Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Andrew Krystal's Widow Michelle Krystal: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1843

Episode Date: February 4, 2026

In this 1843rd episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with Michelle Krystal, Andrew Krystal's widow, about her late husband. Then, Mike shares audio of Andrew Krystal very early in his MOJO Radio tenure. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, Nick Ainis, and RecycleMyElectronics.ca. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at [e-mail].

Cover your ass prime time with yours truly, Andrew Crystal, on the world's first and only talk radio station for guys, the all-new AM 640. Welcome to episode 1,843 of Toronto Mike. An award-winning podcast proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery. Order online at greatlakesbeer.com for free, local, home delivery in the GTA. Palma Pasta, enjoy the taste of fresh, homemade Italian pasta and entrees from Palma Pasta in Mississauga and Oakville. Visit palma Pasta.com for more. Fusion Corp's own Nick Aienies.

He's the host of Building Toronto Skyline and Building Success, two podcasts that you ought to listen to. Recycle MyElectronics.c.c.a.comitting to our planet's future, means properly recycling our electronics of the past and Ridley Funeral Home, pillars of the community since 1921. Joining me today, making her Toronto mic to debut,

it's Michelle Crystal. I can't hear you. Well, I haven't said anything yet. Oh, cool. Perfect. How are you? All right. Loving the everyday snow in Gravenhurst. What's it like living in Gravenhurst?

Sad. How long have you been up there? July of 2024. Why did you move to Gravenhurst? Yes. Why does anyone that is not, you know, so rich that they can afford some sort of like fourth home there, live in Gravenhurst? But it's because I'm developing with a business partner buying the land that Andrew had signed over to me. It's west of Berks Falls. And it's in the middle of nowhere, literally.

But it's being developed under his name. Well, before we go any further, this is the first time I've ever seen you or Zooming right now. we've never met, but I just want to make sure I extend to you my sincere condolences on the loss of your husband, Andrew Crystal. Thank you. I see it as his loss. I mourn his loss. It's a very strange thing to describe, and perhaps that sounds crazy. but it's been very painful for me.

Well, is it okay if I explore that just a little bit? Like, obviously don't, if you're not comfortable, you can tap out, of course. But it's been almost four years since we lost Andrew. Like, how are you holding up? Does it get easier with time, or is that bullshit that we say to make people feel better? I think, well, everyone's different.

And I gauge it from my parents' loss, their six-year-old son. So for me, this, oh, losing a child is the ultimate loss. And then there's all sorts of losses. Someone that you've spent a significant portion of your life with that is gone is a loss. So it's not like a loss contest or anything, but it blew me. it's as though I was standing on the bow of the deck somewhere and the wind blew me into the ocean and I just disappeared. It was, I had poured so much of my life and identity into him. And so I don't know what's worse because it feels like I've lost a significant portion of my life,

but then I also mourn his life and what he could have done in addition to what he was already, he was at the height of what I would say, the height of his career and happiness, which is what I lament the most. When I walk anywhere or see anything, I want to, or even today's politics. I mean, this whole thing with Donald Fart, he'd be, I mean, I don't even know what a show would have looked like with the second Dull Fart term.

To be honest with you, I don't know how, he might have had to check himself in for therapy because it's so, it's the upside down world. Michelle, I just want to give the listenership a little context here. So when, could you share with us how and when you met Andrew Crystal? Yeah, I accosted him at his, he was, it's a long story. How much time? I'll make time for this story.

Okay, so I had what is sort of regarded as a cushy job during my naval service as a two-year, tenure to drive the Commodore around. and also a company, the Commodore at sea. What's the Commodore? I'm so stupid. What is that? The Atlantic Naval Fleet, which is now apparently gone back to the Royal Canadian Navy. Anyway, long story and longer, I'm sitting in his car with the flags waiting for him to finish meeting, then I drive him here and there. and I would and so obviously this is a very boring job the job being sitting in a car waiting for someone for three or four hours

so I started shuffling through the channels and stumbled across this news 957 show which apparently Andrew was hired there in 2005 and as soon as I heard it and I have nothing to base this case. on because I'd never heard talk radio before, but I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I couldn't believe the voice. I couldn't believe the topics. I couldn't believe the intelligence. And I couldn't believe that it was just so much easier to sit in the car for that long during those periods of time, being nine till noon. And so this goes, on. He had a contest to win tickets to the Rolling Stones in the Halifax Commons.

So he had put it out to callers, well, tell us your funniest story about how you think Keith Richards heard himself in whatever exotic island he was on. I said he fell out of a coconut tree because of his Tahitian swimmer's itch. And I'm pretty sure that was the funniest call-in, but he didn't like it, and he gave the tickets to someone else. Well, the concert got rained out. I mean, it still went on, but everyone stood there in yellow raincoats as they liked to do in Nova Scotia. And it was horrible, and he was at the concert with his then-girlfriend. So in later years I was like, ha ha on you.

So it goes on because that's not even how we met. I was on the HNCS Athabascan during a tour from hell. About 80% of the ship's company was sick. Some of us were still able to, you know, walk. and there was this talk show host from Ottawa on there called, and he had a show called Nick at night. And I thought, I'm going to use this as an excuse, because I'm in the men's mess at night playing risk with this guy

and poker and whatever else we were playing. And I'm like, I'm going to use this and it's an excuse to meet Andrew. So I emailed Andrew from the HMCS Athabascan saying, Oh, I'm here, I'm so-and-so, I'm on board the HMCS Athabazcan With this individual, maybe we could all get together when I get back ashore. And he said, yeah, yeah, that's great, it's a great idea. So I show up at his planned, yes, we'll meet on this date. I want to say it was a Friday at noon when his show was over in the lobby, and he's a no-show.

And it was a Friday, definitely, because I went home for the weekend, forlorned. But I'm still on vacation for another two weeks. So I'm like, well, just for the sake of it, I'm going to go back Monday and do the exact same thing. so on this particular Monday he didn't duck out the back door he thought I was like some sort of maybe diesel dyke and really didn't want to meet me anyway so there I was on the Monday and he looks at me and from what he said later he gave his receptionist shit for not telling her that Well, let me read between the lines. Okay, you're quite the looker.

No, I'm not. Maybe at that time. Well, I mean, I can see you on the Zoom. You're still very attractive. But the bottom line is he didn't expect you to be hot. He expected a 400-pound diesel dike that wanted to move in with him right away. That's what he thought. So is it love at first sight? What happens next?

That was crazy as dry cleaning was showing up with my apartment in no time. And we had this apartment. He liked my apartment better because I lived right beside Starbucks. But his apartment had the good view. So I ended up relinquishing my apartment and moving in with him. And then the rest is what it is. when do you move with him back to Toronto here that would have been 2010 when he

was about to join Fan 590 so I want to say July of 2010 okay okay so just for the listenership I need to just cover a few lines here so basically you don't know Andrew Crystal during his mojo radio years so you meet him in Halifax because he he leaves Toronto for Halifax

He's on the, that's when you hear him. And you guys fall in love, I'm guessing. And do you eventually get married? Yes, we did that too. Okay, but did you get married before you moved to Toronto? Yes. See, I'm collecting all the bits and bites here. Okay, so you're in 2010, he gets the job, Andrew Crystal.

He gets the job at the Fan 590. He's the morning show host. Kind of a controversial hiring in the world of Toronto sports media because Andrew Crystal not exactly. known for his sport. He could talk about anything.

He's a big Leaves fan. We'll talk about it. But, you know, this was a surprising hire, and it didn't last particularly long, but then he went and did other things at Rogers,

like City News and different things here. So let me just ask you, because I produced the Humble and Fred show, and Howard was tight with Andrew Crystal, and he would talk about these legendary parties. Like, are you involved with these, like, New Year's parties and stuff? crystal parties?

That was, I didn't know that it had landed on the circuit of discussion. Yes, that was my inception. It was a maritime thing, really. Or, you know, it would be maritimeers or any political legislatures or whatever does these things. And I'd said to them, let's have these New Year's Day parties. Like, nobody does it. They're fun. Everybody wants a hangover cure.

And they became just this crazy mix of young and old. I mean, I'm talking. It can't be home alone, young. And people, octogenarians, let's say. Boxers, politicians, everything. It was crazy. It was craziness. In and out the door.

These parties ran about 18 hours long. Well, that's again, I never had the, pleasure of being invited to one of these parties. I didn't know that you existed. No, I'm not going to blame you, that's for sure. But I do hear from Humble Howard who attended a party or two, and he would tell me something like he'd say, oh, pinball Mike Clemens showed up, and then he'd say, oh, my God, there's Hazel McCallion.

You mentioned old. That's as old as it gets. Yeah, George Chavallo and the Weasel, you know, famously Jimmy Hopper's driver who I don't know pissed off a few people it was it was nuts you never knew

who was going to walk through the door okay so you're in love you're married to Andrew Crystal but what's interesting to me is that before you fell in love with Andrew Crystal

you loved him as a broadcaster you loved him as a talk radio host yes yes that's where I probably fell in love with him while I was sitting in the Commodore's vehicle is what happened.

