Walking Radio

“How can we build this universe together?”|In today’s episode we chat with Hayley. It’s the evening of Monday March 16, 2026 at the Community of Hearts in Guelph’s Old Quebec Street Mall. A Second City alum and powerhouse instructor and performer from Guelph’s own The Making Box improv comedy troupe, Hayley spends her Monday evenings leading an improv club for people with developmental exceptionalities.Community of Hearts Lifelong Learning Centre fosters independence by providing a safe, secure and stimulating learning environment for adults with developmental exceptionalism while enhancing the participants’ social, emotional, physical and cognitive development by building confidence and promoting self-reliance.Please consider donating to Community of Hearts in Guelph. Through your support, gifts of time and contributions of in-kind products and services, program participants gain the opportunities to achieve the level of independence they desire. Please join us in building a community of caring, mutual respect and lifelong learning.|https://communityofhearts.ca/donate/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

“I want to say survival of the fittest but it’s really just a fight for the weakest not to die.”|Recorded Tuesday, March 17, 2026. In today’s episode we are on location at Moss Park Consumption and Treatment Service in downtown Toronto in the immediate wake of the Ford government’s announcement that they will be eliminating funding for the last remaining supervised consumption sites. We speak with Adam, a member of the Moss Park CTS community and someone whose life is directly impacted by this announcement.Walking Radio is non-commercial, volunteer-created, non-monetized, always free, and is powered by the stories that are too often ignored.Please consider adding your voice to keep desperately needed lifesaving services like the Moss Park CTS in operation. The toxic drug supply crisis has already claimed more than 53,000 lives and counting in Canada since 2016: our friends, our neighbours, our loved ones.Supervised consumption saves lives. Between March 2020 and November 2025, the Moss Park Consumption and Treatment Service on its own saw 83,211 total visits from over 19,079 unique clients. The staff at just this site alone responded to 3,269 overdoses, and provided 48,489 services and referrals during that same time period.|CONTENT WARNING: Walking Radio explores complex topics in a forthright, strengths-focused, trauma-informed and sometimes unexpectedly lighthearted manner. These topics include but are not limited to: substance use, death, violence, disability, mental health and mental illness, suicide, homelessness, sexual assault, stigma, grief, loss, oppression, discrimination, HIV, trauma, government neglect, institutional failure, incarceration, political abandonment, depraved indifference, necropolitics, and social murder. Listener discretion is strongly advised.|Links: Opioid and Stimulant-Related Harms in Canada: https://health-infobase.canada.ca/substance-related-harms/opioids-stimulants/Supervised Consumption Sites Dashboard: https://health-infobase.canada.ca/supervised-consumption-sites/Opioid Mortality Report: https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/Diseases-and-Conditions/Mental-Illness-Substance-Use/Opioids/Opioid-Mortality-ReportToronto Overdose Information System: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/health-wellness-care/health-inspections-monitoring/toronto-overdose-information-system/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

“Can’t we all just be one again? Be a community?”|In today’s episode, we spill the tea with my old friend Rye at his kitchen table in Kingston, Ontario, as we lace up for a multi-day walking adventure through the city. We start by reminiscing about mid-90s and early-2000s gay Kingston, clearing a path for the rockier limestone trails ahead.|CONTENT WARNING: Walking Radio explores complex topics in a forthright, strengths-focused, trauma-informed and sometimes unexpectedly lighthearted manner. These topics include but are not limited to: substance use, death, violence, disability, mental health and mental illness, suicide, homelessness, sexual assault, stigma, grief, loss, oppression, discrimination, HIV, trauma, government neglect, institutional failure, incarceration, and political abandonment. Listener discretion is strongly advised.|Questions, comments? Reach out at: walkingradio.poach448 [at] passmail.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

“You’re my bridge over troubled waters. I’m the troubled waters.”|In today’s episode we walk with Eric. It’s the night of August 29, 2025 on the shores of Lake Huron. Eric speaks boldly and bravely about his experiences starting a non-profit, working with the federal government, living on the streets, struggling with crystal meth, psychosis, and alcohol. He shares about the joy of community, the need for belonging, the ups and downs of sobriety, the support we give one another and the people who have provided friendship, mentorship, love, and care along the way.|CONTENT WARNING: Walking Radio explores complex topics in a forthright, strengths-focused, trauma-informed and sometimes unexpectedly lighthearted manner. These topics include but are not limited to: substance use, death, violence, disability, mental health and mental illness, suicide, homelessness, sexual assault, stigma, grief, loss, oppression, discrimination, HIV, trauma, government neglect, institutional failure, incarceration, and political abandonment. Listener discretion is advised. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

