Sarah Midanik is the President and CEO of the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund. She is also a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta and current resident of Toronto.
Dai Williams is the Interim Co-chair and Communications Lead for Women Win Toronto. Women Win Toronto is a Toronto-based organization dedicated to train and prepare women from diverse backgrounds (including trans and gender non-conforming individuals) to run winning campaigns for the 2018 Toronto municipal election. Visit them at http://womenwinto.ca/
Rob Johnston is the Lead Audio Producer and head of Sound Design for CuriousCast. What is CuriousCast? It’s the new Corus podcast project. Rob has also been the Technical Producer for the Alan Cross show, Ongoing History of New Music, since forever.
Amira de Vera is a good friend of the Welcome! and has supported us over the past 2+ years. So much so that we decided to pull back the covers on this in-depth and revealing discussion with one of Canada’s top entertainment and lifestyle public relations professionals.
Richard Peddie is best known as the former President and CEO of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment. These days, Peddie can be found learning and talking across the globe as a passionate city builder.
Richard Peddie joined Karim Kanji and co-host Gregg Tilston inside Toronto’s Girth Radio studios for an unprecedented fourth visit. In this episode we discuss the upcoming Toronto election and the impact Doug Ford continues to have on the city of Toronto.
Allison Dore is a renowned radio host, media personality and former comedian. Allison Dore will be launching Howl & Roar Records – a female-centric comedy record label aimed at empowering artists and facilitating the creation of content for women and underrepresented performers in comedy.
On September 19th in Toronto drop by the Bad Dog Theatre for the official launch party of Howl & Roar Records. For more information please visit Facebook.
John Sewell is Toronto’s 58th Mayor. Sewell was first elected to Toronto’s city council in 1969 and served as the city’s Mayor from 1978 until 1980.
John Sewell was raised in the Beaches area of Toronto and earned his Law Degree from the University of Toronto. Sewell has always fought for the under represented and the underdog in Toronto.
Co-host Gregg Tilston joined me in studio for this conversation with Toronto’s first rebel mayor.
Why John Sewell thinks that the revitalized Regent Park didn’t go far enough in regards to affordable housing and integration.
The history behind the 401 Richmond heritage building and why it’s important to have smart property tax assessments instead of a one size fits all solution.
We discussed the challenges that cities all over the world seem to have regarding accessing funds for municipal programming and services.
A long and lively discussion around affordable housing.
Why John Sewell fought against the “megacity” proposal that created the city of Toronto as we now know it today.
Why Sewell thinks we should have smaller councils (in terms of councilors) while also having more local representation (more councils).
Sewell was a big fan of the Metropolitan Toronto system prior to “megacity”.
John Sewell’s candid thoughts on Richard Peddie, Desmond Cole, David Miller, John Tory, Jennifer Keesmat.
Noordin Kassam in one of 8 children who came of age during the Idi Amin crisis in Uganda. He is also the father of two children who survived two separate terroristattacks. This episode was recorded in front of a live studio audience in Canmore comprised of family members from across the world who had gathered to celebrate Noordin Kassam’s 80th birthday.
This is episode #135 of the Welcome! podcast.
Here are some of the things we talked about:
How it came to be that all the brothers and sisters have different last names.
The fun experiment that was MANTS and how all the brothers came to own a strip plaza in Kingston, Ontario.
Where Noordin Kassam was born.
What his childhood was like.
How he came to study accounting after almost choosing another career path.
The positive influence of his parents on both himself and all his siblings.
Navigating two crisis as a young adult: First, the Idi Amin situation in Uganda. Then, the draconian nationalistic policies of the Kenyan government in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The importance of volunteering in Noordin Kassam’s life and his advice to future generations of leaders.
Meeting Rozy Auntie and why they had to hide their “friendship” from both their parents.
Tashmin was their first born child. As a child, both Rozy and Noordin Kassam were concerned that she wouldn’t do well in school. Years later, Tashmin ended up completing her PhD and is now working at the Aga Khan University.
Why Noordin’s second child, Faisal, decided not to follow in his father’s footsteps and become an accountant.
How Noordin Kassam came to find out about the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City and his frantic search to find out about Faisal who was working in one of the Twin Towers.
More than a decade later in 2013, Noordin would go through the same experience when Tashmin was caught inside Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya during the September 21 terrorist attacks.
Noordin Kassam describes his relationship with Rozy, who tragically passed away just short of their 50th wedding anniversary.
How the Rozinoor Foundation came to be and the various works it has already accomplished.
Currently a star in the hit Nikelodeon show, Star Falls, Elena V. Wolfe was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario and fell in love with acting at a very young age while watching her favourite shows on television. Her first introduction to performing came in the form of a high school musical when she was cast to play one of the evil step sisters Lucinda in Into the Woods.
Her acting would take a backseat however when she received a scholarship to play varsity tennis at the University of Virginia.
It wasn’t until after graduating college that her acting career would resurface when she landed her first role in the American crime drama television series The Bridge on FX. Shortly after, Elena joined the cast of the hit sci-fi television series Defiance on Syfy and Space. Other credits to her name include Flashpoint (CTV), The Firm (NBC), Degrassi Takes Manhattan and Filthy Cities.
This is episode #134 of the Welcome! podcast.
Here are some of the things we talked about:
What does the “V” stand for in Elena’s name?
How Elena got her start in acting.
Attending the University of Virginia on a tennis scholarship.
Some of the world’s famous women and men Elena has watched play and played against.
Elena’s thoughts on players “grunting” when hitting shots in tennis.
Her previous modeling career.
Why Elena studied law in grad school and how that’s helping her career today.
Her initial and continuing attempt at writing a book.
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Closing music by Afraaz Mulji.
This episode was taped at Girth Radio studios inside the Pacific Junction Hotel bar in Toronto.
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