The Region of Waterloo will finalize it’s 2021 budget this month. Calls from the community to reallocate funds from policing into more upstream services has led to, as one councillor declared, an unprecedented interest in the police budget this year.
This week’s Waterloo Region Weekly Round-up takes a look at how we got here, diving into police board discussions and delegations from community residents in support of reallocation of funds towards Indigenous and Black-led community initiatives.
—
This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
Check out the archived versions of this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.
You can follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca
Today’s episode has a few updates on local council and public meetings including the region’s recent public input budget session and Cambridge’s State of the City year in review video.
However, the majority of today’s show focuses on the issue of affordable housing. Given the recent approval of Kitchener’s Housing For All Strategy and both Waterloo and Kitchener proceeding with Inclusionary Zoning, I take a closer look at these policies and council decisions.
—
This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
Check out the archived versions of this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.
You can follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca
In the last few months, infographics on the 2020 Indian farmers’ protest have been circulating across social media, with little large scale media coverage on the issue. These are a series of ongoing protests against legislation passed by Parliament of India, led by Prime Minister Modi, in September 2020, which does away with the “mandis system”, which sets a minimum set price; this minimum set price allows for more predictable incomes for farmers, which is especially important when the impacts of climate change are already unraveling. Not only is the legislation being contested, but also the way it was pushed through, as there was no substantial consultation with the farmers unions.
These acts of farmers’ and workers’ resistance have been noted to be the largest protest in recorded history, with over 250 million farmers and workers across India going on strike against agricultural reform that leaves farmers at the mercy of corporations. For this segment, I will be in conversation with three community members:
Asha Virdee, a graduate from the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Environment, who has worked locally on farms;
Zabeen Khamisa, a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo studying socio-political movements through digital ethnography; and
Jodi Koberinski, member of the Waterloo Regional Food Systems Roundtable, and a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo, studying commodification, and how food commons are a mechanism to develop economic structures.
Together, they will consider the importance of these farmer strikes globally, and why we need to consider the parallels and relevant to Waterloo’s regional food system. These considerations touch ecological concerns, the interconnectedness of our food systems, and ultimately, why farmers rights are everyone’s rights.
If you’re interested in supporting these efforts, Asha Virdee has offered up the following organizations, which are linked below:
Khalsa Aid, an international NGO with the aim to providing humanitarian aid in disaster areas and civil conflict zones around the world.
United Sikhs, affiliated with the United Nations, is an international non-profit, non-governmental, humanitarian relief, human development and advocacy organization.
Sahaita.org, a non-profit organization committed to educating, supporting and uplifting the underprivileged members of society.
—
This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
Check out the archived versions of this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.
You can follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca.
Music for this episode was courtesy of Dylan Prowse.
Adapting, evolving, and bringing attention to the importance of rebuilding, Member of Provincial Parliament Laura Mae Lindo, representing Kitchener Centre as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party, spoke to key moments in 2020.
She speaks to the year’s accomplishments for her office, including forwarding Bill 196, Seniors’ Advocate Act, 2020, which would move to establish a seniors’ advocate as an independent, non-partisan officer of the Ontario legislature, “fueled by the amazing work of frontline healthcare workers… and on a personal note… how important it is to me to care for our elders, who brought us everything, are holders of such wisdom”.
Laura Mae is also proud of the End Police Violence policy paper, the importance of which was echoed by the marching of over 20 thousand community members in support for the movement for Black lives. Laura Mae notes the challenges with navigating the pandemic as a new politician, reflecting on key turning points for Kitchener-Centre, including how the pandemic has allowed for emergent conversations around equity, particularly anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism.
Her message to constituents includes reflecting on how we may have grown through this year, and to build gratefulness amongst the chaos.
From the Office of Laura Mae Lindo, MPP Kitchener Centre:
“Laura Mae Lindo, Member of Provincial Parliament for Kitchener Centre, is a respected activist and educator who holds both a Masters and PhD in Education. Her commitment to building inclusive communities both within and outside of educational environments is grounded in her knowledge of how to put anti-oppression theories into practice.
Laura Mae is a knowledgeable advocate for the rights of women and girls, a respected ally to marginalized community members, and, most importantly, a courageous public speaker on issues often left unaddressed in the mainstream. Laura Mae is the Official Opposition Critic for Anti-Racism, and Citizenship and Immigration.
The Leader of the Official Opposition appointed her as Chair of Official Opposition’s first Black Caucus, to collaborate with Black communities and allies to address systemic anti-Black racism in Ontario.”
—
This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
Check out the archived versions of this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.
You can follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca.
Music for this episode was courtesy of Dylan Prowse.
On this week’s show I start with the discussion Wilmot council is once again having regarding Wilmot Mayor Les Armstrong’s Facebook Post that suggested that the Black Lives Matter movement is a hoax.
I’ll share details about that meeting and Council’s reaction to the Integrity Commissioner’s report based on his actions. Kitchener is one step closer to having a downtown cycling grid and I’ll outline some highlights from that committee discussion.
Lastly, I’ll dive into the details of Waterloo council’s recent decisions on equity, diversity, and anti-racism initiatives.
—
This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
Check out the archived versions of this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.
You can follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca
December 17 is the International day to end violence against sex workers. If things were normal, on that day Kitchener and Waterloo would be painted in red, with sex workers and advocates coming together, carrying red umbrellas, a symbol for sex workers rights.
Those rights are in danger even in the best of times, and during pandemic, things went through the roof.
We’re talking with Amy Venner of ACCKWA – The AIDS Committee Of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo & Area, who is also a co-chair of SWAN – Sex Workers Action Network of Waterloo Region (@SWAN_Waterloo).
To follow along with the International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers on social media networks – use #IDEVASW
—
This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
Check out the archived versions of this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news. You can follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. And you can email news@radiowaterloo.ca to get in touch with comments or ideas about stories to cover.
The music was Blackroom by Moby, courtesy of mobygratis.com
It’s city budget season and we’ll kick that off by taking a look at Kitchener’s preliminary budget which includes a rather passionate discussion around whether to try to get the proposed 1.1% tax increase down to 0%.
We’ll also discuss the Region’s recent decision to close its 5 regionally-operated child care centres in 2021, resulting in the loss of over 200 existing child care spaces as well as the equivalent of 62 full time positions.
Lastly, we’ll look at some other stories worth keeping an eye on, including the Integrity Commissioner’s recent announcement regarding Wilmot mayor Les Armstrong’s Facebook post earlier this year.
—
This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
Check out the archived versions of this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.
You can follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca
In today’s segment we will look at some proposed provincial regulations that could have a huge impact on the Grand River Conservation Authority and our watershed and what Regional Council’s response is to those proposed changes. We’ll discuss what’s happening with the proposed police budget amid calls for reallocation as we dive into November’s police board meeting. And finally, we’ll learn a bit more about Cambridge Council’s recent decision about a Consumption and Treatment Services site in Cambridge.
—
This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
Check out the archived versions of this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.
You can follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca.
On the centenary of the first-ever exhibition of the Group of Seven painters, KWAG is premiering Deanna Bowen’s “Black Drones in the Hive” as the cornerstone of fall programming. This curatorial choice serves to break up with the narrative that the Group of Seven has served around terra nullius, and bring visibility to the narratives and intersections between Indigenous, Black, and settler stories.
This interview serves as part two of two with Crystal Mowry, senior curator at the Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery, uncovering Deanna Bowen’s “Black Drones in the Hive”. In part two, Crystal will dive into some of the curatorial choices that bring the exhibit to life, the unlikely patternicity that links some of Kitchener’s historical characters to themes in the exhibit, and the evolving role of art spaces in supporting collective movements beyond the gallery.
Black Drones in the Hive is on view at KWAG until 28 February 2021.
—
This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
Check out the archived versions of this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.
You can follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca.
Music for this episode was courtesy of Dylan Prowse.
On the centenary of the first-ever exhibition of the Group of Seven painters, the Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery (KWAG) is premiering Deanna Bowen’s “Black Drones in the Hive” as the cornerstone of fall programming. This curatorial choice serves to break up with the narrative that the Group of Seven has served around terra nullius, and bring visibility to the narratives and intersections between Indigenous, Black, and settler stories.
This interview serves as part one of two with Crystal Mowry, senior curator at the Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery, uncovering Deanna Bowen’s “Black Drones in the Hive”. In part one, Crystal will talk about her role as a curator slash co-conspirator, share some of the themes of this timely exhibit, and reveal some behind the scenes stories that illustrate the journey of bringing these works together.
You can learn more about the exhibit from the artist herself, on Nov 26. KWAG is hosting Montreal-based artist Deanna Bowen discussing her solo exhibition, Black Drones in the Hive, in conversation with Crystal Mowry herself.
Black Drones in the Hive is on view at KWAG until 28 February 2021.
—
This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
Check out the archived versions of this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.
You can follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca.
Music for this episode was courtesy of Dylan Prowse.
As the Waterloo Region’s Police board is discussing the next police budget, Radio Waterloo sat with Dr. Kathy Hoghart, an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work in University of Waterloo, and former advisor to police chief Brian Larkin, on issues of race.
The discussion covers the widespread calls to reallocate police budget money into other services that can more competently do the work the police have been tasked with, and issues of systemic racism within the WRPS and policing generally.
In the last few months the police board received several reports that clearly show the police bias against black and indigenous people. While board members were surprised by those reports, Dr. Hoghart wasn’t surprised at all.
— This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
Check out the archived versions of this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news. You can follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. And you can email news@radiowaterloo.ca to get in touch with comments or ideas about stories to cover.
The music was Blackroom by Moby, courtesy of mobygratis.com
Since June 21, 2020 a number of indigenous people, sick of Kitchener and Waterloo charging them large amounts of money to gather in their traditional places, having to get permits and seek permission to gather on their traditional land, occupied a part of Victoria Park in Kitchener, a land reclamation known as “Land Back Camp” or O:se Kenhionhata:tie
They are demanding four things: to waive all fees for the Indigenous communities to host events in public spaces, to give back the land in Victoria Park and Waterloo Park, that the cities create paid positions at all levels for engaging with Indigenous Peoples, and that the cities create Indigenous Advisory Committees to address racial injustice.
Shawn Johnston and Amy Smoke. Photo: Ivan Angelovski
After more than 17 weeks of protest, they managed to resolve the fees problem and on Monday October 19, the city of Kitchener will be voting on establishing a team dedicated to addressing social justice issues, including Indigenous initiatives.
But that’s not going to resolve all the problems Indigenous peoples face in Waterloo Region.
On this episode we speak with Amy Smoke and Shawn Johnston from the Land Back Camp.
— This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
Check out the archived versions of this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news. You can follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. And you can email news@radiowaterloo.ca to get in touch with comments or ideas about stories to cover.
The music was Blackroom by Moby, courtesy of mobygratis.com
Black Lives Matter of Waterloo Region, along with other Black and African organizations in the Region, started a petition for the police to drop the charges against Irene Ekweozoh, a Waterloo based PhD candidate in law.
Ekweozoh was arrested on September 20th, after problems with her White neighbour in their apartment building.
The issues began in February, when, according to Ekweozoh and the police report, after an argument, her neighbour unleashed a dog on her and her 13 year old daughter. The police told Ekweozoh that charges were not warranted against her neighbour in that incident.
In this episode you will hear from: Irene Ekweozoh, PhD student targeted for arrest by Waterloo regional police, Fanis Juma an organizer with Black Lives Matter of Waterloo Region, Tapiwa Jabhama from the African Canadian Association, as well as Fidelia Otokhina and Promise O Williams from the Nigerians in the Region of Waterloo.
In a statement from the regional police service’s public relations department it was noted that “anyone with concerns about police conduct or professionalism can call to speak to a supervisor to relay their concerns or issue a formal complaint at 519-570-9777 (WRPS). Complaints about police conduct can also be filed with the Ontario Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) here:www.oiprd.on.ca.”
— This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
Check out the archived versions of this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news. You can follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. And you can email news@radiowaterloo.ca to get in touch with comments or ideas about stories to cover.
The music was Blackroom by Moby, courtesy of mobygratis.com
In June this year, tens of thousands of people marched the streets of Kitchener in support for the Black Lives Matter movement, asking for change. Their most important demand was to defund the police.
With similar calls across Canada that were unsuccessful, what will happen with the police budget in Waterloo region?
In this episode we talk with Teneile Warren, local organiser and anti-racism activist, and Karen Redman, Regional Chair and chair of the Waterloo Region Police Service board.
— This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
Early September the federal government announced investments of up to 221 million dollars to help Black-owned businesses.
But even before that, Black-owned businesses in Waterloo region have organized to help themselves.
Marc Lafleur is co-founder and the CEO of the Kitchener based TruLocal, a company that connects people with local farmers and provides them with locally-sourced meat products.
After Black Lives Matter protests in Canada early June, TruLocal organized what they called Equal opportunity grant, giving $5,000 to select Black-owned businesses.
The idea, as Marc Lafleur says, was to equal the playing field.
— This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
On May 27, 2020, in the High Park neighbourhood in Toronto, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a 29-year-old black-indigenous woman, ended up dead after an encounter with Toronto police. The police were originally called by her mother to try to de-escalate an unsafe mental health situation.
