Every minute the equivalent of a garbage truck full of plastic enters the oceans. This is a worsening crisis that has drawn calls to action from activists, policymakers, and politicians. On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, we sit down with plastic policy experts to get a better understanding of the severity of the plastics crisis and behavioural change required for sustainability. We also spend some time debunking common myths about plastic and discussing the potential for Canada to transition to a low-waste, circular economy.
Vito Buonsante is an environmental health lawyer with over 10 years of international experience designing, analyzing and implementing environmental legislation. He is also the Plastics Program Manager at Environmental Defence and a Sessional Lecture at McMaster University’s Department of Health Aging & Society.
Dr. John Robinson is a Professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and the School of the Environment, at the University of Toronto. He is also UofT’s Presidential Advisor on the Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability.
Sonja Wegge is leading the Plastics Pacts programme at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a global network of Pacts bringing together businesses, governments, NGOs and others in a country or region to drive collective action towards the circular economy for plastics.
Music Credits “Suburbs” by Arcade Fire “Fallingwater” by Maggie Rogers
Episode Credits Erin Christensen – Producer Duncan Cooper – Producer Thea Koper – Producer With guidance from: Alex Gold-Apel and Vienna Vendittelli – Executive Directors
Housing in Toronto has reached crisis levels, with rents and house prices increasing every year and showing no signs of slowing down. In today’s episode, our guests discuss the ways that the City is trying to address the issue, and what more can or should be done to bring prices down.
Ash Navabi is a senior Economist for Housing Matters, a Toronto not-for-profit which advocates for increasing the housing supply via the changing of zoning regulations, as well as a lecturer at Guelph University.
Natasha Cheong is a PhD urban planning student at the University of Toronto, examining municipal scale responses to high-cost North American housing markets. Before attending graduate school, she worked in the non-profit housing sector and for the City of Vancouver’s Homelessness Services department providing community and housing supports to vulnerable populations on the Downtown Eastside.
Jennifer Keesmaat is passionate about creating places where people flourish, and was named one of the “most powerful people in Canada” by Macleans, one of the “most influential” by Toronto Life, and one of the top Women of Influence in Canada. Jennifer is a Distinguished Visitor in Residence Emeritus at the University of Toronto, and continues to share her vision for cities of the future and her belief in the importance of public sector leadership through a variety of publications including The Guardian, Macleans, The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and on her podcasts, Invisible City and Within Reach. Keesmaat serves on the Advisory Board of the Urban Land Institute, Toronto and the International Panel of Experts, Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority.
Special thanks to Senior Producer Erin Anderson-Birmingham, Junior Producers Hongyu Xiao and Duncan Cooper, and Executive Director Vienna Vendittelli for producing this episode.
It has been nearly a year and a half since recreational cannabis was legalized in Canada in October 2018. The government said that legalization was primarily intended to keep cannabis out of the hands of youth and to fight back against organized crime.
Today on BTH, we look back at cannabis legalization – can we look at this effort as a success? How have the different provinces decided to set up their systems?
We were joined by Senator Tony Dean, and Professor Michael J Armstrong from Brock University to discuss how legalization has unfolded and what still needs to be done to improve the system.
Tony Dean was appointed to the Senate of Canada as an Independent Senator in November 2016. He was formerly a professor at the graduate School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Toronto, and is now a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Dean has advised governments in Canada, and internationally, on public administration and public service reform and has chaired several expert panels at the federal and provincial levels. In 2017-2018 Dean sponsored Bill C-45, the Cannabis Legalization Bill, in the Senate of Canada.
Michael J. Armstrong is an associate professor of operations research in the Goodman School of Business at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario. He frequently writes about Canada’s cannabis legalization efforts, especially how government regulations interact with business practices to support or undermine policy goals.
Special thanks to Senior Producers Aryeh Ansel and Erin Anderson-Birmingham, Junior Producer Haobo Chen, and Executive Director Vienna Vendittelli for producing this episode.
The Citizenship Amendment Act is a new law in India. The Act provides citizenship to minorities that have migrated to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Notably, this excludes Muslim migrants, which has led to mass protests and questions about Indian’s religious inclusiveness. Joining us to give their insights are ProfessorKanta Murali and Dr. Sanjay Ruparelia.
Kanta Murali is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto and the Centre for South Asian Studies in the Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
Dr. Sanjay Ruparelia is an Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Ryerson University and currently holds the Jarislowsky Democracy Chair.
Credits Wahaj Alam – Producer Haobo Chen – Producer Nimmi Augustine – Senior Producer Alex Gold-Apel – Executive Director
As university and college tuition rates in Canada increase every year, questions of affordability are becoming more pertinent. Changes to OSAP and student funding are hitting students harder than ever before, yet having an undergraduate degree (and even a master’s degree) remains the prerequisite for most well-paying jobs. On this week’s episode of Beyond the Headlines, we unpack the question on everyone’s mind: “Is post-secondary education accessible in Canada?” We investigate the sociocultural and economic barriers which prevent students from attending university and college, and which prevent parents from saving for their children’s education in the first place. We also look at the policies and programs which can make higher education more accessible in the long-run. Joining us in the conversation to provide their insights and perspectives are guests Luke Connell, André Côté and Andrew Parkin.
Luke Connell is a leader in the field of social innovation. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the nonprofit initiative SmartSAVER, based out of the Omega Foundation here in Toronto.
Andrew Parkin is the Executive Director of the Environics Institute for Survey Research, a not-for-profit agency created in 2006 to promote relevant and original public opinion and social research on important issues of public policy and social change.
André Côté is the Principal Consultant at Côté and Company Strategies and an alumnus of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
Credits Anna Millar (Senior Producer) Geneviève Tallmeister (Producer) Fatemah Ebrahim (Junior Producer) Alex Gold-Apel (Executive Producer) Music: “Ways” by Dave Simpson
Administrative Segregation. Special Handling Unit (SHU). The Hole. “The prison within the prison.” Though there is a wide array of names and phrases, solitary confinement has become a major human rights issue within Canada’s correctional landscape. Lawsuits in British Columbia and Ontario spurred the federal government to amend the Correction and Conditional Release Act (aka Bill C-83) to create certain changes to administrative and disciplinary segregation in federal correctional facilities. One of the major changes was the creation of “structured intervention units” and a placement review process overseen by a “commission.”
In Ontario, as a result of the lawsuit brought by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association on behalf of Adam Capay, the Ontario Court of Appeal capped the number of days an individual can be placed in solitary confinement to 15 days. Justice John Fregau called Adam Capay’s 1647 days in solitary confinement as “prolonged, egregious and intolerable” that violated protections covered under the Charter of Rights of Freedoms.
Recent changes to Ontario’s Class Proceedings Act have the potential to reverse or even remove the imposed cap set by Adam Capay’s appeal. The amendments to the Act were enacted to prevent people from suing the government over policy or spending decisions and can be retroactively apply to tried cases.
Today’s guest is Senator Kim Pate. Kim Pate was appointed to the Senate of Canada on November 10, 2016. She is a nationally renowned advocate who has spent the last 35 years working in and around the legal and penal systems of Canada, with and on behalf of some of the most marginalized, victimized, criminalized and institutionalized — particularly imprisoned youth, men and women. Kim Pate is widely credited as the driving force behind the Inquiry into Certain Events at the Prison for Women in Kingston, headed by Justice Louise Arbour. Senator Pate has been instrumental in building coalitions across the country with other equality-seeking women’s, anti-racism, anti-poverty and human rights groups and organizations.
Special thanks to Senior Producer Robert Giannetta and Junior Producer Daniella Marciano and Executive Director Vienna Vendittelli for producing this episode.
In 2018, the Government of Canada released the first multi-year immigration levels plan, which sets targets for the amount of immigrants that Canada will admit from 2019 to 2021. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the plan is designed to contribute to an immigration system that supports the middle class through economic growth, supports diversity, and helps build vibrant, dynamic and inclusive communities while maintaining border integrity to ensure the safety of Canadians. The plan is made up of Canada’s federal immigration programs, with economic class immigration, family class migration, as well as refugees and humanitarian claims. In total, Canada plans to admit over 1 million immigrants in this three year time span, an increase from the previous 2017 levels plan.
In this episode, we discuss increasing Canada’s population, economic migration, refugee policy and settlement and integration policy.
We are joined by Doug Saunders from the Globe and Mail, Parisa Mahboubi from the CD Howe Institute, Audrey Macklin from the University of Toronto and John Shields from Ryerson University.
