Unpublished.cafe

PUBLISHED: 05/06/2020 The face-mask has become the defining symbol of the Covid 19 pandemic. While it is one of the keys in keeping you safe, should wearing one be mandatory in public places? Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he has no problem with municipalities making it mandatory, but he cannot see how it could be enforced. Toronto City Council has voted for it, and other GTA areas such as Peel and York Regions will be considering it this week. Ottawa’s Mayor, Jim Watson says he would support it if the Medical Officer of Health is in agreement. The onus is on the customer or visitor when it comes to a mask - but businesses will not be required to provide them as it would be another financial burden. Coming up on the Unpublished Cafe, we’ll take a look at the face mask and why it’s become a lightning rod for public opinion ———————————— GUESTS: Dr.Amy Tan - Organizer at Masks4Canada - https://masks4canada.org/ Christine Van Geyn - Litigation Director at Canadian Constitution Foundation - https://theccf.ca/ccf-a

PUBLISHED: 03/07/2020 Diplomacy is taking a beating between Canada and China. Will this relationship survive?
 The war of words between the two countries is ramping up as China accuses Canada of “megaphone diplomacy”. Canada refuses to release Huawei Executive, Meng Wanzhou while China continues to hold the two Michaels, Kovrig and Spavor on “spying charges”. Neither has been to court and remain incarcerated, unlike Wanzhou who is free on bail. There has been growing pressure on the federal government to be more forceful with China to get the “Michaels “ home. A group of notable Canadians penned a letter to the Prime Minister to stop extradition for Wanzhou in a trade to get Kovrig and Spavor back to Canada. But in one of his most forceful declarations, Trudeau has rejected the idea outright saying it would set a dangerous precedent. A recent national security review found Canada is an attractive and permissive target of China. CSIS has investigated and reported on the possible threat but there has been no re

PUBLISHED: 27/06/2020 When it comes to access for justice in Ontario, it appears the province’s Bill 161, the Smarter and Stronger Justice Act, will do neither. While the province continues to grapple with the pandemic, predominantly in long term care homes, Bill 161 will support defendants being sued. There are several class action lawsuits currently underway against operators of some of these facilities for negligence. The pandemic has hit low income Canadians hard - and these are the people who use Legal Aid Ontario to access justice. The new language in the Act puts cost ahead of justice when it comes to Ontario’s most vulnerable. On this edition of the Unpublished Cafe, we’ll find out more about the impact of the Smarter and Stronger Justice Act on legal aid as well as what it means for class action lawsuits. ———————————— GUESTS: Marissa Lennox - Chief Policy Officer at CARP - https://www.carp.ca/team/marissa-semkiw/ Dana Fisher - Legal Aid Ontario Lawyers’ Local Vice President - https://www.danafisher.c

PUBLISHED: 23/06/2020 There could be some heavy lifting before certain parts of the economy can re-open. The pandemic is changing the way businesses will have to adapt, although it could be costly.  By early June, the Government of Canada had handed out more then 43 billion dollars to over 8.4 million Canadians in just the Canada Emergency Relief Benefit. When you factor in the rest of the direct support spending, the tally is over $150 billion. Add in the costs of protecting people and businesses the price tag is over $929 billion dollars. How will Canadians get out from this mountain of debt? A three month economic lockdown has painted some grim financial numbers for Canada, despite some regions opening up. It’s not as though a country plans for a global pandemic, although there will be questions about preparedness. Coming up on the Unpublished Cafe, we will take a look at that mountain of debt or canyon of debt considering your perspective. What will this mean for Canada’s financial future and could it mea

PUBLISHED: 20/06/20 The Ontario government has quietly passed legislation aimed to protect factory farms, animal processing plants, truck drivers and farm animals - but it appears to target whistleblowers and animal activists. It’s called Bill 156, Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act. According to the agriculture industry, farmers face uncertainty when it comes to dealing with animal protestors or whistleblowers. Many recall the situation a few years back with activist, Anita Krajnc. She was arrested for giving water to pigs on a truck headed to the slaughterhouse. It garnered a lot of attention and eventually she was acquitted of mischief. Alberta has passed similar legislation and several US states have it as well. Today on the Unpublished Cafe, we will take a look at Bill 156 and whether it was necessary or heavy handed toward whistleblowers and animal rights supporters. ———————————— GUESTS: Keith Currie – President at Ontario Federation of Agriculture -https://www.cfa-fca.ca/about-us/boa

