During the week of May 24th, three major events happened for 3 of the major international oil companies. Firstly, a court in the Netherlands ordered Royal Dutch Shell that it has to reduce it's carbon footprint to 45% of their 2019 emissions. Meanwhile, the corporate board of Exxon saw two new directors appointed who were from an activist hedge fund intent on making Exxon fight climate change. And then Chevron shareholders voted in favor of a proposal to cut emissions generated by the use of the company’s products. Closer to home in Alberta, Suncor announced that they would likely be walking away from their offshore oil projects on the East Coast. That's a lot of news for one week, and to help digest all of it, Russell spoke with climate journalist and energy industry podcaster, Markham Hislop.

On Daybreak, there have been several conversations about the impact of loneliness and isolation on our mental health and loneliness is at the heart of a debut novel from Genki Ferguson, "Satellite Love." It's a simple story, about a girl, a boy, and a satellite. In the end, the book reveals what it can mean to be human. Genki Ferguson joined Russell to chat about his new life as a writer.

One of the things that has come into sharp over the last couple of years is the mental health crisis as an estimated one in five adults suffer from some form of mental illness. Billions is spent researching the issue yet we are more depressed and anxious than ever before. University of Calgary professor, Bonnie Kaplan, and clinical psychologist Julia Rucklidge, have a new book which they say studies the role of nutrition in mental health. It's called "The Better Brain - Overcome Anxiety, Combat Depression, and Reduce ADHD and Stress with Nutrition."

Each month the books pile up on the desk of Angie Abdou. The acclaimed author ("The Bone Cage" "This One Wild Life") is back for the month of May to make recommendations for three books that piqued her interest. "Bootleg Stardust" by Glenn Dixon; "The Hill" by Ali Bryan; and "Rough" by Robin Van Eck.

The last 12 months or so have taken a toll on so many of us because even if you haven't been sick with Covid, or even known anyone with Covid, the demands on all of us to prevent the spread of the virus has been a constant. Lost in this is the usual health issues the health care system deals with. However, in the midst of all the dire news we see, there are moments of light and that was highlighted for Russell when he got a call from one of his dearest friends a few weeks ago. Russell asked Kathy Drewes to join him on the radio to share what's she's been going through.

Would you play a game if it promised to make you feel awkward? Some new game developers are thinking you will say yes to that idea. Not That Funny is a tabletop game that creates everyday allies against racism and discrimination, one awkward conversation at a time. One of the developers of the game is Jesse Lipscombe, an Alberta actor and public speaker, who works with schools and companies to help everyone learn how to be inspired to end stereotypes. Jesse spoke with Russell about this new game.

Tributes poured in for Sharon Pollock, the former artistic director of Theatre Calgary died on April 23 at age 85 after battling cancer. Pollock twice won the Governor General's Award for Drama for her plays, "Blood Relations" and "Doc." Theatre Calgary called Pollock a "giant" and a "fierce, bold and groundbreaking artist" whose work helped shape the Canadian landscape. Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, a noted theatre-goer, praised her for telling "our stories in new ways and forced us to look at ourselves differently." Someone who knew Sharon and worked with her is Allan Boss, a culture leader with the town of Okotoks, as well as a former arts producer with CBC. He chatted with Russell about the legacy of Sharon Pollock.

Angie Abdou is a teacher, writer and frequently, she's on Daybreak to review some Alberta books. Angie's first novel, "The Bone Cage," was championed by Georges Laraque on Canada Reads back in 2011. Her other books include the novels "The Canterbury Trail," "Between," and "In Case I Go." A couple of years ago, she brought forth the nonfiction book "Home Ice," about her life as a hockey mom. Her latest is called "This One Wild Life," a personal story of a mother and daughter bonding over hiking.

For better or worse, vaccination programs are underway with many of us receiving our first shots, and more will come in the weeks ahead. For those lucky to still be working, and maybe even going in to our workplace, some may be wondering if we have to tell our boss if we have gotten the vaccine. Does the boss have the right to ask. And then there is interactions with customers, clients, and other visitors to the workplace. Should they know if staff at a retail space have been vaccinated? What exactly do employers need to know and still maintain employees’ privacy? Olivia Cicchini is an employment law content specialist with the Human Resources firm, Peninsula and she spoke with Russell about these issues.

It's being called a big win for fans of the "beautiful game." The international soccer world was rocked earlier this week when twelve of Europe's top clubs announced their intention to form a new super league, however, the upstart move prompted a swift and strong backlash. From fans to players to politicians, there was widespread condemnation. Many of the teams have now withdrawn from the group, leaving the proposal in shambles. It's a big contrast in the way sports teams and leagues are organized in North America but Bruce Dowbiggin says how we watch sports and what teams get to succeed and survive could be a point of contention in the years to come. Bruce is a sports journalist and author of "Cap In Hand - How Salary Caps are Killing Pro Sports and Why the Free Market Could Save Them."