The Debaters - Should you raise your family in Winnipeg? And is compromise the best solution?

Episode Date: May 15, 2025

When it comes to raising kids, does Winnipeg win? And is compromise a happy ending?Featuring: Chad Anderson, Lara Rae, Courtney Gilmour, and Jon Dore.

Cafe William wants to know, what's your favorite roast? We're touring selected Metro grocers across Ontario. Come by for a tasting and find the brew that's just right for you. It's the perfect moment for great coffee. For more info, go to CafeWilliam.com. This is a CBC Podcast. Hey Canada, it takes a village to make a comedy show like this. From the home of Osborne Village in Winnipeg, Manitoba, it's the Debaters!

The Debaters where comedians fight with facts and money, and this audience picks the winner. Now here's a man who's a village people person, Steve Patterson. Hey, thanks for being here. Hello, Canada. Welcome back to The Debaters. We are back in one of our very favorite places, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival.

Yeah. Yeah. the Winnipeg Comedy Festival. Yeah! Manitoba has a lot of great annual festivals, including the Flynn-Flawn Blueberry Jam and the Portage Potato Fest. Which, yeah, I bet that is spud-tacular. Hopefully there's a potato vodka garden where you can get tots and shots. Both those festivals make sense, since you can grow potatoes and blueberries in this province. But there's another festival in southern Manitoba called Banana Days.

How far south does this province extend? Exactly. All I'm saying is the idea of a Manitoba grown banana isn't very appealing to me. I'm sorry. Yeah, I'm sorry. I'll just split. Time to meet a couple debaters who are a whole bunch of fun. This comic is writing a book about guns which he considers his 44 magnum opus.

It's Winnipeg's Chad Anderson. Come on out, Chad. There he is. Hello, Steve. Hello, my friend. Great to have you back. Thank you. And this comic needs plenty of room entering the subway

so as not to cramp her turnstile, it's also Winnipeg's Lara Rae. Come on out, Lara Rae. There she is, making her way to my right. Lara. Hello. Debaters, your topic is one that should raise some questions. Winnipeg, is it the best place to raise a family?

Right out of the gate. In 2023, the Globe and Mail ranked Winnipeg as the most livable city in Canada to raise kids. Yes! But in 2024 it dropped to third. What happened? Who got to you, Globe and Mail? Was it the Saskatchewan side of Flynn-Flawn?

Personally, I agree that Winnipeg is the best place to be born in because back in 2006, this very show was born in this very city. And that makes Winnipeg our founding father and CBC our mom. They don't call her the mother core for nothing. Now no matter where we travel around the country, we always come home to Winnipeg every spring. Which reminds me, I've brought my laundry and I need to borrow the car. Time now for a debate that really family matters. So whereas it's an affordable city with great people, a strong sense of community, and a

diverse range of activities and resources, be it resolved that Winnipeg is the best place to raise a family. Chad, you're arguing for this please, my friend. You have two minutes. Starting now, Chad Anderson. Thank you. Winnipeg, for nearly 20 years, I've called our great city home.

I moved here when I myself was just 20 years old, and I'm proud to call myself a Winnipegger. I partied here, perhaps a little too much, which is why I also got sober here. I found love and heartbreak here, but most importantly, I found myself, and now I'm raising my family here. My opponent will have you believe

that our wonderfully landlocked in the middle of nowhere city is not somewhere you want to raise a family. But let me ask you this. Where else in Canada can you afford to own your own home without having roommates? Ha. Where else in Canada can you, your wife, and her dad afford to purchase a home?

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Okay, uh, it's just her and her dad, but, uh... Why else do you think I get them free tickets to the debaters every time they're here? Yeah. People like to complain about how dangerous our city is, but I say it's only dangerous if you go outside in the winter or spring or summer and fall.

