Pulling Every Lever: Advocacy from the Local Level Up

When Democracy Becomes Dangerous with Marianne Meed Ward

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SERVING YOUR COMMUNITY MEANS RISKING YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY? In this episode of Nonpartisan Hacks, recorded live at the AVICC convention in Victoria, Joel Grenz and Sean Wood sit down with Marianne Meed Ward — Mayor of Burlington, Ontario and co-founder of Elect Respect — to talk about the growing crisis of harassment, abuse, and outright threats facing elected officials at every level of government. Marianne has received death threats, been told by police not to attend her own public meetings, and watched a colleague leave elected life entirely because of the abuse. Rather than stepping back, she helped launch a national movement. Elect Respect is now a cross-country campaign with hundreds of elected officials and over 60 municipalities signed on. The pledge is simple: commit to respectful democracy, lead by example, and ask the same of colleagues and constituents. Listen in for: * The real-life incidents — including death threats linked to a local development application — that pushed Mayor Meed Ward to act * Why the tools available to municipalities to deal with misconduct are dangerously limited (and easily weaponized) * How social media, bots, and post-COVID anonymity turbocharged political toxicity at the local level * What Elect Respect is actually asking people to do, and how any elected official or member of the public can sign the pledge today * Why changing the culture has to start with politicians themselves 👉 Subscribe, rate, and review on your favourite podcast platform. Find all our episodes at nonpartisanhacks.com and drop us a line. Sign the pledge: electrespect.ca [https://electrespect.ca] 🎵 Theme music: "Cruising" by Sky Gienger via Uppbeat [https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-gienger/cruising] | License: JNRTTK70QSW4XR8V

Bring the Bill: Rob Shaw on First Reading, DRIPA, and the Erosion of Debate

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A GOVERNMENT STARTS BLOCKING BILLS BEFORE ANYONE GETS TO READ THEM? In this episode of Nonpartisan Hacks, Joel Grenz and Sean Wood welcome back BC political reporter Rob Shaw — host of Political Capital and co-author of the bestselling A Matter of Confidence — for the "Criterion Edition" of his rant on first reading at the BC Legislature. They unpack what first reading actually does, why the NDP government's growing habit of blocking opposition bills (including a recent Trevor Halford bill on DRIPA) chips away at the institution, and how the same procedural dynamics show up around the municipal council table. From DRIPA to slates to the quiet collapse of caucus power, the conversation is part civics lesson, part warning shot, and very much in the Nonpartisan Hacks spirit of "the process matters as much as the outcome." Listen in for: * What first reading actually is — and why blocking it is more serious than it sounds * Why the precedents this government sets will eventually be used against them * The municipal parallel: why "second for discussion" is a small but vital democratic norm * How outrage clips and Facebook groups are turning every procedural vote into a wedge * Why slates are the corrosive factor creeping into otherwise healthy local democracies * Rob's reliable forecast: every premier eventually falls — usually to someone you've never heard of 👉 Subscribe, rate, and review on your favourite podcast platform. Find all our episodes at nonpartisanhacks.com and drop us a line. 🎵 Theme music: "Cruising" by Sky Gienger via Uppbeat [https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-gienger/cruising] | License: JNRTTK70QSW4XR8V

So You’re Thinking of Voting in an Election

NOBODY TEACHES YOU HOW TO VOTE WELL. MAYBE THEY SHOULD. You already know how to mark an X on a ballot. But do you know what you're actually voting for? Joel Grenz and Sean Wood — two City of Parksville councillors — break down the overlooked civics of actually choosing who to vote for. From how party slates and vetting work, to why big campaign promises are often a red flag, to the real reason politicians get accused of lying (hint: voters play a role), this is the honest conversation about democratic participation that doesn't happen often enough. Prompted in part by the current BC Conservative leadership race, and with a municipal election on the horizon, this episode is the flip side of a previous discussion, So You’re Thinking of Running for Local Government [https://nonpartisanhacks.com/podcast/so-youre-thinking-of-running-for-local-government/]. Listen in for: * Why 99% of local government across Canada is nonpartisan, and why that matters * The real role of party vetting, and what happens when it goes sideways * Why voting for promises might actually incentivise politicians to lie * What to look for instead: character, résumé, trust, and your gut * Why voter apathy costs everyone but why an imperfect vote still beats no vote * Sean's challenge to every armchair critic with opinions but no nomination papers 👉 Subscribe, rate, and review on your favourite podcast platform. Find all our episodes at nonpartisanhacks.com and drop us a line.

The Most Expensive Building Material with George Anderson

In this episode of Nonpartisan Hacks, Joel Grenz and Sean Wood sit down with George Anderson, MLA for Nanaimo-Lantzville, former Nanaimo city councillor, commercial lawyer, and Parliamentary Secretary for Transit. Anderson shares what it was like being the youngest person at the council table by four decades, how he went from door-knocking to Treasury Board, and what he believes is the most expensive material in home construction today. The conversation spans Anderson’s private member’s bill on building approvals, the mechanics of how private members’ bills actually work, the future of Vancouver Island rail, and why government is like a supertanker — it takes time and patience to change direction. Listen in for: * What it’s like being a 20-year-old councillor when the next youngest colleague is 60 * How a transportation master plan built over a decade ago still guides Nanaimo today * The step-by-step process of how a private member’s bill becomes law in BC * Why professional reliance in building approvals could speed up housing construction * What the Parliamentary Secretary for Transit actually does * How BC’s ports connect Saskatchewan grain to Sapporo beer 👉 Subscribe, rate, and review on your favourite podcast platform. Find all our episodes at nonpartisanhacks.com and drop us a line.

Pulling Every Lever: Advocacy from the Local Level Up

WHAT DOES IT ACTUALLY TAKE TO GET SOMETHING INTO A GOVERNMENT BUDGET? In this episode of Nonpartisan Hacks, Joel Grenz and Sean Wood go behind the scenes on Sean’s multi-year advocacy journey to increase the Volunteer First Responder Tax Credit — first at the federal level, then provincially in British Columbia. From jogging past the fire hall in Parksville to sitting in the legislature on budget day, it’s a story about persistence, relationships, and pulling every lever you can find. Plus: it's the show's first-ever video episode and there's a new way to pitch in. Joel's agency built GiverLever, a WordPress donation plugin for nonprofits, campaigns, and creators [http://leverup.ca/giverlever/index.html], and you can take it for a spin by supporting the podcast [https://nonpartisanhacks.com/support-the-pod/], or back a specific episode you think deserves more listeners by contributing directly on that episodes page on the website. Listen in for: * How Sean took an idea from a failed federal campaign to two government budgets * What budget day actually looks like inside the BC legislature, including the media “lockup” * Why advocating from multiple channels at once is the key to getting things done * The real cost difference between volunteer and paid fire departments — and why it matters for your property taxes * How a casual conversation with the Minister of Finance at a UBCM reception fits into the bigger advocacy picture 👉 Subscribe, rate, and review on your favourite podcast platform. Wanna watch?