Latest news with #AfternoonDrive
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
What's More Likely: Rich Eisen Talks Saquon, Ravens, Jets and More!
Steelers Morning Rush: Why So Salty About Aaron Rodgers Signing? Welcome to Steelers Morning Rush, our new daily short-form podcast with Alan Saunders, giving a longer perspective on a single news topic surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers or the National Football League. Today, it's why some people are still salty about signing Aaron Rodgers. During Thursday's Afternoon Drive, Alan asked for questions about why fans that were upset about the team signing Rodgers felt that way, and he got them, with a couple great questions about the injury risk, team chemistry, and the inescapable scourge of tanking. Alan breaks it down. #steelers #herewego #nfl CONNECT WITH STEELERS NOW: Steelers Now: SN on Twitter: SN on FB: SN on Insta: 11:09 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
What Steelers matchup stands out following Aaron Rodgers' to sign with team 'GMFB'
Steelers Morning Rush: Why So Salty About Aaron Rodgers Signing? Welcome to Steelers Morning Rush, our new daily short-form podcast with Alan Saunders, giving a longer perspective on a single news topic surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers or the National Football League. Today, it's why some people are still salty about signing Aaron Rodgers. During Thursday's Afternoon Drive, Alan asked for questions about why fans that were upset about the team signing Rodgers felt that way, and he got them, with a couple great questions about the injury risk, team chemistry, and the inescapable scourge of tanking. Alan breaks it down. #steelers #herewego #nfl CONNECT WITH STEELERS NOW: Steelers Now: SN on Twitter: SN on FB: SN on Insta: 11:09 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
CBC
01-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
Less than 30% of Ontario's drinking water from private wells was tested last year, auditor general finds
Social Sharing Less than one-third of the 1.3 million Ontario residents who rely on private wells for their drinking water had it tested within the last twelve months, says a report by the province's auditor general. In her report released on Monday, Shelley Spence called the low testing rates "troubling" and found it's partly due to a lack of awareness among private well owners about free water testing services available to them — along with owners not knowing risks of drinking untested water. "It is very concerning because water is part of a flow, so there can be very different sources of water coming into those wells and things can change," Spence told CBC's Afternoon Drive on Monday. "It is really important for both the owners of small drinking water systems and private wells to get their water tested frequently." Small drinking water systems are non-municipal systems that serve public facilities like hotels, restaurants or churches, and they are overseen by local public health units (PHU). There are approximately 500,000 private wells at cottages, farms and other residences across the province. Unlike other non-municipal water systems, they are not regulated by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), meaning it's up to owners to have the water tested. A 2021 Statistics Canada survey found that 40 per cent of private well owners in Ontario don't treat their water, making the lack of testing riskier, the report said. Some public health studies have suggested users of private wells are more prone to waterborne illnesses than individuals who get their drinking water from municipal systems. That lack of testing exposes Ontarians to health risks such as gastrointestinal illness and other serious health effects, including death. It can also result in significant financial costs due to hospitalizations, doctor visits and lost work days. "Drinking water can have contaminants such as biological issues," Spence said. "We've all heard of E-coli being in water, it can also have particle issues like having nitrates or lead in the drinking water which can have long-term and short-term effects for people using that water source." Over the past decade, 98 per cent of drinking water tests from non-municipal systems have met Ontario's Drinking Water Quality Standards. The lack of testing at private wells is very concerning and can pose significant health risks for people, said Aina DeViet, vice-chair of the Middlesex-London Health Unit. "There are a lot of people who aren't getting their wells tested regularly. It's very important to have it done, so I find that to be a really frightening statistic," said DeViet about the low testing rate. DeViet, who also uses private well in Middlesex County, said some residents are very organized and keep records of their water tests, but others aren't aware of how often they should be monitoring their water. She believes a joint educational effort between health units and municipalities can help bring awareness to communities, she said. "Maybe it's something local health units should take on and they could work with municipalities they support," she said. "We could help them with campaign websites to make sure our residents know. We have a number of channels we can use so we could help get it out." Lack of staffing, resources causes inspection backlog Ontario's Ministry of Health requires PHUs to inspect low and moderate-risk small drinking water systems at least once every four years and high-risk systems every two years. The auditor general's report found 52 per cent of the 33 PHUs