Interests rates continue to jump as Canadians continue to owe money. With more money going to paying down the interest on debt, what does this mean for the economy on a larger scale? Guest: Dr. Eric Kam, Professor of Macroeconomics, Monetary Economics, International Monetary Economics, Implications of Monetary Growth, Toronto Metropolitan University - For the first time in decades, vinyl record sales topped CD sales. Why has this medium for listening to music made such a resurgence? Guest: Larry...
Mar 15, 2023•31 min
It would appear that the numbers haven't moved for Doug Ford in either direction despite the controversies that have been coming up for him. What's made for this to be the case and how hasn't he, or his party, slipped or gained in popularity? Guest: David Coletto, Founding Partner & CEO, Abacus Data - Should a sports league ever be allowed to publicly criticize the referees and linesmen? What should be done if they do? And Scott spent how much for tickets to a sports game? It's all coming up...
Mar 14, 2023•49 min
This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton Radio features Jamie West who joins Scott to talk about why there seems to be more weather-related school closures now versus before, the impending increase to Hamiltonians' taxes, preventing our children from learning how to overcome challenging situations and more. Guest: Jamie West, Founder & CEO, Westpro Media
Mar 11, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Canadian MPs are set to receive another pay raise pretty soon. Yes, another one. HOW? Wouldn't it be great to get a raise of about $5,000? How about a little over $10,000? Guest: Franco Terrazzano, Federal Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation - Would a concert like Live Aid work today? It looks like we won't have to wonder because it sounds like a lot of work is being put in for exactly that only this one will be in support of Ukraine. Guest: Eric Alper, Publicist, Music Commentator & Sha...
Mar 10, 2023•30 min
Brantford is talking about building a new 5,000-seat arena to keep the Bulldogs around. Guest: Kevin Davis, Mayor of Brantford - The latest on the Chinese election meddling and the government's response. Guest: Kate Harrison, Vice Chair, Summa Strategies - Is the NHL REALLY thinking of putting an expansion team in Atlanta? Again? And, how will the addition of a pitch clock change baseball? Guest: Bubba O'Neil, Sports Anchor, CHCH-TV...
Mar 09, 2023•44 min
Hamiltonians were hit with a tax increase last year and it's looking like this year will be following suit. The catch is that this year will see a much larger jump. How necessary is this increase and what will the money collected go towards? Guest: Tom Jackson, Ward 6 Councillor, City of Hamilton - A documentary about MuchMusic is set to come out. Whether you know about this staple TV channel or not, this documentary will set the stage and tell the story of the place that built many careers. Gue...
Mar 08, 2023•35 min
Guests: Trudeau just held a press conference this afternoon to address the recent news about Election meddling from China… It sure was something. Stephen LeDrew Could some of downtown Hamilton's vacant office buildings be turned into residential? Would that even be a good idea? Judy Lam. Sports talk with Don Robertson. Are the Leafs cursed? Also, the NHL Draft Lottery is coming up. And, John Morant in trouble for his night at the club. Don Robertson....
Mar 07, 2023•55 min
Guests: We're getting close to hearing what the tax increase is going to be here in Hamilton. In a letter to council, the head of the Realtors' Association says Hamilton is becoming too expensive. Lou Piriano The Jays first spring training game drew more viewers on TV than any other team's average for regular season games. Are we that great a fan base or is something else going on? Steve Foxcroft Another very realistic deepfake is confusing people like the Joe-Rogan-Justin Trudeau one did a few ...
Mar 02, 2023•1 hr 5 min
A new by the U.S. Energy Department says COVID probably did start in a Wuhan lab. What does this mean? Guest: Charles Burton, Senior Fellow, Centre for Advancing Canada's Interests Abroad at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute - The Prime Minister says Canada will not hold an inquiry into Chinese interference in our election. Should we? Guest: Stephen LeDrew, Political Commentator; Host, The LeDrew Three Minute Interview; Former President, Liberal Party of Canada - Don Robertson is not unavailable f...
