CANADALAND

Canada has a nuclear problem... a nuclear waste problem. Since the dawn of nuclear power technology, solutions to waste have all been remarkably temporary given the longevity of the danger the material presents.  For decades, the hunt for a solution has spanned across provinces — even across countries. But the hope is that by 2023 Canada will have found a home - and perman...

The hunger for stories about Toronto's snow backfires. And when a story is about a hostage situation at a synagogue, why is there reluctance to call it antisemitism? Canadaland contributing editor Danielle Paradis co-hosts. Links:  A tribute to CBC Edmonton's radio host Adrienne Pan CBC's piece on Texas Synagogue Hostages Sponsors: Zensurance , Hot Docs Podcast Festival , Freshbooks , Squares...

There's a mystery disease that's plaguing people in New Brunswick. It starts with some muscle pain or spasms, before basic tasks like reading become impossible. For many, the disease progresses to full-blown dementia. For patients and families, government response has proven to be lackluster and desperation and frustration is taking hold as the search for answers drags on. Further reading: Wh...

Healthcare workers against pandemic restrictions tell on themselves by suing for libel. And two Haitian journalists die reporting for a Montreal online radio station.  Columnist  Emilie Nicolas co-hosts.  Links: Gofundme page for the Haitian journalists' families Sponsors: Policy Me , Dispatch Coffee , Squarespace Support CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/join See omnystudio.com/li...

A CBC employee resigned from the public broadcaster because she says it's become too woke. The article she wrote about her departure has caused quite the buzz since it dropped. The National Post put it on the front page of the paper. Fox News, America reporter Glenn Greenwald, the British Daily Mail, and Canada's Leader of the Opposition Erin O'Toole have all wanted a piece of this story. But who...

Publishing record COVID case counts might not be that helpful anymore. And a woman quits the CBC to start her own thing and Jesse isn't sure how to feel about it.  Writer Nora Loreto co-hosts. Sponsors: Freshbooks , PolicyMe , Squarespace Support CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/join See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa...

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 aired in 2021 demanded that we add another chapter to the story we told. First, the case of pretendians and how Indigenous identity...

Short Cuts is off this week, so we are sharing an absolutely shocking story from Commons' current season on mining in Canada.  For a century, Canada was one of the world's leading exporters of asbestos, most of it mined from the small town of Asbestos, Quebec. But during that time, governments and corporations in Canada did everything they could to hide the fact that asbestos is deadly. They...

People might take holidays, but the news doesn't. The best, worst, and funniest stories from reporters working Christmas in the newsroom. This might be an earth-shattering concept... but the CANADALAND team is taking a week off for the holidays. The office is closed. No one is here. However, in newsrooms across the country, that is not the case. For your holidays listening needs, here are stories...

Justin Trudeau tells-all in his revealing year-end interview, oh wait, he just stuck to the same old talking points. And yes, we're still going on about Omicron. Data journalist David Weisz co-hosts.  Links: CBC Year-End Interview with PM CTV Year-End Interview with PM City News Year-End Interview with PM Globe & Mail piece re: Niagara police constable Sponsors: Douglas ,  Polic...

He's the academic expert people love to hate. But he considers stirring the pot his moral duty. This week, CANADALAND brings you a profile of Amir Attaran. Amir Attaran might not be a name you know off the top of your head, but if you listen or read Canadian media, you've definitely come across him before. He is a professor at both the University of Ottawa law school and also its School of Epidemi...

The media is scaring the bejesus out of us about the Omicron variant, but being on perpetual high alert can backfire. And the case against feeding the hungry. Writer, activist and podcaster Nora Loreto co-hosts.  Links: Toronto Star piece re: Omicron Blacklocks Reporter piece re: Minister Anita Anand's husband National Post: Capitalist Manifesto Toronto Star piece re: Food Banks Nora Loreto's...

March 16, the day the restaurants died. Or did they? Food industry writer, Corey Mintz, dissects what COVID-19 and the rise of third-party delivery apps have meant for the industry and our culture surrounding food. Further reading: The Next Supper , Corey Mintz, PublicAffairs Books The truth about Uber Eats, DoorDash and Skip the Dishes , Corey Mintz, Maclean's You can support Canadaland at canada...

