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Union organizer and activist Aminah Sheikh (@simplyaminah) join Dru Oja Jay to discuss the elements of organizing a workplace, the transformative process that results, and how that could open onto international solidarity and an anti-capitalist imagination.Sheikh currently works as an organizer with PSAC, and is Vice President of the Canadian Freelancers Union.Follow HPCBlue Sky (https://bsky.app/profile/halfpastcapitalism.bsky.social) Tik Tok (https://www.tiktok.com/@halfpastcapitalism)
A recent Housing Justice Convergence in Montreal brought together organizers, policy experts, funders, and housing advocacy groups from across Canada. For this episode, we're rebroadcasting the keynote panel, facilitated by The Breach's Dru Oja Jay. Featuring housing activists Chiara Padovani and John Clarke, and economist Ricardo Tranjan, the panel explores what it takes to build a winning housing justice movement—and why removing profit from housing is a necessary red line.
On this edition of Free City Radio we hear from author, researcher and community organizer Dru Oja Jay speaking about work on a recently published report on housing justice movements in Canada. The report is called "From Crisis to Consensus: A survey of 60 housing groups from across Canada," which you can read here: https://www.solidarityeconomy.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/housing-design-draft-v4-EN-online.pdf Dru speaks about this report in the context of a current series on Free City Radio airing in the build up to a gathering on housing justice that is taking place from March 7-9, 2025 at Concordia, for more information visit: https://housingjustice.now/ Also on this broadcast we hear two pieces from Réverbérations d'une crise: une enquête sonore sur le logement à Montréal, Philippe Battikha with "Q-Block" and Aidan Girt + Stefan Christoff, ft. Mostafa Henaway "Housing and care for all (Down with real estate capital vultures)." This album of soundscapes and music on the housing crisis, you can get more information about the project here: https://reverberationscriselogement.bandcamp.com/album/r-verb-rations-dune-crise-une-enqu-te-sonore-sur-le-logement-montr-al This interview series is supported by the Social Justice Centre at Concordia University. The accompanying drawing is by Stefan and the music track is Passage by Anarchist Mountains. Free City Radio is hosted and produced by Stefan @spirodon Christoff and airs on @radiockut 90.3FM at 11am on Wednesdays and @cjlo1690 AM in Tiohti:áke/Montréal on Wednesdays at 8:30am. On @ckuwradio 95.9FM in Winnipeg at 10:30pm on Tuesdays. On @cfrc 101.9FM in Kingston, Ontario at 11:30am on Wednesdays. Also it broadcasts on @cfuv 101.9 FM in Victoria, BC on Wednesdays at 9am and Saturdays at 7am, as well as Met Radio 1280 AM in Toronto at 5:30am on Fridays. Now Free City Radio will also be broadcasting on CKCU FM 93.1 in Ottawa on Tuesdays at 2pm, tune-in!
In Episode 70 we're joined by Dru Oja Jay, research coordinator for SEIZE as well as executive director of CUTV and publisher of The Breach. We discuss SEIZE's recent report on housing, titled From Crisis to Consensus, in which SEIZE surveyed housing organizations from across the country in order to determine what needs to be done about the housing crisis plaguing the working class.This is part of the Quest for the Offline Left series.Show NotesDru's websiteThe housing reportAbout SEIZEThe Breach (excellent independent media)Follow Fucking Cancelled on Instagram.Find merch in our shop.ClementineMorrigan.comJayLesoleil.comFucking CancelledTheme song by ST x LIAM.Mixing and editing by Charlotte Dora.Jay Lesoleil is a writer, artist, and shelter worker from Montréal with a background in political anthropology. Jay is also one half of the podcast Fucking Cancelled.Clementine Morrigan is a writer, zinester, and public intellectual based in Montréal. She writes essays and literay nonfiction on culture, politics, ethics, relationships, sexuality, spirituality, and trauma. She is one half of Fucking Cancelled. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fuckingcancelled.com/subscribe
Listen to a community panel discussion that took place in April 2024 at OBORO centre on the housing crisis in Montreal and the ways that the creative voice and arts is being worked into community organizing to address the crisis. The live panel was hosted and recorded by Stefan Christoff for community radio broadcast. The first broadcast is Wednesday, July 17 at 6pm eastern time live on CKUT 90.3 FM, streaming globally at http://ckut.ca This event included the participation of the following people and organizations all of whom you hear on the broadcast. The accompanying photo is of Dru Oja Jay, one of the panelists participating in the event and broadcast recording. The photo is taken by Amru Salahuddien. These are the speakers: Chris Brown, Comm-un https://comm-un.org Hubert Gendron-Blais, Réverbérations d'une crise: une enquête sonore sur le logement https://www.reverberationscriselogement.org Dru Oja Jay, SEIZE - Solidarity Economy Incubation https://www.solidarityeconomy.ca Jonathan Lebire, Comm-un Joseph Sannicandro, Réverbérations d'une crise: une enquête sonore sur le logement Speranza Spir, OBORO https://www.oboro.net Moh Abdalreza Zadeh, Comm-un This panel took place with support from the Social Justice Centre.
