Midweek
Wednesday February 7th, 2018 with Heather Keary and Katrina Mcnabb
Midweek’s show on Feb. 7 ran the gamut from the hot and sultry to the frosty…and oddly, both extremes were to be found over at Ottawa U.

One of our reporters attended a top-flight drag show starring RuPaul Drag Race runner-up Peppermint (in the photo above by Midweek’s Lauren Sproule), while two more chilled with members of what our Prime Minister would likely call “Snowpeoplekind” and the folks competing to make them. Grand prize for the best creation: a trip down south. Speaking of alternating hot and cold, flu-afflicted reporter Maggie Parkhill dragged herself in to give us a doctor’s tips on how to try to avoid the flu and what to do if you fail. Best pro tip: it’s not too late to get that flu shot, since there’s lots of sick-season still ahead. Based on her extensive first-person research, Maggie reports that healthy is better than sick…so get the shot. Midweek’s Christine Vezarov brought a chilling warning of her own: anyone can find themselves dealing with a potentially deadly fentanyl overdose. Her report took us inside the easy-to-use life-saving naloxone kits, now available free in Ontario. But there is a warm side to winter, too, as Midweek’s Kaylyn Whibbs found at an informal skating class for new arrivals in Canada, and as Noah Richardson witnessed as volunteers fixed and served a free Saturday dinner at the In from the Cold program at Parkdale United Church. Reporter Mona Mahmoud explained to us about the odd student government race underway at Carleton University, where several unopposed candidates are actually running against an opponent called “No Confidence” — the option voters have on their e-ballots if they don’t like the only person running. Midweek’s Kaitlin Fisher spoke with a board member for Planned Parenthood Ottawa about the difference to their clients a new law might make. The Safe Access to Abortion Services Act is aimed at making protesters keep their distance from those entering clinics. Emily Fearon reported that the good news about a new cut-rate airline in Canada could have a dark side, too — the dark, carbon-coated, climate-altering downside that some warn comes with air travel if counter measures aren’t taken…and even if they are. We went off to a gallery to learn about love in advance of Valentine’s Day, and attended what was toted as Ottawa’s first-ever poetry karaoke night at a small Chinatown bar. And we heard the voices of a storeowner who’d just had a devastating break-in, those raising funds to help the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and those welcoming Black History Month. One voice we didn’t hear was Midweek show producer Naomi Librach, who was under strict doctor’s orders to not say a word for the week due to laryngitis. Listening’s better than talking anyway — especially when you have Midweek to turn to!