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Are your kids prepared to speak up and get help if a situation feels unsafe? Would you recognize a scam if it sounded like someone you love?

This week on The Okotoks Podcast, I sit down with Chris Kennedy, owner and instructor of Rhino Defense Inc. Chris spent 18 years with the Calgary Police Service and now teaches practical safety skills to children, adults and seniors.

We talk about his child safety and abduction prevention program, including how kids can use their voice, create distance and make decisions when someone approaches them. Chris also explains how he teaches those skills in a way that builds confidence without creating fear.

For seniors, we discuss staying confident while out in the community and recognizing common scams, from suspicious calls and emails to someone showing up at the door. Chris shares why awareness and a plan can matter more than knowing how to fight.

Chris is bringing two programs to the Tenfold Regional Field House in Okotoks on October 4: a child safety course and a senior empowerment and crime and scam prevention session. Registration is through the Field House.

Listen in for a practical conversation about helping the people we love feel safer and more confident.

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Alberta is facing an important conversation about its future—and Albertans deserve the opportunity to decide what that future should look like.

In this episode of The Okotoks Podcast, I welcome Tanya Clemens back to discuss Alberta independence, the growing frustration with Ottawa and the movement calling for greater provincial autonomy.

We talk about the proposed pathway to independence, the current level of support among Albertans and whether the independence movement has become divided. Tanya also responds to some of the difficult questions surrounding separation: trade, pensions, currency, national defence and Alberta’s future relationship with Canada and the United States.

There is already plenty of noise, anger and name-calling surrounding this issue. This conversation is an opportunity to move beyond the slogans, hear another perspective and allow people to make up their own minds.

You may strongly agree with Tanya, completely disagree with her or still be undecided. Regardless of where you stand, the most important thing is to become informed, take part in the conversation and get out and vote.

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Okotoks is growing—but are we growing too fast, and are we prepared for what comes next?

In this episode of The Okotoks Podcast, I sit down with Paul Howarth for a frank conversation about the future of our community. We discuss increasing housing density, traffic and infrastructure pressures, rising municipal debt, waste collection challenges, and the Town’s plan to grow Okotoks to approximately 96,000 people by 2049.

Growth may be inevitable, but that doesn’t mean residents should stop asking tough questions:

How much growth can our existing infrastructure handle?
Will rapid development really keep taxes down?
What happens to property values if housing supply outpaces demand?
And how do we preserve the identity and quality of life that made people choose Okotoks in the first place?

This conversation doesn’t hold back. Now is the time for residents to become informed, speak up and take part in shaping the future of our town.

The Okotoks Concerned Citizens group will meet Monday, September 28 at 6:00 p.m. at the Crystal Shores Beach House to discuss the next steps in organizing this grassroots group. Everyone is welcome.

Correction: During the conversation, I referred to an upcoming public hearing regarding Hopewell’s proposed west-side development. It is actually expected to be an open house, and no date was listed on the project website at the time of recording.