rabble radio

This week on rabble radio, we're bringing you a segment of our latest Off the Hill political panel which took place on Thursday March 10th. This month, the theme was "In the extreme." It features special guests Seth Klein, Chuka Ejeckam and MP Leah Gazan. They deconstructed the recently released IPCC report, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the visible rise in right-wing populism. They joined regular hosts, Libby Davies and Robin Browne. 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.

Libby Davies interviews Sophie Harkat, wife of Mohamed Harkat, to discuss the ways life for the couple has been "turned upside down" for nearly two decades. In December of 2002, Mohamed was taken into custody, suspected of being an al Qaeda sleeper agent. Although he denied any involvement with terrorism, he was arrested on a national security certificate and deemed to be a threat to national security. He has been imprisoned, and then under strict house arrest - all while never been shown evidence against him. Despite this, Sophie remains optimistic as the couple fight for the right to "live a normal life." "I still believe justice will prevail eventually. It may take time - it may take [all the] energy I have to get through this … but I feel there's a purpose behind this. I feel we're setting precedence. It's not just our battle; it's a battle for a lot of people." If you'd like to learn more, rabble.ca has featured extensive coverage about Mohamed Harkat's case since 2011, including a piece by Sophie herself in 2015. If you'd like to donate or find ways to support Mohamed and Sophie, visit their website: https://www.justiceforharkat.com. 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, Doreen Nicoll interviews environmental lawyer Phil Pothen. Phil and Doreen have been following the ongoing situation in Halton Region regarding the 'Stop Sprawl Halton' movement. 5200 acres of farmland are at stake. Regional council wants to develop this land as part of a 'preferred growth plan'. But Halton Region residents believe there is a better solution. Listen to Phil and Doreen discuss how this proposed growth plan came to be and what residents would like the future of Halton region to look like. 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. If you have feedback for the show, get in touch anytime at editor@rabble.ca. Photo credit: Allison Batley on Unsplash

This week on rabble radio, Libby Davies interviews Paul Taylor, the executive director of FoodShare Toronto and a lifelong anti-poverty activist. They talk about how the pandemic has encouraged his non-profit to re-evaluate self-care days. They also discuss how activists should allow for room for fatigue and frustration during difficult times. 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. If you have feedback for the show, get in touch anytime at editor@rabble.ca. Photo credit: Timon Studler on Unsplash

Hello and welcome to rabble radio. It's Friday, February 11, 2022. I'm your host, Breanne Doyle. Thanks for tuning in. rabble's got its finger on the beat of the issues that matter to you. If you're curious about the latest news in Canadian politics, labour, environment, or social justice – you've come to the right place to find the stories that matter. Free of corporate influence. What's on the show today: We're bringing you a segment of our first Off the Hill political panel of the year which took place last night, Thursday February 10th. The theme of last night's show was Whose budget is it, anyway? Our panelists, including special guests El Jones, MP Leah Gazan and David MacDonald, deconstructed the federal budget to help us understand: why is it important and what power does the government really have in designing a federal budget? They also zeroed in on recent events in Ottawa - such as the ousting of Conservative leader Erin O'Toole and the so-called "Freedom Convoy" and the visible rise in right-wing populism. 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. If you have feedback for the show, get in touch anytime at editor@rabble.ca.

