Episode 5: Meet Chiara Padovani

Chiara Padovani is a social worker, tenant organizer and human rights activist running to be the next city councilor in York South Weston, endorsed by Climate Justice Toronto. In this episode, we spoke to Chiara about the leap from grassroots organizing to electoral politics and her ongoing campaign. Chiara talked about her love for her community in York South Weston, the unique challenges it faces, and how she’s working to fight for climate justice on city council. 

This episode was first aired on CJRU’s Radio Everywhere program, which works in “collaboration with community organizations to produce pieces that showcase the work they’re doing, and to provide a platform for them to tell their own stories”. You can find out more about CJRU here: https://www.cjru.ca/project/radio-everywhere/ 

EPISODE RESOURCES

Land Story Toolkit: TCAN Land Acknowledgement Framework - Google Docs 

Find Chiara Padovani Chiara Padovani for York South-Weston, Chiara Padovani (@chipadovani) / Twitter, Chiara Padovani (@chipadovani) • Instagram photos and videos

SONG

Adaptation of “Anthem” by Leonard Cohen

Anthem - YouTube

LYRICS

Forget your perfect offering,

Just ring the bell that still can ring,

There is a crack, a crack in everything,

That's how the light gets in,

That's how the light gets in,

That's how the light gets in,

That's how the light gets in,

Forget your perfect offering,

Just ring the bell that still can ring,

There is a crack, a crack in everything,

That's how the light gets in,

That's how the light gets in,

That's how the light gets in,

That's how the light gets in,

CLIMATE JUSTICE TORONTO 

This podcast is brought to you by Climate Justice Toronto: a youth-led collective building an irresistible movement to confront the climate crisis by addressing its root causes: capitalism, colonialism, and white supremacy. Find us at climatejusticeto.com  

CREDITS

Editing: Stefan Hegerat

Original Music: Stefan Hegerat

Interviewee(s): Chiara Padovani

Host: Dani Michie

Singalong: Dani Michie and Chiara Padovani

Producer: Climate Justice Toronto

Transcript

This is Climate Justice Radio. 

Dani: Welcome to Climate Justice Radio! I’m your host, Dani Michie. In this episode, we’ll talk to Chiara Padovani, a tenant organizer running for City Council in York South-Weston endorsed by Climate Justice Toronto. 

Before we begin, I want to take a moment to situate ourselves on the land. Through this digital media of podcasting, it can be easy to forget our connection to a place. But each of you as you listen to the podcast are on land, whether you're in the top floor of a high-rise apartment or sitting on the grass under a tree. I invite you to take a moment and consider the land and your relationship to it. Do you know the history of the land you are on? Do you know whose territory it is? And who the original caretakers are? 

This episode was created in Tkaronto, the territory of the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. This territory is subject to the Dish with One Spoon wampum, an agreement which asks us to share the land with one another, to make sure the Dish is never empty, and to keep the peace. 

My personal relationship to this land is tied to a history of colonization and settler colonialism. As a white descendant of settlers who landed in, what is colonially called the United States of America, my family history includes colonization, slavery and violence towards Black and Indigenous caretakers of the land. I have benefited greatly from the institution of racism, which grants me enormous privilege, access to wealth, and safety. 

My connection to the land and my concern for the climate are deeply rooted in my love of camping, hiking, and swimming – activities I got to enjoy during childhood summers on the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula, the territory of the Saugeen First Nation and the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation.

My access to this land was directly tied to Colonial violence against these original caretakers. 

I grew up in what is colonially known as Windsor on the territory of the Three Fires Confederacy, which is comprised of the Odawa, the Ojibwe, and the Potawatomi people 

This territory was violently divided by the colonial border between the United States and Canada, which separates families and Nations, interfering in communities that had been caring for the land on both sides of the Wa-we-a-tun-ong which means the Crooked Way in Algonquin. This river is colonially known as the Detroit River and now marks an international border. 

