In Conversation with Stephen Hurley

Redefining Cannabis Education with Mistry Healthcare

In this episode we delve into the world of cannabis education with guests Sunil and Hiral Mistry of Mistry Healthcare. As consultants and knowledge mobilization experts in the field of cannabis education, Sunil and Hiral share their personal journeys that led them to champion destigmatizing cannabis use and providing essential education to healthcare professionals, educators, and the general public. They discuss the challenges, misconceptions, and opportunities surrounding cannabis education...

Restorative Justice in the Classroom with Crystena Parker-Shandal

Dr. Crystena Parker-Shandal is Associate Professor in the Department of Social Development Studies at Renison University College at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Parker-Shandal joins me today to talk about her newest book, "Restorative justice in the classroom: Liberating students’ voices through relational pedagogy." We discussed a variety of key points including: The essence and implementation of Restorative Justice in the classroom and its aim to create meaningful connections, repai...

Preserving the Participatory with Dr. Bonnie Stewart

Dr. Bonnie Stewart is Associate Professor, Online Pedagogy & Workplace Learning at the Faculty of Education, University of Windsor. Dr. Stewart will be giving a keynote address at eCampus Ontario's Technology and Education Seminar and Showcase (TESS) to being held in Toronto on November 1st and 2nd, 2023. In this conversation, we explore some of the ideas that Dr. Stewart will be exploring in her presentation, “Preserving the participatory: Digital empowerment in an age of AI”.

Privacy Pursuit - Media Literacy Week

We're joined today by Patricia Kosseim, Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner, and Matthew Johnson, Education Director at MediaSmarts, Canada's Centre for Digital Media Literacy. In this conversation, we discuss the connections between privacy, children and media literacy. In particular, we talk about Privacy Pursuit, a series of lesson plans for elementary teachers and students focusing on learning about privacy in our digital world. In addition to the resource, our conversation...

Land as Relation with Drs. Margaret Kress and Kahente Horn-Miller

Land as Relation is a new book from Canadian Scholars that introduces readers to an intersectional approach to Indigenous space and land-based education. It’s an edited collection that includes the voices of indigenous and ally-partnered contributors, weaving a rich and very worthwhile perspective on what is meant by land-based pedagogies. Today, we speak with the books two editors Drs. Margaret Kress and Kahente Horn-Miller. Margaret Kress is Adjunct Professor at University of New Brunsw...

Privacy Pursuit! with Ontario Information and Privacy Commisssioner Patricia Kosseim

The Ontario Information and Privacy Commission, in partnership with MediaSmarts, has created a set of lesson plans for use in elementary classrooms (Grades 2-8). In this episode, we are in conversation with IPC Commissioner Patricia Kosseim about Privacy Pursuit! now available on the IPC website. Here are some key takeaways from the episode: 1️⃣ Kids DO care about privacy! Contrary to common misconceptions, kids today are not indifferent to privacy concerns. 2️⃣ Privacy education is a M...

Confronting the Tools of the Oppressor with Drs. Marie Heath, Natalie Milman and Sumreen Asim

We're joined today by Drs. Marie Heath, (Loyola University Maryland;) Sumreen Asim, (Indiana University Southeast ) and Natalie Milman, (George Washington University). Along with Jessa Henderson, (George Washington University), these scholars have co-authored "Confronting Tools of the Oppressor: Framing Just Technology Integration in Educational Technology and Teacher Education" In today's conversation, we discuss what we can do to critically engage in constructive dialogue about how power...

Steve Paikin on John Turner

Steve Paikin newest book is an up close and personal look into the life and career of Prime Minister John Turner. In this conversation, Steve and I share some thoughts about Mr. Turner's leadershp, using some poignant audio clips as a kind of tour guide. Mr. John Turner was a passionate parliamentarian, a strong advocate for democratic process and principles AND a lover of Canada. All of this comes out in full force in toay's conversation. Other podcasts featuring Steve Paikin talking abou...

Bridging the Gap ft. Dr. Rahat Zaidi and Nina Sudra

Bridging the Gap is a documentary film project currently being produced to provide a window into the stories, experiences and challenges of displaced and refugee newcomers to Canada. Joining me today to talk about the initiative are project lead Dr. Rahat Zaidi and filmmaker, Nina Sudra. Dr. Rahat Zaidi, is Professor and Chair of Languages and Literacy at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. Nina Sudra is an Indo-Canadian filmmaker who for the past 25 years has been....

