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The AIH Transcript for September 22, 2017

Hosts: Carol Off and Jeff Douglas

STORIES FROM THIS EPISODE

Prologue

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CAROL OFF: Hello I'm Carol off.

JEFF DOUGLAS: Good evening, I'm Jeff Douglas. This is As It Happens.

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JD: Tonight:

CO: He's free, and now in hiding. A Syrian refugee arrested for last week's London subway bombing is released without charges. But the young man fears he'll be a target for violence — in spite of his innocence.

JD: Word and deed. Following the Prime Minister's UN speech on Canada’s “shameful” treatment of Indigenous people, the minister charged with improving that relationship defends her government's actions.

CO: Beginning again. Aaron Stewart is in Toronto to compete in the Invictus Games for the third time. But this is the first time the trans athlete is competing as a man.

JD: All hail the cab. As of next week, the Uber app could go black in London, UK, after that city's regulator's strips its license. But that also means London's tens of thousands of Uber drivers will be out of the job.

CO: Ain't no party like a Thompson party. More than 2,000 people in Manitoba's “hub of the North” gather to howl in unison — and break a Guinness world record while they're at it.

JD: And… early grave. A Tennessee man ignores the fact that it's mid-September and puts out a Halloween decoration triggering a call to 911 because the prop looks like a man who has been decapitated by the garage door. As It Happens, the Friday edition. radio that hopes he'll stop acting so heed-lessly.

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Part 1: London accused released, Trudeau @ UN: Philpott, headless Halloween decoration

London accused released

Guest: Suleman Sarwar

JD: An 18-year-old stood before a court in London UK today. Ahmed Hassan has been charged with attempted murder in connection with last week's bomb attack in the London Underground, in which 30 people were injured. But there is a different name and different face that has also been associated with that attack. 21-year-old Yahyah Fahrouk was arrested Saturday outside Aladdin’s chicken shop, where he works. He was held until last night without charge. And now, he has been released without charges. And he is no longer a suspect. His employer and the owner of Aladdin's chicken shop, Suleman Sarwar, says that Mr. Fahrouk deserves an apology. We reached Mr. Sarwar in London.

CO: Mr. Sarwar, as far as you know, where is Yahyah Fahrouk right now?

SULEMAN SARWAR: Right now he's in a secure location. There is no level of contact with him. It's very difficult to have any form of communication with him.

CO: But he was arrested, held without charges, now he has been released, no charges, he's no longer a suspect, they had mistaken identity. Why is he being held in secret?

SS: I mean I don't speak on their behalf, my assumption is for his security because his photo is everywhere in the world. And as a result of that, the people who have hate will want to maybe have him in any way. So I think they're doing it for his protection. But at the same time, it means having no contact with anyone else. It means that there is no other voice that can speak for his concerns.

CO: I understand that while he was in custody when his mother, who lives in Egypt, when she heard what had happened, she had a heart attack and she's in hospital. Do you know if he's even been told what happened to his mom?

SS: Yeah, I've been informed that he's aware that his mother has had a heart attack. She has stabilized. This is what I recently heard.

CO: Do you have any idea why Mr. Fahrouk was arrested in the first place?

SS: The only logical explanation I can see from this is he resided in the same building which was fostering refugees such as himself with someone who was charged, I believe an 18-year-old boy, presumably there would have been some level of association there that made them jump to the conclusion with Yahyah. And, of course, Yahyah being a Syrian refugee does in my view maybe explain that they have a profile, or maybe it fits into this narrative of refugees. It's a description of the narrative that we have been receiving in the many months and years regarding refugees. So when you put these two together you see why they picked them up. Because there is no substantial evidence that actually has linked him to that act.

CO: But you’d think that the police would have a more sophisticated system of identifying people than those narratives you've outlined. That there are so many refugees — so many people — in London who would fit that profile, so how did you react when you learned that your employee had been arrested?

SS: It was shocking that someone who is employed at Aladdin to have partaken in something as atrocious as this. One would never dream of this — this is a nightmare scenario. All the more reason why it begs the question as to why was the inquiry not established with facts before it undertook such a heavy-handed way in which this was done. These are people are very professional in what they're doing, and to do such a heavy-handed approach when there's no substantial evidence of having his photo and dragging our name into the dirt and then find that he’s innocent and then to be left to pick up the pieces on our own, without any apology to us or to Yahyah’s family, I think this is terrible. They should come out immediately with full apology for what they’ve done.

CO: I know you're calling for this apology, but just had a question about you said how heavy-handed it was. Were you there for this takedown? I understand it happened in front of your restaurant and it was quite something the way they arrested him?

SS: My staff witnessed that. They told me that the officers were undercover as a beggar or a homeless person and later on, they came out of cars and they immediately pounced on him, grabbed him, they put the cuffs on him and they put bags on him to not contaminate the evidence that he may have on his clothing or his skin. His chocolate bar fell out, his mobile phone fell out and he didn’t know what was going on.

CO: But if he if he really were a legitimate suspect in this this bombing of the subway then that's how they would have to do it. And that would be the process that he really was a terror suspect. But he would have had no idea why this was happening when he was grabbed, I would imagine?

SS: Of course not, he may have not even known that there was a bomb or an attack on the tube because he wasn't politically savvy and he didn’t watch the news too much. So, of course, it would've been a shock for him. Of course, he would be very frightened and confused. He was allowed a phone call, in which he made a phone call to someone, in which he was trying to tell them look, I am 100 per cent innocent. So don't worry, don't get scared, just inform my family members in Egypt I'm OK. So he was able to make that phone after about a day I believe.

CO: But he is a young man — 21 years old — he's got his life ahead of him. He obviously had some dreams and plans. He had Facebook sites where he talked about the things he wanted to do — pretty normal young man stuff. And what now is ahead for him? What's your biggest concern or worry about what his life is going to be like when he gets out?

SS: First of all, who is going to employ him with his name and his face? He won’t be able to probably rent accommodation; no land owner will want to give it to him because they might face a backlash to their property. No one is going to allow their daughter to marry him. Why would they want to put their daughter in harm's way to be married to him; he’s a dangerous husband to have. What would he do on a day-to-day basis? Every time he goes down the street, people are going to recognize him and associate him with the bombings. Now, he is going to have to live totally different. It's going to be an undercover life. So, therefore, his life is destroyed.

CO: And that's in addition to everything he's gone through as a Syrian refugee just even getting to London?

SS: Yeah, right now, I would sense that no one have a sound mind as to what he's gone through. I think that would be very hard for anyone to be put in such a situation and then to make a sound judgment as to what should he do and which direction should he take right now? So I really, really feel for him.

