Should everyone go to University? If they do, will their post graduate salaries be close to their expectations? Guest: Trevor Buttrum, Executive Director Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers With the ongoing effects of the pandemic on education, does reintroducing Grade 13 makes sense? Guest: Paul Bennett, Director and Lead Researcher of School House Institute After the Leafs game four defeat to the Lightning, what is the outlook for the rest of the series? What is standing in ...
May 10, 2022•1 hr 10 min
This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton features Jamie West who joins Scott to talk about whether people can handle a joke anymore, whether or not Hamiltonians should have to pay the same taxes regardless of the services they receive, swearing in politics and more. Guest: Jamie West, Host, The Jamie West Podcast & CEO, Westpro Media
May 07, 2022•55 min
If you spend any amount of time with your eyes open, you'll see an advertisement for some gambling site. Does constantly getting bombarded by these ads at all time of day make you want to place a bet or change the channel? Guest: Rick Zamperin, Host of Good Morning Hamilton & The 5th Quarter, News Director & Sports Director, 900 CHML - With Mother's Day only days away, Scott welcomes Dr. Jean Chamberlain who's done incredible work to improve women's health in developing nations. How is t...
May 06, 2022•44 min
What makes a politician more likely to be voted in? Well as we approach an election here in Ontario, a professor has written an article about who he thinks will win and why. Scott welcomes that same professor to the show to talk more about this and why people are more likely to vote for one type of politician than another. Guest: Dr. Robert Danisch, Professor, Department of Communication Arts, University of Waterloo - If you take a look at pictures from back in the day circa 1970, you might noti...
May 05, 2022•24 min
May 9 is known as Victory Day in Russia, marking the defeat of the Nazis in World War II. The intelligence community is warning that there's a chance Vladimir Putin may use the holiday to increase his war effort against Ukraine. What would this look like and what could it mean for the conflict & the world as a whole? Guest: Dr. Christian Leuprecht, Professor at both the Royal Military College of Canada and Queen's University, and a Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute - The NFL draft is...
May 04, 2022•45 min
The Green Party of Ontario's leader, Mike Schreiner, was in Hamilton today where he made a few campaign promises. Scott welcomes Mike to the show to talk more about what he wants to get done, his thoughts on potentially working with the other parties and more. Guest: Mike Schreiner, Leader, Green Party of Ontario - The war in Ukraine has interrupted a major element in the world's food supply. How large will this impact be? Dr. Sylvain Charlebois has written an article about this exact topic and ...
May 03, 2022•54 min
This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton features Lorraine Sommerfeld who joins Scott to talk about the safety of Hamilton's streets, trusting autonomous cars, creating laws for space, equalizing the workforce, the prospect of kissing each other through the internet someday and more. Guest: Lorraine Sommerfeld, Auto Writer with Post Media; Motherlode columnist, The Hamilton Spectator; Host, Lemon Aid Car Show
Apr 30, 2022•56 min
Ontario has released its proposed budget however as we near a provincial election, you can be sure a portion of it was made with reelection in mind. Does any of it come as a surprise? How likely are we to see changes made to it? Guest: Dr. Eric Kam, Professor, Macroeconomics, Toronto Metropolitan University - 24 Sussex Drive is known to many as the home of the Prime Minister however it currently is anything but. We hear about how it's fallen into disrepair and how the PM doesn't even live in it....
Apr 29, 2022•32 min
The most recent census information released included the topic of aging. How will things like housing and medical attention be addressed differently to address Canada's aging and aged population? Guest: Dr. Lauren Griffith, Co-Principal Investigator, Canadian Longitudinal Study On Aging; Associate Professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence & Impact, McMaster University - A press release from the CFL was sent out today announcing some changes that are being made to the g...
Apr 28, 2022•32 min
Maintaining a city costs a lot of money but the income doesn't always match the costs a city faces so what's a council to do? Guest: Maureen Wilson, Councillor, Ward 1, City of Hamilton - We've just seen a ton of spending be done by Doug Ford's Conservative government thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic however as we near a provincial election, it seems like every party is announcing billions and billions in spending. Why isn't anyone considering cutting back spending and trying to get things back i...
