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The AIH Transcript For August 18, 2021

[hosts]Helen Mann, Samira Mohyeddin[/hosts]

HELEN MANN: Hello, I'm Helen Mann, sitting in for Carol Off.

SAMIRA MOHYEDDIN: Good evening. I'm Ali Hassan, sitting in for Chris Howden. This is “As It Happens”.

[music: theme]

Prologue

SM: Tonight:

HM: Pictou this. A sweeping conservative majority that defies pollster expectations and reshapes the political landscape. Not Federally, but in Nova Scotia. And as the newly re-elected MLA for Pictou West tells us — it's not necessarily a sign of things to come.

SM: Multiple fractures. A doctor in Haiti tells us the injuries he's seeing in the wake of last weekend's deadly earthquake are difficult for the country's hard-hit healthcare system to address.

HM: A drop in the bucket. Canada has promised to welcome 20,000 Afghans, but critics say the country's offer is too little and will take too long. And our guest is fearful women will be especially endangered by the wait.

SM: No holds barred. A Bostonian gives us his pitch for reinstating happy hour in Massachusetts — after a series of impaired driving incidents saw drink discounts banned. He says he understands the intention, but the policy doesn't hold water.

HM: news ewes can use. Research out of Wales suggests fitness trackers may be able to predict when she will give birth. And it also gives us some indication of the shape of things to come

SM: And tweak of nature. In California, biologists have found a way to mutate a mosquito so that it can't see humans while hunting, at least not with its eyes, which has us wondering when we might be able to ditch the repellents.

SM: “As It Happens”, the Wednesday edition. Radio that's got all the deets.

[music: theme]

Part 1: Nova Scotia Election, Canadian Government Afghan Women, Mosquito Humans Invisible

Nova Scotia Election

Guest: Karla MacFarlane

SM: Last night, Tim Houston was reveling in a surprise political victory. He's now the Premier-designate of Nova Scotia after his Progressive Conservative party won a majority in the province. It was an upset for Liberal leader Iain Rankin. And it's the first Canadian pandemic election in which the incumbent government has been unseated. Karla MacFarlane was also re-elected in Pictou West last night. She's a PC MLA and the former interim leader of the party. We reached her in Pictou, Nova Scotia.

HM: Ms. MacFarlane, first of all, congratulations.

KARLA MACFARLANE: Thank you. I'm very excited.

HM: When you heard the early results showed you in the lead last night, I understand that you did not initially join in on the cheering. So why was that?

KM: I was standing behind most of my volunteers that were in front of me. And I guess with my age, my eyesight is getting worse than I had anticipated. [laughing] And when I saw the numbers, they just must have glared or something. And it... it looked like I was under what my Liberal opponent was. And my heart just sank, and I was standing next to the doors to exit the building. And I just... I just walked out, and I had that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach. And I was like, what went wrong? What did I do wrong? What did I do wrong? Then the next thing I knew, my campaign manager came out and corrected me, and I was like, are you kidding me? She was like, you saw it wrong, Karla. And I was like it was the worst feeling of my life for a moment. [laughing]

HM: Oh dear! Now, a number of your fellow PC candidates ended up unseating some pretty prominent Liberal cabinet members. Why do you think that your party was able to do this despite, you know, the expectation quite early in the election process that the Liberals were going to stay in power?

KM: I believe that the individual candidates speak for themselves with their own integrity. And if you look at them, they all had such great involvement within their communities. Working with my colleague Tim Houston in the past, we really worked hard to go across this province and look for people that really wanted to put their hand up, that really wanted this and knew what it took to win and to be dedicated day in and day out. And I always say, you know, someone asked me one time when I was interim leader, they asked me, well, what is it that you really want in a leader? And I said I want someone that works harder than me. And that's what we got for a premier. Tim Houston is a workaholic. He does not stop. And I think anyone that put their name forward knew that they would have to keep up with him. So their credited to working extremely hard. And, of course, we had a really good platform, and we worked hard on it for the past two years, especially our health care plans that we put out.

HM: Yeah, I want to ask you about that because not only is that... that the lead issue that Tim Houston took on in this campaign. You're someone who has a connection to that, as well as someone who served recently as the health critic for your party.

KM: Right.

HM: So these promises of improvements that he has made, where do you see them going? How do you do that, and how much is it going to cost?

KM: Anyone that has had the opportunity to look at our platform and our plans, they are going to cost money. And we have not shied away from telling people that it's going to cost. Once we get in government, it's always you have that luxury of knowing where you can be more efficient and effective. And that certainly will help maybe save some costs to put towards what our plans are. But I hope people realize that our plans were two years in the making. We put a lot of time and effort into going across this province and speaking to those allied health care professionals that are on the front lines. But we also spoke to management. We also spoke to patients that were in the hospital. We listened.

