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The AIH Transcript for February 13, 2025

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NIL KÖKSAL: Hello, I'm Nil Köksal.

CHRIS HOWDEN: Good evening, I'm Chris Howden. This is As It Happens.

[Music: Theme]

CH: Tonight:

NK: Self-care. After another day of tariff threats from the U.S. president, Canada's Minister of Internal Trade tells us it is now crucial to rely less on the United States and more on each other, which means dismantling those interprovincial trade barriers.

CH: Painfully slow. Despite a special program to reunite Sudanese Canadians with family members fleeing that country's civil war, thousands of applications have yet to be approved. One woman says those delays aren't just frustrating, they're life threatening.

NK: Game misconduct. An under 11 Edmonton soccer team spent years raising 50 thousand dollars to go to a tournament in Las Vegas. Now they say the money is gone and so is their coach.

CH: The voice of freezin'. 46 people were at the start line of the Yukon Arctic Ultra, but only six finished. Our guest was one of them. And she says she's not planning to go into hibernation just yet.

NK: Get the party stouted. A pub owner in St. John's says his kegs of Guinness have run dry due to a global shortage and a gen-z obsession with what's known as splitting the G just may be to blame.

CH: And walking on thin icing. A possum in Nebraska comes very close to death by chocolate when it stumbles on an entire Costco cake and helps itself because it can't help itself. As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio had guesses it nearly bid the world a fondant farewell.

[Music: Theme]

Part 1: Anita Anand, Edmonton Soccer Team, Guinness Shortage, Chocolate Cake Possum

Anita Anand

Guest: Anita Anand

CH: Donald Trump added urgency to Anita Anand's job today as if it wasn't already urgent enough. Minister Anand is Canada's Minister of Internal Trade. It's her job to reduce trade barriers inside Canada and to reduce our dependence on trade with the United States. She got that job when the U.S. President got serious about his threats to impose tariffs on imports from Canada. Threats that just keep piling up. This afternoon in the White House, President Trump ordered officials to prepare something called "reciprocal tariffs", which he said would punish countries that either have tariffs on U.S. goods or have what President Trump calls "non-monetary trade barriers" that help businesses of their own. We reached Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand in Oakville, Ontario.

NK: Minister Anand, as the U.S. president was announcing these reciprocal tariffs, he also said, quote, "Gone are the days of America being taken advantage of", unquote. How do you respond to that assessment?

ANITA ANAND: First and foremost, Canada is a sovereign country, and we will always stand up for Canadian workers, for Canadian businesses and for Canadians themselves. And in terms of the economy of our country, it is intensely integrated with the U.S. economy. And so any tariffs imposed by the Trump administration is going to negatively affect U.S. businesses, U.S. workers, U.S. families, as it will Canadians. And so that is the message that we will continue to stress. Our reaction will be firm and clear. But make no mistake, we will never stop our advocacy for Canadians and the Canadian economy.

NK: When he talks about retaliatory measures, what would that mean specifically for softwood lumber and dairy industries here in Canada? Because they are so often it seems vulnerable to this kind of pushback from the U.S.?

AA: Well, the bottom line is that Canada will not stand by as we are unfairly targeted. That's why the Prime Minister indicated that if it comes to that, we will respond with 155 billion dollars in terms of counter tariffs. But we are going to first and foremost, be steady. We are hearing almost daily different iterations of the U.S. approach coming from the White House. The key in this moment is for us to be steady at the wheel. And that's exactly what we are doing in our conversations with the White House, in our conversations with unions and business leaders across this country.

NK: You were working on bringing down barriers that are in place for, in terms of interprovincial trade. They've been in place for a long time, as you know and businesses here will know. What difference when we're talking about the bottom line could that really make?

AA: That's a great question. It could add up to two hundred billion dollars to the Canadian economy. It could stimulate productivity up to seven per cent. It could bring prices down to approximately, by 15 per cent. So the economic benefits of eliminating barriers to trade are incontrovertible. And that is why in this moment, we are all, as provinces, territories and the federal government around the table looking to ensure that we are building a Canadian economy comprised of all jurisdictions working together so that we can build this domestic economy without going through Donald Trump at all.

NK: I spoke with a hog farmer in Ontario earlier this week. He said 70 per cent of the Canadian production ends up going outside of the country. It's exported. I think a lot of people listening will say, you know, this does not fall only on your government. These were in place before. But why has it taken this crisis to get to this point?

