rabble radio

This week on rabble radio, we're sharing an interview between CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn and rabble editor Nick Seebruch. The two spoke on Nov. 2 to explain what's at stake in the labour dispute in Ontario. At the time of this episode's posting, CUPE has announced that it will strike on Friday, Nov. 4 and OPSEU – the Ontario Public Services Employees Union – says its 8000 education workers will join them. The Ontario Federation of Labour has also taken to social media to share their support for CUPE. But how did we get here? To recap, CUPE Ontario has been negotiating with the Ford government, trying to secure better pay for its educational support workers. As Marc Belanger explained on a special RadioLabour episode this week, when inflation is taken into account, the lowest paid educational worker in Ontario has seen their wages effectively cut by 11 per cent since 2012. CUPE has been seeking a wage increase of $3.25 per hour in each year of a three year collective agreement. On Sunday, October 30th, 97% of CUPE Ontario's 55,000 education workers voted to give the Ford government the legally necessary five day notice of a potential provincial-wide strike should their wage demands not be met. Despite a long week at the bargaining table, the Ford government was not to be persuaded. On Thursday evening, the Ford government passed Bill 28 which imposes a new work contract on educational support workers with a pay increase of 2.5 per cent, well below the rate of inflation. Ford invoked the Constitution's notwithstanding clause which allows the provincial government to override part of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and bypass the union's right to bargain and strike. The use of the notwithstanding clause means that Bill 28 cannot be challenged in court. In doing so, Judy Rebick says the Ford government has effectively called a "class war against unions." CUPE president Laura Walton has pledged that their members will strike on Friday, November 4 and that the strike will continue "for as long as it takes." The Ontario Federation of Labour took to social media saying: "Doug Ford and Stephen Lecce have declared war on 1 million union members, 7 milllion workers, 14 million Ontarians. Get ready to fight." This is a developing story. Join in the conversation on our discussion board, babble. Photo: Courtesy of CUPE If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca. Or, if you have feedback for the show, get in touch anytime at editor@rabble.ca.

Homelessness is a major social and healthcare disaster that has been plaguing Canada for decades, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated this issue. Are provincial and municipal governments doing enough to combat homelessness in our communities? Or are the solutions that they're coming up with making the problem worse? In Displacement City: Fighting for Health and Homes in a Pandemic, outreach worker Greg Cook and rabble columnist and retired street nurse Cathy Crowe collect stories which shed a light on infrastructure of displacement through prose, poetry, and photography. Contributors to the book include those who have lived experience of homelessness in Toronto. Each chapter reports on different areas of the realities of this crisis and how community members responded. Whether that be by providing disaster-relief supplies and tiny shelters for encampments, by advocating for shelter-hotels where people could physically distance, by taking the city to court, or by rising up against encampment evictions. The book also provides particular insight into policies affecting Indigenous peoples and how the legacy of colonialism and displacement reached a critical point during the pandemic. You can order your own copy of Displacement City: Fighting for Health and Homes in a Pandemic here. You can catch up on Cathy Crowe's column, where she regularly reports on issues surrounding homelessness, housing, advocacy and activism here. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca. Or, if you have feedback for the show, get in touch anytime at editor@rabble.ca.

This week on rabble radio, we feature a segment from our most recent Off the Hill political panel. This month, our theme was 'Off the Hill: Confronting Islamophobia in Canada.' This month is National Islamic History Month. This month's panel dove into what political actions are needed to confront the rise of Islamophobia in Canada. Our panel also explored what role the media has in all of this. Our September panel included Senator Salma Ataullahjan, Monia Mazigh, Nuzhat Jafri, and Karl Nerenberg. Co-hosted by Robin Browne and Libby Davies. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca. Or, if you have feedback for the show, get in touch anytime at editor@rabble.ca.