HM: You seem to be suggesting, though, that you might be able to pay for this by saving money elsewhere. We're talking about a huge amount of money. There's 70,000 Nova Scotians who don't have a doctor. You're dealing with extremely long waitlists. Where does that money come from?

KM: Well, as we said, we hope to find some efficiencies within the system. But I think we're at a point where we just believe that... that we have to spend the money. If you do not have your health, you have nothing. And we all know by knocking on these doors, I mean, I knocked on 4,500. The number one issue is I don't have a doctor.

HM: Your premier-designate, Tim Houston, was very clear throughout the campaign in defining himself as a red Tory. He went so far as to say he's not actually a member of the federal Conservative Party.

KM: Right.

HM: Why was there this conscious effort to distance him from Erin O'Toole and the federal conservatives?

KM: Well, I think, you know, Premier Houston has to answer that question for himself. I can't speak for himself. I think it's obvious to a lot of people, though, that the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia is not the same party, the Conservative Party of Canada. We do have the Liberals and the NDP, who tend to like to confuse them for their own strategy reasons. But we are very different. We have members of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia that are members of the Conservative Party of Canada, but many are not. And vice versa. I think that we're evolving as a society, and people are feeling more comfortable and not feeling like they have to be completely attached to a party provincially and automatically, it makes them attach to that party federally.

HM: Well, do you support Erin O’Toole on the federal Conservatives?

KM: Do I support... No, you know, right now, I've been so focussed, I haven't followed anything federally. I heard that they're calling it on Sunday, but I don't have a membership, a federal Conservative membership. I supported Peter Mackay. Peter Mackay has been great, a great friend. Long before politics, I knew Peter. And I've been here in Pictou county, and he's a bit older than me and grew up. And certainly, I supported Peter and was extremely sad that he certainly was not the chosen leader. But right now, again, I'm just so focussed provincially. And so that's... that's my focus right now. And in Central Nova, I don't even believe at this point we have a candidate running federally.

HM: A lot of people are looking at what happened in your province and wondering if it foretells something about what might happen in September at the federal level. What do you think federal leaders might take away from your party's campaign?

KM: I think that they're looking at a provincial government that has now gone blue with majority government and actually put out a, well, thoughtful platform and plan. We were ready. We were ready as a team. And if those individuals in Nova Scotia associate our party with the federal Conservative Party, it will have an effect at the polls and how, perhaps, they vote. I can't say for certain the tale will be told in September, but I think that people are recognizing the progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia as being one that is one with vision and compassion and empathy and one that has always listened.

HM: Do you plan to vote Conservative in the federal election?

KM: I think that I will consider all my options. Like I said, there's not even all the candidates haven't even been chosen in Central Nova. So I'll certainly be looking at those candidates, and I'll certainly take it from there.

HM: Miss MacFarlane, thank you for talking with us. Appreciate your time today.

KM: Thank you so much.

HM: Bye-bye.

KM: Take care. Bye-bye.

SM: Progressive Conservative Karla MacFarlane was re-elected in Nova Scotia's provincial election. We reached her in Pictou. For more on this story, visit our website: www.cbc.ca/aih.

[music: instrumental]

Canadian Government Afghan Women

Guest: Corey Levine

SM: It has been four days since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan. So far, thousands of Afghans have tried to flee to the airport, only to be met by chaos and violence as they try to get inside. And those wanting to come to Canada may have to keep waiting. The embassy is closed, and few planes are actually taking off. Canada has promised to bring 20,000 Afghans to the country, but critics say that plan is not enough. Corey Levine is a human rights advocate and writer who has worked for the UN and spent many years in Afghanistan working with female politicians. We reached her in Victoria, British Columbia.

HM: Corey, what are you hearing from your friends and colleagues back in Afghanistan?

COREY LEVINE: They are worried for themselves, for their families. They are scared. Most of them don't have a way out. They're literally trapped. I have a friend who went on Sunday, the day Kabul fell, to pick up passports for her three children. They were ready that day. She went in the morning. She was able to get two passports for two of her children. And she was told to come back in the afternoon for a passport for her third child. And then Kabul fell. So now she's stuck without a passport for her third child.

HM: Oh, my goodness, that's… it's so awful. And then I guess there's a question of how you even get to the airport and into the airport?

CL: Exactly. I know that the Americans have taken over the security of the airport itself, but it's not clear on the road.

HM: You recently wrote an article titled "It's Time for Canada to Do the Right Thing for Afghan Women". What would you like to see Canada do at this point?

