RCI | English : Columns

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With our podcast columns, learn more about topics as diverse as Canada's place in the world, the Arctic, health, art, culture and the environment.

RCI | English

  • Oct 29, 2019 LATEST EPISODE
  • infrequent NEW EPISODES
  • 7m AVG DURATION
  • 52 EPISODES


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Latest episodes from RCI | English : Columns

Canadian adults get a failing grade for physical activity

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2019 3:38


Only 16 per cent of Canadian adults are meeting the national guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week, according to a national non-profit. Calling this an “inactivity crisis,” ParticipACTION says inactivity can lead to increased risk of… »

Climate change will challenge new minority government

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2019 4:37


In Canada’s federal election, 63 per cent of voters chose parties with strong platforms on mitigating climate change. The Liberal Party will form the government but, since it does not have a majority of seats, it will have to seek… »

Depression link to inflammation explained in book

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2019 7:46


A new book suggests that depression should be considered an inflammatory illness. That is to say, depression can provoke high levels of stress hormone which cause certain brain cells to stop working properly and to produce proteins that cause inflammation.… »

Exercise can help with cancer and help prevent it, says panel

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2019 4:24


An international panel of experts in cancer and rehabilitation has devised new guidelines to help people prevent cancer or recover from it and improve their survival. “In terms of cancer treatment, we know that being active, in theory, has been… »

Bias, discrimination prevent people getting obesity care: study

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2019 8:18


Science shows that obesity is a chronic disease like diabetes or cancer, yet people living with it are being told “they did this to themselves, and that they don’t deserve to be supported,” says Dr. Arya Sharma, the scientific director… »

Do we trust science? McGill professor weighs in

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2019 6:39


A recent study suggested there was not enough evidence to prove that people should avoid eating red meat and processed meats. This ran contrary to previous studies which have, for years, suggested that  consumption of these meats should be reduced… »

Extinction rebellion action in Canada: measured success

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2019 4:27


On October 7, 2019, Extinction Rebellion activists blocked several bridges in Canada and succeeded in drawing attention to their message that climate change is an emergency already underway. The movement’s name refers to the belief that the world has entered… »

Eye scan may soon permit early detection of Alzheimer’s

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2019 5:25


Canadian researchers are testing a new technology that could be widely used for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease which causes problems with memory, thinking and behaviour. Current tests involve PET scans or spinal taps. But a new technology has been… »

Art: the amazing Canadian artist you never heard of

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2019 10:52


Canada has produce a great many world class artists, but which have consistently been overlooked by critics. Only recently have some, such as Tom Thomson and the Group of 7 begun to be recognized internationally for their amazing talent. Still… »

Partying hard, drinking soft: revolutionising your nights out

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2019 7:24


It’s possible to have fun without alcohol. That is the premise of a new space for gatherings and events in Montreal, the MindfulBar, which wants to be a sober, safe and inclusive space for everyone. The MindfulBar, conceived and founded… »

Indigenous participation key to Arctic development, Inuit activist tells Economic Forum of the Americas

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2019 6:10


Eye on the Arctic brings you stories and newsmakers from around the North Full Inuit participation will be key to long-term sustainable development in the Arctic as well as helping the world confront the current climate crisis, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, a… »

Better wildfire management would help reduce black carbon pollution say Arctic experts

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2019 7:21


Better wildfire management and improved agricultural practices have been added to a list of black carbon and methane mitigation recommendations by a group of international experts. The Arctic Council Expert Group on Black Carbon and Methane, which includes experts from… »

Canada files submission to establish continental shelf’s outer limits in Arctic Ocean

Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2019 7:48


Canada filed its Arctic continental shelf submission with the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on Wednesday, claiming approximately 1.2 million square kilometres of the Arctic Ocean seabed and subsoil in an area that includes the North… »

Science lacks evidence on depression in women, find researchers

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2019 4:10


Depression affects twice as many women as men and there needs to be more research on what makes men’s and women’s brains so different, say researchers at the University of Guelph. The researchers looked at studies on sex differences in… »

Belugas use personalized sounds to identify themselves: researcher

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2019


Individual beluga whales make personalized sounds that let others know who they are, says Valeria Vergara, a research scientist with Ocean Wise, a conservation program of the Vancouver Aquarium. They may even share some calls with others in their group… »

Arctic experts tackle black carbon risk posed by wildfires

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2019


Forest fires, important sources of black carbon emissions, devastated Arctic regions around the world in 2018, and are an increasing concern for circumpolar nations, says the chair of the Arctic Council expert group on black carbon and methane. The fires… »

U.N. Year of Indigenous Languages: Spotlight Nunavut

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2019


Eye on the Arctic brings you stories and newsmakers from around the North The United Nations has designated 2019 as the Year of Indigenous Languages. The goal is to to make people more aware of the languages and their role in… »

Alaska drilling, China, and the Arctic Council handover to Iceland : Northern news to watch for in 2019

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2019


All year long, Eye on the Arctic brings you news, and newsmakers, from around the North. But as 2019 gets underway, we’ve taken a pause to check in with our Eye on the Arctic expert bloggers to get their take… »

ITK, an Arctic Council rejig and the summit Finland won’t let die : Northern news to watch for in 2019

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2019


All year long,  Eye on the Arctic brings you news, and newsmakers, from around the North. But as 2019 gets underway, we’ve taken a pause to check in with our Eye on the Arctic expert bloggers to get their take… »

Trade troubles dominate 2018 in Canada

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2018


Trade has been one of the dominant foreign affairs issues for Canada this year, and the situation has deteriorated significantly as we enter the new year. The arrest and detention of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei CFO, in Vancouver, at the request… »

Canada: Becoming a Senior Society

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2018


Updated on January 23rd 2019 | HOW OLD? Canada, like all G7 countries, is an ageing society. With a population of almost 38 million people, the the median age here is now 40. Of the G7 countries, however, we’re still… »

Interactive Canadian ebook seeks to make Arctic climate science accessible

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2018


Eye on the Arctic brings you stories and newsmakers from around the North An interactive ebook focused on research in Canada’s Hudson Bay area, and its wider connection to the Arctic, has been released in an effort to make climate science… »

Notable book recommendations from across northern Canada

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2018


Eye on the Arctic brings you stories and newsmakers from around the North.  The First Nations Book Fair (Kwahiatonhk: Salon du livre des Premières Nations) gets underway in the Canadian province of Quebec November 22-25 to promote Indigenous books and authors. Eye… »

Major trauma linked to higher risk of mental illness, suicide

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2018


People who are seriously injured are at greater risk of being hospitalized for a mental health disorder or of dying by suicide within the following five years, according to a new study. The research involved over 19,000 people who were… »

Increasing ocean acidification ushering in an era of uncertainty for Arctic, says report

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2018


Eye on the Arctic brings you stories and newsmakers from around the North.  If left unchecked, acidification levels in the Arctic Ocean will have significant consequences for northern communities as well as the rest of the globe says a report released… »

Book: Waddington-tracing the Group of Seven

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2018


Iconic Canadian landscapes found If you love art, and if you love detective stories, and especially if you love the artworks of Canada’s iconic Group of Seven. Then you’ll want this book. Back in 1977, Jim and Sue Waddington began… »

Canada only recycles 11 per cent of plastic waste

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2018


Environmentalists are urging Canadians to avoid single-use plastic, to recycle more and they want the government to take strong action to reduce plastic waste. A survey found that in 2017, 71 per cent of Canadians order takeout food more than… »

Indigenous Cultural Tourism: How the North is learning from community success in southern Canada

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2018


Eye on the Arctic brings you stories and newsmakers from around the North.  The successes of cultural tourism in Canada’s southern Aboriginal communities are providing an important roadmap for development of Indigenous cultural tourism in the North, a sector expected to… »

Policing infrastructure rejig in Canada’s northwestern Yukon territory

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2018


Eye on the Arctic brings you stories and newsmakers from around the North.  The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Government of Yukon announced new plans this week for policing infrastructure in the territory. Besides renovations to police buildings in… »

Feature Interview: Is Arctic climate research missing the big picture?

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2018


Eye on the Arctic brings you stories and newsmakers from around the North.  This week, we bring you another instalment of our occasional series looking at how climate change is affecting different parts of the circumpolar world. Arctic climate change is… »

Feature Interview: International Inuit leader stresses importance of Indigenous voices on world stage

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2018


Eye on the Arctic brings you stories and newsmakers from around the North.  As global players ramp up interest in the Arctic, the organization representing the world’s Inuit wrapped up their general assembly in Alaska in July with a pledge to… »

Is climate change luring sharks north? Communities wrestle with bite mystery off Arctic coast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2018


Eye on the Arctic brings you stories and newsmakers from around the North.  Sometimes it’s seals with amputated flippers. Or even a sea lion snatched seemingly out of thin air. But for at least 10 years, subsistence harvesters in Alaska’s coastal… »

Climate destruction on Ellesmere Island – Canada’s shrinking glaciers

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2018


Eye on the Arctic brings you stories and newsmakers from around the North.  Arctic glaciers are shrinking at an alarming rate and show no signs of regeneration, says a recent study conducted in Canada. The research looked at glaciers between 1999… »

From the Arctic to Atlantic, a photographer documents seal hunting in Canada

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2018


A photographer renowned for his images documenting the human face of seal hunting in Quebec and Newfoundland will spend at least another two years chronicling the Inuit seal hunt in Arctic Canada. “I’ve been hunting there and became passionate about… »

