“The Spotlight” by Local 196
As community nurses we are seldom stationary. We spend numerous hours on the road listening to music, audiobooks, and podcasts. Our local Advocacy and Engagement committee created this podcast to bring important (and hopefully entertaining) information to our members.
Episodes
In this episode, Gerri Logan—member of United Nurses of Alberta Local 196’s Advocacy & Engagement Committee—sits down with Janet Eremenko, Alberta’s NDP Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Addiction, to unpack the politics and human impact behind Alberta’s growing opioid crisis.
From the ongoing debate around decriminalization to the intersection between housing, stigma, and public health, Gerri and Janet explore why overdose ...
In this episode, Geri Ruston sits down with Dr. Bob Barnetson to examine the state of Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) in Canadian workplaces, with a focus on Alberta and the realities faced by nurses.
The conversation covers:
- The true number of workplace injuries each year—likely double the official statistics—and why underreporting is so common.
- The role of the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) and why some employers ma...
Rachel, Gerri, and Geri take listeners on an unforgettable journey through the life and legacy of Mary “Mother” Jones — the labour organizer once dubbed “the most dangerous woman in America.” From famine-stricken Ireland to the sweatshops and coalfields of the United States, the podcast traces how grief and injustice forged her into a tireless champion for worker safety and dignity.
But this isn’t just a history lesson. It’s a call ...
In this episode of The Spotlight, we’re joined by Cori Longo, Secretary-Treasurer of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), for an engaging and inspiring conversation about the power of activism and the importance of labour solidarity in Alberta. Cori takes us through her unique journey—from her first unionized job as a teenager to her time as a postal worker and registered nurse, and eventually into leadership roles within the Ca...
In this episode, hosts Rachel Steel and Gerri Logan explore the urgent need for presumptive legislation to protect nurses from psychological injuries such as PTSD and burnout. They are joined by Heather Murray and Katrina Stephenson, two passionate advocates fighting for policy changes recognizing mental health struggles as a workplace hazard for nurses.
The discussion begins with a breakdown of presumptive legislation, explaining h...
In this episode of The Spotlight, host Geri Ruston dives deep into the ongoing labour disputes in Alberta, where public sector unions like UNA are negotiating new collective agreements amidst increasing challenges. Joined by Rick Brick, Associate Executive Professor at the University of Alberta with over 30 years in HR and management, the discussion explores the complexities of labour negotiations, including the impact of governmen...
In this insightful episode, Local 196 A&E Committee member Gerri Logan sat down with the 2nd Vice President of the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA), Karen Kuprys, for an in-depth discussion about her career journey, focusing on her previous role as Secretary-Treasurer of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) from 2021 to 2024 and how it shaped her current position at UNA. She delved into the connections between her past work in ...
This episode features an interview between Geri Ruston and Jason Foster. Jason Foster is a director, researcher and policy analyst with the Parkland Institute. With a focus on labour rights and public sector issues, Foster has contributed to several reports examining government interference in public sector bargaining. His recent work addresses Alberta’s Bill 5 (PSEA), legislation that limits workers' rights to bargain and str...
Joining us in this episode is Chris Gallaway, a passionate advocate for public healthcare and a key voice at Friends of Medicare. Chris has dedicated his career to promoting equitable access to healthcare for all Albertans, and he brings a wealth of knowledge on the implications of privatization in our system.
Please note, the information, opinions, and recommendations expressed by guests and hosts in this Podcast are their own tho...
Gerri Logan interviews Pam Spurvey, a Recovery Alberta Indigenous Cultural Support Worker from Henwood, about " How to be culturally inclusive in the workplace.”
Please note, the information, opinions, and recommendations expressed by guests and hosts in this Podcast are their own those don’t necessarily reflect the views of Local 196 or United Nurses of Alberta.
If you have enjoyed the content of this podcast or have any sug...
Meet our Local 196 President, Joy Arntzen, as interviewed by A&E committee member Geri Ruston.
Please note, the information, opinions, and recommendations expressed by guests and hosts in this Podcast are their own those don’t necessarily reflect the views of Local 196 or United Nurses of Alberta.
If you have enjoyed the content of this podcast or have any suggestions for improvement, please reach out to the local 196 execut...
The second episode of the Spotlight features Winston Gereluk. Winston was invited to discuss the history of Nursing in Alberta.
*Interview was conducted on video and the audio extracted. Attempts were made to clean up the audio but listeners may have to adjust the volume, especially where the audio is poor. Our apologies*
Winston Gereluk is the Vice-President at Alberta Labour History Institute (ALHI). An organization fou...
Greg joined a political party at 13 but soon realised that politics alone isn’t enough. He enrolled in university and spent 7 years there, studying philosophy and political science. In the end, it became clear to Greg that change doesn’t come from universities. Change comes from those who pursue it.
Greg has been invited to discuss the Politics of Healthcare in Alberta.
Please note, the information, opinions, and recommen...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.
"SmartLess" with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett is a podcast that connects and unites people from all walks of life to learn about shared experiences through thoughtful dialogue and organic hilarity. A nice surprise: in each episode of SmartLess, one of the hosts reveals his mystery guest to the other two. What ensues is a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the SmartLess mind. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of SmartLess ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!