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Thursday, three conversations about issues affecting our homes, our communities and the people we care about. 🏠 PART ONE — RON BUTLER: DON’T BUY YET? Mortgage broker and real estate commentator Ron Butler joins me with a stark assessment of Canada’s housing market. Ron says the recovery many expected hasn’t arrived. Sales remain weak, mortgage rates have risen again, foreclosures are increasing, and prices in some markets are dramatically below their 2022 peaks. We discuss why suburban markets such as Brampton and Niagara have been particularly hard hit; falling condo and rental prices; immigration and population changes; inflation and interest rates; and the impact of rising global bond yields on Canadian mortgages. And Ron offers prospective buyers some provocative advice: Wait. He believes prices in many markets could be lower by next spring. Is he right—or are we finally approaching the bottom? 🕊️ PART TWO — CAN THE ARTS HELP BUILD PEACE? I’m joined by Karim Mirshahi and Satie Narain-Simon, CPA, Director of Waterfront Media Group and VP of the International Peace Festival, ahead of the International Peace Festival Gala on October 10. Through film, music, art, fashion and cultural exchange, the festival asks whether shared cultural experiences and human connection can help counter violence and division. The gala will also recognize young environmental leadership in partnership with the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH). 👵 PART THREE — PROTECTING SENIORS FROM FINANCIAL ABUSE Finally, the John Parkinson Family Foundation joins me to discuss the growing threat of elder financial abuse. AI-generated voices. Grandparent scams. Urgent requests for money. And sometimes exploitation by someone the senior already knows and trusts. What are the warning signs? Urgency. Secrecy. Fear. And what can families do before a crisis occurs? 📻 The Brian Crombie Hour 🕕 Thursday at 6 PM ET | Sauga 960 AM 🔁 Encore Friday at 7 AM ET 🎧 YouTube + podcast platforms Housing. Peace. Protecting our seniors. Three very different conversations about challenges confronting Canadians and their communities. Join us.

Property taxes. Housing. Crime and policing. Traffic and transit. Development. These are some of the issues Mississauga voters will be considering as they choose their next City Council. Wednesday on The Brian Crombie Hour, I interview four candidates—two running in Ward 5 and two in Ward 7. 🏙️ WARD 5 — DR. JAMIE DOOKIE Jamie argues Ward 5 needs a strong, independent voice at City Hall. We discuss affordability, rising property taxes, accountability and transparency, vehicle theft and policing, development charges, housing and economic development. Can Mississauga find meaningful savings at City Hall while protecting the services residents expect? 🏙️ WARD 5 — DANNY SINGH Danny has worked in Ward 5 for approximately two decades and believes Malton and Britannia are distinct communities that may ultimately deserve separate representation. We discuss property taxes, policing, homelessness, housing, Britannia Farms, the Hazel McCallion LRT and his support for all-day, two-way GO service on the Milton line. 🏙️ WARD 7 — LESLIE SILVESTRI Leslie grew up in Cooksville and believes an area that was once the heart of Mississauga has been left behind. We discuss revitalizing the historic Four Corners at Hurontario and Dundas, taxes, crime, development, transit and all-day, two-way GO service through Cooksville. 🏙️ WARD 7 — AMIR ALI Amir brings more than 30 years of business and community experience. We discuss traffic congestion, the Hazel McCallion LRT, development around Cooksville GO, productivity at City Hall and his commitment to try to hold property taxes at current levels. And I ask: If you’re going to freeze taxes, where do you find the savings? This is part of a broader effort on my program to let voters hear directly from the people asking to represent them. Over the coming weeks, I intend to offer interview opportunities to several candidates running in different wards in Mississauga and in other municipal elections. My job is to ask the questions. Voters can decide what they think of the answers. 📻 The Brian Crombie Hour 🕕 Wednesday at 6 PM ET 📡 Sauga 960 AM 🔁 Encore Thursday at 7 AM ET 🎧 YouTube + podcast platforms Four candidates. Two wards. Different ideas about the future of Mississauga. Join us.

