It is an honour to coincidentally feature two of Canada’s finest on this broadcast. Both are recipients of The Right Livelihood Award (the “Alternative Nobel”). Water, The Blood of the Earth Water has long been taken for granted throughout the Global North. We use it in seemingly ever-increasing ways without thinking much about where it comes from, where it…
Podcasts from 2008 (Page 4)
The Local Grain Revolution I For most Canadians wishing to adopt a more local diet, the overwhelming rise in demand in just the past year has left a large question mark hovering over the heads of many; where is all this local food so many are demanding? The state of farming and food production in…
When taking a closer look at the demographics of the Canadian workforce and dividing it up among trades, farmers represent the oldest demographic in the country at a median age of 52 years. Within agriculturally dense provinces such as Saskatchewan, in 2007, the average farmer was 56 years of age and only 12.3% of all…
Our most recent Part I of the multi-part series “A Primer on Pesticide Propaganda” has assisted in inspiring the collection of individuals lending their voices to this show. Of greatest relevance in tying the Pesticide series to today, is reintroducing the very ideology that drives the conventional food system of which we are all mostly…
Since the recent streak of municipal pesticide bans were put into place across Canada, the pesticide industry has been on the defense. Represented by trade association CropLife Canada, the public relations strategies used by the industry were front and centre at the association’s September conference in Saskatoon, which Deconstructing Dinner host Jon Steinman attended. But…
How do food issues make their way into our public schools? As Deconstructing Dinner’s Jon Steinman recalls, “I remember graduating from high school not knowing the first thing about growing food and having very little idea how the food I consumed impacted the planet on which we live.” With schools being the building blocks of our society…
Future of Food III In November 2007, Deconstructing Dinner attended one of the first regional food security conferences ever held in Canada. With a population of less than 10,000 people, the City of Nelson, British Columbia, hosted over 250 people for the first evening of keynote speakers. With an equally impressive 170 in attendance on the…
In October 2007, Host Jon Steinman paid a visit to the community of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. With a population of 80,000, it came as a surprise to discover that the city does not maintain a functioning farmers’ market where food is the focus. Recognizing how the absence of one threatened the already vulnerable state of…
The patenting of our food supply through biotechnology could be suggested as one of the greatest systems of control ever devised. As the executive branches of North American governments alongside corporate interests push forward the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), it must be noted that reference to ‘biotechnology’ is littered throughout SPP literature. While Canada’s…
This broadcast explores the english print media coverage in Canada throughout 2007 on the controversies surrounding genetically engineered foods. Why has Canada become such a willing host to GE foods whereas throughout most of the world, bans, moratoriums, and watchful eyes keep genetically modified organisms off grocery store shelves? Host Jon Steinman looks to provide…