GroundWire: Community Radio News - 4. Mp3s GroundWire

GroundWire | November 9 -November 20 | Victory for Abdelkhadr Belaouni, Protesting Student Poverty

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:08:00 -0500

Welcome to the latest edition of GroundWire: November 9- November 20. THE HEADLINES: In Montreal, migrant justice advocates are celebrating a significant victory this week in the case of Abdelkader Belaouni (Aaron Lakoff: CKUT) From Vancouver, perspectives on the disruption of the Victoria torch relay and where the resistance movement is headed (VanRad Collective) In Toronto, students have had enough of living below the poverty line. The Student Day of Action on Nov.5 saw crowds demanding lower tuition fees, as recession job losses target youth, part-time and racialized workers (Omme Salma Rahemtullah: CHRY in Toronto) THE FEATURES: A recent Queen's University report indicates medical students want more training to help them treat people with intellectual disabilities. Indeed, 93 per cent feel training in intellectual disabilities should be improved. VoicePrint spoke with Dr. Philip Burge who is the author of the report. November 20, 2009 marks 20 years since the U.N Convention on the Rights of the Child. Ontario youth in and from foster care got together to talk about the Convention's goals around education and if those goals are a reality in Ontario (Jacky Harrison: CHRY in Toronto, audio from the Network Community Group and the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth). A new report, A Flawed Compass, suggests the Correctional Service of Canada is trampling on the constitutional rights of prisoners. Authors Michael Jackson and Graham Stewart, as well as former inmates and activists, warn Canada is headed down the road to more rights abuses (Dee Le Comte: CKUT in Montreal) This episode was anchored by Melissa Beckford and Ian Gormly, and produced by Alissa Tutay and Jacky Tuinstra Harrison. Music by Steel. Interested in submitting your own stories? Get in touch by emailing groundwireprod@gmail.com.

GroundWire | October 26 - November 9 | Tar Sands - Midwifery - Equity

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:10:00 -0500

Welcome to the latest edition of GroundWire: October 26 - November 9. THE HEADLINES: Jane Kirby of CKDU speaks with pro-choice advocate Sarah Woolf about the recent shutdown of the event "Echoes of the Holocaust" at McGill, which compares abortion to genocide. Drug addictions can have a significant effect on children. Jay Peachy of CJSF spoke with one artist in Vancouver who decided to take a bold view on the topic. Activists for accessibility and disability awareness say many dentists are wary of treating the disabled. For Handilink and for GroundWire, Cameron Wells speaks with Ali Sigal, who wants to change that. THE STATION REPORT: Jacky Tuinstra Harrison of CHRY descends on Kingston, Ontario, to document the Ontario Regional Conference of the NCRA. THE FEATURES: 80 years after women gained the right to run for office, Canada is still far away from gender equity in government. Erica Butler of CKDU looks at one initative across the country that is fighting this inequality. The VanRad Collective presents voices in opposition to the Alberta Tar Sands including Mike Mercredi of Fort Chipewyan and Mike Hudema of GreenPeace, in a special feature for GroundWire. Gretchen King and Saja Marouf of CKUT collect interviews while attending the 10th anniversary celebration of the legalization of midwifery in Quebec. This episode was anchored by Melissa Albiani and Matt Rawle, and produced by Melissa Albiani, with editorial support and coordination by David Parker, Jacky Tuinstra Harrison and Courtney Kirkby. Interested in submitting your own stories? Get in touch by emailing groundwireprod@gmail.com.

GroundWire | October 11-26 | Ontario Disability Pension Plan, Autonomy of Quebec Universities

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:43:00 -0500

Welcome to this edition of GroundWire. October 11-26. The headlines and Features: Quebec universities risk autonomy loss | Jacob Serebrin, Montreal Bureau Chief of CUP (Canadian University Press) Breastfeeding Challenge and Challenges | Jacky Harrison, with additional audio by Frieda Werden (CJSF) Right To Know Week | Nina Halliday-Thompson and Mark Weiler, CJSF Trouble with the Ontario Disability Plan. Nancy Vender Plaats of ODSP Action Coalition, interviewed by Marjorie Nicolauou. Adapted from Voiceprint's Contact program (executive producer, Paul Daniel) All-Woman Pharmacy's Trans Challenge | by Gleyse de Fran�a (CJSF) Community Radio Report Gabriola Radio Plans for NCRC and Maybe a Frequency | Kelly Price. Music(excerpted): "It's Your Money", written, produced and performed by Patrick Hickey of Waxed Productions in South Africa for the 2008 release of the International Budget Partnership's Open Budget Survey, which measures how transparent and accountable government budgets are in 85 countries around the world. Notes Series Coordinator: Jacky Harrison, CHRY & Groundwire Edition Coordinator: Jennifer Moreau, CJSF Edition Editor: Frieda Werden, CJSF Co-anchors: Gleyse de Franca, Frieda Werden, CJSF

GroundWire September 25-Oct.3 |

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:36:00 -0500

Welcome to the September 25th edition of GroundWire: Community Radio News from across Canada This edition was produced by volunteers in the studios of CJLY in Nelson, BC. The HEADLINES: Omme Salma Rahemtullah (CHRY Toronto) speaks with Stephen Moses, a striking employee and the Bargaining Unit Chairperson of Canadian Auto Workers 1000, about the Zellers/HBC strike in Scarborough, Ontario Catherine Fisher (CJLY Nelson) talks with Alexis Allen, President of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union about the September 22 strike vote by Nova Scotia Community College employees. This edition includes two STATION REPORTS: Vivian Park (CJSF Burnaby) asks NCRA Vice President External Stephanie Kepman a few questions about the CRTC's upcoming Campus and Community Radio Policy Review. The 2010 National Campus and Community Radio Conference will be held on Gabriola Island, BC. Kelly Price (CKGI Gabriola) chats with Gabriola Radio Society Board Member Kathy Ramsay about how the conference is shaping up. She also speaks with GRS Board President Ken Zakreski about Rogers Media's application to the CRTC for the last available frequency in the region. The FEATURES: The Vanrad Collective talk with Paulina Walton, who, along with other residents of the Golden Crown Hotel, has recently been served an eviction notice. Kim Kerr, executive director of the Downtown Eastside Residents Association suggests this eviction has much to do with the upcoming 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. Amber Hieb (CHLY Nanaimo) speaks with Paul Manly, a Nanaimo-based independent filmmaker about the SPP,and North American intergration. Manly's new film is 'You, Me and The Spp: Trading Democracy for Corporate Rule'. The MUSIC: The September 25th Edition of Groundwire features music by Kathleen Yearwood, The Sinuses, Rabnett 5, and Tamara. For more information e-mail groundwireprod@gmail.com. For story ideas: groundwirepitch@ncra.ca

GroundWire Sept.11-Sept.25| Remembering Darcy Allan Sheppard, Pedal for the Planet

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:26:00 -0500

Welcome to this edition of GroundWire: Community Radio News from across Canada. Headlines include: -Pedal for the Planet on the way to Ottawa | Kesten Broughton -Remembering Darcy Allan Sheppard, colleagues mourn Toronto bike courier | Jacky Tuinstra Harrison CHRY Features: - OHIP for International Students: Why the UHIP plan won't do| Christopher Currier CFRC - Author Rod Michalko discusses his book, "The Difference That Disability Makes" | Catherine MacDonald and Paul Daniel VoicePrint - First Nations resistance to platinum mine in Big Lake | Courtney Kirkby CKUT Host(s): Kavita B & Scott Stevens Music by The Gertrudes and P.S I Love You.

GroundWire | September 1-12 | Special Labour Day Edition

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:26:00 -0500

Welcome to a Special Labour Day Edition of GroundWire, where we bring you a series of features on workers' rights in Canada. But first the headlines: Hosted by Gianna Lauren (CKDU Halifax) -Environmentalists oppose Hanlan Creek development as it threatens Guelph's old growth forest and protected species: Libby Drew (CFRC Kingston) -Camp Out discusses LBGTQ Activism in the Maritimes: David Parker (CKDU Halifax) In Campus and Community Radio Station News: Bill C-61 Update: As parliament resumes, consider writing your MP on the Digital Copyright fight: Charlotte Bourne (CJSF Burnaby) Labour-Focused Features for Labour Day -Labour History takes Comic Form: Megan Turcato (CJSF Burnaby) -CUPW supports union drive for Dynamax Couriers: Aaron Chubb and Alex Calderaro(CJSR Edmonton) -Drop Fees campaign has anti-poverty message for student workers: Candace Mooers CHRY Toronto) -Conservatives' Expansion of Canada's Temporary Worker Program means restrictions for refugees and fewer rights for racialized workers: Omme Rahemtullah (CHRY Toronto) -"Scrap the Live in Caregiver Program" Voices of the Filipino Community in Canada: Produced by Candace Mooers and Ashkon Hobooti (CHRY Toronto) This Edition of GroundWire hosted by Gianna Lauren, produced by David Parker at CKDU Halifax.

Groundwire| August 14-28: Bil'in Village Update, Fredy Villenueva's death and IWW organizing

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:38:00 -0500

In this week's Edition of GroundWire: Hosts Steve and Zoe from CJSR in Edmonton deliver community radio news, with contributions from campus-community stations and volunteers across Canada. Headlines include: -The one year commemoration of Fredy Villenueva's death at the hands of Montreal police| Aaron Lakoff CKUT -The case against Carleton Professor Hassan Diab| Omme Rahemtullah CHRY -International action against performing artists in Israel| Tariq Jeeroburkhan CKUT Features: -IWW organizing against Starbucks in Quebec| Aaron Chubb CJSR -GroundWire update: Raids in the Palestinian village of Bil'in| Chris Albinati CKUT -Legal aid for sex workers in Alberta| CJSR National Events Listings and More!

GroundWire: July 31-August 13

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:40:00 -0500

Welcome to GroundWire's latest edition of national news from a grassroots perspective. This is the fourth bi-weekly edition of GroundWire - community news from coast-to-coast-to-coast, produced by UMFM in Winnipeg. In this edition of GroundWire: Headlines: - Winnipeg worried over Privatized Water| Michael Elves UMFM - Defining Sexual Assault in Winnipeg| Michael Elves UMFM Features - Mohammad Mahjoub's Hunger Strike at Kingston Penitentiary | Usman Mushtaq CFRC - Olympic Update: Charter Battles for Women Ski Jumpers | Sam Kriviak CJSR -- Simon Fraser University Funding Micro-managed by Government| Nina Halliday-Thompson CJSF

GroundWire: July 17 - 30, 2009 | Headline: Shoes to fill, Interview with Sami Sheikh

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0500

A Montreal family is living apart right now after immigration Canada separated Sabir and Seema Sheikh [shake] from their four children. Around noon on July 10th, authorities showed up at the family's home and took the parents, who were still in their slippers, into custody. They have since been deported to the United States where it is feared they will eventually be sent back to Pakistan. In the wake of his family's devastating split I talked with twenty one year old Sami Sheikh about adjusting to life as the new head of the household. "What... [:54] While they struggle to cope with life for the present, the danger in Pakistan is very real as the family is targeted for both political and personal reasons. "Threats... [:31] Community support for the family has been extremely vocal in the days following the event. Justin Trudeau, Member of Parliament for the Papineau riding where the [Shakes] live has been outspoken, saying in a letter to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, that deportation will be devastating to the family's future. For now the parents have been taken in by a refugee support group in New York City. The future of the children remains unknown as a decision on their status has only been stayed.

GroundWire: July 17 - 30, 2009 | Headline: All-Women's Pharmacy

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0500

A new all-women pharmacy is open for business in Vancouver's Downtown East Side. CJSF spoke to Karen Duncan, executive director of the project. [Transcript coming]

GroundWire: July 17 - 30, 2009 | Headline: Toronto Strike

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:32:00 -0500

The City of Toronto's inside and outside workers are entering their third week of strike action and are not willing to give in. Civic employees union Local 416 and Canadian Union of public Employees Local 79 represent 30,000 workers in the city of Toronto ranging in services from garbage collection to parks and recreation to daycare. They have been on strike since June 22, demanding that they receive fair and equitable wage increases similar to other employees of the city and also that they not be forced to give in to concessions. I spoke with Mark Ferguson, president of civic union employees union Local 416 "Certainly the city of Toronto came into this round of bargaining looking to strip the rights of our members and essentially rewrite our collective agreement. This strike is a strike that was brought on by the city of Toronto and the unreasonable demand for concessions. We are in fact playing a defensive role in this strike and did not come to the table with unreasonable demands. We came to the table seeking to be treated fairly and not to participate in a race to the bottom. " The recent economic recession has seen an increase in strike action from workers across the country, as it is workers who ultimately must make sacrifices to survive in hard times. Though many workers, union activists, academics and see the economic recession as an excuse to mistreat and tighten control on the working class. "We understand better than most the financial plight of the city of Toronto. We think that it is a falsity- that they are using the recession as an excuse to gain concessions from the unions. We understand that the problem with the finances of the city of Toronto is largely a structural problem, a problem that was created by the former provincial government that cut necessary funding to important city services." Groundwire contacted the city of Toronto but they refused to speak with us. For Groundwire this is Omme Selma Rahemtullah.

GroundWire: July 17 - 30, 2009

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:17:00 -0500

National news from a grassroots perspective. This is the third bi-weekly edition of GroundWire - community news from coast-to-coast-to-coast. Produced by CKUT in Montreal. Hosted by Chris Albinati In this edition of GroundWire: - Racism in Halifax | David Parker CKDU - Childcare in Ontario | Jacky Tuinstra Harrison CHRY - Stampede Cruelty | Nathan Taylor CJSW - Toronto Strike | Omme Rahumtellah CHRY - Sami Sheikh | Chris Albinati CKUT - All-Women's Pharmacy | CJSF - Bil'in Raids | Chris Albinati CKUT

GroundWire June 27, 2009|Headline|CSIS Withheld Information in Harkat Case

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:53:00 -0500

A federal judge ruling last week states that CSIS must disclose key evidence in the case of Mohamed Harkat. By: Tariq Jeeroburkhan| CKUT| Montr�al The credibility of the spy agency CSIS took another major hit this week when a federal court of Canada judge suggested officials may have lied and intentionally concealed vital information for years in a case targeting alleged terrorism suspect Mohamed Harkat. The federal judge also ordered the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to give the name of a key source in the Harkat case, and an uncensored file on Mr. Harkat, to special advocates charged with safeguarding his interest. The judge said in his ruling that the information disclosed, "raises questions in relation to possible deliberate misinformation by CSIS witnesses called to testify." The judge then went on to list five occasions where CISS officials would have been expected to provide the court or the special advocate with the information about the reliability of the sources, but did not. Justice Simon No�l also scolded the government for not providing the information much earlier. He stressed that any government figure who had shown even the slightest disregard for fair process must be held to account. A lawyer for Mr. Harkat said "The reputation of a national service like CSIS requires constant care and attention. That reputation has been lost." Mr.Harkat's lawyer than asked " If they let us down once, how can we trust them on the rest?"

GroundWire| June 27, 2009 Headline| Abousfian Abdelrazik Returns to Canada

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:07:00 -0500

Abdelrazik returns to Montreal By David Koch Canadian citizen Abousfian Abdelrazik returned home to Canada on Saturday. Over the past six years, he was repeatedly arrested by the Sudanese, who allegedly tortured him with the complicity of Canada. He was also labelled a terrorist by the United States and the UN Security Council. A crowd of about 80 supporters and journalists met Abdelrazik at about 1 AM on Saturday night as he arrived in Montreal Many carried signs reading "Welcome Home". The exhausted 47-year old man grinned as he stood alongside his step-sister and his son. He spoke briefly to the jubilant crowd, saying that he was "very happy" to see his family and his city. The Canadian government prevented Abdelrazik from travelling back to Canada beacuse his name appeared on a United Nations terrorist blacklist, based on supposed links to the Al Qaida. Adbelrazik's lawyers say that his name appeared on the list after Sudanese officials tortured him. His lawyers have also obtained official Canadian documents suggesting that he was tortured with the complicity of the Canadian Security intelligence Service, or CSIS. His name remains on the blacklist, which means that his assets are frozen. This also makes it a federal offense for anyone to provide him with financial assitance. But Canadian police and intelligence officials have stated that there is no evidence against Adbelrazik. Sudanese officials have also declared him innocent. In early June a federal court ordered the government to allow Abdelrazik passage to Canada. The court said that the government had breached his constitutional right to mobility by refusing to grant him the travel documents needed to board a plane to Canada. Speaking to reporters on Saturday night, Abdelrazik's lawyer Yavar Hameed said that the work of grassroots human rights activists was: "an integral part of this victory, both in the court decision, a pivotal moment in terms of buying a ticket, in terms of creating a solidarity fund, in terms of just letting the politicians and the judiciary know that there was a lot of public support behind this case."

GroundWire: June 27, 2009

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:25:00 -0500

GroundWire is a twice-monthly dose of grassroots independent journalism from the campus community radio sector of Canada. This is the second bi-weekly edition of GroundWire, thanks to a grant from the Community Radio Fund. Would you like to be added to the GroundWire mailing list? You can sign up online at groundwire.ncra.ca in the right hand column, or send an email to groundwireprod@gmail.com Would you like to produce GroundWire? Producing Stations are now eligible for a $300 producing honorarium. We are also looking for contributions for our next edition. Interested in participating? email groundwireprod@gmail.com to find out how. Presenting the June 27, 2009 Headlinse: With Narration from the Women's News Collective at CHRY 105.5FM - Abousfian Abdelrazik Returns to Canada | David Koch (CKUT) -Adil Charkaoui's Cross Canada Tour | David Parker (CKDU) - CSIS Security Certificate Update and the Case of Mohamed Harkat | Tariq Jeeroburkhan from CKUT - Toronto City Workers' Strike | Candace Mooers (CHRY) -Ontario Labour Actions Increase: Omme Rahemtullah (CHRY) -Canadian Companies Sued by Palestinian Community of Bil'in: Libby Drew (CHSR) and Chris Albinati (CKUT) Presenting the June 27, 2009 Features: The National Community Radio Conference in Montreal: A Year in Community Radio. CHRY's Jacky Tuinstra Harrison talks with volunteers, speakers and organizers about the future of community radio in Canada and the spirit of volunteerism at this year's annual conference. On Friday, June 19th, the National Association of Friendship Centres hosted a forum on Urban First Nations issues in Ottawa, with three candidates for the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations: Shawn Atleo, John Beaucage and Perry Bellegarde. Lisa Abel CHUO With threats to form a Caledonia militia aimed against Aboriginal activists, Jesse Zimmerman of CHRY brings us voices from a counter-protest, re-asserting territorial rights for six nations indigenous peoples. The June 27, 2009 edition of GroundWire was produced by CHRY 105.5FM in Toronto For more information: groundwire@ncra.ca groundwire.ncra.ca