Pullback

Co-op Housing with Diana Yoon

With home ownership out of reach for millions of Canadians and no relief in sight, could co-ops be the key to providing affordable, community-driven housing solutions? On today’s episode we talk to Diana Yoon, the Program Manager of Government Relations and Policy at the Co-op Housing Federation of Canada, which represents 2200 co-ops nationwide. In this conversation, Diana explains how housing co-ops work, their history in Canada, and what it would take for co-ops to take on a bigger role in our housing stock. We also discuss the unique benefits of co-ops, including democracy, community ownership, affordability, and long-term stability for residents. We also discuss the report The Impact of Community Housing on Productivity.

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Citizens' Assemblies with Dimitri Courant

With climate action stalled by political gridlock, could citizens' assemblies be the bold democratic solution we need to break through barriers and finally make progress? When it comes to climate change, most of us want to see action but feel that we don’t have power and politicians aren’t listening. Deliberative democracy and citizen empowerment have been proposed as solutions to that widespread sense of disempowerment. In this episode, Kristen chats with Dimitry Courant, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, who explains what citizens assemblies are and how they have been used around the world to address climate change. He also shares insights about the best ways to design citizens assemblies so they work well and drive real change.

We recommend Dimitri’s writing on mini-publics and citizen’s assemblies!

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Cash Back with Shady Hafez

You’ve heard about land back, but what about cash back? Resource and land wealth linked to dispossession has enriched Canada and corporations, so does reconciliation require financial restitution too? And what do Indigenous economies look like? This week’s guest is Shady Hafez, Policy and Research Manager to the National Association of Friendship Centres. Shady is an Algonquin Anishinabe and Syrian member of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg and is pursuing his PhD in Sociology at the University of Toronto. Shady explains why land back and cash back are needed for the restitution of Indigenous economies, sharing some examples of cash back in practice, and discussing the principles at play in Indigenous economic development.

Recommended Reading
The Yellowhead Institute’s Red Papers on Land Back and Cash Back
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 97 Calls to Action

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Status For All with Eliza MacLauchlan and Ryan MacRae

Canada relies on migrant workers to fill labour gaps, but the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is rife with problems, with a recent United Nations report calling the program a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery”. Can this controversial program be fixed, or should it be scrapped altogether? Should all migrant workers be granted permanent residency status when they arrive here? 

Kyla spoke with the Cooper Institute’s Eliza MacLauchlan and Ryan MacRae. Eliza and Ryan are the lead authors of Permanent Jobs, Temporary People, a report that examines how the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is operating on Prince Edward Island. 

Eliza and Ryan explain how the Temporary Foreign Worker Program has evolved, including its growing role in Atlantic Canada’s seafood industry and the forms of exploitation that migrant workers face. They also discuss how to fix the most problematic elements of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, and whether recent measures go far enough.

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Abolishing Prisons with Jessica Evans

We often shrug off the brutality of prisons as regrettable, yet ultimately inevitable. But the recent rise of prison abolitionist movements prompts a question: are prisons obsolete? Can we imagine more humane solutions that address the root causes of crime and promote true rehabilitation? Dr. Jessica Evans is an Assistant Professor in Criminology at Toronto Metropolitan University, who researches the causes, conditions, and consequences of incarceration in Canada. She is also active in the prison abolition movement as a co-founder of the Toronto Prisoners’ Rights Project. In this conversation, Jessica explains the history and current landscape of incarceration in Canada and presents the case for prison abolition.

 

Get Involved:
Toronto Prisoners' Rights Project
Criminalization and Punishment Education Project
East Coast Prison Justice Society
West Coast Prison Justice Society

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Pullback Season 3: Coming Soon

In this latest season, Kristen and Kyla interview experts on topics like prison abolition, ending the Temporary Foreign Worker program, the financialization of farmland, citizens assemblies, the privatization of universities, the Loblaws boycott, and more! Coming September 17th

Book Club: An Immense World By Ed Yong

Kristen and Kyla dive into 'An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us' by Ed Yong. Join us as we explore this delightful journey through the many fascinating ways animals perceive the world. Published in 2022, Yong masterfully weaves together interviews with scientists and in-depth research, offering a narrative that deepens our appreciation for the many creatures we share our planet with.

Get a copy of the book! https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/616914/an-immense-world-by-ed-yong/
Find more from the Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
Want more Book Club? Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback

Book Club: Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Kristen and Kyla read Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. "Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America's own." We recorded this for our Patron's, but loved the book so much we decided to share with everyone instead!

Get a copy of the book! https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/714055/chain-gang-all-stars-by-nana-kwame-adjei-brenyah/9780593317334
Find more from the Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
Want more Book Club? Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback

Book Club: Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez

Kristen and Kyla read Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez. This book explores the gender data gap in research when the "male body" is treated as default and "female body" as atypical, revealing how this bias bakes discrimination into systems as far reaching as healthcare, education, public policy, and economic development.

Get a copy of the book! https://carolinecriadoperez.com/book/invisible-women/
Find more from the Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
Want more Book Club? Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback

Special Feature: Green Majority Radio and Pullback

Pullback is pleased to share Green Majority Radio with our listeners! Hosts David and Stefan Hostetter and Lauren Latour bring together environmental justice news with voices and strategies from the grassroots. Broadcast from CIUT 89.5 FM in Toronto on Fridays at 11:00AM ET and at various community radio stations around the country, GMR is also available on all podcast platforms. In this episode, Kristen and Kyla join the team to discuss their new project, Climate Justice Organizing Shorts!

Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/
Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Pullback
Visit LeHub: https://www.lehub.ca/en/