Alert! Radio

Episode 145 (February 24th 2010)

Denis Lemelin, National President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers warns against Canada Post’s plans to further downsize and privitize the postal service.  Danny Schur, creator of Strike-the Musical (based on the Winnipeg General Strike) talks about his plans to bring it to the big screen.  Grad student Tyler Shipley laments about what the Olympic Games is doing to our love of sports and our sense of national priorities. Mitch Podoluk’s Music is the Weapon focuses on the art of Woodie Guthrie. Download this episode (27 MB)

Show Notes

Danny Schur has been called “Canada’s Andrew Lloyd Webber”. That reputation is mainly based on his musical theatre “Strike!” — a love story amidst the riots and bloodshed of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike. More recently, Danny has written the musical score of the just released feature film “Snake River”. Snake River is directed by Joseph Novak who also wrote the script and edited the film.

Denis Lemelin is the National President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers — CUPW has just issued a warning that Canada Post has started a campaign to sell the public on its idea of closing some more post offices and privatizing some of its services. Read Lemelin’s recent article on this issue here.

Tyler Shipley teaches international politics at York University and is a member of CUPE 3903. His latest article, Pro-sports, Anti-Olympics: Reclaiming the games, from the Games, is featured on Socialist Project.

Recent episodes:

  • Episode 202 (February 8th 2012) – Micheal Vonn, Policy Director of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association discusses soon-to-be introduced “lawful access” bills to expand police surveillance powers. The federal government has announced that it will soon be introducing legislation to increase the ability of police to intercept private communications and access more personal information stored electronically. Steven Staples, President of the Rideau Institute takes on pro-war lobbyists at the Conference of Defence Associations, part of an increasingly powerful National Security Establishment in Ottawa. Canadian Dimension labour columnist Herman Rosenfeld analyses the anti-union campaign shaping up in Canada and laments about the weak state of the labour movement’s opposition.

  • Episode 201 (February 1st 2012) – Noted health care analyst Pat Armstrong reflects on what lies behind Harper’s new health care policy. It’s not just a matter of numbers. Pensions expert Andrew Jackson shows why Harper’s pension policy is fiscally unnecessary and devastating, especially for low income seniors. Investigative journalist Martin Lukacs talks about Harper’s tar sands agenda and his efforts to sell it in Canada, the USA and Europe.  He comments on the counter campaigns led by indigenous resistance movements in alliance with environmentalists, other activists and municipalities.

  • Episode 200 (January 25th 2012) – Carlo Fanelli analyses what was accomplished at Toronto City Hall to limit the regressive measures introduced by Mayor Rob Ford and the shape of the battles still to come. Political scientist Dennis Pilon reflects on the history of municipal amalgamations that bring to power right-wing mayors like Rob Ford in Toronto and Larry O’Brien in Ottawa largely owing to votes from once independent outlying middle class and wealthy suburban communities that swamp the votes of those residing in the city proper. Political economist Sam Gindin unravels the European debt crisis and austerity agendas of governments everywhere and their impact on a stagnating global economy. He examines the limitations of resistance movements as they emerged in 2011 and suggests new strategies for 2012.


Rick Salutin, playwright and columnist, Toronto Star

Nothing seems to me more important than the debate about what socialism means NOW, with the decks finally cleared of Soviet and similar versions, yet so few are doing it. Thank God, pardon the expression, for Canadian Dimension.

— Rick Salutin, playwright and columnist, Toronto Star. SUBSCRIBE NOW!