Exponential with Amanda Lang

Guest:

Sarah Laing - Contributing writer at The Kit

This week on Exponential: Amanda speaks with Wayne Lewchuk, professor at McMaster University, Faculty of Social Sciences, about the basic income pilot project cancelled by the Ontario PC Party

This week on Exponential: Amanda talks pandemics with Dr. Michael Gardam, infectious disease expert and chief of staff at Humber River Hospital

Amanda talks with Jeffrey Monaghan, Associate Professor at the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Carlton University), about his new book, “Policing Indigenous Movements”. She asks Jeffrey about the way the blockades are being policed, and how the fact they are Indigenous protestors changes that — and  whether Indigenous Authority is a real thing.

Amanda speaks with John Rossman, Author of the book “Think Like Amazon; 50 ½ Ideas To Become A Digital Leader”

This week on Exponential, Amanda asks Ken Coates about the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and the fact many indigenous groups actually support resource development, its ‘other’ groups that often block progression

This week on Exponential, Gillian Hadfield, The inaugural Schwartz Reisman Chair in Technology and Society, Professor of Law, and Professor of Strategic Management

This week on Exponential, Amanda talks with David Blanchflower, British-American Labour Economist and author of the book, "Not Working: Where Have all The Good Jobs Gone?"

This week on Exponential, Amanda Lang asks George Goldsmith, Executive Chairman/CEO of Compass (Navigating Mental Health Pathways) why he decided to take this path towards helping the mental health community through innovation

This week on Exponential: Ian Lee, PhD-Associate Prof for the Sprott School of Business, and Armine Yalnizyan, Canadian Economist and Writer, talk to Amanda about what an employee is and whether the recent review of labour laws did anything to improve the plight of today's ‘gig’ employee labour rights

This week on Exponential, Amanda asks Geoffrey Tuff and Steven Goldbach, both principles at Deloitte Consulting LLP, what prompted them to write their new book titled “Detonate”.

This week on Exponential, Amanda talks with Jill Bornstein, Co-founder and CFO of Inspiring Comfort LLC, and Jen Marr, Author of the book "Paws to Comfort"

This week on Exponential, Amanda asks Jacalyn what Canadians need to know about drugs and pharmaceuticals in Canada

This week on Exponential, Amanda asks Yancey about the hidden defaults that are built in to our brains that keep us from moving beyond what’s comfortable

Amanda asks Roger Martin, researcher and former Dean of Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto, about the notion of “the middle class”, whether it’s a good place to be in North America, and talks about how we as consumers do have power in a democratic economy.

This week on Exponential, Amanda Lang speaks with Janice Stein, Canadian political specialist/International relations expert, about what was changed in Canada’s position on Palestinians living within Israel

This week on Exponential, even before we learn to speak, humans learn to laugh and cry…they are amongst the most important sounds we make and they communicate something essential, but what happens to our laughter and tears as we age. Mike Downie is a writer and director of a new documentary “Laughing and Crying”

This week on Exponential, much hand ringing is being done about the decline of Media in Canada. TV broadcasters and print media are struggling in a new environment against new competitors. One possible solution to watching key Canadian cultural institutions go down is being offered in the new book by author and longtime Media industry executive Richard Stursberg called “the Tangled Garden”

This week on Exponential: Recently a Canadian human rights tribunal ruled that after decades of discrimination against indigenous children and their families, the Canadian government owes compensation; the maximum amount the tribunal can levy. At heart is the practice by child and family services of removing First Nations children from their families. Cindy Blacktock has been involved in the case since its inception. She is the Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada.

This week on Exponential, Ron Tite, CEO of Marketing for Church+State, has spent his professional life helping businesses build and communicate their brands to the public. His new book, “Think, Do,Say: Building Personal and Organizational Momentum in a Busy, Busy World” distills the wisdom he learned over decades into a concise message.

