Duane Bratt, Mount Royal University Poli-Sci Professor

Chris Spearman, former Lethbridge mayor and a spokesperson for the Water For Food Group

David Soberman, a Rotman School of Management professor and the Canadian National Chair of Strategic Marketing

Jess Burke, Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Training; and Liaison to 2SLGBTQIA+ Partnerships at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs

WELCOME TO THE MWSA PODCAST FOR MONDAY, JAN 27

Last Friday afternoon, the Government of Alberta quietly released the report of a task force that assessed the province’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report — with a budget of $2 million — was commissioned shortly after Premier Danielle Smith swept to power in late 2022. We check in with MRU Political Scientist Duane Bratt to get his thoughts on the document, which comes in at just over 270 pages.

Next – Monday ‘marked’ the 80th Anniversary of Holocaust Remembrance day – the day the liberation took place of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. We talk about the importance of this day – and hear about the disturbing current-day rise in anti-semitic hate, with Jess Burke -Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Training with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.

And finally - according to new research - frequent Social Media use is associated with ‘increased’ irritability in adults…Which brings about a few questions - how much time is considered ‘frequent’ - and does this include ALL Social Media – or just specific ‘platforms’? We tackle the topic with Dr. Ted Jablonski - our ‘on-call’ family physician.

Dr. Shelley Duggan, President of the Alberta Medical Association

Sheila Taylor, CEO of Parks Foundation

Arlene Dickinson, Canadian investor, entrepreneur and venture capitalist who appears on the popular reality TV show 'Dragons' Den'

Jackson Proskow, Global News Washington Bureau Chief

Stephen Schneider, Professor of Criminology at Saint Mary's University in Halifax whose latest book released in November is entitled An Ontology of Organized Crime