Apr 27, 2022•43 min
A judicial inquiry into the Red Hill Valley Parkway began today and as this inquiry begins, there are lawsuits waiting in the queue to enter the courts. One such lawsuit is a class-action worth $250 million and the lawyer leading this suit joins Scott to talk more about what his suit is hoping to achieve and why it's being pursued. Guest: Rob Hooper, Lawyer, Grosso Hooper Law - As the Ontario provincial election nears, the political parties are putting out their platforms just as the NDP did tod...
Apr 26, 2022•57 min
Scott welcomes Mike Fortune back to the show for this week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton. Together they tackle topics like gun bans, the passing of Guy Lafleur, becoming one of the few to score a perfect game of Pacman, tuning out from the troubles of the world, fasting from social media and more. Guest: Mike Fortune, Co-host, The Hamilton Network, Cable 14
Apr 23, 2022•56 min
This year marks the highest rate of inflation in 3 decades! It's not something we should celebrate but it certainly is something that we need to talk about. Guest: Dr. Eric Kam, Professor, Macroeconomics, Ryerson University - How do we feel about the government in Ottawa? It's a question that has varying answers depending on where you live but if there's one thing that appears to be prevalent, it's a sense of pessimism. Guest: Nik Nanos, Chief Data Scientist & Founder, Nanos Research - This ...
Apr 22, 2022•39 min
Steven Del Duca, leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, joins Scott to talk about some of the things he wants to enact should be voted in as premier of Ontario and how he plans on actually getting them done. Guest: Steven Del Duca, Leader, Ontario Liberal Party - The Hamilton Bulldogs are crushing the competition this year in the OHL. The entire regular season yielded only 4 losses which means there's an obviously huge amount of pressure on the team. Luckily they've got loads of talent in the form...
Apr 21, 2022•44 min
We've seen many city councillors move on to provincial and federal politics under the banners of various parties while others have come from those domains into municipal politics. Is having municipal politicians associated with political parties something that we should strive for or avoid altogether? Guest: Larry Di Ianni, Host & Community Producer, Cable 14 & Former Hamilton Mayor - When athletes, coaches and general managers do poor jobs, they get replaced however this doesn't seem to...
Apr 20, 2022•37 min
What's the likelihood of voter support surging to the federal Conservatives if they had Pierre Poilievre at the helm? A study found something interesting about how voters would feel about the Tories should Poilievre be chosen as their leader. Guest: Kate Harrison, Vice Chair, Summa Strategies - When its the 7th inning and you've got a pitcher who's been so far throwing a perfect game with only 80 pitches thrown, why would anyone think it's a good idea to swap him out? Scott wants to get to the b...
Apr 15, 2022•44 min
The Bank of Canada has raised our national interest rate but how will it actually influence the scourge of inflation? Will we be seeing any meaningful changes or will this simply be an ineffective method hailed as a way of fighting inflation? Guest: Marvin Ryder, Associate Professor of Marketing, DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University - A study has found that surgeons who were operating while listening to hard rock were able to do the same quality of work but faster. How is it that a s...
Apr 14, 2022•32 min
If you've seen the movie "Schindler's List" you probably remember a little girl who wore a red dress as the symbol hope. She has grown up and is now helping Ukrainians who are fleeing the war by way of the Polish border. Scott welcomes her onto the show from the Polish-Ukrainian border to talk about her life after the movie, why she's helping at the border and more. Guest: Oliwia Dabrowska, 'The Girl In The Red Dress' from Schindler's List & Volunteer at the Ukrainian-Polish border helping U...
Apr 13, 2022•21 min
Gilbert Gottfried may have passed on today but a wonderful video will live on for a long time. That video happens to involve Karen Cumming, a then-reporter with CHCH, who had an opportunity to interview Gottfried which turned into a laughing fit like no other. She joins Scott to relive that moment and more. Guest: Karen Cumming, Former Reporter, CHCH-TV, Mars 100 Candidate & Author - There's word about a potential rise that may be coming to our interest rate. What kind of implications would ...
Apr 13, 2022•41 min
The government wants to get rid of disinformation online but at the same time, there are politicians who've spread disinformation themselves! How can this actually be enacted while making sure that any punishment is dealt to everyone and not just those the government disagrees with? Guest: Stephen LeDrew, Political Commentator; Host, The LeDrew Three Minute Interview; Former President, Liberal Party of Canada - CHCH has a new home here in Hamilton! One of the first people to help break it in is ...