AA: The constitution of our country gives each province and territory the ability to make laws and rules that benefit the local economy. And that is the case in a complex federation comprised of 13 separate jurisdictions. And so what we are doing now is saying, yes, your local economy is and has been important. But what is also important is the Canadian economy writ large. We need to have freer trade within our economy as a country. So, that we can offer benefits to businesses and workers and families without needing to go through the initiatives of the White House at all. And if I could add, in addition to eliminating barriers to trade, we need to diversify Canadian supply chains overseas. Canada is the only G7 country that has a free trade agreement with every other G7 country. Let's leverage those supply chains with those other nations. Let's leverage our resilience in the natural resource and the raw materials sectors and make sure that we are expanding our trading relationships across the board. Because right now, we're 80 per cent dependent on the United States. And we have the capacity with this great country of ours to expand those supply chains, just as we have done during the COVID-19 pandemic, and make sure that Canada remains resilient and on top.

NK: Goldy Hyder from the Business Council of Canada was on our program last week and he said he was happy to have heard from you on this issue of dismantling interprovincial trade barriers. But he said he believes the difficulty of getting rid of them for all of this time is what he described as "longstanding Canadian complacency". If this crisis does not shift to that, what is going to happen?

AA: So that's a hypothetical that in my current frame, where I must push as hard as I possibly can to eliminate these barriers to trade, I'm not currently entertaining that. I'd be happy to come back and talk to you if we don't see the progress that I'm envisioning. But again, I've been with the ministers of internal trade from each of the jurisdictions. I've spoken with the premiers, and I hear the willingness to continue to collaborate, to dismantle these barriers to trade at this time, where we see the threats of protectionism not only from the United States but elsewhere in the world. Everyone is onside with the need to get this done, and that's the direction I'm pushing in.

NK: Minister Anand, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

AA: Thank you so much. Take good care.

CH: Anita Anand is Canada's Minister of Transport and Internal Trade. We reached her in Oakville, Ontario.

[Music: Calm instrumental]

Edmonton Soccer Team

Guests: Adam Scorgie and Beckham

CH: For nearly three years, a youth soccer team in Edmonton ran bottle drives, sold chocolate bars and did everything they could to raise money, 50 thousand dollars for a trip to play in a tournament in Las Vegas. When they hit their target, they must have been overjoyed. But now the joy is gone because they say the money is gone and so is a coach who disappeared just days before the team and their families were supposed to fly out. In a statement, Edmonton police confirmed they, quote, "received a complaint of fraud related to a youth sports team", unquote. They also say an investigation is underway. Nobody has been charged and it's still unclear what happened exactly. But Adam Scorgie's nine year old son, Beckham were supposed to be on that trip. We reached Adam and Beckham in Edmonton.

NK: Adam, when did you find out and how that this trip was not going to happen?

ADAM SCORGIE: So on Monday, a few parents were like texting my wife, who's the manager and assistant coach like "Lauren and I still don't see our team on the Mayor's Cup website in the schedule. Can you please talk to our head coach and make sure that he did it?" That was, he was supposed to do four things. He's supposed to register us. He's supposed to pay for the flights, pay for the hotels and pay for the rental car or rental vans to fit all the team. I took my kids to jujitsu. I came back and my wife's in tears and she's like, oh my God. And I'm like, He didn't book in. She's like, more than that. And she started playing all the voice recordings with the president of, you know, the Mayor's Cup, the Flair Airlines, the Excalibur Hotel, where our block was supposed to be, all of them were like, Yeah, we had a registration 3 or 4 months ago, an initial call, but never completed, never paid for.

NK: And then what was your next call? I mean, I imagine you're calling the person who you believed was taking care of all of these details and leaving those deposits and making the payments.

AS: Exactly. So we called the coach and then we, you know, obviously didn't answer. And then we had other people call the coach private numbers, people that were close to them. No answer. Text messages. My wife called the league and then I called the police. They then came in the following day, the Tuesday, to get the report from the whole families. So my wife spent the whole day off work showing all the text messages and then what we came to realize were false receipts, right. To show that the hotels were paid for.

NK: And as you're dealing with all of this, how did you break the news to your son?

AS: So Beckham, it was tough because he's in the house, as we're hearing this. And he kept, and he always likes to listen to us anyway. Right. So what do you mean by that? We're like, hey, that's a parent, an adult conversation. Go play your games.

NK: Yeah, well, can I talk to Beckham just real quick. [AS: yeah here. Beckham your turn.] Thank you.