CL: Well, Canada did do the right thing to a certain extent by announcing last Friday a program that would bring in human rights defenders, women's rights activists and advocates and others who have a profile that would put them at risk. But there's a complete lack of clarity around this program. Fair enough. It was just announced on Friday, but there are so many questions to be asked. What is Canada doing about those that are at immediate risk and need to come out now?

HM: And who are those people to you who should be included for immediate removal from the country?

CL: Anyone who has spoken out, who has worked in human rights, spoken out about women's rights, who has had a public profile, who has worked for NGOs, it should be journalists. It should be filmmakers, particularly women filmmakers. There's a woman filmmaker who's trapped in Kabul, fearing for her life right now. Women photographers. Actually, 20,000 is just a drop in the bucket. It needs to be far more. Canadair should step up to the plate and... and bring in at least 100,000.

HM: I guess there's also the question of urgency here. The immigration minister, Marco Mendicino, told "The Current" this morning that Canada has brought out about a thousand people from the country. We've spoken to people who said that they feel Canada has the goodwill, but they haven't got the organization, and they can't move quickly enough.

CL: Yes, that seems to be the case. I know that you spoke to someone yesterday that hasn't heard, and a lot of people haven't heard. There's a lot of confusion for those who have applied through the program announced on July 23 that if you've worked directly with Canada on a Canadian-funded program, you are eligible to come. But there's complete confusion because they don't even know who is exactly eligible. What kind of information does the government want? And that's if they're lucky enough to have, you know, the Internet going. Electricity is very sporadic at the moment in Kabul. So, you know, this is the kind of thing that Afghans on the ground are facing.

HM: One of the people we spoke with last night was the founder of the Afghan women's soccer team. And she talked about the desperate, just heartbreaking phone calls she's having with her friends and teammates back in Afghanistan about their desperate situation. Are you, in these conversations you're having, are you feeling the same thing? Are you hearing the same stories?

CL: Absolutely. It started at 1:00 in the morning on Sunday morning. And, you know, it hasn't stopped since then. And if you don't mind, I will share with you the first text I received while I was sleeping comfortably in my bed here in Victoria. Kabul fell, just cleaned and loaded my gun. I'm ready against any Taliban penetrating my house if anything happens, goodbye and God bless you for all your support and good thoughts.

HM: What goes through you when you read something like that?

CL: I don't even have the words to summarize [chuckle] the emotions that I feel in seeing this. And this is just... I mean, that was just one message. There's been, you know, that's been ongoing for a couple of days. You know, the heartbreaking story that I mentioned about the woman who wasn't able to get the passport for her six month old baby, you know, who's strapped. A woman parliamentarian that I know who's a strong women's rights advocate is in hiding, terrified for her life because of the rumours going around that they're, you know, hunting down anyone who worked for the previous government. And again, we don't there's no verified accounts of that is happening, but we're hearing the stories of that taking place.

HM: Well, Corey, I'm sorry this is happening to a country and... and to people that you are so attached to. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us today. Thank you very much.

CL: Thank you so much, Helen, for taking the time to speak with me. I appreciate it.

HM: All right. Bye-bye.

CL: Bye.

SM: Corey Levine is a human rights advocate and writer who has worked for the UN in Afghanistan. We reached her in Victoria, B.C.

[music: ambient]

Mosquito Humans Invisible

Guest: Craig Montell

SM: They either love you or they ignore you. And if they love you, we're sorry. I'm talking about mosquitoes, which have a tendency to see some people as an all-you-can-eat buffet. But what if they couldn't see you at all. In California, biologists have found a way to mutate a mosquito's vision with the help of gene editing. Craig Montell is a professor in the molecular, cellular and biology department at University of California Santa Barbara. That's where we reached him.

HM: Professor Montell. If I was standing in the same room as one of your mutated mosquitoes, would it see me?

CRAIG MONTELL: It wouldn't see you through their sense of vision. But because mosquitoes, like Aedes aegypti, use lots of different senses to come in on people, they would still be able to detect the CO2 from your breath. The odours coming from our skin. And if they got really close, they'd still be able to check the humidity and the warmth from our skin.

HM: So I'd still get bitten?

CM: You would still get bitten because if you eliminate their ability to detect people with one sense, they have an arsenal. It was really important to study vision because vision was being ignored, but it's a really important sense. So a lot of folks have been studying their ability, the mechanisms, the ways that they sense CO2 and the way they sense human odours. But that's not enough. You also have to figure out how to interfere with their ability to use vision to see us.

HM: So... so what did you do to the mosquitoes in your lab to render humans effectively, visually invisible?

