The Tyee Podcast

When the Cowichan Nation V. Canada decision came down a year ago, there was panic right across the country. For many Canadians, the courts declaring that the Cowichan held Aboriginal title over a small section of Richmond was confusing, complex, even terrifying. But Arno Kopecky says the Cowichan decision is not the end of the world in Richmond. In fact, it’s the beginning of something incredible. For a recent feature in MacLean’s Magazine, the author and journalist knocked on doors in Richmond, walked the ground in dispute and came away, not scared, but excited. In this episode, he tells us how Indigenous title can coexist with private property, and why the Cowichan decision is an opportunity for a richer, better version of our country and our culture.

This October, Albertans will either vote to stay a part of Canada, or they’ll vote to leave. But whatever the outcome, we are all going to keep hearing about Alberta separatism for many, many years to come. Never has a delusion been this elevated in the province, says Nate Pike. On this episode, the host of the The Breakdown AB tests our censors as he tries to explain where the separatist movement came from, how much of it is being driven by foreign interference and how the vast majority of Albertans who are tired of this conversation need to fight back.“This asymmetrical warfare that they are playing on us needs to be responded to, and it can't be responded to with apathy.”

When Premier David Eby and Prime Minister Mark Carney announced their governments will spend $1.45 billion buying up 2,200 of British Columbia’s unsold condos and turning them into rent-to-own housing, the response was unambiguous. “Everyone kind of hated it,” says Marc Lee, senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. “I feel like this was something that they had maybe sketched out on the back of a cocktail napkin. It wasn't supposed to go public, and then it did.” On this episode, Marc joins us to try to make sense of this quote-unquote condo bailout. Is there any chance it might actually work? Or, instead of trying to fix the housing market, are we better off bypassing it altogether?

Online radicalization is, unfortunately, a growing beat in the media world. Luckily, there are some seriously skilled reporters trying to make sense of a world increasingly filled with misinformation. In May 2026, we gathered a few of those journalists on stage for a special Tyee panel discussion called Reality Check: LIVE. On this special episode of The Tyee Podcast, we have that panel discussion for your listening enjoyment, recorded live in front of a wonderful crowd at Simon Fraser University. Award-winning investigative journalist Rachel Gilmore joins moderator Harrison Mooney, Tyee senior editor Jen St. Denis, and Tyee contributor Mo Amir (host of the podcast and talk show This is Vancolour) to discuss both-sides versus all-sides journalism, how to avoid the Trump conundrum, and whether online extremists can ever be de-radicalized. You can watch the full event — including a keynote address by Rachel Gilmore on her experiences reporting on white nationalists, plus introductory remarks from Harrison Mooney — on The Tyee’s YouTube page. If you want to see future events like this in your town, if you have a tip about a potential story, or you have any thoughts about this podcast, reach out and send us a letter or voice note at podcast@thetyee.ca. 

Tyee journalist Katie Hyslop has been keeping a close eye on what happens to a city when the FIFA World Cup comes to town. Hyslop has reported for the Tyee for more than a decade, and was in Vancouver when the Winter Olympics arrived. Now, they break down the city’s big spending on the tournament, how it’s affecting workers and which residents the games leave behind. 

Who’s protecting your favourite tree? Possibly nobody, says author and journalist J.B. MacKinnon. MacKinnon has reported for The Tyee for two decades, and in these pages co-authored a series called “The 100-Mile Diet.”  This week, he explains how beloved trees end up on the chopping block — and what you can do about it.