The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Canada Loses a Giant -- The Passing of Stephen Lewis

Episode Date: April 1, 2026

Some personal opening thoughts today on the death of Stephen Lewis, a public figure who made a difference for Canada and for the world. And then, what has become a regular Wednesday topic on The Bridge - end bits. Today from AI and how professors are challenging students, to what to do with old coins. All that and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You're just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. We lost another giant yesterday, somebody who made a difference to Canada and a difference to the world. We'll talk about Stephen Lewis coming right up. And lo there, welcome to Wednesday. Welcome to April as we move into another month. And a degree of sadness among those who, uh, Respect honorable people and respect those who made a difference to our country and a difference to the world.

As we remember Stephen Lewis today. Before we get into our regular Wednesday, NBits show, I want to talk a little bit about Stephen Lewis. Back in the early 1970s, when I was a young reporter working out of Winnipeg, one of the assignments I was given was to once a month travel to northwestern Ontario. Northwestern Ontario didn't have its own television station at that time. Well, it had some operations in Thunder Bay, but into that huge territory between Thunder Bay and the Manitoba border, where there are many communities.

bustling, hustling communities. You know, I think of, you know, I think of Dryden and Canora and Vermillion Bay and Sioux Lookout and Red Lake and Rainy River, Atticoken. I mean, there are lots of different communities in northwest Ontario. And my job was to once a month for a week travel to as many of these communities as I could and do stories which we would then put on a special

late night Northwest Ontario newscast out of Winnipeg beamed to Northwestern Ontario. So I did that for a couple of years and made many friends across Northwestern Ontario, many in those different communities that I just mentioned. And I had a great time. I really enjoyed those days. they would be like

72, 73, 74 before I eventually moved on from Winnipeg to Regina, started working for the national as a national correspondent. So I was Regina Saskatoon and every

all points in between. But I remember one day, and I think it was 1972, I was in Rainey River right down there on the border with the United States across the water International Falls, Minnesota I was in Rainey River

big pulp and paper town big fishing town commercial tourism fishing fly in fishing all of that so I was in Rainy River and a young Ontario politician was in town that day.

Traveling by himself, didn't have any entourage. But he'd come into Rainy River to talk to, I can't remember who it was, could have been in the Chamber of Commerce or could have been any number of different groups. But he'd come into town. So I thought, well, there's a story I can do. Let me track him down. Well, I ended up,

talking to Stephen Lewis, who was the relatively new leader, young in his 30s, of the Ontario NDP. And he was trying to hustle votes in northwest Ontario. So we met on the evening before his speech and I had the opportunity to just talk to him. I think we did an interview which ran as one of the items. but it was an opportunity to talk to him about what his goals were, what he was hoping for. And I was impressed, A, that he took the time to talk to me, some kid reporter from Winnipeg, and that he not only took his own job seriously, but he took me seriously. And as it turned out, that became a relationship that has lasted for years since.

we did more than a few interviews during his time as NDP leader. We did many interviews during his time as the UN ambassador when the unlikely duo of Brian Mulroney and Stephen Lewis put together a dynamic force when he was Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, appointed by Brian Mulroney, appointed by a conservative, appoints a socialist to the top diplomatic job in the country.

And they worked on major developments on AIDS and on ending apartheid in South Africa. And eventually the freedom and release of Nelson Mandela. And after that, after he got out of the UN job, we would often, by then I was Chief, correspondent of CBC. He was this distinguished former diplomat and politician, and he would be often a guest on programs that I was doing and helped me do major political conventions as an analyst in the booth. It's been tough the last while for Stephen Lewis as he's battled health issues, and it was

touching just a couple of days ago when his son, Avey Lois, was elected leader of the federal NDP that Avey Lois mentioned his dad and the struggles he was going through with his health. But he talked about how his dad had hung on to see this latest plank of history in the structure that is the NDP. Well, he did hang on, but he lost that. battle just yesterday. But like so many people, I am one of those who has nothing but admiration for Stephen Lewis, his fight for social justice on so many fronts,

and the respect he garnered from fellow politicians of all different backgrounds. And that was clear yesterday from the tributes that you heard. But it's funny, you know, I think back, I immediately thought back to that time in Rainey River in the early 1970s and how he took the time to talk to me, and to talk about what his hopes and dreams and goals were in his career. And, well, I remembered that. And I remembered how sincere and honest and approachable he always was. Stephen Doris will be missed.

