This episode delves into the groundbreaking report, "Finding DORI: A Department of Religious Inefficiency" from the BC Humanist Association . Published on April 1, 2025, this document proposes the establishment of a new governmental body: the Department of Religious Inefficiency (DORI). Far from striving for streamlined governance, DORI aims to intentionally embed inefficiency into the Canadian government by expanding the entanglement of religion and state . The report outlines a series of bold ...
Apr 01, 2025•23 min
An informal discussion panel hosted by the BC Humanist Association and Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada. We recommend that you watch the film “Preconceived” first – an award-winning film about anti-choice “crisis pregnancy centres” in the U.S. Joyce Arthur of ARCC and Teale Phelps Bondaroff of BCHA, share a few observations about the film and touch on issues around CPCs in Canada.
Dec 12, 2024•42 min
Our new report looks at prayers in Saskatchewan municipal council meetings. This podcast was generated in part with the help of Google's NotebookLM AI tools. Read the report
Oct 09, 2024•16 min
BCHA Research Coordinator Dr Teale Phelps Bondaroff provides an update on some of our upcoming research and how you can get involved. Volunteer Donate Join
Jul 30, 2024•9 min
In June 2023, Chilliwack Progress Editor Paul Henderson was fired for tweets criticizing those offering little more than "thoughts and prayers" in response to the near-drowning of a local child. In this presentation for the BC Humanist Association, Paul speaks about his firing and his time covering the religious right in the Fraser Valley. Read more about Paul's story...
May 30, 2024•39 min
CONTENT NOTE: Parts of this discussion touch on child abuse and suicide. Perry Bulwer is the author of Misguided: My Jesus Freak Life in a Doomsday Cult . Misguided is a unique first-hand account of a life spent in the Children of God, a/k/a The Family, a millenarian doomsday sex cult under the sway of a charismatic leader, David Berg. In 1972, Perry Bulwer, a naive 16-year-old growing up in Port Alberni, BC dropped out of high school to run away with the Children of God, one of a number of mill...
May 13, 2024•35 min
Bettianne Hedges of Humanist Canada hosts Leslie Rosenblood from Centre for Inquiry Canada alongside Teale Phelps Bondaroff and Ian Bushfield of the BC Humanist Association, who will discuss the many ways Canada still tangibly privileges religion and its institutions over similar non-theistic organizations. Just a few policy choices cost Canadians billions - yes, with a "b" - each and every year. You can learn more by reading: Cost of Religion in Canada from CFIC A Public Good from BCHA Follow t...
Mar 26, 2024•1 hr 15 min
Join Megan Sheldon of Be Ceremonial as we explore the foundations of ceremony, including how we can create our own rituals to acknowledge times of change in life, death, and everything in between. You will learn how to craft a ritual, design a ceremony, and mark the seemingly invisible moments that often go unnoticed in our society. There will be an opportunity for questions, as well as a chance to browse the Be Ceremonial platform that inspires you with hundreds of secular rituals across the li...
Nov 28, 2023•46 min
Despite decades of calls to action, our emissions are not on a path to stave off a horrific future for our children and future generations. The BC Climate Emergency Campaign is a group of civil society organizations, anxious about the climate emergency, who are collaborating to increase the ambition of climate policy and action in BC. We are not a formal coalition, but have chosen to work together on a joint campaign. Signatories, which include the BC Humanist Association, share a belief that BC...
Oct 11, 2023•37 min
Despite a 2015 Supreme Court of Canada ruling that prayers at municipal council meetings are unconstitutional, multiple communities across British Columbia still opened their 2022 inaugural council meetings with a prayer. This is a recording of a discussion about prayers with BCHA Research Coordinator Dr Teale Phelps Bondaroff where he explores our latest work updating the status of prayers at BC municipalities. We've made incredible progress in ensuring compliance since 2018 but there are still...
Sep 26, 2023•46 min
The Government of British Columbia's Master Agreement with religious healthcare facilities allows some hospitals to 'opt-out' of providing patients with procedures that they're legally entitled too. This means your right to MAID or an abortion is subject to the whims of Catholic Bishops and not the rule of law. Find out about the history of religious hospitals in the province and how this agreement came about. We'll also give you the tools to help end these religious opt-outs. Special Guest: Dyi...
Aug 30, 2023•21 min
The Canadian constitution does not have a formal establishment clause separating church and state as the USA does, so can Canada be considered a secular country? In this presentation, BC Humanist Association Executive Director Ian Bushfield will argue that Canada’s unique legal and political history, coupled with a forward-looking Charter of Rights and Freedoms and judiciary, has resulted in more robust protections for the nonreligious and state neutrality than presently exist in America. Bushfi...
Aug 08, 2023•48 min
The BCHA team discusses its newly released report: Open for Unconstitutional Business. Read the full report Donate to our year end fundraiser
Dec 15, 2022•1 hr 22 min
In honour of Black History Month 2022 (February), we hosted “Black in British Columbia: Resilience and Erasure” presented by Kathleen Johnson (founder of the Facebook group “Critical Black Thought Society” and Alberta Representative for Humanist Canada) This talk was recorded February 22, 2022 via Zoom Kathleen shared a look at how Black settlers came to British Columbia, what life was like, how they contributed, and how that history has been all but erased from the culture of British Columbia. ...