I am in an ongoing journey to show up for and stand in solidarity with Black and Indigenous peoples. I strive to use my privilege for good and be in the right relationship with land and my community. 

As climate justice organizers, we take our lead from indigenous land and water defenders who have cared for this place since time immemorial. 

Dani: Good morning. We are seated in Chiara's apartment bright and early 9 am on a Monday because you're getting really busy. Thanks so much for squeezing us in. How are you this morning, Chiara?

Chiara: I am doing very, very good. Thank you for having me. I'm super pumped about this podcast. This is my first podcast – ever. So I'm a little bit nervous but happy to be here. And as we were talking about earlier, I'm not a morning person. But I am going to finish my coffee during our podcast …

Dani: Yeah, we have got our coffee. 

Chiara: … and like, get so pumped for the day.

Dani: Yeah, none of us are. I think this is a room of three non-morning people. But I'm still excited because we've been supporting your campaign for the Toronto municipal election for the past couple of months. And I'm really glad that we are able to find a way to share a little bit about that campaign with our listeners on the podcast. We've been really proud to support your campaign so far. And when I was writing these questions I was like, I am so excited to hear what you have to say. Some of these questions, you know, I haven’t had the chance to chat with you about.

So, we'll sip our coffee and we'll wake up as we talk about really exciting municipal politics here in Toronto.

Chiara: Right on!

Dani: Chiara, my first question for you is what led you to run for municipal office and, knowing that this is actually your second time running, how does it feel different? 


Chiara: Alright, so the first part of that question – what led me to run for municipal office. To be honest, so that was back in 2018 - that was the first time I ran - and I'd always been involved in politics. Like, actually having like a political analysis on how decisions get made at every level of government, and even internationally, has always been my interest. I was never one of those people who were like, oh, I don't like talking about politics. I had always loved talking about politics and had been involved in some progressive campaigns before. But the decision to run - I had never actually imagined myself running for office myself. And that's actually pretty common for women. 

And I'll be honest - and I don't think this is necessarily something I'm proud of, but it is kind of how I came to the decision to run myself - was I did actually consult and ask a lot of people to run for City Councilor in York South-Weston before I made the decision to run myself. And I was like, you know: “Will you run? We need progressive representation in York South-Weston, and this the way incumbent and our Councilor has been voting. Will you run?” And I did that with about three people who were all very supportive of me, and are very supportive of me, but had told me no, that Frances Nunziata – who is the incumbent here – is impossible to defeat and they weren't interested. So, I actually came to a decision where I was like nobody else is going to do this. So, I'm putting my name in the hat. And that's how I kind of made the decision to run, but the decision to try to unseat an incumbent who had been voting against the best interests of my community for, you know, most of my life came out of a lot of the work I was doing and activism I was doing both locally as a social worker in Toronto but also as someone who did international development studies and had worked a lot around, you know, the international right to housing, poverty-reduction, all of these things on a global, global scale.

We think about those sustainable development goals. And it was actually in Argentina with my partner Bruno when I decided. And I was like, you know what, we're going back to Toronto. I'm going to run for office because all of these things I'm fighting for at this international level, the same things need to happen in Toronto and the neighborhood I grew up in. There are all of the same challenges - right to housing, child poverty, social and economic inequality, racial inequality - all of these things are happening right here in York South-Weston, the neighborhood that raised me. And I just felt this pull … this pull to go back home and do that. So that's kind of what led me to this decision in 2018. I knew I was up against somebody who everyone was telling me was going to be impossible to defeat. But I knew it was possible. I still do. And this time around – to get to the second part of that question – this time around all of that foundation and community organizing and mobilizing has been happening over the last six years here in York South-Weston. So, it feels good. I hope I don't like date this podcast, but my goodness, it feels really good. People are excited for the idea of change and running the campaign that we're running. We're going to get into this a little bit later I'm sure. But putting in the work in between elections is what's going to make the difference in this election. I really, really do believe that.

Dani: Yeah, yeah. It's not … it's not something that your opponent is doing. Yeah, I think as women, especially young women, sometimes it can be easy to feel like an impostor syndrome there is something needed here but there is no way I can fill it

Chiara: Oh my God, don't even get me started on imposter syndrome. I feel that on a regular and it's something like I'm trying to deal with. But yes, I feel that often but I'm shaking it off. 


Dani: Yeah, I think that's like a really beautiful story to share with our listeners. I feel like I've definitely been in that position before where I am like, oh, something needs to be done, but it can’t possibly be me. But it can.

Chiara: Yes it can. I absolutely can. One of the things I always talk about in my tenant organizing, is that feeling of like something needs to be done, but it can't be me. 

There's three kind of principles that go into my tenant organizing in York South-Weston. The first is that you are not alone. So when you think “oh it can’t possibly be me”, “something needs to be done”, it's like you are not alone. And when you get together with other people, the second principle is you are going to be stronger together. And then a third principle that we always talk about is: when we fight together, we win together. And those are principles we always, always fall back on in tenant organizing. Because it's feeling of being like, “oh, it can’t possibly be me”, and kind of waiting for someone else to come in and save everyone. We are going to save ourselves together.

Dani: Yeah, those are really beautiful principles. Even for other kinds of organizing. Also for just living our lives …

Chiara: Right on.

Dani: … in this world.

Chiara: Exactly

Dani: Thanks for sharing that.

Dani: You're already touching on this but we're in York South-Weston right now while we record this podcast in your beautiful home. Thank you for welcoming us. I have gotten to know the riding a little bit over the past couple of months canvassing with you. You grew up here. What does York South-Weston mean to? 

Chiara: York South-Weston is home. It always has been. I grew up here. I went to school here. I live here with my partner Bruno and I work in this community as a social worker. I have taken a leave of absence from my job in order to run for office. But this has always been home. Just for the listeners, York South-Weston kind of where we're situated in the city is in the north-west part of Toronto. So we're south of the 401, North of Saint Clair, east of the Humber River, west of Caledonia. It’s kind of a little rectangle we make up in the city of Toronto. And located in this riding is all the things that I love about home and love about my community. We are very diverse community and just like … Oh gosh, how many years ago? Many years ago in the fifties when my grandparents immigrated to Toronto, York South-Weston was then and still is kind of a landing ground for a lot of new immigrants. Migrants who come to Toronto kind of get their start here in York South-Weston. And so we are a very diverse community both linguistically, nationality-wise. It is a beautiful place to be. It also has been facing over the last couple of decades serious challenges. In addition to all of the things that make us beautiful and great, we also have some of the highest rates of evictions in the province. We have extreme levels of economic, social and racial inequality here in York South-Weston. And so all of these things growing up in this community really did shape the person I am today. And shape the politics that I have today. It was in high school actually when I lost a classmate to gun violence and … All of these things, you know, when you're living in this community and you can see all the things that make us so beautiful. But also just see the constant barriers and challenges and lack of services. And now I see that even more as a social worker in my profession. It really starts making you think about what needs to be done both from the grassroots up in terms of demanding change, and getting some of that power to bring some of us to the table to actually start implementing that change. So it's kind of it's … It's the neighborhood that raised me. And it brought me actually to the decision to run for office and has played a huge impact into kind of my reasons for wanting to run.

Dani: You touched on this a little bit. But I'm wondering if you can speak to some of the, like, issues that really matter in this election in York South-Weston. And I know for us, as Climate Justice Toronto, there's a lot that is happening here in terms of the climate crisis. I feel like York South-Weston is this example of something we say all the time, but folks that are most marginalized in our communities being most impacted by the climate crisis. I am wondering if you can just share a little bit of that context for our listeners. 

