Could tourism could save us, is Canada's small business backbone bending or getting stronger? Welcome back to Amplify Canada, Season 3.
We first met these entrepreneurs mid-pandemic, reinventing on the fly, holding their doors open by sheer will. Years later, we are going back. What we found wasn't a recovery story. It was something tougher, and more interesting: businesses that never stopped adapting, in an economy that never stopped moving the end zone.

In this episode, host Linda Freeman travels from a rural British Columbia pub at the foot of the Rockies, to a century-old hotel in Chilliwack now run by a family who fell in love with the building's history, to a paddling shop in Deep Cove that found how to make staff feel like family and its customers into ambassadors. Along the way, economist Marwa Abdou of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce's Business Data Lab breaks down what's really happening beneath the headlines. The rising costs, a stubborn labour crunch, and an industry economists say isn't recovering so much as reinventing itself entirely.

Tourism supports 1.8 million jobs across Canada and is on track for a record $140.9 billion in visitor spending. But behind every one of those numbers is an owner doing the math at 11pm, wondering if this is the year they raise the menu prices, hire the extra hand, or finally build those cabins they've been dreaming about.

In this episode:
Ed Abbey on surviving the pandemic - only to discover the after was harder Christine Lai on inheriting a 1908 hotel, and the community that showed up on day one Erian Baxter on why "the great pivot of 2020" never really ended Economist Marwa Abdou on the multiplier effect, the new metrics of success, and why she's cautiously optimistic"

About Your Host

Linda Freeman brings decades of broadcast experience to every conversation, having hosted morning shows across both radio and television throughout her career. Known for her warmth, humor, and genuine curiosity, she has a gift for putting guests at ease and drawing out the stories of the people shaping this country. Always well-researched and professional, Linda's interviews feel less like Q&As and more like real conversations.

The Guests

Marwa Abdou is Senior Research Director at the Business Data Lab, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, where she leads the Research Centre of Excellence on trade, business conditions, and inclusive growth. With over 15 years of global experience, she has led projects across the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific with institutions including the World Bank, APEC, OECD, and the Asian Development Bank, and previously advised Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation on private sector engagement. She is co-author of Borders Without Barriers, an ADB publication on regional trade integration, and holds a Master's from Johns Hopkins SAIS and a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen's University.

The Businesses

• Bull River Inn
• Richca Heritage Hotel
• Deep Cove Kayak & Coast Outdoors

The Team

Hosted, Produced and Written by Linda Freeman (Rourke)
Showrunner: Kat Cullen
Sound Engineer/Producer: John Masecar
Executive Producer: Jennifer Smith
Production Support - Eric Champman
Video Producer - Jordan Wong

References

Travel and Tourism Statistics
The Canadian Tourism Collective
Destination Canada
The Impact on Covid-19 on the Tourism Sector
Tourism - Our World In Data
World Travel and Tourism

#TourismCanada #DestinationCanada #CanadaStrong #travelCanada #localTravel #CanadaTourism

In 2020, the world stopped, but small business owners across Canada didn't. Amplify Canada told their stories: the struggles, the determination, the refusal to give up. Now, host Linda Freeman is going back.

Because resilience didn't end when the pandemic did. Rising costs. Labour shortages. Tariffs. An economy that keeps shifting. In Season 3, we sit back down with the entrepreneurs who inspired a nation to find out what they carried forward, what they learned, and what it really takes to keep going. With insights from economists on where Canada's economy stands today, alongside the stories of the people still building it, one small business at a time.

What to Expect This Season
Follow-up conversations with the original entrepreneurs from Amplify Canada
A look at what's changed and what hasn't since 2020
Economist perspectives on Canada's current economic landscape
Real talk on rising costs, labour shortages, and tariffs
Stories of resilience, adaptation, and staying power

About the Host
Linda Freeman hosts Amplify Canada, revisiting the small business owners whose stories defined the show's first seasons. Linda is a media professional who has been immersed in Canada's media for decades. She has interviewed and told hundreds of stories over the years, gathering insight and perspective on how to be better.
Amplify Canada: Season 3. Resilience Revisited. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

#podcast #canada

On the final chapter of Amplify Canada, we reflect on the small businesses that make Canada great and the resiliency they showed through the pandemic and beyond. We will explore the importance of small businesses and how they shape, support, and make communities strong. We head to St. George British Columbia to The Pepper Tree, for the past fourteen years, the Pepper Tree has been First Nations owned and operated by a mother-daughter duo. We fly into Lethbridge in the southeast corner of Alberta, home to a non-profit organization called Streets Alive Mission which is changing people’s lives in their community. And we will hear from a majority female-owned business, Universal Geomatic Solutions Corp. who are committed to finding solutions to help maximize sustainability. These are just a few of the stories that we reflect on as we close the book and celebrate the incredible stories that gave us Amplify Canada.

About Amplify
Amplify Canada is an initiative created by Pattison Media designed to celebrate and elevate small businesses, the backbone of our economy. Thousands of small businesses, groups, family organizations and individuals are showcased on Pattison Media radio stations from Winnipeg to Vancouver throughout the year. Every month we go deeper and share the incredible journey of a few that have made an impact on their community. Some have flourished, others may need a little extra love and support. We also feature an emerging local Canadian Artist we think you'll enjoy. These are their stories