Humans, On Rights

In this episode of Humans, on Rights Cordella shares the interesting fact that the YMCA-YWCA is the largest child care provider in Manitoba, the YMCA-YWCA operates Camp Stephens, and has four dedicated community hubs that serve in the areas of mental health, fitness, aquatics, newcomer programming, employment services and community play. With over 20 years of leadership experience in the governmen...

Welcome Place is a well-known organization in Winnipeg, Manitoba, dedicated to helping refugees and immigrants settle in the city. The origins of Welcome Place can be traced back to the post World War II period when various religious and community groups in Manitoba began to provide assistance to European refugees. Throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s Welcome Place expanded its services to inclu...

Canada’s first Métis citizenship judge, Suzanne Carrière, has presided over 1,950 citizenship ceremonies, personally welcoming over 145,000 newcomers into the Canadian family. As one of only 9 citizenship judges in Canada, she uses her platform unfailingly to speak about reconciliation being a shared responsibility of all Canadians, whether Indigenous or non-Indigenous, whether born here or elsewh...

What the RCAF and the 2SLGBTQ1+ community have in common. In this episode Major Jackie Zakhar discusses how she went from working at a local Subway sandwich shop in a small community to becoming a Major in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Major Zakhar has served her country in several roles, such as senior duty officer at One Canadian Air Division to Department of Air Operations Chair at Barker...

More than 50 years after passing the passing of the Official Languages Act, 1969, Canada’s official languages face new challenges. Despite a 50 percent increase in bilingualism since 1969 and a record number of youth who are studying French as a second language, the growth rate of Canada’s official-language minority communities is slower than overall population growth. Fact. There are one million...

Adult Film Maker; Human Rights Advocate Kate Sinclaire has been making body- and sex-positive adult film and photography in Winnipeg since 2008. Her kind presence and dedication to showcasing people for who they are has changed the lives of countless people that have either collaborated with her or simply have been able to enjoy her work. Kate not only creates art that inspires and empowers, but a...

Diane Roussin is an Anishinaabe ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᒃ community leader passionately committed to the pursuit of mino bimaadiziwin(the good life) for all families and children. Her in-depth knowledge of Indigenous issues and solutions flow directly from her strong sense of identity and worldview. She is a proud member of Skownan First Nation in Agowidiiwinan Treaty 2 Territory. Diane is currently the Project Dire...

On this episode of Humans, on Rights, we talk to Kirsten Wurmann, the Program Director for the Manitoba Library Association about how libraries are feeling pressure to remove certain books from the library and because of that libraries should not be neutral spaces. Libraries need to be accountable to our community and our community is comprised of people from a myriad of backgrounds. She believes...

As a young Black man growing up in Winnipeg Rich Thomas remembers his parents saying to him “you are living in a society where you are not the majority, and a s a young Black person, you are going to have to work twice as hard for half as much”. Those words had an enormous impact on his early years. And when we spoke on this episode of humans, on Rights Rich talked about how he took the words of h...

“We absolutely should have publicly funded prevention of pregnancy and not just publicly funded abortion.” On this episode oh Humans, on Rights we talk with Dr. Martha Paynter, Dalhousie School of Nursing scholar, researcher, writer, nurse, activist and board chair of Wellness Within about why she wrote her book Abortion to Abolition: Reproductive Health and Justice in Canada. Dr. Paynter believes...

Sunshine House is a community drop-in and resource centre focusing on harm reduction and social inclusion. The team at Sunshine House, led by Executive Director Levi Foy, provide programming that fulfills people’s social, community, and recreational needs. Participants can come as they are and are not expected to be “clean” or sober. Sunshine House has an abundance of programming – Brunch, 2S/Tran...

During the celebration of Black History Month, Chef Rob Thomas talks about how he plans to create a special dinner to celebrate how Black culture has influenced the food we eat. To further promote and celebrate Black History Month Chef Rob is doing a livestream on Thursday February 22 to demonstrate one of his signature dishes. In addition to the livestream, the chef is preparing a special menu fo...