Nick Seebruch speaks to two members of Health Providers Against Poverty (HPAP) to talk about destigmatizing people fighting addiction, homelessness, and poverty. This week on the show, rabble editor Nick Seebruch sits down with Sara Pishdadian and Adriana Di Stefano, both active members of Health Providers Against Poverty. Healthcare Providers Against Poverty is a group of healthcare workers who strive to make healthcare provision equitable for all. Pishdadian and Di Stefano explain how addressing the social determinants of health, meaning the economic and social conditions at play which affect one's health status, need to be addressed in order to reduce health inequity. Destigmatizing homelessness, poverty, and drug addiction is also key in providing care to every Canadian. The two also dive into the many resources, events, campaigns, and support groups that are available through Healthcare Providers Against Poverty. "In a country where we are so proud of equitable healthcare, efforts such as this are of utmost importance to ensure that our healthcare system truly does remain accessible for all." – https://healthprovidersagainstpoverty.ca/ Also on the show this week, we feature a song by Ish Theilheimer, in honour of his friend, Mel Watkins. Listen to "Mel, the Parry Sound Babysitter" today. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca. Or, if you have feedback for the show, get in touch anytime at editor@rabble.ca.

Last month, Buckingham Palace broke the news that Queen Elizabeth II had passed away at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The queen was 96, and Canada's longest serving monarch. Now, Canada has a new head of state: Queen Elizabeth's eldest son, King Charles III. This week on rabble radio, editor Nick Seebruch interviews royal historian, teacher, and author Carolyn Harris. While the Pope made a public apology for the Catholic Church's role in residential schools, Indigenous peoples never got an apology from Queen Elizabeth II before her passing. Might the new King Charles III make that apology? And how might a new sovereign leader might affect public opinion of the monarchy in Canada? Harris ponders these questions and more with Seebruch this week. Dr. Carolyn Harris is an instructor in history at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. She received her PhD in European history from Queen's University at Kingston in 2012. She is the author of three books, Magna Carta and Its Gifts to Canada (Dundurn: 2015), Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette (Palgrave: 2015) and Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting (Dundurn: 2017). She is the co-editor of English Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty, a four volume history of English royal consorts published in 2022 by Palgrave Macmillan, and the proofreading editor of The Royal Studies Journal. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca. Or, if you have feedback for the show, get in touch anytime at editor@rabble.ca.

This week on rabble radio, Stephen Wentzell sits down with Joshua Whitehead, author of 'Making Love with the Land." Whitehead is an Oji-Cree/nehiyaw, Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer member of Peguis First Nation (Treaty 1). He is the author of the novel 'Jonny Appleseed' (Arsenal Pulp Press), which was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and shortlisted for a Governor General's Literary Award in Fiction. He is also the author of the poetry collection 'full-metal indigiqueer' (Talonbooks), which was shortlisted for the inaugural Indigenous Voices Award for Most Significant Work of Poetry in English and the Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry. Currently, he is working on a PhD in Indigenous Literatures and Cultures at the University of Calgary's English department (Treaty 7). Today, Whitehead explains to Wentzell about 'Making Love with the Land' - a book which is part memoir, part poetry, part literary criticism. Whitehead explains how this genre-bending of traditional colonial literary standards is a "radical act of freedom" and more similar to a Indigenous form of storytelling. Whitehead also shares how touring for Jonny Appleseed and experiencing nature, break-ups, and isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic influenced his writing this book. Finally, Whitehead shares what truth and reconciliation means to him. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca. Or, if you have feedback for the show, get in touch anytime at editor@rabble.ca.

This week on rabble radio, we feature a segment from our most recent Off the Hill political panel. This month, our theme was Off the Hill: What does reconciliACTION look like? We discussed how Indigenous Peoples are exercising sovereignty every day, the tangible ways settlers can support Indigenous Peoples in their communities, and what action must be taken at the federal and provincial levels for meaningful change. Our September panel included MP Leah Gazan, Georgina Lazore, and Breanne Lavallée-Heckert. Co-hosted by Robin Browne and Libby Davies. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca. Or, if you have feedback for the show, get in touch anytime at editor@rabble.ca. Photo by: Bekky Bekks on Unsplash