Hello and welcome to rabble radio. It's Friday, February 4, 2022. I'm your host, Breanne Doyle. Thanks for tuning in. rabble's got it's finger on the beat of the issues that matter to you. If you're curious about the latest news in Canadian politics, labour, environment, or social justice – you've come to the right place to find the stories that matter to you. Free of corporate influence. This week, rabble recognizes the first week of Black History Month. We also continue our coverage of the so-called "Freedom Convoy 2022" as it unfolds in Ottawa. As well, Amnesty International asserts Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid against Palestinians. Is it finally time for international intervention? We'll dive into all those stories and more, a bit later on our show. First - we present to you a conversation between Professor Amina Mire and documentary filmmaker Jennifer Holness to discuss Holness' new documentary: Subjects of Desire. Subjects of Desire investigates the cultural shift in North American beauty standards towards adopting Black female aesthetics and features. The documentary exposes the deliberate and often dangerous portrayals of Black women in the media. Subjects of Desire attempts to deconstruct what we understand about race and explores the power behind beauty. The film premiered on TVO on February 1. Mire is an associate professor at Carleton University. Her research interests include interdisciplinary analysis and critical research in gender and the cinema, anti-racist/anti-colonial research, political thought, and women and health. Holness is a director, writer and producer living in Toronto. Her recent work includes the award-winning documentary Stateless and the Shoot the Messenger tv series. In 2021, she was the recipient of the Women in Film and Television's Creative Excellence Award. She is a key part of numerous committees including the chair of the Black Screen Office and co chair of The Canadian Independent Screen Fund for BPOC Creators. This week, Mire sat down with Holness to discuss Subjects of Desire, and touched on their own experiences of confronting the beauty standards and harmful stereotypes of Black women. Here is a snippet from that conversation. Take a listen. (interview - 20 minutes) That was Professor Amina Mire and director and writer Jennifer Holness, talking about Subjects of Desire. Thanks very much for that, Amina and Jennifer. If you'd like to know more about this documentary, you can find Mire's review on rabble.ca. Now it's time for In Case You Missed It. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT This week, rabble marks the first week of Black History Month. Markiel Simpson kicks off coverage with a piece that argues African, Caribbean and Black Canadians should be celebrated all year, not only during Black History Month. While the significant contributions made by African, Caribbean and Black Canadians - the ACB diaspora - need to be recognized, undoing centuries of systemic racism and oppression cannot be restricted to only one month. Also this week, Natasha Darling shares how Black sex workers are leading intersectional movements for smashing injustice and the patriarchy, in her must-read column . Also this week, rabble's staff writers and contributors continued coverage of the so-called "Freedom Convoy 2022". Karl Nerenberg, rabble senior politics reporter and Ottawa resident, shares what he and his Ottawa neighbours have been experiencing since the beginning of the protests last week, while the police stand idly by: "Never before has a protest movement in the Canadian capital been accompanied by hundreds of massive, multi-wheel rigs, spewing clouds of noxious diesel fumes, and blaring their oversized horns in a 24-hours-a-day cacophonic symphony," he writes, noting the hateful signage and behaviour of some associated to protest. The presence of all these trucks and protestors poses a challenge the city - one that has experienced thousands of protests - "has never before had to deal with." While local residents fume knowing what would happen to them if they simply parked illegally, no doubt indigenous and other activists are asking where the capitals' usual security forces - so often immediately on the scene for vigils and demonstration - are? Nerenberg points out that the Ottawa police, "with reinforcements from across the country, are claiming that they are doing their best to keep the peace, but are treading carefully in dealing with the protesters." David Climenhaga was one of the first to break the story of the far right involvement in the convoy's GoFundMe page, where this protest began online. This week he ponders whether some of those funds might go towards damages from the protests. Climenhaga has also been keeping the spotlight on Alberta's political leaders - and reporting on their involvement in the protests and in far right ideology. He ponders, for example, whether Premier Jason Kenney encouraged the copycat Coutts blockade which he now condemns? It would be ironic, Climenhaga writes, if Kenney's dubious claim a week ago that Ottawa's vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers was leading to empty shelves in grocery stores, ended up being what is causing real shortages. While the protestors in Ottawa have been calling for Justin Trudeau's departure, it was another leader who was ousted this week. Karl Nerenberg reflectsErin O'Toole's eviction as leader of the Conservative party - and shares his thoughts on the prospects for Pierre Poilievre, the MP for Carleton, who inspires enormous loyalty from a large swath of the Conservative base. Some observers say Poilievre would provide Donald Trump-style leadership in Canada; and like Trump, Poilievre plays politics only in one emotional key – the key of anger. And it seems anger – Nerenberg writes – "is exactly what the Conservative base wants from a leader." Last Saturday was the fifth anniversary of the January 29th Quebec mosque shooting. In her column, Monia Mazigh considers this first National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia. Now more than ever, Mazigh says, "it is important to ask ourselves: what has Canada done to prevent future Islamophobic attacks? I am afraid to say: very little." In international news, rabble contributor and board member, Thomas Woodley writes that the report published by Amnesty International on Monday - asserting Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid against Palestinians - means there should be no further question that international intervention is required. Amnesty joins a long list of Israeli human rights organizations who have also found Israel guilty of the crime against humanity. Those groups include Gisha, Breaking the Silence, Peace Now Israel, and more. Canadian leaders, he argues, must now respond. Also: Don't miss out! rabble's Off the Hill political panel is back on Thursday, February 10, 2022 at 7:30pm EST. This month's theme: Whose budget is it, anyway? Join hosts Libby Davies, Robin Browne, and guests MP Leah Gazan, CCPA economist David MacDonald, activist, poet and scholar El Jones and Karl Nerenberg. They'll be taking your questions and discussing the parliamentary agenda including the upcoming federal budget. Will major political moments like the turmoil in the Conservative party or the truck convoy make a difference to how the budget plays out in parliament? Tune in or join the live audience on zoom to find out. Register now to join this free event, via Zoom. The last thing I'd like to leave you with, listeners, is this: we are in the homestretch of our annual fundraiser, and we have a special offer for all of you rabble radio listeners! Support rabble a monthly donation of $8 or more before midnight Saturday, February 5th, and you will receive a free copy of Indigenous activist and author Clayton Thomas-Müller's book, Life in the City of Dirty Water. Clayton's book is one of the top 5 contenders in Canada Reads 2022! EXTRO And that's it for rabble radio this week. Thanks as always for tuning in. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts or whatever podcast app you use. 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. If you have feedback for the show – ideas, stories, opinions you'd like us to cover – I'd love to hear about. Get in touch with me anytime at editor@rabble.ca. Thank you to Amina Mire and Jennifer Holness for their conversation this week. Thank you to Karl Nerenberg for his reporting and for supplying the music for this show. Thank you to all the journalists and writers who contributed to this week's content on rabble.ca. And lastly, thank you to you for tuning into rabble radio. I'm Breanne Doyle, and I'll talk to you next week. Photo credit: Hungry Eyes Media Inc. used with permission.

