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Cross Country Checkup"Canada's National Townhall" open the lines for a national call in right after CBC Radio's Federal Leaders Debate Special on Thursday, April 17th.
Host Ian Hanomansing will take your calls live on CBC Radio One from 10:30 pm ET to midnight.
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30-05-2025
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Does Canada need another pipeline?
Coming up on Cross Country Checkup ... As Canada's trade war with the US continues, Mark Carney says he wants to fast track a slew of big resource projects including pipelines. Does Canada need another pipeline? Plus, Support grows for mandatory school vaccination as measles cases continue to rise. What conversations are you having about measles vaccination? What questions do you have? Join Ian Hanomansing on CBC Radio One, CBC Listen and CBC News Network. Call Checkup at 1-888-416-8333, or text 226-758-8924 or go to .
CBC
06-05-2025
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Possible Trump tariff on films could mean 'massive loss' for N.L. industry, says producer
Donald Trump wants more movies to be made in the United States, and a Newfoundland-based production company says it could have dire effects on the film industry if proposed tariffs come into effect. "It could mean a halt to productions, as in some movies will not come here," Taralee Gerhard, a producer with Fog and Fable Films, told CBC Radio's On the Go. "[It] would be a massive loss of revenue and jobs not just for us here in Newfoundland, but all across Canada. Billions and billions of dollars and jobs will be lost." On Sunday, Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, he authorized the U.S. Department of Commerce to begin instituting a 100 per cent tariff on "any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands." Gerhard believes the tariff is a retaliatory move against China, which announced three weeks ago it would restrict the release of films made in the U.S. in response to Trump's tariffs on the country. While those in the industry are left scratching their heads as to whether Trump's call will come to fruition, she says it could change the film landscape in Canada. When U.S. television and movie channels like Hallmark — who have shot several movies in the province over the last three years — come to Newfoundland and Labrador, Gerhard says the channel gives them money to produce the movie in Canada. If a tariff were to be put in place, it could drastically change plans. "They say 'Ok, here's a million dollars to make your movie', than that million now becomes $2 million, and could potentially deter them from making movies here in Newfoundland or Canada," Gerhard said, adding her company now has four projects in jeopardy as a result of Trump's threat. "It's either full steam ahead, or it's full stop. And if it's full stop on those projects … that's a lot of jobs lost." A tariff would also likely impact the volume of content produced, she says, as production would likely slow down as companies adjust. Gerhard says film companies are actively seeking out places like Newfoundland and Labrador given its geography, highly skilled production teams and what she called a robust package of tax incentives to attract production. While she says tariffs would hurt larger production companies, it could become a benefit for more local productions to take the spotlight. And like in other sectors, Gerhard added Trump's announcement already has others in the industry exploring strengthening connections with other markets like Europe and the United Kingdom. "[Trump] is having a great impact on all of us as Canadians, and I think it's really important that we stay strong and recognize that Canadians make fantastic content," she said. "We're not just aligned with the United States. We can be strong with our European partners, and I think that's a good message to send."
CBC
03-05-2025
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Parents, teachers say Toronto schools already struggling as board mulls big cuts
Parents and teachers say the Toronto District School Board is already in rough shape as the board considers big cuts to balance its budget next year. Listeners who called in to CBC Radio's Ontario Today on Thursday described a school system that is struggling to provide the basics due to a lack of resources. Parents and teachers told host Amanda Pfeffer that the TDSB has old schools with no air conditioning, washrooms that sometimes have no toilet paper and hand soap, not enough cleaning staff and that more money is needed to deal with violent behaviour in the classroom. They said special education, as well, needs more funding. Many of the callers who spoke pinned the blame on the Ontario government not spending enough, but one person said the TDSB could manage its existing funds differently. Sandra Huh, a parent whose son is in Grade 7 at a TDSB school, said a lack of provincial funding is undermining public education. "I do think this is really an attack on the students themselves," Huh said. 'Everything is being chipped away,' parent says Huh, whose son is autistic, said he is already not receiving enough support through special education. And when he does get support in the classroom, it is the bare minimum, she added. "Everything is being chipped away," she said. "Schools are absolutely important. We can never spend enough money on education, but we are certainly not spending enough." The debate about cuts is happening as the TDSB ponders options to balance its 2025-2026 budget. The board faces a $58 million deficit next year. At the same time, the Ontario government is finalizing its newest budget, to be delivered May 15, and the TDSB has indicated it is hoping that the province will spend more per student. TDSB staff have outlined several options for the board to adopt to balance the budget and parents and teachers are still reacting to the proposed cuts. In addition, the province has announced it is investigating the TDSB over ongoing financial deficits and spending concerns, saying it has run deficits for years with no plan to return the books to the black. This week, the TDSB passed a motion calling for urgent talks with the new Education Minister Paul Calandra to address what it calls a "growing inflationary gap" in per student funding in Toronto. Options being considered by the board include cuts to pools and swim programming, an itinerant music instructors program, student access to laptops and a one-time COVID learning recovery fund. Board staff have also recommended an increase in class sizes. TDSB Chair Neethan Shan told Ontario Today that the board has a structural deficit, which means it spends more than it receives, and its current financial situation is due to a combination of chronic under funding and inflationary pressures. Shan said provincial education funding needs to keep pace with inflation, the province should lift its moratorium on the closure of under-utilized schools and it should fund statutory benefits, such as the Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance, to offset increases in contribution rates. The province announced in late April that it is taking action to make sure school boards are accountable for their financial management. It said it would launch an investigation into three boards, including the TDSB, due to spending. The province has also taken over a fourth board and ordered a fifth to repay costs of a trip. "Our government will be relentless in ensuring school boards stay focused on what matters most: equipping students with the tools they need to succeed," Calandra said in a news release on April 23. "School boards must remain accountable and use public funds to directly benefit students and provide teachers and educators with the resources they need in the classroom." Cuts would place school programming at risk, parents say Louise Hidinger, a parent of two children in Grades 9 and 10 at a TDSB school, said both of her children are on the school's swim team, and with the pool facing potential closure, their opportunity to swim at school is now at risk. "Swimming is a life skill. Especially for kids in high school, it's an outlet for exercise and athletic competition. It's very upsetting to me," she said. Coun. Josh Matlow, who represents Toronto-St. Paul's, has been campaigning publicly to keep school pools open. Shuttering the pools would not only impact students using them, but also local communities, Matlow has said. Not every caller, however, was convinced that the TDSB is doing enough to cut its own administration. Vicky Templin, a retired teacher who spent the majority of her career in special education, asked why the board never considers cuts at the supervisory level. "Cut at the top. The TDSB is too top heavy." She said children are the future and funding should be put in the classroom. "This is such a huge issue," Templin said. "Over the course of my career, I saw nothing but cuts and they were cuts that affected kids, always." Shan said the board has made cuts at its central staffing level, but said the core problem is underfunding. "If we were keeping up with inflation, we wouldn't be at this point," Shan said. Fight for funding not new, former councillor says Janet Davis, a former city councillor, told the show that Toronto public schools have not received the provincial money they have needed to operate effectively for years. Davis said the funding issue is not a new one but the question of who funds education should be examined. Currently, local education property taxes, commercial and residential, are still paying over half the cost of education but the city has little control over how the funds are spent, she said. "We've had this fight over adequate funding for the Toronto District School Board for over 25 years and this provincial government now is again repeating the same kind of threats and using the same coercive tactics as they have used in the past," Davis said. The board doesn't have its 2025-2026 core funding yet and no final decisions are expected on the budget until closer to the end of June.
