Canada Now
Sparking bold ideas to help shape what’s next — through an unapologetically Canadian lens.
Episodes
After 16 conversations across housing, governance, technology, business, entrepreneurship, and media, a pattern began to emerge.
Not just innovation. Not just disruption.
But a tone.
In this solo Season 1 reflection, host Ashley Smith steps back to examine what Canadian leaders — across real estate, board governance, technology, and startups — are revealing in this moment of economic pressure, technol...
In this episode of Canada Now, I’m joined by William Johnson — Vice President of Strategy & Operations at Overstory Media Group and founder of Vancouver Tech Journal — for a wide-ranging conversation on what’s really shifting in Canada’s innovation ecosystem in 2026.
We unpack the current pragmatic reset in venture and startups, why Vancouver’s tech community feels both exciting and precarious, and w...
In this episode of Canada Now, I’m joined by Matias Marquez, founder and CEO of ethos — a modern loyalty and membership platform helping brands move beyond transactional points and discounts toward something far more powerful: community, participation, and real customer connection.
Built for Shopify merchants and modern e-commerce brands, ethos is part of a new wave of tools helping online retailers turn...
We’re living through a moment of real uncertainty — geopolitically, economically, and technologically. The old playbooks are breaking down. The rules are shifting. And leaders are being asked to make high-stakes decisions without a clear map.
In this episode, I sit down with veteran executive and board leader Darlene Hyde to explore how governance, leadership, and decision-making must evolve in times of ...
Podcasting has changed — but it hasn’t lost its power.
In this episode of Canada Now, I’m joined by Brayden Dyczkowski, founder of Podfather Creative and the producer behind the studio where this show is recorded, for a behind-the-scenes conversation about the podcast medium itself.
We explore how businesses are actually using podcasts in 2026 — what’s working, what’s changed, and why podcasting continues...
In this episode of Canada Now, host Ashley Smith sits down with Arman Mottaghi, founder and CEO of Properate, to explore what it really takes to build companies that last — in climate tech and beyond.
Arman shares how Properate grew into one of Canada’s leading home energy assessment platforms by focusing on long-term value, real revenue, and system-level thinking — rather than chasing Silicon ...
AI is everywhere — but leadership hasn’t always caught up.
In this episode of Canada Now, host Ashley Smith is joined by Karen Olsson, tech entrepreneur, fractional CEO, and principal at Atomic47, for a grounded conversation about what the AI moment actually demands of leaders — beyond hype, tools, and experimentation.
Karen brings a rare, on-the-ground perspective from working with organizations across h...
In a world flooded with AI-generated content, endless platforms, and “perfect” branding, what actually builds trust?
In this episode of Canada Now, Ashley is joined by Brady Dahmer — brand strategist, author of Blind Spots, and founder of Tropoly — for a wide-ranging conversation about brand, trust, community, and why human connection matters more than ever.
Brady has spent over 25 years working at the in...
How does a Canadian tech company go public before it has a finished product — and then scale to more than 160 countries?
In this episode, Tom Rossiter, Co-Founder and CEO of RESAAS, shares the remarkable story behind building a global technology platform from Vancouver and navigating the uniquely Canadian path to going public pre-product.
Ashley and Tom dive into:
- The unconventio...
Cyber attacks aren’t just rising — they’re transforming. And most Canadian companies aren’t even close to ready.
In this eye-opening conversation, cybersecurity expert Dominic Vogel breaks down the new reality facing Canadian organizations as we head into 2026. From AI-powered attacks to skyrocketing ransomware incidents to the shocking fragility of our digital systems, Dominic explains why cyber risk is...
The future of work is changing fast — and few people have a better vantage point on global leadership, talent, and purpose than Jay Rosenzweig.
Jay Rosenzweig is a successful investor and internationally renowned social impact entrepreneur, humanitarian, and CEO of Rosenzweig & Company. Across North America and beyond, he advises global corporations, high-growth founders, and purpose-driven organizat...
Factory-built homes are back in the spotlight in Canada — but are today’s modular homes actually good enough to help fix the housing crisis and be places people truly want to live?
In this episode of Canada Now, Ashley sits down with Rohan Kulkarni (Co-Founder & CEO, Rohe Homes) and Salik Z. Khan (Co-Founder & Chief Experience Officer) to unpack how factory-built, modular homes can speed up const...
What if a major housing unlock is hiding in plain sight?
This week, Ashley sits down with Laura Fortey — co-founder & COO of Reitium — to unpack how churches, hospitals, and other nonprofits can raise capital (donations, debt, or equity) to build affordable housing while keeping ownership of their land. No bulldozers-for-condos script. Instead: preserve the community anchor, add the homes, and make t...
When disruption hits your industry, will you adapt — or get left behind?
Jeff King, CEO of Greater Vancouver REALTORS® and former COO of SOCAN (the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada), joins Canada Now to unpack how disruption unfolds — and what every Canadian leader can learn from the industries facing it head-on.
From the collapse of CD retailers to the digital transformation o...
Can social media feel human again? 🇨🇦
After two decades of algorithms, outrage, and endless scroll, Jess Glowacki is rebuilding social — the Canadian way.
As the founder of EH!, a proudly Canadian social network that puts community, privacy, and connection first, Jess is flipping the script on how we connect online. No algorithms. No bots. Just real people, local discovery, and a mission-driven mo...
Real estate is having its travel-agent moment — but the higher calling is stewardship. Serial Entrepreneur, investor, and Sutton Group CEO, Ross McCredie explains how verified identity and accurate data can protect families from financial abuse and turn brokerages into true homeowner wealth platforms.
In this episode:
- The “travel agent → advisor” shift and what it means for REALTORS®
- From one-off deals...
What does a smarter, more resilient housing system look like in Canada? BCREA CEO Trevor Koot joins Ashley to zoom out: climate shocks, immigration, Indigenous title and UNDRIP, red tape vs. development, and why data — not vibes — should steer policy. We dig into the evolving role of REALTORS as small-business owners in an AI era, how 30 years of MLS history could inform better decisions, and why the (s...
Welcome to Canada Now where we highlight the voices, ideas, and bold moves shaping Canada's next chapter through an unapologetically Canadian lens. 🇨🇦
Canada’s story is still being written — and it’s not happening in boardrooms or press releases. It’s unfolding in conversations between builders, thinkers, and change makers across the country.
This is a series of sharp, honest, future-facing conver...
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