There's a lot to learn from Sweden's Meidner Plan, which would have phased in worker ownership over 30 years. As a followup to our episode with Joe Guinan, Dru Oja Jay spoke to Shannon Ikebe about some of the new archival materials about the Meidner plan, and insights it contains for current efforts to plan beyond capitalism. Read Shannon's dissertation on Sweden's wage earner funds here: https://escholarship.org/content/qt4sk7w0r0/qt4sk7w0r0.pdf
Esteban Kelly, Executive Director of the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, joins Dru Oja Jay to discuss the state of the worker cooperative movement, the ecological approach to organizing, the evolution of equity discourse and its neglected revolutionary origins, and more. The USFCW: https://www.usworker.coop/en/ Unlikely Advocates: Worker Co-ops, Grassroots Organizing, and Public Policy: https://nonprofitquarterly.org/unlike...
Voices for housing justice broadcast A soundscape mixed by community organizer and musician Stefan Christoff. Broadcasting on n10.as and CKUT 90.3FM Please note that the music tracks on this broadcast are by local musicians who have voiced support for the struggle for housing justice and specifically voiced support for the fight against Bill 31 in Québec this past summer and fall as the events documented here were taking place. 01. Introduction from Stefan to broadcast on struggles for housing justice. 02. Christian Carrière, Static (excerpt) 03. CKUT 90.3 FM broadcast live at Brique par brique: “Standing up for a place to stay: movements confront the housing crisis.” This broadcast excerpt of this panel hosted by Stefan Christoff and featuring Dru Oja Jay, the Publisher of The Breach, Amy Darwish, a community organizer at Comité d'action de Parc-Extension (CAPE) (background information), Faiz Abhuani, founder and director of Brique par brique, Hubert Gendron-Blais, musician and coordinator of Réverbérations d'une crise: une enquête sonore sur le logement à Montréal and Gaurav Sharma, a community organizer at the Immigrant Workers Centre. This event took place with support from the Social Justice Centre at Concordia, Alternatives, the Solidarity Economy Incubation for Zero Emissions (SEIZE) and Community University TV (CUTV). 04. A live recording of a duet by Saeed Kamjoo and Stefan Christoff from Artists together against Bill 31 that took place at La Sotterenea on St. Laurent street in Montreal. A concert aimed to bring together artists and musicians to reject the premise of violent housing policy that is embodied within Bill 31, as presented by the Coalition Avenir Québec. This is a background opinion piece on the critical importance of artists joining this struggle written for CULT Mtl by Stefan. The sound artist Joseph Sannicandro mixed and recorded this live session. 05. Leon Louder, C-118BPM 06. An excerpt of an interview with long time anti poverty and housing justice activist John Clarke. This interview originally aired on Free City Radio, across a network of AM and FM stations in Québec and Canada this fall. In this interview John speaks about the 230 Fight Back campaign, which seeks to push Toronto municipal powers to immediately shift 230 Sherbourne into social housing in Toronto. 07. Christian Carrière, Static (excerpt) This broadcast is supported by the Social Justice Centre at Concordia.
A live broadcast on Free City Radio that took place on Oct. 4, 2022 at Brique par brique in Montreal. The conversation was facilitated by artist and community activist Stefan Christoff live on Free City Radio, broadcasting on CKUT 90.3FM and also live streamed live on CUTV. The broadcast featured the voices of: Faiz Abhuani, Directeur chez Brique par brique Hubert Gendron-Blais, artist and founder of the collective Réverbérations d'une crise en cours : une enquête sonore sur le logement à Montréal project Amy Darwish, community organizer at Comité d'Action de Parc-Extension (C.A.P.E) Nathan McDonnell, community activist with the Comité des citoyen.ne.s de Milton Parc Citizens' Committee. In the 70s, the CCMP which saved a neighbourhood from destruction and created a complex of 22 housing cooperatives and nonprofits on a community land trust. Gaurav Sharma, community organizer at The Immigrant Workers Centre focused on working class communities in Parc Extension. Dru Oja Jay, of Community-University Television (CUTV) and Publisher of The Breach. Technical support from Spencer the production coordinator at CKUT 90.3 FM, you can find the archive page and photos from the event here: https://ckut.ca/spokenword/free-city-radio-remote-broadcast Support for this event came from both SEIZE (Solidarity Economy Incubation Zone), Community University Television (CUTV) and Alternatives. The accompanying graphic was designed by Stefan Christoff.