Credits Daniella Marciano Thea Koper Alex Gold-Apel
While immigrants arrive in Canada often healthier than their Canadian-born counterparts, data shows that over time and generations, immigrant health tends to decline faster than the average Canadian. Health outcomes in immigrant populations are often affected by various factors, including but not exclusive to language proficiency, ethnicity, immigrant classification, and education. To better understand this phenomenon, our guests Dr. Naomi Lightman, Dr. Edward Ng, and Abtin Parnia provide their insights.
Naomi Lightmanis Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Calgary. Her areas of research expertise include migration, care work, gender, aging and quantitative research methodology. To date, her academic work has been published in numerous journals including the European Sociological Review, Journal of European Social Policy, International Migration Review and the Journal of Aging and Social Policy. In addition, she is the co-author of the second edition of the textbook Social Policy in Canada . In addition, she has collaborated on research focused on immigration and aging with various social agencies and government bodies including Social Planning Toronto, the Wellesley Institute, and the Calgary Local Immigration Partnership.
Edward Ng PhD is a senior analyst with the Health Analysis Division at Statistics Canada. His research interests at Statistics Canada are on immigrant health and the use of record linkage to develop new policy-relevant data. He had conducted analyses using national population health surveys in Canada cross-sectionally, and longitudinally to understand factors underlying the healthy immigrant effect. In the past 10 years, he pioneered the use of large-scale national Census and immigrant landing files link to hospital discharge data or mortality to understand the heterogeneity within the immigrant population. He recently completed a project that focused on tuberculosis among recent immigrants, as well as produced an updated article on data development in immigrant health research at Statistics Canada.
Abtin Parnia is a Research and Policy Analyst at the University of Toronto. They’re also a graduate of the Master of Public Health Prog ram at the Dalla Lanna School of Public Health, specializing in Epidemiology and was a recipient of the Gordon Cressy Award. They’ve worked at the Hospital for Sick Children, conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses on social assistance programs and is well-versed in quantitative analyses and modeling. Furthermore, Parnia reviewed Colorectal Cancer in indigenous populations, looked at community-based integrated knowledge translation, and researched environmental causes of cancer in indigenous communities. Their current research areas include immigration, racialization, and socioeconomic disparities in health.
Special thanks to Junior Producers Fatemah Ebrahim, Diana Lu, and Executive Director Vienna Vendittelli for producing this episode.
In this week’s episode of Beyond the Headlines, we explore the implications of the repeal of the Green Energy Act and the future of energy policy in Ontario. Was the Green Energy Act forging a new future for Ontario’s Energy sector? Or, will the decision to repeal the act be the saving grace for Ontario’s ratepayers? Featured guests include Bruce Pardy, Law Professor at Queen’s University, and Mike Schreiner, leader of the Green Party of Ontario.
Credits Aryeh Ansel (Senior Producer) Brody Longmuir (Junior Producer) Haobo Chen (Junior Producer) Robert Giannetta (Social Media Director) Alex Gold-Apel (Executive Director)
Inclusive Economic Growth, Innovative Technologies and Open Governance
The Young Diplomats of Canada (YDC) provided five Canadian youth from across the country with the opportunity to attend the World Bank/International Monetary Fund (WB/IMF) Annual Meetings in Washington DC. This podcast provides a behind the scenes look into the exciting meetings they held with stakeholders, the eye opening sessions they attended around key topics in development and the personal and professional growth they experienced. Three key themes were developed by the delegation to guide discussions and advocacy activities at the meetings: inclusive economic growth; FinTech and innovative technologies; and open governance.
The delegation had the opportunity to participate in a panel in collaboration with Global Voices, an Australian organization with a very similar mandate to YDC, to talk about the future of work. They also met with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to discuss their current efforts to bypass barriers to development such as lack of infrastructure to provide marginalized and isolated populations with access to their basic needs. The delegation also had the opportunity to meet with the Canadian ambassadors to the IMF, World Bank and the Organization of American States to gain insights into their experiences and thoughts on how Canada leverages multilateral partnerships to promote peace, exchange of knowledge and sustainability. It was an exciting week filled with great discussions, sightseeing and food!
YDC Delegates Menad Sekhi – Head Delegate Karen Lamola – Director of Communications Rachel Padillo – Ambassador Lakshmi Ganesan – Ambassador Kyle MacDonald – Ambassador
Guests Anna Daly – Global Voices, Australian Youth Delegate to WB/IMF Annual Meetings Yasmine Hassen – Global Voices, Australian Youth Delegate to WB/IMF Annual Meetings Giulia Carneiro – Instituto Global Attitude, Brazilian Youth Delegate to WB/IMF Annual Meetings
Production Diana Lu – Junior Producer, BTH
Additional Credits Alexander Gold-Apel – BTH Executive Producer Vienna Vendittelli – BTH Executive Producer Celine Caira – YDC/BTH Production Liaison Macarena Diab – YDC Program Lead Sarah Bérubé – YDC Program Coordinator Ross Linden-Fraser – YDC Program Coordinator
Music Credits K’naan – Wavin’ Flag K’os – Crabbuckit Great Big Sea – Ordinary Day
This is a special collaborative episode and partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation. Two of the David Suzuki Foundation’s ecological economists, Yannick Beaudoin and Michelle Molnar, join us in studio. Our conversation steps outside the realm of traditional economic thinking and challenges conventional indicators of economic prosperity. Yannick and Michelle share powerful stories and insights about the current national agenda which is fixated on converting nature into monetary value, and the transition beyond GDP to a well-being-focused national purpose. They emphasize that economic decision making is negotiable, but planetary limits are not. We also talk about creating spaces for conversations about well-being, cross-cultural truths of living a meaningful life, and potent youth and global indigenous leadership in the climate conversation.
Yannick Beaudoin is the Director General, Ontario and Northern Canada at the David Suzuki Foundation. He holds an MA in Economics for Transition, Ph.D. in Marine Geology; M.Sc. in Marine & Economic Geology, B.Sc. Geology. Yannick’s expertise is in the economics for transition to socially and ecologically sustainable societies; social innovation processes and transformational leadership; as well as marine and economic geology.
Michelle Molnar is an Environmental Economist and Policy Analyst at the David Suzuki Foundation. She holds a BA economics & philosophy, a MA public policy, and a MA philosophy. Michelle’s expertise is in ecological economics and eco-assets, policy analysis, public outreach, and natural capital.
Special thanks to Junior Producer Erin Christensen and Executive Director Vienna Vendittelli for producing this episode.
Music Credits: Desdemona by The Beaches and Hand Me Downs by the Arkells
On Thursday, the United Kingdom is heading to the polls for the 3rd time in the last 4 years. As the Brexit saga drags on, the stakes for the future of the country and its place in the European Union are at all-time high.
Robert Ford is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Manchester. He works in the areas of public opinion, electoral choice and party politics. He has co-authored a book titled the “Revolt on the Right” which examines the rise of the UK Independence Party.
His work regularly appears in the Guardian and you can follow him on twitter @robfordmancs
He joined Executive Director Alex Gold-Apel in studio on November 7th.
This episode was produced with the assistance of Thea Koper.
Around the world, armed war, conflict and violence have had a significant impact on the way healthcare is delivered. This can be seen in the Syrian Civil War, the Iraq War, and in humanitarian crises such as the Rohingya Refugee Crisis. On this week’s episode of Beyond the Headlines, we discuss the intersection of health and conflict. We investigate the impact of conflict in terms of policy-making and its implementation, the strain and toll that is taken on the State, decision-making, the role of private and on-the ground non-profit actors, and the responsibility of large multinational organizations such as the World Health Organization. We dive into these issues through the unique perspectives of Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, Ahmad Firas Khalid, and Ruby Gill.
Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish is a medical doctor, author and public health professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.
Ahmad Firas Khalid is a medical doctor, a health policy advisor, and a lecturer on health systems and policy.
Ruby Gill is a Registered Nurse with an International Masters’ in Health Leadership from McGill University.
This episode was produced by Senior Producer Erin Anderson-Birmingham, Junior Producer Geneviève Tallemeister and Junior Producer Wahaj Alam, with the support of Executive Director Alex Gold-Apel.
Over the past 20 years, 1.2 billion people worldwide have left extreme poverty. While we celebrate this achievement, it is expected that over 500 million people will still be living in extreme poverty in 2030, with wealth inequality remaining a significant factor in this issue across the globe. Our guests today will be speaking with us on policy gaps in the anti-poverty sector both in Canada and abroad calling for more evidence-based policy development.
