Podcasts about prairies

Nadav Zysblat has just begun his posting as Israel's new Consul General in Toronto and Western Canada at a particularly difficult moment in Canada-Israel relations. In the days surrounding his arrival, Canada announced it would bring forward measures to ban trade in goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, while a boycott campaign targeted pro-Israel singer Boy George's Vancouver concert. Zysblat, a career Israeli diplomat, says his job is to strengthen—not retreat from—the relationship. Pushing back against calls for boycotts, he wants to expand trade and business ties at the provincial level, restore direct flights between Canada and Israel, and support local Holocaust education initiatives. Zysblat has served previously in Washington and Shanghai. Two days before the Carney government's West Bank announcement, Zysblat sat down with The CJN's North Star podcast host Ellin Bessner to record his first Canadian interview. He told Bessner he wants to find new areas of cooperation with Ontario, the Prairies and B.C., particularly in sectors including natural resources, health care, AI, quantum computing and secure technology. They talked about how boycotts are not helpful to building relationships, how they hurt Canada's interests rather than solve the problem in the Middle East, and why he feels Israel could actually be “an answer” to Canada's current push to diversify its economy, amidst the economic trade war with the U.S. Related links Learn more about Prime Minister Mark Carney's recent announcement on Sept 8 that Canada will cut off imports of products made in illegal West Bank settlements and also East Jerusalem, and go after companies and entities who finance the settlement movement, in The CJN, Discover the background to a protracted Canadian case brought by anti-Israel activists in 2017 over labelling of wines produced by Psagot and Shiloh wineries located in the West Bank, and the last development in 2022, in The CJN. Read the Israeli Embassy's statement Sept. 8 condemning Canada pledging to join the U.K. and France in banning imports of products produced in West Bank settlements. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Izzie Helenchilde (producer and video editor),l Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter https://thecjn.ca/north Watch our podcasts on YouTube Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)

Policy uncertainty has become a constant in agriculture, but the bigger question is what producers should focus on. Evan and Kristjan are joined by Shaun Haney and Tyler McCann for a farm-level look at the forces shaping Canadian agriculture right now, including trade, global markets and the broader policy decisions influencing costs, commodity prices and business risk.The conversation ultimately comes back to management. In an environment where markets can move quickly, and outside factors are difficult to predict, knowing your numbers, understanding how much risk your business can carry and making decisions with a longer view become increasingly important. The group also challenges some of the prevailing pessimism around Canadian agriculture, looking at the competitive advantages producers have today and how better financial and risk management can help farms respond to uncertainty.

STARS is raising money through its annual Rescue on the Prairies campaign. Jason LeBlanc, lifelong auctioneer and strategic advisor for the Canadian Market with Steffes Group, is one of those taking part, ready to trade in his business suit for a STARS flight suit. He joins the show to share why he took part and how people can support the fundraiser.

In today's episode of Trade Dispute: Impact On The Prairies, Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski discusses municipal resilience and the power of buying Canadian. We also examine cross-border diplomacy at a Midwestern state summit, and hear from Alberta Premier Danielle and veteran broadcaster Lorne Harasen.

Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski discusses municipal resilience and the power of buying Canadian. We also examine cross-border diplomacy at a Midwestern state summit, and hear from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and veteran broadcaster Lorne Harasen.

In episode four of Trade Dispute: Impact On The Prairies, we examine the fallout if CUSMA collapses, and hear how cross-border farmers and Saskatchewan businesses are reacting. We also look to the past with veteran broadcaster Lorne Harasen to explore how today's cross-border rift compares to decades of prime ministers and presidents.

We examine the fallout if CUSMA collapses, and hear how cross-border farmers and Saskatchewan businesses are reacting. We also look to the past with veteran broadcaster Lorne Harasen to explore how today's cross-border rift compares to decades of prime ministers and presidents.

In the third episode of Trade Dispute: Impact On The Prairies, we explore the municipal fallout of the ongoing trade dispute, featuring insights from the mayors of Weyburn, Yorkton, and Moose Jaw. We also look at how the federal government is attempting to speed up trade diversification, including a report on major energy infrastructure projects.

We explore the municipal fallout of the ongoing trade dispute, featuring insights from the mayors of Weyburn, Yorkton, and Moose Jaw. We also look at how the federal government is attempting to speed up trade diversification, including a report on major energy infrastructure projects.

Less than 1% now remains of Texas' original native prairies, making them one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. Recorded at the Southern Family Farmers and Food Systems Conference, this conversation with Native Prairies Association of Texas (NPAT) stewardship specialist, Andy Olson, explores why prairies matter, what a healthy prairie ecosystem looks like, and how landowners and everyday citizens can help protect these increasingly threatened landscapes. This conversation builds on our previous discussion on conservation easements, regenerative land stewardship, and the critical role farmers and ranchers can play in restoring native ecosystems. MEET OUR GUEST: Andy Olson is from central Iowa where he grew to appreciate the tiny remnants of the tall grass prairie. His love of nature and history led him to earning a master's degree in cultural resource management from Colorado State University. He worked for the University of Northern Iowa's Tallgrass Prairie Center where he helped landowners restore native prairie on their farms before joining NPAT as a stewardship specialist helping to manage NPAT's 11 fee-simple properties across Texas. Want to learn more about protecting and restoring Texas prairies? Visit the Native Prairies Association of Texas at texasprairie.org. TIME STAMPS: 00:00 Soil Sisters Intro 00:44 Meet Andy Olson 03:24 Texas Prairie Status 04:26 Prairie Ideal Ecosystem 06:13 How Much Is Left 07:08 Threats And Goals 08:14 Landowner Solutions 12:12 CRP And Prairie Strips 13:54 Pollinators And Connectivity 15:50 NPAT Land Trust Basics 17:56 Why NPAT Is Different 20:39 Easements And Rights 22:28 Stewardship Monitoring 25:07 Community And Volunteers 26:43 Help Without Land 27:57 Where To Learn More 28:17 Closing Credits

As the high stakes trade dispute between Canada and the United States continues to escalate, Provincial leaders and key industries across western Canada are moving quickly.

As the high stakes trade dispute between Canada and the United States continues to escalate, Provincial leaders and key industries across western Canada are moving quickly.

It's been just over a week since trade negotiations between Canada and the United States collapsed. Our 620 CKRM/SaskToday News team brings you reports and responses on how this is effecting the Prairies.

It's been just over a week since trade negotiations between Canada and the United States collapsed. Our GX94/SaskToday News team brings you reports and responses on how this is effecting the Prairies.

RRC meteorologist David Spence joins Craig Lester to break down a summer of weather extremes across the Prairies and what those conditions could mean as farmers move deeper into harvest. They discuss the sharp north-south divide in moisture, with dry conditions returning to parts of southern Alberta, while excessive rainfall is creating harvest challenges farther north. Spence also talks about slower-than-normal harvest progress, the return of drought conditions in some areas, and growing concern about frost as crops race toward maturity.

Guest host Dave Campbell welcomes Dave Dawson from HNlive.ca to 880 CHED's Inside Sports for an in-depth conversation about Prairie Football Conference (PFC) football and Canadian Junior Football. Dave and Dave break down the latest storylines from the Prairie Football Conference, including the teams, players and games making headlines across the Canadian junior football landscape. They discuss the state of junior football on the Prairies, the development of young Canadian football players and what fans should be watching as the season continues. From PFC football and Alberta junior football to the broader Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL), this episode delivers insight and analysis for fans who love the grassroots level of the Canadian game. Listen to 880 CHED Inside Sports with Dave Campbell for the latest Prairie Football Conference news, Canadian junior football coverage, Alberta football, PFC analysis, CJFL storylines and Canadian football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Canada-U.S. trade war escalating again (and Saskatchewan imposing a 50% tariff on American alcohol), farmers on the Prairies are once again caught in the middle of a very complicated economic relationship with our biggest customer. Alberta premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe say oil, gas, and potash are not on the table as bargaining chips. Is it a defensible or anti-Canadian position? Who better to get into it with than Saskatchewan farmer and YouTuber Quick Dick McDick (3:00) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West?  THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY HANSEN DISTILLERY. CHECK OUT THEIR NEWEST RELEASE - DANNY R, A SMOOTH, READY TO DRINK BLOOD ORANGE WHISKY COCKTAIL WITH A DISTINCTIVE HANSEN TWIST. PROCEEDS BENEFIT MEN'S MENTAL HEALTH. LEARN MORE: https://hansendistillery.com/ FOLLOW  @QuickDickMcDick  on YouTube and CHECK OUT HIS WEBSITE: https://quickdickmcdick.ca/ GET YOUR "PROUDLY ALBERTAN. FIERCELY CANADIAN." HOODIES BEFORE THEY SELL OUT: https://ryanjespersen.com/merch TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: talk@ryanjespersen.com 31:30 | Researchers and innovators are using microwave technology to improve farming outcomes. How cool is that? It is, without a doubt, an Alberta Win presented by Play Alberta.  PLAY ALBERTA IS THE ONLY APP IN THE PROVINCE THAT PUTS ALL REVENUE DIRECTLY BACK INTO SUPPORTING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT ALBERTANS RELY ON EVERY DAY. LEARN MORE AT https://try.playalberta.ca/lp/realtalk/ 34:15 | Quick Dick talks beef, booze, and supply management. 55:00 | Real Talkers have their say on it all in our Live Chat powered by Park Power. SAVE on INTERNET, ELECTRICITY, and NATURAL GAS: https://parkpower.ca/realtalk/ 1:23:00 | Jespo reviews the Guns 'n Roses show at Commonwealth Stadium. 1:33:45 | Fat Dave's fired up over "Canada doesn't have a military," Matthew has a pointed message for Americans AND Canadians, Robert calls out hypocrisy where he sees it, Scott in Sherwood Park has a message for Jason Kenney, and Phillip says landowners are being silenced by the Alberta government. It's The Flamethrower proudly presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park!   WHEN YOU SWING BY A DQ IN PALISADES, NAMAO, NEWCASTLE, WESTMOUNT, OR BASELINE ROAD, BE SURE TO LET 'EM KNOW REAL TALK SENT YOU!  REAL TALK'S LIVE STREAM IS PRESENTED BY CALIFORNIA CLOSETS. BOOK YOUR FREE CONSULTATION: https://californiaclosets.ca/ REAL TALK HIGHLIGHTS ARE PRESENTED BY KUBY ENERGY AND CANADIAN GREEN TECH, YOUR TRUSTED SOLAR PROVIDERS. LEARN MORE AT https://kuby.ca/ or in-store at Costco. SIGN UP for YEGplus, CANADA'S FIRST AIRPORT REWARDS PROGRAM: https://yegplus.com/realtalk SAVE 10% on ONLINE MEN'S CLOTHING PURCHASES at THE HELM with promo code REALTALK: https://thehelmclothing.com/ FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, X, INSTAGRAM, and LINKEDIN: @realtalkrj & @ryanjespersen JOIN US ON FACEBOOK: @ryanjespersen REAL TALK MERCH: https://ryanjespersen.com/merch RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE PERKS - BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: patreon.com/ryanjespersen THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! https://ryanjespersen.com/sponsors The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.