All right. Having said that, we're going to move on to what we normally do on Wednesdays or we become accustomed to doing, especially this year on Wednesdays, and that are a number of different stories. So why don't we take our break now and come back and start doing the

the end bits. All right. We'll be back right after this. And welcome back. Welcome to The Bridge, the Wednesday episode for this week. And we're going to do some end bits. Some stories that are kind of news you can use. They're not front page stories. In some cases, they're not even back page stories.

But they are stories of some degree of interest. and it always seems that a few of these connect with the audience and people write in talk about them and what their impressions were. So we'll get to that. And they're in no particular order. So let's get going on that. The first one comes from Associated Press. Here's the headline.

This is an AI story, artificial intelligence story, but it's pretty interesting. is perfect homework, blank stairs, why colleges are turning to oral exams to combat AI. So this is written by an AP writer called Jocelyn Gecker. It's just a couple of days old, so you may have heard about it. The assignment involves no laptop, no chatbot, and no technology of any kind. In fact, there's no pen or paper either. Instead, students in Chris Schaefer's biomedical engineering class at Cornell University

are required to speak directly to an instructor in what he calls an oral defense. It's a testing method, as old as Socrates, and making a comeback in the AI age. A growing number of college professors say they are turning to oral exams and combining a variety of old-fashioned and cutting-edge techniques to help address a crisis in higher education. You won't be able to AI your way through an oral exam, says Sajre, who introduced the oral defense last semester. Educators are no longer naively wondering if students will use generative AI to do their homework for them. A big question now is how to determine what students are actually learning, right?

College instructors across the U.S. are noticing troubling new trends as generative artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated. Take-home essays and other written assignments are coming back perfect. But when students are asked to explain their work, they can't. The long-term impact of AI use on critical thinking remains to be seen, but educators worry students increasingly see the hard work of thinking as optional. Let me say that again. Educators worry that students increasingly see the hard work of thinking as optional.

I read a little bit more of this because I find this really fascinating. And it's a sign of our times, right? At the University of Pennsylvania, Emily Hammer, an associate professor of Middle Eastern languages and cultures, now pairs oral exams with written papers in her seminar classes. It comes across as if we're trying to prevent cheating, Hammer says. That's not why we're doing this. We're doing this because students are actually losing skills,

losing cognitive capacity and creativity. She forbids AI use on all writing assignments, but tells her class she knows she can't enforce that. However, if they haven't written their papers themselves, defending the material face-to-face will likely be a very stressful situation. Her class is part of a massive shift towards in-person assessments, both written and oral. At Penn, says Bruce Lenthal, executive director of the school's center for teaching and learning.

The Ivy League School is one of a small but growing number of universities that have started running faculty workshops on oral exams. Those aren't traditionally part of the modern American undergraduate system, unlike certain European universities. For instance, in the Oxbridge Tutorial System in England, students meet faculty for weekly discussions. Some U.S. colleges saw move toward oral exams during the COVID-19 pandemic to address concerns about online cheating.

And interest has intensified since the launch of chat GPT in 2022. So it's kind of, as one person says, It's kind of like harnessing AI by fighting fire with fire. So this is, you know, that's interesting, right? Yeah, you've written a great paper. Now put the paper down and let's talk about it. Let's see what you actually know about it, about what you delivered here as your written exam.

So as I said, that story, AI related on Associated Press, if you want to find out more about it. Okay, here's a story that we're kind of involved with in Canada. Have been. It's yet another example of where we're ahead of the States. How long ago was it we stopped making pennies? It's been a while, right?

And why did we stop making pennies? Very basic. It costs more to make a penny than a penny was worth. So that's kind of a losing proposition, right? It's been in the same situation in the States for a while, but they finally decided we're going to stop making pennies. So the next question comes, there's a lot of pennies out there. I mean, look around your house.

I bet you have dishes, cups or saucers or bowls, that are filled with pennies. What are you going to do with all those? I remember, this will date me again, but I remember when I, when we, we changed the way we were making some of our coins, specifically, you know, quarters and dimes. And why did we change the way we were making them? This was in like 1966, we decided, because they were pure silver, quarters and dimes, but it was costing more to make them. than they were worth as barter. So we thought, okay, we're going to, you know,

drop the silver content in those coins, which they did, 67 and 68, and then they just said, that's it. We're not putting silver in these coins anymore because we're losing money every time we punch one out. So I thought at the time, I thought, well, I got to save these old ones, the silver ones, because one day they'll be worth money.

