Season 4 continues with James Collins and Alec Cranston, though James joins from his sickbed, loaded up on throat lozenges, while Alec runs the studio on his own. This episode is about one of the biggest questions facing the city: what happens next at the Wanderers Grounds?

Halifax Wanderers FC owner Derek Martin explains how a weedy, neglected field became the home of professional soccer in Halifax. He talks about why the "pop-up" stadium was only ever meant to be temporary, and why he's now pitching City Council on a privately funded modular stadium on a 99-year land lease, which he says would cost taxpayers very little. He also covers what the plan could mean for concerts and events, and for Halifax's ability to compete for big shows.

Along the way, they cover:

• Insane as the Crane: the "Lake America" sweaters, an AI photo that went viral, and the CEO who lost her job over it
• This month's Harbour of Lies: Enos Collins, the Nova Scotia privateer whose bank became part of CIBC's history ("he put the R in banker")
• James's accidental three Harbour Hopper tours in 15 hours
• How a beach volleyball event on the waterfront led Derek to the Wanderers Grounds
• The rugby game that was cancelled after the field ended up with "crop circles" of burnt grass
• Why the Wanderers Grounds has been a fenced sports venue since the 1880s and has never truly been open space
• Surviving COVID, a two-year city study, and a $120M worst-case estimate
• Life at the pop-up stadium: no washrooms, no running water, and shipping-container locker rooms
• James on Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, which was in use 300 days a year
• Why concert promoters start every show $2 million in the hole, and how a permanent venue changes that
• The road ahead: HRM review, a council decision targeted by year-end, Maybank Field, and a 2028 opening goal
• How Haligonians can make their voices heard with their councillors

Chapters:

• 00:00 Cold open
• 00:16 Intro: Alec alone in the studio, James sick in bed
• 02:45 Insane as the Crane: the "Lake America" sweaters
• 10:25 Harbour of Lies: the story of Enos Collins
• 19:36 The verdict
• 21:57 Derek Martin joins the show
• 23:01 From beach volleyball to the Wanderers Grounds
• 25:20 The "crop circles" rugby disaster
• 27:18 How the Wanderers and the pop-up stadium were born
• 28:44 "It's truly never been open space" 29:42 Right-sizing a stadium, COVID, and the city study
• 33:36 The privately funded proposal and the 99-year lease
• 34:51 Pop-up realities and the grandstand tender
• 39:35 James on Cardiff's Millennium Stadium
• 42:19 The economics of concerts in Halifax
• 45:48 "We haven't profited yet"
• 46:53 What's next: council, Maybank Field, and the 2028 timeline
• 51:34 How the public can help
• 54:02 Outro

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Season 4 continues with hosts James Collins and Alec Cranston back in the studio after a chaotic Halifax summer of heat, bomb threats, and breaking news alerts — and turning their attention to something even more unsettling: Halifax quietly becoming one of the least affordable cities in Canada.

James walks through a new Urban Stress Index report ranking Halifax above Toronto and Vancouver for unaffordability, while he and Alec unpack what it means when rent eats 60% of a typical income, how that changes everyday life in the city, and why it’s not just a “people are bad with money” story.

Along the way, they cover:

• What the Urban Stress Index is and why Halifax tops its Canadian unaffordability rankings
• How rising rents and stagnant incomes are reshaping what people here can actually afford to do for fun
• The trade‑off between “charming small East Coast city” vibes and wanting big‑city amenities and investment
• The flood of emergency alerts in Halifax lately, from the downtown bomb threat to a gunman in Bedford
• How Canada’s alert system really works (and why your phone goes off for incidents hours away)
• This month’s Harbour of Lies: the charming “village” of Anus, Nova Scotia
• A detour through some of the world’s most ridiculous real place names, courtesy of James’s UK upbringing
• How the show has evolved as the hosts loosen up, swear a bit more, and reflect on past “frosty” guests

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Season 4 continues with hosts James Collins and Alec Cranston turning their attention to a topic reshaping every industry in Nova Scotia and beyond: artificial intelligence – what it really is, how it’s already changing work, and where the risks (and hype) actually lie.

They’re joined by Jennifer LaPlante, Deputy Minister of the Department of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions for the Government of Nova Scotia, to unpack how AI and digital tools are being used inside government, what businesses are getting wrong about “just using ChatGPT,” and why critical thinking matters more than ever for the next generation.