The global food crisis is—according to most available indicators—just getting warmed up. Shylah Wolfe has participated in many cooperatives in the food sector, and with the Concordia Food Coalition, is involved in the establishment of a non-profit food institution at Concordia University. She spoke to Dru Oja Jay about what kinds of cooperative systems for food production, distribution and processing are already being built and how we'll probably have to expand them pretty rapidly to feed ourselves.Show less
Dru Oja Jay is an author, organizer and web developer who currently serves as Executive Director of CUTV and Publisher of The Breach. He's also a co-founder of the Media Co-op and Friends of Public Services. He wrote a book with Nikolas Barry-Shaw called Paved with Good Intentions: Canada's Development NGOs from Idealism to Imperialism. James Steinhoff is an Assistant Professor and Ad Astra Fellow in the School of Information and Communication Studies at University College Dublin. His research focuses on the political economy of algorithmic technologies, data and digital labour. We talk about his stunning, insightful book Automation and Autonomy: Labour, Capital and Machines in the Artificial Intelligence Industry, which is chock full of information about the history of AI and its relationship to capitalist modes of production. I should note, too, that he co-authored a book called Inhuman Power: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Capitalism in 2019, which is also a great book on AI. It feels as though every other day we encounter a new angle or emerging fact around machine learning, generative AI, and the incipient market for these sorts of data-driven digital products. Whether it's the billions of investment dollars that are driving the sudden boom in startups focusing on applications of generative AI, concerns about automation and job loss, concerns about plagiarism with the saturation achieved by ChatGPT, or important discussions about the exploited labour force that makes ChatGPT's core functions possible (an army of US contractors are being paid about $15 per hour to perform the pivotal work of data labeling that enables the platform), we're being inundated by information about this supposed technological revolution. And that inundation is firing up the hype cycle, further fueling investment. Here we talk about the goals of the capitalist class in determining the future of AI. What will fragmentation of the labour force look like in the wake of this technological change? Are large language models going to replace human communicators? Does this signal a last shifting in the market for intellectual labour? What about all of the data that is collected to drive the creation of those large language models? Can we imagine ways to produce machine learning out of that massive corporate capture of our data? Whose data is it anyway? There are lots of changes coming, there is no question. But the question too few of us are asking is: who will be in command of that change? In the EU, there is the AI Act, which Steinhoff calls a “watershed moment” in the regulation of private business and its enclosure of AI technology. Jay reminds us that, when it comes to the potential for public and democratic control of data, even though it seems like an unfair fight, we still “have to start building power somewhere.” We also dig into fictional representations of AI. We ponder what movies like Terminator 2: Judgment Day get right in terms of AI generating its own programs—generating, as it were, its own ideas about function. Or, as James puts it, creating a situation where the “program is the output rather than the input.” Steinhoff and Jay share some insights on potential avenues of resistance, too. Not just resistance in the classical political sense, but also a kind of imaginative or intellectual resistance. They discuss their research into the history of AI, and unpack these moments of “AI winter” or “AI depression” where social or technological barriers shut down the hype cycle, they demystify machine learning, and also talk out some of the basic facts around AI-generated art and text.
Voices Across Borders: No To War Sounds Monday, April 3, 2023 An international anti-war arts radio broadcast to oppose the military industrial complex and to protest any military escalation as a solution to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This global radio broadcast will include contributions by musicians, poets, activists and artists from multiple cities around the world. A creative initiative that involves soundscapes, live instrumentation, poetry and spoken narratives that aim to collectively protest any military escalation as a solution to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This broadcast is inspired by the intersections of art and activism that work to envision and enact a world without borders and free from policies imposed by politicians and corporate structures that place the corrosive interests of profits and political power over people. Featuring music, words and sound by Anarchist Mountains, Tim Daisy at Relay Records in Chicago, poet Christian Favreau, author Max Haiven, author Dru Oja Jay of The Breach, the Koliada Singers of Montreal, Bianca Mugyenyi of the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute and Saxsyndrum. Broadcasting: CJLO 1690 AM April 3rd, 2pm, Montreal time (EST) N10.AS April 3rd, 3pm, Montreal time (EST) Radio AlHara April 3rd, 3:30pm, Palestine time (GMT+2) Radio Kapital, Poland April 3rd, 3pm CET, Warsaw time (CET)
Cuba's thousands of agricultural cooperatives are responsible for about 56% of Cuba's growing land, and employ an estimated 300,000 cooperative worker members. Some observers say the cooperatives more efficient than the state-owned parts of Cuba's agricultural production. Federica Bono is an Assistant Professor of Human Geography at Christopher Newport University joins Dru Oja Jay to discuss her observations of Cuba's vast network of agricultural cooperatives. Dr. Bono has written about food access, the concept and practice of solidarity, and border relations. In 2015, she spent time living with agricultural cooperatives, and interviewed dozens of worker-members. Two interviews with Camila Piñeiro-Harnecker https://geo.coop/articles/cubas-new-cooperative-legislation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpgM80xLF9I Spatializing Solidarity: Agricultural Cooperatives as Solidarity Transformers in Cuba, by Federica Bono and Maarten Loopmans https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ruso.12386 * * * Half Past Capitalism is a show about alternatives to capitalism as if they were possible. Produced with the support of the Solidarity Economy Incubator for Zero Emissions (SEIZE): http://www.solidarityeconomy.ca Podcast links: https://anchor.fm/halfpastcapitalism Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/halfpastcapitalism Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/halfpastcapitalism Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/druojajay Half Past Blog: http://halfpast.dru.ca/
We spoke to Dru Oja Jay from The Breach about why a new bill proposing to make Google and Facebook share a portion of their profits with Canadian news outlets will likely end up subsidizing the profits and debt repayments of corporate media giants. Support The Breach: https://breachmedia.ca/support-us/Music credit: "Fluidity," by tobylane.Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month.