I just loved, I hadn't heard anything like it before. What I always, and I said this to Andrew, but he doesn't really fit into these boxes we have. Like we have, we like things that kind of fit into these preformed boxes. And he was sort of difficult,

like he was many things. And I think the industry struggled with what to do of an Andrew Crystal. Yes, well, that's exactly what I can only speak to what happened when we went to Toronto, because I didn't even know him when he landed the News 957 gig until I think, well, he'd have been there a year and a half, two years before I'd met him, so I only know what happened to Toronto. And it was, he was a hot potato. Yeah.

For sure. And I mean, I guess, I don't even know if I'm allowed to say this, but what. got him out of Fan 590 was making a comment about Brian Burke's personal situation. And of course, back then, Brian Burke was the general manager of the Leafs. So Brian Burke got in his car exactly the next day, straight to Fan 590 Rogers at, what is it, Mount Pleasant and Blois and Bloor. Yeah. And that was the end of Andrews.

tenure at Fan 590. See, I had no idea. Yeah, that's what happened. And somebody threw him a line. See, this is a weird time for Fam 590 back then because they were going through hosts like toilet paper. They had no identity. I can't even remember the general manager's name.

No, the program manager. Don Collins? Yes. And so he's juggling. all these balls. Nobody likes anything. And people were getting shuffled and fired and humiliated all over the place at this point. So it was a really weird time for the station. And I do remember, so after he leaves, and I can't remember if that's when Greg Brady and Jim Lang show up.

I think they come in after Crystal. I can't remember if I have this right. But I know before. Yeah. At that point, we weren't paying a whole lot of attention because Andrew had landed a spot on City News. Which is interesting to pause there because, you know, Rogers gets this call from Brian Burke, but they don't toss them out of the company. They just take them off the airwaves, the sports radio airwaves.

But, you know, City News is owned by Rogers, if people don't know. Yeah, exactly, yes, of course. And he did some amazing stuff on City News. I'm sure Cynthia Mulligan and Avery Haynes loved him. Roger Peterson, probably, and I'm remiss to forget the other person's name. But he'd do crazy stuff, like he would go out on the streets as a panhandler. I think he did it for a week.

It was at least a week panhandling and reported on the neighborhoods that were the most lucrative. And apparently, the so-called Mink Mile, as it used to be called, between Lord Avenue Road, is the least lucrative place to bum money. Interesting. And I remember to this day the statement at the, I guess, towards the end of, I don't, it's not really a documentary, but a series, a docu-series. And he said, the people that have the least give the most. I'm not surprised. Yeah, and there was this disgusting heat wave, and all the men on the program were expected to still go out and report on their three-piece suit.

And I don't know who else was involved in this, but the broadcast went out that night of him standing knee-deep in Lake Ontario broadcasting about the heat in Toronto, in his suit, I might add. Yeah, like I said, tough to put him in a bucket, like a compartment because he was a very talented, very talented, very creative broadcaster. And you knew that before you fell in love with the man. Yeah. And this is, I have to proclaim my naivity or isolation or whatever you want to call it. But I had no experience, I had never heard talk radio before. I grew up in Nova Scotia and joined the military at the age of 20 and I certainly wasn't listening to talk radio.

No, they don't tend to get a lot of 20-year-old listeners. Well, I was out in the middle of the woods on exercise or deployed, so there wasn't a whole lot of television or radio in my life during those years. So did you retire before you moved? Toronto? Like, you're not currently with the Navy, obviously. No, I served in the Army and the Navy for 15 years

and I left when I met Andrew, basically. I was like, yeah, I think it's time to move on. And I mean, again, we talked about how you're quite the looker. We've already established that, but I should also point out,

you and I are basically the exact same age. Which is to say, which is, I think what I'm trying to say is that you're no Hazel McCallion, okay, Michelle, you are very, very young. Well, I would also like to say that I don't think I'm good-looking. That was what Andrew had said to his receptionist. But yeah, I'm 52, so... Didn't you say, no, I'm a year older than you?

Well, I'm born in 74. Are you 73? Mm-hmm. Oh, right. So you're my elder. I must respect you as my elder here. Yes. But in April 2020, I finally, I had been working on getting Andrew Crystal to visit the TMDS basement for a sit down.

Ever since I met him through Humble and Fred, I met him. We talked on a phone call where I told you I was at that horseshoe event. We had a Humble and Fred Christmas party at the horseshoe. And I chatted up Andrew Crystal there. And it turns out you were there that morning. Ah. I, I. Maybe.

No? I was at a lot of events. You might have been there. It's all bleeding together. But my point is, I tried very hard to get Andrew Crystal in person because I thought, you know, I like his energy. I have a different but similar energy. I can relate to his energy anyway. And I kind of wanted him sitting right here and then we can do it proper.

Exactly. Yeah, go ahead. Well, I'm confused as to why he didn't. I can only assume he literally was too busy to go because this was in the middle of the Series XM broadcasting which was a very such a specific time frame plus his other business that he was involved in. Well, I'm glad you mentioned Sirius XM

because producers of his show, and I hope they're listening right now, I would have many email correspondence with these gentlemen regarding getting Andrew in the basement because they thought he would be great on this program. Because I give my guests a lot of room to be themselves and to breathe. There's nothing really rushed. I feel like that's where Andrew Crystal would really shine.

Yeah. Well, isn't this a thing amongst talents such as yourself or, say, a bilm or whatever, that they don't really like being around people in their neighborhood. Like a comedian's not going to go to another comedian show and say, wow, all that was funny and great. Like there's a little bit of a, I like you, but I don't really kind of thing. But I'm building towards the fact in April 2020. So when does that pandemic strike us? March. Okay, so it's like a month into the pandemic.

Yeah. Yeah. He does agree to a phoneer. Like not a Zoom, I'll point out like we're doing right now where we can see each other. But Andrew's like, okay, you can phone me and record the call. I don't know. He didn't discuss it with me. I was there when he did the interview, but he didn't really discuss the meat and bones of his decisions on that one.

Because, as listeners know, it's one thing. I prefer you in the basement, but I will do a Zoom if I need to. But the phoneers is a whole different category because you can't see me. I can't see you. And Andrew would kind of get into one of his roles because his synapses would be firing. and then you can't really talk over that. You kind of have to wait for a pause, which may never come. So I remember thinking, oh, my goodness, I never knew what to think of it.

But here's, I'm going to read the description because people might want to go back and listen to it. But I'm going to read the description, and then I'm going to ask you a big question about this episode. So this was April 2020. In this 630th episode, too bad it wasn't 640. I was 10 away from it being 640. But okay. In this 630th episode, Mike chats with broadcaster and marketer. We haven't really talked about that yet.

Andrew Crystal about his years at Mojo Radio being the fan 590s morning show host, speaking with Rob and Doug Ford at City News, his show on Sirius XM 167, and so much more. So we chatted for about 70 minutes. Did you, Michelle Crystal, ever hear that episode of Toronto Mike with your husband, Andrew Crystal? I did, yes, I listened to the full interview. I left to see, the thing is, I wasn't part of his life then. And you knew more about what he was talking about than I did. I thought it was a very humble yet, what's the word?

It was, I thought it was sharp. I thought he had some observations that some people wouldn't say out loud. Without a doubt, which is refreshing. And a podcaster's, I was going to say a podcaster's wet dream, but we know, I don't know if that's an appropriate expression for this. But it definitely is refreshing when your guest sort of tells it like it is. Yeah. And it was, he was very respectful. I think he just, to me, it sounded like someone that was standing from afar, observing,

even though he was in the middle of all of what he was talking about. It was very interesting. So people can find that, episode 630, it's in the Toronto Micd Archive. But then sadly, okay, and I hope you're okay to talk a little bit about this. But only a couple years later, so that was April 2020 when he was on Toronto Micke. in May 2022, I still remember getting the news, sad news that Andrew Crystal had passed away. Yeah, it's, I don't know what else to say about that.

I wish I had of been closer to his original Toronto friends. I mean, I could, the list goes on and on. So I was only experiencing it from my insulated experience with Andrew and a few of his close friends that all came to help me. But I couldn't really see the big picture. I was in complete shock and dismay and whatever other word a person could use lost. Well, I can only imagine. And because I happen to know from people like Humble Howard and other friends, so that night, the night we lost Andrew Crystal,

was the same night, the same day that Jennifer Valentine put a video on Facebook about John Derringer. And everybody in the Toronto radio community was chatting about this bomb that Jennifer Valentine had put off. And, I mean, we're still feeling the reverberations from this video today. But I know, for her. example, multiple friends texting with Andrew Crystal about Derringer into the wee hours of the morning, and it's the

very next day we find out that Andrew had passed away. And again, I don't, I'm not trying to violate your privacy here, but it sounds like it was very sudden. I, uh, yeah, yes, it was. I don't know, see, I don't know, uh, anything

about John Derringer or anything about Toronto radio in those days. So these are Andrew's experiences that I really know little about. I kind of wish I paid a little more attention

to that regard. I just I just honestly don't know. I think that to my knowledge there was some sort of what I observed

was that it seemed like none of the stations wanted to plot Andrew anywhere for any long period of time and I don't understand why but I don't have the inside well I can tell you why if you want to know why okay he's not a

controllable asset no I'm being serious because we had similar similar situation with Humble and Fred at at Sirius XM where there are compliant company people who will deliver what like safe product is what they're you know typically it's a cable company. It doesn't have to be a cable company, but

because chorus is not a cable company. But when you have in Andrew Crystal, there's a risk, an inherent risk and these big conglomerates, these media companies, are risk adverse. Uh-huh. Yeah, I know. It's very

sort of real housewives of pick your state and city. It's very backstabby, I know that, just for my outsider observations. Very back save. I don't think I'd ever feel comfortable in one of those jobs like, okay, honey, let's go

buy a villa and wherever. I feel like I'd be on my toes all the time. But this is, I mean this is a compliment to Andrew, which is he wasn't safe because you weren't sure what he might say and do next, which I think makes for an exceptional broadcaster in terms of entertainment.

