It’s now been a year since the full gravity of the COVID-19 pandemic hit home, cautions became life-and-death warnings, and many people all over the world retreated into their homes for protection — and to protect others.
Some people build castles in the air; Erika Ibrahim and others on the Midweek team build podcasts in the Cloud, working from their scattered home “studios” rather than one newsroom.
It’s been a time of adjustments, strains, stresses, discoveries and lessons learned, and this week’s Midweek podcasts share lots of stories about folks doing their best to cope — from front-line paramedics to choir groups trying to harmonize in high-tech ways.
Podcast 1: Midweek’s Jennifer Prescott leads off with an in-depth look at the new work realities of a Gatineau paramedic, including the sobering knowledge that the minutes they need to take for COVID precautions can be costly on urgent emergency ambulance calls.
Then Erika Ibrahim interviews a local marketer about how he’s trying to keep his business going when its main focus is organizing and promoting major events … of exactly the kind that can’t take place right now.
And reporter Sarah West brings us food for thought on how social media — and especially TikTok — have been serving up sooooo much food and body-image material during these lockdown days that’s been sometimes hard to handle for people with eating disorders.
Jennifer and Erika hosted this podcast, which was produced by Jeff Pelletier and Max Bakony.
Podcast 2: With lockdown restrictions loosening, some public spaces such as art studios and galleries have been allowed to reopen. Midweek’s Kayla Christoffer spoke with the owner of the Wild Pigments Art Studio and with a manager at the Ottawa Art Gallery about their experiences and about why art remains important, even with so many urgent distractions.
Another staple of life that remains important is connection to nature. Reporter Angelica Zagorski brings us an interview with the executive director of Camping in Ontario, which represents campgrounds in the province, about how there’s been an optimistic flood of reservations for this coming season.
A 2019 report by Statistics Canada revealed that women make up less than two per cent of workers in the auto repair industry nationwide. Midweek’s Meaghan Haldenby spoke with a female apprentice mechanic about how sexism adds to the challenges in her job, but also how she’s found a way to connect with other tradeswomen thanks to social media.
And speaking of challenges, being away from home in a university residence room can be a tough transition at the best of times … and these aren’t them. Midweek’s Hana Sabah spoke with Sami Islam, a residence fellow at Carleton University, about how residence living in these pandemic days is having an impact on students’ mental health.
This podcast was hosted by Angelica and Hana, and produced by Natasha Bulowski and Ciaran Morgan.
Podcast 3: Our third podcast this week opens with a look by Midweek’s Raylene Lung at provincial plans that may mean an expansion of the greenbelt around Ottawa … and then it’s back to the pandemic, with a look by Midweek’s Sam Campling at what studying online is like for a journalism student just a few months from graduation.
Reporter Emilie Warren speaks with Saeideh Rajabzadeh, who’s organizing a choir online with the Great Canadian Theatre Company, and Zakaria Mian looks beyond all the restrictions during these COVID times to find a silver lining for some small businesses.
This podcast was hosted by Emilie and Samantha, and Raylene co-produced with Eden Suh.