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                <itunes:subtitle>Your source for news, opinion and analysis about British Columbia issues, institutions and influencers.</itunes:subtitle>
        <itunes:author>Bob Mackin</itunes:author>
        <itunes:type>episodic</itunes:type>
        <itunes:summary>Your source for news, opinion and analysis about British Columbia issues, institutions and influencers.</itunes:summary>
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                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: FIFA World Cup countdown at B.C. Place Stadium]]>
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                <pubDate>Sun, 17 May 2026 07:00:35 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
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                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2463969</guid>
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                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of May 17, 2026:  A special edition at B.C. Place Stadium. Premier David Eby visited on May 12 to show-off the $109 million in FIFA-demanded renovations, including a temporary hybrid grass pitch grown in Abbotsford. Eby vowed to disclose — by the end of May — how much hosting is costing taxpayers.  British Columbia’s rich soccer history, however, will be hidden from visitors: On May 13, theBreaker.news toured the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame as curator Jason Beck prepared to put artifacts in storage due to FIFA venue restrictions.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. […]]]>
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                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of May 17, 2026:  A special edition at B.C. Place Stadium. Premier David Eby visited on May 12 to show-off the $109 million in FIFA-demanded renovations, including a temporary hybrid grass pitch grown in Abbotsford. Eby vowed to disclose — by the end of May — how much hosting is costing taxpayers.  British Columbia’s rich soccer history, however, will be hidden from visitors: On May 13, theBreaker.news toured the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame as curator Jason Beck prepared to put artifacts in storage due to FIFA venue restrictions.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. […]]]>
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                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: FIFA World Cup countdown at B.C. Place Stadium]]>
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                    <![CDATA[For the week of May 17, 2026:  A special edition at B.C. Place Stadium. Premier David Eby visited on May 12 to show-off the $109 million in FIFA-demanded renovations, including a temporary hybrid grass pitch grown in Abbotsford. Eby vowed to disclose — by the end of May — how much hosting is costing taxpayers.  British Columbia’s rich soccer history, however, will be hidden from visitors: On May 13, theBreaker.news toured the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame as curator Jason Beck prepared to put artifacts in storage due to FIFA venue restrictions.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. […]]]>
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                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of May 17, 2026:  A special edition at B.C. Place Stadium. Premier David Eby visited on May 12 to show-off the $109 million in FIFA-demanded renovations, including a temporary hybrid grass pitch grown in Abbotsford. Eby vowed to disclose — by the end of May — how much hosting is costing taxpayers.  British Columbia’s rich soccer history, however, will be hidden from visitors: On May 13, theBreaker.news toured the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame as curator Jason Beck prepared to put artifacts in storage due to FIFA venue restrictions.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:20:27</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
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                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Democracy under pressure]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2026 07:00:46 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
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                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2457657</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-democracy-under-pressure</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of May 10, 2026:  Terry Glavin is a columnist with the National Post and publishes the Real Story on Substack. Charles Burton is sinologist, former Canadian diplomat in China and author of “The Beaver and the Dragon: How China Out-Manoeuvred Canada’s Diplomacy, Security and Sovereignty.” They spoke April 19 at the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement’s forum on foreign interference and Canada-China relations, “Democracy Under Pressure — China’s Influence in Canada and Beyond.” Terry Glavin and Charles Burton are Bob Mackin’s guests this week. CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of May 10, 2026:  Terry Glavin is a columnist with the National Post and publishes the Real Story on Substack. Charles Burton is sinologist, former Canadian diplomat in China and author of “The Beaver and the Dragon: How China Out-Manoeuvred Canada’s Diplomacy, Security and Sovereignty.” They spoke April 19 at the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement’s forum on foreign interference and Canada-China relations, “Democracy Under Pressure — China’s Influence in Canada and Beyond.” Terry Glavin and Charles Burton are Bob Mackin’s guests this week. CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Democracy under pressure]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
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                    <![CDATA[For the week of May 10, 2026:  Terry Glavin is a columnist with the National Post and publishes the Real Story on Substack. Charles Burton is sinologist, former Canadian diplomat in China and author of “The Beaver and the Dragon: How China Out-Manoeuvred Canada’s Diplomacy, Security and Sovereignty.” They spoke April 19 at the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement’s forum on foreign interference and Canada-China relations, “Democracy Under Pressure — China’s Influence in Canada and Beyond.” Terry Glavin and Charles Burton are Bob Mackin’s guests this week. CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed […]]]>
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                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of May 10, 2026:  Terry Glavin is a columnist with the National Post and publishes the Real Story on Substack. Charles Burton is sinologist, former Canadian diplomat in China and author of “The Beaver and the Dragon: How China Out-Manoeuvred Canada’s Diplomacy, Security and Sovereignty.” They spoke April 19 at the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement’s forum on foreign interference and Canada-China relations, “Democracy Under Pressure — China’s Influence in Canada and Beyond.” Terry Glavin and Charles Burton are Bob Mackin’s guests this week. CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:20:33</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
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                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: theBreaker at the FIFA Congress]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2026 07:00:16 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2452567</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-political-football</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of May 3, 2026:  A special edition from inside and outside the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, six weeks ahead of the biggest World Cup in history.  Featuring interviews with Canada’s Secretary for Sport, Adam van Koeverden, Canadian Soccer Association president Peter Augruso and one of the Southsiders campaigning to keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver, Andrew Chobaniuk.  Plus, highlights of the meeting in the Vancouver Convention Centre, featuring FIFA president Gianni Infantino, vice-president Victor Montagliani, secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom, and executives from the Israeli and Palestinian football associations.   CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of May 3, 2026:  A special edition from inside and outside the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, six weeks ahead of the biggest World Cup in history.  Featuring interviews with Canada’s Secretary for Sport, Adam van Koeverden, Canadian Soccer Association president Peter Augruso and one of the Southsiders campaigning to keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver, Andrew Chobaniuk.  Plus, highlights of the meeting in the Vancouver Convention Centre, featuring FIFA president Gianni Infantino, vice-president Victor Montagliani, secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom, and executives from the Israeli and Palestinian football associations.   CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: theBreaker at the FIFA Congress]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of May 3, 2026:  A special edition from inside and outside the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, six weeks ahead of the biggest World Cup in history.  Featuring interviews with Canada’s Secretary for Sport, Adam van Koeverden, Canadian Soccer Association president Peter Augruso and one of the Southsiders campaigning to keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver, Andrew Chobaniuk.  Plus, highlights of the meeting in the Vancouver Convention Centre, featuring FIFA president Gianni Infantino, vice-president Victor Montagliani, secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom, and executives from the Israeli and Palestinian football associations.   CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have […]]]>