That's what I seek. But if you're, Rogers or Bell or chorus, you're allergic to that. Yeah. Well, I mean, I don't think Andrew would fault me for saying this, but he crossed the line with the Brian Burke thing. There's no, I don't think anyone would, I don't think there's anyone in radio that knows the comment I'm referring to would disagree with that. It was, it was too much. and his style is a little too philosophical for the sports network. But that being said, I mean, would I listen to anyone else about what's going on with hockey or football other than Andrew? No, I wouldn't.

Andrew knew everything about hockey and football, the two big deals there. Football as in soccer, he wasn't a, you know, he's outside. his lines there, but Rogers didn't care. It was all about the hockey. Oh, and sorry, baseball. Sorry, I missed that one. So the three, the triumphant, the football, the baseball, the hockey. He had everything there is to say or no about it.

Definitely. Well, he's a well-read, knowledgeable guy, and he's not afraid to share his opinion, which he can craft. And again, maybe he wasn't a good fit at the Fan 590. I remember thinking that it was maybe not an ideal situation for Andrew Crystal, but I had no knowledge of this Brian Burke situation. And I know you're not going to tell us the specifics, but I mean, there was a couple of big Brian Burke things that popped into my head,

and I don't know which one it is, but you can't give us a clue what we're talking about with the Brian Burke comments. Well, I don't know if I... it was okay so what year would this have been anyway the leaves are tanking

Brian Burke is the general manager and Andrew made a comment that maybe his head is in the right place over the loss of his son Okay okay

but there is no homophobia tied to this commentary oh god no No. I just wanted to clear. I didn't want him people to think. Okay. No, not at all.

It was strictly, is he up for the job? And I mean, we all know. He shouldn't have said it. But there was no hatred involved. Certainly not. I don't even think. Definitely not homophobia. It was not in the equation.

It was, is Brian Burke's head in the game is what he. this thing and Brian Burke and I would do the same thing if I were as powerful as Brian Burke was at the time to also get in my vehicle and go straight to Don Collins and you know

the guy's name escapes me now and do the exact same thing that Brian Burke did but I was gobsmacked I didn't know that he'd said it you know obviously I wasn't at his shows in the studio I heard about all this post facto when I was like, I said, Jesus, why did you say that?

Well, you know, that hearing you... I don't think... Sorry, but hearing you clarify what it is regarding, because my brain went to a bunch of places, and I'm glad you kind of clarified it a bit. Oh, no, it had nothing to do with that. Andrew's own brother and nephew are homosexual, and he loved them dealer. He, no, if that's... First of all, I didn't know that...

Well, Brandon. Brian Burke's late son was a homosexual, and I didn't know Brian Burke at all, and I feel kind of awkward talking about this anymore because I have no business talking about Brian Berg's family. But I can just speak on behalf of Andrew to say it didn't come from there. It was, why is this team failing? And everyone was doing that. It's usually the coach gets blamed. and so it was a finger pointing

and he took it a little too far and the finger pointing it was too personal and I agree 100% that he should not have said it but at the same time hearing it what it was it doesn't sound to me like it should have been like a third rail situation because you know his you said off the top

the greatest loss and this is debatable but you said it the greatest loss you can experience is the loss of a child and yeah, that's a devastating loss that Brian Burke suffered. So I actually, you know, he shouldn't have said it, and I think that's where it all ends,

but I'm surprised that would be the impetus for removing him from the airwaves. It sounds like he just needs to apologize. Well, there was a stew going on at the station before Andrew even walked through the doors. The whole station was a mess. They were just, I don't know,

the analogy to use. They were just throwing things up in the air and seeing what they could catch. They had no plan. It was a disaster and I think to my recollection at least two other house filled his spot after that

if not three. Until they finally decided what they wanted. It might have been Greg Brady who's the current morning show at 640 and it might have been Greg Brady and Jim Lang. But again, well, I'll have to dig into the archives and remind myself of all of that.

But that might have been, because I know that they have the job until they decide to go and get Dean Blundell, which was a disaster unto itself. But, and Andrew Walker had already replaced Jim Lang, but now I'm boring you with the whole history of the Fan 590 morning shows, which, as you said, it's very lengthy

here. But I do, and again, again, Michelle, you can just say no comment, and I'll be very satisfied with that, of course. But are you able to share what happened to Andrew that night? Like, it sounded like it was very sudden, but we don't actually know in the public realm what killed Andrew Crystal. He had heart failure.

Jeez. That's plain and simple. Ken, sorry for your loss. Sorry for your loss. Now, that's almost four years ago. You shared with us off the top that you're missing your husband, Andrew. It sounds like this is not a... You can't replace that, right?

No. No. Like I said, there's his loss, which I consider almost every day. He's in my dreams every night. And then there's my loss. And my loss is, I mean, to put it coldly, a 15-year investment down the toilet. So I can only imagine how other people feel about their loss and just the unthinkable, like it's losing a child that is a thousand times worse. Your child is your investment. You've poured your whole life into raising someone, nurturing them, being with them, talking to them every day, and then they're just gone. And they're part of your self-identity, really.

15 years of my self-identity just got beheaded. It's interesting how you feel a need to point out that there are worse losses. It's almost like you're minimizing your loss. It's unnecessary because there is no ranking, right? Loss contest, yeah, I know. Hey, you lost the son? Oh, that trumps my pun not intended, by the. the way. This trumps my loss

of a 15 year relationship. That's not how life works. Loss is loss. You suffered an immense loss. You could want five people at a barstool and one's going to say, I just tripped over this goddamn curb and my wallet

I dropped my phone on the sidewalk and now it's all cracked. And then the next person down the barstool is going to say, oh, you think that's bad? Well, it's like one up manship. Yeah.

Geez. Okay, so now you were living downtown because I kept hearing about these parties. I was never, but why would I be? I'm just joking. I shouldn't have been invited to the party, so it makes sense I'm not invited to the party. And I know knew. He knew so many people. I don't think he could keep track of it, really.

It's not like he had some sort of, it was all in his brain. He didn't have any organized system to keep track of anybody. well he had he had a the wherewithal or maybe people just knew knew to go to this address on new year's eve oh new year's day oh you're sorry okay and it was 18 hours okay no so it was 11 so it would run so guests could arrive any time at 11 a.m. on January 1st and they could stay in as long as they want and they could leave whatever they want and And so all the people that were hung over that would show up around three or four or five were the late people. And I'd have a barbecue on the roof and a turkey full of bourbon and all that stuff. Okay. So it's a crazy thing. It sounds crazy.

It sounds amazing. And we're talking downtown. So we're talking like Bay and Bluer. Yes. Okay. So my question is... The colonnade. I don't know if any of your listeners are familiar.

with the colonnade. Now I sound like an old lady that used to live at the colonnade. Well, you can't be an old lady because you're my age, so it's impossible. And when I moved in, the people that live there already 50, oh, you should have seen what this place used to be. I don't know what is going on here. And then, oh, back in the day. Like Stan Garden, for instance, he used to own, he used to have Penn House 2. when I moved in there

Penhose no sorry Penhose 1 where Stan Garden used to stay he's a baseball player you know do you know StanGarden? No I'm so I don't know this name I'm trying to These kind of characters like Sarah Waxman

The King of Kensington Married to the King of Kensington And all the people like this They were there in the when the place opened in like 1963 and Stan Garden has Panos one which was half the top of the colonnade with a swimming pool

well that when I moved in there that Penn House went for $26,000 a month and Stan lived there back when the place opened so I don't know what was he paying $2,500 a month

who does and this is pre-COVID obviously it's pre-pre everything it's pre-whatever Right. The Bloor Street was at its finest, and these people just started mourning the loss of the building's integrity and, you know, the fountain got torn down. And every time we went in the elevator, I'd hear another soft story about how awful the place was turning until I turned into one of them when even further degradation happened in the building. I turned into one of the old people in the elevator complaining about what the place used to make.