didn't inspect all systems as required, with some backlogs dating more than five years. The backlogs are due to a lack of inspectors and a heavier workload with them require to inspect municipal sewage and stormwater systems. The report said MECP is responsible for monitoring and enforcing compliance but lacks capacity to regularly inspect them. It regulates 1,800 systems and 34 per cent of those haven't been checked in more than five years and nine per cent haven't been checked in seven years, including a community college that provides drinking water to 2,500 people. At the time of the audit, MECP had backlog of 73,800 well records not properly processed and updated to the Ministry's wells database. The auditor general made a number of recommendations to the province, including Ministry of Health and MECP working together to increase the frequency of inspections, and public health units using their enforcement powers to get people to comply with testing guidelines. "We really do need to do our part in getting the water tested and hold the government responsible for making sure people are informed as to how to go about getting their drinking water tested and using those enforcement tools to make sure people who are supposed to be doing this are actually doing it," said Spence.
CBC
30-03-2025
- General
- CBC
Q&A: This 80-year-old from Sarnia just earned his PhD
Whether travelling, picking up a new hobby or relaxing, retirement can come with possibility. But when Sarnia's Jim McCormick turned 70, he decided to hit the books and head back to school to finish a bachelor's degree after a 40-year hiatus. He didn't stop there. The now 80-year-old recently defended his dissertation on Indigenous sport from Western University and is set to walk across the convocation stage in June, this time with a doctorate in kinesiology. Jim McCormick spoke to CBC's Matt Allen on Afternoon Drive. The following interview has been edited for clarity and length. Matt Allen: Congratulations on your PhD — a wonderful achievement! Your journey has been a long one. Why did you decide to head back to school in the first place? Jim McCormick: I started — and didn't finish — my undergrad studies at Western University back in the 70s. I was still short a few credits for my undergrad degree, and after a 40-year hiatus, I was still sitting there with a degree that was unfinished and I had time. In 2015, I was 70 years of age, and I thought: one thing I can do is go and see what's cooking at the school. I wasn't sure what to expect, but they suggested I try a course one at a time and see what happens. Well, I did, and I figured, 'Okay, I can finish this now.' But I wasn't getting too excited about anything until I took an anthropology course. The course had an assignment that involved writing a critique of a National Geographic magazine article, any article I wanted from the past 10 years, about Indigenous people in North America. I found one called In the Shadow of Wounded Knee, about the massacre in South Dakota 100 years ago. I researched that and I did really well on the paper, and I was genuinely interested. So I went to the counselling office , and they said, 'If you like that, why don't you get involved in First Nations studies? Try that.' I had never heard of it. It didn't exist when I went to Western. Well, I was hooked from the start. Jim McCormick from Sarnia decided to use his retirement to finish his undergrad, which later turned into getting a full PhD degree at 80 years old. Host Matt Allen hears the story. I was fortunate to meet Dr. Janice Forsyth, who was the director of First Nations Studies (it became Indigenous Studies later on). She took me under her wing and was so helpful. I just kept getting more involved. She encouraged me to go to grad school, which I did. But I took it a step at a time, never setting the goals too high. I've been there for ten years now, starting in 2015, full-time, non-stop. It didn't take long to get reacclimatized, and voila! MA: I'm curious — since you mentioned returning to Western and seeing how much it had changed, what are your thoughts on how different the conversation around Indigenous people is now compared to when you were in school in the 70s? JM: I grew up in Sarnia. We are in close proximity to four reserves: Aamjiwnaang, Kettle & Stony Point, and Walpole Island to the south. I've grown up with, played sports with, gone to school with and socialized with Indigenous people my whole life. I never thought anything different than that; they are my friends. As I got further into studying Indigenous sport and athletes, it was pretty obvious that these people had never been acknowledged for the great accomplishments and contributions they have made to Canadian sport. That had to be recognized. There were barriers affecting their lives so much. Finally, we're making some progress in recognizing them and understanding the ills and harm that has been done to them over the years through colonialism in Canada. MA: What's been the most rewarding part of your journey toward your doctorate degree? JM: Oh boy — finding, discovering and meeting so many helpful people along the way. I've met a lot of fantastic people along the way. MA: What advice would you give to others who might have dreams of pursuing something but are worried that it might be too late? JM: I don't think it's ever too late to start something. Because having the comfort in your mind to do something, be active, and achieve something is always meaningful. Start doing something, no matter what, because once you give up, you become couch potatoes.
