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The AIH Transcript for February 16, 2017

Hosts: Helen Mann and Jeff Douglas

STORIES FROM THIS EPISODE

Prologue

HELEN MANN: Hello, I'm Helen Mann.

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

[Music: Theme]

JD: Tonight:

HM: A double-loss for words. I'll speak with the chief of a First Nation about the death of a celebrated Indigenous artist in the Thunder Bay Jail – and of the artist's sister, killed in a car accident on her way to retrieve her brother's body.

JD: Shaken awake. Daniel Ramirez Medina was a so-called "DREAMer", protected from deportation – but he and hundreds of other undocumented immigrants are abruptly learning that doesn't matter under the new U.S. President.

HM: Covering the story – and now, recovering from it. We'll reach a British photographer in a hospital in Ukraine where he's being treated after the house he was in was hit by an artillery shell.

JD: A thimbolic gesture. The company that makes Monopoly announces it's discontinuing the piece most likely to be used by someone who would put three hotels on Baltic Avenue: the thimble.

HM: Please don't allow him to introduce himself. Mick Jagger is surprised to learn that someone wrote his memoir in the 'eighties – but he won't let the book be published, even after learning that someone was Mick Jagger himself.

JD: And...as seen in TV. Employees of an recycling place in Ontario are surprised to find that someone dropped off an old television – with more than a hundred thousand bucks in cash inside.
As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that guesses, as far as his finances were concerned, that guy was all set.

[Music]

Back To Top »

Part 1: Moses Beaver obit, Ukraine attack, cash in TV

Moses Beaver obit

Guest: Johnny Yellowhead

JEFF DOUGLAS: He was known for his colourful Woodlands-style artwork. And he was a champion for helping up and coming artists express themselves through art. On Monday, the celebrated Indigenous artist Moses Beaver was found dead in a Thunder Bay jail. He was 57 years old.
Mr. Beaver struggled with mental illness for much of his life. Those who knew him say he died in a jail because he couldn't get the help he needed.
And today, the community of the Nibinamik First Nation is not only grieving his death. While going to retrieve his body yesterday, Mr. Beaver's sister, Mary Wabasse, was also killed in a car accident.
Johnny Yellowhead is the Chief of Nibanamik First Nation. We reached him in Thunder Bay.

HELEN MANN: Chief Yellowhead First of all I just like to offer our condolences to you and your community.

JOHNNY YELLOWHEAD: Thank you. I appreciate that.

HM: How have folks there been handling this double loss of Moses Beaver and his sister Mary Wabasse?

JY: The community has been very traumatized from all the tragic loss the last few days. It's been very hard for our people especially the immediate family members.

HM: I like to start first of all with Moses Beaver. If people know his art, it's stunning beautiful pieces. Tell us about the Moses you knew and the person he was.

JY: Well Moses Beaver was a people person. He was kind. His art was his passion. He taught probably almost every northern Ontario school right across Canada, and that he was well known by his art and he worked with the children and people that were very keen on his work.

HM: Why was it important for him to work with those students?

JY: Because one time he told me, being a kid, youth here in Northern Ontario, there's an epidemic of suicides and people I mean, youths cannot cope with their losses. So that's how you communicate, you tells stories from his art.

HM: It sounds like he had a good understanding of some of the emotional challenges that some of the young people were facing because he had his own mental health issues that I guess were well-known within the community. What struggles did he face?

JY: He was very very busy at times. He wanted to help as much as he can. I know he had some issues with mental health. And somehow he kind of got sidetracked from his medication.

HM: You've said that he wasn't able to get help through Health Canada. Can you explain that for us?

JY: In one of his episodes we had issues with him where he was not himself. And we wanted him to get a better assessment through a psychiatric hospital to get him back on track with his medication. And then we tried working with the doctors and doctors said that they couldn't assist us because the policies that they had to follow. And it was really frustrating for us.

HM: How did he end up in jail?

JY: We even approached our police service, the Anishinaabe police service. We wanted them to help us do Form 1 to get the treatment he wanted.

HM: Can you explain Form 1 for people who might not know what that is?

JY: When we want the individual to get to get the proper help with the mental health issues, they usually medevac them through Form 1. There’s usually a police escort.

HM: So he didn't get this despite your efforts and he ended up behind bars. Again, how come?

JY: Because they told us, the sergeant told us that that night when we were trying to get him out, he says we have to wait till his criminal acts or whatever Moses was going. You know, like affiliated criminal activities.

HM: Were there any criminal activities?

JY: No I'm not at that time when Moses was having these episodes. he kind of approached one of our securities that we set up for him to be monitored that night for his safety. He approached one of our security personnel and nudged them. And that's when police stepped in and took him.

HM: What were the conditions like where he was held in the jail?

JY: You know I wasn't really aware that he was in jail. The last time one of my consuls approached me, he said he was getting out. So I assumed that he was going to be released. So it didn't happen.

HM: Do you know how he was being treated in the jail?

JY: I wouldn't know. And I haven’t really got the full report.

HM: Do you know how he died?

JY: I cannot comment on that right now, at this time.

HM: OK. The other very tragic part of this story is that Moses’ sister Mary was suddenly killed yesterday while she was traveling to retrieve his body. Can you tell us what happened there?

JY: One of my consuls was working with the family back home. I was here in the city at that time. I was on my way home, I just came from Ottawa when I heard about Moses’ passing away. My consul I guess… I guess the only way to bring them out was that evening after they heard was true. I went through it. There was three vehicles they were traveling and I guess they were just coming here when they got to that tragic accident.

HM: What was Mary's role in the community? What did she do there?

JY: She was working with the Tikinagan Child and Family Services. She was a good role model for the community.

HM: Have you got mental health supports in place for people who are dealing with this tragic news?

JY: Yes. We work, we've been working with various organizations to try and line our support for the community plus immediate family members that are affected at this time.

HM: Your community lost seven people in a plane crash back in 2003. Did you learn anything from that about grief and healing and supporting each other?

JY: Yes. I know my community is very strong community. But with these events that occurred, you know we have flashbacks and sometimes we come together as you know as unity to work and help one another. And it's been very very devastating.

HM: How do you want people to remember Moses and Mary?

JY: They were nice people. They were welcoming. They helped a lot of people. They were very generous in what they did. And people are going to miss that. And we're going to miss them every day.

HM: Again Chief, I'm very sorry for your loss. I really appreciate you talking to us today.

JY: Meegwetch,I appreciate you calling me and giving me this time to express my feelings on behalf of Nibinamik First Nation.

HM: Thank you.

JY: Thank you.

HM: Bye bye.

JD: Johnny Yellowhead is the chief of the Nibanamik First Nation. We reached him in Thunder Bay. Earlier this week, Moses Beaver, a famous Indigenous artist, was found dead in a jail cell in Thunder Bay. Yesterday. His sister, Mary Wabasse, was killed in a car accident.