Most operators assume the best farms in their region are spending a lot more to get a lot more out of their land. The data says otherwise. Travis Girard, a farm management consultant with MNP, and Dean Klippenstine, also with MNP, return for the second session in the Know Your Numbers benchmarking series, drawing on a database that now covers roughly 1,500 farms and 8.5 million acres across the Prairies. What's Inside - Why the production expense gap between top performing farms and average ones came in at just seven dollars an acre, not the twenty five to fifty most people guessed - Seven years of profitability data across the region, including the one year almost everyone assumes was the worst, and wasn't - The three things Dean Klippenstine says separate profitable farms from the rest, starting with crop selection - Why labor, power, and machinery costs come down to mindset more than acres under management - What bringing your three worst fields up to your own farm's average gross margin could be worth in a yearResources MentionedMNPMNP Know Your Numbers benchmarking seriesConnect with Travis Gerrard: Travis GerrardConnect with Dean Klippenstine: Dean Klippenstine Linked In: Dean KlippenstineConnect with Growing the Future Website: growingthefuture.ca YouTube: Growing the Future Instagram: @growingthefuturepodcast LinkedIn: Growing the Future Subscribe to the Growing the Future Podcast wherever you listen, and register for Convergence Conference 2027 at convergence.ag. Register for the Convergence Conference at convergence.ag and stay updated by subscribing to the Growing the Future Podcast at growingthefuturepodcast.ca.

Johnson County Parks and Recreation Department got money to restore a range of habitats in the region — including prairies, woodlands and wetlands — to strengthen natural prevention against flooding and pollution.

Political pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Mark Carney as sweeping U.S. tariffs take hold on billions of dollars worth of Canadian goods. Trade talks broke down on Friday, and now Ottawa must weigh how best to cushion the economic blow - and how to retaliate strategically against Washington. We'll have full coverage of the renewed Canada/U.S. trade tensions - with reaction from U.S. officials, business leaders, and Canadians across the country.Also: Today marks 150 years of Treaty 6. Its an agreement signed between the British Crown and more than 50 First Nations. It gave those First Nations rights to health, education, and use of the land in portions of what is now Saskatchewan and Alberta. But there is growing concern that the threat of Alberta separation -- could put the Treaty at risk. And: Twice a year, millions of monarch butterflies make the long voyage between Canada, the U-S and Mexico. Habitat loss has led to fewer and fewer monarchs taking part in that semi-yearly migration. But the endangered species has seen a population rebound on the Praries. You'll hear what's causing it.Plus: Mental health challenges among Indigenous boys and young men, and more.

Fifty per cent U.S. tariffs on billions of dollars of Canadian goods have now taken effect and Prime Minister Mark Carney is vowing dollar-for-dollar retaliation after trade talks collapsed late Friday night. CBC's Peter Armstrong lays out what we know about the breakdown at the table. Then, two former federal cabinet ministers, Canada-U.S. advisory committee member Lisa Raitt and Carney's former chief of staff Marco Mendicino, discuss what another trade war escalation could mean for Canada's economy and the future of free trade. Plus, the Prairies are known as Canada's breadbasket. But could Canada boost its global agri-food exports to become the world's breadbasket? Guest host Leisha Grebinski travels to Coleville, Sask. to speak with lentil and grain farmer Dean Roberts about the technological, infrastructure and labour barriers he faces in getting more of his crops to global markets. Evan Shout — president and CEO of financial consulting firm Maverick Ag — explains how often he hears Roberts' concerns among other farmers he coaches and why Canada's agriculture industry needs a bigger seat at the federal decision-making table. Then, Evan Fraser, executive director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph and Jennifer Clapp, a professor and Canada Research Chair in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo, discuss whether boosting exports is the right goal for Canada, or if it should focus on food security at home.This episode features the voices of:Lisa Raitt, former Conservative cabinet minister and member of the Advisory Committee on Canada–U.S. Economic RelationsMarco Mendicino, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Mark Carney and senior counsel at CasselsDean Roberts, owner of Oakdale Farms and chair of SaskOilseedsEvan Shout, president and CEO of Maverick AgEvan Fraser, executive director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of GuelphJennifer Clapp, professor and Canada Research Chair in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo

Join Nicolas and Kent as they visit Diversity Farms owner Jon Judson, a veteran Iowa prairie reconstructionist. From local seed genetics and tough site preparation to interseeding, prescribed fire, weed management, and grazing, Jon shares practical guidance for building diverse native prairie communities that can truly thrive for decades ahead. hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seed, backyard prairie, hunting mixes, CRP mixes, native pasture mixes, and more)   MckayInsAgency.com (for all your financial planning and insurance needs)   BirdHunterSupply.com (for all your bird hunting supplies and dog hunting supplies)

Native prairies play a critical role in supporting wildlife, from pollinators and songbirds to countless other species that depend on healthy grassland ecosystems. In this episode of Outdoor Adventures on Brownfield, host Brent Barnett sits down with Kent Boucher of Hoksey Native Seeds to discuss why prairie habitats matter, the wildlife benefits they provide, and the importance of prairie conservation and restoration efforts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

**New episode drops Friday, August 21**ENCORE PRESENTATION There's great concern that people in Ottawa aren't taking what's happening in Alberta seriously enough. With national unity at stake, some Senators are looking west from the upper chamber and acknowledging there are indeed structural issues at the federal level that's fueling frustration.This week on West of Centre, Kathleen Petty welcomes a panel of Prairies senators. Alberta Senator Paula Simons, who was appointed in 2018 and sits in the Independent Senators Group; Saskatchewan Senator Pamela Wallin, appointed in 2008; and Manitoba Senator Charles Adler, who was appointed in 2024. Both sit in the Canadian Senators Group.The panel pulls no punches in questioning whether Canada has done the work it needs to become a true energy superpower. For them, it's time to turn words into action. As trade tensions with the U.S. simmer, they're blunt on CUSMA: Canada can't take its own self-interest out of the equation because negotiations are not about love, but business. And while they disagree on the strategy for a potential fall referendum on separation, they also tackle another referendum question about Senate abolishment. Host: Kathleen PettyGuests: Senator Charles Adler, Senator Paula Simons, Senator Pamela WallinProducer: Diane Yanko

Surfers are flocking to a special surf spot on the Bow River in Calgary. The Current Producer Allison Dempster learns about river surfing and how this unlikely spot in the Canadian prairies has become a beloved sport for surfers.

It's Week 10 of the CFL Regular Season, and The Elks Call has you covered! The Edmonton Elks faced the Saskatchewan Roughriders for a home-and-home series, and Alex Dormuth of Piffles Podcast swings by the show to talk all about the last 2 weeks. We also talk about the renowned pride in the Elks Fan Base, the Upper Bowl opening, and the upcoming game vs the Montréal Alouettes. This episode is brought to you by Royal Retros. They are the throwback kings, and with CFLPA merchandise and retro Canadian football jerseys, they are your #1 source for your favourite throwbacks. Check them out at royalretros.com Save 20% off your order over at lathr.com using code SHOTGUN20 at checkout. Smell damn good and support Canadian-made hygiene products that leave you smelling and feeling clean. Smell Damn Good, Save Damn Money. #EdmontonElks #GoElks #CFL #YEG #AlwaysEdmonton #podcastMusic: Spark Of Inspiration by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.comLicensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/byCOPYRIGHT Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laurent Ballesta n'aurait pas pu réaliser ses exploits sans son équipe, au sein d'Andromède océanologie. Il l'a fondée en 2008 avec Pierre Descamp. Un 3e associé, Florian Holon, les a rejoint. Bien connue pour avoir organisé les explorations baptisées “Gombessa”, Andromède est un aussi un labo et un bureau d'étude.Le projet le plus remarquable et structurant d'Andromède est la sauvegarde des herbiers de Posidonies, une plante à fleur et à fruit, qui ne pousse qu'en Méditerranée. Cette fascinante plante verte est retournée vivre sous l'eau alors que ses ancêtres en étaient sortis des millions d'années auparavant !!!Les posidonies, qui poussent très lentement, sont des nurseries et un bienfait pour tout le Vivant autour elles. Mais ces reines oubliées souffrent beaucoup des ancrages des bateaux.Pour y remédier, Andromède a développé une appli gratuite pour tous les plaisanciers et navigateurs RESPONSABLES qui s'impliquent dans le respect du Vivant.___L'appli DONIA est un “Waze de la mer”. Gratuite, permet aux plaisanciers, plongeurs, pêcheurs et à tous les amoureux de la mer, d'échanger des informations tout en contribuant à protéger les écosystèmes marins sensibles.Elle permet de connaître la nature des fonds (et ainsi de ne pas jeter l'ancre au beau milieu d'un herbier de posidonies. En plus, DONIA offre de nombreuses autres infos utiles aux gens de la mer : météo, profondeur, outils de navigation, cartes marines, sites de plongée, ports, mouillages, échanges d'infos d'utilisateurs, photographies sous-marines …DONIA renforce la solidarité des marins en partageant des infos sur les dangers en mer (obstacles, accidents, méduses, alerte SOS …).DONIA contient des outils de navigation (flèche de prédiction, waypoints et outils de mesure, tracés de navigation) et de sécurité en mer (pack alarmes dérapage, emmêlage et collision). DONIA intègre les données AIS (Automatic Identification System) des navires provenant du réseau AISHUb.Le module DONIA Mooring permet en outre de réserver des bouées et des coffres d'amarrage.___On aime ce qui nous a émerveillé … et on protège ce qu'on aime.___Découvrez tout l'univers Baleine sous Gravillon, et Mécaniques du Vivant sur France Culture.___Nous réalisons des émissions audio et vidéo pour et avec vous.Nous vous accompagnons pour créer votre podcast. Nous proposons des conférences et animons des tables rondes.Nous cherchons des partenaires :contact@baleinesousgravillon.comHébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Pour acheter vos billets pour la finale de Crache ton thé CDRAS1 au Cabaret Mado avec Sami Landri et d'autres invitées surprise le mardi 25 août à 19:00, c'est par ici !Cette semaine, même si les Prairies ont remporté les élections, Charlie demande un recomptage en faveur de l'Acadie. Gisèle elle n'est pas encore désabusée de la dragocratie du Golden Beaver qui nous a offert un autre beau rebondissement pour sa dernière semaine.

