Kootenay Coop Radio - Canadian Voices

Canadian Voices is an internationally syndicated public affairs radio series and podcast produced by Kootenay Coop Radio, and hosted by Zoë Creighton. The programme was developed with a goal of increasing Kootenay Coop Radio’s profile both locally and nationally, and to challenge the dearth of syndicated Canadian radio programmes.

Now in its third season, Canadian Voices has attracted audiences from Canadian Ex –Pats living in Ho Chi Minh City, to Professors at the University of Toronto, from Federal International Youth Programme orientations, to the thousands of people who tune in to the 30 campus and community radio stations which have broadcast the programme across Canada. Its first season began airing on CJLY at the end of April, 2006. While it was the first programme produced in the studios of CJLY to be distributed to a national and international audience, it is by no means the only; there now exist several Spoken Word programmes that podcast, please see the schedule page for more details.

Through a series of one-hour programmes, Canadian Voices presents listeners with the opportunity to hear talks by Canadian authors, academics, activists, artists, and thought-provoking citizens who explore ideas and events that characterise our country. Topics range from human rights, climate change, and media analysis, to food security, art, education, and spirituality. The series features talks by Stephen Lewis, Joy Kogawa, Jane Jacobs and Bruce Mau, as well as lesser known Canadians including Matt Hern, Mary-Wynn Ashford, Marlene Schiwy and Melanie Mark. Canadian Voices invited influential Canadian Speakers to give their talks locally in 2006, when media critic Shari Graydon and educator Matt Hern came to speak to local audiences at the Nelson Library. In 2007, Canadian Voices presented 3 talks in Vancouver in collaboration with the Vancouver Public Library; Zool Suleman and Jason Gratl on Racial Profiling, and Melanie Mark on Urban First Nations Youth.

Season 3 features talks by Naomi Klein, Michael Byers, Tzeporah Berman and Linda McQuaig, among others.

Canadian Voices currently airs on CJLY on Fridays and Sundays at 10am.

For more information, and an audio archive of all programmes of the first and second seasons, please go to the Canadian Voices Website. For feedback, please email zoe at canadianvoices dot org.