BECKHAM: Hello.

NK: Hi, Beckham. This is Nil in the As It Happens studio. What did you think when you overheard your parents talking and you saw your mother crying? What did you think?

BECKHAM: I mean, at first I thought they were just trying to play a prank on me. And then I saw my mom and dad get pretty emotional. And then that's when I was like, I asked them if we were really going. And they said, Yeah, we're not going anymore. And then I felt pretty sad and emotional and, you know, pretty disappointed.

NK: And what, I know you were fundraising for a long time with your Teammates What kinds of things did you do to raise all that money?

BECKHAM: We did some bottle drives and we sold chocolate almonds. [NK: Yeah.] For about 2 or 3 years.

NK: That's a lot of chocolate almonds and bottles. And what were you dreaming of for this tournament in Las Vegas? What did you imagine the trip would be like?

BECKHAM: I was imagining it would be, like, really fun. Our team would bond a little, have some fun there. Of course, play soccer.

NK: Yeah. What do you love about soccer?

BECKHAM: It's so fun to play the game. And you make a lot of friends there too. It's just fun.

NK: Can I guess that your favourite player is the one you're named after? Or maybe I'm wrong.

BECKHAM: One of them.

NK: Who's your who is your favourite? Who's playing now?

BECKHAM: Messi.

NK: That's pretty good, that's a pretty good. Have you seen him play?

BECKHAM: No, I haven't been to one of his games, but I watched it on TV a lot.

NK: Yeah. How are you feeling about how everyone has responded?

BECKHAM: I'm feeling pretty happy now because our Go Fund Me, we set a goal for 50K. And we already got it. And that just shows how strong and how supportive our community is.

NK: That's pretty great to hear. Thanks for this. Beckham, Do you want to pass the phone back to your dad for a minute? [B: Yeah.] Thanks.

AS: Hello.

NK: I mean, he's. He's so great. It must be kind of great to hear him handling this so well.

AS: We're so proud of him. He did his first TV interviews and stuff and killed it. He's a natural. Like he's ready. He just kind of things like, well, when I go pro in soccer, I got to be able to handle the cameras, Dad, So I got to be ready.

NK: I like the use of when instead of if.

AS: When yeah, well, we, push that stuff in our family because my wife and I both push that, that anything can. Yeah. There's going to be obstacles. There's going to be bumps, there's going to be negative and bad people, but you have to keep grinding.

NK: Police are investigating. No charges have been laid. So everyone is still trying to figure out exactly what happened. The volunteer coach nowhere to be found. It at this point unreachable by you anyway. And the others. What have police told you about where things are at right now?

AS: My wife's going in for a statement today to go get her... She'd already sent all the evidence and documents went through that, but now they're like, It'd be much easier if you came in for a video and verbal statement. Then at that point they think they have enough to go out and get a warrant from the judge and issue charges.

NK: I mean, as I'm sure you sort of, you scour all the events in hindsight and memories. Were there any indications that the person you suspect did this or anyone else involved with the team that something wasn't right?

AS: I wish I could say there was abundant red flags like. Looking back now, everybody says, there's this comment and there was that. And but there was nothing super crazy that you're like, like that you wish you could pick up on.

NK: I was saying there are lessons certainly for you, difficult ones for the children, the players to learn. What, if anything, will your wife and others be doing as you try to get a new coach?

AS: You know, I wouldn't really blame the league or like there's not a lot more checks and balances you can do without, like kind of overregulating things like. He had a criminal record check. He had the other background. He did the respect in sport. You know, it's just you don't want to be over guarded, but obviously we'll be guarded as you should be with any coaches.

NK: Well, Adam, Beckham, I appreciate your time. Thank you both.

AS: No problem.

CH: Adam Scorgie, the father of a child on a youth soccer team from Edmonton that won't be attending this year's Mayor's Cup soccer tournament. We reached him and his nine year old son, Beckham, in Edmonton.

[Music: Jazzy instrumental]

Guinness Shortage

Guest: Terry O'Rourke

CH: On a cold winter's day. It doesn't just feel like the right choice of beer, it feels like the responsible choice of beer. A frothy pint of Guinness with a perfect head of foam. But these days, a lot of pubs are struggling to deliver that experience because the company that makes Guinness is struggling to deliver Guinness. Supply issues have led to a shortage of the Irish staple, and that's causing some strain in the North American market. No pub wants a shortage of a popular draught at any time, but in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, with Saint Patrick's Day just a few weeks away, the situation is becoming urgent. Terry O'Rourke is a co-owner of the Duke of Duckworth Pub. We reached him in St. John's.

