{"podcast":{"title":"The Backroads Bill Podcast","slug":"the-backroads-bill-podcast-6610086","podcast_index_feed_id":6610086,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/5953946/episodes/feed","website_url":"https://www.northbayecho.ca/podcast/backroads-bill/","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/085f740ac769593a44f65afbc07733ac.jpg","author":"North Bay Echo","episode_count":150,"summary":"It’s time to hit the backroads of Northern Ontario and beyond with Backroads Bill! Tune in every Wednesday to explore the history and beauty of Northern Ontario. Alongside host and producer Ben, Bill (who is the founder and the GM of the Canadian Ecology Centre) goes more in depth to the stories he has been sharing for years on CBC Radio and Village Media. Whether it’s a “day-trip” “overnight-trip” or “Sunday drive” you will discover your next great adventure! Follow Bill on Facebook & Instagram: @backroads_bill and on Twitter: @steertonorthONT For the video version of this episode or to explore more North Bay podcasts and to stay updated on local events and news go to NorthBayEcho.ca. For exclusive North Bay updates and insights, subscribe to our newsletter Echo Essentials. Stay connected with Echo on social media: @NorthBayEcho Production Credits: Host: Backroads Bill Producer: Ben Sargent Produced by Clark Communications","last_synced_at":"2026-07-24T02:20:20.014224+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-backroads-bill-podcast-6610086"},"episode":{"title":"The Story Behind The Original Bug Shirt Company","slug":"the-story-behind-the-original-bug-shirt-company","published_at":"2026-05-06T14:06:31+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-backroads-bill-podcast-6610086/the-story-behind-the-original-bug-shirt-company","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-backroads-bill-podcast-6610086","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-story-behind-the-original-bug-shirt-company--71891234","audio_url":"https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71891234/brb_bugshirt_audio.mp3","summary":"On this episode of Backroads Bill, we sit down with the team behind one of Northern Ontario’s most recognizable outdoor products, The Original Bug Shirt Company in Powassan. What started as a simple idea to help people enjoy the outdoors without being eaten alive by black flies and mosquitoes has grown into a globally recognized brand worn by campers, hunters, forestry workers, paddlers, and outdoor enthusiasts around the world. Julie shares the incredible story of how the company began in the early 1990s, how she started sewing bug shirts from home while raising her children, and how that small operation eventually turned into a thriving Northern Ontario business. We also talk about buying the company in 2019, navigating the uncertainty of COVID, and how the business adapted as more people turned to the outdoors. 0:00 – Intro 3:55 – How the Company Started 8:10 – Buying the Business 10:03 – Why Bug Protection Matters 15:21 – COVID & Going Global Online 20:08 – Shipping Bug Shirts Around the World 26:13 – New Bug Gear for Kids 30:24 – Customer Stories from the Outdoors","meta_description":"On this episode of Backroads Bill, we sit down with the team behind one of Northern Ontario’s most recognizable outdoor products, The Original Bug Shirt C…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2015,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-backroads-bill-podcast-6610086/episodes/the-story-behind-the-original-bug-shirt-company/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-backroads-bill-podcast-6610086/the-story-behind-the-original-bug-shirt-company.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}