CO: Mr. Sarwar, I really appreciate you telling us about your employee and about Yahyah Fahrouk. Thank you very much.

SS: No problem. Thank you.

CO: Good night.

SS: Night now.

JD: We reached Suleman Sarwar in London. His employee, Yahyah Fahrouk, was released without charge last night, after being arrested in connection with the recent bombing on the London subway. For more on this story, go to our website: www.cbc.ca/aih.

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Trudeau @ UN: Philpott

Guest: Jane Philpott

JD: In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described Canada as, quote, “a work in progress.” He focused on the country's relationship with Indigenous people, describing that situation as a “shame”. He acknowledged ongoing problems like poor education, youth suicide, bad housing and the lack of clean drinking water in many First Nations communities. He also addressed the country's colonial past. Here's part of what he said.

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JUSTIN TRUDEAU: Canada is built on the ancestral land of Indigenous peoples. Regrettably, it's also a country that came into being without the meaningful participation of those who were there first. For First Nations, Metis nation and Inuit peoples in Canada, those early colonial relationships were not about strength through diversity or a celebration of differences. For Indigenous peoples in Canada, the experience was mostly one of humiliation, neglect and abuse.

JD: That was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaking before the General Assembly yesterday. Jane Philpott is Canada's Indigenous Services Minister — that is a role that was created by the federal government last month. We reached Minister Philpott in Ottawa.

CO: Minister Philpott, a lot of Indigenous people are saying today great words from the prime minister, Where's the action though? We heard Romeo Saganash saying how can the prime minister keep claiming to the world that this is the most important relationship, when in reality he's letting them down? What do you say?

JANE PHILPOTT: Well, in fact, as you said many people from First nations, Inuit and Metis communities have expressed their appreciation that the prime minister took this topic to the world stage by speaking directly to the importance of this work at the United Nations. And, in fact, this has been a priority for our government right from the start, the prime minister made that very clear.

CO: But where is the evidence of that?

JP: Well, one of the things I would point to is a decision that he made a few weeks ago by essentially doubling our efforts in terms of addressing the important needs of reconciliation by starting two new departments. The work that Mr. Bennett is going to be doing with Crown/Indigenous relations and appointing me to take over the area of Indigenous services. So this means that we are so determined to address these huge socioeconomic gaps, which are as a result of the failed relationships that we've had with Indigenous peoples in this country. And that has its results in these terrible crises that we see in young people who die by suicide, in dealing with the fact that people don't have access to clean drinking water and that there’s housing shortages. So much work that needs to be done and I will now be focusing the entire efforts of this new department on addressing the socioeconomic gap.

CO: You've been in the government already for two years and your saying this rearrangement will improve things, and yet, today we have a report that girls — First Nations girls — in Saskatchewan with a suicide rate 26 times that of girls in Saskatchewan in the general population. This is a crisis — this is an emergency — I mean what are you going to do immediately? I can see you've got a long-term plan. What do you say to the families of those girls who have lost them?

JP: Well, that's a very important question because in fact there are things that that need to be done immediately — that are done immediately in these situations. We are quadrupling the number of mental wellness teams so that when these kinds of crises happen we can get a team of mental health workers into these communities immediately and that's happening all across the country. But the reality is that these horrible crises of young people who die by suicide is not just something that is a result of immediate circumstances, but this is that intergenerational long-standing result of abuse and the fact that young people don't have hope for their future. They're not able to get access to a good education. They doubt whether they'll be able to have a good job and a good standard of living. And that's why we have to do those medium and long-term efforts as well to address all of those things like housing, like water, like education so that kids will have the hope. And, of course, ultimately just restoring that relationship and that's the you know the incredible foundational work that needs to be done so communities can decide for themselves and take control over their own lives.

CO: How do you restore that trust when Ottawa has spent — your government — has spent seven-hundred-thousand dollars in legal fees fighting the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal order that you stop discriminating against Indigenous children? As Cindy Blackstock has said four noncompliance orders, the most recent order linking noncompliance to the tragic deaths of two 12-year-old girls. How do you tell people and give them confidence in what you're saying in your government when you're spending all this money to fight this human rights tribunal order?

JP: Well, in fact, this is an area where we're taking a very renewed approach and in fact I'm meeting now regularly with Cindy Blackstock directly to discuss some of these issues. When I meet with people from First Nations communities they tell me that one of their top priorities that they want me to address is child and family services. And much of the work that the Human Rights Tribunal has pointed out that there's been a tremendous amount of activity and work that's been done on the matter of Jordan's Principle for example. We've gone from zero children getting access to care to now 14,000 children getting their requests approved to get care. These were kids who were not receiving care for their health needs a year ago and now are getting the care that they need. And we're making sure that there's quality services, so I certainly acknowledge as much more work to be done. It's terrible to realize that children are still being apprehended at rates which are absolutely unacceptable. We need to do the preventive work for the families will get the support they need, moms and dads will be able to address the reasons why their children are not with them and reunite families. This is I would say arguably my very top priority in this new portfolio.

CO: A most basic human right being able to turn on a tap and get drinking water for your child or water that you can bathe your child in or even wash their clothes in. And as you know — Mr. Trudeau mentioned this yesterday — there are boil water advisories across this country, some have been in place since 1995, what can you point to is progress in the area of delivering clean water to these communities?

JP: Well again, I would say that that's one of the really important things about the establishment of a new ministry that's called Indigenous Services. And it's all about service delivery and one of the important essential services that you said is a basic fundamental need is there access to clean drinking water. We've actually lifted 26 long-term boil water advisories in the last couple of years. There's obviously much more work to do. I will be digging into this line by line, community by community to address exactly what the roadblocks are. We've made serious investments. Some of the work in these communities takes a year or two. And there's been a real challenge in the past because up until our government came to into the leadership position, they were getting short-term funding, there was only enough time to develop a plan for a water treatment station and then the funding stopped. So we've given long-term funding, we're working with these communities in places like Shoal Lake Number 40, where there are seven long-term drinking waters and advisories that have been there for 20 years In this community. The plan's been developed, the construction is about to begin and we're going to make sure that all of these long-term drinking water advisories are lifted.

CO: Minister Philpot, thanks for coming on the program.

JP: Thank you very much.

JD: Jane Philpott is Canada's Indigenous Services Minister. We reached her in Ottawa. We have more on this story on our website: www.cbc.ca/aih.

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Newfoundland gender-neutral

JD: Newfoundlanders who identify as gender non-binary are one step closer to being able to change their designation on a birth certificate to gender-neutral. The Newfoundland and Labrador government announced yesterday that it will introduce a bill to allow people to change the gender on their birth certificates or replace it with an “X”. Gemma Hickey is an activist who identifies as non-binary and has been fighting for a non-binary certificate in court. They spoke outside the Supreme Court in St. John's earlier today.