Arctic Indigenous food culture takes the day at international cookbook awards

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2018


Each week, Eye on the Arctic brings you news and views from around the North A book showcasing the recipes of  Indigenous peoples from across the Arctic took the day at the Gourmand International Cookbook Awards in Yantai, China. EALLU… »

Canada invests $1.2 million to help solve mystery of dwindling char numbers in Arctic

Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2018


Canada’s department of Fisheries and Oceans has announced it will give $1,261,890 over 5 years to help solve the mystery of dwindling char numbers near the Arctic Canadian community of Kugluktuk. The money will go to a University of Waterloo research… »

Hockey- use the right words eh?

Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2018


(commenting open on all RCI stories – scroll to bottom) Hockey is just, well, so Canadian. Sure the Russians, Czechs, Swedes, Germans, even Americans are pretty darn good internationally, and many do end up in the National Hockey League, but… »

Children fleeing DR Congo conflict to Uganda report widespread rape

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2018


One out of ten children fleeing a vicious flare up of fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) say they were raped during their journey to Uganda, according to a new assessment by Save the Children. More 73,000… »

Canada wants to list mysterious Arctic petroglyphs as UNESCO World Heritage Site

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2018


Their exact location is a jealously guarded secret but a set of mysterious petroglyphs in the Eastern Canadian Arctic feature among Ottawa’s latest submission to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for consideration as a new World Heritage… »

South Sudan faces another famine, aid groups warn

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2018


Nearly a year after a concerted humanitarian effort staved off a famine in South Sudan, the country is once again teetering on the brink of another catastrophic food crisis, the United Nations warns. Almost two-thirds of the population will need… »

Canadian province of Ontario contributes $96,000 towards update of Inuit art trademark

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2018


Eye on the Arctic brings you stories and newsmakers from across the North The Canadian province of Ontario may be a southern province, but this week it pledged $96,844 towards the Inuit Art Foundation’s update to the Igloo Tag Trademark. The… »

Fat people who are fit have the related health benefits: study

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2018


New research suggests that people who are obese or severely obese may be fit and, if they are, they have the same or possibly better health benefits from their fitness than do other people. Many studies link obesity with diabetes,… »

Canada plans to toughen arms-export rules but will honour Saudi arms deal: Freeland

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2018


The federal government has found no “conclusive” evidence Canadian-made armoured vehicles were used to commit human-rights violations in Saudi Arabia’s restive Eastern Province last summer, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland told a parliamentary committee Thursday. That was the result of… »

North American Arctic is failing compared to Russia, Nordics, warns think tank

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2018 7:25


Eye on the Arctic brings you stories and newsmakers from across the North. Weak national leadership in the North American Arctic is hindering northern development compared to the thriving polar regions of Russia and the Nordics, says a Canadian think tank… »

The LINK Online, 20-21 Jan. 2018

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2018 30:03


Your hosts, Lynn, Marie-Claude, Levon, Marc   **. (video of show at bottom) Human Rights Watch has issued their annual report. It looks at the human and civil rights situation in some 90 countries. This year the report notes the rise… »

Non-fiction: 30 years as a prison guard

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2018


“Down Inside”: A career in Canada’s federal prisons Suicides, violent beatings, horrific murders,  guards who cared, guards who didn’t, bureaucratic indifference, political meddling, Robert Clark saw all of that and much more. Robet Clarks intimate look at his long career… »

UN and humanitarian agencies sound alarm on Saudi-led blockade of Yemen

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2017


The United Nations and humanitarian agencies working in war-torn Yemen are sounding the alarm over the continuing blockade of much of the country’s air, sea and land entry points by the Western-supported coalition of Gulf states, calling on them to… »

Canadian photographer sounds alarm on crisis in South Sudan

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2017


South Sudanese refugees in northern parts of the country are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance before the rainy season sets in, making it even harder to reach the already isolated areas, says a Canadian photographer who just returned from… »

Chemical attack in Syria upends prospects of Russia-U.S. detente

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2017


U.S. cruise missile attacks against Syrian military targets believed to have been behind a deadly chemical weapons attack in northern Syria mark a new and unpredictable phase in the six-year-old war, says a Canadian expert. The U.S. Navy launched 59… »

15 years after deadly Afghan ambush reporters face new threats

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2016


The last thing I remember before my German colleague Volker Handloik died in a hail of bullets was a feverish but a very methodical mental calculation: should I stay or should I follow him and jump? Muzzle flashes from at… »

Faith and Politics

Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2016


Freedom of religion is one of the fundamental guarantees in Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The government of Canada says it is “committed to religious pluralism.” And more and more members elected to Parliament reflect the growing religious diversity… »

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