Steve Orsini has had a long and dedicated career in the service of Ontarians. He served as Deputy Minister of Finance and Secretary of the Treasury Board from 2011-2014 and Secretary of the Cabinet, Clerk of the Executive Council, Head of the Ontario Public Service (OPS) from 2014-2019. Steve Orsini is a distinguished fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto. You can find out more about Steve Orsini by visiting his profile page at the Munk School: http...
Jan 25, 2021•37 min
Dr. Charles Pascal. Charles is Professor of Applied Psychology and Human Development as OISE/UT. He also serves as special advisor to the Dean at that same institution. He has a long-standing and very deep commitment to the area of early childhood education and took a lead on the design and implementation of ONtario’s full day kindergarten program. As you’ll hear in our conversation, Charles Pascal in an interdisciplinary thinker who is concerned about our growing inability to see and talk acros...
Jan 25, 2021•51 min
In Canada, 52.2% of children in foster care are Indigenous, but account for only 7.7% of the child population. That is a staggering fact that should cause all of us to stand up and take action. Dr. Cindy Blackstock is one Canadian who continues to dedicate her life to education and action around the inequality in the way in which First Nations children are treated, especially by the structures developed and maintain by the highest levels of government. For Cindy Blackstock one of the places to l...
Jan 25, 2021•47 min
Marjorie Brans is an active member of intrapreneurial and entrepreneurial networks around the world and activated by a personal and professional desire to work towards equity, equality and justice. She is the founder of the School for Social Entrepreneurs and is a member of the League of Intrapreneurs. In this conversation, we explore this work, including, Maitri, her networked response to the COVID-19 crisis. Learn more about Marjorie by following her on Twitter (@marjorie_brans) or on LinkedIn...
Jan 25, 2021•30 min
Irvin Studin is Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Global Brief magazine, and President of the Institute for 21st Century Questions. He thinks deeply and provocatively about Canada’s place in the world and can be found at the intersections of geography, politics, national psychology and, as you’ll hear in this conversation—imagination. In this conversation, Irvin helps us map out some of the geo-political possibilities for the future, identifies some of the pivot points for our thinking, as both c...
Jan 25, 2021•55 min
Host Stephen Hurley is joined by Canadian-American journalist, David Frum, to discuss issues of policy, leadership and the threat of de-globalization in the context of the current COVID-19 crisis. Find out more about David’s work, including his newest book, “Trumpocalypse: The End-Times President, a Battle Against the Globalist Elite, and the Countdown to Armageddon ” by visiting https://davidfrum.com
Jan 25, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Peter Biro is a passionate advocate for human rights, resistance against unaccountable governments, corporate influence and technology. He is the founder of Section 1″, a an initiative calling all Canadians to a type of heroic citizenship in the face of some pretty serious threats to constitutional democracy, here and around the world. In this conversation, we use Peter’s soon-to-be-released book, Constitutional Democracy Under Stress: A Time for Heroic Citizenship, as a way into a rich conversa...
Jan 25, 2021•57 min
lexis Duclos is a Catalyst & intrapreneur. She’s focused on tech-driven social impact in Canada and the United States and is dedicated to helping organizations develop new models of operating. Well, those are the words that she’s written on her LinkedIn Profile but, as you’ll hear in this conversation, there’s a whole lot to the way she thinks about her work and her role in the world. Alexis is one of those people who loves and lives the questions very deeply, a disposition that allows her t...
Jan 25, 2021•26 min
David Price, OBE is a global thought leader, learning futurist and author, with a keen eye for how organizations learn, innovate and lean into the future. David’s highly-acclaimed book “OPEN: How We’ll Work, Live And Learn In The Future” sounds some very poignant tones in our current time as governments, social institutions and businesses try to make sense of life in a post-COVID world. His newest book, scheduled for a summer release, is “ The Power Of Us: How We Connect, Act And Innovate.” The ...