[Music]

Ukraine attack

Guest: Christopher Nunn

JD: On February third, at 1:13 am, British photographer Christopher Nunn managed to type out a single tweet: "I am alive."
Mr. Nunn has been covering the war in Ukraine for years. But, as the conflict between Russian-backed rebels and government forces heated up in recent weeks, Mr. Nunn found himself caught in the crossfire. And was sheltering in the house in the city of Avdiivka when a shell exploded outside. He survived, but the home's owner, Elena in the next room was killed.
We reached Christopher Nunn in a hospital in the city of Dnipro, where he is recovering from his injuries.

HM: Christopher, give us an update on your condition to begin with? How are you feeling?

CHRISTOPHER NUNN: I'm feeling very good actually. I'm feeling strong and healthy. The doctors have been doing amazing work since I arrived here, and I'm comfortable, I'm not in any pain. My right eye is perfect. It got damaged a little bit in the attack but it’s absolutely fine. My left eye was very very badly damaged by a chunk of plastic from the window which blew out into my face and it hit it went into my eye and destroyed almost everything in my left eyeball. So they needed to perform a five hour operation to remove the pieces from my left eye and basically rebuild the eyeball. And the doctor said my sight will come back maybe tomorrow.

HM: Well that's great news. How much longer will you be in the hospital?

CN: Trying to find out but it's you know, they want to be sure that everything is perfect. And you know, it's just a case of where in doing everything the doctors tell me to do so and I don't know, maybe another week or something like that.

HM: Take us back to the night when this happened. What do you remember about how things unfolded?

CN: So we were we were visiting a friend of a friend of mine who lives in a different town a few hours away from Avdiivka. And I'd been speaking to him, and he told me about Elena who lives in a Avdiivka still, throughout the war. So we went there just to see what the situation was on the ground. And I went there with my good friend Vova who is a driver and a fixer or a translator and we were just sitting in the kitchen, the small kitchen table drinking tea and I went into the bedroom to turn on my microphone again and that's when the shell landed right outside the kitchen window.

HM: What do you remember of that moment?

CN: I just remember a very sudden, the whistle of the of the rocket or shell or mortar, whatever it was. And then obviously this huge explosion. And I remember everything going, this really bright yellow flash. And I can almost see the window exploding straight towards me. And you know, I don't know if this is just my memory playing tricks or something like that but I seem to remember this in slow motion. And then the next second I’d been thrown back to the opposite end of the room against the back wall. I couldn't hear anything except for a high pitched ringing in my ears. And I was trying to check my body and my face to try to find out what the damage was.
My hearing slowly came back and I could hear broken glass and I could hear Vova shouting up to me to see if I was OK and or I was trying to tell him, I was trying to tell him, I was OK. I could feel my face was messed up, somehow. It just felt wrong. Everything was numb, and I could feel blood running everywhere from somewhere on my head. I remember just feeling really calm for some reason. I was obviously in shock, but I really wanted to try and calm Vova down and convince him that I was OK. And you know we need to just try and be calm and try and get to Elena and find out where she is. Obviously we knew Elena was in the kitchen and I could hear her crying out and stuff like that. I think I pretty much knew that there was nothing we could do for her. So we decided we needed to just drive so he got in his car and drove through the city as fast as we can to the hospital in Avdiivka.

HM: Let me ask when you found out that Elena had died.

CN: Well again, I think I knew. I think I knew that she was going to die. And when I went to hospital. And Vova just kept saying you know, the doctors have gone to help her and they’re bringing her here and they're going to call me in the morning when they know more. And that's all he kept saying. You know, they're going to call me in the morning. And I think I knew in the back of my mind that she was dead.

HM: What can you tell us about Elena and the life she was living in Avdiivka on the front lines of this fighting?

CN: You know, most people in these situations say how sick of it they all are but because they're used to it, it's almost become normal in a in a very abnormal world obviously. She stayed there because if she left she'd lose her job in the factory in the town. Her son, who was 9 years old, he'd already left.

HM: What's going to happen to her son now?

CN: Elena's mother and father have now left Avdiivka and will live in Druzhkivka. So they're going to take care of her son. And we're in we've been in contact with them. And as soon as I get out of the hospital, I'm going back east to Druzhkivka to meet the family. Me and Vova.

HM: You’re working hard in this war zone to cover what's happening there. Do you ever feel the situation in Eastern Ukraine has fallen off the radar in terms of the way global news looks at it?

CN: Yeah absolutely. You know, I remember all the big things that happened, and I remember the news cycles and when it was big on the news and things like that. And it has just dropped off since mid 2015 or something like that. You know, it's not really reported on that much anymore.

HM: Christopher Nunn, I wish you a full recovery. It sounds like you're on your way and thank you very much for talking to us.

CN: Thank you very much.

HM: OK goodbye. Take care.

CN: Thank you, bye.

JD: Christopher Nunn is a British photographer who was injured in an artillery strike in Ukraine. We reached him in a hospital in Dnipro Ukraine.

[Music]

Cash TV

Guest: Rick Deschamps

JD: If you had a stash of money that amounted to say over a hundred thousand bucks hidden somewhere in your home, you wouldn't forget it. That would be impossible right? No one could forget about hiding a hundred thousand dollars? So let's move on.
Except wait.
Someone could forget about hiding a hundred thousand dollars because someone did. An Ontario man who lost track of an enormous cache of cash. It ended up at an electronics recycling plant in Barrie Ontario and that is where we reached general manager, Rick Deschamps.

HM: Mr. Deschamps, tell us about the day when your employee found all of this money. What was she doing?

RICK DESCHAMPS: It happened the first thing in the morning at seven o'clock. I have an ops meeting every morning with all my supervisors and key personnel meet, and this young woman was working on what we call a TV dismantling line, where we take TVs apart to recycle them. And this is an older TV more like a wooden console type of television.

HM: Really old school.

RD: Yeah, really old school. So as she was taking the back off, usually there's a lot more space in these consoles. She discovered a cash box and so she took it out and she opened the lid and saw a whole bunch of money and then she came running to the door to my office and said, “You know, I found a whole bunch of money. I found $10,000” and then came in and of course everybody got excited. I got up and I grabbed the cash box from her and looked inside, and I'm like oh my god. Inside my mind I'm going, “This is way more than $10,000.”

HM: Wow.

RD: It was actually red inside because they were four bundles of 50 dollar bills. And these were older bills, they were red in color. The bills were red at that time.

HM: So you knew it was old money just by its appearance.

RD: Yeah, just by the appearance. And then you know of course it took a bundle out and I sort of looked at it, and at the back of the bundle was it was the $50 bills that had the mounted police on horses in a circle on the back of it.

HM: OK. And was there anything else in the box?

RD: So there was some paper in the box, an old bank statement. I forget what the bank was now. You know, almost like a little ticket with some additions on it. And I think that's where she got the 10,000 from–

HM: Because that number was on that paper.