Mathematics Education - What We Should Do About What We Know ft. Brent Davis (Werklund School of Education)

Dr. Brent Davis is Professor of Mathematics Education at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. He also leads the research team at Math Minds, a "professional community dedicated to the effective teaching of K-12 mathematics". We use Dr. Davis' work on mathematics education, complexity and curriculum design to discuss the current reform efforts in the province of Alberta. In particular, we focus on the importance of ensuring that what current research tells us is reflected...

United by Our Diversity ft. Dr. Rahat Zaidi (Werklund School of Education)

Dr. Rahat Zaidi is Professor and Chair of Language and Literacy at the University of Calgary’s Werklund School of Education. It is a role that has given her the opportunity to be an international mentor and visionary among her professional colleagues and her students. Dr. Zaidi is the recipient of the 2020 Calgary Award for Community Achievement in the area of Education. In this conversation we talk with Dr. Zaidi about her current research, but also the research that she dreams of conductin...

Remembering Premier William G. Davis ft. Steve Paikin and Charles Pascal

A great deal has been written in the days following the passing of former Ontario Premier, William Grenville Davis. And I can only imagine even more has been said around kitchen tables, summer campfires and Zoom meetings around the province. It’s hard to imagine what more can be added to the story of a man who shepherded the province of Ontario through times of great growth and modernization as well as times of increased political tension and financial restraint. Well, hard to imagine unles...

A Community Well-served ft. Stuart Miller

Stuart Miller has been serving the Halton District School Board for the 37 years. Stuart began as a secondary school teacher in 1984 and, as time went on, moved into more formal leadership roles: department head, school administrator, superintendent and, currently, Director of the Halton District School Board. In July, 2021, Stuart Miller retires from his current role and we took the opportunity to sit down and look back on a career in education. Some great advice for new teachers, for new l...

Excellent Sheep ft. William Deresiewicz

William Deresiewicz returns to In Conversation to speak about "Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life". We talk about the narrative that college is something that young people just "need to do", the importance of a humanities education and the courage that it will take to challenge our current meritocratic approach to college and university admissions. We're speaking across national borders on some of these issues, but there is plenty that s...

Natural Curiosity ft. Doug Anderson and Haley Higdon

Today, a conversation about Natural Curiosity—the organization and the book. Haley Higdon is the Program Director at Natural Curiosity and Doug Anderson is co-author of the second edition of the book: "Natural Curiosity 2nd Edition: A Resource for Educators: Considering Indigenous Perspectives in Children's Environmental Inquiry" In today's conversation, we explore the pedagogical principles underlying Natural Curiosity and what it means to bring an Indigenous lens to this work. For more i...

Body Image and the Alberta Physical Education and Wellness Curriculum

What could be so contentious about a draft Physical Health and Wellness Curriculum? Well, our guests today on In Conversation point to many issues with the proposed curriculum changes in the province of Alberta. In fact, Shelly Russell-Mayhew and her team at the Body Image Lab, University of Calgary, have taken their concerns to Alberta parents in an open letter that outlines their concerns with the way that the draft curriculum seems to ignore concerns around body image, weight bias and a ra...

Laminated Notions of Equity and Diversity ft. Dr. Ann Lopez

Dr. Ann Lopez is a professor in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto (OISE/UT). She also holds the position of Director for the Centre for Leadership and Diversity. In this conversation, we explore Ann's early life and the influences that had an impact on her work as a young student, an educator, administrator and, now, a scholar in the area of equity, decolonization, and antiracist education. Foll...

Amazon Future Engineer Program

Amazon Future Engineer is a childhood-to-career program aimed at inspiring and educating students from underrepresented and underserved communities to discover computer science and coding. Here in Canada, a unique partnership between AFE, Fairchance Learning and ECOO is capturing the imaginations of both educators and students, Today we are joined by a panel to offer several perspective on the program and the partnership: Lynn Thomas: ECOO, President, Secondary School English Teacher Susan...

