Best Coast Political Podcast Jeremy Caradonna

Matt and Jeremy welcome to the podcast Tessa McLoughlin (Kwench) and Will Sorrell (2Dads Beer and 1st Place Agency) to discuss downtown Victoria, the impacts of the pandemic on small businesses, and the future of our our city. Plus, Matt and Jeremy discuss the recent anti-mask and anti-vaccine protests in downtown Victoria and the support that the city has shown for Ukrainians in their struggle against Russian aggression. 

Join Matt and Jeremy for a long-form conversation with Ian Robertson, CEO of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority. The group discusses Victoria's complex relationship to the cruise ship industry, the GVHA's work with local First Nations, design ideas for Ship Point, and the evolving character of Victoria's Inner Harbour. Plus, Jeremy and Matt provide an update on the CASA Greater Victoria Initiative that they co-founded, which has begun building Conestoga huts for the local unsheltered population. 

Matt and Jeremy welcome to the podcast Lacey Jones, Indigenous Programs Director at Peers Victoria Resource Society, and Nicole Chaland, the author of the recent city-backed report, "COVID-19: The Beginning of the End of Homelessness." The topic of conversation is the challenge of housing the unhoused in Victoria, how COVID-19 changed the dynamics, and where we go from here. There's also a discussion of the tiny homes village in North Park and a broader consideration of what's working and what's not, both in North Park, and in the hotels recently purchased by the Province. 

Matt and Jeremy welcome Fred Cameron and Jimi Fritz to the podcast for a wide-ranging discussion on safe supply, drug culture, and pathways out of the opioid crisis. Fred is a manager at SOLID, a non-profit organization that provides peer-based health education and support services to reduce the harms associated with drug use in Victoriause in Victoria. Jimi is a self-described, Vancouver-based "ethical drug dealer," who practiced his craft for fifty years, and recently published an autobiography called Confessions of an Ethical Drug Dealer: A Psychedelic Travelogue Memoir. 

The Best Coast Political Podcast celebrates its 20th episode by welcoming Chief of Police, Del Manak, to the podcast for a revealing conversation about how the Vic PD responded to the Black Lives Matters and police reform movements over the past year. Chief Manak discusses the evolving role of police in society and highlights innovate programs, including ACT and IMCRT, in which the Vic PD works with nurses, social workers, and clinicians to address the complex needs of Victorians. The Chief answers difficult questions about whether the police want to be dealing with mental health and addictions-related calls, and what the future of policing might look like. Before the guest arrives, Matt and Jeremy discuss the role of community associations and land-use communities in Victoria, as Jeremy discusses the Fernwood Forward movement and the response to his opinion piece in the Capital Daily.  

Philippe Lucas, PhD has lived the history of cannabis. He started the first "compassion society" (for medical marijuana) in Victoria in 1999, and underwent some rough years before eventually selling it in 2009. (It was around, under different ownership, until 2019.) He was arrested, harassed, and spent years fighting a legal battle that he and his allies eventually won. Along the way, he became a drug researcher, receiving his PhD from Uvic, and more recently served as the V.P. of a major medical marijuana company. He has lived to see the decriminalization of a plant that he's spent his life defending, studying, and using, both recreationally and medicinally. In this insightful chat, Philippe discusses the successes and failures of legalization, the evolving cannabis culture in Victoria, and the growing corporate dominance of the industry. He also discusses the ways in which cannabis legalization has opened the doors to studying medicinal psychedelics. So join in and get all of your cannabis-related questions answered!