Content warning: This story discusses residential schools and the deaths of children. If you are experiencing trauma or feeling triggered, help is available 24/7 for survivors and their families through the Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419. Mental health support for Indigenous peoples is available through the Hope for Wellness chatline at 1-800-721-0066 or using the chat box at https://www.hopeforwellness.ca/.

Though Russian vodka is being taken off Albertan shelves, and Premier Jason Kenney is actively lobbying for energy sanctions against Russia, the province’s investment arm AIMCo owns millions of dollars of Russian assets through an exchange traded fund (ETF) called the VanEck Vectors Russia ETF, recent Security Exchange Commission disclosures show. 

David Climenhaga joins host Duncan Kinney to break down what you need to know about the just released Alberta budget. They discuss creeping privatization, alleged labour shortages and most importantly for Kenney's re-election hopes— the massive windfall this government is getting from oil and gas. 

Jyoti Gondek has shattered the glass ceiling of Calgary’s mayor’s office but while the media celebrates her as a feminist icon, her first few months in office show a politician far more concerned with media hits than material conditions.

Creeping privatization, a big spike in oil and gas revenues, and a labour shortage that may or may not actually exist are the three big highlights of the 2022-2023 budget tabled by Alberta's Finance Minister Travis Toews on Thursday. 

Luke Lebrun, the editor of Press Progress and Ottawa resident, joins the pod to talk about what he's seen first-hand during the Ottawa occupation, plus the incurious Ontarian learns about the Edmonton Police Service's refusal to enforce a court-ordered injunction. 

When Edmonton city council decided late last year to give the Edmonton Police Service a $1 million budget increase, rather than the $11 million it was asking for, the president of the Edmonton Police Association Michael Elliott called it a “sad and disappointing day,” alerting his social media followers to the councilors who voted for the motion.  

The Edmonton Police Service has a secret plane they’ve never told the public about and they are planning to purchase another one. The Edmonton Police and the Edmonton Police Commission have never disclosed what these planes do, how much they cost, or why they needed two of them nor did they respond to our questions about these planes.  

Lorian Hardcastle, University of Calgary law professor with a specialization in health law and health policy, joins us to discuss Jason Kenney dropping the the COVID-19 health protections to appease an illegal anti-vax blockade at the American border. 

Oumar Salifou of the Is This For Real podcast joins us to discuss one of the most ridiculous scandals to have hit the UCP during their time in office—Justice Minister Kaycee Madu personally calling up Edmonton's chief of police after getting a $300 ticket for talking on his cell phone in a school zone.