Ahdaf Soueif receives award at Blue Metropolis: The Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival just ended a very successful 14th edition in Montreal. Arabic is one of the five languages featured and the Arab Literary Prize sponsored by Abu Dhabi was awarded this year to Egyptian novelist, Ahdaf Soueif. Carmel Kilkenny spoke with her at one of the festival's sold-out events and found that she is optimistic about Egypt's future.

Ottawa's Carleton University inaugurates Confucius Institute: Carleton University in Canada's national capital, Ottawa, has opened the country's newest Confucius Institute. Marc Montgomery talks to the school's president, Roseann O'Reilly Runte, to find out how the institute will prepare Carleton students and local businesses for Canada's expanding cultural and trade relationship with China.
http://www5.carleton.ca/confucius-institute/

Canadian teachers set up a virtual school in Somaliland: Teachers from the not-for-profit organization Voilà Learning in Toronto are going to Somaliland to set up a virtual school to help students learn French and English. The Link's Lyne-Francoise Pelletier has the story.
http://www.voilalearning.com

SONG: I were the Bird
ARTIST: Rose Cousins
ALBUM: The Send Off

World scientists demand moratorium on fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean: Over 2000 scientists from 67 countries are calling for an international agreement to protect the Arctic Ocean from overfishing, even before the trawlers get there. The scientists have signed an open letter warning that the lack of regulation makes the thawing sea an attractive target for industrial-scale fishing. Marc Montgomery talks about the scientists' call for a moratorium on fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean with Trevor Taylor, the policy director at Oceans North Canada and a former fisherman and fisheries minister for Canada's Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
http://oceansnorth.org/canada
www.oceansnorth.org/arctic-fisheries-letter

Bibliofile - 'Incitements' by Sean Howard and 'Err' by Shane Rhodes: To celebrate National Poetry Month, The Link's resident book reviewer Priscila Uppal features a duo of poetry titles each week. In this final week, poetic methods of chance and serendipity result in poems of political protest and personal revelation in Sean Howard's dada-inspired 'Incitements' and Shane Rhodes' unique approach to the subject of AIDS in 'Err'.

Sports slam: Terry Haig is in with a look at what's making news in sports.

Albertans re-elect PC government: The Progressive Conservative party has won another majority in the oil-rich province of Alberta. Despite a strong challenge from the more conservative Wildrose party, Premier-elect Alison Redford has extended the Progressive Conservative dynasty in Alberta. The party has held power for 41 consecutive years. The Link’s Alberta correspondent Frank Rackow has the story.

SONG: If Dreams Come True
ARTIST: Susie Arioli
ALBUM: It’s Wonderful

Montreal hosts international conference on Polar Regions: The 2012 International Polar Year Conference launched in Montreal's Palais de Congres amid tight security on Monday morning. Over two thousand scientists, polar explorers, politicians and representatives of Arctic communities, have gathered in Montreal for the third and final polar year conference. The Link's producer Levon Sevunts joins Marc Montgomery to talk about the conference.
http://www.ipy2012montreal.ca/

Feature Interview - Susie Arioli: Montreal-based musician Susie Arioli’s smooth vocal interpretations of jazz and swing classics of the past have made her a hit around the world. Marc Montgomery talks to the effervescent singer about her career, changes in the music business and her latest album ‘All the Way’.
http://susiearioli.com/

SONG: Here’s to the Losers
ARTIST: Susie Arioli
ALBUM: All the Way

Sports slam: Terry Haig drops in to talk sports with Marc Montgomery.

Are emerging BRIC economies wobbling? : Economic growth in Brazil, Russia, India and China - also known as the BRIC countries - is slowing down; and, some say this is cause for concern in Canada. We look at how Canada might be affected with Alan Alexandroff, the Director of the Global Summitry Project at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs.

