Tag: Ontario

Woodstein Media Podcast Episode 25: UK musician, poet, and activist Joe Solo on socialism, antifascism, and community building

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

On this episode, award-winning musician, writer, poet, activist, broadcaster and washing machine engineer Joe Solo speaks about spreading his message of social justice, anti-fascism, and socialism in his music and books from Scarborough. Not the Scarborough that will jump into the minds of people raised in southern Ontario, but the one across the Atlantic on England’s North Sea coast.

Solo began his musical journey in 1987 and has seen him leaping around with pop-punk upstarts Lithium Joe or his solo albums hammering out his unique brand of Folk, Punk and Blues. His songs bring to mind great lyrical thinkers like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Joe Hill, and Billy Bragg.

Woodstein Media Podcast Episode 24: Celeste Trianon on the rise of anti-trans hate, how to oppose the hatred, name and gender marker change in Quebec  

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

As anti-trans rhetoric gets normalized across Canada, activists stand up to the hatred.  This episode highlights the work and activism of Celeste Trianon, a trans-feminine jurist and activist. On the legal front, she helps people in Quebec with name and gender marker changes. Across Canada, she has been involved in activism, resisting hatred directed towards the 2SLGBTQIA community, specifically trans, two-spirit and non-binary people.

Woodstein Media Podcast Episode 22: StreetWorks director Talia Storm on harm reduction, supervised consumption, safer supply

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

This episode spotlights harm reduction services provided by Positive Living Niagara.  Talia Storm, Director of StreetWorks Services, discusses supervised consumption, safer supply and other services that have saved lives during the toxic drug crisis. As Storm says, the staff at StreetWorks are just the passengers, and the individuals accessing the services are driving the car because harm reduction is an aspect of the treatment continuum that aims to empower and respect a person’s right to self-determination.

There were 36,442 apparent opioid toxicity deaths in Canada between January 2016 and December 2022.

A total of 7,328 apparent opioid toxicity deaths occurred in 2022. This is an average of 20 deaths per day. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the average number of deaths per day was 10. The average number of deaths per day peaked at 22 in 2021. However, based on current national data, analyses show no significant decrease in trend, and rates remain high.

Woodstein Media Podcast Episode 21: Sista Patricia discusses the work of Drag Storytime Guardians

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

Since May, a group of concerned citizens known as the Drag Storytime Guardians have supported Drag Story Time and Pride events throughout Southwestern Ontario. At the heart of the guardians is a 70-year-old biker, Sista Patricia, who has been putting what she has learned, marching for the rights of women and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, into action to protect families and drag queens from far-right fanatics who show up at libraries to protest Drag Story Time.

In this episode, Sista Patricia discusses how she came to be involved with the Guardians, the work they are doing and her thoughts on why the protesters are feeling bold enough to show their hate without regard for how they are perceived in this era.

In a related theme to the main focus of this episode, Woodstein Media also wishes respect and love to the Minneapolis, Minnesota music scene based around the 2SLGBTQIA+ friendly punk music venue Nudieland. Sadly, on August 11, the house venue was the scene of a mass shooting that injured six people and killed one beloved member of the scene, August Golden.

Facts are not “a matter of opinion” Dipping into Listowel Ontario’s cultural history

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

This is the final of three pieces of local media that dove into a strange incident that shook the foundations of Listowel, Ontario, in 1995.

I will clarify whether I was naked or not after you read this 174-word article, under no byline, that was printed on the final page of the Wednesday, October 4, 1995, issue of the Listowel Banner. It is pure comedy gold and should have won an award.

“Insulting Language” Dipping into Listowel Ontario’s cultural history

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

This is the second of three pieces of local media that dove into a strange incident that shook the foundations of Listowel, Ontario.

After the shit hit the fan following “Bandfest ’95,” the Listowel Youth Support Committee wrote an open letter to clarify their position, which was printed in the Wednesday, October 4, 1995, issue of the Listowel Banner.

In the letter, the committee established their innocuous involvement in the “distasteful” behaviour and that the needs of the many may have been in jeopardy because of the “actions of a few.”

“Almost obscene” Dipping into Listowel Ontario’s cultural history

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

This is the first of three pieces I am reprinting from local media that dove into a strange incident that shook the foundations of Listowel, Ontario. When this issue flared into a fervour of debate among the town council and local authorities, my father told me, “You are ahead of your time; this town is not ready for you yet.” It seems that this is still the case. Yet, I’m still here.  

Originally printed in the edition of the Listowel Banner on Wednesday, September 20, 1995, this story had no byline attributed to it.  Although the newspaper has gone through several ownership changes since then, it has been printed continuously since 1866, and back issues can be found at the archives housed in the Stratford Perth Museum.

Woodstein Media Podcast Episode 18: Sue Spahr discusses the Wishbone Animal Rights Lab and veganism  

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

“We come together with this common caring of respect for animals and our planet,” states Sue Spahr, one of the founders of the Wishbone Animal Rights Lab in Toronto, which opened its doors at the end of March.

This episode features a conversation with Spahr about the lab’s role as a hub for animal rights activists, a lending library of equipment and information and a studio for making animal-positive podcasts and videos.

Woodstein Media Podcast Episode 17: United Way’s Kristin Crane discusses living wage, universal basic income, food insecurity and more

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

This episode features a conversation with Kristin Crane, director of Social Research & Planning for United Way Perth Huron, about the living wage, which leapt over $3 from $17. 55 to $20.70 when the most recent calculation was announced in November 2022. The numbers used in this discussion are from the area in which this podcast is produced: Perth and Huron County.

Woodstein Media Podcast Episode 16: Bonez Poley promotes other people, and mentions something about a debut comedy album

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

Episode 16 features a conversation with Toronto comedian Bonez Poley, who learned their performance chops in the Ontario punk and metal music scenes before crossing over into stand-up.

Poley’s debut comedy album is set for release on May 30, and in the discussion, there are hints at several other surprises to be announced soon.