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
A tribute to Canadian economist and leading socialist intellectual Mel Watkins (encore)
June 24, 2022 13:00 - 17 minutes - 15.6 MBMel Watkins died in 2020 at age 87. Mel Watkins was a political economist at the University of Toronto, as well as an activist and writer. In the late 1960s, he was founder and co-leader, with James Laxer, of The Waffle, a left-wing political formation within the NDP that advocated for an “independent, socialist Canada.” Jim Stanford is author of a collection of essays on Mel Watkins’ Staple Theory of Economic Growth. Jim Stanford was formerly an economist with Unifor, and is currently direct...
Potlatch as Pedagogy: Learning Through Ceremony (encore)
June 12, 2022 13:00 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBIn 1884, the Canadian government banned the Haida potlatch. But Haida elders kept the knowledge of the ceremony alive until the ban was lifted. In 1969, a potlatch was held to honour the raising of the first totem pole in 80 years, carved by Robert Davidson. Sara Florence Davidson co-wrote Potlatch as Pedagogy with her father to show how Haida traditions can be brought into present-day classrooms. She joins us in our studio to talk about the process of writing the book – and tells the story o...
Precarious and low-paid work a major risk factor during pandemic
June 05, 2022 13:00 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBPrecarious work was a major risk factor during the pandemic, and was implicated in the catastrophe that took place in long-term care. A report released last month in Ontario says that government inaction on workplace protections is undermining pandemic recovery. It documents how lack of workplace protections like decent wages and paid sick days has widened existing health inequities. We speak with Dr. Danyaal Raza, a family physician in Toronto and a member of the Decent Work and Health Network.
BC residents in urgent need of public intercity transportation
June 02, 2022 13:00 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBNorthern BC is a territory roughly the size of France, but there is no public transportation system for the 200,000 people who live there. This means each family is obliged to buy and maintain at least one car or truck if they want to be able to get around. We speak with Peter Ewart, a writer and community activist based in Prince George, about the urgent need for a public bus system in rural BC.
Out-dated traffic laws fail to protect cyclists and pedestrians
May 30, 2022 13:00 - 17 minutes - 16 MBCycling for transportation and recreation is a climate-friendly way to move around your city. It’s affordable and healthy as well as an efficient use of urban space. But in British Columbia, cyclists are endangered every day by out-dated laws that fail to regulate and educate drivers to take care around vulnerable road users. HUB Cycling is advocating for better laws to protect people cycling and walking. We speak with Jeff Leigh, Chair of the Regional Advisory Committee for HUB Cycling.
New history traces Canada's punitive approach to people who use heroin
May 24, 2022 13:00 - 14 minutes - 13.5 MBFlawed ideas about heroin and people who use it have shaped drug law and policy in Canada for decades. A new illustrated book by Susan Boyd traces the history of Canadian heroin regulation over two centuries. Susan Boyd is a scholar/activist and distinguished professor at the University of Victoria. She joins me today to talk about her new book Heroin: An Illustrated History.
Major public investment in below-market rental housing could pay for itself
May 22, 2022 13:00 - 13 minutes - 12.7 MBWhat if BC could massively increase public investment in below-market rental housing and that investment could pay for itself? Alex Hemingway is senior economist and public finance policy analyst at the CCPA BC Office. We talk about how this idea would create thousands of low-cost rental homes with no increase in public debt.
Urgent need to improve access to abortion for women across Canada
May 18, 2022 13:00 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBThe US Supreme Court judge is poised to overturn Roe vs. Wade. In Canada, the landmark abortion rights case is the 1988 Morgentaler ruling, which struck down the country’s abortion law as unconstitutional. But legal protection is not the same as equal access and in many parts of the country, surgical abortion is still practically unavailable. I speak with Meghan Doherty of Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights.
Disarm, Defund, Dismantle: Police Abolition in Canada
May 16, 2022 13:00 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MBSupport for the police is grounded in a series of beliefs about our society – that Canadian laws are just, that the police treat everyone equally, and that without the police, communities would descend into chaos and disorder. The movement to defund the police says these beliefs are myths and imagines a world where police power is eroded and dissolved forever. Disarm, Defund, Dismantle is a new book about police abolition in Canada. I speak with editor Kevin Walby and contributor Jessica Evans.
City Beat: Densification, development and tenant protections
May 15, 2022 13:00 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBIan Mass joins us with his final City Beat till council ramps up for the civic election in the fall. On the agenda, densification and the Broadway plan, a 100-year-old heritage building that no-one wants and a motion to end the detention of applicants for refugee status in provincial jails.