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GEMMA HICKEY: Our rights are never given to us and so we need to push for them. I'm just feeling very thrilled today. As of right now, anybody who identifies as non-binary in this province can go to vital statistics and apply for a non-binary birth certificate. However, in my particular case, I wanted to remove the requirements to have a physician's note because I believe that pathologizes gender identity in a way that people need to be treated as such to have some sort of validation from a physician. Identity is a very personal thing for people and people can decide for themselves how they choose to identify. So the province has committed to changing that legislation within the next couple of months. So I'm very, very thrilled. It's a big victory today for myself and other non-binary Canadians, particularly young people out there who are struggling with their own identity and don't feel that they have a place. We're carving out that place and we're doing that today.

JD: That was activist Gemma Hickey speaking outside a courthouse in St. John's Newfoundland earlier today. The Northwest Territories is the only other jurisdiction in Canada that allows non-binary birth certificates.

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Headless Halloween decoration

Guest: Joey Lovergine

JD: Earlier this week, several officers showed up at Joey Lovergine’s front door. Officials were responding to a 911 call from a neighbor. Turns out there was no emergency… at all. We reached Joey Lovergine at his home in Chuckey, Tennessee.

CO: Joey, what were you doing when the police showed up at your door?

JOEY LOVERGINE: To be honest with you, I was asleep and someone started pounding on the door. So I jumped up and threw some clothes and opened the door. A police officer looked in my yard and there were three different police stations in my yard and two different ambulance stations.

CO: What did the police think they had come to investigate? Why did they come to your door?

JL: They actually called 911 that I had a dead body in my yard.

CO: Someone had called 911 to say you had a dead body in your yard?

JL: Yes ma'am, they called 911 and said that there was a man laying by my garage with two bloody handprints dead.

CO: And so we actually have that 911 call, we're going to play it. Here's what it sounded like.

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SPEAKER: There is a guy in his driveway right next to the house. There’s two bloody handprints on the side of the house and he looks to me like he’s dead. I don’t know I didn’t stop; I was just coming home from work.

CO: OK, the caller says two bloody hand prints, as you say, on the side of the house — looks to me like he's dead. What was he talking about? What did he see?

JL: I actually had made a decoration, which started out to be a joke to scare my wife. I took some old clothes I had and some old boots and I stuffed everything with paper to make it look real. And then I tucked it under the garage door so it looked like the head had been cut off. And then I made some fake blood and put it up on the garage door.

CO: OK. Let me get this straight, so it looks as though it's you because it's wearing your clothes.

JL: Yes ma’am.

CO: And it looks like the garage door has crushed your head.

JL: Yes ma'am.

CO: And there's bloody handprints of yours on the door.

JL: Yes, my actual handprints I put in the fake blood.

CO: And this is what you did for your wife?

JL: Yes, I was going to scare my wife.

CO: Aha. And did you?

JL: No, actually it backfired. When I watched off the window, she looked at it and walked in and said you haven’t worn that shirt in years. I said wow! You're not worried that I'm crushed under the garage, you’re worried how I'm dressed.

CO: But do you have kids, right?

JL: Yes ma'am, I have a 17-year-old and 15-year-old.

CO: Did they see this display?

JL: My 17-year-old when I thought of it, I called her at school and I said Maddy, I'm going to play a joke on mom. And she's like what are you going to do? I told her and she was dying laughing.

CO: What did the police say to you when they arrived?

JL: Actually, by the time I got outside, they were already laughing and they had pulled the boot off of him to make sure there wasn't a person in there.

CO: So I've seen the picture, it looks fairly realistic, so did they tell you how they approached it? Were they actually thinking they were going to do some emergency work here?

JL: Yes, they actually came thinking they had a dead body. They said they were fully prepared. That's why EMS was here. And then they were laughing and taking pictures. And I said do you mind if I take a picture? They said you better because we are.

CO: How often do you play tricks like this on your wife?

JL: This is a first for Halloween. Normally decorate, but I've never done anything like this. And I thought it was going to be hilarious.

CO: Joey, it's September.

JL: Yeah, well I do like decorating early.

CO: Are you one of those people who has like one of the yards everyone comes to look at on Halloween?

JL: That's what I try to do. I've got more to do yet this year. I've got some body bags I'm going to hang up and a few other things to put around. But I've got a few ideas and some lights going up and some graveyard stuff. And then thinking about possibly digging a little hole and putting a pallet over it with some hand coming up with some red lights like they're coming from the ground.

CO: Why do you like doing this?

JL: I love horror movies. I love this time of year. It's just my favorite time of the year.

CO: Is Halloween your favorite special occasion?

JL: Absolutely, 100 per cent.

CO: I hope one day when someone calls 911 they don't think that's that crazy house.

JL: Well, I'm praying I don't get hurt in the next month because I don't think the police will come.

CO: All right, Joey. It's great to talk to you. Thanks.

JL: Yes, you have a great day.

CO: You too. Bye.

JL: Bye bye.

JD: That was Joey Lovergine, his Halloween decor was mistaken by a neighbor as a crime scene. We reached Mr. Lovergine in Chuckey, Tennessee. And if you would like to see some photographs of the scene at Joey's house, do go to our website: www.cbc.caéaih.

From Our Archives: Garden zombie

JD: And when this story came up today, it reminded us of another interview from last year. That is when Jim Grinstead of Nashville was told by his homeowner’s association via letter to remove the zombie from his yard. Here's a bit of that conversation, from our archives.

SOUNDCLIP

JIM GRINSTEAD: You know he's about 33 inches wide, about 12 inches tall, he's pale and think of it like a moon on a slightly cloudy night. It’s got that kind of glow to it. He's got his hands on the dirt as if he's pulling himself out of the ground with this just horrified look on his face. But we call him Claude, and he's pretty much always been a drama queen.

CO: And how long have you had him in your garden?

JG: Well, he's been there more than five years. Until recently, we had him in an area between two shrubs that you really didn't see him much, unless you were coming up to the front door. Although, some people saw him from the street and would come take pictures. We had landscaping done and then moved him to a spot next to the driveway, so people getting out of their cars could see him. But that also made it much more visible from the street and hence we got the letter.

CO: And the letter, we just gave part of it, so I’ll give it again: Dear homeowner, during a recent inspection of the community, it was noted that there is a zombie in your yard that needs to be removed.

JG: Could you ask for a better line than that?

CO: What did you think when you read that?

JG: You know, at first, I was a little angry because it's like really? We spend all this money on landscaping and this is what you focus on? But then I realized it was an opportunity to one, point out a few certainties some of these sayings, except the fact that I'm going to lose this war, but I may win a battle along the way.