More than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there is still no peace. And according to my guest Tuesday, the war may actually be entering one of its most dangerous phases. I’m joined from Kyiv by Peter Dickinson, editor of the Atlantic Council’s UkraineAlert, for an extraordinary update on what is happening on the ground in Ukraine. Russia has dramatically escalated its air campaign. Ballistic missiles. New, faster jet-powered drones. Attacks on energy infrastructure, transportation, businesses and other targets essential to everyday life. At the same time, Ukraine’s stocks of critical air-defence interceptors have been stretched dangerously thin. Peter argues that Russia’s objective increasingly appears to be bigger than achieving another battlefield breakthrough. It is to make normal life increasingly difficult for Ukrainians—to damage infrastructure, disrupt cities, undermine morale and put enormous pressure on the civilian population as another winter approaches. So I ask: Is Vladimir Putin now trying to accomplish from the air what Russia has been unable to accomplish on the battlefield? ⚔️ BUT SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT IS HAPPENING ON THE GROUND While Russia has intensified its attacks from the air, Ukraine has recently achieved an important battlefield success in the Donetsk region. Peter explains how Ukraine disrupted a Russian attempt to advance around strategically important eastern cities—and how an increasingly sophisticated combination of drones, electronic warfare and robotic systems is changing the battlefield. The technology is extraordinary. Radio-controlled drones gave way to fibre-optic drones resistant to conventional jamming. Now both sides are moving toward greater autonomy and artificial intelligence. Ukraine is deploying ground robots for logistics, mine clearing and combat roles—and even using larger drones to carry smaller robotic systems into battle. This war may be providing a disturbing preview of how wars will be fought in the future. 🚀 UKRAINE IS ALSO BUILDING ITS OWN MISSILES For years Ukraine depended heavily on Western weapons. Increasingly, it is developing its own. Ukraine has now deployed a domestically produced tactical ballistic missile and is developing longer-range systems. Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly struck Russian oil refineries and energy infrastructure deep inside Russia. So another question emerges: Can Ukraine impose enough economic and military cost inside Russia to change Putin’s calculations? 🌍 AND IS THIS STILL ONLY A WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE? Peter and I also discuss Russia’s expanding hybrid confrontation with Europe. Cyber operations. Sabotage. Disinformation. Pressure on European governments supporting Ukraine. The boundary between war and peace is becoming increasingly difficult to define. And that raises an uncomfortable question for NATO: At what point does hybrid warfare become simply warfare? 🇺🇦 THEN THERE IS UKRAINE ITSELF President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains the face of Ukrainian resistance, but after years of war his government is also confronting domestic political pressures and corruption controversies. How strong is public support? How resilient is Ukrainian society after years of casualties, displacement and economic disruption? And how much longer can Ukrainians continue living under the constant threat of missiles and drones? Finally, we talk about peace. Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed for negotiations. But Peter’s assessment is stark: Russia’s actions do not presently look like those of a country preparing to stop fighting. So where does this end? A peace agreement? A Ukrainian breakthrough? A Russian breakthrough? Or something resembling Korea—a heavily armed frozen conflict in which the shooting largely stops but the underlying war never truly ends? More than four years after Russia invaded Ukraine, perhaps the most troubling question remains the simplest: What would actually cause Vladimir Putin to decide that continuing this war costs more than ending it? 📻 The Brian Crombie Hour 🕕 Tuesday at 6 PM ET 📡 Sauga 960 AM 🔁 Encore Wednesday at 7 AM ET 🎧 YouTube + podcast platforms Peter Dickinson joins me directly from Kyiv for an important conversation about Russia’s escalating bombing campaign, Ukraine’s battlefield innovations, drones and missiles, Europe’s security—and whether there is any realistic path to peace. Join us.

