A poll commissioned by the Toronto Star has found that there is a lot of support for limiting donations to political parties by corporations and unions. Should it be abolished altogether or simply restricted? Guest: Stephen LeDrew, Political Commentator; Host, The LeDrew Three Minute Interview; Former President, Liberal Party of Canada - The Two Michaels are set to have their trials heard in the next few days. With a conviction rate of 99.96%, no media allowed, no notes, no talking between defendant and lawyer and a whole host of other restrictions, what is likely to be the outcome of these trials? Guest: Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, Senior Fellow, Institute for Science, Society and Policy, University of Ottawa; Member, Advisory Board, Canada China Forum - The most peculiar and intriguing place in Hamilton has been found! Whether you're looking for a new addition to your collection of curiosities or simply enjoy that feeling of hair standing up on the back of your neck, The Cabinet of Curiosities and Otherwise Needful Things has exactly what you need. Need we go further than the fact that it was once described as HomeSense through the eyes of Stephen King? Guest: Mark Draak, Co-Owner, The Cabinet of Curiosities and Otherwise Needful Things

Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) Every now and then you can't find where you last parked your car but it's a whole other ball game when the car you can't seem to find is also the car that you left your kid in. 2) Sometimes you might make yourself sound more important on a resume to increase your chance of getting a job. This lady went a bit further by pretending to be a plastic surgeon. What's worse than being operated on by a fake plastic surgeon? How about being operated on by a fake surgeon who was arrested mid-operation! 3) A man got scared to take an airplane trip so instead of boarding he just stayed at the airport. For 3-months he hunkered down calling a restricted area of the airport home with an ID badge he found. Which one will be crowned Ben's Story of the Day? Which one is your story of the day?

Do you think COVID-19 has brought out the best or the worst in people? Scott looks to tackle this question with the help of another one of 900 CHML's announcers, Bill Kelly. Guest: Bill Kelly, Host, The Bill Kelly Show, Global News Radio 900 CHML - The now-former police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck is seeing his trial proceedings begin but finding unbiased jurors among other things is proving a challenge. Is he going to receive a fair trial? Does it matter if he does? Guest: Jaime Stephenson, Lawyer; Former President, Hamilton Criminal Lawyers Association - A surprisingly rare and unfortunate event happened in Russia that saw a young professional hockey player get hit in the head by the puck causing him to die on the ice. When you consider the speed of modern sports, the power of the athletes and how hard they can hit balls, pucks and each other, how doesn't this happen more often? Guest: Bubba O'Neil, Sports Anchor, CHCH-TV

Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) Nobody likes paying their taxes but it's an inevitable thing we all must do. When it comes to a barista with an income of around $17,000, you can imagine the surprise when they found out they owed a little over $8 million in income tax. 2) Being the Homecoming Queen is something many girls dream about however this girl and her mom took things to a whole new level. Appealing for votes is one thing but hacking the school computers to input fake votes takes desperation to a whole new level. 3) Pet lovers are sometimes known to take things a little far when it comes to their pets but who could possibly be willing to pay for surgery and a cast for a pet hamster? Which one will be crowned Ben's Story of the Day? Which one is your story of the day?

Major news is coming out of the business world with Rogers buying Shaw Media, Walmart closing some of its stores and more. For once in quite a while, this business news has the potential to impact your day-to-day life but how? Guest: Marvin Ryder, Associate Professor of Marketing, DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University - Today marks the 75 anniversary of one of Canada's most enamoring crime stories and it just so happens that the person at the centre of it is a Hamiltonian. Her name is Evelyn Dick and if you aren't familiar with her story of murder, Scott welcomes an expert to take us through what happened and how Evelyn's story continues to grasp imaginations today. Guest: Sarah Farr, Expert on Evelyn Dick & The Torso Murder; Blogger, The Evelyn Dick Files - The Grammys saw an astronomical drop in viewership this year when compared to previous years. Why might this be and could it be indicative of something larger that's happening to awards shows? Guest: Eric Alper, Publicist, Music Commentator & Shameless Idealist

Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) 2021 is set to be the final year that Ikea publishes their annual catalogue in print form. You might then ask yourself, "How are they going to help customers discover their next piece of furniture?" Through the theatre-of-the-mind extravaganza that is the new Ikea Audio Catalogue! This near 4-hour long podcast features a narrator flipping through the whole catalogue describing everything they see. 2) Vasectomy ads talking about 'Vasectomy Mayhem' can't possibly be confused with anything else right? The NCAA thinks otherwise according to their trademark complaint which essentially says that 'Vasectomy Mayhem' can cause some confusion with 'March Madness'. Looks like someone's shorts aren't what's all in a bunch... 3) The Price is Right has a pretty simple rule set, guess the price of something as best as you can but if you guess higher than its actual price you lose. Some Michigan doctors decided to take those rules into the operating room with them to guess the weight of problematic organs as they'd get removed from a patient. Which one will be crowned Ben's Story of the Day? Which one is your story of the day?

As we set the clocks to 'spring forward' the age-old debate of whether we should continue doing so comes back up. To get some better insight into the numerous biological and societal impacts that moving the clocks has, even by just a single hour, Scott welcomes Dr. Joseph De Koninck. Guest: Dr. Joseph De Koninck, Emeritus Professor, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa & Sleep Researcher for over 50 years - The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to be losing steam at a pretty quick rate. Golf courses come in easier and harder layouts, which do you prefer to play? Should sports organizations affected by COVID-19 get help from the government? Get answers to these questions and more during Sports Talk with Don Robertson. Guest: Don Robertson, Head Coach & Owner, Dundas Real McCoys & Broker of Record, ComChoice Realty

This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton features Jen Watson who joins Scott to talk about revenge travel, the Royals' most recent scandal, whether politicians should be the first or last to be vaccinated, if you can be taught to find someone beautiful and more! Guest: Jen Watson, Voice Actor, McQueenVoiceOvers.com & former CHML News Anchor & Reporter

Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) Have you ever found yourself checking the outside of your packages before you open them? Chances are you'd want to if you also got shipped some Marine Corps pee samples! 2) Threats come in many styles, lengths & types but occasionally they're super specific in an odd kind of way. After all how else should you respond to being kicked off a plane other than yelling to the flight crew that you hope they all get eaten by alligators? 3) It's hard to explain why you hit a gas station with your car. It's even harder to explain why your ID is actually a packet of 'Dank Gummies'. Which one will be crowned Ben's Story of the Day? Which one is your story of the day?

Cowboy stories are often quite interesting but how would putting a Jewish cowboy named Motl on a quest during the Holocaust work? Author and Hamiltonian Gary Barwin knows how! Scott catches up with Gary to hear more about his new book, Nothing the Same, Everything Haunted: The Ballad of Motl the Cowboy, and Motl's journey to keep his family line going through procreation but first he's got to find his testicles... oi vey. Guest: Gary Barwin, Award-winning author, 'Nothing the Same, Everything Haunted: The Ballad of Motl the Cowboy' & 'Yiddish for Pirates' - The CFL said earlier in the week that they're seriously looking at some sort of relationship with the XFL. What would this actually do or mean for the leagues and would it actually be beneficial to the CFL? Guest: Rick Zamperin, Senior Sports Director, Global News Radio 900 CHML

Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) If you ever find yourself in a car with the windows up, spraying a whole can of air freshener is probably a bad idea. What's an even worse idea is lighting a cigarette right after and a guy from England found out why. 2) 911 is for life-threatening emergencies only and York Regional Police is trying to make that clear after a teen called for what's most certainly not a life-threatening reason. That is, unless you consider getting locked out of the Xbox a matter of life & death. 3) In 1985, a drug smuggler dropped a 70lbs of cocaine from their plane in a duffel bag only to find that the parachute didn't open properly causing it to plummet into a forested area where it was found and eaten by a bear. What happened during this bear's massive cocaine bender? Find out in the movie Elizabeth Banks is producing called 'Cocaine Bear'! Which one will be crowned Ben's Story of the Day? Which one is your story of the day?

