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The Current Transcript for December 14, 2017

Host: Catherine Cullin

STORIES FROM THIS EPISODE

Listen to the full episode

Prologue

[Music: Theme]

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VOICE 1: That is incredible because I've been waiting for a white Christmas for a long time.

VOICE 2: Are flights not on time, number one. And it really doesn't matter because we're going somewhere sunny and hot to avoid all this wintry weather.

CATHERINE CULLEN: Well if you can't escape to a beach you may be facing a frigid holiday season. From coast to coast so many Canadians are dealing with wicked winds or bone chilling temperatures. In Saskatoon, it is colder than it is at either the north or south pole. In Newfoundland, fierce winds ripped the roof right off a local hardware store. So cozy up next to your radio while we ask one of the country's most beloved climatologist, Dave Phillips, when will it all end. Plus:

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For those who say that it was a difficult year, 'oh this was such a hard one,' as a woman I can say all the other years were hard. This is one of the ones where we can finally name the thing and hopefully move on.

CC: Are you ready to move on from 2017. Well not without a last look at the year that was with the humor and wits of three fine satirical minds from Donald Trump to the solar eclipse to Canada 150 celebrations. Our year in satire panel is ready to mock the highlights and the lowlights and make some bold predictions about the future that in half an hour. Also:

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I would have sold my soul back then for the use of my legs and thought my life was over. Looking back I would never trade my life for the use of my legs. I'm one of the luckiest guys on the planet.

CC: For decades Rick Hansen has been an inspiration to Canadians. But 30 years after his Man In Motion World Tour ended he says the people of this country still need a wakeup call. We'll have that conversation in an hour. I'm Catherine Cullin sitting in for Anna Maria Tremonti. You're listening to The Current.

THE CURRENT | Why it has been bitterly cold in Canada this holiday season

Guests: John Spencer, Robb Kerr, Dave Phillips

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VOICE 1: Much of the country is under an extreme cold alert. Frigid temperatures stretch right across the country.

VOICE 2: Wind gusts of 115 kilometers per hour in Lunenburg. Widespread power outages across Nova Scotia overnight. Eighty thousand customers without power.

VOICE 3: We are being reminded to check in on family, friends and neighbors who are vulnerable.

VOICE 4: Highs into the minus 20s for Ottawa, windchill into to the minus 30s. And this could be bringing us into record breaking territory. Minus 21 in Toronto, could potentially break its record from 1968.

CC: Are you shivering yet? Canadians who dreamt of a white Christmas may have gotten more than they bargained for. This festive season is wrapping up in a deep freeze in some places and with wild winds in others. Environment Canada has issued extreme weather alerts for much of the country with sub-zero temperatures, heavy snow and in some places blizzard conditions. Now cold weather is not normally news, this is Canada after all, but weather experts are saying it's unusual for this much of the country to be seeing so much extreme winter weather all at the same time. Quebec and Ontario are facing extreme cold warnings, frigid cold is blanketing much of the prairies and heavy snowfall is in the future for B.C. skies. Nova Scotians woke up to an unwelcome gift on Christmas Day. Over a hundred and fifty thousand residents there were without power and wind and blizzard warnings are still threatening much of Newfoundland and Labrador. John Spencer is the mayor of Port Aux Basque town on the southwest tip of Newfoundland. That is where we have reached him today. Hello John Spencer.

JOHN SPENCER: Good morning Catherine, how are you doing?

CC: Not too bad the question is how are you doing. You've had a few pretty chilly days, there are some extreme wind. What's it been like?

JOHN SPENCER: Oh it's been crazy. The wind is whistling for the last three days. I mean at one point it peaked as 160 plus in our town here. So it's been a hectic few days.

CC: And so what are you been doing? You and the other residents you've just been hiding indoors listening to CBC Radio or how are you managing?

JOHN SPENCER: It is Christmas. It's winter. It is Newfoundland. We have been out enjoying herself. You just got to hold on to your door a little harder. Make sure you don't blow away. But no. Business is as usual. As long as the power stays on down here we're good to go. It is Christmas after all.

CC: I love that spirit but I've got to say it's not quite business as usual as I understand it. Your ferry it hasn't been operational for a few days is that right?

JOHN SPENCER: Well the super ferries have been in port. I mean the seas are on about eight metres out there in the gulf and this gets some ugly looking seas hitting our coastline here but it hasn't been that bad. I mean the interruptions will win and down this we've always been part of the course. It'll all get back to normal within a day or so but no no no it's been good.

CC: What about I understand the ferry is pretty important to port Aux Basque. So what does it look like in the grocery stores right now? Does this mean you guys haven't been able to get quite as many supplies in?

JOHN SPENCER: Oh those are lots of supplies in the grocers. Oh the bread section has run a little bit lower there.

CC: What's going on there?

JOHN SPENCER: Oh no. It is just that these stores they don't stock a lot of the stuff. It's you don't bring it in, deliver, and has gone out the door again. But you know people stock up for Christmas. Well you know the fridges are full and you know the milk and other stuff people would gather those up as quick as it comes in. So no we're doing okay. We are hanging on there.

CC: Very happy to hear that you're also having a very merry Christmas despite the weather.

JOHN SPENCER: As long as the power stays on.

CC: Yes. Put this in perspective for us because you know you're used to some difficult weather in New Finland I'm sure, but this has been a rough few days. Where would you rank this Christmas so far?

JOHN SPENCER: Well you know this area here has always been known for its winds. I mean just up the road here we had our own human windage we had a gentleman who lived in an area where you know he would clock the winds for the railway movement. So you know the winds are you know- I considers this a normal kind of Christmastime. I mean when the winters move in, the snows move in and the winds, we will hunker down we will make do.

CC: You're being awfully modest there but I understand you've seen winds well above 100 kilometres an hour is that right?

JOHN SPENCER: Oh yes. We've seen winds well above a hundred kilometers now. And it's pretty sad when you see a large business like Home Hardware lose its roof. It's.

CC: Terrible. And that was just when it ripped right off, eh?

JOHN SPENCER: Yes. The layer just came right off and came down and crushed a vehicle and a lot of debris around. And that's not good. That's horrible. But you know you look at the good side of things. Nobody was injured. Nobody was hurt. We'll put it all back together again.

CC: Wonderful. I do want to ask you, I'm in Toronto this week. I'm from Ottawa and Montreal myself. But you know these folks in Toronto they think that they're experiencing some pretty cold weather right now. But I'd like to know from a mayor in Newfoundland if you have any advice for folks who are not used to quite the inclement weather they're seeing these days.

JOHN SPENCER: Well it's like when I was in my walk last night I was facing headwinds maybe 110-115. You know it is one step forward, two steps backward but it is winter and it's Canada. It's Newfoundland. Stop complaining, you got to get over it. It will be all gone. It will be a distant memory when you get to the cottage in the summer.

CC: There is a nice thought. I like that idea, the cottage in the summer. But we have a few months to go with. Let's talk about the way that you're facing right now. When do you think things are going to improve?

JOHN SPENCER: Well she's improved a little bit here today. It Is running maybe 50 to 60 - you know gusts of 60 and at times we have still blizzard conditions. But you know the roads are clear and it looks like the ferries are going to start running tonight. They're scheduled to leave tonight so there's a lot of travelers that came back for Christmas. There's a lot of Newfoundlanders who want to come home for New Years. They're hunkered down there ready to go. So you know it should settle out. The ferry is moving tonight so hopefully everything will be back to normal until the next windstorm.

