Redeye
930 episodes - English - Latest episode: 1 day ago - ★★★★★ - 6 ratingsA progressive take on current events. Produced by an independent media collective at Vancouver Cooperative Radio.
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Episodes
White Riot: The 1907 Anti-Asian Riots in Vancouver
May 03, 2023 13:00 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MB360 Riot Walk is an immersive, self-guided 360 ° video walking tour of the 1907 Anti-Asian Riots in Vancouver. Now, a book based on the walk adds new dimensions to our understanding of those events. The book will be launched June 30 at the Sun Yat Sen Gardens in Chinatown. We’re joined by Henry Tsang, artistic director of the tour and author of the book.
Canadian academics call on city officials to stop evicting unhoused people
May 02, 2023 13:00 - 14 minutes - 13 MBAcademics from universities across Canada have issued an open letter calling for an end to the eviction of encampments in Vancouver. The letter is in response to the wholesale removal of tents along Hastings Street that took place in the first week of April. It’s addressed to the mayor and council, union and health officials plus members of the provincial government. We talk with Jeff Masuda, Professor in the School of Public Health and Social Policy at the University of Victoria.
Hassan Diab convicted and sentence to life despite no new evidence
May 01, 2023 13:00 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBHassan Diab has been entangled in a 15-year legal battle against claims he is a terrorist. Last week, the Assize Court in Paris found Dr. Diab guilty of perpetrating a 1980 bomb attack outside a synagogue in Paris. In a new trial, the French court sentenced the Ottawa academic to life in prison, despite the fact that both the Canadian and French justice systems have already found a lack of credible evidence. We speak with Alex Neve, senior fellow in the Graduate School of Public and Internati...
City Beat: Accessibility, pedestrian safety, and more
April 30, 2023 13:00 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MBThe last Vancouver City Council approved a plan to make Vancouver the most accessible city in the world. The new ABC majority had “best in the world” as one of their campaign promises too and wanted a quick update on the planning early on in their term. That update report was before Council this week. Redeye collective member, Ian Mass joins Lorraine Chisholm with his City Beat report to talk about the accessibility plan, along with safety for pedestrians, ongoing conflict at the School Board...
Soundscape of Saturna wetland now award-winning book and multimedia exhibit
April 16, 2023 13:15 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MBEight years ago multidisciplinary artist Mark Timmings and digital media artist Brady Marks joined forces to create the Wetland Project, a soundscape focusing on a marsh beside Mark Timmings’ home on Saturna Island. Since then, Brady and Mark have produced an award-winning book about the project, and, on Earth Day this year, the sounds of the ṮEḴTEḴSEN marsh will be heard as far away as Paris. Brady Marks and Mark Timmings join us today to talk about the project and its ongoing development.
Calls for abolition of RCMP's Community Industry Response group
April 16, 2023 13:10 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBC-IRG is a specially trained section of the RCMP, established in 2017, who are responsible for intervening in conflicts between local communities and industry in British Columbia. By 2022, the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP had received over 500 complaints in areas where C-IRG is active. Now the CRCC has announced a systemic review of the force, but a new group says C-IRG is not reformable and should be abolished. We speak with front-line activist Molly Murphy and law ...
Refugees find themselves stranded following overnight expansion of STCA
April 16, 2023 13:05 - 14 minutes - 13.7 MBThe Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement came into effect in 2004. Under the agreement, those applying for refugee status in either country at an official border crossing are turned back. On March 24, Justin Trudeau announced that the Safe Third Country Agreement was being expanded to apply to the entire Canada-US border, including unofficial crossings. Immigration lawyer Zool Suleman joins us to talk about the impact of this expansion.
City Beat: Removal of tents on Hastings, school closures, wine in grocery stores
April 16, 2023 13:00 - 16 minutes - 15.5 MBVancouver City Council met this week to consider the recent clearing of the Downtown Eastside tent city on Hastings Street, the sale of wine in grocery stores, a new climate change initiative and the possible sale of an elementary school on the West Side. Redeye Collective member Ian Mass joins us with his City Beat report.
Federal government's proposed AI and Data Act deeply flawed
April 02, 2023 13:10 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBLeading privacy, technology and civil liberties experts are urging Canadian Members of Parliament to vote against the federal government’s proposed Artificial Intelligence and Data Act which would regulate AI. Signatories to an open letter say the proposed legislation is flawed beyond repair. We speak with Tim McSorley, national coordinator of International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group.