PUBLISHED: 17/06/2020 The chants of “ I can’t breathe” are being replaced by shrieks of “defund the police”, in the wake of the George Floyd death in Minneapolis. Is it time to scale back on the firepower? Floyd’s death was the catalyst for anti-racism demonstrations and protests around the world. The role of police is very much in their minds. For some, it’s an adversarial relationship. LA and New York, some of America’s largest cities, are scaling back on police funding and putting those funds toward health and at risk youth programs. In the city of Toronto, two councillors have brought a motion forward to cut the Toronto Police budget by 10 percent, although the Premier is not in support. Coming up on the Unpublished Cafe, we’ll take a look at the issue of defunding police, whether it will reduce these conflicts or lead to more crime.  ———————————— GUESTS: Alex del Carmen Ph.D - Associate Dean and Professor at Tarleton State University’s School of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Strategic Studies - https

PUBLISHED: 06/09/2020 We know ground zero in the battle with COVID-19 is in long term care homes. Is it time to take it away from the provinces and put it in the hands of the federal government? More than 8 in 10 deaths from the pandemic have occurred in long term care. Ontario and Quebec are primarily dealing with the most. BC was hard-hit when the virus first appeared in Canada, but was able to clamp down on cases. The situation has many looking inward. How did we let the most vulnerable be most at risk? Two weeks ago, we spoke to Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath about whether long term care should be uploaded to the federal government and she saw the value in that. Provinces do not like giving up control over health care as they feel it’s infringing on their sovereignty. On this edition of the Unpublished Cafe, we will take a look at whether it makes sense to bring Long-Term Care under Federal auspices. ———————————— GUESTS: Dr. Pat Armstrong - Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology at York Universi

PUBLISHED: 06/06/2020 It’s said that ‘you have to look back to see where we are and where we are going’. In the latest collision between US police officers and black men, George Floyd died at the hands of Minneapolis police. For 8 minutes and 46 seconds, Derek Chauvin pinned Floyd’s neck to the ground all captured on video by a passerby. Chauvin has since been charged with second degree murder – but only after protests exploded in Minneapolis where angry demonstrators took to the streets to bring attention to institutionalized racism in the police. These demonstrations have spread across the world. Many of the US governors have claimed that the violence and looting is being done by groups and people from outside the state. US President Donald has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, that allows the US government to send in troops to quell a domestic uprising. This act has not been used since the 1992 Rodney King riots in LA. On this issue of the Unpublished Café, we look at the relationship between poli

PUBLISHED: 03/06/2020  The ‘new normal’ is here for businesses in our physical distancing world. What will work and the economy look like in our post pandemic world? The Canadian economy shed almost 2 million jobs in April on top of the one million lost in March. Provinces are slowly opening up from the imposed lockdown, and despite Ontario and Quebec grappling with the need for more testing, they are moving ahead with lifting restrictions on businesses and resuming operations. What might that look like? Strict safety protocols will likely be in place to protect customers and employees. The challenge will be large office buildings which will have adapt. This pandemic has dealt a vicious blow to the economy, but some see opportunities for businesses in the new normal.   ———————————— GUESTS: Lindsay Tedds – Professor in Public Policy at University of Calgary - https://about.me/teddslindsay Brent McKnight - Associate Professor Strategic Management at McMaster University - https://www.degroote.mcmaster.ca/profile

PUBLISHED: 02/06/2020 What is the future for Hong Kong? While the world wrestles with the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a lot of eyes fixed on the Far East. Hong Kong enjoys a special status in China under its “one country two system” principle which allow for socialism and capitalism to co-exist. Hong Kong was under British control until 1997 and was going to maintain its status until 2047. China has been clashing with protesters in Hong Kong as it attempts to put in new security legislation which would make it a crime to undermine Beijing's authority in Hong Kong, and could also see China installing its own security agencies. The legislation passed this week drawing international furor. China for its part is deflecting criticism calling it an internal affair. To ramp up the rhetoric even more, the United States has stripped Hong Kong of its special status in trade. Canada, which isn’t exactly in China’s good graces, has made quiet comments. ———————————— GUESTS: Elliot Tepper - Senior Fellow in International

