Just Asking

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.

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.

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.

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.

You might not need a study to tell you that Canadians aren't particularly happy right now, but in case you do, the Global Happiness Report has Canada ranked as the 18th happiest country in the world. That's down from last year's ranking, and much lower than fifth place which was Canada's highest rank ever (back in 2015). To answer your questions about how to be happy, Just Asking spoke to two guests. Gillian Mandich is a happiness researcher, and Dr. Saunia Ahmad is a clinical psychologist. We also heard from Darren Hamilton, assistant professor of music education at the University of Toronto, and the University of Toronto Faculty of Music Gospel Choir.

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.

Tariff uncertainty has slowed Canada's housing market, and reports show that the national average asking price for rent has gone down for five months in a row. So is this finally good news for renters and buyers? Whether you are renting, buying, leasing, or selling - Just Asking was joined by two experts with advice for you. Tom Storey is a realtor in Toronto, and Sydney Blum is a community legal worker at Dalhousie Legal Aid.

Another federal election campaign means we are about to be bombarded by opinion polls. Weekly polls, local polls, aggregate polls, there is a ton to keep track of. To answer your questions about political polls and how they work, Just Asking brought on two guests. Mario Canseco is a pollster and the President of Research Co., and Feodor Snagovsky is a professor of political science at the University of Alberta who specializes in the comparative analysis of elections and political behaviour.

It's been another week of escalating tariffs and threats between the United States and Canada. The U.S. placed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports coming across the border, and Canada responded with its own counter-tariffs on U.S. goods. Whether it's dairy, lumber, or trade deficits, Donald Trump has made a lot of claims about the Canada-U.S. relationship the last few weeks. To help us fact-check, Just Asking was joined by Jim Stanford - an economist and the Director of the Centre for Future Work in Vancouver. And Rambod Behboodi - a trade lawyer and senior counsel at the law firm Borden Ladner Gervais.

Ontario is seeing a surge in measles cases right now. Public Health Ontario is reporting 350 total cases since an outbreak began on Oct. 28, 2024. The number has increased by 173 cases in the last several weeks. To answer your questions about measles, Just Asking spoke with guests Dr. Brian Conway - President and Medical Director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre. And Devon Greyson - Assistant Professor at the School of Population and Public Health, UBC.