CO: You think that you're going to have to remove Claude?

JG: Oh yeah, absolutely. If I wanted to fight it, I would have to go to court. And homeowner’s associations here have broad powers and judges tend to interpret them that way. If I was lucky and got a judge that ruled in my favour, I would win but it would only apply to me. If I lose the association, which is really my neighbours, would have had to pay to get me to take it away. That's not right to them to make them pay that kind of money.

JD: From our archives, that was Jim Grinstead speaking to Carol back in April of last year about the zombie statue in his yard.

Back To Top »

Part 2: Invictus trans athlete, Uber London

Invictus trans athlete

Guest: Aaron Stewart

JD: The Invictus Games begin tomorrow in Toronto. There will be more than 500 disabled and ill members of the armed forces from 17 nations competing. Aaron Stewart will be competing in swimming and cycling. It is the third time the retired U.S. Army sergeant will appear at the Invictus Games. But, for the transgender athlete, it is the first time he will be competing as a man. We reached Aaron Stewart in Toronto.

CO: Aaron, I know you're no stranger to these Invictus Games, but this is the first time you're competing as a man. So how does that feel?

AARON STEWART: It feels incredible. It's something that I've worked very hard for and it's new and exciting… a little scary.

CO: You'll be swimming and cycling?

AS: That's correct.

CO: How much have you been preparing for these games?

AS: It's kind of been a constant preparation since the first games — something that would like to continue even after this. So as soon as the Games are over, I'm still going to be working towards the next two games. So it's a continual process.

CO: Have you had any response to your participation in the games this year?

AS: Actually, this year the response that I've gotten personally has been overwhelmingly positive. It's actually been quite refreshing.

CO: And, of course, we have been following this story in the United States about what's happening in your armed forces — that President Donald Trump has called for a ban on transgender military personnel. You've left the forces, but what do you make of that?

AS: It's something that I don't agree with personally. I served my country and there were no issues with me serving my country due to my gender identity. So I don't see how in general how it affects people doing their jobs.

CO: What was your gender identity when you were in the military?

AS: In the military I had to identify as female because it was not allowed. So I had to do all of my transitioning afterwards.

CO: And people should know that this predates Donald Trump, doesn't it? I mean this goes back to the Bill Clinton “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy. How did that affect you?

AS: I originally joined the Air Force in 2004 and, unfortunately, was discharged under “Don't Ask, Don't Tell”. And then I had to fight to get back into the military and was able to — with the help of a waiver — to join the army.

CO: What was the waiver that you had to sign?

AS: It was a homosexual conduct waiver. I didn't participate in anything that would have gotten me kicked out — I actually got an honorable discharge — but I had to agree to marry a man to prove that I was not a homosexual to be allowed into the military.

CO: What year was that?

AS: That was 2007.

CO: 2007. And did you do that?

AS: Thankfully I didn't have to end up marrying a man. I did have to find someone who was willing to marry me at least on paper, so that I could get in. But thankfully, when it came down to it, it didn't have to happen.

CO: And this is when you were Bethany Stewart?

AS: That's correct.

CO: And so you wanted to serve, this is what you wanted to do. You wanted to be in the military for your country. You were moved I understand by 9/11. This was something important to you. When you had to go through all that— when you had to go through all these pretensions in order to be able to serve your country — what did you think of that?

AS: I really thought it was unfair. I mean there are lots of people out there who are able to serve their country both physically and to meet the criteria of being a naturally-born male or female, who doesn't have an identity other than what they were born with. At the time, “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” was still in place. So you couldn't be homosexual either. And they weren't stepping up you know I mean we still needed people we are still at war, which I think a lot of people forget. So you know we needed troops and here's someone who other than their gender fits all the criteria and is willing to go and ultimately lay down their life. I don't understand how that one thing can cause so much of a problem?

CO: Did you have support from the others? From your fellow soldiers.

AS: For the most part I did. It's not something that I walked around telling everyone because you know it's my personal business and I'm there for a job. But, for the most part, I had support. They didn't care one way or another because when it comes down to it and you need that person to be there for you in a firefight that's all that matters. Are they a good shot? Are they reliable? Can you count on them? And their sexual identity, their gender identity, none of that matters.

CO: And we should point out that Canada's armed forces lifted the ban its ban on transgender and gay members in 1992. Aaron, how were you injured?

AS: I was injured lifting equipment, so I hurt my back and, unfortunately, it was permanent. So now I am unable to serve.

CO: You couldn't be deployed after that.

AS: That's correct.

CO: What was it like when you had to leave the forces?

AS: Devastating really. I fought for so long and I fought so hard to get in that it was a heavy blow. It still is. I mean if I could join again today I would in a heartbeat. I wouldn't think twice about it.

CO: What do these Games mean for you?

AS: For me it is I guess it's a way for me to prove that I'm still of value to the military, that I still have value for myself, that I can do things that people said I would never be able to do again. So it's huge for me, it's a life motivator.

CO: “Invictus” actually means unconquered.

AS: Yes, it's based on that beautiful poem.

CO: The nature of these games is the fighting spirit of wounded, injured and ill soldiers or military personnel. So there’s a lot of spirit in these games, isn't there?

AS: There is, we don't give up easily.

CO: You've earned eight medals as an Invictus athlete, including two golds. So what are you hoping for this year?

AS: This year, I'm honestly just hoping to make it into the finals. Physically I'm not at the same level as a natural-born male yet, to have made the team is a huge honor and I'm going to give it my all. I mean that's all I can do is give it the best that I've got and hope that it's good enough to move on to the next round.

CO: And show them all your fighting spirit.

AS: Yes ma'am.

CO: Aaron, it's great to talk to you. Big, big good luck to you for success in these games.

AS: Thank you.

CO: All right. Bye bye.

AS: Bye.

JD: And to everyone competing. Aaron Stewart is a retired U.S. Army sergeant and transgender athletes competing in this year's Invictus Games in Toronto. They kick off tomorrow. And that is where we reached him.

[Music: Ambient]

Uber London

Guest: David Dunn

JD: If you're looking to grab a lift in London, UK next week, you may have to put away your smartphone and put out your arm for a traditional black cab. Because the city's transport regulator has stripped the license for Uber to operate in the city. That is good news for cabbies, who have been fighting the company for years. But it has left thousands of Uber drivers reeling. David Dunn is a secretary with a union that speaks for many uber drivers in the UK. He is himself a driver in Glasgow. And that is where we reached him.

CO: Mr. Dunn, how are your colleagues in London — your Uber drivers there. How are they reacting to this news today?