As Western Canadian producers navigate tight fall planting windows and unpredictable weather patterns, hybrid fall rye continues to stand out for its high yield potential, natural weed suppression, and expanding market opportunities across the Prairies. Against the backdrop of demo plots at Enchant, Alberta, Shaun Haney caught up with Greg Stamp, seed business manager at... Read More

A wet growing season across parts of the Prairies and the Northern Plains has left water standing in some fields, driving up disease pressure and grower interest in corn fungicides. Scouting for disease is often a secondary priority for corn production in northern areas, but high-moisture conditions justify a closer look at the canopy—especially with... Read More

Hybrid rye continues to gain momentum across Western Canada as more growers look for crops that deliver strong yields, improve profitability, and provide greater resilience against weather extremes. In this Product Spotlight episode of The Impact Farming Show, Tracy sits down with Chad Yanchycki, Sales Manager, to discuss why hybrid rye has become one of the fastest-growing crop options on the Prairies. From the proven performance of SU Performer to the excitement surrounding the new SU Bebop variety, Chad shares practical insights to help growers make informed decisions for the upcoming season. In this episode, you'll learn: • What makes SU Performer one of the leading hybrid rye varieties on the Prairies. • Why hybrid rye continues to gain acres across Western Canada. • How hybrid rye can help manage production risk during drought, excess moisture, and other weather extremes. • Best practices for managing ergot, including the importance of variety selection and growing conditions. • An early look at SU Bebop and why growers are already talking about this exciting new hybrid rye variety. • Key considerations when evaluating hybrid rye for your cropping rotation. Whether you're already growing hybrid rye or considering it for the first time, this episode offers practical information to help maximize productivity and profitability. Thanks for tuning in, Tracy

This week on Enjoying Orange Slices with Jeff & Ian

The spread of cabbage seedpod weevil (CSPW) into new areas of Western Canada means many canola growers are facing an unfamiliar pest in the battle to protect canola yields. Historically confined to southern regions on the western side of the Prairies, higher CSPW populations have pushed into central Alberta (reaching as far north as Edmonton),... Read More

“Free” and “exonerated” don't mean the same thing. Back in 1992, when Saskatchewan justice officials said they would not re-try David Milgaard, he walked away from the federal penitentiaries where he'd spent more than two decades. But it still took years to clear his name. Could this kind of wrongful conviction ever happen again? Hear how David and Joyce Milgaard's fight changed the Canadian legal system, in the second part of this See You In Court story.Want to listen to more episodes of See You in Court? Click here.

CRAZY HOT WEEKEND (1:40); Wild weather including tornadoes, heat and flooding continue to hit Prairies (9:45); Winkler's Tristan Peters is having a dandy season with the White Sox -- Celebrating people from our community who have done big things (17:15); Gordie Howe International Bridge is finally set to open (24:30); Celebrating people from our community who have done big things (30:10); WEATHER: Heat warning continues, and 14 tornadoes in SK over the weekend??? - David Phillips, Senior Climatologist, Environment and Climate Change Canada (33:10); Lindsey Graham has died (43:40); SPORTS! - Bob Irving (50:55); Winning entry on Celebrating people from our community who have done big things (1:01:35); Maw's Garage and other development Downtown & in the Exchange (1:04:30).

On this episode of The Milton Report, Steve Milton gets you set for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Week 6 matchup on the prairies with the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

Journey to Canada's most underrated province - Saskatchewan - where the simple act of hiking feels like time travel. From Badlands replete with fossils, to miles of Prairie grassland teeming with wildlife where bison roam, join adventurer Phoebe Smith as she explores the National Park you've never heard of - but definitely should add to your to do list. Practical travel help is baked in too. I share my no-nonsense travel hack for avoiding ticks and removing them safely, plus we chat with Jenna Carr, aka The Travel Mum, about why family travel is chaotic, slower, and still absolutely worth it. We round things out with fast Saskatchewan facts, stargazing gear for a dark sky preserve, and a Hidden Hero conversation with a species at risk scientist working behind the scenes to protect the “little guys” we too often overlook.Also coming up:The Travel Mum - Jenna Carr on why you can travel with kidsTravel Hack: How to avoid and remove a tickA Canadian Dead Sea, the biggest T-Rex fossil on the planet? 10 Saskatchewan Facts that will have you headed straight for ReginaMeet the woman who works to protect endangered species in Grasslands National ParkGear chat: what to pack to go stargazingGeraldine Moodie – pioneering photographer and owner of the first studio opened by a woman – is our Wander Woman of the Month.If you love wildlife encounters, Canadian road trips, and prairie dogs, hit subscribe, share this with a friend who needs fresh travel inspiration, and leave a review so more people can find us.Contact Wander Womanwww.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Every July, Prairie operators make new-crop decisions that set their cash flow for the next twelve months, usually reading the same headlines as everyone else and reacting to the loudest one. In this conversation, grain marketing advisor Ryan Bonnett puts his daily client read on a stage: what is actually moving canola, wheat, corn, and soybean markets right now, and where the summer selling window sits inside the seasonal pattern. Colin Brisebois, VP of Products and Market Strategies at FCC, adds the lender's view, what disciplined marketing looks like once it shows up in an operation's cash flow. Topics and Timestamps 0:00 -- The spring everyone just lived, and why the marketing window opens at the worst possible time 3:30 -- Welcome to Ryan Bonnett and Colin Brisebois 6:00 -- Live poll: how much of your 2026 crop is still unpriced 10:00 -- Beat the average, not the top: Ryan's core marketing philosophy 13:00 -- Colin on discipline: know your cost of production before you build a plan 16:00 -- Seller's remorse, and the parameters that remove it 19:00 -- The 80/20 problem: why most operators miss the top of the market 21:00 -- Crop conditions across the Prairies and the US heading into summer 28:00 -- Know your unique ability: when to hire the discipline you don't have 31:00 -- Ryan's seasonal chart: why prices rally into seeding and fall after 34:00 -- The summer selling window, and put options as price insurance 39:00 -- Reading the charts: double tops, RSI, and shifting momentum 42:00 -- China, Iran, and the headlines that don't move price until money does 45:00 -- New biofuel regulation, the floor under canola, and the policy risk underneath it 49:00 -- Bullish or bearish, defend your answer: Ryan's discipline test 52:00 -- Domestic processing and the case for building crush capacity at home 55:00 -- Colin's three pillars at FCC: knowledge, advice, capital 58:00 -- The $50 billion wealth transfer, and who replaces the next generation of ag talent 1:01:00 -- The cohort program: Ryan and FCC's plan to bring this education to more operators 1:03:00 -- Close   Resources Mentioned Ryan Bonnett's grain marketing client cohort program, run in partnership with FCC   Connect with Ryan Bonnett Grain marketing advisor (public brand name pending -- link to follow once confirmed) Connect with Colin Brisebois VP, Products and Market Strategies, Farm Credit Canada (FCC)   Connect with Growing the Future Website: growingthefuture.ca  YouTube: Growing the Future  Instagram: @growingthefuturepodcast  LinkedIn: Growing the Future Register for the Convergence Conference at convergence.ag and stay updated by subscribing to the Growing the Future Podcast at growingthefuturepodcast.ca.

On Friday's edition of SaskAgToday with Ryan Young: More trade talk, a look at current growing conditions across the Prairies, and more.

Excess moisture, escalating weed pressure, and delayed spray operations are emerging as the biggest challenges facing Prairie canola growers this season, according to feedback gathered through the Canola Council of Canada's Canola Watch network. Speaking with RealAgriculture at RDAR's Round-Up near Cremona, Alta., Jay Whetter, manager of knowledge and technology transfer with the Canola Council... Read More

Dan opened the session by noting that a billion-dollar Prairie farming operation had entered creditor protection -- and that nearly 40 farms were in or near distress that year. Robert Andjelic had received roughly 40 calls from farms across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and elsewhere, all with a common thread: lenders were tightening, some operators could not access input credit, and they wanted to sell land and rent it back while keeping their equipment running and their family farming. Robert completed four of those transactions. He was direct about the others: they either did not fit his land criteria or could not be executed on terms that made sense. The session poll showed roughly half the room believed the current stress is both structural and cyclical -- a hard stretch exposing cracks that were already forming. Robert provided a compressed history of farm size in Canada, from 1925 when 10,000 acres was considered enormous, through the post-2000 acceleration driven by GPS auto-steer, massive air seeders, zero-till, low interest rates after 2008, normalized leasing, and aging operators. His conclusion: one modern operator now does what five to ten farm families previously required, and that trajectory will continue. Tim Hammond placed the hardest growth window at 2,500 to 6,000 acres -- the point where a family operation transitions from one set of implements to multiple, and from family labor to hired crews with all the human resource and financial management that demands. After 6,000, Tim argued, the next logical step is to think in enterprise pods -- another 6,000 acres, another labor module -- rather than organic farm growth. Robert's position: there is no correct size. He has tenants farming 1,000 acres who are as profitable as his 30,000-acre operators. His own loan-to-value sits below 24 percent because he built over 60 years when land was cheap. Cap rate on Prairie land purchased today: 1.5 to 3 percent, maybe 3.5 if the seller needs cash. He was blunt about marketing: "A lot of producers are very good at producing but they are shit poor in marketing," and that gap -- benchmarked by MNP at roughly $70 per acre -- is a large part of what separates farms that survive downturns from those that do not. The sharpest exchange of the session came when Dallas LeDuc joined. He is the fire chief of RM 44, a small rural municipality where Robert is likely the largest landowner. Dallas had recently stopped spraying to respond to a fire on land Robert owns. He argued that absentee landlords should pay a modestly higher property tax rate -- not punitive, maybe 10 to 15 percent higher -- to fund the fire trucks, training, and equipment that local volunteers maintain and use to protect land the landlords will never physically see. Robert's counter was structural: his tenants are local and respond to fires; making tax exceptions for agriculture creates red flags with institutional lenders; and the most important thing he does for Prairie producers is not visible -- it is the 12 to 13 years and more than $50,000 he has spent flying to Toronto to sit with bank decision-makers and explain to them that agricultural lending does not work like commercial real estate. His argument: when a lender in Toronto extends patience to a distressed farm instead of foreclosing, every producer in Western Canada benefits -- and no individual operator has the leverage to make that case to the head offices the way he can. Dallas was not persuaded. He closed with the line that his great-grandfather left France in 1904 to get away from doctors and lawyers owning the land, and he is afraid that is exactly where the Prairies are heading. Key Topics Farm credit stress in Western Canada 2026: nearly 40 farms in distress; Robert Andjelic received 40 calls from operators wanting to sell and rent back; completed 4 transactions Live session poll: roughly 50 percent of audience said the current crisis is both structural and cyclical History of farm scale in Canada: 1925 to today -- from 10,000 acres enormous to 50,000-plus now common What drove post-2000 farm growth: GPS auto-steer, massive air seeders, zero-till, post-2008 low interest rates, aging operators, normalized leasing Tim Hammond's growth framework: hardest growth is 2,500 to 6,000 acres; after 6,000, think in enterprise pods Robert Andjelic's cap rate reality: Prairie land bought today yields 1.5 to 3 percent; his own LTV is below 24 percent built over 60 years "A strategy is what you say no to" -- Tim Hammond on the discipline of farm scale decisions Marketing gap: roughly $70 per acre difference between producers who market well and those who do not (MNP benchmark referenced) Absentee landlord taxation debate: Dallas LeDuc (fire chief, RM 44) vs. Robert Andjelic -- rural community burden vs. capital market access argument Robert Andjelic's Toronto bank work: 12-13 years, $50,000+ in meetings, translating agriculture to commercial real estate lenders Kevin Hursh on retiring farmers: those who rail against big farms all their lives tend to sell to the biggest neighbour when retirement comes; breaking land into smaller parcels would give next-generation operators a chance Robert's macro thesis: higher commodity prices incoming due to Strait of Hormuz disruption, fertilizer supply constraints, and a potential super El Nino cycle Family farm vs. corporate model: Tim Hammond -- corporate farms must learn family commitment; family farms must learn corporate structure; the marriage of the two is the future Connect Kevin Hursh -- Western Producer columns; hursh.ca Robert Andjelic -- farmland.ca Dallas LeDuc -- Bunnyhug Farmers Podcast; TikTok growingthefuture.ca Register for the Convergence Conference at convergence.ag and stay updated by subscribing to the Growing the Future Podcast at growingthefuturepodcast.ca.