In 1959, the then-premier of Saskatchewan, Thomas Douglas envisioned a universal, pre-paid and publicly administered health care system – the first of its kind in North America. This plan for Saskatchewan prompted the federal government to initiate a national strategy to subsidize socialized medicine and support provinces in the shift to a universal system. He's recognized as "the father of Medicare," and the one to thank for our universal healthcare system as we know it in Canada today. But is this system in trouble? This is not a conversation which is new to rabble radio. In May, rabble contributor Doreen Nicoll sat down with Natalie Mehra, the executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition to talk about the privatization of long-term care homes in Ontario. Nicoll spoke to Sarah Jama, the co-founder of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario, later that month to talk about the importance of accessible health services in regard to those who are differently abled. This week, we continue the conversation by sharing an interview from the first episode of the newest season of Courage My Friends. In this interview, host Resh Budhu speaks to JP Hornick, the president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, and palliative care physician and health justice activist, Dr. Naheed Dosani. The three discuss the current crisis facing public healthcare in Ontario. Courage My Friends is a podcast series presented by rabble.ca and the Tommy Douglas Institute at George Brown College, with the support of the Douglas Coldwell Layton Foundation. Hosted on Needs No Introduction, a sister podcast to rabble radio, this season's Courage My Friends will focus on housing, education, erosion of public goods, just economics, the plight of migrant workers, and the climate crisis. Join our Off the Hill conversation next week! Join panelists MP Leah Gazan, Georgina Lazore, and Breanne Lavallée-Heckert and co-hosts Robin Browne and Libby Davies as they deconstruct truth and reconciliation. On Thursday, September 22 at 7:30pm eastern time, join our panel via Zoom and engage with our panelists as they discuss how Indigenous Peoples are exercising sovereignty every day, the tangible ways settlers can support Indigenous Peoples in their communities, and what action must be taken at the federal and provincial levels for meaningful change. Register today at: https://bit.ly/OffTheHillSeptember22 If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca. Or, if you have feedback for the show, get in touch anytime at editor@rabble.ca. Photo by: Marcelo Leal on Unsplash

This week, Jillian Piper speaks to Kimberly Carroll; an animal rights advocate and coach for changemakers. For 13 years, Carroll has empowered and counseled thousands of activists, social entrepreneurs, and mission-driven leaders who want to make a bigger difference in the world. By taking clients through a journey of deep inner work, finding empowering habits, and developing a strategy to unlock one's activism superpowers, Carroll has made a name for herself as one who "helps the helpers." Today, Carrol joins Piper to talk about what inspires her about this work and how activists can better take care of themselves through this demanding – and often underappreciated – work. Are you interested in improving your activism? Kimberly Carroll wanted to share a few free resources for our audience: A five-part video mini course on preventing burnout and becoming a more impactful joyful and resilient changemaker on Kimberly Carroll's website. A six-week course which focuses on self-empowerment, how to lobby politicians, how to get the media's attention, and how to organize in your community - brought to you by Animal Justice Academy. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca. Or, if you have feedback for the show, get in touch anytime at editor@rabble.ca. Photo by: Angèle Kamp on Unsplash

This week on the show, rabble labour reporter Gabriela Calguay-Casuga joins The Coalition For Women In Journalism founder Kiran Nazish to talk about protecting female journalists in Canada. The Coalition For Women in Journalism is a New-York based, international support organization for female and LGBTQIA journalists from around the globe. Today, Nazish joins Calguay-Casuga to talk about the increasingly vitriolic landscape female journalists in Canada are facing today – particularly, journalists of colour. In September 2021, Canada was one of the top five countries in the world guilty of cyber violence against women, according to The Coalition for Women in Journalism. What can be done to better protect our female and LGBTQIA journalists in Canada? And what do these staggering statistics say about our media landscape as a whole? Read Calugay-Casuga's full analysis on this interview and research on rabble.ca this week. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca. Or, if you have feedback for the show, get in touch anytime at editor@rabble.ca. Photo by: Thomas Charters on Unsplash