Okay, so on our way to getting you to Gravenhurst, so when Andrew Crystal passes away suddenly, do you feel like his many, many, many friends and acquaintances? Are they there to offer condolences and to be there for you, Michelle? Yeah, of course, they all did. There was a memorial held. Unfortunately, I'm not on any social media, so I'm not able to keep personal connections with people. but yeah everyone that knew him and knew of what happened was there in support definitely so what happens that you you know is it simply that you were missing the double income to keep the place at bluer and bay or what caused you to move to gravenhurst like i said just to be in more close proximity to the land that Andrew left me he did signed over to

me actually that myself and my business partner are working on to develop and it's actually going really well and it's under Andrew's name it's the company's called Crystal Nature Preserve and there's finally going to be beehives up there this year that was the whole point just beehives you got to see this movie I just saw called begonia oh it's well sounds familiar Well, it is nominated for Best Picture, so it's not exactly... Oh, in this year's Oscars? Yeah, it's not exactly flying under the radar. I know.

I sort of lost my love of going to the theater with Andrew's passing. Andrew and I would always go to the theater. We were famous for... He and I would take about 10 to 15 minutes to decide if we were going to stay in the theater or not. The movie had 15 minutes to grab us, and I can't even count how many movies. he and I walked out of and we would just get a film credit for the next run of walkouts. And sometimes we stayed if it was actually the film. I think that's the way to go.

Like, give them 15 minutes if the movie is not to your liking. Yeah. Go see something else. I don't think a lot of people know this. You can walk out of the theater in a reasonable amount of time and say, I hate this movie. I don't want to be here. Or you could get really dramatic and say this movie traumatized me

and I didn't see the warnings because they're in my glass on. whatever. You can say you have diarrhea. They'll give you your, they'll give you a movie credit. You don't have to sit there and punish yourself for two and a half to three hours. That's a good pro tip there. Good pro tip there. So before I, because I'm going to ask you about some tapes, it sounds like we're breaking into the Al Capone's vault here, okay? I'm going to ask you about the tapes. And that's going to be, explain what we're going to drop into this very episode of Toronto Mike next. but I'm worried about you in the sense that I don't know how to, I don't have any advice,

I don't have any solution, but you know, Andrew, Sally, gone far too soon and I can feel through this Zoom, I can feel your loss. And I just want to make sure you're okay. I am, well, I mean, it depends, like, are we talking okay on paper or okay?

No, fuck the paper. Fuck the paper. Like, no, it's horrible. No, I'm not okay at all. Are you talking to somebody, though? Like, are you speaking to, I have support. Unfortunately, I've had to go to therapy over this. Well, you say that like it's a negative, but that.

Because I resent having to pay for something to hear somebody tell me what I already know. it's annoying it's true right because therapists are not covered by ohip but psychiatrists are yeah yeah so it's kind of annoying because i already if i if someone else walked up to me and said what i say to the therapist I would know what to say to that person

so we're in the grocery line and she says well I just this and that and I would know what to say to her so why am i why do i have to pay 250 $300 an hour to have someone tell me what I already would tell to somebody else. It's just ridiculous to the point where it kind of zeroes itself out. Grief is what it is. The only thing that really sticks out in my mind about grief that I hear over and over again from other people is that everyone grieves differently. And so I've had some people tell me, I'm living in the past, let it go. I called a friend about this, I don't know, let's say it was a year ago,

and I was bawling and she said, this was three years ago, what's wrong with you? All over the spectrum, like, you know, it's, some people just want to brush it aside and move on. And I don't, I don't disparage. those people, I just can't do that. I don't want to get up in the morning and just not talk about him or acknowledge him or dismiss his life. I can't, that's not in me to do. I was raised a Catholic and was always due unto others as you would have done onto you. And when I pass away, I don't want to be forgotten. I don't want to just, everyone just goes upon their life and never mentions my name again.

I wouldn't want that to happen to me. Well, that's a perfect segue because I wonder aloud here if you have any concerns that Andrew Crystal's legacy, Andrew Crystal the man, the broadcaster, that he's being forgotten. Well, people like you are abating my fears. you are kind enough to or enthusiastic or interested enough to do this which means he's still here. So with people like you, other people that care that are willing to, no matter who they are, to just keep talking about the person, keep laughing about something they did or complaining about something. something they did.

So they matter, they exist, everything they wrote, everything they said, everything that we all do on this earth matters. And it matters that people remember it. So that's how I

personally feel. So obviously anybody can go listen to episode 630 of Toronto Mike and hear Andrew Crystal back in April 2020. That's going to be you know, online forever. But what I think is very interesting

is what we're about to share with the listenership. And I'm hoping you'll, like, give us a little backstory. Like, was there like a vault or some kind of a crate or something? Like, tell us what you encountered and how we recovered this audio. It was part of Andrews'

the facts that when we met was, you know, when we decided to condense our lives together, whatever you want to call it, mixing the egg and the yolk. Right. And this was just part of this stuff is these cassette tapes that probably Victor Machado slapped together. So we're talking, you know, 1980s cassette tapes, these things were on.

And they just went from us from Halifax to Toronto. and I lament that I didn't do something about them sooner because what a hell of a stalking stuff that would have been. But so post-mortem I did approach, as you know, Doug Thompson about transposing these into a form that could be shared with other people. So that's what happened. Okay, so Doug Thompson, and for listeners who they think,

oh, I think I know that name. So Doug came over to share the history of 1050 chum as a top 40 radio station in this market. So that's Doug. He brought in some great audio as well so we could celebrate 1050 chum. But he's the guy you went to with these cassette tapes. So we're just talking about your traditional cassette tapes. You listen to it as Sony Walkman. We're the same age.

So I know we both rock the Sony Walkman. And Doug digitized. Well, my parents weren't that. they didn't have the dollars to fling around on a Sony. Oh, you had a Sanyo? I don't think I had one at all. No, in fact, I am entirely certain that I did not have any version of one of those. Okay, well, I'm blessed, and then I had a Sony Walkman on me as off, for, all through high school and into university.

But Doug Thompson digitized these tapes, so basically he ripped them to, MP3. So I was able to, I think Doug shared this with me or you did, I can't remember now, but you shared an MP3 with me and I'm literally going to drop it in unedited at the end of our chat here, but this is basically early Mojo Radio days for Andrew Crystal. By the way, since we last talked, I remember now, Andrew Crystal was not a day one host at Mojo Radio. He took over, if my memory is correct, he took over for a chap, an FOTM, which means friend of Toronto Mike. He's been on. His name was Ripkin. And Ripkin got fired. Uh-huh. So, so Andrew, but it's pretty early. By the way, the, we talked about this with Ripkin,

but Ripkin got fired for anti-Semitic remarks he made to humble Howard. So it's all at a hockey game, so it all comes full circle. But, okay. Nothing's like a good old, old-time Canadian hockey game like anti-Semitism. Right. Never mind the hot dogs. Right. No, listen. And that got, you know, he got, he went back to Winnipeg, I believe.

He's from Winnipeg. But Ripkin left Mojo and Andrew Crystal took over, I believe. When I get in trouble, we're saying it seems like there's a lot of racists in Manitoba. You're not going to get in trouble with me, but you speak for Michelle Crystal. I want to let my friends in Winnipeg know. I have meager evidence. this. Okay, wow.

Michelle speaks for Michelle. Send your hate letters to her. To Gravenhurst, care of a... Gravenhurst. So, okay, so we have this digitized, this audio of Andrew Crystal on Mojo Radio,

which people might remember was talk radio for guys. It debuted in early... It launched in early 2001. And then a couple of things that really worked against Mojo Radio Talk Radio for Guys. One thing is, 9-11 happened.

and people got very serious and Mojo Radio was not really that. And then secondly, I just want to remind the listenership that there was a sex scandal, a pedophile sex scandal at Maple Leaf Gardens and Ken Dryden came in as president of MLSE, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, to basically to make sure that they changed the brandy,

branding an image of Maple Leafs so that it was not related at all to what happened at Maple Leaf Gardens. But Ken Dryden would be in his car after a Leafs game, which was on 640, and would hear a sex show. And he didn't want anything sexy tied with the Leafs because of that scandal. And this is, you talked about Brian Burke. So now we're talking about Ken Dryden when he was president. But this was a significant detail that Chorus had the right. to the Leafs game, and they were airing the Leafs games on 640, but they weren't allowed to be, you know,

risque and sexy, even at adult times, because Ken Dryden wouldn't stand for that. And that was a big reason why Mojo died. Well, well, based on, I mean, the broadcast you're going to air does not reflect the bulk of the material that went out on that broadcast. I mean, to try and, I mean, some of it, especially, with Epstein. By the way, I feel sorry for anyone with that last name at this point.

Right. And it's hard to even watch the sweat hogs on Welcome Back Cotter. Yeah, it's bad. So there's a lot of sketchy material in there, but just from his stories, I couldn't even bring myself to listen to what you're about to air until a few weeks ago. I haven't heard the rest of it only through Andrew's stories. And it includes women in the bathtub and, you know, obese people can't have sex and whatever. It was just all over the place. I think he was probably resembling a Howard...