Hello and welcome to rabble radio. It's Friday, January 28, 2022. I'm Breanne Doyle, the host of rabble radio. Thanks for tuning in. rabble's got its finger on the beat of the stories that matter to you. If you're curious about the latest in Canadian politics, labour, environment, or health – you've come to the right place to find the stories that matter to you. Free of corporate influence. This week we'll cover two stories on the growing tension between Russia and Ukraine. We ask the question that's on everyone's mind: how likely is it that this situation becomes a war? Plus - our national reporters cover Quebec's Law 21 and the Halifax police force looking to define "defunding the police." We'll check in all that and more, a bit later on in our show. First, rabble contributor Libby Davies joins political scientist Dr. Jeanette Ashe again this week. It's part two of their special two-part series. Dr. Ashe and Davies discuss what responsibility political parties have in upholding gender equality in Parliament. They ask what success might look like when we implement equity mandates. Dr. Ashe is the Chair of the Political Science Department at Douglas College. She's also a Visiting Faculty at the Global Institute for Women's Leadership, King's College, London. She also advises legislators on drafting legislation on gender equity and democratic reform. Libby Davies is the author of Outside In: a Political Memoir. She served as the MP for Vancouver East from 1997-2015, and is former NDP Deputy Leader and House Leader. Libby's also a recipient of the Order of Canada. Here are Libby and Jeanette in conversation, in part two of our two part special. Take a listen: (interview – 22 mins) That was Dr. Jeanette Ashe in conversation with Libby Davies. You can hear part one of their conversation from last week's episode. Thanks for that, Dr. Ashe and Libby, it's always great to hear from the both of you. Now, it's time for a segment we call, In Case You Missed It. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT. This week rabble.ca delves into the growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Guest writer Fred Weir has been living in Russia and writing about the former Soviet Union since 1998. In his article, he asks: how likely is Russia to invade Ukraine? He implores readers to consider, despite the widespread media expectations of a blitzkrieg-like invasion, an all-out Russian assault on Ukraine is less likely than they might think. Rather than going to war, Weir writes, "Russian foreign policy experts suggest that an acceptable outcome for the Kremlin would be to create a system of neutral states between NATO and Russia, perhaps something like Finland or Austria during the Cold War." Weir also notes that the idea of war is largely unpopular for Russian citizens. He points to a survey by the Levada Center in Moscow, which found 54 percent of Russians felt positive toward Ukraine, compared to 31 percent who did not. As tensions mount as a result of speculation about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, columnist Bill Blaikie reflects on how things might have been different. Blaikie highlights key moments in Russia's recent history, from the Cold War until now, pondering the question: What role did the West have in creating the situation at hand? In Canadian Politics, senior national politics reporter Karl Nerenberg reports on the declining support for Law 21, which the Quebec government enacted back in 2019. In December, a school board in western Quebec transferred a teacher from her Grade 3 classroom to a behind-the-scenes role because she wore a hijab. In January, the firm Leger Marketing conducted a poll on attitudes toward Law 21 for the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies that found support for the law in Quebec has dropped from 64 per cent to 55 per cent. More importantly, the poll found a huge generation gap in attitudes toward Law 21. While older Quebecers still support it strongly, over 70 per cent of young people in the 18-to-24 age group do not support it. Meanwhile, Stephen Wenzell looks to the Halifax Regional Municipality which is set to become the first jurisdiction in Canada to define the phrase "defunding the police". The move comes as the result of a report that features 36 recommendations to reallocate resources away from the police to more appropriate service providers. Also on the site this week, columnist Rachel Snow criticizes the National Post for publishing a piece she deemed a "racist, historical slant that counters the lived experiences of thousands of First Nation peoples." The piece, written by National Post columnist Barbara Kay, keeps colonial narratives alive implying that residential schools were somehow beneficial for Indigenous children and that the unmarked graves found of hundreds of Indigenous children simply can't be true. Snow writes: "These narratives state that the kidnapping and forced labour of First Nation children in residential schools did not happen." rabble contributor David Climenhaga was among the first to report on far-fight influence in the online campaign for rolling truck blockades to protest vaccine mandates. Climenhaga argues the campaign raises questions about the potential use of the GoFundMe site to get around election financial reporting laws for what are clearly intended to be political campaigns attacking one party. That was, in case you missed it. You can find all those stories and much more, on