Woodstein Media

06/12/2023

“We’re excited to share more of our findings,” said Kristin Crane, director social research and planning for United Way. “People’s mental and physical health, the social environment and the state of the natural environment are important components of how people respond to the community. As with earlier reports, we hope the topics covered and recommendations made spark discussion and offer possible solutions to help us improve life across our region.”

“We’re excited to share more of our findings,” said Kristin Crane, director social research and planning for United Way. “People’s mental and physical health, the social environment and the state o…

27/11/2023

This episode features a conversation with Jillian Clair about the movement to legalize magic mushrooms and her research into the benefits of Psilocybin, that ingredient some mushrooms have which adds that psychedelic touch to them that many of us have grown to love. The mood-stabilizing gift from nature that governments want to deny access to.

This episode features a conversation with Jillian Clair about the movement to legalize magic mushrooms and her research into the benefits of Psilocybin, that ingredient some mushrooms have which ad…

08/11/2023

Living Wage Week in Ontario runs Nov. 6–12 and United Way Perth-Huron’s Social Research & Planning Council (SRPC) is announcing the new living wage of $22.75 an hour, up from $20.70 last year.

The Ontario government recently increased the minimum wage to $16.55 an hour on Oct. 1. The press release dated March 31, that preceded the increase claimed that “this 6.8 percent pay raise for low-income workers builds on the government’s steady and predictable increases every year to help families offset the rising cost of living.”

Living Wage Week in Ontario runs Nov. 6–12 and United Way Perth-Huron’s Social Research & Planning Council (SRPC) is announcing the new living wage of $22.75 an hour, up from $20.70 last year. …

06/11/2023

The stage of the Axis Club in Toronto was transformed into the landscape that ended up focusing the global eye on an artistic band of Russian activists. Although P***y Riot has yet to topple Putin’s regime, the notoriety they achieved in 2012 has made them an activist force to be reckoned with.

Riot Days is a play based on the memoir of P***y Riot’s Maria Alyokhina. Although the performance maintained the original Russian language, the story of resistance, repression and revolution has been cleverly presented in a multi-media blitz that even allows those of us who are unfortunate monolinguists to follow along and feel a part of the concert, rally, theatre and political happening. After all, as they say, “anyone can be P***y Riot.”

The stage of the Axis Club in Toronto was transformed into the landscape that ended up focusing the global eye on an artistic band of Russian activists. Although P***y Riot has yet to topple Putin’…

04/11/2023

More than 600 people joined Take Action for Palestine Webinar hosted by Resource Movement, Independent Jewish Voices, and Standing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Toronto on Oct. 24. Though it may hav…

27/10/2023

Enjoy an evening of classic 70s music with the Classic Troubadours Live at Revival House on Thursday, November 9, in support of United Way Perth-Huron (UWPH)’s work in Stratford and area.

United Way Perth-Huron helps here in the community you care about, tackling issues, including homelessness, mental health and access to services. Thanks to United Way, its partners, and donors, vulnerable people across Perth-Huron have the chance for a brighter future.

Enjoy an evening of classic 70s music with the Classic Troubadours at Revival House on Thursday, November 9 in support of United Way Perth-Huron (UWPH)’s work in Stratford and area. United Way Pert…

25/10/2023

In this episode, Barrie Ontario musician Earl Wyvern discusses their history and involvement in the DIY Arts Collective, which progressed to a deep involveme...

25/10/2023

In this episode, Barrie Ontario musician Earl Wyvern discusses their history and involvement in the DIY Arts Collective, which progressed to a deep involvement in music, promoting shows through Gay Ass Productions and slamming eardrums on recording and stages for the past ten years. They are currently playing with Angry Spells and digging deeper into what they refer to as their “horrendous progressive politics” with Earl Wyvern and Spare Parts.

Essentially, their horrendous politics, which they describe as “queer” and “militant,” are just a wish for people to be treated fairly and not single out specific segments of society with excuses not to be kind to them. Wyvern describes this as “what-aboutism” and that when people set out to do good for people, they don’t discriminate about who deserves help in times of need.

