Radio Free Winnipeg

Continuing on with the topic of the Winnipeg General Strike, we interview Tom Mitchell, a retired archivist at Brandon University and co-author of When The State Trembled: How A. J. Andrews and The Citizens’ Committee Broke The Winnipeg General Strike.  Our conversation focuses on how a group of prominent Winnipeg lawyers and elites, known as the Citizens' Committee of One Thousand, conspired with the Federal government to undermine the labour movement and the strikers, and how it set the tone for how the strike would ultimately be remembered.

The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike is an event most of us learned about, at least briefly, in elementary school. In Manitoba the strike is often referenced, however abstractly, as a culminating moment in labour history. Unions and political parties, such as the NDP, are often associated with the strike, connecting their own histories and timelines back to the mass movement that reached a boiling point in the spring of 1919.  How is the General Strike remembered today? In which ways has the legacy of the strike been distorted by the factions that held power in the subsequent years? What did the labour movement look like during the inter-war period between the first and second World Wars?  We attempt to get to the heart of these questions in our interview with James Naylor, professor and labour historian at Brandon University. Additional Links: James Naylor's talk at the 2009 May Works Conference on Rekindling the Spirit of 1919 for the 90th Anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike. Winnipeg 1919: A City in C

In this episode we speak with author and activist, Yves Engler, about Canadian foreign policy and mineral extraction in Africa. Engler recently wrote an article for rabble.ca contrasting the World Partnership Walk, organized by the Aga Khan Foundation Canada, against the human rights abuses committed by Canadian mining companies on the African continent. In addition to discussing natural resources companies, we look at the Saudi arms deal, Canadian arms exports, and how it is covered by the media.  Additional links: Canada in Africa - 300 Years of Aid and Exploitation Canada now the second biggest arms exporter to Middle East    

We had some good interviews lined up for this show, but due to some unforeseen circumstances they had to be pushed back. So, instead of some insightful conversations with highly qualified individuals, you get the pleasure of listening to Scott and Greg wax philosophic about the lack of class consciousness in conversations about urban issues and recap our previous couple episodes.

Continuing our look into the life and legacy of Jane Jacobs we speak with Brian Tochterman (@btochterman), Assistant Professor of Sustainable Community Development at Northland College, about how Jacob's work has been adopted by conservative adherents of Urbanism to further development projects Jacob's herself would probably have opposed. He explains how he teaches "The Life and Death of Great American Cities" and offers his own insights into the shortcomings of her work.

Jane Jacobs was an author and activist whose influential book, "The Life and Death of Great American Cities" challenged many popular notions about neighbourhoods, city planning, and architecture. She made connections between the ecology of cities and the ecology of nature.  While some looked at areas in a city as chaotic slums, Jane Jacobs saw a complex and delicate order in the urban fabric.  In order to explore the legacy of her work and its influence on our communities we decided to speak with some of the writers, academics and local organizers who have drawn inspiration from her work. Matt Carreau (@mgcarreau) is a public interest designer, creative facilitator and urbanist working in Winnipeg, MB. His work is focused on social innovation & citizen-led approaches to sustainable urban development, and he is the organizers of Jane's Walk Winnipeg. Scott and Matt talk about the importance of getting out and exploring the city while going for a stroll through West Broadway / The West End. **Apologies for

No podcast this time around. We replayed our interview with Alex Paterson on the Energy East Pipeline on CKUW 95.9fm

Greg is in Japan for two weeks in April (lucky!) so we are taking it easy this month. What you going do about it? Greg and Scot picked some tunes and had a chat. In the process Greg let his feelings towards Hamilton know. Show aired April 10th 2016 Song listNihilist Spasm Band- Meat EaterWarsawpack- Attention to Deficit Warsawpack- WolfBlizter Ba Johnston- Nuke Toronto Yy- Take as You WillRandy- You Are What You Fight For

How does animal rights activism and veganism fit within the struggle against settler colonialism? That is precisely the question that Dylan Powell attempts to answer in his series "Veganism in the Occupied Territories: Anti-Colonialism and Animal Liberation." Dylan Powell is the Co-Founder of Marineland Animal Defense, he is active in the animal and earth liberation movements, as well as involved in solidarity organizing with the Haudenosaunee of the Grand River, the migrant justice advocacy community and at risk youth in the Niagara Region. Dylan is graduate of Brock University (Honours History) and current Addiction Education student at McMaster University in Hamilton. In this episode we speak with Dylan to discuss more about how his personal upbringing and involvement in animal liberation and solidarity movements have shaped his politics. We also briefly mention the work of Dr. John Sorenson, who recently spoke at The University of Winnipeg about his most recent book, "Constructing Ecoterrorism: Capitalism