Dru Oja Jay is joined by Kevin Harding, one of the organizers of a spirited, hail-mary attempt to save Mountain Equipment Co-op from being sold off to a US private equity firm. Before its assets were sold (and the member list apparently destroyed), the outdoor supplies cooperative had reached an estimated 6 million members and $700 million in annual revenues. Kevin is a public policy professional who works with cooperatives and community enterprises. In this episode, he shares about how tens of thousands of members mobilized to stop MEC's sale, and came very close to being successful. Dru and Kevin also discuss the situation that led to the co-operative's demise, what could have prevented it, and what became of the effort to save MEC. * * * Podcast links: https://anchor.fm/halfpastcapitalism Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/halfpastcapitalism Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/HalfPastCapitalism Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/druojajay Half Past Blog: http://halfpast.dru.ca/
Dru Oja Jay is joined by Mo Manklang of the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives to discuss recent changes to federal legislation championed by various cooperative organizations, and how laws can be changed further. Mo is the Communications Director and Policy lead at the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives, a board members of the Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance and the Sustainable Business Network of Philadelphia. CHIPS act update: https://www.usworker.coop/blog/the-usfwc-applauds-the-spotlight-on-worker-co-ops-in-the-chips-and-science-act/ Other policy updates from USFCW: https://www.usworker.coop/blog/category/policy * * * Podcast links: https://anchor.fm/halfpastcapitalism Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/halfpastcapitalism Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/HalfPastCapitalism Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/druojajay Half Past Blog: http://halfpast.dru.ca/
Harbinger Society Presents presents a terrifying excerpt from our October 30th I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST TELETHON. This episode you'll hear Dru Oja Jay talk about The Breach Media's journalism for transformation, and you'll hear Community University Television station manager Sophia Barsoski unpack the 50 year legacy of CUTV. Then Shannon Carranco, Amy Cunningham and Leah Borts-Kuperman explain how The Hoser Media is re-inventing local journalism in Toronto, and David Gray-Donald discusses the origins of the Toronto underground newspaper The Grind, a new journalism collaboration between Briarpatch, Press Progress, The Hoser and other independent progressive media spaces. Harbinger is excited to launch its 2022 fundraising campaign in partnership with @readBTLbooks. They're sending a free book to the first 50 new members who support the network at $100/year! Harbinger Media Network: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/join Watch the full 12 hour telethon at https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1638776642 Leave us a voicemail! https://podinbox.com/pullback Website: https://www.pullback.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/PullbackPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pullbackpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PullbackPodcast/ Pullback is produced and hosted by Kristen Pue and Kyla Hewson. Logo by Rachel Beyer and Evan Vrinten.
Harbinger's October 30th I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST TELETHON continues as Dru Oja Jay talks about The Breach Media's journalism for transformation and Community University Television station manager Sophia Barsoski unpacks the 50 year legacy of CUTV, then Shannon Carranco, Amy Cunningham and Leah Borts-Kuperman explain how The Hoser Media is re-inventing local journalism in the GTA and David Gray-Donald reveals the origins of Toronto underground newspaper The Grind, a new journalism collaboration between Briarpatch, Press Progress, The Hoser and other independent progressive media spaces. Hear the full 6 part series at our flagship community show Harbinger Society Presents and on the Harbinger Spotlight network highlight show, both available wherever you get your podcasts. Find the full 12 hour telethon production at https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1638776642
Harbinger's October 30th I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST TELETHON continues as Dru Oja Jay talks about The Breach Media's journalism for transformation and Community University Television station manager Sophia Barsoski unpacks the 50 year legacy of CUTV, then Shannon Carranco, Amy Cunningham and Leah Borts-Kuperman explain how The Hoser Media is re-inventing local journalism in the GTA and David Gray-Donald reveals the origins of Toronto underground newspaper The Grind, a new journalism collaboration between Briarpatch, Press Progress, The Hoser and other independent progressive media spaces. Hear the full 6 part series at our flagship community show Harbinger Society Presents and on the Harbinger Spotlight network highlight show, both available wherever you get your podcasts. Find the full 12 hour telethon production at https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1638776642
Harbinger's October 30th I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST TELETHON continues as Dru Oja Jay talks about The Breach Media's journalism for transformation and Community University Television station manager Sophia Barsoski unpacks the 50 year legacy of CUTV, then Shannon Carranco, Amy Cunningham and Leah Borts-Kuperman explain how The Hoser Media is re-inventing local journalism in the GTA and David Gray-Donald reveals the origins of Toronto underground newspaper The Grind, a new journalism collaboration between Briarpatch, Press Progress, The Hoser and other independent progressive media spaces. Hear the full 6 part series at our flagship community show Harbinger Society Presents and on the Harbinger Spotlight network highlight show, both available wherever you get your podcasts.Find the full 12 hour telethon production at https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1638776642
