Mornings with Simi

Seg 1: Canada has designated seven transnational criminal organizations, including multiple drug cartels, as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code. Will this have any impact? Seg 2: How are the odds of an asteroid hitting Earth actually being determined? Seg 3: A massive new community garden, the Blenkinsop Community Agricultural Centre, is set to open in Saanich by March 1. Seg 4: Checking in on US politics with Washington correspondent Reggie Checchini! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:37:14

Will labelling cartels as terrorist groups have any impact?

Canada has designated seven transnational criminal organizations, including multiple drug cartels, as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code. This move, part of an agreement with the US to delay tariffs, gives law enforcement expanded powers to track and disrupt cartel finances. Guest: Dr. Michael Kenney - Posvar Chair in International Security Studies and Professor of Public & International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:09:48

Can a new, massive community garden improve food security?

A massive new community garden, the Blenkinsop Community Agricultural Centre, is set to open in Saanich by March 1. Spanning nearly 14 acres, it will offer up to 1,000 small garden plots and larger farming spaces. Leasing a plot will cost just $10 per month—“less than a streaming fee,” according to co-founder John Espley. Guest: John Espley - Founding Partner of the Blenkinsop Community Agricultural Centre Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:07:30

Checking in with Cecchini: Trump vs. Ukraine, Downsizing the government, & KING Trump?!

Did last night's hockey game register much in the States? What's the latest on the Trump/Ukraine situation? The ongoing downsizing of the US government is causing a lot of problems. Trump called himself a king... why aren't Democrats doing more?! (Spoiler alert: there's not much they can do) Guest: Reggie Cecchini - Washington Correspondent for Global News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:08:23

View From Victoria: A dramatic day in the Victoria legislature!

In what turned out to be one hell of a hockey game, Connor McDavid scored last night's OT winner, securing the 4 Nations Championship for Team Canada! It was a dramatic day at the Victoria legislature yesterday! Conservative MLA Clare Rattee (Skeena) told house that a dozen years ago, she was a homeless drug addict, living on the DTES. What's going on in Fraser Health? The region's CEO unexpectedly resigned from her role. Guest: Vaughn Palmer - Vancouver Sun Columnist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:17:02

How are the odds of an asteroid hitting Earth determined?

Asteroid 2024 YR4 has been identified as the most concerning near-Earth object currently being tracked. NASA initially estimated a 3.1% chance of 2024 YR4 impacting Earth in December 2032, while the ESA put it at 2.8%, surpassing Apophis’ 2.7% risk in 2004. However, further observations have lowered NASA’s estimate to 1.5%, highlighting the refinement of risk assessments over time. But how are these risks assessed? Why do the odds keep fluctuating? Let’s find out! Guest: Richard Binzel - Professor of Planetary Sciences at MIT and Inventor of the Torino Scale Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:08:12

Full show: Changing BC's safer supply model, Finding our 'human gene', & Searching for the origins of the universe!

Seg 1: Why did BC change its safer supply model? Seg 2: What happens when you put a human language gene into mice? Seg 3: Could new asteroid samples contain the building blocks of life? Seg 4: Canada has a unique opportunity to counteract Donald Trump and his enablers by leveraging its domestic powers and global influence to target corruption. Seg 5: How will $10 million in funding help BC tree fruit growers? Seg 6: How to ACTUALLY win Roll Up The Rim!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:53:02

How to ACTUALLY win Roll Up the Rim!

Tim Hortons is bringing back its Roll Up the Rim to Win contest on February 24, 2025, and for the first time in several years, customers will once again have the chance to win by physically rolling up the rim of their coffee cups! Guest: Michael Wallace - Associate Professor of Statistics and Actuarial Science at Waterloo University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:09:59

Why did BC change its safer supply model?

BC’s government has reversed its policy on safer supply opioids, requiring people to take prescription opioids like hydromorphone under pharmacist supervision to prevent drug diversion. Health Minister Josie Osborne cited concerns that these drugs were ending up in the wrong hands, a problem long criticized by B.C. Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko. Guest: Josie Osborne - BC’s Minister of Health Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:07:01

How will $10 million in funding help BC tree fruit growers?

