Outside The House

Access to public transportation should be a right in Canada and is a pillar of poverty reduction/elimination.  Taking it a step further by making transit free, supports an equitable society, as well as social and climate justice.  Additionally, it contributes to harm reduction and safer communities overall.  So, if there are all these positives, why is public transit becoming less and less accessible and affordable? As a community, what can we do about this issue to change it?  Join me, as I sit down with Carter Gorzitza from the grassroots organization, Free Transit Edmonton, to discuss why and how free transit is a must-have policy for the City, and what you can do about it to support it. 

We're back after a short break! This week's episode is a little different than usual because we sit down with two Edmonton, Alberta City Council candidates to gain their perspective on how to tackle houselessness, poverty, and what it means to them to run for council as Black citizens. Thanks for tuning in, and if you like this show please consider supporting this work as a patron at Patreon.com/OutsideTheHouse.  Thanks,  Katie Robertson

Ubuntu: (oo·boon·too) I am because we are. ~ Zulu Proverb This is what Dieulita and Sadia bring to the table in spades (including their own chairs). These two community mobilizers are sweeping through Alberta spreading the message of UBUNTU – Compassion, Humanity & Harmony.  Join me as I sit down with this dynamic and vibrant duo as we talk about what radical inclusivity means, how we can all #dobetter at embodying Ubuntu, and how we can all benefit from slowing down, storytelling, and creating deeper connections.  Visit https://ubuntualberta.com/ for more info on their organization and how to support them. 

Human rights violations take place every single day, many of them are committed by the institutions meant to protect our most vulnerable populations. The trouble is, it can take years for a single human rights claim to make it through the courts, and by then, it's usually too late. This is where the Coalition for Justice and Human Rights comes in.  Join host Katie Robertson, as she sits down with Mark Cherrington, justice and human rights advocate. Mark has dedicated his entire life to seeing justice served for those who have been most impacted by systemic injustices, and there's no sign of him stopping any time soon. 

Antiracism is a form of action against racism and the systemic racism and the oppression of marginalized groups. Being antiracist is based on the conscious efforts and actions to provide equitable opportunities for all people on an individual and systemic level. People can act against racism by acknowledging personal privileges, confronting acts of racial discrimination, and working to change personal racial biases. The Alberta education system currently doesn't have antiracism built into its framework both functionally and educationally within the curriculum. Meet the group of people who are actively working to change that, as I sit down with Nicole Dodd, one of the co-founders of the Alberta Antiracism Education Committee.  Don't miss an episode, hit that subscribe button now. Past episodes, extra content, swag and more are available by becoming a subscriber on patreon.com/outsidethehouse 

"Nature Needs Half" - That's the amount of land needing protection globally by 2030 in order to stop the sixth mass extinction and protect the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people.  The UCP Alberta Government are changing the protection status of 175 parks throughout the Province, and this puts us well below the meagre 2020 promise of protecting 17% of land in Alberta. International organizations including, Conservation International and Scientific American have also sounded the alarms, noting that this is one of the largest ever examples of land protection being removed, which equals 37% of Alberta's parks.  Why is Minister Jason Nixon moving ahead with this plan, despite 7 out of 10 Albertans opposing it? We'll never really know the answer, but the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) has taken up the fight to Defend Alberta Parks.  In this episode of Outside the House, CPAWS Northern Alberta Program Director, Tara Russell, tells us why parks are so important to not only the planet but also to our overall wellbeing and values. Learn more about the Defend Alberta Parks campaign, and how you can get involved here.  Thank you for listening! 

Hope is an adult survivor of trauma and mental health awareness advocate. She joins me this week to share her courageous journey of healing, after moving from South Korea to the United States and discovering she is an adult survivor of childhood trauma. Hope shares her experience with a dissociative disorder, growing up in a culture where mental health concerns are of very little importance, and how she is working every day to heal and raise awareness for others along the way. I have the honour of leaning in and listening to how I and other white people can support Asian people of colour and other BIPOC folx. You can learn more about Hope by following her on Instagram & Patreon @survivorandco or on her website at christinahope.org

One in every 66 children born in Canada is diagnosed with ASD, AKA Autism Spectrum Disorder. (autism speaks). The costs associated with both caring for a child who has ASD and preparing them to be adults who can hopefully someday live independently are countless. The Canadian and Provincial governments in so-called Canada have neglected to adequately and fairly serve children with ASD and their families. In this episode of Outside The House, I meet with Tony Stravato, who has found both hope and comfort in his needs-based therapy advocacy work, and the unexpected community that grew out of it. He and his wife are parents to twin 7-year-old children who have both been diagnosed as living with ASD. Join me as Tony shares how he's been fighting, alongside other parents, caregivers, and experts in the field for access and funding for needs-based therapy.

Between January 2016 and March 2019, an estimated 12,800 Canadians lost their lives due to apparent opioid-related deaths (cihi.ca). The Covid-19 pandemic has seen a huge surge in those deaths with 1,018 Canadians suffering fatal (and 96% of those accidental) opioid-related deaths (canada.ca). Our country has an opioid death crisis on our hands and we need to do something about it. Enter the Canadian Association of Safe Supply (safesupply.ca). The Canadian Association for Safe Supply is Canada's only national organization focused primarily on increasing access and supply to legal, regulated substances of known potency. Join me for the third episode of Outside The House as I sit down with Jordan Westfall, CEO of C.A.S.S. as we talk about what safe supply means and does for Canadians. Stay safe, and be well!

On this week’s guest episode, I welcome Tanya Bruce who runs Settle In Settlers. On this episode, we discuss everything from Environmental Racism, Colonial Violence and Residential Schools, to what we can do to provide justice and restore lands to Indigenous communities.  Tanya is an organizer, activist, and truth-seeker about Canada’s Colonial Past. Tanya calls in other colonial folks as this person provides queer commentary on Canadian politics, history and its lies on their Instagram account called Settle In Settlers. This episode has been edited and condensed for free listening, to hear the full episode, subscribe at patreon.com/outsidethehouse

Get to know your host Katie Robertson, the reasons why she started this podcast, and the community she hopes to grow. You can support Katie at patreon.com/outsidethehouse