Redeye

The practice of people self-identifying as Indigenous has come into sharp focus after a number of high-profile cases of “pretendians” claiming to be Indigenous without evidence. However, far less attention has been given to Indigenous people being wrongly labelled as pretendians.  In a recent article for Policy Options, Debbie Martin argues that the rush for Indigenous identity policies at universities has led to people with legitimate claims to Indigeneity being swept up in policies that will cause lasting harm.  Debbie Martin is Inuk and a member of Nunatukavut. She is a professor in the school of health and human performance at Dalhousie University and the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples’ health and well-being.

British Columbia has one of the lowest industrial water rates in Canada. Meanwhile, water advocates say communities across the province are struggling to fund efforts to fight increasing droughts, floods, and wildfires. A new report says we need to modernize industrial water rates to protect our water sources, safeguard communities and secure long-term prosperity. The report was created by the BC Watershed Security Coalition. We speak with Kyle Visvanathan, co-author of the report.

On November 8, Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear of The War on Cars podcast were in Vancouver as guests of Vision Zero Vancouver to talk about their new book and to meet with local activists. There wasn’t a seat left in the house at the Djavad Mowafaghian theatre at SFU Woodwards as Doug and Sarah introduced some of the ideas in their book, Life After Cars, and interviewed two Canadian activists in the fight for safer streets, Lucy Maloney and Tom Flood. We bring you excerpts from the evening on today’s podcast.

Despite the purported ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli airstrikes continue to kill Palestinians. Canada has long downplayed its role in arming Israel, claiming it only issues a limited number of export permits and that those permits have now been suspended. But this week, a new report was released that exposes a massive ongoing flow of Canadian explosives and F-35 parts to Israel via the United States. We speak with Rachel Small, Canada lead for World Beyond War, a member of the Arms Embargo Now Coalition.

In today’s episode, Ian Mass with City Beat for Nov 22. Vancouver City Council has just gone through a gruelling 4-day public process focused on the 2026 city budget. On Tuesday Nov 25, we’ll see if any of the comments have made a difference to this controversial zero-means-zero budget. Council will also consider a proposal for a Filipino cultural centre, BC Housing’s decision to move 300 low-income tenants out of a single-room-occupancy hotel on Granville Street and lots more.

Five years after provincial government commitments to protect old growth, the new report commissioned by Sierra Club BC concludes that the ecological integrity of our forests continues to decline, threatening biodiversity, First Nations values and a diverse economy. We speak with Karen Price, an ecologist who co-authored the report.

On Oct 21, the Jewish Faculty Network published The CIJA Report documenting what the six authors say is a pattern of anti-Palestinian racism and genocide denial at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. They wrote the report to shine a light on how the current discourse about antisemitism in Canada serves to manufacture consent for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.  We speak with Sheryl Nestel, one of the authors of the report. She is a retired sociologist and long-time member and leader of Independent Jewish Voices Canada.

The deputy mayor of Tirana, Albania says she realized one day that her city had been planned with one user in mind - an adult male who needed to get to the office as quickly as possible. She says everything about Tirana’s streets, public spaces and transport systems were designed to make his life easy. Anuela Ristani is one of the women in local government that we get to meet in Women Changing Cities, a new book by Canadian authors and urban mobility advocates Melissa and Chris Bruntlett. We speak with Melissa Bruntlett in this episode.

Bruce McIvor has written a new book that should become essential reading for Canadians who want to advance reconciliation. Indigenous Rights in One Minute gives clear and concise answers to questions like who qualifies as Métis and what the Doctrine of Discovery is.  Bruce McIvor is the founder and senior partner at First Peoples Law and an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia’s Allard School of Law. He is a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation.

The Jackpine Mine is an open-pit tar sands project north of Fort McMurray. Last year, the operator applied for a renewal of its licence to operate the mine for another 10 years. In response Ecojustice, the Alberta Wilderness Association, and Keepers of the Water filed a statement of concern asking the Alberta Energy Regulator to recognize the Athabasca River Basin as a “legal person” with the right to participate in decisions that affect its health.  We speak with Matt Hulse, a lawyer for Ecojustice.