Involuntary treatment for people who overdose broadly condemned
April 02, 2023 13:05 - 13 minutes - 12 MBInvoluntary treatment is currently allowed under B.C.'s Mental Health if a doctor deems it necessary for a person’s health and safety, as well as the safety of others. However, Premier David Eby is proposing to expand the system to cover people who overdose. Last week, Pivot Legal Society released a position paper responding to this move and calling for the elimination of involuntary treatment. Tyson Singh Kelsall is a social worker in the Downtown Eastside and PhD Student at SFU's Faculty of...
Discussions of foreign interference in elections can turn toxic
April 02, 2023 13:00 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBSpecial rapporteur David Johnston has been tasked with assessing the extent and impact of foreign interference in Canada’s electoral processes. On March 21, academics and activists across Canada penned an open letter of caution to Johnson, warning that discussions of foreign interference and national security can quickly become toxic. We speak with John Price, professor emeritus of the Centre for Global Studies at the University of Victoria and member of the Canada-China Focus Advisory Group.
Evaluating Canada's pandemic response through a gender lens
March 26, 2023 13:10 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBIn the early days of the pandemic, feminist organizations around the world called for a recovery that would respond to immediate needs and advance structural reform, ensuring a gender-just recovery for everyone. A new report takes stock of Canada’s response to the pandemic using a gender lens. A new report compares the response of the federal government with similar governments internationally, and looks at how different provinces addressed the crisis. We speak with author Katherine Scott, s...
City Beat: Bear spray, fountains, loss of park and farmland, and more
March 26, 2023 13:05 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBIan Mass joins us with his City Beat report for March 25 to talk about bear spray, ornamental water fountains, parks and farm land becoming industrial lands, the 2022 Vancouver municipal election and the Broadway plan.
New media accountability project challenges inaccuracies about Palestinians
March 26, 2023 13:00 - 13 minutes - 12 MBFor most Canadians, information about the world events comes via the corporate media. And while reporters may strive to be objective, the corporations who employ them often have a different agenda. This fact has a huge impact on the news we get about Israel and Palestine. A new initiative by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East aims to hold the media accountable for bias and inaccuracies in reporting on the region. We speak with Thomas Woodley, president of CJPME.
Class action suit against RCMP for breach of charter rights at Fairy Creek
March 19, 2023 13:05 - 14 minutes - 13.1 MBTwo media professionals filed a class action lawsuit against the RCMP this month for allegedly breaching their Charter rights, and the constitutional rights of hundreds of other individuals at Fairy Creek. Lawyers for the suit say it’s believed that most of the almost 1200 people arrested at Fairy Creek were released without charge. We speak with lawyer David Wu and film producer Kristy Morgan, one of the plaintiffs.
National Farmers Union supports status for migrant workers in Canada
March 19, 2023 13:00 - 16 minutes - 14.7 MBIn March, police announced the bust of a major international labour trafficking ring in Ontario. Earlier this year, some of the workers had contacted the Toronto-based Workers’ Action Centre for help. The organization has been providing support since, alongside the Migrant Workers’ Alliance for Change. Some of the workers had been sent to work on farms, something that concerns the National Farmers Union. The NFU passed a resolution at their convention in November 2022, pledging to support mig...
Fish farms continue to threaten survival of wild salmon in British Columbia
March 12, 2023 13:15 - 13 minutes - 12 MBAt the beginning of March, the annual wild salmon juvenile out-migration begins. At this moment in Clayoquot Sound, as the young fish head out to sea, they are under threat from a fish farm operated in their waters by the global corporation, Cermaq. There has been a long fight to close down offshore fish farms in BC, and recently there has been some success in closing them down. But the fight is not over, and the continued existence of wild salmon is at stake. We speak with Dan Lewis of Clay...
New documentary by Marie Clements a look at the life of Niall McNeil
March 12, 2023 13:10 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MBNiall McNeil is an accomplished artist, a lifelong performer and a person with Down syndrome. Marie Clements is a renowned Canadian writer, director and producer. Niall and Marie collaborated on the new NFB documentary Lay Down Your Heart. The film is about Niall McNeil and his family and friends. Lay Down Your Heart airs at the inaugural Down Syndrome Film Festival on March 18 in Burnaby, BC. We spoke with Niall and Marie in early March.
Sue Big Oil campaign aims to make polluters pay for costs of climate crisis
March 12, 2023 13:05 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBThe polluters must pay. That’s the message of a new campaign to hold the fossil fuel industry to account for the mounting costs of the climate crisis. Sue Big Oil was started by West Coast Environmental Law last year, and has since been taken up by a broad coalition of advocacy groups and British Columbians. We speak with David Ravensbergen of the Council of Canadians.
Fracking and harms to human health
March 12, 2023 13:00 - 14 minutes - 13.1 MBAs B.C. continues to ramp up fracking for natural gas, we are seeing an increasing number of studies describing human health harms to those living close to this industry. Dr. Margaret McGregor is a family physician, health policy researcher and clinical associate professor with the Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia. She joins us today to talk about fracking and health.
BC budget rejects austerity with increases to housing, health care and more
March 05, 2023 14:10 - 15 minutes - 13.9 MBBC’s first budget under Premier David Eby was released on Tuesday. It includes funding increases in housing, health care, income supports and cost of living tax credits, and allocates a record level of investment towards capital infrastructure. To discuss both the new spending and what’s missing from the budget, I’m joined by Alex Hemingway, senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives BC Office.
BC budget falls short on biodiversity, old growth, and the environment
March 05, 2023 14:05 - 15 minutes - 14.6 MBBC’s first budget under Premier David Eby included substantial funding increases in a number of areas that will benefit British Columbians. But following a series of announcements on biodiversity, old growth, and the environment in Eby’s first months, all eyes were on the budget to match talk with money. The result was mixed, but fell short in many areas for changing course on fossil fuels and the environment, and in protecting lands, waters, and species. We speak with Torrance Coste, nationa...
City Beat: Big jump in property taxes, sale of non-market housing and more
March 05, 2023 14:00 - 19 minutes - 17.5 MBIan Mass joins us with his City Beat report to talk about Vancouver city council debating a staff report proposing a 9.7% tax increase, an announcement that Vancouver is selling non-market housing sites back to a developer and how Burnaby wants to convert part of a park for industrial use.
Federal-provincial deal fails to protect health care
February 26, 2023 14:05 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MBMost people have the sense that health care in Canada is in crisis. Health care funding and responsibility is kicked around like a political football. Most recently, the federal-provincial health care deal put 48 billion dollars worth of new money on the table over the next 10 years. Yet the deal requires provinces to spend just 58 cents out of every new dollar on actual new health care programs while leaving the rest with no strings attached. We speak about the new deal and the crisis in hea...
Artist and farm workers collaborate to celebrate shared cultural heritage
February 26, 2023 14:00 - 14 minutes - 12.8 MBAn art exhibition in Grand Forks last summer showed gallery visitors images of Mexican temporary farm workers that don’t fit the stereotype. The men were in blue jeans, with bare torsos and holding and wearing objects that can best be described as regalia. The objects are the work of Rocio Graham, a Mexican-Canadian multidisciplinary artist based in Sinixt and Syilx territory, also known as Christina Lake, BC. Rocio Graham joins me to talk about how the exhibition came about and what she hop...
Proposals for Vancouver's missing middle housing a “big disappointment”
February 19, 2023 14:10 - 17 minutes - 16.4 MBVancouver City planners see their missing middle housing proposals as an important opportunity to fulfil ABC Vancouver’s housing promises. Abundant Housing Vancouver calls the proposals “an extraordinary disappointment … the smallest possible increment of change…”. We speak with Peter Waldkirch of Abundant Housing Vancouver, a non-partisan group of housing advocates.
Inquest into Nicole Chan's death raises questions about policing culture
February 19, 2023 14:05 - 27 minutes - 24.9 MBNicole Chan was a police officer employed by the Vancouver Police Department. She was 30 years old when she died by suicide in 2019. At the time of her death she had been on leave, awaiting the conclusion of an investigation into her complaint about fellow officers. Meenakshi Mannoe of Pivot Legal Society says the coroner’s inquest into Chan’s death puts a spotlight on the VPD, emergency psychiatric services in the city and the inadequate services available to survivors of sexualized violenc...
Pulp mill closures the result of decades of over logging of BC forests
February 19, 2023 14:00 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBBen Parfitt says that the pending closure of a pulp mill in Prince George and the loss of 300 high-paying jobs in the community is just the beginning of what promises to be a new and painful chapter in the province’s beleaguered forest industry. Ben Parfitt is a resource policy analyst with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
BC's decriminalization plan doesn't go far enough
February 12, 2023 14:10 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MBStarting January 31, the province of BC decriminalized the personal possession of certain types and amounts of drugs. But the policy does not cover some commonly used controlled substances and the amounts permitted are too small to have an impact, according to advocates and drug users. Pivot Legal and VANDU have collaborated on a Know Your Rights card to help people figure out if they are protected by the policy. I speak with Caitlin Shane, staff lawyer at Pivot Legal Society.
