Scott Radley Show

As we say goodbye to Jen McQueen, Scott welcomes her to The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton Radio to discuss ways Hamilton can tackle homelessness encampments in the city, MPs going on summer break, weird celebrity quirks, greater response to stories involving animals vs people and more. Guest: Jen McQueen, Afternoon News Anchor, 900 CHML

Encampments are back in front of Hamilton City Council as the debate over what to do with them and how to manage homelessness in the city. What changes could be coming to the encampment protocol? Guest: Danielle Blake, Manager of Housing Focused Street Outreach, City of Hamilton - $5.7 million is not a small amount of money but as the City of Hamilton recovers from a ransomware attack, will it and the projected $33 million in future spending make for a sufficient IT system that's resistant to another attack? What needs to be done to ensure another malware attack doesn't impact Hamilton like this last one? Guest: Carmi Levy Technology Analyst & Journalist - The 2024 ALS Canada Walk to End ALS in Hamilton will take place on June 22nd at Confederation Park. Guest: Melissa Van Tuyl, Community Lead for the ALS Society of Canada - Peter Menzies believes that Canadian consumers are going to be paying a hefty price whether they realize it or not thanks to a decision by Google to direct a $100 million fund towards one

The City of Hamilton has spent $5.7 million in its recovery from the ransomware attack it was hit with back in February. Is that above normal spending on this kind of thing? Guest: Tony Anscombe, Chief Security Evangelist for ESET - We often hear calls for the rich to pay their fair share but what determines if someone is "rich" and what their "fair share" is? Guest: Moshe Lander, Senior Economics Lecturer with Concordia University - Support for Justin Trudeau is approaching "rock bottom" according to an Ipsos poll that found 68% of respondents want him to step down. Guest: Peggy Nash, Former NDP Finance Critic, and author of Women Winning Office: An Activist's Guide To Getting Elected available now

Should the City of Hamilton give the current location of Philpott Memorial Church a heritage designation? What would happen if they don't grant the designation? Are additional supports provided if it does get designated? Guest: John Best, Publisher, The Bay Observer - Is it fair for people to criticize the Supreme Court of Canada if they haven't read everything from the Supreme Court pertaining to their criticism? Guest: Jeff Manishen, Criminal Lawyer, Ross & McBride; Former Crown Attorney - When does a celebrity who's been cancelled get a second chance? Should they ever get one? Why some but not others? Guest: Elissa Freeman, Communications Strategist, PR & Pop Culture Expert

Does the EQAO actually benefit anyone in the education system? How is the current way it's implemented work and can it be tweaked to provide more accurate or simply better results? Guest: Todd White, Ward 5 & 10 Trustee, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board - Do we need to replace standardized testing to better serve students? Are we trying to change things so they sound good rather than actually doing students good? Guest: Dr. Paul Bennett, Director of School House Consulting - Excessively difficult golfing, seemingly impossible odds for the Oilers, professional teams needing to learn how to win and more are all on the docket for Sports Talk with Don Robertson. Guest: Don Robertson, Head Coach & Owner, Back-to-Back Defending Allan Cup Champion Dundas Real McCoys & Broker of Record, ComChoice Realty

This week, The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton Radio welcomes none other than Keanin Loomis to the show. There's a really decent chance that you know his name as he's been involved with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce as well as the opponent of Andrea Horwath in Hamilton's last mayoral election. Now that approximately a year and a half has passed since that election, Scott wants to get Keanin's take on what's happened so far, what Hamilton and its residents need from City Council as well as what his new position is at the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, the importance of Father's Day and more. Guest: Keanin Loomis, President & CEO, Canadian Institute of Steel Construction & former mayoral candidate

Watching an orchestra perform can be a moving experience but what about experiencing an orchestra like the musicians? Your opportunity for full immersion is coming soon and it'll be right here in Hamilton at the Brott Music Festival. Guest: Tania Miller, Artistic Director & Conductor of the Brott Music Festival

