The Jill Bennett Show

Guest: Bronwyn Lewis, food and travel writer and content creator. Follow her on Instagram and YouTube @FeastWriteGrow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is Good Friday widely observed even among the non-religious? More and more Canadians identify as non-religious, what does the religious landscape look like and how has it changed? Guest: Joel Thiessen, Professor of Sociology at Ambrose University and Director of the Flourishing Congregations Institute Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BC Ferries has another disastrous long weekend, how are the coastal communities dealing with it? A tax expert joins us to talk about how changes to the property tax deferral program may unexpected impacts. Another major Aboriginal land claim decision out of the B.C. Court of Appeal, what does this mean for future land claims decisions across the country? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

B.C. scales back EV mandates, but is it enough? Independent grocers are warning they might have no choice but to pass on the cost of the global energy shortage on to consumers. Are the already sky-high grocery prices set to increase even more? New Westminster council approves bylaw to protect tenants from dangerously hot indoor conditions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NASA’s Artemis II mission is set to launch, carrying four astronauts on a journey that will test the systems and technology needed to return to the lunar surface and, eventually, push further into deep space. Guest: Gordon Osinski - Professor at Western University - in Florida to watch the launch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Vancouver mayor and senator Larry Campbell says his work in the Downtown Eastside began as a “depressing and traumatic experience,” but that his perspective has shifted as he’s seen signs of new housing and what he describes as a “vibrancy” returning to the neighbourhood. Canada’s craft brewing industry is raising a glass to new federal tax measures that aim to give small and independent breweries some financial breathing room. BC Ferries says sailing disruptions due to a generator problem in one ship earlier this week will reverberate through the Easter long weekend on one busy route. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Claire Newell of Travel Best Bets comes on to discuss all the major stories coming out of the travel sector! Guest: Claire Newell - President and Founder, Travel Best Bets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new report is raising fresh concerns about the future of affordable child care in British Columbia. Despite promises to deliver $10-a-day spaces, progress appears to be slowing, with fewer new spots than expected and growing pressure on a system already struggling with long waitlists and staffing shortages. Guest: Eric Swanson - Principal of Third Space Planning and consultant to the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New polling suggests overwhelming public support for banning social media use for kids under 16, with concerns ranging from mental health and addiction to cyberbullying and exposure to misinformation. A new report is raising concerns about student achievement in British Columbia, suggesting test scores have declined more sharply than in any other province following curriculum changes over the past decade. The B.C. government is extending Larry Campbell’s mandate to help coordinate efforts aimed at addressing long-standing challenges in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Docket with Michael Beckett - March 31, 2026 Guest: Michael Beckett - Criminal Lawyer with Stern Shapray Criminal Lawyers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Spirit of Vancouver Island has broken down after only 2 days of being back in service from a pervious breakdown. Guest: Jordan Armstrong - Global BC Reporter and Anchor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With fuel prices continuing to climb, one of British Columbia’s largest unions is calling on the provincial government to let more public sector workers work from home. Work crews rolled into North Saanich’s Wain Park this week with heavy machinery to begin removing outdoor pickleball courts. The move comes after months of debate over noise complaints, community divisions, and efforts to resolve the future of the courts. With Vancouver set to host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the city is preparing for an influx of international visitors. However, there are growing concerns about the toxic drugs visitors may encounter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been about two months since the major Broadway and Main Street intersection closed as part of Vancouver’s Broadway Subway Project and some local businesses are being hit hard. More questions are being raised about how Canada treats internationally trained health-care workers. Delta Mayor George Harvie comes on to share his thoughts on the Westham Island Bridge reopening and the cuts to ALC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After more than two months of disruption, a key link between Westham Island and the Delta mainland is finally reopening. The Westham Island Bridge was seriously damaged in a barge strike in January, cutting off vehicle access and forcing residents and farmers to rely on water taxis and other interim services. Guest: Dylan Kruger - Delta City