Chiara: So York South-Weston is situated along the Humber River and the Black Creek floodplain. And so when we think about the impacts of the climate crisis on York South-Weston, the need to address this emergency is so urgent, especially for this community. On the one hand because of exactly where we're located. So we are already experiencing levels of flooding - some of the highest, I would say actually the highest levels of flooding in the city - just because of where we are located geographically. And how lower-income communities usually are situated in some of the most vulnerable places when it comes to climate change and this emergency. So, on the one hand, our geographical location makes it so important that we actually tackle climate change and start putting in, yes, the mitigation and infrastructure that we need to protect ourselves in this community. But also that we start thinking and taking action on the long-term to reduce climate change and emissions so that we can still have a community here in - I don't know - 10, 15, 20 years. The other impact of the climate emergency in York South-Weston has to do with the way climate change will impact lower-income communities the hardest. So we are both geographically vulnerable to climate change. But we are also vulnerable because people who are lower-income wouldn't necessarily have air conditioners in their apartments. And in fact, our work with the York South-Weston Tenant Union has really underpinned the importance of preparing our city for climate change in a way that is equitable. So in a way that it doesn't matter what your median income is, what your household income is, you are going to be prepared for an extreme heat wave. Your landlord is going to turn the heat on at time when it starts to get cold. These are all things that are challenges that we are facing as tenants in the community. And then the other way that kind of this climate emergency is impacting people in York South-Weston disproportionately is that, unfortunately - and this is one of the things I really want to fight for - but unfortunately even some of the climate solutions can disproportionately impact tenants, immigrants, lower-income communities. I think the most obvious example for that is when we think about retrofit and we think about the experience of a retrofit for a homeowner in York South-Weston is the government is going to give you all of this money and like, either grants or loans to retrofit your home. And you're going to save money on your energy bill. You are going to save money on, you know, the upkeep of your home. All of that turns into a really good investment for a homeowner where they also reap the benefits and savings. The way climate solutions and retrofit are being implemented on high-rise buildings in York South-Weston and all over Toronto is, when a landlord does a retrofit for either, you know, energy efficiency, water efficiency, anything like that, they actually pass the cost on to that, on to the tenants in that building through an above-guideline rent increase and the savings never get passed on to the tenants. So, there is no obligation for the landlord to actually pass along the money saved by all of these wonderful retrofits and energy efficiency programs which are so important to do because buildings are one of the highest emitters. But the way that it's being implemented actually means the burden of the cost falls on the people who can least afford it and the savings actually fall on the person who are the landlords or the corporations that actually least need them. So that's just some of the, some of the policies that I think we need to bring in an equity lens into them and start actually fixing and doing these retrofits but in a way that is not going to be disproportionately affecting the people who can least afford it. 

Dani: So Chiara, one of the things that I think that really interested us and getting involved in your campaign was the fact that you've been an organizer before getting into politics, that you had this relationship with social justice through social work in the Tenant Union. Can you share a little bit about, like, what this journey looks like? 

Chiara: How did I become an activist? 

Dani: Yeah.

Chiara: There are so many layers and points in my life that led me to kind of fully just assuming this role of community activist. That, I mean I'll be honest, it probably started when I was a kid. My mom's a feminist and she made sure she raised a feminist daughter. Both my parents were in the labor movement. So this idea of just community solidarity and coming out for your neighbors and your co-workers … Like, I grew up in that environment. And so, it was almost the only way I could ever imagine change happening is just people, everyday people, like you, like me, like my parents, getting together and demanding fairness, demanding justice. So that kind of upbringing really played a role. And then, of course, we spoke about this a little bit earlier, is York South-Weston. Like, when I talk about this is the community that raised me, it really is in so many ways the community that shapes the person I am today. And having this experience and being exposed to the wonderful things that make York South-Weston amazing and I am so proud to call it home. But also the challenges and the ways in which this community has always stepped up even when feeling neglected, even when being left behind through economic recessions, through industry leaving … All of the ways that this communities has just been constantly working together shaped, I guess, the reason. Yeah, I like, if we want some, if we want something done, we got to roll up our sleeves and do it ourselves. And that's kind of how I think I entered into this world of of activism. I can’t ever remember not considering myself an activist I guess. In high school, that was the year … I don't know if you guys remember this, we started a gay-straight alliances.