Bingo. So I saved a lot. I used to go around to stores, like the corner store, and say, I want some of your quarters. Can I have a look at them of what you've got? And I would exchange, I'd pay for the quarters, and I'd save them up. And so I still have some.

I don't have a lot. It's not like I'm hoarding silver, but I've got a lot. And I haven't checked for, well, quite a long time. I haven't checked for what they're worth. So let me let's Google. Let's Google here while we're talking. So how much is a 1960, silver quarter worth.

Okay, this is, look at this. This is from some website called Coins and Canada.com. If you melt down a 1966 quarter, okay, a 25 cent piece, if it melt down a 1966 quarter, the minimum value is $14.92. And you believe that? That's a lot of money. Especially if you got a lot of those quarters.

So let's see what a dime is worth. Stay with me here. There's a reason I'm telling you this. I might not have Googled that the right way. So let's see. Okay. So this one says like a dime is weird. maybe 10 times what you paid for it or not what you paid for it, what it was originally worth.

66 Canadian diamond is 80% silver. Okay, this says it's worth a melt value of approximately $4. 40 times its original value. Anyway, I think depending on where you go, you're going to see all kinds of different things. But the fact of the matter is worth a lot more. a lot more. So if you hoard it dimes and quarters, you're probably doing all right.

I did not hoard dimes and quarters, but I have a few. So it's always my reserve. So this story, finally getting to the point of this, Peter, on money.com, is what should you do with your pennies? This is the U.S.

Because we've already passed that point. Although, as I said, I bet if you look around your house, you'll find all kinds of pennies. So they're saying, here's what you should do, because everybody has pennies in different hoarding places in their home. Cashing your pennies. Spend them while they're still accepted. Because they won't accept them soon in the States.

Save them for the future. Because just like this, someday they may be worth a lot more than a penny. Well, they already are worth more than a penny, but a lot more than a penny. Put them towards savings or investing. Donate your pennies. And that's a good reason, right? Hold on to your pennies for nostalgia. I'm not sure how far nostalgia will take you,

but nevertheless, some ideas with your pennies. And it's interesting to show kids some of the stuff. I mean, like, for starters, who uses cash anymore? hardly anybody, right? You know, when cash comes in bills or it comes in coins and how often are you suddenly looking for a coin, whether it's a parking meter or something where you can't use a card.

And you go, I don't have any, I have no coins. I don't keep them in the car. I don't have them anywhere. All right. Moving on. We go to the New York Times. These headlines, oh, I haven't read this one yet, but they always grab me. Six daytime habits for better sleep.

Okay, we know the challenge here for a lot of us, getting a good night's sleep, is a challenge. So how do you do that? You do it by looking for things that can happen during the daytime. One, the number one reason in the daytime defined to help your sleep is soak in the morning sun. Getting sun exposure within one hour of waking up can have a powerful effect on your sleep later that night, says this professor of sleep medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Perlman School of Medicine. The light suppresses hormones that make you sleepy and shifts your body into wake mode, setting you up to be tired again by bedtime. Okay. If

if you say so, keep meal times consistent and later meals lighter. Some research suggests that people who regularly eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner around the same time each day tend to sleep better than those who don't. The body runs on an internal 24-hour clock called the circadian rhythm, which regulates when you feel sleeping and alert. Your gut plays a role in this system. It takes its cues from not just what you eat, So if you eat at inconsistent times, it can throw your circadian rhythm out of whack.

They're still researching that, by the way. May also be beneficial to eat heavier meals earlier in the day, since a big dinner too close to bedtime can cause digestive issues, like acid reflux which may disrupt sleep. If you do need a late-night snack, try to keep it small and low in fat and added sugars. Don't eat chocolate. at night. Reassess, this is number three, reassess your relationship with caffeine. Most of us have heard the rule no caffeine after 2 p.m. I've never heard that rule, but I have now,

unless you want to have trouble falling asleep. But in certain cases, the clock might start even earlier. Okay, be careful on coffee. Take sleep affecting medications earlier. Some drugs have stimulating effects that may make it harder to fall or stay asleep, especially if taken too close to bedtime. These include decongestions, certain ADHD, and asthma medications, antidepressants, and oral steroids. If you're having sleep issues, ask your doctor if you should take your medication earlier in the day or if you should lower your dose or switch to a new medication completely. two more daytime ways to sleep better at night. Wake up at the same time every day.