This week on Exponential: When Canadians think of our iconic businesses, Blackberry comes to mind. Born in Waterloo Ontario in 1996 as a pager company, Blackberry dominated the market for handheld devices… until it didn’t. Now under new leadership with an aim to changing its focus from devices to software, Blackberry is a different company than the one we knew. But its too soon to count it out. Today, a couple of perspectives on Blackberry. This episode features Peter Misek of Framework Venture Partners and Chuck Howitt, author of the book "Blackberry Town"

This week on Exponential, why would one of the largest health networks, running some of the biggest hospitals in the country, decide to get into the business of social housing? That’s what University Health Network said recently it will do, by partnering with the city of Toronto and United Way. I talked to Dr Andrew Boozary, Executive Director of Health and Social Policy, about why housing and health go hand in hand.

This week on Exponential, October 10 is World Mental Health day, which made it the perfect day to launch a new book, “The Awesome Music Project.” It’s stories about music and the way it moves us, and it’s a tool to raise awareness and money for research into music and mental health. The project is collaboration between two very creative minds. Terry Stuart is Chief Innovation Officer at Deloitte in Canada…and Rob Carli is an award-winning composer and professional musician.

This week on Exponential, Ilana Ben Ari is the founder of a company called 21 toys…its first product was a toy designed to help people learn about empathy…its latest, aims to teach failure. I asked her when she landed on the idea of teaching concepts like these through toys.

This week on Exponential, when most people hear the words “sex trafficking” they think of foreign countries. But the truth is, the young women forced into the sex trade are predominantly Canadian-born. Toronto’s Covenant House has become a major advocate for young people caught in this life…Julie Neubauer is the manager of Anti-Human Trafficking Services.

This week on Exponential, recently the US-based business roundtable made an important announcement. This group, which represents the biggest US companies, said that no longer should pure profit be the ‘purpose’ of a corporation…but rather, it should consider other things, like the environment, employees and customers. Nell Minnow is a globally recognized expert on business and governance and Vice Chair of Value-Edge Advisors. I asked her what the ‘purpose’ of a corporation is.

This week on Exponential, Amanda talks with Julian Brass, Entrepreneur, Public Speaker and author of “Own your Anxiety”, about how anxiety can be a positive influence in our lives.

This week on Exponential, you may have heard of the charity “WE” or “Me to WE” – it’s a global powerhouse, operating in scores of countries. So it’s easy to forget that WE has humble roots. Its founder, Craig Keilburger, was just 12 years old when he started it. We talked recently and I asked him to take me back to the beginning.

This week on Exponential, Canada has a national housing crisis. In big cities, home prices are running away from most people, making home ownership increasingly out of reach for many. Meanwhile, a lack of social housing in just about every urban centre is a real problem. The federal government has what it calls a ‘national housing strategy’…David Hulchanski, a professor and researcher at University of Toronto who has spent his career looking at housing asks “is it enough to meet the need?”

This week on Exponential, you may have heard of Catalyst as an organization that works to promote the advancement of women in the workplace. But along the way the folks at Catalyst realized something…the experience of women of colour was different than that of white women. It lead them to a new area of research.

This week on Exponential, James Rickards is the author of “Aftermath; Seven Secrets of Wealth Preservation in The Coming Chaos”. Jim has spent decades in financial markets, observing, describing and participating. Rickards knows a thing or two about how markets work. His latest book aims to explore what happened after the 2008 financial crisis.

This week on Exponential, when Justin Trudeau swept to power in 2015, it was on a groundswell of good feeling. Four years later, Trudeau’s majority could be under threat in the fall election – and the bloom is definitely off the rose for the Liberals. It’s an arc traced by political writer John Ivison in his new book, "Trudeau, The Education of a Prime Minister."

This week on Exponential, the size of “Big Tech” is of increasing concern to regulators, politians, and consumers. It's an issue that Thinktech Open Markets has been focusing on for some time now. Matt Stoller is Policy Director at Open Markets

This week featuring Sharon Hartung, Founder of “Your Digital Undertaker”, and Chris Snyder, author of the book “Creating Opportunities; A Volunteer’s Memoir"

This week on Exponential: Alzheimer’s is a disease that is claiming more and more people, and so far little progress has been made either on a cure or even on a way to slow it progress meaningfully. But, a small American company thinks it may have the key. It plans to start clinical trials of its drugs a few months from now, and if it’s successful, it will be a blockbuster. I talked to the CEO of Alzheon, Martin Tolar.