In this episode, Barrie Ontario musician Earl Wyvern discusses their history and involvement in the DIY Arts Collective, which progressed to a deep involvement in music, promoting shows through Gay…

24/10/2023

On this episode, Barrie Ontario musician Earl Wyvern discusses their history and involvement in the DIY Arts Collective, which progressed to a deep involvement in music, promoting shows through Gay Ass Productions and slamming eardrums on recording and stages for the past ten years. They are currently playing with Angry Spells and digging deeper into what they refer to as their “horrendous progressive politics” with Earl Wyvern and Spare Parts.

Essentially, their horrendous politics, which they describe as “queer” and “militant,” are just a wish for people to be treated fairly and not single out specific segments of society with excuses not to be kind to them. Wyvern describes this as “what-aboutism” and that when people set out to do good for people, they don’t discriminate about who deserves help in times of need.

On this episode, Barrie Ontario musician Earl Wyvern discusses their history and involvement in the DIY Arts Collective, which progressed to a deep involvement in music, promoting shows through Gay Ass Productions and slamming eardrums on recording and stages for the past ten years. They are current...

21/10/2023

Six southern Ontario bands rocked Barrie, Ontario’s Simcoe Hotel, in support of trans youth on October 15 during Stonewall 2: Fundraiser Boogaloo.

People who didn’t make it out to enjoy the music ranging from acoustic folk punk to punk and pop rock but still want to support transgender youth as they endure attacks from far-right agitators across Canada can contribute at https://www.transwellness.ca. Trans Wellness Ontario provides counselling, resources and peer support for transgender youth in Ontario at a time when anti-2SLGBTQIA rhetoric is on the rise.

Six southern Ontario bands rocked Barrie, Ontario’s Simcoe Hotel, in support of trans youth on October 15 during Stonewall 2: Fundraiser Boogaloo. People who didn’t make it out to enjoy the music r…

05/10/2023

Gay-Ass Productions is presenting Stonewall 2: Fundraiser Boogaloo at the Simcoe Hotel in Barrie on October 15. Money raised will support transgender youth through Trans Wellness Ontario. This organization provides counselling, resources and peer support for Trans Youth in Ontario at a time when anti-2SLGBTQIA rhetoric is on the rise.

Six bands are on the bill: Morel, Chachi On Acid, Earl Wyvern with Spare Parts, Mercy, Speed Humps, and Not So Gentle at the Simcoe Hotel, 31 Bayfield St. Barrie, On for $15. It’s 19+, and the doors open at 7 p.m. sharp. The bands will be playing shortly after, and it will run like clockwork.

Gay-Ass Productions is presenting Stonewall 2: Fundraiser Boogaloo at the Simcoe Hotel in Barrie on October 14. Money raised will support transgender youth through Trans Wellness Ontario. This orga…

04/10/2023

On this episode, award-winning musician, writer, poet, activist, broadcaster and washing machine engineer Joe Solo speaks about spreading his message of soci...

04/10/2023

https://wood-stein.ca/2023/10/04/woodstein-media-podcast-episode-25-uk-musician-poet-and-activist-joe-solo-on-socialism-antifascism-and-community-building/

On this episode, award-winning musician, writer, poet, activist, broadcaster and washing machine engineer Joe Solo speaks about spreading his message of social justice, anti-fascism, and socialism in his music and books from Scarborough. Not the Scarborough that will jump into the minds of people raised in southern Ontario, but the one across the Atlantic on England’s North Sea coast.
Solo began his musical journey in 1987 and has seen him leaping around with pop-punk upstarts Lithium Joe or his solo albums hammering out his unique brand of Folk, Punk and Blues. His songs bring to mind great lyrical thinkers like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Joe Hill, and Billy Bragg.

On this episode, award-winning musician, writer, poet, activist, broadcaster and washing machine engineer Joe Solo speaks about spreading his message of social justice, anti-fascism, and socialism …

03/10/2023

On this episode, award-winning musician, writer, poet, activist, broadcaster and washing machine engineer Joe Solo speaks about spreading his message of social justice, anti-fascism, and socialism in his music and books from Scarborough. Not the Scarborough that will jump into the minds of people raised in southern Ontario, but the one across the Atlantic on England’s North Sea coast.