Amy Dodd is the Head of Engagement at Development Initiatives, which is based in London, UK. Before joining Development Initiatives, she ran the UK Aid Network for 5 years, a coalition of NGOs working on joint policy, analysis and advocacy for better and more effective aid and development cooperation.
Arjan de Haan is the Director of IDRC’s Inclusive Economies program. He leads a multidisciplinary team that strengthens policy research capacity in developing countries on issues of economic policy, governance, and health systems.
Amanda Glassman is executive vice president and senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and also serves as chief executive officer of CGD Europe. Her research focuses on priority-setting, resource allocation and value for money in global health, as well as data for development. She previously served as director for global health policy at the Center from 2010 to 2016, and has more than 25 years of experience working on health and social protection policy and programs in Latin America and elsewhere in the developing world.
Lorenzo Gonzales and Weseem Ahmed are independent researchers at Ontario 360, a think-tank based in the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. They have recently written a paper on the possible use of Opportunity Zones in Ontario to address the urban-rural divide.
Special thanks to Senior Producer Nimmi Augustine, Junior Producer Hongyu Xiao, and Executive Director Vienna Vendittelli for producing this episode.
In recent years, social media has provided a platform to share and discuss things big and small, and has given a voice to the unheard that was unimaginable mere decades ago. It’s given rise to movements such as #metoo, the Hong Kong protests, and Bell’s Let’s Talk campaign. However – this democratic expansion has not been without growing pains – as it’s also facilitated the growth of extremist actors, populist political campaigns, and disinformation. Canada is not insulated from the risks arising from social media and the digital era. Today we will discuss the threats posed to democracy and the potential policy responses with thought leaders Keiller Zed and Stephanie MacLennan.
Keiller Zed is a communications and public policy professional and e-democracy advocate. As an Account Director with Hill+Knowlton Strategies, a leading international public relations firm, Keiller advises corporate clients on an array of communications strategies, many of which include digital. Before joining H+K, Keiller served as a senior advisor to the former Premier of New Brunswick and at 26, became the youngest Executive Director in the history of the Liberal Party of New Brunswick. Keiller has worked as a campaign strategist on over a dozen provincial and federal elections in Canada, including the recent 2019 federal campaign, as well as in the United Kingdom on the 2016 Brexit Referendum and the 2017 general election campaigns. Inspired by the results of Brexit, he has developed a passion for e-democracy and has undertaken academic research focusing on the impact of digital disinformation on the integrity of democratic systems.
Stephanie MacLellan is a fellow with the Public Policy Forum and a member of the Digital Democracy Project, a study of the digital media ecosystem during the 2019 Canadian federal election campaign. Before joining PPF she was a senior research associate with the Centre for International Governance Innovation in the Global Security & Politics Program, specializing in cyber security, online disinformation, digital rights, and related policy issues. Previously, she spent more than a decade working as a journalist for newspapers such as the Toronto Star, the Hamilton Spectator. Her work has been nominated for three National Newspaper Awards.
This episode was produced by Anna Millar (Senior Producer), Duncan Cooper (Junior Producer and Social Media Director), Diana Lu (Junior Producer) with the support of Alex Gold-Apel (Executive Director).
In this episode, we will focus on how the regional differences and increasing polarization in Canada may complicate the implementation of strong climate action at the federal level. We discuss the future of climate policy given the new Liberal minority government and potential innovative environmental policy pathways relevant to the Canadian context. Our first interview is with Dr. Douglas Macdonald, who discusses the tension between Canadian federalism and climate policy and suggests a way forward to achieve federal and provincial consensus on national climate policy. For our next guest, Dr. Kathryn Harrison joins us to talk about what’s next for climate policy after the election and address mounting friction between western Canada and Ottawa. Finally, Dr. Andrew Leach weighs in on Alberta’s newly-announced provincial carbon tax and advises how Canada can position itself for success in a low-carbon, resource-efficient global economy.
Dr. Douglas Macdonald is Senior Lecturer Emeritus with the School of the Environment, University of Toronto. His forthcoming book, Carbon Province, Hydro Province: The Challenge of Canadian Energy and Climate Federalism provides analysis and recommendations for how Canada can address its basic climate-change problem – the fact that continually rising emissions in the oil-producing provinces are overwhelming reductions made in other parts of the country. You can check out his website here.
Dr. Kathryn Harrison is a Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia and expert on the topics of environmental, climate, and energy policy, as well as federalism, and comparative public policy. You can follow her on twitter here.
Dr. Andrew Leach is an energy and environmental economist and is Associate Professor at the Alberta School of Business at the University of Alberta. His research spans energy and environmental economics with a particular interest in climate change policies. In 2015, Dr. Leach was Chair of Alberta’s Climate Change Leadership Panel. You can follow him on twitter here.
Special thanks to Junior Producers Erin Christensen and Thea Koper and Executive Director Vienna Vendittelli for producing this episode.
For this week’s episode, we went live on the air as part of CIUT’s The Sound of the City Membership Drive. The station’s overall goal for fundraiser is $100,000. This helps pay for day to day costs, the website and social media, studio upgrades and new broadcast equipment. If you support our work and campus radio, please consider donating to help CIUT meet this goal.
We were joined on the air this week by various professors from the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy about what research they have been working on. First, Drew Fagan discusses transit planning in the GTA. Then, Matthias Oshinski discusses automation and the future of work. He was followed by Mel Cappe who discusses the UK election and Brexit. Finally, Andrew Parkin discusses Canadian’s opinions on immigration and refugees.
Drew Fagan is Professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and Senior Advisor with McMillan Vantage Policy Group.
Matthias Oschinski is the Director of Innovation Economics at MaRs and a professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
Mel Cappe is the former Clerk of the Privy Council, is an officer of the Order of Canada, a professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and the former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Andrew Parkin is the Executive Director of Environics Institute for Survey Research and an adjunct professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
Special thanks to Alex Gold-Apel, Vienna Vendittelli, Daniella Marciano, Geneviève Tallmeister, Robert Giannetta, Erin Anderson-Birmingham for making this show possible.
Climate change is affecting more and more regions across the globe, threatening to create as many as 200 million environmental migrants by 2050. While Canada is seen as a top destination for refugee resettlement and is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, the international agreement doesn’t recognize climate threats as a reason for fleeing. As such, what should Canada’s policy response be to address the issue of climate refugees? To discuss this question, we were joined by two special guests: Allan Rock and Bob Rae.
Allan Rock is President Emeritus of the University of Ottawa, and a Professor in its Faculty of Law. Amongst other positions, Professor Rock practised in civil, administrative and commercial litigation and was elected to the Canadian Parliament in 1993 and re-elected in 1997 and 2000. He was Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Minister of Health, and Minister of Industry and Infrastructure. Before becoming the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ottawa, he was appointed in 2003 as Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations in New York.
Bob Rae was elected eleven times to the House of Commons and the Ontario legislature between 1978 and 2013, was Ontario’s 21st Premier from 1990 to 1995, and served as interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2011 to 2013. He currently works as a lawyer, negotiator, mediator, and arbitrator, and is a Fellow of the Forum of Federations. Professor Rae teaches at the University of Toronto in the Faculty of Law, Massey College, Victoria College, and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
Special thanks to junior producers Fatemah Ebrahim and Brody Longmuir, senior producer Robert Giannetta, and executive producer Vienna Vendittelli for their work with this episode.
Today is election day. As Canadians head to the polls, we take a look at issues that don’t usually garner a lot of attention during the campaign. The first interview is with Yves Giroux, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, to discuss the work his office is doing costing the party’s platforms during the campaign. Then Mel Cappe, the former Clerk of the Privy Council in Canada, discusses how the bureaucracy plans for a transition in government. Finally, Adam Laughton, a Munk school student and NDP candidate for Mississauga Lakeshore, is interviewed about youth involvement in politics. Special thanks to executive producer Alex Gold-Apel and senior producer Aryeh Ansel for their efforts on this episode.
Public Policy Forum (PPF) is a non-profit organization that offers diverse participants in the field of public policy a platform to explore and discuss policy issues.
In this episode, we will be discussing two articles from PPF’s “12 Ways to Get Ahead of Disruption” series.
Considering the technological, demographic, and climatic shifts of society, we will be talking with two authors about how they see Canada can best embrace the new possibilities in an age of uncertainty.