Resisting the urge to fiddle with your alarm, even on weekends, is one of the best things you can do for your sleep. Waking up earlier one day and later the next throws off your circadian rhythm, which can interfere with your sleep schedule for days. Okay, be consistent on what time you get up. and the first one, or last one. Experiment with your workout schedule. Many know that getting an adequate exercise at least 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic activity

is associated with better sleep. For some people, though, working out within a few hours of bedtime makes sleep worse. The connection between late workouts and poor sleep isn't entirely clear, but exercise, particularly if it's strenuous, raises your body temperature and temporarily elevates endorphins and stress hormones, which could disrupt your sleep. There you go. All those different things.

And now you're going to sleep so much better, right? Okay, this one attracted me right away. Because we all have, well, I shouldn't say we all. It's overgeneralizing. But many of us have a problem with, how we apologize when it comes to that. So this one's from NPR, National Public Radio in the States. It's been around for a while.

It's been around for years, this story. But it's worth checking in on because we all find ourselves needing to apologize every once in a while. So this article argues, you're apologizing all wrong. Here's how to say sorry, the right way. Okay. Let's delve into this. Over the last few years, we've heard a spate of apologies pouring forth from the pens and lips of politicians, businesses, celebrities, even royalty.

But psychologist Harriet Lerner says most missed the mark, which is why she was inspired to write, Why won't you apologize? Healing big betrayals and everyday hurts. Most of us haven't been taught how to apologize, and our efforts tend to be deleterious, vague, intrusive, demanding, or full of caveats that can leave the recipient of an apology feeling even worse. When the apology is absent or it's a bad apology, it puts a crack in the very foundation of a relationship and can even end it. And that's why it's critical to get it right. A good apology, Harriet Lerner explains, is an opportunity for us to take clear and direct responsibility for our wrongdoing without evading, blaming, making excuses, or dredging up offenses from the past. It brims with accountability, meets the moment, and can transform our relationships.

Here are six ways to offer an apology that can help heal rather than cause additional harm. drop your defenses. Our automatic set point is to listen defensively. We listen for what we don't agree with, so we can defend ourselves and correct the facts. Harriet suggests keeping an open mind and listening with an explicit intention to understand the other person.

Try to wrap your brain around the essence of what that hurt party needs you to get. Okay. Number two. Be real. When you're apologizing for something, it's critical to show genuine sorrow and remorse. It feels vulnerable to not be in control of the outcome, but as Harriet reminds us, it's also courageous. No ifs or buts. A sincere apology does not include caveats or qualifiers, but almost always signifies a rationalization, a criticism, or an excuse. It doesn't matter if what you say after the but is true, the butt makes your

apology false. Less is more. Keep your apology short and mind the histrionics. If you've forgotten to return your friend's Tupperware, you don't have to overdo it as if you've run over a kitten. over-apologizing is not only irritating, it disrupts the flow of the conversation and shifts the focus away from the person who needs to be attended to. Stay focused. Your attention when apologizing should be on the impact of your words or deeds, not on your intention. Zero in on the situation at hand and stay attuned to the needs of the person who is hurting. It's not the two words, I'm sorry, that heal the injury. The hurt party wants to know that we really get it, that we validate their feelings and care. All right, here's the last one.

The last way to give a good apology. Remember, a good apology is a beginning, not an end. In her book, why won't you apologize? Harriet reminds us, an apology isn't the only chance you ever get to address the underlying issue. The apology is the chance you get to establish the ground for future communications. An apology creates an opening. When done with attention and care, it can be a conduit for greater understanding and deeper connection. Okay. So I know you've written all that down and you're probably right now.

thinking, who can I apologize to so I can try out this new process? Well, good luck with that, okay? All right, we have time for a couple more. This is from the BBC, and this is a sign of the times. Police in Hong Kong can now demand phone passwords under Hong Kong's new national security rules. as I said, this is from the BBC. Hong Kong police can now demand phone or computer passwords from those who are suspected of breaching

the wide-ranging national security law. Those who refuse could face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $100,000 Hong Kong. That's like somewhere around 20 grand Canadian. Individuals who provide false or misleading information could face up to three years in jail. It comes as part of new amendments to a bylaw under the national security laws that the government put forward in the last week or two. They were introduced in Hong Kong in 2020 in wake of massive pro-democracy protests the year before.