The Tragically Hip On Shuffle - Live Stream: Wheat KingsA campfire singalong that's secretly about a wrongful conviction, a cassette thrown out a car window, and a tiny Eiffel Tower in Saskatchewan.EPISODE SUMMARY This week on The Tragically Hip On Shuffle - Live Stream, the wheel landed on 'Wheat Kings', and I had a couple of Andrews riding shotgun to break it down. This is the song the whole country sings around a campfire without ever clocking that it's about David Milgaard, wrongfully convicted of the murder of Gail Miller and imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit.Andrew from Winnipeg brought the timeline receipts (Kim Campbell, the CBC, the wild detail that Milgaard walked free in April 1992, months before "Fully Completely" even dropped) plus a story about his mom chucking the cassette out the car window somewhere in the Alberta mountains. Andrew from Tampa brought the live recording from The Fillmore, October 24, 2000, and the case for 'Wheat Kings' as a pure summertime staple. We get into the loon that cost the band a donation to Ducks Unlimited, the Zippo lighter, Paris of the Prairies (and the 28-foot Eiffel Tower in Montmartre, Saskatchewan). If you love The Tragically Hip, Gord Downie, and a Canadian rock podcast that treats a deep cut like it earns the attention, this one runs deep.GUESTSAndrew from Tampa joined by audio through a Florida thunderstorm and came armed with the Fillmore recording that scored tonight's listen. A devoted Hip fan stateside, he makes the case for the band as a summertime constant and named 'Emperor Penguin' as his favourite album-closer, a song he rations for the days he really needs it.Andrew from Winnipeg is a setlist.fm obsessive, a Crooked Ice bandmate (their album release show is June 4), and host of the weekly Radiohead deep-dive podcast Head Full of Radio. He also runs a weekly show on UMFM. His favourite Hip closer is 'Put It Off', and 'Wheat Kings' carries a complicated, personal weight he opened up about on air.Andrew from Tampa: "Is it about what it's talking about, or is it the way it's made millions of people feel?"RESOURCES, LINKS & REFERENCESThe Hip Handbook, used live to pull the tracking numbers (around 1,350 shows logged, 332 'Wheat Kings'performances). thehiphandbook.tthpods.comSetlist history via Hipbase (primary) and setlist.fm (secondary): first played in Saskatoon, July 27, 1991. The Fillmore, October 24, 2000 performance, shared by Andrew from Tampa from a YouTube upload. Hat tip to the tapers and seeders who preserve this stuff, and to The Tragically Hip Archive for the broader live-recording work.David Milgaard case timeline referenced on air via CBC and Wikipedia.The 'Heksenketel' tour video, which shipped with one of the box sets.The loon and the Ducks Unlimited donation: traced on air to the documentary and a Robby Baker radio interview (see verification note below).YOUTUBE CHAPTERS 00:00 - Welcome, and tonight's imaginary sponsors 02:15 - Weird Winnipeg bylaws 03:13 - The tale of the tape: 'Wheat Kings' by the numbers 05:26 - This week's poll: the 5% who tolerate it 07:31 - The Fillmore, October 24, 2000 09:01 - 'Wheat Kings' 12:56 - Your favourite last-song-on-an-album 17:56 - Hearing it the first time, and the cassette out the car window 19:45 - The ultimate campfire song 22:42 - The loon, and a cheque to Ducks Unlimited 24:06 - Museums, prime ministers, and vivid visuals 25:30 - The Pretty Things and a Copperpenny cover 26:51 - David Milgaard, Gail Miller, and the timeline 32:48 - First played in Saskatoon, 1991 37:11 - Paris of the Prairies (and a tiny Eiffel Tower) 40:55 - Don't forget Gail Miller 43:19 - The killer's face in the Zippo 45:23 - The 'Heksenketel' video and the box sets 46:37 - A complicated, personal love for the song 50:28 - Thanking the Andrews, and next week's shuffle: 'Country Day' 54:05 - Plugs: Crooked Ice and Head Full of Radio 56:37 - Outro and creditsHey There!Want a seat at the table on a Wednesday night? Sign up to be a panelist. Explore 1,358 mapped shows and search every lyric in the Hip Handbook.CLOSING Huge thanks to Andrew from Tampa for digging up that Fillmore recording, and to Andrew from Winnipeg for the timeline work and for trusting us with something personal. Next Wednesday the wheel spins again and lands on 'Country Day', the closer from "We Are the Same", keeping our accidental run of great last-songs alive. The takeaway from this one: a song can outgrow the tragedy that made it, but it should never outrun the people inside it.PROMOS & CROSSLINKSTTHTop40 Countdown #17 - 'Wheat Kings' (with Jillian), the countdown episode that ranked this one. Fully & Completely: Redux - "Fully Completely", the track-by-track on the whole record. Get Yer Letter in your inbox.  → subscribe.tthpods.comSOCIAL & COMMUNITY Facebook group: community.tthpods.com | Instagram: @tthpods | YouTube: youtube.com/@tthpods | Email: jd@tthpods.com #TheTragicallyHip #TheHip #FullyCompletely #GordDownie #TTHOnShuffle #InGordWeTrustAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Forget range anxiety. The electric vehicle market is evolving fast. Host Trevor Freeman welcomes back Plug'n Drive CEO Cara Clairman to unpack Canada's new EV policies. They discuss the surge in used EV sales and the truth about public charging stations. Plus, learn how low-cost salt-based batteries could disrupt the global auto industry. Discover what these massive shifts mean for transportation and the future of energy. Listen to the full episode today. Related links  Plug'n Drive: https://www.plugndrive.ca/ Cara Clairman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cara-clairman-84967318/ thinkenergy episode 71 (EV-olving Transportation): https://thinkenergypodcast.com/episodes/ev-olving-transportation/ Geotab: https://www.geotab.com/  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/@thinkenergypod Follow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkenergypod/  Stay in the know on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thinkenergypod Keep up with the posts on X: https://twitter.com/thinkenergypod --- Transcript: [00:00] Trevor Freeman: Welcome to Think Energy, a podcast that dives into the fast-changing world of energy through conversations with industry leaders, innovators, and people on the front lines of the energy transition. Join me, Trevor Freeman, as I explore the traditional, unconventional, and up-and-coming facets of the energy industry. If you have any thoughts, feedback, or ideas for topics we should cover, please reach out to us at thinkenergy@hydroottawa.com. Hi everyone and welcome back. So, any discussion about the energy transition or our efforts to reduce emissions to mitigate the impact of climate change or even just the ongoing adoption of what once might have been considered futuristic technology, inevitably will include electric vehicles, or EVs as we're going to refer to them today. Transportation is one of the major interactions with energy, especially fossil fuel-based energy that most of us have. Heating being the other one. For the average Canadian, how they move around, going to work, going to school, shopping, recreation, etc., very often involves getting into a vehicle which up until maybe 10 years ago, would almost 100% for sure have been a fossil fuel burning vehicle with a few very small exceptions. Today, while the majority of vehicles are still internal combustion engines, there is at least a noteworthy percentage of electric vehicles out there. We probably all know someone who owns an EV, or know someone who knows someone who owns an EV. EVs aren't actually all that new. The first EV showed up in the late 1800s, believe it or not, and at that point and into the early 1900s, it really could have gone either way between electric-powered vehicles and internal combustion vehicles. As we know, internal combustion vehicles definitely won out, and the bulk of the 20th century was all about internal combustion vehicles, and still today that's the dominant method of transportation. But, there is some alternate reality out there where EVs just always were the transportation method of choice. Imagine what the world would look like if that was the case here. But alas, that is not the reality we're living in. The more recent modern EV era kind of sputtered a little bit in the mid-1990s, there was a bit of an attempt, it didn't really pan out, but really got going around let's say 2008-2009, and it's been a steady crawl forward ever since. But, if you are listening to this podcast, chances are you already know all this and you've likely either skipped forward or are listening to me on two times the speed just to get through this to the important stuff, which is EV policy. You never knew you were so excited about policy. So, most of us, including governments, inherently know that the move to EVs is a good thing. It's good for the climate, it's good for consumers, they're kind of better vehicles. But, societal changes don't just happen, and they certainly don't happen fast. So, there has been a suite of policy approaches over the past couple of years or many years to help us get there and help us get there a little bit quicker. In the past year, Canada's EV policy has changed quite a bit. Availability mandates are out, and incentives are back in. Tariffs on Chinese-manufactured vehicles are mostly out, so things are definitely changing. And to help us understand these changes and what they mean, and also just to check in on the state of EVs here in 2026, I'm really excited to have Cara Clairman back on the show. Cara is the President and CEO of Plug'n Drive, a non-profit that strives to accelerate the deployment of electric vehicles to maximize their environmental and economic benefits. And they do this by engaging with Canadians to help dispel myths and fears and uncertainties around EVs using approaches like their EV Discovery Centre, mobile EV education trailer, and their EVs Are for Everyone tour. And this is really about bringing the EV to the individual, to the person, letting them test drive it, touch it, feel it, ask questions of experts. Now, Cara has actually been on the show a number of years ago where she talked to my predecessor, Dan, about the back story of Plug'n Drive a little bit. So, if you're interested in the organization, I encourage you to go back and listen to that episode. We're not going to get into too much of that here today. Cara is a fantastic individual. She's got more than 25 years of experience working in the environmental and sustainability fields, including at Ontario Power Generation where she was OPG's environmental lawyer and later in the role of Vice President of Sustainable Development. Cara was the 2017 recipient of the Women in Renewable Energy's Woman of the Year award, and the 2021 winner of the Al Cormier EV Leadership Award from Electric Mobility Canada. And as you will hear, she is a big fan of EVs, and she thinks you should be, too. Cara Clairman, welcome to the show. [05:01] Cara Clairman: Thank you so much, Trevor. I'm pleased to be here. [05:03] Trevor Freeman: So, this isn't actually your first time on the show, Cara. It's the first time you and I have spoken on this podcast, but you were on our show with my predecessor, Dan, nearly 5 years ago now, and you talked then about how you took Plug'n Drive from just an idea during your time at OPG, to really a national non-profit that's now celebrating its 15th anniversary. And for our listeners, if you're curious about the back story on Plug'n Drive, definitely dig back in the archives and listen to that episode. But, a lot has changed in 15 years, and a lot has changed even in the 4 and a half years since you were last on Think Energy. EVs have gone from kind of this niche idea you'd maybe see one or two around here and there, to, you know, maybe not quite ubiquitous and they're not everywhere, but it seems like they're going in that direction. They're a lot more commonplace. Everybody knows somebody with an EV, or you see them around most times you're out and about. Um, and they are also a very much talked about cornerstone of our national policy. It's an often-talked-about tool for decarbonization. We're going to dive into some of the specifics throughout our conversation, but just looking at the work that you and Plug'n Drive are doing from your EV Discovery Centre to your EVs Are for Everyone tour, how has your mission shifted? Are you moving from convincing people that EVs are a real thing that worked to helping navigate how to get one, what's the complex web of, you know, incentives, etc. What's the difference in your mission now? [06:36] Cara Clairman: Well honestly, I feel like it's really uh the same in a lot of ways. The big difference, as you pointed out, is that we don't really have to explain what an EV is or that it's a decent car. You know, there's some sort of what I would call EV 101 that most people already know now. And like you said, most people have known somebody, or they've at least heard of it. But I would say there's still a high percentage of Canadians that have never ridden or driven one. Uh, and so that's an experience that we find is really the key, like getting the butts in the seats is really the key to helping people get over the hump. And uh, that's sort of the experience that we focus on. We really try to pair a test drive with every event that we do and encourage people to drive so that they can see the benefits go far beyond just the savings and the environmental benefits, that they're just really super fun cars to drive, and if you're a person that likes a quiet, peppy drive, this is the car for you. [07:51] Trevor Freeman: Yeah. Are people coming to your events knowing, "I'm going down the EV path, I'm going to buy one, I need to check this out," or they're coming in kind of thinking, "What are these people doing here at this event or in this parking lot?" Like what draws people to your events? [08:05] Cara Clairman: More more of the former and less of the latter as time goes on, but it depends on the event we're at. So, if it's just they've made an appointment to come see us, which often is the case, we have an appointment system, uh, then they know a little bit, and they're thinking about it, and they want to try it. Uh, if we're just at a festival or fair, which we do, you know, we just are at some event, and they didn't come specifically to see us, uh, then we still meet a lot of people who are like, "What is this?" you know, uh, and so they're earlier in their journey. But what we find is that they need the awareness building, and then they might, you know, make the move a few years down the road, so it still helps them. It's just they're at a different step. [08:50] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, for sure. No, that makes sense. Okay, so what I really want to dive into here today with you is kind of the shifting landscape, or maybe it's already a shifted landscape, um, regarding EV policy, some of the shifts that we've seen even in the last year or two. Um, so recently, you know, we're here in Canada, the federal government repealed the EV availability standard. So, this was the standard that said we want 100% of cars sold in Canada to be zero-emission by the year 2035. [09:27] Cara Clairman: Right. [09:28] Trevor Freeman: And we're moving towards more of an incentive-based strategy. So, a demand-side push rather than an incentive uh sorry, a supply-side push. Does this transition make sense for the average Canadian? Does it risk slowing down the momentum we've built? Kind of where do you stand on on this shift in our approach to EVs? [09:49] Cara Clairman: Right. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed that they repealed what we call a ZEV mandate or ZEV requirement. We were hoping instead of sort of throwing the baby out with the bath water, they would just make the ZEV requirement maybe less onerous and extend the time or something like that, because the benefit of a ZEV mandate um is that it does require dealers to have the vehicles on the lots. And so it actually increases choice, it increases availability, and that's why you hear some people calling it a ZEV availability standard. Trying to explain it to Canadians because it got a bit garbled in the news where it was like, "We're not going to be able to choose a gas car. You're going to be required to buy an EV." Well, that was way down the road. And uh, what it really did in the early years was make sure dealers would have some. And uh, so that's unfortunate, but, you know, got to move on. So, uh, now we're we brought back uh the Feds brought back the rebate, and sales shot up. So, that's good news. And, you know, hopefully, the dealer networks will make the cars available uh in Ontario. The big challenge is that there's still a ZEV availability standard or ZEV mandate in Quebec and British Columbia, which means they get the cars first. And, you know, you do hear, "Oh, this thing doesn't work. This thing is no good." Well, then why do they get the cars and we don't? You know, so it does work. And so, unfortunately, like if you happen to be listening from Quebec or BC, you'll get more choices than we will here in Ontario, and I I, you know, I hope that that, you know, with the demand-side push that, you know, there'll be more showing up. [11:51] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, and we've been through periods where even if you wanted to get uh an EV, even if you wanted if you kind of could afford it, you'd decided this is the right option for me budget-wise, [12:03] Cara Clairman: Yes. [12:04] Trevor Freeman: you're waiting 10 months, or you can't get the option you want and and so [12:08] Cara Clairman: Right. You have to be more tolerant of color or features or whatever. We probably will experience some of that. It's very brand dependent. Like, some brands are very available all across Canada, some aren't. Uh, so it's really quite varied. Um, but um the good news is right now um availability's decent, and there's actually lots available on the used market, and maybe we'll talk about that a little bit later to give people comfort around used, because it's really a great option for people to think about. [12:49] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, absolutely. Let's definitely uh put a pin in that and get back to it. The other big shift I I want to touch on is um or at least it's a big shift that's getting a lot of attention, is the reduction of the previously 100% tariff on Chinese-made EVs down to only a little over 6% now, which effectively opens the doors to Canadians to um have access to these vehicles, so they can be sold in Canada. How do you see this impacting you know, availability and adoption of EVs? Is this going to be a game changer? Are we going to see those kinds of sub-$30,000 EVs on the market? Or is this kind of, you know, one small shift in the market? [13:31] Cara Clairman: Well, the one thing it has done is created tons of curiosity and interest. You know, everybody wants to know about it, everyone wants to see one. Um, there are EV spies, as you may know, everywhere, like EV enthusiasts who are watch, and, you know, we saw some news report that