The 519 Podcast

Red Ryan was one of the most notorious criminals in Canadian history. He escaped from jail, got out of fight in the first World War and tricked the government into believing he had found religion - only to return to a life of crime each time. Ryan was eventually killed while robbing a liquor store in Sarnia in 1936. In that same incident, Constable Jack Lewis, a Sarnia Police Officer, was also kil...

There's a certain irony in a group of people protesting, among other things, a border policy they claim disrupts the supply chain when their protest actually did disrupt the supply chain and likely caused more problems for our economy than any sort of border crossing rule vaccine rule ever has. For seven days, the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor was essentially shut down, causing massive economic rep...

In 2012, a company from the Niagara region called Walker Industries put forward a proposal for a  landfill just outside of the town of Ingersoll. It was to be located in an old limestone quarry and would take in garbage from around southern Ontario, much of it from the GTA. It would be Ontario’s 5th largest landfill and would take in 17 million tonnes of garbage in its proposed 20 year lifespan. ...

When it comes to the history of this part of Ontario, there are so many incredibly interesting and compelling stories.  There's the Donnelly massacre, the Amherstburg Rebellion, and the Victoria steamboat disaster. But some of the most interesting stories are the ones that don't get told very often. These stories often involve Black Canadians and Black people who came from the U.S. to escape slave...

In this second part of a two-part series on the murder of Hanna Buxbaum, we hear about the trial of Helmuth Buxbaum and the series of errors that made it easier for investigators to discover that he was the person who orchestrated the murder. 

To the outside world, it seemed Helmuth Buxbaum had it all. He had a loving and supportive wife, six children, and a nursing home business that had made him a millionaire. But behind the curtain, it was a much different story. In the 1980s, Helmuth was leading a double life. One was that of a successful businessman, church-goer, and philanthropist. The other was that a cocaine abusing patron of pr...

It was a little over a year ago when the first COVID-19 vaccines started going into arms in Canada. At the time, many though that it marked the beginning of the end of the pandemic.  It hasn't quite worked out that way.  With the rise of the Omicron variant, in some ways it feels like we're back to square one. We're back to closed gyms and theatres, and kids learning from home instead of being in...

It's something that just about everyone in our region has experience with. Driving in slippery, snowy, or whiteout conditions.  It’s one of the most stressful things about living in this country. But what happens when you slide off that highway into the ditch? Or if a truck does? Highway 401 is one of the busiest highways in North America. Our 400 series highways host over 400,000 drivers per day....

It’s among the favourite types of food for both kids and adults alike, and we all have our favourite toppings.  Pizza. That food that tastes as good at lunch as it does at 2 a.m. after a night out.  We all know there different types of pizza associated with different cities. There's New York Style Pizza and Chicago Deep Dish.  But what about the pizza styles that rarely get talked about? These are...

It’s been a long time since anyone was put to death for committing a crime in Canada.  Capital punishment was officially abolished here in 1976, although it had been effectively abolished by a series of commutations and moritoriums dating back to 1963. The last executions in the Canadian justice system happened in 1962.  But there was a time when capital punishment was a reality in this country. ...

Every year in Canada, we take time on Remembrance Day to remember and honour those who went overseas and sacrificed for our country and the freedoms we enjoy today. But what about the people whose contributions to the war effort involved work on this side of the ocean.  These people never wore military uniforms, never held rifles in their hands, and never stormed the beaches of Normandy.  But they...

For as long as you remember, you've probably heard warnings to parents, telling them to check their kids Halloween candy for drugs, razor blades, or other objects. Maybe you, yourself have gone through the bag before your kids.  But, what are the odds of somebody actually putting a razor blade or poison into Halloween candy? Is this something that actually happens? Or is it just a myth? On this ep...

Before the spring of 2006, most people in Canada had never heard of Shedden, Ontario.  That all changed in April of that year, when the bodies of eight bikers were found in vehicles on a rural road near the town.  On this episode of The 519 Podcast, we look at the Bandidos Massacre.  

The Chatham Coloured All-Stars made history. They were baseball a team that fought prejudice and injustice just to play the game they loved. And in the 1934 season, they became champions of  the Ontario Baseball Association, being the first all-Black team to have ever done so.  On this episode of the 519 Podcast, we hear from Blake Harding, the son of one of the star players in the original 1934 t...

It's September, and the kids are back in school. But it's not unreasonable to wonder for how long. As the Delta variant continues to spread, there are concerns that we could be looking at another round of at home learning for students.  In this episode of The 519 Podcast, we look at what has been done to make classrooms safer and whether it's enough. We speak to Directors of Education for three sc...

It was the strongest tornado to hit Ontario in over 15 years.  It damaged roughly 100 houses and 25 other buildings, leaving a damage bill of about $130-million.  It also claimed one life and affected the lives of an entire community, effects that linger 10 years later.  On August 21, 2011, an isolated supercell thunderstorm that formed and gained strength over Lake Huron, came ashore in Goderich...

We had all hoped that, by now, we'd be done with the pandemic. But it's clear we are not.  With the delta variant causing another spike in COVID-19 cases, and the number of people getting vaccinated seemingly stagnating, the debate now seems to be about can governments can do to mitigate the fourth wave of the pandemic. The key, most experts agree, is vaccination.   But how to you get people who a...

As our real estate market continues to sees prices climb to historic heights, the 519 Podcast is looking at the impact on first time home buyers. In a recent episode, we heard from economist Mike Moffatt about why prices have gone up this way they have. We also talked to a realtor who pointed to the lack of supply and how it's making it very hard for buyers to find what they're looking for in thei...

If we had to take a close look at things that we, as humans, probably don’t deserve, dogs would likely be at or near the top of the list. They ask only for shelter, food, water, and someone to rub their bellies. And they give so much. But it’s not just companionship and unconditional love that dogs give us.  Some dogs contribute in a much different way. They help solve crimes and find missing peop...

If you’re looking to buy a home, or you know someone who is, then you certainly know about the drastic changes that the housing market in Southwestern and Midwestern Ontario has experienced in what seems to be a very short amount of time.  Prices at an all time high, bidding wars, and properties selling for hundreds of thousand dollars over the asking price. The real estate market in our region ha...

Environmental concerns will likely mean a change to our food supply. Does that mean crickets are on the menu? 519 Podcast host Hayley Cheng explores the idea.

Mike VanNetten spent more than 80 days in the hospital battling COVID-19. He and his wife Sarah joined the podcast to talk about his fight with COVID and their hope that everyone gets vaccinated.