Borealis Threat & Risk Consulting
I am very excited to announce the start of a new podcast in January 2026. Called ‘I, Spy: An intelligent take on national security’, this 20-30 minute video will delve into some of the most urgent issues in national security around the world. Whether it is terrorism, espionage, sabotage, foreign interference, transnational repression or other […]
Episode 305 – Why can’t just about anyone run a major intelligence service or police force? There seems to be this movement that anyone should have the opportunity to try their hand at anything. This includes complicated jobs such as security intelligence agencies or law enforcement organisations. But what happens if an outsider with no […]
Season 3 Episode 13 – the year that was and the foreign agent registry that wasn’t As 2025 draws to a close, Al, Phil and Neil look back at what made national security headlines this year, wonder why Gary Anandasangaree is still Canada’s Public Safety Minister, and figure out why Neil can’t be host of […]
Episode 304 – When words betray bad guys As a linguist (and former multilingual foreign intelligence analyst) and counter terrorism specialist, I can proudly say I had a cool career. The chance to combine language skills, a background in linguistics proper and my interest in terrorism was a remarkable opportunity. But can language/linguistics have more […]
Season 3 Episode 12 – What a week in terrorism! And a potential Canadian spy thrown in for good measure The boys are back – with Al having returned from a Top Secret mission to Casablanca where he ate and drank too much – and just in time to weigh in on a whole bunch […]
Episode 303 – In a land associated with Buddhism, temples and tourism, are Islamist extremists active? Have you ever been to Thailand? I have, but I cannot talk about it…. I do know, however, that it is a very popular spot for tourists – and Thai cuisine is the best! But there is a longstanding, […]
SLU Season 3 Episode 11: “Bongo and Kash” – the buddy cop film with low ratings While Al is AWOL – didn’t he just get back from vacation? – Neil and Phil fill (!) in ably and are joined by former FBI Agent Lauren Anderson to talk about what the heck if happening at the […]
Episode 302 – How hard is it to leave a terrorist group? Joining a terrorist group has to be one of life’s more complicated decisions. Do I believe in the cause? Am I aware of what the group actually does? What if I change my mind? Can I get out or will I be killed […]
Episode 301 – Do we need to create a new class of terrorism, or is this overcomplicating matters? We have all become too familiar with terrorism over the decades, especially since 9/11. There are all kinds of groups which use violence in the pursuit of all kinds of goals and they all have some form […]
Season 3 Episode 10 – What keeps the CSIS Director up at night? An Al-less trio – which makes Neil and Phil a dynamic duo! – weighs in on CSIS Director Dan Rogers first ?annual? threat overview speech and what Canadians should take away from it. From terrorism to foreign interference to transnational repression to […]