PUBLISHED: 01/06/2020 When it comes to re-opening economies and schools in the face of this pandemic, the key is testing, testing and testing. With more than 80 percent of COVID cases in Ontario and Quebec, both provinces are having difficulty hitting their targets. The heat is rising on both provinces to ramp it up as they slowly start opening up. While Ontario scrambles to boost it’s testing numbers, a University of Guelph professor is talking to the province about boosting those numbers by 50 thousand. Rapid and aggressive is crucial. When it comes to testing and information in COVID it seems there are a lot of holes in the story. It leads to confusion for Canadians in a time when clarity is key. Today we are joined by some biology and medical specialists to help us grasp the importance of testing and how they work in our new normal. ———————————— GUESTS: Dr.Isaac Bogoch - Associate Professor at University of Toronto in the Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases specialist and General Internist at Toro

PUBLISHED: 24/05/2020 Canada’s long-term care homes are ground zero when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic – claiming the dubious distinction of having the highest number of COVID cases in long term care in an early study of the pandemic. Here in Ontario, a two-week spike in the number of cases. The grim toll has sparked calls to get to the bottom of the carnage. While everyone at Queen’s Park is on the same page when it comes to helping people in the pandemic, it appears the search for truth when it comes to ground zero is being swallowed up by politics. The Ontario government has announced a commission will look at why long-term care homes were not beds of infection. But that doesn’t go far enough to some. Opposition leader and Hamilton Centre MPP, Andrea Horwath put forward a motion this week calling for an inquiry but it was voted down in the legislature. The leader of the Ontario NDP joins us today to talk about long-term care and how the Ontario Government is monitoring these facilities. ———————————— GU

PUBLISHED: 24/05/2020 For more than two months Canadians have been cooped up and physically distancing to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions are gradually lifting as the infection rate is decreasing nationally. But this means we are far from the end of the road. If there is one thing health experts agree on when it comes to the pandemic, it’s a second wave. Traditionally, these virus outbreaks can come in waves. If you think about the Spanish flu 100 years ago, there were three waves which claimed up to 70 million lives. The weather is better, cabin fever is at an all time high, and some emergency measures have been dialled back. Will this combination lead to a second wave, or will it be something else? ———————————— GUESTS: Patrick Saunders-Hastings - Manager at Gevity Consulting Inc.- https://carleton.ca/healthsciences/people/patrick-saunders-hastings/ Raywat Deonandan - Associate Professor at uOttawa - https://health.uottawa.ca/people/deonandan-raywat ———————————— REFERENCES: https://w

PUBLISHED: 19/05/2020 Canadians feel China has not come clean on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and the picture is quite clear if a new Angus Reid Institute survey points out. In the span of just six months, the views of Canadians about China have plummeted. The latest numbers from Angus Reid Institute find a mere 14 percent of us have a favourable opinion of that nation. That’s down from the 29 percent just before the outbreak. It appeared the Prime Minister was hesitant to point fingers or lay blame when these views started arising. But in recent days, he is sounding more like he would pursue more evidence. ———————————— GUESTS: Shachi Kurl - Executive Director at Angus Reid Institute -http://angusreid.org/shachi-kurl/   John McKay - Chair at House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security - https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en/john-mckay(957) ———————————— REFERENCES: 
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QlK1o2xbZno https://www.hilltimes.com/2020/04/22/praising-rapid-taiwanese-resp