rabble.ca rabble.ca is proud to announce the return of our Off the Hill political panel series in February. The theme of the upcoming show is: Who's budget is it, anyway? A new federal budget is about to be announced that will affect us all in big and small ways. Our panelists will focu s on deconstructing and understanding what a federal budget is all about: why is it important and what power does the government really have in designing a federal budget? We will also zero in on what a federal budget could look like for ordinary people to benefit. You can register to attend the entire panel on Thursday, February 10 in the link in our bio or catch a highlight of this event on our February 11th rabble radio episode. The last thing I'd like to leave you with today is this: rabble's annual fundraiser is on the go and we are looking for indie media heroes! Is that you? Please consider making a donation at rabble.ca/donate. The generous support from our readers is what makes it possible for quality journalism to support transformative political action. And that's it for rabble radio this week. Thanks as always for tuning in. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts or whatever podcast app you use. 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. If you have feedback for the show – ideas, stories, opinions you'd like us to cover – I'd love to hear about. Get in touch with me anytime at editor@rabble.ca. Thank you to Libby Davies and Dr. Jeanette Ashe for their interview this week. Thanks also to Stephen Wentzell and Karl Nerenberg for their reporting - and Karl, too, for supplying the music. Thank you to all the journalists and writers who contributed to this week's content on rabble.ca. And lastly, thank you to you for tuning into rabble radio. I'm Breanne Doyle, and I'll talk to you next week. Credit for photo: Roya Ann Miller / Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/nlmq5jC9Slo

Hello and welcome to rabble radio. It's Friday, January 21, 2022. I'm Breanne Doyle, the host of rabble radio. Thanks for tuning in. rabble's got its finger on the beat of the stories that matter to you. If you're curious about the latest in Canadian politics, labour, environment, or health – you've come to the right place to find the stories that matter to you. Free of corporate influence. This week we talk about why hazard pay isn't enough for our front-line workers in grocery stores. We'll also mark the passing of former NDP leader, Alexa McDonough. Karl Nerenberg and Monia Mazigh share their stories of Alexa. We'll check in all that and more, a bit later on in our show. First, rabble contributor and former NDP Deputy Leader and House Leader, Libby Davies, interviews political scientist Dr. Jeanette Ashe. In part one of this special two-part series, Davies and Dr. Ashe delved into the question of what a gender-sensitive parliament would look like. They take on topics of the gender-based heckling that takes place among elected representatives in our government, and how COVID-19 has affected women in politics. Dr. Ashe is the Chair of the Political Science Department at Douglas College. She's also a Visiting Faculty at the Global Institute for Women's Leadership, King's College, London. Her research interests include political recruitment, political parties, representation, and gender and politics. She is the author of Political Candidate Selection: Who Wins, Who Loses and Under-representation in the UK. Other recent publications include Gender Sensitivity Under Trudeau: Facebook Feminism or Real Change?, and Canada's Political Parties: Gatekeepers to Parliament . Dr. Ashe advises legislatures, parties, and organizations on assessing gender and diversity sensitivity. She also advises legislators on drafting legislation on gender equity and democratic reform. Libby Davies is the author of Outside In: a Political Memoir. She served as the MP for Vancouver East from 1997-2015, and is former NDP Deputy Leader and House Leader. Libby's also is recipient of the Order of Canada. Here are Libby and Jeanette in conversation, in part one of our two part special. Take a listen: (interview – 22 mins) That was Dr. Jeanette Ashe in conversation with Libby Davies. Join us again next week when we'll hear part two of that conversation. Thanks for that, Dr. Ashe and Libby. Looking forward to it. Now, it's time for a segment we like to call, In Case You Missed It. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT. This week rabble remembers Alexa McDonough. McDonough was Canada's first woman to lead a major political party when she was elected the Nova Scotia New Democratic in 1980. She passed away on Saturday, January 15, 2022 at the age of 77. Monia Mazigh was a close friend of McDonough. In her column, recalls how Alexa McDonough stood by her when her husband, Maher Arar, was held in US custody for two weeks after a family vacation in Tunis. Mazigh recalls McDonough standing against injustice when the Canadian government became complicit with the American authorities. The Americans had rendered her husband to Syria – a country he had not called home since he was 17 years old. Mazigh writes: "Alexa was not intimidated by the whispers that warned her my husband was a "hot potato." She stood with me and remained faithful to her principles of social justice and human rights. In 2003, my husband came home after spending more than a year in prison where he was never charged with any crime and endured torture. Upon