“There’s a lot of material poverty in this neighbourhood, and also it is a community with tremendous wealth.” | In this episode we walk with Erin, a registered nurse at the Moss Park Overdose Prevention Site, or Consumption and Treatment Service as it’s now known. We met together on the sweltering afternoon of Saturday July 12 2025 and toured the site and the Moss Park neighbourhood in Toronto’s downtown east-side. We discussed the origins of the OPS, the current realities of supervised consumption, and our shared hopes for a more compassionate future.|CONTENT WARNING: Walking Radio explores complex topics in a forthright, strengths-focused, trauma-informed and sometimes unexpectedly lighthearted manner. These topics include but are not limited to: substance use, death, violence, disability, mental health and mental illness, suicide, homelessness, sexual assault, stigma, grief, loss, oppression, discrimination, HIV, trauma, government neglect, institutional failure, incarceration, and political abandonment. Listener discretion is strongly advised. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

Today’s episode begins with a phrase that sounds harmless—even wholesome—until you dig a little deeper.“Canada First” appears in 1868 as the name and slogan of a movement meant to promote Canadian nationalist sentiment.Slogans are not static, and they often get repurposed over time.In the late 20th century, “Canada First” reappears in explicitly far-right organizing under Paul Fromm, who is identified by multiple watchdog and media sources as a Canadian white supremacist and neo-Nazi.More recently, researchers and anti-hate investigators have documented “Canada First” branding in younger, online white-nationalist ecosystems. One 2021 investigation described Tyler L. Russell as running one of Canada’s biggest, youngest, and newest white-supremacist chatrooms under the “Canada First” banner.The slogan shows up again when Pierre Poilievre makes the interesting choice to adopt “Canada First” as his campaign slogan during his 2025 election bid.Which brings us to the current context.On Sept. 13, 2025, a Canada First rally at Christie Pits in Toronto—organized by Joe Anidjar-—called for “mass deportation” and “remigration”—a term that Canadian Anti-Hate Network executive director Evan Balgord describes as “synonymous with ethnic cleansing.”The Canada First rally at Christie Pits ended with the group leaving the park, heavily outnumbered by counter-protesters.In this episode, the Canada First group returns to Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto on Saturday January 10, 2026. One attendee, Ron Bouwmeister, told CBC News that what brought him down to the Square was his fears of an insufficient number of blonde people in Canadian society.Fear no longer, Ron. This blondie is here to represent. As a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Canadian myself I am more than delighted in any moment to push Nazi-inspired eugenics rhetoric, no matter how poorly disguised, back into the garbage dump of history where it will always belong.In today’s episode we chat with the counter-protesters and make new lots of new friends along the way. We explore why standing up against racism, xenophobia and hate is important to them as we strive together for a more caring, insightful, inclusive, and compassionate Canada.We invite you to join us on our walk and to see what new pathways of better understanding we discover together along the way. I’m Patrick Corvyn, and this is Walking Radio.Links:https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/paul-fromm/https://www.antihate.ca/canada_first_exposed_tyler_russellhttps://www.antihate.ca/canada_first_campus_friendly_ties_between_conservative_student_group_white_supremacistshttps://www.antihate.ca/former_proud_boys_devolved_neo_nazi_accelerationistshttps://ricochet.media/politics/how-pierre-poilievres-canada-first-slogan-parallels-white-nationalist-ideology/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/anti-immigration-rally-counter-protest-downtown-toronto-9.7041206https://web.archive.org/web/20260111012230/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/anti-immigration-rally-counter-protest-downtown-toronto-9.7041206 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

In this, the fifth and final episode of our special series, we continue and complete our walk with beautiful Camp Wendake.  For nearly 30 years, Camp Wendake has provided individuals living with HIV and their family members a stigma-free, safe, and welcoming space. It’s a place to unwind, relax, and experience the joy of community.In this episode we join Norm, an extraordinary nurse who has been with Camp Wendake since the beginning. We listen in on snippets from the Thursday night talent show and we wrap up the final week of August 2025 with excerpts from the camp's closing ceremonies.By way of epilogue and special bonus, we will complete this episode and our series with a leap forward in time to A Cabaret for Wendake … a campy affair: a fundraiser which was held at Aeolian Hall in London, Ontario on the evening of Friday, November 14, 2025.  We invite you to join us on this walk and to see what new pathways of better understanding we discover together along the way. I’m Patrick Corvyn, and this is Walking Radio. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

In this, the fourth episode of our special series, we continue our walk inside beautiful Camp Wendake.  For nearly 30 years, Camp Wendake has provided individuals living with HIV and their family members a stigma-free, safe, and welcoming space. It’s a place to unwind, relax, and experience the joy of community.In this episode we walk alongside even more of the campers and volunteers as they reflect on what Camp Wendake means to them and we look ahead to the Thursday night talent show. We listen in on the kaleidoscopic array of activities the camp offers and bump into some familiar faces along the way. We invite you to join us on our walk together and see what new pathways of understanding we discover along the way. I’m Patrick Corvyn, and this is Walking Radio. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

“Kindness comes down from the sky without force.” In this, the third episode of our special series, we continue our walk within beautiful Camp Wendake. For nearly 30 years, Camp Wendake has provided individuals living with HIV and their family members a stigma-free, safe, and welcoming space. It’s a place to unwind, relax, and experience the joy of community.In this episode we get a chance to chat with the campers themselves to hear their stories and about what Camp Wendake means to them. We’ll also walk with even more of the volunteers who keep this magical camp running year after year.Let’s walk together and find pathways to better understanding. I’m Patrick Corvyn, and this is Walking Radio. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

“We are horrified.” Welcome to Walking Radio — a podcast dedicated to amplifying the voices of people on the margins and the frontlines.This is a space where lived experience takes center stage, where stories are shared on their own terms, and where conversation happens in motion.In this, episode we join Sandra: the co-executive director of the HIV Legal Network on a walk through Dufferin Grove Park in Toronto. It’s Wednesday, November 12, 2025.Along with over 30 years of fearless advocacy work across a broad range of issues, the HIV Legal Network has been instrumental in providing support for the charter challenges to the recent closures of the supervised consumption sites in Ontario.We invite you to join us on our walk and to see what new pathways of better understanding we discover together along the way. I’m Patrick Corvyn, and this is Walking Radio. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

“We are one.” Welcome to Walking Radio — a podcast dedicated to amplifying the voices of people on the margins and the frontlines. This is a space where lived experience takes center stage, where stories are shared on their own terms, and where conversation happens in motion.In this special series, Walking Radio takes you to summer camp! In the final days of August 2025, I spent the week volunteering at Camp Wendake, nestled along the stunning shoreline of Lake Huron. For nearly 30 years, Camp Wendake has provided individuals living with HIV and their family members a stigma-free, safe, and welcoming space. It’s a place to unwind, relax, and experience the joy of community.Camp Wendake is entirely volunteer-run. In this second episode of this special series, I spoke with more of the volunteers who make this camp possible, as we welcomed the campers and joined together in our opening ceremonies.Let’s walk together and see what pathways to better understanding we find along the way. I’m Patrick Corvyn, and this is Walking Radio. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

“We have the opportunity to give good medicine.” Welcome to Walking Radio — a podcast dedicated to amplifying the voices of people on the margins and the frontlines. This is a space where lived experience takes center stage, where stories are shared on their own terms, and where conversation happens in motion.For the next few episodes, Walking Radio takes you to summer camp! In the final days of August 2025, I spent the week volunteering at Camp Wendake, nestled along the stunning shoreline of Lake Huron. For nearly 30 years, Camp Wendake has provided individuals living with HIV and their family members a stigma-free, safe, and welcoming space. It’s a place to unwind, relax, and experience the joy of community.Camp Wendake is entirely volunteer-run. In the first episode of this special series, I spoke with the volunteers who make this camp possible, as we worked together to prepare the camp for the arrival of campers, all while getting to know one anotherLet’s walk together and see what pathways to better understanding we find along the way.I’m Patrick Corvyn, and this is Walking Radio. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

“Everyone has value.” Welcome to Walking Radio — a podcast dedicated to amplifying the voices of people on the margins and the frontlines.This is a space where lived experience takes center stage, where stories are shared on their own terms, and where conversation happens in motion.Today we explore a new part of our shared trail. It's Sunday June 1st, 2025 in Guelph, Ontario. The local Avalokiteshvara Kadampa Buddhist Centre is holding a Walk for World Peace. I joined in and chatted with Gen Kelsang Kunden, along with friends and members of the centre as we walked along the beautiful Speed River. We explored a variety of topics including compassion, anger, loss, and our shared connections to one another.Let’s walk together and see what pathways to better understanding we find along the way.I’m Patrick Corvyn, and this is Walking Radio. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

