I figured out how to do Substack polls for this one. How many seats do you think the #NDP wins in the next election? How many do you think they'll have in a few weeks? #Cdnpoli open.substack.com/pub/leirenyo...

Just did an awesome Zoom rehearsal yesterday for Bar Mitzvah Boy in Victoria and thought... fine time to share this open.substack.com/pub/leirenyo...

Not as out there as when I predicted Stephen Harper was gonna be the Reform leader after Preston Manning and had a shot at becoming PM back when I was writing The Little Book of Reform and that party had two seats open.substack.com/pub/leirenyo...

The NDP Releases Canada's Funniest Political Read of 2025 Summary of their official election post-mortem: "We would have won, if not for those pesky voters!" open.substack.com/pub/leirenyo...

January 31st, 2021, Rob Stewart, died in a tragic diving accident. Since then this has been a day of Remembrance for his life and work and a day of action for the animals he loved @sharkwater.bsky.social skaanapod.substack.com/p/rememberin...

Socialist Cosplay and the NDP Leaderless Race open.substack.com/pub/leirenyo...

Before cats ruled the internet, this cat ruled a vacuum cleaner... open.substack.com/pub/leirenyo...

So excited that I was able to interview someone about the infamous Iberian orcas - the ones "attacking" boats - who has actually met and experienced the Iberian orcas! Yep, the latest @skaana.bsky.social is now online! Also @dolphinproject.bsky.social 🐳 open.spotify.com/episode/2eZj...

A look back at all our epic interviews with ocean heroes from 2025🐳 skaanapod.substack.com/p/underwater...

And now for something completely Christmassy. A holiday flashback to one of the stories I wrote for Chicken Soup for the Soul leirenyoung.substack.com/p/a-traditio...

My life as a red-nosed reindeer. youtu.be/aeioPi-acDs?...

What would an eco-friendly Christmas look like? www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Erx...

Hours before sundown, on the first day of Chanukah, I was on WhatsApp catching up with an old friend who lives in Melbourne. We’ve known each other since elementary school - Talmud Torah in Vancouver. I asked what things were like for Jews in Australia open.substack.com/pub/leirenyo...

Chilling out with polar bears as the research begins for my next book for young readers for the awesome @orcabook.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/skaanapo...

@conservativebc.bsky.social leader John Rustad today in the BC legislature. It's just a flesh wound! #BCpoli

The latest news on what's up in the ocean - featuring whales, sharks, herring, salmon, octopuses and slippery humans. open.substack.com/pub/skaanapo...

So happy I was able to attend the holiday party/fundraiser for Animal Justice and that I was able to meet executive director & powerhouse activist Camille Labchuk in person and thank her for all she does. I was lucky enough to interview her ages ago for @skaana.bsky.social - but that was virtual 🐳

The origins of Playing Shylock & creating a play with/for the incredible @saulrubinek.bsky.social This'd be the first draft of the introduction for the script, which is being published Spring 2026 by @sciroccodrama.bsky.social 😍 🎭https://leirenyoung.substack.com/p/the-birth-of-playing-shylock?r=5yij

My op-ed on the ungreening of @mark-carney.bsky.social that I wrote for @theglobeandmail.com The official Globe version is tighter - and about 20% politer because - house style and, ya know, grammar 🥸 leirenyoung.substack.com/p/will-the-r...

I've been answering this question daily - often several times a day - since Playing Shylock's #off-Broadway debut was announced. And yeah, the "choice" was heartbreaking, but it has never really felt like a choice. open.substack.com/pub/leirenyo...

Today's @theglobeandmail.com! Of course the moment this goes live today the line I should have added to this hits me like a lightning bolt... "I can imagine @stevenguilbeault.bsky.social reading this budget thinking... I climbed the CN Tower for this?" www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

Brian Lilley and I had big fun talking Greener Than Thou, eco-politics and what's left of the left for the @nationalpost.bsky.social Full Comment Podcast. podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/f...

Thrilled to share the scoop on my new book about #cdnpoli and eco-politics leirenyoung.substack.com/p/my-new-boo...

Wow. Tonight in New York. First preview! Congrats and thank you Martin Kinch & Saul Rubinek

Thankful for the chance to connect with the legendary Ric O'Barry for @skaana.bsky.social before his upcoming visit to #Victoria. We talked about captivity, sanctuaries, The Cove, The Dolphin Project, Watching Flipper watching Flipper on TV and soooooo much more tinyurl.com/dolphinric

Remembering Moby Doll - the #killerwhale whale who changed the world on the anniversary of his death in 1964 #orca @skaana.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/leirenyo...

Happy World #Octopus Day! 🐙🐙🐙 open.substack.com/pub/skaanapo...

