CKNW / Curiouscast
500 episodes listed below
Local news with practical follow-through.
The Jill Bennett Show keeps regional news close to the people affected by it. Its interviews move from missing-person investigations and school budgets to grocery costs, wine, postal changes, and infrastructure debates.
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The Jill Bennett Show is regional talk radio with a practical instinct. It is built around interviews that explain what is happening, who is affected, and what may come next. The show can begin with a serious public-safety question, such as the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie and the pressure placed on a Tucson neighborhood by police patrols, public attention, and online spectators. It can then shift to health, where John Fluvog’s kidney transplant story becomes a broader conversation about living donors, recovery time, and the workplace barriers that may stop people from donating. The pace stays brisk. Segments often recap the setup, bring in a guest with direct knowledge, and press for clarification in ordinary language. That makes the show useful when the subject is dense, whether the issue is a Burnaby School District arbitration bill, Vancouver community-centre investment, short-term rental rules in Kelowna, or Canada Post’s move toward community mailboxes. It is not limited to city hall. Energy prices, Air Canada route changes, Iran-related fuel concerns, and grocery budgets all appear through the same lens: what changes for households, workers, travelers, businesses, or communities? The show also leaves space for lighter local culture. A Friday check-in on B.C. wine can cover winter damage, new releases, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and the return of B.C. fruit without losing the same explanatory rhythm. Its appeal comes from that consistency. Hard stories are treated seriously, but not with distance. Technical subjects are made accessible, but not flattened into slogans. Guests are allowed to explain, while the questions keep pulling the conversation back to consequences. The tone is conversational, measured, and civic-minded. It is best for listeners who want regional news with context, not just headlines. It also works for people who like hearing from the people inside the story: officials, specialists, advocates, business owners, and community voices. The show’s everyday value is its habit of asking the next useful question.
Made for: For listeners in B.C. and the Lower Mainland who want regional news, public issues, and household impacts explained through clear interviews. It also suits news followers who prefer direct questions over partisan sparring.
What sets it apart: The show connects civic decisions to lived consequences, moving comfortably from budgets and infrastructure to kidney donation, grocery bills, community theatres, wine, and postal service changes. Its interviews stay grounded in what people need to understand next.
Jill Bennett’s twenty years of experience covering B.C.’s biggest stories as a reporter has developed her insatiable curiosity and keen sense for exposing what is really going on with a story. Jill digs deep, goes behind the headlines and finds out the real impact stories will have on the Lower Mainland. She talks with real people about the issues that matter most to them while keeping us informed, connected and entertained. If you want new information, new angles, and to know what’s happening right now, make time to listen to The Jill Bennett Show, Monday – Friday: 12 – 3pm.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Jill Bennett connects British Columbia's public debates to their practical costs, consequences, and unresolved questions.
The Jill Bennett Show turns a broad current-affairs agenda into direct interviews, with Jill Bennett repeatedly asking what a decision means in practice.
This is the show that puts a tax portal beside a lunar flyby, if that's your news mix.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A brisk civic roundup that turns policy headlines into everyday pressure points.
The episode reads like a civic roundup shaped by three pressures at once: Air Canada adjusting routes and flights as jet fuel costs rise, BC communities revisiting short-term rental rules, and a grocery budget story that makes the cost-of-living thread feel immediate.
A Vancouver shoe designer's transplant story anchors a local radio hour with a civic lead-in.
The piece follows Vancouver footwear designer John Fluvog and the kidney transplant story behind his new shoe, with the conversation resting on survival, gratitude, and the family friend who stepped in as a living donor.
A Surrey mayoral comeback pitch, set alongside Artemis II and BC pet-loss support.
The episode moves from Doug McCallum's case for reclaiming Surrey's top job to Artemis II and then to a new BC service meant to support people after pet loss. That range gives the program a clean civic-to-science-to-community flow, and it never feels bloated.
Clear tax guidance, with a brief housing detour for context.
The episode opens with Middle East ceasefire coverage before moving into tax-season advice and a housing segment, which gives it a wider sweep than a simple service update.
A health care story anchors a broad hour that also reaches into Ottawa politics and a Hudson's Bay-linked art auction.
The Jill Bennett Show opens on a health care story: a woman in her 80s says she went to Vancouver General Hospital with severe back pain and was surprised to be offered medically assisted death. If that account is taken as she gives it, the segment is hard to shake.
A clear downtown Vancouver check-in with civic detail, local color, and a steady interview rhythm.
The episode opens with a practical look at the state of downtown Vancouver and keeps its focus on crime perceptions, hotel occupancy, business openings and closures, and how many people are still coming into the downtown core to work.
A local-news hour that keeps asking what policy changes for ordinary people.