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                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of May 3, 2026:  A special edition from inside and outside the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, six weeks ahead of the biggest World Cup in history.  Featuring interviews with Canada’s Secretary for Sport, Adam van Koeverden, Canadian Soccer Association president Peter Augruso and one of the Southsiders campaigning to keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver, Andrew Chobaniuk.  Plus, highlights of the meeting in the Vancouver Convention Centre, featuring FIFA president Gianni Infantino, vice-president Victor Montagliani, secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom, and executives from the Israeli and Palestinian football associations.   CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:29:45</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Something Happened Here -- Expo 86's 40th anniversary]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2026 07:00:45 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2431900</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-something-happened-here-expo-86s-40th-anniversary</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of April 26, 2026:  May 2 is the 40th anniversary of opening day at the World’s Fair on transportation and communication. Expo 86 in Vancouver. Guest Andy Yan is the director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University. He joins host Bob Mackin to remember the fair that transformed Terminal City.   CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of April 26, 2026:  May 2 is the 40th anniversary of opening day at the World’s Fair on transportation and communication. Expo 86 in Vancouver. Guest Andy Yan is the director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University. He joins host Bob Mackin to remember the fair that transformed Terminal City.   CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Something Happened Here -- Expo 86's 40th anniversary]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of April 26, 2026:  May 2 is the 40th anniversary of opening day at the World’s Fair on transportation and communication. Expo 86 in Vancouver. Guest Andy Yan is the director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University. He joins host Bob Mackin to remember the fair that transformed Terminal City.   CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </content:encoded>
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                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of April 26, 2026:  May 2 is the 40th anniversary of opening day at the World’s Fair on transportation and communication. Expo 86 in Vancouver. Guest Andy Yan is the director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University. He joins host Bob Mackin to remember the fair that transformed Terminal City.   CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:30:24</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: B.C.'s new treaty commissioner George Abbott]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 19 Apr 2026 07:00:39 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2424660</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-george-abbott</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of April 19, 2026:  George Abbott is a former BC Liberal cabinet minister who became a political science professor and author of two books, the latest called “Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now” (UBC Press). He is the newly appointed chief commissioner of the B.C. Treaty Commission, at a crucial time when political debate rages over the future of the NDP government’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. On this edition of thePodcast, Abbott makes the case for negotiation over litigation, and discusses the challenge of his new job. He […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of April 19, 2026:  George Abbott is a former BC Liberal cabinet minister who became a political science professor and author of two books, the latest called “Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now” (UBC Press). He is the newly appointed chief commissioner of the B.C. Treaty Commission, at a crucial time when political debate rages over the future of the NDP government’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. On this edition of thePodcast, Abbott makes the case for negotiation over litigation, and discusses the challenge of his new job. He […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: B.C.'s new treaty commissioner George Abbott]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of April 19, 2026:  George Abbott is a former BC Liberal cabinet minister who became a political science professor and author of two books, the latest called “Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now” (UBC Press). He is the newly appointed chief commissioner of the B.C. Treaty Commission, at a crucial time when political debate rages over the future of the NDP government’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. On this edition of thePodcast, Abbott makes the case for negotiation over litigation, and discusses the challenge of his new job. He […]]]>
                </content:encoded>
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                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of April 19, 2026:  George Abbott is a former BC Liberal cabinet minister who became a political science professor and author of two books, the latest called “Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now” (UBC Press). He is the newly appointed chief commissioner of the B.C. Treaty Commission, at a crucial time when political debate rages over the future of the NDP government’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. On this edition of thePodcast, Abbott makes the case for negotiation over litigation, and discusses the challenge of his new job. He […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:50:08</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Minding Ottawa]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2026 07:00:25 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2418951</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-18</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of April 12, 2026:  What’s really going on in Ottawa? Blacklock’s Reporter knows. While the major outlets chase politicians for soundbites, Tom Korski and his staff are digging and delivering daily scoops from the nation’s capital.  Tom Korski, the managing editor of Blacklock’s Reporter, is Bob Mackin’s guest on this week’s edition of thePodcast.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of April 12, 2026:  What’s really going on in Ottawa? Blacklock’s Reporter knows. While the major outlets chase politicians for soundbites, Tom Korski and his staff are digging and delivering daily scoops from the nation’s capital.  Tom Korski, the managing editor of Blacklock’s Reporter, is Bob Mackin’s guest on this week’s edition of thePodcast.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Minding Ottawa]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of April 12, 2026:  What’s really going on in Ottawa? Blacklock’s Reporter knows. While the major outlets chase politicians for soundbites, Tom Korski and his staff are digging and delivering daily scoops from the nation’s capital.  Tom Korski, the managing editor of Blacklock’s Reporter, is Bob Mackin’s guest on this week’s edition of thePodcast.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </content:encoded>
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                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of April 12, 2026:  What’s really going on in Ottawa? Blacklock’s Reporter knows. While the major outlets chase politicians for soundbites, Tom Korski and his staff are digging and delivering daily scoops from the nation’s capital.  Tom Korski, the managing editor of Blacklock’s Reporter, is Bob Mackin’s guest on this week’s edition of thePodcast.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:37:03</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: MMA Panel on 2026's first quarter]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2026 07:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2413755</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-17</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of April 5, 2026:  The MMA Panel — Mario Canseco, president of Research Co., Andy Yan, director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University, and host Bob Mackin — returns to analyze civic, provincial and federal trends after the first quarter of 2026. Plus, a special Vancouver trivia quiz, to mark the 140th anniversary of the city’s April 6, 1886 incorporation. Recorded at the Main on Main.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of April 5, 2026:  The MMA Panel — Mario Canseco, president of Research Co., Andy Yan, director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University, and host Bob Mackin — returns to analyze civic, provincial and federal trends after the first quarter of 2026. Plus, a special Vancouver trivia quiz, to mark the 140th anniversary of the city’s April 6, 1886 incorporation. Recorded at the Main on Main.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: MMA Panel on 2026's first quarter]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of April 5, 2026:  The MMA Panel — Mario Canseco, president of Research Co., Andy Yan, director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University, and host Bob Mackin — returns to analyze civic, provincial and federal trends after the first quarter of 2026. Plus, a special Vancouver trivia quiz, to mark the 140th anniversary of the city’s April 6, 1886 incorporation. Recorded at the Main on Main.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find […]]]>
