BC Today

Murray Sinclair, the former senator who led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has died at the age of 73. Adam Olsen, member of Tsartlip First Nation and former MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, and our audience reflect on his legacy and the work that remains for Truth and Reconciliation. November is Diabetes Awareness Month. We hear from Laura Syron, Diabetes Canada president about the impact the disease has on people's social lives.

More than $485 million in illicit drugs and drug ingredients have been seized in a rural B.C. community. We hear from Vancouver Sun crime reporter Kim Bolan and former B.C. Solicitor General Kash Heed for more on the impact this could have on the toxic drug crisis in B.C. Then, how did your dogs and pets handle the fireworks on Halloween night? Our pet columnist, Sara Shapiro-Ward, is back for more on how to help your companions through the stress.

Halloween fireworks have been a long-standing tradition for many B.C. communities, but more municipalities have been banning their use. Surrey Fire Chief Larry Thomas and Madison Reynolds, Armstrong-Spallumcheen Chamber of Commerce president join us to discuss. We check in with our CBC colleagues on their Halloween costumes. And, Canadian rapper Maestro Fresh Wes is in Vancouver for a fundraiser by the Together We Can Society recovery non-profit. He and his friend Robbie Currie, aka Robbie Burns, and Together We Can community outreach worker, join us to talk about how Wes' friendship played a big part in Robbie's recovery journey.

The final report on unmarked graves at former residential schools calls for making residential school denialism illegal. We speak with Chief Robert Joseph, Reconciliation Canada Ambassador and residential school survivor about how survivors can be supported, and how denialism should be dealt with. Then, are you struggling to think of a last-second Halloween costume? We have tips and trends for you with Steven Schelling, fashion stylist and writer.

We get reaction to the B.C. election results from Clearwater Mayor Merlin Blackwater, and hear from our audience on what they would like the new NDP government to do differently compared to its previous term. Then, Rick and Brian Antonson, two of the three co-authors of "Slumach's Gold: The Search for a Legend--and a Curse", join us to talk about the legendary Pitt Lake gold mine, and our audience shares their own spooky stories.

The provincial election could finally be decided today with the counting of absentee ballots. We bring you the latest with Chad Pawson, CBC News reporter, and Mario Conseco, President of Research Co. We also speak with B.C. Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee about the racist remarks made by B.C. Conservative candidate Marina Sapozhnikov, running in the Juan de Fuca-Malahat region.

We get an update on Elections B.C.'s progress to determine the final vote count in the provincial election. With youth violence reportedly on the rise in B.C., we talk with Kal Dosange, KidsPlay Foundation CEO, on why violence is happening, and what to do to prevent it. Gardening expert Brian Minter joins us to talk about pumpkins, and to answer callers' questions about anything and everything to do with gardening.

The Trudeau government is cutting the projected number of new permanent residents from 485,000 this year to 395,000 in 2025, with further cuts in 2026 and 2027. We discuss the impact on Canada and prospective immigrants and ask viewers to share their views. Then, the Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival returns this weekend. We meet the curator of the festival's Indigenous programming and ask viewers to tell us their favourite horror movies.

The Bank of Canada has cut its key interest rate by a half-point for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss the next steps for Canada's economy and ask how today's announcement affects you. The Burnaby School District is warning that five city high schools could be moving to staggered class scheduling for the 2025-2026 school year due to a space crunch caused by growing student enrolment. We ask you if this is a good solution to deal with overcrowding in schools.

As we await the final results of Saturday's B.C. election, we discuss the potential outcomes and how the legislature could function with a minority government with Max Cameron, UBC political science professor. Then, at least two people are dead after an atmospheric river hit southwest B.C. on the weekend, triggering mudslides and washouts. We discuss the severity of these kinds of weather events and how municipalities can prepare with Kai Chan, UBC Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability professor.

We bring you the latest reaction as the outcome of Saturday's provincial election remains too close to call.

CBC provincial affairs reporter Katie DeRosa joins us to break down the latest pitches from political parties ahead of polling day on Saturday. Then, Elections B.C. is reporting record numbers of advanced ballots cast. And finally, we hear from Suhana Gill, Kwantlen Student Council's Women's Representative, who is working to encourage young people to vote.

B.C. NDP Leader David Eby takes your questions ahead of election day We speak to a climate change policy expert on each party's plan to address climate change and ask our audience to weigh in on how important climate is to them in this election.

The B.C. Conservatives released their campaign platform on Tuesday — four days before the election — with a promise to prioritize affordability, safety and infrastructure. Then, we hear from the B.C. Teachers' Federation about their top priorities leading up to the election, and ask viewers to share what education issues matter most to them.

Diplomatic tensions are rising between Canada and India after the RCMP alleged that agents of the Indian government played a role in 'widespread' acts of violence in Canada. We ask our audience about the impact this announcement has on their lives, and speak with Reeta Tremblay, a professor emerata in Political Science, at the University of Victoria. Next, B.C. Green Leader Sonia Furstenau takes your questions, five days prior to the provincial election.

B.C. party leaders discussed reconciliation and Indigenous rights during their televised debate earlier this week. Today, we hear more about the issues most affecting Indigenous people and communities this election with Regional Chief Terry Teegee, B.C. Assembly of First Nations; Robert Phillips, a First Nations Summit political executive and Chief Wayne Christian, First Nation Health Council deputy chair. Then, our gardening columnist Brian Minter joins us to talk about what you're pulling out of your garden ahead of Thanksgiving long weekend.

B.C. Conservative candidate Brent Chapman is apologizing for previous comments he made on social media about Palestinians. The comments were posted to Facebook in 2015, before Chapman entered politics, and were shared on social media Wednesday by a CKNW radio host. CBC legislative reporter Katie Derosa joins us with the latest. Then, at least five people are dead after Hurricane Milton stormed through Florida overnight. Darius Mahdavi, CBC News science specialist, joins us to take your questions. And finally, the 8th Annual Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival takes place this weekend. VOAF co-founder Pierre Leichner and spoken word artist Kagan Goh join us to talk about this special festival that focuses on diversity, inclusion and creativity.

BC Today callers across the province weigh in on the moments that stood out for them in Tuesday's party leaders' debate.

B.C.'s political party leaders are set to square off in a televised debate tonight starting at 6:30 p.m. PT. We go over what to expect, and ask listeners what they want to hear. After the news, we hear from Disability Without Poverty — a grassroots movement led by disabled people — on what issues need more attention in this election campaign.

On Monday's show, we hear perspectives on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel. Michelle Eliot speaks with political scientists, a retired U.S. general, as well as Vancouver's honorary consul for Lebanon, who is in Beirut. We invite viewers to tell us how the crisis in the Middle East has affected them in the past year.