A progressive take on current events. Produced by an independent media collective at Vancouver Cooperative Radio.
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Suing for Silence: Sexual Violence and Defamation (encore)
17:35
17:35
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
17:35
A ground-breaking new book examines and exposes the use of defamation law to silence victims of sexual violence. Author Mandi Gray draws on media reports, courtroom observations, and interviews with silence breakers, activists, and lawyers from across Canada to examine the impact of so-called liar lawsuits on those who report or are thinking of rep…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Jérémie Harris on quantum physics and the need to regulate AI (encore)
18:32
18:32
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
18:32
Jérémie Harris is a former physicist, an AI safety expert and a startup founder. He’s the author of “Quantum Physics Made Me Do It: A Simple Guide to the Fundamental Nature of Everything” and he was be a featured speaker at the 2024 Vancouver Writers Fest. We spoke with him about his new book and about the threats posed by the unregulated growth of…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Colonial powers intact despite Indigenous child welfare court victory (encore)
16:02
16:02
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
16:02
In February, the Supreme Court dismissed a challenge by Quebec to the Canadian government’s Indigenous child welfare law, reversing a Quebec Court of Appeal decision to declare the 2019 federal law partly unconstitutional. The decision was widely celebrated by First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders. Yet, according to lawyer Bruce McIvor, the decisi…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Taking social media giants to court over platforms harmful by design (encore)
13:03
13:03
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
13:03
It seems that the more that comes out about the effects of social media on children and youth, the more concerned we should be. Now a law firm that represents victims of social media has filed cases against platforms including Meta, Snap, TikTok, and Discord, on the basis that they are harmful by design. Lorraine Chisholm speaks with Matthew Bergma…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Danielle Smith launches all-out attack on trans and gender-diverse kids (encore)
20:36
20:36
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
20:36
On February 1, Premier Danielle Smith announced that she plans to implement a slate of policies that target transgender and gender-diverse children and youth in Alberta. The proposed measures go far beyond what has already been brought in in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. We speak with Corinne Mason, professor in the Women's and Gender Studies Pro…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Canada falls short in primary care compared to other OECD countries: Study (encore)
16:20
16:20
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
16:20
More and more Canadians are unable to access public primary healthcare, according to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal at the beginning of December, 2023. In fact, about 20% of Canadians have no family doctor at all, and many more have irregular access to clinicians. The CMAJ study compares the Canadian primary care syst…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Police department budgets rise sharply across Canada despite calls to defund (encore)
24:07
24:07
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
24:07
In 2020, there were widespread calls to defund the police following the police murder of George Floyd. In Canada, a poll from that year found over 50% of Canadians wanted to see police budgets reduced. Despite this, no major Canadian city police department has had its funding reduced and in fact, budgets have gone up. We speak with Ted Rutland is a…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Supreme Court suspends BC's drug decriminalization rollbacks (encore)
14:54
14:54
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
14:54
On December 29, 2023, the BC Supreme Court granted a temporary injunction to the Harm Reduction Nurses Association, putting BC’s Bill 34 on hold for 3 months. The Bill imposes sweeping restrictions on the province’s decriminalization pilot launched a year ago. We spoke with Caitlin Shane of Pivot Legal, one of the lawyers representing the Harm Redu…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
National Farmers Union calls for ban on investor ownership of farmland (encore)
16:02
16:02
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
16:02
The National Farmers Union’s held their annual conference in Ottawa in November, 2023. The day before the conference began, NFU members gathered on Parliament Hill to demand a ban on investor ownership of farmland. To find out more, I spoke with Rav Singh, youth advisor with the National Farmers Union – Ontario and Hannah Kaya, the NFU’s farm worke…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Debunking the myths about for-profit health care (encore)
15:17
15:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
15:17
Last fall, the BC Health Coalition was in Vancouver talking about the urgent need for reform and innovation in public health care. Meanwhile the Canadian Medical Association was sponsoring a cross-country conversation about the role of private – read for-profit – health care. We talk with Dr. Saad Ahmed of Canadian Doctors for Medicare about the tr…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Municipal councils not safe workplace for women and gender minorities (encore)
17:22
17:22
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
17:22
From sexual harassment to online bullying and threats of violence, women politicians face far more challenges in public life than their male counterparts. A new research project takes a close look at what women, gender minorities and racialized politicians face when they get elected to councils in BC and Alberta. We talk with Nadine Nakagawa, city …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Judge rules CRA audit of Muslim charity biased but fails to stop it (encore)
14:56
14:56
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
14:56
A recent ruling by the Ontario Superior Court marks an important acknowledgment in the ongoing battle against systemic Islamophobia. In September 2023, Justice Markus Koehnen recognized that the Muslim Association of Canada faced differential and biased treatment faced during a Canada Revenue Agency audit. However, the judge stopped short of interv…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Rebecca Solnit on her new book - It's Not Too Late (encore)
25:56
25:56
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
25:56
Whether you’ve been in the fight against climate change for decades, or are a newcomer, the struggle can feel overwhelming in so many ways. Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young Lutunatabua have produced a new book to support and energize us – it’s called Not Too Late. Rebecca Solnit was in Vancouver for the Writers Fest in October 2023. We spoke with he…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Unpacking the origins of the anti-trans movement in Canada (encore)
29:12
29:12
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
29:12
The 1 Million March 4 Children in September 2023 was part of a widespread and growing “parental rights” movement targeting inclusive public education. Calgary academics Corinne Mason and Leah Hamilton point out that this isn’t simply a group of united parents concerned about their children’s education. Mason and Hamilton offer a brief history of th…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Family stuck in Rafah as father shut out of temporary residency program (encore)
15:30
15:30
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
15:30
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Canada introduced a program to allow Ukrainians to temporarily come to Canada. Two years later, the government has introduced a new temporary residency program for people in Gaza. However, Palestinians in Canada are discovering there are major barriers to getting their family members out of the war zone. W…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Waapake: Director Jules Koostachin's deeply personal look at intergenerational trauma (encore)
15:26
15:26
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
15:26
For generations, the suffering of residential school Survivors has radiated outward, impacting Indigenous families and communities. In her new documentary Waapake (Tomorrow), filmmaker Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin examines the corrosive impact of residential schools on Survivors, and their children, siblings and parents.…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Commemorative art project honors victims of Komagata Maru tragedy
16:35
16:35
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
16:35
In 2021, Vancouver City Council formally apologized for historical discrimination toward passengers travelling on board the Komagata Maru steamship from British India in 1914. Last month, the City unveiled special commemorative signs near the harbour honoring those impacted by the Komagata Maru tragedy. The street signs were designed by Jagandeep N…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Leaked map raises concerns on BC ministry direction on saving old growth
15:32
15:32
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
15:32
In March, Ben Parfitt wrote an article critiquing the BC government’s direction and lack of progress on protecting old growth forests. This was centered on a confidential map of logging deferrals that was leaked from the provincial ministry of forests. Since then, new information has come out blaming the delays in protecting old growth on consultat…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Jewish Israeli scholar Maya Wind on her new book, Towers of Ivory and Steel
20:51
20:51
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
20:51
In 2004, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel called on international scholars to break ties with Israeli academic institutions. In response, Israeli academics claimed to be simply bystanders to the apartheid policies of the Israeli state. A new book reveals just how deeply Israeli universities are entangled with…
…
continue reading
Jackie Shane was one of soul's first Black trans performers. She was born in 1940 in Nashville but her incredible voice took her across North America. She found a home in Toronto in the '60s, performing sold-out shows almost every night. In 1971, Shane disappeared from the spotlight. When she eventually reemerged in the 2010s, there were still many…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Ontario schools launch lawsuit against companies behind social media apps
20:52
20:52
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
20:52
On April 5, the Simcoe School Board joined four of the largest Ontario school boards in suing the companies behind Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. The lawsuit claims time spent on these apps has led to “an attention, learning, and mental health crisis”. Sachin Maharaj joins us to speak about the case and the impacts of social media apps o…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Groundbreaking new study reveals huge climate impact of plastics production
13:36
13:36
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
13:36
UN negotiations took place in Ottawa last week, aimed at achieving an international plastics treaty. Leading up to these historic meetings, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has just released a groundbreaking study revealing the enormous climate impact of plastic production. We’re joined by Dr. Neil Tangri, Senior Fellow at University of Califo…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people need safe, affordable transportation
16:57
16:57
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
16:57
It’s been four years since the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls released 231 calls for justice. Call to Justice number 4.8 says there must be safe and affordable transportation services for Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people living in remote or rural communities. We speak with two co-authors of a repo…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Parents and teachers launch campaign to add the Nakba to BC curriculum
17:55
17:55
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
17:55
The BC social studies curriculum includes historical atrocities such the colonization of North America, the Holocaust, and the Rwandan genocide, but there is no mention of the Nakba. The Nakba was the violent dispossession and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from historic Palestine that led to the creation of the state of Israel. Now, parents and …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
City Beat: Police Board funding cut, Crab Park decampment and more
16:59
16:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
16:59
This week on City Beat, Ian Mass talks about how Vancouver City Council is planning to take advantage of provincial and federal housing initiatives. Plus the Vancouver Police Board, the oversight body for the Vancouver Police, has had its budget slashed and seen key members resign. And a new city bylaw takes what has been described as an “iron fist…
…
continue reading
On Mother’s Day, May 12, a caravan of anti-war activists will leave Vancouver for Ottawa, with the message Demilitarize, decarbonize, decolonize. They will be met by a sister caravan leaving from Halifax and arriving in Ottawa May 28. We speak with Ellen Woodsworth, co-chair of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, who, together with …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
40,000 Palestinian flags planted in Vancouver park
18:21
18:21
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
18:21
Last week, a large memorial was installed near the entrance to Stanley Park in Vancouver. The flags planted in a large grassy area are a visual representation of the number of lives lost due to Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, and a reminder of Canada’s role in funding the slaughter. This Vancouver installation follows a number of displays across …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Lawsuit accuses FortisBC of misleading the public in its advertising
12:31
12:31
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
12:31
If a recent commercial is to be believed, then FortisBC is in the business of selling outdoor gear. Nothing in the 30-second ad of a parent and child walking through a forest suggests that connecting your home to gas could lead to catastrophic global warming. Two concerned B.C. residents and the organization Stand.Earth are taking FortisBC to court…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
City Beat: Council debates motion to create safer, slower streets
15:14
15:14
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
15:14
Next week, Vancouver City Council considers tenant protection for residents of single room occupancy hotels, a 30 kph speed limit on all Vancouver streets, e bikes and scooters on the seawall and lots more. Ian Mass joins us with his City Beat report.By Redeye Collective
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Urgent need for bear dens to be protected in provincial legislation
15:05
15:05
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
15:05
On March 6, Green Party MLA Adam Olsen retabled a bear den protection bill in the BC legislature for the third time. Olsen has been pushing for legal changes since October 2022 but has yet to have his private members bill heard. For decades, environmentalists and First Nations have been advocating for an amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act to …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Vancouver councillor wants magic mushroom sales regulated, not criminalized
16:09
16:09
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
16:09
Drug activist Dana Larsen appealed the loss of the business licence for his Medicinal Mushroom Dispensary in Vancouver. In response, Green Party city councillors Adrienne Carr and Pete Fry voted to re-issue the licence. Now they are going a step further by introducing a motion to create a regulatory framework for psilocybin and other psychoactive m…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Bill to ban fossil fuel advertising doesn’t go far enough
15:00
15:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
15:00
NDP MP Charlie Angus has introduced a private member’s bill calling for a ban on what his party calls 'misleading, deceptive' fossil fuel ads. The NDP says the bill would take the same approach Ottawa took to tobacco ads in 1990s. While there is predictable opposition to the bill from the oil and gas industry, others see the bill as a very modest s…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Big Pharma should be made to disclose how much money it gives doctors
17:21
17:21
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
17:21
Drug companies often give payments to doctors and other health-care workers for consulting fees, speaking at events or funding research, as well as meals and travel expenses. But, in Canada, it’s difficult to know how much was paid to whom. Our guest, Dr. Joel Lexchin, says this information needs to be readily available to Canadians.…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Labour and policy analysts unite on plan for province-wide public transit
13:50
13:50
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
13:50
A report released last month by the BC Fed and CCPA-BC says British Columbia’s local transit systems could be united into a province-wide public transit network within a decade, offering safe and affordable service throughout the province. We talk with Sussanne Skidmore, president of the BC Federation of Labour, about their vision.…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Number of houseless people to rise dramatically without immediate action
13:59
13:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
13:59
Unless governments act to build and save housing that low income people can afford, the number of houseless people in Vancouver is on track to increase by 50% by 2030. This is the stark prediction in the Carnegie Housing Project’s 2024 report, released last month. We speak with Devin O’Leary, one of the co-authors of the report.…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Suing for Silence: Sexual Violence and Defamation
17:00
17:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
17:00
A ground-breaking new book examines and exposes the use of defamation law to silence victims of sexual violence. Author Mandi Gray draws on media reports, courtroom observations, and interviews with silence breakers, activists, and lawyers from across Canada to examine the impact of so-called liar lawsuits on those who report or are thinking of rep…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
City Beat: Major social housing project planned for East Vancouver
11:58
11:58
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
11:58
Next week, Vancouver City Council is going to consider a massive social housing development in East Vancouver. Also, on the agenda, expanding free public Wi-Fi in the Downtown Eastside and an update on City plans to dissolve the Park Board. Redeye collective member Ian Mass joins us with his City Beat report.…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
New report shows impact of air pollution on Aamjiwnaang First Nation
15:58
15:58
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
15:58
