The Jill Bennett Show

The U.S. government shutdown is now grounding more than just politics — air travel is taking a major hit. The FAA is cutting flight service at 40 airports. London Drugs is closing its Wessex-Kingsway location citing historic theft and a deteriorating business environment in the area. It’s the latest sign of strain for retailers across B.C. The fight to save the ostriches in Edgewood isn’t just emotional — it’s scientific. When the farm challenged Ottawa’s cull order, three experts argued the CFIA’s one-size-fits-all approach to bird flu doesn’t make sense for ostriches. But what makes these birds different from poultry? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It may not be the end of the road for the ostriches just yet. Legal experts say now that the Supreme Court declined to hear the Edgewood farm’s case, there may still be ways to appeal the CFIA’s decision — and keep the birds alive a little longer. Guest: Paul Daly - chair in administrative law and governance at the University of Ottawa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The recent Supreme Court decision upholding the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s order to cull a B.C. ostrich flock infected with avian flu has stirred debate across the country. But experts say retesting or quarantining these birds would be risky — and potentially dangerous. Guest: Angela Rasmussen -virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Vancouver Aquatic Centre is closed indefinitely after a piece of concrete fell from the ceiling this week, prompting concerns about the safety and future of the aging facility. Guest: Tricia Barker - Former Park Board Commissioner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Claire Newell of Travel Best Bets unpacks all the latest stories in the travel sector. Guest: Claire Newell - President/founder of Travel Best Bets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Carney government has unveiled its first federal budget — and it’s making history for all the wrong reasons. Camping is booming across Canada, and Metro Vancouver is exploring ways to expand overnight camping options in its regional parks. From wilderness sites to group campgrounds, the region is considering new locations and expansions to meet growing demand. Pickleball has been at the centre of controversy in North Saanich, with outdoor courts at Wain Park closed for over a year due to noise complaints. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Vancouver Park Board is pushing back against Mayor Ken Sim’s plan to freeze property taxes next year — a move that would slash $120 million from the city’s operating budget. Reactions to the 2025 Federal Budget are still pouring in. What's the consensus? New poll finds majority of Canadians oppose deep federal public service cuts, don’t want AI chatbots delivering benefits Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The City is teaming up with the non-profit Swim Drink Fish to build a floating swimming platform right on the Burrard Inlet — complete with salt water pools, 50-metre swim lanes, diving platforms, and lounging areas. Guest: Linda Buchanan - Mayor of the City of North Vancouver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reaction to the federal budget Guest: Lachlan Wolfers - National leader of KPMG Law, the law firm affiliated with KPMG Canada Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two major legal and public safety issues are dominating headlines in Canada right now: First, the Supreme Court of Canada has struck down a mandatory minimum sentence for a child pornography offence, igniting debate over judicial discretion, public safety, and potential use of the notwithstanding clause. Second, in Surrey, a wave of shootings and extortions targeting residents and businesses has prompted calls for the deployment of 150 additional police officers to tackle organized crime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A North Saanich councillor is calling for some pickleball courts to be ripped out. Guest: Roger Graves - Vancouver Island Regional Pickleball Association Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A major court ruling involving the Cowichan Tribes has sent ripples across British Columbia — and it’s raising questions in communities like Pender Harbour about what it could mean for private landowners, local governments, and First Nations. Prince George couple Shauna and Chris Terai are grateful to be alive after a terrifying grizzly bear attack earlier this month in the McGregor Mountains. The BLOB is back in the Northern Pacific Ocean: What does that mean for BC? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prince George couple Shauna and Chris Terai are grateful to be alive after a terrifying grizzly bear attack earlier this month in the McGregor Mountains. Guest: Chris Terai - Grizzly Bear Attack Survivor Guest: Shauna Terai - Grizzly Bear Attack Survivor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know sitting is a big part of modern life — at work, in front of screens, or commuting. On average, most people spend about eight hours a day sitting. But science shows that prolonged, uninterrupted sitting can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even some cancers. Guest: Scott Lear - Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For nearly two decades, Vancouver’s All Souls at Mountain View Cemetery has been a cherished space for reflection, remembrance, and community. But after 20 years, the City of Vancouver has decided to end its relationship with the founding artists and pause the event. A troubling new report from Statistics Canada shows that family violence against seniors has reached a record high in Canada. King Charles has stripped his brother Prince Andrew of his remaining royal titles and evicted him from his residence. The move follows growing pressure over Andrew's ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater The Hunger We Pass Down by Jen Sookfong Lee (local author) King Sorrow by Joe Hill Pick a Colour Souvankham Thammavongsa The Tiger and the Cosmonaut by Eddie Boudel Tan (local author) Guest: Mary-Ann