Educating Human Potential through Montessori ft. Margaret Whitley

Margaret Whitley is a teacher, a teacher trainer, a consultant and a writer who has experienced and lived Montessori for more than 50 years. Margaret pushes the boundaries of education and works to create awareness of the contribution Montessori can make to educate children for the 21st century. Find out more about Margaret, her passion and her work at https://margaretwhitley.com/

A Nova Scotia Budget ft. Christine Saulnier (CCPA)

Christine Saulnier is the Nova Scotia Director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA-NS). We catch up with Christine to talk about her critique of the recently-released provincial budget released by Nova Scotia Minister of Finance, Labi Kousoulis. We talk about child care, the high cost of post-secondary tuition in Nova Scotia and support for families needing income support. Find Dr. Saulnier's critique here: https://monitormag.ca/articles/time-to-address-the-cost-of-povert...

The Importance of Story ft. Indigenous Storyteller Margaret Brigham

Margaret Brigham is an educator, and administrator and Indigenous storyteller. She joins me today to talk about the power of story, our current age of apology and the how listeners might come to the storytelling experience. Find out more about Margaret and her work by visiting https://indigenousstorytelling.com

Hey Siri! How Did you Do That? ft. Dr. Julie Mueller (Laurier)

Our world has become increasingly complex with most day to day decisions requiring at least some digital literacy. Computational Thinking, or an approach to problem solving that uses a logical framework that allows a computer to solve the problem, has become a fundamental skill for learning and future success. This talk will explore what skills are required for this type of thinking and how they are represented across the elementary curriculum and in teacher preparation. Dr. Julie Mueller is...

Subtle ft. Dr. Farzana Chohan

Block Chain, Supply Chain and Student Agency ft. Pieter Toth

Pieter Toth teachers business and social justice at Dundas Valley Secondary School, Dundas, Ontario. Today we talk about the move towards block chain technology and the ways in which personal identity is now being traded. We also talk about how Pieter's students are taught to look at the wider supply chains that are involved in our consumer lifestyles. Finally, we discuss student agency and the ways in which young people are choosing to make change.

Business and Social Justice ft. Pieter Toth

Pieter Toth teaches Business and Social Justice at Dundas Valley Secondary School in Dundas, Ontario. In this conversation, we explored the dynamic that is created when one takes the combination of business and social justice seriously. We also explore the energy and passion that Pieter continues to bring to his work!

The Hardening of the Categories ft. Dr. Charles Pascal

Minecraft - Manito Ahbee Aki

A new Minecraft World invites users to travel back in time to experience Anishinaabe culture, community and teachings. "Manito Ahbee Aki: Where the Creator Sits" has been created in partnership with the Louis Riel School Division, Anishinaabe Knowledge Keepers and Microsoft Canada. Today, we're In Conversation with three educators from the LRSD (Manitoba). Mark Lesiuk, Christopher Heidebrecht, Bobbie-Jo Leclair tell the story of the creation of Manito Ahbee Aki. https://www.microsoft.com/e...

In Conversation - World of Possibility ft. Dr. Jean Clinton

Dr. Jean Clinton is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Hamilton's McMaster University. She joins me today to introduce us to a new podcast, World of Possibility. It's a collaboration between Dr. Jean, broadcaster Cheryl Jackson and author/parenting expert Ann Douglas. Find "World of Possibility" on your favourite podcast platform.

LEx CONVERSATIONS - Jim Stanford

Jim Stanford is Canadian economist and founder of the Progressive Economics Forum. He is also founding Director of Centre for the Future of Work, Australia. Jim’s recently released report, “10 ways that the COVID-19 Pandemic Must Change Work for Good! is part of the organization’s PowerShare project and a must read for anyone interested in some powerful thinking about emerging from our current COVID-19 crisis. Follow Jim on Twitter: @jimbostanford or at the Centre for Future Work: https//cen...

LEx CONVERSATIONS - Steve Orsini

Steve Orsini has had a long and dedicated career in the service of Ontarians. He served as Deputy Minister of Finance and Secretary of the Treasury Board from 2011-2014 and Secretary of the Cabinet, Clerk of the Executive Council, Head of the Ontario Public Service (OPS) from 2014-2019. Steve Orsini is a distinguished fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto. You can find out more about Steve Orsini by visiting his profile page at the Munk School:...