Apr 12, 2022•59 min
This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton features Jay McQueen who joins Scott to talk about the safety of Hamilton's streets, inspecting kids' backpacks for too many snacks at school, freedom of speech in the classroom and more. Guests: Jay McQueen, Weather Reporter, Global News Radio 900 CHML & Real Estate Agent, Realty Network
Apr 09, 2022•55 min
The newest federal budget has been released which means Canadians get to find out how their hard-earned money is being spent. What is the goal of this budget and what are the notable parts of it? Guest: Dr. Ian Lee, Associate Professor, Sprott School of Business, Carleton University - Whenever major decisions concerning any group of people is made, efforts should be made to consult those it affects most. This isn't always the case with the homeless which is why some people are undertaking this t...
Apr 08, 2022•44 min
Stelco Holdings Inc., at a city planning meeting, asked the city to consider rezoning 800 acres of surplus land on Wilcox street. Guest: John Paul Danko, Ward 8 City Councillor, City of Hamilton - Are we disliking each other more in Canada? A survey conducted by the Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research seems to say that this is so. Guest: Jason Disano, Director, Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research - Eric Alper tweeted recently "On this day in 1994, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was foun...
Apr 07, 2022•37 min
Boris Brott, one of the most internationally recognized Canadian conductors, was the victim in a fatal hit-and-run in Hamilton on April 5, 2022. He was the founder and artistic director of the National Academy Orchestra of Canada and the Brott Music Festival, both based in Hamilton. Guest: Steve Paikin, Canadian journalist, author, and documentary producer - When the war in Ukraine comes to an end, will there be any tangible justice served? Will those who've committed things like war crimes and ...
Apr 06, 2022•42 min
Is it time for teachers to regain discipline in the classroom? How would this even be done and is it something that can be done effectively? Guest: Michael Zwaagstra, Columnist; Senior Fellow, Frontier Centre for Public Policy; Author, " A Sage on the Stage: Common Sense Reflections on Teaching and Learning " & Public High School Teacher in Manitoba - Don Robertson joins the show every Monday to talk all about what's going on in the sports world and there's definitely no shortage of things t...
Apr 05, 2022•48 min
One of the things we've heard a lot about when it comes to Hamilton's hotly contested LRT project is that affordable housing can be built along the route but has that opportunity been missed? Guest: Karl Andrus, Community Benefits Manager, Hamilton Community Benefits Network - Back in 1986, Canada played in the FIFA World Cup for its first and, so far, only time. Tonight might change that as Team Canada is right on the door step of making it for a second time. Scott welcomes the goaltender from ...
Mar 25, 2022•38 min
How should Hamilton go about managing homeless encampments here in the city's parks? The City of Hamilton had a sit down where this topic came up, Scott speaks with one of the councilors who's been involved in these talks. Guest: Jason Farr, Ward 2 Councillor, City of Hamilton - Eric Alper joins the show again to talk about who are some of Canada's most underrated and overrated musical acts are. Guest: Eric Alper, Publicist, Music Commentator & Shameless Idealist...
Mar 24, 2022•34 min
It's not being called a coalition but it might as well be one between the federal Liberal and NDP parties that will secure the Liberal's government until 2025 while fulfilling what the NDP have been calling for. The catch is that of all those government programs there's nothing about how to they're going to pay for them nor grow the economy. Surely this means the one thing no one likes to hear, more and higher taxes for everyone! Guest: Jay Goldberg, Ontario Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federati...
Mar 23, 2022•31 min
As we hear more and more about the atrocities coming out of Ukraine, you have to start asking whether or not the old adage, "All is fair in love and war," is a true statement or just something people like to say to sound cool. What are the rules of war, if any, and do they apply to both sides equally? Guest: Dr. Christian Leuprecht, Professor at both the Royal Military College of Canada and Queen's University, and a Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute - On World Down Syndrome Day, you'll b...
Mar 22, 2022•1 hr
This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton features Mike Fortune who joins Scott to talk about staying and fighting to defend Canada if we were invaded, the driver who caused the Humboldt Broncos accident in the process of being deported, doing silly things as kids and more. Guest: Mike Fortune, Co-host, The Hamilton Network, Cable 14
Mar 19, 2022•58 min
