Audio

While its name may not ring a bell, chances are you’ve seen the Canadian Coast Ship Amundsen either anchored near your community, plying Arctic waters, or perhaps in your hand, on the fifty dollar bill. But what it does, how and why may not be as familiar. To answer those questions, freelance journalist Dustin Patar spent a month aboard the vessel during the final leg of its twentieth-anniversary expedition, and he’s here to take you on a complete tour of the famed research icebreaker.

Produced by Dustin Patar

“State of Emergency,” is a 5-part series investigating natural disasters, response and recovery. It’s produced by Carnegie-Knight News21, a national multimedia reporting project produced by the nation’s top journalism students and graduates.

Episode 3: Seeking Shelter

When disaster strikes, it’s time to take cover or seek shelter. In this episode, you’ll hear what happens when that shelter becomes home.

Produced by Anna Huntsman and Dustin Patar.

Ballast—it’s heavy stuff most of us probably never ponder. And yet, ballast has had a profound effect on our modern world. Roads we travel on, plants we eat, and pests we fight, all have a connection to ballast; even today, it shapes our world. Ballast: it’s not what you think.

Episode 1: The Hidden History of Ballast

The surprising connections between British Columbia jade, the Bristol Blitz, and a Swedish sunken ship.

Yes, Virginia, ballast from Britain built Manhattan. Or some of it. This was one of the enticing tidbits that got us very interested in ballast around here and we asked Elin Kelsey to delve in. A podcast on ballast? Sure, why not!

In this episode, Elin chats with some ballast experts—yes, they exist—tries some science in her kitchen sink, asks around to see if there’s any truth to the rumor that British Columbia jade was smuggled out of the country as ballast by Canadian Pacific Railway workers, and generally just gets us jazzed about the fascinating science and history behind ballast—the weight we add to boats that helps them float.

Produced by Dustin Patar, Katrina Pyne, and Elin Kelsey.

This Labour Day weekend, Stefan Navarrete packed his black 2003 Jetta wagon, hit the road and drove west. Though it’s only an eight-hour drive from Nelson to Squamish, he was already feeling the impending change of pace.

In just over two days, the university student would be thrust back into the classroom and away from the long summer days spent outdoors with friends, often near a fire, and sometimes in a tent.

Produced by Dustin Patar.