DAVID DUNN: We are a wee bit devastated with the whole thing. We think this is a very bad decision by TfL…

CO: What does that stand for?

DD: Transport for London is TfL. And you know at the moment, what's happening is 30,000 Londoners may now face losing their job and being saddled with unmanageable vehicle-related debt. I mean to strip Uber of its license after five years of liberal regulation is a testament to the systematic failure of TfL as far as we are concerned.

CO: In what way? Because there’s different variations on people saying that. Some say that if they had regulated Uber from the very beginning then they wouldn't have this problem. Others are saying that they failed in a number of different ways, especially cancelling it all. Where do you see that transport for London has failed?

DD: Well, rather than banning Uber, TfL should have strengthened its regulatory oversight. There needs to be an urgent review by the mayor of London into the causes for this failure and how do you prevent something like this ever happening again. I mean they have blamed Uber for things like disclosure drivers have to go through before they're allowed to be licensed by TfL and they blamed that on Uber. And medical certificates, they’ve blamed that on Uber. Those are two of the things for examples that they have decided to criticize Uber about. However, those things are done by TfL, they're not done by Uber. So those things are completely with Uber. So why they are blaming Uber for that sort of thing I don't know? But if it just tightened up and sat down with Uber — they say they have tried — but if they had sat down and talked to Uber, then we wouldn't be I don't think in this current situation.

CO: Uber is an aggressive company as we know, that's part of its success. But it's also Transport for London saying that it has not been a good corporate citizen. It's failed to report criminal offenses by its drivers; it doesn't complete its background checks. So you're saying that they should have regulated more tightly, but now TfL is saying they've failed here, we're going to shut them down.

DD: Yeah, OK. But, as I said, the disclosure that is done on drivers here in the UK is done by the regulatory body of the TfL. So it's up to them to have screened these drivers. I mean our members of our union here are simply private hire licensed drivers by Transport for London, who work for Uber.

CO: And so what are the ripple effects for the people who are out of work? What's that going to cost them?

DD: Well, I mean technically we're not. Nobody is out of work as yet. What we're looking for as a union is for our workers’ rights to be guaranteed. You know at the moment, Uber drivers can't earn the national minimum wage in most cases. They have to work very long hours and I'm talking perhaps 70 to 80 hours a week before they can earn a decent living.

CO: OK, but that's one of the arguments against the company that people have raised. These are poverty wages, the company puts all the onus on the drivers to pay for all this stuff and this makes another reason why it's not a good company. There's a whole bunch of other for hire services that have gone out of business because Uber has been so successful. And so Uber has created a problem for these people and they're not being paid a living wage.

DD: Absolutely. This is where the union has had a ruling against Uber already. We have been to an employment tribunal here in the UK, which we have won, to say that Uber aren't treating the drivers properly self-employed, self-contractors. But they have been given the status of workers. So they're still self-employed and as workers, but not employees. They are entitled to certain benefits, which ever should now say OK, now we have to comply with the law. We have to do these things.

CO: But isn't that an argument that this is not a good company?

DD: You know this is a company that's come to the UK and has made a huge difference to a private hire marketplace. It has made life very easy and very simple for passengers to get around the UK, and in particular London. Passengers love the service, it’s transparent, it’s clean, it’s a good service. But that service is given by the drivers and it's the drivers that need to be rewarded for that.

CO: Absolutely.

DD: If you’re saying Uber isn't a good company. Uber has got a lot of learning to do in my opinion. It needs to start to realize that it needs to listen to the needs and wants of the drivers and to be able to allow those drivers to earn the national living wage.

CO: There are other countries — other jurisdictions — that have shut out Uber or limited its access for these very reasons all the things we're talking about. So isn't this possibly going to put pressure on the company to clean up its act?

DD: I think that the company needs to sit down and rethink how it works within the UK market and it needs to sit down and listen to the concerns of their workers and it needs to sit down and decide how they're going to renegotiate the deal? But what Uber wants to do is say it one way or the highway for you guys. You either do it our way or you don't bother working for us. That's not the way they should be treating the drivers. The driver should be treated with respect and should be allowed to earn a national living wage. And hopefully this situation will turn that around.

CO: All right, we'll leave it there. Mr. Dunn, thank you.

DD: You're very welcome.

CO: Bye bye.

DD: Thanks. Bye bye.

JD: We reached David Dunn in Glasgow. He is an Uber driver and a leader with the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain.

[Music: Symphonic]

Thompson howl record

JD: Oh, they howled. And that has given them something to really howl about and that is a Guinness World Record — set by the two-thousand-thirty-three people who gathered in Thompson, Manitoba yesterday to howl at the top of their lungs. And that more than doubles the current record on the books — established in July in Niagara Falls by 803 people. And as you will hear in this clip from CBC Manitoba from yesterday, the turnout greatly eclipsed the expectations of the organizers. So here is volunteer Volker Beckmann explaining to “CBC Radio Noon” host Marjorie Dowhos the plan, prior to the attempt yesterday afternoon.

SOUNDCLIP

VOLKER BECKMANN: The way it's shaping up today that every one of our six elementary schools is bringing roughly 160 kids plus teachers. Actually, some people are bussing in from 40 miles away from Nelson's house. We hope to have nine hundred to a thousand or more here today to break that record.

MARJORIE DOWHOS: Wow! So how long does the crowd have to howl to get the record?

VB: Guinness has very, very strict conditions to monitor it, scrutinize it, witness it, verify it, they basically the whole works. You can't just fake this that's for sure. But the final attempt will be a one minute solid howl.

MD: OK and when will you guys know whether or not you broke the record?

VB: Well, we should know this afternoon, there are sheets that have to be signed, there are independent witness here, it has to be verified all on camera. So we should know sometime this afternoon what the exact numbers were that we then will send to Guinness to be accredited.

JD: Volker Beckmann, a volunteer with Thompson, Manitoba's annual “AuroraFest”, which organized a Guinness-Record setting attempt for the greatest number of people howling like a wolf. Here is what that successful attempt sounded like

SOUNDCLIP

ANOUNCER: One minute continuously. So no one stops after I get you going. Me, you and then we get to howl. Standing by is Cynthia, she’s going to put her arm down when I start, but not you, just me.

[Sound: That’s fun]

JD: Awesome! Two-thousand-thirty-three people howling like wolves yesterday in Thompson, Manitoba — and in the process setting a new Guinness World Record for their efforts.

