Aaaaaand…we’re back again for a brand-new Midweek season with a brand-new Midweek crew!
The voices and faces may be different (now that we can see each other’s faces), but it’s still the same eclectic show: We have about 16 reporters who head out each week to chase a story they discover and want to tell — their choices, not assignments — and then our production team pulls the mix together into our show for the week.
This week, this meant stories ranging from butter tarts and wagging tails to demands for climate justice and for truth as a step towards reconciliation.
Reporter Caitlin Redmond started us off at the Ottawa Humane Society’s Wiggle Waggle Walkathon and Run. Then Wafa El-Rayes and Rebecca Moen took us to Ottawa’s International Animation Festival, and Hafsatsou Balde gave us a look-ahead at the Ottawa Korean Film Festival.
The Cumberland Farmers Market’s harvest market was finally back after two years on hold, and Midweek’s Jingyao Yu was there to capture the scene. Then Ali Khaleghi found out about the Ottawa Mystic Market’s Halloween-theme event, and Ben Skene discovered a butter tart festival in Stittsville.
With all this going on, you’d think our area would be a great place to visit — and right on cue, the federal government has announced the lifting of COVID-related restrictions on coming into Canada. Midweek’s Spencer Nefekh spoke with chamber of commerce reps in Niagara and Kingston about the difference they think this may mean to their communities.
That story marked our show’s turn to tougher topics: Reporter Lahari Nanda next told us how local climate activists are pointing to the devastation caused by Hurricane Fiona from the Caribbean to Newfoundland as reason to ratchet up pressure for climate justice, now they can gather in person after two and a half years of virtual protests. Jodie Applewaithe then reported on how Amnesty Ottawa is keeping alive the memory of Berta Cáceres, the Honduran environmental activist and Indigenous leader murdered in 2016.
Reporter Sophie Kuijper Dickson then introduced us to a new voice speaking up in Ottawa: Celine Debassige, a 22-year-old community organizer and activist who’s running for Ottawa mayor for reasons she makes clear.
Lahari was then back with an older, elder voice from Ottawa’s English poet laureate, Albert Dumont, speaking about his reflections on his life as an Indigenous person as Canada’s second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation neared.
We got an update on the progress of the local pro soccer team Atlético Ottawa from Constantina Varlokostas, and Will Smith took us to the national university curling champtionships at the R-A Centre.
Then Constantina was back to tell us what locals told her about the issues that matter to them in this year’s municipal elections, and Hafsatou followed with a report on those marking the 35th anniversary of Canada legalizing abortion.
Back to the movies: Shriya Balachandran took us to Capital Pop Up, a community initiative that started out as one couple hosting movie nights in their living room. Another initiative that’s growing is Girl Gains, a club at Carleton Univeersity to promote fitness and weightlifting for women, and Midweek’s Ali Khaleghi introduced us to its founder.
Morgana Adby — who hosted this show with Wafa El-Rayes — hit Ottawa’s second Asian night market of the year, and Spencer returned with the creative pair behind the Montreal-based electronica group Lesser Evil.
Did we say Midweek shows are eclectic? Asian fusion and electronica were followed up with a visit to Bluegrass Mondays at Old Ottawa South’s new(ish) Redbird Live venue, brought to us by reporter Mayson Maharaj.
Phew! Quite a journey on the radio … and trust us: you don’t want to know what was going on behind the scenes in the the newsroom and studio as we put on our first live-to-air 85-minute show. Suffice to say, it was a … learning experience — as we hope listening to all our stories is for you!
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