CC: Until the next windstorm. Thank you very much for taking the time to tell us about this today, John Spencer.

JOHN SPENCER: Well actually I've enjoyed talking to you. You know it's as I said you know things even though it has a lot of wind. The key was that the fine crews in Newfoundland power kept the power running for us and that's all we need to hear.

CC: And good on them. Thank you so much for your time stay warm, stay safe. John Spencer he's the mayor of Port Aux Basque Newfoundland and Labrador. Well the deep freeze has hit the Prairies the hardest. In Manitoba extremely cold arctic air has brought in a frosty chill that's expected to continue over the weekend and that is where we're going to turn to now Robb Kerr is a major with the Salvation Army's prairie division. He joins me from Winnipeg. Hello Robb Kerr.

ROBB KERR: Good morning Catherine.

CC: Now this is some serious cold weather that you folks are dealing with right now. Can you describe just how cold it's been over the past few days? What it feels like outside?

ROBB KERR: Yes it's very cold. It hits you very quickly. Today we actually got a bit of a reprieve. It's only about minus 20 out there right now which quite honestly we're saying it's only minus 20 which feels relatively comfortable compared to what it has been. The air temperature has been about minus 30 with windchills hitting minus 40 the last few mornings.

CC: Yes I was just looking at the forecast. Environment Canada saying windchill minus 38 tonight and tomorrow. So you're in this situation for a while. Talk to me about what it's meant for the city's homeless population.

ROBB KERR: So it's been a real concern for us. Obviously you can't stay outside very long in doubt whether. Anybody who does is in great danger and that's really been our concern. We've had our cold weather policy running for quite a while now for the last couple of months here in Winnipeg. And once we get below about minus 10 at night, we activate our cold weather policy which really means we just open up more space. We don't turn people away. The last few nights we've had 50 plus extra people in our shelter.

CC: What does that look like? How do you manage?

ROBB KERR: It means we're putting people in any space that we've got. If we've got an extra bed in any of our programs anywhere in the building we will use it. After that we put cots out in certain areas and then we put mats on the floor once the cots are full. And finally once all of that is full, if we still have people coming to the door, we still take them in. It's our policy. We'd rather see them sitting on the floor inside our warm building than sitting on the concrete out on the street.

CC: Why I imagine with temperatures that low. I mean this really is a question of, if not life and death, at least potentially serious injury if people are outside for too long.

ROBB KERR: Yes yes and of course we're out on the street as well. We've had our extreme environment response vehicle which is really a retired ambulance. We brought that in last year in response to the death of a woman who might possibly have been related to the cold and the city was very concerned about that. We brought this ambulance in and it is out every night from 11 o'clock until 4:00 in the morning just patrolling the streets, going to some of the known spots where people might try to stay warm. Just seeing who's out there and our first goal is to convince them to come in.

CC: How difficult can that be? Talk to us about that. I can't imagine. I mean when these terrible temperatures - it's hard to imagine somebody wanting to stay outside. How tough is it to convince them sometimes?

ROBB KERR: Well for some folks it is tough. For whatever reason, whatever their experience, whatever their state of mental health, they just may not want to come into a shelter. They may not want to come in to a building. They think they're okay. They may not realise just what jeopardy they're in, what danger they're in out there. Some of them might be under some kind of an influence of something that makes it so that they're not fully aware of what is going on around them. So those are real issues that we try to work through. The team that's on the ambulance on our EERB, they are folks who are shelter staff. They are experienced at interacting with people on the streets. They're experienced in dealing with folks with different mental health issues. So they have a great experience at talking to them and making sure that they help them understand what's going on and hopefully putting them at ease enough to trust them to take a ride and go with them to get somewhere where they need to be, get transport to somewhere warm.

CC: Now you folks in Winnipeg are no strangers to cold weather but this does seem to have been going on for a while. It's going to go on for a while still. What kind of a strain is that putting on your resources?

ROBB KERR: Yeah you're right. You know one or two nights when it's really cold and we've got extra folks in the building, that's absolutely manageable. When it gets to be a longer term thing, it does put a little bit more stress on the systems in the building; the washrooms, the facilities all of that type of thing. But we manage because the staff there are very good. You know they know what they're doing. We know how to manage the people. We know how to keep things under control. But when it goes on long term it just put a little bit more pressure on everything. But today we get a bit of a reprieve so we'll be back into it for a few days. We'll manage it, we'll just keep going and we just make sure that we've got space. If there's somebody outside that needs to come in, we just want to make sure we get them in, we get them warm and we keep them safe.

CC: Well we wish you the best of luck with that. Thank you very much.

ROBB KERR: Thank you very much.

CC: Robb Kerr is with the Salvation Army's Prairie division. We reached him in Winnipeg. To explain that coast to coast freeze and how much more we should be bracing for. I'm joined by Dave Phillips. He's the senior climatologist with Environment Canada. He is in Barrie. Ontario. Hello Dave Phillips.

DAVE PHILLIPS: Good morning Catherine.

CC: So how much of the country is being hit by these different forms of extreme weather; blizzards, extreme cold. How widespread is this?

DAVE PHILLIPS: Well we have weather warnings out for all 10 provinces. Well maybe I don't think PEI has a weather warning this morning. But really from coast to coast we're seeing a lot of weather extremes. The irony is that in the north, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, I don't think there's any weather warnings out for them. But in the South 8 of the 10 provinces have extreme cold warnings out because of wind chills, just brutally cold temperatures that we're seeing quite unseasonable cold across the south.

CC: And I want to pick up on that idea of unseasonable because I can hear someone somewhere across Canada right now is yelling at their radio going: 'Of course it's cold. It's Canada in the winter.' But you say unseasonable. There is something a bit exceptional about this. Tell me about that?

DAVE PHILLIPS: It is. A week ago December it ended on the prairie with the warmest Decembers on record. And then all of a sudden the first day of winter arrived a week ago and my gosh. The stuff here that we're having today and this weekend into next week is something to see in the dead of winter, probably the end of January early February, in the middle of winter. So the fact that it's a little early and it's calm almost crashing in on us from conditions that have been unseasonably mild is a bit unusual. And of course we know the cold air at this time of year has staying power. It fills [unintelligible]. It's like molasses it fills every little hole and you can't kick it out. And so what we are going to see most likely, is we'll end the year on a very cold note over most southern Canada and begin the new year on the same kind of weather. So it's a little early. It is affecting so much of the country but it's not necessarily rare. We have seen this before.

CC: Okay. What's causing it?

DAVE PHILLIPS: Well I mean I think we hear that scourge the polar vortex. My gosh even skiers and ice fishers and snow mobilers who like winter feel it's almost too harsh under a polar vortex. This is a pull of very cold air that circulates up there and in the high arctic from the North Pole. It spins around around like a [unintelligible]. And it sometimes it weakens and when it weakens, the irony is that its actually moves southward. And it is moved southward, probably was jolted by actually a thrust of warm air that came up there and split the polar vortex in two. And the one half just came down over the heart of North America right down to the United States. And so this is. It leaves the area from Tuktoyaktuk arrives in Toronto. It goes on to Tallahassee without any moderation at all. It's just as cold as it when it arises as when it left its origin. So it's we're seeing temperatures and wind chills that are pretty difficult for this time of the year.

CC: Yes this idea of a polar vortex. It's something we've been hearing a lot about in the last year. It's not actually a new phenomenon, is it?