On this episode, award-winning musician, writer, poet, activist, broadcaster and washing machine engineer Joe Solo speaks about spreading his message of social justice, anti-fascism, and socialism in his music and books from Scarborough. Not the Scarborough that will jump into the minds of people ra...

20/09/2023

Since you cannot debate hatemongers by countering their ill-informed opinions with facts, I have already turned off the comments on the latest Woodstein Media​ podcast on YouTube. The content of this episode is still crucial, even if the hateful protests against the needs of children and loving counter-protests supporting the mental health and safety of trans children and the entire 2SLGBTQIA+ community are already underway.

Focusing on the nation, local actions only appeared on my radar yesterday. It was good to see North Perth 2SLGBTQIA+ community members representing in Listowel today!

As anti-trans rhetoric gets normalized across Canada, activists stand up to the hatred. This episode highlights the work and activism of Celeste Trianon, a ...

19/09/2023

As anti-trans rhetoric gets normalized across Canada, activists stand up to the hatred. This episode highlights the work and activism of Celeste Trianon, a trans-feminine jurist and activist. On the legal front, she helps people in Quebec with name and gender marker changes. Across Canada, she has been involved in activism, resisting hatred directed towards the 2SLGBTQIA community, specifically trans, two-spirit and non-binary people.

As anti-trans rhetoric gets normalized across Canada, activists stand up to the hatred. This episode highlights the work and activism of Celeste Trianon, a ...

19/09/2023

As anti-trans rhetoric gets normalized across Canada, activists stand up to the hatred. This episode highlights the work and activism of Celeste Trianon, a trans-feminine jurist and activist. On the legal front, she helps people in Quebec with name and gender marker changes. Across Canada, she has been involved in activism, resisting hatred directed towards the 2SLGBTQIA community, specifically trans, two-spirit and non-binary people.

As anti-trans rhetoric gets normalized across Canada, activists stand up to the hatred. This episode highlights the work and activism of Celeste Trianon, a trans-feminine jurist and activist. On the legal front, she helps people in Quebec with name and gender marker changes. Across Canada, she has b...

19/09/2023

As anti-trans rhetoric gets normalized across Canada, activists stand up to the hatred. This episode highlights the work and activism of Celeste Trianon, a trans-feminine jurist and activist. On the legal front, she helps people in Quebec with name and gender marker changes. Across Canada, she has been involved in activism, resisting hatred directed towards the 2SLGBTQIA community, specifically trans, two-spirit and non-binary people.

On September 20 (TOMORROW) nationwide pro-2SLGBTQIA+ gatherings are planned in cities across Canada as counter-protests to stand against protests against the 2SLGBTQIA+ planned for the same day. There is an up-to-date list of locations in this link.

As anti-trans rhetoric gets normalized across Canada, activists stand up to the hatred. This episode highlights the work and activism of Celeste Trianon, a trans-feminine jurist and activist. On t…

15/09/2023

This episode features a conversation with singer-songwriter Carol Hodge. She is a versatile musician living in Yorkshire, UK, who has been performing styles as diverse as the punk sounds of CRASS, which she has been touring with Steve Ignorant since 2011, to introspective pop songs full of intelligence, wit and poignancy delivered with a “cynical optimism.”

This episode features a conversation with singer-songwriter Carol Hodge. She is a versatile musician living in Yorkshire, UK, who has been performing styles as diverse as the punk sounds of CRASS, …

14/09/2023

At 3:20 pm on Wednesday, September 13th, activists from Extinction Rebellion disrupted private helicopter takeoffs at JRA West 30th Street Heliport Airport, disrupting flights the same way severe s…

14/09/2023

This episode features a conversation with singer-songwriter Carol Hodge. Carol is a versatile musician living in Yorkshire, UK, who has been performing styles as diverse as the punk sounds of CRASS, which she has been touring with Steve Ignorant official official since 2011, to introspective pop songs full of intelligence, wit and poignancy delivered with a “cynical optimism.”