This week on Exponential, the federal government unveiled a long-awaited ‘national strategy on dementia’. It provides a kind of rough roadmap of how to address a large and growing problem in Canada. But, while dementia advocates say it’s a start, it’s just that – including the relatively small amount of money earmarked. I talked to Pauline Tardif, CEO of the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, and asked her about the importance of a national plan.

This week on Exponential, Seymour Schulich is a legend in Canada’s mining and oil and gas industries. He built his billion dollar fortune on companies like Franco Nevada, and dozens of oil patch investments. But what the 79 year old wants to talk about these days is the energy of the future – namely Nuclear Fusion.

PART1: David and Deborah Cooper are raising money to help establish the first-of-its kind residential treatment facility -- it would fill a big gap in how we treat young adults with mental health problems. I asked them to describe what Elly’s place will be.

PART2: John Collopy had to face down a particularly bad habit -- his own struggle with addiction. He shares his story in the book, "The Reward of Knowing”

PART1: David and Deborah Cooper are raising money to help establish the first-of-its kind residential treatment facility -- it would fill a big gap in how we treat young adults with mental health problems. I asked them to describe what Elly’s place will be.

PART2: John Collopy had to face down a particularly bad habit -- his own struggle with addiction. He shares his story in the book, "The Reward of Knowing”

Measles was all but eradicated in Canada in 1998, thanks to a successful vaccination program that created what doctors call ‘herd immunity’. Ironically, 1998 was also the year that a doctor in England published an article linking vaccines to autism. The article was a fraud, but the damage, it turned out, was done. Tim Caulfield, is Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy and a Professor of Law Public Health at the university of Alberta

This week on Exponential, Dianne Saxe, Saxe Facts/Strategic Advice and Presentations, Climate, Energy, and Environment, was the 5th Environmental Commissioner of Ontario -- a post she accepted in 2015 after decades of work as a globally recognized environmental lawyer and consultant. This year the premier of Ontario scrapped the office altogether. I talked to Saxe recently about the significance of that loss.

With Amanda Lang

This week on Exponential, as our population ages, we are staying at work longer. But, while 60 may be the new 50, many of the myths about older workers persist. That’s, in part, what Lisa Taylor is setting out to challenge, in her work as a consultant, and with her new book, The Talent Revolution.

Much hand wringing is being done about the decline of media in Canada… Television broadcasters and print media are struggling in a new environment, against new competitors. One possible solution to watching key Canadian cultural institutions go down is being offered up in a new book “The Tangled Garden: A Canadian Cultural manifesto for the Digital Age”…its author is long time media industry executive Richard Stursberg.

This week on Exponential, Amanda asks Liane Davy, author of "The Good Fight" about the notion of "good conflict" and tips on how we can learn to ignore our adversarial instincts during conflict. She also talks with Lara Wharton, Meditation Instructor/Founder of Listen Lightly about her own story and where to begin when considering meditation

For a long time we humans have been pre-occupied with how crowded our planet is…it’s a concern that stretches back to the pre-industrial era. But, what if the trend for the world isn’t to ‘too many’ people – but to fewer? Darrell Bricker is the global CEO of Ipsos Pubic Affairs (so he tracks trends of a living). With co-author John Ibbitson, Bricker explores the issue of population trends in the new book “Empty Planet; The Shock of Global Population Decline”

In 2015, Steffanie Strathdee and her husband Tom Patterson were travelling in Egypt when he fell ill from a powerful strain of bacteria. Pattersons prospects were not good…but Strathdee, a doctor specializing in the study of disease, came across a radical fix. Phage therapy (as it’s called) was pioneered in the early 20^th century by a Canadian doctor to fight bacteria. It fell out of use as antibiotics became the norm. In their new book, “the perfect predator’, Strathdee describes the process of using this natural viral attacker to save her husband’s life.

It seems that everywhere we turn these days trust is eroding; Trust in our institutions, trust in government, trust in media... so how do we rebuild it, and why does it matter? Amand Lang talks to David Johnston, former governor general of Canada. He is the author of the book, ‘Trust, Twenty Ways to Build a Better Country”…which is part memoir, part how-to guide on developing trust.

