Mornings with Sue & Andy

Alberta municipalities continue to grapple with the province’s proposed Bill-20, and Mayor Jyoti Gondek has penned an article about how local democracies are worth defending in the face of provincial overreach. We catch up with the Mayor to hear her thoughts surrounding the Bill. Fort Calgary is gone and has been rebranded to “The Confluence: Historic Site & Parkland”. So what’s in a name? And what is the significance of this change and the historic site itself to Calgary’s Indigenous Community? We discuss the change with Sheryl-Ann Carscadden, General Manager of the “Indigenous Gathering Place Society”. Finally, space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of Canadian Astronaut Joshua Kutryk. His mission takes-off next week as he’s part of NASA’s mission to the International Space Station. Before he “blasts off’ we catch up with Joshua and hear about his “out of this world” career.

Protests on campuses aren’t anything new, but the pro-Palestine protests at McGill University and some Universities in the US appear to be getting out of hand. In fact, McGill University has requested police assistance, but is that the right way to handle student protests? We get the thoughts of Roberta Lexier, Associate Professor of Humanities at Mount Royal University ‌ No wonder the sanctions against Russia don’t appear to be having an impact, when some businesses are still working with Russia. Even Canadian company Bombardier has imported Russian titanium. We discuss the precarious situation with Marcus Kolga, Founder of “Disinfowatch.org” and a Senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. Finally, time to dust off your ‘wheels’! “Bike to Work Day Calgary” takes place this week. We had the chance to learn about the history behind this unique event, now in its 17th year, with Founder and “SPOKESman”, Lonny Balbi.

Do you ‘cringe’ every month when you open your energy bills? Well, hopefully changes coming to the electricity fee structure will offer some relief for Calgarians. We discuss the potential changes Alberta's energy fee regulations with Markham Hislop, Energy journalist and Publisher Energy Media. If you and your significant other are looking to have children but facing infertility challenges, maybe it’s time to move to a different province for treatment. 7 provinces currently offer some form of financial aid for infertility treatment, but Alberta is not one of them. We discuss the financial barriers to treatment in Alberta with Dr. Ariana Daniel, Infertility Specialist at the Alberta Reproductive Centre. As every parent knows, getting the kids off their phones is hard enough at home and Ontario is taking action to limit phone usage in the classroom. Should Alberta take a similar approach? We tackle the topic with Jason Schilling, President of the Alberta Teacher’s Association.

High grocery prices and the possibility of bringing in foreign grocers to increase competition were part of the conversation on this week’s episode of “The West Block”. We had the chance to discuss the impact more competition in the grocery sector could have on prices with Global News Ottawa Bureau Chief and Host of “The West Block”, Mercedes Stephenson. Next, we continue our conversation surrounding the high cost of putting food on the table. According to data from Stats Canada, almost 9-million Canadians reported some level of food insecurity in 2022. So, what needs to be done to address this troubling issue? We get the thoughts of Professor Valerie Tarasuk, Lead investigator of the University of Toronto's “Household Food Insecurity Research Program. Finally, Apple is set to announce something “new” in their product line-up next week. And while it’s not a ‘brand new’ device, speculation is that it will be a big step for the company. We catch up with “The Gadget Guy” Mike Yawney for speculation on what Apple may have planned and details on a new APP that’s garnering the attention of old-school ‘gamers’.

The controversial UCP “Bill-20” would allow the Provincial government to hold a considerable amount of control in Municipal Politics. What are the negative implications of the Bill and how could it change the ‘look’ of Civic Politics? We get the thoughts of former Calgary City Councilor, Jeromy Farkas. Next, we’ve all heard the saying “Less is More”. Well now that saying may really hold some ‘weight’, when it comes to our dietary choices and longevity. We catch up with Dr. Ted Jablonski for details on a new study which links a reduced-calorie diet to a longer lifespan. Finally, ever imagine what it would feel like to be weightless? Sensory Deprivation Tanks give you that experience along with a handful of potential health benefits. We wanted to learn more about the practice of ‘floating’, so we sent Mornings with Sue & Andy Producer Reece Schafer to give it a try at Calgary-based “Clear Float Spa”.