LEx CONVERSATIONS - Charles Pascal

Dr. Charles Pascal. Charles is Professor of Applied Psychology and Human Development as OISE/UT. He also serves as special advisor to the Dean at that same institution. He has a long-standing and very deep commitment to the area of early childhood education and took a lead on the design and implementation of ONtario’s full day kindergarten program. As you’ll hear in our conversation, Charles Pascal in an interdisciplinary thinker who is concerned about our growing inability to see and talk a...

LEx CONVERSATIONS - Cindy Blackstock

In Canada, 52.2% of children in foster care are Indigenous, but account for only 7.7% of the child population. That is a staggering fact that should cause all of us to stand up and take action. Dr. Cindy Blackstock is one Canadian who continues to dedicate her life to education and action around the inequality in the way in which First Nations children are treated, especially by the structures developed and maintain by the highest levels of government. For Cindy Blackstock one of the places t...

LEx CONVERSATIONS - Marjorie Brans

Marjorie Brans is an active member of intrapreneurial and entrepreneurial networks around the world and activated by a personal and professional desire to work towards equity, equality and justice. She is the founder of the School for Social Entrepreneurs and is a member of the League of Intrapreneurs. In this conversation, we explore this work, including, Maitri, her networked response to the COVID-19 crisis. Learn more about Marjorie by following her on Twitter (@marjorie_brans) or on Lin...

LEx CONVERSATIONS - Irvin Studin

Irvin Studin is Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Global Brief magazine, and President of the Institute for 21st Century Questions. He thinks deeply and provocatively about Canada’s place in the world and can be found at the intersections of geography, politics, national psychology and, as you’ll hear in this conversation—imagination. In this conversation, Irvin helps us map out some of the geo-political possibilities for the future, identifies some of the pivot points for our thinking, as b...

LEx CONVERSATIONS - David Frum

Host Stephen Hurley is joined by Canadian-American journalist, David Frum, to discuss issues of policy, leadership and the threat of de-globalization in the context of the current COVID-19 crisis. Find out more about David’s work, including his newest book, “Trumpocalypse: The End-Times President, a Battle Against the Globalist Elite, and the Countdown to Armageddon ” by visiting https://davidfrum.com

LEx CONVERSATIONS - Peter Biro

Peter Biro is a passionate advocate for human rights, resistance against unaccountable governments, corporate influence and technology. He is the founder of Section 1″, a an initiative calling all Canadians to a type of heroic citizenship in the face of some pretty serious threats to constitutional democracy, here and around the world. In this conversation, we use Peter’s soon-to-be-released book, Constitutional Democracy Under Stress: A Time for Heroic Citizenship, as a way into a rich conv...

LEx CONVERSATIONS - Alexis Duclos

lexis Duclos is a Catalyst & intrapreneur. She’s focused on tech-driven social impact in Canada and the United States and is dedicated to helping organizations develop new models of operating. Well, those are the words that she’s written on her LinkedIn Profile but, as you’ll hear in this conversation, there’s a whole lot to the way she thinks about her work and her role in the world. Alexis is one of those people who loves and lives the questions very deeply, a disposition that allows her t...

LEx CONVERSATIONS - David Price

David Price, OBE is a global thought leader, learning futurist and author, with a keen eye for how organizations learn, innovate and lean into the future. David’s highly-acclaimed book “OPEN: How We’ll Work, Live And Learn In The Future” sounds some very poignant tones in our current time as governments, social institutions and businesses try to make sense of life in a post-COVID world. His newest book, scheduled for a summer release, is “ The Power Of Us: How We Connect, Act And Innovate.”...

LEx CONVERSATIONS - Bob Rae

LEx Conversations is pleased to welcome Bob Rae, a man who has dedicated much of his life to public service. Between the years 1978 and 2013, Bob Rae served at both federal and provincial levels, leading the province of Ontario as premier from 1990-1995. Currently, Bob Rae works as a lawyer, a mediator and a teacher at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. He’s written 5 books on politics and public life and is both a Companion of the Order of Canada and a member of the Order ...

