Journalist Andrew Nikiforuk lays out civilian concerns around coal strip mining in the Rockies. Conservationist and author Kevin Van Tighem, former superintendent of Banff National Park, helps us understand what's really going on with the UCP and ownership of Alberta's parks. Award-winning journalist Brandi Morin revisits Canada's top Indigenous news stories of 2020. Former Oilers captain and Stanley Cup champion Andrew Ference explains why he was so ticked off at an Edmonton outdoor rink, and what he's expecting with the upcoming, shortened NHL season.

Banff Mayor Karen Sorensen describes how the mountain town has weathered COVID-19, and its post-pandemic economic recovery plan. Famed Canadian entrepreneur Arlene Dickinson has a message for small business owners making a game plan for 2021. Harm reduction advocate Guy Felicella shares his survival story, and outlines what meaningful and effective response to Canada's opioid crisis needs to look like.

The Archdiocese of Edmonton has pulled a priest from duty after a “credible accusation of sexual assault of a minor” in Los Angeles. Sexual abuse survivor Irene Deschenes takes us into the Catholic church’s long history of protecting predators. Reverend Anna Greenwood-Lee joins us to explain why she takes issue with Alberta’s UCP government quoting scripture on Christmas Day.

Ryan rolls out the best rants of the week, as submitted to [email protected]. Buckle up for another edition of Trash Talk, presented by Local Waste.

Cara Moffat has two very important jobs. She's a respiratory therapist helping COVID-19 patients at Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital. She's also one of Santa's helpers. She tell us what it's been like in Santa's mailroom this year, and how messages from kids are different in 2020. Mohammad Hussain is celebrating his very first Christmas, after years and years of ignoring the holiday. He takes us into the experience, including what it was like to hear from Prime Minister Trudeau himself. And Brandon Rudics, a Real Talk audience member, recalls his very first Christmas after leaving his Jehovah's Witness faith community. Merry Christmas, friends!

What were the top food stories in Canada in 2020? What food trends should we be focusing on for 2021? Professor Sylvain Charlebois of Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab. Mayors Cathy Heron, Alanna Hnatiw, and Tara Veer join from St. Albert, Sturgeon County, and Red Deer. We get into the year that was, the impact of COVID-19 on their communities, where the biggest economic opportunities exist in the year to come, and whether or not women approach politics differently than men.

Ryan starts the show reading a letter from Freson Bros founder Frank Lovsin, OC. A member of the Alberta Business Hall of Fame, Mr. Lovsin takes issue with billion-dollar corporations accepting federal wage subsidies, then paying out millions in dividends to shareholders. MLA Rakhi Pancholi joins to discuss universal child care, and what the model might look like. Dr. Madhav Sarda, a medical education professor at the University of Saskatchewan, explains in laypersons' terms how the COVID-19 vaccine actually works, and what's so remarkable about its development.

Strategist Chris Henderson joins Ryan to discuss our "Get Real: Question of the Week" on how COVID is affecting your holiday shopping. Of course, as you might expect, there's a whole bunch of poli-talk too. Calgary City Councillor Jyoti Gondek discusses the high-profile arrest of Ocean Wiesblatt, a Calgary man who refused to cooperate with police after violating COVID-related restrictions at an outdoor ice rink. Councillor Gondek also shares her powerful perspective on racism, after another public demonstration by the group Soldiers of Odin. Political strategist Stephen Carter wraps up the show with an extended-length (and lively!) conversation around Wiesblatt's arrest, changes to the federal carbon tax, and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's plan for a referendum around equalization in October 2021.

Ryan rolls out the best rants of the week, as submitted to [email protected]. Buckle up for another edition of Trash Talk, presented by Local Waste.

Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, takes questions on the implications of Ottawa's climate policy on prairie producers. Our Anti-Racism Friday round table, featuring Dr. Farha Shariff, Adam North Peigan, and Rahma Mohamed, focus on taking meaningful individual and collective action to confront discrimination in our communities.