Being told to stay inside and the knowledge that there are cases of COVID-19 at the hospital is causing people to miss and not attend very important cancer appointments with doctors and specialists. Is this an example of one of the many unintended consequences of the lockdowns? Should someone go to the hospital despite COVID-19? Guest: Dr. Barry Lumb, Gastroenterologist; Physician-in-Chief & Executive Lead, Project Odyssey, Hamilton Health Sciences - The CFL has announced that its going to be exploring potential alignment with the XFL. How would this work? Would having The Rock come in help revitalize the ever-dwindling CFL? Is this a good idea for the CFL given the XFL has folded twice already? Guest: Rod Pedersen, Host, The Rod Pedersen Show; Former Play-by-Play Announcer, Saskatchewan Roughriders - A new show called Farmhouse Facelift is coming to HGTV featuring a brother-sister duo from Hamilton! How did they get their show and what makes them the people for the job? And the question many people have asked, who pays for the renovations? Guests: Carolyn Willbrink, Co-Host, Farmhouse Facelift                Billy Pearson, Co-Host, Farmhouse Facelift

Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) ELF is teaming up with the restaurant chain, Chipotle, to create a makeup line inspired by their food but now there's just one question, how does it taste? 2) A video door bell might sound like a good idea but a couple of guys have found a way to mess with them. All it takes is a mask to hide your identity and pants to drop for when the camera starts rolling. 3) Every app on your phone has a little image that gets pressed on to start it up. Amazon decided they needed to update their picture after some complaints saying it looked a little too similar to Adolph Hitler. Which one will be crowned Ben's Story of the Day? Which one is your story of the day?

The 2021 RBC Canadian Open has been cancelled and despite the fact that it wasn't set to be held in Hamilton, there are still ways in which the cancellation will impact our city. Guest: Bryan Crawford, Tournament Director, RBC Canadian Open - The Ontario Liberal Party has found a way to dig itself out of its massive debt. If this can be done by its current leader, could a major bite be taken out of the province's current debt that has us spending around $12 billion on the interest alone? Guest: Steven Del Duca, Leader, Liberal Party of Ontario - Bruno Mars is being accused of appropriating black culture by way of his music. Should black music be sung by black people only? Should black people only sing black music? Is music inspired by another culture alright? When does it become appropriation? Guest: Alan Cross, Music Historian; Author 'A Journal of Musical Things' & Host, The Ongoing History of New Music

If we taught kids about the religions of the world in school, would we have a more civil discourse? Seems pretty straightforward, if you're going to teach people about that, teach them while they are young so they have a better understanding of the diversity in religious thought. Guest: Dr David Haskell, Professor of Religion and Culture at Wilfrid Laurier.   Women's sports have not traditionally done well financially or in terms of viewership, so how can we fix that? Guest: Don Robertson, owner of the Dundas Real McCoys and frequent guest on the program.

This week on the Brightest Conversation in Hamilton: A true renaissance man Neil Lumsden joins Scott to talk about two substantial losses in Canadian sports, Dr Seuss books being pulled from circulation, and so much more. Guest: Neil Lumsden, Canadian Football Hall of Famer, Winner of 3 Grey Cups as a player with Edmonton and 1 as GM of the Tiger-Cats. Amazing Race participant, owner of Drive Marketing.

That moment of genius you get when you're about to fall asleep or the amazing revelation you had in the shower can be summed up as one word: a showerthought. Together, Scott and Ben explore some of the best showerthoughts the internet has to offer.

It seems that the City of Hamilton is being kept out of the conversation surrounding LRT. What's going on here and should Hamilton be a part of the negotiations? Guest: Chad Collins, Ward 5 Councillor, City of Hamilton - If you thought that there's more left-leaning professors than right-leaning professors in universities across Canada then you'd be right. A new poll has found that's exactly the case with 73% of social science and humanities academics self-identifying as sitting on the left-side of the political/philosophical spectrum while 4% say they sit on the right. How does this impact students' opportunity to be presented with alternate and different ideas and schools of thought? Guest: Dr. Christopher Dummitt, Associate Professor, Canadian History, School for the Study of Canada, Trent University; Podcast Host, 1867 & All That - Sometimes the rules are bent in sports but it's not always bent the same way for every athlete. Should the superstars get special treatment and extra leeway when they break the rules or injure another player in a way that any other player would be suspended? Guest: Bubba O'Neil, Sports Anchor, CHCH-TV

Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) It's scary to think that not everyone who appears dead actually is dead. It's even scarier to think that this autopsy was over before it even started. 2) Some Australian guys got on an inflatable mattress and thought they'd take to the ocean for some relaxing in the sun. Too bad the wind had a different idea and took them on a trip out to sea... good thing they had some beer to pass the time! 3) A new species of shark has been discovered and these ones are unlike any you've ever seen before. In fact, you can see them regardless of if the lights are on or off because they glow in the dark! Which one will be crowned Ben's Story of the Day? Which one is your story of the day?