                </content:encoded>
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                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of April 5, 2026:  The MMA Panel — Mario Canseco, president of Research Co., Andy Yan, director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University, and host Bob Mackin — returns to analyze civic, provincial and federal trends after the first quarter of 2026. Plus, a special Vancouver trivia quiz, to mark the 140th anniversary of the city’s April 6, 1886 incorporation. Recorded at the Main on Main.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:39:13</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Fixing Canada's broken sport system]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2026 07:00:17 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2407452</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-16</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of March 29, 2026:  Canada’s sport system is broken. Tainted by abuse and corruption. The final report of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission provides the roadmap for repairs. One of the voices for change is Amelia Cline of Athletes Empowered, who said there is no time to waste. Cline is a former competitive gymnast who survived abuse. She became a lawyer and is spearheading a class action lawsuit against Gymnastics Canada. Amelia Cline is Bob Mackin’s guest on this edition of thePodcast.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of March 29, 2026:  Canada’s sport system is broken. Tainted by abuse and corruption. The final report of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission provides the roadmap for repairs. One of the voices for change is Amelia Cline of Athletes Empowered, who said there is no time to waste. Cline is a former competitive gymnast who survived abuse. She became a lawyer and is spearheading a class action lawsuit against Gymnastics Canada. Amelia Cline is Bob Mackin’s guest on this edition of thePodcast.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Fixing Canada's broken sport system]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of March 29, 2026:  Canada’s sport system is broken. Tainted by abuse and corruption. The final report of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission provides the roadmap for repairs. One of the voices for change is Amelia Cline of Athletes Empowered, who said there is no time to waste. Cline is a former competitive gymnast who survived abuse. She became a lawyer and is spearheading a class action lawsuit against Gymnastics Canada. Amelia Cline is Bob Mackin’s guest on this edition of thePodcast.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple […]]]>
                </content:encoded>
                                    <enclosure url="https://episodes.castos.com/theBreaker-Podcast/2407452/c1e-3wdswk08pum6513-gp5oxw46uwmw-eut1h2.m4a" length="24883934"
                        type="audio/x-m4a">
                    </enclosure>
                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of March 29, 2026:  Canada’s sport system is broken. Tainted by abuse and corruption. The final report of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission provides the roadmap for repairs. One of the voices for change is Amelia Cline of Athletes Empowered, who said there is no time to waste. Cline is a former competitive gymnast who survived abuse. She became a lawyer and is spearheading a class action lawsuit against Gymnastics Canada. Amelia Cline is Bob Mackin’s guest on this edition of thePodcast.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:27:51</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: After a peace prize to end 2025, wars dominate 2026's first quarter]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 22 Mar 2026 07:00:43 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2401878</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-15</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of March 22, 2026:  Much has changed since Donald Trump “won” the FIFA Peace Prize in late 2025. But some things are just the same.   Venezuela’s dictator is in a U.S. jail and Iran’s second ayatollah is dead. So is Mexico’s top narcoterrorist. Meanwhile, Russia’s war on Ukraine stretches into a fifth year and China continues to threaten to invade Taiwan.  Where does Canada stand? Amid the Trump trade war, Mark Carney has reconciled with both China and India.  Joining host Bob Mackin to discuss this and more is Prof. Christian Leuprecht of the political science […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of March 22, 2026:  Much has changed since Donald Trump “won” the FIFA Peace Prize in late 2025. But some things are just the same.   Venezuela’s dictator is in a U.S. jail and Iran’s second ayatollah is dead. So is Mexico’s top narcoterrorist. Meanwhile, Russia’s war on Ukraine stretches into a fifth year and China continues to threaten to invade Taiwan.  Where does Canada stand? Amid the Trump trade war, Mark Carney has reconciled with both China and India.  Joining host Bob Mackin to discuss this and more is Prof. Christian Leuprecht of the political science […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: After a peace prize to end 2025, wars dominate 2026's first quarter]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of March 22, 2026:  Much has changed since Donald Trump “won” the FIFA Peace Prize in late 2025. But some things are just the same.   Venezuela’s dictator is in a U.S. jail and Iran’s second ayatollah is dead. So is Mexico’s top narcoterrorist. Meanwhile, Russia’s war on Ukraine stretches into a fifth year and China continues to threaten to invade Taiwan.  Where does Canada stand? Amid the Trump trade war, Mark Carney has reconciled with both China and India.  Joining host Bob Mackin to discuss this and more is Prof. Christian Leuprecht of the political science […]]]>
                </content:encoded>
                                    <enclosure url="https://episodes.castos.com/theBreaker-Podcast/2401878/c1e-oqmijvqz2fjjmo8-gp5rk9v9c6g2-tq9slo.m4a" length="32992646"
                        type="audio/x-m4a">
                    </enclosure>
                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of March 22, 2026:  Much has changed since Donald Trump “won” the FIFA Peace Prize in late 2025. But some things are just the same.   Venezuela’s dictator is in a U.S. jail and Iran’s second ayatollah is dead. So is Mexico’s top narcoterrorist. Meanwhile, Russia’s war on Ukraine stretches into a fifth year and China continues to threaten to invade Taiwan.  Where does Canada stand? Amid the Trump trade war, Mark Carney has reconciled with both China and India.  Joining host Bob Mackin to discuss this and more is Prof. Christian Leuprecht of the political science […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                    <itunes:image href="https://episodes.castos.com/theBreaker-Podcast/images/2401878/c1a-y7o3-v6wx2n16i97d-4ska4f.png"></itunes:image>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:37:14</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Movie magic at the durable Dunbar]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2026 07:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2393431</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-14</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of March 15, 2026:  It’s Oscar time, so host Bob Mackin went to the movies.  This week’s guest is Ken Charko, the owner/operator of the Dunbar Theatre, the beloved, 90-year-old single-screen cinema on Vancouver’s Westside.  Charko weighs-in with his Academy Awards predictions and discusses the business of movies.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of March 15, 2026:  It’s Oscar time, so host Bob Mackin went to the movies.  This week’s guest is Ken Charko, the owner/operator of the Dunbar Theatre, the beloved, 90-year-old single-screen cinema on Vancouver’s Westside.  Charko weighs-in with his Academy Awards predictions and discusses the business of movies.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Movie magic at the durable Dunbar]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of March 15, 2026:  It’s Oscar time, so host Bob Mackin went to the movies.  This week’s guest is Ken Charko, the owner/operator of the Dunbar Theatre, the beloved, 90-year-old single-screen cinema on Vancouver’s Westside.  Charko weighs-in with his Academy Awards predictions and discusses the business of movies.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </content:encoded>
                                    <enclosure url="https://episodes.castos.com/theBreaker-Podcast/2393431/c1e-qqmi72pd7s77x7j-ww707og8t726-0lftse.m4a" length="27326222"
                        type="audio/x-m4a">
                    </enclosure>
