Alberta Unbound

Right wing trolls have dubbed Dr. Kristopher Wells Canada’s most dangerous Senator. Now meet the real Kris Wells, Alberta’s “proudest” new Senate representative.

Join Independent Senator Paula Simons of Alberta and Senator Ratna Omidvar of Ontario as they co-host the final roundtable on municipal issues, inspired by Senator Simons' Senate inquiry into the role of municipalities in Canada today. They are joined by Mayor Dawn Arnold, Mayor of Moncton, New Brunswick; Dr. Kennedy Stewart, professor at Simon Fraser University, the former mayor of Vancouver and a former NDP MP; Lewis Cardinal, Project Manager at Indigenous Knowledge & Wisdom Centre in Edmonton; Edmonton City Councillor Keren Tang; and Mary Rowe, President and CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute.

Youtube link to video version of the panel

Rejoignez la sénatrice indépendante de l'Alberta, Paula Simons, alors qu'elle anime la deuxième enquête sur les municipalités, modérée par la sénatrice indépendante de l'Ontario, Bernadette Clement. Cette conversation met en vedette des maires franco-canadiens éminents de partout au pays, plongeant dans le sujet vital des municipalités et de la préparation aux urgences. Ils ont le privilège d'être rejoints par la mairesse Elisa Brousseau de Bonnyville, AB, le maire Eric Marquis d'Edmundston, NB, et l'ancien maire de Gatineau, Maxime Pendinaud-Jobin.

Lien Youtube vers la version vidéo de cette table ronde

Join Independent Albertan Senator Paula Simons as she hosts the second municipalities inquiry, moderated by Independent Ontario Senator Bernadette Clement. This conversation features prominent French-Canadian mayors from across the country delving into the vital topic of municipalities and emergency preparedness. They are privileged to be joined by Mayor Elisa Brousseau of Bonnyville, AB, Mayor Eric Marquis of Edmundston, NB, and former Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pendinaud-Jobin.

Youtube link to the video version of this panel (in French only)

Independent Albertan Senator Paula Simons moderates a panel of prominent Canadian experts on the topic of infrastructure and municipalities. She is joined by former federal Cabinet Minister Hon. Lisa Raitt, former Calgary Major and current Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi, Bridgewater Mayor David Mitchell, urban planner and Co-Chair Commissioner of the Vancouver City Planning Commission Amina Yasin, and York University Professor Dr. Zac Spicer. This conversation was recorded in late January 2024.

Youtube link to the video version of this panel

Senator Simons talks to Alex Marshall and Kristy Harcourt about proposed legislation that will negatively affect the health and privacy rights of the transgender community.

Alex Marshall works for the University of Alberta’s College of Health Science, where she is the college’s Strategic Initiatives Officer for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Kristy Harcourt is a social worker in clinical practice and therapist who devotes much of her practice to counselling trans kids and their families. She is a social work instructor at MacEwan University, the organizer of Edmonton’s annual Queer Prom and a long time gay rights activist.

As part of Freedom to Read Week celebrations, Senator Simons moderated a panel discussion with journalists Danielle Paradis, Jason Markusoff, and Jonny Wakefield on the state of journalism.

This event was presented in partnership with the Edmonton Public Library, LitFest, and Calgary Public Library.

Jonny Wakefield has been with the Edmonton Journal/Sun newsroom since 2017. He is now the courts and crime reporter, covering the Edmonton Law Courts and other justice issues. He came to Canada from the U.S. as a student in 2009 and became a dual citizen in 2020.

Danielle Paradis is an award-winning Indigenous (Métis) magazine writer, journalist, editor, educator, podcaster and mentor who lives in Treaty 6 (Edmonton, Alberta). She has written for both local and international audiences. You can read (or hear) her work at Aboriginal Peoples Television (APTN), Canadaland, Chatelaine, The Walrus, Alberta Views, Toronto Star (Edmonton), Canadian True Crime Podcast, and The Sprawl. Danielle covers politics, arts and culture, and Indigenous Issues. Danielle loves a good FOIP story and studied investigative journalism, story-based inquiry method, at the Centre for Investigative Journalism out of the UK. She has journalism, focusing on advanced reporting and reporting on diverse communities at MacEwan University and Humber College. She has also worked for a non-profit, Indigenous Friends Association, that focuses on connecting traditional knowledge and digital technology for Indigenous youth. She also has a background as a literary editor for Other Voices and in-depth media experience in both television and audio journalism.

Jason Markusoff has been writing about what's happening – and not happening, but maybe should – in Alberta for more than two decades. He's a writer, editor and producer with CBC Calgary, and before that he's been a correspondent for Maclean's, Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal. He's on Twitter a lot less these days, for patently obvious reasons.

Senator Simons speaks with Corb Lund about western history, storytelling, his evolution from heavy metal urban rocker to western troubadour, his battle against coal mining on the Eastern Slopes, and his brand-new album, El Viejo.

(This interview was recorded January 16, 2024.)

Senator Simons speaks to Timothy Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy and Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta, about the Canadian and global rises of health misinformation and disinformation.

Timothy's books, including Relax: A Guide to Everyday Health Decisions with More Facts and Less Worry and The Science of Celebrity . . . or Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?, can be found here.

Senator Simons interviews Canada's newly appointed Supreme Court Justice, the Honourable Mary T. Moreau, about growing up franco-albertain, her groundbreaking legal career, and moving to bilingual Ottawa. 

(This interview was recorded on November 29, 2023.)

Senator Simons speaks with Dr. Emily Laidlaw, Karen Unland, and Jen Gerson about current and future communications issues. 

Dr. Emily Laidlaw is Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity Law and Associate Professor of Law at the University of Calgary.

Jen Gerson is a co-founder of The Line and a commentator and journalist who has contributed to the CBC, the National Post, Maclean's, the Walrus, the Washington Post, and the New York Times.

Karen Unland is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Taproot Edmonton, the creator of the Alberta Podcast Network, and co-host of the podcast That's a Thing?!