No New Normal

Episode Notes QUARANTINED WITHOUT SHELTER - At the height of the lockdown, people living without shelter found themselves unable to quarantine, and without many of the services that function as basic infrastructure for those experiencing homelessness and poverty. While the city took some measures to provide services, the services offer the bare minimum support for people living on the streets. People without shelter deserve access to proper and adequate housing, to truly universal healthcare, and to their communities. No New Normal, a special edition of CKUT’s Off the Hour, airs biweekly on Fridays at 5 pm EST. The series aims to unpack the questions raised by the COVID-19 outbreak, examining the rifts exposed by the pandemic and the convergent struggles emerging in the aftermath of the quarantine.

Episode Notes PEOPLE, NOT WORKERS: MIGRANTS AND THE BORDERS OF VIRAL CAPITALISM - Many migrant workers found themselves doing “essential work” when the pandemic was declared a public health emergency, but the industries in which they work–factories, meat packaging plants, long-term care facilities, and domestic work–took few to no preventative measures. Migrants are essential people, not workers. Everyone with precarious status deserves full and proper rights. NO NEW NORMAL unpacks questions raised in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, examining the structural rifts exposed by the pandemic and the convergent struggles that have emerged in the aftermath of the quarantine. Produced by Athina Khalid, James Ward, and Gau Mahadevan. Interviews with Mostafa Henaway, Mohamed Barry, Evelyn Mondonedo Calugay, and Abdoul. Theme by Sasha Cay (sashacay.bandcamp.com). Aired on CKUT on July 17, 2020.

Episode Notes LOCKED DOWN: PRISONER JUSTICE UNDER QUARANTINE discusses the response to COVID-19 in prisons, arguing that the carceral system has failed to protect prisoners from COVID-19 and has imposed arbitrary measures that only make conditions more unliveable for people on the inside. NO NEW NORMAL unpacks questions raised in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, examining the structural rifts exposed by the pandemic and the convergent struggles that have emerged in the aftermath of the quarantine. Produced by Athina Khalid, with Emily Black, James Ward, and Gau Mahadevan. Interviews with Kiyha Schrouder, Sheena Hoszko, Souheil Benslimane, Cheryl, and Yasmeen. Theme by Sasha Cay (sashacay.bandcamp.com). Photo by John Mahoney. Aired on CKUT on July 3, 2020.

Episode Notes CRISIS IN CARE: COVID-19 IN CHSLDs discusses the outbreak of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities in Quebec, arguing that the nearly 5,000 coronavirus-related deaths in long-term care facilities were due to decades of poor conditions in such facilities and government negligence. NO NEW NORMAL unpacks questions raised in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, examining the structural rifts exposed by the pandemic and the convergent struggles that have emerged in the aftermath of the quarantine. Produced by Athina Khalid, with Emily Black, James Ward, and Gau Mahadevan. Interviews with Kitra Cahana, Jonathan Marchand, Amy, and Alexandra. Theme by Sasha Cay (sashacay.bandcamp.com). Photo by Kitra Cahana (Instagram: @kitracahana | @Artists4LongTermCare). Aired on CKUT on June 19, 2020.