Throwback Thursday lands in 1989, and the gap between then and now is either comforting or devastating depending on what you look at first. The Game Boy launched. The Canadian Space Agency was officially created. And the average Canadian home cost $125,000.

Brian Mulroney was at a NATO summit in 1989. H.W. Bush was in the White House. The conversation around who owes what to whom sounds familiar. Meanwhile, road trips still ran on license plate bingo and counting Volkswagen bugs out the window, at least until that Game Boy showed up bundled with Tetris and changed the back seat permanently. Major League, Say Anything, Field of Dreams. VHS at the video store. Some of 1989 feels like yesterday. Some of it feels like another country entirely.

Topics: throwback Thursday 1989, Game Boy, Canadian Space Agency, housing prices, road trip car games

Originally aired on 2026-04-23

Throwback Thursday lands in 1989, and the gap between then and now is either comforting or devastating depending on what you look at first. The Game Boy launched. The Canadian Space Agency was officially created. And the average Canadian home cost $125,000.
Brian Mulroney was at a NATO summit in 1989. H.W. Bush was in the White House. The conversation around who owes what to whom sounds familiar. Meanwhile, road trips still ran on license plate bingo and counting Volkswagen bugs out the window, at least until that Game Boy showed up bundled with Tetris and changed the back seat permanently. Major League, Say Anything, Field of Dreams. VHS at the video store. Some of 1989 feels like yesterday. Some of it feels like another country entirely.
Topics: throwback Thursday 1989, Game Boy, Canadian Space Agency, housing prices, road trip car games
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-04-23

Shane Hewitt & The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world—always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.

From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane’s signature style—thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.

If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt &amp; The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world&mdash;always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.
From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane&rsquo;s signature style&mdash;thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.
If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

1989: The Year the Game Boy Arrived and a Home Cost $125,000

The Game Boy turns 36 this year, and the throwback is not just about the hardware. It is about what changed the moment a screen showed up in the back seat of the family car.

Before handheld gaming, road trips ran on whoever could spot the most cows, finish the alphabet off road signs, or keep a round-robin story alive without saying "because" every single sentence. Punch buggy. Perdiddle. Name that tune off a cassette. Geography where the last letter of one city had to start the next. These were not just ways to pass the time. They were the only option, and somehow that made them work. The Game Boy did not just give kids something to do. It quietly retired an entire category of shared experience that nobody thought to write down before it disappeared.

Topics: Game Boy 1989, road trip car games, Nintendo nostalgia, throwback Thursday, family travel

Originally aired on 2026-04-23

The Game Boy turns 36 this year, and the throwback is not just about the hardware. It is about what changed the moment a screen showed up in the back seat of the family car.
Before handheld gaming, road trips ran on whoever could spot the most cows, finish the alphabet off road signs, or keep a round-robin story alive without saying "because" every single sentence. Punch buggy. Perdiddle. Name that tune off a cassette. Geography where the last letter of one city had to start the next. These were not just ways to pass the time. They were the only option, and somehow that made them work. The Game Boy did not just give kids something to do. It quietly retired an entire category of shared experience that nobody thought to write down before it disappeared.
Topics: Game Boy 1989, road trip car games, Nintendo nostalgia, throwback Thursday, family travel
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-04-23

Before the Game Boy, There Was the Punch Buggy Game

The Game Boy anniversary is a reason to ask what actually changed the moment handheld gaming arrived in the back seat of the family car. Carmi Levy has a clear answer: we gained peace, and we lost the window.

Before the Game Boy, kids on long road trips counted cows, played magnetic Battleship, and read signs out the window. Carmi Levy points out that the Game Boy was the first real mobile gaming experience for most families, and the Sega Game Gear and Atari Lynx never stood a chance against it. Cheap, long battery life, and durable enough to pass from one sibling to the next for a decade. The trade-off, as Levy puts it, was situational awareness. You played for eight hours, looked up, and you were already there.

Topics: Game Boy anniversary, road trip nostalgia, mobile gaming, Nintendo 1989, throwback Thursday

GUEST: Carmi Levy

Originally aired on 2026-04-22

The Game Boy anniversary is a reason to ask what actually changed the moment handheld gaming arrived in the back seat of the family car. Carmi Levy has a clear answer: we gained peace, and we lost the window.
Before the Game Boy, kids on long road trips counted cows, played magnetic Battleship, and read signs out the window. Carmi Levy points out that the Game Boy was the first real mobile gaming experience for most families, and the Sega Game Gear and Atari Lynx never stood a chance against it. Cheap, long battery life, and durable enough to pass from one sibling to the next for a decade. The trade-off, as Levy puts it, was situational awareness. You played for eight hours, looked up, and you were already there.
Topics: Game Boy anniversary, road trip nostalgia, mobile gaming, Nintendo 1989, throwback Thursday
GUEST: Carmi Levy
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-04-22

Technology Giveth and Technology Taketh Away

Canada US trade negotiations are at a crossroads, and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois says the messaging coming out of Ottawa is conflicting enough to be a problem on its own. Mexico has overtaken Canada as the top US trading partner in the last six months. A deal there could dictate the terms Canada ends up with.

Dairy keeps surfacing as the American ask. Charlebois, who gave an interview to Reuters on this same question earlier this week, argues that Americans are not using it because they want the market. They are using it because it works as a pressure point. He adds that the growth hormone concern most Canadians hold about American milk applies to very little of what actually reaches consumers. The sectors with the most to gain from a ratified deal are produce, pork, and beef.

Topics: CUSMA trade deal, dairy supply management, food professor, Canada US negotiations, trade advisory board

GUEST: Dr. Sylvain Charlebois | @foodprofessor

Originally aired on 2026-04-23

Canada US trade negotiations are at a crossroads, and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois says the messaging coming out of Ottawa is conflicting enough to be a problem on its own. Mexico has overtaken Canada as the top US trading partner in the last six months. A deal there could dictate the terms Canada ends up with.
Dairy keeps surfacing as the American ask. Charlebois, who gave an interview to Reuters on this same question earlier this week, argues that Americans are not using it because they want the market. They are using it because it works as a pressure point. He adds that the growth hormone concern most Canadians hold about American milk applies to very little of what actually reaches consumers. The sectors with the most to gain from a ratified deal are produce, pork, and beef.
Topics: CUSMA trade deal, dairy supply management, food professor, Canada US negotiations, trade advisory board
GUEST: Dr. Sylvain Charlebois | @foodprofessor
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-04-23

1989: The Year the Game Boy Arrived and a Home Cost $125,000

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