[Music: Ambient]

Ben Dorcy obit

JD: When Ben DorCy first started out, the title “roadie” didn't exist. it was the early 1950s, and an injury had just sidelined Mr. Dorcy from his regular gig dancing with an “Ice Capades” tour. And so he began working as a “bandboy” helping out artists who can perform in San Antonio. Then, country music star Hank Thompson came to town. He took such a liking to Mr. Dorcy that he asked him to join him on tour to travel with the band. Mr. Dorcy accepted and graduated from “bandboy” to “roadie”, a job that many, many people credit him with inventing. Ben Dorcy died on Saturday. He was 92-years-old. Mr. Dorcy worked for a who's-who of stars and legends. He was John Wayne's personal assistant and valet for a stint in Hollywood. He toured with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard to name only a few. Mr. Dorcy has a longest-standing gig was with his close friend Willie Nelson, whom he continued working with late into his life, whenever the country star came to Texas. Now it wasn't just Mr. Dorcy's knack for keeping musicians comfortable, on time, sharply dressed, the artists he worked for trusted him, whether it be with the music, or his legendary ability to track down good fried chicken at any time of the night. As Willie Nelson's daughter, Amy Nelson, told Rolling Stone in 2015, quote, “He has no living relatives. Yet, he is the patriarch of a family of artists and fellow roadies who love him dearly.”Unquote.

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Part 3: Cave rescue, Scottish snow patch, Michelin stars

Cave rescue

Guest: Lukas Cavar

JD: Joining the Indiana University's caving club was supposed to be a fun way to meet people at his new school and to have an adventure. But freshman Lukas Cavar’s recent spelunking trip took an unexpected turn. He found himself trapped alone inside a cave for 60 hours. We reached Mr. Cavar in Bloomington, Indiana.

CO: Lukas, how are you doing?

LUKAS CAVAR: I'm doing pretty well.

CO: Have you recovered from your adventure.

LC: Yeah, I'm sort of slowly recovering physically. But I think my mental state makes up for it. I'm really, really glad to be alive.

CO: Can you take us back… what was the point when you became separated from the other club members that you were spelunking with?

LC: There's a section of the cave called “The Backbreaker”, which is about 2,000 feet long tunnel, which is about three to four feet tall. So you have to sort of crouch walk the whole time and it's pretty unpleasant.

CO: So you were in there and then what happened?

LC: Yeah, we had basically separated into two groups. I was in the back group and we're taking it pretty easy. But there was a point where I basically had enough of The Backbreaker I guess and I decided to just try to sprint the rest of it and meet up with the group that was up ahead.

CO: And then what happened. The exit of The Backbreaker — the exit out of this tunnel leading to the entrance of the cave — is really thin sort of sliver of this hole in the rock you have to slide through. And it's pretty easy to miss and, believe it or not, I missed it and I overshot the exit by about five minutes or something like that. And eventually, I noticed that I was not on the right track. So I decided to sit down and wait for a little bit to see if anyone could find me catch up with me.

CO: At what point did you realize that they weren't coming back for you?

LC: I spent about 30 minutes waiting in the cave for someone to show up. And then I decided to find the exit by myself and I found it. And then I made it to the sort of trapdoor that leads into the cave from the surface. And I noticed that it was locked and I noticed that there wasn't anyone else around. So at that point, I sort of started to realize maybe they’d left me behind and forgotten about me.

CO: Can you describe what it looked like? What conditions you were in at that point?

LC: Sure. The entrance to the cave is about like this vertical column maybe 15 feet tall, slanted a little bit and you have to crawl up some tree roots and some rocks to get up to the metal trapdoor, which is basically a couple metal bars and a padlock.

CO: And then eventually I guess it started to get dark?

LC: Yeah, yeah about nighttime is when I realized that maybe I'd be spending a little bit longer in this cave and I hoped.

CO: What did you have in the way of supplies with you?

LC: I had a couple energy bar wrappers, I had my head lamps, a back-up light, a couple of empty bottles of water, my phone and my wallet and I think that's about it.

CO: What had you done for water during all that time? Could you find any source?

LC: Yeah, there was a little bit of condensation on the walls of the cave. So I looked for moisture, which was pretty nice actually.

CO: And how did you just keep your spirits up. How did you manage that?

LC: I guess things were pretty hopeless the first day and the first night. But at dawn the second day, I sort of managed to you know take control of my emotions. I realized if I was going to get through this I would have to have a clear head.

CO: It must have been so difficult for your parents to not know where you were for that time?

LC: Yeah, absolutely.

CO: And so difficult for you, you managed to keep your emotions in check. What did you do in order to cope during those 60 hours?

LC: I spent a lot of time talking to myself, sort of narrating the day's events, trying to keep my spirits up, maybe trying to crack some jokes to myself wherever I could. While my phone still had charge, I wrote down like a little journal writing down like my feelings and my plans for survival and things like that. I think that was a pretty good way to cope and a pretty good way to organize my thoughts, I guess.

CO: How did you finally get rescued?

LC: I believe that was Tuesday night very close to midnight, I was sleeping at the base of the entrance, Sort of curled up into a ball because of the cold. And someone shined a light into my face and woke me up and it took me awhile to realize sort of where I was and what's going on. But as soon as I realized, I sort of scrambled up the entrance a fast as I could — I was pretty happy.

CO: And who finally figured out that you might still be down the cave?

LC: That's funny actually an old high school friend of mine. Everyone was getting a bit worried since I've been missing classes and work and stuff like that. And they sent a Facebook message to the caving group. I guess the caving group sort of put two and two together and they realized where I was.

CO: What do you make of that? That it would take so long for people to figure out that you were missing and where you might be?

LC: I guess there were a few things that led to that. A couple little details that were unfortunate I guess. I've gone on a caving trip the day before too and I came back from that. So when the police came into my dorm room, they noticed there was some muddy equipment lying around. So I guess they assumed that I'd come back from the caving trip.

CO: And you said at the beginning that you feel physically OK, but you don't know yet what the psychological effects will be?

LC: I feel pretty confident in my psychological well-being right now. I mean I'm not entirely sure. I guess I'm still sort of riding that glow from getting saved. I was really happy that night when they got me out and I'm still sort of in that sort of weird mood.

CO: I think you sound like a very strong-minded young man so I think you'll be OK. Will you be doing any spelunking in the future?

LC: Not in the near future… at least for my parents sake.

CO: I would say so. Lukas, I'm glad you're OK. And I really I really appreciate speaking with you. thank you.

LC: Thank you. Thank you, so am I.

CO: Take care. Bye bye.

LC: Goodbye

JD: Lukas Cavar is a student at Indiana University. He survived 60 hours alone in a cave, after being separated from his group. We reached Mr. Cavar in Bloomington, Indiana.

