Note: Transcripts may contain errors. If you wish to re-use all, or part of, a transcript, please contact CBC for permission. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting in print. Copyright © CBC 2022

The Loop Transcript for March 4, 2022

Hosts: Clare Bonnyman, Min Dhariwal

CLARE BONNYMAN: Hey, I’m Clare Bonnyman.

MIN DHARIWAL: And I’m Min Dhariwal.

CLARE BOO-NNYMAN: And welcome to The Loop.

[music: theme]

Prologue

CLARE BONNYMAN: Min, we are rapidly approaching one of my favourite times of the year.

MIN DHARIWAL: Uh-huh?

CLARE BNONNYMAN: Awards season.

MIN DHARIWAL: Oh, I thought you meant the playoffs.

CLARE BONNYMAN: [chuckling] No!

MIN DHARIWAL: You knew that was coming, too.

CLARE BONNYMAN: This is my playoffs.

MIN DHARIWAL: These are your playoff. [Clare chuckles] Fair enough.

CLARE BONNYMAN: It's the thing about… it's like not a nice season. It's gross outside.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah.

CLARE BONNYMAN: We're like waiting for spring, waiting for not spring. But you can turn on your TV and see all these beautiful people.

MIN DHARIWAL: Right!

CLARE BONNYMAN: All dressed up, just smiling and happy and like --

MIN DHARIWAL: Great teeth!

CLARE BONNYMAN: Such good teeth! Heartfelt speeches, thanking people. It's really lovely.

MIN DHARIWAL: I find it a little stressful because then, [Clare chuckles] you know, you… if you're going to watch one of those shows or if you have… if you live in a home where people love those shows.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yes.

MIN DHARIWAL: You don't want to be sitting there and not knowing what people are talking about.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yah, you got to do research.

MIN DHARIWAL: Or, wow, this show's so great. You have to do research and catch up, right? So, for me, it's a little stressful because sometimes I find I'm a little slow on keeping up with, you know, what's… what's in or what's… what's good or what might win an award or what have you.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yeah, It's funny because I used to go all in.

MIN DHARIWAL: Okay.

CLARE BONNYMAN: And do like… watch a ton of things and make like a ballot. And then, I think the first time I did that in a while was last year because there was not much happening.

MIN DHARIWAL: Right.

CLARE BONNYMAN: So I was just like, [chuckling] I literally watched everything.

MIN DHARIWAL: Oh wow!

CLARE BONNYMAN: Down to like shorts, the documentary shorts, foreign films. Like, I did as much as I could.

MIN DHARIWAL: So you could have… the Academy could have hired you.

CLARE BONNYMAN: I was the Academy, Min!

MIN DHARIWAL: You were the Academy. [chuckling] The YEG Academy.

CLARE BONNYMAN: The YEG Academy. But it's because it's so… there's so many amazing stories out there. And I think in the last couple of years, too, I've noticed there have been more and more stories getting celebrated and recognized that are coming from communities that we don't often see getting that same kind of platform.

MIN DHARIWAL: Right.

CLARE BONNYMAN: And one of those communities is the Deaf community. So, I mean, movies like The Sound of Metal, which did really well last year, was an incredible film.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah.

CLARE BONNYMAN: The Eternals, which came out this year, which is like that massive Marvel franchise, right? Feeling Through again from last year, even A Quiet Place. And then this year's CODA, which stands for Child of Deaf Adults, is already cleaning up. It did great at the SAG Awards this last weekend.

MIN DHARIWAL: Wow!

CLARE BONNYMAN: They're looking at Oscars, so all of these movies feature Deaf actors and storylines getting nods and being nominated. Min, have you seen any of these? I just gave you a laundry list.

MIN DHARIWAL: I have not, but I feel that I should. Because if there's that many, my… my neighbours, both the couple… they're both deaf.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Oh yeah!

MIN DHARIWAL: And… but their kids aren't. And so --

CLARE BONNYMAN: They're CODAs

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah, absolutely are CODAs. So, I think I'll have to watch a couple of these so that I can have a conversation with my neighbour about whether or not he's watched them, right?

CLARE BNONNYMAN: [chuckles] Yeah!

MIN DHARIWAL: Because he and I, we communicate all the time via text.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yeah.

