Alberta Advantage Podcast

Rick Bell. He's Calgary's Best Journalist. His paragraphs? They're tiny. His opinions? They're terrible. Listen, dear reader, and learn.

BONUS MATERIAL: Enjoy this episode of Unpacking the News from April 17, 2019 featuring Alberta Advantage contributor and Sports Are Gay co-host Elaine Pauls joining Andre Goulet to explore the aftermath of the 2019 election. In a grim morning-after conversation, Alberta Advantage contributor and Sports Are Gay co-host Elaine Pauls joins host Andre Goulet from Calgary to explore the aftermath of ju...

Predictably, the Alberta NDP's focus-grouped and poll-driven strategy to get re-elected failed, despite Jason Kenney's campaign having multiple run-ins with xenophobia and white nationalism. Who could've foreseen after the 2016 Clinton-Trump contest that people would vote for magic nostalgic "make the economy better" beans, even if the leader in question is an asshole? Surely in Alberta, where Ral...

BONUS CONTENT! Repost of Ricochet Media's "Unpacking the News" with Andre Goulet, featuring Team Advantage member Stephen. In the lead up to Alberta's April 16th election, Stephen Magusiak of pressprogress.ca and The Alberta Advantage podcast joins host Andre Goulet to explore (likely future Premier) Jason Kenney's twisted past as a far-right campus activist in the United States. Plus: cataloguing...

Alberta's New Democrats have some legitimate victories: minimum wage increases, modernization of labour rights, and their protections of Gay-Straight Alliances are commendable. But fiscally they've accepted too many conservative frames, which left them without the capacity to pursue truly transformative policies like a green jobs guarantee or more aggressive decarbonization programs. Is this new p...

Jason Kenney's United Conservative Party released a 114-page platform detailing how they would like to go to war with Albertans. "Job creation" programs that just hand giant tax breaks to corporations! "Cutting red tape" by rolling back labour regulations! Repealing overtime pay entirely! Suing higher orders of government for fun! Conspiracy theories about foreign interests land-locking our oil! O...

Danielle Smith interviewed disgraced former UCP candidate Caylan Ford on March 29, 2019. Caylan Ford withdrew her candidacy on March 20, 2019 after messages she authored were released which revealed that Ford thought "white supremacist terrorists" are treated unfairly, and that she is "saddened by the demographic replacement of white peoples in their homelands" and "it's clear that it will not be...

Fun fact: Grant Notley, Rachel Notley's father, led Alberta's New Democrats from 1968 until 1984. Surely he was inspired by the radical politics of his time and serves as a useful contrast to today's social democrats who claim that "Pharmacare doesn't grow on trees... ?" Team Advantage compares and contrasts the members of Alberta's only social-democratic dynasty, and gives careful consideration t...

Jason Kenney's star UCP candidate, Caylan Ford, recently resigned over white supremacist comments. But did you know that the Calgary Herald's star columnist, Licia Corbella, wrote a glowing puff piece on Caylan Ford? Join Team Advantage as they read through Corbella's insightful profile. For legal reasons, please consider this entire episode parody. https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/corbel...

Did you know that the post-war CCF once wrote admiringly about the Red Army? That it saw Canada's wartime economic planning as a great argument for the superiority of central planning and public investment? That they authored pieces like "Political Action for the 99%" in 1943? Or that NDP leader David Lewis used to publicly name-and-shame Canadian corporations that avoided taxes while soaking up p...

Renowned earth scientist David Hughes joins Team Advantage to discuss Canada's energy mix, Alberta's oilsands, the realities of a carbon-constrained future, orphaned wells in Western Canada, oil curtailment and oil-by-rail, as well as David's most recent study, Canada's Energy Outlook. David Hughes will be speaking in Calgary on Monday, March 4th, 2019 at 7pm at MacEwan Hall. Follow this link for...

Populism! It frightens liberal technocrats everywhere! What could be worse than teeming masses of people making political demands? Team Advantage takes a look at some of populism's historical roots, and examines that classic populist formulation: the [ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE] vs [THE PEOPLE]. While everyone is concerned about right-wing populism, is a left-wing populism possible? What would it look...

Bashir Mohamed joins Team Advantage to discuss Alberta's Black history, and the history of racial discrimination that accompanied it. KKK cross-burning approved by Edmonton's Mayor! Court cases over discriminatory seating! Some have suggested that MP Kerry Diotte is "racist"! That time Jason Kenney had Bashir arrested! and more... We used this piece to ground our discussion, Cheryl Foggo's "My Hom...