All of this is under several investigations, so I’m very careful with words.
One of those investigations – the one by the Special Investigations Unit, the SIU – unit that’s supposed to investigate police misconduct in Ontario, cleared all the police officers that were at the scene.
The decision sparked a new set of anti-racism protests across Canada, a series of protests started after the murder of George Floyd in the States.
Whatever the truth is, and probably only people who were in that apartment know what it is, the case goes to the list of cases in which people with mental problems ended up dead after coming across police officers in Ontario, like Ejaz Choudry, Ian Pryce, and Andrew Loku, among others.
In Toronto, an organization Doctors for defunding police started a petition, now signed by 622 Canadian doctors and health professionals, warning that policing in this country is a public health crisis and calling for a change on how this society is reacting to mental health, and other issues.
In this program, we’re talking with doctor Suzanne Shoush and medical student Semir Bulle, from the University of Toronto who started the organization.
White text in all capitals on a black background reading “Wellness checks should never be a death sentence.” @drsdefundpolice”. Image courtesy of Doctors For Defunding Polcie
— This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
UPDATE: The encampment at Victoria and Weber has been dismantled. The residents did not find a suitable arrangement that could house all of them.
This half hour examines the Waterloo Region Council meeting on August 11 where housing advocates commented on the Region’s new men’s shelter plan and presented some of the homeless and unsheltered communities’ biggest challenges. Then we speak with Lesley Crompton, a local anti-homelessness advocate for a more in-depth analysis of the issues raised at the meeting.
At the recent Waterloo Regional Council meeting, Council approved two dorm-style shelters with 24-hour access and supports in an unusually long meeting during which Region staff presented the Emergency Shelter Planning Update followed by short presentations by five housing advocates.
Each speaker advocated for specific areas of need in the unsheltered communities and the shelter system. This included
*stressing the need for more transition housing and more permanent affordable housing; decriminalizing homelessness;
*considering a human rights approach to obtaining zero homelessness;
*lowering specific barriers and reforming shelters generally in partnership with a variety of communities, including the homeless themselves; and
*providing basic amenities, such as water and sanitation for encampments and more Lot42-style housing communities.
Each delegate agreed that more spaces need to be made available and more work needs to be done to get people into permanent housing.
This episode begins with a chat with Jeff Willmer who gives us an update on the “A Better Tent City” project at Lot42 in Kitchener.
The second half of the show is a story about a recent eviction from an emergency shelter. In the last week of July, during which the province of Ontario continued an emergency order due to the COVID-19 crisis, Monica Place in Cambridge gave a young single mother, Emma, and her one-year-old child 48 hours notice to move off their premises with little explanation. The unusual move was precipitated by a post on a local Facebook group page, in which a woman asserted that Emma left her child in 35-degree heat while she was smoking. Emma maintains the child was not in danger, she was not acting in anyway illegally or neglectfully. When contacted, Monica House confirmed the eviction but would not comment further.
— This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
This week we continue to examine the impact of the corona virus on homeless people and drug users. This show is the second of three shows examining this problem from different perspectives.
Today’s show we will talk to two front line workers about the impact the corona virus has on poor people and drug users, including migrant workers.
Don La Casse is a local advocate with ACCKWA, (Aids Committee of Cambridge Kitchener Waterloo Area) who has been organizing for more than 5 years in Kitchener. His activism ranges from Tent Cities outreach, to needles exchange and peer support for drug users.
Following Don we will hear from Louisa Sunshine who has helped organize the last three tent cities in Kitchener and is also part of Migrant workers Centre which defends the rights of migrants in Ontario and Quebec she will talk about the drug problem in the migrant community as well as the impact COVID has had on migrant rights and migrant drug users.
In both of these interviews the impact of the corona virus on poor people and drug users is discussed from the perspective of front line workers. In the next installment of this 3 part series interview we will talk to drug users themselves.
This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
On today’s show we will examine the importance of overdose prevention day which is June 30th. This year the issue pushed is the issue of Safe supply.
Today’s show we will talk with Jon Stone about overdose prevention and safe supply.
Jon Stone was active in all three tent cities in Kitchener over the last three years as well as the unsanctioned safe injection site. Last years Tent City practiced Safe Supply by distributing safe narcotics to addicts so that they can be safe using and participating. He is also part of Revolutionary Student Movement.
