Presentation 2

Chris Palliser and Brittany King have stepped into new territory as the new morning show team on 107.3 Virgin Radio in Victoria. Both co-hosts grew up in Victoria, and understand the need for community focused radio shows that are personal to the audience. Palliser says “Our goal for the show is to be local, and community minded.”

Chris Palliser spent fifteen years hosting solo before becoming co-host of the morning show on 107.3. He got his first job in radio as a street teamer for The Wolf in Nanaimo when he was 19. Two years later he was offered a position as a program director in Fort McMurray, where he worked for three and a half years. He then relocated to Edmonton where he hosted at 92.5 Joe F.M. for four years.

With a background in radio, Palliser decided to move to Vancouver and throw his hat in the ring for a job hosting evenings and weekends at 94.5 The Beat. After the station was bought and sold several times it eventually became 94.5 Virgin Radio. Chris spent ten years of his career hosting his own show at 94.5. Five of those years on The Beat, and five on Virgin Radio.

Solo radio hosts, compared to co-hosts have different challenges on the air. When 107.3 Kool F.M. was rebranded to Virgin Radio, they decided on Chris to be Brittany King’s co-anchor for the new morning show in Victoria. Chris says “I feel incredibly blessed for this opportunity to launch Virgin Radio here in Victoria, and be on the morning show with myself and Brittany who have been doing it for quite some time.”

Palliser says “It’s interesting to do it with a co-host now because I was a solo on air presenter for the last fifteen years, and now it’s Brittany and myself. So, two personalities in a room definitely adds a whole other element to it.”

Both hosts are new to sharing a show, so the quality of their work hasn’t come without challenges. Palliser says that both him and King are good at working with other people, so their show hasn’t managed to implode like other morning shows have.

Palliser says “The idea of the show is community, community, community. We’re both from this community, we love this community, and we’re a part of it.”

Chris is happy to be back in Victoria raising his kids where he grew up. Chris says “One of the big reasons I wanted to get back to Victoria was that feeling of community.”

Palliser says“I think you can have a greater impact getting out in the community here than in Vancouver because it’s just so big, you kind of don’t know where to start.”

Chris believes radio has a lot of life left, and will not die anytime soon because it can be personalized to the community. He says “There’s always a place for that personal connection.”

Chris Palliser is optimistic about the future of 107.3. Brittany and Chris are building a foundation to become one of the long running morning shows that have made their mark in Victoria.

Opinion 2

Fish farms in B.C. are spreading disease and parasites to wild fish in coastal waters. They may be causing more harm to the environment than is currently known. Impacts on the iconic wild salmon may not be worth the financial benefit the industry is providing the province’s economy. Research shows that wild salmon are exposed to disease and parasites that can be traced back to fish farms.

There are approximately fifty active fish farms in B.C. waters. A 2018 article by The Star Vancouver says farmers in the province harvested almost $760 million in farmed fish in 2016, B.C.’s largest agricultural food export. Fisheries and Oceans Canada is responsible for regulating companies to insure the fish are healthy. Although, current legislation limits the options that officials have to hold non-compliant farms accountable. Non-compliant farms are only taken to court by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in severe cases.

In the 2018 article by The Star Vancouver, Julie Gelfand, Environment Commissioner of Canada, and other critics claim that Fisheries and Oceans Canada fail to manage the threat fish farms raise to B.C.’s wild salmon population. Critics argue that not enough is done to enforce the rules that are in place.

A 2017 research report on Piscine Orthoreovirus (PRV) says wild salmon on the coast are being infected with a virus called PRV. Studies on Pacific and Atlantic salmon show the high rate of infection in wild salmon relates to their exposure to fish farms. Salmon exposed to open-net farms have greater chances of being infected.

The report on PRV, says that it causes an infection in the blood cells of salmon, lowering their oxygen levels. This affects their fitness level, which will threaten their ability to reproduce. A 2017 article by CBC News says wild salmon depend on fitness for survival. Swimming upstream is hard for salmon with reduced oxygen. When they can’t reach their spawning grounds salmon populations become less sustainable.