Everyone deserves a roof over their head. City council has spent this week hearing from Calgarians about the very contentious issue of “rezoning”. We get an update on how the hearings have been going from Mayor Jyoti Gondek. Next, the price of everything keeps going up, and the only thing not going up seems to be our paychecks. New polling done by IPSOS finds ever increasing food prices have Canadians looking for other places to cut back so they can buy the food they need to feed their families. We get details on the poll from Darrell Bricker, CEO of IPSOS Public Affairs. When was the last time you got lost in a book? If you are looking for your next literary adventure, we’ve got you covered. We catch up with our friend Ryan Smith from Owls Nest Books for some fresh suggestions for your Spring reading list.

When was the last time you got lost in a book? If you are looking for your next literary adventure, our friend Ryan Smith from Owl's Nest Books joined us with suggestions for your summer reading list ahead of Canadian Independent Bookstore Day.

The Federal budget impacts all of us in some way, shape or form. We had the chance to discuss how last week’s Budget announcement will impact the Calgary business community with Deborah Yedlin, President and CEO of the Calgary Chamber. Next, Spring Cleaning isn’t just for you house, it might also be a good time to take the same approach with your mental health! We get some ‘self care’ tips from Karen Gallagher-Burt, Calgary-based Social Worker and Mental Health Advocate. ‌ Finally. Foodies, this one’s for you! We catch up with Linda Garson, Editor-in-Chief of “Culinaire Magazine” for a rundown of some exciting new additions to the Calgary restaurant scene!

WELCOME TO THE MWSA PODCAST FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24th Does high density housing in Calgary correlate to an increase in criminal activity in our communities? We get insight from Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld as the conversation surrounding ‘rezoning’ continues to be a hot-topic in the city. Next, widely regarded as one of the greatest professional athletes of all time, we have the pleasure of catching up with a man who’s coming to Calgary on April 30th. Olympic gold medal sprinter Donovan Bailey joins us to share details on his upcoming visit to the city and the release of his brand new memoir “Undisputed: A Champions Life”. And finally, summer camps! We pretend they’re for the kids but really us parents are just looking for a break from the kids this summer! Have you found a camp and got you kids registered yet? We speak with Ellen Percival from “Calgary's Child Magazine” for some great suggestions to keep your kids busy come the summer months.

I feel like we’ve all seen the images online of the massive garbage island floating in the Pacific Ocean, and the majority of garbage island is made up on plastic. Experts are meeting in Ottawa for the international summit on plastic pollution. What needs to be done to address plastic waste and how do we get started? Joining us to discuss the meeting in Ottawa and how we can take steps to address plastic waste around the globe is Antaya March - Lead Researcher - Global Plastics Policy Centre at the University of Portsmouth.

The war between Israel and terrorist group Hamas has dominated headlines for over 6 months, but with Iran now taking aim at Israel, is there a threat that this conflict could spreading into the neighboring region? We get the latest on the conflict including the potential for the use of nuclear weapons with Mercedes Stephenson, Global News Ottawa Bureau Chief and Host of “The West Block”. Next, the price of post-secondary education is going up year after year. According to Stats Canada, the average yearly cost for Canadian undergraduates has increased to just over $7,000 dollars, up 3% from the 2022-2023 academic year. Are you prepared to help you kids navigate the cost of a post-secondary education, and are you willing take on debt to do it? We tackle the topic with Andrew Lo, CEO and President of “Embark” Canada. Finally, the Coachella music festival wrapped up its second weekend with attendance hitting around 300 000 people over the two weekends, the highest attendance the festival has ever seen according to sources. But is this an outlier? Has enthusiasm for music festivals started to die away? We get the thoughts of Alan Cross, Host of “The Ongoing History of New Music” on the Corus Radio Network.

What if they held the Olympics but let athletes use performance enhancing drugs? We’ll an Australian businessman is planning to do just that and is backing the so-called ‘Enhanced Games.' Joining us to discuss is Christina Smith - Olympian, Author, and Athlete Relations rep for the Enhanced Games.

