CANADALAND

There aren’t a lot of dedicated spaces for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour in Nova Scotia. One community group wanted to change that. They decided to create a cottage retreat for BIPOC in Birchtown, Nova Scotia, a site of significant Black history. It would be owned and run by the community, a place where they could rest, relax and have access to nature. They raised money through donat...

Rouleau has rolled out his verdict and Prime Minister Trudeau is vindicated. What precedent does this set? And a look at how anti-trans rhetoric manifests in the Canadian media landscape - we’re looking at you National Post. Ziya Jones co-hosts Host: Jesse Brown Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor) Guest: Ziya Jo...

Ian Runkle, firearms lawyer, makes the pro-gun case to Jesse, following a political victory for gun rights advocates.  Further reading: Ian Runkle's YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/c/runkleofthebailey Gun crime rates from StatsCan  https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-005-x/2022001/article/00002-eng.htm "Ghost Guns" are on the rise?  https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/3...

La notion du Québec bashing a provoqué un déferlement de réactions dans les médias en français et en anglais suite à la nomination d'Amira Elghawaby comme représentante spéciale dans la lutte contre l'islamophobie. Puis quel est le lien entre les anglophones du Québec et les francophones dans le reste du pays face à la réforme de la Loi sur les langues officielles ? Émilie Nicolas anime cet épisod...

A tasting menu of scandals from Ontario’s municipal and provincial governments, with a newsroom scandal thrown in for kicks. And Fuck the Police - legally! The Narwhal sues the RCMP. Lisa Taylor co-hosts.  Host: Jesse Brown Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor) Guest: Lisa Taylor   Further reading:  Integrity commiss...

Andrew Wilkinson and former media editor-in-chief Farhan Mohamed founded Overstoy Media Group (OMG) on the promise of revitalizing local news. But after the firing of four star journalists on January 30th, Mohamed admits the company was losing money on hard journalism - and that moving to a ”community” focus would save them. Current and former staff have expressed concern at the direction of the c...

Canadaland’s first TV series premieres next Friday, February 17, 2023 on CRAVE. Based on our work for the hit podcast series Thunder Bay, Ryan McMahon returns to the eponymous city to tell the ongoing story in north Ontario. Trailer for the new docuseries Thunder Bay Listen to the rest of our podcast series here More information about the TV series – Locals call it Murder Bay. It might be the most...

Following the melting of the No Name price freeze, Loblaw had a bit of its own public meltdown. Meanwhile, the country’s largest newspaper chain continues its own perpetual self-dissolution, leaving damp puddles where once stood proud big-city dailies. Host: Jonathan Goldsbie Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Edi...

canadaLANDBACK is a co-production of Canada’s National Observer and Canadaland. Since 2019 five journalists have been arrested at land defenses, several others have been detained or threatened with arrest - why? Host Karyn Pugliese believes the answer is to be found in two land defenses that unfolded in the 1990s.  Kanesatake Gustafsen Lake Of all the things journalists have to cover in Indig...

Quebec’s overblown backlash to the appointment of Amira Elghawaby as special representative on combatting Islamophobia in response to her analysis of a poll from back in 2019. And is the government telling us to only drink two alcoholic beverages a week? Sarah Hagi co-hosts.  Host: Jesse Brown Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Annett...

The Chinese state has infiltrated Canadian democracy at all levels, according to a bombshell report from investigative reporter Sam Cooper of Global News. But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has issued a stern denial, throwing cold water on the story. Who's telling the truth? And exactly what  is  Beijing up to in Canada? Sam Cooper explains his work.  Further reading: Coope...

McKinsey is on everyone’s lips, but it’s just one of the many consulting firms the government is spending millions on. And as the provinces and federal government battle it out when it comes to healthcare, whose side are we supposed to be on? Nora Loreto co-hosts. Host: Jesse Brown Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managi...

It was in the winter of 2021 that the world first became aware of a mounting number of patients being seen in New Brunswick with unusual neurological symptoms. A year later, the Government of New Brunswick released a report dismissing the entire issue, claiming there was never a cluster of patients to begin with. CANADALAND has obtained thousands and thousands of pages of internal documents that t...

