The Confluence

Annalise Klingbeil and Kerianne Sproule

Join journalist Annalise Klingbeil and producer Kerianne Sproule as they dive into current municipal issues with community leaders, policy makers, politicians, journalists and — most importantly — everyday Calgarians. We take you beyond the daily headlines, and delve into topics that pique our interest and yours through in-depth reporting, entertaining conversation and engaging audio.

  1. 12/15/2017

    Ep. 16: Alberta’s Opioid Crisis — 'There's no end in sight'

    Across Alberta, there were 482 opioid-related accidental deaths in the first nine months of 2017. Take a minute to let that number sink in. Nearly two Albertans are dying every single day from fentanyl and other opioids, and there’s no end in sight. This crisis is killing young men at a higher rate than anyone else. The majority of victims are dying in their own homes, and in Calgary, most fatalities are occurring outside the downtown core, in the suburbs. Behind the startling statistics are stories. There are partners, children, parents, aunts, uncles and friends left behind to grieve a life lost too soon. On this episode host Annalise Klingbeil and guest co-host Meghan Potkins speak to Rosalind Davis, the co-founder of Changing the Face of Addiction. In February 2016, Davis lost her partner Nathan to fentanyl after he developed a dependency on opioids that began with a painkiller prescription for a back injury. He was 34. Potkins and Klingbeil speak to Davis about what happened to Nathan and her advocacy work since his death. We also take a look at what stands out to Postmedia reporter Potkins after months of covering opioids and what’s being done to stop a crisis set to kill hundreds of Albertan’s by year’s end. As always, Kerianne Sproule makes us sound great. And, your feedback, advice, ideas, shares and iTunes reviews are appreciated. You can subscribe to The Confluence podcast on iTunes, Tunein, Google Play, Stitcher, Pocket Casts and Overcast, and follow us on Twitter or like the podcast on Facebook.

  2. 12/01/2017

    Ep. 15: ‘We only really notice things when they’re gone’

    For years, more than 30,000 drivers a day rolled by a long row of character homes along Memorial Drive, west of 10 Street N.W., with little thought. When a construction fence surrounded the homes, some Calgarians took note. After a bulldozer destroyed the vacated abodes, all of a sudden, citizens remarked that something was missing from their daily commutes. “We only really notice things when they’re gone,” says Josh Traptow, the executive director of the Calgary Heritage Authority. On this episode, host Annalise Klingbeil speaks to Traptow about all things heritage, in a city with a reputation for bulldozing its past. “Calgary, especially in the 70s, 80s and 90s tore down, really, a lot of amazing buildings,” says Traptow. “Calgarians really want to save what they have left. In another 100 years, who knows what they’re going to have.” Traptow and Klingbeil cover a wide range of topics including the archaic terms listed on historic Calgary land titles, why a young Calgarian cares so much about old things, and how to designate your own abode as a municipal historic resource.  As always, Kerianne Sproule makes the podcast sound great. And, your feedback, advice, ideas, shares and iTunes reviews are appreciated. Here are links to a few of the news articles mentioned in this episode: Are 'run of the mill' heritage homes worthy of preservation? Advocates argue yes ‘Wow is this ever a cool house:’ Owner of home built in 1975 requests municipal historic resource designation Concrete connection to Calgary’s past preserved in sidewalk stamps Request to preserve one of Canada's last remaining 'Trend Houses' goes to city council

  3. 11/03/2017

    Ep.13: 'Not your grandma's suburb'

    Ward 12 Coun. Shane Keating has a bumper sticker in his office. It says: "I do suburbs, but I do them right." On this episode, host Annalise Klingbeil drives (and complains about an abundance of traffic circles) as Keating tours listeners around Calgary's deep south. We travel through master-planned, mixed-use, compact neighbourhoods that Keating believes have been done right. These aren't the Calgary suburbs of decades past, where single-family, cookie-cutter homes with double-car garages sit on large lots and amenities are a car-ride away. The tour starts in Auburn Bay, which was Calgary's fastest growing community in the 2017 city census, and had 4,217 residents when Keating was first elected in 2010. Today, more than 16,000 Calgarians live in estate homes, townhouses, apartment complexes, condos and duplexes in Auburn Bay on Calgary's southeastern outskirts. In nearby Cranston and McKenzie Towne, there are another 36,665 residents who live in walkable, high-density communities that offer a variety of housing, retail and employment options on the city's outer edge. Keating tours us through other communities including Seton — an area that's been transformed from gopher-filled farmland to the downtown of the 'burbs — Quarry Park and Douglasdale. As he takes us through some of Calgary's fastest growing communities, Keating speaks about topics including sprawl, the Green Line LRT, living in the deep south without a car, and what's wrong with a closed-minded attitude about new suburbs, all while teaching us about the communities he loves. As always, Kerianne Sproule makes us sound great. And, your feedback, advice, ideas, shares and iTunes and Facebook reviews are appreciated.

  4. 09/29/2017

    Ep. 12: 'It's a blood sport and I don't see any bleeding'

    He calls city hall the big blue playpen and he's been covering it for nearly three decades. On this episode of the Confluence podcast, host Annalise Klingbeil speaks to ever-opinionated Calgary Sun columnist Rick 'the Dinger' Bell about the looming municipal election. With less than three weeks left before voters head to the ballot box, Bell says the mayoral race is shaping up to be interesting because it's not yet clear just who will win council's top seat. "In Calgary mayoral elections that's a real novelty. Most elections, if you have someone who is already the mayor, it's just a question of how much do they win by. And in this case, there is doubt as to who the mayor will be on the morning of October 17," Bell says. Bell, who admits he voted for the purple revolution in 2010, believes there's a possibility incumbent mayor Naheed Nenshi could lose his seat to businessman and lawyer Bill Smith, or longtime Ward 10 councillor Andre Chabot. "I can hear people talking who used to think Nenshi was the God who walked as a man and now are critical of him," Bell says. Tune in as Bell details what he sees as disenchantment with Nenshi, why he feels sorry for Chabot, and what he thinks of Smith's strategy to date. "What would you do if you had a candidate, who had a chance at winning because the incumbent is not as popular as he once was, but he's not a good speaker, he's not a good answerer of questions, and he doesn't know a whole lot about city hall?" asks Bell. Eighty-six people recently signed up to run for a spot at the council table, while 45 people are running for school trustee, and Bell also catches us up on why he refused to speak to the majority of people who came to city hall on nomination day, what ward races he's watching closely, and what he thinks taxpayers deserve this election. In addition, knowledgeable Flames Nation reporter Ryan Pike joins us to talk about the latest bombshell in the ongoing arena saga and catch us up on what's been happening on this file since the Saddledome opened in 1983. As always, Kerianne Sproule makes us sound great. And, your feedback, advice, ideas, shares and iTunes reviews are appreciated.

    42 min

About

Join journalist Annalise Klingbeil and producer Kerianne Sproule as they dive into current municipal issues with community leaders, policy makers, politicians, journalists and — most importantly — everyday Calgarians. We take you beyond the daily headlines, and delve into topics that pique our interest and yours through in-depth reporting, entertaining conversation and engaging audio.