"Magic always comes at a price." Welcome to Walking Radio — a podcast dedicated to amplifying the voices of people on the margins and the frontlines.This is a space where lived experience takes center stage, where stories are shared on their own terms, and where conversation happens in motion.In this second of a two part episode, I chat with Yasir—a harm reduction and HIV activist from Pakistan whose work to combat stigma has reached across the globe.Yasir and I strolled through the bustling streets of downtown Toronto on the beautiful evening of Tuesday, May 27, 2025 and made our way to the Lake Ontario waterfront near Sugar Beach. Please pull up an Adirondack chair and join us while we chat the sun down, overlooking Toronto Island.Let’s walk together and see what pathways to better understanding we find along the way. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

"Denial is not a solution." Welcome to Walking Radio — a podcast dedicated to amplifying the voices of people on the margins and the frontlines.This is a space where lived experience takes center stage, where stories are shared on their own terms, and where conversation happens in motion.In this episode, I chat with Yasir—a harm reduction and HIV activist from Pakistan whose work to combat stigma has reached across the globe.Yasir and I strolled through the bustling streets of downtown Toronto on the beautiful evening of Tuesday, May 27, 2025. We made our way to the Lake Ontario waterfront near Sugar Beach, where we chatted the sun down, overlooking the Toronto Islands. We explored enough to fill two episodes—so please join Yasir and me as we head south on Mutual Street for Part 1 of 2.Let’s walk together and see what pathways to better understanding we find along the way. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

"The general public is going to be more upset with seeing more needles on the road than they are going to be seeing the bodies." In this episode of Walking Radio, we walk through Toronto’s Sherwood Park with Lee — a nurse whose career spans intensive care, psychotherapy, and substance use care across urban and northern Ontario. Together, we unpack the heartbreak, confusion, and urgency surrounding Ontario’s recent closure of supervised consumption sites.Lee brings not only deep clinical experience, but also a rare emotional clarity as we talk grief, stigma, housing, harm reduction, and the human cost of political decisions made far from the frontlines. From the widening gaps in care to the mythology of “tough love,” Lee shares why supervised consumption is about more than preventing death — it’s about protecting life in all its complexity.We talk about purple heroin, grief as a hidden epidemic, and why Narcan alone isn’t enough. We reflect on the lives lost — and why some deaths are considered grievable, while others pass in silence. Together, we ask: what does ethical care look like in the midst of an overdose crisis?This episode is a walk through memory, systems, and the invisible labour of compassion. It's also a record of connection — human-to-human — at a time when that’s never felt more vital. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

"They chuck lavender in it." On March 22, I was walking through downtown Guelph when I met someone I’ll never forget.Rone is a butch-presenting trans woman with sharp wit, layered strength, and a quiet vulnerability that invites real conversation. She’s also someone who, like thousands of others across Ontario, depends on supervised consumption services—not just for safety, but as a vital access point to the kind of healthcare most people take for granted.We spent the day wandering the city, sharing stories. One week later, on March 28, we met up again to continue the conversation for Episode 2 of Walking Radio.In this episode, Rone talks candidly about what it means to navigate pain management as a trans person, the medical discrimination she’s faced, and the lifeline the Guelph Community Health Centre has been for her. Rone shares her own story with striking clarity, a story that echoes the experiences of thousands facing the looming threat of service cuts and supervised consumption site closures across the province.This conversation isn’t just about one woman or one site—it’s about how care, connection, and community are built from the ground up. It’s about what we stand to lose when we let political agendas erase the reality of people’s lives.Rone's voice is full of clarity and courage. I’m honoured to share it with you.Walking Radio is recorded on the move, in the elements, and in real time—bringing you into the shared space where stories unfold. No studio. No polish. Just presence.Thanks for walking with us. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com

"You don't get treatment if you're dead." On March 19, 2025, I had the honour of attending the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) Summit on Mental Health and Substance Use in Toronto — less than two weeks before the Ontario government's planned shuttering of supervised consumption and treatment services across the province.In this inaugural episode of Walking Radio, I speak with three nurses — each with unique connections to the toxic drug supply crisis — about the planned closures. Their reflections are shaped not only by their clinical expertise, but by their own lived experiences, community relationships, and long-standing commitments to health justice.This conversation isn’t just about policy. It’s about people — clients, friends, colleagues — and the consequences of silencing those on the frontlines.Walking Radio is a podcast dedicated to amplifying voices that often go unheard. We walk alongside workers, service users, and communities whose wisdom is too often ignored by those in power.This podcast will never accept advertising, sponsorship, or donations. It is independently produced and shared in the spirit of collective care.Together, we can find new pathways to care and kindness.Thank you for walking with us.The opinions and perspectives expressed by the nurses in this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkingradio.substack.com