RD: Yeah it was on that paper. So anyway I took the box and I said you know, thanks very much. And then she went back to work. I continued with my meeting, finished the meeting, and of course, you know I've never held a hundred thousand dollars before.

HM: Not many of us have.

RD: No that's right. So I immediately took the cash box up to my CFO and said “Look at this. This is what we've found.”

HM: We had a story last month about people in the UK who found a lot of gold in an old piano. Have you guys found money in any other things that you've dismantled before?

RD: Yes but smaller amounts. You know we do a large amount of electronic waste through this facility and I've, we've found cash registers that people have forgotten to take the cash drawer out and remove the money. I mean it's not a big amount. You know, maybe 80, 90 dollars, or sometimes over $100. But nothing like this. I mean this is just unbelievable right.

HM: So anyone there think of not calling the police?

RD: No, I think that that's what was going to happen. It didn't happen right at that moment. But I believe the young girl got so excited she called the police. Anyways, they were eventually informed and came in and interviewed some people and then they came and got the money and it had a name inside. So they were going to investigate.

HM: Right. Have you heard of anything of what they've been able to find out?

RD: So they called me actually last week and told me that they had found the owner, and that they were returning the money that day. So you know great news. And we were happy to hear that, because that's a good story, and it's the right thing to do. And it was an older gentleman and it’s probably been on the news now. But he was a 60 year old gentleman who lives just outside of Orillia in a small town called Bolsover. And they returned the money and he said he just put it in the TV. It was something that he was going to give his family an inheritance, you know later on in life.

HM: How did it end up then at your place?

RD: So when you think about it. So obviously, he said he forgot about it. One of the stories I heard is he gave it to one of his family members, they had the TV. Nobody knew the money was inside. You know, and it ended up in recycling people.

HM: You can imagine a sense of relief.

RD: For him, yeah. I mean, he was very thankful. He told the officer please thank GEEP that they were able to find that and return it to me. And so it's all good.

HM: Yeah. No no suggestion that he came by the money in any nefarious way or anything.

RD: No. So this happened a month ago. So I imagine you know, and I don't know all the story and I don't want to speculate too much, but I'm sure the police did their investigation and that's what they were going to do. So I imagine that's part of their process of investigating this. And obviously, it was all legal because they returned the money.

HM: Well it sounds like everybody ended up happy with the final result.

RD: Yeah absolutely. It's a great story. You know it’s a story from my grandkids even though they've seen seen the tape. But you know all that kind of stuff is good news.

HM: Mr. Deschamps, thank you for talking to us.

RD: It's my pleasure.

HM: All right great. Bye-bye.

RD: Bye.

JD: Rick Deschamps is the general manager at Global Electric Electronic Processing, or GEEP, in Barrie, Ontario. That's where we reached him. And, if you'd like to see what a hundred thousand bucks in a television looks like, visit our Twitter: @cbcasithappens.

[Music]

Jagger memoir

JD: Well, no, he wasn't. At least, as far as I know, Mick Jagger wasn't born in a cross-fire hurricane. My research shows there were no cross-fire hurricanes in Dartford, Kent, in July of 1943. Or ever, because there's no such thing as a cross-fire hurricane.
Of course, memory is a tricky old thing, isn’t it? And Mick Jagger has lived a life so full of adventure and romance and drugs that it's hard for him to piece together his own life story. Including the part of his life story where he actually wrote his life story.
"But Mick Jagger never wrote a memoir!" you say. That’s is exactly what Mick Jagger himself said three years ago, when a publisher in England named John Blake contacted him.
Someone had given Mr. Blake a 75,000-word manuscript, apparently written in the early '80s. An autobiography, written by someone who had lived the life of the Rolling Stones' lead singer, and also had his name. In that book, Mr. Blake says, "Mick tells of buying a historic mansion, Stargroves, while high on acid – and of trying out the life of horse-riding country squire."
But as I say, when John Blake contacted Mr. Jagger, the singer said he had no recollection of writing any such book. Until he saw it. Then it all came back to him. Or some of it. Enough of it. And he agreed to let Mr. Blake publish it, and even to write a foreword.
But then, he changed his mind. Which means, if you're a huge Stones fan, you can't get no...gratification from reading a first-hand account of Mick Jagger's life.

Back To Top »

Part 2: Undocumented immigrant, Monopoly thimble

Undocumented immigrant

Guest: Maru Mora Villalpando

JEFF DOUGLAS: Under the Obama administration, he was an undocumented immigrant known as a “DREAMer.” But in recent days, life for Daniel Ramirez Medina has become more of a nightmare. Even though he was granted permission to work in the United States, the 23 year old Washington state man was swept up in a raid on his home by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers. According to the Department of Homeland Security more than 680 immigrants have been arrested by ICE agents in the past week.
Maru Mora Villalpando is an activist and an undocumented immigrant. We reached her in Tacoma, Washington.

HELEN MANN: Ms. Mora Villalpando, first of all can you tell us what you know about Daniel Medina’s status in the United States.

MARU MORA VILLALPANDO: So as far as we know, he had been granted that twice which means a work permit and a promise of not being deported for a couple of years and that we know that he's detained, currently detained along with his dad.

HM: Now he had been working legally in the U.S. right? When this began, before this happened?

MMV: Yes. Yes he was a holder of a work permit.

HM: So what happened? What do you know about the arrest?

MMV: Well we know that Immigration Customs Enforcement, the regular operation as they do every day throughout the nation. And they came looking for his dad. And he was in the same residence and he was asked about his status. He explained he had a work permit. But Immigration and Customs Enforcement decided to detain him and therefore now both of them are in the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington.

HM: The Immigration Officers say that Mr. Medina has admitted to being a gang member. Do you believe that?

MMV: No I don't believe anything that ICE says. In our experience, they have been getting, you know, too much power, and they have used up power to deport as many people as possible. So no I don't believe anything that ICE says.

HM: Mr. Medina was allowed to work under this program brought in by the Obama administration, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals plan or a program. How unusual is it for someone with this status to be detained?

MMV: We've seen similar cases in the past. I think the difference is not that they came for him because he has DACA. He just happened to be in the same place that his dad was. And that is very common throughout the nation. Every day we see ICE going into houses, harassing families, and seeing the possibility of taking not only the person that they were going in first for but then grabbing other people if they can.

HM: Well the DACA program required these young people to come forward, register make themselves and I guess by inference their family members, known as well. Are you getting a sense that some of these people now regret coming forward and giving their names to the government?

MMV: Oh absolutely. I think that the government has a lot of our information. That's how they are able to get an estimate of how many of us are in the United States, for people that willingly went to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and provided that information. Yes of course they feel now more vulnerable than ever.

HM: But wasn't the deal with the executive branch of government that if you came forward, you registered, that you would not be arrested. That was the whole point.