DAVE PHILLIPS: No Catherine. We've known since my gosh I've been in the business 50 years and we talk about the polar vortex. But it is something that just seems to have captured the attention and people remember it from two years ago, three years ago and it's back and it typically brings us very cold, unseasonably cold, temperatures. And it is just this is the first wave of it. It won't be the last wave of it but hey it is bit early.

CC: I do want to ask you about one Canadian controversy that I've seen. People you know Canadians I don't need to tell you Dave Phillips they love to talk about the weather. I've certainly heard quite a few folks debating this question of wind chill and whether or not that's a legitimate way of measuring how cold it really is. Do you. subscribe to the idea of wind chill as as a as a true measure of how cold it is?

DAVE PHILLIPS: Well you know it's a good point. I think it's so cold out there you don't need the windchill to embellish it. You can impress people saying that it's you know minus 32. You don't need to have strong winds to say well but it really feels like minus 42. I mean there's no question about it.

CC: Sounds so dramatic though. Minus 42. My goodness.

DAVE PHILLIPS: It does. And you know if most meteorologists don't like the windchill. You don't measure it. It's computed. It is wind plus air temperatures but I think if it causes people to take a little bit more precaution. You know dress up more warmly, to perhaps you know stay indoors until it is less brutal. I think it works. It's something that is very Canadian/American and it helps us too. Well it helps the conversations but I think it also helps us to be more cautious under extreme conditions like this.

CC: Okay and when should we expect to see these extreme conditions start to lift?

DAVE PHILLIPS: Well you know unfortunately on the Prairie is it may or the next couple of days, it may actually get colder on the prairies and then it will be to moderate. I think that we're we're clearly not going to see any any [unintelligible] even. I don't see any melting temperatures for a long while, perhaps maybe into the second week of January. But we'll see something more normal I think by somewhere in the first week of January in the West and perhaps the beginning of the second week in in January in the east. But it's growing a lot of ice. Of course the lakes are beginning to freeze over. There are some people who like winter in Canada and they're pretty happy by this. Maybe just a little too extreme for them and so maybe in the early part of January they'll like it. I mean I think what impresses me Catherine so much is the contrast. I mean you know I'm from Windsor, Ontario, the most southerly place in Canada. This morning it was colder there than it was in the North Pole. I mean come on. I mean 12 degrees colder than normal in Windsor. Up in the north pole it's 15 degrees warmer than it should be. Talk about an upside down situation.

CC: Dave Phelps I do want to quickly ask you, somebody is going to look at this weather forecast and go so much for global warming. What would your quick answer be to those folks?

DAVE PHILLIPS: Well I think climate change doesn't create the weather. It certainly makes it different and may be more extreme. So perhaps maybe the fact that the ice is melting in the north, the polar vortex is moving southward, it may be that this is climate change. But I think people who say 'well hey all that smoke coming out of our tailpipes and smokestacks. Bring it on.' No that's not going to warm it up. They're not going to help the situation.

CC: Okay. Thank you so much for your time. David Phillips is a senior climatologist with Environment Canada and he joined us from Barrie, Ontario. CBC News is next. Then 2017 had moments that were magical and maddening, heartbreaking and heartwarming. Like when this Australian lawmaker proposed to his boyfriend during a parliamentary debate about same sex marriage.

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So there's only one thing left to do, Ryan Patrick Bolger. Will you marry me?

CC: Three satirists look back at the pleasures and pains of 2017. I'm Catherine Cullen in for Anna Maria Tremonti. You are listening to The Current.

[Music]

Seeing the funny side: Satirists take their best shot at the highs, lows and headlines of 2017

Guests: Amanda Barker, Terry Fallis, Tim Fontaine

CC: Hello I'm Catherine Cullin sitting in for Anna Maria Tremonti and you're listening to The Current.

[Music: Theme]

CC: Still to come. Thirty years ago he finished a remarkable journey around the world to raise awareness about disability rights. But today Rick Hansen says Canada still has miles to go before people with disabilities have full accessibility. The Man in Motion, in half an hour. But first it's time to say goodbye to 2017.

SOUNDCLIP

VOICE 1: We are transferring power from Washington D.C. and giving it back to you, the people.

[Cheers]

VOICE 2: We are less as a country, without Gord Downie in it, and we all knew it was coming.

VOICE 3: We are dying here and I cannot fathom the thought that the greatest nation in the world can not figure out logistics for a small island of 100 miles by 35 miles long.

VOICE 4: It does not that I can barely let you finish proposing, so can I say 'yes' now?

VOICE 5: She did not even let me finish. She said 'can I say yes?' Then it was hugs and I had the ring in my finger, and I said 'can I give you the ring?' She was like 'Oh yes. The ring.

VOICE 6: Oh my god, look at that! oh!

[Crowd awing]

VOICE 6: Totality.

[Crowd cheering]

CC: The year That Was 2017, Donald Trump being sworn in as U.S. president and the women's march that shut down cities in protest. Our prime minister mourning the loss of a Canadian rock legend. The mayor of San Juan Puerto Rico begging for help following a devastating hurricane. A prince proposing to his princess, and a solar eclipse that held North America in awe. So many moments and we're taking a look back at some of the most remarkable through the lens of satire. To do that I'm joined by Terry Fallis. He is a two time winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for humor and the author of several bestselling books including Best Laid Plans. His newest book is One Brother Shy. Amanda Barker is a comedian, actor and comedy writer. Both are with me in Toronto. And from Winnipeg I'm joined by Tim Fontaine. He is the founder, editor in Grand Chief and head writer of the satirical Web site Walking Eagle News. Hello everyone.

TIM FONTAINE: Good morning.

TERRY FALLIS: Good morning.

AMANDA BARKER: Hello. Thanks for having us.

CC: Yeah happy to be here. Happy to be doing this and Amanda Barker. I am going to start with you. If we cast our minds back all the way to the end of 2016. We were aching for that year and now we're getting to the end of 2017. Was 2017 a better year? For me, it was. As a woman it absolutely was. And it's not to say that it was good news in fact it was mostly bad news. But for those who say that it was a difficult year, 'oh this was such a hard one,' as a woman I can say all the other years were hard. This is one of the ones where we can finally name the thing and hopefully move on. We're not there yet. We haven't moved on yet. But for me 2017 was a much better year than anything I personally witnessed or experienced in 2016.

CC: Terry what about you?

CC: I think you've put it very well, Amanda, because there was so much bad going on but that was the big issue of the year. For me it was #me-too. And being among those who marched in January here in Toronto, it was thousands of people. It was a horrifying moment when Donald Trump was elected. Yet we all felt so good on that that day. It was so cathartic in a way. And I think that march in January, we heard the clip off the top, started us on a path that has changed the balance forever. So it was a negative thing that started it all. But it has turned into something that we can hold on to I think.

AMANDA BARKER: Absolutely. Oh my goodness a little bit of optimism.

CC: Tim Fontaine I want to know if you share that sentiment. 2016 or 2017, do you have a preference?

TIM FONTAINE: You know, they were both terrible.

[Laughter]

TIM FONTAINE: There goes the optimism. I just think the reason everything seemed so good was because things were so bad. I mean that optimism is not tainted but I mean everything seems great when everything has been so terrible. Because the things we're celebrating are our common decency and that's the terrible thing. I mean it's been a bizarre year. It's been a year where because of Trump-ism common decency seems like a miracle. You know what I mean. So it's hard for me to sort of grasp that sort of optimism. I'm trying.