Stern. Canadian version of Howard Stern. Yeah. So we're going to, like literally, you and I are going to say goodbye here in a moment. And then the listeners will hear what was recovered on this cassette tape. We broke into the vault of Crystal and we found this cassette and we digitized it. Thank you to Doug Ton. Although I also am pointing here to my cassette deck that's connected to my laptop because I can, I digitize some stuff for Humble and Fred.

But Doug did the dirty work there. We got this audio. I'm not editing it. I'm just dropping it. And people can remember, this is. early 2000s. Yeah, and it's affordability all the way. It's crazy.

If anyone can listen to the entire segment, it just gets more and more interesting. On top of that, I believe this must have segued the Winter Olympics because he's talking about Team Canada hockey. Salt Lake City. Yeah. That's 02. We win gold. That's our first gold in, I think, 50 years. Yeah.

So it's a good one. Well, we're going to hope lightning strikes twice here and that we win gold again in Italy because those Olympics start on Friday. So you're right, it's this time period, 2002. And on our way out, I just want to say, Michelle, thank you for your time here and for telling us a little more about Andrew Crystal and your relationship with him.

I'm going to read you a note that came in when I promoted on Blue Sky that you were coming on. I know you're not on social media, but Debs just said, sometimes she feels that Alan Carter, who is on City News, He's channeling Andrew Crystal, and it always makes her smile. She's very much looking forward to this show.

So your husband has not been forgotten. Well, thank you so much for having me on. And again, next time you throw a party in Gravenhurst, maybe at the new development, if it's a New Year's party, I want an invitation. Yes. We'll do. Thank you again. Thank you. Nobody really called him anything anymore.

You have his son. Up north somewhere now, a long time ago. Carl knew this might be his last night on the street, his body told him. Only thing really that talked to him now is body. Funny almost. He wasn't sure that this would be his last night, but it was scary now,

although it was tough to get scared now after all that. But all car. Carl felt this February night was tiredness. Real tiredness. He couldn't feel the concrete. Too tired. Carl closed his leather eyes over his face. His worn face, his mask of sadness that only had the same mask of hopeless, sad, and lonely fear underneath it.

He was married once. Carl remembered that. Before he closed his eyes for the last time, there was a cake. He remembered there was a cake. In the morning, the police wouldn't know his name. Carl, his name was Carl. When they pile the bodies of the homeless up like cordwood and nobody gives a damn, when politicians call for criminalizing the homeless and instead of jailing themselves

for not outlawing their own fat cat criminal insensitivity, maybe it is time to cover your ass. Tonight on Cover Your Ass, let's beat up. the homeless. They're not real people anyway, are there? Throughout urban Canada, too many communities turn their backs on those who are struggling. Some neighborhoods even have zoning bylaws, prohibiting emergency shelters. Not in my backyard, they say, and why should this be surprising? Not in my backyard neighborhoods are just taking their lead from the federal and the majority of provincial governments tonight. The homelessness question and insensitive remarks by disgusting politicians

who would like to criminalize homelessness. Jack Layton. City counselor on the line from Vancouver and your phone calls at 416-870-6400 star 640 in your cell phone. And at 8, it's hockey action. Maybe the last time to voice on the Leafs. Well, the second coming here to Leafs Team Canada are the next best thing to the Leafs.

It's all coming ahead. Cover your ass Prime Time with yours, truly Andrew Crystal, on the world's first and only talk radio station for guys. the all-new AM-640. The Leafs are on Mojo. The Leafs are on Mojo Radio, the all-new AM-640. The Leaves are on Mojo Radio,

the all-new AM-640. When you hear the Leafs, think Mojo Radio, the all-new AM-640. The Leafs are on Mojo Radio, the all-new AM-640. The Leats are on Mojo Radio, the all-new AM-640.

Catch the Leafs next game after the Olympics. February 26th against the hurricanes. I'm Mike Strollo. I write stories about this great city and its people. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Take what's going on in the world and find the heart and soul of the story. Sometimes people are just looking for somebody to talk to

and it's amazing how willing people are to talk if you just listen. I'm trying to get my readers so they're sitting right there talking to the people with me. Life is as important as what's going on in the headlines. Here comes a laugh. Here comes a tear. Pick up the Toronto Sun today. This is Dave, Ontario Toyota dealer, and brand new dad. And I'm telling my new son about our big icebreaker event.

Can you say icebreaker? Yes, you can. We've got Pudges financing as low as 0.9% on select models, which is as little as these tiny toes. The vehicle vroom, vroom, dole all the way home. It ends soon, so hurry in, see your paper for details. Is your daddy in Ontario, Toyota dealer? Real people selling great cars?

Yes, he is. Yes, he is. You like Mojo, you hate Mojo, got a comment, let us know. Shoot the shit at 416-H701111 from Talk Radio for Guys, Mojo Radio, the all-new AM-640. You're listening to Cover Your Ass with Andrew Crystal on Talk Radio for Guys, Mojo Radio, the all-new AM-640. One homeless person dies on the streets every six days in Toronto. I'm thinking about this homeless issue in light of the remarks Flaherty made. Conservative leadership candidate Jim Flaherty wants to eliminate homelessness by making it a crime.

And I don't think that there is a bigger cover your ass scenario than homelessness, but for the grace of God go thee. Most people treat dogs and pets better than they do their own kind, as we've seen. and city councilor Jack Layton is on the line from Vancouver and Jack, welcome to the program. We've got you there, Jack Layton. Yes, you do. I hope you can hear me. Yes, I can hear you loud and clear.

Good. And I wanted to remind people as well at 8 o'clock, my psychological version of the leaves is Team Canada. They've got the maple leaf on them, and I'm cheering for hockey, but I'm such an veteran leaf fan that I just can't disassociate leafness from my cheering for Teen Canada. So we will be talking about the greatest thing of offering of our hockey nation, Team Canada in hour two. And I will have a special guest come by in hour two. So it's a put up or shut up night in hour two.

You must get it said. If we lose to Finland, I think the world will stop. Now, one world that hasn't stopped for Jack Layton is defending the underdog. One of the city's most deciduous counselor, for looking up for the little guy is Jack Layton. And I wondered what you thought, Jack.

You're also the author of Homelessness, The Making and Unmaking of a Crisis, what you thought of Flaherty's remarks about criminalizing homelessness a few days ago. Well, I wasn't all that, frankly, at least he was articulating what he felt. And, you know, we know where the guy's stand, it's certainly not where I think a person should or could stand if they'd ever spend any time

getting a no homeless people and how they got there and their stories and what wonderful people they are really and the backgrounds that they've had are so troubled and and and there's a different pathway to homelessness for everybody there and you made the comment earlier on you know there but for the grace of higher powers go I and there's no question about it when you hear the stories. The idea that because you don't have a place to live, you ought to be called a criminal. That's like saying that the poor ought to be criminals, because with a full-time minimum wage job in Toronto today, you'd take home about $1,000, well, is pretty well-nigh-impossible to find a vacant apartment for a thousand dollars. So if you're a single person with a kid or two,

or for that matter, I guess a couple can make it. only barely. We'd got two to 300,000 households in Toronto now paying more than 50% of their income in rent, and believe me, they could be homeless at the end of any month if they had a personal crisis come up. I mean, this one woman who ended up in the shelter system with her daughter, she was trying to get her daughter into university. It was George Brown, and the question was, at the end of the month, do I pay my daughter's tuition, or do I fall short of my rent and hope I can piece it together in a couple of weeks. Well, she ended up being evicted five days after she met her rent payment and ended up an homeless shelter. So, you know, is she a criminal? I wouldn't

think so. She decided to try and put her kid first. There are lots of stories like that. There's also stories of people with illnesses, people we used to take better care of in times gone by, but now they're supposed to fend for themselves, and whether they're dealing with schizophrenia or depression. I I mean, how could you not be depressed of being, you know, without a home? And therefore having to have medication and what have you and try to get your life together. I had one homeless guy say to me, quote him in the book, when he finally got into some affordable housing, which, by the way, is the solution to this problem along with some other supports to help people out. He said, you know, I've fallen into addictions due to my depression and whatever.

And he said, how can you get started on the road back if you haven't got a roof over your head? Pretty wise advice. And I think Mr. Flaherty would be well advised. The government certainly desperately needs to look at building affordable housing, as well as bringing some kind of sanity to the rent laws of this province. Okay, now what, okay, the thinking was getting rid of rent control was that this would help developers, which would create market forces that would make it better for big business, better for developers,

and that competitiveness alone would create a marketplace that would regulate itself. You see, there's two lies here. When big business screws up, it's the first person to go with its hand out to the taxpayer. First, it's the first weasel up to the trough. When it's doing well, I want the government to screw off. And the trickle-down economic theory of, you know,

getting rid of rent control, I don't, has it seen a grow, I see condos all over the place, But where's the affordable housing, Jack Layton? Well, it just plain hasn't been built, and you've popped a needle into that balloon of the mythology of the trickle-down and so on. It was the argument that was given at the time by the companies that own these rental units by the thousands and tens of thousands.

