All posts by Bob Jonkman

Bob Jonkman is a Host and Producer of CKMS Community Connections, Mondays 11am-Noon and alternate Fridays at 3pm. He also serves on the Technical, Program and Music Committees.

Meet The Candidate: Wasai Rahimi, PPC candidate for Kitchener Centre

23 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

Wasai Rahimi

Wasai Rahimi, PPC candidate for Kitchener Centre came into the CKMS-FM studio for “Meet The Candidate” on Wednesday 23 April 2025.

Party: People’s Party of Canada
Website: https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/candidate/wasai-rahimi
Email: wasai.rahimi@teamppc.ca
Twitter(X): https://x.com/WasaiRahimi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rahimi.Wasai/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wasai.rahimi/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wasai.rahimi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wasairahimi/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/WasaiRahimi/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wasai.rahimi

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: wasai-rahimi-ppc-candidate-for-kitchener-centre.mp3, 20 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Wasai Rahimi, PPC candidate for Kitchener Centre

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The candidate’s presentation, the podcast, and the show notes are Copyright © 2025 by the participants, and released under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You are free to use this material, as long as you provide credit and a link back to this page.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Federal Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Kathleen Dueck, United Party candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler

23 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

Two women, the woman on the left wears a suit jacket and glasses, the woman on the right is wearing a grey sweater and sits at a microphone. — Kathleen Dueck and Margaretha Dyck

Kathleen Dueck, United Party of Canada candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler came into the CKMS-FM studio for “Meet The Candidate” on Wednesday 23 April 2025. She was accompanied by Margaretha Dyck, United Party candidate for Kitchener Centre.

Party: United Party of Canada (UP)
Email: kcorks@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.dueck
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k.a_t.h_y.d/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-dueck-0ab82726/

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: kathleen-dueck-united-party-candidate-for-kitchener-south-hespeler.mp3, 20 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Kathleen Dueck, United Party candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Federal Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Ethan Russell, Green Party candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler

22 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

A man with long blond hair wearing suit and tie, and headphones sits at a microphone — Ethan Russell

Ethan Russell, Green Party candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler came into the CKMS-FM studio for “Meet The Candidate” on Tuesday 22 April 2025.

Party: Green Party of Canada
Website: https://www.greenparty.ca/en/candidate/ethan-russell https://ethanrussell003.wixsite.com/ethan-russell-elep
Email: ethan.russell@greenparty.ca ethanrussell003@gmail.com
Phone: +1-519-590-8426
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Russell-for-Kitchener-South-Hespeler/61574644743640/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russell_4_ksh/ https://www.instagram.com/ethan_russell003/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ghostfinner1953
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-russell-0b94b71b0/
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ghost_finner

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: ethan-russell-green-party-candidate-for-kitchener-south-hespeler.mp3, 20 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Ethan Russell, Green Party candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Federal Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Kevin Dupuis, PPC candidate for Kitchener — Conestoga

21 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

A bald man wearing a suit and tie sits at a microphone — Kevin Dupuis

Kevin Dupuis, People’s Party of Canada candidate for Kitchener — Conestoga came into the CKMS-FM studio for “Meet The Candidate” on Monday 21 April 2025.

Party: People’s Party of Canada
Website: https://kevindupuis.com/ https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/candidate/kevin-dupuis https://kwcgppc.ca/our-ridings/kitchener-conestoga/
Email: kevin.dupuis@teamppc.ca Kevin@KevinDupuis.com
Phone: +1-519-669-0480
Twitter(X): https://x.com/KevinDupuisPPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevinDupuisPPC/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/KevinDupuisPPC/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kevinforkitchener-conestog5894
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevindupuisppc/

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: kevin-dupuis-ppc-candidate-for-kitchener-conestoga.mp3, 22 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Kevin Dupuis, PPC candidate for Kitchener — Conestoga

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Federal Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Simon Guthrie, Green Party candidate for Waterloo

18 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

Two men, the on the left wearing a green shirt sits at microphone, the one on the right has a beard, is wearing a green plaid shirt, and is laughing. — Simon Guthrie and Eric

Simon Guthrie, the Green Party of Canada candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studios on Friday 18 April 2025 to speak to the voters.

Party: Green Party of Canada
Website: https://www.simonguthrie.ca/ https://simonguthrie.substack.com/ https://www.greenparty.ca/en/candidate/simon-guthrie
Email: hello@simonguthrie.ca
Phone: +1-226-895-0452
Twitter(X): https://x.com/SimonGuthrie_KW
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GuthrieWaterloo https://www.facebook.com/simon.guthrie1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guthriesimon74/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@simonguthrie
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonguthrie/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/GuthrieSimon/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@simonguthrie0
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/guthriesimon.bsky.social

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: meet-the-candidate-simon-guthrie-green-party-candidate-for-waterloo.mp3, 23 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Simon Guthrie, Green Party candidate for Waterloo

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Federal Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Hans Roach, Independent candidate for Waterloo

17 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

A man wearing a gray sweater and headphones, sitting at a microphone — Hans Roach

Hans Roach, an Independent candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studio to talk to the voters on Thursday, 17 April 2025.

Party: Independent
Email: hans.roach@gmail.com
Twitter(X): https://twitter.com/Hans__Roach
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hans.roach
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hansroach/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hansroach1
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hansroach1/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hnroach.bsky.social
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hansroach

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: meet-the-candidate-hans-roach-independent-candidate-for-waterloo.mp3, 22 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Hans Roach, Independent candidate for Waterloo

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Federal Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Jamie Hari, Independent candidate for Waterloo

17 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

Two men, the one on the left wearing a dark sweater and headphones, the one on the right wearing a white T-shirt. — Jami Hari and Kaden Hari

Jamie Hari, an Independent candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studio to talk to the voters on Thursday 17 2025. He was accompanied by Kaden Hari.

Party: Independent
Website: https://www.revolutionparty.ca/who-we-are#comp-m5tdl0ov
Twitter(X): https://x.com/jamie_hari
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamiehari
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiehari/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JamieHari
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiehari/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/jamiehari/

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: meet-the-candidate-jamie-hari-independent-candidate-for-waterloo.mp3, 22 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Jamie Hari, Independent candidate for Waterloo

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Federal Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Bardish Chagger, Liberal candidate for Waterloo

16 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

Two people sitting at microphones: on the left a woman with long black hair wearing a red T-shirt, on the right a man wearing glasses and a striped sweater. — Bardish Chagger and Mike Schmidt

Bardish Chagger, Liberal Party of Canada candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studio to speak to the voters on Wednesday, 16 April 2025. She was accompanied by her campaign manager, Mike Schmidt.

Party: Liberal Party of Canada
Website: https://bardishchagger.ca
Email: team@bardishchagger.ca
Phone: +1-519-747-3731
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bardish.chagger/ https://www.facebook.com/bardish.chagger.1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bardish_chagger/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bardishchagger3608
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bardish-chagger-864019118/
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardish_Chagger
Address:25 Northfield Drive West, Waterloo, Ontario (N2L 4E6) Map

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: meet-the-candidate-bardish-chagger-liberal-candidate-for-waterloo.mp3, 22 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Bardish Chagger, Liberal candidate for Waterloo

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

AltElxn 2025, Shows

#AltElxn2025: Who Do You Trust? Bias, Perception and the Media

15 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

This episode of #AltElxn 2025 takes a closer look at bias in the media—what it is, how it shows up in election coverage, and how it affects the way people make decisions. The program explores personal reflections, systemic regulation, training and trust in journalism, ownership and audience perception, and Indigenous perspectives on media and democracy.

This is Episode Two of #AltElxn2025, airing on CKMS-FM at 9:30am on Tuesday, 15 April 2025. #AltElxn2025 is a four episode series syndicated from the NCRA/ANREC and airs on CKMS-FM as part of Meet The Candidate: 2025 Federal Election, weekdays from 9:02am to 10:00am from 7 to 29 April 2025.

Host/Producer: Barry Rooke

Download: Altelxn-2025-Show-2-April-14-2025.mp3, 64 MBytes

Time	Segment	Content Summary
00:00 – 00:30	Intro & Welcome	Barry introduces himself, the theme of the episode, and acknowledges the support from the Covering Canada Election 2025 Fund.
00:30 – 02:24	Personal Bias Reflection	Barry reflects on his own explicit and implicit biases and shares how his identity and background shape his media lens.
02:24 – 03:21	Overview of C-11 & the CRTC	Context on Canadian media regulation, introduction to Bill C-11 and the role of the CRTC.
03:21 – 04:48	Interview: Bram Abramson (CRTC)	Bram explains the three pillars of Canadian broadcasting and how the CRTC focuses on structural rather than content regulation.
04:48 – 07:50	Interview: Andrew Mrozowski (CUP)	Andrew discusses why he became a journalist, the importance of training and editorial safeguards, and the role of journalism in balancing different truths.
07:50 – 09:07	Commentary: Journalism Schools Closing	Barry reflects on the closing of journalism programs across Ontario and its impact on ethical storytelling.
09:07 – 10:27	Interview: Connie Thiessen (Broadcast Dialogue)	Connie emphasizes the importance of fact-checking, avoiding noise, and resisting influence from advertisers and ownership.
10:27 – 11:58	Commentary: Ownership & Media Trust	Barry introduces the issue of media ownership and how it shapes public trust.
11:58 – 12:30	Continuation: Connie Thiessen	Connie shares personal experience with editorial pressure and stresses journalistic integrity as the foundation for trust.
12:30 – 15:28	Interview: Aya Alshahwany (PIAC)	Aya explores ownership, public media bias perception, and headlines as subtle influencers of narrative framing.
15:28 – 18:45	Interview: Kristin Kozar & Harry Lock (Public Media Alliance)	Kristin and Harry discuss trust in public media, due impartiality, and how selective content consumption distorts perceptions of bias.
18:45 – 25:11	Voice Note: Eden FineDay (IndigiNews)	Eden reflects on colonial systems, Indigenous values, trust in community, and voting skepticism. Powerful closing reflections on who she trusts.
25:11 – 26:19	Final Commentary: Aya (clip)	A final reflection from Aya on the need for healthy skepticism and cross-source reading when facing unfamiliar or challenging narratives.
26:19 – 27:05	Closing Thoughts by Barry	Summary of episode themes: training, trust, media literacy, and the unseen influence of headlines and algorithms.
27:05 – 28:00	Sign-Off	Barry reminds listeners to tune into the live broadcast on April 28 and thanks funders: Public Policy Forum, Rideau Hall Foundation, and Michener Awards Foundation.

Transcript available on request.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Federal Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Val Neekman, Independent candidate for Waterloo

14 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

Two men in the CKMS-FM studio. The man on the left is wearing headphones and a light blue shirt, and laughing; the man on the right is wearing headphones and a dark blue shirt, and smiling towards the camera. — Val Neekman and Zack

Val Neekman, Independent candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studio to talk to the voters on Monday 14 April 2025. He was accompanied by Zack.

Party: Independent
Website: https://valforwaterloo.ca/
Email: val@neekman.com
Phone: +1-226-476-1804
Twitter(X): https://x.com/ValNeekman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ValNeekman https://www.facebook.com/neekman
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valforwaterloo/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ValForWaterloo https://www.youtube.com/c/ValNeekman
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valneekman/
Address:133 Weber Street North (Suite 3-204), Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Map

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: val-neekman-independent-candidate-for-waterloo.mp3, 22 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Val Neekman, Independent candidate for Waterloo

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Federal Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Héline Chow, NDP candidate for Waterloo

11 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

A woman with long hair wearing headphones and tan sweater looks into the camera — Héline Chow

Héline Chow, New Democratic Party of Canada candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studio to talk to the voters on Friday 11 April 2025. She was accompanied by Grant Jensen.

Party: New Democratic Party
Website: https://helinechow.ndp.ca/
Email: heline.chow@ndp.ca
Phone: +1-819-209-8282
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574237621795 https://www.facebook.com/heline.chow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heline_chow/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXIWPWVbrHg
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/h%C3%A9line-chow/
Address: 39 Bridgeport Road East, Waterloo, Ontario Map

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: heline-chow-ndp-candidate-for-waterloo.mp3, 22 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Héline Chow, NDP candidate for Waterloo

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Federal Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Margaretha Dyck, United Party candidate for Kitchener Centre

11 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

Two women wearing headphones and sitting at microphones. The woman on the left is wearing a black sweater, the woman on the right is wearing a pink sweater with a black vest. — Margaretha Dyck and Kathleen Dueck

Margaretha Dyck, the United Party of Canada candidate came into the CKMS-FM studio to speak to the voters on Friday, 11 April 2025. She was accompanied by Kathleen Dueck, United Party candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler.

Party: United Party of Canada (UP)
Margaretha Dyck email: maredyck@gmail.com
Kathleen Dueck email: kcorks@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.dueck
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k.a_t.h_y.d/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-dueck-0ab82726/

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: margaretha-dyck-united-party-candidate-for-kitchener-centre.mp3, 22 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Margaretha Dyck, United Party candidate for Kitchener Centre

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Federal Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Brian Adeba, Liberal candidate for Kitchener Centre

10 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

Two men talking into microphones, the man on the left is wearing headphones. — Brian Adeba and Clayton Moore

Brian Adeba, the Liberal Party of Canada candidate for Kitchener Centre came to the CKMS-FM studio to speak to the voters on Thursday 10 April 2025. He was accompanied by Clayton Moore.

Party: Liberal Party of Canada
Website: https://brianadeba.liberal.ca/ https://brianadeba.ca/
Email: info@brianadeba.org campaign@brianadeba.ca
Phone: +1-519-342-3036
Twitter(X): https://x.com/kalamashaka
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Brian-Adeba-for-Kitchener-Centre/61569691601050/ https://www.facebook.com/badeba1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brian.adeba
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-adeba-799a422b/
Address:501 Krug Street, Kitchener, Ontario (N2B IL3) Map

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: brian-adeba-liberal-candidate-for-kitchener-centre.mp3, 21 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Brian Adeba, Liberal candidate for Kitchener Centre

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Federal Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Maya Bozorgzad, NDP candidate for Kitchener — Conestoga

9 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

A woman with long black hair wearing a black sweater on the left, a man with a beard and moustache wearing a plaid jacket and headphones on the left. Both are speaking into microphones. — Maya Bozorgzad and Darren Bondy

Maya Bozorgzad, the New Democratic Party candidate for Kitchener — Conestoga, came to the CKMS-FM studio to speak to the voters on Wednesday, 9 April 2025. She was accompanied by Darren Bondy.

Party: New Democratic Party
Website: https://mayabozorgzad.ndp.ca/
Email: maya.bozorgzad@ndp.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maya.bozorgzad.ndp
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maya_bozorgzad/

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: maya-bozorgzad-ndp-candidate-for-kitchener-conestoga.mp3, 23 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Maya Borzorgzad, NDP candidate for Kitchener — Conestoga

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Federal Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Mike Morrice, Green Party candidate for Kitchener Centre

8 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

A man wearing a grey sweater, flat cap, and glasses on the left; a woman wearing a red sweater and a scarf on the right, both speaking into microphones. — Mike Morrice and Mary Jane Patterson

Mike Morrice, Green Party candidate for Kitchener Centre, came into the CKMS-FM studio to talk to the voters on Tuesday 8 April 2025. He was accompanied by Mary Jane Patterson.

Party: Green Party of Canada
Website: https://mikemorrice.ca/ https://www.greenparty.ca/en/candidate/mike-morrice
Email: mike@mikemorrice.ca
Phone: +1-226-614-1211
Twitter(X): https://x.com/morricemike
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morricemike/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morricemike/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mikemorricekitchenercentre1251
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemorrice/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/mikemorrice/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morricemike
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/morricemike.bsky.social
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Morrice
Campaign Office Address:162 Victoria Street South, Kitchener, Ontario (N2G 2B7) Map

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: meet-the-candidate-mike-morrice-green-party-candidate-for-kitchener-centre.mp3, 33 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Mike Morrice, Green Party candidate for Kitchener Centre

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

AltElxn 2025, Shows

#AltElxn2025: Vancouver Island Voices – Saanich – Gulf Islands

8 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

The first episode of #AltElxn2025 aims to illuminate the election issues in British Columbia, particularly focusing on Vancouver Island. The objective is to be part of a series of programs from across Canada that will inform listeners about national issues within the context of a local riding, in this case, Saanich-Gulf Islands. Notably, this is also the “Greenest” riding in Canada, as both the National and Provincial Green parties have held seats here for about a decade. As you will see, while the Provincial Greens recently reelected a green MLA, the National Green candidate, Elizabeth May, is facing a tough battle this time.

This is Episode One of #AltElxn 2025, airing on CKMS-FM at 9:30am on Tuesday, 8 April 2025. #AltElxn 2025 is a four episode series syndicated from the NCRA/ANREC and airs on CKMS-FM as part of Meet The Candidate: 2025 Federal Election, weekdays from 9:02am to 10:00am from 7 to 29 April 2025.

Hosted by Bill Collins and Peter Wainwright.

Download: Altelxn-2025-Show-1.mp3, 26 MBytes

Index

0:00 – 0:31 – Show Introduction & Host Welcome – Backing Track “AltElnx25.wav”

0:31 – 4:01 – Act 1 Setting the scene from here

BC Elections breakdown, how many seats, recent voting patterns
Vancouver Island ridings and how they compare to BC and Canada in voting habits
Saanich-Gulf Islands riding physical description and notable economic drivers, including industrial setting.

4:01 – 4:16 Musical Transition “2025 Election Central”

4:16- 8:51 – Act 2 Comments from the sidewalk: Taking the pulse of people on the street. Peter and Bill to comment on major themes, local vs national issues.

8:51 – 9:15 Musical Transition – Song “Breaking News”

9:15 – 20:53 – ACT 3 Excerpts from local Candidate Interviews & Analysis, including recent polling

20:53 – 21:09 Musical Transition “2025 Election Central”

21:09 – 26:30 – ACT 4 A regional issue in focus Interview with Adam Olsen, Chairman of the Tsartlip Group of Companies. Issue-Focused Discussion: Sheding light on Indigenous Economic Development organizations taking a leadership role alongside Canadian institutions in building economic resiliency in Canada?

26:30 – 28:00 – Closing Remarks & Sign-Off

Transcript available on request.

AltElxn 2025, Off The Air

#AltElxn 2025: Radio for the Canadian Election

7 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

#AltElxn 2025 is a coordinated national project by the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA/ANREC), bringing together over 100 radio stations and local journalists from across the country. Our goal is to offer independent, community-based election coverage that highlights national issues through a local lens. With a focus on authentic voices and community impact, the series explores the stories, candidates, and concerns shaping the upcoming federal election.

#AltElxn 2025 is a four episode series syndicated from the NCRA/ANREC and airs on CKMS-FM as part of Meet The Candidate: 2025 Federal Election, weekdays from 9:02am to 10:00am from 7 to 29 April 2025.

Election Night Broadcast

On Monday 28 April 2025 CKMS-FM will broadcast #AltElxn 2025: Election Night Coverage from 8:00pm to 2:00am to bring you the Waterloo Region election results first.

As the results roll in on election night, tune in to our live-to-air coverage with real-time updates, on-the-ground reports, and expert analysis from across the country. Hosted by NCRA/ANREC member stations, this unique national broadcast will connect voices coast-to-coast and provide a true community perspective on Canada’s next government.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Federal Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Randall Williams, PPC candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler

7 April 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

Randall Williams and Kevin Dupuis

Randall Williams, the People’s Party of Canada candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler, came into the studio on Monday 7 April 2025 to talk to the voters. He was accompanied by Kevin Dupuis, PPC candidate for Kitchener — Conestoga.

Party: People’s Party of Canada
Website: https://randywilliamsppc.ca/ https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/candidate/randy-williams
Email: randy.williams@teamppc.ca
Twitter(X): https://x.com/RandallJWi49145
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100030325054982

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: meet-the-candidate-randall-williams-ppc-candidate-for-kitchener-south-hespeler.mp3, 22 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Randall Williams, PPC candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Federal Election, Off The Air, Radio Waterloo Production

Meet The Candidate – 2025 Federal Election

31 March 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

Meet The Candidate brings the candidates from Waterloo Region into the studio to present their party platform, the local issues they’ll tackle, the reasons they’re running, and maybe a personal glimpse into their life outside of politics. This is not an interview show, this is just the candidate, speaking directly to you, the voter.

The Canadian federal election is on Monday 28 April 2025 — Get your information about the candidates now!

Meet The Candidate is hosted by Bob Jonkman and airs on CKMS-FM weekdays at 9:02am and again at 9:35am from Monday 7 April 2025 to Friday 25 April 2025, with a Campaign Analysis episode on election day, Monday 28 April 20t, and a 2025 Federal Election Summary on Tuesday 29 April 2025 with reports from the NCRA national election coverage.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Show Google Calendar
iCalendar feed

Candidates: Please e-mail Bob Jonkman at bob@radiowaterloo.ca with your preferred timeslot (and an alternate). In case of a schedule conflict, preference will be given to the candidate of the party with the smallest representation in the House of Commons.

All candidates in Waterloo Region are invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

Recent Episodes

Meet The Candidate (two hands reaching for each other to shake; left arm is a woman of colour, right arm is a white person with a blue sleeve.