City Beat: Carbon budget, climate justice charter, and equity lens on bylaws
February 12, 2023 14:05 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBColonialism and systemic racism are embedded in Vancouver’s bylaws. A motion before Vancouver Council wants to take a deep dive into these bylaws using an equity lens. Council will also consider a climate justice charter written by people with lived experiences of systemic inequities. Ian Mass joins us with this week’s episode of City Beat.
Canada's obsession with SUVs and pickup trucks threatens climate goals
February 12, 2023 14:00 - 12 minutes - 11.9 MBDespite the climate crisis, 80% of new vehicles sold in Canada in the last two years were SUVs and pickup trucks, up from 55% a decade ago. A research team at SFU says the Canadian obsession with SUVs is seriously disrupting our climate goals. We speak with Zoe Long from the Sustainable Transportation Action Research Team.
Amnesty Canada's debut podcast tackles racism, surveillance and protest
February 05, 2023 14:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBWe are probably all familiar with the letter-writing campaigns of Amnesty International. Now Amnesty Canada has a new podcast: Rights Back at You. The podcast aims to unravel the Canada you think you know and challenge the systems that hold back human rights. The podcast launched February 1 with an episode on facial recognition and policing protest. We talk with the host of Rights Back at You, Daniella Barreto.
Director Nisha Pahuja on her new film To Kill A Tiger
February 05, 2023 14:00 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBIn a small Indian village, Ranjit wakes up to find that his 13-year-old daughter has not returned home from a family wedding. A few hours later, she’s found stumbling home. She had been dragged into the woods and raped by three men, all known to the family. Ranjit and his wife go to the police, and the men are arrested. The new documentary, To Kill a Tiger, follows Ranjit’s uphill battle to find justice for his child.
Vancouver Folk Music Festival fans challenge decision to cancel event
February 05, 2023 14:00 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBThe 45-year old Vancouver Folk Music Festival is a much-loved event for music fans and an important showcase for musicians. So it came as a shock when the festival’s board announced two weeks ago that the 2023 festival had been cancelled and they wanted members to vote to dissolve the society. Following a groundswell of support, the board postponed the AGM and held an open meeting to discuss the festival’s future. Ian Mass was at the meeting and brings us a report.
Deregulation of tuition fees sidelines low-income students
February 02, 2023 14:00 - 16 minutes - 14.8 MBThere has been a rapid increase in Canadian university tuition fees, creating a barrier for low-income students and widening the gap between privileged students and those who struggle to pay for their studies. Grace Barakat is a sessional lecturer at the University of Toronto. She talks with us about how changes in the cost of tuition are having an impact on Canadian students and their futures.
Disinformation by pharmaceutical industry undermines drug price reform
January 31, 2023 14:00 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MBCanada’s drug prices are the fourth highest in the developed world. New guidelines aimed at lowering prescription drug prices have been in process for more than 2 years, and have met with intense pressure by the industry lobby group, Innovative Medicines Canada. Dr. Joel Lexchin examines the lies and half-truths put out by IMC. Lexchin is Professor Emeritus of Health Policy and Management at York University.
City Beat: A business-friendly mayor and the end of the Renter Office
January 29, 2023 14:00 - 16 minutes - 15.5 MBIan Mass joins us with City Beat to talk about Indigenous-led supportive housing, a business-friendly mayor, fires in Downtown Eastside hotels, the demise of Vancouver’s Renter Office and increasing the supply of renewable energy.
How to help BC municipalities implement TRC calls to action
January 27, 2023 14:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBA new report by Women Transforming Cities looks at ways to speed up implementation of TRC calls to action within municipalities. As almost 80% of Indigenous people in BC live, work, and study in urban and off-reserve areas, municipalities play a big role in fostering Indigenous relations. Yet, researchers found that almost half of municipalities identified a lack of knowledge and understanding about the calls to action and saw it as a substantial challenge to implement them. Clara Prager is o...
Making sense of Premier Eby's housing plans for BC
January 25, 2023 14:00 - 16 minutes - 14.9 MBBritish Columbia is awash in housing announcements and plans. A rental protection fund designed to thwart real estate investment trusts, one stop shopping for provincial housing permits, a refreshed 10-year housing supply plan, a promised BC Builds plan and a brand new housing ministry. Economist Alex Hemingway joins us to help us figure out if all these plans will change the game on housing in BC.