Dani: Oh yeah.

Chiara: Yeah? And you know, that was a real challenge. But it needed to be done, and me and my friends got together, and we did it. Like it was just like that’s what we're going to do. It's been building. And I think one of the things that I am actually very privileged to have that throughout my, like, formal education after high school being able to have the tools to start thinking about the ways all of these movements are connected through intersectionality. That's like a buzz word that everybody uses and it isn't something that necessarily resonates with everyone. But it is a privilege that I had going to university and actually being able to have … Like, isn't it wild that we go to university and we just have time to think and reflect? Right, like that to me, sometimes I still think about that and I think … I had, you know, an entire period of my life where I was allowed to just study, think and reflect and that really helped me consolidate my community activism.

Dani: For me, the like, leap from, like, being a community organizer or, like, an activist into electoral politics is really big and scary. So I'm wondering, like, how that, you know, background and that experience of being an organizer first is influencing your approach to the election and entering this, this kind of scary arena of City Council in Toronto. 

Chiara: Oh my gosh, it is. Okay, so in 2018, in the midst of my first campaign for City Councilor, we were doing tenant organizing. Like we organized three tenant associations in buildings, distributed thousands and thousands of pieces of know your rights tenant information. And as a result of that organizing I guess, we had our first kind of official victory in the York South-Weston Tenant Union where we won a massive reduction in above-guideline rent-increases in a building on Weston Road. This organizing is so important. And, like, organizing itself, in and of itself, can bring victories and can make real differences in people's lives in very concrete ways. And so that is power. Like, that is power. That is powerful and that is building community power. And then over the last four years thinking about continuing to build that community power with the tenant movements in the York South-Weston Tenant Union. And, my God! Like I won't even start the week and there have been so many victories like that. We're talking about preventing hundreds of eviction. We're talking about saving, like, thousands and thousands of tenants millions and millions of dollars on their rents. Like, that's the kind of victories that have happened because people like you and me all over York South-Weston. We're getting together realizing we weren't alone. That these issues were actually collective challenges. Realizing that we are powerful together and realizing that actually when we come together and we realize our power, we can win. So those are all examples of how important that community organizing is, and still is, and will always be.

The leap into electoral politics … All of these folks that are making decisions about the way the city should develop, about what affordable housing means - they are not coming from these movements. I think our city would look so different if we elected more community organizers, if we elected more people on the front lines of these struggles. When we talk about sending one of us to the table, that's what this is. There isn't a single tenant as far as I know who's elected to city council. And we're in the midst of perhaps one of the biggest housing crisis in a city that's probably got, like, the highest or one of the highest cost of living in the country. And everyone who's in charge of making the decisions about this aren't living it. 

So, that leap, that leap is about getting that perspective into the chambers of power that, you know, sometimes we, like, you know, romanticize and all that know that. No, but that's us too. Our government is accountable and held up by us. So if they're not doing what we need, we can change it, right? So it's, it's almost the same, the same thing that we talked about earlier. It's like we think about, we think about these governments, whether it’s provincial or federal or municipal as something that seems so far away from us. But they're not. Like, that is us. So if it's not working for us, we can change it. 

Dani: Can you tell us a little bit about your platform, Chiara, and some of your priorities for city council when you win?