But the dangerousness of our city is one of the reasons it's a great place to raise a family. Where else can you teach your children that they need to be on high alert at all times? When you live in Winnipeg and have a child, that child is automatically born with street cred that applies to everywhere else in Canada. Go to any other city, and if someone starts hassling you,

you just tell them that you're from Winnipeg. If they don't immediately walk away, they'll at least rethink their strategy, which will give you enough time to greet them with the old Winnipeg handshake. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. Chad Anderson,

arguing that Winnipeg is the best place to raise a family. Now, before every Canadian rushes to move here, and there is a threat of that, here she is to take this city down to Winnipeg or two. It's Laura Ray! APPLAUSE While my opponent Chad included many interesting opinions, he left out a key fact on why he thinks Winnipeg is so great.

He's from the PAW. No, I wouldn't say the pause, the worst city in Manitoba because it's not a city. I've been here 30 years. I came here from Toronto, thank you. We brought a two-year-old child and raised her here. She's 32 years old now, and every day she still wakes up crying. LAUGHTER Now, yes, Chad is right about some things. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

LAUGHTER I know this because every clock downtown is broken. Along with every window. But yes, yes, 30 years ago, Chad, we bought a cheap house. It used to belong to a drug dealer. We learned that when for the next 20 years, people would show up after getting out of prison looking to buy drugs from the drug house.

On the plus side, selling them drugs paid the $80,000 mortgage off. If that was Toronto, I'd have had to join a cartel. And there are little big city moments that keep my daughter sane. Playoff disappointment. Might not reach maple leaf proportions. But the Jets choke in their own adorable way. That's the hockey one, right? Yeah. Yeah, that's right. And speaking of entertainment, unlike Toronto, it doesn't cost a hundred bucks to park to

see movie stars and world-class Broadway shows here because they don't come. And yes, perhaps I'm bitter over Chad's happy brood. Moving here for us as a family ended in divorce when our daughter was 12 years old. That's when she took us to court for forcing her to move here. Thank you. Laura Ray, ladies and gentlemen. All right, we got ourselves a debate. We got good points on both sides,

and it's time now for the Bare Knuckle Round. We're debating whether Winnipeg is the best place to raise a family. So while this won't be a walk in the Polo Park, remember you were Osborne for this. And since you wouldn't want to keep the audience key-waiting, nor would you want to be backed into a confusion corner, it's time to look your opponent right in the beady eye and lift the transcona of silence now.

Yeah. Quite a shock a guy named Chad would think Winnipeg's a great place to live. Yeah, and quite a shock that a white woman from Toronto would hate it. I think Lana conceded. That's an official point there. I'm going home to Toronto. You know, you're on the young side of the family, right? Then all those milestones, and they are quite beautiful. But when my daughter was here, her first birthday here, okay?

And so it was quite special. And we asked somebody from Winnipeg to bring the cake for her first Winnipeg birthday. So she's sitting there, and then there's this sheet of wet drywall. Right? Right? And then with a layer of like insulating foam on top, like some twisted joke.

Right? And then they call it a genie cake. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We're gonna stand for this? You know what? Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. I gotta check. Sorry, it's just my ring cam app.

Someone's taking my packages. All right. All right. I'll say this, I'll say this. You know, when I first moved here, and I'm not, you know, anti-religious in any way, but the only thing they had here, Chad, every year is along Portage Avenue, they had this thing, this big thing called the March for Jesus, right? That was the big entertainment, March for Jesus, that's all they had, nothing else, nothing else. Well, you know what?

They had a parade for the Jets and they came back, so they... All right, that's a good place to start. Whoa, that was nice. Well, you know what? They had a parade for the Jets and they came back, so they... Ha ha! All right, that's a good place to start. Whoa! That was nice. Whoo! That's the fair enough around, everybody. That was good.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, we are going to get letters, but it's going to be worth it. It's time now for the firing line. In my hand I have a list of questions about Winnipeg being the best place to raise a family, brought to you by the Winnipeg Forklift Drivers Association. The Winnipeg Forklift Drivers Association.

Let our family raise you. Trip Advisor's list of things to do in Winnipeg with kids includes the Assiniboine Park Zoo, Tinkertown Family Fun Park, and what else? Chad? Running from the police. I'll give a couple points for that. Sure. Laura Ray. First of all, I'll answer correctly. I believe it is the Manitoba legislature. That is the correct answer. Yes. With my extra time, I do want to point out that TripAdvisor's list of things to do with kids in Winnipeg does not include the children's museum.