MMV: That was the whole point. But we're now under a different regime and we are under a whole cabinet that was selected by a person that lies, and lies blatantly. And nobody questions that. So things have changed a lot. We have seen that the law hasn’t been really on our side. But now it is being used even more against us and it really doesn't matter about you know, the legality anymore. It's about have as a president.

HM: How are you and other undocumented people in Washington state feeling right now about your own prospects?

MMV: Well we have we have had always a level of fear. Some about decided not to being afraid anymore and come out publicly. We have prepared for a really long time for these kinds of situations. And what we're trying to do is to help the rest of our community not to live in fear but to actually resist and fight back. It's not easy to say, people do feel afraid right now. We get a lot of reports of people seeing immigration everywhere or checkpoints. We haven't been able to confirm anything like that in Washington state. But yes we're vigilant but we're also ready to fight back.

HM: Personally though, does it change where you go, who you talk to, who you open your door to?

MMV: Yeah yeah it does. I mean, as we drive we're more careful than any than ever to have any interactions with the police. People that are walking on the street are not really being friendly to people they don't know. If they’re approached and say “Hi, how are you doing?” I think that for us, a lot of the latinx community, we're really friendly. People talk to us, we respond. I’ve seen people not doing that so much anymore. So yes we are being more vigilant, not only of immigration enforcement but also of people that are pretending to be on our side and they might not be on our side.

HM: You have a daughter. What do you tell her?

MMV: Well she's known this for many years now, and she knows how to respond in case I get detained. When we're not together, we're texting each other, making sure that each of us know where the other one is. And if a couple of hours pass, and we haven't heard from each other, we immediately tried to locate each other. And if we can’t then we immediately start calling friends or neighbors to make sure that we're OK. So this is part of our lives. Just constant check-ins.

HM: What is it like to live like that?

MMV: It's not real life. That's what we do this work. We are kind of lucky, my daughter and I. That she knows, she's very aware, that we have community support but not everybody has that in our community. And we don't want people to live like that anymore. I mean our lives, although we decided not to be afraid anymore, are not fulfilled because we still need to be brave. And I remember a guy from New Orleans that is part of our team and he said one day, “I'm tired of being brave. I just want to be free.” That's exactly how we feel. We just want to be free.

HM: Ms. Mora Villalpando, thank you for talking to us.

MMV: Thank you so much.

HM: All right bye-bye.

MMV: Bye.

JD: Maru Mora Villalpando is an activist and an undocumented immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for more than thirty years. We reached her in Tacoma, Washington. If you'd like to read more about this story, go to our website: cbc.ca/aih.

[Music]

Transcripts promo

I just wanted to remind you all that As It Happens is now publishing daily text transcripts of the program there on our Web site. We post them to the site the day after the podcast, so if you check our website now you will find a full transcript of yesterday's program. Tomorrow you will find tonight's program et cetera, et cetera. And, as if that wasn't sweet enough, every transcript has an audio player embedded into the page, so you can read along as you listen.
So this is a great tool for people who are Deaf and hard of hearing. So this is a great way for them to access CBC radio content, and it can also be a useful tool for English Language Learners. So if you know someone who could benefit from this project, please let them know. We posted all the details on our website. Again cbc.ca/aih. And a big thanks to the Broadcasting Accessibility Fund for their support with our ongoing initiative to make CBC Radio accessible to all.

[Music]

Anti-Islamophobia bill

JD: In the House of Commons today, debate was almost entirely focused on one, non-binding motion. M-103, tabled late last year by Mississauga Liberal MP Iqra Khalid, calls on the government to condemn Islamophobia. But this week, opposition members of the Conservative Party have taken issue with the word "Islamophobia."
Some members have argued the motion ignores other legitimate forms of religious discrimination. And then, there are the free-speech arguments: that the motion would somehow punish those who want to criticize Islam.
And so, today, an opposition motion was put forward by a Conservative member: to "condemn all forms of systemic racism, religious intolerance, and discrimination." Ms. Khalid reacted to that counter-motion in the House today. Here's part of what she had to say.

SOUNDCLIP

IQRA KHALID: I am flattered to see that the Conservatives have decided to use one of their very limited. opposition days to bring a full day of debate on this issue.
When looking at this opposition motion, I agree with 98 percent of it. And do you know why, Mr. Speaker? Because I wrote it. I am appalled by the cynical divisive tactics on the Conservative side to try to start a fake frenzy around the word “Islamophobia” instead of tackling the issue at hand. United with all other parliamentarians, I am sickened that the party opposite have decided to deny comforting all these Canadians who feel vulnerable and attacked by taking the word Islamophobia out of this motion.
Let me read you some of the messages I have received. “No need to debate her. Simply remind her that she is merely a woman and she needs to sit the blank down and shut the blank up. She has to comply according to Shari'a. Kill her and be done with it.” “I agree she is here to kill us. She is sick and she needs to be deported.” “Real Canadians will rise up and get rid of the nasty blank musi stench in Ottawa. They should all go blank back to your blank hole where you belong. We will burn down your mosques draper-head Muslim.” “Why don't you get out of my country? You're a disgusting piece of trash and you are definitely not wanted here by the majority of actual Canadians.” With all that said Mr. Speaker, I will not be voting for this watered down version of M-103 in this House. I will be working tirelessly to communicate what M-103 is about, what it is to stand against all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination including Islamophobia. Thank you Mr. Speaker.

JD: Liberal MP Iqra Khalid reacting in the House of Commons today to an opposition motion that would remove the word “Islamophobia” from her motion in favor of condemning all forms of racism, intolerance, and discrimination.

[Music]

Monopoly thimble

Guest: Brian Valentine

JD: It was never going to be as stylish as the top hat, nor as fun as the Scottie Dog. But since 1935, the Monopoly thimble has been the most solid and reliable of the game pieces. Nothing flashy, but it got the job done. And now, the thimble itself is done.
Today, Hasbro – which makes Monopoly – has announced that, after weeks of voting, the thimble will be discontinued. For his reaction, we've reached Brian Valentine, the second runner-up in the 2015 World Monopoly Championships. We reached him in Alexandria, Virginia.

HM: Brian, when you heard that the thimble would be discontinued, how did you feel?

BRIAN VALENTINE: I was kind of surprised. It's one of those things where you think, “Oh, they're not going to go after the thimble. They’ll go after the wheelbarrow or some other piece that nobody uses.” But it’s kind of a shock to the system I guess.

HM: Why? What's so special about the thimble?

BV: You know for me when I play with it, it kind of feels like you're playing with the cloak of invisibility. I mean, there’s a lot of times I’ve played with people and I’ve had to explain what that actually is. Because they thought it was an upside down trash can or something . When you play it with it, it's not really that noticeable. And one of the kind of unwritten rules of Monopoly is that you don't get charged unless you ask for it and people don't see the thimble moving around. It's kind of like the stealth piece.