Monday night, as Quebecers choose their next government, I have a special two-part edition of The Brian Crombie Hour about an election—but also about something much bigger. What holds a country together? 🗳️ PART ONE — STEVE PINKUS: QUEBEC VOTES As the polls close, I’m joined by Steve Pinkus, Vice President, Quebec, at Mainstreet Research, to examine one of Canada’s most consequential provincial elections. The final Léger poll has the Parti Québécois at 29%, the Quebec Liberals at 25%, Conservatives at 20%, CAQ at 14% and Québec solidaire at 11%—a remarkably fragmented electorate in which the PQ could potentially form government with less than a third of the popular vote. But underneath the horse race is a much larger question. More than 30 years after the 1995 referendum came within a fraction of breaking Canada apart, Quebec sovereignty remains part of the political conversation. Mainstreet’s September polling found 63% would vote No in another sovereignty referendum, while the possibility of another referendum was itself a significant concern for voters. Steve and I discuss the PQ, CAQ, Liberals, Conservatives and Québec solidaire; strategic voting; what the results could mean for Quebec; and what a strong showing for the PQ would mean for the rest of Canada. And that leads directly into Part Two. 🏗️ PART TWO — MY CLOSING COMMENTARY: BUILDING CANADA AGAIN Quebec isn’t the only place where national unity deserves attention. I recently travelled through Alberta and Saskatchewan and was struck by how many people told me that, while certainly not a majority, there is a meaningful minority of Western Canadians who feel alienated from Ottawa and Confederation. So perhaps we need to ask a different question. Instead of simply asking how do we defeat separatism?, perhaps we should ask: How do we build a Canada that Canadians everywhere feel they have a stake in? Historically, we didn’t create Canada through constitutional documents alone. We built it. The railway connected a continent. The St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959. Highway 401 and Autoroute 20 dramatically reduced the distance between Toronto and Montreal. Those projects moved freight, ships and cars—but they also moved people, ideas and opportunity. They reduced the distance between Canadians. So what are the nation-building projects of our generation? ⚡ A more integrated Canadian electricity grid linking Quebec hydro, Ontario nuclear and resources across the country. 🛢️ Energy infrastructure that gives Western Canadian resources more routes to Canadian and world markets. 🚄 High-speed rail connecting Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and eventually southwestern Ontario. ☢️ A renewed Canadian nuclear industry built on Saskatchewan uranium and our extraordinary CANDU and nuclear expertise. 💻 Digital sovereignty—Canadian computing capacity, AI, cybersecurity and partnerships with Europe and other middle powers so we aren’t entirely dependent upon American technology. 🧊 Arctic infrastructure—ports, airfields, communications, transportation corridors, icebreakers and defence capabilities that protect our sovereignty while developing Canada’s North. 🚗 Critical minerals, batteries, EVs and advanced manufacturing that position Canada where the economic puck is going—not where it has been. But ultimately, countries aren’t held together by pipelines, railways or power lines. They’re held together by people. My work gives me the privilege of travelling this country regularly—from Quebec and Ontario to Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, and soon Atlantic Canada. Every time I do, I come home thinking the same thing: What an extraordinary country this is. Maybe Canadians should experience more of it. Visit Montreal instead of automatically going to New York. See Quebec City. Halifax. Calgary. Saskatchewan. Vancouver Island. The North. Meet people whose politics are different from yours. Understand their economies. Hear their frustrations. Eat in their restaurants. Watch their hockey teams. Because it’s much harder to dismiss another part of Canada once you know the people who live there. Perhaps the answer to separatism isn’t simply another constitutional argument. Give Canadians more reasons to need one another. More reasons to trade together. Invest together. Travel together. Understand one another. And build things together. Canada isn’t inevitable. Every generation has to renew it. We’ve built Canada before. Maybe it’s time to build Canada again. 📻 The Brian Crombie Hour 🕕 Monday at 6 PM ET 📡 Sauga 960 AM 🔁 Encore Tuesday at 7 AM ET 🎧 YouTube + podcast platforms Monday night: Quebec votes. Then we ask what comes next for Canada. Join us.

What happens when fear keeps people silent? And when someone’s life goes off course, what does it really take to find a way back?On this episode of The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian brings together two very different conversations connected by questions of choice, consequence, community, recovery and redemption.Canadian writer and producer Lynne Stoltz discusses Sons 2 the Grave, her film exploring gun violence, community and the difficult choices confronting young people growing up around violence. At the centre of the story is Marcus Jennings, an 18-year-old basketball phenom whose murder leaves friends struggling with what they know—and what they fear could happen if they speak.The conversation explores the code of silence, the importance of sports, mentors, jobs and community programs, and whether preventing violence requires giving young people meaningful alternatives before they make life-changing decisions. Lynne also discusses her developing project, Sons 2 the Grave: Chasing Redemption, examining life after incarceration and what genuine redemption requires.Then broadcaster, writer and therapist David Berner joins Brian to discuss nearly six decades of experience with addiction and residential treatment. Drawing on his work helping establish X-Kalay, David argues that recovery requires more than removing drugs or alcohol. People also need housing, meaningful work, relationships, purpose, dignity and a place in their community.Brian and David explore addiction, harm reduction, abstinence, personal agency and what it means to help someone build a life worth returning to.Two very different stories lead to one fundamental question:When a life starts going in the wrong direction, what helps someone find the way back?

You go to work, pay the bills and meet your responsibilities. From the outside, everything looks fine. But are you actually flourishing—or have you simply become very good at functioning?Brian Crombie is joined by Renato Discenza, qualifying registered psychotherapist and founder of Discern Counselling, for a conversation about mental health, relationships, loneliness, purpose and why people don't have to wait for a crisis before asking for help.After decades in business, executive leadership and healthcare—including serving as CEO of Invest Toronto—Renato returned to university later in life to study counselling psychology. His experiences volunteering on crisis lines during COVID reinforced a simple lesson: sometimes what people need most is someone willing to listen.Brian and Renato explore why people routinely take preventative care of their physical health but often approach mental health only when something has gone seriously wrong. They also examine the other side of growing mental-health awareness: the importance of distinguishing mental illness from ordinary but difficult human experiences such as sadness, grief, worry, disappointment and heartbreak.The conversation turns to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), social media, loneliness, relationships and the difference between having hundreds of digital connections and having someone you can actually call at 2 a.m.At the heart of the episode is Renato's distinction between functioning and flourishing. A person can have a successful career, financial security and a family while privately feeling anxious, lonely or without direction.Flourishing requires deeper questions: Are you living according to your values? Are your relationships meaningful? Does your life have purpose? And do you actually like the life you've built?Brian and Renato also explore meaning, faith, spirituality and navigating major life transitions—including Renato's own decision to leave one successful chapter behind and begin another.Because therapy isn't always about fixing something that's broken.Sometimes it's about understanding yourself well enough to decide what you want the next chapter to become.

When do two companies become more valuable together than they were apart?Brian Crombie is joined by Amanda David, a technology and transformation executive specializing in digital transformation, enterprise systems and post-merger integration, and Mark Borkowski, President of Mercantile M&A, for a practical discussion about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic partnerships.They explore the fundamental choice facing companies looking for growth: build it, buy it or partner for it? Amanda argues that businesses too often begin by choosing a transaction structure before clearly identifying the problem they are trying to solve. Mark examines the economics, governance, control and compatibility issues that can determine whether a deal ultimately succeeds.The conversation then turns to what happens after the agreement is signed. From integrating people, cultures and customers to combining technology, ERP systems, reporting structures and decision-making, closing a transaction doesn't create the promised value—integration does.Brian also reflects on his experience with the Molson and Carling O'Keefe combination and why complementarity, rather than simply cost cutting, can be the real source of the elusive 1 + 1 = 3.Plus, Brian addresses the recent discussion surrounding his interview with Mississauga Mayor and mayoral candidate Carolyn Parrish. He clarifies that the original interview was independently produced editorial content: Parrish and her campaign did not commission the interview, script or approve his questions, or exercise editorial control. After the interview originally aired, Parrish requested permission to rebroadcast it, which Brian granted as he does when guests wish to share or rebroadcast their interviews. Her campaign subsequently purchased airtime on another radio station to air the interview, and Brian states that he received no payment.From editorial independence to corporate partnerships, the episode ultimately examines the importance of clearly defining relationships, responsibilities and expectations.Because signing a deal is the easy part.The real test is what happens the morning after—and whether 1 + 1 really does equal 3.