Yazedijan - Special Projects Manager at Black Bond Books and Book Warehouse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vancouver’s All Souls Night has been cancelled, and some councillors are blaming Mayor Ken Sim’s ‘zero means zero’ cuts. Who's really to blame? Guest: Pete Fry - Vancouver City Councillor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carney and Xi agree to tackle 'irritants' in the Canada-China relationship. Guest: Margaret McCuaig Johnston - board director at the China Strategic Risk Institute and former senior Canadian government official Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The debate over the UBC SkyTrain extension is heating up ahead of the federal budget. A new survey from Willful, the Canadian online estate planning platform, paints a sobering picture of how stretched Canadians’ finances have become. A remarkable prehistoric discovery in northeastern British Columbia is giving scientists new insight into the province’s ancient past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tensions were high and as expected it was standing room only at a meeting held last night in Richmond. It was an information meeting for landowners affected by a recent court ruling. The B.C. Supreme Court ruled in August that a parcel of land in south Richmond was historically a Cowichan summer village. The Bank of Canada has cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point today to 2.25% as economists widely expected. Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says there isn't much more it can do at this point to help the country through the turmoil tied to tariffs - something he considers a structural shock to the economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Halloween just around the corner, fireworks are lighting up neighbourhoods across the Lower Mainland — but not all of them are legal. Guest: Aleem Kanji - Chief Advocacy Officer, Canadian National Fireworks Association Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Claire Newell from Travel Best Bets joins us to discuss all the latest happenings in the travel sector. Guest: Claire Newell - Travel Best Bets President and Founder Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vancouver City Councillor Pete Fry is pushing to lower the municipal voting age to 16, arguing that young people should have a say in decisions that directly affect their education, housing, climate, and local services. Guest: Pete Fry - Vancouver City Councillor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Health Canada has authorized a drug shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority says it’s abandoning plans to install shore power for cruise ships at Ogden Point — a project long touted as a way to cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality in the James Bay neighbourhood. In honey bee colonies, worker bees will overthrow a failing queen in a carefully coordinated process known as supersedure. Recent research from the University of British Columbia sheds light on why these ‘royal revolts’ happen and how viral infections in queens can trigger them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The federal government is proposing major changes to Canada’s bail and sentencing laws under new legislation — Bill C-14. Guest: Michael Shapray - Criminal Lawyer with Stern Shapray Criminal Lawyers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BC's minister of municipal affairs says the government won't be calling legislation for second reading this fall that would require a referendum to dissolve Vancouver's park board. Guest: Christine Boyle - B.C. Minister of Municipal Affairs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After nearly two months of picket lines, supply shortages, and stalled negotiations, there’s finally movement in the B.C. public sector strike. A new trade flare-up is brewing between Canada and the United States — and this one was sparked not by policy, but by a commercial. It’s a rare happy ending for a Vancouver movie theatre — and a big win for film lovers. The Rio Theatre team, led by Corinne Lea, is taking over the iconic Park Theatre on Cambie Street after Cineplex announced its closure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new trade flare-up is brewing between Canada and the United States — and this one was sparked not by policy, but by a commercial. U.S. President Donald Trump says he’s slapping an additional 10% tariff on Canadian goods after the province of Ontario aired an anti-tariff television ad featuring quotes from former President Ronald Reagan. Guest: Eric Miller - Canada-US trade expert in Washington DC, President of Rideau Potomac Strategy Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a rare happy ending for a Vancouver movie theatre — and a big win for film lovers. The Rio Theatre team, led by Corinne Lea, is taking over the iconic Park Theatre on Cambie Street after Cineplex announced its closure. Guest: Corinne Lea - Owner of the Rio Theatre Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The high-profile case of Blair Donnelly — the man behind the violent 2023 stabbing at a Chinatown festival — has ended with a not criminally responsible (NCR) verdict due to mental disorder. Guest: Rob Dhanu - Former Federal Crown prosecutor, Criminal defense Lawyer and co-founder of Dhanu Dhaliwal Law Group, and case counsel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Consumer Protection BC penalizes Amazon for unlawful delivery and refund practices. Guest: David Ian Gray - Retail Expert and Instructor at Capilano School of Business Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province will pause its anti-tariff television ad campaign in the United States on Monday so that Canada-U.S. trade talks can restart. On Thursday afternoon, one of our whale-watching vessels undertook a decisive maneuver, in accordance with safety procedures, to avoid a humpback whale that had suddenly and unexpectedly surfaced directly in the vessel’s path while transiting near Vancouver. We were not actively viewing the whale, so this was a surprise encounter. Imagine spending a full year tending