The company you work for provides you with a work phone. Great right? But does this mean you are always on-call and reachable by your employer? What about work-life balance? We hear details on how the 2024 Federal Budget is proposing new “Right to Disconnect” legislation for Federally regulated industries. We discuss the potential impact of the legislation with Professor Nita Chhinzer from the University of Guelph. Could a ‘poor diet’ increase your risk of certain types of Cancer? Well, according to a new study, that just may be the case. We dig into the research with Dr. Ted Jablonski, our “on-call” family physician. What if we threw the rule book out and allowed top athletes to use performance enhancing drugs in competitions? The so-called ‘Enhanced Games' could be coming to reality as early as next year. We get details on the concept from Christina Smith, Former Olympian and Athlete Relations Representative for ‘The Enhanced Games’.

We begin with our weekly conversation with Mayor Jyoti Gondek. This time out, we tackle the controversial topic of “rezoning” in the city ahead of Monday’s Public Hearing. And we discuss the new Calgary ‘slogan’ “Blue Sky City”, released earlier this week. Next, we continue the conversation surrounding the proposed city-wide “rezoning” plan. How much do you know about the plan and how it will impact your neighborhood? We get some clarifications to the many questions surrounding the topic with Joe Mueller, Manager of Regional Planning and Development with the City of Calgary. Finally, the initial Russian invasion of Ukraine took place over two years ago and the conflict continues with no clear end in sight. We get the latest on the war with Andrew Rasiulis, Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and an expert in Eastern European affairs.

Looking for you next career and making an impact on our community? The RCMP are recruiting and they’re looking for you! Joining us to discuss is Constable Joe Aimimir, RCMP Recruiter.

Accelerating building new housing has been a focus for every level of government and a big-ticket item in the federal budget. But what is it going to take to build the 3.87 million new homes by 2031? Joining us to discuss the logistics of meeting this goal and the state of the construction industry in Calgary is Brian Hahn - CEO of BILD Calgary Region.

The Federal Government wants to build 3.87 million new homes by 2031, but is this goal just “pie in the sky” - or is it realistic? We discuss the logistics of meeting the goal - and the challenges of hitting such an ambitious target with Brian Hahn - CEO of BILD Calgary Region. Next - the $1.4-billion dollar Calgary Cancer Centre (officially named the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre), is set to open this fall, and a major fundraising campaign for the cancer centre is now underway. We hear details on how YOU can lend ahead with John Osler - Co-chair of “OWN.CANCER”. Finally - looking for you next career and to make an impact on our community? The RCMP is recruiting and they’re looking for you! We get details on just what the RCMP is looking for – with Constable – and Recruiter - Joe Aimimir.

The 2024 Federal Budget was released earlier this week by the Liberal Government….So, what sort of an impact will it have here in Alberta – and on the ‘strained’ relationship between Ottawa and the Provincial Government? We get the thoughts of Lori Williams – Political Scientist with “Mount Royal University”. ‌Within the Federal Budget – is an ambitious goal to build 3.87 million new homes by the year 2031. The ‘boost’ in new ‘builds’ is certainly needed – but is the goal attainable? We discuss with Meaghon Reid - Executive director of Vibrant Communities Calgary. And finally – we all keep our outdoor lights on at night – for safety….but did you know that ‘night light’ can have a huge, negative impact, on Calgary’s bird population? We speak with John McFaul from “Bird Friendly Calgary” to hear how bird migration can be hampered by “light pollution”.

If you are concerned about your health, you need to be your own self advocate. That’s how our morning show producer, Reece Schafer, discovered he had testicular cancer. April is testicular cancer awareness month, and our morning show producer wanted to share his experience to help men open up about the tender subject.

How is the way we work changing and what emerging trends could shape what Canadians value in the workforce. Today, we are putting a cap on our Future of Work series with a look at how we can keep our skills up to date. Joining us this morning is Tricia Williams - Director of Research, Evaluation and Knowledge Mobilization with the Future Skill Centre.