Podcasts

Is Canada ready for the next climate-driven emergency?

Behind the scenes, a critical shift is happening in how we plan, respond, and collaborate — and you’re invited into the conversation.

In this powerful episode of the Tension Podcast, Donna speaks with Simon Wells and Tiffany Leung from the Canadian Journal of Emergency Management (CJEM) about the future of emergency management in a world shaped by climate change and complex crises.

🔍 We explore:

✅ Why reliance on the Canadian Armed Forces for disaster response is unsustainable
✅ The urgent need for localized resilience and stronger public-private partnerships
✅ How Indigenous knowledge, innovation, and trust networks are reshaping preparedness
✅ What’s missing in national strategy — and what’s emerging to fill the gap

📈 With 979 participants from across 9 provinces and territories, CJEM’s climate security engagement program struck a nerve. The appetite for knowledge is real. The demand for change is growing.

🎙️ Tune in now to discover what’s next — and how you can be part of the solution: 

This podcast episode can be streamed below and is also available through Castos, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, TuneIn Radio, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Learn out Loud, Listen Notes, Player FM, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, RadioPublic and YouTube.

About This Episode’s Guests

Simon Wells:

Simon Wells is a Canadian emergency manager and program manager who has worked in public safety at multiple levels of government.  He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM), in which he won the Canadian Governor General’s Gold Medal for Academic Excellence for TRSM. He holds a Master of Arts in Human Security and Peacebuilding from Royal Roads University; is a Certified Emergency Manager through the International Association of Emergency Managers; a certified Professional Logistician through the Canadian Professional Logistics Institute; and an Associate Business Continuity Professional through the Disaster Recovery Institute – Canada.

In 2020, Simon founded the Canadian Journal of Emergency Management, a nationally-recognized, open-access, fully bilingual and peer-reviewed journal of emergency management in Canada. He has published in the Canadian Military Journal, Canadian Army Journal, Canadian Naval Review, Royal Canadian Air Force Journal, and the U.S. Army Logistics Corps’ periodical, Army Sustainment. He has guest lectured on emergency preparedness and crisis management at the graduate and undergraduate levels at Ted Rogers School of Management, York University, and University of Toronto Scarborough Campus, and has guest-spoken at several conferences and engagements.

Simon likes to read, run, camp and hike, garden and barbecue, and eat Italian and South Asian foods.

Tiffany Leung:

Tiffany Leung is a Canadian Emergency Management Practitioner with extensive expertise in Indigenous humanitarian evacuations and has worked across multiple levels of government and critical infrastructure sectors. She holds a Bachelor of Disaster and Emergency Management from York University, is an Associate Business Continuity Professional certified by the Disaster Recovery Institute, a certified IMS 300 Instructor, and is currently pursuing an MBA at the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University. Tiffany has been serving as the Director of Business Operations with the Canadian Journal of Emergency Management.

She is a strong advocate, mentor, and Emergency Management instructor empowering Indigenous communities in building response capacities for First Nations-led Incident Command Teams across nations. Over the past four years, she has been actively deployed to lead and manage prolonged, large-scale evacuations as a Planning Section Chief.

Outside of her professional commitments, Tiffany enjoys cooking for her friends and family, exploring diverse cuisines, and dining at Michelin-recommended restaurants.

Links & Resources:

Access our content through the Open Journal System, which is linked to our corporate page: https://cjem.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/default/issue/view/9 

Access to CJEM’s climate security engagement report: https://cjem.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/default/corporate

CJEM on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cjem/

Show Notes

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Credits

Host & Producer: Donna Dupont

Editor: Mikhial Gurarie

Graphic Designer: Habiba Elgendy