0:19  
In today's show, students abroad are concerned about how COVID-19 may affect their health and safety. In the US, Democratic primaries continue in six states. In Canada, a new bill aims to ban conversion therapy nationwide.

0:34  
In today's features, we're going to listen to the story about the man behind the microphone and about the Billy Elliot effect. All that and more for RSJ Radio. I'm Karen Sandoval Santana,

0:45  
and I'm Manuela Vega.

0:49  
Universities are facing challenges with their exchange programs because of the COVID- 19 outbreak. Here's Alyssa Hibbs with the story.

0:59  
It's a little disappointing because I wanted to be able to travel to Italy while I was here.

1:04  
That's Kayla Empy. She is a Ryerson student who is on exchange and the Netherlands. Empy is one of the many students who has raised concerns about their health and safety. She says the teachers and the University are being very cautious.

1:20  
I have friends actually who went to Italy last week and their teachers are really hesitant for them to even go to class because our school is really trying to prevent any students from catching it. I know in other schools in Europe, as soon as one student has caught it, the entire school has to shut down.

1:39  
The Novel Coronavirus has affected many students who are on exchange. Sofia Newhook is a student at the University of Guelph. She is currently on exchange in Nottingham, Southwell England. Newhook says universities are pushing their students to stay safe. 

1:54  
But being my university back home University of Guelph, they have sent me several emails telling what to do if we decide to leave. They haven't said that we should but if we do decide to leave on our own then they have given us specific instructions on what to do, how to do it. They will pull us out if it becomes a bigger risk. So our host University and University of Guelph have told us that we are not allowed to travel anywhere and if we do travel in is completely at our own risk.

2:27  
Newhook says she learned today that she may have to come home sooner than expected because her school could shut down for our Shay radio. I'm Alyssa Hibbs.

2:37  
The coronavirus outbreak has also made businesses scramble to avoid shutdowns. Reporter Nikki Hashemian has the story.

2:48  
Canadian businesses are trying to avoid disruptions in trade due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Many manufacturers and retailers haven't yet experienced widespread delays. But China was Canada's second biggest source of imports in 2019. Plans are in effect for industries that use Chinese suppliers. Global Management Professor Dr. Vic Sing says the Coronavirus will have an impact on businesses in North America.

3:17  
You already seen major companies like Apple talking about you know shortages of their products. Same applies in Canada to our for example a motor vehicle industry. A lot of the parts are sourced from China. Which means that some of the production shifts might have to be might have to be canceled might have to be shortened. And that has an impact on employment, that is impacting profitability, and also have an impact on the the products and products we get in the retail establishment.

3:46  
Dr. Deborah Duling is an Environmental Applied Science and Management professor. She says people will probably begin to buy more from Canadian businesses.

3:56  
And when things are really cheap from other countries that you know, just because their labor is so much cheaper. We tend to buy and throw things out and call it the linear economy, but if we have to buy Canadian and maybe that will happen over time because obviously we're not making all those goods now because we're buying from China.

4:23  
Many factories in China have been shut down because of the Novel Coronavirus outbreak. That's limiting exports here for RSJ Radio, I'm Nikki Hashemian.

4:35  
Washing your hands and not touching your face is important advice with the outbreak of Covid-19. But how do you clean your cell phone? Adrian Bueno has more on the story.

4:48  
Cell phones today touch everything from our ears to our face to our fingertips. And with COVID-19 approaching the status of pandemic, it might be time to think about how we handle device's. Eric Yecal is a Samsung phone technician. Here's his advice for cleaning your phone.

5:08  
It's in a case then to just suggest you just take out the case and then wipe down the case with like Lysol or something and then try it. As long as your not passing your phone to the other person as much then should be fine. To use and like 80 to 90% alcohol, so if you'd like a little bit of alcohol to start wiping down the phone, it should be fine. Don't use too much because if you use too much it could seep into the phone.

5:34  
In 2012, the University of Arizona found that cell phones carry 10 times more bacteria than toilet seats. The next time you make a call, be aware of the last time you cleaned your phone. For RSJ Radio, I'm Adrian Bueno.

5:50  
US market suffered their worst loss yesterday since the 2008 stock market crash. The reasons are the COVID-19 virus and plummeting oil prices. Investors in big tech are scared about a drop in economic activity and business spending. If the novel coronavirus continues to spread, oil prices have been tumbling since Saudi Arabia increased supply. The five most valuable tech companies lost combined $321.6 billion US in value.