MIN DHARIWAL: You know, I thought, at least, you know, 10 years in, I would have learned to sign somewhat. But he's always texting me, so I kind of blame him a little bit. [Clare laughs] But maybe it's time for me to take the initiative.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Way to pass the buck, Min. [laughing]

MIN DHARIWAL: But he's great. Yeah, they're great. And they're… I'm sure they've watched a few of these.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Well, and more than anything, it's just really awesome to see these kinds of… of characters and storylines and actors included in larger spectrums, right?

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah!

CLARE BONNYMAN: Like, a lot of these are not exclusively about those kinds of stories.

MIN DHARIWAL: No.

Awards And Accessibility

Guests: Connor Yuzwenko-Martin, Thurga Kanagasekerampillai

CLARE BONNYMAN: But they just include all aspects of different kinds of cultures. And… and the echoes of kind of that representation, we're seeing that in the city as well. Edmonton has a really strong Deaf community.

MIN DHARIWAL: Right.

CLARE BONNYMAN: And a lot of really amazing theatre that comes and includes ASL and signing. But Connor Yuzwenko-Martin is a deaf consultant, artist and actor. And Thurga Kanagasekarampillai is a deaf actress and activist. And this week, they both spoke to me through interpreter Robyn Lavender about what it means to see and be seen as a deaf actor on stage and screen. Hello, and thank you both so much for joining me on The Loop today.

CONNOR YUZWENKO-MARTIN: Hello. Thank you.

THURGA KANAGASEKARAMPILLAI: Yes. Hello. Thanks.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Thurga, I would love to start with you and hear a bit about how you got into theatre and acting?

THURGA KANAGASEKARAMPILLAI: It's… it's been a long journey so far, since really a young age. When I was in grade four, I had a class trip to go to a set of a TV show. It was the FBI show, the... Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye, and it was really nice! Really cool to see the actors in the set and how the filming worked, and I was so intrigued by it. At that time, Danny Bray [Deanne Bray], who's an actor, Troy Kotsur's wife. So I got to meet them… so I got to meet them in person on that trip, and I saw a deaf person there, and I was amazed by that. I thought, you know, this is something I could do. And so, I was really eager and passionate at that time about it. And that passion kind of grew in me, and I started to… you know, you don't see many people, that many actors on TV with dark skin who were deaf. And so that gave me more of a fire and more of a commitment to kind of break down those barriers to have diverse, BIPOC deaf actors. It's I'm here today,

CLARE BONNYMAN: And Connor, you're an actor as well, but you've since moved into being a deaf consultant for theatre and this kind of work. Tell me about that? What does that mean? What does that look like?

CONNOR YUZWENKO-MARTIN: Yeah, I am an actor, and that's how I kind of started was… I started was on stage. You know, throughout junior high school and high school being, you know, in plays every year and getting to experience a lot of different things. You know, I thought I would be an actor. And then, as I moved on to university, I decided to take political science. [Clare chuckles] And, you know, kind of same thing as Thurga. You know, seeing power imbalances, barriers for the Deaf community. I wanted to really dive into that and figure that out more. So I got a degree, like I said, in political science. And acting opportunities kept popping up for me, and I would get involved as many as pop… as many as possible. And there was a lot of opportunities that were coming up for me at that time. At the same time, I was kind of transitioning to more of a creative role. You know, I wanted to do something more creative. I wanted to, you know, be more exposed to theatre and, you know, kind of look at the rules of theatre. And that's why I started to really be interested in being a deaf consultant. So I could really assess, you know, theatre and see what hearing people were doing and how to make theatre more accessible for everyone. And to integrate interpreters properly and well into theatre rather than, you know, having the interpreter just like off to the side and separate with a spotlight on… a spotlight on them. The job really varies. Sometimes, I'm, you know, just looking and analyzing captions and making sure that the captions, you know, are connecting to the performance, you know, simple things. You know, and sometimes I'm there for two weeks during rehearsals. I'm really analyzing the actors and their sound choices and supporting actors in the environment and to make it more of an inclusive environment for deaf actors. Because typically, you know, there's one or two deaf actors. It's a cast of all hearing people and a hearing director. And that can feel very isolating and put a lot of burden on the deaf actor to, you know, advocate for accessibility and more advocating than actually doing their acting job, which isn't fair. And so, I like to take over that role and be that advocate and consultant. You know, hearing actors and hearing production teams to make sure that the… the deaf person can have the experience of being an actor.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Thurga, what is it like from the other side, looking more at that acting? Tell me how your work has changed over the years?