CBC
01-03-2025
- Automotive
- CBC
This champion auctioneer has tips on how to 'give me $20' ahead of Ontario contest
Social Sharing Forget tapping your debit card or flashing your phone to make a payment. A former champion auctioneer from Mitchell, Ont. has tips for selling in a more lyrical way. Dave Jacob, owner of the Jacob Auction Centre, will host the Ontario Auctioneer Championships on Saturday, where people will test their sales skills. Jacob, himself the winner of two provincial titles, is a second-generation auctioneer. He spoke to Afternoon Drive Host Matt Allen about what it takes to win. First, though, take a look at Jacob in action: Going once... twice... sold! Hear this champion Ontario auctioneer in action 2 hours ago Duration 0:21 This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Matt Allen: You've been doing this since you were very young. When did you know that you wanted to do it for a living? Dave Jacob: I knew really early on in elementary school that I wanted to be an auctioneer. I think the first time I ever sold anything was when I was about 12 or 13. The auctioneer we had hired to help us that day was stuck in traffic, and people were getting kind of antsy. I grabbed a microphone and away I went. And then the rest has been history. MA: Tell me about that experience. You're 12 years old. You're in front of a room of folks, and you just go. What happened next? DJ: Like this feeling of calm came over me and I was like, this is where I'm supposed to be. Then, I was keen to keep going. But mom and dad, they kind of put the brakes on me doing any more auctioneering. They were afraid I was going to quit school and just go after it. Anyway, I stayed in school, finished my studies, and got my diploma in agriculture and my agribusiness degree. Then, I went back to the auction business. MA: What does it take to be an auctioneer today? DJ: Well, talking fast is only part of it. There's a lot more skill in this line of business, and integrity is huge. A good auctioneer has to be good with people and fair to all the buyers and sellers. And you know, an auctioneer wears a lot of different hats in one day. You've got to coordinate logistics. You move people's things from their houses to the auction or to storage before you can auction them. Or you have to be a marketer, too. MA: All these things that we don't see behind the scenes. But you still have to be good at talking fast? DJ: Absolutely. You need to be clear and concise. You need to know who the buyers are, and your crowd need to know what value you're at and what you're asking. And then there's the chant. We call them filler words. That's what makes it sound like we're talking fast, right? The most important part is the numbers. MA: Could you demonstrate it for us? DJ: Essentially, if I have $5 and I'm asking for 10, it'll go something like "$5. Would you give me $10? $10? Would you be 15? I have 15. Would you be 20?". Then you speed it up. MA: Do you have to practice breathing to be able to do that for a long stretch of time? DJ: Absolutely. There are a lot of pieces to put the puzzle all together, and breathing is one part. Practicing your numbers and your intervals is different, too, because for some items, you might go a dollar at a time, and sometimes, you might go $10 at a time, or $1,000 at a time, depending on what you're selling. MA: The Ontario Auctioneer Championship is at your place in Mitchell. How is it judged? DJ: There are a number of criteria, one obviously being their chant. How clear they are, and how fast, how smooth, how they scan the crowd. There are marks given if they show up professionally dressed. There are also marks for employability, so if a judge would hire them for the day to work for them.