Chiara: The priorities on my platform … I'm going to say there's three pillars and it comes from a lot of the organizing that has been happening here in York South-Weston. Because when we talk about sending one of us to City Council, we are not talking, okay, this idea of, like, sending a politician who then becomes completely detached from the movements that got them elected and the base that got them elected. We want to do something totally different. And so the platform is really based on three pillars - that comes out of that organizing work. The first is housing, go figure, with the York South-Weston Tenant Union, and fighting for affordable housing, for real rent control, for vacancy control for, gosh, the way we use land in the city, and how much more is possible when it comes to housing - or when it comes to anything. I think, starting to just change both the standard that we expect from our city government is a big part of the platform. And so rent control, using public lands for the public good and not-for-profit is a big part of my platform when it comes to housing. We do have land in Toronto that can be used to build 100% deeply affordable housing. We just need the political will to do it, and we keep relying on the market. Like, it's this like …

Dani: God!

Chiara: God! Yeah! Like that's going to solve our problems. When it is exactly the market that has caused these problems. That exact … It is exactly that drive for profit in something as essential as housing that has turned York South-Weston into one of the highest ridings with evictions, that has left so many people vulnerable to losing their homes. And so taking profit out of housing, and building housing like it is an actual human right, that actually everyone does deserve a home in the city, is one of the pillars of my platform. 

The other one comes from the climate emergency. Again, we talked about how York South-Weston is vulnerable to climate change in two ways - both because of where we are physically situated, but also because of all of the social and economic challenges that come with meeting climate change for lower-income communities. So tackling, and taking real climate action that includes, of course, building the infrastructure we need. But then reducing emissions, you know. York South-Weston has the bus route with the highest ridership and it is always overcrowded - that 35 Jane. As someone who does not own a car and takes either my bike or the bus everywhere I go. The fact that these communities that are also so close to the highways - so, like, the air that were breathing is the most polluted - we are also the highest use of public transit and have the highest ridership in the city. But the buses are getting cuts. They're still overcrowded. I like to, like, remind everyone in the neighborhood when I talk about improving public transit and better and faster rapid transit for neighborhoods like ours, it's about equity. It shouldn't take someone on public transit, like, three times as long to get anywhere because we live in York South-Weston. Right? And that we are … Actually, every single person on that bus and every single person on that bike isn't just doing the world a favor because we're not in our cars, we're actually reducing traffic. And that's a big issue here is traffic and it’s a big issue in the whole city. So getting out of cars worth one less car on the road.

So building a city that is both flooding resilience and has a plan and an, actually, like emergency plan for the next big flood here. Because another flood is coming. We need to be prepared. We can't keep pretending like it's not going to happen. We need to have a plan in place to protect our community. We also need to start thinking about long-term actions. Public transit is one of them and making sure it is easily, readily, accessible to even folks out here in York South-Weston, and further. 

And then the last pillar of my platform is about just fixing basic municipal services. And I know sometimes that might seem like a minor kind of thing and, like, not as connected to these big issues. But when you're in a neighborhood like York South-Weston that has been feeling run-down and neglected for so long, and you start comparing the level of service that you get, whether it's like just basic things like street cleaners, you know, versus where other parts of the city might get that more regularly. Having those basic municipal services brought up to a standard across the city is important. Snow removal, litter, keeping our parks clean and accessible, clearing off our sidewalks… All of this stuff seems so petty but if you're a senior trying to get on the bus and your sidewalk hasn't been cleared, or you have to climb this huge mountain to get onto the bus, that starts to impact, again, the lower income communities the most. And so for me, basic municipal services is an equity issue and we need to be demanding more from our city government to meet those basic, basic standards. So we can all be proud of the city that we live in. 

Dani: God, I think CJTO, we are really lucky to have an opportunity to take a peek at your platform and to weigh in a little bit. And I know that there have been other folks in the community that have been engaged. How will you, like, maintain those relationships and that accountability when you win?

Chiara: I think a lot of times in electoral politics - and this is why movements often are like, “we don't want to get involved” - is because so often it's hyper individualized, right? Like, someone decides to run for office on their own, and then they get elected, and they govern on their own. What we're trying to do here in York South-Weston is bring in that movement. So, bring in those movements - the tenant movement, the Climate Justice movement - into the chambers of power that is city council and actually start engaging in the decisions that impact us. It won't be Chiara Padovani, City Councilor for York South-Weston… Oh, I mean, oh God. I hope I have that

Dani: It will be. It will be, for sure.