NK: Terry, how are your customers reacting when they come in and try to order a Guinness and can't get any?

TERRY O'ROURKE: Well, you know, Newfoundlanders have always been a resilient crowd, you know, and they're actually managing they're coping, they're coping quite well.

NK: Wow. You're proud of them. It sounds like.

TOR: A very proud of them. Yes. Yes.

NK: Are they surprised?

TOR: Yeah, it's unfortunate, but I think everybody has heard it now. You know, it's a worldwide shortage by all accounts.

NK: In terms of what might be behind this shortage, Terry. You know, Saint Patrick's Day is coming up. We hear these kinds of stories from time to time. There's suddenly a shortage of a product. Could this be a marketing gimmick?

TOR: I don't believe that's the case. We've never had issues over the years with getting our supply of Guinness. There are a few things when I delved into it that seem to be factors. A small one for us would be the fact that we are on an island in the middle of the Atlantic and transportation at this time of the year is obviously a bit tricky because our supply would go to, I believe, Montreal and then make its way and then catch the ferry through to Newfoundland. But I've been reading, delving a little deeper that it's become trendy. There's a there's some sort of a social media TikTok, I believe challenge going on with regards to Guinness and Gen-Z have taken to it in millions it seems like.

NK: It's known as splitting the G. Are people in your bar doing that?

TOR: That's the one. I heard it. Yeah, that's it.

NK: You should have a splitting the G competition in your pub no?

TOR: Well, I guess so. But it's obviously working because our sales of Guinness doubled within the last 12 months.

NK: Doubled?

TOR: Yeah. Yeah.

NK: And you already had a steady clientele. You've been there a long time, right?

TOR: Yeah. Yeah. We've probably sold more of it than any other bar in the province.

NK: How long since you've had your regular supply?

TOR: We're almost two weeks out of it now.

NK: Wow. So what does that mean for your business people are just, people have backups they're ordering?

TOR: As I say, they're very resilient people and they're adapting and there's other stouts on the market that people have switched to. And they're managing well, as I say.

NK: And you were in the UK recently. Were you seeing the same thing there?

TOR: Yes. Yeah. Yeah, I got back yesterday. I was up in Scotland and they were, some of the bars there were actually out of it.

NK: I was reading before I came in to talk to you, Terry, that just late last year, the parent company that owns Guinness, I mean, they had to dip into special reserves that they keep on hand, particularly for, specifically for Irish customers. But again, Canada was going to be, if not last on the list, lower on the list, certainly. What has the company told you?

TOR: Yeah, that's what I can gather obviously they'll take care of the home market. I know. I am from Dublin and I'm home regularly and to go into any bar, I safely say 50 per cent of the people are drinking a Guinness. [NK: Yeah.] So I suppose they'll take care of the home supplies and demands first and then spread out from there the UK would be a big market. And then I suppose Canada's probably a bit down the list and then certainly Newfoundland.

NK: What's your supplier telling you?

TOR: They don't know. They said to us there last week that they were expecting sometime in the middle of this month. But I just spoke to their representative this morning and he said they really don't know when they might get it.

NK: So what does that mean for St Patrick's Day at your pub?

TOR: Well, that could be... I was going to say it could be problematic, but I don't think so. I think, I think St Patrick's Day will survive quite well and people will, as I say, adapt.

NK: It's not an international crisis, is that what you're saying? This shortage.

TOR: It's close I suppose. It's close and well, you know, like anything, it could snowball and could get worse. We don't really know.

NK: Are you able to take this in stride, Terry, because you have a secret stash of Guinness somewhere that you're sipping on whenever you like. I won't tell anyone. But do you?

TOR: Yeah, I wish I could say that, but I... I wish I could say that. I'm down to at home, my own personal supply. I'm down to my last six Guinness Zeros.

NK: And so how are you deciding, how are you rationing those out?

TOR: I just have one a week, maybe. You know.

NK: The sacrifices one makes.

TOR: For the cause

NK: For the cause. Right. You better not tell people where you have them. They're going to be knocking down your door.

TOR: No, only myself and my wife know.

NK: Well, Terry, I hope. I hope you get your stock replenished soon. I appreciate your time.

TOR: Well hopefully it would be. It would. It would really make them Patrick's Day a special, special occasion this year because of the scare. So hopefully we'll have it by then.