This episode features a conversation with singer-songwriter Carol Hodge. She is a versatile musician living in Yorkshire, UK, who has been performing styles as diverse as the punk sounds of CRASS, which she has been touring with Steve Ignorant since 2011, to introspective pop songs full of intellige...

09/09/2023

Here's an important resource to help authors, teachers, librarians, students, book sellers, and book lovers maintain access to books in an era when people who cry out that they are being canceled attempt to ban access to ideas and knowledge.

Banned Books

02/09/2023

This episode spotlights harm reduction services provided by Positive Living Niagara. Talia Storm, Director of StreetWorks Services, discusses supervised consumption, safer supply and other services that have saved lives during the toxic drug crisis. As Storm says, the staff at StreetWorks are just the passengers, and the individuals accessing the services are driving the car because harm reduction is an aspect of the treatment continuum that aims to empower and respect a person’s right to self-determination.
There were 36,442 apparent opioid toxicity deaths in Canada between January 2016 and December 2022.
A total of 7,328 apparent opioid toxicity deaths occurred in 2022. This is an average of 20 deaths per day. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the average number of deaths per day was 10. The average number of deaths per day peaked at 22 in 2021. However, based on current national data, analyses show no significant decrease in trend, and rates remain high.

This episode spotlights harm reduction services provided by Positive Living Niagara. Talia Storm, Director of StreetWorks Services, discusses supervised consumption, safer supply and other service…

26/08/2023

Since May, a group of concerned citizens known as the Drag Storytime Guardians have supported Drag Story Time and Pride events throughout Southwestern Ontario. At the heart of the guardians is a 70-year-old biker, Sista Patricia, who has been putting what she has learned, marching for the rights of women and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, into action to protect families and drag queens from far-right fanatics who show up at libraries to protest Drag Story Time.

In this episode, Sista Patricia discusses how she came to be involved with the Guardians, the work they are doing and her thoughts on why the protesters are feeling bold enough to show their hate without regard for how they are perceived in this era.

In a related theme to the main focus of this episode, Woodstein Media also wishes respect and love to the Minneapolis, Minnesota music scene based around the 2SLGBTQIA+ friendly punk music venue Nudieland. Sadly, on August 11, the house venue was the scene of a mass shooting that injured six people and killed one beloved member of the scene, August Golden.

Since May, a group of concerned citizens known as the Drag Storytime Guardians have supported Drag Story Time and Pride events throughout Southwestern Ontario. At the heart of the guardians is a 70…

05/08/2023

Conservative Canada follows the lead set by the Gang Of Predators.

Woke Barbie. Tantrums over CRT. The panic over transgender people.The GOP’s dangerous performative outrage is designed to deflect your attention.Republicans ...

04/08/2023

“We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform t...

23/07/2023

In February 2023 I spoke with Elza Kephart about climate action and filmmaking. To hear the full podcast check out any of these linksWoodstein Media - https:...

19/07/2023

This is the final of three pieces of local media that dove into a strange incident that shook the foundations of Listowel, Ontario, in 1995.

I will clarify whether I was naked or not after you read this 174-word article, under no byline, that was printed on the final page of the Wednesday, October 4, 1995, issue of the Listowel Banner. It is pure comedy gold and should have won an award.

This is the final of three pieces of local media that dove into a strange incident that shook the foundations of Listowel, Ontario, in 1995. I will clarify whether I was naked or not after you read…

17/07/2023

This is the second of three pieces of local media that dove into a strange incident that shook the foundations of Listowel, Ontario.

After the s**t hit the fan following “Bandfest ’95,” the Listowel Youth Support Committee wrote an open letter to clarify their position, which was printed in the Wednesday, October 4, 1995, issue of the Listowel Banner.

In the letter, the committee established their innocuous involvement in the “distasteful” behaviour and that the needs of the many may have been in jeopardy because of the “actions of a few.”

This is the second of three pieces of local media that dove into a strange incident that shook the foundations of Listowel, Ontario. After the s**t hit the fan following “Bandfest ’95,” the Listowe…