Meet The Candidate: 2025 Federal Election Summary Bob Jonkman summarizes the results of the 2025 Federal Election held on Monday 28 April 2025. This program aired on Tuesday 29 April 2025. 2025 Federal Election Results Name Party Votes Cambridge Connie Cody Conservative 31766 Bryan May Liberal 30309 José de Lima NDP 2183 Lux Burgess Green 1052 Manuel Couto Marxist-Leninist 109 Kitchener — … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate – 2025 Federal Election Campaign Analysis Bob Jonkman analyzes the campaigns of the parties running in the 2025 Federal Election, and gives some commentary on electoral reform and proportional representation. This program aired on Monday 28 April 2025. See all episodes. Podcast Download: meet-the-candidate-2025-federal-election-campaign-analysis.mp3, 23 MBytes. Subscribe to the podcast! Video YouTube: Meet The Candidate: 2025 Federal Election Summary The views … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Douglas Ross, PPC candidate for Waterloo Douglas Ross, People’s Party of Canada candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studios for Meet The Candidate to talk to the voters on Thursday 24 April 2025. Party: People’s Party of Canada Website: https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/candidate/douglas-ross Email: douglas.ross@teamppc.ca Twitter(X): https://x.com/aprincipledway Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertdouglasross Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rdross123/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglasross/ See all episodes. Podcast Download: douglas-ross-ppc-candidate-for-waterloo.mp3, 22 MBytes. Subscribe … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Wasai Rahimi, PPC candidate for Kitchener Centre Wasai Rahimi, PPC candidate for Kitchener Centre came into the CKMS-FM studio for “Meet The Candidate” on Wednesday 23 April 2025. Party: People’s Party of Canada Website: https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/candidate/wasai-rahimi Email: wasai.rahimi@teamppc.ca Twitter(X): https://x.com/WasaiRahimi Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rahimi.Wasai/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wasai.rahimi/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wasai.rahimi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wasairahimi/ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/WasaiRahimi/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wasai.rahimi See all episodes. Podcast Download: wasai-rahimi-ppc-candidate-for-kitchener-centre.mp3, 20 MBytes. Subscribe to … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Kathleen Dueck, United Party candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler Kathleen Dueck, United Party of Canada candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler came into the CKMS-FM studio for “Meet The Candidate” on Wednesday 23 April 2025. She was accompanied by Margaretha Dyck, United Party candidate for Kitchener Centre. Party: United Party of Canada (UP) Email: kcorks@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.dueck Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k.a_t.h_y.d/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-dueck-0ab82726/ See all episodes. … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Ethan Russell, Green Party candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler Ethan Russell, Green Party candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler came into the CKMS-FM studio for “Meet The Candidate” on Tuesday 22 April 2025. Party: Green Party of Canada Website: https://www.greenparty.ca/en/candidate/ethan-russell https://ethanrussell003.wixsite.com/ethan-russell-elep Email: ethan.russell@greenparty.ca ethanrussell003@gmail.com Phone: +1-519-590-8426 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Russell-for-Kitchener-South-Hespeler/61574644743640/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russell_4_ksh/ https://www.instagram.com/ethan_russell003/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ghostfinner1953 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-russell-0b94b71b0/ Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ghost_finner See all episodes. Podcast Download: … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Kevin Dupuis, PPC candidate for Kitchener — Conestoga Kevin Dupuis, People’s Party of Canada candidate for Kitchener — Conestoga came into the CKMS-FM studio for “Meet The Candidate” on Monday 21 April 2025. Party: People’s Party of Canada Website: https://kevindupuis.com/ https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/candidate/kevin-dupuis https://kwcgppc.ca/our-ridings/kitchener-conestoga/ Email: kevin.dupuis@teamppc.ca Kevin@KevinDupuis.com Phone: +1-519-669-0480 Twitter(X): https://x.com/KevinDupuisPPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevinDupuisPPC/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/KevinDupuisPPC/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kevinforkitchener-conestog5894 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevindupuisppc/ See all episodes. Podcast … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Simon Guthrie, Green Party candidate for Waterloo Simon Guthrie, the Green Party of Canada candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studios on Friday 18 April 2025 to speak to the voters. Party: Green Party of Canada Website: https://www.simonguthrie.ca/ https://simonguthrie.substack.com/ https://www.greenparty.ca/en/candidate/simon-guthrie Email: hello@simonguthrie.ca Phone: +1-226-895-0452 Twitter(X): https://x.com/SimonGuthrie_KW Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GuthrieWaterloo https://www.facebook.com/simon.guthrie1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guthriesimon74/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@simonguthrie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonguthrie/ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/GuthrieSimon/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@simonguthrie0 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/guthriesimon.bsky.social … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Hans Roach, Independent candidate for Waterloo Hans Roach, an Independent candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studio to talk to the voters on Thursday, 17 April 2025. Party: Independent Email: hans.roach@gmail.com Twitter(X): https://twitter.com/Hans__Roach Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hans.roach Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hansroach/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hansroach1 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hansroach1/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hnroach.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hansroach See all episodes. Podcast Download: meet-the-candidate-hans-roach-independent-candidate-for-waterloo.mp3, 22 MBytes. Subscribe to the podcast! Video YouTube: … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Jamie Hari, Independent candidate for Waterloo Jamie Hari, an Independent candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studio to talk to the voters on Thursday 17 2025. He was accompanied by Kaden Hari. Party: Independent Website: https://www.revolutionparty.ca/who-we-are#comp-m5tdl0ov Twitter(X): https://x.com/jamie_hari Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamiehari Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiehari/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JamieHari LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiehari/ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/jamiehari/ See all episodes. Podcast Download: meet-the-candidate-jamie-hari-independent-candidate-for-waterloo.mp3, 22 MBytes. Subscribe to the … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Bardish Chagger, Liberal candidate for Waterloo Bardish Chagger, Liberal Party of Canada candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studio to speak to the voters on Wednesday, 16 April 2025. She was accompanied by her campaign manager, Mike Schmidt. Party: Liberal Party of Canada Website: https://bardishchagger.ca Email: team@bardishchagger.ca Phone: +1-519-747-3731 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bardish.chagger/ https://www.facebook.com/bardish.chagger.1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bardish_chagger/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bardishchagger3608 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bardish-chagger-864019118/ Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardish_Chagger … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Val Neekman, Independent candidate for Waterloo Val Neekman, Independent candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studio to talk to the voters on Monday 14 April 2025. He was accompanied by Zack. Party: Independent Website: https://valforwaterloo.ca/ Email: val@neekman.com Phone: +1-226-476-1804 Twitter(X): https://x.com/ValNeekman Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ValNeekman https://www.facebook.com/neekman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valforwaterloo/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ValForWaterloo https://www.youtube.com/c/ValNeekman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valneekman/ Address:133 Weber Street North (Suite 3-204), Waterloo, Ontario, Canada … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Héline Chow, NDP candidate for Waterloo Héline Chow, New Democratic Party of Canada candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studio to talk to the voters on Friday 11 April 2025. She was accompanied by Grant Jensen. Party: New Democratic Party Website: https://helinechow.ndp.ca/ Email: heline.chow@ndp.ca Phone: +1-819-209-8282 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574237621795 https://www.facebook.com/heline.chow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heline_chow/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXIWPWVbrHg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/h%C3%A9line-chow/ Address: 39 Bridgeport Road East, … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Margaretha Dyck, United Party candidate for Kitchener Centre Margaretha Dyck, the United Party of Canada candidate came into the CKMS-FM studio to speak to the voters on Friday, 11 April 2025. She was accompanied by Kathleen Dueck, United Party candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler. Party: United Party of Canada (UP) Margaretha Dyck email: maredyck@gmail.com Kathleen Dueck email: kcorks@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.dueck Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k.a_t.h_y.d/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-dueck-0ab82726/ See all episodes. Podcast … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Brian Adeba, Liberal candidate for Kitchener Centre Brian Adeba, the Liberal Party of Canada candidate for Kitchener Centre came to the CKMS-FM studio to speak to the voters on Thursday 10 April 2025. He was accompanied by Clayton Moore. Party: Liberal Party of Canada Website: https://brianadeba.liberal.ca/ https://brianadeba.ca/ Email: info@brianadeba.org campaign@brianadeba.ca Phone: +1-519-342-3036 Twitter(X): https://x.com/kalamashaka Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Brian-Adeba-for-Kitchener-Centre/61569691601050/ https://www.facebook.com/badeba1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brian.adeba LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-adeba-799a422b/ Address:501 … Continue reading →

See all previous episodes.

CKMS Community Connections, Shows

CKMS Community Connections for 28 February 2025: Irish Real Life Festival with Sue Nally and Michael Darcy

10 March 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

Notes
Events
Podcast
Index
Video

Show Notes

A woman with red hair wearing glasses and headphones sits at a microphone. — Sue Nally

A man wearing a blue shirt and headphones smiles towards the camera. — Michael Darcy

Michael Darcy gives a Live, On-Air, In-Studio performance, and Bob talks with Michael and Sue Nally of the Irish Real Life Festival about the history of the festival, Irish history, how the festival is organized, Irish dancing, Michael’s musical background, and other details of the festival.

The interview starts at 3m15s.

Online:

Website: https://www.irishreallifekw.com/
Facebook: Irish Real Life Festival (@IRLFestival) | Facebook
Instagram: Irish Real Life Festival (@irl_festivalkw) | Instagram
YouTube: Irish Real Life Festival (@irishreallifefestival6954) | YouTube
E-mail: info@irishreallifekw.com

https://www.irishreallifekw.com/

Upcoming Events

For a comprehensive list of events during the Irish Real Life Festival see https://www.irishreallifekw.com/event.

Michael Darcy and the Atlantic Tramps w/The O’Deadlys
- When: 8:00pm to 10:30pm on Friday, 14 March 2025
- Where: The Registry Theatre
- Location: 12 Frederick Street, Kitchener, Ontario Map
- Tickets and Info: https://www.irishreallifekw.com/event-details/michael-darcy-and-the-atlantic-tramps-w-the-odeadlys
St. Patricks Day Ceili
- When: 7:30pm to 11:00pm on Saturday 15 March 2025
- Where: Victoria Park Pavilion
- Location: 80 Schneider Avenue, Kitchener, Ontario Map
- Website: https://www.irishreallifekw.com/event-details/st-patricks-day-ceili-2

Podcast

Download: ckms-community-connections-2025-02-28-episode185-irish-real-life-festival-with-sue-nally-and-michael-darcy.mp3 (76 MB, 55m27s, episode 185)

Index

Exclusive tracks recorded in the CKMS-FM 102.7 Radio Waterloo Studio are now available! Right-click on a linked track title to download!

Time	Title	Album	Artist
0m00s	Theme for CKMS Community Connections ccc	CKMS Community Connections	Steve Todd
0m49s	Wild West Clare	Live, On-Air, In-Studio	Michael Darcy
3m15s	Sue Nally introduces us to the Irish Real Life Festival, giving a bit of the festival’s history, and why an Irish festival is needed in Waterloo Region. There’s literature, music, film, and even Irish cuisine. A festival gives people a chance to learn. Sue runs down some of the delicacies in Irish cuisine. Every year there’s a dinner, with a portion of the proceeds going charity. This year the dinner is at the Boathouse with Matt Weidinger. Sue tells us about the venues, including the Registry Theatre, the Conrad Centre, the KW Art Gallery. It’s difficult to capture a country’s culture in a few days. And it’s necessary to leave things out.
8m20s	This year the festival focuses on “Joy”. The world is a challenging place right now; the Irish history has some dark moments. So this year they want to celebrate to show they’ve come through these dark times. They’re trying to build a way for people new to the Region to come out, and for anyone to learn about Irish history. Or just to hang out an have a chat.
10m04s	Talking to Michael Darcy about his background. Michael is a full-time musician, has been playing for about 20 years, and lived in Canada for 15. When Sue brought Darcy to the festival she discovered that a cousin was a good friend of Michael’s — Michael says Ireland is a small country, about five million people, but Ontario is bigger. You can get from one side of Ireland to the other in about three or four hours. When Michael arrived in Canada he wasn’t writing many songs, just playing the standards. People always request the same four or five songs, and Michael is tired of playing them. So Michael is now writing his own songs, including the opening number, Wild West Clare.
15m22s	The Mickey Dam	Live, On-Air, In-Studio	Michael Darcy
18m13s	Michael tells us about playing The Mickey Dam. Sue tells us how she picks the musical acts. She points out that the original songs written by Michael are Irish music. She balances out the traditional with the co ntemporary, and the fusion of how the music has changed.
20m29s	Giving the date and times of the festival: Saturday, March 8^th to Monday March 17^th. Bob asks about the “Céilí” (or “Cèilidh” in Scottish); Sue explains it’s an Irish folk dance, the origins of square dancing. There are céilithe for the public on the 8^th and 15^th of March. Sue talks about the music and the mechanics of dancing. Michael doesn’t play many céilithe, but his bandmates do. Michael grew up playing accordion.
27m37s	Michael plays a short piece that might be used at a céilí, and explains the tuning he uses. A brief discussion on types of banjos. Talking about different styles of Irish music. There is Irish rap! The festival doesn’t prescribe the playlists, but let the performers choose what they want to play. And there will be music lessons on traditional Irish instruments like the tin whistle and the bodhrán.
33m42s	Bob sees the need for an Irish Folk Club. Sue says there’s an Open Mic night at the Registry Theatre on Wednesday 5 March 2025, and it’s hosted by Michael. A great opportunity to play in a listening room rather than a pub. A quick rundown of Michael’s upcoming gigs.
36m46s	Michael introduces the next song. It needs some explanations of “Irish-isms”. A “jumper” is a sweater, “jumper goalposts” are sweaters put down on the ground for playing football. And “Lynn Row” was an Irish soap opera on TV on Sunday nights.
38m11s	Long Summer Days	Live, On-Air, In-Studio	Michael Darcy
41m35s	Sue tells us how she got involved with the Irish Real Life Festival — when she and friends were looking for something to do they found there was nothing out there. So she said “Let’s put something on!” And also to counteract the bad reputation that March 17^th has around the universities. The 17^th is not as important date as people think.
44m43s	Bob and Sue go over the web site and upcoming events, and have a look at the social media sites. Talking admission and tickets: Culture shouldn’t only be for the well-off, so many events are free or Pay-What-You-Can. There are funds and grants, some from Ireland, to help offset the costs. Planning for next year? After a little break! Finding venues and acts for next year. Not even Toronto has a 10 day Irish festival! Bob encourages Sue and Michael to start an Irish show on CKMS-FM.
54m33s	Michael Darcy plays out, while Bob gives the credits.

CKMS Community Connections Hour One airs on CKMS-FM 102.7 on Monday from 11:00am to Noon, and Hour Two airs alternate Fridays from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.

Got music, spoken word, or other interesting stuff? Let us know at ccc@radiowaterloo.ca or leave a comment on our “About” page.

Subscribe to the CKMS Community Connections podcast!

See all CKMS Community Connections shows!

Bonus Video

Video: CKMS Community Connections for Friday 28 February 2025 (YouTube)

Show notes and podcast interview content is Copyright © 2025 by the participants, and released under a Creative Commons Attribution Only license. Copy, re-use, and derivative works are allowed with attribution to Radio Waterloo and a link to this page. Music selections are copyright by the respective rights holders. The theme music is written and performed by Steven Todd.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Provincial Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Campaign Analysis with Martin de Groot and Bob Jonkman

26 February 2025 Bob Jonkman 1 Comment

A man wearing headphones and a gray shirt with a colourful lanyard sits at a microphone. — Martin de Groot

A man wearing glasses and a brown sweater sitting at a microphone — Bob Jonkman

For Meet The Candidate all 31 candidates in Waterloo Region were invited to participate, but only 13 accepted the invitation. Some candidates tactfully declined, but most just ignored our requests. So, for this last episode of Meet The Candidate on Tuesday 25 February 2025, Martin de Groot and Bob Jonkman discuss the Ontario provincial election campaign of 2025.

Martin de Groot is the host and producer of Home Range: Promenade which airs on CKMS-FM every Monday at 6:00pm.

Bob Jonkman is one of the hosts of CKMS Community Connections, every Monday at 11:00am and alternate Fridays at 3:00pm.

Time	Topic
1m010s	The beginning: Calling an early election. Why? Not for the reasons provided; a provincial premier has no role in international relations. The short campaign time was probably deliberate. Discussing the media coverage of the parties — even though the NDP is the official opposition, the media tends to go to the Liberals for comment, even though they don’t even have enough members in the legislature to form an official party. One of the reasons for calling an early provincial election (in February!) may be the looming federal election.
6m40s	Politics has become polarized, started in the Mike Harris years (1990s), maybe as early as the Mulroney/Reagan/Thatcher era (late 1970s). Up until that time it was the Liberals that took Republican ideas from the US; now it’s the Conservatives taking those ideas. Bob runs down the different candidates running in Waterloo Region. The smaller parties are largely invisible; because of the short campaign time and the time of year (and even the mood of the country) they haven’t been able to get in gear. Along with so few candidates, Bob fears there will be low voter turnout. There are people who don’t even know there’s an election on. Voter turnout at the last election was around 40%, it will probably be lower this time. Martin points out that these aren’t provincial campaigns, but local campaigns just in our own constituency; each is a decision in itself.
12m20s	Campaign advertising: Bob has seen only mainstream party advertising, none at all for the small parties. Bob and Martin see only online ads, neither watch broadcast TV. There was no election advertising submitted to Radio Waterloo. Martin asks about candidate response to Meet The Candidates. About half the candidates came on the air. There were 24 available timeslots, 13 candidates came out. Bob expresses surprise at some of the candidates that declined. Having candidates on air, unstructured, gives a better idea of what the candidate is like outside their campaign. Martin asks if this turnout was typical, but it was the first time Bob has run Meet The Candidate. All the episodes were recorded, and candidates are free to re-use the material under a CC-BY license.
19m10s	Has there been a lot of negative advertising? Martin says yes. The positive advertising has been limited to the leaders saying “I’m your leader, I will save you”, but that’s still somewhat misleading. Martin has met some canvassers at the door, the Liberals twice (and he met the candidate herself). But it takes more than knocking on doors; things like Civic Tech (https://waterlooregionvotes.org). Martin says an election is a collective decision-making process, he want to be aligned with the plurality of his neighbours. He wants more input into this process, so people should join parties. It’s dangerous to pay attention to the little jingles in mass media and then to base your vote on that. But people can get away with being complacent because we have pretty good governance in Canada. We haven’t adjusted our system since the start of our electoral system, so it’s not reflecting the way people vote. Our system is more adaptive than, say, the US voting system, but in practice we still have the adversarial “debates” in parliament and the provincial legislature, and a terrible First-Past-The-Post voting system. As a result, the current Ontario government was elected to a majority of seats with only about 18% of the votes from eligible voters.
27m15s	Talking about Cooperate For Canada, who were on CKMS Community Connection on Monday 24 February. Martin says their idea is reactive, because it relies on dubious polling data. Cooperate For Canada looks to be more of a federal system, they didn’t really have time to react for this provincial election. Martin tends to vote with the plurality anyway, so he had no trouble signing their pledge. Martin wishes there was a better way to have a deliberative process, that there were other kinds of political organizations instead of running candidates and being a political party in the traditional sense. Martin cares about the Arts and Heritage, which doesn’t even make it to the political spectrum. If people who cared about climate, housing, health care, education, &c made an effort to come up with a consensus, then we’d get somewhere. Voting against the Conservatives based on polling data is dropping out of the system, you’re not even trying. Bob want to vote for the candidate who will best represent him; if Cooperate For Canada was successful and candidates drop out, it reduces the choice available to voters and so reduces the effectiveness of democracy. Bob also points out that the polling data is unreliable, he doesn’t speak to pollsters and other people are known to lie. And the polling data includes data from people who don’t vote, and aren’t even eligible to vote. The election on 27 February 2025 is the only poll that counts.
37m05s	Martin points out a difference between him and Bob: Bob wants voting to be private and secret; Martin wants voting to be a collective, consensus making effort. We’ve lost consensus-making with our adversarial electoral system. It’s as though we’ve ritualized civil war with elections, and that’s not healthy for society. Elections are a way to quiet down the revolutionary impulse. It used to be, that the differences between parties was fairly minor. But today there is a broad gap. Treating the Conservatives as one pole and having all others going against them gives them too much credit and credibility. This is not just campaigning but their actions while in government. Martin saw this when Mike Harris Sr. was premier.
39m52s	It is difficult to make a choice, since so many right-wing candidates aren’t coming out to debates, interviews, all-candidate meetings. Yet they’re still leading in the polls. Are people voting for the party leader? The party itself? They certainly can’t be voting for the local candidate, since they haven’t been there. Martin attributes it to the republican idea of “the lying press”, so those candidates just stay away, thinking they’re not going to get a fair shake. That may be true, especially from people who care about the environment, health care, &c. Should there be a rule that candidates have to be available to the voters? You can’t pass that kind of law, but it should be made socially unacceptable. Candidates who don’t want to meet their constituents should not the representative for those constituents. Bob wouldn’t sit down for a beer with a person who’s been hiding during the campaign. Maybe having a beer with a friend is an analogue for elections.
43m47a	What happens now? It’s only two days to the election. Advance polls were short, only three days and at remote locations. Precipitation is expected the night before election day. Martin predicts the voter turnout will be lower than in 2022, and thinks the Conservatives will return with a larger majority than ever. Waterloo Region has one Green MPP, one NDP MPP, and three Conservative MPPs, and Martin thinks it will be the same after the election. Martin expected things would change for Wilmot, what with the land assembly issues, but it looks like that won’t change things.
47m30s	Martin tells Bob that the Green Party candidate in Kitchener — Conestoga has endorsed the NDP candidate. Bob wonders how that will go over with the Green Party head office; it’s unlikely the Green Party approves of this. Martin would like to see not a Green Party, but a Green Movement. With a movement, you could get consensus, get people to become candidates. There may be something like that, in Green WR. Martin and Bob talk about the Grand River Watershed as a natural boundary and focus point for the community.
50m30s	Discussions on the levels of government: Municipal, Regional, Provincial, and Federal. Martin says the relations between those levels of government is a mess, and is the number one issue, more so than electoral reform. But Martin is not an amalgamationist at all. Martin sees the difference between the city cores and the suburbs; Bob adds to that the very different rural areas in Waterloo Region. Bob doesn’t want yet another artificial divide between rural and urban voters. Speaking of geographic boundaries, Martin wonders why we don’t have gerrymandering in Canada. Similar to the Electoral Boundary Commission, Martin would like to see an Electoral Reform Commission based on that model.
55m40s	Goodbyes, acknowledgements, and a suggestion for a regular political show on CKMS.

Podcast

Download: meet-the-candidate-campaign-analysis-with-martin-de-groot-and-bob-jonkman.mp3, 52 MBytes.

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Campaign Analysis with Martin de Groot and Bob Jonkman

