Monday, August 9th saw Hamilton City Council vote 10-2 to remove the homeless encampments. This vote specifically removes a Superior Court injunction that prevented the tent cities from being removed. Renewed regular enforcement will resume in 3 weeks. Scott spoke with the Councillor who introduced the motion, Jason Farr. GUEST: Jason Farr, Ward 2 Councillor Hamilton As the situation in Afghanistan quickly deteriorates, in light of the US army's departure from the region, many people are wonderi...
Aug 12, 2021•49 min
Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) Some people really, really love certain bands to the point of getting tattoos of them. A mother from New Zealand may have taken that love to a whole new level when she decided to name her kids after three of her favourite heavy metal bands, Metallica, Pantera and Slayer. Let's hope that her kids will grow up to share her love for metal. 2) Extracting teeth is not something just anybody can do. Years of schooling, examination and practice mus...
Aug 11, 2021•8 min
All around the world, there is a growing anti-government sentiment. Where is this feeling coming from and where could we see it lead to? Guest: Bill Kelly, Host, The Bill Kelly Show, Global News Radio 900 CHML - Licensing private rental properties is the basis of a new pilot project that got the green light from Hamilton City Council today. Why do they want to license these properties and how would it work? Guest: John Paul Danko, Ward 8 City Councillor, City of Hamilton - When you lose one of t...
Aug 11, 2021•46 min
Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) The Olympics added some new sports to its long list of disciplines and sports which has prompted a guy to petition the International Olympic Committee to add another. He, and others, think that it's an "injustice" that the heart-racing, high-octane sport of Yu-Gi-Oh! (a trading card game) is not a part of the Games. Could we see the Olympics relent and welcome this as its next sport or could it be banished to the Shadow Realm instead? 2) Sce...
Aug 10, 2021•8 min
How can you get today's kids interested in the news? Is it just a matter of interest or perhaps it's attention span that's lacking? Guest: Joyce Grant, Freelance Journalist, Children's Author & Co-Founder, TeachingKidsNews.com - When people in the sports world make moves that will get them massive amounts of money, and they're from Hamilton, you can bet that Scott and Don Robertson will talk about it! Also, is it time for the Canadian Premier League to launch a women's league that'll run par...
Aug 10, 2021•51 min
Jun 25, 2021•38 min
Ontario’s big city mayors call for decriminalization of drugs and Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward joins Scott to talk more about what this may look like. Also addressing a few common misconceptions about decriminalization. There have been some rumblings that Live Aid may come back in aid of COVID this time. Scott brought on music publicist Eric Alper for this one. And Bubba O'Neil from CHCH discusses the state of NHL and MLB officiating. Is it ruining the sports as some commentators say? Or ...
Jun 24, 2021•48 min
The HSR has a new director in charge. As the new director for the HSR, Maureen Cosyn Heath is going to face some new challenges. Is she ready? What challenges await her? Guest: Maureen Cosyn Heath, Transit Director HSR, London school bus CAO. Paul Bernardo's parole hearing has taken place, and to many Canadian's relief, it didn't go well for Bernardo. But why should he have a parole hearing when many Canadians believe he won't be released? Guest: Jeff Manishen, Criminal Lawyer & Associate Co...
Jun 23, 2021•46 min
Hamilton legend Ron Foxcroft has recently launched his new book "The 40 Ways of the Fox", and he joins Scott on the podcast to talk more about it. Guest: Ron Foxcroft, Philanthropist, Founder & CEO, Fox 40 International Inc and Chairman, President & CEO, Fluke Transport & Basketball Referee The U.S. Open took place yesterday, and with it, Canadian golfer Mackenzie Hughes finishing 15th, potentially making Canadian golf history. Also, the Olympics, and their absurd COVID restrictions ...