Wendy Cukier is a professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at the Ted Rogers School of Management. She is one of Canada’s leading experts in disruptive technologies, innovation processes and diversity and is coauthor of the bestseller “Innovation Nation: Canadian Leadership from Java to Jurassic Park.” She leads Ryerson University’s Diversity Institute, which she founded in 1999 and has led projects aimed at promoting the participation and advancement of underrepresented groups. She is leading, in collaboration with Ryerson’s Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship and the Ted Rogers School of Management, the newly-announced Women’s Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub.
Drew Fagan is a professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. Mr. Fagan previously spent 12 years in leadership positions with the governments of Ontario and Canada. With the Government of Ontario, he was Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Mr Fagan joined the Ontario Public Service in 2009 from Ottawa, where he was Assistant Deputy Minister for strategic policy and planning at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Mr. Fagan also worked at The Globe and Mail as the parliamentary bureau chief, editorial page editor and columnist, foreign editor, associate editor of Report on Business and Washington correspondent. Mr. Fagan is a senior fellow at the Public Policy Forum, where he has overseen recent research reports, as well as the C.D. Howe Institute and a number of other university institutes.
Credits:
Erin Anderson-Birmingham, host and producer Public Policy Forum Dimitri Treheles, Executive Producer
Music Credits: Haven’t Met You Yet by Michael Bublé Stutter by Marianas Trench
Today’s episode chronicles the travels of a small group of young Canadian professionals that recently traveled to Bali to be apart of Canada’s national delegation to a host of international development conferences hosted by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
This selection of live quotes from the events from leading public policy and international development leaders — Mahmoud Mohieldin (World Bank Group 2030 Vice-President) & Peter MacArthur (The Canadian Ambassador to Indonesia) — is supplemented with critical analysis and conversation from returning delegates.
This joint programming created by Beyond The Headlines and The Young Diplomats of Canada showcases the role of youth in achieving our list of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Host and travelling delegate himself, David Boroto, takes listeners through an informed and objective discussion regarding the role and importance of domestic taxation and youth engagement pursuant of such goals. More specifically David sits down to have three unique conversations with returning delegates from the Meetings in Bali.
Firstly he talks with Simon Lavoie Perusse, a policy analyst at the tax policy branch at finance Canada with a background in economics and international relations and was a fellow delegate in Bali to have an informed discussion about the importance of taxation.
Second, David sits down with Pierre-Alexandre Renaud, a Project manager at Montreal International – economic development agency and Corinna Ha, a B.Comm student in her final year at McGill university, who were both delegates themselves to discuss the importance of SDGs in global development and the involvement of youth in achieving such goals.
Finally, David chats with Anumeet Toor. Anumeet recently recent graduated from law school and is starting her career as a lawyer with a focus on finance and international trade. David and Anumeet discuss the importance of youth participation in the political process.
Credits:
David Boroto, Host Dimitri Treheles, Technical & Executive Producer
Earlier this year, the Government of Ontario announced changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). These changes include the elimination of free tuition through grants for lower-income students, a decrease in the maximum income threshold to qualify for the program, a reduction in the percentage of grants available, the elimination of the 6-month interest free period following graduation and a change in the definition of “independent student” to someone who has been out of school for 6 years, instead of 4 years.
Alex Gold-Apel sits down with Dr. Andrew Parkin, the Director of the Mowat Centre, and an expert in education policy, to discuss how these changes will affect lower-income students in Ontario.
Beyond the Headlines would like to thank Dr. Parkin and the entire Mowat Centre team for their collaboration over the past many years. We wish them well as they pursue the next steps in their career.
This week, in collaboration with the Gender, Diversity and Public Policy Initiative, we discuss how women in politics is changing the narrative, shattering glass ceilings and paving the way for future generations of female leadership in North America, with guest Gabrielle Gallant.
Beyond the Headlines hosted a panel discussion on the evening of March 13 to explore the intersection of government action and public opinion.
The game part of politics – who’s wining, who’s losing – is indispensable tool in political life. But I would say there is whole swath of things going on that we don’t really understand right now about what’s happening in our society, whether it’s around economic anxiety, values surrounding immigration and so on. The more detailed data we get, the more we lose the picture of what’s really going on. In a funny way, the media, who used to be able to try and channel some of the fundamental shift in society, that voice is getting lost — Andrew Parkin
As the Federal Election approaches, our diverse panel of academics, policy professionals and industry specialists will examine the ever-evolving role of the media and public interest on the policy process.
Worthy policy pieces do not get read. It has to be compelling… When you get into policy, you have to explain why they’re promoting that policy… We don’t get too many windows in how the leaders will perform, how they would perform and how they would approach decisions especially if they haven’t been prime ministers before. So we have to say – here is what we’re learning about this person during the campaign, or the state of this party, and where the parties are at right now. Because you can’t just pretend that whatever the platform is now will shape the government’s mandate — Adam Radwanski
The discussion will touch on a host of current issues that are salient in the minds of voters; examining how recent government action has influenced public opinion leading up to the 2019 election.
No matter how hard we try to cover policy on our program, the reality is that there’s only so much of that that is relevant or useful. It may actually be more relevant and useful to focus on how trustworthy these leaders seem. Do they seem like they are forming? Do they seem like they’re in my corner? This isn’t the ‘would I feel fun going to have beer with them?’ This is whether they represent my values and interests or whether I feel if they do. Which may be of more relevant than what their position is on subsidized housing — Steve Paikin
While trust may be eroding, one of the reasons why traditional media still have a little bit of an edge on other sources is that it’s staffed by people who are there for a singular reason, which is that they believe in it. I hope where we get is that the traditional media becomes the certified stamp of ‘you can trust us’. Traditional media has work to do to reclaim that, we’ve strayed from where we need to be — Amanda Lang
We typically do a big election poll and time and time again, when asked what the most important thing was in influencing your vote today, it’s the leader – not the local candidate, not the party stance on the issues…. People want to hear the horse-race, that’s what’s exciting, that’s what you can measure against actual outcome — Sean Simpson
Panelists & Moderator:
Amanda Lang,Anchor of BNN Bloomberg & Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
Adam Radwanski, Political Feature Writer at The Globe and Mail
On today’s show we will be discussing some potential policy responses to combat the ongoing opioid crisis. As strategies to tackle the opioid crisis have been a focal point of all levels of government, various stakeholders have proposed taking a public health response to address the ongoing national epidemic. In the first half of 2018, there were 2,066 apparent opioid-related deaths, which means that more than 9,000 lives were lost between January 2016 and June 2018 related to opioids. Experts have attributed this ongoing crisis due to the rates of high-dose opioid dispensing which began in the mid-2000s and have significantly increased since then. Canadians are the 2nd highest per capita consumers of opioids in the world, after the United States.
In response, the Government of Canada has embraced and is committed to taking action against the opioid crisis through a targeted public health emergency response which includes: prevention, treatment, harm reduction and enforcement which is supported by evidence-based research. The federal government has also restricted the marketing and advertising of opioids the healthcare professionals. A key focal point of the shared intergovernmental response to the crisis is the the Government of Canada’s financial commitment of $5 billion dollars to the provinces and territories over ten years to improve access to mental health and addiction services.
At the provincial level, the Ford government recently signed onto a bilateral agreement with the federal government to access its share of the $150 million fund earmarked for the opioid crisis in order to expand access to treatment and rehabilitation services at supervised consumption sites. Yet in order to renew permits and receive funding under the new Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) model, sites must complete an application that demonstrates:
A need,
Its proximity to other sites and services, and community support
There is ongoing community consultation
Integration with primary care, treatment and other health services
“Defined pathways” to addictions treatment, rehabilitation, mental health, housing, employment
Pick up of used harm reduction supplies
Importantly, the federal government still remains responsible for granting exemptions to Section 56.1 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to operate a Supervised Consumption Site. Advocates of safe injection sites fear that the new guidelines set up by the provincial government are overly restrictive and create unnecessary roadblocks that may result in lives lost to overdoses.
In 2017 Toronto developed the Overdose Action Plan which outlined key prevention and response strategies including expediting the opening of supervised injection sites and addressing social factors that lead to substance abuse and overdose such as expanding the supply of affordable housing, implementing basic income and increasing the social assistance benefits and employment opportunities.More recently, the Toronto Board of Health called upon the federal government to decriminalize drug use and possession as there is “evidence on the health and social harms of the current criminalization approach to illegal drugs.”
With the assistance of today’s guests, we are going to dive head first into this issue as we now know how nuanced and interconnected the policy responses that are required to tackle the opioid crisis.