This episode follows local politics through immediate consequence, starting with the Downtown Eastside advisor and the six-month question of whether taxpayers are getting value for the money, then moving to the federal alcohol tax and the 2% cap, plus what the reprieve means for…
A careful look at social media limits, BC test scores, and Larry Campbell's extended downtown east side work.
The episode starts with a straightforward question: should social media be banned for anyone under 16, and how would anyone even enforce that?
The Burnaby School District is facing a multi-million dollar budget pressure after a big arbitration ruling, while also dealing with uncertainty over the Michael J.
This episode features interviews with Vancouver footwear designer John Fluevog about his kidney transplant from living donor Patty Carmichael, followed by insights from nephrologist Dr.
Jill Bennett discusses the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie with retired cold case detective Troy Hillman.
This episode discusses Vancouver Mayor Ken Simm's proposal for a $400 million investment to upgrade aging community centres and infrastructure, addressing decades of underinvestment, with insights from Park Board chair Tom Digby.
The show opens with Air Canada and the squeeze of rising jet fuel costs.
This episode discusses warnings from the International Energy Agency that Europe may only have six weeks of jet fuel left, exploring the broader energy crisis, global oil market impacts, and expert analysis on potential consequences like flight cancellations and high prices.
This episode discusses the return of BC fruit in the 2025 vintage wines during BC Wine Month, highlighting recovery from past challenges like winter damage.
Jill Bennett interviews Canada Post's VP of Communications about the phasing out of door-to-door delivery and rollout of community mailboxes in the Lower Mainland.
Jill Bennett discusses a proposed Ontario policy to count attendance as part of students' grades and bring back mandatory exams, interviewing an education expert about absenteeism trends.
Jill Bennett interviews travel expert Claire Newell about essential travel hacks, including registering trips with the Canadian government and displaying health info on phones.
The Jill Bennett Show opens with Vancouver shoe designer John Fluvog and a deeply personal story about his life-saving kidney transplant.
Jill Bennett discusses Vancouver City Council's approval of a floating hotel rezoning with Councillor Mike Classen, addressing opposition and economic benefits.
Jill Bennett discusses the federal fuel excise tax suspension and its impact on Canadians, with expert analysis from the BC Trucking Association.
Jill Bennett discusses the wild boar problem in Alberta and Saskatchewan, interviewing a researcher about using AI and drones to manage the invasive species.
Jill Bennett interviews criminal lawyer Michael Chapre about a recent incident where an unruly passenger forced a WestJet flight from Vancouver to Cabo to return, leading to arrests.
Jill Bennett opens with Doug McCallum, the former mayor of Surrey, and asks why he wants the job back.
Former BC Green MLA and Sartlip First Nation negotiator Adam Olson joins Jill Bennett to analyze the BC government's suspension of proposed amendments to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).
The tax deadline is getting closer.
First, a hard hospital question.
Jill Bennett discusses Transport Canada's survey on bright headlights, interviews the new B.C.
Jill Bennett interviews travel expert Claire Newell about Porter Airlines' approval to expand international routes and new travel rewards opportunities for Canadians.
Downtown Vancouver gets a close checkup.
Jill Bennett interviews criminal lawyer Michael Chapre about a lawsuit where a woman claims she was injured after a toilet seat broke at a Tim Hortons in Oliver, B.C.
This episode discusses how rising fuel costs and declining liquor sales are impacting British Columbia's wine industry and government revenue, featuring an interview with industry consultant Mark Hicken.
Jill Bennett interviews amateur astronomer Scott Tilley about the Artemis II mission's lunar flyby and its significance.
This episode covers BC Ferries issues during Easter weekend, changes to BC's property tax deferral program, and a lawyer explaining a BC Court of Appeal ruling on Aboriginal title for Nootka Island.
Jill Bennett discusses Good Friday traditions and religious identity in Canada with sociology professor Joel Thiessen.
This episode discusses the B.C.
Jill Bennett discusses a news story about British Airways allowing voice and video calls on flights, debating the pros and cons with travel expert Claire Newell.
Claire Rattay says Larry Campbell's six-month Downtown Eastside review was "pretty underwhelming," noting that the promised report did not arrive and the term was extended for another six months.
The question hits close to home.
Jill Bennett interviews criminal lawyer Michael Beckett about a high-profile stabbing murder case at a Vancouver Starbucks.
Jill Bennett discusses rising gas prices, a union's push for remote work, a pickleball court dispute, and FIFA-related health warnings in British Columbia.
Jill Bennett discusses the impact of Broadway subway construction on local businesses, specialist wait times in BC, and an interview with Delta mayor about bridge reopening and re-election.
Jill Bennett discusses upcoming changes to health care worker regulation in B.C., a lost log from the West Coast Trail, and spring gardening tips.