HM: Why do you think that is?

BV: I'm not sure. It just doesn't have the flash of a battleship or a sports car or a little Scottie dog. It's just kind of innocuous just sitting there.

HM: Maybe you're playing with people who aren't very observant.

BV: Oh no, sometimes you'd be surprised because I've played a tournament a couple of weeks ago with a U.S. national tournament competitor, and he missed my thimble a couple of times even. So I mean, it's definitely not something that you just say wh, well maybe they’re unskilled or unpracticed to miss it.

HM: You said sometimes you have to explain to people it's not in an upside down trash can. My kid didn't know what a thimble was either. I'm just wondering if they're kind of the sort of thing that’s just so old fashioned that it's time to move on.

BV: Maybe. The thimble, from what I understand, was a product of the fact that when Charles Darrow created the game, he advised people to use random household objects. And a thimble’s small enough to sit on the board. And it's one of those things that kind of stuck. I think that was a more common object of the era back in the early 30s. So maybe you’re right, it’s something that we move on past, but I know I’ll hold onto the ones I've got sitting around.

HM: You know they also got rid of the iron. Maybe they're just getting rid of symbols of, you know household drudgery.

BV: You know, maybe that could be absolutely it. Moving away from the chores, and I guess in that line, I guess the wheelbarrow will be next.

HM: Oh that's… is that worrisome to you?

BV: No not at all.

HM: So you don't like the wheelbarrow?

BV: No, not really. It just reminds me of doing yard work as a kid. But yeah I think it's if that's the way we're going, and from what I understand, it may be soon to be replaced by an emoji, I think you may be onto something. We're modernizing the game I guess for the current time.

HM: As someone who plays regularly, how important do you find the game pieces are? Obviously you like the thimble, but are people generally attached to a certain piece?

BV: You'd be surprised. Yes. Short answer, yes. One of the things that I noticed playing in the world championships a couple of years ago was that everyone definitely has their prized piece. Some people see it as a link to their personality. Some people just do it as a matter of routine and they like to keep things as similar as they can in a game that pretty much changes with every roll. I was a big proponent of having the thimble in my game that I had to roll the then world champion in a roll-off to see who would get the play with it, in the 2015 championship game.

HM: You mentioned an emoji potentially replacing the thimble. There's also a hashtag on the potential list, a rubber duck. What do you think of those choices?

BV: I had to say, I had a good chuckle when I saw the rubber duck, actually. I actually voted for the rubber duck. That one was just stuck out to me as something that was just fun and just as typical in people's life experiences as you know, a thimble or a small puppy dog. So the hashtags and the emojis, you know, I'm kind of a purist with that. I mean, I'm still fairly young ,but at the same time it's maybe a little bit too modern for a game that has its roots in the Depression era the way it does.

HM: Do you think this is all really just a publicity stunt by Hasbro to draw some attention?

BV: Yeah I think that's pretty obvious to me. I think one of the things that Hasbro's been very successful at doing is keeping the Monopoly brand in the public consciousness. Whether it's through playing Monopoly in your McDonald's game, or playing in the lottery, or when these these various piece things come up where they change the pieces out every few years, or that the gameplay tournaments. You know, there's always something going on that keeps Monopoly in the public consciousness.

HM: Before the thimble, I'm told you were a fan of the canon, and it was also discontinued. It looks like there's a bit of a trend here. What's going on?

BV: I should stop having preferred pieces because I think that's pretty much a good way to give a piece a death nail is for me to pick it.

HM: Meantime you suggested to me you already have some thimbles in your possession. Will you just be carrying your own?

BV: I think I may have to, just to make sure there's one there when the game happens. You never know when a game will break out. So it's helpful to have you trusty piece with you, right?

HM: It think it's likely it is going to be some kind of bidding war for remaining thimble pieces?

BV: No, no I don't know that it'll come to that. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but actually today I went and looked on eBay to see what happened with all the thimbles and I feel like there's going to be a steady supply of thimbles for years and years to come.

HM: Brian, thanks very much.

BV: Pleasure talking to you.

HM: OK bye. Have a good day.

BV: Bye-bye.

JD: That was Brian Valentine, an avid Monopoly player. He competed in the 2015 World Monopoly Championships. He was reacting to the news that the thimble game piece would soon be discontinued. We reached him in Alexandria.

[Music]

Trump media montage

JD: U.S. President Donald Trump gave his first solo press conference, since assuming office today. It was long – over an hour – and it felt long. And at times, it was combative.
Throughout the conference, President Trump spoke about Russia, his former national security advisor Michael Flynn, his new Secretary of Labour nominee. He also blasted the press to the press – repeatedly calling the media "dishonest" and "fake news."Here is a selection of just some of those moments from this afternoon:

SOUNDCLIP

DONALD TRUMP: Well the leaks are real. You the one that wrote about them and reported them and the leaks are real. You know what they said, you saw it. And the leaks are absolutely real. The news is fake because so much of the news is fake.

REPORTER: I don’t know which microphone to hold here. I've got three microphones.

DONALD TRUMP: You are the people and your ratings aren’t as good as some of the other people that are waiting.

REPORTER: They’re pretty good right now actually, Mr. President.

DT: OK.

REPORTER 2: Can I just ask you, thank you very much, Mr. President.

DT: Where are you from?

REPORTER: BBC.

DT: Here's another beauty.

REPORTER 2: That’s a good line. Impartial, free, and fair.

DT: Sure. Just like CNN.

REPORTER 3: Mr. President, just like CNN, you said that the leaks are real but the news is fake. I guess I don't understand. It seems that there's a disconnect there. If the information coming from those leaks is real, then how can the stories be fake?

DT: The reporting is fake. Look look, Do you know what it is? Here’s the thing. I just see many many untruthful things and I'll tell you what else I see, I see tone. You know the word “tone”. The tone is such hatred.

[Sound: Shouts of the press crowd]

DT: Go ahead.

REPORTER 4: Mr. President–

DT: Yes? Hi, oh this is going to be a big question but that's OK. Wait let's see, who is… I want to find a friendly reporter. Used to say it was–. Are you a friendly reporter? Watch how friendly he is.
OK sit down I understand the rest of your question.
Now they'll take this news conference. I'm actually having a very good time. OK? But they'll take this news conference. Don't forget, that's the way I won. Remember I used to give you a news conference every time I made a speech, which was like every day. OK? No. That's how I won. I won with news conferences, and probably speeches. I certainly didn't win by people listening to you people, that's for sure. But I'm having a good time. Tomorrow they will say Donald Trump rants and raves at the press. I’m not ranting and raving. I'm just telling you, you know, you’re dishonest people.