                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of March 15, 2026:  It’s Oscar time, so host Bob Mackin went to the movies.  This week’s guest is Ken Charko, the owner/operator of the Dunbar Theatre, the beloved, 90-year-old single-screen cinema on Vancouver’s Westside.  Charko weighs-in with his Academy Awards predictions and discusses the business of movies.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:31:54</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: House highlights, commons conversation]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 08 Mar 2026 08:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2385099</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-house-highlights-commons-conversation</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of March 8, 2026:  On this edition, checking in with House of Commons committees. Highlights include:  Former diplomat and former hostage Michael Kovrig on the dangers of Mark Carney’s economic alliance with China. Former Elections B.C. chief Anton Boegman — Canada’s first foreign influence registrar — is grilled on the 2024 B.C. election.  The latest revelations on the B.C. Ferries China scandal.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of March 8, 2026:  On this edition, checking in with House of Commons committees. Highlights include:  Former diplomat and former hostage Michael Kovrig on the dangers of Mark Carney’s economic alliance with China. Former Elections B.C. chief Anton Boegman — Canada’s first foreign influence registrar — is grilled on the 2024 B.C. election.  The latest revelations on the B.C. Ferries China scandal.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: House highlights, commons conversation]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of March 8, 2026:  On this edition, checking in with House of Commons committees. Highlights include:  Former diplomat and former hostage Michael Kovrig on the dangers of Mark Carney’s economic alliance with China. Former Elections B.C. chief Anton Boegman — Canada’s first foreign influence registrar — is grilled on the 2024 B.C. election.  The latest revelations on the B.C. Ferries China scandal.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </content:encoded>
                                    <enclosure url="https://episodes.castos.com/theBreaker-Podcast/2385099/c1e-jzdc42kx1tpn4j3-8d0jn8v7bqoq-qr12ui.m4a" length="22229916"
                        type="audio/x-m4a">
                    </enclosure>
                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of March 8, 2026:  On this edition, checking in with House of Commons committees. Highlights include:  Former diplomat and former hostage Michael Kovrig on the dangers of Mark Carney’s economic alliance with China. Former Elections B.C. chief Anton Boegman — Canada’s first foreign influence registrar — is grilled on the 2024 B.C. election.  The latest revelations on the B.C. Ferries China scandal.  Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:26:22</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Mexico eliminates drug lord, sparking chaos and questions about World Cup]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 08:00:19 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2376923</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-mexicos-narcoterrorists-spark-national-emergency-and-questions-about-the-fifa-world-cup</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of March 1, 2026:  When Mexican forces killed the most-wanted drug cartel boss known as “El Mencho,” it sparked a national emergency that stranded Canadians vacationing in Puerto Vallarta.  This week’s guest is freelance reporter David Agren, who has covered Mexico and Latin America for more than 20 years for the Globe and Mail, CBC Radio, Maclean’s, The Guardian, USA Today, UnHerd and others.  Agren, originally from Chilliwack, B.C., goes beyond the headlines and explains to host Bob Mackin what Feb. 22 means for average Mexicans, Canadian tourists and the upcoming FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Mexico.  […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of March 1, 2026:  When Mexican forces killed the most-wanted drug cartel boss known as “El Mencho,” it sparked a national emergency that stranded Canadians vacationing in Puerto Vallarta.  This week’s guest is freelance reporter David Agren, who has covered Mexico and Latin America for more than 20 years for the Globe and Mail, CBC Radio, Maclean’s, The Guardian, USA Today, UnHerd and others.  Agren, originally from Chilliwack, B.C., goes beyond the headlines and explains to host Bob Mackin what Feb. 22 means for average Mexicans, Canadian tourists and the upcoming FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Mexico.  […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Mexico eliminates drug lord, sparking chaos and questions about World Cup]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of March 1, 2026:  When Mexican forces killed the most-wanted drug cartel boss known as “El Mencho,” it sparked a national emergency that stranded Canadians vacationing in Puerto Vallarta.  This week’s guest is freelance reporter David Agren, who has covered Mexico and Latin America for more than 20 years for the Globe and Mail, CBC Radio, Maclean’s, The Guardian, USA Today, UnHerd and others.  Agren, originally from Chilliwack, B.C., goes beyond the headlines and explains to host Bob Mackin what Feb. 22 means for average Mexicans, Canadian tourists and the upcoming FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Mexico.  […]]]>
                </content:encoded>
                                    <enclosure url="https://episodes.castos.com/theBreaker-Podcast/2376923/c1e-wqxivz51xbjxqgk-250xr53xc06z-wwqt61.m4a" length="27240794"
                        type="audio/x-m4a">
                    </enclosure>
                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of March 1, 2026:  When Mexican forces killed the most-wanted drug cartel boss known as “El Mencho,” it sparked a national emergency that stranded Canadians vacationing in Puerto Vallarta.  This week’s guest is freelance reporter David Agren, who has covered Mexico and Latin America for more than 20 years for the Globe and Mail, CBC Radio, Maclean’s, The Guardian, USA Today, UnHerd and others.  Agren, originally from Chilliwack, B.C., goes beyond the headlines and explains to host Bob Mackin what Feb. 22 means for average Mexicans, Canadian tourists and the upcoming FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Mexico.  […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:31:32</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: The politics of ice and snow]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 22 Feb 2026 08:00:39 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2369943</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-13</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of Feb. 22, 2026:  British Columbia’s lawmakers returned to Victoria on Feb. 12, as the province mourned the mass-shooting in snowy Tumbler Ridge. On Feb. 17, NDP Minister of Finance Brenda Bailey delivered an icy budget for the new fiscal year, starting March 31, that hikes taxes, the deficit and debt. NorthernBeat.ca editor Fran Yanor is Bob Mackin’s guest to analyze the David Eby government’s record spending plan and look ahead to the rest of the spring session and potential for a snap election. The opposition Conservatives are seeking a new leader while the Greens no longer […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Feb. 22, 2026:  British Columbia’s lawmakers returned to Victoria on Feb. 12, as the province mourned the mass-shooting in snowy Tumbler Ridge. On Feb. 17, NDP Minister of Finance Brenda Bailey delivered an icy budget for the new fiscal year, starting March 31, that hikes taxes, the deficit and debt. NorthernBeat.ca editor Fran Yanor is Bob Mackin’s guest to analyze the David Eby government’s record spending plan and look ahead to the rest of the spring session and potential for a snap election. The opposition Conservatives are seeking a new leader while the Greens no longer […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: The politics of ice and snow]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Feb. 22, 2026:  British Columbia’s lawmakers returned to Victoria on Feb. 12, as the province mourned the mass-shooting in snowy Tumbler Ridge. On Feb. 17, NDP Minister of Finance Brenda Bailey delivered an icy budget for the new fiscal year, starting March 31, that hikes taxes, the deficit and debt. NorthernBeat.ca editor Fran Yanor is Bob Mackin’s guest to analyze the David Eby government’s record spending plan and look ahead to the rest of the spring session and potential for a snap election. The opposition Conservatives are seeking a new leader while the Greens no longer […]]]>
                </content:encoded>
                                    <enclosure url="https://episodes.castos.com/theBreaker-Podcast/2369943/c1e-nqniz1ovgudo0v8-jpqo9542sq-b1lx9n.m4a" length="35461460"
                        type="audio/x-m4a">
                    </enclosure>