[Laughter]

TIM FONTAINE: There were good things. There were there were good things that happened.

CC: And let's dig down into some of the substance of what 2017 meant. Terry I want to turn to you and ask you what the most over covered story of the year was this year do you think?

TERRY FALLIS: I gave this a lot of thought and I'm this is going to sound treasonous I think. But to me I was getting a little tired of Canada 150 believe it or not. Well for a couple of reasons. I mean I get that it is a significant milestone in the life and the history of our country. But over time it didn't take that long. Every story eventually became a reminder that 1867 marked the official start of a tragic and lopsided relationship with our indigenous peoples and we're celebrating 150 and we should have been celebrating, how many years? Twelve thousand years or something that people have walked this this this country.

CC: Well one good thing about Canada 150 is as a news story you can guarantee that's over. But Tim I want to bring you the way to know if you have anything to say about what Terry just said and also what you were sick of, this year.

TERRY FALLIS: I agree. I mean Canada 150 was you know it gave people reason to think, I think more than anything. I mean there was fireworks and there was a celebration but there was also some soul searching going on. And I think people were really taking a good look at the relationship. But I think the one over-covered issue for me had to be reconciliation.

CC: And why is that?

TERRY FALLIS: Because you keep saying that word but you know what it means. You know that's saying because I think that's what it was. Yes it was - people don't understand what it is and I think they went with the easy thing. It was you know we will all shake hands and we'll hug and everything will be okay. And I think there's bigger sacrifices that needs to be made than that. So that was to me the over-covered thing because we kept hearing that word and the politicians kept saying it and even our people kept saying it. And I get it. Like I appreciate that they're searching for the good in that. But at the same time it's got to be more than a long awkward hug.

CC: And Amanda what about you what story are you just sick and tired of by the end of this year?

AMANDA BARKER: I have a lot but I definitely wanted to echo the the 150 sentiments. I do. I was a little bit sick of it and I think there were some interesting emblems. And to echo what Tim said, I think the proud boys incident in Halifax with the Cornwallis statue being covered. And I really just want to say that in terms of the proud boys they've got nothing to be proud of and they're certainly not boys and they're all members of our Navy and that pretty much points out that we really aren't there yet, as Tim was saying.

CC: Okay, Tim I want to ask you - let's turn to something a bit more positive - Who had a really good year in Canada this year do you think?

TIM FONTAINE: Bill Morneau.

CC: Really really.

TIM FONTAINE: He is both my my winter and my loser because he weathered an incredible - he took such a battering. Such a battering for all of these things that you know some of it's fair and some of it's not fair. It's the biggest winner because at the end of the day he's still fabulously wealthy. [Laughter] He's still forgot about a villa like it was a can of soup in his cupboard. 'Oh that old thing.' So , politically, I think he's been the big winner because he weathered that storm in a way that so few do. I mean politicians don't step down anymore. They get they get shuffled out. And it seemed like he was on the verge of being shuffled out. But, no, he's still there. So..

CC: Terry I'd like to turn to you. Who do you think had a really good year?

TERRY FALLIS: I am going to be true to my cultural sector. I think Margaret Atwood had a killer year. You know she's dominated Canlit for a good chunk of the last 50 years and that was no more evident than it was in 2017. There was a tremendous resurgence of interest in two of her novels The Handmaid's Tale and Alias Grace. They became television adaptations that were very popular. And for weeks and weeks, and carrying on to this week I believe, she remains on the top ten Canadian fiction bestsellers list, occasionally occupying four spots. Rupi Kau, the Canadian poet. A young Canadian poet had an extraordinary year. Very seldom if ever have we ever seen a poetry collection at the top of the Canadian bestsellers list and she has really struck a chord. And what a great year for her. I'm very happy for her.

CC: So we've got the finance minister. Amanda, what about you?

AMANDA BARKER: Well I will echo the Margaret Atwood settlement. You know it's the first time that we've ever seen a novelist get a standing ovation at the end of the Emmys. Handmaid's Tale is a wonderful show that I may or may not be in right now. But I will also echo that and say I think I'd be remiss if we didn't talk about Jagmeet Singh. I think he had a phenomenal year getting 47,000 people to sign up to the party, which again was controversial but amazing the fact that he did it without a seat. He's a little bit starting to play or maybe even beat Trudeau at some point at his own game. You know he's a social media mogul really. You know who didn't see the video of him saying 'We welcome you. We love you. We welcome you.' Over and over and over who didn't share that video? Who wasn't moved by that video? And I really think that he's doing some interesting things and he's also pretty hot. And he's doing it all in a pink turban. So you know I think he's a wonderful new face in Canadian politics and I look forward to hearing more about him.

CC: I'm fascinated to hear you say that because again as somebody who works in the parliamentary bureau, the perception and maybe this is where we get into this whole idea of the Ottawa bubble and the rest of Canada. But I interviewed him a couple of weeks ago and in fact some of the first questions were like well why aren't your numbers better in the by elections. There's a sense that he hasn't had enough momentum. So I'm really interested that you picked him as your big winner. Well it's an interesting thing because it comes down to perception versus the actual. Right. But honestly if I just look at the number of shares for that video alone I think he's playing a much longer game than the numbers, and the fact again that he did it without even having a seat.

TERRY FALLIS: Even those of us who are liberals can take pride in the fact this country elected someone like Jagmeet Sing as the leader of a national party. And that's amazing and wonderful.

CC: It's an interesting time too even for the conservatives who have chosen Andrew Scheer and to have two 38 year olds, Jagmeet Singh and Andrew Scheer 38 the prime minister 45. There is a bit of a sea change going on in politics but that's enough optimism for now.[Laughter] We want to talk about who had a really bad year last year in Canada. And Terry I'm going to start with you.

TERRY FALLIS: Strangely enough Tim I've got Bill Morneau on my list.

TIM FONTAINE: Oh he is on both of my lists.

TERRY FALLIS: Yes. True. He had a bad year and I'm not sure he really responded the way many of us would have liked him to have responded to all of that. But I think Maxime Bernier had not a very good year.

AMANDA BARKER: So close but so far from that.

TERRY FALLIS: I mean given his political experience: Bilingual, former cabinet minister, quite good looking on the handsome meter. I'm sure it was a blow to lose to a relatively young little known - at least at the time little known - candidate like Andrew Scheer. And Kevin O'Leary who leapt into that leadership race with both feet and then said 'You know I don't really like it so much. I think I'm going to pull out' and he did.

CC: Some people would say he had a sensational year in a manner of speaking. He got all this attention. And then at the end of the day...

TERRY FALLIS: He pulled out. If attention is the only thing he was seeking then perhaps he did have a good year. But I thought it looked duplicitous to back out.

CC: Amanda who would you not have wanted to be.

AMANDA BARKER: I think Russell Peters had a pretty bad year which he had two huge missteps in April at the Junos that we all remember. Starting his opening monologue thing look at all these young girls. It's a felony waiting to happen and then saying that he didn't understand why a Canadian Heritage Minister Melanie Joly was there. And then saying that it doesn't matter why she was there because she was hot and he never apologized. He never apologized. He can go home and apologize to his 3 million dollar homes in Mississauga.

CC: Is that something of a comedy though that perhaps you know these are just bad jokes rather than I don't know.

AMANDA BARKER: They're bad jokes. I think the thing about comedy is you have to know how to read the room and he did not read the room especially he did not read the room of the nation. It was not the right time, and you know what, maybe three years ago those jokes wouldn't have even surfaced. They wouldn't even made the radar. I'm so glad to say that this is a year where they did

CC: Tim. Time to bring you in. Who had the lousy let's say 2017 in Canada?