JD: Those are just a few moments from a press conference earlier today with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Back To Top »

Part 3: Philosopher Charles Taylor on religious accommodation, Stormy the Donkey prison mascot obit

Newfoundland senior stranded

JEFF DOUGLAS: Jack Sibley just couldn't wait to get home. But he wound up going nowhere fast.The 78-year-old from Ramea, Newfoundland, was staying with his daughter in Stephenville – where he'd travelled for a doctor's appointment. At about 2 a.m. Tuesday morning, he decided to try to beat it back home, before an expected storm moved in. So – without waking his daughter – he headed down the Burgeo highway to try to catch the ferry home. He didn't get far – not that night anyway. He shared with the CBC's Cherie Wheeler what happened around 4:30 – when the real trouble began.

SOUNDCLIP

JACK SIBLEY: I went on too close to the shoulder road and she slipped down in the snow. Well I was going to get out, I wanted to get something in the trunk. So I opened the door, I couldn't get the door open first because there was so much wind blowing right on the door. So I got it open mind and I got out.
When my feet hit the ground, I slipped down. Slipped down on my back. I got on the door and I got the door shut and I said “Gee, hit the wind out of me.” I said now this is a good place to be. Now if I can't get in the car this much wind and this drift coming across the road. I'm a diabetic so I take my pills and the water bottle’s empty. So I said what can I do? So when I pulled the window down, I reached out, with me fingers and take some of the ice off the window. Put it into my mouth and take a pill. So I done that four times so I had all my pills taken. And then I had two muffins from MacDonald’s on the seat. I had a piece of muffin to eat. And I said “Well, that's enough.” Now I've got to be careful here because I was prepared for another night there I was stuck there from 4:30 in the morning until 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon.
But the radio was good. It was a bit cracky. That was… so I had music sometimes. There were no books to read or nothing.

CHERIE WHEELER: Were you worried at all? Were you afraid?

JS: No I wasn't because I had a lot of gas. I had a tank of gas mileage when I left Stephenville. So the car was just idling for heat. That's it. Tried to get to sleep because I'm here for all night. And all of a sudden bang bang bang on the window. I almost jumped out the seat. This is two guys do it. And they’re in a bunch of skidoos on the road. They said we’re going to get you out now and get you all suited up and take you on a skidoo. I was never on a skidoo before. But I got on the skidoo with another guy, suit and coveralls, I had a suit and coveralls of my own here. They put another suit on me and put the but helmet on, and I got up behind buddy. Well before I got to [unintelligible], I thought I should have stayed in the car. The bounce and they're going… you couldn't see the road. All of a sudden we see another guy ahead of him. Well we're going, anyway. So I went to get my first ride on a skidoo.

CW: You don't say. So they brought you to a cabin. Is that right? That's where you ended up hunkering down then.

JS: I got there. I had a nice supper. I watched TV. I could have had a drink but I haven’t drank since last year in June so I never had a drink. So I [unintelligible] and I had a good night's sleep.
I got outside, we got the bunch together, my car was still out over the road. Five guys and were just down out there. I checked her all out. Popped the trump and you wouldn’t know there was an engine in there. Everything was blocked full of snow. All around the car she was blocked snowy on her car and under the car, I guess where all the snow was blowing across the road, under the car.

CW: Jack you have a lot of people out looking for you, and a lot of people were really worried. Your family and no doubt your daughter back in Stephenville. What did they have to say to you?

JS: Nothing yet. When I get home tonight, the phones are going to ring.

CW: Are you going to get an earful?

JS: My daughter in St. Johns, when I talk to her I’m going to take the phone from my head about a foot anyway.

JD: That was 78-year-old Jack Sibley describing to CBC’s Cherie Wheeler how he got stranded in his car on Newfoundland’s Burgeo highway for nearly 12 hours. She caught up with them as he was boarding the ferry for Ramea, which he did at long last and he made it home safe and sound.

[Music]

Charles Taylor

Guest: Charles Taylor

JD: Charles Taylor has had a change of heart. In 2008, the Montreal-based philosopher co-wrote a landmark study on religious accommodation in Quebec. It recommended a ban on religious garb for police, judges, and prison guards.
This week, Mr. Taylor published an editorial in La Presse, in which he wrote he could no longer endorse that recommendation. Meanwhile Quebec's premier is standing firm against opposition pressure to impose a ban on religious headgear for provincial officials. We reached Charles Taylor in Montreal.

HM: Professor Taylor what has happened in the last nine years since you made the recommendation to cause this change of heart?

CHARLES TAYLOR: Well there's two reasons but the really important one is we had the campaign over the charter of “Quebec Values” so-called in 2013, and I learned something that maybe ought to have known before, about what those kind of campaigns do. Because when you have these campaigns which propose to reduce the rights of certain groups of citizens, what you get is a kind of effective stigmatization which has a terrible effect. It comes out in verbal and sometimes more than verbal attacks in the street, on women wearing hijabs. And then I saw it in other places too. A British campaign on Brexit produced the same kind of multiplication of ugly incidents. The French campaign under Valls against the burkini, and of course the Trump campaign in spades. So I realized that's you know, in theory it might be a case for a restriction on what they can wear. The whole business of getting there was making the situation much much much worse.

HM: The proponents of that values charter often referred back to your report, used that as an argument in favor. What did you make of that at the time?

CT: I mean it was just an attempt to use a general ignorance and twist what we were saying in order to move things in their direction.

HM: What were you saying at the time? Because you talked about a ban on religious symbols for those in positions of authority; judges police jail guards.

CT: Yeah. The reason why I accepted that at the time, in 2008, was I accepted the argument that maybe those were such sensitive jobs, so connected to a very frightening aspect of the state, that it would put in danger our general position, which was in no other case of people working for the state would there be any such restrictions at all. The principle was, the state is neutral, the institutions are neutral, but the people who work in them are human beings like everyone else and they should be left free. So this rule about the coercive functions was a small exception admitted in a general rule, for reasons frankly in my case that I was slightly afraid that the reaction would be so strong that we would lose the acceptance of the general rule.

HM: So is it fair to say you didn't actually believe it at the time, that you were just doing it to kind of appease people who are already angry in Quebec?

CT: Well I was… yeah. I wanted to make sure that the report wouldn't just be dismissed and never read because of the strong reaction against this. And my feeling was maybe optimistic. Let's get the report accepted and that would mean that there will be no restrictions anywhere else. And if we manage this properly, if we got rid of the suspicion and if it went properly, we would have no difficulty.

HM: Do you regret though the original findings in the way… I guess, given how people have used them.

CT: Well listen, we either had a report that made some kind of compromise, or we didn't have a report. We had differences and we had to deal with them in a way to get the report out.

HM: Did last month's mosque attack in Quebec City play a factor in your coming out with this statement now?

CT: No. That was not the important reason to come up with this now. I mean, my my disaffection from this position was growing over the whole period, particularly over the latest period. But the reason why I didn't raise it earlier was that we always had something more urgent to argue about. And it just would have not helped the fight against these other proposals if what started to start an argument with my colleagues on this one.