Canada has energy, critical minerals, uranium, hydroelectricity, world-class universities, talent, capital and access to global markets. But can the country turn those advantages into real investment—and actual projects?Brian Crombie is joined by Mawakina Bafale, Research Officer at the C.D. Howe Institute and co-author of The Investment Summit Made the Pitch, But the Sale Isn’t Closed, to examine Canada’s challenge of converting investment commitments into economic growth.They discuss productivity, business investment, taxes, regulation, interprovincial trade barriers, project approvals and what global investors need to see before committing billions of dollars to Canada.Brian then closes with “Canada: Now Build It,” arguing that announcements and investment commitments are only the beginning. The real measure of success will be the mines, pipelines, ports, railways, transmission lines, AI infrastructure and Canadian companies that actually get built.Canada has spent years talking about its potential. The question now is whether it can execute.The world has heard the sales pitch. Now comes the part that matters: build it.

For generations, Canada and the United States have shared one of the world's closest economic and political relationships. But amid an escalating tariff dispute and growing uncertainty, has that relationship fundamentally changed?On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian is joined by two business executives and friends with different perspectives: American Francis Saleh and Canadian Philip Richardson.Francis believes some Canadian concerns about the United States are overblown, while Phil is considerably more cautious. Together, they debate the impact of tariffs, changing supply chains, Donald Trump's negotiating style, Canada's economic dependence on the U.S., and whether Canada should accelerate efforts to diversify its trade relationships.The conversation also tackles bigger questions about trust between allies, American institutions, executive power and how governments should prepare for risks that may be highly unlikely but potentially catastrophic.Canada and the United States aren't going anywhere. Geography won't change, and their economies and people will remain deeply connected.But trust between countries, like trust between people, can be easier to damage than rebuild.So the question isn't whether Canada and America will remain neighbours.It's what kind of neighbours—and what kind of partners—they will become.

What if some of the people once labelled “insane” were actually people society simply refused to hear?On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian is joined by Canadian novelist, poet and teacher Robin Blackburn McBride to discuss her new historical novel, River of Dreams—a story exploring women, mental health, intuition, family secrets and the consequences of having one's experiences dismissed.Set partly inside a psychiatric hospital in the 1920s, the novel follows Avery Conlon, a nurse with an unusual ability to perceive things others cannot. As Avery encounters women whose experiences of grief, trauma and loss have gone unheard, she quietly tries to help them—while knowing that revealing her own extraordinary perceptions could cause others to question her sanity.Robin also shares the deeply personal family history that helped inspire the novel: her great-grandmother spent decades institutionalized at the Protestant Hospital for the Insane in Montreal.The conversation expands beyond the novel to explore intuition, dreams and other ways of knowing. Is intuition simply the brain processing information beneath conscious awareness, or are there aspects of human perception that remain difficult to explain?Brian and Robin also discuss motherhood, women's voices, historical power structures and what can happen when people are finally given the opportunity to tell their own stories.Because sometimes the first step toward helping someone isn't diagnosing them.It's listening to them.

If your phone or computer disappeared tomorrow, how much of your life would disappear with it?On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian is joined by digital evangelist Jason Love for a practical conversation about organizing, protecting and simplifying your digital life.From thousands of photos and forgotten passwords to scattered notes, competing calendars and endless to-do lists, people have moved enormous parts of their lives online—often without creating a system to manage them.Jason breaks down six digital essentials almost everyone should have:☁️ A personal cloud account 🔐 A password manager 📝 One digital home for notes 🔒 Two-factor authentication 📅 A detailed calendar ✅ A reliable to-do listThey also discuss separating personal and professional information, digital security, accessibility, choosing between different technology ecosystems and why constantly switching apps can sometimes create more chaos rather than less.The biggest lesson? There is no perfect app or platform.The best digital system is the one you understand, trust and actually use consistently.Six things. One objective: find what you need, remember what you have to do, protect what's important—and spend less of your life searching for things you know you put somewhere.

