________________________________ From: CANADALAND <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Friday, December 9, 2022 4:45 PM To: Dennis Raphael <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Every food bank is a policy failure And Canada is weird in venerating them We're funded by our audience. If you value Canadaland's work, please support us<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=208d243749&e=ff4e1d7c51>. [Canadaland logo] [The logo for the CANADALAND podcast, featuring the severed head from a statue of John A. Macdonald lying cheek-down on the ground, alongside a pic of Justin Trudeau, wearing a white shirt and black face mask, helping pack boxes at a food bank.] <https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=3a112ea639&e=ff4e1d7c51> Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Food Banks Year after year, Food Banks Canada has bestowed awards upon Walmart, the famously low-paying, anti-union retail giant — not for generating new food bank clients but for its “extensive philanthropy program." But if every billionaire is a policy failure — and there are at least five in the family whose late patriarch founded Walmart — then so is every food bank<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=2ee3c6a9fd&e=ff4e1d7c51>. On this week’s CANADALAND<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=d82e7b53cd&e=ff4e1d7c51>, reporter Cherise Seucharan explains how food banks were originally set up as temporary stop-gaps the 1980s, how they're not actually a solution to food insecurity, and why Canada's civil society weirdly holds them up with pride rather than shame. Listen to CANADALAND<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=7fb0ba463b&e=ff4e1d7c51> Read the post<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=8e825ca694&e=ff4e1d7c51> [The artwork for Commons: Monopoly, featuring a metallic top hat (like the game piece) floating in a cloudy — or is it smoky? — black-and-white void.] <https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=75a7e259b4&e=ff4e1d7c51> WIND of Change WIND Mobile, now known as Freedom, was a small company that tried to break through Canada’s telecom oligopoly. It did not have an easy ride. WIND faced numerous hurdles from regulators, was subject to dirty tricks from the telecom oligopoly, and was eventually bought by Shaw. But it also helped lower cell rates and brought in unlimited data and U.S. roaming, changing the country's wireless market forever. The newest instalment of Commons: Monopoly<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=9ae0c545bf&e=ff4e1d7c51> offers the inside story of WIND Mobile, from the people who were there. (Well maybe not the newest instalment; supporters already have access to next week's, on Canada's penchant for corporate mergers.) Listen to COMMONS: Monopoly<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=ae530329cd&e=ff4e1d7c51> [A high-contrast, blue-and-red photo of a laughing Doug Ford, in the manner of the Wag the Doug logo, with text reading: For Whom The Greenbelt Tolls] <https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=bed71ba027&e=ff4e1d7c51> Better Call Sprawl Doug Ford loves calling things out as “corrupt.” But just how often must his party’s friends and donors reap rewards from their policies before the word can be liberally flung back? On the new Wag the Doug<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=38f9fa10aa&e=ff4e1d7c51>, Allison and Jonathan look at who benefits from the dismantling of the Greenbelt and then trade fave findings from the latest Auditor General’s report. Listen to Wag the Doug<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=ac4864992f&e=ff4e1d7c51> [The artwork for Détours, depicting the crisscrossing highways of the old Turcot Interchange in Montreal, alongside a portrait of Sophie Gagnon, wearing a green sweater, with a bookcase visible through lens blur in the background.] <https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=3ab498aae4&e=ff4e1d7c51> Tribunal médiatique Dans le cadre des 12 jours d’action contre la violence faite aux femmes, cet épisode revient sur la couverture médiatique actuelle au Québec autour de la dénonciation de violence à caractère sexuelle. Quel rôle jouent les journalistes dans l’accompagnement d’une personne victime ou survivante qui choisit de dénoncer ? Emilie anime cet épisode de Détours avec Sophie Gagnon<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=aade93cce8&e=ff4e1d7c51>. As part of the 12 Days of Action Against Gendered Violence, Sophie Gagnon joins Emilie on Détours<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=8a828ced80&e=ff4e1d7c51> to look at the current Quebec media coverage around reporting of sexual violence. What role do journalists play in supporting a victim or survivor who chooses to speak out? Écoutez Détours<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=3e3fea07e3&e=ff4e1d7c51> [The Short Cuts logo featuring an image of Justin Trudeau in a face mask at the 2020 Throne Speech, alongside a portrait of Grant LaFleche, wearing a brimmed hat that's somewhere between what a cowboy and what a gumshoe reporter would sport, photographed in front of some sort of snow-dappled rock formation.] <https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=869d445597&e=ff4e1d7c51> Blacklock's Stock and Few Smoking Barrels The Hamilton Spectator's Grant LaFleche joins Jesse on Short