The Breakdown With Nate Pike

Dr Wesley is a political scientists and professor at the Univeristy of Alberta who specializes in taking a look at not only how Albertans see themselves, but also how they believe other Albertans see the world around them as well! Dr. Wesley does these investigations through his organization, Common Ground and recently he and his team completed some important research taking a deeper look at not only how Albertans view some of the big issues facing our province but also how they believe other Albertans feel about those issues as well, and he joins us to share those results and their implications! Not only that, but we also get into Bill 18, what it potentially means for the future of research and democracy in Alberta and perhaps most importantly, Dr. Wesley shares what Albertans need to be doing to move the needle in meaningful ways! Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a cold weather lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

Welcome to episode 6.27, a conversation with Harm Reduction and recovery advocate Guy Felicella! Guy made headlines recently when he was barred from a recovery conference in Calgary, and he generously sat down with us to explain what happened, but we get into a whole lot more than that, including the nature of recovery, the crossover of BC and Alberta politics and a whole lot more! Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a cold weather lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

Time for another panel! With the political temperature in Alberta reaching a rolling boil over Calgary and Edmonton initiating blanket rezoning (even though Edmonton has completed the rezoning already), particularly to access federal housing funding, we decided it was time for another deep dive! To make sense of this we’re joined by Robert Tremblay of the Calgary Climate Hub, Kathryn Davies of “More Neighbours” and Edmonton City Councillor Micheal Janz! To learn more about the climate hub or to attend their speaking event prep, visit https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/rezoning_speak_city_hall_train_apr24 To learn more about “More Neighbours” and the specifics on the zoning, you can visit https://www.moreneighbourscalgary.ca/rcg Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a cold weather lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

It's another Alberta Politics roundup and what a week! EMS profitization! Policing subsidization! Why is misrepresented BC drug policy playing such a big role in Alberta politics right now? We debunk a boatload of myths and we do a deep dive on Danielle Smith's Bill 18 and its attack on municipalities, post secondary education and well... pretty much everything? Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a cold weather lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

There’s a lot of conversation around the physician shortage in Alberta, but how did we go from being on of the most appealing provinces for physicians to practice in to one that is struggling to even fill residencies? To get some answers, we sat down with President of the Alberta Medical Association, Dr Paul Parks! But we don’t stop at the physician crisis, we also get into the literal disintegration of healthcare in Alberta, the opioid crisis and we revisit the legendary December 10, 2023 press conference and vaccinations! Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a cold weather lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

With incredible advocate Guy Felicella being banned from attending a recovery conference in Calgary this week, we figured it was time for a throwback to our episode originally aired on August 28, 2023! We are SO excited to present our conversation, with survivor, advocate and all around amazing person Guy Felicella! This is one of the most intense episodes we've done yet, and it's an absolute must watch/listen! Guy Felicella grew up in a middle-class home in British Columbia but due to trauma, undiagnosed ADHD and difficulty at home and school, he fell into addiction at a young age. Guy spent 30 years in the repeated cycle of gangs, addiction, treatment, and jail. He spent nearly twenty years residing in a two-block radius in Vancouver's notorious Downtown Eastside. Miraculously, with sheer determination and the help of others through harm reduction and recovery, Guy managed to survive the HIV/AIDS crisis in the DTES, two decades of being homeless, multiple life-threatening bone infections, and six drug overdoses. As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we're trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you're listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don't forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

We sit down again with Disability Advocate Don Slater to get his thoughts on how the provincial budget affects disabled Albertans, unintended consequences for the fight against the carbon tax, the erosion of social contact and a whole lot more! Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a cold weather lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

It's Part 2 of our March 31 episode and this is our speakers corner! You don't want to miss this one because not only do we hear from a few of our regular speakers but we also hear from advocate and politico Anna Murphy! Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a cold weather lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

It's time for another Alberta Politics Roundup and Speakers Corner and sure enough, this episode goes so long we're breaking it into two parts! In Part 1, we take a look at the recent Take Back Alberta troubles, the effect of the houselessness processing facility in Edmonton, the status of the grassy mountain coal mine, the latest on the NDP Leadership race, Premier Smith's attempt of a performative federal committee hearing before we get into the recent OFFICIAL UCP anti-trans tin foil hat event! Look for our speakers corner part 2 as well, because not only do we hear from a few of our regular speakers but we also hear from advocate and politico Anna Murphy! You can read the blog post that we reference during the show at https://crystalgaze2.blogspot.com/2024/03/you-got-played-girl.html?spref=tw Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a cold weather lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

