It's the holidays and we are re-running a classic episode of Off The Record this week.

Here at Canadaland it can often seem like just one shitty story after another. But it’s not just one more shitty story to round out the year. Nope. This is also a tale of hope, dreams, and IUDs. 

Every year Canadaland searches for and hires two fellows. Two new audio journalists who join us here and work with us for months to produce their first long form professional audio documentaries. 

This past year Mia Johnson and Leora Scherzer joined us. They created two wonderful stories on the subjects of human composting and IUDs. Leora and Mia are now living their journalistic dreams as both were hired by media outlets once they finished up at Canadaland.

Today we brought Mia and Leora back into our studio to talk about what they learnt while they were here, what was good about the experience, what could be better. And with an eye to the future we also want to let you all know we’ll soon be searching for our new recruits for 2026!

Host: Sam Konnert

Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Producer), Tony Wang (Executive Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

Guests: Jesse Brown, Noor Azrieh, Mia Johnson, Leora Schertzer

Photo: Tony Wang

Additional music by Audio Network

Further Listening:

• #1084 Waste Management: Sh*t’s Complicated — CANADALAND
• #1022 The Painful Truth About IUDs — CANADALAND

Plus, check out our Mia and Leora’s work since leaving Canadaland!

Leora:

• Hypnosis over anesthesia? Why patients in Quebec are choosing alternative pain management — Montreal Gazette
• Pizza revolution: The rise of Montreal’s new slice scene — Montreal Gazette
• West Island mayors say ‘far-right’ extremist influenced Montreal to stop fluoridating water — Montreal Gazette

Mia:

• Ontario law could spell doom for turtles in Toronto’s wetlands — Frequency News
• TDSB cancels Grade 9 enrolment for special needs school — Frequency News
• Nature’s calling but the city of Toronto isn’t picking up the phone — Frequency News

Sponsors: 

oxio: Head over to https://canadaland.oxio.ca and use code CANADALAND for your first month free! 

CAMH: CAMH is building better mental health care for everyone to ensure no one is left behind. Visit camh.ca/canadaland to make a donation.

Squarespace: Check out Squarespace.com/canadaland for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch use code canadaland to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

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