Everyone interested in Winnipeg's underground music scene has their own tales about how it used to be: getting past the bouncer at Wellington's with a fake ID, debauchery at Draft Night, car crashes on the Trans-Canada, or the numerous house parties on MacMillan. These tales still weave there way through Winnipeg's music scene as nostalgic tales that laid the groundwork for where the scene is today. In this episode we speak to Sheldon Birnie, author of Missing Like Teeth: An Oral History of Winnipeg Underground Rock 1990-2001. Birnie made it his missing to documented these stories through a series of interviews with as many people as he could track down who had a hand in shaping the now mythical days of Winnipeg's music scene.  You can purchase Missing Like Teeth from Eternal Cavalier Press

In this episode we delve into environmental issues, specifically the issue of the Energy East pipeline: What is it? Why should we be worried about it?  What are the possible environmental impacts? How can Manitoba, and more broadly Canada, meet carbon emission targets and do it's part to quell the effects of climate change.  To get some insight into this issue we speak with Alex Paterson, a community organizer with Manitoba Energy Justice Coalition, who has been organizing opposition and hounding politicians from all levels of government to commit to prioritizing environmental issues.

Ahmad Moussa is a Canadian of Palestinian origin, he holds a Master of Arts in International Law and Human Rights and is a freelance writer for various national and international news agencies. As a human rights advocate and scholar he has focused on advancing Indigenous rights both in his career and academic life. In this episode we sit down with Ahmad to discuss the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, Indigenous solidarity, and Canada's role in supporting the ongoing occupation.  For more on Ahmad checkout his website http://www.ahmadamoussa.com This episode also features the song "Long Live Palestine" by British-Iraqi hip hop artist Lowkey. If you'd like to learn more about the dispossession of Palestinians we recommend the four part Al Jazeera documentary Al Nakba as a good starting place.

To compliment last episode’s excerpt of Adam Gaudry’s talk we decided to get him on the phone with us to discuss Métis history,identity and nationhood a little further.  You can watch all of Adam’s talk “Are The Métis Treaty People” from the University of Winnipeg via their YouTube account. This episode originally aired January 31st, 2016 on CKUW 95.9 FM.

In this episode we discuss our lack of education about the history of the Métis despite living in their historic homeland. How do the numbered treaties relate to the Manitoba Treaty and how do Métis fit into the current context? We turn to Adam Gaudry, whose recent talk "Are The Métis Treaty People?" breaks it all down. This episode originally aired January 17th, 2016 on CKUW 95.9 FM.

In this episode we play an interview we recorded with Harsha Walia, an activist with the Vancouver chapter of No One Is Illegal and the author Undoing Border Imperialism. Due to technical difficulties we weren’t able to use the interview when it was originally recorded in October, but seen as the issues discussed such as refugees, islamophobia and colonialism are still relevant we’ve decided it’s better to be late than never.  This episode originally aired Jan 3rd, 2016 on CKUW 95.9 FM.  

Totally phoning it in on this episode, we give a quick update on our previous discussion about militarism on campus and then play a bunch of songs (note the heavy G7 Welcoming Committee influence). Tracks featured: No Canada - Lee Reed Body Building - Submission Hold Dear Coach’s Corner - Propagandhi Tourists - Greg MacPherson (featuring Hailey Primrose) Today’s Empire, Tomorrow’s Ashes - The Magnificent 7’s (Propagandhi cover)   This episode originally aired December 20th, 2015 on CKUW 95.9 FM.

In this episode we examine controversy at the University of Winnipeg over Canadian Armed Forces recruitment and militarism on campus. We hear from Andrew Vineberg of the activist group Fun Class and discuss a recent article in the Manitoban. This episode originally aired December 6th, 2015 on CKUW 95.9 FM. 

Continuing the theme of alternative media we sat down with Anishnaabe/Métis comedian, writer, and podcaster Ryan McMahon. McMahon is the host of the podcast Red Man Laughing and runs the Indian & Cowboy podcast network. His work has been featured on Just For Laughs, CBC, and Vice. Though Red Man Laughing started as an outlet for his comedy work, McMahon has dedicated the most recent season of Red Man Laughing to the concept of reconciliation, which he has been exploring through a series of talks and interviews with prominent Indigenous voices.

For our fifth episode we turn the microphones around to speak with the folks behind the everyday operation of CKUW in interviews with station manager, Rob Schmidt; program director, Robin Erickson; volunteer coordinator, Victoria King; and news director, Michael Welch, about community radio and how it fits into the media landscape. This episode originally aired on November 8th, 2015 on CKUW 95.9 FM.  

For our fourth episode Scott and Greg delve into their own experience and interest in media and politics; how music played an important role in developing their curiosity; and try to dissect the concept of “Alternative Media.” This episode originally aired October 25th, 2015 on CKUW 95.9FM