Meaghan Haldenby and Lea Batara research a story on the passing of Canadian journalist Christie Blatchford.
Yes, with Valentine’s Day just two days away, there will be love in this edition of Midweek — but a whole lot else, too: politics, science, art, activism, pro soccer, competitive life-saving, and much more!
We open with activists occupying the lobby of the federal department of justice here in Ottawa. Midweek’s Nils Goetze spoke with an activist from the Metepenagiag First Nation about her solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en land defenders in British Columbia. We followed that with a report on how the standoff in B.C. is also stalling trains in the country’s busiest rail corridor.
The day dawned with sad news for those of us in journalism: reporter and columnist Christie Blatchford had died. Whatever one thinks of Blatchford’s style and voice, there’s no denying she was a giant presence in our craft for decades. Midweek’s Lea Batara spoke with the Globe & Mail’s Ottawa bureau chief, Robert Fife, about Blatchford’s life and legacy.
An…invigorated…Rhea Lisondra tells chase producer John Gallardo what story she’s brought back from the frozen wastelands of an Ottawa February.
Sad news continued: The University of Ottawa in the past 10 months has identified five student deaths as suicide, and the losses have shaken that community and raised concerns about how to meet mental health needs. A Midweek team spoke with an expert on emotions and addictions, and also with students at U of O about how they’re coping.
The stakes aren’t as high, but coping is also the challenge facing parents whose children are out of school due to rotating strikes by teachers. Lea Batara brought us an indepth look at supports available to families, and how one mother is struggling to keep her children safe, happy and learning at home while doing her own job from there.
Rhea Lisondra took us to an LGBTQ+ youth clothing swap hosted by Capital Pride that let’s teens figure out a “look” that matches how they see themselves in a supportive, no-judgments setting. Organizers told them they remember what it was like when they were that age and trying to sort out their identity, and they hope visitors to their event find much more than just new outfits.
But yes, as we said: Valentine’s Day, a time for expressions of love…where appropriate. Midweek’s Luke James spoke with one young professional who’s creeped out with messages from male acquaintances on the Linkedin platform. Meanwhile, Midweek’s Meaghan Haldenby spoke with a Carleton psychology professor about the celebration’s evolution to include love and bonds beyond just romantic pairs — and about novel ways romantic pairs could evolve their own ways to celebrate. One “novel” suggestion for a Valentine’s Day outing is a trip to Ottawa’s Wreck Room — a local business that’s a smashing success, according to what co-owner Bren Walker told our Dexter McMillan.
Host Clare Rayment sorts scripts as copy editor Martin Halek looks on amazed.
There are no valentines going back and forth among U.S. candidates in the presidential primaries, but it’s not a wreck room either. Midweek’s Stuart Miller-Davis was in New Hampshire for the Democratic primary there and gave us some colour and analysis.
The day before our show was the International Day for Women and Girls in Science, and Erna Bitote brought Midweek the stories of several women in Ottawa who are pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math — the STEM fields. We also heard how Carleton U’s Chemistry Magic Show tries to capture the imaginations of potential STEM scholars at a very young age through ooohs and aaaaaahs and things that go bang!
Imaginations — or re-imaginations — have also been at work at Carleton’s art gallery through an exhibit called They Forgot That We Were Seeds, showcasing the art of black and indigenous women. Gavin Lopez-Smith spoke with Cheyenne Sundance about what she sought to convey with her installation.
Clare Rayment took us to a different sort of “gender reveal” party in Ottawa — a night at a club where drag queens and kings performed to appreciative fans. They discussed with Clare the journeys that brought them to being ready to reveal their real identities to those around them and to themselves.
Soon after, Clare had us off at another event with a different sort of CULT following — in this case, standing for the Carleton University Lifeguard Team, just back (with a bucket full of medals) from the provincial lifeguarding championships in Woodbridge, Ont.
Hosts Clare Rayment and Meaghan Haldenby take the show to air.
Julia Paulson then went to the rink to learn about the sense of pride and community that participants are finding in the Ottawa Pride Hockey pickup games that give them a chance to find joy once again in the game they learned as kids, but in many cases lost their place in as they came out or transitioned.*
Jacob Greenwood takes us to meet a nature photographer with firm ideas about the ethics of his art, and Luke James takes a look at the latest development in pro sports in Ottawa: the announcement of a new soccer team to be called Atlético Ottawa.
The name’s been decided, but Luke’s story shows there’s still one big question, given the city’s recent sports history: can it survive?