Canadian government sides with US over removal of Peruvian president
January 23, 2023 14:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBWhen Pedro Castillo was elected president of Peru in April 2021, he embodied the hopes of millions of rural, Black and Indigenous peoples. Following more than 18 months of opposition from Congress and the Peruvian elite, Castillo was impeached and jailed after he attempted to rule by emergency poweres. Protests against the arrest have been met with lethal force by the police and the army. As many as 50 people have been killed and over 600 wounded. Meanwhile the Canadian government has sided w...
City Beat: Making money from parks, revitalizing Chinatown and more
January 18, 2023 14:00 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MBVancouver parks board threatens to turbocharge commercialization of parks and city council plans for urgent measures to uplift Chinatown and increased support for renters. Ian Mass has these stories and more in this week’s City Beat.
Biodiversity agreement a critical step despite lack of targets and deadlines
January 17, 2023 00:34 - 14 minutes - 12.9 MBOn the final day of the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal in December, 196 countries reached a new global agreement to stem the stunning loss of biodiversity worldwide. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework promises key commitments to halt extinction while recognizing Indigenous People’s rights and title. Charlotte Dawe is Conservation and Policy Campaigner with the Wilderness Committee. She was in Montreal and joins us to share her perspective on what was achieved and what ...
Dental care system fails to meet primary goal of Canada Health Act
January 14, 2023 14:00 - 18 minutes - 16.9 MBMillions of Canadians do not have dental coverage, with 1 in 5 children and over half of seniors without access to regular dental care. A forthcoming book by Nova Scotia dentist Brandon Doucet highlights how Canada’s current dental care system is inconsistent with the primary purpose of the Canada Health Act. Doucet is founder of Coalition for Dentalcare. He joins us to talk about the urgent need for full universal dental care.
City Beat: A look ahead to the issues in municipal politics in 2023
January 12, 2023 14:00 - 12 minutes - 11.7 MBCity Beat reporter Ian Mass joins us with his regular City Beat report to talk about the year ahead in politics for Vancouver City Council and Metro Vancouver, from police and public safety to affordable housing and budget shortfalls.
CEO pay and compensation packages hit record heights in 2021
January 10, 2023 18:34 - 14 minutes - 13.7 MBBy 9:43am on January 3, many of the 100 highest-paid CEOs in Canada had made as much money as the average Canadian worker makes in a year, close to $59,000. New data from 2021 shows that top CEOs broke every compensation record on the books that year. We speak with David Macdonald, author of Breakfast of Champions, a new report on CEO pay.
Gitxaala First Nation challenges BC's Mineral Tenure Act
January 04, 2023 14:00 - 26 minutes - 24 MBLate last year, the Gitxaala First Nation filed a judicial review in BC Supreme Court. The First Nation is challenging BC’s Mineral Tenure Act. The act currently allows anyone to get mineral rights just about anywhere in the province. Redeye’s James Mainguy spoke recently with Chief Matthew Hill, hereditary Chief of the Gitxaala First Nation, along with Ruben Tillman, one of the legal team representing the First Nation in BC Supreme Court.
Canadian delegation meets with Palestinians on both sides of Green Line
December 27, 2022 14:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBMichael Bueckert is one of three delegates who just returned from a 2-week trip to the occupied Palestinian Territories and Palestinian communities within Israel. The three are all members of different Canadian organizations working to support Palestinian human rights in Israel and the Occupied Territories. Michael Bueckert is Vice-President of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East and author of a report on the trip.
Premier Eby commits to protecting 30 per cent of province's land by 2030
December 22, 2022 01:14 - 15 minutes - 13.8 MBThe BC government under Premier David Eby has signaled new directions on protecting BC lands. They have committed to protect 30 per cent of the province’s land by 2030. This includes a mandate to work with Indigenous communities to create Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas. We talk about the new commitment with Torrance Coste, National Campaign Director for the Wilderness Committee.
LNG industry behind BC's failure to meet its climate commitments
December 18, 2022 14:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBOn November 23, the BC government released its 2022 Climate Change Accountability Report revealing that the province is on course to miss two near-term climate targets in 2025 and 2030. The government projects that it will miss the first target by 15% and the second one by at least 35%. Peter McCartney of the Wilderness Committee joins me to talk about the report and the role of LNG in preventing the province from meeting its climate commitments.
Building more supply not enough to solve BC's housing crisis
December 15, 2022 14:00 - 19 minutes - 17.9 MBBC Premier David Eby recently introduced new policies to build new homes, reduce rental vacancies and open up strata housing for renters. Dr. Elliot Rossiter says these actions alone won’t solve the housing crisis and that what’s needed is a truly progressive approach to the problem. Elliot Rossiter is a faculty member in the Department of Philosophy at Douglas College, where he is working on a multi-year project on housing justice supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Cou...