMA Question 1: Lump-sum vs. dollar-cost averaging — why lump-sum wins 65% of the time. (10:05) Base rates, behavioral regret, and the real role of an advisor. (12:22) The 2020 PWL paper results and how behavioral hedging fits in. (16:10) If dollar-cost averaging feels safer, maybe your portfolio is too aggressive. (18:08) AMA Question 2: Advice for smaller portfolios — how technology, AI, and fee-only planners can fill the gap. (21:01) Can AI really replace advisors? Cameron's Waymo analogy sparks debate. (23:33) AMA Question 3: Mutual funds vs. ETFs — why in Canada, mutual funds may actually be more tax-efficient. (30:00) The Capital Gains Refund Mechanism (CGRM) explained — and why it matters. (34:31) Dimensional's Canadian funds vs. Vanguard ETFs — tax distribution data that surprises most investors. (37:40) AMA Question 4: Are discount bonds priced for tax efficiency? The evidence says no—discount bonds still win. (42:23) AMA Question 5: Biggest investment mistakes — from Bitcoin regrets to house-buying reflections. (48:15) AMA Question 6: Buffered ETFs — comfort, complexity, and why simple portfolios outperform. (53:45) Simplicity as a superpower — why "markets work" is still the most radical idea in finance. (55:27) AMA Question 7: Updating the RR model portfolio — why there's no "optimal" portfolio and simplicity wins again. (58:31) After show: Reviews, humor, and a reminder about "No Net Worth November." (1:04:15) Life offline — Cameron's reflections on quitting social media and finding clarity. Links From Today's Episode: Meet with PWL Capital: https://calendly.com/d/3vm-t2j-h3p Rational Reminder on iTunes — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rational-reminder-podcast/id1426530582. Rational Reminder Website — https://rationalreminder.ca/  Rational Reminder on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/rationalreminder/ Rational Reminder on X — https://x.com/RationalRemindRational Reminder on TikTok — www.tiktok.com/@rationalreminder Rational Reminder on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/ Rational Reminder Email — info@rationalreminder.caBenjamin Felix — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/ Benjamin on X — https://x.com/benjaminwfelix Benjamin on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwfelix/ Cameron Passmore — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/ Cameron on X — https://x.com/CameronPassmore Cameron on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronpassmore/ Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Some ghost stories chill you. Others make you question reality itself. t begins with a listener who nearly died as a child—her body still, her mind floating toward a blinding white light. When she finally gasped for air six minutes later, something inside her changed forever. From that moment on, she saw things others couldn't: phantom footsteps, bathroom doors that opened themselves, and a haunting that may have begun the night her grandfather died in her bed. Then—Laura from Halifax recalls a summer day camp unlike any other. One quiet, pale boy sat talking to empty air… until she asked who he was speaking to. What followed—his sudden trance and whispered answers, “Eighteen… nineteen…”—left her paralyzed with fear. From out-of-body experiences to ghostly déjà vu, from possessed children to eternal road accidents—these aren't campfire tales. They're proof that sometimes, the line between life and death is only a heartbeat long. #RealGhostStories #HauntedHighway #GhostChild #PossessionStory #ParanormalPodcast #TrueGhostStory #CreepyEncounters #HauntedCanada #PhantomRider #AfterlifeProof #SupernaturalExperiences #GhostStoriesOnline Love real ghost stories? Don't just listen—join us on YouTube and be part of the largest community of real paranormal encounters anywhere. Subscribe now and never miss a chilling new story:

Hosts Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc welcome David Lafitte, President and CEO of Tecovas, the fast-growing Austin-based brand bringing cowboy culture to modern consumers. Lafitte's career journey—from corporate attorney to Chief Operating Officer at Deckers Brands (home of UGG and Hoka) and now to retail leadership at Tecovas—is a masterclass in reinvention and focus.Under Lafitte's leadership, Tecovas has evolved from a digitally native boot maker to a fast growing premium lifestyle brand built on two pillars: crafted quality and radical hospitality. In this conversation, he explains how every store—now more than 50 across the U.S.