to your crops — only to have someone destroy them in a few minutes for fun. That’s exactly what happened to long-time farmer Rob Rindt, general manager of Western Turf Farms in Abbotsford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Traffic decks along the Broadway subway line are set to be removed as the project is still behind schedule. What does this mean for people living along the construction? Guest: Neil Wyles - Executive Director of the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The BC wine industry has faced a tough couple of years — from devastating winter damage that wiped out much of the 2024 grape crop, to ongoing supply challenges caused by the BCGEU strike. Now, small and mid-sized wineries say they’re ready to step up and keep local restaurants and consumers supplied with BC wine — but a government policy is standing in the way. Guest: Ron Kubek - Owner of Lightning Rock Winery in Summerland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Critics are raising concerns about the changes being made to BC’s graduated licence program. Guest: Nina Krieger - Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prime Minister Mark Carney is promising what he calls a “transformational” fall budget — one that will demand sacrifice, make deep spending cuts, and double Canada’s exports to non-U.S. markets over the next decade. There’s a growing standoff between the District of West Vancouver and the B.C. government over housing. The Liberal government has heard a call from premiers, opposition parties and police agencies to get tougher on bail. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Saturday, November 1st, the streets around 1000 Parker Street will come alive with music, masks, and magic as the Parade of Lost Souls returns — a beloved community celebration where art, ritual, and revelry meet in “the thinning of the veil” between the living and the lost. Guest: Kat Single-Dain - Artistic Director, Parade of Lost Souls Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Liberal government has heard a call from premiers, opposition parties and police agencies to get tougher on bail. Guest: Cait Alexander - Founder, activist group End Violence Everywhere Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new pilot project from Interior Health could change how emergency care is delivered in rural B.C. Guest: Merlin Blackwell - Mayor of Clearwater Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a significant policy shift, Vancouver has quietly reversed a previously proposed mandate that would have imposed a $10,000 fee on gas stations and parking lots failing to install electric vehicle (EV) chargers. A decade after a landmark study proved that feeding peanut products to young babies could prevent development of life-threatening allergies, new research finds the change has made a big difference in the real world. Ty Clayton is a 33-year-old from Sechelt lives with a rare, painful, degenerative disease that slowly fuses his spine — a condition that once made it so hard to move, he had to lift his own head off the pillow with his hands. But instead of slowing down, Ty decided to do the opposite. He started running. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A decade after a landmark study proved that feeding peanut products to young babies could prevent development of life-threatening allergies, new research finds the change has made a big difference in the real world. Guest: Edmond Chan - Head, Division of Allergy, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After two years of planning, a major City of Vancouver initiative to create a for-profit, city-owned development company to build market rental housing has failed to pass Council — falling short by just one vote. Guest: Rebecca Bligh - Vancouver City Councillor and Mayoral Candidate with Vote Vancouver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Claire Newell from Travel Best Bets comes on to unpack all the latest travel news stories. Guest: Claire Newell - President/Founder, Travel Best Bets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starting in early 2026, paid parking is coming to some of Vancouver’s busiest community hubs — but not for everyone. British Columbia is proposing a major change to its Employment Standards Act that would give workers facing serious illness or injury up to 27 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave within a 12-month period. Hunters are expressing their frustrations with not being able to get hunting tags because of BCGEU strike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Carr University of Art + Design is celebrating a centennial milestone, and now a new chapter for its former Granville Island campus is on the horizon. Guest: David Duprey - Narrow Group CEO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big news in the tech world today: OpenAI is launching its own web browser, called Atlas. The move puts the AI research company in direct competition with Google, as more users increasingly turn to AI for answers instead of traditional search engines. Guest: Carmi Levy - Technology Analyst & Journalist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two very different legal stories are making headlines this week — both raising questions about government authority and individual rights. Guest: Michael Shapray - Criminal Lawyer with Stern Shapray Criminal Lawyers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The BCGEU strike is hitting B.C.’s wine and spirits industry hard — with government liquor warehouses closed, producers and restaurants are running dry. Guest: Stacy Kyle - Executive Director of the Import Vintners & Spirits Association Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

British Columbia’s hospitality, wine, liquor, and cannabis industries are sounding the alarm as a labour dispute threatens thousands of businesses and jobs across the province. Cracking down on crime! PM Carney announced bail reform targeting violent crime. It’s one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time — what happened to Amelia Earhart? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices