CANADALAND

Long before Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly stepped down amidst criticism that the force had failed to stop the convoy occupation, there was trouble brewing within the Ottawa Police Service.Officer misconduct, sexual harassment, abuse, and violent behaviour, has been a pattern within the OPS for years. Dan Donovan, publisher of Ottawa Life magazine, knows these cases well, and he's currently being sued by Sloly himself, for publishing an article titled 'Rapes and lies—the cancerous misconduct at the Ottawa Police Service'.Donovan sat down with reporter Cherise Seucharan to discuss the case, as well as recently a leaked video of Sloly being questioned about his conduct when he was a staff inspector with the Toronto Police Service.Featured in this episode: Dan Donovan, Publisher & Managing Editor of Ottawa Life magazineFurther reading:Ottawa Life Magazine stands by its scathing portrait of Ottawa police: court filings, Gary Dimmock, Ottawa CitizenOttawa police officer convicted of assault, then charged with sexual harassment, has resigned, Shaamini Yogaretnam, CBC NewsOttawa man left destitute after faulty police investigation, Hilary Thomson, Ottawa LifeExposed: Culture of sexism entrenched in Ottawa Police Service, Judy Trinh and Nazim Baksh, CBC NewsOntario police chiefs call for more power to fire or suspend officers without pay, Wendy Gillis, Toronto StarSupport Canadaland at canadaland.com/joinSponsors: PolicyMe, and Freshbooks.Additional Music is by Audio NetworkSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Overcorrecting an overstatement creates confusion; how nice were the police in Ottawa really? And the emergency is over! Though the media seemed to suggest there wasn't really one anyways. Managing Editor at Ottawa Lookout Robert Hiltz co-hosts.Links:NYT's generalizations about Canada can be found here Robert duly noted this piece in Passage Sponsors: PolicyMe, Squarespace, Dispatch CoffeeSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's a lot of chaos and division in Canada right now. Beyond the people who got arrested in Ottawa over the past few days, there are thousands more Canadians who have financially supported the Freedom Convoy or been rooting for them from afar.In this episode, the CANADALAND team reaches out to regular everyday people who support the Convoy to ask about who they are, how they ended up supporting the Convoy and what they think about the racist and dangerous aspects of the movement. This is not a scientific survey, we did not do a poll. These three people are not necessarily representative of everybody else who supports this movement, but we've got to start somewhere.Further reading:Ottawa police arrest 170 amid push to clear convoy blockade, Global News(Feb. 19)Who is who? A guide to the major players in the trucker convoy protest, CTV News'So many angry people': Experts say online conversation around trucker convoy veering into dangerous territory, CTV NewsMaking sense of the flags and symbols at the Ottawa protest, The JuristAdditional music by Audio NetworkSupport Canadaland at canadaland.com/joinSponsors: Rotman School of Management, PolicyMe, FreshBooksSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The kinder, gentler Emergencies Act should not be underestimated. And framing the convoy as foreign-funded and US-inspired does more harm than good. Writer Nora Loreto co-hosts.UPDATE: An earlier version of this episode included a partial comment without proper context. The comment has been removed.Links:Nora's piece in Passage that she took heat forJimmy Thomson's tweetsSponsors: PolicyMe, Article, SquarespaceSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's episode is bursting your love bubble by digging into the dark side of love. You'll hear four personal stories that show, with increasing intensity, just how broken Canada's divorce system is. People who were held hostage for years by a slow-moving process that sent them hurdling into debt. And beyond that, we rarely talk about divorce as a life or death situation, but it certainly can be. Senior producer Sarah Lawrynuik brings you this one.For people who are living with family violence, don't struggle alone. Here is a list of resources available to you in your area. Or the Assaulted Women's Helpline is 1-866-863-0511.Further reading:What a 4-year-old's death says about Ontario's strained family courts, Toronto StarDivorce in the rich world is getting less nasty, The EconomistBroken marriages becoming pandemic's