After four years of crop losses and market instability, B.C.’s tree fruit farmers are facing significant challenges—even before the added threat of new U.S. tariffs. In response, the province is providing $10 million in funding, allocated based on acreage, to help farmers recover from labour shortages, production losses, and increased competition. Guest: Deep Brar - Vice-President of BC Fruit Growers Association Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:08:36

Could new asteroid samples contain the building blocks of the universe?

In 1965, a meteorite fell near Revelstoke, B.C., and was discovered by beaver trappers. Scientists studied its fragments, which provided clues about the early solar system. Decades later, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission brought back samples from the asteroid Bennu, a space rock similar to the Revelstoke meteorite, to learn more about the origins of life on Earth. Guest: Sara Russell - Professor of Planetary Sciences at the Natural History Museum Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:07:42

Why Canada should target Trump’s corruption

Canada has a unique opportunity to counteract Donald Trump and his enablers by leveraging its domestic powers and global influence to target corruption. With its global influence, diplomatic power, and economic strength, Canada is well-positioned to use anti-corruption measures as a tool to apply pressure on Trump and his allies, ultimately pushing back against their harmful policies and practices. Guest: Kristopher Harrison - Co-founder and President of the Dekleptocracy Project (a U.S. anti-corruption NGO) and Former Senior Official at the Department of State under President George W. Bush Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:07:09

View From Victoria: BC NDP back down on drug policy, & George Abbott appointed to the treaty commission

Another major backdown by the New Democrats on their drug policy. George Abbott finally makes it to the treaty commission. New Democrats appointed the former BC Liberal cabinet minister Wednesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:18:03

What happens when you put a human language gene into mice?

Researchers have identified NOVA1 as a potential human “language gene” that may have played a crucial role in the evolution of spoken language. Unlike other mammals, humans have a unique variant of this gene, which even Neanderthals and Denisovans lacked. This suggests it emerged relatively recently in our evolutionary history. When scientists inserted the human NOVA1 variant into mice, the rodents’ vocalization patterns changed—pups produced higher-frequency squeaks, while adult males developed more complex courtship calls. Guest: Dr. Robert Darnell - Professor and Investigator at The Rockefeller University’s Howard Hughes Medical Institute Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:10:30

Full show: The evolution of sunglasses, Supportive housing w/ Ken Sim, & Trump wants our water!

Seg 1: The evolution of sunglasses! Seg 2: Does Vancouver need supportive housing? (Feat. Mayor Ken Sim) Seg 3: Trump continues to refer to Canada as a ‘very large faucet.’ Why does he want our water so badly? Seg 4: Should Vancouver extend its liquor hours? Seg 5: Why ‘leaky’ plants could be accelerating climate change! Seg 6: Making Cent$ of the market with Marko Ferenc! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:53:20

Making Cent$ of the Market with Marko Ferenc!

“We’re making cents of the Markets with Lori Pinkowski, A Senior Portfolio Manager at Canaccord Genuity. - you can contact her team at 604-695-LORI or visit their website at PINKOWSKI.CA” Call Lori and her team today at 604-695-L-O-R-I with any questions you have about investing or retirement! Or visit their website at PINKOWSKI.CA Guest: Marko Ferenc - Analyst for Pinkowski Wealth Management and an Associate Portfolio Manager Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:10:40

Should Vancouver extend its liquor hours?

Vancouver is considering extending liquor-serving hours at bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. The proposal would allow downtown bars, pubs, and nightclubs to serve alcohol until 3 a.m. daily, and restaurants to apply for service until 2 a.m. Guest: Charlie Grahn - Treasurer of MADD Metro Vancouver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:07:53

Is Canada really a ‘very large faucet?’

While Canada and the U.S. have long managed water resources through treaties like the Columbia River Treaty and the Boundary Waters Treaty, Trump’s return to power introduces uncertainty. Some fear he may push for access to Canadian water, making it a political issue. Guest: Dr. Tricia Stadnyk - Canada Research Chair in Hydrologic Modelling with the University of Calgary's Schulich School of Engineering Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:08:52

Why ‘leaky’ plants could accelerate climate change

Rising temperatures may disrupt Earth’s climate balance as plants lose more water than previously believed. UBC researcher Dr. Sean Michaletz found that plants leak significant water through their cuticles—a waxy layer on leaves that cannot close—rather than just through their pores. Guest: Dr. Sean Michaletz - Sloan Research Fellow in the Department of Botany at the University of British Columbia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:05:24

Does Vancouver need supportive housing?