Episodes
Thursday Jul 07, 2022
No Refs, No Games: The Officiating Crisis in Minor Sports
Thursday Jul 07, 2022
Thursday Jul 07, 2022
When a teenaged cashier at the grocery store makes a mistake, just about everyone would be outraged if the customer began yelling at them and berating them. And yet, so many of us stand by and say nothing when a coach or parent yells at a teenager who is umpiring or refereeing their child's soccer, hockey, or baseball game.
Why do we accept what amounts to verbal abuse of young people, simply because it happens at a sporting event?
Most minor sports leagues in our region are experiencing a shortage of referees and umpires, and the argument could easily be made that this is a problem of our own making.
In this episode of The 519 Podcast, we speak to two sports organization officials about the challenges they are facing, an umpire's association president who says it's getting harder to find people willing to put up with the heckling, and two 15-year-old umpires who describe the impact the verbal abuse has on them.
Thursday Jun 23, 2022
Navigating the Sports Betting Explosion
Thursday Jun 23, 2022
Thursday Jun 23, 2022
You can't sit down to watch a sporting event without seeing them.
Countless commercials, and even studio segments, promoting betting on the games. Were we too hasty when allowing single game betting in Canada? What are the downsides? On this episode of the 519 Podcast, we explore the new reality of sport gambling in Canada and what it all means.
This episode is hosted by Craig Needles.
Thursday Jun 09, 2022
The Victoria Steamboat Disaster
Thursday Jun 09, 2022
Thursday Jun 09, 2022
In 1881, London’s Thames River was the scene of, what was at the time, one of Canada’s worst maritime disasters when the "Victoria" sank in the river. Despite happening in the 1800’s, the news of the incident spread around the world, in newspapers such as the New York Times and outlets as far away as Australia.
It became what is now known as the Victoria Steamboat Disaster, causing the deaths of 172 people. And back when London only had a population of around 20,000 people, few in the city were unaffected.
How did this happen? Who, if anyone, was to blame?
On this episode of the 519 Podcast, we talk to Dan Brock, a London historian and author of 2011 book, “Fragments from the Forks” which details the disaster.
Thursday May 26, 2022
The Steven Truscott Saga and the Woman Who Set Things Right pt 2
Thursday May 26, 2022
Thursday May 26, 2022
Thursday May 26, 2022
The Steven Truscott Saga and the Woman Who Set Things Right pt 1
Thursday May 26, 2022
Thursday May 26, 2022
Most Canadians know the name Steven Truscott.
Convicted of raping and murdering Lynne Harper at the age of 14, Truscott spent the next decade behind bars and nearly 50 years being considered guilty of the crime by both the justice system and most people in the country.
However, Truscott was not guilty.
In this episode of The 519 podcast, we present The Steven Truscott Saga and the Woman Who Set Things Right. We look at how Truscott was convicted and how he and his wife Marlene fought to clear his name.
Thursday May 12, 2022
Animal Hoarding: how it happens and what we can do
Thursday May 12, 2022
Thursday May 12, 2022
A recent story out of Norfolk County told of a woman who was charged with animal cruelty after investigators found 27 dogs, 5 cats, 3 horses, two donkeys, 1 pig, and 1 guinea pig at her home
The story was startling and, for some, likely conjured up images of a real life Cruella DeVille.
But when you take a closer look at stories like these - ones that involve what we often call ‘animal hoarding’ - it’s not hard to wonder how this can happen.
Who in their right mind would fill their home with dozens of animals?
In many cases, the people are not in their right mind.
In this episode of the 519 Podcast, we learn more about animal hoarding from Kara Kelly of the CMHA Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services and Liz White, president of the Animal Alliance of Canada.
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
The Donnellys: Vigilante Justice or Violent Anarchy, part 2
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
They’re perhaps the 519’s most famous, or infamous, family.
Whether it’s from books, movies, TV or elsewhere, just about everyone in the area knows something about the Black Donnellys.
On this two part series, the 519 Podcast examines their story, including how the massacre of the Lucan area family happened and whether this was 'Vigilante Justice or Violent Anarchy.'
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
The Donnellys: Vigilante Justice or Violent Anarchy, part 1
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
They’re perhaps the 519’s most famous, or infamous, family.
Whether it’s from books, movies, TV or elsewhere, just about everyone in the area knows something about the Black Donnellys.
On this two part series, the 519 Podcast examines their story, including how the massacre of the Lucan area family happened and whether this was 'Vigilante Justice or Violent Anarchy.'
Thursday Apr 14, 2022
Phones, Crypto, and Romances: The New Era of Scams
Thursday Apr 14, 2022
Thursday Apr 14, 2022
During the last two years, there have been two things that Canadians could count on: the next wave of COVID-19, and being potential targets of scammers and fraudsters.
The calls and texts can come once a day, maybe twice, or they could be scattered across weeks. But they always come.
Fraudulent phone calls are out of control, and it’s no surprise that they’ve been costing Canadian’s millions of dollars.
And while the phone call scams have been growing, so has the creativity of the fraudsters.
We are now in the digital age of frauds and scams, which means potential problems are coming at us at home and at work - and millions of dollars have been lost.
This episode of the 519 Podcast looks at the variety of scams and how you can protect yourself.
Thursday Mar 31, 2022
The Bizarre Kidnapping of John Labatt
Thursday Mar 31, 2022
Thursday Mar 31, 2022
Most Canadians know the name Labatt. The name immediately brings up images of brown bottles of cold beer.
But there are also a lot of Canadians who are unaware that the one-time head of Labatt Breweries was once the victim of what was then the most famous kidnapping in Canadian history.
On this episode of The 519 Podcast, we look at the 1934 kidnapping near Sarnia of John Sackville Labatt, the 53-year-old grandson of the brewing empire's founder.