All In A Day
with Alan Neal

Today, the Veterans Ombudsman warned that there isn't enough financial support to help aging veterans maintain an adequate standard of living. That's one of the deficiencies highlighted in Guy Parent's analysis of the federal government's New Veterans Charter. Parent also points out that vocational rehabilitation programs for wounded vets under 65 are lacking, and families who care for wounded soldiers face too many hardships.

The New Veteran's Charter came into effect in 2006. Under the Charter many injured and disabled soldiers transitioning to civilian life receive a one-time lump sum and other benefits. (Prior to the charter they received a life-long pension.) Last week in anticipation of the ombudsman's report, Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino, announced the government would review the charter in a House of Commons committee this year. Ombudsman Guy Parent joined us in studio with more on changes he'd like to see.

Manotick's Brad Fritsch headed into the Web.com Tour Championship with his PGA Tour full-time status on the line. But thanks to nine birdies, he shot 4-under-par-66...finishing tied for second place -- which ranked him high enough in the web.com playoffs to keep that coveted PGA Tour card. We reached Brad Fritsch by phone in Atlanta, Georgia.

What would a sitcom based in Ottawa look like? Who would be the characters? What situations would they find themselves in? What neighbourhoods?

We want you to pitch us an idea for an Ottawa (or Valley, or Gatineau, or general National-Capital-Region) sitcom, something that finds the funny in the 613. And why do we want you to do this?

Well, this week the Canadian Comedy Awards & Festival is taking place right here in Ottawa, bringing with it the best comics and comic writers and performers from across the country. We're devoting Friday's show to the festival, where we'll chat with many of the nominees. And we want you in studio while we do it. Not only that, but we want to send you to a night at the festival too.

So, to win tickets to our special show AND one night at the festival, email us, in 250 words or less, your pitch for an 613-based sitcom. You've got 'til Wednesday.

"Everything matters. The Universe is approximately fifteen billion years old, and I swear that in all that time, nothing has ever happened that has not mattered, has not contributed in some way to the totality." So says argumentative Scot Professor Roberta Burns in Robertson Davies' The Rebel Angels, which examines the life of academics at the fictional College of St. John and Holy Ghost -- academics who delve into everything from religion to psychology to... excrement.

And that concept, that everything matters, is the basis of the Robertson Davies Lecture at Kingston Writersfest this weekend. Alberto Manguel will be delivering the lecture, and he gave us a preview.