Hey there, this is Jess Valentin. I run audience development for Candleand and it's this role that puts me in a unique and rewarding position because I get to witness first hand the incredible work that all of my colleagues do.

And I get to see the impact that that work has on you, the listener.

What I'm so often struck by is the power of long-form audio,

how the voices take form in our minds and imaginations and then fold themselves into our lives.

When audio journalism can introduce you to voices or perspectives that you may not have heard,

when it gives words to something you've been feeling in your bones but have not yet seen or heard reflected

in the world around you. There's an incredible power in that. And I know we are doing something

here at Candeland that is unlike anywhere else.

Independent journalism is rare, but independent Canadian audio journalism, that's almost unheard of. We are in the final days of our annual

crowdfunding campaign. If our shows, our episodes, our stories have had an impact on you, we want you to become part of an exclusive

group of powerful people who make everything that we do here possible.

Become a Candeland supporter. Head to Candleland.com

slash join and sign up today. A warning to indigenous people listening. This

podcast series includes stories of physical and sexual violence, suicide, and death.

Listen with caution and care. Oh yeah Pino de Massey. Yeah, we go we go back a little bit and

Pino and I do what are we going to talk about him? Can we? Are we allowed to?

You know, I believed in, you know, his intentions to just get, you know,

information out there.

It was, it was just basically there to post pictures of people at their worst.

And unfortunately it was also often indigenous people.

So...

The first time I realized he was this alternative media source that's just off his rockers.

...