Safer consumption sites are locations that aim to provide a hygienic and safe environment for drug users to consume or inject substances, while under the supervision of trained staff. They are widely regarded as a good public health resource, increasing safety and filling in a significant gap in harm reduction policy. There is currently multi-partisan support for the set up of a safer consumption site on PEI. Angele DesRoches and Arthur Sherren from PEERS Alliance join us this week to chat about safer injection sites and answer some of the questions islanders have been having about safer consumption sites.

According to the Federal government, "homelessness is the situation of an individual or family who does not have a permanent address or residence; the living situation of an individual or family who does not have stable, permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect, means and ability of acquiring it." This is often a symptom of numerous issues, from a lack of affordable and accessible housing to individuals facing physical, mental or cognitive challenges. On PEI, with a low vacancy rate and rapidly climbing rent prices, affordable housing is increasingly scarce. Add to that a global pandemic where the primary public health directive is "stay home" and we get a situation where those living with homelessness find themselves in a precarious situation. To offer an on-the-ground perspective to homelessness and its various intricacies and linked factors, with us today is Sarah MacEachern, front line worker at the Community Outreach Centre.

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease that severely impacts the ability to breathe over time, and causes multiple persistent lung infections. This is one of many rare diseases in Canada- and the most common fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian children and young adults. While there is no cure at this time, a novel gene modulator drug, Trikafta, is available in a number of countries which drastically improves lung function and life expectancy of those living with CF. This drug is currently under review federally and, if approved, will be available in Canada. 

CF advocate Hunter Guindon chats with us today about CF, as well as the drug approval process in Canada.

Lobbying is an essential tool to any advocacy work. It involves trying to influence policies and decisions of elected officials, members of regulatory bodies and other public officials. While often related to corporate lobbies for increased profit, lobbying is also an essential tool employed by grassroots movements, professional and labour unions, and various equity-seeking groups. Brianna Workman chats with us about all things lobbying and policy in Canada.

This episode of Dialogue delves into the many forms of diabetes, the options available to monitor and manage the disease, current PEI provincial policy on diabetes, and what can be done to provide more support to those living with diabetes. Taking part in this discussion is avid curler, fashionista and diabetes advocate Brooks Roche.

Surprise! It’s a Saturday Special. One new initiative we will be exploring in this new year is Saturday Specials: episodes that fall outside our Monday 8am posting time and instead get posted on Saturday mornings. These episodes will deal with major events during the week that deserve an episode but are currently not in the lineup, any unusual topic we would like to chat about, and more!

Our topic for the day is Art and Politics. Indeed, the two have been closely intertwined, with one drawing inspiration from and in turn influencing the other. Art is furthermore a crucial political tool: from partisan pieces of media, to political symbols, to satirical caricatures, art is an often-overlooked piece of the political puzzle.

Over the last few weeks, Edmonton political artist Reed Larsen has released a number of illustrations that serve as reflections on current political events and scandals. Today he'll be chatting with us about his illustrations and more!

This episode of Dialogue is focused on three major policy areas: the Canada Youth Policy, which aims at informing the federal government on youth priorities and doing work on these, the 2019-2022 Anti-Racism Strategy, which takes a holistic look at federal anti racism work, and Bill C-6: An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy), which protects children and adults from conversion therapy. To discuss these, and more, with us today is Hon. Bardish Chagger, the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion, and Youth of Canada.

A quick look at history shows us that discussions around transportation in Canada date back to pre-Confederation days, when the railway and boat were the primary modes of transport. Since then, transportation has greatly evolved, but with the same emphasis on free, accessible transport between provinces. COVID19, while grounding everyone in place, has also seen quite some discussion on how transportation will look in a post-pandemic world, with questions surrounding remote access, the future of public transportation and the role of the government in public transportation. With us today is policy whiz Matt Pelletier to chat about Federal Transportation Policy, COVID19, and what effective transport looks like on PEI. 

COVID19 has raised multiple questions on healthcare, including what exactly are the roles of the federal government and the different provincial and territorial governments, what would a vaccine distribution look like, how to best tackle the pandemic, what has the healthcare system looked like historically and how does this compare to now. To answer these questions and more, with us today is Travis Gordon, former Senior Policy Advisor of the federal Minister of Health.

The Black Lives Matter movement gained significant momentum in the spring of 2020, with protests held throughout the world. This was visible in Atlantic Canada as well, with PEI seeing its largest protest in history in June to support Black Lives Matter, and thousands of people attending multiple marches throughout New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Now that we are a few months in, we are taking a look back at the movement, and how this grassroots movement has translated to policy. With us to chat this episode is Black Lives Matter organizer, Husoni Raymond.