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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.

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On the northeast edge of Okotoks, a new commercial development has been taking shape for years. Now, it finally feels like the finish line is in sight.

Located at the corner of Milligan Drive and 48 Street, the development will feature everything from a gas station and daycare to a dentist, pizza, 99-cent wings—and, of course, another liquor store, because apparently Okotoks needed one more!

But at the heart—and perhaps the soul—of this new development is Soul Sisters Café.

In this episode of The Okotoks Podcast, I sit down with Linda Froise to discuss the story behind Soul Sisters Café, why she wanted to open a café, the long journey to get here, and what customers can expect when the doors finally open.

We also talk about the café’s connection to art, the atmosphere Linda hopes to create, and her vision for making Soul Sisters a welcoming gathering place for the entire community.

It has taken patience, determination and plenty of hard work, but Soul Sisters Café is getting closer—and I think Okotoks is going to be excited about what’s coming.

This is the story behind Soul Sisters Café.

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Tariff This: Elbows Up, Egos Down

“Elbows up” has become Canada’s rallying cry—but is retaliation actually a strategy?

In this solo episode of The Okotoks Podcast, Carlin Lutzer draws on 15 years in real estate to examine how arrogance, pride and personality can prevent two sides from reaching a deal—even when the people they represent desperately need one.

Carlin explores Canada’s dependence on the American market, our failure to diversify trade and the barriers that still make it difficult to trade within our own country. He also questions whether tariffs meant to punish the United States ultimately place Canadian families, workers and businesses in the penalty box instead.

This isn’t about cheering for Donald Trump or surrendering Canada’s dignity. It’s about recognizing the imbalance between the two economies, controlling our retaliation and negotiating from a position grounded in reality.

Politicians may take the penalties, but ordinary people pay the price.

Elbows up? Absolutely.
Eyes open? Always.
Egos down? It’s time.

What do you think? Is Canada’s “elbows up” approach protecting our interests—or hurting the very people it is supposed to defend?

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Why would a company with no clients in the Foothills Region put its name on our Regional Field House?

Carlin sits down with Nathan Neufeld, CEO of the Tenfold Group, to discover the answer.

Nathan shares his journey from growing up in Okotoks to building a successful group of companies rooted in the values of character, relationships and performance. He also explains why Tenfold created its charitable foundation and how the organization supports people both locally and around the world.

The conversation explores the story behind the Tenfold Field House Powered by Team Up—and why the partnership is intended to be about much more than advertising or naming rights.

It’s a conversation about business, generosity, community involvement and what can happen when a company chooses to operate with an open hand.

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Sick… and Sick and Tired of Waiting

What if getting medical care didn’t mean sitting for hours in a waiting room?

In this episode of The Okotoks Podcast, Carlin sits down with Charlene Crooks, BScN, MN, FNP-C, owner of Your NP Next Door.

Charlene has more than 20 years of healthcare experience in surgery, medicine, public health and acute care. Today, she is bringing healthcare directly to patients through a mobile primary-care service in Okotoks and the surrounding area.

We discuss what a nurse practitioner is, what Charlene can diagnose and prescribe, when it makes sense to call Your NP Next Door, and how mobile healthcare could help reduce the pressure on walk-in clinics and urgent care.

No crowded waiting room. No unnecessary travel. Just accessible healthcare delivered in the comfort of your own home.

Learn more or book an appointment at:

https://www.yournpnextdoor.ca/

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Youth sports are supposed to teach teamwork, accountability, resilience and a love of the game. But with rising costs, packed schedules and increasing pressure to win, have we lost sight of their real purpose?

Chris Cederstrand returns to The Okotoks Podcast to talk honestly about what youth sports have become—and what needs to change.

Chris is a former Team Canada sledge hockey player and World Championship silver medallist, former firefighter, hockey coach, motivational speaker, KidSport ambassador, founder of the Cederstrand Foundation and former competitor on Canada’s Ultimate Challenge.

Together, we discuss the growing cost of sports, children being left behind because their families cannot afford to participate, the pressure parents place on young athletes and the challenges facing volunteer coaches.

We also ask some difficult questions: Are kids playing too many games? Has winning become more important than development? Are parents making youth sports about themselves? And are we teaching children to love the game—or programming that love right out of them?

This conversation goes beyond hockey. It’s about raising accountable, resilient young people and remembering that very few children will become professional athletes—but every one of them will eventually become an adult.