Gillian Kolla is a PhD candidate in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Toronto, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and a Bachelor of Social Work, both from McGill University. Her career to date, both academically and professionally, has focused on the barriers to healthcare and social services confronted by marginalized populations. Using ethnographic methods, Gillian’s PhD research examines a peer-based program that aims to address the barriers that limit access to hepatitis C prevention services and healthcare among people who use drugs. By exploring how risk and harm are experienced, embodied and mitigated by people who use drugs within the environments where they use drugs, her research aims to examine whether interventions in the spaces where people use drugs increase awareness and uptake of prevention interventions, and improve pathways into treatment and care.
Matt Johnson is the Coordinator of the Overdose Prevention Site at Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre. He is a long time Harm Reduction worker, advocate and was involved in setting up the unsanctioned Overdose Prevention Sites in Moss Park and Parkdale as an activist response to inaction around the overdose epidemic and the ongoing drug war. He has been asked to speak as an expert on substance use, Harm Reduction and Overdose response to Social Service agencies, Universities, a Coroner’s inquest and media. He continues to push for greater and meaningful involvement of people who use drugs in the development and implementation of services as well as policies affecting drug users. He works for an end to the drug war, and a humane system based in respect, human rights and greater health and stability for all.
Credits: Robert Giannetta, Host & Producer Tony Yin, Host & Producer Vienna Vendittelli, Technical Producer Nuri Kim, Executive Director
Music Credits: 99 by Barnes Courtney High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
Sidewalk Labs is owned by Alphabet Inc., a sister company of Google. Their goal is to improve urban infrastructure through technological innovation, to promote affordable living, efficient transportation, and environmental sustainability.
That being said, Sidewalk Labs’ Quayside Project at Waterfront Toronto, first announced in 2017, has been subject to a great deal of criticism regarding their data privacy policies. Many of the critics of this Smart City project call for more public oversight; clear direction about data ownership and governance; and improved transparency and accountability Today, we unpack these issues with our expert guests, Ann Cavoukian and Nabeel Ahmed.
Dr. Ann Cavoukian is recognized as one of the world’s leading privacy experts. She is presently the Distinguished Expert-in-Residence, leading the Privacy by Design Centre of Excellence and is also a Senior Fellow of the Ted Rogers Leadership Centre at Ryerson University. She was the former Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario for 17 years and more recently she resigned from her position as a privacy consultant for SideWalk Lab’s Quayside Project in October.
Nabeel Ahmed is a researcher and consultant on smart cities and social enterprise, and is currently on the steering committee of the Toronto Open Smart Cities Forum. He previously worked in the nonprofit, social enterprise and international development sectors and has degrees in urban planning, public administration, and business administration.
The Munk School of Public Policy is fortunate to be home to multiple student-led groups who pursue important work and invite interesting guests throughout the year. This episode is about two of those events.
We will first be hearing from Professor Bob Rae who, alongside Professor Verne Ross, was invited in November 2019 by the newly-founded Indigenous Affairs Student Initiative to speak about Indigenous child welfare policy in Ontario.
Most Indigenous communities, even where they have some control over the child welfare system on reserve, or even in cities, are really just enforcing the law; the Ontario law or the provincial law across the country. That’s the first problem. You’re really just administering somebody else’s rules — Bob Rae
Indigenous children make up just over 4% of the provinces population aged 15 or less, but represent over 30% of those in the province’s foster care system. Furthermore, The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has ruled that the Federal Government has underfunded on-reserve services for Indigenous children.
One of the things we definitely know as a result of the Blackstock case is that the per-capita funding for child welfare is much higher in non-Indigenous communities than it is in Indigenous communities. So that’s a real problem because that means that the basis for funding has been discriminatory — Bob Rae
I think the Indigenous youth movement is one of the hopeful signs. It’s the sign that people are fighting back and looking at saying well, what can we do to improve the conditions? How do we improve the conditions? How do we make a difference? How do we get the investments that we need to deal with the inequality? — Bob Rae
We will then be hearing from Reverend Cheri DiNovo and Dr. Nick J. Mulé, who were invited by Spectrum a few days earlier to speak about the past and future of LGBTQ2s legislation and activism in Ontario. Recent legislation in Ontario has seen the Progressive Conservative government rollback the province’s sex-ed curriculum, thus omitting references to sexual orientation, gender identity and same-sex relationships. Furthermore, a motion passed by delegates at the Progressive Conservative convention explicitly called for all references to transgender people to be removed from the province’s curriculum.
Whenever these things to do happen, it’s not only the education leading up to it, it’s the education that comes afterwards as well. I think the really positive thing about having these rights come into place is it opens up the dialogue, it opens up discussion, it forces people to look at things from a different angle they wouldn’t have previously. Getting it to transfer substantially on the ground with the regard to the reality of people’s lives is very much a different story — Nick Mulé
We have to keep talking. We have to keep educating. And that means educating people who walk into our classrooms with absolutely diametrical ideas. We have to educate the electorate who don’t want to elect us. We have to educate policymakers who don’t want to make policy around us, and once policy is made, don’t want to enforce it, and don’t want to implement it — Cheri Dinovo
Bob Raewas elected eleven times to the House of Commons and the Ontario legislature between 1978 and 2013. He was Ontario’s 21st Premier from 1990 to 1995 and Interim Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2011 to 2013. He is a senior partner at OKT Law and teaches at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, focusing primarily on First Nations, Aboriginal and governance issues. He has written 5 books and is a companion of the Order of Canada.
Cheri DiNovois a Minister of the United Church. She served as MPP for Parkdale High-Park for 11 years. She has passed more private member bills than anyone else in Ontario’s history and has more pro-LGBTQ bills than anyone else in Canadian history. She performed the first legal same-sex marriage in Canada, passed Toby’s Act, an amendment to the Ontario Human Rights Code to include gender identity and gender expression, and Bill 77, banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth in Ontario.
Nick Mulé is a professor at the School of Social Work at York University. He is the founder of Queer Ontario, was a founding member of Amnesty International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Action Circle, a founding board member for the Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition and has been appointed co-chairperson of the Ontario LGBT Research & Policy Think Tank by Rainbow Health Ontario.
Welcome to this another exciting episode of Beyond the Headlines! On this episode will be discussing the policy responses to address the increase in gun-related violence.
As strategies to combat gun violence have been a focal point within all levels of government, various stakeholders have proposed solutions that target the policing and sociological issues that contribute to gun crime.
At the municipal level, councilors and residents have been calling upon Mayor John Tory for renewed funding for after-school programming for youth in at-risk communities. The funding would be dedicated to providing public youth spaces where participants can access recreational activities, community services (e.g. resume and cover letter workshops, mock interviews), be exposed to and learn from positive role models and even assistance in preparing to write GED tests.
Others are have asked for additional funding for Toronto Police Services to cover the expense of deploying additional officers in high risk areas, purchasing gunshot noise detection technology (aka ShotSpotter), or expanding the community policing initiative.
At the provincial level, Ford’s government has invested an additional $25 million “to fight guns and gangs.” Part of this investment includes $7.6 million in assigning one legal SWAT team per courthouse in order to “ensure violence criminal are denied bail and remain behind bars.” Attorney General Caroline Mulroney claims that “these new resources will keep the worst offenders off the streets and keep our neighbourhoods safe” and former Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Michael Tibollo was proud to partner with police officers to crack down on crime in order to restore public safety.
Most recently, the federal government announced a $51.5 million investment into CBSA for an all-weather dog detector training facility, an expansion of X-ray technology in postal and air cargo centers and additional training for the detection of concealed goods in vehicles crossing the border. In short, funding dedicated to front-line law enforcement personnel to help prevent illegal firearms from entering the country.
With the assistance of our guests, we are going to dive head first into this issue and the examine whether the proposed policy responses will address the nuances and intricacies of gun violence.
Joe Coutois the Director of Government Relations and Communications at the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP). He has previously worked as a Senior Consultant with Enterprise Canada Consultants Inc., where he developed a thorough expertise in a number of public policy areas including municipal affairs, housing, energy, and taxation and fiscal policies. He is the author of Lobbying vs. Advocacy: Police Leaders as Advocates for Their Police Services and Their Communities (2012), Covered in Blue: Police Culture and LGBT Police Officers in the Province of Ontario (2014), and Gay. Female. Cop. The Intersectionality of Gender and Sexual Orientation in Police Culture (2018).
Doug Thomson is a professor at Humber College and has over 25 years of lecturing experience in four different countries and many academic institutions, including the University of Toronto. With a doctorate in philosophy from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in homicide, his academic work also includes research on interpersonal violence, genocide, community policing, and improving student’s learning and their social capital.
