Alberta at Noon

It's our new year's book phone-in. Tell us what you are reading and who else might like it. We are joined by Shelley Youngblut, the executive director of Wordfest, and Jacqueline Baker, an author and professor of creative writing at MacEwan University.

Homeless encampments across central Edmonton are being torn down this week. Just this week alone, makeshift shelters at four camps were removed by city workers and police. These actions have left people sharply divided. The city says the camps are too dangerous to remain standing, pointing to several recent encampment fires. Advocates for homeless people say taking them down puts encampment residents at risk. Today, we're asking you to weigh in. What should be done to deal with homeless encampments? What is the best way to balance concerns about community and resident safety with the needs of the unhoused?

More than 580-thousand property owners in Calgary will begin receiving their 2024 Property Assessment Notices. In Edmonton, those notices will be mailed out in mid-January. When you open your package, you might be in for a bit of a surprise, because property taxes are going up by quite a bit more than we've grown used to.

The federal government wants to see everyone driving a zero emissions vehicle by the year 2035 but Premier Smith says the policy will lead to massive increases in the cost of vehicles and utility bills,

vehicle rationing, long wait lists, And an increase in costs to business owners. Are you ready to buy an electric vehicle? Is the federal policy too ambitious from your perspective?

We've seen an election campaign, big changes in health care, debates over pension plans and energy regulations, and legal fights between the province and the feds. It's been a busy year, so how much do you remember?

We talk to Sarah Chan and Jhenifer Pabillano, the editors of a new writing anthology looking at life in middle age.

This is time of year when you're probably planning your menus for the coming holidays, stocking up on the ingredients, maybe even sourcing out your turkey. Today, take a moment to tell us about your plans. What is the one holiday meal or dish you always cook?

When Medicare was created, a few things were left out. One of those being dental care which is being partly fixed though the new national dental care program launched last week. The other is prescription drugs. About 10 per cent of Canadians have no coverage for prescription drugs and another 10 per cent are under insured. Pharmacare is supposed to address that by providing free prescription drugs to all. The plan was to have legislation around pharmacare in place by the end of this year. Do you have drug coverage? Do you want pharmacare to go ahead? We want to hear your thoughts.

We talk to a pair of Santas about their work and some of the weirdest gift requests they've received from kids.

It's Blitz Day live from the CBC lobby, and we wanted to hear your stories of an act of kindness that you will never forget. Tell us a story, and our guest Justine Giles will sing you a song.