Jun 22, 2021•52 min
This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton features Jen Watson who joins Scott to talk about cancelling Canada Day, students being sent home for wearing inappropriate clothing, embarrassing stories, removing honours programs from high school and more. Guest: Jen Watson, Voice Actor, McQueenVoiceOvers.com & former CHML News Anchor & Reporter
Jun 19, 2021•54 min
A new Angus-Reid poll found that many people think the price of things are increasing more than they actually are. What is making people think this? Guest: Marvin Ryder, Associate Professor of Marketing, DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University - There are collections of pretty much everything under the sun but one man in Hamilton likes collecting letters and signatures from people who never intended to be famous but rather found themselves thrust into historical moments. How does he get...
Jun 18, 2021•51 min
Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) When your drugs get seized by the police it's best to just cut your losses and leave. This guy, instead, made his first stop, presumably after posting bail, the drug lockup to get his drugs back. Clearly all of the previous bad ideas didn't get the message across so let's add trying to raid the police station and City Hall to the list! 2) Sometimes YouTube's algorithms take you on a ride to learn about topics you never would have searched on...
Jun 17, 2021•8 min
As we approach the end of the school year, there are a lot of Grade 12 students who aren't sure where they should go next. Is Grade 13 the way to go or is progressing into post-secondary education what students should do? Guest: Michele Vesprini, Guidance Counselor, St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School - There are two stories unfolding on opposing ends of the country that aren't dissimilar however the way politicians are treating it is night and day. What's going on in Alberta and Quebec? G...
Jun 17, 2021•51 min
Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) Girl Guide cookie sales have dropped through the floor thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and now they're sitting on 15 million boxes of cookies! Oh what I'd do to get into that warehouse... 2) Unfortunately McDonald's Happy Meals aren't served all day long much to the dismay of this guy. How did he react to this news? By threatening to execute everyone in the restaurant! 3) Simply wearing your underwear over your pants and putting on a cape is...
Jun 16, 2021•8 min
We now know what it would cost to run the LRT in Hamilton... we think. Have all the questions been answered or is there still more to discover? Guest: Lloyd Ferguson, Ward 12 Councillor, City of Hamilton - Some new concerns are on the rise over cannabis use but this time it's revolving around children's use of it. Is this something that actually merits concern or is a ruckus being made about nothing? Guest: Dr. James MacKillop. Peter Boris Chair in Addictions Research. Director of the Peter Bori...
Jun 16, 2021•45 min
This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton features Neil Lumsden who joins Scott to talk about the reopening of restaurant patios and loosened restrictions in Ontario, taking another look at our history through the lens of today's standards, bringing back things from our youth and more. Guest: Neil Lumsden, Vanier Cup Champion, Grey Cup Champion, CFL Hall of Fame Member, former Athletic Director of Brock University & Amazing Race Canada Contestant...
Jun 12, 2021•56 min
Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) School's aren't often fully evacuated unless under the most dire of situations like say, a bobcat in the school. Whoever called in this bobcat sighting needs their eyes checked because when the school was finally cleared, it was found to be nothing more than a house cat. 2) Semi-trucks and the trailers they tow are truly some of the most important things to ensuring our society and its businesses can function. Unfortunately things occasional...
Jun 04, 2021•8 min
A parole hearing is coming up for Paul Bernardo but everyone is asking, is there really a chance at him being released from his life sentence? Guest: Tim Danson, Lawyer representing the French and Mahaffy families - The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed many weaknesses in our education system. This is something that Dr. Paul Bennett has helped distill down to 5 headlines that describe what exactly is going on with our students, teachers and the system as a whole. Guest: Dr. Paul Bennett, Founding D...
Jun 04, 2021•49 min
A long meeting was held at Hamilton City Hall between Councillors and the head of Metrolinx about the proposed LRT system. Was anything accomplished? Guest: Chad Collins, Ward 5 Councillor, City of Hamilton - The Prime Minister said that Quebec can call itself a nation unto itself with the ability to make unilateral changes to the Canadian Constitution. One such change would be the ability to declare French its only official language. By that standard, could any other province declare English to...
