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This Week on The Forum

How would you feel if someone bombed your Church?  Your Synagogue? Your Temple? Muslims in Hamilton are reeling from the firebombing of their Mosque. We speak with Hussein Hamdani, legal counsel to the Muslim Association of Hamilton, about an open house held last week to address this incident. But Muslims are not the only group being persecuted. Refugees are the victims of a flyer distributed to residents of the Mountain Brow. Morteza Jafarpour, the Executive Director of SISO, the Settlement and Integration Services Organization, joins us to discuss the new refugee centre on Rosedene Avenue. And if these stories aren't enough to outrage your conscience, then Shape Burlington hopes to learn what will. Mayor Cam Jackson and former Major Walter Mulkowich speak with us about rekindling civic engagement in Burlington – that's this week's community profile.

Now available for Podcast

Season II, Episode III: January 30th, 2010

"I have a dream." With these powerful words the life of Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered. This week, we celebrate black history month with a panelist of community leaders: Evelyn Myrie is the co-chair of the Black History Month Committee, Professor Gary Warner is a human rights and social justice activist, and Siobhan Stewart is a student at McMaster University. And at the end of the hour, we reflect on the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz with an excerpt of Vera Barany's story of how she survived the camp.

Right click to download Season II, Episode III: January 30th, 2010.

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Coming up on The Forum

Anne Jones, former Chair of the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth and Member of the Ontario Film Review Board, and Abby Deshman, Project Director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, respond to the question, "Is censorship still relevant and how has it changed?"

Bryce Kanbara, proprietor, artist, and curator of the you me gallery, talks about his work and the Hamilton art scene.

Maureen Mulchany shares her personal story as a parent of children with dyslexia and reflects on her empowering decision to teach workshops on taming and harnessing a different way of thinking.

Dr. Anne Pearson, Professor of Religious Studies at McMaster University, recounts her time with the Mahila Shanti Sena, a feminist, peace-activist group in India.

Ruth Pickering, founder and director of Under the Willows, describes her summer cam's unique approach to children's mental health.

Highlights from Previous shows

Anne Jones
Former Chair of the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth

"...all those municipalities around had their own little councils…but they felt they had a local voice, and now, being part of a whole, they don't feel quite the same about it..."

Melanie Golba
Co-Founder and Owner of Plan B Organic Farms in Flamborough, Ontario

"I, you know, grew up in the sub-urbs...so none of us who are involved in the farm grew up on farms or had any kinda farming background. We just saw...it as a real environmental need in Hamilton, for people to start thinking about agriculture as an environmental issue...and we thought Hamilton needed a place people could learn about that, and that somebody had to start doing it."

Episode 5 - June 20, 2009:
Norman interviews Leo Johnson, the founder and Executive Director of CURE Canada

CURE Canada, which is the abbreviation of "Care for Underprivileged and Refugee Empowerment", is a not-for-profit group operating out of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.