Due to technical difficulties, the #Fediverse integration on this website is currently deactivated.
Hi Programmers! As you may have read in the news, Canada’s Online News Act was made into law this summer. In short, it requires online platforms to pay news organizations for displaying links to their news stories. The law and its regulations are worded so that it only applies to Google and Meta (Facebook and Instagram). Paying to display links was never in Google’s and Meta’s business model, so in compliance with the law Facebook and Instagram have stopped displaying links to news stories, and are no longer displaying the pages and accounts of news organizations, including those of Radio Waterloo. We’ve lost all the engagement with our community on Facebook and Instagram. We can still make posts and do live videos, but nobody in Canada can see them 1 .
On the bright side, Radio Waterloo is a big enough news organization to be recognized by Facebook and Instagram!
For entirely different reasons, Radio Waterloo is no longer getting any engagement on Twitter either. Twitter (now calling itself “X‑Corp”) has restricted tweets to logged-in users only, so they’re no longer publicly visible. The Twitter analytics show @RadioWaterloo is getting only a handful of views per month, compared to hundreds before the summer. And lately, the conversations on Twitter have become toxic, and are no longer compatible with our Statement of Principles.
Radio Waterloo will continue to explore ways to for us to navigate the dominant social media sites, but in the meantime…
The Fediverse to the rescue!
So, what can we do? We can find ourselves a social media platform that doesn’t depend on large corporations only looking out for their bottom line. And that’s The Fediverse!
The Fediverse started as a single social media site in the summer of 2008, “StatusNet”, created by Canadian entrepreneur Evan Prodromou. The StatusNet software was installed by hundreds of individuals and networked together to be come one Federated Universe. Today there is specialized Fediverse software that works like Twitter (Mastodon or Pleroma), Facebook (Friendica), Instagram (Pixelfed), and many more, and each has hundreds of instances (servers). And because they’re federated,they all communicate with each other, so you can see Friendica posts on Mastodon, Mastodon “toots” on Pixelfed, and Pixelfed images on Friendica.
This Radio Waterloo blog is joining the Fediverse!
Starting today, any posts you make on the Radio Waterloo blog can be seen in the Fediverse. If you already have an account in the Fediverse, follow @radiowaterloo.ca@radiowaterloo.ca (yes, that’s two “@”s, two “radiowaterloo”s, and two “.ca”s).
People can also follow individual authors on the blog with @username@radiowaterloo.ca — check out our Authors Page for your Fediverse handle. Everyone who’s posted their music list, show notes, or podcast audio file is there. If you don’t like your “Bio” paragraph or your show logo, then log into the Radio Waterloo blog and change it! You can’t change your Fediverse handle yet, but that’s coming.
All posts on https://radiowaterloo.ca/ will go to your subscribers in the Fediverse, and any replies they make will show up in the comments on the post. But people can’t contact you directly from the Fediverse unless they reply — direct messages don’t work (yet). For full two-way communication you’ll need an account in the Fediverse. Here are some places where you can sign up for an account:
If you have any questions or need help posting on the Radio Waterloo blog, please join our weekly training session, online every Sunday at 8:30pm at https://radiowaterloo.ca/progcom.
Footnote 1: Sometimes people can see the content on Instagram, sometimes they can’t. Some days I receive messages from Instagram that “Nobody in Canada can see your content”, some days I don’t. People have told me their “@ckms102.7fm” mentions aren’t links. And, of course, engagement has dropped to close to zero…
Every time a car drives past I think it’s you Every time somebody laughs I think it’s you You changed your number and my phonebook’s such a mess But I can’t bear to cross your name out yet Each time the doorbell rings it might be you Each letter the postman brings might be from you
This episode we go to the movies for a little bit, then go crazy!! The first half or so of the show features songs that were featured in movies, then we play some heavier songs before winding back down into the nighttime.