6:20  
More than 70 countries have reported cases of COVID-19. Its effect is global. Laura Dalton reports.

6:29  
Oscar McCarsen is a first-year journalism student at Ryerson University. His girlfriend lives in Seoul, South Korea, a case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in her apartment building.

6:43  
Like she's not scared at all especially because something else had hit her recently so she'd just been like staying in her place not really like going out. None of the symptoms that she was going through were like it was different stuff from what like the the COVID-19 brings on. Most of the people there were wearing masks especially like like going out like taking public transit walking around like crowded places and stuff like that.

7:07  
For RSJ Radio. I'm Laura Dalton.

7:11  
Italy has ordered a lockdown in attempts to contain the novel coronavirus. The order affects a quarter of the population, it elimite public activities throughout the country. Riots have broken out in prisons as a result of the quarantine. Restrictions on family visits angered many inmates triggering the uproar. Six prisoners have died and several guards have been taken hostage. Italy has been hit harder than any other European country by the coronavirus.

7:40  
Toronto General Hospital has been ranked the fourth best Hospital in the world. This is according to Newsweek's 2020 list of the world's best hospitals. The hospital rose three spots on the list since last year. It is the only hospital in Canada to rank in a top 10 spot. The results are based on recommendations from medical professionals, results from patient surveys and medical performance indicators.

8:07  
Today is another major day in the race to determine the US Democratic presidential candidate. Six states are holding primaries today, Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington. The race is now between Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden. Hawaii representative Tulsi Gabbard is still in the race, but is considered a long shot. Going into today's primaries. Sanders is trailing behind Biden by 85 delegates.

8:39  
Democratic Senator Kamala Harris says she's endorsing Joe Biden for president. Harris ended her own presidential bid in December. She announced her endorsement in a video posted on her Twitter on the weekend.

8:52  
One of the things that we need right now is we need a leader who really does care about the people and who can therefore unify the people. And I believe Joe can do that.

9:03  
Harris is now one of several high profile democrats that are backing Biden.

9:14  
That was the sound of red wine flowing from someone's tap in a city in northern Italy. Wine lovers from the town of Castro Vito were given a treat when red wine poured from the taps in their homes last week. A valve malfunction at the Cantina Setalconnie winery causing 1000 litres of sparkling red wine to seep into the Castro Vito town water system. images were shared on social media of red wine pouring out of kitchen and washroom faucets. The red downpour lasted about three hours.

9:46  
And closer to home, it turns out the new blue Ontario license plate design was chosen in high places. Sydney Brazil has the latest update on hashtag plate gate live on the location.

9:59  
I'm here at Yonge-Dundas square, arguably Toronto's busiest hub for both pedestrians and drivers. I'm paying attention to the drivers but the new Ontario license plates that have recently been recalled by the provincial government. They've been largely criticized for being near impossible to read in darker conditions. The Toronto Star is reporting that premier Doug Ford himself was involved in picking the plate design. He was presented with six different designs, but settled on the double blue. This is ironic since considering the Conservative Party signature blue branding. Ontarians had taken to the internet to poke fun at the plate, comparing them to  Q-tip boxes. The blue plates have proven to be difficult to fix. So the government is planning on going back to the white plates that have been in use since 1973. Ford says switching the plates back won't cost taxpayers anything, but plate gate has certainly cost the government. That was back to the studio for RSA radio. I'm Sydney Brazil.

10:56  
Wet'suwet'en hereditary House Chief Herb Naziel has become the first one to back the coastal gaslink pipeline. Naziel says the $6.6 billion project will raise the standard of living for Indigenous people in northern BC. Naziel previously held a neutral position because he did not want to deepen divisions in the Wet'suwet'en First Nation. He's the first of nine hereditary chiefs to support the pipeline. Coastal gaslink's project on Wet'suwet'en territory has sparked protests and rail blockades across Canada.

11:27  
Tim Hortons are scraping their reusable cups for the roll up the rim contest because of the Covid-19 outbreak. The annual contest has been running for 35 years and will continue with digital roles on their app and in store plays. Paper cups will no longer be available for the contest to protect employees. Madeline Fiori has the story. 

11:48  
Tim Hortons does not acknowledge COVID-19 as the catalyst for its new policy, but the company isn't taking any chances. A statement from Tim Horton says it's not the right time for team members to collect rolled up tabs that have been in people's mouths. Christian Felice is a supervisor at Tim Hortons in Vaughn. He says given the deaths from COVID-19 it's important for employees to feel safe at work.