Have you herd? There's a new Canada Food Guide advising us to eat our fruits and veggies. This is clearly a plot by George Soros and the Global Elite to attack Alberta's precious, precious beef industry. Our environment is, in fact, maintained by our dear methane-emitting bovines! Team Advantage does a close read of Danielle Smith's incredibly well-informed, smart, intelligent, brilliant, sharp, k...

Team Advantage sits down with Justin and Thomas from Alberta Regional Rail to make the case for a regional rail network. Connect Alberta's major cities! Increase transportation safety! Cut down on transportation time! Ride a train because it's so dang cool! Check out Alberta Regional Rail: albertaregionalrail.com railalberta.com twitter.com/AlbertaRail Our Berlin correspondent, Julia, can be reach...

Journalist and podcaster extraordinaire James Wilt (@james_m_wilt) joins Team Advantage to discuss a few extremely chill and low-key subjects, such as Bill C-69, Alberta's royalty regime, Endy mattresses, the state of the Canadian podcasting universe, as well as the practice of journalism in Canada. It's very Nice. Subscribe to News You Can Use: https://soundcloud.com/user-112754787 Are Albertans...

Name your favourite highly-concentrated, highly-profitable, highly-integrated telecommunications company! Does it rhyme with Rell, Belus, or Togers? Good news, this episode is for you. Joined by Dru Oja Jay (@druojajay) of Courage, Team Advantage investigates phenomenon of "natural monopoly," investigates the Canadian communications industry's anti-competitive behaviour, and makes the case for nat...

In an effort to make William Brett Wilson Very Mad Online, Team Advantage convenes to explain the difference between demand-side climate policies (like the carbon tax) and supply-side climate policies (like restricting or banning production). We come to the natural conclusion that a world socialist government is probably the best way to tackle the problem.

Did you hear about the recent tragedy? "Laid off at 53, former oil industry manager wonders if seven-figure savings will sustain 40-year retirement: Couple has financial assets of about $1.37 million to tide them over, but at their age, they cannot access early Canada Pension Plan benefits for another seven years." Team Advantage gives the piece a thorough and compassionate read-through. https://e...

Hosting the Olympics in Calgary is a bad idea! Team Advantage considers Calgary's 1988 Olympic bid and how we lucked out financially the first time, the ridiculous demands of the International Olympics Committee (including private traffic lanes and seasonal cakes), fun fascist-Olympics crossovers, the social costs of hosting the Olympics, B.C.'s completely not-ominous "Assistance to Shelter Act" t...

Team Advantage treks to the great northern bastion of social democracy known as Edmonton, Alberta. We speak to some really excellent Alberta NDP members doing important work, and witness some flawlessly executed stage management. The funniest part was when we heard the UCP observer ask "are they all related? how are they all each other's brother and sister?"

Paige Gorsak is running for the federal NDP nomination in Edmonton-Strathcona, a seat currently held by the NDP's Linda Duncan (who is not seeking re-election). Kate interviews Paige about her ambitious platform and bold vision for the future, which includes a fossil-fuel phaseout and just transition fund, housing as a human right, free education, universal healthcare, drug decriminalization, and...

We're being told that wheat is legal now ... ? To celebrate the Greatest Grain, Team Advantage dives into Alberta's agrarian history, including the "clearing" of the plains, anti-capitalist ideas and agrarian radicalism, the history of the Canadian Wheat Board, Soviets stealing grain from America, the reorganization of rural life as Alberta discovers oil, and why the free market sucks.

Team Advantage submits themselves to a reading of a known piece of socialist propaganda, Tommy Douglas' Mouseland. Will they ever be the same again? If you're in Calgary this Friday, October 19th at 7pm, join us at the Hop In Brew (213 12 Ave SW) to hang out! Team Advantage will be there along with Duncan Kinney of Progress Alberta, who will be selling copies of Mouseland for $25.

David Gray-Donald (@dgrdon), publisher of Briarpatch magazine, joins Team Advantage to discuss his experience at this past summer's Global Petroleum Show in Calgary. Is the fossil fuel industry planning decarbonization and energy transition? What climate scenarios are they considering? What problems is the industry ignoring, how are they mobilizing their supporters into astroturf campaigns, and wh...