Authorities say the laws which target acts like terrorism and secession are necessary for stability. But critics say they are tools to quash dissent. It's a pretty wide-ranging law. It gives power to the police in Hong Kong in a substantial way. While law enforcement officials in many parts of the world have the authority to demand access to electronic devices as part of criminal investigations, Hong Kong's new law covers a sweeping range of vaguely defined offenses from secessions, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with external forces. also allows some trials to be heard behind closed doors. This is pretty tough stuff.

Hong Kong. Hong Kong used to be one of my favorite cities in the world. And it still is for certain reasons, but what's happened to it since the transfer to China has made it really difficult, to say the least. How are we doing here? This is a headline in, well, it's another AP news story. Mobility exercises are an important part of fitness as we age.

Well, sure, absolutely. As they age, it's not uncommon for many people to let out a muted groan when getting out of bed in the morning. I've done that more than a few times. But if that happens every time you get in a car, or while bending over to pick up something, it may be tied to prioritize exercises that target your mobility. One sports medicine surgeon in Massachusetts said good mobility is increasingly recognized

as an important part of overall health. She points out that research showing that high mobility has long-term effects in reducing rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and depression. It's not just about how you look and how you level and your level of physical, is at any given point. For anyone who wants to stay active later in life, there has to be a deliberate process of maintaining that level of activity by doing mobility exercises.

Okay, so are we going to get to some examples here? Flexibility is simply the extent to which a muscle can lengthen, whereas mobility involves using muscle strength to interact with a network of joints, tendons, ligaments, and synovial fluid, which is the lubricant inside the joint. That network around the shoulders, spine, hips, pelvis, and knees needs to work well together. Otherwise, it becomes difficult to reach things in high cabinets, squat down to tie your shoes, or lift your grandchildren, let alone participate in outdoor activities or sports. Mobility exercises strengthen your muscles while increasing.

your range of motion, which allows you to be more functional with age. Motion is lotion, which is saying we use in physical therapy all the time, said one expert. Let's see when we can get around to. Tai Chi and yoga are also both great for mobility training. Or simply this, try sitting in a chair and standing up without putting your hands on the chair arms. next try to stand on one foot if you can do both that's a good sign and you may say to yourself oh I've had no problem doing that

I remember when I used to do that all the time can you do it now is the question and I think you'll find it surprising but you'll also find it surprising that if you do this on a regular basis you will become much more mobile fairly quickly

but you have to do it First of all, you have to recognize that it's hard to do when you haven't done it for ages. Some other recommended exercises, Dr. Corey Simon, who's an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Duke University, urged people to prioritize mobility before they experience pain in their joints or difficulty moving around. You don't have to have a gym to do this, Simon said. He suggested working body weight exercises into your day. That can include setting an hourly time to get up and walk around the house. When you return to your desk, add chair sits to work the quads, hamstrings, calves, and glutes.

Assuming your balance is okay, doing push-ups against a wall or a countertop helps to mobilize the shoulders. Once those exercises become easy, add exercise bands to build strength. Thanks. Okay. All right. I know what I'm going to do this morning. I'm going to get into that. All right. There's some news you can use, some thoughts you can have as we get ready for, as we get ready for the bridge for tomorrow. The bridge for tomorrow is, as always on Thursdays, your turn and the random ranter. Your turn this week and I've already had lots of letters on this. So I think we're good on that front and we'll never get them all in already. But there have been some really good ones and some varied responses on the topic of the NDP.

As you know, they had elected their new leader just a couple of days ago in Winnipeg. They elected Avi Lewis. So the question to you is, what do you think? that's going to mean. What's the NDP of the future? What relevance is it going to have? Or will it have any? So you've been sending in your thoughts on that

and we'll get to them tomorrow on your turn. Plus the random ranter will be by. Friday is good Friday. I haven't decided yet what's going to happen there. Chantella's away, but it is a break. It is a holiday. I'll think about it, tell you,

That's going to do it. For this day, I'm Peter Mansbridge. Thanks so much for listening. It's been a treat. I'll talk to you again in less than 24 hours.