12:11  
Germs is something that like we'll come into contact with regularly. And especially like with this Coronavirus, or COVID-19 circulating and in some cases it's like fatal. We just want to be like extra cautious about it.

12:26  
Sunnybrook Hospital is taking the necessary precautions to ensure that the hospital is very sanitary. Clarissa Angeles is a registered nurse at Sunnybrook Hospital. She says that they're washing their hands frequently throughout the hospital.

12:40  
Frequent hand washing and then as much as possible. If you're coughing, sneezing, they always wear a mask.

12:54  
Canada's public health agency says the risk to public health from COVID-19 is low. But this could all change rapidly. For RSJ Radio, I'm Madeline Fiori. 

13:05  
The Ryerson Image Centre is hosting a new and unique exhibit at the student gallery. Vanessa Rogers has the story.

13:16  
These are the sounds Ryerson graduate Sean Fernandez grew up with. His exhibit titled Getting the Most From Your Hammer launched last week. He says growing up in a rural town my experience of boyhood was closely tied to the performance of male labor. Heather Rattray is a gallery assistant and former student. She says it's important to have spaces for emerging artists like Fernandez.

13:40  
I mean, I think I'm a little biased because he's a personal friend of mine, but I think it's it's gorgeous. He that's his work from when we were both in school together. So I really love it.

13:52  
Fernandez's says work examines working class stereotypes of masculinity and manhood through photographs and videos.

13:59  
But uh, yeah, just deals with sort of the the way that like a rural environment can influence masculinity. You can also be an artist while simultaneously also being someone that works with your hands and works in a rural environment. So I think it's really cool and his work is really beautiful.

14:17  
The exhibit is open to anyone for free until April 5 2020. For RSJ radio, I'm Vanessa Rogers.

14:25  
When you go to a sporting event, you hear them but you don't necessarily see them. The PA announcer is the man or woman behind the mic you hear over the speakers. It's a unique job, ut for people like Ryerson, Braden Gibson, it's his passion too. Laura Kypiers has the story.

14:53  
Does that voice sound familiar? Well, if you've ever been to a Ryerson Rams hockey game, it should. That's Braden Gibson, a fourth year sport media student who doubles as the Rams PA announcer.

15:04  
[PA speaker: unintelligable] Use the hashtag we are Rams.

15:14  
Gibson's been the man behind the mic for three seasons, announcing nearly every hockey game and a few basketball and volleyball games out of the mattamy Athletic Center.

15:23  
So I got into PA announcing, basically just by luck. I was in second year sport media and the guy who was the hockey announcer before me, his name is Jake LaRue, he just posted on our Facebook group that there was an opportunity available. And I was in the middle of looking for a job at the time, so I was quick to respond. The next day I ended up getting an audition. I just did a couple of simple reads and and they were so desperate to hire a third PA announcer that it was basically like, okay, well, you start on you start tomorrow.

15:56  
Anyone who's ever been to a professional sporting event has heard the announcer. Calling out the starting lineups, hyping up the crowd and reading out penalties and goals as they happen. While it may seem like simply reading words off of a paper, it's a role that can change the entire tone of the sporting event you're at. In Gibson's case, his absence from one hockey game was even noted by one of the players.

16:19  
There was one time where I was I had to be away at a game and one of our men's hockey players was like, oh, man, you know, we missed you out there. Like, you know, we could really tell you weren't here and it was just different. You got to be back next time.

16:33  
While getting the job was easy. Learning the job itself was the hard part for Gibson. He found it difficult to find his voice in the beginning.

16:41  
So there when I came in, you know, I was guilty of trying to copy maybe, you know, my mentors, the people who I learned from trying to copy their styles and do things the way they do things. And you can tell right away as soon like when you're hearing that it's not genuine.

16:57  
But with the help of the people around him, Gibson was able to eventually find that voice. 

17:02  
My boss used to tell me that he was like, oh, you just go home, say it in the mirror 100 times, and you'll figure it out. And that was kind of what I did. And you wouldn't necessarily think about it. Because, you know, at the surface, being a PA announcer is reading names, reading words, and it's a simple skill, but having the ability to kind of project and go into different parts of your voice that you maybe never have before. Has been a very cool experience over the years to kind of figure out what sounds best and what people react best to. Because that's that's the best thing when you when you maybe do something a little bit differently and you have people around you say wow, like I love what you did there like that sounded really hype That's kind of the best compliment you can get. And that just comes from practicing and trying different things and finding your voice.