Le chemin Roxham, un passage frontalier irrégulier au Québec, a fait l'objet d'une attention médiatique considérable ce mois-ci suite au décès de Fritznel Richard. Puis lors de la couverture de sujets sensibles comme la migration, que doivent garder en tête les journalistes en matière de traumavertissements ? Émilie Nicolas anime cet épisode de Détours avec Lela Savić.  Roxham Road, an irregu...

And the Financial Post’s polar bear “expert” has some questionable associations in her past and a tendency to downplay climate change. Matt Gurney co-hosts.  Host: Jesse Brown Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), André Proulx (Production Coordinator), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor) Guest: Matt Gurney   Further reading:  A Skepti...

Marc joins Jesse for a conversation about his plans to emigrate to Vancouver and the differences between Canada and the U.S. when it comes to fascism, comedy, and Jews.  Further reading: Marc interviews Lorne Michaels:  http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_653_-_lorne_michaels Jesse interviews Hart Pomerantz:  https://www.canadaland.com/podcast/hart-pomerantz/ The late, gr...

Is PM Trudeau a stealth warmonger? Co-host David Pugliese explains why it is so difficult to wrap one’s head around military spending. And Jordan Peterson’s latest drama over a banal request from the College of Psychologists of Ontario’s request for social media training after complaints over inappropriate tweets. Host: Jesse Brown Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Audio Edit...

Kanye West, Dave Chappelle and Kyrie Irving have breathed new life into the antisemitic trope that Jews control the media. Is Jew-hatred from Black cultural icons more dangerous than the usual bigotry? And why is it so difficult for Jewish and Black communities to hear each other when it comes to racism? Emilie Nicolas joins Jesse to lay out a framework for better conversations.  Further...

The Shorties! Or Cutties! Or Shortcuttys! A special awards show highlighting variably consequential media weirdness from the year past. Dani Paradis co-hosts. Further reading: Final Jeopardy!: World Capitals – Jeopardy! on YouTube Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she has Cherokee roots, but the records don’t back that up – APTN News ZoomerMedia Acquires blogTO – ZNews on YouTube I moved to...

canadaLANDBACK is a co-production by Canada’s National Observer and Canadaland. Land claims can take generations to settle. Sometimes communities lose patience, sometimes development forces them to take a stand or risk losing their land forever. Barricades have become a familiar scene in Canada.  The land issue is rarely settled when barricades come down. Instead the community is left with co...

This episode was originally aired on December 7, 2022 WIND Mobile, now known as Freedom, was a small company that tried to break through Canada’s telecom oligopoly. It did not have an easy ride.  WIND faced numerous hurdles from regulators, it was subjected to dirty tricks from the telecom oligopoly, and was eventually sold to Shaw. But it also helped lower cell phone rates and brought in unl...

Sarah Polley has come forward with memories of a violent sexual encounter with Jian Ghomeshi when she was 16. But why is the press tongue-tied about describing the alleged violence? Sarah sits down with Jesse to discuss how to safely run towards danger, and whether it’s even possible to ethically use child labour in the production of TV and film. This episode was originally aired on March 14, 2022...

Why Twitter should be run more like a newsroom and a look at the Twitter Files. And the latest in CTV’s Lisa LaFlamme story and who was left out of the narrative. Jan Wong co-hosts.  Host: Jesse Brown Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), André Proulx (Production Coordinator) Guest: Jan Wong   Further reading:  The Great Internet Gr...

People might take holidays, but the news doesn't. For your holiday listening needs, here are stories from reporters who have worked Christmas in their newsrooms. It's the good, the bad and the funny.  A Canadaland tradition, now updated with a new story.  Host:  Jesse Brown Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer)   Sponsors:  Oxio , Rakuten, Fres...

Former crime reporter Tamara Cherry — who now works as a specialist-for-hire on trauma-informed practices — joins Jonathan Goldsbie to consider what allegations swirling around Leah McLaren’s memoir have taught us about what could be called “trauma-indifferent” writing. They also look at how publication bans on the identities of victims can sometimes serve to re-victimize them, and how Canada seem...