other toll, CBC NewsCalls for a unified family court system and further changes to Canada's Divorce Act, CTV NewsThe Family Law System in Canada is "Broken" says veteran Family Lawyer, News WireSupport Canadaland at canadaland.com/joinSponsors: Rotman, Hello FreshAdditional Music is by Audio NetworkSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Angry, bias-confirming echo chambers seem evident this week when it comes to the Freedom Convoy. And "a Toronto star at the Toronto Star" dies this week and Jesse dares to speak ill—or at least some truth—of the dead. Maclean's senior writer Paul Wells co-hosts. Links:Richard Martineau's piece in Le Journal de MontréalNews editor Jonathan Goldsbie's tweet re: Faith Goldy's face during the land acknowledgementSponsors: Squarespace, Policy MeSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CANADALAND has spent a lot of time in Thunder Bay exploring the deep-rooted racism in the city and the stories of Indigenous people who live there, not to mention the stories of the Indigenous people who have died there. In 2018, the Office of the Independent Police Review Director released the Broken Trust report, concluding that Thunder Bay's police service was a home for systemic racism. The civilian oversight board and the police force executive leadership was cleared and new people were brought in. But the outcome of the staffing changes and all the reports - at least to this point - is not a success story. The cycle of denial has continued.This story is reported by Thunder Bay-based journalist and producer on the Thunder Bay series, Jon Thompson.Further reading:Thunder Bay police board member details Ontario human rights complaint, calls for new leadership, CBC NewsThunder Bay Police Service on the ‘brink of collapse' says board member, APTNThunder Bay deputy police chief suspended pending investigation, Globe and MailLocal police officer files human rights complaint against TBPS, Chief, TB News WatchSupport Canadaland at canadaland.com/joinSponsors: PolicyMe, Fresh BooksSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The media may have missed the Freedom Convoy plot yet again. And as several Canadian artists pull their music from the platform, Spotify wades into publisher territory as they work towards content advisories for select podcasts. National Observer columnist Sandy Garossino co-hosts.UPDATE: This episode says there's been a vacuum of information on Canadian truckers stuck at the Alberta-Montana border at Coutts, AB. Since recording this episode, journalists have reported that one lane has opened in each direction.UPDATE 2 (Feb 9, 2022): In this episode, Jesse referenced a clip where a protester asked another attendee whether they were a white supremacist to which they responded yes. Jesse says that this was the moment the first protester was made aware that they were among extremists and he hoped they would up and leave. Since publishing, it has been brought to our attention that the person who said they were a white supremacist was likely a person of colour and they may have been joking. Sponsors: Rotman, Dispatch, SquarespaceSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a story about deception, coverups, and some say, about murder. This is a story about Groundhog Day. The true story of Wiarton Willie.CANADALAND Editor Jonathan Goldsbie digs into the shell game of dead groundhogs that spans decades. Featured in this episode: Liam Casey, a reporter/editor in the Ontario bureau for the Canadian Press; Frank Gunn, a national photographer for the Canadian PressFurther reading:Yet another Wiarton Willie is dead. Here's a look at the strange history behind the beloved groundhog, Liam Casey, Canadian Press/CBCThe legend of Wiarton Willie lives on (2011), Toronto StarFrank Gunn's photo of 1999 Wiarton Willie funeral, Canadian Press/Toronto StarSupport Canadaland at canadaland.com/joinSponsors: Zensurance, Article, FreshbooksAdditional Music is by Audio NetworkSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How many anti-vax trucker convoys were there?! And people are making the case to break up the CBC again.Canadaland contributing editor Danielle Paradis cohosts. Further reading & links:GoFundMe actually froze money for the convoy's campaignTom Hooper's investigation into Pride Toronto and the misuse of money from the federal governmentThe Narwhal's story on the maple syrup meltdownSponsors: Zensurance, Squarespace, Freshbooks, RotmanSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.