Jan 25, 2021•47 min
LEx Conversations is pleased to welcome Bob Rae, a man who has dedicated much of his life to public service. Between the years 1978 and 2013, Bob Rae served at both federal and provincial levels, leading the province of Ontario as premier from 1990-1995. Currently, Bob Rae works as a lawyer, a mediator and a teacher at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. He’s written 5 books on politics and public life and is both a Companion of the Order of Canada and a member of the Order of O...
Jan 25, 2021•37 min
Christian Madsbjerg is Professor of Applied Humanities at The New School and Co-Founder of the pioneering consultancy Red Associates. Christian insists that, in order to address the leadership crisis that exists in today’s world, we need a new way of seeing. The ability to talk and work across disciplines and traditional silos of thinking is rooted in the Phenomenological approaches of Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty and its an approach for which Christian Madsbjerg continues to advocate. In this co...
Jan 25, 2021•53 min
Today on the podcast, it’s London calling. We head to London England to catch up with Lenna Lou, a business consultant and the founder of the L Factor, an organization dedicating to helping small businesses and startups that dream of making the world a better place. Lenna and her team provide the business strategies, data and mentoring to help them get there, no matter where they are on their particular journey.. Lenna is also the head of the LEx London Circle. Find out more about Lenna’s work b...
Jan 25, 2021•20 min
We are being told by Silicon Valley that "there's never been a better time to be an artist", but the fact is that many artists are struggling to make ends meet on our current tech-driven landscape. So, what gives? This is one of the questions that WIlliam Deresiewicz takes up in his book, "The Death of the Artist: How Creators Are Struggling to Survive in the Age of Billionaires and Big Tech". It's one of the questions that we take up today with the author, himself and Canadian artist, Zainub Ve...
Jan 21, 2021•55 min
Robyn Gray is Superintendent of the Cowichan Valley School District in British Columbia. The district has moved through a very engaging strategic planning process and Robyn joined me today to talk about both the process and the plan. https://sd79.bc.ca/
Dec 07, 2020•31 min
Executive Director of Access Copyright, Roanie Levy is joined by authors Sylvia McNicoll and Any Stuart to discuss today's Canadian copyright landscape, what it means to educators, and what it means to authors.
Nov 15, 2020•40 min
Charles Ungerleider is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Educational Studies in the Faculty of Education and Director of Research and Managing Partner of Directions Evidence and Policy Research Group. A teacher, a former Deputy Minister of Education for the province of British Columbia, Charles is one of those people who continues to think very deeply about education.
Nov 06, 2020•28 min
Shani Diluka was born in Monaco to Sri Lankan parents. At the age of 6, she was chosen to participate in a special program for talented young musicians, sponsored by Princess Grace Kelly. The experience allowed her to become immersed in the world of classical music and to say that she hasn't looked back would be an understatement. In this conversation, we explore Ms. Diluka's musical education, her relationship with the vast heritage of western composers, but her recent exploration of how her Sr...
Nov 01, 2020•31 min
Thomas Homer-Dixon is Founder and Director of the Cascade Institute at Royal Roads University, and holds a University Research Chair in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Canada. He's the author of "The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization" and "The Ingenuity Gap". Thomas Homer-Dixon joins me to talk about his latest book, "Commanding Hope: The Power We Have to Renew a World in Peril" Find out more about today's guest by vis...
Oct 24, 2020•30 min
Steve Paikin is, arguably, Ontario's most trusted and respected public affairs journalists. Long-time host of TVO's Studio One and The Agenda, Steve Paikin has established a space for the type of dialogue so lacking in many of public conversations. It was great to connect with Steve about Ontario's political landscape, leadership within that space and the promise of active engagement among a new generation of citizens.
Sep 25, 2020•38 min
Irvin Studin is Editor-in-Chief at Global Brief Magazine and President of the Centre for 21st Century Questions. His recent opinion piece in Canada's Globe and Mail, "Canada needs a temporary Minister of Education", calls all Canadians into a much deeper conversation about the nature of our current education crisis. While not downplaying the importance of health and safety and the quality of learning environments, Irvin Studin suggests that Canadian students, and our wider society, suffer as the...