SONG: Tumbleweed
ARTIST: Lily Come Down
ALBUM: Lily Come Down

B.C. programme helps Canadian war veterans reintegrate into civilian life: About 30,000 members of Canada's armed forces took part in operations in Afghanistan and medical experts predict many of them will suffer from war-related trauma. The Link's Pacific Coast correspondent Lorn Curry has the story of an innovative therapy program created in British Columbia that is helping veterans reintegrate into civilian life.

Greater commitment required of immigrant investors: Canada's Minister of Citizenship & Immigration is overseeing several reforms including a revamp of the Immigrant Investor Programme. As The Link’s Carmel Kilkenny tells us, Jason Kenney’s changes have resulted in nearly a quarter of a million immigration applications being returned to sender and may require a greater commitment from Canada's immigrant investors.
MINISTER JASON KENNEY, CITIZENSHIP & IMMIGRATION CANADA
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2012/2012-03-30a.asp
GUIDY MAMANN
http://www.migrationlaw.com/news/An-Open-Letter-to-Minister-Jason-Kenney/

Frank’s playlist - Great Lake Swimmers, Bard of Montreal, Measha Brueggergosman: The Link’s Calgary correspondent Frank Rackow is a musician as well as a broadcaster and every week he brings us a selection of some of the best new recordings by Canadian artists. This week, Frank features the music of Great Lake Swimmers, Bard of Montreal and Measha Brueggergosman:
www.greatlakeswimmers.com
www.herohill.com/2012/04/herohill-vs-leonard-cohen-the-bard-of-montreal.htm
www.measha.com

Sports slam: Terry Haig drops by with a look at what’s making news in sports.

World’s scientists gather in Montreal to discuss rapidly changing Polar Regions: Over 2000 scientists from around the world will come together at the International Polar Year 2012 Conference next week to discuss the challenges facing the Arctic and the Antarctic. The conference is one of the largest and most important scientific conferences for polar science and climate change impact and adaptation. Dr Peter Harrison is the Chair of the conference and he gives Marc Montgomery a preview of the conference, optimistically entitled From Knowledge to Action.
http://www.ipy2012montreal.ca/index.php

Gender-selective abortion suspected in Canada: A new study indicates certain ethnic groups in Canada are having more boys than girls. The study’s author says the findings raise questions about whether women from these communities are opting for sex-selective abortion. The Link’s Lynn Desjardins has the details.
http://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2012/04/16/cmaj.120165.abstract?sid=9c7395ca-1924-4c65-84b0-a5406dd1bed3
http://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2012/04/16/cmaj.120165.full.pdf+html?sid=9c7395ca-1924-4c65-84b0-a5406dd1bed3

Business community worried about cuts to Canadian aid funding to Africa: Canada is slashing millions of dollars from its foreign aid budget and that has many in the aid community concerned. The Link’s Ottawa correspondent, Amanda Pfeffer, tells us that Canadian companies are also worried. She examines the connection between Canadian aid money in Africa and our business interests there.

Raymond’s music pick - Richard Desjardins: Raymond Desmarteau, the host of our sister-programme Tam Tam Canada, is in to introduce us to another French-Canadian recording artist. This week he brings us the music of Richard Desjardins.

SONG: Eh oui c’est la vie
ARTIST: Richard Desjardins
ALBUM: Kanasuta

South African scholar wants to help deaf children: Earlier this week, Awa Dlodlo introduced us to a Canadian grant recipient who hopes to influence policy makers in Africa. Today, she joins Marc Montgomery to talk about another achiever, a young South African woman who won a prestigious Sauvé Scholarship.

Sports slam: Terry Haig drops in to talk sports with Marc.

The Canadian Coast Guard turns 50: Canada has the world's longest coastline and on any given day, thousands of ships sail in Canadian waters. Making sure they can do so safely is the role of the Canadian Coast Guard. After 50 years patrolling this vast expanse, The Link’s Robert Jaros tells us that some observers believe the Coast Guard should play a bigger role in protecting the country's borders and sovereignty.