NK: I appreciate your time, Terry. Thank you.

TOR: You're very welcome.

CH: Terry O'Rourke is a co-owner of the Duke of Duckworth. We reached him in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.

[Music: Upbeat instrumental]

Chocolate Cake Possum

CH: [Medical drama background sounds] Scalpel. Clamp. Clamp. Somebody wipe my forehead. BP is 246 over 14.8. A medical problem is happening. Suction state. Sponge. Stethoscope. Come on, people. Listen up. This possum is not going to die in this O.R. today. Do you understand me? We are saving this possum. But why? Why did it have to eat so much cake? [end scene] That was a melodramatization based on true events. Specifically based on an intake note from a veterinary clinic in Omaha, Nebraska. That note reads "Opossum was brought in due to having eaten an entire Costco chocolate cake". Recently Kim Doggett of Omaha ran out of fridge space, but it's winter, so she just put the extra stuff outside. The extra staff included a sort of Chekhov's Costco chocolate cake, which I'm introducing here in the first act because it really goes off in the third act. That's when her son took something else outside and saw the cake had been knocked off the table. The cover was off. More than half the cake had been gobbled and small chocolate footprints led to the culprit, the possum, which was extremely regretful of its extremely relatable decision to eat as much of the cake as possible. Fast forward to the veterinary visit, which did not actually involve scalpels or suction. Just some activated charcoal to counteract the potentially toxic effects of the chocolate. They're treating the possum for other minor health problems and she'll be released in a few weeks. Now, on one hand, I assume it's nice for her to be indoors and warm. On the other, she must miss her freedom. So all in all, she's probably kicking herself for caking herself.

[Music: Funky instrumental]

Part 2: Canadian Sudan Refugees, FOA: Bakery Mural, Quebec Summit Experience, Yukon Ultra Race

Canadian Sudan Refugees

Guest: Ranya Elfil

CH: It was already a catastrophe by any measure. But now the African Union has declared the civil war in Sudan the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, according to the International Organization for Migration. More than 11.5 million people have been internally displaced by the conflict. Many more are stuck in limbo in neighbouring countries where they await visas or the means to purchase safe passage onwards. The Sudanese Canadian Community Association says some 73 hundred people have applied to come to Canada through a special program designed to reunite Sudanese people living here with family members who have fled the violence. But immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada reports that as of December 26th, just 179 people have arrived through that humanitarian program. And a year after its inception, critics say the glacial pace of admissions is anything but humane. Ranya Elfil is the past president of the Mississauga Sudanese Canadian Cultural Association. She worked with the government to establish the program. We reached her in Mississauga.

NK: Ranya, when you started to do this work to try to create ways for Sudanese Canadians to bring their loved ones to safety here, where did you think we would be with this program and your efforts one year later?

RANYA ELFIL: I think one year into the program, I expected everyone to be here. I remember March 2024, just shortly, one month after the launch of the program, when the committee, basically the deputy minister mentioned everyone is expected to come, end of '24, beginning '25. That came as devastating. Here we are actually end of '24, beginning '25 with a very small number already arrived. People are still more than half applicants are still at a very early stage of the processing where they have not even reached the biometrics.

NK: And what have officials told you about why it is taking so long? Even beyond the already long wait time that you were concerned about.

RE: Mixed messages, I would say, depending on who you talk to, nothing convincing. To be honest, most of the time it comes as a lack of will, because if the will is there, there are similar programs that brought family members to safety sooner to Canada. So we really as a community cannot understand why Is it only difficult when it comes to the Sudanese-Canadian community taking care of their families?

NK: Your own family has been impacted by the war and the delays. What are they dealing with right now?

RE: I think my family is one of the few very lucky ones, they've been very much impacted. They were in [inaudible] in an area where was an early place that was hit hard by RSF, the Janjaweed. They barely escaped with their lives, nothing. So everyone basically in this crazy war left with nothing but the clothes on their back. We're thankful because we were able to get them to a bit of a safer area in [inaudible] and then help them cross into Egypt at an early stage of the war where they've been in displacement since maybe May of 2023, and we've been working hard to get them here. It's my father-in-law, two sisters-in-law and one brother-in-law. Unfortunately, my father-in-law passed away in October. And I think if we look at the numbers, you will see that just everything that people are dealing with is taking a toll. Every day in our community and because of the role we play with the community, every day I get a call with a family member who passes away who were supposed to come through this program. A father, a mother or a sister and it's heartbreaking.

