Just Asking

Apparently just over half of Canadians play video games according to industry numbers. And the games themselves have evolved from two-dimensional, simplistic adventures to three dimensional worlds with complicated moral choices that can suck up hours of your time. To answer your questions about video games and your relationship with video games, Just Asking brought out three guests. Chelsea Rodrigues is a counsellor who focuses on problem technology use at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare centre in Windsor. Samantha Stahlke is a former game developer and instructor at Ontario Tech University. And Jake Uskoski is recovering from a video game disorder and tells us why he quit playing games, but still makes them for fun.

The federal election is Monday, April 28. But there's still a daily barrage of announcements, attack ads and press conferences. To provide you with more information before you vote, Just Asking spoke to two guests. Chris Cochrane is an associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto. And Laura Osmond is the parliamentary correspondent for The Logic.

Making friends can be tough no matter how old you are. But once you get out of school and don't have classmates to fall back on, your pool of potential friends shrinks. So what do you do? Just Asking spoke to two friendship experts. Aaron Karo is the co-host of the podcast, "Man of the Year". Danielle Bayard Jackson is a friendship coach and author.

With Canadians heading to the polls in a matter of days, it's time for a bit of an Election 101. How does our system actually work? What is first-past-the-post? And what do MPs actually do once they are elected? To answer all your Canadian election questions, Just Asking was joined by two guests. Andrea Perrella is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Wilfrid Laurier University. Tari Ajadi is an assistant professor of political science at McGill University in Montreal.

Just Asking has been on the air for just over a year now! To celebrate, we reached out to some of the people who have called in for advice to see whether we were able to solve their problems. Take a listen!

Adolescence is a searing 4-part series on Netflix about boys, violence, cyberbullying and social media. It has ignited a conversation among parents and guardians about how to raise boys who are happy, healthy and kind to others. To answer your questions about raising boys, we spoke to two guests. Jonathan Reed is the director of programs for Next Gen Men, and Michael Kehler is a research professor of Masculinities Studies in Education at the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary.

Alberta has introduced a bill to regulate online private gambling. Ontario has regulated this space since 2022. To answer your questions on gambling, Just Asking spoke to two guests. Steve Rose is an addiction counsellor in Windsor, and Youssef Allami is an assistant professor at the School of Psychology at Université Laval who has completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Alberta Gambling Research Institute.

Are you suffering from burn out? Alexandra Lily has been there and come through the other side. She has three step-children, and two of her own. One of her sons is living with a disability. Three years ago she was navigating doctors appointments, her son's daily seizures, and her own cancer diagnosis. She says she hit a wall. Now she's on the other side and helps parents who are in a similar situation. She took your questions about how to get through burnout. We also heard from Dr. Rebecca Pillai Riddell. She's a clinical psychologist and a psychology professor with the faculty of health at York University.

Stories of strict enforcement at the Canada-U.S. border have left many wondering if it's safe to travel. As we hear reports of more scrutiny, devices being searched, even arrests and detention, it can be scary to approach a border that, until now, has been celebrated for its peaceful nature and lack of significant military presence. What do you need to know when approaching the U.S. border? Will you need a burner phone, or to delete your social media accounts? Two guests took your questions. Melissa Babel is a Canadian immigration lawyer and Laura Dawson is the executive director of the Future Borders Coalition, an organization dedicated to better trade relations between the U.S. and Canada.

Canadian military spending hasn't traditionally been a top election issue. But thanks to Canada's shifting relationship with the United States, it certainly is right now. To answer your questions about Canada's military readiness, Just Asking was joined by two guests. Richard Shimooka is a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute who studies defence policy. And Whitney Lackenbauer is the Canada Research Chair in the Study of the Canadian North, and an expert on Arctic security. We'll also hear from former Nunavut Premier Paul Quassa on Arctic sovereignty and defence.