                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Feb. 22, 2026:  British Columbia’s lawmakers returned to Victoria on Feb. 12, as the province mourned the mass-shooting in snowy Tumbler Ridge. On Feb. 17, NDP Minister of Finance Brenda Bailey delivered an icy budget for the new fiscal year, starting March 31, that hikes taxes, the deficit and debt. NorthernBeat.ca editor Fran Yanor is Bob Mackin’s guest to analyze the David Eby government’s record spending plan and look ahead to the rest of the spring session and potential for a snap election. The opposition Conservatives are seeking a new leader while the Greens no longer […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:42:07</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: British Columbia's Tragic Tuesday]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 15 Feb 2026 08:00:44 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2362718</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-british-columbias-tragic-tuesday</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of Feb. 15, 2026:  The Tumbler Ridge Tragedy. A mass-shooting that shocked Canada and the world. Six children, two adults and the teenaged shooter, dead in the second-worst school shooting in Canadian history. Guest Sarah Peck of United On Guns is the co-author of the Mass-Shooting Playbook and Protocol. She explains how municipal officials can prepare, respond and recover. (Begins at 01:17). Plus, beloved B.C. sports broadcasting legend Jim Robson passed away at age 91. One of his disciples, Sportstalk’s Dan Russell, on the legacy of the original voice of the Vancouver Canucks. (Begins at 34:54). Plus […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Feb. 15, 2026:  The Tumbler Ridge Tragedy. A mass-shooting that shocked Canada and the world. Six children, two adults and the teenaged shooter, dead in the second-worst school shooting in Canadian history. Guest Sarah Peck of United On Guns is the co-author of the Mass-Shooting Playbook and Protocol. She explains how municipal officials can prepare, respond and recover. (Begins at 01:17). Plus, beloved B.C. sports broadcasting legend Jim Robson passed away at age 91. One of his disciples, Sportstalk’s Dan Russell, on the legacy of the original voice of the Vancouver Canucks. (Begins at 34:54). Plus […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: British Columbia's Tragic Tuesday]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Feb. 15, 2026:  The Tumbler Ridge Tragedy. A mass-shooting that shocked Canada and the world. Six children, two adults and the teenaged shooter, dead in the second-worst school shooting in Canadian history. Guest Sarah Peck of United On Guns is the co-author of the Mass-Shooting Playbook and Protocol. She explains how municipal officials can prepare, respond and recover. (Begins at 01:17). Plus, beloved B.C. sports broadcasting legend Jim Robson passed away at age 91. One of his disciples, Sportstalk’s Dan Russell, on the legacy of the original voice of the Vancouver Canucks. (Begins at 34:54). Plus […]]]>
                </content:encoded>
                                    <enclosure url="https://episodes.castos.com/theBreaker-Podcast/2362718/c1e-drzuo7gp2h3084r-nd13zgxgsx50-rikerj.m4a" length="49181962"
                        type="audio/x-m4a">
                    </enclosure>
                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Feb. 15, 2026:  The Tumbler Ridge Tragedy. A mass-shooting that shocked Canada and the world. Six children, two adults and the teenaged shooter, dead in the second-worst school shooting in Canadian history. Guest Sarah Peck of United On Guns is the co-author of the Mass-Shooting Playbook and Protocol. She explains how municipal officials can prepare, respond and recover. (Begins at 01:17). Plus, beloved B.C. sports broadcasting legend Jim Robson passed away at age 91. One of his disciples, Sportstalk’s Dan Russell, on the legacy of the original voice of the Vancouver Canucks. (Begins at 34:54). Plus […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:59:59</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: "Canada owns Point Roberts. They just weren't given the keys."]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 08 Feb 2026 08:00:50 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2351606</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-canada-owns-point-roberts-they-just-werent-given-the-keys</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of Feb. 8, 2026:  On this edition, host Bob Mackin checks-in with Brian Calder, a former Vancouver city councillor who is past-president of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce. How the isolated, Canada-dependent Washington State community is struggling in the second year of the second Trump presidency. Could FIFA World Cup tourists be an economic lifeline? Also, Andy Everson, an Indigenous artist in B.C.’s Comox Valley. How a Vancouver Island First Nation influenced the original look of the Seattle Seahawks. Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Feb. 8, 2026:  On this edition, host Bob Mackin checks-in with Brian Calder, a former Vancouver city councillor who is past-president of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce. How the isolated, Canada-dependent Washington State community is struggling in the second year of the second Trump presidency. Could FIFA World Cup tourists be an economic lifeline? Also, Andy Everson, an Indigenous artist in B.C.’s Comox Valley. How a Vancouver Island First Nation influenced the original look of the Seattle Seahawks. Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: "Canada owns Point Roberts. They just weren't given the keys."]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Feb. 8, 2026:  On this edition, host Bob Mackin checks-in with Brian Calder, a former Vancouver city councillor who is past-president of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce. How the isolated, Canada-dependent Washington State community is struggling in the second year of the second Trump presidency. Could FIFA World Cup tourists be an economic lifeline? Also, Andy Everson, an Indigenous artist in B.C.’s Comox Valley. How a Vancouver Island First Nation influenced the original look of the Seattle Seahawks. Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you […]]]>
                </content:encoded>
                                    <enclosure url="https://episodes.castos.com/theBreaker-Podcast/2351606/c1e-7o3hvqq6ksq50z0-0v94977wfrkx-fbqamv.m4a" length="27843788"
                        type="audio/x-m4a">
                    </enclosure>
                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Feb. 8, 2026:  On this edition, host Bob Mackin checks-in with Brian Calder, a former Vancouver city councillor who is past-president of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce. How the isolated, Canada-dependent Washington State community is struggling in the second year of the second Trump presidency. Could FIFA World Cup tourists be an economic lifeline? Also, Andy Everson, an Indigenous artist in B.C.’s Comox Valley. How a Vancouver Island First Nation influenced the original look of the Seattle Seahawks. Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:33:13</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: The end of B.C.'s deadly drug decriminalization experiment]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 01 Feb 2026 08:00:03 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2344826</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-the-end-of-bcs-deadly-drug-decriminalization-experiment</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of Feb. 1, 2026:  British Columbia’s drug decriminalization experiment is over. A three-year-long failure, with deadly results in cities and towns across the province. Bob Mackin’s guest is mental health and addictions specialist Dr. Julian Somers. He says it was doomed from the start and offers suggestions on how to proceed. Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Feb. 1, 2026:  British Columbia’s drug decriminalization experiment is over. A three-year-long failure, with deadly results in cities and towns across the province. Bob Mackin’s guest is mental health and addictions specialist Dr. Julian Somers. He says it was doomed from the start and offers suggestions on how to proceed. Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: The end of B.C.'s deadly drug decriminalization experiment]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Feb. 1, 2026:  British Columbia’s drug decriminalization experiment is over. A three-year-long failure, with deadly results in cities and towns across the province. Bob Mackin’s guest is mental health and addictions specialist Dr. Julian Somers. He says it was doomed from the start and offers suggestions on how to proceed. Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </content:encoded>
                                    <enclosure url="https://episodes.castos.com/theBreaker-Podcast/2344826/c1e-99ri23r8wco7dqd-ww77wo2otdx0-tcvamd.m4a" length="24838352"
                        type="audio/x-m4a">
                    </enclosure>