THURGA KANAGASEKARAMPILLAI: Well, a lot of resources have changed. For example, the first time that I got a job or a role from the Citadel Theatre, that was for The Tempest. That really impacted me. I've had experience being rejected for many roles many times in my life. But this time, I got a role, and so that felt different. And so, I thought, okay, you know, and I was navigating having this role and this experience. But I noticed that when the acting was all done, hearing people continue to have more opportunities. And me as a deaf person, I was like, okay, what's next for me now? And not getting opportunities. And that impacted me really a lot, you know? And it, you know, affects people's confidence. And, you know, for three or four years now, I found out about CODA. The movie CODA winning awards. And I was like, you know, that's what I want to see. And Children of a Lesser God, for example. That… you know, they won an award. And it was the first female, you know, actor… deaf actor to get an award. And then, over time, until now, it's just like what's changed from before till now, you know? This… you know, the system and education, not a lot has changed. And it's been a struggle for me at times. One of mixed emotions as well. In Banff Arts Centre, they have a program for a month that I went to before I moved to Edmonton. And they offered one class there. It was a Shakespeare class. I didn't have any idea if they would have resources or, you know, if I would get a really basic, you know, English understanding of that class. But I wanted to challenge myself and challenge why couldn't I, you know, have that? And when I went, I realized, you know, I can depend on myself now. And I have resources. And it's okay to take those kind of classes. And I can, you know, spread that word over to other deaf people that, you know, there are resources and… and things that can help deaf people be successful and achieve their dreams. You know, deaf people are often struggling with, you know, programs, getting funding cuts, barriers at every turn of the process of being in… in theatre. That's just something we all… we have to face.

CLARE BONNYMAN: I'm glad you brought up CODA because that's part of this larger movement that I think we're seeing of not just Deaf culture and actors being included in movies and film, but they're also getting celebrated and awarded and recognized more than ever before. Connor, what does it mean to you to see that kind of representation become more common and more celebrated as well?

CONNOR YUZWENKO-MARTIN: I must say I like to see all of that and all of the improvements that have been made. And it's really good to see such diversity being shown in TV and movies. It's… I think it's really important to see that. And the reason for that is it's important to see deaf actors in roles that are not about the fact that they are deaf. It's not about the fact that their death. They're just there doing… you know, being superheroes, you know? Or private detectives. They happen to be deaf, and that's cool to see. For me, as a creative, as a, you know, a writer, that type of story I think it, you know, identifies that there's, you know, strength in having deaf representation. It's not a story about Deaf culture. It's not like we're having to educate people that, you know, sign language is a real language, and it's not about being deaf. And there's a lot of other stories about that. I think, you know, for me, I prefer to see stories that are about different things, not just about being deaf, but like stories that happen to have deaf people in them. And I think that it shows that we're valid. And that we have stories. And that we have skills. And the only thing that we have to deal with is this barrier with communication. But we have so much more to us than just these barriers of communication.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Thurga, I want to ask you as well because you brought up Troy Kotsur before. And in his acceptance speech at the SAG Awards, he stated the difference between deaf actors and actors who happen to be deaf. How does that distinction resonate with you?

THURGA KANAGASEKARAMPILLAI: I mean, I feel like I am an actor. I feel like I'm an actor, just like a hearing person feels like they're an actor. We have the same goals. Me and a hearing person have the same goals. The only thing I have to do different is I require accessibility to meet those goals. You know, I need an interpreter there. As soon as there's an interpreter there, I feel like, okay, now we're on the same page. I always have to work on that. And it's not always readily available. And sometimes, hearing people have no idea that those things need to be in place. And so, we have to take on the burden, the responsibility of saying, hey, in order for us to be equal here or in order for me to have… be able to do the same thing as hearing actors, these are the things that I need. And sometimes, those things are missing, and I try to accept it and work through it. And I try and fight for my needs. And things work out sometimes, and things don't. And I just have to accept it and keep going, working through it and see if I can manage without the access that I need. But, you know, sometimes if those needs aren't met, I'm always like, you know, there's something missing. Like, I need more. And I, unfortunately, I don't think that that will ever end, unfortunately.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yeah.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Talking about supporting all actors and creating those inclusive performances where everyone can thrive. You were both involved in The Beginning of Happiness recently, which was a performance here in the city. It came out via film. And Connor, you worked as a deaf consultant on that. Can you tell me what the process was like to turn a sort of dance choreography music piece into an accessible film?