We have it in Winnipeg. Those are two good points. Yeah. One for the right answer and then one and a half, two and a half points total. Yeah, that's the right answer. The Manitoba Legislative Building is a fun thing to do. Where kids can be with people their own age.

Yeah. Yeah. According to the Winnipeg Moving Company, two small men with big hearts, people moving to Winnipeg from a bigger city will find affordable housing, amazing communities, and what else? Chad.

Poor people. Can we use this on the else? Chad. Poor people. Can we use this on the radio? Well, we're gonna find out together. Lara? They will find out as we did when we moved here that the two big hearts do not belong to the two small men. It's a bit weird. Well, that was sort of a plug for a local company. People moving to Winnipeg from a bigger city find affordable housing, amazing communities, and residents that are passionate about their sports teams. Right, Lara? Yes, they are.

Yep. And that is the firing line, everybody. Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! All right. It is almost time for our jubilant Jubilee Place

Theatre audience to vote. But first, here again to lower the boom on raising a family in Winnipeg, let's hear again from Lara Rae. Thank you. Woo! Woo! Woo!

Woo! Woo! As Bernie Toppin wrote, Winnipeg ain't no place to raise your kids. In fact, it's cold as hell. And there's no one there to raise them, if you did. Now sure, Bernie said Winnipeg had too many syllables and didn't scan, and he changed it to Mars. But other Bernie Taupman songs show his contempt for Winnipeg very clearly.

Bernie hates the Jets is one. And I'm still stabbing. Both remain a testament to how many other deeply gifted artists like me know how utterly terrible it is to move here and drain the light from your child's eyes. Thank you. Pfft. Larrere, giving this Winnipeg audience something to think about.

Now here to tell you again why raising your family here is a win Winnipeg situation for everybody. Let's hear again from Chad Anderson. Applause Winnipeg, there is no other place that I would rather raise my family. As a Winnipegger, my child is going to learn many valuable life lessons and skills

that she wouldn't learn anywhere else in Canada. Like how to be pretentious when people from other cities complain about the weather. Oh, it was cold in Halifax today? Well, it was colder than Mars here, okay? Sure, Toronto is a booming metropolis and the center of culture in Canada, and Vancouver has mild winters,

beautiful mountains, and the ocean. Montreal is rich with history, and St. John's is like nowhere else in Canada. But Winnipeg? Winnipeg has a population of battle-hardened, ready-to-fight citizens who are going to be our first line of defense when the U.S. inevitably invades...

Go, Jets! Go! Go, Jets! Go! Go, Jets! Go! Go, Jets! Go! Go, Jets! Go! Go, Jets, go! Go Jets, go! Go Jets, go! Go Jets, go! Chad Anderson, everybody! That was well played and... also terrifying, but... So also terrifying, but... All right. Time to vote everybody. Who agreed with Chad's wonderful Winnipeg

words of wisdom, Chad Anderson? A lot of love. That's a lot of love. All right. And who agreed with Lara that raising your family in Winnipeg means lowering your expectations? Lara Rae. It was close.

It was close. There's love on both sides, but I gotta give this one for the local boy done good in front of the local crowd, Chad Anderson. Winnipeg is great. Big hand for Chad Anderson and Lara Rae Ray everybody. Hey, debaters listeners. Want to keep the laughs coming?

Then hit the follow button on our podcast. This will get you early access to content and ensure you never miss an episode. And if you already follow us, thank you. Café William wants to know? What's your favorite roast? We're touring selected Metro grocers across Ontario. Come by for a tasting and find the brew that's just right for you. It's the perfect moment for great coffee. For more info, go to CaféWilliam.com. Hey, how's it going? Amazing. I just finished paying off all my debt with the help of the Credit Counseling Society.

Whoa! Seriously? I could really use their help. It was easy! I called and spoke with the credit counselor right away. They asked me about my debt, salary, and regular expenses, gave me a few options, and helped me along the way. You had a ton of debt and you're saying Credit Counseling Society helped with all of it?