                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Feb. 1, 2026:  British Columbia’s drug decriminalization experiment is over. A three-year-long failure, with deadly results in cities and towns across the province. Bob Mackin’s guest is mental health and addictions specialist Dr. Julian Somers. He says it was doomed from the start and offers suggestions on how to proceed. Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.  CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:28:29</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Healthcare and economic questions cloud FIFA World Cup 26 countdown]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 25 Jan 2026 08:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2335729</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-healthcare-and-economic-questions-cloud-fifa-world-cup-26-countdown</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of Jan. 25, 2026:  Four-and-a-half months until FIFA World Cup 26 in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Will the seriously ill and injured in host city Vancouver get emergency treatment when they need it?  Guest Dave Deines, the vice-president of the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C., says B.C. Ambulance Service is being coy about planning amid an impasse in labour talks. Will Vancouver taxpayers be stuck with a bigger bill to pay when it’s over? theBreaker.news obtained the city’s accommodation tax revenue figures that suggest a shortfall of tens of millions of dollars is likely. College of […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Jan. 25, 2026:  Four-and-a-half months until FIFA World Cup 26 in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Will the seriously ill and injured in host city Vancouver get emergency treatment when they need it?  Guest Dave Deines, the vice-president of the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C., says B.C. Ambulance Service is being coy about planning amid an impasse in labour talks. Will Vancouver taxpayers be stuck with a bigger bill to pay when it’s over? theBreaker.news obtained the city’s accommodation tax revenue figures that suggest a shortfall of tens of millions of dollars is likely. College of […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Healthcare and economic questions cloud FIFA World Cup 26 countdown]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Jan. 25, 2026:  Four-and-a-half months until FIFA World Cup 26 in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Will the seriously ill and injured in host city Vancouver get emergency treatment when they need it?  Guest Dave Deines, the vice-president of the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C., says B.C. Ambulance Service is being coy about planning amid an impasse in labour talks. Will Vancouver taxpayers be stuck with a bigger bill to pay when it’s over? theBreaker.news obtained the city’s accommodation tax revenue figures that suggest a shortfall of tens of millions of dollars is likely. College of […]]]>
                </content:encoded>
                                    <enclosure url="https://episodes.castos.com/theBreaker-Podcast/2335729/c1e-oqmijr6gwbjmgg5-ww78rv14a483-in5hzd.m4a" length="35004296"
                        type="audio/x-m4a">
                    </enclosure>
                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Jan. 25, 2026:  Four-and-a-half months until FIFA World Cup 26 in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Will the seriously ill and injured in host city Vancouver get emergency treatment when they need it?  Guest Dave Deines, the vice-president of the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C., says B.C. Ambulance Service is being coy about planning amid an impasse in labour talks. Will Vancouver taxpayers be stuck with a bigger bill to pay when it’s over? theBreaker.news obtained the city’s accommodation tax revenue figures that suggest a shortfall of tens of millions of dollars is likely. College of […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:39:55</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: As Canada's PM gets cozy with China's Xi, author asks: "Is this the type of partner that we want?"]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 18 Jan 2026 08:00:27 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2327728</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-as-canadas-pm-gets-cozy-with-chinas-xi-author-asks-is-this-the-type-of-partner-that</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of Jan. 18, 2026:  Less than a year after Mark Carney deemed China to be Canada’s biggest security threat, Carney was in Beijing to declare China to be Canada’s “strategic partner.” “It speaks to that lack of concern for our relationship with the United States, our own internal security,” said Dennis Molinaro, this week’s guest on thePodcast. “Thinking that we can partner with a country like China and forego all those security concerns in favour of business. As though somehow business and trade will solve all our issues — it won’t.” Dennis Molinaro is the author of […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Jan. 18, 2026:  Less than a year after Mark Carney deemed China to be Canada’s biggest security threat, Carney was in Beijing to declare China to be Canada’s “strategic partner.” “It speaks to that lack of concern for our relationship with the United States, our own internal security,” said Dennis Molinaro, this week’s guest on thePodcast. “Thinking that we can partner with a country like China and forego all those security concerns in favour of business. As though somehow business and trade will solve all our issues — it won’t.” Dennis Molinaro is the author of […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: As Canada's PM gets cozy with China's Xi, author asks: "Is this the type of partner that we want?"]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Jan. 18, 2026:  Less than a year after Mark Carney deemed China to be Canada’s biggest security threat, Carney was in Beijing to declare China to be Canada’s “strategic partner.” “It speaks to that lack of concern for our relationship with the United States, our own internal security,” said Dennis Molinaro, this week’s guest on thePodcast. “Thinking that we can partner with a country like China and forego all those security concerns in favour of business. As though somehow business and trade will solve all our issues — it won’t.” Dennis Molinaro is the author of […]]]>
                </content:encoded>
                                    <enclosure url="https://episodes.castos.com/theBreaker-Podcast/2327728/c1e-83rhv7zxdaxr864-6z912w16izno-gtuxth.m4a" length="26919361"
                        type="audio/x-m4a">
                    </enclosure>
                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Jan. 18, 2026:  Less than a year after Mark Carney deemed China to be Canada’s biggest security threat, Carney was in Beijing to declare China to be Canada’s “strategic partner.” “It speaks to that lack of concern for our relationship with the United States, our own internal security,” said Dennis Molinaro, this week’s guest on thePodcast. “Thinking that we can partner with a country like China and forego all those security concerns in favour of business. As though somehow business and trade will solve all our issues — it won’t.” Dennis Molinaro is the author of […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:30:58</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Political intrigue, from B.C. to Beijing]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 11 Jan 2026 08:00:52 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2318601</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-12</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of Jan. 11, 2026:  The first regular edition of thePodcast of 2026 is anything but regular. It’s a two-for-one. First, at 01:20, China expert Charles Burton explains why British Columbians should be concerned about Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trade mission to Beijing, where he will meet the world’s most-powerful dictator, Xi Jinping.  Burton is the author of “The Beaver and the Dragon: How China Out-Manoeuvred Canada’s Diplomacy, Security and Sovereignty.” Then, at 23:35, New Westminster Coun. Daniel Fontaine kicks-off theBreaker.news coverage of B.C.’s 2026 municipal elections. Fontaine is running for the mayoralty in the Royal City in […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Jan. 11, 2026:  The first regular edition of thePodcast of 2026 is anything but regular. It’s a two-for-one. First, at 01:20, China expert Charles Burton explains why British Columbians should be concerned about Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trade mission to Beijing, where he will meet the world’s most-powerful dictator, Xi Jinping.  Burton is the author of “The Beaver and the Dragon: How China Out-Manoeuvred Canada’s Diplomacy, Security and Sovereignty.” Then, at 23:35, New Westminster Coun. Daniel Fontaine kicks-off theBreaker.news coverage of B.C.’s 2026 municipal elections. Fontaine is running for the mayoralty in the Royal City in […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Political intrigue, from B.C. to Beijing]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Jan. 11, 2026:  The first regular edition of thePodcast of 2026 is anything but regular. It’s a two-for-one. First, at 01:20, China expert Charles Burton explains why British Columbians should be concerned about Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trade mission to Beijing, where he will meet the world’s most-powerful dictator, Xi Jinping.  Burton is the author of “The Beaver and the Dragon: How China Out-Manoeuvred Canada’s Diplomacy, Security and Sovereignty.” Then, at 23:35, New Westminster Coun. Daniel Fontaine kicks-off theBreaker.news coverage of B.C.’s 2026 municipal elections. Fontaine is running for the mayoralty in the Royal City in […]]]>
                </content:encoded>
                                    <enclosure url="https://episodes.castos.com/theBreaker-Podcast/2318601/c1e-7o3h9dzrmhq20gp-v6w1790qbkvo-pivrpn.m4a" length="42108020"
                        type="audio/x-m4a">
                    </enclosure>