Credits
Robert Giannetta, Host and Junior Producer
Aryeh Ansel, Technical Producer
Nuri Kim, Executive Producer
Music Credits
Not Dead by Fine Times
Maybe I’m Afraid by Lovelytheband
Pressure by Muse
The definition of E-Health has many variations, but what it generally refers to is electronic communications and processes supporting health practices. Since 2008, the Ontario government has been focused on implementing a province-wide medical records database. This would create a single forum for physicians, pharmacies, testing centres, and patients to access. Theoretically this would electronically keep a patient’s entire medical history in the province.
The standardization of the data for sure in another barrier we’ve sort of encountered as we have started to put our data in. (29:35) – Gail Wilson
Ontario’s E-Health initiative was a big topic of discussion in 2009 when the Auditor General reported that the successive government had wasted 1 billion in taxpayer dollars. Contract awarding was said to have shown favouritism, and money was recklessly spend on this limousines and coffee runs. But since this story broke, discussions about E-health have quieted on the public front. That is why we are speaking today. In the policy field, you hear that one of the biggest areas of interest right now is in healthcare. Focusing on a health records database, we will be looking at some of the existing policy and discussing some of the areas of interest going into the future.
With all this rich data there, can we expose this data to the individual patient. There’s a lot of opportunity there for patients to be able to see their data across their continuum of care. But, there’d have to be a lot of policy work with how you grant access, what you can see, how you interpret that information.” (30:45) – Giuseppe Cammisa
According to Statistics Canada, the baby boom generation is defined as Canadians born between 1946 and 1965. In 2011, this demographic accounted for roughly 29% of the Canadian population, or roughly 3 in every 10 persons. Within Ontario, seniors aged 65 and older are the fastest-growing age group. In 2016, there were 2.3 million seniors living in Ontario, this accounts for 16.4% of total provincial population. By 2041, that number is projected to increase to 25%, amounting for a total of 4.6 million seniors. There are a number of other age-related considerations to take into account when examining Ontario’s healthcare system. First, Ontario’s senior population is becoming increasingly diverse. The number of visible minority seniors in Ontario increased by 44% between 2011 and 2016, compared to only a 16% increase among non-visible minority seniors. Second, aging in place has become more common as 93% of seniors live in private households, among which 63% live with a partner or spouse, and 23.5% live alone. Third, seniors in Ontario face an increased prevalence of numerous chronic health conditions, such as high blood pressure (48.7%), arthritis (46.8%), diabetes (18.4%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (7.3%). It is estimated that between 17 to 30 percent of Ontario seniors are impacted by aging-related mental health conditions, including depression and dementia. Collectively, these factors signal the importance and unique nature of addressing the healthcare needs of Ontario’s baby boomers.
These demographic considerations are projected to put fiscal pressure on Ontario’s healthcare system. With the cost for hospital care being three times higher than the average person ($842 per day for one senior, compared to $280 per day for one adult aged 18-64), the Government of Ontario faces increasing hospital expenses as baby boomers age. If these age-specific costs today are left as is and applied to the 2030 population, Ontario’s health costs could increase by $24 billion – this is equal to an increase of 50% more on healthcare spending today solely from the aging of the baby boomers. The healthcare sector also represents the largest sectoral expenditure in the OPS with health spending amounting to 42% of total government operating expenditure. The cost of hospital care, compared to long-term care and home care, is also fiscally burdensome on Ontario’s health care system. For example, the cost per day for one hospital bed for one senior is $842/day in comparison to one long-term bed equaling $126/day and home care equating to $42/day.
Structurally, Ontario’s healthcare system operates within the domains of Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs), with care being provided primarily through hospitals. Ontario’s health system is the outcome of a hospital-based insurance system, which has yet to be fully integrated and coordinated with primary care and Community Care Access Centres. The set-up of Ontario’s healthcare system has been noted as not aptly meeting the needs of an aging population that is facing higher incidence of multiple chronic conditions and has an expressed desire to age in place.
In light of the diverse needs of the aging population and today’s fiscal reality. It is prudent for the government to consider reforming the current healthcare system to ensure that is addresses the multitude and diversity of care needs facing seniors. With health sectoral costs continually increasing due to related increases in hospital-based care, it is important for the Government of Ontario to explore more efficient and responsive approaches to delivering health care for Ontario’s seniors. One way to achieve this goal is through the ehealth system.
In 2008, eHealth Ontario was created out of a merger between the Ontario Ministry of Health’s electronic health program and the Smart Systems for Health Agency (SSHA), with a mandate to create electronic health records for all patients in the province by 2015. However, eHealth Ontario has been plagued by delays and its CEO was fired over a multimillion-dollar contracts scandal in 2009. Particularly, in late 2009, the Auditor General of Ontario published a highly critical report that documented problems with procurement rules and hiring practices. Private sector leadership unfamiliar with government practices, coupled with a sense of urgency, had resulted in a culture that did not comply with the exacting standards of the Ontario Public Service (OPS). In the years that followed the 2009 Auditor General’s report, the agency received further criticism and negative headlines when work ceased on two of the projects that were part of its original mandate. The Diabetes Registry was not completed because of project delays and, as technology rapidly evolved, the information that was to be captured in the database could now be accessed through patients’ electronic medical records. Management made the decision not to sink further investments into the project. The Medication Management database was cancelled because after a lengthy procurement process, the first of its kind, no vendor would undertake the work within the funding envelope proposed by government.
The agency today bears little resemblance to the organization that existed six years ago. Under new leadership and management, eHealth continues to operate of creating a Electronic Health Record, EHR, system that includes four fundamental components of 1. a secure network on which patient data can travel; 2. applications that enable users to record, store, and retrieve that patient data; 3. patient data, such as treatment history, test results, diagnostic images, and prescribed medications, in digital form; and 4. terminals or access points from which users can input and retrieve patient data. Moving into the future, hopefully eHealth Ontario could continue improve its EHR system and deliver high quality healthcare services to Ontario’s continue aging population.
[Interview begins at 12:20]
Giuseppe Cammisa possesses a wide-range of healthcare experience in both the public and the private sector. He has previous hospital experience around the Toronto area, having previously held positions at St. Joseph’s Health Centre and the University Health Network. He currently works as the Director of the Project Management Office at St. Michael’s Hospital where he manages a team in the delivery of clinical and business IT implementations for the organization.
Gail Wilson is the Director of Nursing Practice and Clinical System Adoption in the Professional Practice department of St. Michael’s Hospital. Gail possesses a great deal of clinical experience and has practiced in a variety of clinical settings. Currently, Gail is accountable for the clinical workflows and clinical staff education as it applies to all IT clinical applications within the organization.
Dr. Alykhan Abdulla is the Medical Director at the Kingsway healthcare centre in the outskirts of Ottawa. There, he practices family medicine and teaches medical students, internationally trained doctors, residents, and nurses regarding the concepts of primary care. Dr. Abdulla is very involved with the implementation of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) in Ontario. He is a peer leader for the OntarioMD, meaning he is an expert user of Ontario Certified EMR programs and can provide support to other physicians in regard to efficient uses of EMR in their clinics.
Show Credits:
Erin Anderson-Birmingham, Host and Producer
Ji Chen (Tony) Yin, Producer
Anna Millar, Producer
Dimitri Treheles & Nuri Kim, Executive Director and Technical Producer
Music Credits:
Last Two Standing by Dave Sampson Comin’ Home by City and Colour
This week, in collaboration with the Gender, Diversity and Public Policy Initiative, we discuss diversity in policy and what it entails. In particular, we talk about how spaces for diversity are carved at the Public Policy Program at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
Credits:
Hiba Siddiqui, Senior GDPP Analyst Sarah Khan, GDPP Analyst Habiba Khaled, GDPP Analyst Faiza Mehboob, GDPP Director Antona Christus-Ranjan, MPP Equity Advisor Nuri Kim, BTH Executive Director
Since 1994 Canada, U.S. and Mexico have been economically tied through the North American Free Trade Agreement, harmonizing and liberalizing cross-border trade flows in a variety of exports and labour movements. That was until the election of Donald Trump, who called NAFTA the “worst trade agreement in history” and resolved to renegotiate the terms to be more in favour of the United States.