Cuts<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=6f24c08f49&e=ff4e1d7c51> to consider why hunters are pretty darn mad about the big new list of firearms to be banned by the Liberals, and whether we should care about the complaints, so long as the move helps reduce gun violence. They also assess the credibility of the strange claim by Blacklock's Reporter about having been "evicted" from the Parliamentary Press Gallery. Listen to Short Cuts<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=a28c63cf23&e=ff4e1d7c51> [A graphic for The Backbench's live event, with an outline illustration of the Peace Tower that has the word Live! written in cursive next to it, like a neon light.] <https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=c3ce5cfc5c&e=ff4e1d7c51> Hakuna Mattea Join us next week at Toronto's Hot Docs Cinema for our first live event since 2019<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=0fd8057134&e=ff4e1d7c51>, at which The Backbench will be looking back at the funniest, most significant, and strangest moments from the year in Canadian politics. Who better as guides than our Backbenchers? Host Mattea Roach will be joined by Emilie Nicolas, David Moscrop, Murad Hemmadi, and special guest Miguel Rivas. Tickets go for $15 but are FREE for Canadaland supporters<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=17fc6f77bb&e=ff4e1d7c51> (and Hot Docs members). Are you a supporter and unsure how to claim your free tickets? Send us a note<mailto:[log in to unmask]>, and we’d be happy to help. Get your tickets<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=ed87641539&e=ff4e1d7c51> [A snazzy photo of one of Canada's Duly Toted canvas tote bags, set inside a graphic tinged with Canadaland's yellow and blue brand colours.] <https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=11a0f1e956&e=ff4e1d7c51> The Shipping News From now through Monday, December 12th, we're offering free Canada-wide shipping from our online store<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=24db582dc3&e=ff4e1d7c51>. Eyeing the new merch? Need a replacement<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=d987ed29b5&e=ff4e1d7c51> for those hole-riddled socks? Now is the time to order. Every purchase supports our journalism, with a portion also going towards Journalists for Human Rights<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=84fe29a4c7&e=ff4e1d7c51>. And as always, if you support Canadaland<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=6efa2536e5&e=ff4e1d7c51> through Supercast or Patreon, you can use your supporter discount code for 20% off. Are you a supporter and unsure how to access your code? Send us a note<mailto:[log in to unmask]>, and we’d be happy to help. Shop the Canadaland Store<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=abf64701da&e=ff4e1d7c51> Canadaland is funded by you Wow! With over 2,925 of you signing up or increasing your support, we hit our goals for 2022's crowdfunding month! Thank you to everyone who signed up to support, shared why you support, and encouraged others to support — you made our campaign an incredible success! You have shown us that not only do you value our work but that you want more of it — and have empowered us to deliver that over the next year. Of course, if you've been meaning to sign up but haven't yet done so, you're absolutely always welcome (even encouraged!) to get on board at any time. Support Canadaland (it's never too late!)<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=a5974c6d5a&e=ff4e1d7c51> What's been getting us through the week Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the Ikea Monkey<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=b23bb09283&e=ff4e1d7c51>. With that in mind, this week we asked our staff… What’s your favourite Canadian animal incident? Mattea Roach (host): "Absolutely when the two capybaras broke out of<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=cac340dbca&e=ff4e1d7c51> the High Park Zoo in 2016." Cassidy Villebrun-Buracas (associate producer): "My favourite is the memorial created for the deceased raccoon<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=a0c7c0a82d&e=ff4e1d7c51> in Toronto." Aviva Lessard (producer): "I loved the escaped Montreal alligator<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=25cf7f35b6&e=ff4e1d7c51> who crossed the street." Tristan Capacchione (audio editor): "The video of the eagle snatching a toddler<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=ef1b1e2ce1&e=ff4e1d7c51> on Mount Royal, which went completely viral, and news agencies all over picked it up. Except, it was a hoax<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=8713c5947f&e=ff4e1d7c51>. Some students in a 3D animation class did it as an assignment, the goal of which was to get over 100,000 views for a perfect mark. They had millions." Jonathan Goldsbie (news editor): "Oh yeah, that even surpassed a previous hit by students at the same school, depicting a penguin that'd supposedly slipped away<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=09b1cee307&e=ff4e1d7c51> from the Biodôme." Jordan Cornish (producer): "I’m a big fan of the time a missing pet python was found<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=b9b3cde140&e=ff4e1d7c51> in the sewer but turned out to be a different python<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=28a7400839&e=ff4e1d7c51>, because it gave us this quote that occasionally pops up in my brain like an intrusive