Chiara: … but the the decisions that are getting made at city council where I will have one vote, I will be voting through consultation and discussion with exactly those movements that got me there in the first place. And so that's, that is super, super important to me as, again, a community activist. The whole foundation of my being is that these struggles are collective and that decisions need to be made collectively when you're in a movement. So that is something that I am planning on bringing to City Council. Having regular meetings with the York South-Weston Tenant Union, with Climate Justice to actually start building the agenda we want to be pushing through once we actually grab that seat in City Council. And then keeping those channels of communication open. So, I know this might seem, again, like a petty thing, but this is not something we've had in York South-Weston is a constituency office. Like, just God, it’s so basic. But being available to the people who elect you and who you are elected to represent, and using that constituency office as a hub in the community. I am completely dedicated to sharing it with York South-Weston Tenant Union and having a full-time tenant organizer so that that organizing work can continue to happen. 

I don't want to almost end this interview being like a Debbie Downer. But the reality is this political context that we are getting elected into on October 24th is likely going to be a conservative, majority at Council, a conservative majority at the Province. Bringing in that Community organizing and using the resources that come in the platform that comes with being elected to City Council, to continue organizing and expanding at organizing so that in the long term and in four years, we can totally shift the balance of power into the favor of the working class, into the favor of the people being most impacted by climate, by this housing crisis, and that comes, and it always will come from the ground up. 

You're listening to Climate Justice Radio, a podcast hosted by Climate Justice Toronto. We are building an irresistible movement to confront the climate crisis by addressing its root causes: capitalism, colonialism and white supremacy. 

Dani: Chiara, thank you so much for stepping out of your comfort zone and allowing us to do the classic CJTO thing at the end of every meeting, orientation. We love to sing together and you do not need to be a singer this song.

Chiara:  I am not a singer, but I am excited to learn this particular song. 

Dani: This song which I didn't actually know the history of but I've always loved singing at actions and Chiara just let me know that it's a Leonard Cohen poem. So it feels very special that we chose those for this episode. So listeners, if you are listening to the song and want to follow along, it's very simple. Chiara’s going to give a little bit of a Leonard Cohen, um, performance …

Chiara: … vibe to it

Dani: … with some sing-talking which which we love. So I will teach it to Chiara and we will go back and forth a couple of times and then we'll go through it together. So to start I will sing a line and then you repeat. 

Chiara: Ready!

Dani: Forget your perfect offering. 

Chiara: Forget your perfect offering.

Dani: Just ring the bell that still can ring.

Chiara:  Just ring the bell that still can ring.

Dani: There is a crack in everything. 

Chiara: There is a crack in everything. 

Dani: That's how …

Chiara: That’s how …

Dani: … the light …

Chiara: … the light …

Dani: … gets in.

Chiara: … gets in

Dani: That’s how the light gets in. 

Chiara: That’s how the light gets in. 

Dani: That's how …

Chiara: That’s how …

Dani: … the light …

Chiara: … the light …

Dani: … gets in.

Chiara: … gets in

Dani: Amazing! Thank you!

Dani: Climate Justice Radio is brought to you by Climate Justice Toronto. This episode featured original music by Stefan Hegerat and was edited by Stefan Hegerat. It was a pleasure being your host for this episode with our guest Chiara Padovani. You can find all our socials and the link to sign up and join CJTO on our website: climatejusticeto.com 

See our show notes for information and links mentioned in the podcast. Thanks for tuning in! Remember to subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and share with your comrades. 

This episode was first aired on CJRU’s Radio Everywhere program which works in collaboration with community organizations to produce pieces to showcase their work, and to provide a platform for them to tell their own stories. 

Learn more about CJRU through the link in the show notes. In solidarity, I'm Dani Michie.