CONNOR YUZWENKO-MARTIN: Yeah, for sure. I am… during that process, it was actually kind of a learning experience for me as well. I learned a lot along the way. You know, dance… with dancing and movement. Plus, the addition of kind of the choral audio on top of it, you know? And usually, what I'm used to working with is seeing a script and having that be on stage. And so this added a lot more layers for me that I hadn't worked with before. During that process, I did two roles. I was a deaf consultant for that production. And, you know, I was making sure that things that needed to be in place were in place. As well as... I was an ASL coach, which means that I was, you know, also analyzing the language itself, the voice… the vocals in it and how to represent those vocals as best as possible. And how to express those vocals in an equivalent way in ASL, in a cultural way in ASL. You know, when we actually got there to do the filming, and we had, you know, everything, you know, the lights and the camera and action and ready to go. At that time, the language we realized was actually quite repetitive for like two minutes straight. You know, the words would repeat. And the captions only showed it a few times. And the rest of the time was silence. And so… and the captions didn't match what was happening on the screen. So then, we sat back and looked at it again, and we thought, you know, maybe this needs to repeat like a rhythm. And so it was really a learning experience for all of us. I don't know if Thurga had your hand up and if you wanted to add something, Thurga?

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yeah. Thurga, what was your experience in that project?

THURGA KANAGASEKARAMPILLAI: Yeah, I just wanted to add that I had experience, you know, being filmed before in accessible vlogs and, you know, music music videos, doing, you know, translations in sign language. And that part with the sound and the captions. You know, I… I already knew that there was something that I… that needed to be changed. We had an interpreter there with… there and with the video, I knew. You know, I just felt in my… inside myself, something's missing. We need to add something. And that's not as accessible as it can be. And so that shows some, like, privilege as well that, you know, sometimes people, you know, don't think of that, that parts of things are missing for us. And that… that's part of the process through, you know, getting accessibility. It's really, you know, showing all of the animation, you know, that hearing people are getting audibly that deaf people sometimes miss out on or getting tone in a message. Because I read through the whole thing, and I thought, I understand it. But sometimes, I wasn't sure what the tone was of the words that I was reading on, you know, the lyrics I was reading on a script. And it wasn't until I had an interpreter to be able to tell me about the tone that I was able to match what… what was actually happening in the video at the same time. And so, it was challenging and… but it was fun. And it was filmed here in Edmonton as well. It was an amazing team. Everybody was so fantastic. Now that I'm in Edmonton, I'm really excited to be here and be able to work more on these types of things and work on the process. And, you know, getting better at every time, rather than just doing what everybody's used to. You know, maybe doing something new and innovative. And just... just education is not enough sometimes. Sometimes you really need to work on the process and continue to improve as you go.

CLARE BONNYMAN: When we talk about this process of improvement, there is so much work we can do. I'd love to ask you both, but Connor, let's start with you. Where can we get better at telling stories about and… and just including deaf actors, Deaf culture, Deaf communities?

CONNOR YUZWENKO-MARTIN: That's a great question. It applies to everything arts, theatre, business, government, everywhere. It's, you know, the same… the same answer I always say is, honestly, sometimes it starts with a budget. Because for the longest time, people thought, oh yeah, we can have accessibility. Yeah, let's do it. Let's do it accessible. We're not an afterthought. I don't want to be an afterthought. I'm not an afterthought. You know, when you make a budget, and there's lines and lines of, you know… you know, you got catering, you got transportation, accessible line should be there, right along with all of those things. It needs to be part of the budget. It needs to be there. I don't want to be an afterthought. And it's not just for interpreters. The interpreters are included in that. But, you know, what about intervenors for deaf-blind individuals? Captions, heart interpreting, livecart in event. There's so many things that are, you know, accessibility. You know, it needs to be there. It needs to be in your budget and ready to go ahead of time so that people can be involved -- for example, one example of this, my vet for my dog. You know, in 2021, it was their very first year ever having a deaf client at the vet. And I'm like, really?! For the past 40 years that you've been a vet, this is the first time you've ever seen a deaf person? So they were, you know, trying to figure out how to have this accessible. But it should be part of the business. It should be there. I don't want to be at a scramble. I don't want people to scramble. I want to be considered when people start.

