Conversations Live with Stuart McNish

British Columbia's economy is at a turning point. As we face a period of modest growth transforming into a potential economic storm, it's crucial to stay informed. Join Stuart McNish as he hosts another live conversation featuring top economic experts to discuss the challenges ahead.

Don't miss this insightful discussion on the key issues impacting BC's economy, from the projected $11 billion budget deficit to the cancellation o...

If American produced food is removed from grocery stores in British Columbia, get ready to go without. More than 60 per cent of the products on the shelves are from south of the 49th parallel. 

If you want a balanced diet of vegetables, grains, fruits and protein then you can not source all of your meals from BC or Canada. The way we grow and trade food back and forth is based on who can grow it, in quantity, with certainty...

Last year at this time the headlines were filled with Real Estate Crisis stories. The Province and the Feds were making announcements upon announcements. Bill 44 was introduced with the idea that it would force municipal governments to increase density.

It is legislation that was supposed to increase certainty of supply, stabilize prices and boost construction. But did it work?

Hosted...

Donald Trump has demonstrated Canada is vulnerable because we are heavily dependent on his country for trade.

Everyone agrees we need to open new trading relationships. Direct Foreign Investment is a significant step in that direction. DFI is an economic generator that provides jobs, tax revenue, infrastructure development, skills development and foreign exchange. 

Hosted on Acas...

We’re heading into a change election. The Liberals will put forward a new leader who will be charged with the daunting task of overcoming a significant gap in the polls.

All indications suggest the Conservatives led by Pierre Poilievre will form the next Federal Government.

If Mr. Poiliever is successful with voters, what can we expect regarding tone, the economy, social programs, immigration, Indigenous relations, Trump, tar...

Indigenous leadership is shaping 2025 and beyond - socially, economically and culturally.  

First Nations and Indigenous organizations are developing housing, businesses, and resource sector projects. These organizations are utilizing legislative venues only open to them, and in doing so they are pushing through the clutter, increasing the pace of approval and delivering permits where cities and municipalities can’t.

It is not news there are glaring cracks in our healthcare systems – in some cases reaching a breaking point. In both BC and AB numerous rural emergency departments have closed for hours, even days, due to shortages. 

Healthcare organizations in both BC & Alberta struggle to recruit skilled doctors, nurses, care aids, and other skilled professionals. What can be done to alleviate the pressures on the system?

Alberta h...

Canadians don’t get to vote in the upcoming US election, but its results will have an out-sized impact on our lives. The US is not only a world power with which we share an expansive border, the country is our largest trading partner and ally on the global stage. The two presidential candidates have very different visions for the role the US will play on the world stage and in cross-border trade.

Join us 7 p.m. Oct 29 for a conv...

For many British Columbians parties’ divergent views on BC’s economy will be top-of-mind when they step into the ballot box in the upcoming provincial election. 

Join us October 7 when we sit down with a panel drawn from across the political spectrum for a conversation about The Election and the Economy. They are:

• Sonia Furstenau - Leader of the BC Green Party
• Moe Sihota - Former BC NDP MLA & cabinet minister, bro...

We are travelling to Calgary October 1 to delve into carbon capture – technologies that could play a role in combating climate change, but that are not without controversy.

According to the Government of Alberta the province is a “global leader in carbon capture, utilization and storage and continues to safely lead the way.”

All carbon capture technologies involve capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide and either repurposing it...

Join us for a series of wide-ranging conversations with BC’s provincial political leaders the week of September 16.

Kicking off our third season, the Leaders Series will be three conversations over the week – all unscripted, unrestricted, and focused on the topics on British Columbians’ minds as we come into the October election. As always, we will take questions from our webcast audience over Slido.

The series will start wit...

Join us for a series of wide-ranging conversations with BC’s provincial political leaders the week of September 16.

Kicking off our third season, the Leaders Series will be three conversations over the week – all unscripted, unrestricted, and focused on the topics on British Columbians’ minds as we come into the October election. As always, we will take questions from our webcast audience over Slido.

The series will start wit...

Join us for a series of wide-ranging conversations with BC’s provincial political leaders the week of September 16.

Kicking off our third season, the Leaders Series will be three conversations over the week – all unscripted, unrestricted, and focused on the topics on British Columbians’ minds as we come into the October election. As always, we will take questions from our webcast audience over Slido.

The series will start wit...

Dryer summers and wetter springs mean farmers face too much water sometimes, not enough at others. Last winter’s cold snap killed Okanagan peach and apricot buds, which will curtail the yield this year. Record wildfire seasons and floods are threatening pasture and farmland.

Add to these natural disasters the pressure on agriculture to protect the environment, use resources efficiently, reduce the use of nitrogen, grow more loca...

A special edition from KPMG’s Vancouver AI Summit - Vancouver on the global tech stage.

Vancouver is at the forefront of advances in artificial intelligence that are already transforming robotics, medicine, mining, and even permit processing. 

In a special edition of Conversations Live, we will webcast live from KPMG’s Vancouver AI Summit 5 – 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 29. With an outstanding panel we will delve into the state...

Canada has designed 31 minerals as critical – essential to our green digital economy, but whose supply is threatened. From copper to cesium they are in batteries; every electronic device, computer, and EV; permanent magnets; optical instruments; wiring; bearings; run-of river dams, wind farms, and solar arrays; aerospace alloys; catalytic converters & carbon dioxide scrubbers; and medical equipment. Our modern world simply does...

Preparing for disasters has long been a consideration in municipal, household, and business budgeting. Earthquake prep perhaps attracted the most public focus in recent decades, before the 2020’s, while funding for some other streams fell off. 

In late 2021 disaster preparedness became an urgent public priority virtually overnight when a series of storms dumped an unprecedented amount of rain on BC at the same time as unsea...

On April 23 we will sit down for a 90-minute conversation with Premier David Eby – live and unscripted.

When we sat down with Mr. Eby a year ago he had been premier for just over 100 days. More than a year later the honeymoon is over.

Just this week S&P downgraded the province’s credit rating, expressing concern about BC’s financial health and rising operating deficit. BC’s most recent budget forecasts a record deficit of almost ...