PUBLISHED: 17/05/2020 While it might seem like a breath of fresh air for families locked down in the pandemic, sending kids back to school is fraught with many hurdles. Limbo best describes the situation for students, teachers and administrators when it comes to COVID-19 and whether it is safe to return to class. How do you physical distance with five year old’s? Let’s face it, at the best of times schools are bubbling with bacteria. The province of Quebec was ready to send students back to school after the Victoria Day weekend, but Premier Legault has walked that back considering Montreal is a hot bed for the virus Since the lockdown, students have been able to access on line learning, but with only about five weeks left in the year, does it make any sense to return? ———————————— GUESTS: Heidi Yetman - President at Quebec Professional Teachers Association -https://qpat-apeq.qc.ca/executive-committee/ Annie Kidder - Executive Director at People for Education -https://peopleforeducation.ca/about/ ————————————

PUBLISHED: 14/05/2020 It’s estimated more than 100 thousand medical procedures and elective surgeries have been cancelled so hospitals can focus on COVID-19. For those in need of surgical or a medical procedure, how long must they wait? When the pandemic arrived in Canada, hospitals had a singular focus, treat those infected with COVID-19. All other treatments and procedures were cancelled. In the first month of the pandemic, more than 40 percent of cancer surgeries were scrubbed. Earlier this week, a breath of hope for them came from the province of Ontario that some treatments and procedures would slowly resume in hospitals. Each one will have to submit a plan of opening to the province for approval. ———————————— GUESTS: Mike Schreiner - Leader Green Party of Ontario/MPP Guelph -https://gpo.ca/mike-schreiner-leader/ Dr.Marc Ruel - VP Canadian Cardiovascular Society & Surgeon with the Ottawa Heart Institute - https://www.ottawaheart.ca/physician-researcher-profile/ruel-marc ———————————— REFERENCES: https

PUBLISHED: 12/05/2020 It appears that the only thing that can cool off Canada’s red hot housing market is a global pandemic. April saw a ten percent reduction in Toronto home prices due to COVID-19. With more than two million jobs lost since the pandemic, the current unemployment rate has soared to 13%. Those kind of numbers keep home owners up at night wondering where their next mortgage payment will come from. In Ottawa, which is somewhat insulated due to the public service, home sales dropped more than 50 percent for the month. And we’re heading into the traditional busy season for realtors. Real estate was the key driver for the Canadian economy. How will the industry adapt moving forward? ———————————— GUESTS: Ian Lee Professor - MBA Director of the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University - https://sprott.carleton.ca/profile/ian-lee/ Deb Burgoyne - President of the Ottawa Real Estate Board - https://www.remonline.com/deborah-burgoyne-leads-ottawa-real-estate-board-in-2020/ ———————————— REFERENCES

PUBLISHED: 10/05/2020 How is it that the people on the front lines in the battle with COVID019 are the lowest paid and least appreciated workers in the pandemic? Long term care and retirement homes are the hot spots still when it comes to the virus. More than half the COVID deaths in Canada have been in long term care. Here in Ontario, more than 130 thousand people are Personal Support Workers. As of Friday May 8th, seven PSW’s have died from COVID-19. The Ontario government has announced an inquiry into long term care after the pandemic is contained. To get a perspective on what’s happening in the line of fire in those hot spots, we will chat with one woman who was willing to tell us her story of contracting Covid 19 and her struggles to make it back. ———————————— REFERENCES: https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/three-minutes-of-silence-held-for-three-personal-support-workers-lost-to-covid-19-1.4926582 https://www.toronto.com/news-story/9968608-north-york-psw-dies-as-a-result-of-coronavirus/ https://toronto.ctvnews.ca

PUBLISHED: 05/07/2020 The race continues for the Globe in the search for a reliable vaccine for COVID-19. Considering the vast impact on the economies around the world, when one is developed, should it be mandatory to get it? Researchers around the world are frantically working to find a vaccine for our current pandemic and while our Facebook feeds are full of stories of small breakthroughs in the quest for a vaccine. Most health experts put the possibility at a vaccine 12 to 18 months away. While we wait for the much anticipated vaccine, a new survey by Leger and the Association of Canadian Studies finds a split in support for making the inoculation mandatory. We’d like to hear from our viewers first-hand. When a Covid 19 vaccine is developed to be safe and reliable, should it be mandatory to get the shot considering the impact on the economy? Cast your vote, at Unpublished.Vote today! ———————————— GUESTS: Christian Bourque - Executive Vice President and Senior Partner at Leger https://leger360.com/profiles