CLARE BONNYMAN: And Thurga?

THURGA KANAGASEKARAMPILLAI: Yeah! And this has happened to me as well in Toronto, in my experience. I… you know, I had one doctor, and I had… sorry, it was a vet. And I had my… my… my kitty, Shadow, with me. And, you know, there's a lot of concern about accessibility and what we need to do. And I said, you know, that's fine. I can read, we can write back and forth. But… and there was a huge panic. And I felt that panic. And I just thought in Toronto, you know, a place where, you know, things should be accessible, it's… it's not. And I feel like it's the same everywhere. In every province, it feels like, you know, there are organizations out there and agencies out there to help with these things. It needs to be… you know, every agency and every business is different. And you never know as a deaf person what you're walking into. But I agree with Connor.

CONNOR YUZWENKO-MARTIN: If you don't mind, I just kind of wanted to add one really quick self-promotion. If you don't mind?

CLARE BONNYMAN: Please, Connor! Go ahead. What's going on?

CONNOR YUZWENKO-MARTIN: Thank you! This month is really quite an exciting month for deaf artists in Edmonton. We host a Canadian-wide deaf theatre festival. It's called "Sound Off". And this is happening the last week of March and the first week of April. Thurga will be there performing. We have a show together. Plus, I have a stage reading that will be my original script that I wrote. The production is called After Foust, and it will be Alberta's first deaf written, deaf directed and fully deaf cast performance in Alberta, I think, maybe ever. I just wanted to put that out there. It's a really exciting month for deaf artists.

[Music: Folk]

YEG’s Best Burb

CLARE BONNYMAN: Min, what's the best award that you've ever received?

MIN DHARIWAL: Ah, there's been so many, so --

CLARE BONNYMAN: Oh, okay!

MIN DHARIWAL: I probably have to say --

CLARE BONNYMAN: Humblebrag.

MIN DHARIWAL: Maybe I'd have to go back to the 80s, "Best Supporting Actor", and there's this movie called Stand By Me. I don't know if you ever saw that?

CLARE BONNYMAN: [said in disbelief] Are you making a joke?

MIN DHARIWAL: No, are you serious? You never heard about this?

CLARE BONNYMAN: No!

MIN DHARIWAL: You didn't know I was a child actor.

CLARE BONNYMAN: What?!! [gasp]

MIN DHARIWAL: I'm just kidding.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Oh… what?! Really?! [Min laugh] Oh!

MIN DHARIWAL: Oh, your face.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Oh, Min!

MIN DHARIWAL: Your face is like, oh my god!

CLARE BONNYMAN: Have I been doing a show with greatness, and I'm just finding out right now?

MIN DHARIWAL: I don't know your past. Could you imagine --

CLARE BONNYMAN: You're a barrel of secrets.

MIN DHARIWAL: If I was in Stand By Me in the 80s, Claire, I would not be here right now.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Min, I hate to tell you this. I don't… [whispering] I've never seen Stand By Me. I wasn't… I wasn't around in the '80s.

MIN DHARIWAL: I cannot believe that

CLARE BONNYMAN: That' not that's… not really my prime time.

MIN DHARIWAL: There's so many classic movies from the 80s, Clare.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Don't get me wrong, I love it. [laughing]

MIN DHARIWAL: Stand By Me is this coming of age film [Clare laughs] with some, like, legendary actors.

CLARE BONNYMAN: And not you. Just to be clear.

MIN DHARIWAL: And not me.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Just to be perfectly clear. [laughing]

MIN DHARIWAL: And not me.

CLARE BONNYMAN: I thought you were going to say like a Participation ribbon or something.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah. Oh, I had… I had a bunch of those.

CLARE BONNYMAN: [chuckling] Of course, I'm asking you this question.

MIN DHARIWAL: Right.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Because this month, CBC Edmonton, we're giving out a unique award, not "Best Supporting Actor".

MIN DHARIWAL: Right.

CLARE BONNYMAN: For any 80s film. But this is an award I've never heard of: "Best Burb".

MIN DHARIWQAL: Is that right?!

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yes. You live in the suburbs. Tell me... you love the burbs?

MIN DHARIWAL: Yes. I… you know what? I mean, at this stage of my life, where I am, and in the specific burb I'm in, yeah, it's great.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yeah.

MIN DHARIWAL: Accessibility by walking, not so great. But there's some great trails. There's a ravine nearby. So, you know, it's awesome.