Girlfriend is Better – Talking Heads
White Lines – Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
After broadcast on SoundCloud [https://soundcloud.com/user-163878073/sets/quinte-jazz]
Alterlift Traces Of Strength SINGLE 2023 ipluggers.com/alterliftofficial Gil featuring Darren Rahn 405 Single 2023 www.gilsings.com Ultrablue Maria In Blue SINGLE 2023 www.ultrabluejazz.com David Garfield featuring Michael Lington Caludia www.creatchy.com Carmen Spada Lullaby COMMON GROUND www.carmenspada.com Von Stupart Harlem Underground ON MY WAY 2023 www.vonstupartmusic.com Skunk Baxter My Place In The Sun SPEED OF HEAT 2023 www.jeffskunkbaxter.com Jill Barber If It Weren’t For Loving You MISCHIEVOUS MOON 2021 www.jillbarber.com/home Bellbird Bluff ROOT IN TANDEN 2023 www.rhythmchanges.ca/bellbird-root-in-tandem Takosa Swan Senses SINGLE 2023 takoshaswansmusic.com Mahavishna Orchestra A Lotus On Irish Streams RHW INNER MOUNTIN FLAME 2007 http://www.loudersound.com/…/the-story-of-the… Gonzalo Rubalcaba Take Five BORROWED ROSES 2023 Rafal Summer Night SINGLE 2023 ipluggers.com/rafal
On June 20th, 2020, O:se Kenhionhata:tie, also known as Land Back Camp, was originally launched by Amy Smoke, Bangishimo, and Terre Chartrand in what was known as Victoria Park in Kitchener. The camp quickly became a hub of activity and it was quickly observed that “most of the young people at the camp were also Two Spirit, queer, trans, and/or non-binary. Land Back Camp had become an Indigenous queer and trans space for young people to reconnect and learn about their Indigeneity”.
Fast forward through an intentionally short-lived land reclamation in Waterloo Park in the fall of 2020, a collaboration with the Grand River Conservation authority in 2021 to have the camp set up in the Laurel Creek Conservation area, the work with the tent encampments through 2022 and 2023, ongoing work with the local governments around supporting Indigenous spaces, and now with the opening of a new centre for “Indigenous, Black, and other racialised two-spirit and Indigiqueer youth”, Land Back Camp organisers have been busy.
This show features an interview with Amy Smoke, who along with her friend Bangishimo, is set to coordinate the activities at the new Willow River Centre in downtown Kitchener once it opens on October 7th.
Amy spoke of the goals and of the importance of the centre, the youth she hopes the centre will serve, and a bit of the process in getting to this point.
Smoke also discusses recent targeting of the centre, by an individual who used to participate in Land Back Camp, and the impact the action has had on Indigenous, Black, and other racialised communities, and two-spirited and queer communities. The police became involved in the situation after the vandalism was reported, and after arranging to turn himself in, the perpetrator of the chalking was charged with:
Mischief to Religious Property under $5,000
Criminal Harassment
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime under $5,000.
The man was released on his own recognizance and will be in court October 26th at 9am
CKMS News has been in contact with the man, a self described “former ally” who had a falling out with others at Land Back Camp, including Amy Smoke and Bangishimo. The man defended his actions as acts to bring accountability to what he says were misappropriated funds stemming from several fundraising campaigns that Land Back Camp has received. One message he chalked read “Ose:Kenhionhata:tie didn’t take Land Back! They took money from white guilt”. In his communications on social media, and with CKMS News the man also described interpersonal conflicts and behaviors he did not condone or felt were inconsistent as additional motivations for his acts. However, with many of the details being unclear or speculative in nature and with the personal attacks on Land Back Camp participants, CKMS News did not find it appropriate or in the public interest to publish the full communication.
Smoke, clearly frustrated and angry about the situation, said of the man “They need an intervention, they need some help. They’re no okay”
The interview moves back to positive things around the centre with Smoke inviting folks to the opening ceremonies at the Willow River Centre on October 7th from 9am-2pm “but probably later”. The address is 243 King St E, near the Kitchener Farmers Market.
Smoke concludes by encouraging folks to check out the many events happening around the National for Truth and Reconciliation.
Kitchener, ON – As the Greenbelt situation continues to evolve, CKMS news again spoke with Kevin Thomason of the Grand River Environmental Network, and a local campaigner on a handful of campaigns to protect the Grand River watershed and the Waterloo moraine. For quite a while now Kevin has been organizing against Ontario’s conservative government’s plans to develop the ecologically important lands of the protected Greenbelt.
First, however, some recent background. As our last interview with Kevin was set to air on September 21st, Doug Ford announced he would be reversing the Greenbelt land deals saying “I am very, very sorry… it was a mistake to open the Greenbelt.” He added his actions were “with the best of intentions”, and that he “prides himself on keeping his promises”. With the 2018 promises to never develop the Green Belt, in mind, Ford once again promised to “won’t make any changes to the green belt in the future”.
After Ford admitted his governments’ mistakes, the conservative premiere suggested that developers may need to be compensated. However, on September 27th, and right after this interview with Kevin Thomason was completed, new minister of municipal affairs and housing minister Paul Calandra announced that developers will not be compensated for the reversal of the Ford governments Greenbelt decision. Thomason had said that developers do not have a special “right to develop”, and that land speculation and profit making are not protected acts. For now, it would seem, the Ford government agrees with Thomason.
Immediately after Calandra was named minister on September 4th, he announced that the greenbelt development plans were going ahead, and that any reviews may lead to more greenbelt land being taken for housing developments. On September 25th, the NDP tabled the “Green Belt Protection Act” which the conservatives voted down at first reading. Calandra said the conservatives will table better legislation that will “codify” Greenbelt boundaries. All these major turnabouts in policy and the handful of resignations in the past months in the conservative government only reinforce what NPD leader Marit Stiles told Allison Jones of the Canadian Press “I don’t trust this government at all to fix a mess of their own making”.
In this interview Kevin Thomason maintains his position that despite the conservative’s recent reversal on the development of the greenbelt, the Ford government is “corrupt”. Arguing that the Greenbelt was not the only area where Ford is attempting to take develop ecologically important lands under the guise of the housing crisis, and “given it to developers”, noting that “the RCMP do not investigate favouritism, they investigate crime”.
Kevin also spoke of the ongoing resistance to Doug Ford’s plans, including highway 413 construction, highway 7 expansion, forcing housing sprawl over other ecologically important lands with ministerial zoning orders, and other patterns of behaviour from the Ford government which “are not serving the best interest of Ontarians”.
These problematic patterns are an issue Phil Pothen, the Ontario Environment Program Manager of the environmental advocacy organisation Environmental Defense, has also discussed. As Phil said in a September 21st press release:
“While we welcome Premier Ford’s full reversal of the inappropriate removals of Greenbelt lands, the Ontario government’s $8.3 billion gift to developers represented just the most visible part of a dishonest and counterproductive push for sprawl that will only worsen Ontario’s housing shortage. To clean up what remains of the Ontario government’s land use and environmental mess, including Highway 413, it is essential to strengthen Greenbelt protections to ensure future government’s can’t try this again.”
Pothen continued: “We hope this change marks the beginning of a broader shift away from the government’s current misguided policies, including: forced boundary expansions in Hamilton and Halton, Waterloo and elsewhere; its lowering of Growth Plan density requirements; its gutting of Conservation Authorities; and its dismantling of regional land use planning. These damaging decisions, along with attempts to repeal laws which promote efficient land use and construction, must also be reversed.”
In a statement to CKMS News on September 13th, days before Ford’s Greenbelt reversal announcement, Kitchener-Conestoga PC MPP Mike Harris Jr. said that he supported Ford’s direction, writing that the conservative government will continue with their plan to build homes on “non-sensitive” Green Belt lands claiming this was “requested by many municipalities”. Harris concluded: “I want to emphasize that, under the continued leadership of our Premier, our Government will prioritize addressing the housing crisis.”
Following Ford’s greenbelt reversal announcement on the 21st, MPP Harris, responded to CKMS News with a statement regarding the quick policy changes from his government, saying: “After extensive consultations with cabinet, caucus and upon reviewing the public’s response, the Premier decided that the Greenbelt would be preserved.”
Harris added that the government will maintain the protection on the lands they had added to the Greenbelt to compensate for the lands they removed and that “As the process of reversing the decision is complex, more information will be released as it becomes available.”
CKMS News has asked MPP Harris about the corruption allegations and the criminal investigation but did not receive a response by the time of publication. CKMS will continue to provide updates to this ongoing story.
Baxton Brothers Forever Together SINGLE 2023 www.thebraxtonbrothers.com Sherry Winston Spice Island SINGLE 2023 sherrywinston.com Keith “Kool K” Wilson She’s Like That SINGLE 2023 www.koolkentertainment.com/bio Jonny Tobin & Zabrina Winter Lover TOGETHER 2020 www.jonnytobin.com Ben Winkelman Heartbeat HEARTBEAT 2023 www.benwinkelman.com Carlos Henriquez Latin Gemini A NUYORICIAN TALE 2023 www.carloshenriquezmusic.com Laila Biali Blame It On My Youth YOUR REQUESTS 2023 lailabiali.com/bio BlankFor.ms Jason Moran Marcus Gilmore Stir REFRACT 2023 https://lydialiebman.com/…/blankfor-ms-jason-moran-and… Manoir Get Back To Me SINGLE 2023 Sting Russians THE DREAM OF THE BLUE TURTLES 1985 www.sting.com Andrew Rathbun Widen The Doorway THE SPEED OF TIME 2023 www.andrewrathbun.com Bryard Huggins Noho Talk SINGLE 2023 www.bryardhuggins.com Dee Brown The Thing IS SINGLE 2023 deebrownjazz.com
Another (Wednes)day, another episode of Through the Static! Leaping between classic era-defining tunes, chill late-night indie, and tracks that leave you a bit concerned, there’s something for everyone!
After broadcast on SoundCloud [https://soundcloud.com/user-163878073/sets/quinte-jazz]
Justin Young Forever Yours SINGLE 2023 www.justinyoungsax.com Rubim de Toledo feat. Karimah Rhythm Chante THE DRIP 2023 www.rubim.com Marcus Anderson Care For You SINGLE 2023 marcusanderson.net Jay Danley Black Cherry ROBICHEAUX 2023 http://www.allaboutjazz.com/robicheaux-jay-danley-jay… Bob Baldwin All My Life B POSITIVE 2022 www.bobbaldwin.com Aylssa Giammaria The Only Part IN TIME 2023 alyssagiammaria.com/about Lucas Pino New Girl COVERS 2023 www.lucaspino.comNick Stefanacci Mirrors SINGLE 2023 www.nickstefanaccimusic.com Jazz Holdouts Ya Never Know SINGLE 2023 www.jazzholdoutsmusic.com Marc Copland Quartet Nardis SOMEDAY 2023 www.marccopland.com Jonny Tobin Lilacs and Lavander TOGETHER 2022 www.jonnytobin.com Pete Calandra Bleeker Street SINGLE 2023 www.petecalandramusic.com/bio
This segment is on Renoviction and the work of locals, who step up and beyond for community welfare. We will follow progress as well via CKMS Community Connections [CCC]. Kudos to Regional Councillor, Robert Deutschmann. And thanks very much Megan!
Today show features an interview with Kevin Thomason of the Grand River Environmental Network, who is working on a handful of campaigns to protect the Grand River watershed and the Waterloo moraine, and for quite a while now organising against Ontario’s conservative government’s plans to develop the ecologically important lands of the protected “Green Belt”.
Thomason spoke of the ongoing resistance to Doug Ford’s attempts to take land out of the green belt under the guise of the housing crisis, and “giving it to developers”. Calling the government “corrupt”, Thomason called for Doug Ford to “do the right job or get out of the way”. Kevin also shared hope for a better future saying “we have to succeed, or future survival depends on it”.
In a recent statement to CKMS News Kitchener-Conestoga PC MPP Mike Harris Jr. supported Ford, saying that the conservative government will continue with their plan to build homes on “non-sensitive” Green Belt lands claiming this was “requested by many municipalities”. Harris concluded: “I want to emphasize that, under the continued leadership of our Premier, our Government will prioritize addressing the housing crisis, ensuring more people have a place to call home.”
As this piece was set to air, Doug Ford held a press conference announcing he would be reversing the Green Belt land deals saying “I am very, very sorry… it was a mistake to open the Greenbelt.” He added his actions were “with the best of intentions”, and that he “prides himself on keeping his promises”. With the 2018 promises to never develop the Green Belt, in mind, Ford once again promised to “won’t make any changes to the green belt in the future”.
CKMS News will have a follow up show with analysis of Ford’s announcement.
CKMS News has asked MPP Harris for a comment on this recent decision by Ford, and will include that response in the follow up.
The Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region is hosting the 40th anniversary of the Take Back the Night event and march this Thursday September 21.
The event and march hopes to raise awareness of the threat of sexual violence and comes in the wake of the city of Kitchener and the Region of Waterloo declaring epidemics of intimate partner violence.
