Full Show: Buying sand on the black market, Is the Park Board a 'broken system'? & BC wants ability to sue social media companies

Seg 1: Why is there a black market for sand? The demand for sand, a key ingredient in concrete, has surged, with annual consumption reaching nearly 50 billion metric tons. However, the extraction of sand is not limitless, and concerns about the sustainability of current mining rates suggest a potential shortage by 2050. Guest: David A. Taylor, Contributing Writer for Scientific American and Author of “Cork Wars: Intrigue and Industry in World War II” Seg 2: View From Victoria: Secret NDP plan for BC’s crown land The NDP quietly prepared major changes to the management of crown land with legislation this spring to allow co-management, consent agreements, with 204 First Nations on 94% of province that is crown land. We get a local look at the top political stories with the help of Vancouver Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer. Seg 3: What can we expect from the foreign interference trial? The winter political season in Ottawa is about to swing into political high gear. MPs have returned to Ottawa ready to take their seats in the House of Commons for the first time since before Christmas. Guest: David Akin, Chief Political Correspondent for Global News Seg 4: Has AI ‘deep fake’ become too good to tell the difference? With the rise in deep-fake images, how do we regulate not only what’s real or fake, but also what is or isn’t legal? Guest: Kristin Thomasen, Professor at UBC’s Allard School of Law Seg 5: Is Vancouver’s Park Board a “broken system?” Mayor Ken Sim is advancing efforts to eliminate the elected Vancouver Park Board and directly transfer parks and recreation oversight to the City Council. Guest: Brennan Bastyovanszky, Vancouver Park Board Commissioner Seg 6: Can restricting cell phone use keep kids safe? Premier David Eby announced measures to help prevent youth from cyberbullying and sextortion. These include: school cellphone restrictions and legislation holding social media companies accountable for "population-level" harms. Guest: Niki Sharma, Attorney General of BC Seg 7: Should BC adjust its approach to addiction? BC’s chief coroner is urgently pushing for comprehensive data collection standards for drug treatment, recovery services, and specific, measurable goals, such as a 50% reduction in deaths. Guest: Lisa Lapointe, BC’s Chief Coroner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices