Great Northern Discussions
Great Northern Discussions is a Canadian podcast hosted by Kevin Tucker, featuring biographical conversations with interesting people. Kevin is an entrepreneur, salesman, storyteller, and fashion designer who grew up in Cambridge, Ontario, played hockey across Canada and the U.S., and now lives in Calgary, Alberta. The show focuses on typically Canadian content and keeping things local while connecting with guests from various backgrounds. Each episode explores personal stories and experiences, often with a down-to-earth and conversational tone.
Episodes
GND#57-Unfilteredwithkels Data Centres and Alberta Separation! "We Need To Take Our Power Back"
I had Kels back in the studio, to unpack some of her more recent findings, namely we get into the hottest topic on the globe right now, and that is ai data centres. Kels is a spiritual soul, who isn't afraid to seek the truth, and share her findings rightly or wrongly, but as you will find after this episode, it's starting take a toll on her. Is there a pivot in her future?? Dive in! Follow Kels:
GND#56 Dean Burns-The Legend of Patrick Burns: "Alberta's Greatest Citizen"
Patrick Burns was a Canadian politician, rancher, meat packer, businessman, and philanthropist. A self-made man of wealth, he built one of the world's largest integrated meat-packing empires, P. Burns & Co., becoming one of the wealthiest Canadians of his time. He is honoured as one of the Big Four western cattle kings who started the Calgary Stampede in Alberta in 1912. He worked in the meat indu
GND#55 Keith Wilson Let Alberta Decide: Independence Movement Gains Momentum!
Keith Wilson is a prominent Alberta constitutional and rights lawyer based in Alberta. He is well-known for his advocacy work, including landowner rights, and for co-chairing "Let Alberta Decide," a prominent campaign pushing for provincial independence. We deep dive into the topic of a potential "Yes" vote in the upcoming October Referendum, when it flipped for Keith and finally got him on board
GND#54 Bek MacIntosh-Canada's Largest Ai Data Center-Olds AB Concerns Of Environmental Impacts
Rebecca MacIntosh moved to Olds, Alberta from rural Ontario in hopes of living the small town life. Surrounded by like-minded neighbours, from blue collar, to farmers and ranchers former corporate hustlers and nature, LOTS of nature. Enter Synapse Data Center-the largest hyperscale ai hub of its kind currently proposed for Bek's new lovely town. The catch? It's IN TOWN. Literally. She is currently
GND#53-RealCitizen Podcast-David Craig/Jeremy Prest 300K Signatures Obtained To Trigger Alberta Referendum
The Alberta Referendum looks to be on the horizon thanks to the legal threshold of obtaining AND surpassing the 177K signatures required to trigger it. The @RealCTZN boys stopped by so we could dissect all things Canadian Politics, and of course Alberta politics, given we are Podcast neighbours here in the province. We also get into Mark Carney's performance thus far, and his green ideology and
GND#52 Chanse Vigen-World Champion : Patch, Politics and Purse Pursuits!
Chanse Vigen makes his return to the studio for the second time, AFTER his return to the Podium for the 3rd Time! He was joined by his lovely wife Brie Vigen in the studio, and was happy to provide Chanse some moral support, as the "Rangeland Derby Rockstar" was completely hungover! (Racing Season was a few days away) Chanse has pulled of 3 World Titles in a row for the Chuckwagon Driver of the ye
GND#51 Unfilteredwithkels : Liberals Steal Their Majority-Trudeau Under Fire, Will Canadian Conservative Influencers Be Banned?
This was a great yap @unfilteredwithkels , a Canadian political commentator who is currently on a stratospheric rise thanks to her hot takes on social media. We cover everything under the sun in this one from the WEF, 15 minute cities, Justin Trudeau and the serious allegations agianst him currently, Alberta Separation, Bill C9 (will they come after us?) and of course the recent authoritarian styl
GND#50 Dawn's Dirt-RURAL CANADA UNDER SEIGE! The Fight to Save the Family Farm
Dawn Buschert is a former farmer-turned homesteader. She lost her original farm due to unfortunate circumstances both in her personal life, and also in business. The bloated bureaucracy and ever-increasing regulatory on the farming and agriculture sectors in Canada has slowly been strengthening its grip on our farmers. We dive into some of the issues affecting our food pricing in Canada, and the r
GND#49 Rod Giltaca-CEO CCFR The GREAT CANADIAN GUN MESS! $Billion Buyback Blunder
Rod Giltaca is the CEO at the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights. I messed it up right out of the gate! Maybe it's fitting I did looking back, as I'm pretty green on the gun scene, but I am a big proponent of property rights in this country! Rod is also a media personality with 2 television shows and also hosts and produces firearm-related content including "The CCFR Radio-On The Air" podcast.
GND#48 Dallas Brodie-Graves or Guess Work? The Kamloops Narrative & OneBC Party
It's safe to safe to say that the Kamloops Graves discovery and eventual discovery of the "anomalies' via radar rocked the nation. Cries of genocide done by Candians on Indigenous children is a serious claim and will affect the course of Canadian history. Enter Dallas Brodie. Dallas Brodie is a former lawyer-turned Politician who suddenly found herself at the epicentre of one of the most contenti
GND#47-John Carpay President Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms MAID + Censorship
John Carpay is the Excecutive Director and President of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms. He is no stranger to controversy. John has, from a very young age, felt compelled to defend those whom have had their "freedoms" of speech, freedom of expression or bodily autonomy unjustly prosecuted. He is a staunch defender of patriots. We specifically tackle the Invocation of the Emergencie
GND#46 Wyatt Claypool-What Happened to the B.C. Conservatives? | OneBC | M.O.U. | & Dissecting Canadian Politics
Wyatt Claypool is the founder and lead editor/host of The National Telegraph. He also currently helps advise the newly formed OneB.C. party there on the West Coast in Canada. At the ripe old age of 26 this young political commentator, X agitator and Youtube news-giver is a hustler, no doubt. Wyatt has grown his YouTube Channel to over 85 Thousand subscribers and I always enjoy his "whiteboarding"!
GND#45 Army of Great Men: One Man's Journey From Rock Bottom to A Voice for Albertans
Adam Derges was a broken man. He once contemplated ending it all. Then he dug deep within himself to find a great purpose in life. In this episode, not going to lie, it takes a HARD LEFT right out of the gate as we get to the crux of how Adam found himself being an influential voice on social media via podcasting and voicing his opinions daily. It's the prior journey that's important to hear. We
GND#44 MartyUpNorth Oil-Rich Alberta: Cash-Poor Canada with Marty Belanger
Martin Belanger, a.k.a. @martyupnorth (X) spent his life in the Canadian Oil Patch. Oil, as he says, "was very good to me" Now retired at the nice young age of 58, he spends most of his time pissing people off on X, OR inspiring countless others with his no holds barred takes on all things politically triggering. Are they really triggering though, or is he simply callingn out truths? Either way, i
GND#43 Oil, Taxes and Freedom-The Shocking Case For Alberta Separation:Alberta Prosperity Project
"The Alberta Prosperity Project is an inspiring initiative to educate and unite all Albertans, businesses, and organizations to protect their prosperity, individual freedoms, rights, and sovereignty by empowering the Alberta government to restructure Alberta's relationship with Canada." I had the pleasure of sitting down and having an open and honest conversation with Tanya Clemens, a Farmer, Educ
GND#42 Chris Barber-Canadian Liberal Government Coming for "Big Red" A Symbol For Freedom
Chris Barber and Tamara Lich helped organize the now infamous Freedom Convoy of 2022 that took place in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. I say "helped" because it was a large group of freedom-loving Truckers, lawyers, ex-rcmp, everyday workers and military veterans that came together to set it in motion, and somehow keep it on the tracks. What unfolded as the Trucks began to roll from West to East, is tha
GND#41 John Pantazopoulos Walks Away From Oil To Drill Into Calgary City Hall
John Pantazopoulos, running for City of CalgaryCouncillor Ward 6 (my ward) is a former Top 40 Under 40 as given the nod in Avenue Magazine for Calgary Alberta. He is currently the CEO of Lucky Strike Energy, and has been behind several other Oil and Gas and Lithium start ups including E3 Metals which holds Canada's largest high-confidence lithium resource. So why does a guy who seemingly has it al
GND#40-GEDfest, "The Hip Still Owns This Country"
It's no secret what The Tragically Hip MEANT to Canada. They touched so many in different ways, and after the last show ever from the energic band, it also touched Keith Dyck. GEDfest, an annual live music festival now in its 8th Season, was created to continue to not only celebrate the life and music of The Hip, but to help restore the sense of community, by coming together and also giving back,
GND#39 Dallas Alexander-The FOOTAGE we almost LOST JTF2 Sniper Legend & Country Music's Rising Star
*CAVEAT-the audio kept dropping out on us, after the fact, so while there are some obvious cuts in here, this episode was too good not to RELEASE! Please be patient with the drops... Dallas Alexander, who hails from right here in Alberta, Canada, rose to his new found fame, initially after appearing on the @ShawnRyanShow to speak on his life in the military, obtaining his now infamous World Reco
GND#38-Mayor or Bust: Sonya Sharp Claps Back!
Sonya Sharp is running to be Mayor for the City of Calgary, after spending most of her adult life working her way up through the ranks at City Hall. This is her second appearance on the show, and last time she appeared she had yet to decide fully whether throw her hat into the ring or not. Calgary should be grateful she did. Sonya intends to RESCIND the Climate Emergency, previously declared by Jy
GND#37 Jeff Davison-From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Mayoral Showdown
Jeff Davison is running to be Mayor for the City of Calgary for the second time. He learned a ton from his first time "failure" and we speak on the importance of failure, both in life, and in business. One thing is for certain, he is NOT the same as current Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek. Jeff is an entrepreneur and currently serves as the CEO at the Prostate Cancer Centre, a respected Alberta-based h
GND#36 John Garden-Oilman Unloads On Calgary City Hall
John Garden is a lifelong Oil Patcher having drilled wells all over Western Canada, and all over the world. He has run several of his own companies along the way. Now he finds himself entering new territory as he vies for City Council of Ward 2 in Calgary, Alberta. We had a great yap covering his time spent in the field and then getting down to brass tax. John intends to repeal Blanket Rezoning, a
GND#35 BertaProudDad Crushes the "Liberal Cult"
@BertaProudDad is a take-no prisoners proud conservative, who has established himself as a an important voice for the movement. A budding powerhouse in the social media space, he's also a savvy entrepreneur who has helped turn his online presence, into a successful marketing brand. Not only does he speak loudly for the purpose of holding government to account, it's also meant to provide educatio
GND#34 The Time Has Come For Alberta to Become a Republic
My thoughts, on Canada Day on the prospect of becoming our own Nation here in Alberta. Enjoy. Comment. Call me a trader. I don't care, it's where I'm at. We could be Dubai, for real. But this government is working against the will of the people. It's time.....for me to dump my thoughts out
GND#33 Shane Wenzel Sounds Off On Woke Policies
Shane Wenzel is the President & CEO The Shane Homes Group of Companies based out of Calgary, AB. With a newly added division in Dallas, Texas! Shane, yes the company was named after him, joined his father's home building company at a very young age. He learned the business from the ground up, and he not only built Shane Homes into a juggernaut right here in Calgary, he built his own brand with a f
GND#32 Michelle Ferreri: "I Was the Only MP in Canada With a Fully Funded 'Never-Michelle' Group"
Michelle Ferreri is the now former Conservative MP Peterborough-Kawartha, Ontario. She is not even a month out of the job, and trust me, she still has a LOT to say. She was ripping through Calgary to watch her beloved Edmonton Oilers on their cup run, so we talk quite a bit about the Oilers, and the significance of what a Stanley Cup win could mean, for Canada. Michelle, still takes pride in the f
GND#31 Jasmin Laine IS "Over Opinionated"
Jasmin Laine is the host of the hit Youtube podcast "Over Opinionated". The show tackles Canadian politics daily, with the common underlying theme of holding our government to account. The former broadcaster, turned online sensation consistently ranked in the Top 5 in Canada, just behind Joe Rogan for Canadian podcast listenership during the 2025 Federal Election. There is no holding back in this
GND#30 I Love Canadian Oil & Gas
Canada Action is an energy advocacy group that was started by a local Calgary Real Estate guru in Cody Battershill way back in 2010. I started by asking one simple question of Cody, and that is how does a real estate guy find himself advocating passionately for resource development? Over an hour later my noggin was filled with so many stats and figures on our own sector I couldn't wait to share wh
GND#29 Fluoride in Calgary Tap Water?
Dr. Robert Dickson is a long time Calgary physician. Most importantly he is a health advocate and founder at Safe Water Calgary. Happening very soon, we once again will be putting fluoride back into Calgary's water. Calgary has voted on the hotly contested issue of fluoridation in our city's water supply 7 times dating back to the 1950s! In fact, it's hotly contested everywhere! In a landmark case
GND#28 Why is Fracking Controversial?
Andrew McMurray is the CEO of Calgary based ShearFRAC. It's a revolutionary company that provides the missing link between completions, geology and reservoir engineering through their unique fracture diagnostic measurement technologies. Their live-streaming technology platform, FracBRAIN®,, displays second-by-second fracture measurements and active fracture guidance to visualize rock response and
GND#27 From Dropout to Founder & CEO Sean Alexander
Sean Alexander is a former Canadian Oil-Patcher turned CEO at Kailani Outdoors. His path to get there was unconventional to say the least. In this episode we tip our toes briefly into Sean's up-bringing, which includes him being forced to live on is own at the age of 16, and having already switched schools 14 times by grade eight. Eventually he would drop out of high school to go make a life for h
GND#26 with Adam Tiller-Stand Up Comedian
Adam Tiller is a stand-up comedian and podcast host located in Seattle, WA. He performs regularly at Laughs Comedy Club, Tacoma Comedy Club, Nate Jackson's Super Funny Comedy Club, and Club Comedy. He was a Participant in the "World Series of Comedy" Festival and a semifinalist in Nate Jackson's "Funniest MF" Competition. He has also opened for the following Headliners: Sam Morril, Doug Stanhope,
GND#25 with Caylan Ford-Former UCP Star Candidate & Founder Alberta Classical Academy
Caylan Ford was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta and is the current Founder and owner/operator at her recently expanded Alberta Classical Academy. They're up to 3 locations already in Alberta in a very short amount of time. But how she got here is a story still unfolding. Caylan was one of the brightest up-and-coming star political candidates for the UCP, running for a spot in her riding of Cal
GND#24 with Brittany, Conservative Social Media Darling
Meet Brittany. She is outstanding Social Media content creator, turned political promoter for all things Conservatism. Based on her core values she decided to dive deeper into having more of a voice for the conservative movement in Canada. She found herself pumping messaging for @canadaproud7022 while garnering hundreds of thousands of views. While most of the responses were positive, with the g
GND#23 with Sonya Sharp Ward 1 Councillor City of Calgary
Sonya Sharp is a Ward 1 born and raised City of Calgary Councillor. She is a rare-breed indeed for two reasons, the first being a City Councillor whom was born and raised in her own Ward, although it does happen from time to time. The second being that, not only does she represent where she has spent her entire life, but she also worked for the City of Calgary for 20 years before deciding to enter
GND#22 with Lesley Atkins World Long Drive Rookie of the Year & Social Media Golf Influencer
Lesley Atkins is a Scottish-born Social Media Manager for the Windmill Golf Group here in Calgary, Alberta Canada. She also happens to be a budding Social Media Golf Influencer, a current Rookie of the Year World Long Driver now ranked #17th in the world, AND combined with all of this she is a true little Candian sweetheart, that packs a monstrous punch! In this episode we get into Lesley's upbrin
GND#21 with Heidi McKillop President & CEO ASN Productions Ltd.
Generation Green is the latest documentary from Heidi McKillop and ASN Productions. She is a proud transplanted Albertan from the maritimes, with a true passion for the west and western interests. In this episode we trace Heidi's unorthodox journey into filmmaking, and then get right down to brass tax. We dissect Generation Green, which is available on youtube now. It begins with a focus on the bi
GND#20 with Claire Masikewich Director of Marketing & Childhood Cancer Advocate
Claire Masikewich had the seemingly normal storybook tale of a healthy young family of four. Until the fateful day of May 26, 2023. Sloane Masikewich, 5 and half years old and the youngest sibling to sister Indy, wasn't feeling very well one may long weekend. Her signs and symptoms didn't seem too serious for anybody to fuss about, but she kept on getting worse including fever, body aches and pai
GND#19 SoloCast with Kevin Tucker
Hey Folks, in this episode I give it a crack on my own to give you, the listeners, an update on Great Northern Discussions. I simply wanted to convey the point of the show, how I got here and where I hope to go with the show. I ramble for a good 25 minutes, wow I can yap! In addition I do have a couple of gripes regarding Politics, and the state of Canada as a whole right now.....weird eh? Please
GND#18 with Dr. William Kent-Cardiac Surgeon, Libin Cardiovascular Institute
Dr. William (Bill) Kent saved my life, twice. That is his job. Being a cardiac surgeon, a Director of Surgical, and a Clinical Assistant Professor-Cardiac Sciences at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada it's safe to say Dr. Bill is one busy guy. And after this phenomenal discussion on everything hearts, that is putting it lightly. We are lucky to have him here in our backyards saving heart
GND#17 with Kevin Humeny, CFO Parcel B Ltd.
Kevin Humeny is the Managing Director, and CFO of Parcel B Limited. It's a savvy Calgarian Private Equity Company that has been making some terrific headway in that space. He also happens to be my brother in law! I am a lucky guy to have been able to welcome Kevin into the family some 6 years ago now. K2, as he is affectionately referred to around the households, has had quite the past. Kevin is a
GND#16 with Dan McLean Ward 13 City of Calgary Councillor
Dan McLean grew up living the farm life just outside of Camrose, Alberta, Canada. He grew up learning the values of work ethic and respecting others. Fast forward to his earlier working years, he took a chance on selling golf-carts, of all things. And he never looked back. His business rapidly exploded as he couldn't keep his farmland full of enough golf carts to keep up with the orders. His cro
GND#15 with Chanse Vigen 2023 World Champion Chuckwagon Driver
Chanse Vigen has spent his entire life on a horse. He had followed his Father, Mike Vigen, and his grandfather Ralph Vigen since he was a young cowboy with a whip in his back pocket hoping to just get tall enough to "reach the horn" (on a saddle) and to race like his family did before him. Many years later after spending almost 15 years as an Outrider on the racing circuit, he found himself thrust
GND#14 with Aaron Volpatti Ex NHLer/CognitivePerformanceCoach/Author/Speaker
Aaron Volpatti is the author of his current book Fighter-Defying the NHL Odds, and Cognitive Performance Coach/Speaker. Aaron grew up like most Canadian kids dreaming of making it big in hockey while living in the picturesque town of Revelstoke, British Columbia. While admittedly not the most talented kid around on the ice, once he ventured to the bigger cities, it became apparent to him he had a
GND#13 with Chris Carlsen CEO Birchcliff
Chris Carlsen is the President and CEO at Birchcliff Energy Ltd. based out of Calgary, Alberta Canada. In this episode we discuss growing up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and later chasing his schooling dream of becoming a Chemical Engineer. He eventually almost literally stumbled into the Canadian Oilpatch, from a field level. We track his path through schooling, and to eventually grinding it out an
GND#12 with John Barlow MP-Foothills, Alberta
John Barlow is a Member of Parliament representing Foothills, Alberta for the Conservative Party of Canada. He is also the shadow minister for Agriculture, Agri-food, and Food Security. John spent the first quarter of his working life in Journalism after having left Saskatchewan to chase down his future. He excelled in Journalism so much so, he eventually went on to be the Editor of the Western W
GND#11 with Chad Hayden CEO Galatea Technologies
Chad Hayden is the President, CEO and Founder of Galatea Technologies here in Calgary, AB. After getting over 10 years of field experience from land and off-shore drilling rigs, to running as a mud man, all the while learning to write code on his own, Chad discovered himself to be a problem solver. While in the field he also discovered some serious flaws in the industry......he sought out the solu
GND#10 with Jay McNeil-Calgary Stampeders President
Jay McNeil is the new President of the Calgary Stampeders football club. Jay had a tremendous playing career as a massive 300lb Offensive Lineman first at Kent State University, Ohio, and later while playing for the Calgary Stampeders. He was a 7 time CFL All-Star, was awarded the President's Ring as voted on by his peers, and won 2 Grey Cups with the Stamps. Aside from all of his accomplishments
GND#9 with Ken Reid-Sportsnet Co-Anchor
Ken Reid is no stranger to any Canadian sports fan. He is the Co Anchor along with Sportsnet desk partner Evanka Osmak. They make a deadly duo. Perhaps an even greater duo was born in this episode! We discuss his newest book (#7) Hometown Hockey Heroes, whereby Ken ripped across Canada trying to discover local legends that never quite made the "show" for various unknown reasons. One of those puck
GND#8 with Brad Banister-President NTS
Brad Banister is the current President of New Tech Solids, a game changing and innovative start up venture, based out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada that could help revolutionize Drilling Rigs from an environmental perspective. We discuss getting started on the drilling rigs in Alberta in his mid 20s, to building 2 niche start ups in the energy sector, and hitting home runs on both those businesses.
GND#7 with Patrick Seymour Drilling Superintendent
Patrick Seymour is a local Drilling Superintendent and Workover/Project Manager here in Calgary. He is the 3rd generation in his family to be a part of our boom or bust energy sector. While he is passionate about oil and gas, he is also passionate about the environment, climate change, and of course the preservation of the beautiful Rocky Mountains. So much so that he has transformed himself into
GND#6 with Kris Finch of Shoot the Lights Out
Kris Finch is the energetic frontman for local Calgary rockers Shoot the Lights Out! Starting out like any typical Canadian kid, Kris chased the hockey dream as far as he could, but he could no longer battle against his inner musician. Finchy has been performing in Calgary bars for almost 20 years, and has even held a stadium show at McMahon Stadium. We get into his battle with alcohol, and rubbin
GND#5 with Brett Wilson Former Dragon's Den Star & Investment Guru
Brett Wilson joins me today for a quick chat. Brett's accomplishments in both his personal and business life are well documented. From Dragon's Den, to cancer and to his investment prowess, he has become nothing short of juggernaut on a global scale. We dive into Health, entrepreneurial advice for building a brand, RooftopYYC, Notre Dame and Saskatchewan roots, and of course the energy sector and
GND#4 with Tracy Stuart Canadian Olympic Rowing Bronze Medallist
Tracy Stuart is my most recent guest! Tracy is a decorated Canadian, Lightweight Women's Double Rowing World Champion and Canadian Olympic Bronze medalist. We discuss how she picked up rowing in her mid-20's and later leading her to Olympic glory just a few short years later. We also get into her many side hustles like her family business the award-winning Caldera Whiskey, her public speaking, to
GND#3 with Jason Price-Country Music Sensation
Jason Price is my third guest! Jason is an up and coming country music sensation out of the Halifax area, Nova Scotia, Canada. We discuss how he picked up a guitar in his late 30's and released his 1st album just a few years later. Check out jasonpricecountry.com for all his beauties including his newest album "27" and can also check him out on itunes. We also get into other topics like our new ap
GND#2 with John Nelson Buffalo Sabres Draft Pick Turned Hockey Performance Coach
John Nelson is my second guest! A Buffalo Sabres draft pick, a hockey development Guru out of Windsor, Ontario. A former roommate, teammate and rival, this guy has had quite the life. We discuss Proven Performance Hockey, The UPEI Panthers vs Acadia Axemen 1996, the United Hockey League, Great Northern Drilling and its beginnings, my heart surgeries and some beauty stories to boot!
GND#1 with Barkley Sauter Ex Junior Hockey Enforcer
Join me in my inaugural episode of Great Northern Discussions. Covid drove me into boredom, so now I intend to make locals famous! Barkley Sauter, originally from Carlyle, Saskatchewan joins me as we tackle the hockey life in Canada, and professionally, Copenhagen, the mayo clinic, working in Oil and Gas, Great Northern Drilling, brawls, and.......pissing your pants! Enjoyable.
