Episodes

How a Textile Artist Used a Challenge in her Life to Pay it Forward
Sept. 14, 2023

How a Textile Artist Used a Challenge in her Life to Pay it Forward

Claire Sparling has always felt a need to learn how things are put together. Throughout her life, she has followed this instinct by developing skills in everything relating to textiles.
“When I was at the residential school I was taught that God was a punishing God. And I was punished a lot.”
Aug. 24, 2023

“When I was at the residential school I was taught that God was a punishing God. And I was punished a lot.”

It has taken Lorraine Daniels, a second generation Indigenous Residential School survivor, over 60 years to accept her Ojibway culture.
Why Do Men Buy Sex?
July 20, 2023

Why Do Men Buy Sex?

Human trafficking is a grave violation of human rights and one of the most heinous crimes committed against individuals, particularly women and children. It is a modern form of slavery, involving the recruitment, transportation, harboring, or receipt of people through force, fraud, or coercion for …
“I see hope every day. I wouldn’t be doing this work if I didn’t have hope.”
June 29, 2023

“I see hope every day. I wouldn’t be doing this work if I didn’t have hope.”

Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair is an Anishinaabe writer, editor, and activist based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. And his credentials are very, very impressive when you consider Sinclair is also a public speaker and media commentator...
Don’t
June 8, 2023

Don’t

Simple and to the point. It was the statement put out by the University of Brandon when Brandon School Division trustees heard from a local delegation’s call to remove 2SLGBTQ+ and sexual education resources from the school libraries. Our Humans, on Rights podcast guest, Ellen Bees is a middle scho…
Celebrating 50 years of Identity, Advocacy and Community
June 1, 2023

Celebrating 50 years of Identity, Advocacy and Community

Sally is a proud member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and so eloquently reminds us that “we all have a voice, find your voice, and use it. Your silence won’t protect you.‘’ And Jordan, who is a trans woman clearly articulates that “a lot of people don’t like people who are different from themselves. We…
Melissa Stone: Taking action to Make Homes for the Unsheltered Humans.
April 27, 2023

Melissa Stone: Taking action to Make Homes for the Unsheltered Humans.

Melissa Stone woks at Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata and is the coordinator for Astum Api Niikinaak and Amoo wig amig. Astum Api Niikinaak means “come sit at our home”. This project which offers affordable housing for people facing key barriers such as being unsheltered and addictions, alongside a communal l…
Diwa Marcelino: Community Organizer with Migrante Manitoba
April 13, 2023

Diwa Marcelino: Community Organizer with Migrante Manitoba

Millions of people are forced to leave their home country to find work. Each individual journey is filled with hope to rebuild and have a better life, but once they settle in their new home, the hardship doesn’t always stop there. Migrant workers face a much higher risk of vulnerability to exploita…
Rebecca Chartrand: .Language Lessons start at Home, Listen and Learn from your Elders
March 30, 2023

Rebecca Chartrand: .Language Lessons start at Home, Listen and Learn from your Elders

“The way to preserve a language is to start the lessons at home. And listen to your elders.” Elder Mary Houle When it comes to giving voice to language, Rebecca Chartrand, the President & CEO of Indigenous Strategies has a vo...
Devon Clunis believes the City of Winnipeg is THE example of how to do community well.
March 16, 2023

Devon Clunis believes the City of Winnipeg is THE example of how to do community well.

Devon Clunis solidified his place in history in 2012 when he became the first Black chief of police in Canadian history. Clunis immigrated from Jamaica with his family in 1975 at age 11 and he began his career in law enforcement with the Winnipeg Police Service in 1987.
“Love the Skin You’re In!”
March 2, 2023

“Love the Skin You’re In!”

"Where are you from?” I would be asked. “Oh, I’m from here” would be my response. Simple enough, right? Nope. During Black History Month, Winnipeg’s Rhonda Thompson-Wilson says cultural organizations play an important role i...
Darcy Ataman: Making Music Matter
Feb. 23, 2023

Darcy Ataman: Making Music Matter

As the Founder and CEO of Make Music Matter, Darcy Ataman, M.S.C., O.M. has dedicated his life’s work to bringing an alternate form of music therapy to survivors of sexual violence, conflict and trauma. Working in partnership with Nobel Laureate, Dr. Denis Mukwege, Darcy developed the Healing in Ha…
Black Resistance: Remember, Recognize and Educate
Feb. 15, 2023