Happy World Octopus Day 🐙🐙🐙 To celebrate I'm talking all things octopus - including the flapjack and the glass octopus and octopus taking over the world - on CFAX today at 8:50 am PST www.cfax1070.com

I'm sure no one will disagree with my take on the @nhlcanucks.bsky.social prospects. For fans of @edmontonoilers.bsky.social the Toronto Maple Leafs, the @winnipegjets.com etc - aside from just trashing my list, let's see the ten reasons this is your year. leirenyoung.substack.com/p/why-this-i...

The best thing about #orcas being declared the icons of BC by CBC was the idea that it might shine a light on how to save them. Salmon expert Misty MacDuffee from @raincoast.org on how this iconic community can survive Bright Extinction @skaana.bsky.social skaanapod.substack.com/p/how-to-sav...

Orcas in Alberta! If you're in Alberta... The coolest gig I’ve ever had was writing the orca exhibit for the Royal BC Museum - Orcas: Our Shared Future. The exhibit is touring everywhere. It’s currently at the Royal Albert Museum in Edmonton royalalbertamuseum.ca/visit/exhibi...

BC politics is never boring. Apparently, no party in the province seems to be a fan of leaving the results of their leadership races to those silly members. Some thoughts on the BC Greens debate and their Trumpian voter verification fiasco. open.substack.com/pub/leirenyo...

@nhlcanucks.bsky.social star Evander Kane hits a high note with Bryan Adams @ Rogers Arena. youtube.com/shorts/9Da1M...

After years of being a fan of @lizgilbert.bsky.social - and interviewing "Liz" for @vancouversun.bsky.social in 2011 - I took a fantastic workshop with her in Vancouver this summer. Some thoughts on writing, loving & workshopping with The Dalai Gilbert tinyurl.com/lovewrite

I just read that we lost the legendary actor Graham Greene. I was lucky enough to work with him on a couple of CBC variety series where he got to show off his fun/funny side. I had a blast jamming with him on this sketch. youtu.be/0vIYGKFszgU

Some thoughts on the BCGreen leadership race & the impressive campaign of @emilylowan.bsky.social Really interesting comments on this one popping up under the story on Substack - also getting a lot of emails & messages about this one. leirenyoung.substack.com/p/why-im-sur...

Octopus selfies. iconic orcas and super sockeye news… open.substack.com/pub/skaanapo...

Wow. So this is happening. playbill.com/article/saul...

A few hundred years ago, the editor at Calgary’s long-defunct Swerve Magazine asked me to write something about, “the most influential book I read as a kid.” This was my answer. What’s yours? leirenyoung.substack.com/p/the-most-i...

The timing couldn’t be better because last month 31 scientists from Canada, the US and Europe released a report listing all the things we can and should be doing to save the critically endangered southern resident orcas - the true icons of this iconic species. skaanapod.substack.com/p/british-co...

Excited to be back on @cfax1070.bsky.social tomorrow (Friday, Aug 15) at 4 with Ryan Price. This week's topic is gonna be octopuses - like the octopus who borrowed someone's camera and started filming... who is almost as cool as Rambo, the New Zealand octopus octographer 🐙 @orcabook.bsky.social

I have to share this - a chance to vote for orcas: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

What is this American way that right-wing critics think Superman represents? Asking for a Canadian friend. leirenyoung.substack.com/p/its-a-bird...

If you saw the #fantasticfour movie - and didn’t know anything about the comic - did you get that The Thing was Jewish or just think he was crushing on Natasha Lyonne?

Looking forward to getting thoughts on this from students at @uvic.ca next term when I teach my writing course built around story-telling in the DC Universe. leirenyoung.substack.com/p/james-gunn...

So in July, #orcas were caught kissing, moonwalking and my fave - sharing food with humans. I can't help thinking they're trying to teach us how to share our food 🐳 All this and more in the latest Skaana news update open.substack.com/pub/skaanapo...

Back on CFAX1070 (Victoria) tomorrow at 4:30 to talk whales with Ryan Price. Here's a link to our last conversation where we talked all things orca - including Moby Doll www.iheart.com/podcast/962-...

Wow, am I gonna have even more to talk about in my next DC class at the University of Victoria than usual. I always get at least a few students who assume Hollywood has made superheroes more political. Um... not so much. Had a blast nerding out and writing this one. open.substack.com/pub/leirenyo...

And to wrap up #sharkweek David @whysharksmatter.bsky.social Shiffman on @skaana.bsky.social on why you are more likely to be bitten by a human than a shark🦈 riverside.fm/shared/expor...

No, Virginia: There are no megalogons lurking in the ocean @whysharksmatter.bsky.social on some of the weirdest misinformation to surface from #sharkweek 🦈 Many thanks to David Shiffman for allowing @skaana.bsky.social to share a bit of podcast video for the first time riverside.fm/shared/expor...