BC Today

BC Today gardening columnist Brian Minter joins us to answer your gardening questions.

Americans are celebrating their Independence Day today with 4th of July festivities amid growing political unrest, trade wars and escalating tensions with the international community, including Canada. Don Enos, vice-president of the Blaine Chamber of Commerce in Washington state, gives insight on how businesses are reacting. And we ask viewers where their relationship with the U.S. stands as UBC political scientist Terri Givens joins the show.

The City of Victoria is fast-tracking parts of its community safety plan to address "public disorder" in its downtown core, and putting $10.35 million behind it. Meanwhile. Vancouver is investing $5 million in its own public safety plan to address organized crime networks. Gurpreet Singh Johal, a criminologist at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and Eli Sopow, a retired RCMP civilian analyst and University Canada West associate professor, join the show as we ask viewers how safe they feel in their communities.

In 2018, B.C. families were promised a universal $10-a-day child care program by 2028. But B.C. is falling short of that commitment, as waitlists continue to build and less than three per cent of B.C. children have access to the system, according to the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C. The coalition's spokesperson, Sharon Gregson, joins the show.

The Movember Institute of Men's Health has released a national report on the state of men's health in Canada, in it finding that more than 44 per cent of men living in the country will die prematurely from largely preventable causes. Niigaan Sinclair, an Anishinaabe writer, editor, professor and activist and the co-author of the Real Face of Men’s Health report, joins the show.

Applications are now open for B.C.'s publicly-funded in-vitro fertilization program, which will provide up to $19,000 per patient. We take you live as B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne provides updates and details on the program. Penny Blesch, founder of the Fertility Coalition of British Columbia, joins the show to answer questions from viewers as we ask what more can be done for the program.

Following U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to end trade discussions with Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney has rescinded the digital services tax in "anticipation of a mutually beneficial comprehensive trade arrangement with the U.S." UBC political scientist Max Cameron and Jairo Yunis of the Business Council of B.C. join the show as we ask viewers how Canada can move forward with trade negotiations after it backed down on the tax.

This Canada Day, we celebrate the diverse cuisines we have in our own backyard. Chef TJ Conwi, owner of Ono Vancouver, and Chef Rocio Valeras, owner of Ruka Cocina, join the show to discuss lesser-known cuisines in Canada.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he's ending "all discussions on trade with Canada" effective immediately. He says he's pulling back from the bilateral trade discussions because Canada plans to move ahead with its digital services tax (DST), which requires U.S. web giants to pay a special tax on their revenue generated in this country. Douglas College international relations professor Jovian Radheshwar joins the show to break down the state of U.S.-Canada trade relations.

CBC News has learned that an explosive device was detonated at the office of B.C. MLA Bowinn Ma Friday, according to an email sent out by legislative security to constituency assistants throughout the province. CBC's Leanne Yu and Katie DeRosa bring the latest developments.

Robin Esrock, author of The Great Canadian Bucket List, joins the show as we ask viewers about their favourite Canadian travel destinations, amid dwindling interest in U.S. tourism.

Content creators are making use of entrepreneurial skills to make their presence online a viable career. Sam Levin, the user behind the influencer Instagram account @omgheysam, discusses the hustle that comes with online content creation.

Members of Surrey's South Asian community have been raising the alarm about extortion and intimidation threats, including ones allegedly made by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang based in India. Surrey mayor Brenda Locke joins the show to discuss her calls for the federal government to step in.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says a proposal to build an oil pipeline to B.C.'s north coast could be weeks away, while B.C. Premier David Eby continues to insist the project is speculative, but that he would consider the project if it were privately backed. Sierra Club director of campaigns Shelley Luce joins the show as we ask viewers about where B.C. should stand on pipelines.

Surrey city council has approved changes to development permits for three towers, paving the way for hundreds of condos to become rental units. SFU City Program director Andy Yan discusses potential impacts as we ask viewers if other B.C. municipalities should follow suit.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has committed to boosting defence spending to 5 per cent of Canada's GDP by 2035. Carleton University professor of international affairs Michael Manulak joins the show as we ask viewers what they think of the ramped up budget.

The City of Vancouver announced a new estimated price tag for hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2026. It will now cost between $532 million and $624 million, up from the previous estimate of between $483 million and $581 million. Mario Canseco, pollster and president of Research Co., joins the show as we ask viewers about what they think of the costs of hosting.

High school graduation season is in full swing as students culminate their school years with proms, ceremonies and other celebrations. Port Moody Secondary School principal Andrew Lloyd and two graduating students, Elizabeth Mani and Corrina Cardinal, join the show to talk about the end-of-year excitement.

Federal Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland wrote a letter slamming B.C. Ferries over its decision to award a shipbuilding contract to Chinese state-owned company CMI Weihai Shipywards. She said she was "surprised" the transportation authority was not mandated to have Canadian involvement in procurement. UBC political science professor Stewart Prest joins the show as we ask viewers how Canadians can build capacity for independent industries.

Dr. Deborah Money, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UBC, joins the show to talk about improving compassionate care for patients who experience miscarriages.