Little known Canadian facts – The Canadian who invented radio: Italian Guglielmo Marconi usually gets the credit for inventing radio. But, as our Little Known Canadian Facts columnist Victor Nerenberg tells us, the truth is that radio, as we know it today, would not have been possible without the pioneering work of Canadian Reginald Aubrey Fessenden.
http://www.radiocom.net/Fessenden/Belrose.pdf

Quebec acupuncturist writes the "Best Chinese Cookbook in the World" : At the age of 14, Michel Jodoin knew that Chinese medicine and culture was his future and now much of the rest of the world knows too! The Link’s Carmel Kilkenny met with Jodoin whose enormous tome, Entre fourchette et baguettes (Between Fork and Chopsticks), was honoured as the "Best Chinese Cookbook in the World" at this year's World Cookbook Awards in Paris.

Listener letters: Marc Montgomery and Kathy Coulombe check The Link’s emails, Facebook and webpage comments and playback the answering machine to find out which of our stories have caught our listeners’ attention in the past week.

Web Discoveries – This Week’s Web Newsmakers: Our Internet expert Andrew Fazekas tells us about a Canadian start-up company that used an online crowd-funding website and received huge financial support, and the next generation of e-readers with glow in the dark screens. And Apple has to defend itself against another lawsuit alleging that it knowingly released apps aimed at children that have hidden charges.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597507018/pebble-e-paper-watch-for-iphone-and-android
http://www.techradar.com/news/portable-devices/amazon-kindle-ereaders-may-get-display-upgrade-1075657
http://tech.ca.msn.com/apple-slapped-with-class-action-lawsuit-over-in-app-purchases

Sports slam: Terry Haig drops by to talk sports with Marc.

Homophobic murder focuses attention on hate crimes in Canada: Canadians are shocked to hear news of the beating death of a gay activist in Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia. While statistics show hate crimes are down in Canada, experts say more needs to be done to prevent them. The Link’s Lynn Desjardins looks at the causes of hate crimes and ways to reduce them.
Statistics Canada report Police-reported hate crimes 2010 http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/120412/dq120412b-eng.htm

SONG: Fence
ARTIST: Peter Katz
ALBUM: First of the Last to Know

Ontario says no to supervised injection clinics: After four years of research, a new study concludes Toronto and Ottawa need several supervised facilities for addicts to safely inject drugs. Researchers from the University of Toronto and St. Michael's Hospital believe safe injections sites could stop new HIV infections and could save lives. But, as The Link’s Lyne-Francoise Pelletier tells us, the contentious issue is dividing public opinion.

Economist examines value of 'transferable' job skills for laid-off workers: In these times of mass layoffs and struggling economies, we look at so-called 'displaced workers' and new research that shows people don't have to take as big a pay cut in their next job if they use the same skills they used before being laid off. The research was conducted by economist Chris Robinson of the University of Western Ontario's CIBC Centre for Human Capital and Productivity.
http://economics.uwo.ca/centres/cibc/policybriefs/policybrief4.pdf
http://economics.uwo.ca/centres/cibc/

Canadian grant programme supports research in Africa: The Africa Initiative has awarded 15 research grants to Canadians and Africans. The research will focus on solving challenging issues faced by African countries including conflict resolution, energy, food security, health and migration, and climate change. Our Link Africa reporter, Awa Dlodlo spoke with one of the grant recipients.
www.africaportal.org/research

Biblio-file - Local News by Glen Downie and Goodbye, Ukulele by Leigh Nash: To celebrate National Poetry Month, The Link’s resident book reviewer Priscila Uppal features a duo of poetry titles each week. This week, the sublimity of the everyday is captured in Glen Downie's ode to houses and neighbourhoods, Local News; and Leigh Nash's surreal slices of life lessons, Goodbye, Ukulele.

Restricted driving licences for seniors? : Canada is one of the western countries with a large aging population and now there is talk of limiting driving licences for seniors. The Link’s Carmel Kilkenny looks into the issues surrounding seniors and driving.