There's been a surge in the number of companies that are changing their logos and/or products for fear of being perceived as offensive. Is this a risky business move given the millions of dollars spent on marketing, advertising and building brand awareness? Guest: Marvin Ryder, Associate Professor of Marketing, DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University - Are the lockdowns causing unneeded harm? Would keeping restrictions in place while allowing society and business to resume be a better solution? The MP representing Flamborough-Glanbrook proposed moving out of lockdown to help improve the wellness of Canada's citizens. Scott catches up with MP David Sweet to find out more about his proposal. Guest: David Sweet, MP, Flamborough-Glanbrook - Canada's naval fleet is dwindling and the cost of a new one is only going up. Despite all of the spending being done by this government, waiting to buy new warships has done nothing but tack on about $20 billion to the price tag. Is biting the bullet and making the purchase something that needs doing? Guest: Dr. David Perry, Vice President & Senior Analyst, Canadian Global Affairs Institute

Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) Selling a house often involves staging it to look welcoming and appealing to a potential buyer. Whether or not that was the goal of this seller is unclear but what is clear is that the mannequins certainly didn't help. 2) Ice fishing is a pastime enjoyed by many people but floating down a river on your own piece of ice after it broke off is probably enjoyed by far fewer. 3) Why do caterpillars enjoy eating tomatoes? Probably for the same reasons humans do. Why do tomatoes scream? Science has an answer now. Oh yeah, tomatoes scream by the way. Which one will be crowned Ben's Story of the Day? Which one is your story of the day?

The ability to make anyone do or say anything is here thanks to deepfakes. A video of a politician, celebrity or even you can be made without your consent doing anything from porn to reading a book. Where did this technology come from and how easy is it to use? What kind of real life problems could this cause? Guest: Aviv Ovadya, Founder, Thoughtful Technology Project; Responsible Tech Consultant; Non-Resident Fellow, Alliance for Securing Democracy - Hamilton's housing market is blisteringly hot which has caused house prices to be astronomically high. Among those high prices is a location in downtown Hamilton that's being sold for $1. That's not a typo, it's actually on sale for just $1. Why would someone do this and what's the catch? Guest: Sam Hall, Senior Sales Representative, Colliers International - The Toronto Blue Jays are making the decision stop broadcasting games on TV and radio separately and are instead going to simulcast their TV announcers on the radio. Is this just a cheap attempt at saving money? Guest: Mark Hebscher, Author; Podcaster; Former Host, CHCH-TV; Former Co-Host, Sportsline

Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) Don't tattoo your eyeballs. It's a simple rule to follow and yet some still think it's a good idea. Here's one of the many ways it can go wrong. 2) Cockfighting goes back thousands of years where male chickens, called cocks, are raised with the intent of making them fight to the death. What happens when your cock wins his fight and decides you're next? 3) The Body Mass Index (BMI) helps give an indication as to whether or not you're overweight, underweight or at the correct weight for your height. A BMI of 30 or above indicates obesity but what should you do when your BMI gets calculated a bit higher at 28,000? Which one will be crowned Ben's Story of the Day? Which one is your story of the day?

We've heard politicians say, "We're all in this together," however the Ontario government's actions are saying the exact opposite. A back-bench Conservative MPP tried to bring forward a motion to give the politicians a pay-cut in solidarity with the private sector but was instead mocked in many ways by the other politicians. This has been voluntarily done by politicians in Alberta, New Zealand and more, so why not Ontario? Guest: Jasmine Moulton, Ontario Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation - Tiger Woods' injuries as a result of his recent car crash can be easily described as gnarly and gruesome, will it be the end of his competitiveness in the PGA Tour and how will the Tour, as a whole, be affected? Single-game betting is being looked at by the government, should it be legalized? Would giving every team a salary cap and players league-wide a 5-year contract or a 1-year contract be a good idea? Scott & Don talk about it all and more! Guest: Don Robertson, Head Coach & Owner, Dundas Real McCoys & Broker of Record, ComChoice Realty

This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton features Scot Urquhart who joins Scott to talk about the large 150-person party held in Hamilton, China's social credit system, apologizing for your crimes, vaccination passports and more. Guest: Scot Urquhart, Co-Host, The Hamilton Network, Cable 14