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 threats to global stability, we will go where necessary to provide reliable, accurate data, pick apart mis- and disinformation and discuss why this matters.
This podcast will be available to subscribers only and there will be a very modest fee attached. My other audio podcasts – Canadian Intelligence Eh! and Spies Like Us – can still be accessed free of charge.
In a world inundated with news and podcasts it is crucial to lay out why you will want to tune in to this one. I realize that everyone has the ability to download and listen to many similar podcasts and I Spy will try to fill a niche in that it is produced by a former intelligence professional. I do not have all the answers and will not pretend to admit there are things I do not know (and confess when I have erred when it comes to facts). I think you will enjoy these brief episodes on issues that speak to some of the greatest challenges we face on an international scale and welcome the ensuing dialogue on these matters.
For those unfamiliar with my background, please see a brief bio. Looking forward to our exhanges!
I worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalization. From 1983 to 2001 I was employed as a senior multilingual analyst at Communications Security Establishment (CSE – Canada’s signals intelligence agency), specializing in the Middle East. I also served as senior special advisor in the National Security Directorate at Public Safety Canada from 2013, focusing on community outreach and training on radicalization to violence, until my retirement from the civil service in May 2015, and as consultant for the Ontario Provincial Police’s Anti-Terrorism Section (OPP-PATS) from May to October 2015. I also ran Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting from May 2015 to May 2025.
I was the Director of Security and Intelligence at the SecDev Group from June 2018 to July 2019 and the Director of the National Security Programme at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute from 2020-2022. I have also taught on national security issues at George Brown College, the University of Ottawa and Georgian College. I have presented on violent Islamist-inspired and other forms of terrorism and radicalization across Canada and around the world and am actively sought by Canadian and international media on national security and intelligence issues. I has written hundreds of op-eds on these matters for several Canadian media since 2016
I am the author of The Threat from Within: Recognizing Al Qaeda-inspired Radicalization and Terrorism in the West (Rowman and Littlefield 2015) Western Foreign Fighters: The Threat to Homeland and International Security (Rowman and Littlefield 2017), The Lesser Jihads: Taking the Islamist fight to the world (Rowman and Littlefield 2017), An end to the ‘War on Terrorism (Rowman and Littlefield 2018), When Religion Kills: How Extremist Justify Violence Through Faith (Lynne Rienner 2019), The Peaceable Kingdom? A history of terrorism in Canada from Confederation to the present (self-published: 2021, republished by Double Dagger in 2022), From village to Vimy to victory: Russell soldiers in the Great War (self-published: 2023), and the forthcoming The Fenians: Brotherhood of fools or Canada’s first terrorist threat? (Double Dagger: 2025). Spoiler alert, I am working on a ninth book, looking back at 9/11 a quarter century later. I regularly blog and podcast, and have an active presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, Bluesky (@borealissaves.bsky.social) and X (@borealissaves) .
