In this milestone 10th episode, Parksville councillors Sean Wood and Joel Grenz break down one of the most talked-about issues in local government: housing.

What’s the difference between market and non-market housing? Why is non-market housing so hard (and slow) to build? Who actually pays for it? And what does the “Vienna Model” have to do with any of this?

From permissive tax exemptions to project delays at BC Housing, this episode pulls back the curtain on how housing decisions actually get made—and who carries the cost. Featuring a fiery quote from Courtenay councillor Wendy Morin and a potential idea for how BC builds homes.

Whether you’re a taxpayer, tenant, policymaker, or just housing-curious, this episode is for you.

👉 Subscribe, rate, and review on your favourite podcast platform.

Find all our episodes at nonpartisanhacks.com and be sure to drop us a line.

The BC Green Party is about to pick a new leader, and the three candidates joined Joel and Sean on the deck to make their case. Adam Bremner-Akins (political science student and party secretary), Dr. Jonathan Kerr (Comox councillor and family doctor), and Emily Lowan (climate organizer and researcher) sat down for an unfiltered conversation about strategy, ideology, and what it takes to grow beyond two seats.

Should the BC Greens court centrist voters or build a "Fight the Oligarchs" coalition? How would they tackle BC's deficit, and what role government should play in subsidizing the energy transition?

The conversation covers everything from BC's unnamed new dam to healthcare reform, offshore wind farms, and why one candidate thinks we need fewer EVs and more e-bikes. Plus: how to work with existing Green MLAs when you don't have a seat, and whether "crisitunity" is the approach to BC's multiple challenges.

🎧 Listen in for:

• Membership growth numbers revealed!
• Why healthcare reform could fix BC's budget crisis
• Three very different visions for the party's future
• How the confidence agreement gets renegotiated this fall
• Whether Greens should fight or finesse their way to power

BC Green members vote September 13-23.

👉 Subscribe, rate, and review on your favourite podcast platform.

Find all our episodes at nonpartisanhacks.com and be sure to drop us a line.

What’s next for Vancouver Island’s rail corridor? Is just a relic of the past, or the backbone of its future?

In this episode of Non-Partisan Hacks, hosts Joel Grenz and Sean Wood sit down with Thomas Bevan, CEO of the Island Corridor Foundation (ICF), to talk trains, trestles, and the tangled politics of one of Vancouver Island’s most unique public assets.

Bevan shares what it’s like to work with every level of government—federal, provincial, regional districts, municipalities, and 14 First Nations—while trying to reimagine a 290-kilometre corridor that runs through the backyards of about 80% of island residents. From Scotch broom removal and firebreaks to high-rail buses and long-term transit-oriented development, the conversation uncovers both the risks and the opportunities of this corridor.

🎧 Listen in for:

• Corridor ownership: Whose Line Is It Anyway?
• Why the corridor still matters for housing, planning, and the future of Vancouver Island
• The Wesley Ridge fire’s impact on trestles and infrastructure
• Creative short-term uses, including high-rail buses
• How governance silos shape (and sometimes stall) progress
• Whether this “forgotten corridor” can become the island’s true spine

👉 Subscribe, rate, and review on your favourite podcast platform.

Find all our episodes at nonpartisanhacks.com and be sure to drop us a line.