TIM FONTAINE: Sorry Terry but the Liberals, as a whole, as a whole. I think it's been because the sheen is really wearing off. I mean especially for indigenous peoples. I mean we were wined and dined and romanced by by the Liberals. Now this year Justin Trudeau is wearing a dirty tank top and lying on the couch saying 'go get me a drink' because it's you know he's watching TV because it's...

CC: Could you give me an example Tim one of the issues where you feel like...

TIM FONTAINE: Jeez I mean if you want to look at the government of Canada you know damaging this relationship, they're going to build a ski resort on top of a sacred mountain. You know what I mean. And they actually referenced reconciliation in the decision as though you know that it was somehow this twisted act of reconciliation.

CC: It's a territorial government, right?

TIM FONTAINE: Yes. And it's just you know there's all these things that happen. I mean probably the biggest one where it is solely in the domain of Canada is the under-funding of Indigenous children in care.

CC: Yes. They just reached an agreement. Right.

TIM FONTAINE: But it's not even an agreement. It's them saying no we won't fight this anymore. And to me that's not a victory. That's a side victory. That's them saying 'yes you know we were pretty bad but we're not as bad anymore.' To me that was one of the biggest losers. The other is Joseph Boyden I wouldn't want to be that this year. I mean it's not that I'm a Joseph Boyden fan. I just think you know like what an uncomfortable situation for everybody because it led to a lot of crazy stuff like the appropriation price and all of these things that that happened.

CC: Okay let's go global in our perspective. It's a big world, Terry. Who is the biggest loser on the planet for 2017?

TERRY FALLIS: I think we could devote an entire show to this category. Theresa May calls an early election in June ostensibly to strengthen her negotiating position on Brexit and winds up losing badly and turning her majority position in the House to what was essentially a hung parliament. So I think she's a loser. I've also got Roy Moore on my list. Traditionally an inanimate object as long as it was Republican could have won in Alabama but not Judge Roy Moore. It's still shocking that he came as close to winning as he did. I still can't tell.

AMANDA BARKER: 20,000 votes.

TERRY FALLIS: I know. Welcome to Alabama but very strange.

CC: Tim what do you think?

TIM FONTAINE: You'll work for Roy Moore's horse. That poor thing didn't any of that. [Laughter] It should have been such a... If anybody else did that it was it was you know - It's corny but it's bad. It's just like I'm hoping that horse escaped and is making its way to Canada because [laughter] he will be. HE is going to be joining the asylum seekers at the border. It is awful

CC: Amanda. Biggest loser in the world.

AMANDA BARKER: I'm going to say the biggest loser was the apology. It was the year of the appalling apology. Kevin Spacey decided to come out and equate sexual assault allegations with being gay. Louis C.K. reminded us that he asked her so that was okay. Mario Batali included a recipe for cinnamon rolls in his apology because everyone needs a bit of Christmas cheer with their sexual assault explanation.

CC: Now that was unreal.

AMANDA BARKER: Yes unbelievable. And then there was the you know oh it didn't happen. I don't remember it, so it didn't happen. Al Franken falls into that space again. Dustin Hoffman and of course we have to name him Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein. Other people were alive in the 60s and 70s. They did not assault. But he decided to blame both those decades on his alleged behavior. The only one who did apologize really was Trudeau and, as Tim mentioned, there's issues.

CC: Terry what story ticked you off in 2017?

TERRY FALLIS: Well I've got to go with that with what Amanda was just talking about the you know we could list the Trump fiasco. But really this tidal wave of sexual improprieties, and Harvey Weinstein story unleashed that made me really really angry and I don't think the world is the same as it was before. So the stories made me really angry but there is something positive that has emerged, is that I think about I'm praying we're going to see less of this now for the right reasons and maybe for some for the wrong reasons.

CC: Did the Weinstein story make you angry, Amanda?

AMANDA BARKER: It didn't because I wasn't surprised. It made me thrilled that it was getting the attention. The only thing that did make me angry was the surprise of other people, actually.

CC: What did make you angry.

AMANDA BARKER: What did make me angry. I'm going to I'm going to go there and talk about Trump just you know.

CC: We've made it know like [cross talking] into this discussion without much Trump time.

AMANDA BARKER: Well for me, I think we start with the numbers. So on average he lost two admin people in his administration a month, whether that was firing, quitting or any version of that. We of course remember the 11 days of Scaramucci. 165 tweets about fake news. And I went to the real news source for Trump which of course are his tweets. I went through them. I spent days. And on average he has tweeted 14 times a day. If that was your 12 year old you'd take the phone away from them. Who can forget Koffe..fee.

[Laughter]

TERRY FALLIS: Have you cracked the Koffe..fee code yet? We don't know about it.

AMANDA BARKER: Not yet. Koffe..fee, that is probably what made me the most angry all of those tweets.

CC: Terry, what was the feel good story of the year?

TERRY FALLIS: The TFC the Toronto Football Club and the Toronto Argonauts both won national - well continental - championships for the Major League Soccer team. And that was pretty cool. Now it's just the Leafs to complete the trifecta.

CC: Oh dear oh dear. That doesn't make me feel good at all. Amanda, former Montrealer Amanda, what made you smile?

AMANDA BARKER: You know what made me smile? The 80s came back guys. They came back came back hard. So it was time to dust off your Atari, overall, scrunchie, velvet.

CC: That's why you're wearing those shoulder pads.

AMANDA BARKER: Yes, Exactly. You know a lot of TV shows. Will and Grace, Twin Peaks Baywatch,Roseanne, Ducktales. Everything old is new again.

CC: Now there's something I wasn't feeling particularly nostalgic for. Tim. What was your feel good story of the year?

TIM FONTAINE: There were a few. I mean I was still a reporter for part of this year and I covered the North American Indigenous Games in Toronto and that was really cool. Even you're the jaded old reporter and you get to go see a bunch of young people doing really great things with their lives that warm distilled heart and made it a half size one bigger than it was before. There was the Australia, the battle over same sex marriage. There was a moment when Tim Wilson - I think he's a Liberal MP - proposed to his partner Ryan in the house. That was a beautiful moment. You know what that was that was a beautiful moment here. But closer to home Robert Falcon spoke Cree at the House of Commons. I'm not Cree but I can appreciate that. And he was he was talking about the importance of indigenous languages. So to see him standing up and speaking in Indigenous language in the house - not the first time it's happened but I just think it was it was a beautiful moment in an otherwise dreary year.

CC: Amanda, look into your crystal ball. What will be the big story next year?

AMANDA BARKER: Oh oh. I really do think we'll see #metoo move into 2018 and I'm hoping in a very positive way. I don't think we really cracked it open in Canada yet and the way that it will. Moving into 2018 you're going to see a lot more. So it's going to be a very uncomfortable but I do see a light at the end of the tunnel for all of that.

TERRY FALLIS: The mid-term elections in the U.S. will be another opportunity to reject Trump and the Republicans and perhaps rest control of the two houses the entire House of Representatives and one third of the Senate are up for grabs in November. And if the Republicans take a shellacking and I think they might, not only will it make life difficult for Donald Trump, but his own party may accept that their only recourse now or then to save the party is to get on the impeachment Express and and rid themselves of the Trump millstone that seems to be hanging around their neck. So I'm interested in that. But in Canada I think NAFTA is going to come up in the coming year. And those stakes are high for Canada. So we may find out what life is like after NAFTA.