CLARE BONNYMAN: That's the way, though, right? Like, I grew up in the burbs outside of Toronto.

MIN DHARIWAL: Right.

CLARE BONNYMAN: And they've got a special place in my heart because it is like a place of childhood.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah, memories.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Right? And I'm biking around these streets and like actually safely biking.

MIN DHARIWAL: A hundred per cent!

CLARE BONNYMAN: Because there's not as much traffic.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah.

CLARE BONNYMAN: There's a community feel.

MIN DHARIWAL: Feeling safe.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yeah, the suburbs have a hugely special place in my heart, for sure.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah. I mean, there's a ton in this city.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yes!

MIN DHARIWAL: And I'm sure that is going to be the hardest award to choose. And, of course, this is something anyone can join in on. So if you want to submit your burb as the best in the city, you can win a big prize and some CBC swag. There's some actually good swag coming through.

CLARE BONNYMAN: There's some really good swag!

MIN DHARIWAL: I've seen some good stuff. And people are submitting their entrants online at: www.cbc.ca/mycbcyeg. And so far, we've heard from people right across the city. Like, that's not a surprise.

CLARE BONNYMAN: No.

MIN DHARIWAL: Everybody loves their community.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Well, that's the thing that I love about Edmonton.

MIN DHARIWAL: Pride, right?

CLARE BONNYMAN: Is there's all of these separate communities, but they're all so passionate.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah.

CLARE BONNYMAN: And my favourite thing about this contest, for sure, is hearing how people describe where they're from.

MIN DHARIWAL: Through this job, I've been able to experience some communities I'd never even stepped foot in.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Absolutely!

MIN DHARIWAL: So I am fully anticipating like an onslaught [Clare chuckles] of, you know, people pumping the tires on their burb.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Oh yeah, it's making me want to move just about everywhere across the city. But our first stop today.

MIN DHARIWAL: Okay!

CLARE BONNYMAN: is West Edmonton over in Lewis Estates.

MIN DHARIWAL: Oh yeah, yeah.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Here is a sweet story from a bakery owner who lives in Suder Greens.

[sc]

IJEOMA OMODU: I am Ijeoma Omodu. I am the owner of Jovic Bakery. Jovic Bakery is healthy promoting bakery. People can walk in if you're on the busy schedule like myself and pick a platter of food for your family. All you have to do is you go home and heat it up. We make sure that they gets the healthy stuff, plus the tasty stuff. We have been open since 2018. I decided that I'm not going to be able to be as involved as I would like to be in the bakery if it is up too far from my home. I have been living in the west end here for over 50 years. When I started living here, there was actually no Anthony Henday. And the only outlet any other place is Whitemud. And the last street is 215, and that's 2153 Winterburn Road. With time, the area started developing. And I'm going, wow, this is really good because before then, if I have to buy bread, I really have to go far off. I can spend the whole year really without going to downtown. [chuckling] I get everything I want in the neighbourhood. Louis Estate was it for us because, one, it's a golfing community. Two, it was a quiet place. Three, it was safe. I don't believe there's any country in the world that is not represented in Louis Estates. It's a very welcoming, multicultural neighbourhood that you don't have to be afraid no matter where you are coming from. I am so thankful that we are in this neighbourhood as a bakery. I'm so thankful that I have God's people in the community who are supporting us. Because throughout this COVID, people come in on their own. They're not coming to buy anything. They're just coming to ask us, how are you doing? Do you need any help? How can we do? Sometimes, they come in, they don't need something, they buy it. Oh, I just want to make sure that you guys are doing okay? We don't want you to close, you know? So those things are so heartwarming, and I very much appreciate all they do. And I'm thinking by God's grace, we will have a way to give back to the community because they have been there for us,

[/sc]

CLARE BONNYMAN: A pretty convincing argument there. That's from Ijeoma Omodu, the owner of Jovic Bakery in the Suder Greens neighbourhood of Lewis Estates, which, Min, you're pretty familiar.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah, you know what?

CLARE BONNYMAN: You're a golfer.

MIN DHARIWAL Yeah, Lewis Estates Golf Course. I've been golfing there for years, and it really has grown.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yeah.

