PODCAST: Week 1 with Nick Gilchrist

Nov 3, 2019 | Audio, Blog, Podcast: Season 2 | 0 comments

I suddenly stopped publishing new episodes of The Public Circle Podcast shortly after launching the “second season” in September.

Producing this podcast takes some effort and as we started the Fall sitting of the Legislature my workload increased dramatically. Something had to give – it was the podcast.

My brother-in-law Nick Gilchrist works in the world of audio. I often ask him for advice about recording equipment and tips on how to get high quality and consistent recordings. We live on the same property and often talk about politics. A couple of weeks back we recorded a conversation. It was a solid enough mix of information and entertainment that we recorded another one.

Podcast evolution…

Going forward I’m going to attempt to publish two streams of content through The Public Circle Podcast. The idea is to streamline the workload to be able to deal with the ebbs and flows of the job and to be able to keep up with producing content. For the first stream I will continue to record and publish conversations with my constituents as I did in the first 21 episodes.

The second stream harkens back to The Public Circle LIVE! Podcasts are more accessible than the Facebook video format and this evolution takes us back to the original “week-in-the-life-of…” theme that I started with.

As you can see we have no name for this series and in this first episode there is no formal introduction, fancy music track or segmentation. We just start talking and then about one hour later we stop. While it is a rough first pass, I’m excited to refine these conversations with Nick. We will add the bells and whistles as we evolve.

???? ???? ???? Every time I listen back to one of my podcast episodes I hear areas that I could have been clearer or ideas that need further development. If there are any spots like that for you in this episode, I encourage you to ask a question or seek clarification in the comment section below. ???? ???? ????

Week 1: 11/03/2019

In this pilot episode Nick and I convene at my dining room table to discuss the past week. With no game plan heading into the conversation it literally could have gone in any direction.

We kick it off by discussing Bill 41, The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019) (DRIPA).

  • Nick asks about the history of the Bill and we end up talking broadly about how a Bill moves from introduction to adoption.
  • We explore the role of opposition – is it to improve the Bill or make government look stupid?
  • I take a few minutes to explore the impact Idle No More had on shifting the public perception of Indigenous people and related issues.
  • Nick inquires about how the DRIPA will effect Saanich North and the Islands and the relationships between the municipal and Indigenous governments.

We tackle another pressing issue this week – the labour disruption in School District #63.

  • Nick wants a summary about how we got here and we discuss the wage disparity that is the root of the problem.
  • We discuss how the strike is effecting families and how the recruitment and retention issue in the Saanich school district due to the low wages for support staff puts the district at a competitive disadvantage.
  • I strongly emphasize that the status quo is eroding the quality of education because staffing shortages means our children are not getting the help they need each and every day.

We wrap up the conversation with an impromptu chat about my daily blogging and podcasting.

  • Nick asks if I am unique as an MLA producing daily content.
  • I highlight that all my colleagues are producing content and sharing their opinions on social media every day.
  • I briefly discuss the benefit of the personal discipline required to produce long form content at such a high frequency.

I’d love to hear what you think about this format and conversation. If everyone doesn’t hate it then there will be a Week 2.

If you want to get a hold of Nick visit his Facebook page. (If your not on Facebook leave a comment below and I will connect you.)

Check out Dr. Joy Shumka Chiropractor, Brewsky’s TaphouseBrentwood Bay Village Empourium.


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  1. Improve government or make them look silly? - Adam Olsen, MLA - […] a recent podcast with my brother-in-law Nick Gilchrist, we discuss the process for bringing a Bill forward, the […]

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