A few weeks ago, CKMS aired a show on Intimate Partner Violence and explained how this Region stands out in cross-Canada data as the least safe place for women to live in all of Canada.
So, we know sexual assaults are seriously underreported, often committed by someone the victim knows, and that these assaults continue to increase. Contradicting these statistics were the conversations CKMS news had with locals on the street, who said they felt safe at night. Statistics on perception of safety are also available.
Over three quarters of Regional residents thought crime levels in their neighbourhood were lower than the rest of Canada, however the Crime Severity Index tell a different tale. The Crime Severity Index is defined by Stats Can as changes in the severity of police-reported crime by accounting for both the amount of crime and the relative seriousness of these crimes. So while three-quarters of Regional residents thought their communities had lower crime levels than the rest of the country,the Crime Severity Index for Waterloo Region in 2022 was higher than the national average and third highest in the province behind Thunder Bay and Sudbury.
There may be a discrepancy between our perceptions and reality, however as the respondents to our street survey noted increased lighting on the streets and trails, safer transit, and staying closer to built up areas all contribute to the perception of safety. Whether or not we are safer at night than we were 40 years ago, it seems the night remains beyond our reach.
Take back the Night happens at the Gaukel Block from 6-9 on Thursday September 21.
Listen to today’s show above with Karley Doucette of the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region and hits the streets to ask people if they feel safe walking in their community at night.
Special episode with Katie Munshaw of Dizzy, in anticipation of their fall tour (stopping in Waterloo on October 19!) following the release of Dizzy’s third self-titled studio album! Listen for stories, laughs, and of course, music!
David Alton of the Lived Expertise Working Group talks to Bob Jonkman about the work of LEWG, what is “lived expertise”, working with the City of Kitchener, the principles of human rights in housing, homelessness, and using contributions of people with lived expertise. David tells us of some upcoming events for the members of the Lived Expertise Working Group and the public.
David explains the purpose of the Lived Expertise Working Group, twelve folks with housing marginalization experience and advocacy experience. “Expertise” rather than “Experience”, so that the contributions are seen with the same value as academic expertise. They are presenting a report to the City of Kitchener council as part of a staff report from the Planning Department. Pointing out the different areas of responsibility for City departments, and different levels of government. The work LEWG is doing with the City of Kitchener is influencing decisions made in other municipalities (City of Cambrige, City of Waterloo, the Region of Waterloo). But a large part of the work is helping the mutual aid groups in the area, creating a bridge between these groups and the municipalities. Talking about the role and perceived role of by-law enforcement, part care-giving, part criminalizing. David’s message to all organizations is to remove the barriers to care. They recognize the difficult role that municipalities have. A good news story: The Region of Waterloo modified a by-law on hate speech to include income status and housing status.
David talks about the report that will be presented to council: A list of principles; what it means to include lived expertise in the planning process. The people working in the Lived Expertise Working Group are being compensated, just as experts from other areas would be. There are stipends for transportation, child care, &c. Not just the people in LEWG are at capacity, but councillors and city staff feel overwhelmed by all the pressures and logistics, but the community understands that. There was some friction at the June council meeting, David recaps. David discusses the different sources of funding for their position and the Lived Expertise Working Group. David tells us about the Ride For Refuge, this Saturday. Covering some of the eight principles of lived expertise engagement, for example “the value of bridges”, “the value of paid work”, “navigating around conflict.”
Talking about David’s participation in the Jillian video, with their partner Aashay. Talking about David’s participation in Ground Up WR, working to counter the “Parents’ Rights” movement that restricts youth from self-expression. There is a rally at City Hall on Wednesday, everyone who wants to be an ally is invited. Ground Up is well connected with the community, it’s a good place to start if you’re looking to help. David encourages people to pay close attention to what’s going on in housing and homelessness — winter is coming. Follow organizations like Unsheltered Campaign or ACCKWA. The Lived Expertise Working Group is sending some members to Halifax for the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness conference in November, donations are gratefully accepted to enable LEWG to help send another member to the conference. Connect with the Social Development Centre or the Civic Hub Waterloo Region to get involved. Talking about the photographic exhibition, which was a conference fundraiser.
56m46s
Bob gives the 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.
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