Yup! And now I can sleep better at night. Ha ha ha! Right on! When debts got you, you've got us. Give Credit Counseling Society a call today. Visit nomordebs.org. Hey, Winnipeg, are you ready to meet your next pair of debaters?

Listen to that, Canada! All right, then. This comic's vision for the perfect attic requires some lofty ideals. It's Toronto's Courtney Gilmore. Courtney Gilmore, making her way to the podium to my left. And this comic spilled Cracker Jacks on the roof of a taxi, which resulted in corn on the cab. It's Ottawa's John Doar.

John Doar. There he is. Hello, my friend. Welcome back. John, taking his position to my right. Thank you. This topic is one that I think we can all settle on. Compromise. Is it always the best solution?

Murmur, murmur. The only thing I know about it is I don't see it happening a lot in the animal kingdom. There's no lion who says, hey gazelle, I know you're not into me devouring you, but why don't you just slow down and let's talk about it, okay? And then the gazelle says, hmm lion, I'd like to counter with I keep running as fast as I can. And then the lion says, well, I can't run long distances due to my high cholesterol diet.

And then the gazelle says, good to know, and takes off, leaving the lion to say, I have to stop talking to my food. Anyway, it's time for a debate that we can sink our teeth into. So, whereas it's a way to resolve conflict that allows everyone to feel heard and find common ground, be it resolved that compromise is always the best solution.

Courtney, you're arguing for this, please. You have two minutes starting now. Courtney Gilmore. Thank you. Thank you, Steve. Thank you. Compromise dismantles power and stops idiots from making bad decisions. Arguing for your position leads to resentment and war,

but offering compromise to your opponent allows for coming across as the good guy, all while having the smug satisfaction of knowing that you were right the whole time. Ha. Ha. Ha. Without compromise, the biggest ego in the room wins, and that's how we end up with cyber trucks.

You guys couldn't decide between pizza and bagels for lunch. They set their egos aside, molded over, and now we have bagel bites. Gold. Compromises why we have Canada. French people were like, we want wine and philosophy. English people were like, we want gin and colonialism. And so, and so we compromise by creating a country that politely apologizes while being drunk in both languages. I love helping people compromise. My parents were at odds

because my dad wanted to turn the backyard into a pickleball court, and my mom doesn't. My mom wants a dog, and my dad doesn't. The solution? A dog in a my dad doesn't. The solution? A dog in a tiny pickleball outfit. When two people can agree on a solution that makes them both happy, the best thing they can do is settle for something that makes them both kind of confused.

Compromise means no one gets what they want, but no one burns the house down either. If we can't all win, we can all equally be losers. Thank you. Courtney Gilmore. Yeah. Now that's a fresh take. If we can't all win, we can all equally be losers. That could be a line in our anthem. Um, now, here to tell us why when it comes to compromising with others, he's no middleman.

Let's hear from John Doar. Thank you. Thank you. To compromise means to meet in the middle. And let's be honest, the middle is not a good place to meet, ever. The middle of anywhere is a cold, desolate, dark place. You're right, I am describing Winnipeg, I apologize. Let me start again, let me start again.

Sorry, we are right in the middle of the country. I'm right in the middle of the country. Um... LAUGHTER But let me start again. I can be better than that. Uh, compromising with your spouse. Let's start there. Uh, compromising with your spouse is like saying,

sweetheart, what if neither of us were ever happy? That's what that stands. LAUGHTER Arriving at a compromise means you have to negotiate. And there's a reason why we don't negotiate with terrorists. All right? I am a father. I share a home with my fiancee, our 11 year old daughter, and three year old son.

I know what it's like to live with terrorists. If you compromise with them once, you will forever end up eating pizza with green olives on it, watching the movie Paw Patrol again, with the thermostat set to 85 Fahrenheit every night. Not compromising can lead to a stalemate, all right? Leaving you and your fiance frustrated, not speaking to one another for hours. Again, is silence a bad thing?