his return, Alexa continued to be a pillar in our road towards justice." Karl Nerenberg shares a history of some of the highs and lows of McDonough's political career. He praises her as single-handedly re-building the NDP's presence in the Maritimes. There she established the party as a force for social justice and positive change on the national scene. That paved the way for her NDP successor, Jack Layton. Nerenberg observes: "Keeping the movement alive and relevant during its darkest hour might, indeed, be Alexa's greatest legacy." Also this week on the site, Stephen Wentzell criticizes grocery store CEOs reaping record profits while their grocery store workers remain among the lowest paid workers in Canada. Grocery chains in our country instituted hazard pay for a brief moment at the outset of the pandemic two years ago. But now, workers are back to unsafe conditions, minimum wage, and, often, with little or no paid sick leave. Wentzell writes that, even with a so-called "hazard pay" pay increase, it still leaves many low-income Canadians far from a livable wage. Lisa Cameron, writer and organizer with the Halifax Workers' Action Centre, tells rabble.ca that workers have devoted themselves "tirelessly" to their frontline work, while being both "underpaid and unappreciated." "Major grocery chains should recognize the risks undertaken by their employees and compensate them accordingly," Cameron says. "Even if these grocery chains reintroduce hazard pay for their employees, the fact remains that the minimum wage is too low across the country." Cameron adds that governments can't keep trusting employers to do the right thing when it comes to paid sick days, livable wages, and access to health and dental coverage. "These aren't decisions that we ought to leave in the hands of employers. These are decisions that ought to be determined by law," Cameron says. The last thing I'd like to leave you with today is this: rabble's annual fundraiser is on the go and we are looking for indie media heroes! Is that you? Please consider making a donation at rabble.ca/donate. The generous support from our readers is what makes it possible for quality journalism to support transformative political action. And that's it for rabble radio this week. Thanks as always for tuning in. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts or whatever podcast app you use. 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. If you have feedback for the show – ideas, stories, opinions you'd like us to cover – I'd love to hear about. Get in touch with me anytime at editor@rabble.ca. Thank you to Libby Davies and Dr. Jeanette Ashe for their interview this week. Thanks also to Stephen Wentzell and Karl Nerenberg for their reporting - and Karl, too, for supplying the music. Thank you to all the journalists and writers who contributed to this week's content on rabble.ca. And lastly, thank you to you for tuning into rabble radio. I'm Breanne Doyle, and I'll talk to you next week. Credit for photo: Photo by Miguel Bruna on Unsplash - https://unsplash.com/photos/TzVN0xQhWaQ

Hello and welcome to rabble radio. It's Friday, January 14, 2022. I'm Breanne Doyle, your new host of rabble radio. Thanks for tuning in. Where is Chelsea? Where, indeed. Well, as some of you may be aware, our dear Chelsea Nash has taken a job at the Hill Times in Ottawa. We'll miss her here at rabble, and wish her well! You may have heard my name on this podcast before - I've been behind-the-scenes here at rabble radio since we launched in October. I've been the podcast editor and chase producer - so I'm no stranger to the show. I'm excited to be bringing you the news you need to know from rabble.ca every week! So, let's jump right in. The top stories of this week include Omicron in our schools. National politics reporter Stephen Wentzell asks: "What will it take to open schools safely?" Some authorities say children have to get back to the classroom as quickly as possible. But epidemiologists warn that if we re-open in-person education without smaller classes and better ventilation schools will become "the single largest contiguous block of unvaccinated people." We'll discuss that and more, a bit later on in our show. First, a different story from Stephen: We listen to his conversation with Chris Draenos. Draenos is the Community Based Research Centre's National Sexually Transmitted and Blood-borne Infection Testing and Linkage Implementation Manager. Draenos tells Stephen how the company supplies HIV rapid tests across the country. He also explains why - whether in COVID-times or not - having accessible sexual health-care is something the government should focus more attention on. Here are Stephen and Chris in conversation: (interview – 20 mins) That was Chris Draenos in conversation with Stephen Wentzell. You can read more about Chris's work in Stephen's piece on the site this week. The piece is titled: "With health resources stretched, self-tests for HIV/AIDs could be a valuable resource." Thanks for that, Chris and Stephen. Now, it's time for a segment we like to call, In Case You Missed It. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT. This week at rabble, our biggest story was - you guessed it - the COVID-19 Omicron variant in Canada. Stephen Wentzell explores the many-sided issue of sending Canadian children back to school after the winter break in the face of the quickly-spreading Omicron variant. The World Health Organization tallied 9.5 million new cases of COVID-19 around the world over the past week. That's a 71 percent spike from the week before. In Nova Scotia, students were supposed to return to in-person classes on Wednesday - that has now been pushed to January 17. The province has also announced it is suspending contact tracing for schools, and this could lead to fewer reported cases and a greater risk of exposure to the wider population. Most importantly, it won't give Nova Scotians an accurate and up-to-date picture of how safe from COVID-19 the province's schools are. Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Robert Strang nevertheless argues that schools are the safest place for children. The province's teachers have a different view. Paul Wozney, president of the Nova Scotia Teachers' Union (NSTU), points out that Strang doesn't work in schools. The research Strang has based his opinion on "does not disclose the real truth" about how COVID-safe schools actually are, Wozney says. Are we stuck in an Omicron cycle? Evelyn Lazare addresses the question in her latest column, writing: "in Canada, we are between a rock and a hard place. Remember when we were trying to flatten the curve? With Omicron, we are, one more time. The only thing that can help defeat Omicron — and the Delta variant — is to increase the number of people vaccinated. We must also continue with masking, hand-washing, social distancing and isolation/quarantine when necessary. This is old news, but it does not make either the rock or the hard place any softer." she says. Also on the theme of the pandemic, columnist Cathy Crowe shares how the collapse of Toronto's shelters under COVID-19 could have been prevented. Crowe reflects on the recent disease history in Toronto. This analysis, she says, proves the decades of neglect has led to the collapse of the shelter system under COVID-19. David Suzuki encourages readers to challenge large corporations on greenwashing habits; until we do, they'll continue to grind up nature and spit out profit where rivers, forests and meadows once stood. And on a different theme, Doreen Nicoll visits Bela Farm, a farming community in Erin, Ontario. Sustainability and community is at the heart of everything it does. In collaboration with Everdale Community Farm, Bela Farm was able to distribute 100,000 pounds of organic vegetables to locals in need this year. Nicoll writes that the story of Bela Farms proves: "It's time to embrace new farming and food systems that benefit many while reducing our collective carbon footprint." Finally, it is with great sadness that the rabble community mourns the loss of author and rabble contributor, Joyce Nelson, who passed away in hospital following an illness, last week in Toronto. Joyce Nelson was the author of seven books and many hundreds of articles and essays published by a variety of magazines and websites – including The Watershed Sentinel and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Over her more than 30 years as a full-time writer, Joyce's work appeared in at least 25 book-length anthologies published in Canada and the U.S. She also created 23 hours of radio documentary broadcast by CBC Ideas, all re-broadcast by popular demand. A sought-after speaker, she lectured at locales as diverse as the Banff Centre for the Arts and Harvard University. Joyce taught at Queen's University and the University of Victoria. She was also an artist and fiction writer, as can be gleaned on her website. Joyce was a long-time and stellar contributor to rabble.ca -- never more so than over the past year when she turned her attention to the climate emergency, exposing the dangerous liaisons between corporate interests and elements of the green economy, and Canada's role in the world, in pieces on such diverse issues as Tech workers challenge the giants who employ them, Big Plastic's trashy lawsuit, Canada's ancient forests are being turned into toilet paper, and Sri Lanka shipping disaster and Canadian consumerism. We encourage everyone to read and share Joyce Nelson's work. Joyce was a long-time and stellar contributor to rabble.ca -- never more so than over the past year when she turned her attention to the climate emergency, exposing the dangerous liaisons between corporate interests and elements of the green economy, and Canada's role in the world. Our deepest condolences to her family, friends and community. That was In Case You Missed It. You can find all those stories and much, much more on rabble.ca. The last thing I'd like to leave you with today is this: rabble's annual fundraiser is on the go and we are looking for indie media heroes! Is that you? Please consider making a donation at rabble.ca/donate. The generous support from our readers is what makes it possible for quality journalism to support transformative political action. And that's it for rabble radio this week. Thanks as always for tuning in. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts or whatever podcast app you use. 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. If you have feedback for the show – ideas, stories, opinions you'd like us to cover – I'd love to hear about. Get in touch with me anytime at editor@rabble.ca. Thank you to Stephen Wentzell and Chris Draenos for their interview this week. Thanks also to Karl Nerenberg for supplying the music, and to all the journalists and writers who contributed to this week's content on rabble.ca. I'm Breanne Doyle, and thanks so much for listening to rabble radio.