Harbinger's October 30th I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST TELETHON continues as Dru Oja Jay talks about The Breach Media's journalism for transformation and Community University Television station manager Sophia Barsoski unpacks the 50 year legacy of CUTV, then Shannon Carranco, Amy Cunningham and Leah Borts-Kuperman explain how The Hoser Media is re-inventing local journalism in the GTA and David Gray-Donald reveals the origins of Toronto underground newspaper The Grind, a new journalism collaboration between Briarpatch, Press Progress, The Hoser and other independent progressive media spaces. Hear the full 6 part series at our flagship community show Harbinger Society Presents and on the Harbinger Spotlight network highlight show, both available wherever you get your podcasts.Find the full 12 hour telethon production at https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1638776642
The Politics of War from Ukraine to Canada A discussion with Olena Lyubchenko and Dru Oja Jay about Ukraine in the years before Russia's invasion, the impact of the war on politics in so-called Canada, and what the left should do in relation to the war. To learn more: Olena Lyubchenko, On the Frontier of Whiteness? Expropriation, War, and Social Reproduction in Ukraine https://lefteast.org/frontiers-of-whiteness-expropriation-war-social-reproduction-in-ukraine/ Dru Oja Jay, Ukraine's first assailant—international lenders https://breachmedia.ca/ukraines-first-assailant-international-lenders/ The March 2022 episode of this podcast is about Russia and the war. You can find it here: https://soundcloud.com/user-737267994/episode-15-understanding-russia-today?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing Marko Bojcun, "Ukrainian Socialists in the Diaspora: Lessons on Cold War Solidarity from Another Era" https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/ukrainian-socialists-in-diaspora-lessons-on-cold-war-solidarity/
Dru Oja Jay is a writer, organizer and web developer. He's currently hosting a podcast called Half Past Capitalism, and serving as both the Executive Director of CUTV, Canada's oldest campus-based TV station, and as publisher of The Breach, an independent media outlet producing critical journalism at a time when it is urgently needed. He's written a number of stirring articles for The Breach, and he's also the co-author, with Nikolas Barry-Shaw, of an invaluable book called Paved with Good Intentions: Canada's Development NGOs from Idealism to Imperialism. There's no getting around it, though: the state of the journalistic profession is looking bleak. Dru talks about how social media has meant a “shifting of roles” for journalists and widespread “disempowerment in the sector” that runs alongside the public's lack of confidence in journalism during the neoliberal period. More particularly, he says that social media and what he calls “algorithmic curation” is a kind “race” where “society is coming apart,” and in which a multitude of competing organizations are trying to establish the dominant “pattern of thinking.” What's necessary, in this context, is for those on the Left to commit to radically deepening democracy, even as we labour under the force of “mega corporations” that constrain the flow of information. There are multiple demobilizing forces converging in the current moment. Jay talks about his research into the effects of NGOs, how they have tended historically, despite their good intentions, to deradicalize movements. In fact, he claims that we are currently seeing “systematic and cynical work to derail” the climate movement through the professionalization of activism in NGOs. What he laments is the loss of “direct accountability” and the constitutive links that movements have with their members as groups become incrementally more accountable to funders over time. A major theme here is the problem of how particular “patterns of thinking” are created, and then become very difficult to dislodge. We discuss the ways that geopolitical patterns of thinking have historically undermined any notion of a rules-based international order. He offers some nuanced analysis of the role of NATO in creating the conditions for the crisis in Ukraine, while necessarily dwelling with the impossible contradictions of that military conflict and the terrifying possibility that it could mean nuclear war, given the brazen ways that major powers are dealing with, and have dealt with, the prospect of nuclear annihilation in the past and present. It's clear that, for Jay, we also need to unpack and come to terms with the “collective trauma” of settler colonialism and how it lives on in “scars” and “patterns of thought” we inherit. He underscores the ongoing violence of colonial oppression, and how, today, Indigenous peoples are “handcuffed to an objective measure” of climate collapse in ways that reinforce the ties between racism and capitalism. We talk in bluntly critical ways about how, as he puts it, capitalism is always “looking over your shoulder”—creating, commodifying and exploiting our relationships in its image. For this reason, perhaps, he stresses the importance of class as a site of social transformation, especially in relation to established and emerging environmental movements, where we are starting to realize that we share a grim fate under “the brutality of petro-states.” Wars are spreading globally and the climate emergency is accelerating. What are we going to do? Jay makes it clear that the crises we face are going to require mass mobilization to upend them, and that part of the battle involves confronting the class privilege and extreme wealth that makes it too easy for some to just basically refuse to perceive reality as it is.
