Spacing Radio

Those working with unhoused people in Toronto, like Sanctuary Toronto outreach worker Lorraine Lam, are warning about the total collapse of the City's shelter system: as COVID continues to sweep through those communities, and we experience extreme low temperatures.

Spacing contributing editor Perry King (author of the book Rebound: Sports, Community, and the Inclusive City) talks about what to do with the City's five publicly-owned golf courses.

And Neil Brochu talks about his contribution to Spacing's latest book, Souvenirs of Toronto Sports, all about how the queer community in the '60s formed the Rotator Curling League.

We end the year with a classic case of man vs. machine, as journalist and culture writer Graham Isador talks about tiny delivery robots taking over city sidewalks, and Toronto Council's decision to pause so-called micro-utility devices until sometime in 2022.

Next, we talk to journalist and author Stephen Dale about his new book, Shift Change: scenes from a post-industrial revolution, all about Hamilton, Ontario's struggle with a rapid gentrification and housing cost crisis.

Finally, with Spacing's latest "Growth" issue on shelves, Contributing Editor Sarah Hood tells us what we can find in those pages, and why it's always a good time to talk about plant life in the city.

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, or SoundCloud, or follow our RSS feed.

With many people still working from home, the future of Toronto's PATH system — the underground mall serving the financial towers above — is in question. Globe & Mail urban affairs reporter Oliver Moore, who wrote about this crisis, explains the situation.

And Spacing senior editor John Lorinc talks about the possible implications the City's new Inclusionary Zoning policy may have on Toronto's housing and affordability crisis.

Finally, as a preview of Spacing's upcoming book, Souvenirs of Toronto Sport, I talk to Ian Wolfe, archivist and member of the board of directors for the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame & Museum, about Toronto's skiing history, and the closing of one of the City's last two downhill ski facilities at Centennial Park.

In this episode, we follow up on the municipal elections in Edmonton and Calgary, with a bit of a rant about rooming houses.

Then, we talk to journalist and Spacing contributing editor Perry King about his new book Rebound: sports, community, and the inclusive city.

Finally, as a preview of our upcoming "Growing" issue of the magazine, we talk to Sundance Harvest farm director Cheyenne Sundance about urban farming, empowering marginalized and BIPOC communities, and food justice.

With the mayors of both Edmonton and Calgary stepping down, and Alberta municipal elections taking place October 18, we decided to bring you all out west.

But first, the City of Toronto released a detailed account of how much this summer's park encampment evictions cost. Matt Elliott wrote a Toronto Star column breaking down the cost, and we talk about how that money could have been better spent actually supporting people who live in encampments.

Then, Alberta-based journalist Tim Querenguesser tells us what the fourth wave of COVID is like in that promise, and about the power vacuum being left by Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson and Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi stepping down. As well, when Alberta municipalities this month, they will have to vote on some politically charged referendum issues at the same time.

For more insight on Alberta municipal politics, follow Tim's newsletter on Twitter: @RageMunicipal

Spacing and Evergreen proudly present The Future Fix: Solutions for Communities Across Canada, a special podcast series.

THIS EPISODE: Tech Lessons COVID Taught Us

Throughout the pandemic, we've seen people use technology and data in creative ways to help combat COVID-19. Even everyday people found ways to connect people to information about the disease, and even vaccinations.

In this episode, we begin by talking to Angelina Zhu and Deanna Hembruff, two volunteers for Vaccine Hunters Canada, about how they became involved in a national movement to help people find vaccine appointments:

“Everybody had that sort of sense that this was going to be a great community tool to get word spreading and get people vaccinated, especially with a few gaps that existed in delivering the vaccination services to people who needed them.”

And Dr. Tarun Katapally, professor at the University of Regina's Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, talks about how he and a team were able to work with Indigenous people in Saskatchewan to provide an app-based platform to curb the spread in smaller communities. It's called CO-Away:

“If you look at upstream, preventative healthcare, and downstream, emergency healthcare, we are a very reactive system. So we wanted to completely upend this. Use of technology and our digital platforms could potentially support and facilitate self-governance in remote Indigenous communities.”

A snap federal election in the face of a potential "fourth wave" of the COVID-19 pandemic means an emergency panel episode to discuss the urban issues that may (or should) come up before people go to the polls, September 20th.

Spacing Senior Editor John Lorinc and Spacing urban affairs columnist and York University Geography Professor Tricia Wood unpack urban issues such as housing, transit, and climate change that each party should be campaigning to address.

In this episode, we speak to Diana Chan McNally, community worker with the Toronto Drop-In Network, about A Path Forward. It's a document signed by 206 organizations, artists, and politicians calling for a safer, more humanitarian approach to housing encampment residents, where the residents themselves are heard.

And we speak to Kensington Market Community Land Trust Co-Chair Dominique Russell about a $3-million grant from the City of Toronto to secure affordable housing in the famous neighbourhood. You can also find the conversation in the next Spacing print issue.

And, to celebrate our "birthday," we found a great piece from the original, 2009 Spacing Radio with host David Michael Lamb. It's a beautiful soundscape featuring a flautist in an abandoned building and a great de-stressor.

Reliable access to the internet is an essential service in any community. But there are barriers to bridging the "digital divide," especially in northern and Indigenous communities. Beyond the technical challenges, every community must choose what sort of broadband service model will serve people the best.

In the aftermath of the Trinity Bellwoods Park encampment evictions, which saw a massive police presence, private security, and protests, we reached Sanctuary Toronto outreach worker Lorraine Lam, who was there with encampment residents, for an eyewitness account of what went on.

And we speak to Humber Professor and Indigenous writer Kerry Potts about her piece in Coach House Books' new essay collection, Indigenous Toronto: stories that carry this place.