No. Learn to embrace the quiet serenity created by not giving in to compromise. Not compromising means you're not always gonna get what you want but when you do get what you want you'll have things exactly the way you want them. Let me share a quick story about the inner workings of my family and how not compromising works. Our 11 year old Emma, she approached me recently and she said, John why do people hate Donald Trump? And I said, it's because he's an arrogant idiot who thinks he knows what's best for everyone.

Emma said, oh, so he's like you. I said, yes. Yes, you're right. When it comes to the problems in our house, I am the president. When I say, no, Emma, you can't have a sleepover, I am like President Trump. And when your mother comes in and uses her veto power and says, yes, you can have that sleepover,

she is Vladimir Putin. All right? But... We did not compromise, and yes, I lost in that sleepover scenario. However, the most important thing, we taught our daughter how the world really does and should work. Thank you. John Doar. Yeah.

There's a lot to think about there. It's time now for the bare-knuckle round. We're debating whether compromise is the best solution. So before you start bargaining up the wrong tree, it's time to diplomacy if we can strike a chord with the audience and plant a concede of doubt in your opponent's argument. So ready, steady, negotiate now.

All right. Well, I mean, I'm surprised you're even willing to take this position. I mean, even saying that you're willing to have this debate suggests that you don't want to negotiate. And by the way, let me just start by saying this. Bagel bites are terrible. No one likes bagel bites.

Oh, that's delicious. It's incredible. Also, I can take a stance on this, bagel bites are terrible. No one likes bagel bites. Oh, that's delicious. It's incredible. Also, I can take a stance on this, but I'm willing to stay here all night and hash it out with you, OK? We can have this discussion all night, you know? We'll find middle ground. We're not going to have it all night.

No, we're not. I will not meet you halfway. I'm telling you right now, look it. People like you. Look it. And on the end, there's a lot of you. Oh! People like me. People who have no problem meeting in the there's a lot of you. Oh! People like me.

People who have no problem meeting in the middle. I'm telling you, people... He means women. People who want to... I do not. I am saying, people who think compromise is a good... You probably like a hockey game that ends in a tie. That's what you like. That's the type of person you are.

Yeah, oh, everybody wins. We can compromise. No, the NHL stepped in and said, we will have three-on-three overtime, and we will have a shootout, because that makes hockey better. Go, Jets, go! Go, Jets, go! Okay. Yeah! John, you asked if silence is really a bad thing

after hours of quiet frustration with your partner. I think I can speak on behalf of quiet frustration with your partner. I think I can speak on behalf of every woman in this room. Yes, silence is a bad thing. It's a bad sign. And if a man thinks that doubling down is getting what he wants, guess what else he's getting? Me sleeping diagonally and going to bed full of cheese. Laughter Applause I'll tell you this.

Listen, John, I'm a triple limb amputee. Every day is a compromise for me, okay? I don't have hands. Do I want people to help me all the time? No, but I also don't want my date to see me rip into a packet of sweet and low with my teeth like a raccoon, okay? Because I gotta find some common ground. Let some people help me every now and then, you know?

I don't know what that means. What do you... a raccoon? I think that's a good place to call it. That's the... that's the Bare Knuckle Round, everybody. We are debating compromise. Time now for the firing line. In my hand, I have a list of questions on compromises being the best solution brought to you by a happy medium. A happy medium, the fortune teller that you just spent a fortune on.

Finish this quote from former German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard. Compromises the art of what? John Doar. Unglücklich sein. Audience has given you four points for that. You want to know what that means by the way? It means it's the art of being unhappy. I didn't even know you said it in a different language. Yeah.

Courtney. Can you repeat the question? Yeah, sure. Finish this quote from former German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard. Compromise is the art of what? In Feliz. It's Spanish for the art of being unhappy. All right.

I like it. I like it. Compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece. Ludwig only ate cake on his birthday. A New York Times article entitled The Great Canadian Compromise told the story of what event? Courtney? Of when we got Rob Ford to only smoke crack on weekends. LAUGHTER APPLAUSE

Incorrect. LAUGHTER John? When we gave Indigenous status to Buffy St. Marie. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I seem to be digging a hole every time.

