Viewpoints

On today's show:

He’s 31, he was born in Burundi. He’s been living in Canada for ten years. Mike Owen Sebagenzi also wants to be the next Québec Solidaire MLA for the very Liberal Pontiac riding. A Sackville resident had the scare of his life when the ferry he was on caught fire. He says he won’t be traveling by  sea for quite a while. And a small island off the BC coast can’t seem to resolve its housing crisis as some students can’t find a place to stay ahead of the school year. 

Our reporters today were Caleb Nickerson, Greg Osoba and David Gordon Koch. National coordinator, Maureen McEwan. Viewpoints is produced by the Community Radio Fund of Canada. Chassagne host and producer.

On today’s show:
Brantford’s mayor calls on the provincial and federal governments to settle a 1995 claim, filed by Six Nations of Grand River.  Close to a hundred job seekers from Ukraine and elsewhere attended the Pier 21 Job Fair in Halifax Nova Scotia for immigrants and refugees.  Nova Scotia where a burn ban is in effect due to extremely dry weather conditions.  A Sackville City councillor was suspended for two months without pay: a GoFundMe campaign comes to his rescue. And it was a historic day for the CFL and the Edmonton Elks, as the first ever, Cree-language broadcast of a football game in Canada, took place at the Commonwealth Stadium.

Thanks to our reporters Sara Gouda, David Barker-Tremblay, Andrew Dow, Ed Halverson and David Gordon-Koch. National coordinator, Maureen McEwan. Host and producer Boris Chassagne. Viewpoints is produced by the Community Radio Fund of Canada. 

On today’s show:

High risk, high reward: A team of scientists drill the ice core from Mount Logan’s summit plateau. They hope to get a peak of the continent’s past. A documentary produced by Meagan Deuling in Revelstoke, BC. And we keep an eye on the mountains as we travel to northern British Columbia to visit the of Mount Layton Hot Springs Resort.
Thanks to our journalist Meagan Deuling, Pamela Hassen and their guests. National coordinator, Maureen McEwan. Host and producer  Boris Chassagne. To the artists who grace us with their music you know it would not be the same without you. Viewpoints is produced by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.  

On today’s show:

A 1.5 billion dollar electric vehicle battery plant will be built in the Kingston, Ontario area. The first of its kind in North America. Forest Fires hit a record low during the month of June in Québec: bad weather is helping out firefighters. Short term rentals keep some towns from getting some shut-eye. In Québec, the Town of Brome Lake had to back down from a proposed bylaw referendum. But it will keep trying to maintain order in the free-for-all.  A BC filmmaker could soon turn into a politician. Marl Vonesch is running as director on the board of the Strathcona Regional District representing Cortes Island this fall.

With journalist Greg Osoba, Taylor McClure, Karim Mosna and Caleb Nickerson. National coordinator Maureen McEwan. Host and producer Boris Chassagne. Viewpoints is produced by the Community Radio Fund of Canada. 

On today's Viewpoints:
More than 4000 solar panels are installed in the Amherst community. Citizens taking charge of their free energy needs. In Mansonville Québec, a local history buff revives what was once an international destination: the Potton Natural Springs. Roller Derby is making a comeback and throws elbows back into British Columbia, where the Bulkley Valley Bruisers are looking for teammates.  And a 70 year-old tractor from the 1950s is now being proudly displayed on Cotes Island. A legacy of the island's past.

With our journalists Pamela Haasen, Greg Osoba, Taylor McClure and Erica Butler. Host Boris Chassagne. Viewpoints is produced by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.

On today's Viewpoints:

A Sackville hospital is struggling to find the staff it needs. But hope is in sight. The high rate of inflation is putting pressure on food banks all over the country: it’s their turn to ask for help.
New Brunswick’s students crumble under debt. Boosting university funding could be a solution. Its forest fire season once again. Firefighters give us some tips on how to best protect our houses.  And a BC chocolatier sources her raw cacao from the Andean Mountains of Ecuador and produces the LOVE Bar we crave for.

Thanks to our journalists, Loni Taylor, Karim Mosna, Meagan Deuling, Erica Butler, David-and Gordon Koch. National coordinator Maureen McEwan. Host and producer Boris Chassagne. Viewpoints is produced by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.

