Media Relations Episodes

32
Oct. 15, 2026

Trust, Trauma and Transparency: Behind the Badge of Modern Policing | With Kiki Cloutier of the Police Association of Ontario

Send us Fan Mail Police services across Canada are navigating one of the most complex eras in modern history - rising targeted violence, shifting public trust, shrinking newsrooms, and a media landscape that moves faster than ever. In this episode, Tim Conrad welcomes Kiki Cloutier, Director of Communications and Public Affairs for the Police Association of Ontario, representing 33,000 officers across 46 member associations. Kiki brings a candid, inside look at how police communicators manage...
Guest: Kiki Cloutier
31
Sept. 17, 2026

Survivor’s Remorse and Rebuilding Community After the Porters Lake Fire | With evacuee Gary Stronach

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildfires, Floods and Chaos Communications, host Tim Conrad sits down with Gary Stronach, an evacuee from the 2008 Porters Lake wildfire in Nova Scotia. Gary shares a raw, deeply personal account of what it was like to be suddenly cut off from his home, unable to reach neighbours, and left searching for information as the fast‑moving fire surrounded Candy Mountain Road. Through Gary’s story, we explore the communication gaps that evacuees faced, the importa...
Guest: Gary Stronach
28
June 30, 2026

Smoke, Schools, and Sudden Evacuation: Lessons from the 2008 Porters Lake Fire

When the 2008 Porters Lake–Lake Echo wildfire tore through the suburbs east of Halifax, more than 5,000 people were forced to flee with only minutes to decide what mattered most. In this episode, Paula Danyluk‑MacDonald - evacuee, mother, neighbour, and principal of Atlantic View Elementary - shares her firsthand account of sudden evacuation, community fear, and the remarkable resilience that followed. Paula describes the moment firefighters knocked on her door with five minu...
27
June 17, 2026

Inside Tumbler Ridge: A Local Journalist on the Worst School Shooting in Canadian History

On February 10, 2026, the peaceful mountain town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia faced the worst school shooting in Canadian history. In minutes, eight lives were taken at the community’s only secondary school and at the shooter's home, two more were critically injured, and the town was thrust into a nightmare no one could have imagined. In this episode of the Wildfires, Floods and Chaos Communications Podcast, host Tim Conrad speaks with Trent Ernst, publisher of The Tumbler RidgeLines and a long‑time resident who found himself reporting on an unimaginable tragedy in the community he calls home. Content Warning This episode discusses a school shooting, loss of life, and trauma. Listener discretion is advised.
Guest: Trent Ernst
22
March 3, 2026

Crowds, Crises, and Communication: Three Volunteer Fire Chiefs and 150 Years of Service | Guests Honorary Chief Reid Whynot, Honorary Chief Wayne Thorburne, and Chief Michael Nauss of Nova Scotia’s Bridgewater Fire Department, join host Tim

This episode brings together nearly 150 years of combined volunteer firefighting experience as three Bridgewater Fire Department leaders, Honorary Chief Reid Whynot, Honorary Chief Wayne Thorburne, and Chief Michael Nauss, sit down to reflect on the department’s 150th anniversary and the evolution of service, technology, and community over a century and a half. Host Tim Conrad guides a conversation filled with history, humour, and hard‑earned wisdom from decades on the front lines...
21
Feb. 17, 2026

When the Attention Leaves: Crisis Communications and the Search for Ryan Shtuka | A conversation with Heather Shtuka and host Tim Conrad

On February 17, 2018, at a residence on Burfield Drive in Sun Peaks, British Columbia, Canada. 20-year-old Ryan Shtuka, a worker at Sun Peaks, vanished without a trace. Ryan's mother, Heather, joins host Tim Conrad, APR, MCPRS, to reflect on what she learned when someone you love goes missing and how to keep the search alive.
15
Nov. 26, 2024

How trust has shifted news consumption and how to adapt. With guest, author Doug Levy | Part 3 of 3 with The Communications Golden Hour® author

Author Doug Levy, of The Communications Golden Hour® Book, joins host Tim Conrad, APR, for the final of three episodes to discuss the roles of public information officers and crisis communications in emergencies and crises/issues. Listen For: 01:08 - Who to trust? 11:17 - Is that a trusted spokesperson? 15:22 - They turned off the news and turned on an app 22:53 - Finale - Three quick questions
Guest: Doug Levy