CC: Tim what about you? What's going to dominate the headlines do you think this year?

TIM FONTAINE: I think again the relationship between indigenous peoples and Canada. You know we've got the splitting of Indigenous Affairs which sounds like a Harry Potter novel. Harry Potter and the splitting of Indigenous Affairs. How that's all going to play out. I mean there's all of these things that are sort of that are on the go. A lot of balls in the air. A lot of bureaucracy has changed and when it sort of coalesces again like how is this actually going to play out. And then the other one of course is the MMIW inquiry. like I said that that slow implosion I think it had a lot of people looking at it this year and I'm really curious to see where it's going to go and 2018. I hope honestly I hope it gets back on track and I hope that it does what it sets out to do. I think those sort of things are what the Indigenous community is looking for. And what I'm looking for as well.

CC: Good or bad, I think 2018 we can all agree it's going to be a fascinating year. Thank you so much all of you for coming in to tie a bow around 2017.

TIM FONTAINE: Thank you Catherine.

AMANDA BARKER: Thank you.

TERRY FALLIS: Thank you.

CC: It was an unprecedented, unpresidented year. [Laughter] Tim Fontaine is the founder editor in Grand Chief and head writer of the satirical Walking Eagle news. He was in Winnipeg. Terry Fallis is a two time winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for humor. His newest book is One Brother Shy. Amanda Barker is a comedian and comedy writer. They were with me here in Toronto. Coming up Rick Hansen was 15 when an accident left him a paraplegic and feeling hopeless. Today he feels like one of the luckiest men in the world. The Man Behind the Man in Motion World Tour describes how that iconic two year journey changed his life. In our next half hour. I'm Catherine Cullen in for Anna Maria Tramonte and you're listening to The Current.

[Music: Theme]

ENCORE | 30 years after Man in Motion tour, Rick Hansen still fighting for accessibility

Guest: Rick Hansen

CC: Hello I'm Catherine Cullin sitting in for Anna Maria Tremonti and you're listening to The Current.

[Music: Adaptaion theme]

SOUNDCLIP

[Sound: crowd cheering]

NEWS REPORTER: The euphoric finish at last. A yellow ribbon at the spot in a Vancouver shopping mall where Rick Hansen began and ended his global journey. 40,000 kilometres and 26 months later a triumphant Hansen is home.

RICK HANSEN: I want to thank you for believing in the potential of disabled persons. Because we all have hopes and dreams.

CC: That was a CBC report from 30 years ago, May 22nd, 1987. It was the final day of Rick Hansen’s remarkable two year journey: The Man In Motion World Tour. It was a world class athlete giving it his all in the fight for accessibility. Three decades on he is still fighting that fight and today more than ever Rick Hansen believes society has to adapt to the needs of people with disabilities, because every year that includes more of us, and because it is the right thing to do. As part of The Current's project, Adaptation, Anna Maria spoke with Rick Hanson in September. Here is their conversation.

ANNA MARIA TREMONTI: Hello

RICK HANSEN: Hi Anna Maria, it's great to be here thank you.

AMT: Well it's nice to have you with us and I'm just wondering, what do you think when you hear yourself three decades ago?

RICK HANSEN: Wow. I first think boy you were young. And then I think back and I go, you know, good for you. Like, I mean you actually hung in there and you were able to finish and finish with integrity and how did you manage to inspire all those people to join you? And I'm just so grateful that that happened. That there were so many champions who came in to help me turn that dream into a reality.

AMT: How much money did you raise?

RICK HANSEN: We generated 26 million dollars. And it's interesting when we were about ready to leave on the tour, it was so frustrating just to literally be able to actually take that first stroke out of Oakridge mall. And we thought, man it was so hard to just start this. Why would we just settle for trying to raise a million dollars? Let's set a big crazy goal like 10 million dollars and see what happens. And of course we ended up generating 26 million dollars. And the awareness was the primary purpose and asking people to think and change lives and remove barriers. But you know, the money was important as well. And it was fantastic.

AMT: You weren't always in a wheelchair what happened?

RICK HANSEN: Yeah, I was 15-years-old. You know, I was an all-star athlete in my little hometown in Williams Lake, British Columbia. Had dreams of maybe one day representing Canada at the Olympic Games. And then I was hitchhiking home from a fishing trip and I got a ride in the back of a pickup truck and the driver went around a corner and he lost control and threw me against a big steel toolbox and broke my back and damaged my spinal cord. And then the doctors told me I'd never walk again.

AMT: And what did you do to adapt to that reality at the time?

RICK HANSEN: You know, it was a huge dark period for me and I didn't have much hope. I didn't see possibility because I didn't know anyone with a disability. And so for me it was like taking this this dark canvas of despair and painting it with little pricks of light to be able to create texture and colour and possibility. And that could only come to personal contact with role models. People who had been there before me, who didn't stop, who carved a life for themselves. And if I could know them and see them and then think about my life differently and adapt and make choices, that I could actually still go forward and still be the athlete I wanted to and realize nowhere in the definition of an athlete does it say you have to use your legs in order to be one. That Paralympic sport existed. That gave me new hope and helped me pick up the pieces and keep going.

AMT: So you found a mentor?

RICK HANSEN: I found a mentor, a special mentor, a fellow named Stan Strong. He was one of the first surviving people with spinal cord injury, injured in the thirties. And when I complained about being in the hospital for four months, he was there for four years. And he didn't have any rehab centres and he really didn't have anything. And yet he lived with this incredible optimism, he saw in the pain and suffering he saw beauty, he saw love. He, you know, he saw ability and he ended up reaching out to the next generation of kids like me to say come on, you know, you don't have to stop here. And he was a mentor. He was a manager for our wheelchair basketball team and of course then he inspired me to go and make a difference by recruiting Terry Fox after he lost his leg to cancer and having him join our team. And so he inspired two young Canadians. And what an amazing Canadian Stan Strong is.

AMT: It's good to know his story. So you were already competing athletically internationally before the Man in Motion tour.

RICK HANSEN: That's correct. I went on to specialize in wheelchair track and marathoning. Went to Paralympic Games World Championships. And as a matter of fact that became in many ways a lot of my inspiration. They say you have to see challenges or injustice to be inspired to do something about it. And traveling the world representing my country I faced so many barriers. I didn't just face my own attitudinal barrier, but others of me and my colleagues and friends. And then the physical barriers everywhere we went. I mean, getting into an airplane, you know, going to a hotel, trying to get into a taxi, getting up curb cuts. I mean, storage in restaurants...

AMT: Or looking for the curb cut.

RICK HANSEN: Yes.

AMT: Not being a curb cut. Right?

RICK HANSEN: And so all of these things were so prevalent. And I just thought, you know, I can do something about this. You know, I can take my talents as an athlete as a marathoner and pick up a challenge like wheeling around the world and hopefully creating some kind of movement. And that was my inspiration to do the Man in Motion tour.

AMT: And you mentioned Terry Fox because you knew each other, you were friends. What role did his Marathon of Hope play in that as well?

