Stefan Löfven, former prime minister of Sweden and now president of the Party of European Socialists, talks with Tom about the Nordic model, the key role played in it by the labour movement, and its ability to deliver strong economic and social results.

Nikki dives into the results of the B.C. Conservative leadership race and how Kerry-Lynne Findlay will shape the contest leading up to the election in 2027.

Tom looks into a recently promoted success of Mark Carney's Major Projects Office and finds it has little to do with creating jobs or speeding permits for projects and a lot more to do with buckets of public money for G7 priorities.

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Shauna Sylvester, Founder and Lead Convenor of Urban Climate Leadership, sits down with Nikki and Tom to talk about Canada's city halls, convening nascent economic sectors, and long-term change that creates jobs, increases energy efficiency and helps people.

The Urban Climate Institute is currently convening those who bring social capital -- skills, knowledge, production, finance, policy -- to switch many urban apartment heating systems to heat pumps. The initiative brings air conditioning to many tenants who don't already have it while reducing total electricity demand and the need to spend on more power plants. Shauna sees the approach as a model that can be used to develop other sectors.

Shauna has worked as a convenor in other transformation projects, including Canada’s World, which worked to help decision-makers other countries see a modern Canada, and in that a potential partner an friend.

Below the Fold

With municipal elections happening in several provinces this fall, Tom connects with Saman Tabasinejad, executive director of Progress Toronto, for an update on her city's civic elections.

Tom also gets the details on the recent Smith-Carney oil and gas MOU from The Breach contributor Desmond Cole, who reports that key environment groups are raising concerns Carney has agreed to cut the industrial carbon levy so deeply that private sector investment in the promised carbon capture and storage plan -- The Pathways Project -- will never happen with just private money.

Love it or heave it

Nikki is loving that the BC legislative session and the BC Conservative race is now almost over ans everybody can heal.

Tom is loving seeing Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew deal a very public correction to the "fake framing" of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith about à recent court case.

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Jennifer Howard, former Manitoba Minister of Labour and Finance, and 2025 NDP campaign director, joins Left East to West to talk about Mark Carney's direction for Canada, the Liberals undoing pharmacare, the NDP's unsolved strategic challenges and building a stronger brand for the NDP on jobs and economic development.

Nikki checks in with James Valcke from Viewpoints Research with an updated on a recent Nova Scotia poll showing a long-term care strike is accelerating Premier Tim Houston's slumping support.

Tom looks at the coal plant controversy in Saskatchewan, where leaked documents show a total refurbishment and operation cost of $26 billion, far more than previously admitted, after Premier Scott Moe shot-gunned the province in to the most expensive option possible when his government wasted time and ran out of runway.

And Nikki and Tom discuss Prime Minister Carney's meeting with BC Premier David Eby and the a tribute to former premier John Horgan.

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