Searching for Solutions
As the former mayor of a mid-size Canadian city, I witnessed firsthand the growing social challenges facing communities across North America. Searching for Solutions explores urgent issues like the housing crisis, homelessness, mental health, addiction, and food insecurity and, more importantly, the disruptive ideas that are making a real difference.
Each episode features a guest who helps unpack a problem and points toward practical, proven solutions.
This podcast is for anyone who cares about their community and wants to move from frustration to action at a time when too many people feel powerless to create change.
Episodes
44 episodes
Amalgamation in Niagara: What It Means and Why It Matters
Amalgamation is back in the conversation in Niagara—and with it comes a familiar promise: lower costs, more efficiency, and a better way forward.But is that actually true?In this episode of Searching for Solutions, former...
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Season 1
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Episode 53
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45:19
Is It Time for One City in Niagara?
Niagara has 12 municipalities, a regional government, and rising costs.Is it time for a reset?Former CAO Harry Schlange joins Searching for Solutions to make the case for One City, One Council — a bold proposal to ...
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Season 1
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Episode 54
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41:36
No Water, No Future: The Fight to Secure Niagara’s Agricultural Lifeline Episode
Niagara’s farms are running up against a hard truth: without reliable water, there is no long-term future for one of Canada’s most productive agricultural regions.After more than 20 years of studies, reports, and stalled momentum, the co...
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Season 1
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Episode 50
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43:55
Reclaiming Attention: Helping Kids Break Free from Digital Addiction
In this episode of Searching for Solutions, Walter sits down with Lucy Colangelo, founder of the ShineOn Method, to explore one of the defining challenges of modern family life: our relationship with technology.From endless scro...
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Season 1
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Episode 51
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43:38
Art in Action: Climate — Art, Science, and Community Solutions
In this episode of Searching for Solutions, host Walter Sendzik is joined by Dr. Julia Baird, Associate Professor at Brock University, for a timely conversation about Art in Action: Climate—a groundbreaking 10-day arts and clima...
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Season 1
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Episode 48
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42:51
Breaking the Cycle — Reducing Domestic Violence in Our Communities
Intimate partner violence is a crisis that affects every community — a form of harm that happens behind closed doors, where trust should exist but fear and control often take hold.In Canada, more than 117,000 people reported experiencing...
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Season 1
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Episode 47
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42:30
The Rise of Online Sports Gambling (Part 2 of 2)
In Part Two of our deep dive into the rise of online sports gambling, we shift from the problem to the people on the front lines of the solution. This episode focuses on the young men across Canada who are being hit hardest by the rapid growth ...
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Season 1
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Episode 46
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39:27
The Rise of Online Sports Gambling (Part 1 of 2)
Online sports gambling is growing faster than almost anyone imagined — and young men are being hit the hardest. Since Canada legalized single-event betting in 2021, gambling has shifted from an occasional activity to a 24/7 digital marketplace ...
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Season 1
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Episode 45
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43:30
Unpacking "The How" in Getting More Housing Built
In this episode, host Walter Sendzik sits down with Drew Toth, CEO and Founder of Elevate Living, to discuss the housing crisis. Drew shares his blueprint for unlocking more housing supply, describing the crisis as a Rubik’s Cube—complex, with ...
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Season 1
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Episode 44
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41:20
Building a business case to better manage the intake of housing
Working on the frontlines with people experiencing homelessness — or those living one crisis away from it — is some of the most demanding and critical work in our community. While many agencies include housing support in their mandates, the sys...
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Season 1
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Episode 38
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42:24
From Data to Dignity: Tackling Homelessness in Niagara
How did the City of Houston manage to significantly reduce homelessness? The answer lies in an unexpected but powerful tool: accurate, real-time data. On this episode of Searching for Solutions, we explore how data is transformi...
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Season 1
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Episode 39
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42:33
Creating accessory dwelling units within residential neighbourhoods could unlock more affordable housing
Cities are changes planning regulations and offering incentives for homeowners to build accessory dwelling units as a means to create more affordable livings spaces.Xavier Toby, founder of Axe Building in St. Catharines, Ontario, has a ...
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Season 1
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Episode 35
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41:00
Toboggan Flats isn't about places to sled, it's about creating affordable living spaces for young people
When you talk to young people entering the working world, one of their biggest concerns is securing affordable housing. The bigger the city, the more difficult it is to find safe and affordable housing for young people. On this epi...
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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47:59
Can empathy be a key to getting people to act when it comes to climate change?
The world's climate is accelerating due to humans. It's a fact. Humans have the abilities to alter this pathway that is currently leading towards greater environmental disasters, but what is getting in the way?Dr. Julia Baird, Canada Re...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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42:50
Leadership in a crisis with Jeff Lehman
Mayors are often the front lines of leadership. In any given community, it is the mayor who is the most visible elected official. During times of crisis, there is a role to play for a mayor to help lead a city through a challenging period. ...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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45:28
Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter talks about his journey from homelessness to becoming mayor of mid-size Canadian city
The political debate around homelessness often falls into two camps. Some Canadians feel threatened by homeless people, believing they are a source of crime, and some business owners think they keep customers away. People in that camp mostly ju...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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45:27
How socks can make a difference with Sam Baio
Ideas on how to help in communities come in all shapes and sizes. No idea is too big and no idea is too small when it comes finding ways to help those who are struggling with homelessness. Sometimes great ideas coming while driving on a highway...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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43:15
How to turn down the dial on anger and rage with Julie Christiansen
We are living in a period of increasing rage and anger driven by the polarization of politics and social media. Last fall Pollara Strategic Insights’ Rage Index showed Canadians are an angry bunch and it has an impact on communities, workplaces...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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45:59
A new company looks to unlock spaces within homes to provide housing for students
In university and college towns, the pressure for housing has exhausted the housing market due to a continuous increase in enrolments that hasn't been matched by an increase in on-campus student living spaces. This has created an even more inte...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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43:21
How to deal with tensions in your life and in community with Tim Arnold
One of the most foundational books that I read during my time as Mayor of St. Catharines was written by Tim Arnold called The Power of Healthy Tension. It was a powerful book that gave me the tools to understand that tensions in relation...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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42:31
Understanding the cause and effects of trauma
Learning about trauma and its impact on the human mind and body is a way to unlock understanding about the long term impacts of trauma. To gain a better understanding of the issues of addictions, homelessness and mental health, a trauma informe...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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42:09
The toxicity of drugs is putting more youth in danger of overdose deaths - what can be done to stop this before it is too late?
Fatal overdoses from opioids and other illicit drugs are now the leading cause of death for youth aged 10 to 18 in British Columbia, a development that underscores the urgency of the province’s toxic drug crisis. The numbers are trending in the...
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46:55
Does safer drug supply have a role to play in the opioid epidemic?
Until the opioid epidemic touches your family or friends, concepts like safer drug supply are quite polarizing especially in Canadian politics. The concept is controversial but addictions is a complex affliction and through a better understandi...
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43:57
Businesses can make a difference in communities and FirstOntario Credit Union is leading the way
When it comes to social issues facing communities, businesses must play a role to help create pathways to solutions. Beyond the writing of a cheque, businesses (large and small) can be at the table to help communities navigate through the signi...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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44:21
Why have food banks become a fixture in someone's life rather than a temporary place for assistance
Food banks across Canada were designed to be places for people to access food during an emergency. Now, it seems that food banks have become the backstop for more and more people as food insecurity reaches levels not seen in generations. <...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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47:41