We've been working on having conversations with all of the candidates for the NDP Leadership, but as you'll see this conversation is more than a little different, and it's because what Jodi brings to the table is very different than any of the other candidates. Not only do we get into all of the same topics that we have addressed with the other candidates, including the future of the NDP, Alberta's economic and energy future, the environment and safe supply but we also get into a simultaneously complex and simple conversation on Truth and Reconciliation, the incredibly complex governance structures that make up Alberta as a treaty province and a whole lot more! Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a cold weather lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

We're continuing in our efforts to interview all the ecandidates for the NDP Leadership Race and we're very excited to present this conversation with Naheed Nenshi! We cover housing, energy, affordable housing, Grassy Mountain, renewables, and a whole lot more in this episode! Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a cold weather lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

In this episode, we're talking education with members of the Edmonton Public School Advocacy Network, Nancy Hunt, Jodi McDonald, Nancy Kirkpatrick! The UCP government introduced their new budget recently, and that's budget sees funding for private schools and early childhood centres increasing at four times the rate of public K-12 spending, the EPSAN is raising the alarm about how this budget doesn't begin to address the current situation and how the projections show decreases in funding year over year! You can visit their website at https://www.epscnetwork.com and you can sign the petition they talk about in this episode at https://chng.it/6sQTNfMz94! Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a cold weather lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

In this episode we're addressing the rumors surrounding former MLA, Minister and Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuks alleged entry to the NDP Leadership race, But wait, there's more! We also cover the RCMP investigation into the UCP Leadership race, the provincial budget, TBA and a whole lot more! Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a cold weather lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

We're back for another roundup of Alberta Politics and the last week has given us a lot of big events to talk about! We start by getting into the bizarre state of counselling as a profession in Alberta before we take a look at the RCMP investigation into the 2017 UCP Leadership Race, Danielle Smith's bizarre take on Pharmacare and we end with a deep dive on the state of coal mining in Alberta, particularly the proposed Grassy Mountain Mine that the UCP is inexplicably pushing through! Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a cold weather lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

We're continuing on with our series with NDP leadership candidates with a conversation with current MLA and NDP Leadership Candidate, Rakhi Pancholi! As with all of our conversations so far, we get into her vision for the Alberta NDP going into the future, her position on the relationship with the federal NDP, safe supply, the carbon tax and a whole lot more (including an Oregano scandal?) Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a cold weather lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

There's been a lot of talk about Danielle Smith's proposed policies limiting access to gender affirming care, and we've talked a lot about statistics and studies here on the show when it comes to gender affirming care... But enough of the academia. We sat down with an ACTUAL physician in Alberta who provides gender affirming care to cut through all of the noise and the fearmongering to hear from someone who actually provides gender affirming care what is happening in Alberta, what the rules are, who can get care and how and a whole lot more! Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a cold weather lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

We're continuing on with our series with NDP leadership candidates with a conversation with former Justice Minister, Current MLA and Current NDP Leadership Candidate, Kathleen Ganley! As with all of our conversations so far, we get into her vision for the Alberta NDP going into the future, her position on the relationship with the federal NDP, safe supply, the carbon tax and a whole lot more! Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a cold weather lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

The section of our show where Dr. David Keegan called in to share the story of his nephews death by suicide because of Smith's policies is so important and heartbreaking we decided to release a version with a few minor technical difficulties removed.

This is probably our most important episode of The Breakdown ever. We're back for our regular live round up of Alberta Politics, including the announcement of the fact Alberta intends to opt out of the new national Pharmacare program, the multiple environmental disasters that the province is inevitably facing, Smith's recent provincial address and her newest episode of "Your Province, Your Premier". But it's the call in from Alberta Physician Dr. David Keegan on the loss of his trans nephew to suicide that everyone needs to hear, because that death is directly attributable to Smith's recent barrage of anti-trans policies. And we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a fall lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

For episode 6.12, we’re proud to present this heartfelt conversation with Marni Panas! Marni is an advocate, a leader and a whole lot more, and she generously joins us to share her perspective on how Smith's anti-human rights policies already have and will continue to cause very real harm to the trans community. And we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a fall lineup! As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab. If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!