Deepfake ads and videos are not just coming, they're here. How could this change the way politics, among other things, is conducted going forward? Guest: Marcus Kolga, Director of DisinfoWatch.org and Senior Fellow with the Macdonald Laurier Institute - Watching an orchestra perform can be a moving experience but what about experiencing an orchestra like the musicians? Your opportunity is coming soon and it'll be right here in Hamilton at the Brott Music Festival. Guest: Tania Miller, Artistic Director & Conductor of the Brott Music Festival - Is it a good thing that the jays are this bad yet still in the playoff picture? Has baseball improved the game with so many wild cards? Guest: Steve Foxcroft, NFL official and basketball referee

Is Hamilton becoming the site for other cities' homeless people? If we have superior supports, does that mean we should be supporting more than just Hamilton's unhoused? Guest: Tom Cooper, Director, Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction - How are cancelled passenger flights out of Hamilton International Airport impacting growth? YHM is a leader on the cargo side of air travel so why would WestJet cancel flights from it? Guest: Cole Horncastle, Executive Managing Director with Hamilton International Airport - Arena concerts/tours are storied and amazing to behold but it would appear they're starting to be undersold despite big name performers' presence. What's driving this decline and is it set to be a small dip or a lengthy nosedive? Guest: Eric Alper, Publicist, music commentator

John Best joins us to chat about his piece in the bay observer on frayed relations on city council and much more local politics. Guest: John Best, Publisher of The Bay Observer - ‘Golden Era: The Legacy of Bob Morrow’ is the new documentary about the late, former mayor of Hamilton, by local filmmaker Scott C. Newman of White Dwarf Pictures. It is set to be premiered at the Westdale Theatre on June 16. Guest: Scott C. Newman, Hamilton filmmaker with White Dwarf Pictures and Rosemary Baptista, co-producer of this film - Bubba O'Neil and Scott get together to talk the controversy surrounding up-and-coming WNBA star Caitlyn Clark being snubbed from the Team USA roster for this summer's olympics. Guest: Bubba O'Neil, Sports Anchor with CHCH and Analyst with the Ticats Audio Network

On Fridays, Scott welcomes one guest for the whole show and today is no different as Teri Pecoskie, regional news editor for The Hamilton Spectator, joins the show to talk about MPs contributing to foreign interference, whether bylaw should rule in favour of "naturalized lawns" over mowing/manicured lawns, UltraBasic airline fees and if the model can be applied to other things like municipal taxes and more. Guest: Teri Pecoskie, Regional News Editor, The Hamilton Spectator

The Woodlands Park bathroom rebuild is still baffling all who hear about how much it'll cost and how long it's projected to take before it's back up and running. Why is this the case? Guest: John Best, Publisher of The Bay Observer - Members of the Canadian Armed Forces are leaving due to "toxic leadership" according to their top adviser. At what level is this "toxic leadership" occurring and who is it on to fix it? What other reasons are prompting members of our military to leave? Guest: David Pugliese, Journalist with the Ottawa Citizen - The Hamilton Tiger-Cats open their season tomorrow night as they square off against the Calgary Stampeders. What's at stake this year and how will the change in coaching staff promote a different style of play? Guest: Steve Foxcroft, NFL official and basketball referee

Some Hamilton city councillors were set aback at a committee meeting when told the million-dollar reconstruction of the torched Woodlands Park public washroom will take more than a year. Public works staffers admitted the end of 2025 forecast is based on a “worst case” scenario. Still, they confirmed visitors to a new spray pad, opening Labour Day weekend, will likely have to accept using porta-potties in place of a permanent amenity. GUESTS: Cynthia Graham, Director of Environmental Services, Public Works, City of Hamilton Indra Maharjan, Director of Corporate Facilities & Energy Management, Public Works, City of Hamilton