MIN DHARIWAL: Like, that whole community around that golf course and that neighbourhood, the homes around it, has really expanded. And, you know, my wife's family, some of them had businesses in, you know, Stony Plain Road area and Winterburn Road. Like, I mean, I can remember driving up and down Winterburn Road when it was like, you better keep your eye on the road, or you're going to hit the ditch, right? [Clare chuckles] It was that narrow. It was like a dirt trail.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Times have changed.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah. Oh, totally changed. If you go to that spot now, it's just bustling, right?

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yeah.

MIN DHARIWAL: And so, you know, moving a little more south, there is one of the fastest-growing areas in the city, according to this year's census. The southwest side of the city, just south of Henday, has had more than 155 per cent increase in population, which is --

CLARE BONNYMAN: Nuts!

MIN DHARIWAL: That is huge, right?

CLARE BONNYMAN: That's amazing!

MIN DHARIWAL: And that's just in the last five years.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yeah.

MIN DHARIWAL: Smack dab in between those two communities is Caffiend Coffee. The cafe opened in 2019, and owner Jennifer Oleskyn makes a pretty solid case for why that may be the best burb of all.

[sc]

JENNIFER OLESKYN: I am Jennifer Oleskyn, owner of Caffeined Coffee. We are husband-wife-owned. My husband, Allen, he is a chef by trade, so he takes care of the foodstuff. So all of our food is made in-house. All of our sweets are made in-house. You know, we make our own falafel patties. Like, we do as much as we can in-house. And then we also are big supporters of other local businesses. So we love partnering with other local Edmonton and area businesses. Our coffee comes from Roasti in Sherwood Park. You know, we sell the Little Bear gelato here. Our kombucha is from here. Our tea is produced here. Our beer that we get is from Alley Cat. So we try to do as much as we can locally to Edmonton. And then, all the art on the walls, all the vendors here are all local artists. My husband and I, we live in the Chapelle Gardens neighbourhood. We had a dream of someday opening a cafe. The original dream was in like 10 years from now when we retire in a little mountain town. We even went through all of the research. We drove through all of B.C., through the Kootenays, to try to scope out towns. And actually, on our way home from that trip, we noticed these new retail developments starting to go up in our neighbourhood. And we kind of thought, why are we waiting 10 years to actually do what we want to do? And so we started asking questions, started building business plans because, of course, nobody will talk to you unless you have a plan. And then we chose the space, fell in love with it and just pushed through for about a year to… to build out the space and open here right in our own neighbourhood. It's just such a community. Like, I grew up in small towns in Newfoundland, and this really gives you that like, you know, that hometown feel. People look out for each other. The community page is constantly filled with people helping and supporting each other. And you just really feel supported and welcome in this community. Initially, when we moved here, you know, the social house wasn't there, and it was just like an outdoor skating rink, and that was it. So we've… we've kind of watched this community grow around us, which started with the residents association and more homes and parks and playgrounds and community gardens and things like that. And has since, you know, in the last three to five years expanded into much more retail services and grocery stores and banks and those kinds of things. We were among the first few businesses to open in this retail space, so it's been really fun to kind of watch all of the other businesses come up around us.

[/sc]

MIN DHARIWAL: That's so awesome. I mean, you know, we were just joking about it, but I think it's… it's going to be coming. You could do a coffee tour in the city.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Oh yeah! I would love to see all the, like, little independent neighbourhood coffee shops.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah.

CLARE BONYMAN: You could just… absolutely.

MIN DHARIWAL: And great. That was Jennifer Oleskyn. So great for her and for them to kind of, you know, jump on this opportunity because, yeah, everything's kind of growing around them, right? And she's the co-owner of Caffeined Coffee near Chapelle. And might have to go check that out because it's not far from me.

CLARE BONNYMAN: No, I think it's a danger.

MIN DHARIWAL: It’s a drive. But yeah.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Worth it.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah, it'll be worth it.

CLARE BONNYMAN: I think so. I think the strongest argument for any suburb is going to be one about food. If I was judging, that would be the winning argument. [laughing]

MIN DHARIWAL: Oh, hands down.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Good thing I'm not judging. But so far, we do have nominations for this contest for areas like Glastonbury, for Beaumaris, Hawkes Ridge, Ramsey Heights, a lot of newer communities, which is really awesome to see.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah.

CLARE BONNYMAN: But there are so many in the city, and there's clearly so many passionate folks who want to share their place.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah, I'm looking forward to this. And regardless of where you know your vote lies, you should definitely cast it because there's so many different communities here. And there's these little places like, you know, in the corner of a strip mall that you'd never even hear about unless someone told you about it, right?