[Music: Ambient]

Scottish snow patch

Guest: Attila Kish

JD: There is snow melting in Scotland and that may not seem like a big deal, but this particular snow is pretty special. The Sphinx snow patch is one of Scotland's only areas with year-round snow. It's an attraction for geologists and outdoors enthusiasts throughout the UK. Now, the Sphinx is shrinking. Attila Kish is one enthusiast. He often makes the track at the Sphinx snow patch. We reached him in Kingussie, Scotland.

CO: Attila, what is so special about the Sphinx snow patch?

ATTILA KISH: What’s special about the Sphinx snow patch, well this in Scottish terms the Sphinx snow patch is the most resilient patch of snow and not just in Scotland, but actually in the United Kingdom. It's the snow patch, Carol that's the most long-lasting of semi-permanent snow patches in Scotland.

CO: It's your little bit of the Arctic then?

AK: It is indeed. Yeah, it's a little bit the Arctic. It's almost like having a sort of little bit of glaciation in Scotland, which of course we don't have in actual fact. But yes, it is indeed like that.

CO: And how big is the patch right now?

AK: Well, I'm looking at a photograph that was actually posted almost a week ago, on the 16^th, and at that point, it was three meters wide and two meters long. Even in Scottish terms that's actually very small for this point of view.

CO: Canadians will think that's about the size of their driveway filled with snow.

AK: Yeah, sure. Or like the size of a sort of car, but made out of snow if you like.

CO: How large is it usually at this time of year?

AK: I mean I’ve visited this patch along with some other fellow “snow geeks”, as we call ourselves at this time of year. And I've seen it, Carol in the region of eight to ten times that size. So I've seen it when it's been 20 meters wide by sort of 15 meters long. And more importantly, it's still in the region of two to three meters thick if you like or deep, such that I can stand behind and actually rise above my head.

CO: And you suspect that it may disappear completely.

AK: Absolutely. I think we're all in agreement that with the time of year that we’re at, there's absolutely no chance that it’s going to survive — no chance whatsoever.

CO: Has it ever disappeared completely before?

AK: it has indeed. Since 1900, the snow in Scotland is only completely disappeared in only five years. And there was, obviously, the Sphinx disappeared in those and all the snow disappeared. The Sphinx actually also disappeared a sixth year in the 1950s, when another neighboring patch in the same location actually outlasted it, which is very unusual. It’s the only time that's happened. So if or rather when it melts this year, it will be the seventh time — only the seventh time if you like in the last 120-130 years.

CO: Is it different this year — this time?

AK: I think what's more significant is the fact that it would only be 11 years since the last melted. So this century, since the millennium turned in 2000, when it melts in 2017, it will actually be the third time in 17 years that it's melted. Now, if you then look at last century, it's only melted four times in 100 years. So it's the kind of the frequency with which it's melting that is quite significant.

CO: And what does that speak to in terms of the changing climate in Scotland?

AK: You know there's no doubt that these snow patches are melting more frequently. But as I was saying to your researcher, I'm not sure that we have a sort of long enough period of data if you like to start making any sort of solid scientific you know statements of fact about climate change. But it is certainly saying something about certainly the winters in Scotland. But as I was saying, we've actually had in the last sort of eight or nine winters, we've actually had some very good, snowy winters up in the mountains and the snow patches have actually survived very well. So this is almost the sort of bucking of that very short term trend if you like. But long term, yes, it does point to things kind of certainly changing for the potentially warmer.

CO: Any forecasts, any reports that there might be snow this year in Scotland during the winter?

AK: Oh, there always is Carol. I mean there's never a snowless winter in Scotland. You know there are so forecast models that suggest that you know Scotland won’t have a snow sports industry by 2050 and these sort of things. But we’ll get a winter for sure. But last winter, the reason that these patches this year are going to melt is simply that we had a very, very poor winter last winter. We had a very snowless winter and very little build-up of snow. A very poor snow sports season and it was just a very short winter. So that's led to the patches all melting. What is interesting to see is the snow that we're looking at the Sphinx location is not last winter snow. This snow is actually 11 years old because, of course, that patch was snow-free in 2006. So we started from scratch if you like in the winter of 2006. Are you with me? The snow that we’re looking at is actually 11 winters old.

CO: And so the snow that you're not going to be seeing — probably already — is melted.

AK: Right.

CO: What makes you so passionate about this particular patch of snow?

AK: For me, it's just the idea that you know obviously Scotland we’re small country. Our mountains are not large; they're not high in sort of global terms. I mean compared to your own peaks, ours are sort insignificant. We’re this kind of small island set in a large ocean, and yet, climate is such on the mountains that you know you can go hill walking or mountain climbing in the height of summer July and August and come across these large snow fields in many years. And to think that they can actually survive until fresh snow falls of the next winter. It’s all about rooting for the little guys if you like. That’s how I've seen it expressed before you know you're kind of hoping against hope that this snow is going to make it all the way through to the next winter, you know?

CO: We're expecting in many parts of Canada very snowy winters, so I wish we could ship some of over to you for your mountains.

AK: Well, often it does. You know often you have a storm and you know in North America there. Somewhere either in Canada or in the States and you know quite often, it makes its way across the Atlantic and delivers a bit of a tail-end to us. So you never know.

CO: All right. We'll send a dump to you.

AK: Thank you. Sound good.

CO: Thanks Atilla.

AK: OK, Carol. Thank you.

CO: Bye.

AK: Bye.

JD: We reached Attila Kish in Kingussie, Scotland.

[Music: Electronica]

Tim Hortons chicken

JD: It was not because the road crossed it. And I highly doubt that had anything to do with the crossing guard calling fowl. And there's absolutely no way it was just to get to the other side. No, we know that there was something… something… driving it, but what? Why did the chicken cross the road? Well thankfully, the good people of Shediac, New Brunswick have finally unraveled this riddle, which has plagued humanity for eons. Here is CBC New Brunswick's Gabrielle Fahmy outside the local Tim Hortons with the scoop.

SOUNDCLIP

MALE VOICE: It’s a nice, plump brown chicken. It clucks and it scratches and it pecks. It’s getting pretty good to walking across the street.

FEMALE VOICE: This chicken, he keeps crossing the road. He comes every single day at this time.

MALE VOICE: It's been around for quite a while. We said it was a smart chicken, but it never crossed the roads.

FEMALE VOICE: Yeah, he crosses and he kind of does look for cars, you know? Or he'll stop for a while and watch the traffic and then continue on. Sometimes it takes him five-ten minutes to cross, but he eventually crosses over. It’s the strangest thing!

GABRIELLE FAHMY: Why do you think it's crossing the road? FEMALE VOICE: To have a coffee at Tim Hortons, I guess. I think he's got a Tim Hortons addiction. He wants a coffee — a double-double. Maybe he likes their muffins.

JD: Double-double… it's kind of more of a turkey sound, isn't it? CBC New Brunswick’s Gabrielle Fahmy outside the Shediac Tim Hortons with the definitive answer to the age-old question: Why did the chicken cross the road? And we do have an actual update to this story: Earlier this afternoon Jacques Leblanc, the mayor of Shediac, told the Tribune that the owners of the chicken have now been contacted and a bylaw officer has, quote, “dealt with” the caffeinated bird.

[Music: Bluegrass]

Michelin stars

Guest: Hillary Dixler Canavan

JD: It means you are the crème-de-la-creme of the culinary world. Chefs might spend their whole careers chasing a three Michelin star ranking. And that is why many people were shocked this week when acclaimed chef Sebastian Bras suggested that the guide take his restaurant’s three stars away. Hilary Dixler Canavan is a senior editor with the website Eater, who has been covering this story and we reached her via Skype in San Francisco.

CO: Hilary, how did this French chef, Sebastian Bras, how did he announce that he didn't want his stars?

HILLARY DIXLER CANAVAN, He posted a Facebook video and then very quickly did a follow up interview with the AFP. Some of the things he said in the video, translated of course, was that quote today, at 46-years-old, I want to give a new meaning to my life and redefine what is essential. He said he wanted to begin a new chapter of his professional life without the Michelin awards. Basically, what he told AFP, which I think is a sort of a clearer understanding of what he was after is that he said, quote, “I will be able to feel free, without asking myself whether my creations would please the Michelin inspectors.”

CO: Wow! And what do you make of that?

HDC: I think he's telling his truth. He is speaking to something chefs I've spoken to before that it's an immense amount of pressure. One thing I discussed in the piece I published yesterday is you’re your Michelin status at your restaurant isn't fixed. You achieved three stars one year, but you can lose the next year. So there's pressure to keep performing, which is maybe good for consumers and not so great for chefs.

CO: Because you don't get the impression the reason why he wants to have these stars taken away is because he’s some kind of a slouch — that he just wants to slack off. He wants to take chances. He wants to experiment. He wants to do what he wants to do. So why would that limit him? Why would he feel limited in his ability to be creative?

HDC: I’m going to say part of that is on him. There is no rule saying once you got three stars you can't change your restaurant. I would say though maybe one of the things he is reckoning with is when you have the three stars and you got the three stars for doing a certain style or being a certain way, customers, especially perhaps diners who have traveled from abroad to eat specifically at your restaurant, do you come in with a certain set of expectations. So maybe he's looking for a way to just shatter those expectations and start fresh.

CO: And there's an executive committee. A member of the executive committee from Michelin said it's the first time that a French chef has made such a request. But is it really unprecedented?

HDC: It is not unprecedented. I treat kind of the kick off of it all to Marco Pierre White, who in 1999 renounced his three Michelin stars. And at the time, he had been the youngest chef to ever achieve that status. And he renounced them and then retired from cooking at his restaurant where he had earned them. So that was in 1999, and periodically in the years since, other chefs have pulled similar moves, whether losing their restaurant or re-concepting it entirely.

CO: We have done in the past we've done stories about other French chefs who actually killed themselves in that community. And one of the suicides has been tied to the fear of losing the three star Michelin rating. So is there are a lot of controversy about the Michelin process among chefs in France?

HDC: I don't know that I would say it's controversy. Certainly that suicide you're referencing comes up a lot when we talk about the pressures of maintaining the three star status. But the New York Times published a story yesterday I believe where they spoke with chefs in France who also said you know this stars bring you joy and this is so surprising. I don't think it's fair to say that it's uniformly controversial, but certainly Michelin has its critics.

CO: What effect if Michelin does honor this and it's complex it's not the chef himself that gets this rating right it's the restaurant, right?

HDC: Correct.

CO: So how would that change Sebastian Bras’s restaurant? What effect will that have?

HDC: You know it's hard to say. I guess you say in theory it's possible he'd lose some business, although I really doubt that considering just how prominent the restaurant has been for so many years.

CO: Have you eaten in his restaurant?

HDC: No sadly, I would love to.

CO: Aside from Michelin, do people say it's quite amazing?

HDC: Yeah, I mean it's one of the most influential restaurants of like the contemporary landscape. There was an art article a long time ago in Lucky Peach and David Kinch, who’s the chef of Manresa, another three star restaurant in California named Michelle Bras, Sebastian's father, as in his opinion the most influential contemporary chef. They're known for having elevated vegetables like to the same level and the same amount of care that meats have been traditionally provided, which feels extremely today and extremely now. The way the plate was highly influential, using flowers and it's sort of this this refined modernism that still feels super relevant today.

CO: So maybe he doesn't need Michelin?

HDC: He probably doesn't at this point.

CO: All right. We’ll leave it there, Hilary. Thanks.

HDC: All right. Thank you.

CO: Bye bye.

HDC: Bye.

JD: That was Hillary Dixler Canavan, a senior editor with the website Eater. We reached her via Skype in San Francisco.

[Music: Hip-hop]

Middle class definition

JD: There was a very sage observation made in the 1989 film “When Harry Met Sally”. That was, quote, “Everybody thinks they have good taste and a sense of humor, but they couldn't possibly all have good taste.” And everybody does think they have good taste. Most of us also probably think of ourselves as relatively intelligent and not so hard to look at. Oh… and middle class. And that is why politicians are always talking about the middle class, about standing up for us and yet, making sure we aren't too heavily taxed. You see I just did it too. I said we, but of course, we can't all be middle class can we? Well earlier this week, in the House of Commons, Conservative MP Kelly Block put a question to government minister Marc Garneau, asking him how he defines the middle class. Now the Liberals are not alone in invoking “middlers” in their rhetoric, but they do like the term a lot. For instance, the government's spring budget was called, quote, “Building a Strong Middle Class”. So what was Mr. Garneau’s definition? Here we go, quote, “The government of Canada defines the middle class using a broad set of characteristics that includes values, lifestyle and income. Middle class values are values that are common to most Canadians from all backgrounds, who believe in working hard to get ahead and hope for a better future for their children.” Unquote. OK, so far we have basically eliminated anyone who thinks that hard work is bad and who hope for a worse future for their kids. But to be fair there is more. Mr. Garneau elaborated, quote, “Middle class families also aspire to a lifestyle that typically includes adequate housing and health care, educational opportunities for their children, a secure retirement, job security and adequate income for modest spending on leisure pursuits. Unquote.” So in other words… people. Now you'll notice that Mr. Garneau did not mention how much these middle class Canadians earn. I guess that would be in bad taste.

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September 22, 2017 episode transcript

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