When we think of Stratford, we think of a charming Ontario town with beautiful parks, world renowned theatre productions, and one of the world’s biggest pop stars.

But the town that has seen actors like Sir Alec Guinness, Maggie Smith, and Christopher Plummer grace its stages, also had a dark side.

Like many Canadian towns and cities, it has its share of addiction issues. And in the mid-2000’s, it found itself in the throes of a serious methamphetamine problem.

In fact, according to the RCMP, two-thirds of the meth labs that were busted in Ontario in 2005 were in the Stratford area.

The drug trafficking scene can attract violent people and sometimes people get seriously hurt, or worse.

That’s what happened to Derek Ritz, who has been missing since New Year's Day of 2017.

On this episode of the 519 Podcast, we look into the disappearance of Derek Ritz, or as most knew him, Ritzy, and talk about what needs to be done to bring this case to a close.

55 years ago, marches were held in four U.S. cities – New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco.

These marches were held one year after the Stonewall riots, and in many ways, could be considered the very first Pride parades.

The Stonewall riots of 1969 were a watershed moment for the gay rights movement, which later evolved to include members of other persecuted sexual minorities and became the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

And now, every June, we mark Pride Month.

But 55 years into what we might call the Pride movement, we have to ask the question….are the gains that have been made in those 55 years bring stripped away by renewed levels of homophobia and transphobia?

On this episode of the 519 Podcast, we take a look at Pride, how far we’ve come, and how far we still need to go, as we talk to Pride leaders, and victims of homophobic crimes.

Children go missing far more than the average Canadian might think, and finding them can require the help of the surrounding community, province, and beyond.

But, in some cases, the searches come to an end and there’s no resolution for families whose loved ones have disappeared.

It was 30 years ago this month that Mistie Murray of Goderich disappeared, and she has never been found.

While there have been reported sightings of a young woman that some believe was Mistie, police decided that she had been murdered. And that determination led to a trial that devastated a family, and cast suspicion upon her adoptive father, who was later acquitted of murder.

On this episode of the 519 Podcast, we take a look at the case of Mistie Murray, the legal drama that followed, and where things stand today, 30 years after she vanished.

This episode is written and produced by Patrick Magermans, and hosted by Scott Kitching and Adelle Loiselle.

To learn more about missing children in Canada, go to www.missingkids.ca

When it comes to elections, there are battles for votes, and there are battles for information. Candidates hope that their messages will resonate with voters more than those of their opponents.

And that battle is made all the more difficult for voters when information is mixed with misinformation.

Misinformation can come from other countries, but sometimes, misinformation is produced within our own borders by partisan third party groups that use social media to spread lies.

On this episode of The 519 Podcast, we take a look at online misinformation, and how voters can separate what’s real from what is not.

In the summer of 1945, Windsor’s post-war optimism was shattered by a series of brutal murders and stabbings. It quickly became clear that a killer was stalking the city, causing widespread panic and fear. As the attacks continued, investigators uncovered a chilling pattern: the killer was targeting homosexual men.

On this episode of the 519 Podcast, we look into the story of the Windsor Slasher and explore this dark chapter of extreme violence and homophobia in the city’s history.

This episode was written and produced by Patrick Magermans and is hosted by Scott Kitching.

We’ve all seen the onslaught of advertisements for betting platforms in virtually every part of our life. On our social media feeds, on streaming platforms, during every single sporting event we watch, gambling is everywhere.

To no one’s surprise, this has led to a serious increase in the amount of people who do gamble. That has led to a growth in gambling addiction. And while gambling addiction isn’t a new phenomenon in our society, the extreme circumstances of beating the addiction in the digital landscape is.

On this episode of the 519 Podcast, we take a look at the explosion of online sports betting and gambling, and how it’s impacting us locally.

This episode was written and produced by Patrick Magermans and is hosted by Scott Kitching.

We all love our pets, and we would do just about anything to protect them.

But sadly, sometimes our furry friends fall victim to contagious diseases. That's what happened in Windsor, where an outbreak of Parvovirus has claimed the lives of at least 18 dogs (as of the end of December) in the city.

In this episode of the 519 Podcast, we examine the outbreak with Windsor Essex County Humane Society Executive Director Lynnette Bain and Michelle Macnab, Director of Community Vet Services at the Hamilton Burlington SPCA.

This episode was written and produced by Patrick Magermans and is hosted by Scott Kitching.

On July 16th, 1988, 22-year-old Lisa Maas went to a house party in the Owen Sound area. She was separated from her husband of two years and had recently broken up with a boyfriend.

The next morning, she and a male companion went to retrieve her car. It was the last time she was ever seen.

Despite extensive searches, her remains have never been found.

On this episode of the 519 Podcast, we look at her case through the eyes of Matthew Nopper, co-founder of the group Please Bring Me Home, which works to find missing people.