The United States has always had a problematic attitude towards NAFTA. The most immediate origins of the agreements was in the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, and it was a Canadian initiative that took a lot of lobbying in Washington and hard negotiations — Robert Wolfe
President Trump sent his detailed list of changes to Canada and Mexico in July of 2017. What followed were several rounds of talks in hope of finding a new agreement that all sides could agree on. On the deadline for Canada-US negotiations on September 30th of this year, a preliminary deal was finally reached, and the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement has been signed and awaiting ratification by each country’s parliament.
It’s about rules as opposed to power. In the power imbalance like the US-Canada, Canada needed assurance then and now that when there are disputes, they will be resolved on an equal basis and let the evidence talk as opposed to pure power politics — Drew Fagan
In this episode, we seek to learn the impact of this new agreement, the history that led to these massive negotiations, and how the everyday Canadian may or may be affected. Welcome to Beyond the Headlines.
Robert Wolfe is Professor Emeritius from the School of Policy Studies of Queen’s University, teaching in the faculty from 1995 to 2017. Before his work in academia Robert worked in the Canadian foreign service, serving placements in Bangladesh and in the Canadian delegation to the OECD. He is a fellow at Institute for Research on Public Policy, where he an author and co-editor of “Redesigning Canadian Trade Policies for New Global Realities”, which was published last year. (@BobWolfeSPS)
Drew Fagan is a professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. Mr. Fagan is a senior fellow at the Public Policy Forum, where he has overseen recent research reports, as well as the C.D. Howe Institute and a number of other university institutes. Mr. Fagan was previously a Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Infrastructure in Ontario Public Service and an Assistant Deputy Minister at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Mr. Fagan is a sought after speaker and writer.
Credits:
Kevin Hempstead, Producer and Host
Nimmi Augustine, Host
Nuri Kim, Executive Director and Technical Producer
On November 6, 2018, Families, Children, and Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos released Canada’s Poverty Reduction Act. The federal legislation defines Canada’s official poverty line for the first time and sets targets to reduce poverty.
Our weekly team discusses the implications of Canada’s Poverty Reduction Strategy with Joe Gunn from Citizens for Public Justice and Laura Neidhart from Canada Without Poverty.
On October 23, 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada’s federal carbon tax.
Our weekly team breaks down how pollution pricing will affect Canadians with David McLaughlin from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwoodfrom the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)
Guests: David McLaughlin, Director of Climate Change Canada, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood, Researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)
Credits:
Alex Gold-Apel
Dimitri Trehels
Vienna Vendittelli
Music Credits:
Over Everything by Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile
Beyond the Headlines is debuting its very first The Weekly episode! Tune in to our discussions of the societal implications of Cannabis Legalization in Canada.
In May 2018, a group of six young Canadians came together from around the world to serve as Ambassadors of the Young Diplomats of Canada to the OECD Forum 2018 in Paris. The Youth Delegation met with high-level leaders and thinkers from around the globe, to discuss what the future will look like for youth and to reflect on what brings us together.
“We are facing challenges that none of us can solve on their own. Our countries are connected, our destinies interwoven, our solutions entangled. In the words of Dostoyevsky – we are all responsible to all, for all. So welcome to the OECD 2018 Forum. Welcome to explore the DNA and the potential for collective action.” said José Ángel Gurría, Secretary General of the OECD, during his opening remarks at the OECD Forum 2018.
“But it is also time to ask ourselves, why these pushbacks? Why these antibodies to our common cause are emerging? It is time to recognize that something is not working when the world’s richest 1% accumulate half of the world’s wealth. When more than 60% of the world’s employed work informally. When the richest 10% of the OECD population now earn 10 times more than the poorest 10%. It’s going in the wrong direction, fast.” Mr. Gurría continued.
While reflecting on the complexity of shaping policy in a post-truth world and identifying opportunities for civic engagement and co-creation with citizens, the 2018 Forum focused on addressing three key issues: International Co-operation, Inclusive Growth, Digitalisation.
Today, the Young Diplomats of Canada Delegation explore the conference themes and their implications for youth in Canada. In particular, the Delegates unpack rich Forum discussions on topics including trade, democracy and voting, housing inequality, digitization, and skills for the future of work.
Two representatives from the New Zealand Youth Delegation to the OECD Forum joined the Canadian Delegation in studio to discuss bilateral meetings had throughout the week with various high-level leaders, such as Helen Clark – the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand, representatives from Etalab in the French Prime Minister’s Office, Rob Nail – CEO and Associate Founder of Singularity University, representatives from the Canadian Permanent Delegation to the OECD and more.
The Young Diplomats of Canada (YDC)is a federally incorporated non-profit, non-partisan, and youth-led organization. YDC develops the diplomatic leadership and international advocacy experience of young Canadians, through hands-on training programs and key partnerships that give delegates exclusive access to high-level geopolitical events and summits. YDC’s main focus is to create inclusive decision-making at the highest levels through carving space for young leaders to engage directly with global decision makers. You can visit YDC’s website youngdiplomats.ca for the latest information on recruitment, articles as well as reports on their activities.
[Interview begins at 2.45]
Credits
The Young Diplomats of Canada Delegation to the OECD Forum 2018, Hosts, Producers and Technical Producers
Tatheer Ali – Head Delegate
Celine Caira – Producer and Head Communications
Matthias Leuprecht – Ambassador
Adèle Bélanger-McMurdo – Ambassador
Sarah Bérubé – Ambassador
Garima Karia – Ambassador
Guests (in order of appearance):
Chhavi Breja – New Zealand Youth Delegation to the OECD Forum 2018
Bhavya Dhar – New Zealand Youth Delegation to the OECD Forum 2018
Helen Clark – 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand
Rob Nail – CEO and Associate Founder of Singularity University
Niels Braley – Etalab, Office of the French Prime Minister
Amélie Banzet – Etalab, Office of the French Prime Minister
Nicolas Vogtenberger – Etalab, Office of the French Prime Minister
Dr. Clement Dherbecourt, France Stratégie
Darren Rogers – Counsellor, Canadian Permanent Delegation to the OECD
Music Credits:
Change The Sheets by Kathleen Edwards
Entrepreneurs by Scott Holmes
Carry Me Home by Hey Rosetta!
Carried Away by Passion Pit
Breathe In Breathe Out by The Long War
Juice by Chromeo
Special Thanks:
Dimitri Treheles and Nuri Kim, Executive Producers
Addressing inequality is arguably one of the most challenging issues in public policy. How we choose to acknowledge past, present and future inequalities; how we measure and identify this issue; whether we address concerns on the basis of inequality of outcome or opportunity; and what policies we ultimately should implement to tackle inequality remain important political, philosophical and statistical questions for decision-makers around the world.
Researchers of public policy examine how to measure and tackle intergenerational mobility and subsequently, address the larger questions of inequality. To help us unpack this multi-faceted topic today on Beyond the Headlines is one of the top economists leading the discussion, Dr. Miles Corak.
“What we’ve learned over the last 10 or 15 years is the idea that there is more intergenerational mobility in the United States is something that is not supported by the data.” – Miles Corak, Professor of Economics, Graduate Centre of the City University of New York
Miles Corak is a full professor of economics at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and senior scholar at the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality. He has previously taught at the University of Ottawa, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and has been a visiting researcher and professor at Universities including Princeton, University of London, and Harvard University. In addition, Professor Corak has been affiliated with a number of think tanks and research institutes as an advisor or research fellow including the Institute for the Study of Labour in Germany, the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality, The Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration at the University College London in the UK, and the C.D. Howe Institute and the Broadbent Institute in Canada to name a few.
We should pay attention not just to inequality but the nature of inequality. It’s not inequality in general that seems to matter for intergenerational mobility but rather its inequality in the bottom half of the income distribution.” – Miles Corak, Professor of Economics, Graduate Centre of the City University of New York
Professor Corak’s research has focused on the topics of economic and social mobility, the effects of labour markets, unemployment, child poverty and social policy. This includes examining how social mobility affects Canada and other countries. Tied to this research is an examination of the meaning and measurement of equality of opportunity. Having written extensively on this topic, he has previously been published in Canadian Public Policy, Journal of Economic Perspective, Labour Economics and Child Development. He has also been cited in outlets including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Economist and the Globe and Mail.
“While post-secondary education isn’t a guarantee for a successful outcome in life, it certainly is an important gateway.” – Miles Corak, Professor of Economics, Graduate Centre of the City University of New York
To learn more about Professor Corak’s work and research, visit his website milescorak.com
[Interview begins at 2.03]
Credits
Ian T. D. Thomson, Executive Producer, Technical Producer and Host
Music Credits Not Dead by Fine Times
Street Hassle by Lou Reed
Honeybee by Unknown Mortal Orchestra
This episode is part two of BTH’s examination of net neutrality in the Canadian context. Listen to part one here.