Even before we can speak, humans learn to laugh and to cry. They are among the most important sounds we make, and communicate something essential. But what happens to our laughter and tears as we age? Mike Downie (brother to Tragically Hip front man Gord Downie) is a writer and director of a new documentary called ‘Laughing and Crying”

In this episode, Amanda asks Parag Khanna, Indian American Specialist and author of “The Future is Asian” to explain the notion behind the book and how the west needs to overcomes decades of ignorance about Asia

Amanda talks to Leif about major industries’ reaction to the problem, and what industry should we focus on fist when it comes to change.

Amanda asks Leif whether there are any demographic overlays to the problem of air pollution

Amanda asks Leif about the human brains ability to regenerate from the damage caused by air pollution

Amanda asks Leif to describe why he took an interest in air pollution?

Amanda talks to Ken about a group of “left-leaning” Canadian delegation banding together to openly monitor the Venezuela election process

Amanda asks Ken about Canada’s involvement in the turmoil in Venezuela

Amanda asks Ken about the kinds of freedom’s Venezuela’s people has lost due to the government regime

Amanda asks Ken about what happened inside Venezuela to get to the point the country exist in now.

Amanda asks Martin to talk about the conspiracy of the “best before date” on food.

Amanda asks Martin to reveal how Canadians are doing with Food waste?

Amanda talks to Martin about his research and the relationship with his main financier…Walmart

Amanda asks Martin about the cost of food waste inj relation to its carbon footprint.

Amanda talks to Ian expand on his opinion of Bell Let’s Talk. Both Mary and Ian weigh in on how well we’re treating youth that suffer with Mental Health.

Amanda asks Mary to talk more about how we can communicate better with those suffering from mental health, and opens the floor to the issues of Mental Health at work.

Amanda asks Mary to talk specifically about the “Faces of Mental Illness” campaign. Ian Manion expands on his own personal story of Mental Health.

Amanda asks Mary Deacon, Chair of the Bell Mental Health Iniative and Ian Manion, Director of the Youth Mental Health Unit at The Royal to discuss how far they believe we’ve come, as a community, when talking about Mental Health

Amanda talks to Ian expand on his opinion of Bell Let’s Talk. Both Mary and Ian weigh in on how well we’re treating youth that suffer with Mental Health.

Amanda asks Mary to talk more about how we can communicate better with those suffering from mental health, and opens the floor to the issues of Mental Health at work.

Amanda asks Mary to talk specifically about the “Faces of Mental Illness” campaign. Ian Manion expands on his own personal story of Mental Health.

Amanda asks Mary Deacon, Chair of the Bell Mental Health Iniative and Ian Manion, Director of the Youth Mental Health Unit at The Royal to discuss how far they believe we’ve come, as a community, when talking about Mental Health

Amanda talks to Ian expand on his opinion of Bell Let’s Talk. Both Mary and Ian weigh in on how well we’re treating youth that suffer with Mental Health.

Amanda asks Mary to talk more about how we can communicate better with those suffering from mental health, and opens the floor to the issues of Mental Health at work.

Amanda asks Mary to talk specifically about the “Faces of Mental Illness” campaign. Ian Manion expands on his own personal story of Mental Health.

Amanda asks Mary Deacon, Chair of the Bell Mental Health Iniative and Ian Manion, Director of the Youth Mental Health Unit at The Royal to discuss how far they believe we’ve come, as a community, when talking about Mental Health

Amanda asks George what he believes people need to understand about China now?

Amanda askes George about China’s laws and values…and wonders if we can have an on-going relationship with a country that doesn’t reflect our western views.

Amanda asks George about the Chinese president Xi Jinping, and what we should understand about him

Amanda chats to George about the Chinese economy…and how it’s different today?

Amanda askes George about China’s laws and values…and wonders if we can have an on-going relationship with a country that doesn’t reflect our western views.

Amanda asks George about the Chinese president Xi Jinping, and what we should understand about him

Amanda chats to George about the Chinese economy…and how it’s different today?

Amanda asks George what he believes people need to understand about China now?

Amanda asks George about the Chinese president Xi Jinping, and what we should understand about him