The Indigenous delegation headed to the Vatican was canceled and the media seems most focused on a papal apology. And is coverage of the Ring of Fire simply echoing the Conservative party lines? Ryan McMahon  sits in for Jesse this week with co-host  Pam Palmater. Links: CAJ Diversity study   CBC Indigenous piece re: Vatican visit   Toronto Star Local Journalism Initiative piec...

Amber Bracken and Michael Toledano are freelance journalists who were arrested by RCMP officers on the morning of Nov. 19, 2021 while they were covering the demonstrations of Wet'suwet'en people and hereditary chiefs against the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline.  The standoff on unceded territory was the top news story of 2020, until the pandemic hit. But since then, coverage...

The latest COVID variant offers mixed messaging about the severity of the virus. And an obituary to memorialize an alleged murderer does not sit right with Jesse and at least one of our listeners. Veteran journalist and freelance obituary writer Fred Langan co-hosts.  Links: Daniel Schlafman's death notice can be found here Radio-Canada's piece re: their deaths (French) Global News' report &n...

Support our work at canadaland.com/join Did an Instagram account kill a vulnerable teenager? 6ixBuzz has unparalleled clout in Toronto with young audiences and it used that influence to make "Debby Gang" or "Debby Parkway" (real name Alexis Matos) a certain brand of local celebrity — the kind that is repeatedly filmed when spotted on the street, and is then is the subject of mockery and scor...

The struggle against Coastal Gaslink was bigger news this week because journalists got arrested. And even CBC can't seem to avoid the wrath of covering WE Charity. Canadaland contributing editor Danielle Paradis co-hosts.  Links: A rare Editor's Note from the CBC on covering WE Charity Since the time of recording, the CBC posted on Facebook saying Michael Toledano had been commissioned by CBC...

Support our work at canadaland.com/join Failure to protect hundreds of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Violent arrests at Wet'suwet'en and Fairy Creek. And now, Portapique. In recent years, controversy has hounded Canada's storied national police force. Reporter Jane Gerster has made it her mission to understand why these problems are happening, and she says that the Mounties  - ...

Support our work at canadaland.com/join   As British Columbia assesses the damage from the downpour, what is the media's role when disaster strikes? And Jian Ghomeshi's lawyer is back in the news over a controversy but is Jesse too close to the story to critique it? National Observer columnist Sandy Garossino co-hosts.  Sponsors: Douglas , Kilne , HelloFresh Support CANADALAND: https://c...

Support Canadaland at  canadaland.com/join On the heels of COP26, Jesse heads back to school as he and his new senior producer, Sarah Lawrynuik, duke it out over whether climate change is either a) boring or b) the most exciting story ever told. Sarah takes Jesse through the psychological factors at play, the history, the politics and the morality of the climate crisis, while making her case...

Support Canadaland at www.canadaland.com/join A veteran Black columnist at The Star calls out Desmond Cole's activism out of nowhere. And CBC officially closes the comment section on Facebook. Writer Ish Aderonmu co-hosts. Links: Ish's award-winning  piece  in Toronto Life The Toronto Star column from Royson James discussed in segment 1 (paywalled)  Kate Dubinski's piece on the...

Support Canadaland at canadaland.com/join A new breed of hyper-connected, steroid-abusing, gender-bending, "entitled" thugs are changing the landscape of organized crime in Canada, according to veteran crime reporters Peter Edwards and Luis Najera. Also, the Mexican Cartels are here with them.  Further Reading:  The Wolfpack , by Peter Edwards and Luis Najera Additional music by Audio Ne...

Support our work at www.canadaland.com/join The 'saying-stuff business' gets some clarity from different courts regarding what one can and cannot express online; the results may surprise you. And former prime minister Jean Chrétien gets the media to let him off the hook for his involvement with residential schools for a brief moment.  Columnist and Canadaland's French-language correspo...

Support Canadaland here Who are the Rogers family? How did they get so powerful? Why have they turned against one another? And what does it matter?  We've spent a week immersed in Rogers history to bring you this unofficial narrative of Canada's telecom overlords.  Further reading: Kelly Pullen's 2014 story in Toronto Life on the "ruthless" power struggle at Rogers:  https...