CANADALAND

Correction: A previous version of this story indicated former CTV News employee Erin Paul died due to an overdose after her dismissal. Though she did die in Nov. 2020 at the age of 49, her sister stated that was not her cause of death. Lisa LaFlamme was but one CTV News employee. Dozens more speak to us about a toxic workplace where abuse, bullying, and burnout have allegedly been normal. This cul...

A recent encounter between Pierre Poilievre and David Akin of Global News demonstrates the tactics politicians have been using to avoid accountability. And how the popular #TrudeauMustGo campaign is being dismissed as bots and treated as if it doesn't exist.  Nora Loreto  co-hosts.  Links: Video  of David Akin and Pierre Poilievre CBC Manitoba  piece  re: Homeles...

Every pop culture reference to Sasquatch or Bigfoot can be traced to one Macleans Magazine article from 1929, written by Indian Agent J.W. Burns, who stole the story of Sas’qets, a core part of Sto:lo cultural identity for thousands of years. Robert Jago is a Sto:lo writer and Sasquatch enthusiast who set out to take Sasquatch back. But the process of cultural appropriation turns out to be more co...

Suite au décès de la reine Elizabeth II, de nombreux journalistes soulignent les qualités admirables de la reine, alors que d'autres mettent la politesse de côté pour appeler à une réflexion plus critique autour de la monarchie. Puis comment les médias francophones couvrent-ils les sujets de l'immigration et de la langue française dans le premier débat de la campagne électorale au Québec ? Emilie...

Canadians have greeted the death of Elizabeth II with a mix of sadness and ambivalence, hostility and indifference. Film writer  Will Sloan  joins  Jonathan Goldsbie  to look at how media has grappled with evolving attitudes toward the monarchy, and how it’s covered the rare sort of development that’s both wholly inevitable and the biggest breaking news in the world. They also...

A new Netflix documentary documents the violent life and death of John McAfee, a silicon valley magnate who became a murder suspect and the target of an international manhunt. But ten years after it all went down, do we actually know what happened? Rocco Castoro was the young editor in chief of VICE News who embedded with McAfee during his wild run from the law. He tries to set the record str...

An on-the-ground account of what it has been like to cover the Saskatchewan stabbing spree. And the end of Kiwi Farms after a Canadian Twitch streamer was swatted in London, Ontario.  Zak Vescera  co-hosts.  Links: National Post Opinion  piece  re: RCMP response to stabbing Toronto Sun Opinion  piece  re: Progressive theories driving criminal justice Globe and Ma...

Squirrel toupee guy, Bobby from Bobby versus Satan, cabbage head, the little guy who picks fights at the bar and won’t stay down, or the flying pig. These are just some of the memorable characters that Bruce McCulloch portrayed on Kids in the Hall.  This week we chat with Bruce about the beginning of Kids in the Hall from the gritty streets of Edmonton to the state of Canadian comedy, the CBC...

The Lisa LaFlamme story continues to smolder in the headlines. And Canada turns into a denunciation nation when it comes to weighing in on Chrystia Freeland's verbal attack.  Priya Sam  co-hosts.  Links: Globe and Mail  piece  re: Open letter in support of LaFlamme Globe and Mail  piece  re: Bell Media Formal Review Process National Observer  piece  re:...

After we turn off our microphones, here at CANADALAND, it would be great to think we brought you the definitive version of the story. But what actually happens is that life keeps on rolling and stories continue to add new chapters. Three stories CANADALAND originally brought you in 2021 and 2022 demanded that we publish an update. First, the latest from the two communities that might soon  be home...

The remaining staff at Toronto’s  NOW Magazine  haven’t gotten a regular paycheque in months. But as the beloved alt-weekly disintegrated around them, they kept on putting out issues.  Norm Wilner , who spent 14 years as  NOW ’s film writer, joins former colleague Jonathan Goldsbie on Short Cuts to consider the slow decay of a publication that served as the city’s internet, before the internet was...

Dozens of people in New Brunswick have reported mysterious neurological symptoms over the past two years. People as young as 18 are experiencing full-blown dementia. Is there a single cause for these reported illnesses? The government has previously said they believed there was. Now, they have said there is no single cause. This week, we revisit a mystery we originally told you in January 2022.  F...

What's really behind Lisa LaFlamme's abrupt departure from  CTV National News ? And John Derringer's years of alleged workplace abuse at Toronto's Q107 and the straw that broke the camel's back for ending his show.  Teri Hart  co-hosts.  Links: Lisa LaFlamme's  video  on Twitter The Hill Times  piece  re: journalists receiving online hate The Toronto Star's  piece  re: allegations against Derringe...