For over a month, Canada has been rocked by a “Freedom Convoy” of demonstrators and vehicle blockades that ultimately converged on the capital city of Ottawa in protest of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions. Having garnered support from conservative media, some members of Canada's parliament, and prominent online voices like Elon Musk and Jordan Peterson, the convoy quickly became a cultural and political flashpoint that revealed both how the far right is mobilizing and how the left needs to respond. In this segment of The Marc Steiner Show, Marc speaks with Canadian journalists Emily Leedham and Dru Oja Jay about their experience covering the convoy, the mix of organic and astroturfed grievances that were on display, and what the demonstrations say about the terrain of right-wing politics in Canada today.Emily Leedham is the Prairies Reporter for PressProgress, an award-winning nonprofit news organization in Canada that focuses on holding the rich and powerful accountable, exposing unfair and unhealthy working conditions, and shining a light on hate and bigotry. She has been reporting on the “Freedom Convoy” for PressProgress and Jacobin. Dru Oja Jay is the publisher of The Breach, an independent Canadian media outlet producing critical journalism mapping a just, viable future. He was also the publisher of The Dominion paper and a co-founder of the Media Co-op. Along with Nikolas Barry-Shaw, he is the co-author of the book Paved with Good Intentions: Canada's Development NGOs from Idealism to Imperialism.Tune in for new episodes of The Marc Steiner Show every Monday and Thursday on TRNN.Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/canadas-freedom-convoy-reveals-the-far-rights-strategy-and-the-lefts-vital-task-todayPre-Production/Studio: Dwayne GladdenPost-Production: Stephen FrankHelp us continue producing The Marc Steiner Show by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer:Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod-mssSign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/nl-pod-stGet The Marc Steiner Show updates: https://therealnews.com/up-pod-stLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnewsFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews
For over a month, Canada has been rocked by a “Freedom Convoy” of demonstrators and vehicle blockades that ultimately converged on the capital city of Ottawa in protest of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions. Having garnered support from conservative media, some members of Canada's parliament, and prominent online voices like Elon Musk and Jordan Peterson, the convoy quickly became a cultural and political flashpoint that revealed both how the far right is mobilizing and how the left needs to respond. In this segment of The Marc Steiner Show, Marc speaks with Canadian journalists Emily Leedham and Dru Oja Jay about their experience covering the convoy, the mix of organic and astroturfed grievances that were on display, and what the demonstrations say about the terrain of right-wing politics in Canada today.Emily Leedham is the Prairies Reporter for PressProgress, an award-winning nonprofit news organization in Canada that focuses on holding the rich and powerful accountable, exposing unfair and unhealthy working conditions, and shining a light on hate and bigotry. She has been reporting on the “Freedom Convoy” for PressProgress and Jacobin. Dru Oja Jay is the publisher of The Breach, an independent Canadian media outlet producing critical journalism mapping a just, viable future. He was also the publisher of The Dominion paper and a co-founder of the Media Co-op. Along with Nikolas Barry-Shaw, he is the co-author of the book Paved with Good Intentions: Canada's Development NGOs from Idealism to Imperialism.Tune in for new episodes of The Marc Steiner Show every Monday and Thursday on TRNN.Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/canadas-freedom-convoy-reveals-the-far-rights-strategy-and-the-lefts-vital-task-todayPre-Production/Studio: Dwayne GladdenPost-Production: Stephen FrankHelp us continue producing The Marc Steiner Show by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer:Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod-mssSign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/nl-pod-stGet The Marc Steiner Show updates: https://therealnews.com/up-pod-stLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnewsFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews
On this month's episode of Half Past Capitalism The Breach publisher Dru Oja Jay welcomes organizer, teacher, co-founder of Movement Generation and co-organizer of Seed Commons and Peoples' Solar Energy Fund, Gopal Dayenini for a conversation on how the Left can govern. Gopal is a key facilitator, convener and thinker in the climate justice movement and has been involved in Climate Justice Alliance, ETC Group, Ruckus Society, Cooperation Richmond, and the Center for Economic Democracy. He teaches Ecological Systems Thinking at Antioch University, and in Race and Resistance Studies at San Francisco State University. Find Movement Generation at https://movementgeneration.org/ and Seed Commons at https://seedcommons.org/ Watch the conversation and subscribe to the show on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/c/HalfPastCapitalism Support Dru's work at https://www.patreon.com/halfpastcapitalism Follow Dru on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/druojajay and at read the show's blog at http://halfpast.dru.ca/
On this month's episode of Half Past Capitalism The Breach publisher Dru Oja Jay welcomes organizer, teacher, co-founder of Movement Generation and co-organizer of Seed Commons and Peoples' Solar Energy Fund, Gopal Dayenini for a conversation on how the Left can govern. Gopal is a key facilitator, convener and thinker in the climate justice movement and has been involved in Climate Justice Alliance, ETC Group, Ruckus Society, Cooperation Richmond, and the Center for Economic Democracy. He teaches Ecological Systems Thinking at Antioch University, and in Race and Resistance Studies at San Francisco State University. Find Movement Generation at https://movementgeneration.org/ and Seed Commons at https://seedcommons.org/ Watch the conversation and subscribe to the show on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/c/HalfPastCapitalismSupport Dru's work at https://www.patreon.com/halfpastcapitalismFollow Dru on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/druojajay and at read the show's blog at http://halfpast.dru.ca/
On a new Half Past Capitalism host Dru Oja Jay welcomes guest Justin Podur to discuss The Anti-Empire Project podcast's "Civilizations" series and its fascinating, in-depth study covering the era of colonialism and imperialism and the various responses to it. Hear The Anti-Empire Project at https://podur.org/ Support the show at https://patreon.com/halfpastcapitalism
On a new Half Past Capitalism host Dru Oja Jay welcomes guest Justin Podur to discuss The Anti-Empire Project podcast's "Civilizations" series and its fascinating, in-depth study covering the era of colonialism and imperialism and the various responses to it. Hear The Anti-Empire Project at https://podur.org/Support the show at https://patreon.com/halfpastcapitalism