Councillor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The federal NDP is about to elect a new leader. Is it Avi Lewis’s race to lose? Guest: Tom Parkin - Co-Host, Left East to West Podcast and a delegate at the NDP convention in Winnipeg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The annual Keep the Hope Alive 5K Walk and Run returns on Sunday, honouring the memory of four-year-old Michael Dunahee, who vanished from a school playground in 1991 and has never been found. Guest: Fiona Wilson - Chief Constable, Victoria Police Department Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Major changes are coming to how health-care professionals are regulated in British Columbia, with new legislation set to take effect April 1st. A remarkable piece of the West Coast Trail has washed ashore in Washington. The Camper Creek Log, once a trail marker perched along Vancouver Island, drifted 70 nautical miles through the Strait of Juan de Fuca before coming to rest on a beach near Sequim. Spring gardening tips with Wim Vander Zalm of ArtKnapp Plantland! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A fire has caused extensive damage to a landmark heritage building Mount Pleasant. Guest: Christine Hagemoen - Mount Pleasant resident, author of "Mount Pleasant Stories", a historical walking tour guide, and I lead walking tours in the neighbourhood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The FIFA world cup is fast approaching, and some are wondering how the city is going to handle the homeless population. Guest: Amanda Burrows - Executive Director, First United Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mortgage affordability is becoming an even bigger challenge for Canadians. A new report from Ratehub.ca shows that in February, the ability to buy a home worsened in 11 of 13 major cities across the country. Guest: Angela Calla - Host of The Mortgage Show on CKNW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new report finds the federal government might have gone too far when it took steps to reduce the number of foreign students entering the country. First-nations are expressing their concerns over DRIPA. There’s an important constitutional case unfolding this week in Ottawa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BC’s Minister of Forests, Ravi Parmar, is in Ottawa for meetings to press his federal colleagues on continued support for the struggling softwood lumber sector. Guest: Ravi Parmar - B.C. Minister of Forests and MLA for Langford-Highlands Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OpenAI is shutting down its experimental social media app Sora, just months after it went viral for allowing users to create and share short-form videos generated entirely by artificial intelligence. Guest: Carmi Levy - Technology Analyst & Journalist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Claire Newell of Travel Best Bets joins us to discuss the major stories coming out of the travel sector, including the tragic Air Canada collision at LaGuardia Airport. Guest: Claire Newell - President and Founder, Travel Best Bets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vancouver could be on the verge of entering a new architectural era, as the city considers what would be its first-ever “supertall” skyscraper. A clerical error could be jeopardizing the immigration status of a Victoria midwife. What was supposed to be a routine trip home from India turned into a stressful and confusing ordeal, leaving a Surrey woman and her father still stranded in New Delhi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Docket with Michael Shapray Guest: Michael Shapray - Criminal Lawyer with Stern Shapray Criminal Lawyers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A deadly collision on the runway at LaGuardia Airport is raising serious questions about how something like this could happen at a major, heavily controlled international airport. A midwife in Victoria is facing deportation after her work permit was denied over a missing English language test... despite being a native English speaker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What can be done to curb ticket scalping? The City of Vancouver is requiring staff show caller ID when communicating with the public, but what other measures are some using to protect themselves in the ongoing extortion crisis? We also honour the late martial arts icon, Chuck Norris. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest: Om Mogerman, Associate Director of the Parking Operations and Enforcement Branch, City of Vancouver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest: Bryan Yu, Associate & Chief Economist, Central 1 Credit Union Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A challenge from the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights regarding the federal government's 2020 gun ban is heading to Supreme Court. Traffic congestion and a lack of transit options top of mind for Surrey businesses, according to a report. Why is a proposal for what could be one of the tallest towers in the city raising eyebrows? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest: Jason Tetro, Microbiologist with expertise in emerging pathogens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a LOT of things happening in the travel sector right now, so we bring on Claire Newell of Travel Best Bets to help us wrap our heads around it. Police north of Toronto have decided not to lay charges against a resident who shot and injured an alleged home invader. York Regional Police say the resident used a legally owned and properly stored gun and is not facing charges based on evidence collected at the scene. An accessible parking space in Vancouver’s South Granville neighbourhood was recently replaced by a new e‑scooter parking station, leaving a 92-year-old resident unable to reach a medical appointment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly five years ago, the Village of Lytton, B.C., was almost completely destroyed by one of the province’s most devastating wildfires. A new report from B.C.’s Auditor-General is highlighting the shortcomings in provincial support during the recovery, from insufficient legislation to gaps in funding oversight and Indigenous collaboration. Guest: Denise O’Connor - Mayor of Lytton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Daylight Savings Time becoming permanent, Langford City Councillor Kimberley Guiry is hoping her recently forwarded motion will help municipalities prepare for those darker mornings. Guest: Kimberley Guiry - Langford City Councillor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Victims of intimate image abuse in British Columbia now have access to significantly higher compensation, after the province increased the maximum damages under the Intimate Images Protection Act to 75-thousand dollars. Guest: Niki Sharma - Attorney General of British Columbia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Docket with Michael Shapray - March 17, 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, the City of Vancouver and Government of British Columbia announced new ticketing details for the FIFA Fan Festival™ Vancouver, confirming free entry to the festival site at Hastings Park, and that general admission to the amphitheatre floor for match viewing events will also be free. Fisheries officials say they are reviewing a video showing crew on a large ship boasting about catching hundreds of Dungeness crabs while visiting Vancouver. Rising gas prices are putting the pedal to the metal on interest in clean-energy vehicles across British Columbia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Questions are being raised about the Park Board potentially dealing with some lifeguard layoffs. The move, likely tied to budget pressures, so what does that mean for safety at the city’s beaches and waterfront areas Guest: Tom Digby - Green Party Park Board Chair Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An iconic Downtown Vancouver strip club is closing after 26 years. Guest: Aaron Chapman Vancouver historian and author, co-author of A Sign of the Times: The Best of the Penthouse Marquee, also running to be a OneCity Council Candidate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Survivors of the April 26, 2025 Lapu Lapu festival tragedy in Vancouver are opposed to the plan by event organizer Filipino BC to bring back the fair this year. Iran war expected to have a major impact on the cost of farming operations and your grocery bill. The CRTC is removing the fees for changing or cancelling internet and cellphone plans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

B.C. treaty commissioner and a former B.C. cabinet minister, George Abbott, joins us to talk about his new book and more! How changes to the temporary foreign worker program can benefit local restaurants. What's the timeline for moving the SROs on Granville Strip? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest: Michael Byers, political science professor and military policy researcher at the University of British Columbia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest: Rob Dhanu, Former Federal Crown prosecutor, Criminal defense Lawyer and Co-founder of Dhanu Dhaliwal Law Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New wording appears following recent court decisions related to Aboriginal title, a property tax expert joins us to break down what it means legally and practically. More on the Massey tunnel, Conservative MLA for Delta-South responds to latest comments from Transport Minister Mike Farnworth regarding cost and timeline. A small Vancouver Island community is considering dissolving the municipality, but why? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Delta First" says it wants to bring a renewed approach to leadership at city hall. With increased attention to women's athletics following the Olympics, how are the Vancouver Goldeneyes riding that wave? New regulations are incoming for whale watchers to protect the beloved marine animal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest: Jay Edelson, U.S. Lawyer representing two families who are suing OpenAI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest: Claire Newell, President and Founder of Travel Best Bets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest: Stewart Prest, Political Scientist at the University of British Columbia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vancouver councillors are debating adopting the city's first "official development plan", what could this mean? New technology is being implemented on Highway 1 in Chilliwack to curb overpass accidents, will it work? A B.C. MP is tabling legislation to encourage interprovincial trade on alcohol, including ending a Canada Post regulation that prevents it from delivering "intoxicating beverages". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices