Category: Healthcare

Woodstein Media Podcast Episode Ten: Slaxx director Elza Kephart chats about films and climate emergency action

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

Episode ten features a discussion with Elza Kephart, director of the feature films, Graveyard Alive, Go in the Wilderness and most recently, Slaxx, a socially conscious satirical horror-comedy that sharply informs on the evils of fair trade, corporate globalization and, fast fashion.
Although we do discuss the films and series, Kephart is developing. Much of this conversation focuses on her climate activism with Extinction Rebellion, the Ministry of the New Normal, and as a member of SCALE (Sectoral Climate Arts Leadership for the Emergency), and the Directors’ Guild of Canada’s National Sustainability and Climate Action Committee.

Woodstein Media Podcast Episode Nine: Sam Tecle discusses what the call to Defund the Police means

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

This episode features a conversation with Sam Tecle about what is meant by the call to defund the police. Tecle works with Success Beyond Limits, a collaborative, youth-led, community-based movement providing youth with holistic support to complete their education and experience success in their lives and Jane and Finch Action Against Poverty, a resident-led grassroots coalition of community residents, activists, workers, organizations working to eliminate poverty. He is also an Associate Professor in the Sociology Department at Toronto Metropolitan University. His research and scholarly work span the areas of Black and Diaspora Studies, Urban Studies, and Sociology of Education.

Woodstein Media Podcast Episode Six: It Takes a Village

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

Episode six features a conversation with Andrea Charest, Executive Director of It Takes a Village in Listowel, Ontario. It Takes a Village is a people-oriented, money-free, shop and social initiative offering community members support with food security, access to resources,  and assistance navigating systems such as court appointments, housing, and government support with a focus on being a welcoming and inclusive place to belong.

Woodstein Media Podcast Episode Three: Drug User Liberation Front co-founder Eris Nyx discusses distribution of clean drugs

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

On episode three of the Woodstein Media Podcast, Eris Nyx, co-founder of the Drug User Liberation Front (DULF), talks about the episodic compassion club actions being done in Vancouver to make sure drug users have a safe, clean supply of drugs to prevent overdoses, changes she would like to see implemented regarding public education surrounding drug use, and the aesthetics of  DULF.

Woodstein Media Podcast episode one: Joe Amero talks harm reduction

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

Joe Amero, a social worker in the Toronto shelter system, discusses his history of drug use and harm reduction. Joe discusses how his brother Harry’s overdose affected his family and how he dealt with his feeling through a one-person show he wrote titled Blood, the Drug User Liberation Front’s compassion club actions where they distribute a clean supply of drugs to help stop overdoses due to drugs contaminated with Fentanyl, Drugs! The Musical, the Telethon! and songs by Hobo Banditos, the Hip Hop band he and Harry were in.

Roller derby will bounce back, skates are already hitting the track: Hogtown edition

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

As pandemic-related restrictions loosen, many people across Ontario and beyond hope to lace up their roller skates and hit the roller derby track again. This series of articles will check in with teams as they prepare for some action in 2022-23. This time, Hogtown Roller Derby’s Emily Fowler, whom some people in the derby community might know better as Holly de Havilland, shares an update on the rebound of roller derby in Toronto, or if you prefer, Hogtown.

Stratford 2SLGBTQIA+ community discuss actions to counter rise in hate-related crimes & incidents: acculturation

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

After homophobic vandalism was discovered at Sirkel Foods in Stratford on the morning of Nov. 1, a meeting was planned at the Stratford Pride Community Centre (SPCC) to allow the community to discuss their feelings, thoughts and fears with representatives from Stratford Police Services, City of Stratford council and the Stratford City Centre Business Improvement Area (BIA).

This is the final installment in a series of articles documenting the discussion of how police investigate hate-motivated incidents and what the city and the public can do to help make the community more welcoming and inclusive for all people.

Stratford 2SLGBTQIA+ community discuss actions to counter rise in hate-related crimes & incidents: education

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

After homophobic vandalism was discovered at Sirkel Foods in Stratford on the morning of Nov. 1, a meeting was planned at the Stratford Pride Community Centre (SPCC) to allow the community to discuss their feelings, thoughts and fears with representatives from Stratford Police Services, the City of Stratford council and the Stratford Downtown Business Improvement Agency.

This is the second in a three-part series of articles which discuss how police investigate hate-motivated incidents and what the city and the public can do to help make the community more welcoming and inclusive for all people.