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Coastal Front is a Vancouver-based media company providing in-depth reporting and opinion, with a strong focus on government accountability at all levels in Canada. As part of our work, the Coastal Front podcast, hosted by Andrew Johns, features conversations on business, politics, and community, exploring the stories shaping our city, province, and country.
Episodes

Thursday Nov 26, 2020
Let's Break it Down | Rethink COVID-19 Policies
Thursday Nov 26, 2020
Thursday Nov 26, 2020
Video: https://youtu.be/K7IwOBRN6rw
With fully enclosed bubbles in operation province-wide, the number of deaths will plummet, and the government could lift many of the strict lockdown measures that have been put in place. I’m not suggesting that we throw caution to the wind and now have other public health measures remain in place like wearing masks and washing hands. But if we increase our efforts to specifically protect our most vulnerable citizens, we might be able to lift some of the more severe restrictions that apply generally. That will not only allow many British Columbians to go back to living a more normal life, but it will also spur on massive economic activity. This surge in economic growth will generate more than enough tax revenue to cover the small cost to protect the most vulnerable people in our province. BC People: Please share amongst your network and send it to your MLA!

Wednesday Nov 18, 2020
Chris Elgar | VP and Deputy Superintendent, Prudential Supervision at BCFSA
Wednesday Nov 18, 2020
Wednesday Nov 18, 2020
Chris Elgar is the Deputy Superintendent, Prudential Supervision at BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA). Chris is responsible for managing FICOM's (Financial Institutions Commission) prudential supervision of provincially regulated financial institutions. In short, Chris acts as a regulator for financial institutions within BC. Chris has over 35 years of financial services experience as a senior executive at major Canadian banks including Manulife Bank where he was Chief Risk Officer. Chris also served at the federal Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions within the Supervision Group where he was Managing Director responsible for Capital Markets risk assessments for federally regulated financial institutions.
In this episode we talked about:
- How financial institutions are regulated in our province
- Risk assessment for financial institutions of various size
- Creating regulations that also facilitate a level-playing field for all financial institutions
- Banks vs credit unions; their pro's and con's, strengths and weaknesses
- Security levels for depositors at credit unions
- Biggest challenge facing financial institutions smaller than Canadian big 5 banks

Monday Nov 09, 2020
Pierre Poilievre | Conservative MP for Carleton
Monday Nov 09, 2020
Monday Nov 09, 2020
We're excited to have Pierre Poilievre, a former Minister, six-term Member of Parliament, and the Conservative Shadow Minister of Finance on the show. Pierre has served 16 amazing years as an MP and is a free market activist. He also believes that the Government should take part in an environment where business owners can succeed in Canada while, “eliminating red tape.” 20 years ago, Pierre notably wrote a paper entitled, “politics should not be a lifelong career.” Pierre advocates for the employment of people with disabilities, personal freedom, and limiting Government.
Today we talk about:
- Transparency and accountability in government
- The extent of freedom of information
- Canada's financial future: short term & long term

Monday Oct 19, 2020
Tesicca Truong, BC NDP | 2020 BC Election Series
Monday Oct 19, 2020
Monday Oct 19, 2020
We’re joined by Tesicca Truong, the BC NDP’s candidate for Vancouver-Langara. This is Tesicca’s first campaign for public office, and she’s running against Michael Lee of the BC Liberal Party, who has held the riding since it was created in 1991. Tesicca is the founder of CityHive, a non-profit that tries to engage young people in civic processes, and has been involved in a long list of local activist groups, task forces, and organizations. We’re excited to talk to Tesicca about getting youth involved in local politics, climate policy, and her experience running for MLA in her twenties.
In this episode we talk about:
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BC NDP’s priorities for the next 4 years
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Youth engagement in local politics
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Running for MLA in her twenties
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Climate policies and what BC should prioritize
Have someone in mind you'd like us to interview? Comment below or send requests to coastalfront@andrewjohns.ca

Friday Oct 16, 2020
Karin Kirkpatrick, BC Liberal | 2020 BC Election Series
Friday Oct 16, 2020
Friday Oct 16, 2020
Today we’re joined by Karin Kirkpatirck, BC Liberal Candidate for West Vancouver – Capilano. This is Karin’s first time running for public office, but not her first time in a leadership position: Karin has held executive positions a handful of organizations in BC, including the Real Estate Foundation of BC, UBC’s Sauder School of Business, and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. Most recently, Karin has served as CEO of Family Services of Greater Vancouver, an organization with 500 employees and 12 locations spread across Greater Vancouver. Today, we’re excited to talk to Karin about the election, what she sees are her niche in the legislature, and what she hopes to gain from this election.
In this episode we talk about:
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BC Liberal’s priorities for the next 4 years
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What she sees are her niche in the legislature
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What she hopes to gain from this election
Have someone in mind you'd like us to interview? Comment below or send requests to coastalfront@andrewjohns.ca