Apr 06, 2022•14 min
The Government of British Columbia gives hundreds of millions of dollars to private schools in the province. Our new research shows that the overwhelming majority of these schools are for the religious or economic elites. In this talk, BCHA Executive Director Ian Bushfield and Policy Research Adriana Thom will detail where this money goes, what these schools are teaching and who gets shut out. Learn more: https://www.bchumanist.ca/follow_the_money https://www.bchumanist.ca/private_school_funding...
Nov 03, 2021•36 min
This is a recording of a live event held in collaboration with Nonreligion in a Complex Future in March 2021.
Mar 26, 2021•1 hr 22 min
This is a recording of a live event held in March 2021, in which our research team breaks down the BCHA's latest report on tax exemptions.
Mar 26, 2021•53 min
This is the recording of an event originally held on Zoom in February 2021.
Mar 26, 2021•1 hr 22 min
This panel was originally held live on Zoom on November 5, 2020.
Nov 13, 2020•1 hr 24 min
This is the final section of our guide for anyone non-religious (humanist, atheist, agnostic) and living with the death of a loved one, or simply interested in learning more about the humanist perspective of life & death. For more information about end of life, including healthcare, advance care planning, legacy projects and emotional support, please see our first guide End of Life: A Guide for Humanists and Non-Religious People in BC. This is available for free on our website.
Nov 02, 2020•43 sec•Season 2Ep. 5
This is the first section of our guide for anyone non-religious (humanist, atheist, agnostic) and living with the death of a loved one, or simply interested in learning more about the humanist perspective of life & death. For more information about end of life, including healthcare, advance care planning, legacy projects and emotional support, please see our first guide End of Life: A Guide for Humanists and Non-Religious People in BC. This is available for free on our website.
Nov 02, 2020•1 min•Season 2Ep. 4
This is the third section of our guide for anyone non-religious (humanist, atheist, agnostic) and living with the death of a loved one, or simply interested in learning more about the humanist perspective of life & death. For more information about end of life, including healthcare, advance care planning, legacy projects and emotional support, please see our first guide End of Life: A Guide for Humanists and Non-Religious People in BC. This is available for free on our website....
Nov 02, 2020•3 min•Season 2Ep. 3
This is the second section of our guide for anyone non-religious (humanist, atheist, agnostic) and living with the death of a loved one, or simply interested in learning more about the humanist perspective of life & death. For more information about end of life, including healthcare, advance care planning, legacy projects and emotional support, please see our first guide End of Life: A Guide for Humanists and Non-Religious People in BC. This is available for free on our website.
Nov 02, 2020•3 min•Season 2Ep. 2
This is the first section of our guide for anyone non-religious (humanist, atheist, agnostic) and living with the death of a loved one, or simply interested in learning more about the humanist perspective of life & death. For more information about end of life, including healthcare, advance care planning, legacy projects and emotional support, please see our first guide End of Life: A Guide for Humanists and Non-Religious People in BC. This is available for free on our website....
Nov 02, 2020•2 min•Season 2Ep. 1
This is a recording of an event originally held live on Zoom.
Oct 27, 2020•1 hr 20 min
This is final section of our guide for anyone non-religious (humanist, atheist, agnostic) preparing for their own, or witnessing a loved one at the end of their life. This guide is also for those who are simply interested in learning more about the humanist perspective of life & death. For information and support about experiencing a loss, please read our second guide, Memorials & Grief: A Guide for Humanists and Non-Religious People in BC . This is available for free on our website bchu...
Oct 19, 2020•55 sec•Season 1Ep. 9
This is part eight of our guide for anyone non-religious (humanist, atheist, agnostic) preparing for their own, or witnessing a loved one at the end of their life. This guide is also for those who are simply interested in learning more about the humanist perspective of life & death. For information and support about experiencing a loss, please read our second guide, Memorials & Grief: A Guide for Humanists and Non-Religious People in BC . This is available for free on our website bchuman...
Oct 19, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 8
This is part seven of our guide for anyone non-religious (humanist, atheist, agnostic) preparing for their own, or witnessing a loved one at the end of their life. This guide is also for those who are simply interested in learning more about the humanist perspective of life & death. For information and support about experiencing a loss, please read our second guide, Memorials & Grief: A Guide for Humanists and Non-Religious People in BC . This is available for free on our website bchuman...
Oct 19, 2020•3 min•Season 1Ep. 7
This is part six of our guide for anyone non-religious (humanist, atheist, agnostic) preparing for their own, or witnessing a loved one at the end of their life. This guide is also for those who are simply interested in learning more about the humanist perspective of life & death. For information and support about experiencing a loss, please read our second guide, Memorials & Grief: A Guide for Humanists and Non-Religious People in BC . This is available for free on our website bchumanis...
Oct 19, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 6
This is part five of our guide for anyone non-religious (humanist, atheist, agnostic) preparing for their own, or witnessing a loved one at the end of their life. This guide is also for those who are simply interested in learning more about the humanist perspective of life & death. For information and support about experiencing a loss, please read our second guide, Memorials & Grief: A Guide for Humanists and Non-Religious People in BC . This is available for free on our website bchumani...
Oct 19, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 5
