After the Deadline

This week would have been the Winnipeg Folk Festival's 47th edition. Its absence has tens of thousands of festival-goers lamenting the loss of a weekend full of music, art and community, and yet it's just one of many events cancelled due to COVID-19 that is having an impact on artists and musicians in our community.

If there's anything that can get us thinking about something other than the pandemic, it's a tornado. It has been a wild week of weather in Manitoba and that has many people thinking more about climate change than COVID-19. What does it take to keep the environment top of mind during a pandemic, particularly at a time when infrastructure around the province is under stress?

Congratulations to the Class of 2020! In this episode of After the Deadline we focus on the many creative and resilient ways Manitobans are celebrating high school students during a pandemic. From a virtual drag safe grad to a drive-in feature, this graduating class is one for the year books and also for the history books.

Our cities are covered in names: some are innocuous and inconsequential, while others hold deep meaning, which can often be a matter of perspective and experience. This week we explore the names "Cecil Rhodes" and "Sir Garnet Joseph Wolseley" as calls mount to remove them from our city — something described as an act of decolonization by some and an erasure of history by others.

At the top of last week's demands from organizers of the Justice 4 Black Lives rally in Winnipeg was a call for the City of Winnipeg to defund and eventually abolish the Winnipeg Police Service. The chief himself says he's open to talks of reallocating the police budget and front-line workers say they'd be happy to take that money, but would it work? And if not, what do we do with our current system that critics say is not working, especially for many Black people and other people of colour in Winnipeg?

Ahmaud Arbery. Chris Cooper. George Floyd. These are American stories but they're impacting black people everywhere. A number of Winnipeg voices help walk us through the events of the last few weeks which have led to unrest in the United States and pain for black people everywhere, including here in Manitoba. This is also a Manitoba story.

What's the value of Osborne Village? If you ask the city's taxation department you'll learn that several spots along the strip are valued in the millions, but that doesn't mean much if you can't afford the rent. Then again, some things -- like the culture and history of a neighbourhood -- can't be bought. But can they be lost?

Doug and Darseen Pryor told CBC that a broken health care system failed their 21 year-old daughter who died by suicide. Then, just days after their story was shared, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic and our collective conversations shifted toward concerns about COVID-19. The Pryors want to make sure their daughter is remembered and that her story will help fix the healthcare system and prevent more people from falling through cracks. These are the stories to consider on our way to a new post-pandemic normal.

Men have a numerical advantage on and off the ice in the hockey world. Efforts are being made to make room for women as players and execs, but fans and researchers of the sport say there is something inherently wrong with the hockey that a few new players just won't fix. Hockey is broken, but it's worth saving. What will it take to fix it?

There is a resourcefulness that can come with hearing the word "no", and many people living with disabilities have experience with facing barriers and finding another way. But how far can it take you in a pandemic? We hear several voices from the disabilities community about the new barriers and the blessings in disguise.

Is my workplace safe? Rebecca Steer didn't think so, so she quit. But not everyone has the option of resigning or looking for new employment. So what are the options for workers wary of going back to work during a pandemic? And what are some of the challenges faced by Manitoba businesses as they open up in ways that will keep us all safe?

On April 8, William Hudson's 16 year-old daughter was shot and killed by Winnipeg Police. It's a time for mourning but as funeral arrangements take shape so does an investigation into what caused Winnipeg Police to open fire that day. Hudson is walking into a complicated world of lawyers, independent investigators and police, compounded by the fact that two other people were shot and killed by police this month. All of three of those shot and killed by police were Indigenous.

After the deadline is a new podcast from CBC Manitoba, Launching this spring, which will take you behind the scenes of the big story of the week.