Black Resistance: Remember, Recognize and Educate

February is when the proud Black History Manitoba organization invites the whole community to come together to Remember, Recognize and Educate. To quote the BHM President Nadia Thompson, “February is the month in which we bear witness to the progress, richness, and diversity of the achievements and…
"If people can learn to hate …they can be taught to love.” (Nelson Mandela)
Jan. 26, 2023

"If people can learn to hate …they can be taught to love.” (Nelson Mandela)

Learning. Teaching. Education is a human right. When exploring education as a human right in this episode of Humans on Rights, Mitchell DeFehr, education coordinator for MARL, discusses the importance of human rights learning when we reference the “other”. He shares his views about how systems d…
Yvonne Peters: Sight impaired, Braille Advocate , Human Rights Lawyer
Jan. 5, 2023

Yvonne Peters: Sight impaired, Braille Advocate , Human Rights Lawyer

"I wanted to be more than just a screamer!" - Yvonne Peters. To acknowledge World Braille Day, Humans On Rights spoke with Yvonne Peters. Yvonne practiced as a human rights lawyer in Winnipeg for over 30 years. During this time she served as legal counsel and advisor on a number of equality tes…
International Universal Health Is A Human Right: Up close and personal with an International Student from Nigeria
Dec. 15, 2022

International Universal Health Is A Human Right: Up close and personal with an International Student from Nigeria

Advocate. Community Engagement. Community Organizer.
Alex Lytwyn: Accessibility Matters, Can I Come In?
Dec. 8, 2022

Alex Lytwyn: Accessibility Matters, Can I Come In?

Alex Lytwyn is an astonishing person. Alex has Cerebral Palsy and is in a power chair. Listening to Alex is not easy. First it is not easy because Cerebral Palsy, the most common lifelong physical disability, has affected Alex’s speech. He works work really hard to get his words out. You have to li…
Through the Eyes of a Child Refugee: We Are Where We Come From
Nov. 24, 2022

Through the Eyes of a Child Refugee: We Are Where We Come From

World Children’s Day is celebrated on the 20th November to commemorate the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. To acknowledge World Children’s Day, Dorota Blumczynska shares her personal story as witnessed through the eyes of a refugee child. Since secretly fleeing Poland as a child, Dorota’s l…
Clifford Weekes: Anti-Racism Team Lead, Seven Oakes School Division
Nov. 10, 2022

Clifford Weekes: Anti-Racism Team Lead, Seven Oakes School Division

“I would rather be a little nobody than an evil somebody” – Abraham Lincoln School violence and bullying including cyberbullying is widespread and affects a significant number of children and adolescents. On this episode of Humans, on Rights Clifford Weekes, anti-racism team lead for the Seven O…
A “How To” guide on passing a better city onto the next generations
Oct. 27, 2022

A “How To” guide on passing a better city onto the next generations

Brent Bellamy is a Winnipeg architect and public advocate who shares his vision on how to create a sustainable city based on building and human focussed design. He writes passionately about this subject, challenging the conventional perception of architectural and urban form. His thoughtful and pro…
Al Wiebe: I Was a Hidden Homeless Person
Oct. 13, 2022

Al Wiebe: I Was a Hidden Homeless Person

Al Wiebe went from earning $120k a year and driving a new Mercedes to living for 26 months in a 40-year-old wrecked Mercedes in the back lane behind an auto wrecker. After losing his $120k a year job, Al Wiebe was rocked by the trauma of job loss and suffered from unchecked clinical depression. Al …
Glenn Michalchuk: The absence of war is NOT the definition of Peace!
Sept. 22, 2022

Glenn Michalchuk: The absence of war is NOT the definition of Peace!

The Chair of the Peace Alliance Winnipeg, Glenn Michalchuk is convinced that the War in Ukraine could have been averted but was not. In this episode Glenn explains his strong belief that this war in not based on anything of substance but more on political fanaticism. And that Canada has played a ro…
Stacey Bradley: Literacy is a Right not a Privilege
Sept. 8, 2022

Stacey Bradley: Literacy is a Right not a Privilege

Lifelong learning champion Stacey Bradley was asked to “just come to one meeting”. She did and that is how she became the President of the Manitoba Reading Association. September 8th is International Literacy Day and on this ...
Laurelle Harris: Canada and Enslaved Persons. A very troubled legacy.
Aug. 25, 2022

Laurelle Harris: Canada and Enslaved Persons. A very troubled legacy.

If I asked you what country comes to mind when you hear the words, Jim Crow. The Ku Klux Klan. Enslaved persons, I bet you a US dollar that you would say ’the United States of America.” While you are not completely wrong, you may be surprised to learn how my guest Laurelle Harris educates the liste…