HM: What do you make of Bill 62 the government's bill that would prohibit the providing of services, public services, by anyone whose face was covered?

CT: Well I mean, there's a very good practical reason for that because there just can't be, for any service given, a situation of ease and normality in our society, if the person giving it, you can't see what they really feel, you can't see what's behind their remarks, and so on.

HM: So you support Bill 62?

CT: Not terribly because I think the whole thing is a terrible mistake. It's an attempt to reply to the issue. How do you define race today? How do you define secularism? My reply to what they're trying to do with Bill 62 would be to say we have [unintelligible] in Quebec. We had the commission on confessional education, we had a whole series of measures. So it's just a mistake to cave in to the people who want to define it in terms of restrictions to go on playing that game.

HM: What do you want people to take from the new message that you have delivered about how Quebec should proceed in the future?

CT: That they really make an effort to get to know perhaps their neighbor, or maybe we can help them to know people in other parts of the province who belong to these other communities. That they have a sense that there's something here that's that they have to get to know and they should overcome their fears–

HM: And that would work both ways, I assume.

CT: Yeah that's right. Both sides have to reach out. I think the spirit of the reaction of the mosque very much fosters that. And there's a series of very very specific measures, school exchanges between people in Montreal and let’s say Rimouski, you know, where they don't have many many immigrants and so on. All these efforts to spread this experience of the other, positive experience beyond the areas that it now is which are mainly urban.

HM: Listeners hearing us in this conversation, they may wonder whether you are renouncing what you said in 2008. Is that what you're doing here?

CT: No. I don't know how many are recommendations because I haven't counted them. They’re in the tens and score. Right? One, small one, I think, was misjudged. The whole rest, including the spirit of the report, I entirely support. I've been fighting for it for the last nine years, including very bitter fightswe had, two or three years ago.

HM: Professor Taylor thank you for taking time to speak with us today.

CT: OK. Good. Thank you.

HM: All right. Goodbye.

JD: Charles Taylor is a Montreal-based philosopher. That's where we reached him.

[Music]

Stuart McLean

JD: "He took the mundane and made it beautiful." That is how Jess Milton, long-time producer of Vinyl Cafe, told us she'll remember Stuart McLean.
As you've likely heard, the beloved CBC broadcaster and host of the popular CBC Radio show died yesterday. He was 68 years old. Like so many Canadians, Ms. Milton said she'll remember Stuart's knack for finding the extraordinary in the ordinary – and his ability to unite the country with his distinct brand of storytelling.
Since that interview aired our inbox has been overflowing with tributes.

HM: For many of you, Sunday was synonymous with Stuart McLean's voice. Lyn Henley wrote: "I phoned my Mother (before she passed) every Sunday at noon to remind her to turn the radio on. It got so when she heard the phone, she'd turn on the radio and answer with, 'I have it on' and then abruptly hang up."

JD: Denise Howe added: "Everyone knew not to talk to me while I listened. And newcomers to the rules were greeted with a 'talk to the hand' gesture followed by an invitation for them to join in the listening. The Vinyl Cafe was my religion and Stuart McLean was my deity. And that's coming from an atheist."

HM: Matthew Duffin wrote: "One of the many things I've learned from Stuart is how to forgive myself for my faults and follies. Long periods spent under the heavy blanket of depression and anxiety were often brightened by his observations, philosophies, and stories. In these moments, listening to Stuart, I found a private hideaway from everything I was experiencing, and a reason to smile."

JD: And finally, so many of you spoke of Stuart's stories as touchstones for Canadians – and for newcomers to feel welcome. Leora Blanchard-Bell wrote: "With sorrow, we learned of Stuart's passing. I moved to Canada in 1984. His voice was one of the first things that made me feel this was my home."

JD: And Salam Guenette wrote: "The tears are still rolling. I am an immigrant of Jordanian origin. Stuart was a part of my early Canadian self. He and the Vinyl Cafe connected me to a country I was starting to discover, and have grown to love so much. There is so much pain at the moment, but as Stuart said: this is just ... so long for now.."

HM: Thank you to everyone for your thoughtful words, and for sharing your memories of Stuart McLean. If you missed our interview with Vinyl Cafe producer Jess Milton, you'll find it at cbc.ca/aih.

[Music]

Langevin block

JD: To many MPs who pass the building every day, the Langevin Block is a crown jewel. It's the sprawling, limestone office building. It’s impossible to miss if you're standing on the Parliament Hill lawn. It also houses the Offices of the Prime Minister.
But to Indigenous members of parliament, the Langevin Block is something else entirely. It's an ugly, constant reminder of the man the building is named after – Hector Langevin, father of Confederation, architect behind the residential school system.
Today, a group of Indigenous MPs, Liberals and the NDP, gave a press conference, urging Public Services and Procurement Minister Judy Foote, to change the name of the building. One of those MPs was NDP member Romeo Saganash. Here is part of what Mr. Saganash had to say.

SOUNDCLIP

ROMEO SAGANASH: When I explained to my mother that the building that houses the prime minister of this country is named after this person, her response was “How can that be? Is that how badly they continue to treat us as survivors of residential schools?” And I tended residential school for 10 years, and when I came out of essential school, I set out on a mission to reconcile with the people that put me away. And it doesn't help to walk beside a building and be reminded of the principal architect that sent me away.
You can ask any survivor of residential school. These are things that we will carry throughout our life. I never forget very specific details about my experience in residential schools. Even the first seconds I walked into the residential schools. I can still remember how it looked, I can still remember the smell, the odor of the place. I remember all that. So we carried that. So I think it will help. Indigenous peoples, survivors of residential schools, if we took this extra step.
There is a lot to be done. Granted. But this is a symbolic but meaningful step that we need to take as a country, especially in this year, as we, as you celebrate 150 of Confederation. I think the initial step needs to be taken is to consult with the people on which this building is on. We are on unceded Algonquin territory and I think those are the first people that we need to consult with respect to the name.

JD: That was NDP Member of Parliament Romeo Saganash urging the federal government to change the name of the Langevin Block.

[Music]

Stormy Prison mascot

Guest: Jeff Peters

JD: After a long career of protest and of nativity pageants, Stormy the Donkey died last week.
For years after the previous federal government closed all six of Canada's prison farms in 2010, Stormy served as the mascot for those hoping to see the farms program reinstated. The farms allowed hundreds of inmates to work as a form of rehabilitation. Stormy was at the protests that followed their closure.
Jeff Peters is Stormy's former owner, and the chairperson of the Pen Farm Herd Co-op, which is still pushing for the return of prison farms. We reached Mr. Peters on his farm, north of Kingston, Ontario.

HM: Mr. Peters I'm really sorry to hear Stormy is no longer with us. It must be a big loss.

JEFF PETERS: Yeah he was a legend in our prison farm campaign, but he lived to be 40 years old and everybody has to go sometime. But he lived to a ripe old age for sure.