In the third of three Harbinger Society TwitchTV telethon segments celebrating the network's first anniversary host Andre Goulet, the Harbinger Board of Director's Kai Nagata, The Breach publisher Dru Oja Jay, Nora Loreto and Rob Rousseau bury the election as they end the day on an unsettling but ultimately hopeful and upbeat note.Read: https://breachmedia.ca/Watch: https://www.twitch.tv/robrousseauListen: https://sandyandnora.com/
In the third of three Harbinger Society TwitchTV telethon segments celebrating the network's first anniversary host Andre Goulet, the Harbinger Board of Director's Kai Nagata, The Breach publisher Dru Oja Jay, Nora Loreto and Rob Rousseau bury the election as they end the day on an unsettling but ultimately hopeful and upbeat note. Read: https://breachmedia.ca/ Watch: https://www.twitch.tv/robrousseau Listen: https://sandyandnora.com/
An interview with Dru Oja Jay from The Breach media speaking on the most recent federal election in Canada. Dru speaks about the potential impacts of a minority parliament on grassroots activism in Canada and also speaks about generally the role and some of the ideas around The Breach in relation to social movements in Canada. Info : https://breachmedia.ca Free City Radio airs every Wednesday at 11h on @radiockut and is hosted by Stefan @spirodon Christoff
Celebrate Harbinger's first anniversary w/ a stacked deck of incredible guests to lament the hopeless and harrowing 2021 Federal Election as we wrap up with part 4 of an absolutely epic 12 hour-long Twitchstream telethon featuring Rob Rousseau, Nora Loreto, The Breach publisher Dru Oja Jay, Left Turn Canada's Christo Aivalis and Andy Borkowski, Kino Lefter's Evan MacDonald, Andre Goulet and the Harbinger Board of Directors' Kai Nagata. Hear Kino Lefter: https://www.buzzsprout.com/226175 Listen: https://leftturncanada.buzzsprout.com/ Read: https://breachmedia.ca/ Watch: https://www.twitch.tv/robrousseau Learn: https://sandyandnora.com/
Celebrate Harbinger's first anniversary w/ a stacked deck of incredible guests to lament the hopeless and harrowing 2021 Federal Election as we wrap up with part 4 of an absolutely epic 12 hour-long Twitchstream telethon featuring Rob Rousseau, Nora Loreto, The Breach publisher Dru Oja Jay, Left Turn Canada's Christo Aivalis and Andy Borkowski, Kino Lefter's Evan MacDonald, Andre Goulet and the Harbinger Board of Directors' Kai Nagata.Hear Kino Lefter: https://www.buzzsprout.com/226175Listen: https://leftturncanada.buzzsprout.com/Read: https://breachmedia.ca/Watch: https://www.twitch.tv/robrousseauLearn: https://sandyandnora.com/
On Half Past Capitalism host Dru Oja Jay talks to people building alternatives to capitalism. On this episode Dru is joined by Sam Gindin, former research director of the Canadian region of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union and chief economist and Assistant to the President of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), to discuss his critique of cooperatives and his ideas about the broader challenges of building socialism.Gindin is the author of "The Canadian Auto Workers: The Birth and Transformation of a Union", co-author of "The Making of Global Capitalism: The Political Economy of American Empire" and "The Socialist Challenge Today" (with Leo Panitch) and "In and Out of Crisis: The Global Financial Meltdown and Left Alternatives" (with Greg Albo and Leo Panitch). His articles for Jacobin mentioned in this episode include: Chasing Utopia: Worker ownership and cooperatives will not succeed by competing on capitalism's terms. https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/03/workers-control-coops-wright-wolff-alperovitz What a Socialist Society Could Actually Look Likehttps://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/08/socialist-society-future-cooperatives * * * Follow/support Half Past Capitalism: • Support HPC on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/halfpastcapitalism• Find the videocast of this conversation at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOkK5IDHxpJ3YBiOCBJttGg• Dru is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/druojajay
On Half Past Capitalism host Dru Oja Jay talks to people building alternatives to capitalism. On this episode Dru is joined by Sam Gindin, former research director of the Canadian region of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union and chief economist and Assistant to the President of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), to discuss his critique of cooperatives and his ideas about the broader challenges of building socialism. Gindin is the author of "The Canadian Auto Workers: The Birth and Transformation of a Union", co-author of "The Making of Global Capitalism: The Political Economy of American Empire" and "The Socialist Challenge Today" (with Leo Panitch) and "In and Out of Crisis: The Global Financial Meltdown and Left Alternatives" (with Greg Albo and Leo Panitch). His articles for Jacobin mentioned in this episode include: Chasing Utopia: Worker ownership and cooperatives will not succeed by competing on capitalism's terms. https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/03/workers-control-coops-wright-wolff-alperovitz What a Socialist Society Could Actually Look Like https://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/08/socialist-society-future-cooperatives * * * Follow/support Half Past Capitalism: • Support HPC on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/halfpastcapitalism • Find the videocast of this conversation at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOkK5IDHxpJ3YBiOCBJttGg • Dru is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/druojajay
Oats chats with Dru Oja Jay and Sam Hersh about the ongoing efforts to organize rent strikes across Canada. We talk about the impact the COVID-19 crisis has had on renters, the desperation that's leading many to forgo paying rent, the kind of coalition-building that will be required if a rent strike movement is to win needed political victories, and more. Check out CancelRent.ca if you'd like to find ways to get involved in rent strike organizing. Oats relies on listener support to sustain itself. You can help support us by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/oatsforbreakfast
This is the fourth edition of the Free City Radio podcast, this April 3rd edition features an interview with Dru Oja Jay from Courage coalition (http://www.couragecoalition.ca) speaking about the #RentStrike movement. In the introduction I speak about the recent wave of censorship that Facebook carried out against the #RentStrike movement. Featuring thematic music for the episode by The Dirty Three and also VOID-002 - 无法入睡 via @villainrecords. Also I featuring "Step by Step" by heArt Ensemble via Small Scale Music : https://smallscalemusic.bandcamp.com/album/from-the-basement Track finishes with Huun-Huur-Tu & The Bulgarian Voices with the track "Fly, Fly My Sadness" Hosted by Stefan @spirodon Christoff.
