Episodes

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 attempted suicide numerous times. On one of his suicide attempts, Al plunged into the Assiniboine River, only to be rescued and finding help from a Doctor at St. Boniface Hospital. Today Al has a message of hope for those who are struggling and dealing with homelessness. He recently led a campaign to name a stretch of Henry Street in Winnipeg “Hope Ally”. Henry Street was the place Al Wiebe passed countless times to different shelters and resource centres when he was homeless. Today Al uses his lived experience as a homeless person to become a 24/7 advocate for the homeless and those in poverty. This episode of Humans on Rights is a glimpse into Al Wiebe’s story. See Privacy Policy at ht…

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 roll, wrongly in his view, of advancing that political fanaticism. Active in the peace and anti-war movement since 1980, Glenn has used his involvement with the union movement as a natural connection to his activity involving social justice. Glenn articulates his disappointment that the mainstream media is more interested in providing sound bites rather than factual, in-depth, research about how the peace process gets derailed in favour of violence and war. Thoughtful, educational and very unconventional, Glenn Michalchuk is worth a listen. www.facebook.com https://www.peacealliancewinnipeg.ca See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://…

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 episode, Stacey talks about the incredible appetite young children have when they start to learn to read, but she also talks about the challenges of losing interest in reading as children get older. In her words, sometimes “we start to lose them as they get to middle school”...

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 listener on how those terms of racism are also very much a history of the place we call home – Canada. Laurelle shares that one of Canada’s most prestigious universities is named after a well-known man who personally owned enslaved persons and his business interest were intrinsically intertwined with the slave trade. Anyone guess Montreal businessman James McGill? As she says in this episode “it’s not comfortable for people to remember the uncomfortable parts of their own history, so we simply don’t think about or talk about those things.” On this episode with Laurelle Harris, we definitely talk about those things and more. Laurelle Harris’s resources on Black History in Canada: The Cana…

Racism is a mental health issue because racism causes trauma. Every day, the BIPOC Community are exposed to far more trauma than those whose lives have not been devalued. On this episode of Humans, on Rights, Kyla Bernardo, M.Ed, CCC, CGE, CGP addresses the challenges that the BIPOC Community has getting help when faced with mental health issues. Through her deep knowledge of mental health and front-line work Kyla, who operates Purposeful Counselling, shares her family’s personal story about mental health and how the BIPOC Community can find meaningful resources without having to suffer financial hardship. You can find the resources Kyla mentioned below: Brene Brown on Shame: Author Bessel van der Kolk: The Body Keeps the Score Paul Denniston - grief yoga website: https://griefyoga.com/free-resources/ David Kessler’s website: https://grief.com/10-best-worst-things-to-say-to-someone-in-grief/ Nine Circles Community Health Centre: https://ninecircles.ca See Privacy Pol…

Ininew Public Speaker. Author. Host. Community Organizer. Advocate for Children, Youth & Families. Michael Redhead Champagne inspires every time he speaks to an audience or brings his pen to the page. His storytelling connects communities across North America and around the world. Michael’s commitment to action and solutions comes from his experiences growing up in Winnipeg’s North End, his identity as a member of Shamattawa First Nation and his connection to the child welfare system. He aims to...