HM: What made Stormy's so special?

JP: Well he added a lot of humor to our campaign and that's probably the most important thing and he was a symbol of our stubbornness and persistence not to give up on an issue that we're still fighting for. So now we're going to fight in his memory as well.

HM: In your obituary for Stormy, you mentioned some of the highlights of his career as a protest mascot. Can you tell us about the time you were arrested together?

JP: Oh yeah that was in 2010. In August, we were trying to prevent the cows from being removed from the prison farm in Kingston, and it was a two day blockade. The first day, eight people got arrested. But the second day we came back and I chained Stormy and myself together. It was a bit difficult getting arrested the second day because they had a lot of… they had a lot of what do you call like fences and–

HM: Barricades maybe.

JP: Yeah that's right. And when I got arrested I remember the policeman saying holy I can't say the next one but they're joined together and so they took us both towards the paddy wagons and then they had to get us apart. They were going to send him to the Humane Society. I went to jail, but eventually somebody took him home that night which was great.

HM: Now there's also that story many people will remember of Stormy being chased off Parliament Hill. Tell us what happened there.

JP: Well this was in the early spring. and when we got to Parliament Hill, he saw the green grass. It gets well fertilized around Parliament Hill, and he bolted and got away from me and headed to the lawns up on Parliament Hill, and started nibbling on the grass. And this was a new event for the RCMP. So the RCMP tried to catch him and he didn't want to get caught.
Eventually we got captured and they sent us back down to the sidewalk and said don't come on the grass again. Well just at that time, four or five of the members of parliament came out because it was… there was a media scrum. They said “We want a picture with Stormy.” I said, well the best place for a picture is on the lawn and they said “OK let's go.” So I took the Stormy back to get some more green grass, and of course the RCMP couldn't do anything because the members of parliament have the power. So he had a great day there.
And then that night he ended up in the CBC room. Evan Solomon it was, wanted to interview Stormy, one of the sisters, Sister Pauline, and myself. So we made her way up to the second floor of the CBC building. I was never so nervous in all my life, because he went up the stairs. And animals will walk up stairs, but they don't like going down the stairs. But we got in the studio and I was so nervous that he would have a bathroom break right there.

HM: Yes I would think so.

JP: Eventually we got we got that over with, but we just had to wait for him to make up his mind.

HM: Did he leave the studio as clean as he found it?

JP: He did and that was a relief in more ways than one.

HM: It's been years now since the prison farms were closed. Remind us of the government's reasons for doing that?

JP: Well they said they were wasting money. And they also said that the inmates weren't learning meaningful skills on the farm. We really didn't accept the excuses because we knew they weren't right. So we've, since 2009, we've been fighting fairly vigorously.

HM: You obviously disagree with the notion that the inmates aren't learning anything. What do you think they gained from the program?

JP: Oh they we had the inmates helping us during the campaign. They called it the “miracle farm”. The cows taught them patience, taught them how to control their anger, taught them how to ask for help. It just turned their lives around, and they're on the streets now being productive members of our society because of the farm. So you can't argue with real livee people. You just can't. So we're still committed to open the farms and we've had some really good signs. I know we had a big consultation last summer and Prime Minister Trudeau talked about the farms at that town hall meeting in Kingston. So we have our fingers crossed that this is the year that the cows that we own, that originally came from the farm and their babies, will go back to jail, and help inmates turn their lives around.

HM: Did you get any indication of the timing for that potentially?

JP: It's on the spring agenda which is great. We've been waiting now, seven or eight years. We know it’s on their to-do list because they know we won't let up until the decision is made.

HM: What would you like to see from the farm if it indeed is to reopen? What would you want it to be doing?

JP: We'd like to see a real sustainable farm. We want them to animals to produce milk either for drinking or to make cheese. We want it to be a farm that people can come and visit, because there's nothing more important than producing food for our population in the years to come.

HM: We'll wait and see what the results of all that are, and meantime, it's sad that Stormy won't be among the animals returning to the prison.

JP: Well we'll definitely have to have a poster with his picture on it, so if he's not there in person, he will definitely be there in spirit. And he'll keep reminding us that when you think something is right, it's easy to keep moving forward.

HM: Be stubborn like Stormy.

JP: Yeah that's exactly what people are going to say and we're cautiously optimistic that our goal is going to be reached.

HM: Mr. Peters, thank you so much for sharing your memories of this great donkey and what might be happening in terms of the farm as well.

JP: Well my pleasure. Thank you for your interest.

HM: All right bye-bye.

JP: Bye-bye.

JD: We reached Jeff Peters on his farm north of Kingston, Ontario. Mr. Peters chairs the Pen Farm Herd Co-op which continues to push for the return of prison farms. He was also the owner of Stormy, the 40-year-old donkey who became a mascot for prison farm supporters. Stormy died last week and you can find more about him on the As It Happens website at cbc.ca/aih.

[Music]

Robbery Squirrel

JD: When it comes to investigating this case, you might say one Idaho police officer started...from scratch. I know, I took one big pause there. Which is funny, because this story is about...two small paws.
OK, look. This seems redundant, because we've already talked about how news anchors hesitate dramatically before revealing the comic ending to a sentence. I don't want to belabour the point, but here's a perfect example. It comes from KIVI-TV in Idaho, with a story about a burglary gone wrong. Here's Michelle Edmonds, news anchor, who waits to drop her own punch line...like an anchor.

SOUNDCLIP

MICHELLE EDMONDS: The burglar able to grab a few small things before things got a little squirrely.

JD: Now if you guessed that the story has something to do with squirrels...you're right. One squirrel in particular, owned by an Idaho man. His name is Joey. The squirrel's name, I mean. The man is named Adam Pearl.
Last week, Mr. Pearl noticed footprints in the snow outside his house. When he went inside, he realized that someone had broken in: doors had been opened, stuff had been taken, and there were scratches on the safe that held his guns.
But those scratches weren't the ones that helped Officer Ashley Turner nail the suspect. Adam Pearl told KIVI-TV what Officer Turner told him about what the thief told her.

SOUNDCLIP

ADAM PEARL: She said while she was questioning the individual, he had scratches on his hands so he she asked him. So did you get that from the squirrel? And he says, “Yeah, damn thing kept attacking me and wouldn’t stop until I left.”

JD: So Joey the squirrel had not only prevented a bigger theft, he had helped finger the culprit. Claw the culprit, I should say. In summation, you may wonder if anyone can believe it.

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ADAM PEARL: Nobody can it because who can say they have a squirrel that guards their house? Which is crazy. You can’t ask for much more than that. He's a pain but it is great.

JD: So that squirrel proved a very effective, and probably very disturbing, guard animal. We hope he's being rewarded. Or to put it another way, we hope his owner is jumping...for Joey.

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Feb 16th, 2017 episode transcript

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