RICK HANSEN: It was not as huge because as a friend, you know, Terry was inspired first of all by an amputee who did a marathon in the Boston or New York Marathon. And he thought oh my gosh that guy can do a marathon and so I can do a marathon. And then eventually he thought about his Marathon of Hope to help cure cancer. And, I was there as a friend. And then I was there as a Canadian cheerleader and supporter. And then we were all devastated when he was forced to stop his journey. And, you know, as time went on I had this dream of wheeling around the world as an adventure and as a challenge, you know, as a young kid, but never really ever thought about how it might connect with actually a purpose. Until I was talking to folks about Terry and realizing that a takeaway that wasn't part of Terry’s journey was that they were actually seeing him and his ability and they were translating that to how they viewed other people with disabilities. So indirectly he was actually creating awareness about the potential of people with disabilities because, you know, who would think that a guy on one leg could hop across the country. And so it really helped me to actually go after a dream but with purpose and really have it try to make a difference. And I think what happens too is if you see people who happen to have an attitude that disability is like a death sentence or something to be pitied or nothing but limitation or if they see the wheelchair as a symbol of disability or the cane or the hearing device, or the walker, then what happens is that you handicap yourself. And of course, you know, as aging boomers come into this field of having to deal with disabilities it's really vital that they don't have those old stereotypes that might have been relevant 30 or 40 years ago.

AMT: You know, it's really worth remembering 30 years ago I was a young reporter when Terry Fox started and then you started and I remember that at the very beginning people were saying well who are these guys? First who is that guy and who were you? Because like, you and Terry Fox really pioneered that idea of doing extreme athletic endeavours in the name of a cause and raising money, like we see more cases of it now. But 30 years ago nobody was doing that.

RICK HANSEN: That's true. And of course then what happened is people then moved into other examples of extreme, you know, activities. You know, they're climbing Kilimanjaro, Mt. Everest. You know, going the poles and all kinds of amazing athletic accomplishments but with purpose. And then they're also normalizing and creating like annualized Terry Fox runs or Run for the Cures or you know for MS or diabetes. And it's fantastic to see and I think it's creating a sense that we can all get in motion in our own way big or small and add collective impact to help make a difference and build a civil society.

AMT: Well at one point in your book I think, you even make the point that, you know, I mean that was a huge endeavour, it was a leap of faith, and you couldn't help wondering if you were foolish to even be doing this.

RICK HANSEN: True. Yeah. You know, I had the aching the aching shoulder from an old dislocation, an accident I had training, you know, I had doubts about our logistical capacity. The weather was changing and I was not going to receive tailwinds on the first few weeks, it was going to be strong headwinds and it was cold, raining. And yeah I was thinking, yeah, what have you got yourself into here? And the first day you know, literally after wheeling 113 kilometres coming in at nine o'clock at night into a cold motel room and just being chilled to the bone. It was pretty devastating.

AMT: So take us through some of these days. How many kilometres in a day? How would that day get structured?

RICK HANSEN: Yeah. They would get structured in in three different sections. You know, we were wheeling about 27 miles you know, each wheeling segment or close to 40 something kilometres. Like a full marathon, then a break for two hours then another marathon, a break for two hours and then another marathon. So that's how we structured a day. And then we wheeled three days of wheeling with various events along the way. And then one day of rest. But that would be full you know, activities in communities and schools and planning and preparation both, you know, backwards to the home office through, you know, messenger pigeons and you know. Like no, but literally it was phone calls, landlines.

AMT: That's right. No email, no smart phone.

RICK HANSEN: State of the art, telexes were state of the art messages. And now we have smartphones and GPS.

AMT: That's right, it was the start so it's 32 years ago.

RICK HANSEN: [laughs]

AMT: How did you keep your arm and your shoulder muscles, like your whole body, how did your body like keep doing that every day?

RICK HANSEN: Well of course the athletic involvement was and demands were significant. And you know, I was going to self-destruct if we didn't bring a physiotherapist on full time. And as a matter of fact we planned to have sporadic physio during the tour and after the third day I was in serious trouble and I picked up the phone and I called Amanda, who was my physio back in Vancouver, and we had been dating before I left and it wasn't in the plans that she'd be on the road with me. And I asked her I said, you know, can you come out cause I'm in trouble. And she talked to her bosses and got some relief and spent two weeks on the road helping me actually summit the Siskiyou Mountains between Oregon and California. It was such a pivot moment to get to the top of that mountain, you know, and without her there I probably wouldn't have made it. And then I asked her to come back and stay on the road with us full time, and fortunately she went back and made arrangements and did. And not only was it a pivot point for the tour and for my ability to complete the journey but obviously for our relationship. And we ended up getting engaged and getting married and having kids and now grandkids. And so wow. What an amazing unexpected benefit of something that I was doing to help others.

AMT: Mm. More than one proposal on the road.

RICK HANSEN: [laughs]

AMT: One was get me through this. And the other one was about marriage. That's lovely. So how many countries did you go through?

RICK HANSEN: 34 countries, four continents. It was two years two months and two days on the road, and about 17 million strokes of the wheelchair.

AMT: That's a lot. And do you have like, I want to ask about the most memorable moment. But there can't just be one. When you think about those days what comes to the fore?

RICK HANSEN: Well you know, one of the greatest highlights was wheeling through China. And, you know, we had applied to go into the Soviet Union and we were turned down to wheel but we came in to do a ceremonial event in Moscow. And East Germany said no and, you know, they thought we were a security risk. And so we fully expected to be turned down in China and to our shock, surprise, and great joy they said yes. And I didn't really realize why until I arrived and it turned out that a former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau was friends with the Chairman of China Deng Xiaoping, and his son Deng Pufang had a spinal cord injury and he was not doing very well. And they brought him to Canada to have lifesaving medical treatments in Ottawa. And he received Canadian blood and he experienced our medical and our rehabilitation program and listened to emerging rights for people with disabilities and he vowed to come back to China to be a champion for change. And not long after that this kid from Canada, you know, asked if he could come to China as part of his world tour and of course he was so excited. And, you know, and it was a perfect time for China to introduce this to the people of the country because he was trying to start this evolution and big transformation. And we were blown away by the hospitality, the warmth, the enthusiasm, and then of course the amazing moment to be able to go and get to one of the highest points on the Great Wall of China as a symbol of breaking down barriers and no wall’s too big that can’t be climbed in life.

AMT: Were the days when you just like, you'd wake up in the morning and think I can't do this today.

RICK HANSEN: You know, the biggest darkest period for me was coming back to the United States on the last leg of our tour after our triumphant tour through China and Asia. And I was expecting the culminating journey through North America to just be bigger than life. And it was as if nothing had happened in over a year since I left, you know, in the first phase. And we just hadn't been able to get the message out and I was devastated. And I was going to quit by the time we got close to Washington. I said to Amanda I'm done, this is, I can't see myself continuing and going to all that effort just to say I wheeled around the world if nobody in Canada is going to even get involved as well. And she said you know, Rick you can't see around the corner, you know, but you got to have hope because Canadians are going to get involved and you can’t abandon your dream now. Just hang in there a little longer. And so she kind of talked me into not quitting. And I don't know something really amazing happened in the States. I don't know how we did it, but we got an interview with Bryant Gumbel on The Today Show and it was an August long weekend Monday morning in Canada. And it turned out that, you know, the founder of McDonald's candidate George Cohon was at home listening and watching that interview and he was listening very intently. And he was so inspired by the story and he hadn't heard it before. And he picks up the phone and he was who is this guy? And he says well we've got to get behind him. And so he mobilized his whole organization and many other business leaders and I'm sure other people. And that was like a pivot point. And, you know, if I had of quit when I wanted to, I would have never seen that moment happen and I would have always been wondering. And I'm just, I'm so grateful that Amanda talked me into believing and having faith and hanging in there and so grateful for people like George Cohon and others who saw the message in that moment and got involved and welcomed me home back to Newfoundland and started this crescendo back across the country.

