This is Edmonton

COVID-19 is spreading fast again, with the R-value doubling in recent weeks -- yet the provincial government continues to loosen pandemic restrictions. Reporter Paige Parsons explains what’s changing and how medical experts are reacting. We’ll find out how Edmonton’s Heritage Festival is trying to prevent the spread of the virus at Hawrelak Park. Plus: an extraordinary student’s indirect path to winning one of MacEwan University’s highest honours.

This week we get a sneak preview of the latest episode of World On Fire, an original podcast from CBC Edmonton. We explore heat domes, extreme temperatures and the tinder dry conditions that are igniting out of control wildfires across North America this year.

Read more online at cbc.ca/1.6108111

It's been branded as the 'Best Summer Ever' but its at least a great time to get outside and enjoy the city. This week, we do just that! Our Edmonton's Adrienne Lamb takes us to the great outdoors with an interactive map showing green spaces in the city. Clare Bonnyman heads out on the North Saskatchewan for the first time and Edmonton AM's Kim Nakrieko tests hosts Clare and Min Dhariwal on their critter knowledge.

As Alberta reopens we’re all excited to return to family, friends and everything else the pandemic kept at a distance. But how do we get past our pandemic anxiety to appreciate it all? And how do we keep that gratitude going past the first few months of post-pandemic bliss? A local mindfulness coach helps us up our awareness game. And Min Dhariwal shares how the digital connections we made while socially distanced are shifting into in-person experiences as we enter another ‘new normal’.

In recent weeks, attacks on Edmonton’s Islamic community have risen. We look at the vandalism on the Baitul Hadi Mosque, and dig into a political apology for a divisive policy. Plus a founder of the Muslim Feminist Collective joins us to talk about conversations to combat hate. It’s also the end of a very pandemic year of high school. Host Min Dhariwal catches up with some graduates as they cross the stage. And in honour of Pride Month, CBC researcher Ishita Verma shares some coming out stories to celebrate Edmonton’s LGBTQ2S+ community.

A recent spike in opioid overdoses has put Edmonton on high alert with community organizations calling for help against rising numbers of accidental overdoses. We look at the government’s newly announced funding and speak to a member of Treaty 6 Community Outreach about what you can do to help. Plus reopening means events will soon actually happen. We hear from an event space in the city, and two pandemic brides making the most of their socially distanced days.

The long overdue conversation around residential schools and historical injustice is finally gaining traction. We head to Maskwacis where the four nations honoured the lives of the 215 children whose remains were found at an unmarked burial site on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. And an Edmonton business owner shares why they're dropping a historically charged name. Plus Edmonton Oilers’ Ethan Bear and his girlfriend Lenasia join us to speak out on racism online and how he's standing up for people of colour off the ice.

This episode contains content that may be distressing for some listeners. A National Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and those affected. Emotional and crisis referral services can be accessed by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.

Indigenous leaders and elders in Alberta are calling out the UCP government over the proposed draft curriculum for K-6 students. CBC Reporter Janet French joins us to share how some feel like ‘the token Indian’ in the push to get the curriculum approved. Plus we celebrate ‘crushing it’ and talk through the UCP’s reopening strategy for summer. Also in this episode, CBC’s Julia Lipscombe walks us through the challenges facing first time city council candidates, and we learn about ‘Grandpa Garth’—a feline with a giant family.

A new online map shows Albertans vaccination rates by community.

We’ll hear from reporter Stephanie Dubois about a push from doctors for targeting low-uptake communities with specialized vaccination clinics.

And the week may have forced Edmonton gardeners to pull their plants inside, but it’s never been more important to invest in our community gardens.

Resiliency and emergency preparedness expert Chaka Zinyemba explains how plants could help us through the end of the pandemic.

Plus: it’s playoff season and co-host Min Dhariwal takes a walk down memory lane to prepare for the Oilers’ run at the Cup.

As we face a third pandemic wave at home, a group of Alberta doctors are providing virtual support to India's COVID-19 crisis. This week on the show we learn about virtual telehealth with a 12 hour time difference. And in a year focused on justice, one organization in the province is calling for a national 'awakening' on disabilities. We speak to the President of Disability Pride Alberta about how an Oscar nominated film sparked her own revolution. Plus, we hear from teens eager to step up and get their shot.