Hello and welcome to rabble radio. It's Friday, December 17, 2021. I'm the host and the editor of rabble, Chelsea Nash. Thanks so much for listening! Rabble breaks down the news of the day from a progressive lens. It's a good place to catch up and catch on to what's happening in Canadian politics, activism, environment, and so much more. Listen to us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We catch you up on the news of the week and take you further into the stories that matter to you. This week on rabble radio we're reflecting back on our year, highlighting 2021's most newsworthy stories – and let me just say, there were plenty of stories to choose from! 2021 presented a plethora of newsworthy moments for us here at rabble to dive into – from environmental news to Indigenous justice, to politics, rabble was there keeping you up-to-date on all the current news as it happened this year. To begin, let's start on the Pacific side of Canada – all the way at Fairy Creek, British Columbia. This old-growth forest in the southern portion of Vancouver Island has made headlines in the past year, being the site of ongoing protests against old-growth logging. In November, friend of the rabble family Libby Davies interviewed climate activist and land defender Rita Wong. In a clip, Rita discusses her role at Fairy Creek and why the site has had such an impact on activists in B.C.. Keeping the conversation on environmental justice and Indigenous rights, this year rabble correspondent Brent Patterson kept us all up to date on the latest news in his coverage of Wet'suwet'en territory. The protests concerning the construction of the Coastal GasLink Pipeline through 190 kilometres of the unceded lands of Wet'suwet'en First Nation territory have been ongoing, ever since Wetʼsuwetʼen hereditary chiefs opposed the project back in 2010. But it wasn't until last year, 2020, when action really started amping up. On our December 10th show, Brent sat down with sisters Eve Saint and Jocey Alec, Indigenous land defenders who were both criminally charged in the past two years protecting their traditional territory from the pipelines. Here's a clip from that interview of Eve Saint detailing the day she had been arrested. That was Brent Patterson in conversation with Eve Saint. You can listen to the full interview with Eve and her sister Jocey Alec in our December 10th episode – it's an incredibly powerful listen and we so appreciate the two sisters taking the time to speak with us. Thank you also to Brent Patterson for keeping such a detailed eye throughout the year with his coverage of Wet'suwet'en. You can be sure we'll be following this story into the new year. Switching gears now from environmental news to the world of the Internet – this year saw Facebook become engulfed in controversy and ultimately rebranded. In October, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook was to be rebranded as "Meta" – however, critics believed that the re-naming was a just distraction from the controversies the social media conglomerate had found itself in. Canadians began to wonder – what will the government do to implement regulations for social media giants like Facebook? To break down this question and all-things regarding policy and Facebook, our national politics reporter Stephen Wentzell sat down with Dr. Michael Geist back in October. Geist is a law professor at the University of Ottawa where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law. He's also the author of the 2015 book Law, Privacy, and Surveillance in Canada in the Post-Snowden Era. Here's a piece of that interview. This year also saw a snap election, of course; the result being Trudeau being re-elected for a third term as prime minister, with his second minority government. Though the Liberals were no doubt hoping to win a majority government when Trudeau called the election back in August, the results were for the most part unchanged from the 2019 Canadian federal election. Having said that, there was much news to be made out of the election and the actions Trudeau has made since then. Keeping rabble informed and up-to-date on everything going on at Parliament Hill was very own our senior politics reporter Karl Nerenberg. On the site, Karl brought us stories every week detailing how decisions made at Parliament would affect Canadians. In October, Karl joined me on the podcast to discuss Trudeau's cabinet shuffle and suggest why, at 39 members, the cabinet is as big as it is. Take a listen. That was Karl Nerenberg from our October 29 episode when we discussed Trudeau's 2021 cabinet. This month, on our Off the Hill political panel, we delved into Justin Trudeau's government once again, this time dissecting the speech from the throne. To break it down, hosts Libby Davies and Robin Browne prompted our panelists Karl Nerenberg, poet and scholar El Jones, MP Leah Gazan, and Indigenous activist and writer Clayton Thomas-Muller. Our esteemed guests discussed what was said during the speech, what was notably not mentioned in the speech, and what it all meant for activists. Our panelists were in agreement that while pretty words about Indigenous reconciliation, solving climate change, and keeping Canadians safe and healthy