Along the way, they cover:

• What AI actually is (beyond chatbots and image generators)
• How businesses should be using – and not using – tools like ChatGPT and Copilot
• The real data‑privacy risks when staff paste confidential info into public AI tools
• How the pandemic forced a rapid (and messy) wave of digital transformation
• Why replacing human processes with tech is often more expensive than people think
• Which jobs are most and least likely to be automated in the next decade
• Why teaching kids to think critically is the best “AI strategy” families can have
• What a realistic, responsible AI future could look like in 2036

Plus: James and Alec kick things off with an “Insane is the Crane” dive into Premier Tim Houston’s controversial budget cuts – especially to arts and culture – and a Harbour of Lies segment on Nova Scotia’s forgotten days driving on the left side of the road (and how that allegedly crashed beef prices).

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Season 4 continues with hosts James Collins and Alec Cranston turning their attention to one of Halifax’s most iconic – and misunderstood – landmarks: the massive concrete grain elevator at the edge of Point Pleasant Park.

They’re joined by Kim Batherson, President & CEO of Halifax Grain Elevator Limited, to unpack how this 100-year-old structure quietly powers Canada’s food supply, supports global grain and wood‑pellet trade, and operates safely in the middle of a growing residential and condo district.

Along the way, they cover:

• What actually happens inside the grain elevator’s 365 silos
• How Nova Scotia fits into global grain and wood‑pellet exports
• The 2003 explosion, what was learned, and how safety is handled today
• The tension between heavy industry, new development, and the port’s 50‑year plan
• Why the future of the grain elevator matters for food security in Atlantic Canada

Plus: James and Alec kick things off with a look at Nova Scotia Power’s recent load‑shedding request, internet outrage vs. reality, and Alec’s Harbour of Lies segment on Harry Houdini’s little-known Atlantic Canadian chapter.

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Season 4 kicks off with hosts James Collins and Alec Cranston back in the studio, mixing Halifax politics, world events, and a deep dive into the region’s emerging space sector. They’re joined by Arad Gharagozli, CEO & Founder of Galaxia Mission Systems, a Halifax-based manufacturer of intelligent satellites.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/halifax/s/btAf0ArhMh

Halifax, Nova Scotia: beautiful, stubborn, and a little bit chaotic, just like the people who call it home. Hosted by James Collins and Alec Cranston, Matter of Fax dives into the real stories of Halifax: the good, the bad, and the badly parked.

From sky‑high rents and “I’m totally moving away” promises, to the reasons we never actually leave, this show is for newcomers trying to find their footing and lifelong Haligonians who know they’re never really going anywhere.

No tourism fluff. Just honest conversations, local characters, and a healthy amount of side‑eye, served up with the kind of humor you only get from people who love this city enough to complain about it nonstop.

Halifax stories. Just facts. No fluff. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode, your hosts Alec Cranston and James Collins explore Nova Scotia’s wildfire ban, debunk a WWII espionage myth in the “Harbor of Lies,” and sit down with special guest Max Emerson Taylor for an honest look at influencer life, the pressures of social media, and the reality behind viral fame. Max shares how his journey led from content creation to script writing, why he ran for mayor to inspire youth voting, and how authenticity guided him to launch his creative media company, all delivered with humor, candor, and a strong sense of civic pride.

Follow Matter Of 'Fax: https://www.instagram.com/matteroffaxpodcast/

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https://www.reddit.com/r/halifax/s/btAf0ArhMh

Hosts James Collins and Alec Cranston return for a fresh episode packed with local stories, science, and innovation. The two sit with David Regan, CEO of Sona Nanotech. David shares the fascinating story behind Sona’s breakthrough gold nanorod technology, which enables targeted hyperthermia cancer therapy. We learn how these nanoparticles are tuned to specific wavelengths, injected into tumors, and then activated by near-infrared light to selectively destroy cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. David explains the science, the company’s journey from rapid COVID-19 test development to cancer therapy, and the importance of Atlantic Canada’s innovation ecosystem.

Follow Matter Of 'Fax: https://www.instagram.com/matteroffaxpodcast/

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Follow the Reddit Roundup threads: https://www.reddit.com/r/halifax/comments/18jd9nw/nothing_says_grand_reopening_like_discount_broth/

https://www.reddit.com/r/halifax/s/btAf0ArhMh