NK: We've talked about the program shortcomings on this program before. But in terms of the specifics, you know, compared to other programs designed to help Canadians who have family in war zones, just financially, what kind of requirements are there that are different than other programs?

RE: I think financially, this is the only program that comes with a financial obligation on anchors or family members in Canada. While, for example, if you look at the South America's program, there is an expectation of you would take care of your family for a year. Also [inaudible] the program, there is an expectation that family members here will take care of the family members they will bring for some time. They don't need to show any kind of money or financial ability to do that. For the Sudan program, it's completely different. You have to show financial ability. So either an income that matches the sort of minimum income requirements of Ontario. So let's say I have a family of six. If I want to bring two sisters, I have to show that I can support eight family members with my income before I can bring anyone or I need to put money in the bank. Right, nine thousand nine hundred if I'm bringing one person, it becomes 14 thousand plus. If I'm bringing both parents, let's say any additional comes with an additional money that needs to be put in an interest account in the bank. So financial requirements, a lot of programs, the processing fees were forgiven. In the case of the Sudan program, some of the fee was forgiven, but the rest of the fee was actually a requirement. Can you imagine, like people who lost everything and their families here in Canada I just want this to settle in.

NK: Why do you believe there are these discrepancies, other programs that you're talking about? Ukrainians, for example, received one time financial assistance grants from the federal government. Why do you think, what have you been told about why there are these differences?

RE: I think politely, just putting it again, nothing convincing. There isn't any... And I don't know even how to respond. It's, at this point it feels like discrimination. It doesn't feel like anything but discrimination. Unfortunately.

NK: What do you tell your family members about what is happening? I'm sure they're asking you all the time.

RE: It's frustrating. We actually have a lot of like WhatsApp groups where we have all those applicants because we've been working with them even before the launch to prep them with all the resources needed in terms of like information, how to fill forms, how to prepare, how to come like even in terms of settlement and how to prepare to settle in Canada. Right. So they hit the ground running. What we see now is a lot of desperation and loss of hope because they've been hanging to that hope for one year. And now at this point, they don't know what to believe. So many rumours. They see what's happening south of the border and they basically cannot help but wonder how much is that going to have an impact? They see the changes, the political situation now in Canada...

NK: South of the border in the United States. You mean?

RE: In the United States, exactly right. So all of that and it's this despair at this point, that what we see. We keep asking people to be patient. But to be honest, at this point, we also feel like we're lying to them because how long can we ask them to be patient for if we also don't have any clear answers? Well, my hope is with a new leadership in the Liberal Party, with new leadership in the country after the federal elections. At the heart of it, we're Canadians, with certain ethics and values. And we will continue to stick to those. And this is what we will continue to push for. This is a non-partisan matter. Everyone, to be honest, should help us get our families here to safety soon.

NK: Ranya, I really appreciate your time. Thank you for this.

RE: Thank you. Appreciate it.

CH: Ranya Elfil is a member of the Mississauga Sudanese-Canadian Cultural Association. We reached her in Mississauga. We contacted Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada regarding Ms. Elfil's concerns. IRCC sent us a statement which reads in part "When responding to international crises, Canada tailors each response to meet the unique needs of those who require our support". IRCC also told us further admissions of Sudanese nationals have occurred since December that are not yet publicly reportable and that it, quote, "continues to process temporary and permanent residence applications for those affected by the conflict in Sudan in all streams", unquote.

[Music: Guitar instrumental]

FOA: Bakery Mural

CH: It's now been almost three years since Leavitt's Country Bakery accidentally became the talk of the town in Conway, New Hampshire. And not for how good the doughnuts are. The 40 plus year old bakery has a mural hanging above it that measures about 8.6 square metres. It's a painting of sun beams, mountain range doughnuts, a blueberry muffin, a cinnamon roll, perfect in perfectly ordinary seeming backdrop for a place that sells pastries. But the town's zoning officer says the painting is not art, it's advertising. And therefore bigger than the local sign code allows. A bakery owner, Sean Young has refused to take it down and a subsequent battle of charges, fines, appeals and a lawsuit has now culminated in a trial. Today, a federal judge in New Hampshire will consider whether the town is infringing on Mr. Young's free speech rights. In February of 2023, when he first decided to take the dispute to federal court, Sean Young spoke to As It Happens, about how a mural painted by local high schoolers led to a First Amendment showdown.