through the pandemic were said, the speech was devoid of real substance. MP Leah Gazan speaks in a clip from the panel. Those were our top stories on rabble radio this year. Now let's take a look at the top stories of the week on rabble.ca in a segment we call "in case you missed it." In case you missed it: This week at rabble, the Omicron variant appears to be taking hold around the globe. Have we actually learned anything from the last two years? Are our governments capable of providing support for society's most vulnerable to the virus? Are we making any progress on improving indoor air quality in communal spaces like schools? Are travel restrictions making any sort of difference? As Nora Loreto, author of the newly released book Spin Doctors: How Media and Politicians Misdiagnosed the COVID-19 Pandemic says, "it feels like Groundhog Day." You know, the Bill Murray kind. Here we go again. I reviewed Nora's book this week on the site. It's an insightful, compelling and -- you've been warned -- depressing read about the government and media failure that in many ways paved the way for COVID-19 to wreak the havoc it has. Nora takes readers through the first 18 months of this pandemic: from January 2020 through the end of June 2021. As we well know by now, the pandemic didn't end then, and we are still grappling with many of the same challenges we faced one year ago. However, as Nora proves, at this point, we ought to know better. That's why in Karl Nrenberg's analysis of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's fall economic update, he wonders why there isn't more money being dedicated to improving indoor air quality for Canadians. There is indeed a section of the update most overlooked on Clean and Healthy Indoor Air. The finance minister's update includes a Small Business Refundable Tax Credit of up to $10,000 per location and $50,000 per business organization, which businesses can receive for "eligible air quality improvement expenses." There is, in addition, $100 million for provinces and territories for "improvements to ventilation" in schools, and an additional $70 million to the $100 million the government announced a year ago "to support ventilation projects in public and community buildings such as hospitals, libraries and community centres." It's something, but it's not much, considering the degree to which stopping the spread of this virus entails getting it out of the air we breathe. Speaking of lessons unlearned, over in Alberta, where Premier Jason Kenney infamously declared the pandemic "over" last summer, the government is restricting COVID-19 restrictions for the holiday season, David Climenhaga reports. Groundhog Day, indeed. Also this week on rabble.ca: In case you missed it, 34 people's names were commemorated at this month's Toronto monthly Homeless Memorial on December 14. Of those 34 names, 19 people died inside city shelters in the month of October, writes street nurse Cathy Crowe. In response, the Shelter Housing Justice Network demands that Toronto City Council must immediately strike a task force charged with taking all reasonable steps to reduce such deaths but also take measures to ensure safe shelter, an expansion of housing allowances, harm reduction measures and to stop encampment evictions. In case you missed it, Stephen Wentzell spoke to activists about the federal government's new bill to remove some mandatory minimum sentences from the Criminal Code. Toronto journalist, activist and author Desmond Cole panned the bill as "deeply cynical" and an "incomplete policy" as he calls for all mandatory minimum sentences to be dropped -- including those for crimes involving gangs -- and for life sentences to end. "I just think the government needs to spare us all of the rhetoric about race, when the sentences that they are keeping up will also continue to disproportionately put Black and Indigenous people in jail," Cole said. Justice Minister David Lametti said the government "will continue to address the social determinants of crime" and marked the bill as an important step. And with that, that is our show this week – and for this year. Rabble radio is taking a few weeks off for the holiday season, although the writers and contributors at rabble.ca will continue to bring you the up-to-date news throughout the month, so look out for that. As for rabble radio, you can tune into our next episode on January 14, 2021. If you liked what you heard on this week's show, please consider subscribing wherever you listen to your podcasts. Rate, review, share it with your friends -- it only takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble but it means so much. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca. And if you have feedback for the show, I'd love to hear it - get in touch anytime at editor@rabble.ca. I'm your host, Chelsea Nash. On behalf of everyone here at rabble, we want to thank you for tuning in and supporting our show – and we also want to wish you a safe and happy new year! Thanks to our podcast producer Breanne Doyle. Thanks to Karl Nerenberg for the music, and all the journalists and writers who contributed to this year's content on rabble radio, Off the Hill and rabble.ca. Photo by Erwan Hesry at Unsplash