CM: So a few years ago, there was a very important new technique that was developed CRISPR -- CRISPR Cas9 -- which allows the ability to mutate genes in many organisms that weren't accessible before. And using CRISPR Cas9, we decided to start knocking out some of the light receptors in the fly eye. And these are called redoxins. And there are five of them in the mosquito eye. And we eliminated, initially, the most abundant one. It's called OP1. And that had no effect. And then the most related one to OP1 is OP2. We eliminated that using CRISPR. Again, no effect. But then, when we made a double mutant, eliminating both of these redoxins, then their ability to... to visually detect targets was eliminated. And I should mention that they're not blind.

HM: So they have visual capacity, but they can't locate humans?

CM: they can't locate hosts. You know, if you put mosquitos either in a wind tunnel or in a little cage asset and there's no human in these assets... because their visual acuity is pretty low and because they like dark colours. So, for example, if a human is wearing dark clothing, they're more likely to get bitten than light clothing. In these assets, if they're given a choice between a dark spot, black spot and a light spot, they prefer the dark spot, but not if we eliminated some of the light receptors. Then, their ability to find their targets is reduced.

HM: These were Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Why... why those particular ones? Why did you use them?

CM: Aedes aegypti is a big problem. They are an invasive mosquito that spreads some devastating diseases like dengue, Zika, yellow fever. These are viral borne diseases. And the viruses that cause dengue alone cause about 100 million people, some years, as many as 400 million people to have dengue. And so it's a very serious problem. And the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are spreading because they're invasive. With global warming and worldwide travel, they are coming to new places. And you can't even be sure that Canada is not going to have a [chuckling] problem with Aedes aegypti, with global warming. This is a worldwide problem.

HM: You know, we've heard that mosquitoes are vital for some ecosystems. You know, we might despise them as people, [chuckling] but is there a potential negative consequence from reducing their ability to feed and thereby reducing their population?

CM: Because they're invasive, most places that mosquitoes exist today they've only recently arrived. So, for example, here in California, we never had this particular species of mosquito, Aedes aegypti, until 2013. Now, they're in most of the counties in our state. And so if you eliminate Aedes aegypti in most places, then what you're doing is you're restoring the environment to what it was before. And so, they're not a long-standing member of the food chain. They're not a key long-standing pollination vector. However, in areas where they're much more limited areas where they've been a long time, then you would perhaps one-up the strategies. But most places in the world today, you can eliminate them, and you're returning the environment to the way it was.

HM: Some people get nervous when they hear about genetic modification. Are there any potentially negative consequences to editing the genes of this mosquito?

CM: It depends how it's done. So there's one popular approach to control mosquitoes is sterile insect technique, where you're controlling mosquitoes by releasing lots of sterile males, and they cause populations to plummet because then the females mate with the sterile males and not the wild type males or the normal males out there. So in those cases, there's no concern. I think that if these mosquitoes that you're releasing are compromised because they can't find people, they can't get blood meals, then they are unlikely to be able to propagate or be maintained.

HM: Is your research actually leading to any kind of technology that will help us not get bitten by mosquitoes? She asks, hopefully.

CM: Well, I hope so. And what would be really interesting is to have mosquitoes that not only are compromised visually, but are compromised in their ability to detect CO2 or detect human odours. And if you put all of that together into genetically modified mosquitoes, then they're really compromised in finding their hosts, including humans. And that would be not only less annoying for us, but it is a spread of disease. So this is definitely a goal and one that we hope to achieve with colleagues in the future.

HM: All right, Professor Montell, thank you very much. Very interesting.

CM: OK. You're welcome. Good talking to you.

HM: Bye-bye.

CM: Bye-bye.

SM: Craig Montell is a professor in the molecular, cellular and biology department at University of California Santa Barbara. That's where we reached him.

[music: world music]

Lamb Fitness Tracker

SM: You cancelled your gym membership during the pandemic. The instructor who leads your online pilates class is really starting to get on your nerves and you're looking for a new workout routine. That's when your friend suggests you try joining this new fitness club. It sounds a bit weird. But your friend says there's nothing to be sheepish about -- so you give the club a call.

SOUNDCLIP

[a phone connects]

[a bunch of sheeps braying]

SM: Don't get bent out of sheep. We're not suggesting you start flocking to your nearest farm to workout. But a new study published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Sciences proves there's lots we can learn from the fitness habits of sheep. Researchers in Wales recently attached fitness trackers to the animal's legs to monitor their daily activity and exercise. Scientists discovered the length of time pregnant ewes spent lying down was associated with the number of expected lambs -- as well as their birth weight and sex. Which the scientists admit -- was somewhat unexpected. As one researcher put it, quote: "Lambing represents an important period in the production cycle for ensuring ewe comfort and welfare. But relatively little is known about the behaviour of pregnant sheep." Unquote. Now, none of the sheep were available to comment on how they feel about scientists monitoring their daily workout routine. But let's hope the herd is happy the fitness trackers are being put to good ewes.