LEx CONVERSATIONS - Christian Madsbjerg

Christian Madsbjerg is Professor of Applied Humanities at The New School and Co-Founder of the pioneering consultancy Red Associates. Christian insists that, in order to address the leadership crisis that exists in today’s world, we need a new way of seeing. The ability to talk and work across disciplines and traditional silos of thinking is rooted in the Phenomenological approaches of Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty and its an approach for which Christian Madsbjerg continues to advocate. In th...

LEx CONVERSATIONS - Lenna Lou

Today on the podcast, it’s London calling. We head to London England to catch up with Lenna Lou, a business consultant and the founder of the L Factor, an organization dedicating to helping small businesses and startups that dream of making the world a better place. Lenna and her team provide the business strategies, data and mentoring to help them get there, no matter where they are on their particular journey.. Lenna is also the head of the LEx London Circle. Find out more about Lenna’s w...

The Death of the Artist ft. William Deresiewicz and Zainub Verjee

We are being told by Silicon Valley that "there's never been a better time to be an artist", but the fact is that many artists are struggling to make ends meet on our current tech-driven landscape. So, what gives? This is one of the questions that WIlliam Deresiewicz takes up in his book, "The Death of the Artist: How Creators Are Struggling to Survive in the Age of Billionaires and Big Tech". It's one of the questions that we take up today with the author, himself and Canadian artist, Zainub...

A Strategic Plan for Cowichan Valley ft. Robyn Gray

Robyn Gray is Superintendent of the Cowichan Valley School District in British Columbia. The district has moved through a very engaging strategic planning process and Robyn joined me today to talk about both the process and the plan. https://sd79.bc.ca/

Copyright on the Education Landscape

Executive Director of Access Copyright, Roanie Levy is joined by authors Sylvia McNicoll and Any Stuart to discuss today's Canadian copyright landscape, what it means to educators, and what it means to authors.

Charles Ungerleider

Charles Ungerleider is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Educational Studies in the Faculty of Education and Director of Research and Managing Partner of Directions Evidence and Policy Research Group. A teacher, a former Deputy Minister of Education for the province of British Columbia, Charles is one of those people who continues to think very deeply about education.

Beauty in the Key of Shani ft. Pianist Shani Diluka

Shani Diluka was born in Monaco to Sri Lankan parents. At the age of 6, she was chosen to participate in a special program for talented young musicians, sponsored by Princess Grace Kelly. The experience allowed her to become immersed in the world of classical music and to say that she hasn't looked back would be an understatement. In this conversation, we explore Ms. Diluka's musical education, her relationship with the vast heritage of western composers, but her recent exploration of how h...

Commanding Hope ft. Thomas Homer Dixon

Thomas Homer-Dixon is Founder and Director of the Cascade Institute at Royal Roads University, and holds a University Research Chair in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Canada. He's the author of "The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization" and "The Ingenuity Gap". Thomas Homer-Dixon joins me to talk about his latest book, "Commanding Hope: The Power We Have to Renew a World in Peril" Find out more about today's guest b...

Public affairs, journalism and speaking in full paragraphs ft. Steve Paikin

Steve Paikin is, arguably, Ontario's most trusted and respected public affairs journalists. Long-time host of TVO's Studio One and The Agenda, Steve Paikin has established a space for the type of dialogue so lacking in many of public conversations. It was great to connect with Steve about Ontario's political landscape, leadership within that space and the promise of active engagement among a new generation of citizens.

Responding to our National Education Crisis ft. Irvin Studin

Irvin Studin is Editor-in-Chief at Global Brief Magazine and President of the Centre for 21st Century Questions. His recent opinion piece in Canada's Globe and Mail, "Canada needs a temporary Minister of Education", calls all Canadians into a much deeper conversation about the nature of our current education crisis. While not downplaying the importance of health and safety and the quality of learning environments, Irvin Studin suggests that Canadian students, and our wider society, suffer a...

Should We Be Controlling Children's Passwords ft. Claudiu Popa

Privacy and Security expert, Claudiu Popa recently wrote an article in The Conversation that questions the notion that parents and teachers should have access and control over a child's computer password. Claudiu joins me today to dig deeper into the topic of privacy from a kid's perspective? You can find Claudiu's article in The Conversation here: https://theconversation.com/controlling-childrens-passwords-is-a-flagrant-breach-of-their-privacy-141031