Daybreak Alberta

Cayley Thomas is an Edmonton-born singer/songwriter and actor who has just released new music in the midst of being house-bound. However, she's resolved to trying to reach out to fans as best she can and she explained how to Russell after they listened to her new tunes.

According to statistics from Alberta Health, mental health is increasingly at risk while the COVID-19 pandemic limits our way of life. To combat this, health professionals are trying their best to meet the demand, especially seeing there's a toll with employees in so-called essential businesses. What do you do when you're sick and you are depended upon to provide an essential service? Dr. Peter Silverstone is a Psychiatry Professor at the University of Alberta and he joined Russell on Daybreak to tackle some of these issues.

Edmonton Psychologist and retired RCMP officer, Kelli Palfy, says her new book is one of the few out there for male survivors of sexual abuse, and their supporters. She features the stories of 13 male sexual abuse victims in the book and how their experience has impacted their own lives and the lives of others. The author of "Men Too: Unspoken Truths About Male Sexual Abuse" joined Russell from her home in Edmonton.

Alberta is looking forward to the possibility of having a little personal freedom to move about with the May long week-end. Extensive travel within, or outside, the province is discouraged so folks may be looking for creative alternatives. The Calgary business, Lavish Canvas, is looking to provide one of those alternatives by renting outsized tents to those who want their camping experience to have a feeling of comfort in the great outdoors. The company has been some help from Momentum, a firm that helps start-up businesses and Natalie Gomersall is the owner of Lavish Campus.

Some Alberta businesses and open public spaces will have more freedom for people to gather in small groups, while still observing the safety measures. For places like art galleries, they too are hopeful that visitors and buyers can return to their spaces and one of those places is the Jarvis Hall Gallery in Calgary. On May 7, they had what's become the new normal - an online launch of their newest exhibit featuring new work from painter Mark Dicey. For four decades, Dicey has explore the possibilities of abstract art and his new exhibition is called Rhythm Section.

Like Cher, Bono and Madonna after him, the name Rembrandt is instantly recognizable for his place in art history. An exhibit of works by the master painter, draughtsman, and printmaker is in Edmonton but with the pandemic on, you can't see the works in person. However, Danielle Siemens has worked out a way you can still take them in. She's the collections manager and a curatorial associate with the Art Gallery of Alberta.

Did you happen to spot the pandemic exhibition at the St.Albert Museum last year? Indeed, more than a year before society began the current lock down, Musée Héritage had an exhibit exploring what the next pandemic could look like. "Pandemic - A Cautionary Tale" looked at the spread and impact of a flu outbreak in the final months of World War I. The exhibition is now online and you can revisit it and draw parallels with today’s Covid-19 pandemic, however, the museum also wants to add to the exhibit. Shari Strachen is the director of the Musée Héritage in St. Albert.

The month of May could be a productive one for stargazers of all levels. A meteor shower transcends the night sky, and sky watching is expected to have ideal conditions. Peter McMahon of the Jasper Planetarium is passionate about sharing his love of the wonders of the universe and has been uploading new links and videos for the planetarium's website. He spoke with Russell to discuss why sky-gazing is one of the great ways to appreciate the planet.

For the couple, Peter Stone and Denise MacKay, keeping their music career going as 100 Mile House was enough of a challenge, but when Covid-19 came along, it took them off the stage and full-time at home with a young son. They are doing their best with the situation as they face down what the future could hold. Peter and Denis joined Russell to talk about their life at home and how they are using their music to help others.

Kevin Lefsrud was busy running his family farm and distillery out Viking way when COVID-19 hit. People started calling him for help as so many places were frantic to find hand sanitizer. The former CFL player knew he could produce sanitizer but he had nothing to put it in, so his neighbour connected him with Edmonton cleaning company, Bee Maid, and they gave him 60-thousand bottles. To find out more, Russell made a call to Kevin at his farm.