In the 2017 CBC News article, Alexandra Morton, lead author of the PRV report says "The government has to remove this industry from the key salmon migration routes or we risk the complete loss of wild salmon in this province."

The Star Vancouver article says sea lice are another serious threat. Over 10% of parasite counts in the industry in 2018 were above the threshold for sea lice. Fish farms are a breeding ground for lice. Young wild salmon can die from lice, and are most vulnerable to them on their first journey to the open sea.

In the 2018 article in The Star Vancouver, conservation ecologist Michael Price says the wild salmon will grow slower, have a harder time competing for food, and face more challenges escaping predators. While fish farms remain open to the environment, pathogens and parasites can pass between farmed and wild salmon.

The 2018 article by CBC News says sea lice concern opponents of fish farms. They are convinced the concentration of large populations of fish in farms are increasing the amount of lice in the ocean.

In the 2018 CBC News article, Ernest Alfred, a chief of the Namgis First Nation in Alert Bay says "There is no such thing as reconciliation in this territory as long as these farms exist. They're not welcome here. They don't have social licence; they hardly have a legal stance."

His opposition to the farms is supported by bands and councils in the area. Alfred says the land and waters are unceded. He predicts First Nations will gain control of the territory. There has been a long court battle, as well as negotiations with the federal, and provincial governments.

Not all First Nations are opposed, some believe more farms could be built safely. Many indigenous people work for salmon farms, or the industry. 6,600 jobs in B.C. are related to its fish farming industry, earning $1.5 billion in revenue. Ending their leases could have a considerable impact.

Washington State banned Atlantic salmon farming in its waters, many have been moved onto land. In the 2018 CBC News article Alexandra Morton says, companies could move to land-based farms, where they would be contained. Although, members of the industry argue that this is not a sustainable business, and it’s not profitable.

The industry’s financial benefits to the economy could be distracting from the cost to the environment. The ocean and surrounding habitats are not currently being given proper consideration. Until further research can be done, the responsibility we have to our environment needs to be upheld. First Nations should be properly consulted regarding fish farming in B.C. The industry may need be stopped, and thoroughly reviewed to prevent further damage to the environment.

Free Tuition for Post-Secondary Education

Students in Canada are under increasing financial pressure. Tuitions are rising, and

student loan debts are overwhelming. If Canada were to offer free tuition, it could open new

doors for many Canadians.

Free tuition is a promising option because all Canadians deserve an opportunity to reach

their potential. Charging for education creates an unfair balance in our education system. The

wealthy can afford to buy a higher education, and average Canadians have limited opportunity

due to financial risk.

In 2017, Statistics Canada showed the average cost of an undergraduate degree was

$6,500, representing an increase in tuition costs for twenty-eight years in a row (Alini, 2018).

Statistics Canada also showed that an increasing amount of fees are reaching an average of $880

a year for undergraduates (Alini, 2018). Rising costs are putting more and more financial

pressure on students.

Although some post-secondary costs are subsidized by the government, more could be

done to create equal access to higher education. The government has decreased university

funding by nearly half since 1990. Since then, Canadian universities have almost tripled their

tuition costs (Alini, 2018). If students can’t afford more expensive universities, they might go to

less expensive community colleges, or take technical programs. These institutions charge half the

tuition of universities, and the government pays 62% of the cost (Alini, 2018). But these costs

are still high, and some students decide against higher education to avoid increasing their debt.

Over 20% of graduates who receive a bachelor’s degree finish school with more than $25,000 in

debt (Alini, 2018).

In 1990, Canadians earning a $5 per hour minimum wage needed to work 293 hours to

cover the average tuition cost. Students earning an average of a $13 per hour minimum wage

today, need to work 500 hours to pay their average tuition (Alini, 2018).

Similar to Canada, the U.S. has both a student debt crisis, and problems with college

affordability. President Barack Obama mentioned this in his final State of the Union address.

