The 519 Podcast

When it comes to the history of this part of Ontario, there are so many incredibly interesting and compelling stories. 

There's the Donnelly massacre, the Amherstburg Rebellion, and the Victoria steamboat disaster. But some of the most interesting stories are the ones that don't get told very often. These stories often involve Black Canadians and Black people who came from the U.S. to escape slavery. 

There was a time when Ontario was seen as a safe haven for escaped slaves, and a place where their descendants could flourish and be truly free. Laws in Ontario were progressive for the era, and they provided safety. 

But, it’s important to recognize that laws are only as good as the people upholding them, and that while Black people escaped slavery by coming to Ontario, that doesn’t  necessariliy mean they escaped racism. 

And that’s as true now as it was in the 1800’s.

Perhaps that why it's important to have Black History Month, so that these stories get the attention they deserve. 

On this episode of the 519 Podcast, we tell one of those stories. 

This the story of Josiah Henson, an escaped slave who inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe to write Uncle Tom's Cabin.

In this second part of a two-part series on the murder of Hanna Buxbaum, we hear about the trial of Helmuth Buxbaum and the series of errors that made it easier for investigators to discover that he was the person who orchestrated the murder. 

To the outside world, it seemed Helmuth Buxbaum had it all. He had a loving and supportive wife, six children, and a nursing home business that had made him a millionaire.

But behind the curtain, it was a much different story. In the 1980s, Helmuth was leading a double life. One was that of a successful businessman, church-goer, and philanthropist. The other was that a cocaine abusing patron of prostitutes and strip clubs.

As you’ll hear in this two-part episode of The 519 Podcast, that double life led to Helmuth Buxbaum hiring hit men to kill his wife. On July 5, 1984, her body was found at the side of Highway 402 just west of London. This is the story of how Hanna Buxbaum, a well regarded mother of six, met her tragic and violent end.

It was a little over a year ago when the first COVID-19 vaccines started going into arms in Canada. At the time, many though that it marked the beginning of the end of the pandemic. 

It hasn't quite worked out that way. 

With the rise of the Omicron variant, in some ways it feels like we're back to square one. We're back to closed gyms and theatres, and kids learning from home instead of being in the classroom. 

As we get closer to the two year mark of the pandemic, there's no question, this has been hard on all of us. But you could easily argue that it has been especially hard on our health care workers. 

Many are sick, tired, and facing abuse from patients and families. Some of them have had enough. 

On this episode of the 519 Podcast, we speak with Dr. Adam Kassam, President of the Ontario Medical Association as well as Doris Grinspun, the CEO of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario.

This episode is hosted by Craig Needles. 

It's something that just about everyone in our region has experience with. Driving in slippery, snowy, or whiteout conditions.  It’s one of the most stressful things about living in this country.

But what happens when you slide off that highway into the ditch? Or if a truck does?

Highway 401 is one of the busiest highways in North America. Our 400 series highways host over 400,000 drivers per day.

Keeping them moving - especially when the weather gets bad - isn’t easy.

On this episode of the 519 Podcast, we talk to Gary Vandenheuvel, owner and operator of Preferred Towing in Sarnia. Gary and his team are featured on the Discovery Channel show 'Heavy Rescue 401' and they keep us moving even when Mother Nature stands in the way.

It’s among the favourite types of food for both kids and adults alike, and we all have our favourite toppings. 

Pizza. That food that tastes as good at lunch as it does at 2 a.m. after a night out. 

We all know there different types of pizza associated with different cities. There's New York Style Pizza and Chicago Deep Dish. 

But what about the pizza styles that rarely get talked about?

These are the ones that tend to be known by few more than the locals.

On this episode of the 519 Podcast, we look at Windsor style pizza. 

And we speak with George Kalivas, who has made a documentary about Windsor style pizza called ‘The Pizza City You’ve Never Heard Of’ 

This episode is hosted by Craig Needles and Hayley Cheng.

It’s been a long time since anyone was put to death for committing a crime in Canada. 

Capital punishment was officially abolished here in 1976, although it had been effectively abolished by a series of commutations and moritoriums dating back to 1963. The last executions in the Canadian justice system happened in 1962. 

But there was a time when capital punishment was a reality in this country. 

Most of those who met the hangman’s noose were men, but there were some women who were handed the ultimate punishment. 

One of those women was Elizabeth Workman of Sarnia, who was hanged in 1873 for killing her abusive husband. 

This is her story. 

Every year in Canada, we take time on Remembrance Day to remember and honour those who went overseas and sacrificed for our country and the freedoms we enjoy today.

But what about the people whose contributions to the war effort involved work on this side of the ocean. 

These people never wore military uniforms, never held rifles in their hands, and never stormed the beaches of Normandy. 

But they made sure that the soldiers who did, and the rest of the country, had food to eat. They were young women who signed up to work on farms when male farmers and farm labourers traded in their barn clothes for soldiers' uniforms. 

This is the story of The Farmerettes.
 

For as long as you remember, you've probably heard warnings to parents, telling them to check their kids Halloween candy for drugs, razor blades, or other objects. Maybe you, yourself have gone through the bag before your kids. 

But, what are the odds of somebody actually putting a razor blade or poison into Halloween candy? Is this something that actually happens? Or is it just a myth?

On this episode of the 519 Podcast, we examine whether Halloween is more trick than treat.

We speak with Dr. Joel Best of the University of Delaware, who has studied Halloween sadism, and examine how true some of these stories actually are.

This episode is hosted by Hayley Cheng, Craig Needles and Patrick Magermans.

Before the spring of 2006, most people in Canada had never heard of Shedden, Ontario. 

That all changed in April of that year, when the bodies of eight bikers were found in vehicles on a rural road near the town. 

On this episode of The 519 Podcast, we look at the Bandidos Massacre.