{"id":481832,"date":"2026-02-18T00:32:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T00:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/481832\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T00:32:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T00:32:09","slug":"calgarys-paul-hughes-in-kharkiv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/481832\/","title":{"rendered":"Calgary’s Paul Hughes in Kharkiv"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Today on On The Line, host Jen Gerson sits down with longtime friend and Calgarian Paul Hughes, who left his comfortable life in Alberta to help in Ukraine at the outbreak of war four years ago.<\/p>\n

Hughes, joined early on by his son Mac, has witnessed both the extraordinary courage and the relentless heartbreak of the Ukrainian people. His son was seriously injured. Hughes himself was kidnapped by Russian forces. And even now, speaking to Gerson from a darkened apartment in Kharkiv, he describes living under regular bombardment, air raid sirens, and the aftermath of assaults that have left whole neighbourhoods without electricity or heat.<\/p>\n

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. In a volatile world, Canada has to focus on what we can control right here at home. Prime Minister Carney says a country that can\u2019t build itself has few options. The forest products sector provides the literal building blocks for our country \u2014 from the lumber and wood products to build new homes and infrastructure; to pulp and paper for household and business use; to the
renewable power we need to support energy security.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re already a global trade success story, and we\u2019re ready to do more to build a resilient, self-reliant country.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to focus on Canada\u2019s domestic strengths. Learn more at www.fpac.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The conversation is unflinching about the toll of war \u2014 physical, emotional, and moral \u2014 but it also explores why Hughes remains. He reflects on what years on the ground have taught him about resilience, civic duty, and what happens when a country\u2019s sovereignty is tested by force.<\/p>\n

They also turn the lens back home. Hughes shares how his experience in Ukraine has shaped the way he thinks about the separatist tensions now brewing in Alberta, and what Canadians may be taking for granted about the fragility of national unity.<\/p>\n

Note: CBC Radio recently profiled Hughes\u2019 experience with the Russians in an article referenced in this episode: \u201c300 missions in, this Canadian volunteer says he\u2019ll stay in Ukraine until he\u2019s asked to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

As always, like and subscribe.<\/p>\n

YouTube:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Video goes live in 30 minutes, at 7:00 Eastern and 5:00 Mountain.<\/p>\n

Spotify:<\/p>\n

Apple:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

And plenty more options here.<\/a><\/p>\n

We hope you enjoy the episode \u2014 and don\u2019t miss us next week. We\u2019ll be back with more On The Line.<\/p>\n

The Line is Canada\u2019s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Please follow us on social media! Facebook x 2: On The Line Podcast here<\/a>, and The Line Podcast here<\/a>. Instagram<\/a>. Also: TikTok<\/a>. BlueSky<\/a>. LinkedIn<\/a>. Matt\u2019s Twitter<\/a>. The Line\u2019s Twitter.<\/a>Jen\u2019s Twitter<\/a>. Contact us by email: lineeditor@protonmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Today on On The Line, host Jen Gerson sits down with longtime friend and Calgarian Paul Hughes, who…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":481833,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194293],"tags":[49,2798,48],"class_list":{"0":"post-481832","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-calgary","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-calgary","10":"tag-canada"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=481832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481832\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/481833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=481832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=481832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}