Canada’s Charter of Rights marks a milestone: The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was signed into law 30 years ago today. It guarantees many legal rights including the freedom of religion, freedom of association and freedom of the press. The charter has transformed Canada's judicial system and established this country as a moral leader in the eyes of many around the world. We talk to Toronto lawyer and constitutional law scholar, Peter Hogg, about the significance of the document and the rights and freedoms it affords Canadians.
http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/pdp-hrp/canada/frdm-eng.cfm

SONG: How Come You Never Go There
ARTIST: Feist
ALBUM: Metals

Canadian government cuts funding to migration research network: The pan-Canadian Metropolis research network on migration issues lost its funding this year. For fifteen years, the Metropolis Project brought together hundreds of researchers, policy-makers and service providers to immigrants to share information and best practices. For some researchers, the funding cut to Metropolis is an ideologically motivated decision that will cripple research on immigration. However, others say the Metropolis Project had runs its course and a new immigration research initiative will provide better information to policy makers and service providers.
http://canada.metropolis.net/index_e.html

SONG: Leftover Love
ARTIST: Emm Gryner
ALBUM: Goddess

Feature Interview – Ranee Lee and Lucinda Davis: "Intimate Apparel" the play by Pulitzer-prize winning American playwright Lynn Nottage, is packing them in to theatres in Canada, most recently in Montreal at Centaur Theatre. The Link’s Carmel Kilkenny spoke with the two women at the heart of this production, Lucinda Davis and jazz singer Ranee Lee.

SONG: Fire & Rain
ARTIST: Ranee Lee
ALBUM: Ranee Lee Lives Upstairs

RCI ‘Eye on the Arctic’ series nominated for a Webby Award: A Radio Canada International documentary series is up for a prestigious international award. The series, 'Bridging the Divide' by RCI journalist Eilis Quinn, examines health issues in the Canadian Arctic. Eilis tells Marc Montgomery what she uncovered and introduces us to some of the people she met in the course of preparing the series.
Watch series here: http://eyeonthearctic.rcinet.ca/en/video/viewvideo/96/society/bridging-the-divide-complete-version
Vote here: http://pv.webbyawards.com/ballot/87 (Go to the ‘Online Film and Video’ category > then to the ‘News & Politics: Series’ section where you can vote. Our submission is called "Bridging the Divide" by Radio Canada International.)

Rethinking Canada’s infrastructure for a new age: Canada's transportation and communication systems and other infrastructure are crumbling. Experts say it's time to rebuild but in a radically different way. The Link’s Lynn Desjardins tells us about three-dimensional printing and other innovations being designed for the Canada of the future.
Institute Without Boundaries: http://www.institutewithoutboundaries.com/

SONG: Tumbleweed
ARTIST: Lily Come Down
ALBUM: Lily Come Down

Probing the issue of isolation in Vancouver: The Vancouver Foundation, one of Canada's largest philanthropic organizations, has launched a survey to find out why so many people in Canada's third largest city are feeling socially isolated. The Link's Pacific Coast reporter Lorn Curry reports on what the group hopes to learn and what it plans to do about the issue.

Quebec Junior Chamber of Commerce takes young entrepreneurs on a China trade mission: A recent Quebec Junior Chamber of Commerce (Regroupement des jeunes chambres de commerce du Québec) trade mission to China brought budding Canadian business leaders to Beijing and Shanghai where they initiated partnerships with Chinese companies. Marc Montgomery speaks with Eric Dufour of the Montreal firm Planning Media about the voyage and how it paid off.
http://www.planningmedia.ca/  http://rjccq.com/ (French only site)

Frank’s playlist - Cowboy Junkies, Vent du Nord, Belle Plaine: The Link’s Alberta correspondent Frank Rackow is a musician as well as a broadcaster, and every week he brings us a selection of some of the best new recordings by Canadian artists. This week Frank brings us new music by Cowboy Junkies, Vent du Nord and Belle Plaine.
www.latentrecordings.com/cowboyjunkies  www.leventdunord.com  www.belleplainemusic.com

Sports slam: Terry Haig joins Marc Montgomery for a chat about what’s making news in sports.

