SMB Report with Kirk LaPointe

Spraggs Media Group Inc.
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Hosted by veteran journalist Kirk LaPointe, SMB Report is the leading podcast dedicated to small business owners and entrepreneurs in Canada. As an SMB owner, founder, or entrepreneur, your world is constantly shifting. AI advancements, new regulations, talent shortages — the business, technological, and economic landscape never stands still. Things move fast, and it can often feel like you’re navigating it all on your own. The SMB Report with Kirk LaPointe is here to change that. Through bi-weekly episodes, we’re building a knowledge hub for small business owners at every stage — featuring real, raw insights from those who’ve been there and experts at the top of their fields. Click the Follow button below to stay informed and gain the insights you need.

  1. Is Your Property Actually At Risk In BC? (ft. BC Treaty Commissioner)

    27 May

    Is Your Property Actually At Risk In BC? (ft. BC Treaty Commissioner)

    George Abbott has spent years trying to understand how BC ended up in its current crisis over indigenous land and treaty rights — and the answer he found in the archives is uncomfortable. The newly appointed Chief Commissioner of the BC Treaty Commission joins Kirk LaPointe on the SMB Report to discuss his best-selling book Unceded, the 120-year history of deliberate policy decisions that shaped BC's relationship with First Nations, and what it's going to take to move forward. From BC's flat rejection of the federal government's treaty offer, to the reversal of Governor Douglas's progressive policies, to the Williams Lake First Nation being left without a single square inch of their traditional territory — Abbott makes the case that none of this was accidental, and that understanding the history is the only way to fix the present. The episode also tackles the two questions that have dominated BC's recent political debate: is private property at risk, and will British Columbians pay taxes to First Nations? Abbott's answers are clear and direct, but he goes further — addressing the myths driving public anxiety, the Supreme Court's repeated insistence that indigenous rights cannot be ignored, and why negotiation is always preferable to litigation. With three new treaties moving through the legislature and a revitalized commission behind him, Abbott arrives at this role with both the weight of history and a genuine sense of urgency. BC delayed this work for 120 years. The clock is running.

    37 min

  2. 19 May

    "It's not un-Canadian to Win": BC Tech's Jill Tipping

    Kirk LaPointe sits down with Jill Tipping, CEO and President of BC Tech, for a candid conversation on the state of Canada's technology sector. They get into BC's "weak middle" — strong at launching startups but struggling to scale them — and why local customers, including governments, still won't buy from BC tech companies that already supply major banks and cities around the world. Jill explains why "every company is a tech company" now, why 100% of BC startups call themselves AI companies, and what she means when she says Canada "fetishizes small." She also makes a sharp case for bringing back a Premier's Technology Council, rethinking how Canada taxes and retains its best founders, and channeling our inner Olympian — because as she puts it, it is not un-Canadian to win.

    29 min
  3. DRIPA Is Killing BC Investment (ft. President of Business Council of BC)

    12 May

    DRIPA Is Killing BC Investment (ft. President of Business Council of BC)

    A law that every BC political party voted for unanimously is now creating serious problems for investment, hiring, and economic confidence across the province. Laura Jones, President and CEO of the Business Council of British Columbia, joins Kirk LaPointe to share the results of a landmark new survey on DRIPA — the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. The findings are stark: 100% of respondents expressed concern, three quarters plan to reduce investment in BC, and some companies say their shareholders have told them to avoid the province entirely. Jones calls the depth of concern "stunning" — and says the public has a right to know what's actually being discussed behind closed doors. The episode covers the practical reasons DRIPA is creating uncertainty — from unanswered questions about who makes final decisions on public land, to a broader economic picture clouded by a $13.3 billion structural deficit and some of the highest top marginal tax rates in North America. Jones is careful to separate the concern about DRIPA from the strong, ongoing support among BC's largest employers for working with indigenous communities toward shared prosperity. The problem isn't reconciliation — it's the fog of confusion the legislation has created, and the lack of a clear path forward. A weak economy, she argues, doesn't benefit anyone.

    24 min
  4. Web Summit Is Coming To Vancouver. Here's What It Could Change.

    29 Apr

    Web Summit Is Coming To Vancouver. Here's What It Could Change.

    Web Summit has transformed cities. Lisbon went from unknown to a global tech destination in under a decade. Now it's Vancouver's turn. Kirk LaPointe sits down with Casey Lau — Vancouver native, global tech executive, and the man behind Web Summit's expansion into Canada — to talk about what this conference actually means for BC's startup ecosystem, its economy, and its shot at competing on the world stage. Casey draws on years of building tech communities across Hong Kong, Asia Pacific, and Europe to give an honest, grounded take on where Vancouver punches above its weight and where it's still leaving opportunity on the table. The conversation covers everything from how a $1,000 booth at Web Summit Lisbon turned into an $11 billion company, to why Korea loves Canada more than Canadians do, to what Vancouver needs to do right now to keep the momentum going after the conference ends. If you run a business in BC, work in tech, or just want to understand where Canada sits in the global innovation race, this episode is worth your time.