Yeah, it's getting pretty deep. Yeah. The New York Times article entitled The Great Canadian Compromise told the story of the 1982 patriation of the Canadian Constitution. Oh. EverydaySpeech.com says that as a conflict resolution strategy, compromise fosters empathy, builds trust, and what else? Oh, I don't know who is...

I actually don't know who was first on that. Well, John, do you want to just like give both of our answers at the same time? Well, I wasn't originally thinking that, but okay. Oh, interesting. John, thanks for compromising. Oh snap! She just, that was, that was a deep concept. The actual answer is,

encourages creative problem solving. So Courtney Gilmore got it. That's four points. That's the firing line, everybody. Oh, yeah. It's almost time for our Jubilee Place theater audience to vote. But first, here again to tell us why we should be compromisally with doling out our compromising. Let's hear again from the multilingual John Doar. Merci. OK, look, when my fiance and I argue, she has rules that govern our conversations.

Sorry, they're not rules. They're boundaries. I'm not even supposed to call her boundaries rules. That's another rule right there, by the way. But anyway, she has rules and it's not something we compromise on. Okay. Like for instance, traditionally women do not like to be called crazy.

So I don't call my fiance. It's true. My fiance doesn't like it. Okay. And we don't compromise on it either. It's not like I try and come up with a negotiated different. I don't, it's not like I say, honey, what if I say, cuckoo? Or what if I say... You know?

I'm not looking for, hey, what about looney... What about Republican... What if... Like, there's no... And look, it's never too late for you here in the audience as well to stop and end your pattern of compromise, all right? My fiancé, she wanted children. I said, I don't want any. We compromised with one. Okay? Then she said, I want a second child. I said, new way. We had a second child.

We compromised with the second child. However, a week ago, and I wish I was making this up, she said, I'd like to have two more children." I said, what are you, crazy? There's no way. No. So long story short, guess what? I have a vasectomy scheduled for next month. Yeah. And I will not compromise. Thank you.

John Doar, ladies and gentlemen, an uncompromising closing argument. Now here to point out that the word compromise contains the word promise. If you say compromise, it would make more sense. Here's a promise of a better life from Courtney Gilmore. John, can I just say you have made some excellent points tonight, and I just want you to know that you are seen and heard. I think we can find some middle ground here. How about you admit that I'm right, and I won't tell Steve all those things that you

said about him backstage. You all had a choice tonight. Some of you may have wanted to go to the ballet, and your partner wanted to go to a bar. And you know what you did? You said, we're not going to agree on this. So instead of spending the whole night arguing and sacrificing our dignity, let's just go watch some comedians do that instead. That's compromise and that's beautiful. Thank you so much. Yeah. Courtney Gilmore. Very concise. All right, Winnipeg, it is your time to vote by

applause who agreed that Courtney's argument is one that we can all agree on. Courtney Very concise. All right, Winnipeg, it is your time to vote by applause who agreed that Courtney's argument is one that we can all agree on, Courtney Gilmore. Got a lot for Courtney. All right. And who preferred the way that John's contempt for compromise placed him confront and center, John Doar? him front and center, John Doar. It's close.

Well, it's very, very close, and I'm going to compromise by giving this one to Courtney Gilmore. The winner is Courtney Gilmore. Big hand for Courtney Gilmore and John Doar, everybody. Well, that's all for this week. I'm Steve Patterson saying if you want to be the master of compromise in your house, you should probably live alone. I'll argue with you again soon Canada. Good night! The Debaters is created by Richard Side. This week's episode was produced by Nicole

Callender, Chloe Edbrooke, Dean Jenkinson and Graham Clark. With continuity by Graham Clark, Diana Francis and Gary Jones. Technical production by Graham Clark, Diana Francis, and Gary Jones. Technical production by James Perella, Mae McKillip, and Lloyd Peterson. Story editing by Gary Jones. With special thanks to Katie Ellen Humphrey's David Pryde and Emily Ferrier. Executive producer of CBC Radio Comedy is Lee Pitts.

And thanks to everyone at the Jubilee Place Theater and the Winnipeg Comedy Festival.