Monday Oct 12, 2020
George Affleck, BC Liberal | 2020 BC Election Series
Monday Oct 12, 2020
Monday Oct 12, 2020
We’re excited to have on George Affleck, BC Liberal candidate for MLA in Vancouver – Fairview. This is George’s first campaign for provincial office, but by no means his first campaign: George served as a Vancouver city councilor for 7 years and was elected to that position twice. Before serving on city council, George was a marketing executive and founder of Vancouver’s Curve Communications. Today, I’m excited to talk to George about what’s at stake in this election, his transition from business to politics, and how he’s uniquely prepared to campaign in this environment.
In this episode we talk about:
What’s at stake in this election;
His transition from business to politics;
Tax reforms and why it’s important at a time like this;
Tackling complex issues like homelessness in Vancouver;
Climate policies
Have someone in mind you'd like us to interview? Comment below or send requests to coastalfront@andrewjohns.ca

Saturday Oct 10, 2020
Sonia Furstenau, BC Green | 2020 BC Election Series
Saturday Oct 10, 2020
Saturday Oct 10, 2020
Today we’re thrilled to have on Sonia Furstenau, BC Green Party candidate for Cowichan Valley, and the leader of the BC Green Party. Sonia got into politics at the local level, organizing against a provincial permit that allowed a company to contaminate the water in Shawnigan Lake. Sonia won a competitive race to replace Andrew Weaver as the leader of the BC Green Party, and is the incumbent in her race for Cowichan Valley against Rob Douglas from the BC NDP and Tanya Kaul from the BC Liberals. We’re thrilled to talk to Sonia about the BC Green Party, her goals for this election, and why the next four years are so important for BC. In this episode we talked about:
- What winning looks like for the BC Green Party
- Importance of minority government
- Impact of the BC Green Party can make even with small number of seats in the legislative assembly
- BC Green Party represents issues beyond the environment

Tuesday Oct 06, 2020
Sam Sullivan, BC Liberal | 2020 BC Election Series
Tuesday Oct 06, 2020
Tuesday Oct 06, 2020
For decades, Sam has been a deeply passionate and driven advocate for all residents of Vancouver. Sam served as Mayor of Vancouver from 2005-2008 and Vancouver City Councillor from 1993-2002. Sam is the founder of the Sam Sullivan Disability Foundation and six organizations that currently support quality of life initiatives for people with disabilities across Canada. For this he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. Today, Sam is on the campaign trail again for the BC Liberal Party.
In this episode, we talked about:
- The BC Liberal Party platform
- Vancouver-False Creek’s neighborhood security
- Addiction and homelessness in Vancouver
- What should the road to economic recovery look like for BC?
- Fast tracking Olympic Village school

Tuesday Sep 29, 2020
David Eby, BC NDP | 2020 BC Election Series
Tuesday Sep 29, 2020
Tuesday Sep 29, 2020
Today we're lucky to have on Mr. David Eby, QC, BC NDP candidate for Vancouver - Point Grey. David is our first guest on this snap election series, where we’ll be interviewing candidates from around the Lower Mainland. In this episode, we covered: - The decision to call a snap election, and the criticism that has received; - What winning looks like for the NDP, and what it would mean for BC - Two of David’s signature issues: money laundering and BC’s opposition to pipelines.

Thursday Sep 24, 2020
Introducing BC Election Series 2020 | Coastal Front
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
In the wake of a snap election in BC, we will be starting a series of podcasts and video-casts in the next few weeks featuring MLAs from all parties that will be running in this election. Our host Andrew Johns will be challenging them each of their platforms and various policies. There are only less than 30 days until the election, our goal is to help BC residents make the most informed decision on October 24, 2020. Our first guest is Attorney General, David Eby. If you have any specific questions you'd like to ask David, please email them to coastalfront@andrewjohns.ca Have someone in mind you'd like us to interview? Comment below or send requests to coastalfront@andrewjohns.ca