This is not the episode you think it is.

It's difficult to imagine a more divisive time in living memory than what the world experienced in the first years of COVID. There's no question that the measures that were put in place saved lives, but there's also a reality that the manner in which they were implemented not only contributed to the division but also weren't implemented consistently.

If you don't learn from your mistakes, you're bound to repeat them, so we sat down with Chad McDonald, who has pending legal action against the province for the way that he and his business were treated to try and learn what mistakes Alberta can avoid, and which ones it's already repeating.

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As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we're trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/ thebreakdownab and we can now accept e-transfers at [email protected]!

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With Danielle Smith and the UCP making moves to bring in publicly funded but for profit delivered acute care in Alberta, we sat down with Chris Gallaway from "Friends of Medicare" to try and get a better understanding of not only these moves, but their impact and implications on Emergency healthcare in Alberta!

Don't forget, we have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca!

As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we're trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/ thebreakdownab and we can now accept e-transfers at [email protected]!

If you're listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don't forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

Opioid Crisis Part 2?

On an important follow up to last weeks round table discussion with advocate Guy Felicella and columnist Adam Zivo, we're sitting down with an expert in addictions and addiction treatment, Dr. Monty Ghosh to fact check what was said as well as ensure the context of our episode is set where it should be!!

From his U of C bio where he is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, "Monty Ghosh is an Internist and Addiction Specialist who works at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton as an Internist as well as the Foothills and Rockyview Hospitals doing Addiction Medicine in Calgary.  He works with multiple community based not for profit organizations to provide support for marginalized populations including The Alex and The Calgary Drop-In Centre. He also helps foster and create unique programs to support those living with substance use, experiencing homelessness, and with other vulnerabilities.  He is the Medical Co-Lead for the AHS Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) Program."

Don't forget, we have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca!

As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we're trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/ thebreakdownab and we can now accept e-transfers at [email protected]!

If you're listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don't forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

With the UCP making major changes to how "problem" bears are "managed", in that they're allowing anyone with a hunting license to enter a lottery to win the opportunity to kill a grizzly bear, we're sitting down with Bear Expert and NDP MLA Dr. Sarah Elmeligi to find out why this is a terrible idea and most importantly, why it won't work!

Don't forget, we have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca!

As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we're trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/ thebreakdownab and we can now accept e-transfers at [email protected]!

If you're listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don't forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

What's the deal with the Skybox Scandal?

Alberta Politics moves fast, and that's made it hard to keep up with everything that goes on!

instructor and effort to try and make sure that the more complex stories don't fall through the cracks, we're trying a new "rapid response" mini episode format, where from time to time, we'll do a quick but deep dive on a story that's making waves in Alberta Politics. For our first one, we take a look at the skybox and gifting scandal currently plaguing the UCP!

Don't forget, we have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca!

As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we're trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/ thebreakdownab and we can now accept e-transfers at [email protected]!

If you're listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don't forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

In this conversation we try to unpack how it is that there can be a great deal of shared reality, but the conclusions and strategies that people come to can be wildly divergent.

Don't forget, we have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca!

As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we're trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/ thebreakdownab and we can now accept e-transfers at [email protected]!

If you're listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don't forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

Is private, for profit healthcare now starting to infiltrate the Alberta healthcare system? We chat with concerned community member Sarah Zagoda to find out more!

Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca!

As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we're trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/ thebreakdownab and we can now accept e-transfers at [email protected]!

If you're listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don't forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

It's another live episode with an open mic!

What do guitars, soccer, expertise and twitter bots all have in common?

Alberta politics of course!

Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a spring lineup!

As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab and we can now accept e-transfers at [email protected]!

If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

Danielle Smith made news on June 25th when she announced that she was going to "opt out" Albertans from the federal dental plan.

Which leads to a lot of questions, like what are the current programs that are available, what are the criteria for them and how does the federal program match up?

Which is to say nothing of the question if she even can opt Albertans out.

On this episode, we try and unpack all of that, and we take a look at why Smith and the UCP are threatening the healthcare of Alberta's most vulnerable!

Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a spring lineup!

As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab and we can now accept e-transfers at [email protected]!

If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!

We're pushing our dental episode back a few days to bring you this special conversation with none other than Jeromy Farkas!

With the city of Calgary finally getting into the homestretch of the water crisis, Naheed Nenshi winning a landslide victory in the NDP leadership race, an impending ecological disaster and the Calgary Stampede all being things, we sat down with Jeromy to try and make sense of all of these things in an nuanced, thoughtful and occasionally lighthearted manner!

Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a spring lineup!

As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab and we can now accept e-transfers at [email protected]!

If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!