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yes, introduce.

MIN DHARIWAL: Whether it's a food place or a business or any kind of --

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yeah, introduce your city to your hood, to the gems.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Unless you want to keep them secret, but still share. [laughing]

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah, I think people will start sharing. And you can do it by going to: www.cbc.ca/mycbcyeg, and to find out if your community qualifies for an eligible suburb. You can fill out a submission form. Tell us why your suburb is Edmonton's best burb, and you could win a massive prize package.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Do you want to hear what's in this prize package, Min? Because I looked it up.

MIN DHARIWAL: Give it to me!

CLARE BONNYMAN: It's nuts!

MIN DHARIWAL: Is that right?

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yes! So there's a spring yard cleanup package, which is tempting enough in itself.

MIN DHARIWAL: That's worth it.

CLARE BONNYMAN That's off your shoulders. [chuckling]

MIN DHARIWAL: That's a lot of work.

CLARE BONNYMAN: There's a yearlong premium membership to CBC Gem, so you can watch the new show Run The Burbs, which of course, is part of the inspiration for this.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah, Um-hmm.

CLARE BONNYMAN: And there's so much swag. So we're talking… there's multiple shirts, there's a sweatshirt, there's tote bags, plural.

[Music: Theme]

CLARE BONNYMAN: An apron, a dog leash, water bottles, there's… there's so much in it. Plus --

MIN DHARIWAL: We're just giving it away.

CLARE BONNYMAN: And this is the best part. The winning suburb gets a food truck. So for an experience for a neighbourhood block party.

MIN DHARIWAL: Sick! That would be a blast.

CLARE BONNYMAN: So, everyone gets to enjoy if you nominate your suburb and you win. So please, I ask that someone submit for me because I do not live in a suburb, and I want to go to a block party.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah, that's actually kind of just giving me an idea to just bring a food truck to the neighbourhood and have one of those in the summer.

CLARE BONNYMAN: Yeah?

MIN DHARIWAL: How much fun would that be?

CLARE BONNYMAN: Can I come? [chuckling]

MIN DHARIWAL: Yeah, why not? I'm in a cul de sac, so it'd be… it would be even better.

CLARE BONNYMAN: The Loop is a weekly podcast from CBC Edmonton, and our team this week is: Min

Dhariwal, Leslie Goldstone, Olivia Oh, Lauren Fink, Corey Haberstock, Chris Martin and James Evans. And a special thanks to sign language interpreter Robyn Lavender this week as well. Our theme music is "Change Your Mind" by Edmonton musician Jom Comyn. And I'm Claire Bonymaen. Thank you so much for listening.

MIN DHARIWAL: And I'm Min Dhariwal, of course. And there is always so much more to know. Get into The Loop. And you can do that with us every Friday when you hear our show. And you can leave us a rating or review, tell us what you liked, what you didn't like. Maybe give us some ideas.

CLARE BONNYMAN: We love ideas.

MIN DHARIWAL: Right? Yeah, wherever you download the show. And if you want to get in touch, we have an email: theloop&cbc.ca. Use hashtag: #TheLoopCBC on social media. Or you can reach out to us. I'm on Twitter: @mindhariwal. And, Clare, you are?

CLARE BONNYMAN: @namynnob

MIN DHARIWAL: That's Clare backwards.

CLARE BONNYMAN: [chuckles] That's Bonnyman backwards.

MIN DHARIWAL: Bonnyman backwards.

CLARE BONNYMAN: [chuckling] Not Clare backwards.

MIN DHARIWAL: That's what I meant to say, yeah. And, of course, follow the show on CBC Listen or your favourite podcasting app. Thanks, everybody.

CLARE BONNYMAN: And email in for your exclusive invite to Min's massive block party.

MIN DHARIWAL: Yes! Let's go! [Clare laughs] I can see it now already.

[Music: Theme]

CLARE BONNYMAN: Wow. That went in such a different place than I expected it to.

MIN DHARIWAL: But that's… that's what doing this podcast is all about sometimes. [Clare laughs]

Back To Top »

Provide Transcript Feedback

CBC would like to acknowledge the support of the Broadcasting Accessibility Fund.

Transcript: The Loop Episode Mar 4, 2022

More Stories Like This