San Francisco passes legislation giving tenants right to organize
May 14, 2022 13:00 - 12 minutes - 11.1 MBSan Francisco has passed a law that requires landlords to bargain with renters who want to organize. The Veritas Tenants Association, whose members live in housing owned by one of the biggest private residential landlords in the city, started a rent strike in Sept 2021. The law was passed after the landlord refused to meet and negotiate with the tenants association. Lenea Maibaum is an organizer at Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco and a member of the Veritas Tenants Association.
Beyond Extinction: Sinixt Resurgence
May 12, 2022 13:00 - 18 minutes - 16.6 MBIn 1956, the Canadian government declared the Arrow Lakes Indian Band, people of the Sinixt Nation, to be extinct. This was one in a long line of colonial attacks against an Indigenous nation whose territory encompasses a long valley that spans what is now the US-Canada border. The Sinixt were not extinct, and continue an active resistance to protect and regain their territories. A new film, Beyond Extinction: Sinixt Resurgence tells the “ongoing story of a people who reject their colonial gh...
Committee on Reforming the Police Act fails to address police power
May 10, 2022 20:13 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBA provincial Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act in BC released its report last week with eleven recommendations that the committee says will lead to “transformational change in policing and community safety.” Meenakshi Mannoe wrote Pivot Legal’s submission to the committee, focusing on curtailing the role of police in complex social issues and eradicating systemic racism within police agencies. Meenakshi Mannoe shares her reaction to the report.
Study shows effectiveness of bystander intervention in street harassment
May 06, 2022 13:00 - 15 minutes - 14.1 MBHollaback! began as a blog to collect stories of street harassment. Now called Right To Be, it has evolved into an organization that fights harassment in all its forms. The first training they developed was on tools to combat street harassment. They have just completed a study that shows the effectiveness of the training for participants. We speak with director of training Kelly Erickson.
Black Class Action fights systemic racism in Public Service of Canada
May 04, 2022 13:00 - 16 minutes - 14.9 MBIn December 2020, a group of Black federal employees filed a proposed class-action lawsuit in the Federal Court of Canada, seeking long-term solutions to address systemic racism and discrimination in the Public Service of Canada. We speak with Nicholas Marcus Thompson, organizer and lead plaintiff in the case.
Documents confirm Canada's cozy relationship with pharma industry
May 02, 2022 20:55 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MBThe pandemic has killed an estimated 18 million people around the world, with many more dying in lower-income countries where vaccination rates remain low. Despite this, Canada continues to oppose an IP waiver at the WTO meaning that vaccines are only available in wealthier countries. We talk with Nikolas Barry-Shaw about how the Canadian government is working with the pharma industry to preserve patents on life-saving vaccines.
Midwest Carbon Express pipeline runs into stiff opposition in Iowa
April 29, 2022 13:00 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBIf it is built, the Midwest Carbon Express will be the world’s largest carbon capture and storage pipeline. It’s being developed by the Iowa-based company, Summit Carbon Solutions and faces strong opposition from a broad coalition of Indigenous communities, Iowa landowners and environmental groups. Andy Currier is the author of a new report on the Midwest Carbon Express for the Oakland Institute.
City Beat: Apology to Italian community, CCTV cameras, taxes and more
April 27, 2022 13:00 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBPublic safety and violent crime have become hot topics as Vancouver City Council grapples with an ever-expanding police budget. On this week’s council agenda: public safety, CCTV cameras and the police budget; an apology to the Italian community, business taxes, affordable housing and much more. We’re joined by Ian Mass with City Beat.
Canada's arms exports to Israel reached new high last year
April 26, 2022 00:02 - 15 minutes - 14.3 MBEarlier this month, Israeli soldiers raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a Muslim holy site in Jerusalem. Soldiers threw teargas and stun grenades as they entered the compound and mosque, assaulting hundreds of people. Arming Apartheid is a new report by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East. It says that Canada’s arms exports to Israel have been accelerating in recent years and reached a 30-year high in 2020. We speak with lead author Michael Bueckert.
Physicians raise alarm about classroom materials generated by FortisBC
April 21, 2022 13:00 - 12 minutes - 11.9 MBFortisBC, the largest natural gas distributor in BC, has developed learning resources for schools, marketed as a free K-12 online curriculum developed by teachers and based on BC’s current curriculum. The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment is raising the alarm over this type of biased content in schools. We speak with Dr. Lori Adamson, an emergency room physician in Salmon Arm and parent of a child in elementary school.