Feb 28, 2023•55 min
Sending a large delegation can make sense in certain scenarios but why would someone from the government need a hotel room that costs $6,000 a night? Even more puzzling is why the federal government is going to such lengths to try and hide who was staying in that room? Guest: Franco Terrazzano, Federal Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation - Becoming a Canadian citizen is the aim of many immigrants both past and present however the rate of people becoming citizens has dropped drastically. Why ...
Feb 17, 2023•52 min
A U.S. study suggests half of the people believe the media is not just biased but intentionally misleading them. How did we get here? Guest: Don Gibb, Professor Emeritus, School of Journalism, Toronto Metropolitan University - The federal government is about to start negotiating with 300,000 employees who surely all want raises. How is this going to go? Guest: Tim Powers, Chairman of Summa Strategies and Managing Director of Abacus Data - A terrific new documentary is out about former Ticats own...
Feb 16, 2023•45 min
Hamilton's Commonwealth Games bid is something that we've heard much about over the years however it sounds like that will be coming to an end. Guest: PJ Mercanti, CEO, Carmen’s Group & President, Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group - Science now tells us coffee is terrible for some of us. The catch? We can't easily know if we're one of the ones for whom it's terrible. So enjoy your morning java... Guest: Dr. Sara Mahdavi, Researcher with the Department of Community and Family Medici...
Feb 15, 2023•25 min
UFO is one of those acronyms that brings about many preconceived notions. Despite this, Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) are being identified with some frequency and now we're hearing about them being shot down. While this probably doesn't have anything to do with aliens, what does it mean? Is it a sign of something larger? Guest: Chris Rutkowski, Ufologist - A Yale professor is suggesting the solution to government overspending on the elderly in Japan is mandated euthanasia. Sounds crazy. But ...
Feb 14, 2023•55 min
This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton Radio features Mike Fortune who joins Scott to talk about why it seems like pretty much everyone is on their phone recording everything at sporting events rather than living in the moment and watching with their eyes, if imprisoned criminals should be granted leniency for donating organs, local politicians infusing party politics into their own politics, whether the conversation of introducing a private element into Canadian healthcar...
Feb 11, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Why do we feel that we shouldn't have to pay for some things? We don't expect to receive a car for free but why do we expect to get other things for free? Guest: Marvin Ryder, Professor of Marketing, DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University - Is a big buildup of Russian troops an indication that Russia will be attempting a large offensive against Ukraine? Guest: Christian Leuprecht, Professor at both the Royal Military College of Canada and Queen's University; Fellow, Macdonald Laurier I...
Feb 10, 2023•39 min
There has been a lot happening at Hamilton City Hall lately from protesters interrupting a meeting to a councillor getting ejected from another. What happened and what was it like being the Committee Chair for both of these events? Guest: Brad Clark, Ward 9 Councillor, City of Hamilton - It's no secret that streaming content has reshaped the world of entertainment especially television. What will TV look like in the next 5 years? This question was answered by several TV executives who had some i...
Feb 09, 2023•33 min
The Hamilton Bulldogs will be needing a new home while FirstOntario Centre gets some much needed renovations. This means that the usual patronage that many downtown businesses see will be dropping as multiple seasons will be played elsewhere in addition to the many concerts and events that get held at the arena. How big of an impact will this have on Hamilton's downtown? Guest: Ryan McHugh, Manager, Tourism & Events, City of Hamilton - The question of how much money should one have before re...
Feb 08, 2023•26 min
Pierre Poilievre has been using the talking point of Canada being broken but do Canadians agree with that sentiment? Guest: Andrew Enns, Executive Vice-President, Central Canada, Leger - The topic of ChatGPT, an AI program capable of producing original essays and writing, has come to the forefront especially with regards to how it can impact the education system. How will educators manage the likelihood of students turning in schoolwork that's been completed by the AI program? What does a high s...