On today's Viewpoints:
Most of today’s show will be dedicated to National Indigenous Peoples Day. As we celebrate National Indigenous People Day in Canada, Mi’kmaq leaders, and a top adviser, quit the New Brunswick systemic racism commission. A new transitional housing project opens its doors in Kingston Ontario. We’ll also go to Halifax where a 19 foot canoe is on display at Halifax Airport. And another exhibit has opened at the Alberta Aviation Museum featuring Indigenous youth artists. We’ll conclude this edition of Viewpoints with our BC journalist Surjit Atwal. He has been honoured with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medallion.

With journalist David-Gordon Koch, Karim Mosna, Sara Gouda, Surjit Atwal and David-Barker Tremblay. Host and producer Boris Chassagne. National coordinator Maureen McEwan. Viewpoints is produced by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.

On today's Viewpoints:
Human trafficking is on the rise in Canada and the numbers in Halifax seem to be the worst in the country. But this increase in reported cases could also mean that victims are more oftenly seeking help. Citizens of Shelburne Nova Scotia do not want their South Shore riding to be split in two. They tell a federal commission to go back to the drawing board. Turtles and toads in Revelstoke BC do not seem to mind the traffic as they bask under the sun while cars pass by. And summer’s back with a revenge. In Smithers BC the Midsummer Festival can’t wait.

With journalist Ed Halverson, Pamela Haasen, Sara Gouda, Meagan Deuling and Taylor McClure. National coordinator Maureen McEwan. Host and producer Boris Chassagne. Viewpoints is produced by the Community Radio Fund of Canada in Ottawa. 

On today’s show:

We stay in one place today as we dive into an audio documentary produced by our journalist Pamela Haassen posted in Smithers, British Columbia.

Pamela Haasen wanted to hear from people involved in the recent renaming of the Haida Gwaii village of Queen Charlotte back to the traditional name of Daajing Giids. In 2019, the activists involved in the Skidegate Haida Immersion Program (S.H.I.P.) submitted a request to the Queen Charlotte Village Council to change the name of the village, back to the ancestral Daajing Giids.

The Skidegate Haida Immersion Program, founded in 1998, has since been documenting the Skidegate Haida language of Xaada Kil for the purpose of saving a language that is quickly disappearing, and to keep in touch with their ancestors.

The protection and preservation of Xaada language is a lengthy process, and it is due to the efforts of 10 very committed and dedicated Haida elders who are fluent speakers of the Skidegate Haida Language. The average age of these Elders is 80 and they represent approximately 50 per cent of today’s fluent Skidegate Haida Kil speakers. Their effort to revitalize Xaada Kil are genuine. Respect for their ancestors' language and its many dialects have been of the utmost importance.

So these Elders took charge of the name change process and proposed it to the village council. The community has been working on it for years. Citizens, council members, government representatives were consulted and still are. Whether it's approved or not, the proposed name change and process could serve as an example for many communities across British Columbia and Canada widely that wish to correct and recognize the wrongs of the country’s colonial history and wish to reconnect with the Indigenous culture and ancestors.

For the Haida, the proposed name change represents more than a name, but a way to be proud of their history, culture, and language, to communicate and pay respect to their ancestors.

In this documentary, Pamela Haasen spoke with many Elders, as well as with Queen’s Charlotte Mayor and the BC Minister of Municipal Affairs and Immigration. She first talks with Diane Brown about the importance of changing Queens Charlotte’s name back to Daajing Giids. Diane is one of the 19 people who still speak Xaada Kil.

Viewpoints is produced by the Community Radio Fund of Canada. 

On this edition of Viewpoints:
The province of Nova Scotia is getting ready to welcome back tourists this summer, trying to recoup part of the 3 billion dollars it lost over the past two years. In Cowansville Québec, bowlers will have to let go of their 20 year love affair with the Salle de Quilles Cowansville. The local bowling alley is closing its doors, hit hard by COVID-19 restrictions.  Live music events are coming back to Mansons Landing on Cortes Island off the BC coast. Musician and songwriter Michael Keith takes the lead. And the City of Sackville is worried about cats decimating wild birds. Experts are being consulted and there might be a new by-law in the works.

With journalist Erica Butler, Taylor McClure, Ed Halverson, and Loni Taylor. National news coordinator Maureen McEwan. Host and producer Boris Chassagne. Viewpoints is presented by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.