Just Asking

This week, Ontario passed Bill 5 that aims to speed up mining projects, despite opposition from First Nations and environmental groups. Last week, B.C. passed Bill 15 intended to speed up major projects, including critical mineral mines - which is being met with similar pushback in that province. So what do critical minerals mean for the future of the Canadian economy, and what are the environmental impacts of these projects? To answer your questions about critical minerals, Just Asking spoke to two experts. Mark Cameron is a Public Policy Forum fellow and Warren Mabee is the Director of the Queen's Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy.

Both Manitoba and Saskatchewan are in a state of emergency as communities across Canada are witnessing the effects of wildfires - from Newfoundland and Labrador, to northern Ontario to B.C. Early signs point to another active wildfire season in 2025 after Canada just experienced two of its worst wildfire seasons on record. To talk tell us more about wildfire in Canada, Just Asking spoke to two guests. Lori Daniels is a Professor in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences at UBC. Anabela Bonada is the Managing Director of Climate Science at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation. 

There's a growing body of research pointing to the therapeutic applications for psychedelics, including MDMA and psilocybin, along with ketamine which was approved for therapeutic use in 2020. The promise of a new frontier in treatment for depression, anxiety and PTSD is an appealing one for researchers and patients desperately looking for solutions in a mental health crisis. But with all the excitement around psychedelics in therapy, where does the research stand, and what risks should patients be aware of? To answer those questions, Just Asking brought out two guests. Leah Mayo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Calgary and the Parker Research Chair in Psychedelics. Ron Shore is the Interim Assistant Scientific Director of the Canadian Institute of Military and Veteran Health Research and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, at Queen’s University in Kingston.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has called for a halt on overtime work, while negotiations continue with Canada Post. A report this week described the company as "effectively bankrupt." Workers are pushing for higher wages to cope with inflation and challenging the idea of a part-time workforce to extend their services to seven days a week. To answer your questions about the future of Canada Post, Just Asking was joined by two guests. Marvin Ryder is an Associate Professor, DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University. Barry Eidlin is an associate professor of sociology at McGill University and an expert on labour policy.

As graduation season approaches, young people are entering into a tough job market. In April, the unemployment rate for those aged between 15 to 24 years old was 14.1 per cent - the highest rate seen in over a decade. To answer your questions about what young people and their parents should keep in mind as they enter into the workforce, Just Asking spoke to two guests. Shenelle Payne Cuffy is a career counsellor focusing on young clients and Katherine Scott is a Senior Researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives who's been studying the youth job market.

Celebrity doctors and Silicon Valley billionaires have been promoting the so-called "longevity movement," promoting health trends that claim to extend your life. They claim by following strict diets, taking dozens of supplements per day and regular cold plunges they can extend their life well-past 100. But how much evidence is there behind these claims? And what do we actually know about healthy aging? To answer your questions about longevity, Just Asking spoke to two guests. Timothy is a professor and the research director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta who studies health misinformation. Andy De Santis is a Registered Dietitian.

Stock markets bounced back this week thanks to the tariff truce between the U.S. and China after plunging to record lows last month. The markets are being closely watched through all the tariff turbulence - but what does it all mean for your finances? Our experts will broke it all down for us. Aravind Sithamparapillai is a financial planner and Preet Banerjee is a personal finance expert.

The man behind the world's most notorious website for non-consensual, AI-generated porn of real people is a hospital pharmacist from just outside of Toronto according to a CBC investigation. His site, MrDeepFakes, was the world's most popular site for "deepfake" porn, hosting tens of thousands of non-consensual and sometimes violent fake videos and images of celebrities, politicians, social media influencers and private citizens, including Canadians. To answer your questions about deepfakes, Just Asking spoke to two guests. Hany Farid is a professor at the University of California and a member of the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Lab. Suzie Dunn is a professor of law at Dalhousie University, specializing in technology.

The new leader of 1.4 billion Roman Catholics is, for the first time, an American. The former Cardinal Robert Prevost is now Pope Leo XIV, the 267th man to hold that office. To answer your questions about the new Pope, Just Asking was joined by two guests. Father Darren Dias is the Executive Director of the Toronto School of Theology at University of St Michael’s College. Mark McGowan is a professor of history at University of Toronto, who specializes in the history of the Catholic Church in Canada.

The federal NDP was nearly wiped off the electoral map in the recent federal election. Jagmeet Singh stepped down as party leader after the New Democrats dropped to seven seats, and lost official party status. So where does the NDP go from here? Just Asking was joined by two guests to talk about what's next for the party. Jordan Leichnitz is a former NDP senior strategist. David McGrane is a professor of political studies at the University of Saskatchewan.