there were a few Chinese EVs on a lot, you know, north of Toronto somewhere, and people are like, "Oh, what brand is this?" and But unfortunately, we don't know uh really the answer to this question that you're asking yet. Um, we're told that the first Chinese EVs will be here in the last quarter of 2026. Uh, and we don't even know yet if they might be brands we already have, you know. They could be Teslas, they could be Volvos or Polestars. Which we already have. [14:22] Trevor Freeman: Yeah. [14:23] Cara Clairman: So, uh, we're hoping we'll see some low cost, you know, BYD or Geelys or whatever else, you know, but we don't know. Yeah. And uh, and it will be exciting to watch, and, you know, we're watching and trying to find out when the first vehicles are going to be available or shown, but nobody knows the answer yet. [14:48] Trevor Freeman: Are you getting like when you interact with people that are in the EV market, are you getting more questions about that? Are people kind of excited about this? Yeah, okay. That's good. [14:56] Cara Clairman: Yes. And it's a mixed bag. You know, some people are very wary about it. Um, and what I try to say is look, we already have you know, these phones. You know, so I'm not worried about the whole security and that someone's going to be watching you know, that part of it I really think is a bit of a red herring. We've already gone there, you know, so so and people's information is out there. You know, I mean, so that's not a big concern to me. Um, I think uh the quality we don't have to worry about. Uh, these cars are widely available in Europe, in uh Mexico, and in South America, and they're good. [15:47] Trevor Freeman: Yeah. [15:48] Cara Clairman: So, we don't have to worry about that. It's just going to be Canadians, you know, be willing to give them a try, and we'll see. Most people say that they would, so we'll see. [15:59] Trevor Freeman: And I guess the, you know, it's either you're trying that car or hopefully the presence of these cars, hopefully a little bit cheaper is also influencing what other manufacturers are doing and realizing, "I've got to compete in that marketplace." [16:11] Cara Clairman: Right, exactly, Trevor. Remember, I mean, you might be too young to remember when the Japanese cars first came to Canada in the 80s. And everyone had these exact same concerns. And you know, what it did was it made the American brands improve. And so, you know, I'm hopeful, and just to remember, these are coming in a very low quantity initially. They're not going to change the market in these next couple of years. If, you know, they open up the door more widely, you know, that's a different thing. But for now, it's a really tiny percentage. It's like less than 50,000 cars, and it's something like 3% of the Canadian auto market, so it's tiny. [17:01] Trevor Freeman: Yeah. Got you. So, the the new uh or the the renewed incentive that the federal government's brought in Electric Vehicle Affordability Program, um which is providing an incentive for electric vehicles or zero-emission vehicles, um there's a strict $50,000 price cap for any imports, meaning some of those higher-end EVs that are made elsewhere won't qualify for this. Is is $50,000 the right price point? I look at just the price of vehicles in general these days, it's definitely trending up, way higher than I would prefer it to be. Is that the right price point given what's available? Is there enough availability under that price point? Um, and you know, does this affect the kind of conversation that you're having with potential buyers? [17:56] Cara Clairman: Right now, there's not a lot available under that price point. I mean, I think it is encouraging certain brands to bring a version that is below the price point. Uh, and it has increased sales, so there obviously are some that, you know, qualify. Uh, the truth is, gas or electric, it's hard to find vehicles under that price point. Um, so yeah, would I have liked it to have been a little more generous? Sure. Uh, but it is helping, and I do see some automakers shifting prices. I mean, I don't know if you saw that Tesla now has brought out a car that fits just under there. Mhm. So it does do that, and uh it does just encourage people to look. And then maybe they'll buy a used EV. Yeah. You know, so it does sort of open the door, it encourages people to have a conversation, to look around, uh it sparks interest, which is a good thing. [19:04] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, and I mean, Ford is looking at how do we come out with a $30,000 truck, and that would qualify for this. [19:11] Cara Clairman: And the Bolt qualifies, the new Bolt, and it's a great car, and the new Leaf, uh, you know, is coming under there. So, there are good cars under there. I mean, Canadians do love their trucks and SUVs, and unfortunately, those do not make it. [19:30] Trevor Freeman: I know. Yeah, you're totally right. Um, so obviously Canadian manufactured EVs are exempt from that price cap. [19:38] Cara Clairman: Yes. [19:39] Trevor Freeman: Are you seeing a game of kind of buy local versus get an incentive? Um, you know, how does this come into play? Is that part of the conversation? [19:51] Cara Clairman: Well, right now, buying local is just about impossible. Yeah. I mean, there's there's literally two vehicles that are made partially in Canada, and, you know, we've heard a bunch of announcements recently that Canadian manufacturing of EVs has either been postponed or gone off the rails altogether, which is really unfortunate, cuz I was really looking forward to being able to buy a Canadian-made EV. Uh, you know, these plans change, they could come back, you don't know. Uh, but right now, it doesn't look that easy to buy a Canadian-made EV. I mean, there's basically the Pacifica and the Dodge Dart. Mhm. You know, that's it uh right now. Uh, and you know, Toyota's going to make some RAV4s, which will be great. Um, you know, Honda just announced they're not going ahead with their plans, um so it's really unfortunate. The thing that I try to remind people is manufacturing is one thing, and EV adoption in a way is completely separate from that, Yeah. because we manufacture cars primarily for the US market. I mean, Canada's almost an afterthought. And so, that's the reason this is happening, it's because of tariffs, it's because of bu- you know, America First policies, it's because of, you know, US politics. And uh, it's really unfortunate for the Canadian auto industry, but it doesn't mean EV adoption won't continue to really grow. It just means we're going to be buying cars that aren't made here. [21:39] Trevor Freeman: Yeah. Well, and that's kind of the next place I want to go with this conversation is our own manufacturing industry, as you've just pointed out, is so tied in with the United States um manufacturing industry and Mexico. That's actually where I grew up in Windsor. My family is an auto family. My first job was kind of in the auto industry. Um, and the intricacies and and interties between those two industries are very, very tight. But, we're at this stage where we seem to be, not seem to be, we definitely are, moving in different directions policy-wise, especially when it comes to EV policy and trade policy in general. Um, that creates challenges and friction. We're trying to build maybe more of a manufacturing base here. The US is trying to pull that back. And that pull is strong. Yeah. It is, yeah. [22:34] Cara Clairman: I mean, they have the population. I mean, we can't fight that very well, and, you know, we'll time will tell. I mean, Trump won't be there forever, but a lot of the damage will have been done. And I know there's a lot of folks really working hard on maintaining the automaker footprint we have here. It's a huge challenge. [22:54] Trevor Freeman: Mhm. Yeah, is there a way to kind of thread that needle for pushing EV adoption? You know, we're kind of falling behind adoption rates that we've seen elsewhere, Europe, Asia, etc. Pushing that while still bolstering our own manufacturing base, trying to maintain these ties with our largest trading partner? Like how how do you I have to admit I'm not an expert on the industrial side, like on the commercial and manufacturing side of things, but from people that are, what I hear is, you know, we may have to let the Chinese, Indian, uh, Vietnamese uh, manufacturers come in and manufacture here in Canada instead of the brands we're used to being manufactured here. And that's something that could happen. That's something that would sort of replace I mean, the ones that are a real problem are the American-made the American brands, you know. They're really feeling the pull to manufacture in the US. Uh, so time will tell. Uh, you know, we may just be making different cars than we were making before. I hope we'll still be making them. [24:14] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, well and there's I mean, you can kind of see the government trying to do exactly what you said, entice companies to do some part of manufacturing here. They've got this tradeable import credit system where, "Hey, if you invest in manufacturing in our country, you get credits to sort of buy your way through our import market. It can offset some of the tariffs that might be in place." You know, that's a mechanism to do exactly what you're saying we might see. [24:41] Cara Clairman: Right. And some of those brands don't mind sending their vehicles anywhere from Canada. You know, they're not as focused on the fact that Canada has what's considered quite a small market, um given our population size. Uh, and I think in the future, well maybe the tariffs are going to change if the American if American politics changes. Yeah. You know, so I do think that's possible, um like I said, some of the damage will have been done if you know, if GM moves production to Detroit or wherever else, you know, they're not going to move back. But um you know, time will tell. I mean, I do think we'll have some manufacturing still in Canada and hopefully more than what it looks like right now. [25:31] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, I mean it'll be interesting to see. As you say, these policies may not be in place forever, but some of the reaction that is going to happen now in terms of do I move my manufacturing base back to the US, that will persist, and you're not going to make two moves, you're going to kind of make a one time tough one. [25:46] Cara Clairman: No, and especially if it creates some job uh you know, a bunch of jobs in the US, the next US president, even if they're Democrat and they get rid of tariffs and stuff, they're not going to move it back. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. [25:57] Trevor Freeman: Okay, so um let's let's kind of zoom back in a little bit here. So, Plug'n Drive, um you've been doing these uh EVs Are for Everyone tours, um kind of as we talked about earlier, giving people access that might not otherwise have access to to understand, try out EVs. And you've been doing this kind of across the board, including in smaller communities. Is there something that you hear differently in a small town, a rural area, compared to a big urban center, you know, Toronto, Ottawa, etc. Oh definitely. [26:30] Cara Clairman: Well, the big thing is they don't have access, as you said. So in a smaller community, they might only have a handful of dealers, and those dealers may or may not carry EVs. And so they really don't get a chance to try them, and trying, as I mentioned at the off the top, is the key to buying. Yeah. And uh, whatever preconceived notion you might have had, you know, it kind of melts away once you get behind the wheel, even just the reality of like, "Oh, this is a great car." You know? And and so, whatever that experience, or whatever they thought it might be, it's it's gone. And uh, and so, it's a really important uh part of the process. And so, that's the main thing in a smaller community, they don't have that. Now, the other thing that we noticed is how far people drive. Now, people do drive farther in a smaller community, but what has surprised us is they don't drive as far as they think. Hmm, interesting. Yeah. And most of us actually don't drive as far as we think. Yeah. We might sit in traffic and stuff, even like us, you know, in big cities. Um, but we don't actually go that many kilometers, or not as many as we think. Um, and they don't either. And, you know, what they do is they, you know, into town, back and forth, for soccer, you know, same as anyone. Yeah. You know, so for for for sports or whatever for their kids, and then shopping or see Grandma or whatever. Um, and then once in a while, a long trip. And that is a thing that weighs heavily on Canadian minds is the road trip. Yeah. We are really obsessed with the road trip, and it's a one-off trip. And this is the thing we can't seem to shake loose, which is, you know, "What am I going to do if I need to drive to" and you fill in the X. Yeah. It could be across Canada, which hardly anyone does, or it could be like my trip to Algonquin, or my trip to Maine, or, you know, not right now, trip to uh, PEI let's say. Um, whatever. It's like, that one-off trip is so important to people, and we try to say, "Okay, yeah, that's more challenging in an EV. It can totally be done now, but it's still harder, and we sort of say try to think about your car for the 98-99%, not the 1% of trips." I might have even said this 5 years ago. Like, it's still a thing that we can't seem to, you know, stop people from fixating on, and we sort of say, "You know, with all the money you're going to save, you can" and we should talk about the savings because people do not understand that. Uh, all the money you're going to save, you can rent a car, or do something else, or what I do, once every 2 years, is swap with my brother-in-law who's got a minivan. Mhm. You know, and you can solve that problem for a one-time trip. Don't make that that's a bad way to choose a car anyway, gas or electric. Yeah. You know, because you're going to spend a lot more on gas hauling around a bigger, heavier car. Uh, so, even if you're not ready, it's a bad idea. [30:04] Trevor Freeman: So, in terms of So, availability of charging is one of them, and there's that road trip idea for sure. There's also, I mean, we hear, and me working at the utility, as people are trying to put chargers in, we hear this a lot. People's preferred charging location is at home. We know that, that's where people want to charge, they want to plug in at home. Yes. Not everybody has a driveway or a garage, not everybody can install a charger at home. So, one of the things the federal government has been doing over the last little while is trying to increase access to public charging. Yes. Where are we at with our sort of public charging infrastructure? Is the network kind of built out to handle those road trips, or to handle that kind of, you know, someone who lives in a multi-res building, a condo, an apartment that can't charge at home? Where are we on that front? [31:18] Cara Clairman: Okay. I would say, as a very early adopter, you know, I had my first EV in 2011, so, you know, from my perspective, the network's amazing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There was one supercharger, or like, fast, I mean, it was a slow fast charger, uh, in all of Ontario at that time. I mean, so now, there's more than 40,000 chargers across Canada. Uh, there's, you know, about a quarter of those are fast chargers at highway stops and convenient places. If you live in urban suburban Canada, and you commute, it's basically solved. Like, it's so good. I'm- and then, I'm sure someone will listen and say, "Well, for me, it's not." Okay. There- there's still gaps. Is it perfect? No. But it's really quite good, and you just have to go to PlugShare or ChargeHub and take a look, and you'll be shocked at how many chargers there are. I mean, there are a lot. [32:27] Trevor Freeman: For our listeners, PlugShare and ChargeHub are both kinds of resources that map out all the chargers, the status, is it broken, is it fixed, here's what it costs, it's really great resources. [32:39] Cara Clairman: Yes, everything. All the information you need. And all EV drivers will have that app on their phone. Mhm. Uh, then where it is challenging, you know, we got to acknowledge, even like an EV enthusiast like me, got to acknowledge, it's not perfect. Where the big challenges still exist is multi-unit residential, still challenging, and rural remote. Mhm. Still challenging. So, not so much for people who live rural remote, who want to, let's say, drive to town or drive to somewhere, to the city. That's okay. It's if you want to take a really long trip into rural, let's say, from Ottawa to Thunder Bay or Toronto to, you know, Winnipeg. That's still a challenging drive. It's doable, but it's hard. Um, if you're a commuter, which, you know, most of us are, you know, and you can charge at home, I mean, it's done. It's great. I mean, for someone like me, it's fantastic. I mean, I drive about 80 kilometers uh every week, and it's a snap, you know. No problem. Most of the cars have 400-500 kilometers range. I don't even think about it, even on like a minus 30 day. Where where I do think there's the most work that needs to be done is on the MURBs, multi unit residential. And some of the funding that the Feds have put forward for chargers is going into multi-unit, which is great. Mhm. Uh, condos will get done. Condos are getting done. Uh, where it's hard is apartment buildings. I mean, they're so there you need to search for public charging near you. Mhm. And if you're in Quebec, you're probably going to find it pretty easily, BC, it's getting better. Uh, Ontario is still a bit rough, and the Maritimes and the Prairies, super rough. [34:39] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, we do, Hydro Ottawa actually was a recipient of federal funding to install public chargers. We did a lot of public chargers uh public access chargers in multi-unit residential, you know. It's so important, as you said. Everyone wants to charge at home. Exactly, yeah. And, it's the cheapest, it's and we haven't talked about super low night time prices, and being able to plug in overnight and, you know, right now with high gas prices, people are looking into it. It makes a difference. Well, let's talk about the price then, that's kind of the next barrier, is "Ah, it's too expensive, I can't get into it." Um, tell us about the economics around owning an EV. [35:16] Cara Clairman: So, this is a challenge because people see the higher stick- sticker price, and they say, "Oh, EVs are too expensive." Well, they aren't doing the math, and we are trying to, you try to help, we're trying to help. There's other groups trying to help. We have a great calculator on our website to show the total cost of ownership, and to explain that yes, you pay a little bit more upfront, and the $5,000 rebate if you can get it drops that down to about $5K on average. 