8:30 – Greenpeace co-founder and climate scientist Dr. Patrick Moore *will* be speaking in Regina this spring after all, just not at the city’s sustainability conference. Moore was pulled from the conference as its keynote speaker on Friday, with organizers saying the controversy around Moore’s views on climate change and carbon dioxide had become a distraction from the goals of the conference. Ezra Levant, head of the Rebel Media, has now organized a separate event to be held in Regina May 19, featuring Moore’s “banned lecture.” Levant says Moore was “deplatformed by a social media mob,” and says Canadians should believe in hearing all points of view and judging for themselves. Levant joins Gormley now to discuss the event and the importance of free speech, even when it’s controversial.
LIVE: Ezra Levant, head of the Rebel Media and author of “The Libranos: What the media won’t tell you about Justin Trudeau’s corruption.”
9:00 – A number of protests in Ontario and BC are threatening to cause a significant disruption to Canada’s rail networks. The protests, being held in solidarity with opponents of the Coastal GasLink pipeline project, have already cancelled 157 Via Rail passenger trains and could cause significant problems for goods shipping. Columnist Anthony Furey says the Ontario Provincial Police are failing to enforce the law, which could spell even more trouble down the road as other groups have promised similar action opposing the Trans Mountain Pipeline. Furey joins Gormley to discuss the protests and the rail stoppages.
LIVE: Anthony Furey, Columnist and editor for Sun papers/Postmedia, and National Post Radio host.
9:15 – The Hour of the Big Stories… Open Session
10:00 – Senator David Tkachuk, who has represented Saskatchewan in the senate since 1993, will be retiring effective February 18. He joins Gormley to talk about his years in the Senate, his accomplishments, and his thoughts as he retires.
LIVE: Senator David Tkachuk
11:00 – It’s time for Saskatchewan’s Smartest Radio Listener! Powered by Urban Cellars. Your chance for fame, acclaim and to prove just how smart you are. Not only do you get bragging rights, you’ll win a $50 gift card for Urban Cellars.
11:30 – A tiny Australian tech company called Clearview AI is raising a lot of eyebrows with a new service offered to law enforcement. The service uses facial recognition and draws on a database of billions of photos culled from social media to allow police to identify someone based only on a photo. The tech, which could end our ability to walk down the street anonymously, is concerning to some who feel it’s a misuse of the photos they’ve posted on their social media profiles and warn that it could end up in the hands of anyone – not just cops. Others want police to have every possible tool to stop crime, and say it’s up to us to avoid sharing our own images online. Chad Jones is an AI expert and founder/CEO of Push Interactions, and he joins Gormley to discuss Clearview AI and the ethics of its use by police.
LIVE: Chad Jones, AI expert and founder/CEO of Push Interactions.