[music: ambient]

Part 2: Haiti Hospital Head, Massachusetts Happy Hour

Haiti Hospital Head

Guest: Jean Pape

SM: The death toll in Haiti is increasing at a rapid pace. Nearly 2,000 people have now died from Saturday's earthquake, and close to 10,000 are injured. Hospitals in hard-hit areas are barely standing yet alone functioning well. And health workers are overwhelmed by the number of patients coming in. Images on the ground show people being treated out in the open, with basic medicines running low, and some makeshift shelters being set up. Doctor Jean Pape is the executive director of GHESKIO -- a Haitian, community-based medical and training center in Haiti. We reached him in Port-au-Prince.

HM: Dr. Pape, we are hearing that hospitals in your country are overwhelmed with patients. Can you tell us what you've seen at the hospitals that you have been to?

JEAN PAPE: Well, essentially, I am based in Port-au-Prince, and the hospital that we work with mostly is hospital Immaculate Conception of Les Cayes. Les Cayes is located in the south. And the south is the most affected among the three departments that have been affected by the quake. Eighty per cent of the deaths are in the south. And 80 per cent of the wounded are also in the same department. The information I'm providing you is firsthand information from the director of the hospital and from our site coordinator.

HM: What are they telling you about the cases that they're seeing and how they're able to cope with them?

JP: Well, essentially, they were overwhelmed during the first two days -- Saturday, August 15th and Sunday, August 16th -- they were totally overwhelmed. But since then, surgical and medical staff with national and international have arrived, and the situation is much better. They received well over 40 surgeons, 40 resident nurses will be dispatched to the three functional hospitals in this area.

HM: We heard that they were running very low not just on staff but on supplies as well. Even the most basic things like painkillers. Are they --

JP: That's correct.

HM: Are they supplied now?

JP: Yes, they are being supplied right now. Fortunately, the U.S. sent a large amount of supply. It's being distributed, and there are also supplies being sent by other institutions, both nationally and internationally. So at least at those three main centres, hospital, in the region, they are getting the supplies. But obviously, it will need to be on a constant basis because patients keep coming.

HM: Tell us about the cases that you are hearing about? What kind of injuries are people arriving with?

JP: Well, mostly, as expected, the people coming there have a bad head injury. They have ribs fractured. They have broken bones. They have abdominal injuries. So those are the people that are seen in the hospital. They've seen over 600 patients. A dozen have been transported, transferred to Port-au-Prince because they were complicated cases.

HM: What about the... the medical infrastructure itself? How much is still standing and functioning? Or have they had to set up temporary facilities?

JP: Well, a lot have been destroyed. At least 15 have been destroyed. So now, they are setting up a 100-bed mobile hospital that could be really part of the solution and could be moved to the most needed areas. But what you need to understand is that there are a lot of far rural areas that have not been completely reach. And it's possible that we have people there who were badly wounded. And the major problem we have now, the aftershocks. Just about two hours ago, we had one. But there have been over 500 aftershocks after the quake. So this has created many, many problems because people are in and out of buildings. Many of those buildings are damaged or destroyed. But the Hurricane Grace that you had that fortunately just passed brought flooding, but also a lot of rain. So many of those people had to go inside dangerous homes because of the rain. But fortunately, now they are outside. So most of the people being treated at the hospital are outside. Those who are in are in the operating room. As soon as they've been operated, they are taken outside.

HM: What is it like for your fellow doctors and for nurses and other health care workers working in those conditions and seeing all of this? How are they coping?

JP: It is tough. Morale is low. And many people with need psychological support. But the best support that any medical person can have is to see their patients getting better and their patients getting better care and getting what we call global health. Just the whole person, not just the medical part. That those people are eating properly. That they are able to receive a decent potable water. That they are secured and that they don't have risk for epidemic. So this is really what's going to help all of us and all the medical staff. The government really needs to receive support and support also in terms of cash funds because that's what the people need right now. It's to make sure that they have some money to go around so they can purchase essential needs.

HM: What will the roadmap to recovery look like for these... these areas?

JP: Well, it's going to be long and complex. You know, we went through multiple disasters. We had the 2010 earthquake. We had the cholera epidemic the first year. Now, the good news most people don't talk about is the fact that cholera is almost eradicated. We've not had one single case in two years now. The dangerous part for us is that it could start again. And that's... that's a concern. We also have the Hurricane Matthew in 2016 that affected the same south, the same region. And now we have this major quake. So you can see that it's going to take some time, but at least we have the know-how. If we have the support, we can do it.

HM: Dr. Pepe, it's difficult to see Haiti go through another crisis like this, but I really appreciate you telling us about the work you're doing. And I wish you the very best in what you're achieving.

