Professor Michael W. Higgins, Vatican Affairs Analyst And Author Of ‘The Jesuit Disruptor, a Personal Portrait of Pope Francis’ joins guest host Stefan Keyes to help answer this weeks 'The Explainer' question on how the conclave works and how a new pope is selected. 

Listen to The Vassy Kapelos podcast on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @VassKapelosShow and on Instagram at @VassyKapelosShow. 

Professor Michael W. Higgins, Vatican Affairs Analyst And Author Of &lsquo;The Jesuit Disruptor, a Personal Portrait of Pope Francis&rsquo; joins guest host Stefan Keyes to help answer this weeks 'The Explainer' question on how the conclave works and how a new pope is selected.&nbsp;
Listen to The Vassy Kapelos podcast on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @VassKapelosShow and on Instagram at @VassyKapelosShow.&nbsp;

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VKS: The Explainer - How does the conclave work and when will a new pope be chosen?

Could we soon see bus-only lanes on Bank Street? CTV's Natalie Van Rooy fills us in. Then, we preview tonight's CTV Ottawa supper-hour newscast with Jackie Perez and Stefan Keyes. And if news breaks in real time, you'll hear it live on CFRA's Ottawa Now.

Could we soon see bus-only lanes on Bank Street? CTV's Natalie Van Rooy fills us in. Then, we preview tonight's CTV Ottawa supper-hour newscast with Jackie Perez and Stefan Keyes. And if news breaks in real time, you'll hear it live on CFRA's Ottawa Now.

Hour 4 of Ottawa Now for Thurs. March 19th, 2026

Canada is falling further and further down the happiness leaderboard, as another edition of the Global Happiness Survey showcases a bigger frown on the Canadian Maple Leaf. In fact, for a second straight year, English-speaking countries failed to crack the Top 10, with heavy social media use impacting the well-being of today’s youth. For those curious, USA ranks 23rd, while Canada sits 25th. Earlier in the show, we picked the brain of Dr. Felix Cheung, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto. This hour, we check in with Chris Barrington-Leigh, an Associate Professor in the Department of Ethics and Policy at McGill University. He studies what makes life fulfilling, using happiness surveys to explore how social connections compare to material wealth in shaping a human’s well-being. And then, we turn things over to you, as Kristy Cameron tackles today’s Question of the Day. Plus, the leader of Canada’s Conservative Party hopped on the highly-popular Joe Rogan Experience. CTV’s Jeremie Charron delivers a Coles Notes version of how Poilievre’s visit went.

Canada is falling further and further down the happiness leaderboard, as another edition of the Global Happiness Survey showcases a bigger frown on the Canadian Maple Leaf. In fact, for a second straight year, English-speaking countries failed to crack the Top 10, with heavy social media use impacting the well-being of today&rsquo;s youth. For those curious, USA ranks 23rd, while Canada sits 25th. Earlier in the show, we picked the brain of Dr. Felix Cheung, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto. This hour, we check in with Chris Barrington-Leigh, an Associate Professor in the Department of Ethics and Policy at McGill University. He studies what makes life fulfilling, using happiness surveys to explore how social connections compare to material wealth in shaping a human&rsquo;s well-being. And then, we turn things over to you, as Kristy Cameron tackles today&rsquo;s Question of the Day. Plus, the leader of Canada&rsquo;s Conservative Party hopped on the highly-popular Joe Rogan Experience. CTV&rsquo;s Jeremie Charron delivers a Coles Notes version of how Poilievre&rsquo;s visit went.

Hour 3 of Ottawa Now for Thurs. March 19th, 2026

During Monday’s press conference in Brockville, Ontario’s Premier says his government wants to start livestreaming bail hearings. As of right now, there are federal laws in place that keep details from these proceedings private, an effort to protect victims and the right to a fair trial for the accused. In response, Doug Ford says he wants to preserve accountability. We dig deeper with Jennifer Quaid, a Professor in the Civil Law Section at UOttawa's Faculty of Law. Meantime, two small-town Ontario Mayors are hoping that Wednesday’s tractor trailer crash near Renfrew will lead to added pressure to expand Highway 17. In case you missed it, a transport truck crashed on the bridge over the Bonnechere River, causing a fuel spill and shutting down the two-lane highway for several hours. Renfrew Mayor Tom Sidney pays us a visit in Hour 2. Plus, Winter isn’t totally done with us yet, but it’s closing up shop pretty soon. And once it does, all of the hidden dog droppings on pathways will be exposed for all to see. CFRA’s Chris Holski has more on that.

During Monday&rsquo;s press conference in Brockville, Ontario&rsquo;s Premier says his government wants to start livestreaming bail hearings. As of right now, there are federal laws in place that keep details from these proceedings private, an effort to protect victims and the right to a fair trial for the accused. In response, Doug Ford says he wants to preserve accountability. We dig deeper with Jennifer Quaid, a Professor in the Civil Law Section at UOttawa's Faculty of Law. Meantime, two small-town Ontario Mayors are hoping that Wednesday&rsquo;s tractor trailer crash near Renfrew will lead to added pressure to expand Highway 17. In case you missed it, a transport truck crashed on the bridge over the Bonnechere River, causing a fuel spill and shutting down the two-lane highway for several hours. Renfrew Mayor Tom Sidney pays us a visit in Hour 2. Plus, Winter isn&rsquo;t totally done with us yet, but it&rsquo;s closing up shop pretty soon. And once it does, all of the hidden dog droppings on pathways will be exposed for all to see. CFRA&rsquo;s Chris Holski has more on that.

VKS: The Explainer - How does the conclave work and when will a new pope be chosen?

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