Hosts Chantal Bacchus and Meaghan Richens
Our eighth show of the season, hosted by Meaghan Richens and Chantal Bacchus, began with an ending…to the longest-ever college strike in Ontario, affecting 12,000 faculty members and 500,000 students.
Midweek’s Kat Topinka studied up on Premier Kathleen Wynne’s back-to-work legislation that ended the strike after negotiations stalled, and did a roll call for reactions from local students: some relieved, others feeling betrayed, displaced and facing added pressure to stay on track academically.
Midweek’s Kristian Kelly edits audio for her story.
Midweek reporter Em D’Orazio shared reactions to the activities of another premier, Alberta’s Rachel Notley. While speaking in favour of the Trans Mountain pipeline Tuesday, Notley was opposed by chanting protesters who prefer renewable energies.
Reporter Michael Nellis told of news that the Trump administration is planning to loosen net neutrality laws, potentially giving telecom companies control over things like internet speed. Carleton University professor Chris Waddell told us that he doesn’t expect the Canadian market to be affected because net neutrality hasn’t become a partisan issue here.
If you have money left over after paying your telecom bills (…even if you don’t have any money left over…or especially if you don’t have any money left over…), Midweek’s Kristian Kelly wants you to know that November is Financial Literacy Month and events are being hosted all over town to teach Canadians how to manage their money. One of Kristian’s experts talked about talking about money and how it shouldn’t be considered taboo.
Producer Nathalie Rocha (right) goes over scripts with host Chantal Bacchus.
Free financial literacy advice could help out the many Canadians who may soon be saving a wee bit more money as a result of the Bill 148 minimum wage increase, though a Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis expert told Midweek’s Jake Munro that blanket wage increases don’t always help the people who need help most.
Reporter Karen-Luz Sison shared concerns from Ecology Ottawa that the approved 2018 draft City Council budget lacks sufficient funding for environmental programs, and a panelist from the Nature Conservancy of Canada Nature Talks told reporter Jake Munro that conservation is the “ultimate act of optimism.”
Meanwhile, reporter Liam Harrap celebrated the great outdoors and other new exhibits that opened at the Canadian Science and Technology Museum last week.
Studio boss Dave Sarazin controls the show as it goes to air — hosts in the booth to the right, reporter in booth to the left.
Midweek’s Jordan Steinhauer introduced a powerful story from the Trans Day of Remembrance vigil, where trans and non-binary attendees remembered and reflected on their community, the oppression and violence they often face, and the need for increased education and support.
Reporter Kat Topinka followed up on the mention of alternate pronoun usage in the trans and non-binary community with a story about the importance of pronouns. A Gender and Sexual Resource Centre staffer told Topinka how we should use pronouns in a way that is respectful, affirming and comforting.
We had sports updates about the Grey Cup Festival and the Colonel By Classic from reporters Tamara LaPlante and Michael Nellis, respectively, and Midweek’s Darnell Dobson shared news of an upcoming walk to raise awareness, acceptance and money for Autism Speaks.
Midweek music producers Cailtin Galipeau and Hamzia Bawa-Zeba
Midweek’s Chantal Bacchus spoke with formerly homeless Metis scholar Jesse Thistle about the difference between “houselessness” and homelessness from an indigenous perspective, as well as how storytelling helped him overcome addiction and heal.
Reporter Meaghan Richens’ story about Canadian culinary history emphasized the important, unreciprocated role indigenous people played in the survival of early settlers, teaching them about local plants, animals and medicine.
Reporter Kristian Kelly goes live into the show.
Our show ended with an emphasis on performance: Midweek’s main man of style, Liam Harrap, took us to Stepping Out In Style, a fashion show that helps people with disabilities.
Then reporter Tamara LaPlante asked the man who selected the shows for the upcoming Undercurrent Theatre Festival what fans can expect. Reporter Natalie Rocha played up the Ottawa Comicon holiday edition, and reporter Bronwyn Beairsto visited with a local string orchestra of self-described “great musicians with day jobs.”
Before final curtain, Midweek’s Arvin Joaquin produced a montage of young Canadians stating what kind of country they would choose to create in honour of National Start Your Country Day. Priorities included social acceptance, warm weather, stat holidays for football games, a chic “France deux” with free education and tall buildings, and simply being “happy.”
All that and much more on the Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017 edition of Midweek.