    30 min
  5. How BC Became A Global Creative Powerhouse (And Could Lose It)

    24 Apr

    How BC Became A Global Creative Powerhouse (And Could Lose It)

    BC's creative economy — film, television, music, digital media, and publishing — generates over $7 billion a year and employs roughly 100,000 people across the province. Yet most British Columbians have no idea how it works, who runs it, or how close it has come to the edge. In this episode, host Kirk LaPointe sits down with Prem Gill, CEO of Creative BC, for a frank and wide-ranging conversation about the industry she's spent a decade building — and the forces now threatening to reshape it. From the role of film tax incentives in keeping Hollywood productions in BC, to the long shadow cast by the Hollywood strikes, to the arrival of AI across every creative sector, Prem offers a rare insider perspective on what it actually takes to sustain a world-class creative economy. This is a conversation about business, policy, and the messy reality of leading through uncertainty. Prem reflects on the inflection points that defined BC's rise as a global production hub, the workforce challenges that followed the strikes, and why AI feels less like a distant threat and more like a disruption already underway — one that, as she puts it, nobody has fully figured out yet. If you work in the creative industries, care about BC's economy, or are simply curious about the business behind the culture, this episode is essential listening.

    46 min
  6. Mining CEO: B.C.'s Red Tape Is Destroying Jobs and Scaring Off Investment

    17 Apr

    Mining CEO: B.C.'s Red Tape Is Destroying Jobs and Scaring Off Investment

    Kirk LaPointe sits down with Todd Stone, President and CEO of AME BC, to discuss the pressure facing mineral exploration and mining in British Columbia. Stone says permitting delays, regulatory uncertainty, and government red tape are hurting investment, weakening confidence, and making it harder for prospectors, explorers, and resource communities to see a sustainable future in the sector. The conversation covers B.C. mining, critical minerals, resource development, jobs, investment, First Nations consultation, and the policy choices that will shape the province’s economic future. For listeners who follow business, politics, and the Canadian economy, it is a sharp discussion about what happens when opportunity, regulation, and prosperity collide.

    35 min
  7. Housing & Development Expert: BC's Housing Industry Crashed. Now What?

    10 Apr

    Housing & Development Expert: BC's Housing Industry Crashed. Now What?

    After 14 years as CEO of the Urban Development Institute (UDI) Pacific Region, Anne McMullin sits down with Kirk LaPointe for a frank, unfiltered conversation about BC's housing crisis — what caused it, who saw it coming, and what it's going to take to climb out. From construction costs nearly tripling over her tenure to a generation of young people building careers in London and New York instead of Vancouver, McMullin doesn't hold back on the human and economic cost of a system that ran out of road. This episode covers the full arc of BC's housing affordability collapse — rising construction costs, government fees and green building regulations that went too far, the ignored warnings, and the crash that finally forced action. McMullin also tackles the "greedy developer" myth, the contradiction at the heart of government housing policy, and why she believes cutting immigration right now is a mistake this province will feel for years. It's a conversation grounded in 14 years of data, diplomacy, and hard-won perspective from one of BC's most experienced voices in real estate development and housing policy.

    34 min
  8. Canada's Taxpayer Watchdog Exposes How Politicians Waste Your Tax Dollars

    8 Apr

    Canada's Taxpayer Watchdog Exposes How Politicians Waste Your Tax Dollars

    What does a $35,000 open bar, a $4,000 Amsterdam happy hour, and $354,000 worth of decorative soccer balls have in common? They were all charged to Canadian taxpayers, and almost nobody found out. In this episode of the SMB Report, Kirk LaPointe sits down with Carson Binda, BC Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, to expose the government waste Canada rarely talks about. From bureaucrats expensing personal bonuses to a finance minister's $6,600 limousine bill, Carson walks through the findings his organization has uncovered through years of freedom of information requests — and what those findings say about a spending culture with no real guardrails. The conversation takes a sharper turn when Kirk and Carson tackle BC's proposed Bill 9 — legislation that would make it significantly harder to access government records. With politicians already using personal emails and secondary phones to sidestep transparency laws, the question isn't just whether government is spending your money wisely. It's whether Canadians will even have the right to find out.

    27 min
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About

Hosted by veteran journalist Kirk LaPointe, SMB Report is the leading podcast dedicated to small business owners and entrepreneurs in Canada. As an SMB owner, founder, or entrepreneur, your world is constantly shifting. AI advancements, new regulations, talent shortages — the business, technological, and economic landscape never stands still. Things move fast, and it can often feel like you’re navigating it all on your own. The SMB Report with Kirk LaPointe is here to change that. Through bi-weekly episodes, we’re building a knowledge hub for small business owners at every stage — featuring real, raw insights from those who’ve been there and experts at the top of their fields. Click the Follow button below to stay informed and gain the insights you need.

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