in-studio discussion on the struggle for more accessible public transit in Montreal within the context of the Projet Montréal administration & also a critique toward the federal Liberal government's implication of private finance capital profit mechanisms within the federal infrastructure bank. this discussion was broadcast live on CKUT fm with Dru Oja Jay who is a researcher and writer (and a founding activist from Comité d'action solidaire contre l'austerité - CASA) and Cathy Inouye from Project Genesis and also representing Le Mouvement pour un transport public abordable (MTPA) in Montreal. recorded live on @radiockut's program Free City Radio, hosted by Stefan @spirodon Christoff.
In this podcast: an ethics expert on the importance of hate speech, eco-defenders stand up to corporate greenwashing, talking access to content with Canada's Pirate Party, and truckers with something to say. Not to mention some hard rock from the '80s, and a delicious taste of Montreal hip-hop! It's been a little while since Ann Coulter's speech at the University of Ottawa was cancelled because of concerns for her safety due to angry crowds. Coulter herself was the one who pulled the plug on her appearance, but she's filing a human rights complaint because of the experience which, she says, violated her freedom of speech. The ordeal has gotten people talking about what types of speech should and shouldn't be allowed a soapbox in public discourse. And beyond that – whether the banning of any kind of speech is something we should condone. Professor Arthur Schafer is Director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba. In his opinion, even hate speech plays an important role in public dialogue. Here's what he had to say about the topic, in an interview with Canadian Dimension's Jeff Hughes. Recently, Greenpeace hired Tzeporah Berman as its new Climate Energy director. The move has caused outrage among activists – especially ones in British Columbia, who are familiar with Berman's history of corporate collaboration. Dru Oja Jay is a member of The Dominion editorial collective in Montreal, and co-founded SaveGreenpeace.Org in light of the organization's growing flirtation with big business. Here's part of what he had to say in an interview with Redeye… Even if she isn't here to play co-host this week, Meagan Perry's still making an appearance. For the latest episode of The Ruckus, Meagan had a chat with Brian Vollmer of Helix – one of Canada's most well-known hard rock bands. They talked about everything from Helix's three-decade history to women in music videos, with a few of the band's tracks thrown in for good measure – including this one. From 1983, here's Helix with “Heavy Metal Love.” If listening to music is something you're passionate about, you probably get it any way you can. Maybe you head to the nearest record store and pay for it at the counter, the good old fashioned way. Or perhaps you opt for buying individual songs on iTunes. Or maybe – just maybe – you don't pay at all. With advances in technology, pirated material is becoming more common all the time, and so are the measures being taken to prevent copyright infringements. That's where the Pirate Party comes into play. Following its success in Sweden, the Pirate Party of Canada was formed in late 2009. Its goal is to reform the copyright and patent system to reflect changes in how the public consumes content, and to protect both our privacy and access to culture. Street Cred's Adam Bemma met for an interview with Daniel LaSalle, the Pirate Party's spokesman. Here's some of that conversation… “Getting a message out” is the theme behind the latest episode of Decoder – a new podcast put together by journalism students at the University of Western Ontario. For most people, conveying a message isn't something hard to do – we've got telephones, email, and even the classic face-to-face method, when you're feeling bold. But what about if you're behind the wheel of a big rig for hours at a time, alone on the road, with nothing to keep you company but ever-changing radio signals and your own thoughts? Well, it becomes more of a challenge. That's why there's a new community of truckers embracing the form of media you're using this very moment. Here's Curtis File's “big rig report” on how truckers are hitting the road – and the ears – through podcasting. We leave you with a song by Dramatik, a Montreal hip-hop artist who recently performed at the Artists for Haiti II concert there. The song, “40 Barz”, is the opening track off his album – “La Boite Noire.”