Redundancy notices to federal workers: Thousands of Canadian public servants began receiving their redundancy notices this week. Some 19 thousand workers across the country will lose their jobs over the next three years, because of the federal government budget cuts. That includes everyone from food inspectors to customs officers to aviation investigators. Our Ottawa correspondent Amanda Pfeffer explains that a little over half those job losses will be in the national capital region.

SONG: Never No More
ARTIST: Terry Tufts
ALBUM: Transparent Blue

Putting a price-tag on ocean damage: As scientists struggle to find ways of making people understand the damage being done to the environment, they've adopted a new tack; one that involves putting a dollar value on ecosystem resources. University of British Columbia fisheries economist Rashid Sumaila and a team of international scientists calculated that at the current rate, damage to the world's oceans will cost the global economy over $400 Billion per year in the next 40 years. And, if nothing is done to mitigate the damage, Professor Sumaila says the cost will rise to nearly $2 trillion per year by the end of the century.
http://www.sei-international.org/publications?pid=2064
http://www.fisheries.ubc.ca/faculty-staff/rashid-sumaila
http://www.vims.edu/newsandevents/topstories/diaz_ocean_value_report.php

SONG: Tiny Fish for Japan
ARTIST: Stan Rogers
ALBUM: The Very Best of Stan Rogers

Canadian undersea explorer part of James Cameron's epic Challenger Deep mission: We know him as an enormously successful Hollywood filmmaker, but at heart, James Cameron is an explorer. As National Geographic's explorer-in-residence, Cameron recently completed a historic dive to Challenger Deep, in the Mariana trench, the deepest point on earth. We talk to Dr. Joe MacInnis, an undersea explorer and longtime friend and associate of James Cameron who was the Challenger Deep expedition's physician and official historian.
http://deepseachallenge.com/expedition-journal/about-dr-joe-macinnis/

SONG: Deep Into the Water
ARTIST: Wyckham Porteous
ALBUM: 3AM

Sports slam: Terry Haig joins Marc Montgomery for a chat about sports.

Media consortium challenges secrecy rules at public inquiry: The Canadian province of Quebec is wrestling with the question of how much testimony should be kept secret at its inquiry into corruption in the construction industry. The Charbonneau Commission has set out rules of procedure which will allow certain testimony and evidence to be kept secret. Montreal lawyer Mark Bantey represents a media consortium which argues that the rules will allow for too much secrecy. He spoke with host Marc Montgomery.

Iconic Nova Scotia landmark up for adoption: The world-famous lighthouse at Peggy's Cove is slated to be sold at auction. Local heritage groups want the province to turn it into a museum. The Link’s Atlantic correspondent Robert Jaros visited Peggy's Cove and met with residents and visitors.
The Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society http://www.nslps.com
Parks Canada http://www.pc.gc.ca

SONG: Duties of a Lighthouse Keeper
ARTIST: Human Highway
ALBUM: Moody Motorcycle

Indo Canadian Report – Canada to contribute to India’s food security: Ryan Touhey is the Director of the Chanchlani India Policy Centre at the University of Waterloo. He met with other scholars earlier this week to map out a conference on food security issues in India. He spoke with The Link’s Rashi Khilnani earlier this week about why India's food security should matter to Canada.

Listener letters: Marc Montgomery and Kathy Coulombe read The Link’s emails, webpage and Facebook comments and playback the answering machine to find out which stories have caught our listeners’ attention in the past week.

Web Discoveries – Virus attacks Apple computers: Most users of Apple computers thought they were immune from cyberattacks. That was before this week's spread of a malicious virus affecting hundreds of thousands of Mac computers around the world- including Canada. The Link’s web expert, Andrew Fazekas, has more on the story.
http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/none/296449-flashback-ends-mac-s-no-virus-reputation-experts-say

Sports slam: Terry Haig joins Marc Montgomery for a chat about sports.