Laura Brandon is a band member of Waywayseecappo First Nation, she has three adult children and is a grandmother. Laura Brandon wants to know that when it comes to discussing the ribbon skirt, she speaks only for herself. The good news is that Laura Brandon generously shares her personal views on the history, the importance, the celebration, and the learning that comes from the making and the wear...

Ever wonder why we celebrate holidays and what they mean to our culture? Holidays serve as a reflection of a society’s shared values, historical milestones, and unique tradition. Holidays offer key insights into cultural identities, showcasing and celebrating how diverse the world is. But are we, in Winnipeg, in Manitoba reflecting just how diverse and therefore inclusive our holidays are? Dr. Reh...

Peter Tonge show notes: If airlines can move horses safely by air…why can’t they do the same for my wheelchair? My guest Peter Tonge wants answers. And why not? Airline travel can be stressful for anyone, and particularly for a person with a disability. A disabled traveller has the usual concerns, such as scheduling and connections, but also the additional concern about the safety of their mo...

Jacob Kaufman was born in Vancouver. His mom, who he tells us he loved very much, was also addicted to “pretty well everything.” Because of his mom’s addictions, Jacob was shipped from foster home to foster home where he was beaten ad had exorcisms performed on him. When Jacob was 14, he ran away from his foster home and began a life on the street with a new family, the street community famil...

Every child and youth in Manitoba has inherent rights. These rights are enshrined in  the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).  In Manitoba in 1985, Judge Kimelman released the Kimelman report based on the “Sixties Scoop”. In 1993 the Office of the Child Advocate opens in Manitoba. In this Humans on Rights podcast, we talk with the Manitoba Advocate, Sherry Gott...

In the English language, our most commonly used pronouns (he/she) specifically refer to person’s gender. For queer, gender non-conforming, non-binary, ad transgender people, these pronouns may not fit, can create discomfort, and cause stress and anxiety. Bre Calma (they/them) is a non-binary queer. They have an extensive education background, and they were most insightful when they thoughtfully ca...

Fact: A study done in 2022 concluded that 1 in 4 Canadian women are forced to choose between buying meals and period products. On this episode of Humans, on Rights, the Executive Director of the Women’s Health Clinic, Kemlin Nembhard (she, her) shares her views on the challenges women face when it comes to purchasing period products. Kemlin’s experience growing up in Winnipeg as a child of Jamaica...

Claire Sparling has always felt a need to learn how things are put together. Throughout her life, she has followed this instinct by developing skills in everything relating to textiles. From a very young age, Claire has been sewing, knitting, spinning and weaving, never missing a chance to add new skills to her repertoire. But it’s not just the sewing, knitting, spinning and weaving that keeps Cla...

It has taken Lorraine Daniels, a second generation Indigenous Residential School survivor, over 60 years to accept her Ojibway culture. As a student at the Indigenous Residential School, we were taught that God was a punishing God, and she and other children were forever being punished and not loved. She recounts that Indigenous children were not allowed to converse with other family members, such...

Human trafficking is a grave violation of human rights and one of the most heinous crimes committed against individuals, particularly women and children. It is a modern form of slavery, involving the recruitment, transportation, harboring, or receipt of people through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation. In this episode of Humans, on Rights our guest, Hennes Doltze tal...

Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair  is an  Anishinaabe  writer, editor, and activist based in  Winnipeg ,  Manitoba . And his credentials are very, very impressive when you consider Sinclair is also a public speaker and media commentator who was recently named to the “Power List” by  Maclean’s  magazine as one of the most influential individuals in Canada. He has help...

Simple and to the point. It was the statement put out by the University of Brandon when Brandon School Division trustees heard from a local delegation’s call to remove 2SLGBTQ+ and sexual education resources from the school libraries. Our Humans, on Rights podcast guest, Ellen Bees is a middle school teacher and is a member of People for Public Education who believe that public education should be...

Sally is a proud member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and so eloquently reminds us that “we all have a voice, find your voice, and use it. Your silence won’t protect you.‘’ And Jordan, who is a trans woman clearly articulates that “a lot of people don’t like people who are different from themselves. We need to have honest communication, there needs to be honest communication between both sides to unde...