Legislation brought in last year will require the government to examine the links between racialization, socio-economic status and environmental risk. That link is very clear in communities like the Aamjiwnaang First Nation just outside of Sarnia, Ontario, in an area known as Chemical Valley. Last year, the Ontario government released the findings …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Pharmacare deal a big win for people power over corporate profit
16:00
16:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
16:00
This week Pharmacare legislation was introduced on Parliament Hill. The historic program was announced after months of negotiations with the NDP, who pressed the government to launch Pharmacare as a condition of their supply-and-confidence agreement. On Wednesday, Lorraine Chisholm spoke with Nikolas Barry Shaw, a key campaigner on this issue, in a…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Family stuck in Rafah as father shut out of temporary residency program
14:55
14:55
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
14:55
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Canada introduced a program to allow Ukrainians to temporarily come to Canada. Two years later, the government has introduced a new temporary residency program for people in Gaza. However, Palestinians in Canada are discovering there are major barriers to getting their family members out of the war zone. W…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Grassroots transit group takes on crisis in Metro Vancouver bus network
14:53
14:53
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
14:53
If you live in Metro Vancouver, and get around on transit, you know that the bus network has been seeing unprecedented levels of overcrowding. Even though buses move the majority of riders, there’s no committed funding to expand the system. Dennis Agar thinks that needs to change and he has plenty of ideas about how to do that. Agar is the executiv…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
BC budget stands up to austerity pressures but falls short on big challenges
13:57
13:57
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
13:57
On Feb 22, the BC government brought in their 2024 budget, the last one before the October provincial election. While Kevin Falcon characterized the projected deficit as “reckless” and John Rustad says it was set to “bankrupt the people of the future”, Alex Hemingway says this budget rightfully prioritizes public investment over austerity, but it c…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Analogue Revolution: How feminist media changed the world
21:00
21:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
21:00
We speak with Marusya Bociurkiw, director and writer behind a new documentary tracing the explosion of grassroots feminist media projects from Halifax to Vancouver. She explores how women took up cutting-edge media technology to document everything from violence towards women to how to insert a diaphragm. Analogue Revolution kicks of the GEM festiv…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
City Beat: Council hands lowest-paid contract staff a $4 an hour pay cut
14:55
14:55
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
14:55
Next week, Vancouver City Council will debate paying a certified living wage to everyone who works for the City, both staff and employees of a contracted service. Redeye collective member Ian Mass also discusses the city’s climate emergency action plan and a revitalized vision for West End services in his regular City Beat report.…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Colonial powers intact despite Indigenous child welfare court victory
15:28
15:28
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
15:28
This month, the Supreme Court dismissed a challenge by Quebec to the Canadian government’s Indigenous child welfare law, reversing a Quebec Court of Appeal decision to declare the 2019 federal law partly unconstitutional. The decision was widely celebrated by First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders. Yet, according to lawyer Bruce McIvor, the decisio…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Israel's targeted attacks on education, knowledge and culture in Gaza
17:17
17:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
17:17
Since the Israeli bombardment of Gaza began, nearly 400 schools have been damaged or destroyed. Last month, Israel destroyed Gaza’s last standing university. According to Chandni Desai, Israel has a long record of targeted attacks on Palestinian academics and institutions that produce knowledge and culture. Chandni Desai is Assistant Professor in t…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Hourly wage needed to live in Metro Vancouver tops $25 amid soaring costs
15:19
15:19
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
15:19
A new report measures how much a family needed to earn to afford the necessities of life in Metro Vancouver in 2023. It found that the gap between the minimum wage and a living wage continues to widen, as housing and food costs spiral upwards. We speak with senior economist Iglika Ivanova, one of the co-authors of the Working for a Living Wage repo…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Danielle Smith launches all-out attack on trans and gender-diverse kids
20:01
20:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
20:01
On February 1, Premier Danielle Smith announced that she plans to implement a slate of policies that target transgender and gender-diverse children and youth in Alberta. The proposed measures go far beyond what has already been brought in in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. We speak with Corinne Mason, professor in the Women's and Gender Studies Pro…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Taking social media giants to court over platforms harmful by design
12:28
12:28
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
12:28
It seems that the more that comes out about the effects of social media on children and youth, the more concerned we should be. Now a law firm that represents victims of social media has filed cases against platforms including Meta, Snap, TikTok, and Discord, on the basis that they are harmful by design. Lorraine Chisholm speaks with Matthew Bergma…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Federal court decision an important win in fight to protect migratory birds
12:35
12:35
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
12:35
In January, the Federal Court agreed with Wilderness Committee and others that the federal government had failed in its duty to protect bird habitat under the Species at Risk Act. The court said Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault needs to reconsider protection measures under the legislation. We speak with Charlotte Dawe of Wilderness Committee.…
…
continue reading