Mainstreet Halifax

While politicians argue about how, where, when and whether to put a price on carbon dioxide pollution, two new reports show Canada is not on target to be a climate leader by 2030. To learn more, host Jeff Douglas spoke with Gretchen Fitzgerald, the national program director for the Sierra Club Canada Foundation.

In the wake of The Fifth Estate's documentary that called into question Buffy Sainte-Marie's claim to Indigenous ancestry, Mainstreet has been looking into the background and determination of Indigenous identity and status. Host Jeff Douglas spoke with Cheryl Simon from Epekwitk (P.E.I.), an assistant professor of Aboriginal and Indigenous Law.

A sensitivity reader is a somewhat controversial title in book-lover circles: it's a specialized editor who looks through authors' work for potentially offensive material or stereotypes. Actor and director Shelley Thompson used three sensitivity readers for her novel, Roar, which is about the experience of a trans woman and her family. Host Jeff Douglas spoke with Thompson and one of the readers, Veronica Merryfield.

Cesar Padilla, stylist extraordinaire and clothing archivist, has helped dress Rihanna, Billie Eillish, cast members in Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire, Ryan Gosling and many more. He joins host Jeff Douglas to talk fashion, his punk style and working in the industry before he holds several talks in Halifax this weekend.

Natalie Wexler, an American education writer, worries that elementary schools in the United States don't do enough to help students build up a knowledge base that would assist them with reading comprehension. She joins host Jeff Douglas to talk about "closing the knowledge gap," ahead of her talk at the Cross-Canada Research-Ed Conference in Halifax.

The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness will hold its annual national conference in Halifax next week. Organizers say the conference is a chance to find out what's working and what's not working to end homelessness. Guest host Carolyn Ray spoke with communications director Andrew Burns and host committee co-chair Sara Napier.

A group called Architects Against Housing Alienation has created a housing plan that involves the old Gray Arena in north-end Dartmouth. Their plan was submitted to the 2023 Venice Biennale, a competition that is considered the Olympics of the art world. Host Jeff Douglas spoke with Susan Fitzgerald, an architect and design director at FBM, who will be giving a talk about the plan at the Halifax Central Library next week.

A panel discussion about living through extreme weather, including droughts, wildfires and severe flooding, is happening at Dalhousie University in Halifax on Thursday evening. It's called "Fires, floods, and hurricanes: how can we thrive in our new climate reality?" Guest host Carolyn Ray spoke with two panelists, Shannon Miedema, HRM's director of Environment and Climate Change, and Alex Cadel, a climate services specialist for Nova Scotia.

Who's Yer Father is the latest feature comedy film from Prince Edward Island director and writer Jeremy Larter. The film, which was created by a mostly Atlantic Canadian crew, is opening at threatres around the Maritimes this weekend, including a screening and Q&A in Halifax.

In the wake of The Fifth Estate's documentary that called into question Buffy Sainte-Marie's claim to Indigenous ancestry, many people have been asking questions about how and why CBC presented the findings of its investigation. To weigh in on that, host Jeff Douglas spoke with Trina Roache, an assistant professor in the School of Journalism at the University of King's College.