Sep 11, 2020•30 min
Privacy and Security expert, Claudiu Popa recently wrote an article in The Conversation that questions the notion that parents and teachers should have access and control over a child's computer password. Claudiu joins me today to dig deeper into the topic of privacy from a kid's perspective? You can find Claudiu's article in The Conversation here: https://theconversation.com/controlling-childrens-passwords-is-a-flagrant-breach-of-their-privacy-141031...
Sep 08, 2020•31 min
Valerie Irvine is an assistant professor of educational technology and co-director of the Technology Integration and Evaluation Research Lab in the University of Victoria’s faculty of education. Her recent article in The Tyee sheds light on the complexity and confusion around back-to-school in British Columbia. Valerie highlights several things that she would like to see considered in that province before opening the doors to the schoolhouse this year. You can access Valerie's article here: http...
Sep 05, 2020•32 min
David Price, OBE, is a global thought leader, learning futurist and author, specialising in how organisations learn, innovate and make themselves fit for the future. His newest book, "The Power of Us: How We Connect, Act and Innovate Together" takes us behind the scenes of some of the world’s most innovative organisations harnessing the power of collaboration and diverse thinking to effect real change – and demonstrates what we can learn from them. In this conversation, we take a 30 000 ft. view...
Sep 04, 2020•34 min
Dr. Erin Maloney is Assistant Professor, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa. Her research life focuses on the cognitive and emotional factors that influence math learning and the impact of parents and teachers on children’s learning. Erin joins us today to talk about how parents can set up a positive learn-at-home environment for children (and adults).
Sep 04, 2020•23 min
Dr. Dona Matthew is a Toronto-based psychoeducational consultant and freelance writer. She joins us today to speak about setting up the learn-at-home environment so that it doesn't centre on sitting in front of a computer all day. Lots of great tips in this companion piece from the Psychology Today blog: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/going-beyond-intelligence/202008/pandemic-homeschooling-play-work-create-and-listen...
Sep 04, 2020•36 min
Dr. Hetty Rooesingh teaches at the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. Dr. Roessingh's research interests include reading and vocabulary development, but she also has developed quite a following through her insistence that we return to teaching young children how to write cursively. In this episode, Dr. Roessingh extends that conversation to the art of taking handwritten notes. Whether you are an educator or a parent working with children at home, this conversation will ge...
Sep 01, 2020•23 min
Jessica Cooke is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Psychology, University of Calgary. She recently co-authored an article in The Conversation, "“How to help your child cope with the transition back to school during COVID-19”". The full article from The Conversation https://theconversation.com/how-to-help-your-child-cope-with-the-transition-back-to-school-during-covid-19-144530 Jessica joins us to talk about that article and some of the strategies that parents and families can use during this ...
Aug 27, 2020•19 min
Sue Bruyns is principal at Sir Arthur Curry Elementary School in the Thames Valley District School Board, Ontario. She has a robust and vibrant vision for family engagement and she joins me today to talk about the work of her Council since the COVID-19 shutdown, as well as their plans for engagement in the year to come.
Aug 27, 2020•16 min
Sydney Chapados is a Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Sociology at Carleton University in Ottawa. Her recent article in The Conversation (Canada), asks some interesting questions about the way that we are talking to children about back to school, the information that we are providing our children and the ways in which we are seeking their input. You can find Sydney's article here: https://theconversation.com/as-schools-prepare-to-reopen-during-covid-19-are-the-kids-alright-142976 Follow Sydn...
Aug 20, 2020•24 min
Doug McDowall is a retired Ontario teacher who still keeps an eye on things, bringing his unique sense of humour to the world of politics, education and a whole lot more. In this rather meandering conversation about how we met, the emergence of edtech and more, we discovered that Doug really needs his own podcast. So stay tuned for that!
Aug 19, 2020•28 min
