On Monday March 15th’s show: 

• Michelle McQuigge of the Canadian Press tells us about a call from sex workers to be included in a House of Commons committee that is studying how to protect the privacy of people who appear on pornography websites like Pornhub
• York University professor John Eastwood discusses boredom during the pandemic and tells us about his book, “Out of My Skull: The Psychology of Boredom.” The book is available in accessible format at CELA here 
• Carol-Ann Chafe, the founder of Access 2 Accessibility,  tells us about their entrepreneurship program for people with disabilities 
• U.S. lawmakers are introducing a new bill to make affordable high-speed internet available to all Americans. Marc Aflalo of Double Tap TV fills us in
• And, Ryan Delehanty shares his Atlantic regional report and discusses issues with the mental health system in New Brunswick. He also shares an update on the mental health and addiction services available in Prince Edward Island
  • If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, please call your local crisis centre or the 24/7 Canada Suicide Prevention Service, available in French or English: toll-free at 1-833-456-4566 
  • There is also the First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness 24/7 Help Line at 1-855-242-3310 
  • And, if you are a youth, there is Kids Help Phone. You can text "CONNECT" to 686868 

On Friday March 12th's show: 

• We have our weekly news panel with Michelle McQuigge and Meagan Gillmore. Today, we discuss: 
  • vaccinations for health workers and explore whether they should be made mandatory
  • the responsibility of employers and explore a recent outbreak at a CIBC call centre, where some workers are wondering why they aren’t able to work remotely 
  • and, we learn about the use of AVI (Asynchronous Video Interviews) for hiring purposes 
• In the second hour of the show: 
  • entertainment critic Michael McNeely explores issues of anti-Asian racism and representation in mainstream film
  • and, Karen McKay from the Centre for Equitable Library Access shares the latest news on the recent Funding Cuts to Accessible reading material. CELA is encouraging you to write to your MP, Ministers Qualtrough and Freeland, and key opposition Members of Parliament using drafted letters at their site here 
  • She also tells us about: 
    • books about Walter Gretzky
    • Deesha Philyaw's recent win for the Story Prize Award 
    • the winner of the CBC Canada Reads:  “Jonny Appleseed” by Joshua Whitehead 
    • and, she shares her book recommendation for the week: “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah

On Thursday March 11th’s show: 

• We have our COVID-19: Year In Review Special. 
  • We reflect on the early days of COVID-19 and take a look back on what some political leaders had to say over the past 12 months.  
  • We also take a walk down memory lane with AMI-audio’s Andy Frank and Paula Dineen. And, we hear some audio from our very first “at home” broadcast. 
  • We hear some audience responses from a questions we had posed over the course of the month: How has the pandemic affected your daily life? 
• In the second hour of the show: 
  • Jeff Ryman and Brock Richardson review the effects of COVID on the sports industry, everything from the postponements to the return of mainstream sports.  
  • Steven Scott of Double Tap Canada considers the role technology played in maintaining employment operations remotely from home.  
  • Daniel Panimondo and the NOW gang roundtable it up for a discussion on the entertainment industry’s losses and gains. 
  • And, we hear several perspectives on life beyond the pandemic…the things we are looking forward to the most. 
     

On Tuesday March 9th's show: 

• Community reporter Michelle Creedy from Duncan, B.C. fills us in about the upcoming annual conventions hosted by the National Federation of the Blind and the Canadian Federation of the Blind. To access her full report, visit here 
• Nelson Rego of Cool Blind Tech tell us about Mojo Vision’s new app for Augmented Reality contact lenses. He also describes Razer's launch of the new Anzu Smart Glasses.  And, for his tech tip for the day, he walks us through how to increase the speed on an Apple Watch 
• MLA Stephanie Cadieux discusses the need for accessible housing in South Surrey
• And, Karen Magee, Mark Phoenix and host Dave Brown compete against each other in another edition of our weekly news quiz! 

On Monday March 9th’s show: 

• Michelle McQuigge of the Canadian Press shares an update on the changes to the Divorce Act which aims to better protect children in custody disputes 
• Denis Boudreau discusses the lack of digital accessibility during the pandemic. For more information on how to contact organizations about inaccessible websites, visit here. 
• Film reviewer Amy Amantea shares her commentary on the new Apple TV+ movie "Palmer" starring Justin Timberlake 
• Marc Aflalo and Steven Scott of Double Tap TV tell us about their upcoming town hall sessions 
• Author Koa Beck describes her new book “White Feminism: From the Suffragettes to Influencers and Who they Leave Behind.”  The book is available in accessible formats at CELA 
• And, Jim Krysko chats about Text4Hope, a new program that aims to reduce stress and anxiety during COVID. He also tells us about a new project that aims to address accessibility concerns along the longest recreational trail system in the world.