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) states that we are approaching over 100 million displaced peoples world-wide. In this episode of Humans on Rights, the Executive Director of IRCOM (Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba) Shereen Denetto shares her passion of about working with and supporting newcomers to Winnipeg. She has seen first-hand the incredible talents and knowledge these newcomers bring when they arrive in our community. Located in the heart of inner-city Winnipeg, the talented IRCOM team, led by Shereen provide transitional housing and wrap-around settlement supports to newcomer families. While overseeing the successful completion of a second housing complex which effectively doubled their operations, Shereen is also overseeing the 30th Anniversary of one of Winnipeg’s most important family organizations -IRCOM. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From working in a four generations family owned and operated grocery store in the inner city of Winnipeg to receiving 2020 Terry G. Falconer memorial Rh Institute Foundation Emerging Research Award, Dr. Natalie Riediger has been either working in or researching about food security. Natalie walks us through the Four Pillars that describe food security: availability, access, utilization, and stability. In her capacity as assistant professor of food and human nutritional sciences in the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Agricultural and Food Services, Natalie is driving discovery in understanding how to effectively address nutrition-related health inequities among oppressed populations. Natalie speaks to the importance of advocating for policy as World Food Safety Day approaches on June 7, 2022. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What do Heavy Construction and being a mother have in common? What about stone crushing and breaking a glass ceiling…what do they have in common? To answer those questions and more, I spoke with Nicole Chabot, the Vice President of L. Chabot Enterprises Ltd. In her own words, Nicole said “I am a woman, I have an Indigenous background. I am a wife, and I am a mother. And I am very proud to work in the heavy construction industry.” As the Chair of the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association Board of Directors, Nicole, only the second woman to take on that role, is leading the way to advance diversity and inclusion in the work place. She understands that having a diverse workplace or a diverse workforce does not make your organization inclusive. She asserts that people need to feel welcome, that they have not only a place at the table, but a voice at the table. Below are some links to explore to gain additional insight to the work being done by the Manitoba Heavy Industry Association.…

Shannon Sampert is a political analyst and media specialist who serves as a bridge between th academy and the community. As a former journalist, she explores the intersections of media, politics, and gender. Sampert is a sought-after media commentator during Canadian elections and for her expertise in areas such as political communications and sexism. She cut her teeth in media at the tender age of 15 while working for a radio station in Wetaskiwin, Alberta. From there she got into producing documentaries and found herself as the only female on the Editorial Board of the daily Winnipeg Free Press. Always energetic, Sampert shares her hopes and concerns as we talk about World Press Freedom Day and the role the media have in raising public awareness for the right of free expression. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Those were the words Karyn Lazareck said to the medical profession when they had doubts about her intuition of her son Jordan’s autism. On this episode of Humans, on Rights, Karyn talks about how she and her husband Mel raised three amazing boys who are now all men. And how one of the boys, Jordan led her to mobilize a community to create a place where anyone with a disability could find a safe and respectful place in that community. By using her leadership skills and love of her autistic son Jordan, Karyn created GROW (Gaining Resources Our Way). GROW is a place where young adults with social, intellectual, and developmental disabilities can learn life skills. Karyn believes that everyone wants to be part of a community. She explains that by using person centred programming at GROW (people are like snowflakes, no two people are the same) that achievable goals, set by the individuals attending GROW can be met or exceeded.Karyn Lazareck’s community leadership has been recognized num…

This week, we welcome Clan Mother Jamie Goulet to the Humans on Rights podcast. Jamie is a co-founder of Clan Mothers Healing Village, a beautiful lodge whose mission is to help women and girls with an array of different issues, from environmental issues to human trafficking and sex slavery and so much more. As they expanded, they took on the name Clan Mothers Healing Village and Knowledge Centre to honour the mission of carrying on knowledge of elders and the stories of those who pass through t...

Water…we use water form everything from cooking to bathing. There is hardly anything we can do without water. We live in a culture where take perhaps certain things like water for granted. Water…it’s a good thing right? But what happens from a mental and physical perspective when a human made flood forces people, families, entire communities off their land. In this episode Dr.Myrle Ballard talks about how, as a young girl growing up on Lake St Martin First Nation, she witnessed, through human made flooding, the destruction of her families land where they farmed and kept cattle. She witnessed school buses taking families away from their homes as the human made flood rose higher and higher forcing their evacuation which the families thought might be days or a week. Over 7 years later some families still have not been able to return to their homes. As an Indigenous Scholar and Associate Professor, University of Manitoba, Dr.Myrle Ballard is a proud member of Lake St. Martin First Nati…

It has been said that a continued engagement with history is vital because it helps give context for the present. Black History Manitoba (@bhmwinnipeg #BlackHistoryManitoba) and Black History Month (#BlackHistoryMonth) is an opportunity to celebrate Black History going beyond stories of racism and slavery to spotlight Black achievement. On this episode, Ms. Valerie Williams, the Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the Rady Faculty of Health Science talks about what it was like to grow up with a father who changed the history and racial landscape of Canada. Valerie’s father was Lee Williams. Lee Williams, an African-Canadian was a tireless champion of human rights. He was the Founder of the Order of the Sleeping Car Porters, the first Black Railway Union in North America. Valerie recalls that her father was dead-fast in his belief that all human beings are equal and that the colour of our skin has no bearing on opportunity. With his numerous years experiencing racial and …

In the Nigerian language of Igbo, Zueike \zu-we-kay\ means to relax. Ogo Okwumabua is a sports entrepreneur who, with his partner Bryan, have created a brand with a focus of being local, being in the community. In this episode Ogo shares his thoughts on being a black sports and business entrepreneur, his relationship with his very successful black entrepreneur wife/life partner Praise, the balance that goes into raising four children and why Black History Month is more than just recognizing 28 days of Black History. And if you want to look crisp but relaxed, please visit Zueike online or in Winnipeg at 6-45 Trottier Bay

Jeremy Maron was in Grade 8 when he went to a screening of the film Schindler’s List. It was a very emotional experience that was made that much more powerful when Holocaust survivor Philip Weiss shared his personal story as a Holocaust survivor.

Ashley Nemeth is totally blind. She is a proud mother of three grown children, an entrepreneur, a manager of CNIB programs for Manitoba but it was during her high school years that Ashley discovered that despite her vision loss, she was very good at wrestling.

Dr. Noralou Roos is the co-director of the Get Your Benefits! project, which works to help Manitobans identify and access the benefits and programs they are eligible for. Dr. Roos is also the founding co-director for the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and a professor emerita in community health sciences at the University of Manitoba. She is known for helping create Canada's first data laboratory and for her work with Health Canada, implementing a research network that monitors post-market ...

The best way to protect yourself and others from HIV transmission is to be informed about prevention methods. For most people, taking PrEP ( PrEP stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis) is the best way to reduce the risk of HIV contraction. On this episode Mike Payne (he/him) the Executive Director of Nine Circles Community Health Centre talks about HIV, the stigma attached to those in our community with HIV, and why education continues to be one of the biggest challenges in advancing the true unde...

Micaela Crighton (She/They) and Leah Wilson (They/Them) are the Co-Chairs of Advocacy for the Institute for International Women's Rights -Manitoba and the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence. They both discovered their passion for human rights at an early age and have played significant roles in organizations such as the World Federalist Movement, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, Make Poverty History Manitoba plus others. On this episode they share their concer...

Elizabeth Sellers is a paediatric endocrinologist and Professor, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba. She is also a Clinician Scientist, Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba. As a clinician and clinical researcher, her primary focus has been the epidemiology, pathophysiology, complications, treatment and support of youth with type 2 diabetes with a particular interest in Indigenous populations.

James Kornelson is the Public Engagement Manager at Canadian Foodgrains Bank. He is passionately involved in the production of education and advocacy resources on global hunger, recently aimed at mobilizing Canadians to advocate on Canada’s international climate finance commitments. Big job! Oh and he has a love affair with Winnipeg.

Ayn Wilcox is the Executive Director of Klinic Community Health. In this conversation she connects the dots between her life learning at the Manitoba Agriculture Museum in Austin Manitoba and her current role as Executive Director at Klinic Community Health. Her life journey has been filled with a passion for learning and appreciating the importance of community. When it comes to understanding and de-stigmatizing mental health, Ayn firmly believes we are all in this together. Ayn believes if we ...

Is World Peace possible? My guest on this episode thinks so. Dr. Charlotte Enns, the Director of the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice believes if you can listen to other peoples stories, if you can understand other peoples points of view, that is the pathway to peace, and that is the way we are going to get to world peace even if that is an abstract concept. Dr. Enns explains the need for peace and justice is absolute before fundamental human rights can be achieved. Through our conve...