5k extra, that's the premium, yeah. 5k extra. Yep. Now, you would make that back in 2 to 3 years easily depending on how much you drive, because electricity is like 1/5 the price of gas, and even maybe more like 1/6 now that gas prices have gone up. Mhm. So, if you're paying $2 a liter, um which I hear, is what, you know, We're not far off, yeah. I don't know, I don't buy gas. Yeah. But, uh, $2 a liter, I'm paying the equivalent of, on time of use, of uh, 28¢, and now on ultra-low, 14¢. Um, I mean, a l- per liter equivalent. For the same driving range, yeah. For the same driving. And so, can you imagine that I can fully charge a 500-kilometer car for like 2 bucks overnight. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, you just can't believe how cheap it is. And if and so if we can get people to sort of understand the pay now to save later, which is hard for people. Yep. And if they lease, it's easier to understand because then they're not sort of shoveling out that money upfront necessarily. Mhm. It's a winner, you know, economically, you know, leaving aside the environmental and health benefits. Mhm. Uh, and so, we really try to help We have a great tool on our website that shows all this called Find Your EV Match, and you can compare any of your own, like all the historic gas cars, like any car that you own is in there. So, let's say you want to compare a 19 99 or a 2015 Civic to a Leaf or a Bolt, or whatever car you're thinking of, uh, you can do the comparison, and it will show you the savings month by month. Mhm. And then it will show you when your kind of hit that crossover and you're in the money. Yeah. And then you basically feel like you're earning money. [37:51] Trevor Freeman: Yeah. I will say, as also, as an EV driver, when I I have two vehicles, one's still a gas car and one's uh an EV, when I have to fill up the gas car, I'm I'm always I compare it to my EV that I don't have to fill up, it's it's night and day when it comes to the cost. It's absolutely night and day. [38:09] Cara Clairman: I mean, it's and also the maintenance. So, there's just no maintenance. I mean, obviously there's a little tiny bit. There's brakes, eventually, even that gets delayed because of the generative braking, Longer, yeah. and, you know, windshield wipers and tires, which you do anyway. I mean, I've now had a Leaf, a Bolt, a Model 3, and an Ioniq 5. Okay, and I have literally never had to do any maintenance except brakes, Mhm on any of them. Yeah, that's amazing. And, they've all been the first gen, right? Like my Leaf was the very first gen Leaf, my Bolt was a first gen Bolt 2017, and uh the Ioniq I think was the second year, which is what I drive now. Yeah. And uh, just nothing. And so, it just to me like, I'm almost like, "I can't believe everybody's not doing it! It's so cheap." Now, I understand some people, if you drive 250 kilometers each way and you, you know, I get it. It's not so simple for everyone. You live in a MURB, but if you live in a single-family home, it's a slam dunk. [39:27] Trevor Freeman: Yeah. So, we've kind of covered charging availability, we've talked about the cost implications. There's a battery performance question of is this battery going to be around for 10 years, the life of the car? [39:39] Cara Clairman: Yes. Especially when used, people are worried about it. [39:41] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, is the range going to get me there, and that kind of ties into charging? Where are we at? Have we seen that technology change in the 15 years that you've been in this space? Where are we at with that? [39:51] Cara Clairman: Yeah. In the early years, I always wanted to be honest, right, because it doesn't help to be overly glowing, and then, you know, people are disappointed, you got to be forthright with people where there are pluses and where there are the minuses. In the early years, of course, the range was really low, and so that was a challenge for people who had to drive long distances. Now the range of the EV is great, that's not an issue for most people anymore. Battery life, people used to say, "Well, how long will the battery last?" And the truthful answer 15 years ago was we don't know, Mhm because there was no information. I mean, Yeah, we hadn't done it. We thought we knew because the Prius had a similar type of battery, as a hybrid, and we thought it should be similar, and those are doing well. Well, now we have 15 years of information, and the batteries are lasting so well. Now, you hear in the news the odd story about a battery crapping out, and it really is anecdotal, and so you can't pay attention to it. Um, it's a lemon situation, right, and that's going to happen, right, there are going to be lemons, just like in a gas car. [41:03] Trevor Freeman: Exactly, yeah. You have to get your engine replaced randomly if you have a lemon, it happens. [41:07] Cara Clairman: Yes, it happens. But the data will tell you, and Geotab has some really good data on their website where they studied how long are these batteries lasting, like 15 years later, and it looks like, for the most part, they're going to outlast the body of the car. Like, 20 years, no problem. So, this idea that you would have to replace a battery is really unrealistic, like, most of us will never have to do that. And no one keeps their car for 20 years, or very few people keep their car for 20 years. No, it's a 10 year window, and if you're like most Canadians, 7 to 10 years, uh, you're not going to be replacing the battery. That's not going to happen. And most of them, uh, sort of a typical battery loss, battery degradation over time is 1 and a half to 2% a year. Hm. So, you're going to see some declines, so let's say at year 5, you should be down no more than 10%, and uh uh, so when you look at a used vehicle, you can do a test on the battery and see how it's doing, something called a State of Health check on the battery. It's a test that any dealer can do, like any service center can do. And you can be confident that it's fine. [42:33] Trevor Freeman: Mhm. So, let's say you brought up used vehicles a couple times here. Let's talk about that as an option for people wanting to get into the EV space maybe a bit more affordably. Yes. Like is the supply out there? Are there a bunch of these sitting around waiting to be scooped up? Yes. Great, now let's talk about it. [42:49] Cara Clairman: Yeah, that's a great news story. So, there's there's um a lot of supply, uh, there's, you know, if you think about it, all the vehicles that come off lease or whatever, you know, even there's now 2023s, you know, available, there're there's a lot of availability. And so, you know, you just go on your favorite, you know, auto trader type magazine, and you will see, uh online, there's tons of availability, and uh, you know, what I say to people if they're worried about battery life, they do that State of Health check on the battery. If you're buying it privately, uh, you can ask. Uh, it's only about a hundred bucks, I think it's worth it. Uh, the other thing you could do, if you just can't figure that out or you don't want to figure that out, is just trickle charge the battery overnight and see, you know, what does it say, how many kilometers uh range you have, and compare that to what the manual says it should have. That's sort of a rule of thumb type of test, it's not as good as the actual test, but it'll give you a good idea. So so the, you know, people should not be afraid of a used EV. And uh, also, if you are really concerned, most of them have, you know, the 8 to 10 year warranty on the battery. And so, if you are really concerned, just make sure you're still in in warranty. Yeah. Uh, you know, don't go older than 8 years, and also check, you know, because sometimes there's a kilometer limit and a year limit, so it's like 8 years or 180,000 kilometers, or you know, they're all a bit different, but um check it, and uh that's a great way of sort of if you still have a year or two left on the on the warranty, then you're sort of safe. Yeah. to see like see how it see how it does. And price point wise, these are coming in at like a reasonable for a used vehicle, a reasonable price point. Totally reasonable, you can get an EVs in the 20s, in the well you can get the oldest ones even lower than that, in like, um, apparently my 2017 Bolt, which we still keep and use, we love it, uh, would only be worth like, I don't know, $12 or $15,000. So, they're cheap, and this one got the battery fixed. I always say to people, the Bolt had a recall on the batteries, 2017 to 2019. And most of them got the battery fixed, so, and then the warranty goes back to year 1. Mhm. So, you basically can get a used Bolt that's almost like a new car because it got a new battery put in, and so those are like gems to find, yeah. Uh, so, they're, you know, that's why we're hanging on to ours, it's great. That's great. [45:41] Trevor Freeman: Okay, Cara, we're getting close to the end of our conversation here. So, uh you know, you've been at this for a while, 15 years of Plug'n Drive, um obviously an EV enthusiast on top of that. What's your general feeling about where we're at right now in 2026? Is it where you thought we would be, maybe looking back a few years ago? Is it, you know, we've got a long road to climb here, where are you? What are you thinking here? [46:08] Cara Clairman: Well, I do tend to be an optimist, but I was probably a little overly optimistic about how fast the transition would happen, and we have had some bumps in the road. Uh, but I would characterize all the stuff that's happened in the last year or two as bumps in the road to eventually everyone having an EV. I mean, I do think it's inevitable still, and I think most of even the, you know, automakers would say it's inevitable. The cars are better, mhm they last better, they perform better, and even without all the environmental and health benefits, they have a lot of other econ- economic benefits. Uh, so I do think it's inevitable. It has been slower than I expected. Mhm. Uh, but, um, I'm still really optimistic about the future, uh, and I think Canadians are going to embrace EVs maybe sooner than than some folks, and and I think all what's happened with with Trump and also this war and all these things has actually got more people asking questions about EVs than ever before, so he accidentally actually spurred on the interest in EVs, which is funny. [47:26] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, and I think we've seen that over over the years, these sort of starts and fits, and no doubt there will be another maybe slow down, but I I tend to agree, we're we're angling in that direction, and there's really no pulling back now. I would, so my oldest is 13, and I remember probably 5, 6, maybe 7 years ago, thinking, "You know, wow, by the time uh he's driving, he may never drive an ICE vehicle, because it'll just all be EVs." So, we haven't quite gotten there, [47:56] Cara Clairman: Yeah, my kids are in their 20s, and they both learned on electric, and they both have never driven a gas car, because we don't have one. Yeah, yeah, that's great. And so I am hopeful, and BC and Quebec have already passed what I would call the tipping point, mhm and so I do think that it's happening, and it's exciting, and it's also a great industry for young people to get into, so um there's lots of lots of pluses. [48:24] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, it's funny on this show, this comes up a lot, and I think all the things that we talked about from utility space to all the energy transition things, EVs being one of them, distributed energy resources, right like if you're a young person looking of what do I get into, what's the thing that I focus on, my goodness, we've got a whole range of things that are are on the cusp, I think of of really taking off, so EVs being one of them. [48:48] Cara Clairman: Electricity, energy, there's a lot of exciting stuff happening in decarbonization, and it's a great field for young people. [48:55] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, absolutely. Okay, so we always end our interviews with a series of questions to our guests, Cara, so I'm going to throw a few at you here. Um, what's a book that you've read that you think everybody should read? Ah. Uh, so professional or personal? Well, you can go either direction. I'll even give you two if you want to do one of each. [49:15] Cara Clairman: Okay. So, professional, uh, I read a book called, I think it's called, We're All in Sales. And it really helped me when I was starting Plug'n Drive. It sort of helps you get over this like, "Ugh, sales." Yeah. Which I think a lot of people have because they don't want to have to ask for money or you know, pitch for money or whatever. And it made you re- It was just helpful in that it talks about how, I mean, we're all in sales in one way or another. I mean, you have to sell yourself, you have to sell your ideas, you have to sell something. Some of us were more direct than others, but it helped me. Mhm. Um, um, and then, for women who are entering the workforce, uh, I read a book called The Feminine Mistake. And it's a play on The Feminine Mystique, which was a huge book in the 60s. Yeah. And, I found it really helpful as a working mom, and have little kids, and it's hard. It's a really hard phase. And that book really really helped me. Um, and then personal, uh, I just read uh a book that I really enjoyed, um, uh, it's actually just been made into a movie with uh, Sally Field, called Remarkably Bright Creatures. It's about an octopus, and it's from the octopus's point of view. [50:47] Trevor Freeman: Oh, very cool. I just saw a trailer for this movie, actually. Finding it. [50:50] Cara Clairman: Yeah. So read the book before you watch the show, Okay. because books are always better than the movie, and more in depth and everything. So it's a great book, especially if you love the ocean and mhm sea creatures and octo- pi? Octopuses? are so smart and it was just really adorable. It was a really fun book to read. It's not like it's great, it's written really well, but it's not hard to access, it's not, you know, it's it's great. [51:21] Trevor Freeman: Yeah. No, that's a good one, that's a good recommendation. Um, so kind of the same question, but um, you know, for a movie or a show, is there something you've watched recently that really has stood out to you that you kind of think everyone should take a look at? [51:32] Cara Clairman: I went back and watched This Is Spinal Tap, Nice. That's awesome. which I hadn't watched. And my husband had never seen it. Oh, gods. And I was like, "What?" Cuz you know, because of everything that happened with Rob Reiner, we went back and we watched it. Still hilarious. Oh yeah, so good. It really stood the test of time, so funny. [51:53] Trevor Freeman: I've got This has come up before with other guests, I've got a list of you know, those movies that were so great for me as whatever, a teenager, that I'm waiting for my kids, ridiculous though. I mean, I have to warn you, ridiculous. I'm waiting for my kids to get old enough that I can bring them into this or that one, and that's on the list for sure. So we'll crank it up to 11 here. Um, so if someone offers you a free round trip anywhere in the world, where would you go? [52:20] Cara Clairman: Oh wow. Uh, I actually just got back from Morocco, and it was so fantastic. Oh, gods. It was so beautiful. Um, but I've never been anywhere in Asia, I'd love to go to Japan. Mhm. I've never been there, and South Korea, because also they're very advanced in terms of technology and stuff, and I there's so many neat things, like autonomous vans and things that they're already using there, and vehicle-to-grid, and all this stuff, and at the base, I'm an electricity nerd, so I I would love to go there. [52:55] Trevor Freeman: Yeah. Uh, who's someone that you admire? [52:58] Cara Clairman: Oh my gosh, there's so many people I admire. Um, Louise Arbour. Um, our new, for our listeners, our new Canadian, uh, Governor General, yeah. New GG. That's awesome. She is fantastic. What a role model for women. She became a judge from being a professor. Mhm. Um, she ascended in a way that not very many people have. She worked internationally, she's, and, uh, she's also a really nice person, a really good person. Yeah. And, uh, an accessible person, what I would say is that she's not at all arrogant, she's funny, she's nice to talk to. I had the privilege of working with her when I was a student. Oh, very cool. And, uh, she's just amazing, and I watch her with, she's inspiring. [53:57] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, that's uh I I agree, I've been reading obviously about her because she's in the news right now, and for our listeners, that's our new uh Governor General, and if you're not from Canada, you can look up what a Governor General does for us here in Canada. Um, very, very exciting. Um, yeah, I agree. Um, last question, Cara. What's something about the energy sector or its future that you're particularly excited about? [54:21] Cara Clairman: Oh my gosh, well, you know, aside from all the stuff we've just been talking about, Yeah. um, actually, I saw a YouTube video about batteries uh just the other day, a Chinese battery maker. And what they're doing in batteries is really exciting with salt, you know, salt based batteries that are going to be so cheap. Mhm. And they basically have it, like it's not this futuristic thing, it's a salt-based battery that costs like a fraction, and so the cheapest EVs will get made with those, and that's going to be a game changer. Yeah. That's pretty cool. [55:05] Trevor Freeman: It is exciting to think about. Now that we're really focusing on EVs and letting sort of just that normal technological improvement iterative process happen, Right. how quickly we might see some of these barriers that we just talked about get solved. [55:19] Cara Clairman: Yeah, they're putting their new technology into drones, into like air taxis and all this stuff, mhm. It's now, it's not sort of this Jetson's futuristic thing, it's like really happening, so that's pretty exciting. [55:40] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, now the energy transition is here, we say it all the time on this show. It's here. It's here. When people say EVs are the future, I say no, they're right now. Exactly, yeah, exactly. Um, Cara, it's been great chatting with you, thank you so much for making the time this morning. I really appreciate your insight into what's happening. [55:56] Cara Clairman: Yeah, my pleasure, my pleasure, nice to talk to you too. [55:58] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, hopefully uh we'll talk again in a few years and be talking about how fast it's moved. [56:02] Cara Clairman: I hope so. [56:03] Trevor Freeman: Awesome. Thanks so much. Take care. Okay, you too. Okay, bye. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the Think Energy podcast. Don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and it would be great if you could leave us a review, it really helps to spread the word. As always, we would love to hear from you, whether it's feedback, comments, or an idea for a show or a guest. You can always reach us at thinkenergy@hydroottawa.com.

Every season in the Canadian Prairies comes down to one thing: the weather. With a short growing window, everything rides on how conditions unfold.   In this episode, meteorologist David Spence breaks down how winter set the stage for spring, where moisture levels stand across the Prairies, and what conditions could look like heading into seeding. While much of the region has pulled out of short-term drought and field are shaping up well, deeper moisture concerns still linger (especially in southern Alberta).   As El Niño develops, David explores how this could setup a hotter, drier summer and what that could mean for crops across the Prairies.   Looking for the latest in crop nutrition research? Visit nutrien-ekonomics.com   Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NutrieneKonomics

In this Patreon-only episode of Canada Is Boring, Rhys and Jesse dive into the truly biblical 1874–75 Rocky Mountain locust plague that turned the Prairies and parts of the US Midwest into a “living eclipse of the sun.” They tell the story of swarms estimated in the hundreds of billions to trillions of insects eating everything from crops and trees to wool, leather harnesses, and even the paint off wagons. We hear how desperate farmers tried burning locusts in straw, how carcasses polluted water and ruined livestock and eggs, and how aggressive plowing and an early frost helped drive the Rocky Mountain locust to extinction by the early 1900s.For premium content, socials, merch, to leave a voicemail or message us go to canadaisboring.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when a leadership win sparks tension inside the party?This week on Balance of Power, Shannon Phillips, Leah Ward and Shannon Greer reflect on the legacy of Stephen Lewis, unpack the implications of Avi Lewis's decisive leadership win, and dig into what it all means for New Democrats across the country.First: legacy and loss. The panel reflects on Stephen Lewis' impact on Canadian politics, the NDP movement, and the organizing culture that still shapes campaigns today.Then: the new leader. What does Avi Lewis' win signal about where the federal NDP is headed? From shifts in labour relationships to a more populist policy approach, the hosts break down the opportunities, and risks, of this moment.Plus: Saskatchewan NDP leader Carla Beck joins the show to talk about affordability, energy policy, and the realities of building a government-in-waiting. From a healthcare system pushed to the brink, to rising costs and soaring power bills, and the challenge of connecting policy to people's day-to-day lives on the Prairies.“Legacy, Leadership, and What It Means to Be an Effective Opposition”Welcome to Balance of Power.Have a comment or idea? email us: suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.caGuestMLA Carla Beck, Leader of the Saskatchewan NDPhttps://www.ndpcaucus.sk.ca/carlabeckGuest HostShannon Greerhttps://www.newwestpublicaffairs.ca/shannon-greerMentioned in this episodeStephen Lewis' Eulogy for Jack Laytonhttps://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.1715421The Stephen Lewis Foundationhttps://stephenlewisfoundation.org/Stephen Lewis GOTV Speechhttps://www.facebook.com/reel/2076947419829035 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As winter lingers across parts of the Prairies, many growers are still waiting for conditions to shift before spring fieldwork begins. But according to Jack Payne, agronomy solutions manager with South Country Co-op, this waiting period is an ideal time to fine-tune plans for the upcoming canola season. In this episode of RealAgriculture's Canola School,... Read More