On Thursday, December 14th 2017 the United States Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal Net Neutrality regulations originally implemented by the Obama administration. What is the importance of Net Neutrality in the Canadian context? What is the broader issue at play here? And how do we uphold the affordability and openness of the internet, while striving towards increased efficiency and competition.
Today we explore these questions and more with today’s esteemed guests
“You don’t know how the internet is going to evolve […] every year or two there is something new that revolutionizes the internet so why prevent these news business models that emerge […] because of a very rigid interpretation of net neutrality? You should not be doing this.” – Martin Masse, senior writer and editor, Montreal Economic Institute
Martin Masse is a senior writer and editor at the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI). He is a graduate of McGill University in Political Science and East Asian Studies. He is the author of a book on Quebec politics, and of several articles in various publications on economic, political, and philosophical issues. He was MEI’s Director of Research and Publications from 2000-2007. He also served as political advisor to Canadian Industry Minister Maxime Bernier, in particular on issues relating to the Canadian telecom industry. Since 2014, he’s been the author of an annual research paper titled ‘The State of Competition in Canada’s Telecommunications Industry‘ (2018 report). [First half of interview at 1.05/Second half at 15.35]
“Net neutrality if you at look at it from a very orthodox perspective, it says [a] cat video data packet gets the same treatment as data packet[s] that are used to help a self-driving car not crash.” – Martin Masse, senior writer and editor, Montreal Economic Institute
Credits
Jasper Parades, Junior Producer, Host Mary Shin, Junior Producer, Technical Producer Tom Piezkarski, Junior Producer, Technical Producer
Ian T. D. Thomson, Executive Producer
Music Credits
Not Dead by Fine Times Black Mirror by Arcade Fire
Thirty by The Weather Station
More than 80% of people living in urban areas are exposed to poor air quality levels that exceed the safe World Health Organization (WHO) Standards. A declining air quality is associated with a host of health problems, including risk of stroke, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, allergies and asthma. It is also linked to approximately 6.5 million deaths annually across the world. While some countries follow the WHO standards for air quality, there are also countries like India that have developed their own, more ambitious national ambient air quality standards for various air pollutants. Unfortunately, India does not meet its own country’s safe standards.
The majority of the world population is exposed to air pollution and major global cities are significantly affected by its presence; the cities of Zabol, Iran, New Delhi and Gwalior, India, and Beijing, China have all been listed as having some of the worst air qualities in the world. Particles like black carbon also are significantly responsible for the warming experienced in the world. Therefore, air pollution is increasingly seen as a dual threat to the environment and public health across the world.
In Canada, according to the November 2017 Health Canadareport(“Health Impacts of Air Pollution in Canada”), approximately 14,000 premature deaths can be linked to air pollution. It has costed Canada $36 billion due to illnesses and premature deaths. The Government has stated that even though Canada currently has relatively lower levels of air pollution compared to levels in other countries, addressing air pollution remains a priority for the government.
Experts around the world are calling on their respective governments to do more to reduce air pollution through stricter policy interventions. Conversely, there are critics who argue that policies around air quality are arbitrary in targeting specific health benefits; not enough considerations are given to thevarious hidden costs associated with air pollution.
To help us tackle these issues and take the policy discussion forward, we are joined by Dr. Chung Wai Chow, a lung transplant physician and Professor at University of Toronto, and Dr. Ross McKitrick, Economics Professor at University of Guelph and a senior fellow of the Fraser Institute.
“Although, we live in a country with […] very good air quality, we are very much impacted by air pollution” – Dr. Chung-Wai Chow, lung transplant physician at University Health Network, and Professor at Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Dr. Chung-Wai Chow is a lung transplant physician at University Health Network. She is a researcher at the Toronto General Research Institute, a professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and a clinician-scientist at the Department of Medicine at University of Toronto. She is a Director of Biotox Laboratory at Canada Aerosol Research Network. Dr. Chow’s research interests include Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Musculoskeletal areas. Additionally, she is also a Science Ambassador at Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany. [Interview at 3.21]
“There is clearly an association between exposure to air pollution and worsening of lung function and worsening of lung disease” – Dr. Chung Wai-Chow, lung transplant physician at University Health Network, and Professor at Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Ross McKitrick is a professor of economics and a CBE Fellow in Sustainable Commerce at the University of Guelph. He is a Senior Fellow of the Fraser Institute and is widely published and cited on the economics of pollution, climate change and public policy. He has also worked collaboratively across a wide range of topics in the physical sciences. He is a sought-after guest speaker around the world, and makes appearances on various news outlets discussing issues in environment, energy and climate policy. His research has been featured in many prominent outlets including the The New York Times,The Economist, and The Wall Street Journal. [Interview at 29.21]
“On a typical day in a Canadian city, you won’t really experience the kind of bad air that you would have experienced in say the 1960’s…We don’t have the same nuisance of air quality and we don’t have the same issues around the air just being toxic and dangerous. ” – Ross McKitrick, Professor at the University of Guelph and Senior Fellow at the Fraser Institute
Credits
Shirin Bithal, Junior Producer, Host Nuri Kim, Junior Producer, Technical Producer Mary Shin, Technical Producer
Ian T. D. Thomson, Executive Producer
Music Credits
Not Dead by Fine Times Can’t Leave the Night by Badbadnotgood
We Find Love by Daniel Caesar
On Thursday, December 14th 2017 the United States Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal Net Neutrality regulations originally implemented by the Obama administration. What is the importance of Net Neutrality in the Canadian context? What is the broader issue at play here? And how do we uphold the affordability and openness of the internet, while striving towards increased efficiency and competition.
Today we explore these questions and more with today’s esteemed guests David Ellis, Reza Rajabiun, and Cynthia Khoo.
David Ellis is an educator, blogger, broadband evangelist and public policy consultant. Over the past 40 years, he has written and consulted on many different facets of broadcasting, telecommunications, cultural policy, the Internet and information technology. David received his university education in Canada, England and France, earning his doctorate at the University of Paris. Since 2005, he has taught in York University’s Department of Communication Studies, where he focusses on developing effective ways to help students understand how the Internet functions. He is currently at work on a book about the smartphone crisis and the increasingly adverse social effects of digital technologies. [interview at 1.01]
“Net Neutrality is a principle that says that internet service providers should treat all internet traffic […] fairly […] without undue discrimination.” – David Ellis, educator, broadband evangelist and public policy consultant
Cynthia Khoo is the founder and principal lawyer at Tekhnos Law. She has represented and advised clients on issues such as net neutrality, freedom of expression, copyright, privacy, Internet regulation, intermediary liability, and digital trade. After graduating with a BA (Hons.) from UBC and JD from the University of Victoria, Cynthia interned as a Digital Policy and Research Fellow at OpenMedia, where she later served as external counsel, and articled at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. She writes a digital policy column for The Monitor, and volunteers for the Internet Society Canada Chapter, Creative Commons, and the OBA Entertainment, Media, and Communications Law Section Executive. [interview at 22.17]
Reza Rajabiun (MA, LLM, PhD) is a competition policy and telecom strategy expert, with research interests in expanding Internet access infrastructure, assessing the quality of broadband networks, and improving rural connectivity. Dr. Rajabiun’s work on the design of competition regulation and the development of broadband Internet infrastructure has appeared in various peer reviewed scholarly journals, including Competition Law and Economics, Indiana Law Journal, Telematics and Informatics, Information Policy, andTelecommunications Policy. He is a Research Fellow at the Ted Rogers School of Information Technology Management at Ryerson University in Toronto and at the Algorithmic Media Observatory at Concordia University in Montreal. He serves as a member of the advisory team of the Regional & Rural Broadband project at the University of Guelph, the Technical Committee of the Intelligent Community Forum Canada, and was an external expert providing input into the development of Ontario’s Long-Term Infrastructure Plan (LTIP, 2017). He has been the lead subject matter expert representing Ontario’s rural regions and the Media Access Canada(MAC)/Access 2020 Coalition of Canadians with disabilities in a number of regulatory proceedings before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). [interview at 40.48]
Credits
Jasper Parades, Junior Producer, Host Mary Shin, Junior Producer, Technical Producer Tom Piezkarski, Junior Producer, Technical Producer
Ian T. D. Thomson, Executive Producer
Music Credits
Not Dead by Fine Times Silencer by T. Nautilus
Everything Now by Arcade Fire
Our Love by The Bros. Landreth
Beyond the Headlines 