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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

Sunday Aug 02, 2020
Banks vs. Credit Unions
Sunday Aug 02, 2020
Sunday Aug 02, 2020
BlueShore Financial is one of the top 20 credit unions in Canada. We sit down with their CEO, Chris Catliff, to discuss the role credit unions play in fostering a healthy banking system across Canada. Unlike many, Chris has sat on as CEO of BlueShore Financial for the past 20 years. There is no doubt Chris’s leadership is integral to BlueShore’s success today. In this episode he shares his secret on how to build an impactful organization, how to become a better leader, and why more Canadians should consider credit unions.

Sunday Jul 26, 2020
Should You Invest in Gold? A Conversation with CEO of Sabina Gold & Silver
Sunday Jul 26, 2020
Sunday Jul 26, 2020
Joining us on our show today is Bruce McLeod, President and CEO of Sabina Gold & Silver. Bruce is a mining engineer with over 30 years of experience in all areas of the mining industry. On the show today we chatted how a mining company operates in Canada, the challenges they face, and advantages of including gold in your portfolio in a volatile market like today. Listen to Bruce’s insight on all podcast platforms!

Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
BC Liberal Party Leader Andrew Wilkinson on Transparency in Government
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
Andrew Wilkinson is the leader of the BC Liberal Party and represents Vancouver-Quilchena in BC's Legislative Assembly. A physician and a lawyer by training, Andrew knows a lot about a lot, so we were thrilled he was able to come in to chat. Our conversation covered tax policy, privacy, transparency in government, and how the BC Liberals plan to pitch themselves in today's political climate.

Sunday Jul 12, 2020
Personal Insolvency 101 with Raj Hara & Blair Mantin
Sunday Jul 12, 2020
Sunday Jul 12, 2020
Blair Mantin and Raj Hara are two of Canada's most experienced insolvency trustees. Raj reached out to me a few weeks ago about some remarkable things his team is seeing in the insolvency space, and I knew we had to bring them on Coastal Front to discuss. In this episode, we walk through the basics of insolvency, how it affects people, and how COVID-19 has completely disrupted the space.

Monday Jul 06, 2020
How to Navigate Vancouver Real Estate Market Amid COVID-19
Monday Jul 06, 2020
Monday Jul 06, 2020
In this episode we talk about:
May sales numbers and what has COVID changed?
Foreign buyers’ impact on Vancouver real estate
How will a beneficial ownership registry affect the market
The best thing to do for first-time home buyers
Advice on pre-sale properties

Friday Jun 19, 2020
Federal NDP MP Laurel Collins on Climate and Income Inequality in Canada
Friday Jun 19, 2020
Friday Jun 19, 2020
In this episode we talk about:
- Laurel’s long road to Ottawa & why she chose the NDP
- Transitioning into a low-carbon economy, what it means for workers in fossil fuel industry
- Retro-fitting homes across Canada to reduce emissions — What are the costs?
- Electric Transmission lines cross-province for clean energy
- Action plan to close the gap of income inequality
- Implementation of Federal Wealth Tax
- The cost of Universal Dental Care for Canadians

Friday Jun 12, 2020
Yuri on How Bitcoin is Re-Shaping the Global Financial Landscape
Friday Jun 12, 2020
Friday Jun 12, 2020
Yuri de Gaia calls himself the “Bitcoin Aficionado” — he is exactly that and more. As the co-founder of HoneyBadger , Canada’s most reliable Bitcoin kiosks and a partner at L2B Global, a bitcoin financial service firm, Yuri is on the pursuit to help others build wealth and navigate a world of non-traditional finance. Bitcoin is reshaping the global financial landscape and many leaders in this community, like Yuri himself, are already exploring the technologies that build on Bitcoin’s monetary and non-monetary capabilities. On the surface level, he’s a successful businessman and entrepreneur, but Yuri’s vision for the future goes way beyond that. His dream is to build a citadel, a future in which bitcoin unleashes its true power and launch the world into a new economic and social reality.
You can find Yuri’s blog here: https://degaia.co/
In this episode we talk about:
- Bitcoin vs. other assets; Bitcoin’s comparison to gold
- The basics of Blockchain and how a bitcoin wallet works
- Bitcoin’s overall security and protocols in place - The overall architecture of Bitcoin and incorporation of payment solutions
- What is the Lightning Network? Use cases of Bitcoin in POS systems
- Bitcoin future and Yuri’s vision for his citadel

Monday Mar 02, 2020
Karri Schuermans on How to Be Successful in Restaurant Business
Monday Mar 02, 2020
Monday Mar 02, 2020
The failure rate of most new restaurants in Vancouver is staggeringly high. Of those that survive, even fewer are able to achieve the status of an institution in this City. Karri has managed to do that with not one, but two restaurants, as well as a cooking school.
The only reason she stopped there is because Karri decided to take her foot off the gas so she could raise her family the right way.
Known for its balance of fine dining without formalities and a forever-evolving menu, Chambar has earned its place among the best restaurants in Vancouver.
In this podcast we explore the entrepreneurial side of running a restaurant. Karri started with a $5000 pre approved Visa card; she walks us through her story for how she turned that, into a 16 year old establishment that only seems to be getting better with time.
In this episode we talk about:
-The foundations of Chambar
-Ditching the corner office & manifesting values
-The biggest challenges of starting a restaurant
Show Links:
Coastal Front Website: https://bit.ly/3bDodGg
Listen on Apple: https://apple.co/31x3NKE
Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2H5RFXq

Wednesday Feb 12, 2020
Vancouver City Councillor Adriane Carr on Climate Action
Wednesday Feb 12, 2020
Wednesday Feb 12, 2020
Adriane Carr has been a leader in British Columbia’s environmental movement since 1983, and has served as a Vancouver City Councillor since 2011. Having led the BC Green Party, served as Deputy Leader of the Green Party of Canada, and won three City Council elections as a Green candidate, Carr has advocated for environmental issues at every level of Canadian government. We brought Councillor Carr in to talk about Vancouver’s declaration of a climate emergency, the state of the environmental movement, and what Vancouver is doing to become the world’s “Greenest City”.
Find in this episode:
· The state of the climate emergency
· How food production is a crucial element of sustainable planning
· Waste management in Vancouver
· Vancouver’s plans for advancing electric infrastructure
· The downside of Uber and Lyft
· Vancouver’s fight against AirBnB
The best way to tackle a massive epidemic like climate change is to think globally and act locally. Have ideas? Familiarize yourself with the city’s climate action plan and contact your local representatives.

Friday Feb 07, 2020
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority with Sean Baxter
Friday Feb 07, 2020
Friday Feb 07, 2020
The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s largest and most diversified port, and the third largest in North America. In fact, Vancouver’s port is the same size as the next five largest Canadian ports combined. The port handles $1 of every $3 of Canada’s trade in goods outside of North America.
As the Manager of Marine Operations and Assistant Harbour Master, Sean Baxter is responsible for enforcing the regulations of the port, in order to ensure the safety of navigation, the security of the harbour and the correct operation of the port facilities.
Sean has spent 15 years working on or with ships in North America. He worked aboard ecotourism boats leading cage diving expeditions. He spent time working with the Canadian Coast Guard, and for the last nine years Sean has been working his way up through the ranks with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
Vancouver’s import / export breakdown
Submarines in Vancouver
How risky would increased oil tanker traffic be?
The implications of the TMX Expansion
Port security - smuggling and trafficking
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