Feb 07, 2023•1 hr
This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton Radio features none other than CHML's own Diana Weeks! She's on maternity leave right now but that doesn't mean she's keeping away from the microphone as she and Scott talk about everything from infertility to a high-ranked restaurant that doesn't exist. Guest: Diana Weeks, Mom-to-be & Afternoon News Anchor, 900 CHML
Feb 04, 2023•1 hr 9 min
What has Willie Nelson done at 90 to suddenly earn a nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? And other questions from the typically puzzling annual announcement. Guest: Eric Alper, Publicist & Music Commentator - A new report says many of Canada's grocery stores will be cashless within five years. Digital currency only. Is this wise? Is this where we should be going with our financial system? Guest: Brett Scott, Author of Cloud Money...
Feb 03, 2023•29 min
Once interest rates rise enough to control inflation, do we lower them again? In other words, are we ever going back to the way things were? Guest: Dr. Eric Kam, Professor of Macroeconomics, Toronto Metropolitan University - Social media has not been kind to the NFL officials from last weekend to the point that #NFLrigged has been trending on Twitter. By most accounts, it was a mess. And it wasn't just these games. It's been a mess a lot lately. Are officials getting worse or is the job simply g...
Feb 01, 2023•35 min
Billions of dollars were sent to people and businesses who aren't eligible to receive CERB. This was known at the time and we were told it would be sorted out at a later time but now the CRA is saying that it isn't worth their time to go and collect that money that shouldn't have even been sent in the first place. Even though it's known who received the money and how much they received, where is the challenge? Guest: Duff Conacher, Co-Founder, Democracy Watch - On this day in 1969, The Beatles p...
Jan 31, 2023•1 hr 3 min
This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton Radio features CHML's own Dave Woodard who joins the show to talk about everything from the CRA saying that recovering the billions of dollars that were sent to people who shouldn't have received CERB isn't worth their time to TV shows that couldn't be made today. Guest: Dave Woodard, Afternoon News Anchor, 900 CHML
Jan 28, 2023•1 hr 4 min
There is some big news for John Mulwa, the Kenyan refugee who is due to be deported on Saturday. His lawyer joins us to explain. Guest: Joshua Makori, Immigration Lawyer - Should the provincial government be spending hundreds of millions of dollars on four or five World Cup soccer matches in 2026? Some are saying it's way too much for too little. Guest: Neil Lumsden, Ontario's Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport & MPP, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek...
Jan 27, 2023•34 min
We learned yesterday on the show that our poor operator, Ben, has failed miserably at watching many of the greatest movies ever made. Jaws? No. The Godfather? Nope. Titanic? Uh uh. The list goes on and on. Time to set him on the right track. What are the movies a young man needs to watch this year to catch up?
Jan 13, 2023•38 min
There have been a series of high-profile crimes recently involving kids. When should adult charges be levied? Guest: Jeff Manishen, Criminal Defence Lawyer, Ross & McBride; Former Crown Attorney - The federal government spends millions and millions of dollars on consultants. Not long ago Hamilton was being hammered for this. Considering the size of our public service, how come people in government can't do this work? Guest: Larry Di Ianni, Former Mayor of Hamilton & Lobbyist...
Jan 13, 2023•24 min
Educators are worried about a new AI program that is now capable of producing essays that pass as authentic. Are we heading toward a new reality in teaching in which cheating is impossible to detect? Guest: Natalie Wexler, Education Writer & Author of The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System—And How to Fix It - It's starting to sound like our property taxes are going to be going way up? Is this true? Guest: John Paul Danko, Ward 8 City Councilor, City of Hamil...
Jan 12, 2023•46 min
Jan 11, 2023•1 hr 3 min
GUESTS: Alvis Violo - "The Autograph Boss" What is the value of a signature now? Don Robertson - President of the Dundas Real McCoys joins Scott for his weekly hour of sports talk
Jan 10, 2023•1 hr 17 min
With another Friday comes another edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton Radio! This week, Scott welcomes Tim Bolen from CHCH who is now co-hosting Morning Live! which makes him the perfect kind of person to tackle a myriad of topics. Today's docket includes the whole Meghan and Harry wanting to be the most public private citizens in the world, if Canada's win at the World Junior Championship is enough to wipe the Hockey Canada scandal out of people's minds, what you would do if you f...
Jan 07, 2023•1 hr 6 min
