The Final Word

October 1, 2021 - Naama Weingarten and Sharon Savunthararajah Canada commemorated its first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Cadence Weapon won the 2021 Polaris Prize for his album "Parallel World"

September 24, 2021 - Naama Weingarten and Sharon Savunthararajah As the federal election went down, Ryerson students had a lot of opinions about the new Liberal government. Plus, Ryerson's vaccine mandate just kicked in

Journalist, author, professor and mentor Dr. Kamal Al-Solaylee will be leaving his position with the Ryerson School of Journalism this fall, and Sofia Vavaroutsos sits down with him - as well as some j-school students - to discuss his legacy with the RSJ community, his approach to teaching and what the future holds.

For July 9, 2021: Sophia De Guzman speaks with David Jardine about the recent Board of Directors meeting at the Ryerson Student's Union and the approval of the Union's 2021-2022 budget. After that, Sharon Savunthararajah chats with a representative from ACORN Toronto about their latest campaign to make the internet more accessible and affordable in Toronto.

Sharon Savunthararajah covers a floating art installation from an Indigenous artist which can be found on Toronto's waterfront, and Equity Reporter Olivea Loo Folkes speaks with artists working on an upcoming interactive event in downtown Toronto as part of the 'Planet Fabulon' event series.

CJRU speaks with organizers from Circles for Reconciliation, who have launched an awareness campaign to help centre the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action and to urge settlers to engage with each of the TRC's Calls to Action.

For the week of June 11, 2021: The statue of Egerton Ryerson, an architect of the residential school system, was toppled and defaced by activists this past week. We speak with Ryerson University professor and Mi'kmaq artist Dr. Lila Pine about how the university can hold itself accountable to the demands of Indigenous students. After that we revisit Sophia De Guzman's interview with 'X University'...

For the week of June 4, 2021: Sophia De Guzman speaks with Sam Howden, an organizer with the activist group X University who are mounting pressure for the university to remove the statue of namesake Egerton Ryerson from campus and to change the school's name. After that, we revisit out story from last year about the Land Defenders holding space at 1492 Landback Lane. This episode of The Final Word...

For the week of May 28, 2021: A year after the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Regis Korchinski-Paquet in Toronto during interactions with police, we revisit a story put together by Xolisa Jerome, Adriel Smiley and Gabbie Clarke in 2020 that focuses on the origins of the Black Lives Matter movement, and what it's like facing racism as a young Black person in Canada. This episode produced...

This week: Reporter Sophia De Guzman speaks with a former member of the RSU's Board of Directors about her recent resignation and how students can hold the student's union accountable going forward. Then we chat with Ryerson professor Shiri Pasternak, the co-author of a new report from Ryerson's Yellowhead Institute which details how Canadian economic policy has devastated Indigenous prosperity fo...

For the week of May 7, 2021: we speak with Board of Governors student representative David Jardine about the bizarre general meeting held by the Ryerson Student's Union on April 30 and why students should still try and hold the RSU accountable.

For the week of April 30th 2021: Alex Ramsay speaks with Deena Ladd, Executive Director at Workers Action Centre in Toronto, and registered nurse Carolina Jimenez, about the recently announced paid sick leave plan put forward by the Ontario Conservatives and how it could continue to leave workers behind. Then, we hear from Sam Dharmasena as she speaks with arts organizer Jamila Amarah, who is tryi...

For the week of April 9, 2021: Act 1: Ehsan Mamakani planned his move to Toronto for a long time, but he didn’t expect that his life would take such a drastic turn just a few months after his arrival. As a Kurd from Iran, he has always thought of going abroad to study and work. And it is not the first time that his plans have to change suddenly. This story by Pascal Filippi and Benjamin Morette is...

For the week of March 26, 2021: As Doug Ford's government appeals the cancellation of the controversial Student Choice Initiative, we speak with Maddy Fast from CESAR (Continuing Education Students' Association of Ryerson) about how student groups are fighting against the initiative. Meanwhile, Jess Goldson covers the intersection of race and reproductive health with two healthcare professionals....

This week: We speak with an organizer at Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy about how the pandemic has caused a skyrocketing in opioid deaths in Ontario and about how to keep yourself safe, if you’re using drugs. And exactly one year after the launch of their Needs Assessment Report, LGBT YouthLine has released a report outlining seven recommendations for change in Ontario. It explores gap...

For this week's episode of The Final Word: Alex Ramsay speaks with CJRU's film section editor Monique Viegnault about a moment that we all share: the moment we realized that COVID-19 was more than a mere flu. After that, Pascal Fillipi and Benjamin Morrette cover how difficult navigating the pandemic in Canada has been for newcomers in the country on a work visa.

For the week of February 19th: Morning Mixtape's Racy Rafique speaks with Pascale Diverlus, co-founder of Black Lives Matter-Toronto. Meanwhile, Sam Dharmasena focuses on LGBT Youthline as the organization prepares to highlight how the Province can support queer youth.

For the week of February 5, 2021: Ontario's number of COVID cases continue to decline but as doctors prepare for the worst case scenario of a massive influx of COVID-19 patients, Ontario's Bioethics Table has recommended the province temporarily suspend the Health Care Consent Act. We speak with two lawyers from ARCH Disability Law Centre on what that decision could mean for people with disabiliti...

For January 29, 2021: We speak with Ryerson professor and epidemiologist Anne Harris about measures that still need to be put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 at workplaces and Sam Dharmasena covers a new series of writing workshops for people of colour in Toronto.

For the week of January 22, 2021: Newly-inaugurated United States President Joe Biden withdrew permits for the cross-border Keystone XL pipeline as one of his first acts in office, and we revisit our conversation with David Suzuki, filmmaker Caitlin Starowicz and environmental activist Olivia Wohlgemuth

For the week of January 15, 2021: Toronto mayor John Tory and the city's top doctor are urging the province to consider a paid sick leave for all workers in the province. We speak with activist and labour organizer Deena Ladd from the Workers Action Project about why paid sick leave is such a crucial step in fighting COVID-19. Produced by Alex Ramsay with files from Sam Dharmasena.