AMT: It’s a wonderful story. And there’s also something else that helped with the inspirational stuff. And then I'm going to do a little musical interlude here, you know this one's coming. This is some of John Parr with St. Elmo's Fire, also called Man in Motion.

[Music: John Parr’s Man in Motion]

AMT: OK. Rick Hansen.

RICK HANSEN: Well, John Parr, David Foster, I'm so grateful for both of them. Who would have known, you know, when we were thinking about this wild idea of getting a theme song to kind of represent the spirit of our tour, that a guy named Terry David Mulligan would introduce me to David Foster at a time when they're trying to come up with the soundtrack, you know, anthem to the movie St. Elmo's Fire and they’re stuck. And they put this little promotional video on and within 20 minutes all the lyrics poured out of their heads and that became the number one hit all around the world. St. Elmo's Fire, Man in Motion.

AMT: Yeah. I mean it's so specific to you. You know, going to be your man in motion, all I need is a pair of wheels. You broke the boy in me, you won't break the man.

RICK HANSEN: Yes.

AMT: Did you ever get tired of hearing that song or was that like just the best thing for you?

RICK HANSEN: The only time I got tired of it was when our hosts in Portugal, they were so excited, you know, this had been a number one hit song and they had this motor home van in front of us leading the way and they had a loudspeaker that was blaring the song constantly for like 10 hours a day. And by the end of the week I was like come on, like can we change the tune?

AMT: And so now 30 years since the end of that tour. How have things changed for Canadians living with a disability?

RICK HANSEN: There's been a lot that's changed. You know, the first thing that's changed is I think our expectations in Canada have shifted dramatically, our attitudes about disability. From just a charitable concern, you know, something again to be you know worried about or you know to be pitied or to be, you know, nurtured if someone has a disability which is always important. But this move to a human rights, you know, imperative. And that's really huge, you know, opinion polls back this up that majority, a large majority of Canadians are really clear that the Canada we want is an accessible and inclusive Canada where there's no barriers to participation and inclusion for people with disabilities. And that's powerful and it's embedded in our Constitution. But, you know, the words were easy in 1982 when we brought it home. It wasn't real, you know during the beginning of my tour. But you know, 30 years later it is real and it's part of our culture and I'm really inspired by that. You know, we see people with disabilities demonstrating that it's really more about ability. We see them as leaders in business, leaders in education, leaders in the political world. And, you know, that's paving the way to create more of a spotlight on the reality that, you know, that people with disabilities have potential and they're not just people to be accommodated through human rights. They can contribute. And that's really awesome to see.

AMT: And the Rick Hansen foundation works, you work with cities and developers and institutions do you not? To try to make these issues very concrete in public spaces and...

RICK HANSEN: Absolutely. And of course as we see the progression now, the other big thing that's changed is aging baby boomers are having many disabling conditions and over the next 20 years. Right now there is over a billion people in the planet living with a disability according to the World Health Organization and that's one in seven people. That'll be like one in five by 2035. In Canada it will be like 9 million Canadians, it'll affect everybody. So it's also now becoming an economic and cultural imperative that we actually need inclusion. So people with disabilities can contribute and so...

AMT: Are we doing enough on that front then? It's like are we thinking about this enough in our governments?

RICK HANSEN: No, Canadians aren't. And we need a wakeup call. And why is it that disability doesn't become and accessibility and inclusion top of mind? Because it's fragmented by body part and clinical diagnosis and it doesn't really, we don't really think about it terms of how big it is. Secondly, our attitudes continue to have to be shifted because employers still don't see people with disabilities with amazing abilities to contribute to a vibrant workforce and that's easy to accommodate not difficult. And we need to actually see our built environment. You know, the places that we live work play and learn. They have become completely inclusive. And we've got to move from a potpourri of random responses to accessibility to a professionalized accredited lens in the entire development chain from architects to engineers to city planners to advocates. All using the same viewpoint and standards for looking at a building and seeing if it's minimally accessible meeting code or if it's going to gold levels of accessibility.

AMT: You are still in motion. You want these changes and these adaptations to keep on going.

RICK HANSEN: Who'd a thought. You know, it was, it's not just the Man in Motion tour, it's a lifelong journey to create a global movement. And it's not one man in motion, it's many in motion. And my dream is to inspire people to get involved, to join me and many others to remove these barriers and get there faster.

AMT: That 15-year-old boy had no idea. Did he?

RICK HANSEN: No clue. You know, I would have sold my soul back then for the use of my legs and thought my life was over. Really. And looking back I'd never trade my life for the use of my legs. I'm one of the luckiest guys on the planet.

AMT: You are an inspiration Rick Hansen. Thank you.

RICK HANSEN: Thank you Anna Maria. It’s an honour to talk to you.

CC: That was Rick Hansen speaking with Anna-Maria Tremonti in September. Rick Hansen is the founder and CEO of the Rick Hansen Foundation. You can read about his epic journey in the book released in the fall called Rick Hansen's Man in Motion World Tour: Thirty years later a Celebration of Courage, Strength and the Power of Community. It's written by Jake MacDonald. Well that is our program for today. Stay tuned to Radio One for Q. Legendary actor Bill Murray and celebrated cellist Jan Vogler dropped by the studios to discuss their new project New Worlds. When we first aired our conversation with Rick Hansen letters from Canadians across the country poured in telling us how he inspired them. One was from Maggie Baer. Her cousin Patrick Anderson lost both legs below the knee after he was hit by a drunk driver just days before his 10th birthday. Not long after returning home from the hospital. He received a life changing phone call from Rick Hansen. Today Patrick Anderson is a Canadian wheelchair basketball star who has won gold and silver Paralympic medals. We invited Patrick and Maggie to talk to Anna Maria Tramonti about Rick Hanson's impact on their lives. We'll leave you with the highlight moment from that conversation. I'm Catherine Cullin. Thanks for listening to The Current.

SOUNDCLIP

PATRICK ANDERSON: Thinking about Rick makes me remember that a couple of years before I guess it would've been the winter of '87. He's coming through Canada. We trekked up there at the school. It Was before my accident and the snow stood by the high school and watched him wheel by and think that it kind of came back to me. And you know as an amputee there was certainly a lot of people the time talking to prosthetics and about supporting him as to get back up on my feet. And while I really appreciated that approach to rehab, I sort of put towards wheelchairs because they're just... I could keep up with my friends better. And I think you know him coming along as sort of a role model somebody who did something very incredible in a wheelchair and sort of be stigmatized that piece of sports equipment for me.

RICK HANSEN: Hey Patrick. It's so great to talk to you as well. and I just got nothing but respect and admiration and you know Maggie thanks for bringing up you know our connection, because I've been following your journey for all these years and well what you've done and what you've accomplished as an athlete it's just spectacular. I mean you know truly, you are the Steve Nash and the Michael Jordan of wheelchair basketball and you make Canadians proud and you've shown what ability is and you know you are just beautiful to watch on the court but you're also a fantastic human being and you know you're a great Canadian. I'm just super proud of you. And again, Anna Maria thanks for bringing me back into this conversation.

AMT: Patrick go ahead.

PATRICK ANDERSON: Sorry I didn't hear anything after Michael Jordan.

[Laughter]

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Wednesday December 28, 2017 Full Episode Transcript

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