Nonpartisan Hacks

What happens when a 20-year-old city councillor grows up to become the MLA, and is still trying to get things built faster?

In this episode of Nonpartisan Hacks, Joel Grenz and Sean Wood sit down with George Anderson, MLA for Nanaimo-Lantzville, former Nanaimo city councillor, commercial lawyer, and Parliamentary Secretary for Transit. Anderson shares what it was like being the youngest person at the council table by four decades, how he went from door-knocking to Treasury Board, and what he believes is the most expensive material in home construction today.

The conversation spans Anderson’s private member’s bill on building approvals, the mechanics of how private members’ bills actually work, the future of Vancouver Island rail, and why government is like a supertanker — it takes time and patience to change direction.

Listen in for:

What it’s like being a 20-year-old councillor when the next youngest colleague is 60

How a transportation master plan built over a decade ago still guides Nanaimo today

The step-by-step process of how a private member’s bill becomes law in BC

Why professional reliance in building approvals could speed up housing construction

What the Parliamentary Secretary for Transit actually does

How BC’s ports connect Saskatchewan grain to Sapporo beer

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What does it actually take to get something into a government budget?

In this episode of Nonpartisan Hacks, Joel Grenz and Sean Wood go behind the scenes on Sean’s multi-year advocacy journey to increase the Volunteer First Responder Tax Credit — first at the federal level, then provincially in British Columbia. From jogging past the fire hall in Parksville to sitting in the legislature on budget day, it’s a story about persistence, relationships, and pulling every lever you can find.

Plus: it's the show's first-ever video episode and there's a new way to pitch in. Joel's agency built GiverLever, a WordPress donation plugin for nonprofits, campaigns, and creators, and you can take it for a spin by supporting the podcast, or back a specific episode you think deserves more listeners by contributing directly on that episodes page on the website.

Listen in for:

How Sean took an idea from a failed federal campaign to two government budgets

What budget day actually looks like inside the BC legislature, including the media “lockup”

Why advocating from multiple channels at once is the key to getting things done

The real cost difference between volunteer and paid fire departments — and why it matters for your property taxes

How a casual conversation with the Minister of Finance at a UBCM reception fits into the bigger advocacy picture

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20 Years of Lessons from Local Government to the Legislature

In this episode of Nonpartisan Hacks, Joel Grenz and Sean Wood sit down with Peter Milobar, MLA for Kamloops Centre and BC Conservative leadership candidate. Milobar's political résumé spans city councillor, three-term mayor, regional district chair, and provincial legislator — what Sean calls "a full political bingo card." The conversation covers what he learned managing a city through the 2008 financial crisis, why infrastructure funding has dried up, and how he got all 10 regional district projects funded when no one else could get one.

Milobar also shares candid advice for anyone thinking of running for local office, explains why councillors shouldn't try to make it a full-time job, and makes the case that fixing a road has nothing to do with how you vote federally.

Listen in for:

How Milobar delivered infrastructure under the rate of inflation during the 2008 economic crisis

The story of getting all 10 regional district projects funded by refusing to re-prioritize the list

Why BC's $13.5 billion deficit concerns him as the province's finance critic

His advice on what voters actually look for — and why single-issue candidates should reconsider

Why councillors showing up with hedge trimmers creates more problems than it solves

The case for staying in your lane at every level of government

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Episode keywords: Peter Milobar, BC Conservative leadership race, MLA Kamloops Centre, local government governance, BC provincial budget deficit, municipal infrastructure funding, running for local government, nonpartisan municipal politics, BC politics podcast, elected officials and staff relationships, civic engagement podcast

Two city councillors break down how public hearings, emails, and civic engagement actually work

Public hearings, council emails, Facebook rants — everyone has an opinion on how to make their voice heard in local government. But most people have no idea how any of it actually works from the other side of the table.

Joel Grenz and Sean Wood — both three years into life as Parksville city councillors — break down what public engagement is actually for, what works, what doesn't, and why your strongly worded Facebook post probably isn't moving the needle the way you think it is.

Listen in for:

What public hearings are (and aren't) designed to do, including why council can't correct misinformation on the spot

Why a personal email will always outperform a form letter

The underrated power of just asking your councillor for coffee

The uncomfortable truth about social media as a civic tool

Why "being heard" and "getting your way" are two very different things — and why that's actually okay

We're a representative democracy. That means we elect people to make tough calls on our behalf — even the unpopular ones. This episode is about understanding that system well enough to actually work within it.

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What does it actually mean to be mayor?

In this episode of Nonpartisan Hacks, Joel Grenz and Sean Wood sit down with Mayor Nicole Minions of Comox to talk about leadership at the municipal level, and how governing really works when you move from being one vote at the table to chairing the meeting.

Minions reflects on becoming mayor by acclamation in 2022 under extraordinary circumstances, what surprised her most about the role, and why “mayoring” is less about power and more about facilitation, decorum, and trust. From public hearings with hundreds of residents to regional collaboration across the Comox Valley, the conversation digs into the skills that separate functional councils from dysfunctional ones.

Recorded in Sean’s kitchen (fresh bread included) the discussion ranges from core services and infrastructure financing to Bee City designations, asset management, working with opposition MLAs and MPs, and why most of the mayor’s real work happens far from the spotlight.

Listen in for:

What actually changes when you become mayor

Why facilitation matters more than force at the council table

How to run public hearings without letting them derail

The difference between core services and the “extra” 10–20% that signals values

Why good governance is often invisible until it fails

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Find all our episodes at nonpartisanhacks.com and drop us a line.