On Season 9, Episode 2 of The Surviving Siblings Podcast®, host Maya Roffler is joined by Earla Dawn, who shares the story of losing her sister, Leigh-Ann, to pancreatic cancer. Earla takes us back to their childhood on the prairies, four siblings, endless fun, and the kind of relationship that started with "fighting like cats and dogs"… and grew into a deep, lifelong bond. Leigh-Ann was the polished one, the "always put together" sister, a devoted mom, a dog lover, and a woman who reinvented her life, starting over after divorce, and eventually moving across the world to Spain in 2006. Even with an ocean between them, their connection never faded. They learned Skype, relied on phone calls and letters, and stayed emotionally close until a fall visit home revealed something no one was prepared for: a growth on Leigh-Ann's pancreas. What followed was a short, devastating season filled with advocacy, tenderness, quiet courage, and moments of unexpected beauty. This episode is a powerful reminder that grief isn't just about the diagnosis or the timeline it's about the small moments you carry forever: the way you follow your sibling's lead, the calm you create for them, the love in the room, and the way connection can exist even without words. In This Episode: (0:00:00) – Meet Earla and Remembering Leigh-Ann Earla shares their family dynamic, childhood memories, and how their relationship evolved over time. (0:01:30) – From the Prairies to Spain: A Sisterhood That Stayed Close Leigh-Ann's big life moves, her reinvention, and how distance didn't break their bond. (0:04:00) – Subtle Symptoms and the Turning Point Leigh-Ann's ongoing stomach issues, declining stamina, and the moment she learned about the pancreatic growth. (0:06:30) – "I Looked It Up Once… and Never Again" Earla reflects on the shock of Dr. Google, the fear that followed, and what she learned about living day-by-day. (0:08:00) – The Worst Day: "It's All Over" An oncologist appointment confirms the terminal diagnosis and Earla shares why not having an exact end date changed everything. (0:09:30) – Following Leigh-Ann's Lead Earla explains how she honored Leigh-Ann's choices, advocated for information, and created a calm, sacred space at home. (0:11:30) – Palliative Support and the Permission of Time The practical support that helped their family breathe and why planning ahead reduced panic later. (0:14:00) – The List for Life (Not a Bucket List) Leigh-Ann's wishes: connection, warmth, marriage, travel and the decision to take a "honeymoon" to Hawaii. (0:17:30) – Love, Humor, and the Moments That Stay Earla shares an unforgettable experience of wordless connection laughing together in the quiet. (0:20:00) – Her Final Days and a Peaceful Death What it looked like, what helped, and why Earla believes we need to talk more honestly about end-of-life moments. (0:22:30) – A Room Full of Love: Ritual, Meditation, and Goodbye Earla guides a meditation after Leigh-Ann's passing and describes the gentle, meaningful way they honored her. (0:26:00) – Grace in Grief: Caring for Yourself While Losing Your Person Earla shares what "giving yourself grace" looked like in real life including rest, boundaries, and self-trust. (0:31:00) – Zines, Creativity, and Finding a Way Forward How small, simple storytelling (zines) became an accessible form of grief processing and a bridge back to hope.   This episode is sponsored by The Surviving Siblings® Connect with Earla:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sibling.grief.buds/ Earla's Book: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0973216239?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520   Connect with Maya: Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/survivingsiblingspodcast/ Maya's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayaroffler/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@survivingsiblingspodcast Twitter: https://x.com/survivingsibpod Website: thesurvivingsiblings.com Facebook Group: The Surviving Siblings Podcast YouTube: The Surviving Siblings Podcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheSurvivingSiblingsPodcast  

The American prairie once stretched across Missouri and Illinois, a vast grassland teeming with wildlife and rich biodiversity. Today, less than 1% of that prairie remains — disappearing even faster than the Amazon rainforest. In this encore presentation, environmental journalists Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty discuss how prairies were destroyed, why their loss is one of the world's greatest ecological disasters, and what it will take to bring it back. Hage and Marcotty are authors of the new book, “Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie.”

Saskatoon's Katie Tupper has just released her debut album, Greyhound, which reflects on her life, where she comes from, her relationships, and the unhealthy cycles she realized she was caught in. Katie sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger to tell us what she learned while making the record and how the Prairies have shaped her sound.