Can reconciliation become more than something Canadians talk about—and become something people actually do?On this episode of The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian is joined by Lynn Taylor and Barry Gilbert of Eagle Spirits of the Great Waters Indigenous Arts and Cultures for a powerful conversation about reconciliation, healing, identity and connection.Ahead of the Eagle Spirits Gathering & Healing Weekend in Mississauga, Lynn shares her personal journey of reconnecting with her Indigenous heritage after the death of her mother, a survivor of the Mount Elgin Indian Day School.Barry discusses how art, drumming, dance, storytelling, food and ceremony can bring people together and create opportunities for healing and connection.Brian then takes the conversation further in his closing commentary, “The Power of Reconciliation,” asking what it takes for people divided by history, hurt, distrust or ideology to build relationships strong enough to move forward together.Because winning an argument and repairing a relationship are two very different things.Winning determines who was right. Reconciliation determines whether there is still a relationship when the argument is over.Perhaps the opposite of division isn't agreement.👉 It's reconciliation.

What does success mean after you’ve already achieved it?On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian sits down with entrepreneur and philanthropist Miles S. Nadal, founder and Executive Chairman of Peerage Capital, for a candid conversation about 46 years of entrepreneurship, success, adversity and reinvention.Miles shares the lessons behind his belief in “the power of human capital”—why grit, emotional intelligence, persistence and what he calls your “network quotient” can be just as important as intelligence or financial capital.They discuss entrepreneurship and ownership, the lessons learned from failure, why adversity can be a greater teacher than success, and why Canada struggles to turn its entrepreneurial talent into globally competitive companies. They also explore housing affordability and efforts to help more Canadians overcome the down-payment barrier to homeownership.But the conversation ultimately becomes about something bigger: What happens when you have enough?After decades of building businesses and accumulating wealth, Miles reflects on philanthropy, family, community and why giving back has become an increasingly important measure of success.Brian then closes with “The Second Half of Success”—a reflection on how ambition can evolve from asking What can I achieve? to Who can I help? What can I teach? What can I give?Perhaps the ultimate evolution of success is simple:Generosity may be what ambition is supposed to mature into.

What if artificial intelligence's greatest advantage over human relationships isn't intelligence—but attention?On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian is joined by Dr. Thomas R. Verny to explore the rapidly evolving world of AI companions and what increasingly convincing artificial relationships could mean for human connection.AI companions can listen, remember, encourage and remain constantly available, potentially offering support for loneliness, education and intellectual growth. But those same qualities raise difficult questions about dependency, manipulation, constant validation and emotional attachment.Verny argues that genuine human intimacy requires something AI can largely remove: friction. Real relationships involve vulnerability, disagreement, compromise and even the possibility of rejection.If an AI companion always listens, always remembers and rarely challenges us in uncomfortable ways, does that strengthen us—or make genuine human relationships harder?Brian and Dr. Verny explore the promise and risks of artificial companionship, the future of intimacy and loneliness, and the safeguards that may be needed as AI becomes increasingly powerful and persuasive.As machines become better at simulating connection, what will make human relationships irreplaceable?

After decades in municipal politics, why come back?On The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian sits down with former Markham Regional Councillor and Deputy Mayor Jack Heath, who is a certified candidate for Regional Councillor in Markham’s 2026 municipal election.Heath served 19 years as a Regional Councillor and nearly 11 years as Deputy Mayor before leaving elected office in 2022. Now he's seeking a return to City Hall, saying there is “unfinished business.”The conversation tackles some of the biggest challenges facing Markham and the GTA: housing affordability, traffic congestion, transit, development charges, intensification, infrastructure and managing population growth while preserving established communities.Brian and Heath debate who should pay for infrastructure created by growth and explore Heath's ideas for using government-owned and underutilized land to support affordable housing.They also discuss Bus Rapid Transit, transit-oriented development and the Yonge subway extension, as well as the challenge of preserving places like Main Street Unionville and Main Street Markham while accommodating future growth.And the conversation goes bigger: with housing, transportation and economic development increasingly crossing municipal boundaries, does the GTA need greater regional coordination?After decades in municipal politics, Jack Heath wants another opportunity to tackle what he sees as unfinished business.Why come back—and what would he do differently this time?