CTV staff speak out about Jessica Mulroney
The Social had a discussion about the circumstances that led to Jessica Mulroney being cancelled by its network, CTV, after co-host Elaine Lui published a lengthy blog post about the threats made to Sasha Exeter—whose aunt Marci Ien is also a Social co-host. Exeter says she’s received threats to her safety in the aftermath of the situation.
Public broadcasting in our time
Christine Genier used Facebook to further explain her resignation from her Yukon morning host job of about seven months, after noting on the air that CBC journalistic standards and practices made it difficult for her to speak out. Meanwhile, there’s a growing call from journalists to find out what Wendy Mesley said to get suspended.
City of Vaughan will reconsider its Ontario civic holiday named after Benjamin Vaughan. A petition suggests ridding all reference to the British slavery enthusiast, which may begin with revoking its rebrand of Simcoe Day. And while at least one Kitchener resident has been highlighting the historical legacy of Lord Kitchener, 104 years after his namesake city changed its name from Berlin, that city has no plans to debate a switch.
A province attempts to regrow
Doug Ford’s announcement that Stage 2 of Ontario’s reopening will extend to all municipalities except Toronto, Peel and Windsor on Friday stands to inspire road trips away from those regions. Niagara Falls isn’t holding back in an effort to reboot:
“As Ontario MP Marwan Tabbara sat in jail over Easter, there was no backlash because nobody knew.” Adrian Humphreys of the National Post looks at how Tabara’s assault, break and enter, and harassment charges weren’t reported for about two months. Guelph police said they felt he didn’t pose a significant risk to the public.
The dizzy decade of Drizzy
This Is Not a Drake Podcast was launched by CBC upon the 10th anniversary of Thank Me Later, the debut album that turned a former Degrassi actor into a dominant rapper. And as Drake leads the nomination list for a socially distant BET Awards, which will be simulcast on CBS, clickbait based on everything he has to say keeps on coming:
Stuart Smith dead at 82. The medical student who co-hosted Youth Special on CBC Television with his future wife, Paddy Springate, became a psychiatrist with a weekly show on Hamilton TV. But it was his withdrawing from a Liberal nomination to give it to Pierre Trudeau that set a stage for Smith’s seven years as Ontario party leader.
Finally, keep fit and have fun
BodyBreak married couple Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod experienced a recent renaissance with a shot of self-deprecation about their quirky stature in Canadian popular culture. Their three decades of celebrity is now punctuated by Johnson telling the timely true story about how their concept spawned from a reaction to racism: