Episodios

  • Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1478 - The 1988 Federal Election with Dan McCarthy, & Murray Simser

    Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1478 - The 1988 Federal Election with Dan McCarthy, & Murray Simser
    Oct 6 2025
    Tonight on The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian interviews Dan McCarthy and Murray Simser for a fascinating discussion on a question first raised during the 1988 federal election. In that year’s leaders’ debate, John Turner famously warned:

    “Once a country yields its economic levers, once a country yields its energy … once a country yields its agriculture … once a country opens itself to a subsidy war with the United States … then the political ability of this country to remain as an independent nation — that has gone forever, and that is the issue of this election.”

    They explore whether Turner was right — tracing Canada’s trade history from the McDonald Royal Commission and the 1988 Free Trade election, through the promises and pitfalls of economic integration, to the challenges of dealing with President Trump’s protectionist agenda. Dan and Murray share insights on how globalization has reshaped sovereignty, the missed opportunities for adjustment programs in the 1990s, and the ongoing question of how much sovereignty Canada can afford to give up in future trade deals.

    Their conversation also looked ahead: Should Canada pursue deeper integration with the U.S. through a security perimeter and labor mobility, or diversify trade with other global partners? And what does it mean for Canada’s political independence when the U.S. increasingly views us as its “51st state”?
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    51 m
  • Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1477 - The Crisis of Masculinity with Dr. Jacqueline Murray

    Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1477 - The Crisis of Masculinity with Dr. Jacqueline Murray
    Oct 3 2025
    Tonight on The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian interviews Dr. Jacqueline Murray, PhD, FRHistS—University Professor Emerita (University of Guelph), Fellow of St. Michael’s College, and 3M National Teaching Fellow—for a thought-provoking conversation on masculinity. Drawing on her expertise in medieval history and gender studies, Dr. Murray explores how concepts of manhood have evolved across centuries and why these debates remain urgent today.

    Together they examine the so-called “crisis of masculinity,” unpacking the pressures young men face as media portrayals, social expectations, and cultural stereotypes reinforce narrow ideals. Dr. Murray challenges the notion that masculinity has ever been singular, noting that even in the Middle Ages, honor, integrity, and provider roles varied across classes and communities—offering a richer, more nuanced view than today’s headlines. They conclude this episode with a call to reimagine masculinity for the modern age—not around dominance or aggression, but around honor, moral compass, and self-worth. Dr. Murray argues society thrives when young men embrace diverse masculinities and when role models reflect integrity over bravado. It’s an eye-opening exchange connecting lessons from history to the challenges of today.
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    52 m
  • Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1476 - Active Investment with Alex Letko

    Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1476 - Active Investment with Alex Letko
    Oct 2 2025
    Tonight on The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian interviews Alex Letko. Alex Letko, Regional Manager for Central Canada at LetkoBrosseau and Portfolio Manager, analyzes markets, investment strategies, and the AI boom. He recalls the 1987 stock market crash, noting parallels with today as a few AI firms dominate valuations, similar to the dot-com bubble. He warns of challenges in infrastructure profitability but highlights the firm’s emerging markets fund focused on unmet needs like water, clean energy, and healthcare. Alex sees Canada facing recession risks but benefiting from a relatively strong fiscal position among G7 nations. He predicts Canada may outpace U.S. growth by 2026, with opportunities in infrastructure, natural resources, defense, and high-tech.
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    52 m
  • Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1475 - Purpose Built Rental Properties with Tony Irwin

    Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1475 - Purpose Built Rental Properties with Tony Irwin
    Oct 1 2025
    Tonight on The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian interviews Tony Irwin about Purpose Built Rental Properties and the housing crisis in the GTA. Tony Irwin, President and CEO of Rental Housing Canada and Federation of Rental Housing Providers of Ontario, discusses the challenges and opportunities in transitioning from condominiums to purposeful rental housing development. He explains that while the two types of housing may look similar to consumers, the economic models are fundamentally different, with condominiums benefiting from pre-sales for financing while purposeful rentals require significant upfront equity and may not be profitable for the first decade.