Recent Episodes

Meet The Candidate: Campaign Analysis with Martin de Groot and Bob Jonkman For Meet The Candidate all 31 candidates in Waterloo Region were invited to participate, but only 13 accepted the invitation. Some candidates tactfully declined, but most just ignored our requests. So, for this last episode of Meet The Candidate on Tuesday 25 February 2025, Martin de Groot and Bob Jonkman discuss the Ontario provincial election … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: James Schulz, Libertarian candidate for Waterloo James Schulz, Libertarian candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studio for Meet The Candidate on Monday, 24 February 2025 to talk to the voters. Party: Ontario Libertarian Party Website: https://libertarian.on.ca/candidates/james-schulz Email: stephyandjamess@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572958871961 https://www.facebook.com/james.schulz.79 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/james.schulz.79/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@james.schulz.79 See all episodes. Podcast Download: meet-the-candidate-james-schulz-libertarian-candidate-for-waterloo.mp3, 14 MBytes. Subscribe to the podcast! Video YouTube: Meet … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Aislinn Clancy, Green Party candidate for Kitchener Centre Aislinn Clancy, Green Party candidate for Kitchener Centre came into the CKMS-FM studio for Meet The Candidate on Monday 24 February 2025 to talk to the voters. Party: Green Party of Ontario Website: https://www.voteclancy.ca/ https://gpo.ca/candidate/aislinn-clancy/ Email: voteclancy@gpo.ca Aislinn.Clancy@gmail.com Phone: +1-226-505-6571 Twitter(X): https://x.com/AislinnClancyKC https://x.com/aislinn_clancy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AislinnClancyKC/ https://www.facebook.com/voteclancy2023/ https://www.facebook.com/aislinn.clancy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aislinnclancykc/ https://www.instagram.com/aislinnclancy/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aislinnclancy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aislinn-clancy-2b4bb51b8/ Reddit: … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Colleen James, Liberal candidate for Kitchener Centre Colleen James, Liberal candidate for Kitchener Centre, came to the CKMS-FM studio on Friday 21 February 2025 to talk to the voters. Party: Ontario Liberal Party Website: https://colleen-james.ca https://colleenjames.ontarioliberal.ca/ Email: hello@colleen-james.ca ColleenJames@ontarioliberal.ca Phone: +1-519-342-6509 +1-519-500-8220 Twitter(X): https://x.com/_colleenjames Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colleenjames4mpp https://www.facebook.com/people/Colleen-James-Political-Candidate-Region-of-Waterloo/100079580328645 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colleenjames4mpp/ https://www.instagram.com/councillorcolleen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleenjames01/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/colleenjames.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@councillorcolleen See all episodes. Podcast Download: meet-the-candidate-colleen-james-liberal-candidate-for-kitchener-centre.mp3, … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Christopher Nuhn, independent candidate for Kitchener Centre Christopher Nuhn, independent candidate for Kitchener Centre, talks to the voters. Party: Independent Website: https://wearethechange.ca/ https://votemate.org/c/11176?riding=2068 Email: votechrisnuhn@gmail.com chrisnuhn@gmail.com Phone: +1-226-600-6292 +1-519-804-5424 Twitter(X): https://x.com/eastmanblues Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573140781416 https://www.facebook.com/christopher.nuhn YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chrisnuhn6669 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-nuhn-6a5821328/ See all episodes. Podcast Download: meet-the-candidate-christopher-nuhn-independent-candidate-for-kitchener-centre.mp3, 22 MBytes. Subscribe to the podcast! Video YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Christopher Nuhn, independent candidate for Kitchener Centre … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Catherine Fife, NDP candidate for Waterloo Catherine Fife, NDP candidate for Waterloo, came into the CKMS-FM studio to talk to voters on Thursday 20 February 2025. Party: New Democratic Party of Ontario Website: https://catherinefife.ontariondp.ca/ Email: catherine.fife@ontariondp.ca Phone: +1-519-746-3025 Twitter(X): https://x.com/CFifeKW Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherinefifeNDP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waterloompp/ https://www.instagram.com/cfifekw/ https://www.instagram.com/catherinefife/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatherineFifeKW https://www.youtube.com/@CFifeKW LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-fife/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/waterloompp.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@waterloompp Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Fife See all episodes. Podcast … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Jessica Riley, Green Party candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler Jessica Riley, Green Party candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler, came into the CKMS-FM studio to talk to voters on Thursday 20 February 2025. She was accompanied by Shefaza Esmail, Green Party candidate for Waterloo. Party: Green Party of Ontario Website: https://www.riley4ksh.ca/ Email: jessica.s.riley@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KSHgreens LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicasriley/ See all episodes. Podcast Download: meet-the-candidate-jessica-riley-green-party-candidate-for-kitchener-south-hespeler.mp3, 23 … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Brooklin Wallis, NDP candidate for Kitchener Centre Brooklin Wallis, NDP candidate for Kitchener Centre, came into the CKMS-FM studio to talk to voters on Wednesday 19 February 2025. She was accompanied by her campaign manager, Alex Loop. Party: New Democratic Party of Ontario Website: http://votebrooklin.ca https://brooklinwallis.ca/ https://brooklinwallis.ontariondp.ca/ Email: brooklin.wallis@ontariondp.ca Phone: +1-416-591-8637 Twitter(X): https://x.com/BrooklinWR Facebook: https://facebook.com/brooklinwr Instagram: https://instagram.com/brooklinwr YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BrooklinWallis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooklinwr/ Reddit: … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Marjorie Knight, NDP candidate in Cambridge Marjorie Knight, NDP candidate for Cambridge, came into the CKMS-FM studio to talk to voters on Wednesday 19 February 2025. Party: New Democratic Party of Ontario Website: https://marjorieknight.ontariondp.ca/ https://cambridge.ontariopc.ca/ Email: marjorie.knight@ontariondp.ca Phone: +1-226-473-1001 Twitter(X): https://x.com/knightmjaknight Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarjorieKnightCambridge Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knightmja2021/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjorie-knight-579864304/ See all episodes. Podcast Download: meet-the-candidate-marjorie-knight-ndp-candidate-for-cambridge.mp3, 22 MBytes. Subscribe to the podcast! Video YouTube: … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Jeff Donkersgoed, candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler Jeff Donkersgoed, NDP candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler, came into the CKMS-FM studio on Tuesday 18 February 2025 to talk to the voters. Party: New Democratic Party of Ontario Website: https://jeffdonkersgoed.ontariondp.ca/ Email: jeff.donkersgoed@ontariondp.ca Phone: +1-416-591-8637 Twitter(X): https://x.com/jjdonkersgoed Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572122113473 https://www.facebook.com/jeff.donkersgoed.5 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donkersgoedjeff/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-donkersgoed-9bb5731b6/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@donkersgoedjeff See all episodes. Podcast Download: meet-the-candidate-jeff-donkersgoed-ndp-candidate-for-kitchener-south-hespeler.mp3, 22 MBytes. … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Jodi Szimanski, NDP candidate for Kitchener — Conestoga Jodi Szimanski, NDP candidate for Kitchener — Conestoga, came into the CKMS-FM studio on Tuesday 18 February 2025 to speak to the voters. Party: New Democratic Party of Ontario Website: https://jodiszimanski.ontariondp.ca/ Email: jodi.szimanski@ontariondp.ca Phone: +1-226-476-2063 Twitter(X): https://x.com/JodiSz Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jodiszimanskindpcandidate Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodiszimanski LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodiszimanski/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jodisz.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@jodiszi See all episodes. Podcast Download: meet-the-candidate-jodi-szimanski-ndp-candidate-for-kitchener-conestoga.mp3, 22 MBytes. … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Shefaza Esmail, Green Party candidate for Waterloo Shefaza Esmail, the Green Party candidate for Waterloo, came into the CKMS-FM studio on Friday 14 February 2025 to speak to the voters. She was joined by Jessica Riley, Green Party candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler. Party: Green Party of Ontario Website: https://www.shefaza.ca/ https://gpo.ca/candidate/shefaza-esmail/ Email: shefazaesmail@gpo.ca Twitter(X): https://x.com/shefazae Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shefaza.esmail Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shefazaforwaterloo/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shefaza-esmail-56b64031/ … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Clayton Moore, Liberal Party candidate for Waterloo Clayton Moore, the Liberal Party candidate for Waterloo, came into the CKMS-FM studio on Wednesday 12 February 2025 to speak to the voters. Party: Ontario Liberal Party Website: https://voteclayton.ca/ Email: info@voteclayton.ca Phone: +1-519-513-1062 Twitter(X): https://x.com/_ClaytonM Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Clayton-Moore/61571460842068/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voteforclayton/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@itsClaytonMoore Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/clayton-moore.bsky.social See all episodes. Podcast Download: meet-the-candidate-clayton-moore-liberal-party-candidate-for-waterloo.mp3, 22 MBytes. Subscribe to the podcast! … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate: Rob Deutschmann, Liberal Party candidate for Cambridge Rob Deutschmann, the Liberal Party candidate for Cambridge, came into the CKMS-FM studio on Tuesday 11 February 2025 to speak to the voters. Party: Ontario Liberal Party Website: https://www.robformpp.ca/ Email: info@robformpp.ca Phone: +1-548-889-5719 Twitter(X): https://x.com/Rob_for_MPP https://x.com/robdeutschmann Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.deutschmann.75 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rob_deutschmann/ https://www.instagram.com/robdeutschmann/ LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/robdeutschmann Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wrtownhalls.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@robdeutschmann See all episodes. Podcast Download: meet-the-candidate-rob-deutschmann-liberal-party-candidate-for-cambridge.mp3, 24 MBytes. … Continue reading →

Meet The Candidate – 2025 Provincial Election Meet The Candidate brings the candidates from Waterloo Region into the studio to present their party platform, the local issues they’ll tackle, the reasons they’re running, and maybe a personal glimpse into their life outside of politics. This is not an interview show, this is just the candidate, speaking directly to you, the voter. The … Continue reading →

See all previous episodes.

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The conversation, the podcast, and the show notes are Copyright © 2025 by the participants, and released under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You are free to use this material, as long as you provide credit and a link back to this page.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

CKMS Community Connections, Shows

CKMS Community Connections for 24 February 2025: Cooperate For Canada with Barbara Schumacher and Kae Elgie

25 February 2025 Bob Jonkman 1 Comment

Notes
Events
Podcast
Index

A woman with short red hair and a multi-coloured jacket sits at a microphone and smiles at the camera — Kae Elgie

Screenshot of a web conference: A woman with short hair wearing glasses and a grey jacket in a room with a bookshelf to the left and a door to the right. — Barbara Schumacher

Show Notes

Barbara Schumacher and Kae Elgie come into the studio to talk about Cooperate For Canada, vote splitting, approaching party leaders, riding associations, and candidates to combine their efforts, and making information available to voters to vote strategically.

The interview starts at 2m34s.

Online:

Website: https://cooperateforcanada.ca/
Bluesky: Cooperate For Canada (@coopr84canada.bsky.social) | Bluesky
Facebook: Cooperate For Canada (@Cooperate4Canada) | Facebook
Instagram: Cooperate For Canada(@cooperateforcanada) | Instagram
E-mail: info@cooperateforcanada.ca

Podcast

Download: ckms-community-connections-2025-02-24-episode184-cooperate-for-canada-with-barbara-schumacher-and-kae-elgie.mp3 (53 MBytes, 58m09s, episode 184)