President Obama says "We've actually got to cut the cost of college. Providing two years of

community college at no cost for every responsible student is one of the best ways to do that, and

I'm going to keep fighting to get that started this year." (Dickler, 2016) In the past, President

Obama has also called to stop student loan interest rate increases, extend the tax credit for

tuition, create more work study jobs, and asked institutions to keep tuitions low (Dickler, 2016).

Taking similar action in Canada to make college affordable could offer equal opportunity for

education.

Charging students for their education can contribute to inequality. The wealthy have an

advantage if they can afford to purchase a better education, and average citizens are less likely to

advance their education if they can’t afford to. All students deserve an equal opportunity to

access higher education. If each Canadian citizen has a chance to reach their potential, then

Canada can have a chance to reach its potential.

Alini, E. (2018, September 1). A vicious cycle: Why tuition is so high and will keep going up.

Global News. Retrieved from https://globalnews.ca/news/4414387/canada-tuition-college-resp-2018/

Dickler, J. (2016, January 13). Obama: We have to make college affordable. CNBC. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/12/obama-we-have-to-make-college-affordable.html

Steve Webb Metropol

Steve Webb, the CEO and founder of Metropol Industries Incorporated, has

grown a small poster service into one of the largest print shops on Vancouver Island.

Steve built his company in Victoria from the ground up. When Metropol first began, it

earned about $1,200 per month. Today, it earns more than $2,000,000 in revenue per

year. Despite the trend of online printing services, Metropol continues to strive.

Providing direct customer service gives them an advantage over online services that

can’t give a product the same attention to detail.

The company began as Metropol Event Poster Services, when Steve was a

promoter for local nightclubs. Before you could advertise your venue on social media,

poster cylinders in the downtown core were the primary way the clubs advertised. Some

clubs would invest money in covering entire cylinders with a single poster to compete.

With approximately fifteen clubs battling over space, Steve saw an opportunity to offer

the city his services in regulating the poster cylinders. Steve says, “I was going to

approach all of these different nightclubs, and convince them that they should all give

me their poster contracts. I would fight for equal representation on the polls for

everybody.” He would offer everyone equal coverage, and give smaller, all ages venues

an opportunity to get advertised.

The city loved the idea, but a lot of individual promoters didn’t. After four years of

fighting it out, postering on his own downtown, Steve negotiated and got the final two  

contracts on board. This was thirteen years ago, and Metropol hasn’t looked back since.

Postering continues seven days a week, but is the smallest part of the business,

accounting for only six percent of their revenue. After a couple of years Steve

recognized the demand he had for printing posters, and began printing his own. Steve

paid Lucky Bar to use a photocopier they had in the back of the bar. He eventually

purchased his own printer and cutter, and began designing business cards, and stickers

as well. Responding to the demand of his customers, he continued to expand his

services, and hire new staff. Steve says “When we opened our first ground level print

shop in the atrium, that was, I think, the moment where we really took the business to

the next level.”

Metropol expanded to multiple locations, including a shop in the Westshore

where they could accomodate large scale printing, and make signs. Metropol has four

locations with twenty-five employees, including designers, finishers, production staff, a

prepress department, customer service staff, and a postering department. Metropol is

also home to several of the largest printers on Vancouver Island. Steve Says, “We’re on

the verge of moving into one huge facility, amalgamating all of our locations, and we’ll

be bringing a print technology that no one on the island has. So, we’re pretty excited

about the future” Metropol expects to double its staff in the next year.

Metropol has developed from a small postering business, to a respected island

owned and operated printshop. Steve’s instincts to adapt his business to his customers

needs were what built his company into what it is today. With plans to bring the

business into the future with new technology, Steve continues to keep Metropol ahead

of the curve.

Twitter Exercise

   1.       We regret to announce that a major restructuring of the National Widget Company goes into effect today.

   2.       The National Widget Company is pleased to announce we are rehiring all employees who were laid off during the restructuring in December. The company will be operating at full capacity within six weeks.

   3.       The National Widget Company is expanding. We will be opening a new manufacturing facility in Regina, Saskatchewan, where we are hiring 100 new employees.