They said, oh, yeah, get rid of rain controls and we'll start building. Well, the moment that was done, then they said, okay, but now we need you to get rid of the GST on rental housing. So then that was done. They said, well, now we need you to get rid of the development fees in rental housing. Okay, so that was done. Then he said, now we need you to lower property tax. He said, wait, wait a second, you guys. You know, it's just like you said. And they're not building the affordable rental. And now I'm glad to say that some of them have been courageous enough, I guess, in their industry to come forward and say, actually the truth is that people who are only earning six or $700 a month or even $1,000 a month,

we can't build a housing unit that would house those people because the most of the mortgages and construction costs and the profits that would be involved take the prices up over and over and above that. And they're building condos, yes. And some of those do get rented out, but at high rents. And the result is that we're not getting the lower income housing. And finally, some of them have come out and said, actually, all along, we did need government to build some of the very low-income housing. You know, for seniors, for low-income families, the kind of mixed projects that you see down in St. Lawrence, co-ops, nonprofits. They used to win us awards in Canada. People used to come from all around the world to see our housing programs, but starting

with Chancred Chan, they canceled them in 93, and for a few years they didn't notice much difference, but by the time seven or eight years have passed, you just can't find affordable housing anymore. And meanwhile, the rent control scheme that was supposed to be the panacea turned out to be a terrible thing. It is transferred approximately 100,000. billion dollars worth of $1,000,850 million worth of value to the landlord owners, the rental apartment owners from the tenants in Toronto

in the first two years of its operation. I mean, it's a huge transfer of wealth from people on the lower end to people on the upper end with nothing to show for it in terms of more housing. That's the problem. You're listening to Mojo Radio, the world's first and only talk radio station for guys, as the all-new AM 640 on the line from Vancouver is a Toronto counselor Jack Layton.

He's the author of homelessness, the making and unmaking of a crisis, a fighter for the little guy. Do you think that my question that I'm posing an hour one tonight, I'll cover your ass prime time, do you think the homeless should be jailed? Do you think that we should criminalize homelessness? I mean, Flaherty is playing to, you know, he thought about this, I'm sure before he did it. and I'm giving him as much credit as I possibly can here. But do we, we don't have a national housing policy, do we? And the feds are just as much responsible for this as the,

just as responsible as the Tories. Well, that's right, Andrew. And, you know, one comment just on Flaherty's remarks. He said, oh, well, down in New York, they made homelessness a crime and people got off the streets. You know, hats off to Mel Lastman, who surprised me a bit in the strength of his reaction, because he went down and talked to Mayor Giuliani,

and the mayor said to Mel, which was what we knew to have in the case, he says, well, when we made it illegal, we thought we were doing the right thing. But what we ended up finding was that these people were hiding, then they were hiding away in back lanes and dumpsters and the hidden away in sewers and in the transit system. And we were finding them dead. And we decided that what we needed to do was build more affordable housing, which they're now doing in New York, unlike in Ontario, and get them more help. We needed to give these people help. They were clearly lost souls, difficult situations, and extremely poor, and we needed to help them with a combination of a roof over their head

and some people who could help connect them with housing and training and medication and all the various things they needed. So they wouldn't spend their whole life being hauled into emergency wards, which you and I have to pay for, let alone the misery they experience. and they get them back, get them back into a more sustainable scenario. And they're doing that much better in New York, far from ideal. Because they're getting help from the federal government and the state government there. You're listening to Mojo Radio, the world's first and only talk radio station for guys, the all-new AM 640.

Paul is on the line from Toronto. Say hi to Jack Layton in City Council for Toronto in Vancouver. Go ahead. Go ahead. Hey, sir. How are you? Good. Good.

Thank you for taking my call. Just a quick question. Are you familiar with the Depp Foundation? The Step Foundation, S-C-E-P-S. I think so. I think there's a couple of different step programs. I want to be sure I've got the right one. The one that was based in Houston Tech is now in Atlanta, Georgia, et cetera. My question to you, I appreciate all that you're doing,

and I certainly share your attention that we implore this sentiment. I share your position and commitment to helping and elevating the question of the people. One thing that can turn to me is that it, it's neither an either or sentiment at the both hand. Can you speak to the issue of helping people up out of the gutter, but helping little people become self-pathaining? I know, but some of them, some of them can't be. I mean, let's face it. I mean, the whole light, from a scientific rationalist perspective, we're not all created equal. We're only created equal under the law. That antecedent is religious, and we're a post-Judeic, post-Christian society now,

where God formally, our interpretation of what God is, has less involvement in the state. But so our whole, we have two things going. We've got this rational argument going of consumerism, and we've got this spiritual argument going, which has lost its spiritual value, which is supported by the law that all men are equal. And I think that, you know, whether you believe in God or not, and I have mixed feelings about it, you know, the right values are expressed certainly by the great religions, and we're showing ourselves to be a godless, satanic, evil, cold-hearted, bastard state. When you get weasels like Flaherty, making comments like this about the homeless,

I mean, who is he talking to? These Harris Tories, I don't know what, what hole that these monkeys crawled out of? What cesspool of discontent? I've never, I've never, it's shocking to me. Where have we gone from the Trudeau Just Society? How far have we gone away from that, Jack?

What about, what about, what about putting, empowering it, and I don't want to launch off into this discussion of U.S. political movement, but what about the state-based movement where we empower those organizations to have got a long history of commitment to social justice? Well, the U.S.S. You know what are U.S.? The U.S.S. commitment to guns?

What social justice in America? David, the middle class has been squeezed. The big years of American glory were when the middle class was at its zenith, and we didn't have so many millionaires. Did you know that? Forty-five to 65. Is Captain Leightonwright to have a chance to Roston?

Well, actually, Andrew's raising an important point, and if you look at the cold hard statistical information, it's quite scary to see what's happening in the cities all across North America, and we're a part of it, even though we proclaim to have a somewhat different value system. And that is that the bottom third of the population is actually losing its purchasing power and ability to get by. It's not a question of just getting less of growth. It's actually, in an absolute sense losing out and the bottom tenth is losing the most. And the top third is gaining. The middle is hanging on by their fingernails.

And we are ending up with this sort of polarization. And so one of the things that happens is if you're working away with some people who are homeless, they're in a shelter, you connect them with job programs and what have you, but then they go and get a full-time job at a minimum wage, assuming they can even get full-time. These days they offer jobs at minimum wage on a part-time basis. usually to avoid having to pay for the benefits that would help you get through rough times. And then you can't piece together enough income to get housing unless you double up or triple up.

Now, people can say, well, wait a minute. You know, when our grandparents came to Canada, they had to double up. I thought we'd gone a little bit of a distance from that. And, of course, they were able to build up at least some ownership, you know, in their home and whatever, and became their legacy and their retirement protection. and all of that is disappearing for hundreds of thousands of people in our community. And I look now at the senior women who worked all their lives in the laundry at the hotel or whatever, minimum wage or just a little bit more.

And with virtually no pension at the end of the day and a government pension of $8 or $900, they got nowhere to live. I mean, there's no seniors housing being built for these people who built our country. and instead stereotypical notions of the homeless are put out there by people like Flaherty suggesting that somehow people like this could be criminals. It really is shocking. Well, it would be nice if we could legislate bad things away

like we could legislate ignorance and insensitivity and a lack of education or just people that don't want to have a heart. It would be nice to educate. But here's some other issues about homelessness. If you don't care about these guys, if you would drive over a frozen body in your SUV, Listen to this. We've got tuberculosis back on the streets in Vancouver.

If we don't look after the homeland. And Toronto. Well, you know, this will come to eat away at the corpus of not just the body politic, but our own bodies. You're listening to Mojo Radio, the world's first and only talk radio station for guys, the all-new AM 640. Holdlessness is the topic. Should we jail them, shoot them, get rid of them by legislation, or should we criminalize insensitive politics? decisions. Mojo Radio, the world's first and only talk radio station for guys, the all-new AM-640 counselor Jack Layton on the line from Vancouver. This is Andrew Crystal, and this is Cover Your

Ass Prime Time, back in a minute with your calls. You're listening to Cover Your Ass with Andrew Crystal on Talk Radio for Guys Mojo Radio, the all-new AM-640. To reach the show, dial 870-6400 or Star 640 on your cell phone. To email the studio, type on air at mojo dot com B Cree A Mojo Radio reminds you There are no chicks in jail

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Restrictions apply participation varies. Ripkin, middays from 10 to 1. Talk radio for guys. Mojo Radio, the all-new AM 640. Now remember, at 8 o'clock, it could be, it could be that we're talking about the eve of maybe Canada's last game. Hopefully not, but this is the greatest talking nation. Hey, this could be your last chance to put up or shut up with your opinions on Team Canada.

The stories within stories. Lemieux, Quinn, some of the guys with their plus minus, as you'd be surprised, also I've got a special guest hour two. Special guests. And without that guest, Team Canada wouldn't be the same. So we'll have that for hour or two. Right now, very pleased to have Jack Layton. I don't have you for too much longer, Mr. Layton.