    Tony highlights that pre-construction condos were often sold as investments based on expected appreciation, while purpose-built rentals are sold as homes. We discuss the advantages of professional management in purpose-built rental buildings, emphasizing the creation of community and long-term resident satisfaction. He discusses the challenges in the housing market, emphasizing the need for government intervention to address declining building starts and permits. Tony highlights the importance of combining government action with factors like lower interest rates and economic confidence to stimulate development. He expressed concern about job losses in the industry and the long-term implications of not planning adequately for future housing demands.
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    54 m
  • Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1474 - Free Speech, & Charlie Kirk with Neil Seeman

    Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1474 - Free Speech, & Charlie Kirk with Neil Seeman
    Oct 1 2025
    Tonight on The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian interviews Neil Seeman. Neil reflects on his front-page opinion piece about Charlie Kirk, calling him an intellectual rooted in a more civilized era, much like William F. Buckley. He notes that Kirk was unafraid to question his own beliefs, debate opponents, and resist the false comfort of consensus. Neil highlights Kirk’s skill in challenging others with sharp yet cheerful inquiry, particularly engaging young people in dialogue. Like Buckley, Kirk combined ideological rigor with humor, able to poke fun at overly serious thinkers, including himself. Neil argues this tradition is fading in today’s social media-driven discourse.
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    53 m
  • Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1473 - The Housing Sector with Richard Lyall

    Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1473 - The Housing Sector with Richard Lyall
    Sep 29 2025
    Tonight on the Brian Crombie Radio Hour, Brian interviews Richard Lyall about his report from last week. This report is on the state of housing starts and sales across 34 municipalities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, including the City of Toronto, is troubling and should set off the alarm bells for policymakers across all three levels of government.

    “Housing projects have been shelved and the industry has hit a wall,” Lyall said. “The outlook is bleak, and we are trending in the wrong direction. We need governments to take concrete action to lower the #tax burden and modernize the process to kick-start the industry. Our economy will be in dire straits if we do not act quickly.”

    Richard Lyall, President of RESCON, the Residential Construction Council of Ontario, is a prolific writer, speaker and commentator on what has and is going wrong with the housing sector in the GTA. Brian closes this episode with his ten point plan to address our housing crisis.
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    52 m
  • Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1472 - Dress for Success Toronto with Kirsten Eastwood

    Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1472 - Dress for Success Toronto with Kirsten Eastwood
    Sep 26 2025
    Tonight on The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian interviews Kirsten Eastwood. Kirsten is the President of Dress for Success Toronto and leads a charity dedicated to empowering women through work attire, career development tools, and a strong support network. She highlights the role of clothing in balancing authenticity with professional expectations during interviews and at work. Dress for Success focuses on women facing systemic barriers, addressing high unemployment rates among young women aged 18-29 by building confidence and networking skills. Kirsten stresses LinkedIn, research, clear goals, and gratitude as key to effective networking. She shares Yodi’s journey from persecution in South America to success at Legal Aid, inspiring the upcoming Beyond the Suit fundraiser on October 8.
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    53 m
  • Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1471 - Ibex with Murat Croci

    Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1471 - Ibex with Murat Croci
    Sep 26 2025
    Tonight on The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian interviews Murat Croci. Murat is the co-founder and co-CEO of Ibex Biosciences and brings two decades of biotech leadership and five patents to advancing breakthrough treatments. Founded in 2015, Ibex is developing two transformative drugs: a single-dose malaria cure that blocks parasites from entering red blood cells, showing strong effectiveness in animal models, and an antibody drug conjugate targeting chemoresistant colorectal cancer. Using alpaca-based antibodies against CD147, this ADC achieves 100% efficacy in mouse models, eliminating tumors that typically recur in 35% of patients. The company focuses on colon cancer first, with potential expansion to melanoma and ovarian cancer. Brian closes this episode with some thoughts of his six year anniversary of the Brian Crombie Radio Hour.


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    52 m