No relief for renters in federal budget
April 18, 2022 13:00 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBWhile the April 7 budget did include some money for housing coops and non-profit housing, there is little to improve the situation for renters across Canada. We speak about housing and the federal budget with Ricardo Tranjan, political economist and senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ Ontario office.
On hunger strike to save old growth forests in BC
April 14, 2022 22:55 - 9 minutes - 9.04 MBBrent Eichler has been on hunger strike since March 25, calling for a public meeting with Forests Minister Katrine Conroy about the protection of the province’s old-growth forests. Brent has since been joined in his hunger strike by a number of other members of Save Old Growth. In addition to hunger strikes, the group also resumed its blockades of the Trans-Canada Highway at various locations in the province on Monday. We spoke with Brent Eichler last week.
Hotel workers at Hilton Metrotown mark one year on the picket line
April 13, 2022 13:00 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBHotel workers at the Hilton Metrotown in Burnaby are involved in the longest hotel lockout in British Columbia’s history. We speak with Stephanie Fung, Communications Organizer for UNITE HERE Local 40, the Union representing the workers. She’s also a member of Asian Canadian Labour Alliance.
City Beat: Vancouver's new draft city plan, capital budget and more
April 12, 2022 02:25 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBIt has been 100 years since Vancouver developed a city-wide plan. That plan reserved over 70% of the city for single family residences. A century later, Vancouver has a new draft city plan. Public comment is open until April 24th and then it goes to council in June for debate. Ian Mass is here with City Beat to discuss the Vancouver plan, the capital budget, the police budget, a mansion tax, 2030 Olympics and lots more.
Foreign-owned corporations behind Canadian energy and climate policy
April 08, 2022 13:00 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MBThe Alberta government’s recent public inquiry into “anti-Alberta energy campaigns” was set up to find out how much money was flowing from US foundations to Canadian environment groups. The inquiry was not tasked with finding out how much foreign money was flowing into the Alberta oil patch and influencing Albertan and Canadian politics along the way. Gordon Laxer has done his own investigation. We speak with him about the report Posing As Canadian.
Urgent need to cancel Ukraine's debt
April 05, 2022 13:00 - 12 minutes - 11.7 MBUkraine’s total external government debt amounts to $54B. The country is set to pay more than $7B in debt repayments this year alone. Lenders have responded to the war and the financial crisis in Ukraine by lending even more money. The Jubilee Debt Campaign in the UK says now is the time to cancel Ukraine’s debt and allow it to spend its money on urgent humanitarian needs.
Ukraine-Russia conflict misinformation dashboard
March 31, 2022 13:00 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MBAt the end of February, the Social Media Lab at Ryerson University launched the Ukraine-Russia conflict misinformation dashboard. The dashboard is a website for monitoring online misinformation and disinformation about the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. It tracks debunked claims from fact-checkers from around the world. We speak about the dashboard with Professor Anatoliy Gruzd, Canada Research Chair in Privacy-Preserving Digital Technologies.
City Beat: Public safety, 2030 Winter Olympics and cultural heritage
March 29, 2022 13:00 - 13 minutes - 12.7 MBAlthough the municipal elections are not until October 15, Vancouver candidates are positioning themselves in advance of debates on public safety, the 2030 Winter Olympics, housing and cultural heritage, coming to City Council this upcoming week. Ian Mass joins us with his regular City Beat report.
Small grocery stores preserve cultural heritage in neighbourhoods
March 27, 2022 13:15 - 10 minutes - 9.32 MBThe rapid pace of growth in Vancouver means many of the city’s small restaurants, grocery stores and other neighbourhood spaces are being lost to redevelopment. Bill Yuen is the Executive Director of Heritage Vancouver. talks about this aspect of a community’s intangible cultural heritage.
Why Canada should not buy a new fleet of fighter jets
March 23, 2022 13:00 - 13 minutes - 12.1 MBAs the war in the Ukraine rages on, Canada is under increased pressure to re-arm. The Trudeau government response is a plan to buy 88 new fighter jets for an overall price tag of $76 billion. In response to that plan, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Canada has released a report titled Soaring: The Harms and Risks of Fighter Jets and Why Canada Must Not Buy a New Fleet. We speak with Tamara Lorincz, author of the report.
UN condemns mass killing in Saudi Arabia and questions fairness of trials
March 20, 2022 13:00 - 10 minutes - 9.17 MBOn March 12, Saudi Arabia executed 81 people, the largest mass execution in the recent history of the country. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the killings and said UN monitoring indicates some of those executed were sentenced to death after trials that did not meet fair trial guarantees, and for crimes that did not meet the most serious crimes threshold, as required under international law. We speak with Ariel Gold of CODEPINK.
City Beat: Broadway Skytrain to transform Vancouver neighbourhoods
March 17, 2022 13:00 - 15 minutes - 13.9 MBAnyone travelling on West Broadway between Main and Arbutus knows the area is a huge construction zone. The new Broadway Skytrain development, set to be finished by 2025, has created a planning process that will radically change the character of Kitsilano, Fairview and Mt. Pleasant. Ian Mass joins us to discuss this developing Broadway plan, along with a bunch of other issues, in his regular City Beat report.
Canada one of few regions in world able to rapidly reduce emissions
March 15, 2022 13:00 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBThe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest report on Feb 28. The report says that human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world. We’ve contacted Jens Wieting of Sierra Club BC to get a Canadian perspective on the report.
New visa program for Ukrainians welcomed, but raises questions
March 14, 2022 00:02 - 15 minutes - 13.7 MBAs the Russian war on Ukraine rages on, Canadian immigration minister Sean Fraser has responded with a new visa program for people fleeing that war. The program will cut red tape and allow Ukrainians to live in Canada for up to two years, with fewer restrictions and conditions to come here. While the program has been welcomed by refugee advocates, it raises questions about Canada’s response to people fleeing other war zones. We speak with long-time Vancouver immigration lawyer Zool Suleman.
Halifax releases report on how to defund, disarm, and dismantle the police
March 11, 2022 14:00 - 23 minutes - 21.5 MBIn January, a subcommittee of the Halifax Board of the Police Commissioners released a report, which is Canada’s most detailed blueprint to defund, disarm, and dismantle the police. It lays out a plan for how to redirect funding from police to other organizations and pursue police accountability. The subcommittee was chaired by Dr. El Jones, poet, journalist, activist and assistant professor of political and Canadian studies at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax.
Open-pen fish farms continue to threaten wild salmon on BC coast
March 08, 2022 18:23 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBThis will be a critical year for wild salmon as all BC federal licenses for fish farms expiring this June. British Columbia is now the only jurisdiction on the west coast of North America still allowing salmon farms. The federal government promised in 2019 to remove all open-pen salmon farms from BC waters by 2025. We speak with Dan Lewis, executive director of Clayoquot Action.
Groundbreaking cookbook Diet for a Small Planet turns 50
March 03, 2022 14:00 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MBDiet for a Small Planet was the first major cookbook to address the environmental impact of meat production. Author Frances Moore Lappé advocated for a vegetarian lifestyle out of concerns over animal-based industries and products. She also argued that world hunger is not caused by a lack of food but by ineffective food policy. Frances Moore Lappé joins us to discuss the new 50th anniversary edition of the book.
Mining and the recognition of Indigenous sovereignty in British Columbia
February 28, 2022 14:00 - 12 minutes - 11.3 MBFirst Nations in BC are working proactively towards re-establishing sovereignty over their territories in British Columbia. Asserting sovereignty over mining activities is a critical part of that work. A recent report by the BC First Nations Energy and Mining Council aims to provide First Nations with tools to guide the development and implementation of new ways for mining to occur on their lands. Tahltan elder Allen Edzerza was the project lead in the process that resulted in the report Indi...
Becoming Vancouver: A History
February 26, 2022 14:00 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MBIn his newly released book Becoming Vancouver, Daniel Francis follows the evolution of the city, tracing decades of transformation, immigration and economic development. Daniel Francis speaks with Ian Mass, our City Beat producer.
Chomsky on China, Canada and the US: Work together or perish together
February 24, 2022 14:00 - 31 minutes - 29 MBNoam Chomsky has been an anti-war, anti-capitalist activist for over 60 years and continues to call liberal elites to account for propping up unjust systems that have brought us to the brink of climate catastrophe and nuclear annihilation. Chomsky spoke at a recent webinar organized by Canada-China Focus, a new pan-Canadian, anti-racist project promoting critical conversations and policy initiatives on Canada-China relations. Chomsky says Canada is at a crossroads on China, and we must work ...
TMX to cost more than $21 billion
February 22, 2022 14:00 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBTens of thousands of Canadians are asking the federal government to pause any further construction on the TMX pipeline. The Canadian government bought the project from Kinder Morgan in 2018. The last update in 2020 revealed that the expansion cost had ballooned to $12.6B, and now Trans Mountain Corporation says it will cost $21.4B, four times the original estimate. We speak with Eugene Kung, staff lawyer at West Coast Environmental Law.
Ottawa convoy draws on political capital most protests don't have
February 20, 2022 14:00 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBCriminology Temitope Oriola says that the truckers convoy is a fascinating study in the sociology of law enforcement. Oriola is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Alberta and joint Editor-in-Chief of African Security journal. His research interests include policing, terrorism, social movements and political violence. His recent article in The Conversation talks about what the convoy reveal about the ties between politics, police and the law.
Xiomara Castro wins Honduran presidency after 13 years of neoliberalism
February 18, 2022 14:00 - 14 minutes - 12.9 MBAt the end of November last year, people in Honduras voted overwhelmingly for the platform of democratic socialism put forward by Xiomara Castro. Her Libre Party was formed in the aftermath of the coup that deposed Castro’s husband, Manuel Zelaya. We talk with writer Owen Schalk about the 2009 couple and Canada’s role in Honduras during the reign of terror that followed.
Majority of BCers want oil and gas companies to pay higher royalties
February 16, 2022 14:00 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MBThe BC government has released a report on oil and gas royalties from a public consultation in November. The report showed that 77% of survey respondents wanted the government to make environmental protection its top priority in its new royalty regime. We talk with Peter McCartney, Climate Campaigner at the Wilderness Committee.
Haiti Betrayed: How Canada helped to subvert democracy in Haiti
February 14, 2022 14:00 - 15 minutes - 14.3 MBAfter emerging from years of brutal dictatorship, the Haitian people dreamed of a democracy that would serve the poor and bring an end to impunity. Between 1991 and 2004, Haitians elected a succession of governments committed to realizing this dream. The pro-democracy movement’s efforts were ultimately derailed by powerful local elites and their allies in the international community, including Canada. Haiti Betrayed was written, directed and produced by Elaine Briere.
City Beat: Tiny homes, Quebec's Bill 21 and more
February 13, 2022 00:39 - 18 minutes - 17 MBEighteen months ago, Vancouver City Council was enthusiastic about the idea of 100 tiny homes for the homeless. This week they heard that 10 shelter beds is all that is possible and the City will have to foot the bill. Ian Mass joins me with his City Beat report to talk about this, a debate on financial support for a challenge to Quebec’s Bill 21 and more.
Plans to expand garbage incineration in Metro Vancouver a bad idea
February 10, 2022 14:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBBritish Columbia is ahead of most North American jurisdictions with its composting and recycling programs. However, the Lower Mainland still burns at least 25% of its waste, with a plan to expand that amount. Sue Maxwell is a sustainability consultant with Ecoinspire Planning Services. She joins us to talk about the problems with this waste-to-energy expansion.
Coalition demands justice for cleaning and food service workers at SFU
February 08, 2022 14:00 - 13 minutes - 12 MBCleaning and food service workers at Simon Fraser University say their working conditions are difficult and their pay lags behind counterparts elsewhere. Contract Worker Justice @SFU is a coalition of workers, students, faculty, and community members at SFU. They are calling on Simon Fraser University to hire these workers directly and to improve their pay and working conditions. John Calvert is an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at SFU and he has been involved in the co...
Beyond Trump: Threats to U.S. democracy
February 06, 2022 14:00 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MBThe storming of the Capitol last year was an unprecedented moment and raised questions about the fragility of democracy in the United States. Christopher Vials joins us to discuss the rise of xenophobic right-wing populism in the U.S. Vials is an associate professor of English at the University of Connecticut–Storrs and author of Haunted by Hitler: Liberals, the Left, and the Fight Against Fascism in the United States.
Big Oil should help pay to protect Vancouver from climate change
February 04, 2022 14:00 - 12 minutes - 11.5 MBIn 2021, communities across the province have found themselves facing unprecedented costs from forest fires, flooding and storm damage. Meanwhile, the companies who are making huge profits from fossil fuels aren’t contributing a penny to help with the impacts of climate change. Lawyer Andrew Gage says it’s long past time to make fossil fuel companies pay for the chaos they’ve helped to create.