Index

Time	Title	Album	Artist
0m00s	Theme for CKMS Community Connections ccc	CKMS Community Connections	Steve Todd
0m48s	Seven Bridges Road	Live @ Halo Studio	Eric Jackson & The Willow River Band
2m34s	Barbara Schumacher tells us about Cooperate For Canada, she is a co-founder with Isaiah Ritzmann; the concern was the rising prominence of federal right-wing politics. By March of 2024 there was a rumour of an early provincial election, so the group changed focus to that.
4m35s	Vote splitting is causing the wave of conservative electoral success with only 30% to 45% voter support, so the majority of voters voted against the conservatives, those being the Liberals, NDP, and Greens. But the centre-left parties are all pretty similar, the differences don’t matter all that much. How do we repesent the values of the centre left? We have to bring together the centre-left parties, to stop them splitting the vote. But having a proportional representation voting system is a better solution, overall. Barbara explains that our values aren’t represented, and the First Past The Post voting system only works in a two-party system, so they want to bring the parties together.
9m15s	Kae tells us how they are bringing the votes together. They’re using polling data from Canada 338They’re looking at ridings where the conservative candidate is in the lead, but the second-place party is close, and looking to merge the vote by asking the third and fourth place candidate to drop out. They’ve approached the party leaders, the riding associations, and the candidates.
12m15s	All of the Liberal, NDP, and Greens have electoral reform and proportional representation in their platforms. Even though some of these parties have promised an end to FPTP they’ve rescinded their promise once they’re elected. But if the Conservatives get elected we won’t get proportional representation for sure.
14m12s	Talking about coalition governments. “Coalition” has been a dirty word among Canadian voters, but Barbara and Kae are both hopeful. They see no way to address issues like the climate crisis any other way. These issues have to be addressed now, next election is too late. The current Conservative government is not looking after the people. Kae and Barbara believe there is enough coherence between the parties that they can form an effective coalition or a confidence agreement. They’ve been pleasantly surprised by the support they’ve received so far.
20m26s	I Don’t Have a Name	(YouTube)	Henry Taylor
24m30s	Cooperate For Canada has not been trying to get all the parties to cooperate; they’ve been accused of being a partisan group for being against the Conservatives. But if the Conservatives had progressive policies Cooperate For Canada wouldn’t be against them. It’s not just climate, but also health, education, safe consumption sites, homelessness, and using the Notwithstanding Clause to get their way.
27m57s	They’ve spoken to party leaders, riding associations, and candidates. They’ve not just asked candidates to withdraw, but to cooperate when they’re elected. All candidates they’ve spoken to have agreed. They’ll probably be doing this again in a federal election. But they haven’t targetted all ridings, not doing the “safe seat” ridings for Conservatives. Now their focus has shifted to the voters themselves. Encouraging voters to work with candidates not necessarily in their ridings to get the candidates in precarious ridings elected. They’ve had information tables at all-candidate meetings, they’re active on social media, they’re engaging writers to write Op-Eds in newspapers. Other organizations like Divest Waterloo and the Civic Hub have sent information about Cooperate For Canada. Grand River Watershed is one chapter of Cooperate for Canada.
34m34s	Bob remembers similar strategic voting campaigns, but saw no difference in the results in the voting results. Kae and Barbara agree that it’s a difficult process. Bob suggests infiltrating the Progressive Conservative party with progressive-minded people to influence their policies; Barbara sees that as a long-term strategy and there’s no time for that. Campaigning for proportional representation is happening at the same time, by many of the same people. In places with proportional representation politicians don’t attack each other, something that Canadians are really asking for. Barbara sees a need for a Cooperative Movement, not just to change the voting system but to address all the issues like climate, health, education. Parties tend to ratchet their policies to the right, it takes a new party on the left to make a change. Could the Greens be that party? Barb says people don’t vote Green because they think the Greens can’t win; a self-fulfilling prophesy.
43m26s	Living With Your Memory	(YouTube)	Natalia Valencia
46m53s	The results of Cooperate For Canada’s efforts in this provincial election will determine how they approach the upcoming federal election. They want to have a strong leader that can lead Canada through difficult times.
48m52s	Reviewing the Cooperate For Canada website, looking at the Ontario page. Reviewing the social media sites. People can join the movement by signing a letter on the website, or make a pledge to vote for the candidate most likely to defeat the Conservatives. Either will get people added to the C4C mailing list. There are no specific meetings or events planned for this election campaign. C4C is partnering with “Not One Seat” in Toronto, some of those volunteers have restarted their campaign in Toronto. “Music Ontario Votes” is having performances in certain ridings; after campaigning for the “unity candidate” they hold a concert.
58m07s	Thank yous, Goodbyes, and End Credits.

CKMS Community Connections Hour One airs on CKMS-FM 102.7 on Monday from 11:00am to Noon, and Hour Two airs alternate Fridays from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.

Got music, spoken word, or other interesting stuff? Let us know at ccc@radiowaterloo.ca or leave a comment on our “About” page.

Subscribe to the CKMS Community Connections podcast!

See all CKMS Community Connections shows!

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Provincial Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: James Schulz, Libertarian candidate for Waterloo

24 February 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

A bearded man wearing glasses, headphones, and a plaid shirt sits at a microphone. — James Schulz

James Schulz, Libertarian candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studio for Meet The Candidate on Monday, 24 February 2025 to talk to the voters.

Party: Ontario Libertarian Party
Website: https://libertarian.on.ca/candidates/james-schulz
Email: stephyandjamess@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572958871961 https://www.facebook.com/james.schulz.79
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/james.schulz.79/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@james.schulz.79

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: meet-the-candidate-james-schulz-libertarian-candidate-for-waterloo.mp3, 14 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: James Schulz, Libertarian candidate for Waterloo

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Provincial Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Aislinn Clancy, Green Party candidate for Kitchener Centre

24 February 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

A woman wearing a green coat, blue scarf, and headphones sits at a microphone. — Aislinn Clancy

Aislinn Clancy, Green Party candidate for Kitchener Centre came into the CKMS-FM studio for Meet The Candidate on Monday 24 February 2025 to talk to the voters.

Party: Green Party of Ontario
Website: https://www.voteclancy.ca/ https://gpo.ca/candidate/aislinn-clancy/
Email: voteclancy@gpo.ca Aislinn.Clancy@gmail.com
Phone: +1-226-505-6571
Twitter(X): https://x.com/AislinnClancyKC https://x.com/aislinn_clancy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AislinnClancyKC/ https://www.facebook.com/voteclancy2023/ https://www.facebook.com/aislinn.clancy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aislinnclancykc/ https://www.instagram.com/aislinnclancy/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aislinnclancy
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aislinn-clancy-2b4bb51b8/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/AislinnClancyKW/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aislinnclancyfork
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/aislinnclancy.bsky.social
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aislinn_Clancy

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: meet-the-candidate-aislinn-clancy-green-party-candidate-for-kitchener-centre.mp3, 22 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Aislinn Clancy, Green Party candidate for Kitchener Centre

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Provincial Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Colleen James, Liberal candidate for Kitchener Centre

21 February 2025 Bob Jonkman Leave a comment

A woman with black hair wearing black-rimmed glasses, a black jacket and a beige turtleneck sweater sits at a microphone. — Colleen James

Colleen James, Liberal candidate for Kitchener Centre, came to the CKMS-FM studio on Friday 21 February 2025 to talk to the voters.

Party: Ontario Liberal Party
Website: https://colleen-james.ca https://colleenjames.ontarioliberal.ca/
Email: hello@colleen-james.ca ColleenJames@ontarioliberal.ca
Phone: +1-519-342-6509 +1-519-500-8220
Twitter(X): https://x.com/_colleenjames
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colleenjames4mpp https://www.facebook.com/people/Colleen-James-Political-Candidate-Region-of-Waterloo/100079580328645
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colleenjames4mpp/ https://www.instagram.com/councillorcolleen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleenjames01/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/colleenjames.bsky.social
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@councillorcolleen

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: meet-the-candidate-colleen-james-liberal-candidate-for-kitchener-centre.mp3, 23 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Colleen James, Liberal candidate for Kitchener Centre

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Podcast

Video

Podcast

Video

Podcast

Video

Podcast

Video

Podcast

Video

Podcast

Video

Podcast

Video

Podcast

Video

Podcast

Video

Podcast

Video

Podcast

Video

Podcast

Video

Podcast

Video

Podcast

Video

Index

Election Night Broadcast

Podcast

Video

Recent Episodes

Show Notes

Online:

https://www.irishreallifekw.com/ Upcoming Events

Michael Darcy and the Atlantic Tramps w/The O’Deadlys

St. Patricks Day Ceili

Podcast

Index

Bonus Video

Podcast

Video

Recent Episodes

Show Notes

Online:

Podcast

Index

Podcast

Video

Podcast

Video

Podcast

Video

Community Radio in Waterloo Region

https://www.irishreallifekw.com/

Upcoming Events