Jack Layton is a prominent city counselor, the author of homelessness, the making and unmaking of a crisis. He is currently in Vancouver. Quickly, what are you doing in Vancouver, Jack? Well, we're at meetings here on how to make our cities more sustainable places, those environmentally and socially. So homelessness has come up numerous times, and we're calling for a national urban strategy. We're one of the few countries in the world, especially of the G7, the G20, the G-whatever, that that doesn't have an urban strategy. Our national government has tended to say, well,

that's the responsibility of the provinces. And, of course, the provinces are just to walk away from most urban issues these days. I can speak from experience in Ontario. And, of course, they've just come down with a budget here in BC that's very similar. So our cities are sitting there struggling a little bit, and we're sharing ideas on how to be optimistic.

Oh, I've got Paul on the line from at Richmond Hill. You're live on Mojo Radio, the world's first and only jock radio station for guys the all new AM 640. Please address my guest, Paul. Oh, good evening, and thanks picking the call. I'm one of those harif torres that was just attacked by Andrew and his little diatriar for the break.

I'd like to offer up a couple of comments from the productive sector that pays the attack, the support all of the left-wing clever little ideas that come up within their study fashion. I don't believe that if for a moment you accept the argument that it facades, role to house people who have no housing otherwise, why do we have to have it in the most expenses to the in Canada? If we are going to house people, why do they come to the most incentives center if we're going to house them when they're not working anyway? Why in Toronto? Can't it be in a cheaper place? That's one argument. The other is, I don't want.

I'm going to keep you on the line here. I'm not going to hang out for you just because you're on the side of the devil. Go ahead. Jack, respond to Paul's from Richmond Hill's first assertion. Yes, well, Andrew's remarks, we're rather extraordinarily blunt. That is true. We don't even use words like that on Titty-Calphal. But I do want to say that the whole question of a community housing its people is, I think, something we need to think about as a goal.

I mean, I think that we would all want to think that we would live in a community that would ensure that everybody had a roof over their head. a senior citizen who's worked all their lives and can't afford an apartment in Toronto. Now, you ask a very interesting question, which is what about having some of the housing, at least, in other parts of the country. I would support that. And in fact, an awful lot of people would like to be able to go back home and get some support to get their lives back together and what have you. And we have a lot of programs trying to encourage that, because, frankly, it saves everybody money and it's a lot more meaningful for the person. And that's why

at the Federation of Canadian municipalities, we've said that we want all communities across the country to be able to build some of this affordable housing. At the end of the day, it'll be, it'll be, let's think, Benzile. I have to stop you. I have to stop you. We're going to go to a break, but I'm going to put Paul, the Harris supporter,

from Richmond Hill on hold. We're going to go back to Paul. We're going to go back to Jack Layton briefly, because I know he can't stay much longer. We're going to go to break. Come back with your calls. This is Kirby Rouse, Brime, I'm on Mojo Radio. Keyes a night.

I got the feeling of something right. I'm just scared and kiss out. Hi everyone, okay, it's time for another in our series of Mojo Radio's scary facts. These are facts that are kind of scary. Okay, let's listen. Tiger Shrel, sometimes attack and eat dolphin. Go my stars, that's scary. Those poor dolphin, women should try and help them.

Those tiger sharks are just bullying them. This is Tiger Radio for Guys. Mojo Radio. The all new, A.N. 640. Mojo Info. On SportsNet, Ontario, I'm Cam Stewart. The Canadian ladies guaranteed no worse than silver in hockey. Down 3 to 2, the girls rallied with 5 unanswered to hammer the Finns 7 to 3 in the semis. The women will now meet the winner of the U.S. Sweden semifinal. That's on right now. The Americans up 3-0 in the second period.

The men enjoying the day off before beating the Finns in tomorrow night's quarters. Wayne Gretzky knows what he's going to be up against, against a feisty Finn's team. Their biggest quality is they work hard. They may not have the depth or the talent that the Russians or the Czechs or the U.S. may have, but their work ethic really is up there with any team in this event. The puck drops at 10 o'clock and a late start, a close shave with the Canadians and the men's aerials. Jeff Bean just missing out with the podium. He finished four.

Connect cross-crunchy skier Sarah Renner and bronze medalist Becky Scott have failed to qualify in the 1.K. Jennifer Robertson representing Canada and her first Olympics tonight, she's going to skate in the short program. They don't want Mike Tyson in Vegas, but the Capitol says he's a lot. all right. The DC Boxing and Wrestling Federation voting three to nothing in favor of granting Iron Mike a license to fight and a huge seven-player deal in the NBA saw the Bulls and Pacers trading top scores. Jalen Rose, Travis Best, and Norm Richardson, they go to the Bulls, while Brad Miller, Ron Mercer, Ron Artesse, and Kevin Alley are now Indiana Pacers. For more scores,

catch SportsCentral tonight at 10 on SportsNet, Ontario. This is it, the year 1 AD after death. This is the era of digital audio broadcasting. You get your favorite station with CD, quality sound, a display per song credits, weather, and traffic information, and some incredible DAB exclusive programming. This spring, you'll find a wide selection of DAB radios at RadioShap. To find out more, check out digital radio.ca. Humble and Fred, weekdays from 530 to 9 a.m. On Talk Radio for Guys, Mojo Radio, the all-new AM 640. You're listening to Cover Your Ass with Andrew Crystal on Talk Radio for Guys, Mojo Radio, The All New AM 640

This is Mojo Radio The World's First and Only Jack Radio Station for guys The all new AM 640 Your Australian intercrystal with you Homelessness is our topic An hour one and hour two Team Canada

Want to keep wanting to call them the Leafs Because I'm so leaf-like When I cheer for them I got a blue and white tattooed to my soul But it's red and white Talk tonight Getting ready for the game Against Finland tomorrow

right now, Jack Layton, city councilor on the line from Vancouver, or he's attending a conference on city wealth and health. The big disease is homelessness. We have Paul, who is a Richmond Hill dweller, calling for Richmond Hill anyway. In his heart, he dwells in the sewer as he is a Harris supporter. Your comments, Paul, where why do homeless people come to Toronto?

Because it's more expensive to come here. So they come to the most expensive city, and they need social assistance. They should go to a cheaper place. The problem is that if you don't have a car, you can't live in Mrs. Sausage. We can't put these people in Mrs. Sausage at square one. Sorry, they're coming to Toronto because this is where the services are. Your thoughts, Jack Layton.

Well, you made a good point. It is where the services are. Most people come to Toronto not to become homeless and hang out in the shelters. I mean, anybody who stayed in one of these shelters knows that it's tough. And in the out-of-the-cold programs, which are the shelters of last resort, These folks are shoulder by shoulder with blankets over them on the, you know, one-inch mats. It's with strangers coughing around them, some of them with TB. It's frankly pretty scary.

So nobody's really choosing this, but they end up here. They may have come to Toronto to try and find work. A lot of people do that. But wasn't Jesus Christ a marginalized hippie wanderer? Wasn't he like a smelly guy walking around with robes on? He was not a consumer. He had no money. He was heretically preaching

what was viewed as a Judaic sect. Yeah, but if I can just butt in for a second here, Andrew, I mean, the difference between Jesus and the homeless people in Toronto is there was no government agency deporting Jesus and the people who believed in him. No kidding. Harris, Brett.

Harris is crucifying the homeless now. Hey, the feds, the feds bad, too. Kurt, I'm tired of you guys. making comments, like I am going to avoid making any kind of personal attacks on you or whatever your political bleep. Oh, Gary, go ahead. What's second point? Hey, what's your second point?

My second point is the market plate is what drives the world. And for long as we have an expensive marketplace in Toronto because of what is going on here, you're going to have higher costs. I know, but it's a fallacy to say that the economic system will look after itself. Look at the U.S. free trade. Yeah, but they screw us on our softwood. Softwood lobby. It's a minor issue.

Oh, yes, sure. It's not a minor issue. The potty thousand woodwork is out of work right now because of that fop woodlumber style to you. That's more people in the high tech sector with job. And those who've dropped at a higher level. So what's the economy? My own point is, is that, are you living in a house with some wood in it?

We've got to start to look a little bit less at our own narrow sector and start thinking like a community. I'm suggesting we be realistic. And I think it unrealistic for the huge, as certain magazines like Frank refer to them, the chattering classes, to go on and on and on about the things society should do when they're, if you added all of that up,

they're quite dinkly not enough wealth to do all the good that everybody demands of a government. If we took one percent of what the world spends on arms, we could eliminate completely all deaths of children due to what... Excuse me. I'm chattering. right now, to use your word. We could eliminate all deaths of children, as right now,

five million a day that die due to bad water, and 10 million a day that died due to inadequate food. One percent of the world's money spent on arms could address that. We have the money. That's not the issue. It's a question of whether we as a society work together to make sure that everybody has things met or whether we're going to focus simply on ourselves. I think we have to have a balance of the two. And we've filtered that balance. completely in the wrong direction lately, and we can see some of the consequences out there. Andrew, I am sorry to have to find off. I know you'll have an enthusiastic discussion with Paul there on the line. I have to sign off back to what's going on here, and thank you for taking the time to

look into the issue. I appreciate that, and I'm going to continue with Paul from Richmond Hill, and I will get to Earl and Bert in a moment. Thank you for joining me. Jack Layton, you're a god. Good man, he's a hero. He fights. You know, it's so easy for the easy. guys in this level to just take big checks and to be corporate ass lickers. But he's never done that. Now listen, Paul from Richmond Hill, the market does not look after itself. This idea that the free market, well, this is, the United States lives in a mixed economy. That's a total fallacy. And as soon as we have an economic advantage like in softwood lumber, they get the government to go in and screw us. So it's squaring to me, hey, you know, who goes, who goes for the handout

every time you're a moron. Who goes for the handout every time there's a problem? Big business. Absolutely. Earl and Atavico, your life. Good evening. Welcome to Mojo Radio. Go ahead. Thank you. I noticed Jack Layton did occur to debate Jim Flaherty on where they each have equal time and they each given a chance to answer. He's great at making pronouncees and criticizing people. I don't see him so hot in debate. Well, Flaherty, what do you think of Flaherty's comments? Now look, I haven't let any or you. I do. Go ahead, Earl.