SOUNDCLIP

SEAN YOUNG: A friend of mine had introduced me to the local high school art teacher, and she said that they were looking for a backdrop for the students to do an art project. They wanted to do a big mural. So I volunteered. There was no input from us, no collaboration. They were given full rein to do as they wanted. And Leavitt’s has been a bakery in the town for 46 years now. So, you know, when… when they were deciding what they're going to paint, you know, the first thing that comes to mind is donuts and pastries. And that's what we're known for.

NK: Well, what about the other customers? You know, townspeople who come in? What's the… what's the chatter there? How are they feeling?

SY: Oh, geez. I got to say, probably 99 per cent of people are for us. So, I can't really go anywhere in town without, you know, people coming up to me and saying they support us. Or I've got emails and Facebook messages from all over the country. And actually, out of the country. People from Denmark and Austria say that they're behind us. And there's a few people that say, hey, the rules are the rules and… even if they know the rules are wrong and they've known for a long time.

NK: How do you… so what will happen next? You're taking it to federal court. What's the next step for you?

SY: So, there was a new ordinance proposed that's going to be voted on in mid-April by the town. And if that new signed ordinance gets passed by the voters, then we'll have to see what the town says. If they decide that the new ordinance means we can keep our mural, then that's great. If they say we still need to take it down, then the Institute for Justice is ready to take it to the Supreme Court.

CH: From our archives. That was Sean Young, owner of Leavitt's Country Bakery, talking to Nil in 2023.

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Quebec Summit Experience

CH: Patrick Auger of Quebec was planning on taking a group of thrill seekers to New Hampshire to climb Mount Washington. But after weeks of hostility directed at Canada by the U.S. President and his administration, his hikers told him they weren't up for a trip across the border anymore. Instead of cancelling, he decided to change the trip from the Mount Washington Challenge to the Quebec Summit Experience. He'll now be taking the group to the peaks of Mount Richardson in the Gaspé. Mr. Auger told the CBC what pushed him to make that move.

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PATRICK AUGER: In fact, It's really because I spoke with a client interested to be part of the experience and that client told me, Patrick, I really enjoy, I would like to be part of it. The [inaudible] Washington. But, you know, I'm not comfortable to spend my money in the U.S. So it makes me think, wow, okay, yeah it has an impact on me. I don't want to be involved in politics, but I think I have to do something. And, you know, I'm really involved in, with the U.S. and in New Hampshire especially, I'm a volunteer there and I work for great organizations. So it was really a mix emotion to change that. So it's really because clients ask for that and, and based on my values, I decided to, to do something. And but it's not an easy decision, you know, because, you know, Mount Washington is like a [inaudible] summit. You know, people want to hike that, that high peaks in New England. So it's really based on what clients ask me and based on my value.

JULIA CARON: And what has been the response from the public since this change was announced?

PATRICK AUGER: You know, I was a bit scary when I take, took the decision because I said, look, wow, okay, usually I go to the U.S. so people want to go there. Well, what if it's in Quebec, it's in your own, you know, area. But the response is wonderful. People send me a lot of message every day since then, we have a lot of participants they could, they're coming with us just because we change our mind and we follow our values. We want people to explore the province and our summit. And, you know, we have a lot of great playground here for hikers. So people are just happy with the decision. And it doesn't mean that in the future we will not go back to Mount Washington, but for sure Experience Summit Quebec will remain because we want people to discover our own country here. But Mount Washington, maybe just a different experience in the future. So response is very good.

CH: That was Patrick Auger speaking with the CBC's Julia Caron on Quebec AM.

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Yukon Ultra Race

Guest: Jessie Gladish

CH: It is always hard to complete the Yukon Arctic Ultra. I mean, incredibly hard. The extreme course winds through remote parts of the territory and participants spend a week or more in freezing temperatures, sleeping outdoors when they stop for breaks. But with a challenging new course and temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius, this year's race was even more challenging than usual. And as you can tell from the results, 46 people started the race and only six crossed the finish line. Jessie Gladish was one of them. And we reached her today in Whitehorse.

NK: Jessie, I know you've been off the trail for a couple of days now. How are you doing? Do you have feeling back in your extremities?

JESSIE GLADISH: Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good after kind of two full nights of sleep. The first night I spent in Faro after the finish. So, you know, back in my sleeping bag on the floor in a room with 20 other people. But put my earplugs in and slept till 9:30 in the morning, which was very nice. And then travelled to Whitehorse yesterday. And I'm now at my mom's place in Whitehorse and had a really glorious sleep last night, which, yeah, she checked on me this morning to see if I was okay because I was sleeping until late.