                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Jan. 11, 2026:  The first regular edition of thePodcast of 2026 is anything but regular. It’s a two-for-one. First, at 01:20, China expert Charles Burton explains why British Columbians should be concerned about Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trade mission to Beijing, where he will meet the world’s most-powerful dictator, Xi Jinping.  Burton is the author of “The Beaver and the Dragon: How China Out-Manoeuvred Canada’s Diplomacy, Security and Sovereignty.” Then, at 23:35, New Westminster Coun. Daniel Fontaine kicks-off theBreaker.news coverage of B.C.’s 2026 municipal elections. Fontaine is running for the mayoralty in the Royal City in […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:50:06</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: MMA's 2026 Forecast Special]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 04 Jan 2026 08:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2311379</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-mmas-2026-forecast-special</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of Jan. 4, 2026:  Happy New Year from theBreaker.news! thePodcast host Bob Mackin welcomes back Mario Canseco, president of Research Co, and Andy Yan, director of the Simon Fraser University City Program. On this special 2026 forecast edition, Mackin, Mario and Andy — the MMA Panel — offer political, economic, sports and cultural predictions for the coming 12 months. CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Jan. 4, 2026:  Happy New Year from theBreaker.news! thePodcast host Bob Mackin welcomes back Mario Canseco, president of Research Co, and Andy Yan, director of the Simon Fraser University City Program. On this special 2026 forecast edition, Mackin, Mario and Andy — the MMA Panel — offer political, economic, sports and cultural predictions for the coming 12 months. CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: MMA's 2026 Forecast Special]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Jan. 4, 2026:  Happy New Year from theBreaker.news! thePodcast host Bob Mackin welcomes back Mario Canseco, president of Research Co, and Andy Yan, director of the Simon Fraser University City Program. On this special 2026 forecast edition, Mackin, Mario and Andy — the MMA Panel — offer political, economic, sports and cultural predictions for the coming 12 months. CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </content:encoded>
                                    <enclosure url="https://episodes.castos.com/theBreaker-Podcast/2311379/c1e-zq2i7q8k4bqg3x6-z3p52928a8xq-uxtnrr.m4a" length="26445015"
                        type="audio/x-m4a">
                    </enclosure>
                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Jan. 4, 2026:  Happy New Year from theBreaker.news! thePodcast host Bob Mackin welcomes back Mario Canseco, president of Research Co, and Andy Yan, director of the Simon Fraser University City Program. On this special 2026 forecast edition, Mackin, Mario and Andy — the MMA Panel — offer political, economic, sports and cultural predictions for the coming 12 months. CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click here.]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:30:34</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: The Best of 2025]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 28 Dec 2025 08:00:20 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2306066</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-the-best-of-2025</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of Dec. 28, 2025:  Special edition of thePodcast: The Best of 2025.  Featuring (in order of appearance): Mario Canseco of Research Co, Tristin Hopper of the National Post, Brian Calder of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce, Laurie Trautman of the Border Policy Research Institute, former Prime Minister Kim Campbell, Jonathan Simkin of 604 Records, Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch, Declan Hill of the University of New Haven, Christian Leuprecht of the Royal Military College of Canada, Mubin Shaikh of Parents4Peace, former Chief of Staff to the Speaker Alan Mullen, the MMA Panel (including Andy Yan of […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Dec. 28, 2025:  Special edition of thePodcast: The Best of 2025.  Featuring (in order of appearance): Mario Canseco of Research Co, Tristin Hopper of the National Post, Brian Calder of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce, Laurie Trautman of the Border Policy Research Institute, former Prime Minister Kim Campbell, Jonathan Simkin of 604 Records, Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch, Declan Hill of the University of New Haven, Christian Leuprecht of the Royal Military College of Canada, Mubin Shaikh of Parents4Peace, former Chief of Staff to the Speaker Alan Mullen, the MMA Panel (including Andy Yan of […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: The Best of 2025]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Dec. 28, 2025:  Special edition of thePodcast: The Best of 2025.  Featuring (in order of appearance): Mario Canseco of Research Co, Tristin Hopper of the National Post, Brian Calder of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce, Laurie Trautman of the Border Policy Research Institute, former Prime Minister Kim Campbell, Jonathan Simkin of 604 Records, Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch, Declan Hill of the University of New Haven, Christian Leuprecht of the Royal Military College of Canada, Mubin Shaikh of Parents4Peace, former Chief of Staff to the Speaker Alan Mullen, the MMA Panel (including Andy Yan of […]]]>
                </content:encoded>
                                    <enclosure url="https://episodes.castos.com/theBreaker-Podcast/2306066/c1e-99ridz7rwaorn0d-ndvmrvkvsqx8-afmskf.m4a" length="39577112"
                        type="audio/x-m4a">
                    </enclosure>
                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Dec. 28, 2025:  Special edition of thePodcast: The Best of 2025.  Featuring (in order of appearance): Mario Canseco of Research Co, Tristin Hopper of the National Post, Brian Calder of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce, Laurie Trautman of the Border Policy Research Institute, former Prime Minister Kim Campbell, Jonathan Simkin of 604 Records, Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch, Declan Hill of the University of New Haven, Christian Leuprecht of the Royal Military College of Canada, Mubin Shaikh of Parents4Peace, former Chief of Staff to the Speaker Alan Mullen, the MMA Panel (including Andy Yan of […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:46:41</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Christmas greetings from the MMA Panel]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 21 Dec 2025 08:00:25 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2297648</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-christmas-greetings-from-the-mma-panel</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of Dec. 21, 2025:  Ho-ho-ho, Merry Christmas! Who-Who-who, deserves a candy cane or a lump of coal?  The MMA Panel — host Bob Mackin and Mario Canseco of Research Co and Andy Yan of the Simon Fraser University City Program — made a list and checked it twice. Listen to find out who was naughty and nice in 2025. As usual, Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines and the Virtual Nanaimo Bar. CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Dec. 21, 2025:  Ho-ho-ho, Merry Christmas! Who-Who-who, deserves a candy cane or a lump of coal?  The MMA Panel — host Bob Mackin and Mario Canseco of Research Co and Andy Yan of the Simon Fraser University City Program — made a list and checked it twice. Listen to find out who was naughty and nice in 2025. As usual, Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines and the Virtual Nanaimo Bar. CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Christmas greetings from the MMA Panel]]>
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                    <![CDATA[For the week of Dec. 21, 2025:  Ho-ho-ho, Merry Christmas! Who-Who-who, deserves a candy cane or a lump of coal?  The MMA Panel — host Bob Mackin and Mario Canseco of Research Co and Andy Yan of the Simon Fraser University City Program — made a list and checked it twice. Listen to find out who was naughty and nice in 2025. As usual, Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines and the Virtual Nanaimo Bar. CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click […]]]>
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                    <![CDATA[For the week of Dec. 21, 2025:  Ho-ho-ho, Merry Christmas! Who-Who-who, deserves a candy cane or a lump of coal?  The MMA Panel — host Bob Mackin and Mario Canseco of Research Co and Andy Yan of the Simon Fraser University City Program — made a list and checked it twice. Listen to find out who was naughty and nice in 2025. As usual, Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines and the Virtual Nanaimo Bar. CLICK BELOW to listen. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive. Subscribe to theBreaker.news on Substack. Find out how: Click […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:43:35</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
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                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Political football in Vancouver]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2025 08:00:54 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
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                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2286397</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-political-football-in-vancouver</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of Dec. 14, 2025:  This week on thePodcast: Political football in Vancouver.  With six months to go, city hall’s FIFA World Cup 26 managers showed off the $24 million Killarney Park training pitch where visiting teams will prepare for B.C. Place Stadium matches. It was their first major news conference since Vancouver became a host city in mid-2022.  With less than a year until the next civic election, Mayor Ken Sim’s ABC majority city council voted to slap a $10 tax on freedom of information requests, leading critics to wonder what they’re trying to hide.  Meanwhile, Sim […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Dec. 14, 2025:  This week on thePodcast: Political football in Vancouver.  With six months to go, city hall’s FIFA World Cup 26 managers showed off the $24 million Killarney Park training pitch where visiting teams will prepare for B.C. Place Stadium matches. It was their first major news conference since Vancouver became a host city in mid-2022.  With less than a year until the next civic election, Mayor Ken Sim’s ABC majority city council voted to slap a $10 tax on freedom of information requests, leading critics to wonder what they’re trying to hide.  Meanwhile, Sim […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Political football in Vancouver]]>
