Stock and oil prices took a major hit this week due to disruption caused by coronavirus. Gas prices across Canada are expected to fall by about seven cents by Wednesday, but is that good news for consumers or will the prices rebound even higher? Gas industry analyst Dan McTeague joins Gormley to discuss the tumbling oil prices and what we can expect to see at the pumps in coming days.

We opened our show speaking with Education Minister Gordon Wyant about their contract dispute with the province's teachers. STF President Patrick Maze joins Gormley to give him the teachers' perspective on the dispute and explain the job action set to begin later this week.

Tuesday's open session

There will be no extracurricular services for Saskatchewan's teachers effective Thursday. It’s the latest step in the labour dispute between the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) and the provincial government. In a release Monday, STF president Patrick Maze said that despite acknowledging the complexity and composition of classrooms, the government continues to be unwilling to provide adequate support for students. Education Minister Gordon Wyant joins Gormley to discuss the latest in the dispute between STF and the province and what the coming job action means for teachers, students and parents.

Saskatoon dentist Dr. Gary Houseman won a $240,000 settlement last week against former employees who defamed him in a series of negative reviews published on RateMD and Google Reviews after they were dismissed in 2017. Kristen Hnatuk represented Houseman in the successful suit, and says it's the first time anonymous reviews of a medical professional have been deemed defamatory in this province. Hnatuk says the case send a message that you can't hide behind online anonymity if you make defamatory statements, and she joins Gormley to discuss the case.

In North America more than 25 million parents have been erased from their children’s lives after divorce or separation. That parental alienation is the subject of the new documentary "Erasing Family," which is told from the perspective of children from divorced families from Canada and around the world. The documentary is meant to bring awareness to this crisis that is happening to innocent and very normal families, and will be screened later this month at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Brian Ludmer is a Toronto-based family lawyer involved in the film's production, and he says it's a major problem around the world that doesn't get the attention it should. Ludmer joins Gormley to discuss parental alienation and just how traumatic it can be for children when a divorce or separation turns ugly.

Then

There are more than 4,000 charities active around Saskatchewan, and we're embarking on a new project to feature some of the great people doing great work in this province during a brand-new segment we like to call "The Best of Saskatchewan." This week, we're catching up with Don Meikle, Executive director of EGADZ. EGADZ provides programs and services to children, youths, and their families in making healthy choices that improves their quality of life.

We've heard a lot about western independence recently, with Wexit Saskatchewan working towards official party status before our upcoming provincial election. Barry Cooper, a political scientist at the University of Calgary, says the greatest historical challenge to Canadian unity is derived from the "imperial pretensions of Laurentian Canada," which pre-dates confederation. Cooper joins Gormley to discuss the historical context for western alienation, and the challenges for western independence.

First open session of the week

There are still no coronavirus cases in Saskatchewan, but Health Canada is still warning all Canadians to take precautions against the spread of the coronavirus. But how worried should we really be? Microbiologist Jason "The Germ Guy" Tetro joins Gormley to share his thoughts on the international spread of the deadly virus, and what we should be doing to ensure we stay healthy.

A new report by the CD Howe Institute shows that provincial governments tend to overshoot their healthcare budgets every year. The report, by William Robson, warns that provinces like Saskatchewan need to be more careful about hitting their spending targets, otherwise publicly-funded healthcare may not be fiscally sustainable. Robson joins Gormley to discuss healthcare spending, how Saskatchewan compares to other provinces, and what can be done to improve the situation.