thought": [Screenshot from a CBC article: "How many pythons are loose in the sewers of Toronto?" Sannella mused. "There's a lot, obviously."] <https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=556887007c&e=ff4e1d7c51> Alan Black (COO): "These are all amazing. And while I can't pick one single favourite, I can tell you that my least favourite was that time when a three-legged raccoon set up shop in my backyard and then went on to eat 98% of my couch, repeatedly scare my children, and ended the summer eating the single pear that had been growing on the pear tree that had not borne any fruit since I planted it. Hilarious!" Arshy Mann (host/producer): "I think I should start off by acknowledging that Ikea Monkey is the king of animal stories, no question. I know that Wag the Doug co-host Allison has long argued that we need an Ikea Monkey statue in this city. I’d vote for any mayoral candidate who promised that. But while Ikea Monkey does stand alone, weird animal stories are the thing that Canada best. Just the other week, around 20 ostriches got loose<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=a4a63ca817&e=ff4e1d7c51> in Taber, Alberta. I’m a big fan of many of the ones that have been already mentioned, especially the capybaras. I’ve also always been partial to the wild turkey that chased down a man<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=d9d9f16efc&e=ff4e1d7c51> in Brampton. But for me, the best animal stories in recent years have come out of BC. Three are particularly iconic: * #3) The Surrey Peacocks. For years, feral peacocks have roamed the streets of Surrey. And they all decided to roost in a tree outside of a man’s house, making horrible noises all through the night. The city did nothing. 'They pushed me to the edge. I tried everything,'<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=3a73beb1e1&e=ff4e1d7c51> he later told a paper. And so in desperation, he cut down the tree, totally dividing the city and setting himself up for a $10,000 fine. Despite the efforts to capture them, many peafowl are still at large in Surrey. * #2) Canuck the Crow. I mean, he stole a knife from an active crime scene<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=2344698ba5&e=ff4e1d7c51>! He became so beloved that Vancouverites voted him the city’s unofficial ambassador<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=1873a2c4d4&e=ff4e1d7c51>. Sadly, Canuck has gone missing and is believed to be wielding weapons in crow heaven. * #1) The River Otter with a Taste for Koi. The fact that this otter snuck its way through downtown Vancouver and into the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=009ecd0d4c&e=ff4e1d7c51> to eat some priceless half-century-old fish<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=98e40adbfd&e=ff4e1d7c51> is incredible enough. The fact that he did it for a week was even more admirable. The fact that he then came back A YEAR LATER<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=6b562c4025&e=ff4e1d7c51> and terrorized the koi once more makes him an absolute icon." Jonathan: "We need an Animals season of Commons." Cherise Seucharan (reporter): "Glad someone mentioned Canuck the Crow. This paragraph, from his Wikipedia page<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=ef4403bf16&e=ff4e1d7c51>, might be the perfect distillation of Canuck energy: 'On 24 May 2016, Canuck stole a knife from a crime scene and interrupted a police investigation. Police had been responding to a burning vehicle when a man came at them with a knife and was subsequently shot and brought to hospital. While police were still on the scene, Canuck picked up the dropped knife, but dropped it before flying off. During another police investigation, Canuck investigated the parked police motorcycles and entered a police van, in which he defecated.'" [A photo of a crow, standing atop gravelling pavement, clutching a small serrated knife in its beak.] <https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=c89efaabf4&e=ff4e1d7c51> Canuck, via the Canuck and I<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=4da8b46acb&e=ff4e1d7c51> page on Facebook Aviva: "How could I forget the flock of seagulls that caused a crap-ton of damage<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=ba04fd95fb&e=ff4e1d7c51> after breaking into The Empress hotel in Victoria to eat a stash of pepperoni near the windowsill, causing the man whose room it was to be banned from the hotel for 17 years?" Jordan: "This is INCREDIBLE." Tamara Wise (office manager): "I remember that one!! Was briefly obsessed." Katie Hernandez (patron coordinator): "LOL, this story rocked my world." Cherise: "Not a specific incident, but the victory of Toronto raccoons over the city's $31 million raccoon-proof garbage bins has to be the my fave. Not long after after Mayor John Tory declared that 'Defeat is not an option<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=f1b346c33e&e=ff4e1d7c51>,' people across the city started to notice their garbage bins being mysteriously opened during the night. The Toronto Star's Amy Dempsey finally got to the bottom of it, capturing on video<https://canadaland.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b74ee46da1eb7a8973ab45d41&id=116a7921ec&e=ff4e1d7c51> a raccoon pushing the bin over and knocking it open. Raccoon Nation forever." Did you get this forwarded to you (and liked what you saw)? 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