NK: Is that the biggest thing? Is that always part of your ritual? I mean, is sleep... I would imagine that there's other, there's pain and aches and those kinds of things. But it sounds like sleep is the main thing you're desperate for.

JG: Yeah, definitely. For me, like, you know, my body actually felt pretty good, like I didn't feel kind of wrecked at the end physically, but it's definitely the sort of like mental fatigue and also just, you know, staying up for that many hours in a row day after day. It's definitely, you know, that like comfortable sleep in a safe, warm bed that is just so nice at the end of these things.

NK: I bet. So sleep deprivation, 600km in the winter in very cold temperatures. And you decided to bike this whole trail. You could have skied or walked it. [JG: Yes.] Why did you decide to bike it?

JG: I really love my bike, and I've started really enjoying the winter biking. You know, when it's good, it's really, really good. And when it's bad, it is pretty awful. But I was sort of banking on it being pretty good, which, you know, I don't regret using the bike, but I do think that skiing it might have been also a good call. So, yeah.

NK: Why do it at all? People might ask, how do you resist the urge to hibernate like so many of the rest of us?

JG: Yeah, that's. I mean, that's like the big question. And honestly, I ask myself that, like, once I'm out there and I've started, I'm like, why am I doing this again? And you know, every time I say it's going to be the last time or I'm never doing this again. And I really did say that this time and said that I would never do this again. But then, you know, you feel like finish something this big and it feels, it feels really good. And I think I would have regretted not trying it out this year, especially just on the first go. And it was so hard, like it was such a challenge, you know, temperature wise and sort of terrain wise even that I think it would have been hard to sit back and watch it and not be a part of it.

NK: I bet you had to check yourself because, I mean, there was so many people dropping out because of frostbite. Were you checking constantly?

JG: Oh yes. I was checking all the time. Like I'm definitely very aware and paranoid, I think, of going beyond that balance of, you know, cold or like cool extremities and that like, like verging into, like, freezing, you know, freezing like your actual toes and fingers, you know, it's basically a full time job out there to keep things warm, like hopping off the bike to walk a little bit helps warm up your feet and swinging your arms around and sort of opening and closing your hands a lot and balling them up inside your mitts. Like there's all sorts of little movements that you have to do all the time, you know, not to mention like being hydrated and fed and, you know, as rested as possible that, that all comes into play.

NK: Are those steps and likely your experience, is that what kept you in the race and kept you safe compared to such a high number of people who understandably had to drop out?

JG: Yeah, I think so. You know, I think living in this climate, you know, definitely gives an advantage to those of us who do get to live up here and sort of train and prepare that way. Like, I've gotten a lot of experience. Like how cold is too cold and what you can kind of come back from. So yeah, I think having that experience of living up here goes a long way.

NK: You said that you were questioning why you were doing this as you were doing it this time. So does that mean you're going to rest for the rest of the winter?

JG: You would think that would be the smart thing to do. [NK: I would.] Yeah. I actually, I have another race coming up on the 23rd of February in Alaska. It's 500km, so.

NK: oh that's all. Okay. That should be easy. [chuckles]

JG: That's all yeah. [laughs]

NK: Are you regretting that decision now or are you better prepared for it in some ways?

JG: Yeah, I think it's going to be interesting going straight from one race to another. So it's a little bit of an experiment. And I honestly have like relatively low expectations and I'm just going to see what happens.

NK: Understandable. You're certainly, you know, testing yourself more than most of us do. You said you were at your mom's. What did she say about all this?

JG: She is my, she's like one of my top fans, I would say. My mom, my partner, John are definitely, you know, the top supporters and they obviously worry about me. But, you know, they trust what I'm doing and very supportive. So it's you know, I walk in the door and my mom is just so proud of me. And, you know, like it's very nice to have that support.

NK: I'm glad you have that support, Jessie. And also glad we could speak. Take care out there.

JG: All right. Thanks. Bye.

CH: Jessie Gladish finished the Yukon Arctic Ultra this week. She's in Whitehorse, Yukon.

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CH: You've been listening to As It Happens on the CBC Listen App. Our show can be heard Monday to Friday on CBC Radio One after Your World Tonight.

NK: And you can always read more about the stories and conversations we feature on As It Happens on our website, cbc.ca/aih. I'm Nil Köksal.

CH: And I'm Chris Howden.

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The AIH Transcript For February 13, 2025

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