CKUT Spoken Word Department

The two CKUT titans discuss Black History Month and what it means in Quebec, how events take on a different meaning during BHM, the work being done in the Anglican church, doubts about the lasting effects of a one-month event, Montreal's new Black police chief, and Stretch emceeing a fashion show back in the day. CKUT titans Howard Stretch Carr and Pat Dillon Moore have both been powering 30 years of Community outreach through their respective radio shows, West Indian Rhythms and Bhum Bhum Tyme.

Well worth a listen if you missed it.

A special excerpt from Catherine Sanders on Radio Moon. Every third Thursday of the month the Radio Moon collective brings you an hour of radio from 2 to 3 pm, created by people living a full life with mental health issues. Today we are broadcasting LIVE from Forward House. Forward House is a community-based mental health organization located in NDG, and it’s where we create the magic that is Radio Moon. Today on Radio Moon we will focus on the theme of ACCEPTANCE. We have group discussions, poetry and lots of words of wisdom to share on this theme. We will also take you around Forward House to interview some of the staff and members, so stick around to find out more about this amazing place. Welcome to Radio Moon, radio that’s good for your mental health.

A critical and open conversation from elected officials and everyday people about Montreal's response to the police killing of George Floyd. Hosted by Wizzy Moonchaser, So Kay, Tamara Angeline, RG Music, and Lord Pharaoh.

On Sunday April 21st Montrealers took to the streets, in their vehicles, (respecting social distancing requirements) with their car radios tuned to CKUT, to show solidarity to all those incarcerated and to denounce the conditions inside these institutions especially during this COVID-19 pandemic. This special one hour broadcast hosted by CKUT's Prison Radio includes reports both from the Caravan and from those within the walls of these institutions. Social distancing is impossible inside prisons and detention centres and those inside remain at high risk of contracting COVID-19. There are now over 260 confirmed cases of COVID-19 linked to Canadian carceral institutions around the country, where people are held on both criminal and migrant holds. There have also been cases confirmed in both the Laval and Toronto migrant detention centres. On April 16th, the Correctional Service of Canada confirmed that an inmate at BC’s Mission Institution prison had died due to COVID-19, with over 50 other inmates testing positive for the virus. From March 24th to April 1st, detainees at the Laval migrant prison held an eight-day hunger strike to demand their immediate liberation and decent, safe housing upon release. While many hunger-strikers have since been released, 11 people remain in detention. Despite the mounting calls from dozens of organizations for Canada to release migrant detainees and prisoners, the Canadian government still refuses to free all prisoners. The CBSA for its part has been slowly releasing migrant detainees on a case-by-case basis through individual detention review hearings.

From coast-to-coast, cities across so-called Canada are experiencing a homelessness crisis. CKUT’s Homelessness Marathon is a consciousness-raising radio marathon that offers a platform to speak truth to power on the realities of homelessness, insecure housing, and poverty in Tio’tia:ke (or Montreal) and across Turtle Island. Enabled through people-powered community engagement and solidarity, the Marathon offers the airwaves to people directly affected by homelessness and poverty.

Eve Parker Finley Celebrates International Women's Day by profiling women such as Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, activists in the time of Stonewall and co-founders of STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolution) and educates us on other women we should know including Miss Major Griffin-Gracy executive Director of the Transgender Gender Variant Intersex Justice Project. Real radical radio and some music by Erica from the Bay Area - and Jess Manniquin-Head of Lonely Boa.

A special hour-long episode of the International Radio Report in honour of 30 year on the air. Hosts Sheldon Harvey and David Asselin are joined by past contributors Janice Laws, Gilles Letourneau, Zack Rynar, Alan Roberts and former CKUT Culture Coordinator Tamara Filyavich. Clips from the very first broadcast and discussions about their shared fascination with RADIO.

While imprisoned in the 1960s, Dorothy Proctor was experimented on and forced to electric shock, sensory deprivation, and even LSD-25. Many years after being released, Proctor began her investigation on the experiments that were done to her and countless others in the 1960s and 70s. She later went on to sue the Canadian government for their support of such experiments and won her case in 2002. This clip reveals Proctor’s views on the case, Correctional Service of Canada, and the stigma female prisoners receive. The interview was conducted by Dee LeCompte, host of the radio show Prison Radio, which began airing on CKUT in 2006 and is still on the air.

Rachel Wotton, Sex Worker and focus of the film "Scarlet Road" speaks with the members of Avalanche (CKUT’s radio show airing Wed. 5 – 6pm) about the documentary project. Wotton explains the necessity for both sex workers and people with disabilities to unite and fight for each other’s rights. She also elaborates on Touching Base – an organization she co-founded that unites people with disabilities and sex workers through workshops. The interview is conducted by Stephan Bertrand.

If you happened to tune in to CKUT in the middle of a Monday night in late 2012 you may have stumbled upon Craigslist Confidential, a short-lived but fascinating delve into the world of Craigslist.

The Montreal Mirror was a weekly, anglo, alternative newspaper founded in 1985. It focused on Arts & Culture, entertainment listings, and local politics.  It was bought by Quebecor in 1997 and subsequently sold in June 2012 much to the shock and dismay of its employees and numerous readers.

Former sex worker Valerie Scott discusses the obsession the public has with sex while still being reluctant to speak about the need to educate on safe sex practices.

This clip from Bhum Bhum Tyme is a discussion about racial profiling in Montreal. Sadly, the “hoodie march” mentioned in the clip was cancelled because of concerns about the safety of participants.

The 2012 Homelessness Marathon served 14 hours of national broadcasted discussions on homelessness, for the tenth consecutive year! The archives included discussions on gentrification in Montreal, community displacement caused by the development of Canada's oil sands, interviews with politicians, and personal stories from those dealing with homelessness across Canada, along with a whole lot more. The gratitude and pride for the marathon, from listeners and speakers alike, was vibrant throughout these archives; much of it was a celebration for the original creation of a strong platform to discuss homelessness on such a large scale, ten years earlier.  Edited by Bella Sidoti

In this clip, we hear audio recording from a service in remembrance of the 1990 Oka Crisis. Will Nicholls, CKUT host of the former show Indian Times, spoke during the service. He recounts his experience as host and the dark humour he used in order to survive the repercussion of the Oka Crisis. He explains the reasons for the end of the show as due to the unexpected response by some CKUT listeners along with the harsh realities of racism he experienced personally and as a reporter.

Mumia’s sister Lydia Barashango and a member of the International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abul-Jamal group are interviewed. The interview looks into the journalist’s life from childhood, to the day he was charged with the killing of a Philadelphia police officer, to the then current rallies calling for attention to Mumia’s case. They examine what Mumia’s case signifies for other death-sentenced prisoners.

Squatters explain how they manage to get inside of buildings and some of the problems that lead them to leave certain places. They also discuss an incident involving the former mayor of Montreal, Pierre Bourque, in 2001. The important question of squatter’s rights is also brought to the table. What do those rights (if any) look like in Quebec?

Highlights from CKUT's 1st Annual Homelessness Marathon, a 14 hour broadcast live from downtown Montreal. Edited in 2022 by CKUT volunteer Aidan O'Reilly.