Author: Ayesha Lye
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“To me, the future is accessible… I have a very good imagination.”
In speeches delivered at The Walrus Talks, accessibility advocate Aimee Louw imagines a future when she can access services without barriers, and Azeezah Kanji, director of the Noor Cultural Centre, interrogates racism and systems of exclusion in Canada.
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The live Sounds Like Life experience
Live from Sadleir House, Sounds Like Life braved a performance in front of a live studio audience. Part of Peterborough Independent Podcasters Pints & Podcasts pub night, I joined a number of other vulnerable podcasters getting onto the stage to lay our podcasts bare for all to see. I selected some sounds from the past…
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Eskasoni Immersion School builds strength of Mi’kmaq language
Eskasoni is a First Nation community on Cape Breton Island, and by many accounts, the Mi’kmaq language is alive and well amongst residents of this fairly large reserve. Speaking with many people who live there, Cross Country Checkup heard repeatedly how highly they value their language, and how integral it is to their culture.
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‘Who is Jimmy Gwich?’: the story behind my radio sign-off
A video about Cross Country Checkup host Duncan McCue and his radio sign-off.
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The doc with all the donkeys
There’s no question that the donkeys, mules and miniature horses at the Primrose Donkey Sanctuary in Roseneath, Ont. are well taken care of. Sheila Burns and her volunteers make the rounds every day to take care of these retired animals, many of which have stories of abuse and neglect. One afternoon in December, Sheila invited…
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Those donkeys have real character!
The Primrose Donkey Sanctuary gives a home to discarded animals in Ontario. With the price of hay so high, there’s a lot of donkeys up for auction and owner Sheila Burns has her hands full with these guys.
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Happy Birthday to my Grandma
On Saturday October 22, 2016, my family gathered in Sudbury, Ont. We were celebrating the 90th birthday of my lovely grandmother, Margaret. Over 100 people congregated in the church basement that day: a mix of my grandma’s family, extended family, old friends, new friends… people who were mostly strangers to me. Ahead of time, I…
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Travellers on the Trans-Canada Trail
The Trans-Canada Trail is touted as the longest network of trails in the world. When completed, it will span the length of Canada, going from the tip of Newfoundland, to the Arctic Ocean in the Northwest Territories, and over to Vancouver Island. For my birthday, my partner and I went to none of those places.…
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La Vie Bilingue: French immersion programs in Canada through the ages
Since its beginnings in the 1960s, French immersion has polarized many Canadians, and the debate lives on today. Read this backgrounder on French immersion programs and contribute to the Checkup conversation.
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Women seek apology, inquiry from government for ‘forced adoptions’
Spring of 1968, an 18-year-old ‘unwed mother’ sees her son for the first and last time before a 33 year separation. Jennifer Charles is one of an estimated thousands of Canadian women who alleges that she was coerced into giving up her newborn baby for adoption against her will. Charles became pregnant in an era…