Cities and cars and a climate crisis, oh my! For the past 70 years, urban design in Canada has been centred around the car. Cities have started making changes, but are they doing enough to meet Canada’s climate goals? Featured in this episode: Dr. Edda Bild, postdoctoral fellow at McGill University and lead soundscape researcher for Sounds in the City. Jason Slaughter, creator of the YouTube chann...

Avertissement : contenu lié aux pensionnats et à la colonisation La visite du pape pour la présentation d’excuses aux peuples autochtones a provoqué diverses réflexions autour de l’histoire du catholicisme au Québec. Puis quelle est la conversation autour de la violence armée au Canada ? Emilie Nicolas anime cet épisode de Détours avec Christopher Curtis. Content warning : residential schools and...

How many ways must healthcare break down before you can call it “collapsed”? And how can journalists be better supported when they receive threatening hate mail?  Moira Wyton  co-hosts with  Jonathan Goldsbie . Links: CBC  piece  re: 'unprecedented' strain on health care Global news  piece  re: not unprecedented health care system Toronto Sun Opinion  piece  Brian Lilley Globe and Mail  piece  re:...

Jesse Brown might think himself quite the question master, but today the tables have turned and our guest host,  the  Jonathan Torrens, investigates the inner workings of this show's host. Is it possible to be  too cynical?   Featured in this episode: Jonathan Torrens, actor, performer and writer best known for his beef with Jesse Brown and hosting shows like Street Cents, Jonovision and his role...

The dam has broken on hockey's toxic culture. And a new BC Supreme Court ruling threatens confidential sources. Laura Robinson co-hosts. Links: Globe and Mail  piece  re: victim coming forward CBC  piece  re: Alleged sexual assault in St. John's Biv  piece  re: BC Supreme Court ruling on confidentiality Sponsors:   Douglas ,  Squarespace ,  oxio   Support CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/join Se...

Jody Porter worked for CBC in Thunder Bay for more than two decades. Her work on the injustices faced by Indigenous people in Northwestern Ontario from Grassy Narrows to Thunder Bay was cited in many hearings and reports including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. And yet, she viewed her work with a very critical lens toward the end of her life after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I...

The media actually did a pretty good job of covering the Pope's apology. And Wendy Mesley's re-branding as a woman of ill repute.  Karyn Pugliese  co-hosts. Links: Canada's National Observer  piece  by Thaiorénióhté Dan David re: Papal apology Canada's National Observer  piece  by Matteo Cimellaro re: Papal apology Globe and Mail Opinion  piece  by Tany...

So many people encounter injustice and accept it as the way things are. Others refuse to accept the status quo and will not rest until those injustices are done away with. Cindy Blackstock is one of the latter. This is the story of how her work resulted in the largest financial compensation settlement the Canadian government has ever made because of the systemic neglect of First Nations' children...

Our changing perception of the Nova Scotia mass shooter's partner Lisa Banfield. And thwarting the apocalypse through journalism.  Sarah Lawrynuik  co-hosts.  Links: Halifax Examiner  piece  re: The witchification of Lisa Banfield Globe and Mail Opinion  piece  re: Lisa Banfield CBC  piece  re: European heat wave J Source  article  by Sarah on reporting on extreme weather Sponsors:   Douglas ,  Sq...

When a CBC host used the N-word in pre-production meetings, she was taken off the air. When the French arm of the public broadcaster, Radio-Canada, had a program just months later where the N-word was used four times in both languages, the broadcaster dismissed charges that there was anything wrong with the program. That is, until the CRTC stepped in and said an apology was in order.  Why two diff...

Three telecoms in a trench coat and other Canadian oligopolies. And we need a new playbook when it comes to engaging with Pierre Poilievre. Vass Bednar  co-hosts Links: CBC  piece  re: Rogers outage and the need for greater oversight Toronto Star  piece  re: Supermarket price hikes National Observer  piece  re: Trudeau greeted by throngs of admirers Tyee  piece  re: The Forever Plague and the  res...

Patrick Brown was disqualified from the Conservative Leadership race. He's denied allegations filed by a whistleblower that he was knowingly mismanaging how campaign staff were being paid. He's vowed to appeal the disqualification decision. But in the meantime, what would this move mean for Canadian politics? Does it mean a Pierre Poilievre coronation? Canadians are known for voting parties out of...