BC Today

B.C. is proposing new legislation that will make it easier for local elected officials and school trustees to take leave when they become parents. We ask our audience to weigh in on how becoming a parent impacted their careers.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on the Liberal government to provide certainty over private property rights in B.C. following the landmark Cowichan decision last year. Robin Junger, Counsel, McMillan LLP B.C. Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee join the program to respond to Poilievre and to discuss Premier David Eby's decision to temporarily pause certain sections of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

Another floor crossing in the House of Commons brings the Liberals up to 171 seats, with the MP for Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong defecting from the Conservative Party. We ask our audience how they feel about so many floor crossings.

The conflict in the Middle East remains delicate after Iran and the U.S. agreed to a two-week ceasefire Tuesday. Spyros Sofos, an assistant professor at SFU's department of global humanities, joins the program for the latest.

The income tax deadline is nearing for most Canadians. The last day to file personal income taxes is April 30. Accountant Stefanie Ricchio joins the show to take your tax questions and share the complications that having multiple income streams adds to filing taxes.

It was a chaotic long weekend for many B.C. Ferries passengers after multiple ferry breakdowns caused hours-long delays and even stranded some passengers overnight. B.C. Ferries says aging vessels and a lack of government investment have caused the issues. Transportation and Transit Minister Mike Farnworth reacted to the disruptions, and Sechelt Mayor John Henderson joined to share the impact of cancellations on the Sunshine Coast and take your calls.

The Trail Running Film Festival is on Thursday. We checked in with organizer Jeannine Avelino.

Premier David Eby is meeting with First Nations leaders about the province's plans to amend the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). First Nations have been opposed to changing the law, while the premier calls it a "non-negotiable." We spoke to to CBC provincial affairs reporter Katie DeRosa for the latest, speak to First Nations Summit political executive Robert Phillips, and take your calls to hear your thoughts on the issue. The Right Fit program, which helps wheelchair users find accessible housing, lost its funding yesterday. That loss of funding will force the program to close. A press conference is being held right now in Vancouver to bring attention to the program's loss. Disability advocates are warning that people could face homelessness or be pushed into unsafe or inappropriate living situations without programs like The Right Fit. We spoke to Spring Hawes, Accessibility & Inclusion Advisor.

B.C. Ferries is changing schedules and cancelling sailings ahead of Easter weekend due to one vessel's delayed return to service and another one's mechanical issues. We ask our audience to share whether their plans will be affected.

NASA's Artemis II is set to launch Wednesday for its journey around the moon with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen on board. CBC's Bob McDonald joins the program ahead of the historic mission. And, as part of BC Today's series on menopause, we'll hear from B.C. Family Doctors about prescribing hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

The FIFA World Cup is only two months away, with some important qualifiers Tuesday to determine who Canada will play in its first match. Murray Mallard, author of The Canadian Men's Soccer Team at the World Cup and Beyond, joins the show to take calls on whether you think Vancouver and Canada are ready to host the World Cup.  

Stephen Lewis, former Ontario NDP leader and father of new NDP leader Avi Lewis, has died at age 88. We'll bring you more about his legacy up first. Then, we ask whether people should be able to work from home amid spiking fuel costs. Some public sector unions are calling for this measure. We'll hear from Kalith Nanayakkara from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business for his take. 

Activist and filmmaker Avi Lewis won the NDP federal leadership race in a decisive victory. But his ideas, like opposing fossil fuels have not united provincial NDP leaders across the country. We asked our audience what they think.

Is it a better financial decision to buy a home, or continue renting? Financial planner and founder of Alaphia Financial Wellness Natasha Knox joins the program to weigh in.

Thompson Rivers University may shut down its satellite campus in Williams Lake. A decision could be made Friday. Williams Lake Mayor Surinderpal Rathor joins the program to share the community impact of a potential closure. The federal NDP will choose a new leader this weekend in Winnipeg. Former NDP MP Nathan Cullen joins the show as we ask what the party needs to do to bounce back from its historic low point.

Brian Minter joins BC Today with advice for early vegetable varieties you can plant now. 

It's being called social media's Big Tobacco moment. A U.S. jury has found Meta and Youtube's platforms were designed to be addictive. The White Hatter Brandon Laur joins the show to talk about the causes of social media addiction and we hear our audience's thoughts on the verdict.

B.C.'s seniors advocate Dan Levitt joins the show to discuss a new report on longer waits for services and surgeries, and we take calls from our audience on what it's like for B.C. seniors to access frontline health care services.

B.C. Conservative MLA for Richmond Centre Hon Chan has been removed from caucus, in light of criminal charges. A special prosecutor has been appointed. The CBC's Katie DeRosa joins the show with the latest updates.

Driverless taxi company Waymo is lobbying the provincial government to allow autonomous taxis on B.C. roads. UBC civil engineering professor Alex Bigazzi and public transit advocate Denis Agar join the program to discuss the merits of driverless vehicles, and we hear from listeners about whether they would ride in a vehicle without a driver.

We wrap up our series on sports affordability and accessibility by taking a look at the people who enforce the rules: referees and umpires. PWHL referee and Sport B.C. referee of the year Grace Barlow joins the show to share her journey as we ask listeners why they would become a ref.

RCMP say four people died in two separate northwest B.C. avalanches Sunday. We're joined by Avalanche Canada for more on high-risk areas in the province, Sandra Riches from BC AdventureSmart on ways to stay safe, and hear from listeners about what they're seeing on the mountains right now.