JP: Thank you very much.

HM: Thank you.

SM: Doctor Jean Pape is the executive director of GHESKIO -- a Haitian, community-based medical, research and training center in Haiti. We reached him in Port-au-Prince. For more on this story, visit our webpage at: www.cbc.ca/aih.

[somber instrumental]

COVID Kid

SM: What happened to David Byrne's nine-year-old daughter Rosalie remains very, very uncommon. But the Oshawa, Ontario father wants people to know what his family has been through -- so they can help protect theirs. Today, Rosalie is at home recovering from COVID-19, but as Mr. Byrne told CBC Radio this morning, there have been moments over the past few weeks where things were much more touch and go.

SOUNDCLIP

DAVID BYRNE: So 23 days ago, she woke up on a Monday and felt just a little bit off. But, you know, no big deal. And we went to a playground. We were the only family at the playground. And, you know, she's kind of spinning on a couple of things at a playground that spins. And later on that evening, she said, hey, I feel a little nauseous. I'm like, well, like, you know, that's not out of the ordinary. No big deal. We went to bed. The next day, she started to develop a headache. That's when we became a little bit concerned.

ISMAILA ALFA: Yeah.

DB: And then, over the subsequent couple of days, she essentially developed every symptom associated with COVID. She got a mild grade fever. She got increasing nausea. She got a cough and some shortness of breath. And essentially, each day we woke up, there was a new symptom. So on day seven and eight, her... she started to develop vomiting. And that became so intense. You know, she went from like on the morning of day eight, she vomited once. By the evening of day eight, she was vomiting essentially any time she took a sip of water. And at that point, my wife and I realized we didn't really have the means to take care of her anymore at home. So we called up our local hospital and let them know we were bringing in a COVID-positive case. And they met us out the door, and they admitted her because she was so dehydrated.

IA: David, you... you and your wife are both double vaccinated, right?

DB: That's right, yeah.

IA: Do you have any idea as to where Rosalie may have caught COVID-19? Well, and this is, I think, the unfortunate... unfortunately, what I would call the cautionary tale that's really important right now with the Delta variant is in the weeks leading up to the infection, we had kept very low-key. So our best guess is that Rosalie caught Delta in a masked to visit to a park. And what I've said to people is, feel free to use my story as the cautionary tale, right? If you've been reluctant to consider the vaccine, I think there's a lot of reasons why people are reluctant. This might be the time that you recognize that the virus is changing, and it's impacting people -- and especially our most vulnerable people -- like children, young children in a much more severe way. So it's time to change the way that you think about things like vaccination. If not for you, then with the idea of the common good, right? What can we do to protect people who right now can't protect themselves?

SM: David Byrne is an Oshawa, Ontario father whose nine-year-old daughter Rosalie is at home recovering from COVID-19. He spoke with "Metro Morning" host Ismaila Alfa earlier today.

[music: ambient]

Massachusetts Happy Hour

Guest: Nick Silveira

SM: For the last four decades, there hasn't been a happy hour in the state of Massachusetts. I mean, there have likely been 60 minutes of positive feelings since 1984 -- but if you were hoping to grab a cheap drink in the late afternoon, you're out of luck. But Nick Silveira is hoping to change that. He's a Boston lawyer who has started a petition to bring back happy hour. We reached him in Boston.

HM: Nick, why do you think it's time for the good people of Massachusetts to be able to partake in happy hour?

NICK SILVEIRA: Well, I think it's sort of a confluence of factors. I think now is just as good of a time as any. I think it's timely as the restaurant and bar industry is trying to recover from a burdensome past year on them. And I think it's sort of been long overdue. I think it's been time to revisit it for some time. So I think now's a better time than any.

HM: And you're not just talking about, you know, one hour a day of drinking when we refer to happy hour. What's exactly involved? What would you like to be allowed?

NS: Sure. So it really is... ironically, it's really not what I would like to be allowed. It's what I'd like the restaurants to be able to decide what they allow. So it's more, you know, if they wish to have an hour happy hour, they can. If they... they wish to have a four-hour happy hour, they can. It's really it's, you know, referred to as happy hour colloquially, but it's really just the removal of the restrictions surrounding all of the regulations.

HM: And those regulations, I mean, what do they mean? It's... it's something that limits bars from offering cheaper drinks or two-for-one drinks, things like that?

NS: Exactly. So it's drink specials at certain times. You know, you can't change the price of alcohol. You can't have free alcohol, which includes, you know, alcohol if you're sitting at a blackjack table, you know, casino providing free alcohol. It includes, you know, prizes that consist of alcohol, drinking games that take place at a bar that involve alcohol. It's really just sort of a catchall.

HM: Why was happy hour banned four decades ago?

NS: So it's banned in 1984. And I mean, I wasn't born at that point in time yet, but it really was banned after and a handful of very sad, tragic accidents. I don't think anyone is short on empathy of that. But in my view, looking back at it, it was sort of a knee-jerk reaction at the time. And I think it's sort of overstepped its bounds. And also sort of missed the goal. I think they tried to fill the hole that was drunk driving by patching up the happy hour band. But I think when they did that, it sort of removes focus on the true scourge of drunk driving. In 2005, Mass passed a law called Melanie's Law, which, I think, was significantly more effective at curbing drunk driving than... than the ban itself. And if you look at the numbers, Helen, between 1984 and 1990. 1984, There were 411 drunk driving fatalities. Massachusetts, that number was still 408, four years later. So I don't think anyone could look at those numbers and be convinced that the ban had any real measure in terms of curbing drunk driving.

HM: Right. But drunk driving deaths are down, fortunately, across the U.S.

NS: oh, significantly. They're down into the, you know, in the 80s, they were in the 400 per year in Massachusetts. And now, they're down in the... in the 100s. And that... that trend followed nationally. That's the other thing. There are, I believe, 11 states that have been happy hour in the entire country. However, the statistics in those states mirror nearly nationally the drunk driving decreased by year, which obviously is attributable to a bunch of factors.

HM: What kind of support have you received for your petition?

NS: So, I've gotten a lot of individual support. Unique to my petition is I'm really doing this on my own. Not... I shouldn't say on my own. I'm doing with the support of my friends and family. However, I'm not doing it as part of a group or organization. I've gotten a lot of anecdotal support. I’ve gotten a lot of support from people around me. I've spoken to a number of restaurants and bars who are strong advocates. I haven't gotten any large support, whether that be from casino groups or restaurant groups. So that's still pending.

HM: The original ban was backed by MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Where do they stand on this now?

NS: So ironically, I have not been in touch with them myself, but there have been a number of articles, both prior to the news of this petition as well as since. And they basically... they haven't taken a position on it. And they take a position that they are not against adults over the age of 21 consuming alcohol. They are against drunk driving. And... and that's where they stand as of now. I think, you know, I think it'd be a fairly simple statement to make if they were vehemently against it. But, you know, I obviously can't speak for them, but there's been nothing since.

HM: Now, your petition isn't the only happy hour effort. I understand a state representative has also taken on the fight. Does that give you hope that, you know, things might actually go your way?

NS: Yeah, you know, I would hope so. They... they are separate, but there's a state rep, Mike Connolly, who has proposed... who has draughted a bill, which in my view is, you know, I'm not intimately familiar with it, but my understanding is that it's sort of a half... I don't want to call it a half effort, but it's a compromise between those in favour as well as those against in that it would... it would remove some restrictions. However, it would cap restaurants by way of..., and I believe it's a similar model to Illinois, the way that they've done. You know, there are only certain days you can have happy hour. There are certain times you can have it. So it's sort of a half-in, half-out.

HM: So what kind of hurdles do you think you still have to get over for... for this to happen?

NS: Well, so I actually think... I think it would have a lot of strong support if it made it to the ballot 2022. The biggest hurdle for me is that going on it... going through it as... as an individual, I certainly don't have the capital to go out and obtain signature gatherers. So by... if the... if the... if the measure is certified by the attorney general's office in the first week of September, I’ll then need 80,000 signatures by, I believe, the second week of November, which is a tall task for myself and a slew of other individuals. But if we're able to do that, I'm optimistic. So that's the biggest challenge thus far.

HM: If Happy Hour comes back, will you become a regular patron?

NS: A regular… [chuckle] whether I'm a regular patient or an occasional patron, I would probably classify myself as.

HM: What's your drink?

NS: I really like... you know, I've shifted away from light beer in my younger years. I'm 31 now. I really like to drink... I like bourbon. If I'm... you know, if I'm at a bar, I really like an IPA. But it sort of depends on the time of year.

HM: Well, it's... it's an interesting fight you've taken on. We'll keep an eye on it from up here and see how things go.

NS: Thank you very much, Helen. I really appreciate it. And I don't know if you guys receive “Bar Rescue” up in Canada, but this one's for John Taffer as well.

HM: OK, thank you.

NS: Thank you.

HM: Bye.

NS: Bye

SM: Nick Silveira has started a petition to bring back happy hour in Massachusetts. He was in Boston.

[music: plodding instrumental]

Lots Of Hay

SM: Bloyce Thompson says his province is having an "unbelievable hay growing season." He's PEI's agriculture minister, and a farmer. But unfortunately, all farmers across Canada aren't having the same luck. The Prairies have been facing extreme drought and hay shortages. But farmers in Atlantic Canada want to help. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture is starting an initiative to send their surplus hay west. Minister Thompson spoke with CBC about this today.

SOUNDCLIP

BLOYCE THOMPSON: Well, our government wanted to help out any way we could. Islander's, by nature, are very generous. So there was farmers reaching out to our office wondering if there's anything they could do. They had hay to donate, all kinds of hay still to make. So I made a few phone calls to our Federation of Agriculture here. And the Canadian Federation of Agricultural, Mary Robinson, as well. And we got the ball rolling. And this movement, I guess they're tagging it. “Hay West”.

DAVID GRAY: [chuckle] I love the tag. And hey, we're happy to hear about it! I'm curious about your crop because how long you've been farming now?

BT: I've been farming for about 25 years, before I got into politics, that is.

DG: Oh!

BT: And kind of stepped away from it a little bit here. But the guys that are managing the farm here, you know, we have enough feed for two years right now. That's how big this crop is. It's just been an unbelievable growing season.

DG: Well, I'm told you usually get, what, two cuts a year? How many of you have this year?

BT: We're on our third cut, and we'll probably get a fourth cut.

DG: But how are you going to make it affordable to ship it out to help farmers in the West?

BT: Well, the logistics are we're working those out now. It's not going to be easy, of course. [chuckling] We're on the opposite side of the country. But, you know, whether we're working with transportation companies and possibly rail companies, that we can get as high as cost-effective as possible to get it across the country.

DG: You say you've been farming for 25 years. I've been doing this gig for that and even a little bit longer. So you and I both have long memories. I remember the first Hay West. That was almost 20 years ago now. Back then, it was farmers in the prairies sending it to the East. Is this... is this kind of like a... like a payback moment in your mind?

BT: Oh, for sure, it's... you know, it's a farming... farmers are... it's a farming community, whether you're a farmer in the Atlantic area or western Canada or in the middle. We’re a community, and we... we know the hardships and... and, you know, farmers are usually the first people to step up to help.

DG: You know, amidst all the noise, noise, noise of the politicians. And excuse me for saying so because you are a provincial minister yourself, but we're in the middle of a federal election. Isn't it nice to think of one thing that binds us all together?

BT: It is. And I took today... today off. I... I like to do some farming on my time off to... I call it tractor therapy, when I get to... to… [both chuckling] to bale hay or whatever. So I'll be bailing some hay for Hay West today.

SM: That was PEI's agriculture minister Bloyce Thompson speaking with the CBC's David Gray.

[music: banjo]

FOA: Rudely Named Places

SM: There are a number of places in the United Kingdom with names that you could say are rude or downright funny. But for Paul Taylor, they're the perfect stops along the way of his "Moronic Moped Marathon". Mr. Taylor started the charity fundraising trip this week -- in Shitterton, Dorset -- in memory of his friend who died of cancer last year. He wanted to do something "ridiculous" as a tribute to his motorcyclist friend, while helping others beat the disease. But his marathon reminded us of another roadtrip two brothers took in 2019. Their mission alone was to reach the UK's rudest place names. Carol spoke with Andy Tait in May, just after he and his brother got back home. Here is part of that interview, From Our Archives.

SOUNDCLIP

CO: Andy what inspired this rude road trip that you took with your brother?

ANDY TAIT: Well it was 2013 when I first had the idea. Basically me and my brother used to work together and we were travelling for work in the northeast of Scotland and we passed by a sign pointing at a town called Gash. I don't know if that's a funny word in Canada but it certainly is in the UK. We took a selfie there and it was very funny. And it got me thinking you know are there any other places in the UK we could go and take selfies at?

CO: Okay now at the risk of being beeped -- what are some of the other places you visited?

AT: We sort of started in the northwest of England with places like Cockermouth and Slackbottom Road in Bradford, Penistone in Yorkshire, Butthole Lane -- things like that. Then we sort of went down to the southwest of England. After that we went to places like Shitterton, Cocking, South Harting -- which is abbreviated as S. Harting on the sign. And yeah worked our way up the east coast to places like Fingringhoe, Feltwell, Rimswell, Fanny Hands Lane -- places like that. Wetwang, which is another good one. The final place name we did was Coxhoe. I'm now getting emails from people who live near these places and some of them it never even occurred to them that the name was funny. So I thought that that was quite hilarious.

SM: That was Andy Tait speaking with Carol in May 2019, after returning from a trip to see 33 of the UK's most rudely named places. Mr. Tait was in Aberdeen, Scotland. To see pictures from that trip, check out our website: www.cbc.ca/aih.

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August 18, 2021 Episode Transcript

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