This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
With the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) program introduced to help people who lost their jobs due to COVID-19, a lot of people started to talk about whether Canada would need such a program if there was already a Universal Basic Income in place for people getting exactly into that situation.
Radio Waterloo recently published a story on Kitchener council’s initiative to urge the provincial and federal government to start talking about universal basic income (https://radiowaterloo.ca/ckms-news-2020-06-04/). In that story we aired a short excerpt from the interview with Hugh Segal, former senator who designed the Ontario Basic Income Pilot Project and who recently published a book called Bootstraps Need Boots, One Tory’s Lonely Fight to End Poverty in Canada.
Now we’re airing the entire interview with Mr. Segal explaining the thought process behind the Pilot, the benefits of universal basic income, and why he feels lonely in his fight to end poverty in this country.
On June 3rd 2020, 11,000 people gathered in Kitchener for the KW Solidarity March for Black Lives Matter. Demonstrators demanded justice for for Regis Korchinski-Paquet, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade, and so many other Black and Indigenous people killed by police in Canada, the US, and around the world. The demonstrators also demanded a defunding of the regional police force and an end to police officers in schools and “community policing” programs.
In this episode, you’ll hear the voices of Black people who marched, speaking about being Black in Canada.
You’ll also hear from, Selam Debs, Funke Oba from African Canadian Association, Fanis Juma, from Black Lives Matter KW, Laura Mae Lindo, MPP for Kitchener Center, Lannois Carrol-Woolery of The Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region and Ruth Cameron from The AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and Area, who spoke at the rally.
This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
On May 11 Kitchener city council endorsed a motion, proposed by councillor Bil Ioannidis, urging the provincial and federal government to start talking about universal basic income. The proposal passed with 8 to 3 which means it’s now an official document of the city of Kitchener.
Universal Basic Income in Canada has been periodically piloted since the 1960’s and the last attempt with it was in 2018, with The Ontario Basic Income Pilot during the provincial government of Kathleen Wynne.
The goal was to test whether UBI is a better way of providing social assistance to those who need it, and four thousand people from Brantford, Thunder Bay, Lindsay and Hamilton volunteered to participate in the pilot.
It didn’t end well.
In this episode, we talk with councillor Bil Ioannidis, who proposed the motion, Jessie Golem and Jodi Dean, UBI pilot participants from Hamilton, and Hugh Segal, a conservative political strategist, former senator, former Chief of Staff to Ontario Premier Bill Davis and later to Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney who designed the pilot.
— This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
This show will examine the impact of the corona virus on homeless people and drug users. This show will be the first of three shows examining this problem from different perspectives.
Today’s show we will talk to two street activists about the impact the corona virus has on poor people and drug users.
Ivan Stoicovic is a local organizer who has been organizing for more than 30 years in Kitchener, Toronto, and Kingston. His activism ranges from Tent Cities, to stopping the war in Yugoslavia in 1998 and he has been very vocal on the issues of poverty and homelessness working with groups ranging from OCAP, KCAP, Kitchener Tent city Coordinating committee and other anti poverty organizations to anti imperialist groups such as the Kitchener Canada Cuba Friendship organization to the Hugo Chavez Peoples Defense Brigade.
Following Ivan, we will hear from Jonathan Stone who has helped organize the last three tent cities in Kitchener and is also a member of the Revolutionary student Movement.
In both of these interviews the impact of the corona virus on poor people and drug users is discussed from the perspective of organisers impacted people.
My next episode will share some experiences and perspectives from health care workers, and in the third part of this miniseries we will hear from drug users.
This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
With the Centers for Disease Control and every news outlet, companies and some of your favourite celebrities encouraging you to stay home and practice social distancing in order to flatten the curve, I can’t help but wonder about those who aren’t so lucky. What about those who have no home to isolate in?
In this episode of CKMS News we will be exploring how volunteers, organizers and other essential workers at our local shelters are coping during this pandemic. I will speak to Elizabeth Clarke, the CEO of YW Kitchener Waterloo on what it’s like running a 24-hour shelter in the midst of a pandemic. She talks about the challenges she and her colleges as well as forging a new path made necessary by the pandemic.
I will also speak to Suzi Gursoy, a homeless activist in the Waterloo Region. Her outspokenness for the rights and wellbeing of the homeless community is not just her passion but also a reflection of her past. For many years Gursoy went without a permanent home. In this episode, she talks about her concerns for the homeless community and what challenges they face due to the lack of help, systems, and facilities.
For more information about YW Kitchener Waterloo, visit their website: https://ywkw.ca/
This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