What would a modern home economics course look like to you? That's the question being asked as the now-named 'Family Studies' is set to have a revamp come its way. Guest: Lesia Hucal, Family Studies teacher at St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School and Vice President of the Ontario Family Studies & Home Economics Educators’ Association - How is it even possible for the bathroom at Woodlands Park to cost $1.3 million and a year to renovate? Surely there's a better way! Guest: Indra Maharjan, Director of Corporate Facilities, City of Hamilton Cynthia Graham, Director of Environmental Services, City of Hamilton - Canadian politicians "wittingly" participated in foreign interference? What does this mean, practically speaking? What should be done about it? Guest: Phil Gurski, President of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting, Former CSIS analyst

What's with the rise in gun violence here in Hamilton? What's being done about it? Guest: Superintendent Marty Schulenberg, Hamilton Police Service - There's a massive split in the Canadian population's support for or against universities divesting from Israel and Israeli organizations. Why is this and how does the way we get our information impact our opinions? Guest: Jon Roe, Research Associate with Angus Reid - How might Mackenzie Hughes’ outstanding performance at the Canadian Open impact the way he’s viewed here at home? What kind of impact will referee tendencies have on the upcoming Stanley Cup final? And are you excited for this year's Grey Cup half time show? Surely, you will be after finding out who it is! This and more is on the docket for this week's edition of Sports Talk with Don Robertson. Guest: Don Robertson, Head Coach & Owner, Back-to-Back Defending Allan Cup Champion Dundas Real McCoys & Broker of Record, ComChoice Realty

Donald Trump has been found guilty on all counts in the hush-money trial. What are the wider implications of this and how might it impact the upcoming election? Guest: Elliot Tepper, Emeritus Professor of Political Science with Carleton University

Donald Trump has been found guilty on all counts in the hush-money trial. What are the wider implications of this and how might it impact the upcoming election? Guest: Elliot Tepper, Emeritus Professor of Political Science with Carleton University - In Canada, 16-year-olds are allowed to drive cars but does that mean they should also be allowed to vote in elections? Guest: Geoff Callaghan, Assistant professor of political science at the University of Windsor - The number of Ontario school boards joining a lawsuit against Meta, Snapchat & TikTok is continuing to grow but why school boards? Is this something that falls under their domain? Guest: Carrie Hughes-Grant, Head of School for Holy Name of Mary College School - The Canadian Open is going on right now and CHML is down at the course covering it all. One such reporter is our very own Rick Zamperin. Is there anything he can't/doesn't do? Guest: Rick Zamperin, Host of Good Morning Hamilton & CHML Sports Director

Should Hamilton consider other avenues for making money by way of new taxes? Have Councillors looked at delaying their pet projects before introducing these? Guest: John Best, Publisher of The Bay Observer - According to a poll, it would appear that almost half of Canadians feel that Justin Trudeau is staying in power for purely selfish reasons. Guest: Muhammad Ali, Vice President with Crestview Strategies - Think of a Disney song. Chances are pretty good that song you just thought of was written by the Robert & Richard Sherman, sometimes referred to as the Sherman Brothers. Today, we received the news that Richard died at the age of 95. Guest: Eric Alper, Publicist and music commentator

What does it mean for Ontarians now that the province and the feds have struck a deal worth $357 million? Guest: Dr. Lori Turnbull, Professor & Chair of Public & International Affairs with Dalhousie University - Why does look like a double standard has formed around the treatment of Jews on university campuses when compared with other identifiable groups? Guest: Michael Geist, Professor of Law with the University of Ottawa, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law and a member of the Centre for Law, Technology and Society - Hamilton is back at the top of the list... of worst roads in Ontario. Aberdeen Avenue has taken the top spot thanks to poor maintenance, potholes and traffic congestion but should Hamiltonians be proud or embarrassed by this? Are people trying to circumvent complaining to the government by voting en masse in CAA's Worst Roads Campaign? Guest: Brian Pirvu, Government Relations Consultant for CAA South Central Ontario