Jun 03, 2021•46 min
Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) Dead bodies decompose & get extremely smelly over time, that's a fact. A court inquest uncovered that someone, who was knowingly living with a dead body, decided to fight that stench with the help of 70 bottles of air freshener. At what point does someone decide that they've got to get rid of something? 2) Art is something that often finds its place coming from the mind and heart but an Italian sculptor has taken that to a whole new leve...
Jun 02, 2021•8 min
Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) If you were to buy a lottery ticket, you generally want it to be in the drawing you want. This lady didn't have that experience as she entered 3 minutes late which put her into the next drawing. It might not be the lottery she wanted but it sure was the outcome she was hoping for, winning a cool $2 million. 2) Pulling a sports jersey off is usually straight forward and any professional player has done it thousands of times. A pro baseball pl...
Jun 01, 2021•8 min
It's rather well known that governments aren't always the best when it comes to spending money and, unfortunately, that trend is continuing. The federal government will be spending $17.7 billion next year just on consultants. Couple that with the fact that the federal government has approximately 380,000 civil servants and it starts making you wonder why there's so many people who can't do the job on their own. Guest: Stephen LeDrew, Political Commentator; Host, The LeDrew Three Minute Interview...
Jun 01, 2021•47 min
This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton features Scot Urquhart who joins Scott to talk about the price of tickets to see the Toronto Maple Leafs play against the Montreal Canadiens, Hamilton's proposed LRT system, a rise in the number of smokers worldwide, whether you would want to know if you'll get Alzheimer's before you start showing symptoms and more. Guest: Scot Urquhart, Co-Host, The Hamilton Network, Cable 14
May 29, 2021•52 min
It seems like there's a nice thick layer of pollen coating every surface in Hamilton this spring. Where did it all come from and what exactly is pollen? Is there any reason it's here in such abundance? Guest: Barbara McKean, Head of Education, Royal Botanical Gardens - Is this the year we'll see the Toronto Maple Leafs continue all the way to win the Stanley Cup? If this first round between the Maple Leafs & Canadiens is anything to go off of, things are looking good for the Leafs. Guest: Ri...
May 28, 2021•45 min
Ontario's education system seems to love moving students forward but hates to keep them back regardless of their readiness to progress to the next grade. What happens if a parent doesn't think their kid is ready for the next grade? What can they do? Guest: Monika Ferenczy, Education Expert, Consultant & Author - Metronlinx will be sending its big wigs to Hamilton City Council to answer some questions about the proposed LRT system. What do Councillors want to know? Guest: Lloyd Ferguson, Ward...
May 27, 2021•47 min
Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) When the graduating class pulls a prank, there's usually some appreciation for the genius with a pinch of insanity needed to a good one work. These students weren't that lucky instead getting suspended just long enough to miss the graduation ceremony. 2) There isn't often a lot of overlap between the mentality of a criminal and a police officer. This is one of those rare occasions where the officer was probably just as surprised as the crimi...
May 26, 2021•9 min
You would have been considered a hardcore conspiracy theorist a while back if you said that COVID-19 was created in a Wuhan lab but is there a chance that that might be the case? Guest: Dr. Charles Burton, Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute, Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad - It would appear that there's a shift in people's usage and opinion of self-checkout vs. cashier. More people are starting to use the self-checkout lane despite a previous aversion to them. What has cha...
May 26, 2021•51 min
The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton welcomes Annette Hamm back to the show to talk about Hamilton's COVID Memorial Wall, CHCH's new building, an investigation into Martin Bashir's interview with Princess Diana, unkempt lawns and more. Guest: Annette Hamm, Co-host, Morning Live, CHCH-TV
May 22, 2021•53 min
The announcement has been made and it sounds like Ontario is going to be allowed to slowly start opening back up. What does the plan put forward by Doug Ford mean for Hamilton? Guest: Paul Johnson, Director, Emergency Operations Centre, City of Hamilton - Hamilton is now the third least affordable city in North America to live in. This puts it above Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Seattle, Chicago and many more. The two cities that are even less affordable than Hamilton are Toronto & Vanc...
May 21, 2021•50 min
May 20, 2021•15 min