I'll shut up. You talk. Thank you. Um, Flaherty is pointing out that you can't solve the homeless problem in Toronto with money, because that's not problem. If you listen to Jack Layton, he wants massive government program. By he, by the time he spends all those billions of dollars, more people are to be thrown out of their homes than get put into home. But you got to understand it's the way.

The pie is cut up. He's not saying tax more. Look, look at the gas tax that we have. We are being taxed to death. No, that's not true. But we're not allocating our money. What, we're not being taxed to death in this country? Taxes are certainly higher than we wish they were. And we're getting laid for a lot.

You can't crumb more money into the Toronto market. One-a-lasting money. Because you fighters will just go up. You're not giving the money to the homeless. You're giving the money to rich liberal developers. Go out money you get them, the more they'll cake, but you won't get any more houses and you won't get any people off the street.

Rising Rants, okay, this is from Jack's book, Homelessness, the making and I'm making of a crisis. If you're just tuned to in, we're talking homelessness, hour one, hour two, of course, Teen Canada Mojo Radio, the world's first and only talk radio station for guys. You all knew AM 640. His book says, Rising Rants,

in combination with falling incomes for so many Canadians, are driving forces behind homelessness and the affordability crisis. And if you take, take a look at the stats showing what, what percentage of your income went to your car, what percentage of your income went to your home. There's a squeeze going on here. Okay, I got to kill him. Are we, we're just moving, we're just moving, moving along here.

We're just moving along here. Okay, I'm going to go to Peter and Mrs. Saga. Go ahead. Why are you guys doing today? Excellent, man. Actually, put us up with the last guy I had to say, if I do, Ray, for a lot of the stuff that did happen, didn't. By the way, I welcome heated debate. I certainly welcome heated debate, but... The former government employee, I thought where a lot of the spending was going, a lot of weighted money. Sure, but...

And if parent hadn't come in when he did, this province would be in a lot worse shape than we are now. Bob Ray was handing out money left front-centered to anybody and everybody who had dumped the politics. Okay, let me just say this. Let me just say it. Okay, I'm going to continue with you. I'm going to say this and then you can respond, Peter. Okay, Bob Ray, first of all, didn't govern like an NDP or he governed like a liberal because there was no dough to be a socialist when he came in. Number two, there was a crisis when Ontario came in. Bob Nixon, the liberal, we had bogus books.

Remember that deal? You know, okay, the Ontario liberals, they were hiding a whole bunch of stuff. It was a disaster. When Ray got in, it was a worse nightmare than he thought. I'm not a knee-jerk liberal here. And the federal government has done not enough for the city. No question about that. Well, the point is, is that Harris didn't adjust his strategy going in. We went into the biggest economic boom that this, that this province and country had ever had. And we have too many

social issues with an economy that still didn't go into recession technically. We have more money around than we've ever had. We still have the GST. We still have the damn casinos. They're not going to go away. And the thing is we have, we have more millionaires in North America than we've ever had. And this issue of corporate concentration, where the rich get richer, the middle class gets squeezed, and people get thrown out on the streets is just wrong. It's wrong. And it's unhealthy to have these petri dishes of disease known as the homelessness floating around on our streets. There are always going to be schizophrenics in our society until we start playing God better and controlling things with genetic engineering. There are always going to be people who are marginalized emotionally.

Do you know that we've been eating like fermented fruit or whatever since, I don't know, about two million years they found shells and, you know, bowls with rotten grapes in it? I mean, we've been getting high for years. It's part of the human system. We spend most of our energies try to emotionally alter ourselves. So there are going to be people with emotional problems. They turn to drugs and may be out on the street. This is part of humanity, but... I know it is, and I know it is.

But at the same time also, you've got a lot of them out there where I'll care by Choi. See, this is dealing with a lot of the younger people who turn around and say, well, you know what? I can't live with my parents. I want to be out on the street because I don't want to live by their... It's really horrible. It's...

But it's played by their rule. Well, you know what? Unfortunately, until you're in... 18, you have to stay in your parent, you should be in your parent's home and abide by the rule. If not, go out, get yourself a job. I agree with and buy for yourself. And plot, hell is coming in at the time when he did. Like I said, the whole thing is, things always have, it goes back to the old adage,

things have to get worse before they'll get better. If we had let anything get word. Peter, we can't let people die. I know what you're saying, but we can't let people die on the streets. You know that. They are, but they are. They are. And you live on Mrs. Sausage.

You live in Mrs. Sausage. I have to walk over. You live in Mrs. Sausage. I have to walk over them. 870-6400 star 640 in your cell phone or 870 Mojo. This is Mojo Radio, the world's first and only talk radio station for guys. The all-new AM 640. I've got a special guest at the top of the hour.

And it's all about Team Canada, the red and white. They're not the Leafs. It's Team Canada. But it's, we don't have the leaf now. This is all we have to cheer for. And we only get it every four years. So I want your opinions, Toronto. I want to talk hockey from eight to nine.

But right now it's holl us us through the job of the hour. Where to die in the lambs? Gonna go to the place that's... We're to lay the down to back. Going up to steer instead. Mojo Radio present. the Pearlies Classic Car Collection, a salute to American Performance, the classic car collection at the Auto Show, featuring a 1962 Fuley Corvette,

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With our renovation funding program, you can get a variable rate mortgage starting at 1.9% or combine your other debts into one low-interest renovation loan, even with little or no equity. That's we renovate.com or call 416-367-8370. Oh, yes, didn't my hall then I'll be here serving you. It's over. Another one in the books for the hometown team.

Yet somehow something's missing. No matter, the armchair athlete's postgame routine is set. Cool down, replenish fluids, then channel all that emotion. Hello, you crazy kids. I'm Mike Dolph along with Jamie Campbell. A concise wrap-up, beginning with highlights, interviews, and analysis of Leafs, Rappers, and Rock Games. Sports Central, your team first to TED. Seven nights a week on Roger Sports in Ontario.

Be there. And now, the business of sports, only on talk radio for guys. Mojo Radio, the all new AM 640. I'm Bruce Parker with the business of sports. Well, so far in these Winter Olympic Games, it looks like the ones who are going to cash in are Jamie Saleh and David Pellier. Yeah, they got ripped off on the ice, but you know, the hearts of Canadians are wet-them and advertisers will line up big time

to sign these two for endorsement deals. Saleh, planned and simply, is a hottie. In fact, she's in my top three Olympic hoddies, along with Katrina Le Maidone and Shailin Bourne. Just wait for all the post-liquic commercials to come out. Forget Brittany or any supermodel de jour. You're going to see a lot of Saleh and Kelchie over the next few months. Sorry, Jose Schwinnard.

There's a new queen of the ice both in figure and speed skating. Oh, do I love our Canadian girls? Business of sports. Only at Talk Radio for Guys. Mojo Radio, the all-new AM-640. The home of the NHL in Canada. Talk Radio for Guys. Mojo Radio, the all-new AM-640.

Pick up your official don't drink and drive, no chicks in jail window decal, all Mojo events and appearances. Slap it on your car and remember, don't drink and drive. There are no chicks in jail. Only from Talk Radio for Guys, Mojo Radio, the all-new AM 640. This is Mojo Radio. The world's first and only talk radio station for guys, the all-new AM-640. He's given you the rules. You won't have got to able to run this bed. There's what you gotta do.

They got to go. We pile the bodies up like cordwood in the wintertime. They are called the homeless. Should we jail them? That's what Flaherty wants. Go to the phone lines now. Bert and Toronto are live on Mojo Radio, the World's First and Only talk radio station for guys.

The Only Lamb 640. Hello. Hi, Andrew. Love your show. Cover your app. Thanks. Thanks, my. I love doing it. Listen, it's a real privilege to be on the air. I appreciate each and every moment. And that brings us to the end of our 1,843rd show.

Go to TorontoMike.com for all your Toronto Mike needs. Much love to all who made this possible. Again, that is Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Nick Iienis, Recycle My Electronics. and Ridley Funeral Home. See you all Friday when my special guest, live in the TMDS basement studio. It's Tara Sloan.