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                    <![CDATA[For the week of Dec. 14, 2025:  This week on thePodcast: Political football in Vancouver.  With six months to go, city hall’s FIFA World Cup 26 managers showed off the $24 million Killarney Park training pitch where visiting teams will prepare for B.C. Place Stadium matches. It was their first major news conference since Vancouver became a host city in mid-2022.  With less than a year until the next civic election, Mayor Ken Sim’s ABC majority city council voted to slap a $10 tax on freedom of information requests, leading critics to wonder what they’re trying to hide.  Meanwhile, Sim […]]]>
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                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Dec. 14, 2025:  This week on thePodcast: Political football in Vancouver.  With six months to go, city hall’s FIFA World Cup 26 managers showed off the $24 million Killarney Park training pitch where visiting teams will prepare for B.C. Place Stadium matches. It was their first major news conference since Vancouver became a host city in mid-2022.  With less than a year until the next civic election, Mayor Ken Sim’s ABC majority city council voted to slap a $10 tax on freedom of information requests, leading critics to wonder what they’re trying to hide.  Meanwhile, Sim […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:23:16</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
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                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Did Vancouver win or lose the World Cup lottery?]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 07 Dec 2025 08:00:31 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
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                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2271386</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-did-vancouver-win-or-lose-the-world-cup-lottery</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of Dec. 7, 2025:  The FIFA World Cup 26 draw means we now know who is coming to B.C. Place Stadium next June. Does the Canadian national team stand a chance of advancing to the second round? What can Vancouverites expect? Will it all be worth the price tag that is approaching $1 billion? Joining Bob Mackin to answer those questions is Research Co. president Mario Canseco, who covered the 1994 and 1998 World Cups as a broadcast journalist in Mexico. As usual, Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines and the Virtual Nanaimo Bar. CLICK BELOW to […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Dec. 7, 2025:  The FIFA World Cup 26 draw means we now know who is coming to B.C. Place Stadium next June. Does the Canadian national team stand a chance of advancing to the second round? What can Vancouverites expect? Will it all be worth the price tag that is approaching $1 billion? Joining Bob Mackin to answer those questions is Research Co. president Mario Canseco, who covered the 1994 and 1998 World Cups as a broadcast journalist in Mexico. As usual, Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines and the Virtual Nanaimo Bar. CLICK BELOW to […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: Did Vancouver win or lose the World Cup lottery?]]>
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                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
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                    <![CDATA[For the week of Dec. 7, 2025:  The FIFA World Cup 26 draw means we now know who is coming to B.C. Place Stadium next June. Does the Canadian national team stand a chance of advancing to the second round? What can Vancouverites expect? Will it all be worth the price tag that is approaching $1 billion? Joining Bob Mackin to answer those questions is Research Co. president Mario Canseco, who covered the 1994 and 1998 World Cups as a broadcast journalist in Mexico. As usual, Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines and the Virtual Nanaimo Bar. CLICK BELOW to […]]]>
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                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Dec. 7, 2025:  The FIFA World Cup 26 draw means we now know who is coming to B.C. Place Stadium next June. Does the Canadian national team stand a chance of advancing to the second round? What can Vancouverites expect? Will it all be worth the price tag that is approaching $1 billion? Joining Bob Mackin to answer those questions is Research Co. president Mario Canseco, who covered the 1994 and 1998 World Cups as a broadcast journalist in Mexico. As usual, Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines and the Virtual Nanaimo Bar. CLICK BELOW to […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:28:35</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
                </itunes:author>
                            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: "The system is the scandal" says Democracy Watch co-founder]]>
                </title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 30 Nov 2025 08:00:02 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator>Bob Mackin</dc:creator>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">
                    https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/4317/episode/2251209</guid>
                                    <link>https://thebreakernews-podcast.castos.com/episodes/thepodcast-11</link>
                                <description>
                                            <![CDATA[For the week of Nov. 30, 2025: Millions of Canadians watched Prime Minister Mark Carney’s coin toss at the Grey Cup. It was a promotion for CFL sponsor Coinbase, a cryptocurrency company in which Carney invested.  This week’s guest, Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher, says that’s offside, but Carney is unlikely to be penalized because federal conflict of interest rules are lax and riddled with loopholes.  After a top Brookfield executive testified to a House of Commons committee last week, Conacher explains why blind trusts and ethics screens are insufficient.  Conacher also tells host Bob Mackin about a legal roadblock […]]]>
                                    </description>
                <itunes:subtitle>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Nov. 30, 2025: Millions of Canadians watched Prime Minister Mark Carney’s coin toss at the Grey Cup. It was a promotion for CFL sponsor Coinbase, a cryptocurrency company in which Carney invested.  This week’s guest, Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher, says that’s offside, but Carney is unlikely to be penalized because federal conflict of interest rules are lax and riddled with loopholes.  After a top Brookfield executive testified to a House of Commons committee last week, Conacher explains why blind trusts and ethics screens are insufficient.  Conacher also tells host Bob Mackin about a legal roadblock […]]]>
                </itunes:subtitle>
                                <itunes:title>
                    <![CDATA[thePodcast: "The system is the scandal" says Democracy Watch co-founder]]>
                </itunes:title>
                                                <itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit>
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                    <![CDATA[For the week of Nov. 30, 2025: Millions of Canadians watched Prime Minister Mark Carney’s coin toss at the Grey Cup. It was a promotion for CFL sponsor Coinbase, a cryptocurrency company in which Carney invested.  This week’s guest, Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher, says that’s offside, but Carney is unlikely to be penalized because federal conflict of interest rules are lax and riddled with loopholes.  After a top Brookfield executive testified to a House of Commons committee last week, Conacher explains why blind trusts and ethics screens are insufficient.  Conacher also tells host Bob Mackin about a legal roadblock […]]]>
                </content:encoded>
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                                <itunes:summary>
                    <![CDATA[For the week of Nov. 30, 2025: Millions of Canadians watched Prime Minister Mark Carney’s coin toss at the Grey Cup. It was a promotion for CFL sponsor Coinbase, a cryptocurrency company in which Carney invested.  This week’s guest, Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher, says that’s offside, but Carney is unlikely to be penalized because federal conflict of interest rules are lax and riddled with loopholes.  After a top Brookfield executive testified to a House of Commons committee last week, Conacher explains why blind trusts and ethics screens are insufficient.  Conacher also tells host Bob Mackin about a legal roadblock […]]]>
                </itunes:summary>
                                                                            <itunes:duration>00:41:42</itunes:duration>
                                                    <itunes:author>
                    <![CDATA[Bob Mackin]]>
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