It is spring cleaning season! Professional organizer and Out of Chaos owner Linda Chu joins the program for tips on decluttering

Today, we had the latest on the crash between an Air Canada plane and an emergency vehicle at LaGuardia Airport that killed two pilots and sent dozens of people to hospital.Also, Canada's auditor general released some scathing reports Monday morning as MPs returned to the House of Commons, pointing to issues in international student screenings, RCMP recruitment and the Phoenix pay system. University of the Fraser Valley political scientist Hamish Telford joins the show to analyze Mark Carney's performance and rate his Liberal government. 

It's our final Menopause Monday. We look at how perimenopause affects our personal and professional lives with women's health advocate and founder of Menopause Chicks, Shirley Weir.

As the weather gets warmer, more people are getting ready to take their pets out into the world. But when is it appropriate, and when is it not? Gloria Macarenko spoke to professional dog trainer Sarah Shapiro-Ward.

Friday marks the first day of spring after a long, warm British Columbia winter. Gloria Macarenko spoke to CBC's Darius Mahdavi and Environment and Climate Change Canada's Brian Proctor about the latest in weather news.

Gas prices are climbing across Canada as the war in the Middle East continues. We ask our audience what they're seeing at the pumps, and how rising costs are affecting other parts of their budget.

Negative people can cause long-term stress on our bodies, according to a new study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Clinical psychologist and author of the book The Boundaries Therapist, Nicole Perry, joins the program to explain how to navigate these relationships.

It is spring break season in B.C., and families will be travelling the province on their vacations. We're joined by content creator Bob Kronbauer, known as "B.C. Bob," and Brenda Baptiste with Indigenous Tourism B.C., to share their favourite destinations.

A video shared by B.C. RCMP shows a 16-year-old driver travelling 180 km/h in a 100 km/h zone on the Trans-Canada Highway before crashing into a parked dump truck. We ask our audience to share how they're talking about safe driving with the young people in their lives.

B.C. has hired more than 400 health-care workers over the last year in a recruitment campaign. We hear from Dr. Robert Carruthers, president of the Consultant Specialists of B.C., about what impact this has made on the province's health-care system.

We continue our series on youth in sports and getting active, this week focusing on coaches. We ask our audience about the coaches who have made a difference in their lives.

The U.S.-Israeli war against Iran is having ripple effects on fuel prices in B.C., with the price at the pump breaching the $2/litre mark this weekend. We'll talk to energy journalist Markham Hislop.

Our series Menopause Mondays continues. Today, we talk fitness and nutrition with fitness coach Karina Inkster and registered dietitian Vesanto Melina. 

Brian Minter joins us to answer all your gardening questions.  

The Oscars are this weekend and the competition is stiff. CBC Entertainment reporter Eli Glasner joins the show from Los Angeles and Rachel Fox from the Rio Theatre is in the studio to look at the films in the running.

March is International Long COVID Awareness Month. We examine the lasting impacts of the virus and what new research reveals about its devastating effects with Dr. Susan Kuo, a physician and researcher who has been studying long COVID.

The lack of affordable housing in B.C. continues to drive calls for new development and increased density, but not everyone wants to see their communities change. So how do we balance the needs of neighbourhoods with the desires of their residents? UBC urban design professor Patrick Condon and Abundant Housing Vancouver director Daniel Oleksiuk join the program.

Nunavut MP Lori Idlout has crossed the floor and joined the Liberal caucus. She's the fourth MP, but first NDP MP to join the Liberals since they were elected to a minority government almost a year ago. Interim NDP leader Don Davies joins the program for his reaction, and Camosun College political scientist Daniel Reeve joins to take calls on what the latest floor crossing means for the prospect of a majority Liberal government.

B.C. School Sports executive director Jordan Abney joins BC Today as we ask how accessible school sports are and how we can make sure more kids stay active.

Post-secondary faculty are still reeling from cuts as schools deal with fewer international students. We head to a rally of VCC educators on campus and speak with Taryn Thomson, VCC Faculty Association vice-president. And North Island College Faculty Association president Jen Wrye and BC Federation of Students chairperson Debi Herrera Lira join the show to take questions about the impact these cuts are having on students and faculty.

It's been one month since the deadly Tumbler Ridge mass shooting. Now, the family of one of the victims is suing OpenAI, alleging the tech company failed to alert authorities to chat prompts from the shooter related to violence. University of B.C. computer science professor emeritus Alan Mackworth joins the show as we ask what legal responsibilities AI companies have.

Iran has named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, as supreme leader, and MPs are expected to debate Canada's response to the Middle East war Monday evening. Research Assistant at SFU's Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies, Parsa Alirezai, joins the show for more.

BC Today continues with our series on Menopause: today we are talking about navigating perimenopause with ob-gyn Dr. Tracy Wayne.

The Milano-Cortina Paralympic Winter Games kick off today with the Opening Ceremony. It is the 50th anniversary of the Winter Paralympics. SportAbility B.C. executive director Donna Cumming joins the show to talk about the importance of the Paralympics.

International Women's Day is on Sunday. We talked about women and entrepreneurship, considering that women own one in five businesses in Canada. WE BC Senior Director of Loans and Advisory Services Melanie Rupp and Better Acres Ice Cream owner Lori Joyce join the show to talk about their experience in business and share advice for would-be women entrepreneurs.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is meeting with B.C. Premier David Eby following the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge. We speak with University of B.C. computer science professor Kevin Leyton-Brown about what British Columbians can expect regarding personal safety and artificial intelligence. 

The federal government is providing $70 million to forestry workers negatively impacted by American tariffs. Diamond Isinger, a former special adviser on Canada-U.S. relations to Justin Trudeau, shares her thoughts on what we need next. 

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim continues to apologize for alleging city councillor Sean Orr was distributing drugs in the Downtown Eastside. Sim says he was given false information based on a photo he briefly looked at. CBC municipal affairs reporter Justin McElroy and former municipal affairs strategist Maria Dobrinskaya join host Michelle Eliot to discuss what happened.