—delivers a warm, elevated customer experience complete with in-store bars, personalization services, and knowledgable personalized service. The company's blend of authenticity and approachability has earned it cult-brand status while driving remarkable growth.Lafitte also shares insights into Tecovas' expansion strategy, including its move into New York's Soho district. He describes the flagship store as both a retail hub and a powerful brand ambassador that introduces western style to new audiences—without compromising the brand's roots. The discussion dives into Tecovas' measured foray into wholesale partnerships with Nordstrom and its expanding apparel lines, from denim to performance shirts, that extend the brand's head-to-toe lifestyle appeal.Lafitte reflects on the importance of leadership focus, empowering teams, and maintaining clarity amid growth. His advice for emerging retail leaders: prioritize what matters most, say no to distractions, and foster cultures of accountability and trust.The hosts balance the conversation with this week's retail headlines: the Supreme Court's debate over Trump-era tariffs, Allbirds' ongoing “Wobbly Unicorn Corner” status and strong results from luxury icons Ralph Lauren and Tapestry amid broader industry struggles. They close with insights on Amazon's automation ambitions, Andy Jassy's bold predictions for the future of eCommerce, and holiday retail forecasts signaling a slower but steady season. SPECIAL OFFER for our listeners! SAVE 20% on registration for the all new Shoptalk Luxe event in Abu Dhabi January 27-29.For more info go to https://luxe.shoptalk.com/page/get-ticket and then register using our special code : RRLUXE20 About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

On Episode 592 of Spittin' Chiclets, The Internet Invitational is officially here — and Luke Kwan has taken over as public enemy #1. They break down the Frozen Frenzy chaos, Caufield's OT magic, and Bedard's hat trick against the Sens that's got everyone talking Team USA vs. Team Canada. The boys hit all the big signings: Logan Cooley's 8x10M deal in Utah, Thomas Harley's monster extension in Dallas, and what Jason Robertson's next ticket might look like. Penguins keep rolling (Sid hits 1,700 points), Leafs are leaking rush goals, and a juicy home-and-home is set with Biz on the Prime Monday Night Hockey broadcast. Plus: the Wild's turnaround, Jay Rosehill stories, RA's World, and a heartfelt moment as Brad Marchand steps away to support the Halifax hockey community. This is an episode you won't want to miss. Tune in 2x a week every Monday + Friday and if you're looking for some extra Chiclets Content, Wednesday GameNotes Episodes coming to you live with Murls and Armdog. 00:00:00 - START 00:07:13 - Internet Invitational 00:17:05 - Frozen Frenzy 00:21:45 - MN Wild 00:25:00 - Big Signings 00:40:06 - Around the League 00:50:44 - Jay Rosehill 02:13:58 - RA's World 02:31:21 - RA's Top Horror Movies 02:46:25 - RA's Weekly Picks 02:49:04 - ETC. Support the Show: DISCOVER: Get cash back on every purchase with the Discover It card. Learn more at discover.com/creditcard https://www.discover.com/nhl AMAZON PRIME: NHL action is live on Prime Monday Night Hockey. On Nov. 3rd, it's the Pittsburgh Penguins vs The Toronto Maple Leafs. It's on Monday. It's on Prime. Prime Monday Night Hockey is available free to Prime members in Canada. Start your free trial: www.primevideo.com. For the full Prime Monday Night Hockey schedule, visit https://www.primevideo.com/salp/nhl GAMETIME: Download the Gametime app today and use code CHICLETS for $20 off your first purchase DRAFTKINGS: GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Please Gamble Responsibly. 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), or visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD).  21+ and present in most states. (18+ DC/KY/NH/WY). Void in NH/OR/ONT. Eligibility restrictions apply. Terms: draftkings.com/sportsbook. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (KS). Fees may apply in IL. 1 per new customer. Must register new account to receive reward Token. Must select Token BEFORE placing min. $5 bet to receive $300 in Bonus Bets if your bet wins. Min. -500 odds req. Token and Bonus Bets are single-use and non-withdrawable. Token expires 11/23/25. Bonus Bets expire in 7 days (168 hours). Stake removed from payout. Terms: sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos. Ends 11/16/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsored by DK. JACKPOCKET: GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is a lottery courier and not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. 1 per new customer. Opt-in for $5 in non-withdrawable Lottery Credits that expire in 7 days (168 hours). Ends 12/31/25 at 11:59PM ET. Terms: jkpt.co/draw5. Scratch off tickets subject to availability. Sponsored by Jackpocket.  Based on 2025 iOS download data collected by Sensor Tower.You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/schiclets