17:51  
While, his boss gave him the advice, it was fellow PA announcer and sport media student Kevin Macdonald, who helped Gibson with the logistical side of announcing. He provided him with a spreadsheet he'd created for the job. Using formulas the announcer is able to enter in a player's number and their entire name will come up. MacDonald worked as the Rams court announcer for five years where he witnessed Gibson's growth.

18:16  
When I met Braden as a PA announcer, he was very excited, raw or green. And obviously, when you first start out, everyone's the same way you're a little bit rough around the edges, but he was always eager to learn and eager to take criticism and constructive criticism and feedback from anybody who's listening. And so when he was first starting out, he got better very, very quickly because of the way he soaked up advice like a sponge. And he became what he is now and he was a very quick learner.

18:53  
Through tireless practicing and people like MacDonald around him to support him. Gibson improved a lot. He says there's more to PA announcing than just reading into a mic. On top of inputting information into the Excel ahead of time, on a regular game, Gibson often arrives at the rink two hours ahead of puck drop. During that time, he'll input the rosters into the spreadsheet before doing a few mic checks.

19:24  
[PA speaker: unintelligible} 

19:27  
Well, Gibson is unsure if he will further pursue a career solely as a PA announcer he does know that he wants to continue even after he graduates. For RSJ Radio I'm Lara Kypiers.

19:44  
The Ryerson women's basketball team ended their season on the weekend. They were looking to win their first ever national title. Libaan Osman reports.

19:59  
The Rams first played University of PEI and led by 10 points heading final quarter, but they lost by five as their championship dreams came to a close. Ryerson was without starter Rachel Farwell who suffered a sprained ankle injury right before the tournament. Farwell led the league in three point shooting percentage. Rams Head Coach Carly Clark thought things would have been different if Farwell was available.

20:22  
Because when she's in the game it's different, but you got to play with the cards that you have and the players that we had today play their asses off for sure.

20:31  
Ryerson played its final game of the season in the consolation game semi finals. They lost 87 to 64 to the Calgary Dinos. It was the last game for graduating seniors Haley Robertson, Bronwyn Williams, and Emma Frazier. Clark says those three players have had a major influence on the program.

20:48  
Those three in particular have been really really easy to coach and in that they're they're low maintenance. They do what's expected they come and work hard every day. They're great teammates.

21:00  
The Saskatchewan Huskies were crowned the national champions for the second time in five seasons. For RSJ Radio I'm Libaan Osman.

21:09  
A 20 year old movie has caused an unexpected change within the ballet community. Billy Elliot focused on an 11 year old boy from Northern England who dreams of attending the Royal Ballet in London. The change is called the Billy Elliot effect. The phenomenon speaks to how more boys are attending ballet schools than girls. Jemma Doolareyers has our story.

21:34  
For the first time in the National Ballet School's 60 years more boys than girls are graduating from the school. 16 boys and 11 girls have successfully made it through the professional training protocol. Joel Taylor is a fourth year performance dance student at Ryerson University and was part of what he considers the first group of boys to come in after the Billy Elliot effect started. He started at the National Ballet School in 2009, when he was 10 years old,

21:58  
The years that the Billy Elliot effect was really, you know, shaping and people look up to those years, it's my years.

22:06  
Although the musical did not have an effect on why Taylor went into dance, the movie did have a huge impact on his life as a boy in ballet.

22:14  
I never think about it, but maybe it helped me continue dancing. When I look back, probably, you know, it's probably one of the movies I've watched the most as a child and even up to today because it's one of these like, emotional roller coaster movies. But also it's like, you know, you look up to it as a boy because you're like, this little boy can do it, I can do.

22:36  
Taylor's decision and journey with dancing has not always been easy.

22:40  
I never really talked about it too much because I knew from experience of talking about it that people wouldn't accept you.

22:48  
For a while he even purposely hid the fact that he did dance from the rest of the people he knew.

22:54  
Being a boy from small town dancing, I just kind of kept it almost secret. Like this other life I had.

23:02  
At that time dance was still seen as hyper feminine and coming from Port Hope, a small town in Ontario, Taylor grappled with the challenges of choosing ballet over hockey,

23:11  
Being from a small town where if you didn't play hockey, you were you know, a little bit different than everyone. So being the boy who, who danced instead of played hockey, there was definitely a difference. You know, everyone kind of didn't necessarily look at you the same.

23:40  
Once he got to NBS, however, things changed for him for the better.

23:44  
At NBS, it was, you're there to dance, so it was accepted. And it was it was it was as normal as a girl being there dance because everyone's there to dance. So then going to a school that was you're there to dance was it's very beneficial for a boy because the judgment isn't there. And your focus is to dance.

24:16  
Every year in Toronto alone, about 100 dancers graduate from professional dance schooling. However, instead of being scared at the influx of competition, Taylor is excited to see it.

24:27  
The majority is still women. But the number of men really getting up there. And I I don't want to say I'm scared, but I'm excited because you know it for so long. It was a female dominated now that we've got this male group coming in.

24:50  
It's exciting with more conversations opening up about gender fluidity and androgyny, Taylor has noticed a decrease in gender role stereotypes being enforced in dance projects. 

25:00  
I think a lot of companies now don't even look at it, you know, gender as part of it. Like in my work I cast people based on their ability and stuff not,you know, I want five women, five men. I think you have to diversify yourself to be successful these days, you can't just stick to one thing.

25:26  
This year, more boys are graduating from Canada's National Ballet School than girls. This can be seen as a beacon of hope for breaking down barriers when it comes to what is defined as masculine and feminine, strong and weak, creating an intersection between artistry and athletics. Joel Taylor will be graduating from Ryerson University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus in dance. And as a lifelong male dancer, he has one final bit of advice for parents whose boys are interested in dancing.

25:57  
I would say just let them do it. Let them figure it out. Because they may run into you know, obstacles of people making fun of them. It is the best thing that's ever happened to me. You just got to let the kid try. 

26:24  
In campus news, the Ontario Superior Court has delivered a strong judgment against Ryerson University. It ruled that Ryerson must release withheld fees from the Ryerson Students Union. The court also said that Ryerson must recognize the RSU as an official Student Government. Alexandra Holic is a news editor at the Eyeopener who's covering the RSU story. She describes the energy in the courtroom prior to the ruling.

26:50  
Think in terms of the actual day of court when we were all in there. There was definitely some high tension on both sides. But I think the the main question overall that like even the judge was asking was what was the difference between the new student government that they were trying to implement and the RSU.

27:08  
The RSU took Ryerson to court after it announced in January that I wouldn't recognize the Union as the official student government. This announcement followed a forensic investigation of money mismanagement by the RSU.

27:24  
A small fire broke out in the basement of 10 Dundas Street East around 1pm yesterday, classes were postponed. Toronto Fire Services Captain David Ackerman says the fire started in Dollarama. sprinklers put out the fire within a couple of minutes. No injuries were reported.

27:42  
The Canadian government is set to ban conversion therapy in this country. Nicole Fernandez has the story.

27:50  
Mr. Lametti seconded by Ms. Waltro moves for leave to introduce a bill entitled An Act to Amend the Criminal Code Conversion Therapy.

28:01  
Justice Minister David lametti introduced the legislation yesterday in the House of Commons. This comes almost a year after the Liberal government said that conversion therapy was largely a provincial and territorial issue. Conversion therapy is a controversial practice that aims to change the sexual orientation, gender identity or expression of LGBTQ people. The practice usually includes psychological or spiritual interventions. Lametti says that conversion therapy is premised on a lie.

28:30  
Not only is that false, it sends a demeaning and a degrading message that undermines the dignity of individuals and the LGBTQ2 community as a whole.

28:42  
Bardish Chagger is the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Youth. She says this legislation will help build a truly inclusive Canada. what's clear is that not every Canadian can be who they are, because of practices like this, and that's why it's so important that it be band. 

28:58  
The amendments to the Criminal Code proposes five new offenses. This includes causing a miner to undergo conversion therapy and profiting from the practice for RSJ Radio, I'm Nicole Fernandez,

29:10  
A six year old rescue dog named Craytoo avoided many of the obstacles during the annual dog agility challenge at Crufts. It's one of the world's largest dog shows held annually in Birmingham, England. 

29:13  
I'm a judge you know and that is against the rules. That has to be a few faults that.

29:29  
A video of Craytoo's unforgettable performance has been seen more than 1.6 million times since Friday. The world first fell in love with him in 2018 since he was even invited to the European Parliament for a film screening about stray dogs in Romania.  Craytoo now provides emotional support for Swan, his owner who has autism. That's all the time we have for this week. Thanks for tuning in. Join us next week at 3pm for the latest news for RSA Radio I'm Karen Sandoval Santana and I'm Manuela Vega