LiftEd Podcast

EndPovertyEdmonton•endpovertyedmonton.ca

How can we tackle haunting issues like poverty, racism, affordable housing, income disparity, and homelessness? The LiftEd Podcast, brought to you by EndPovertyEdmonton, brings a non-partisan, optimistic view to some of the biggest social issues facing our city. Join hosts Erick Ambtman, Executive Director at EndPovertyEdmonton, and former city councillor Scott McKeen as they discuss Edmonton’s most challenging social issues with opinion leaders and subject matter experts.

Last refreshed: August 22nd, 2025 at 9:25 PM ⓘ

Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.

Follow on

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RSS

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Tim Adams

Tim Adams doesn’t love terms like ‘vulnerable’ or ‘at-risk’ or ‘marginalised’ to describe the thousands of kids he’s worked with these past 13 years. Adams' preferred term? Kids. Just kids. The founder of the Edmonton Free Play program, originally called Free Footie, believes in the potential for all kids to overcome life challenges, with a bit of work and a lot of play. Adams was a CBC journalist in 1987 when he was sent to an inner-city school to cover a story. He was watching some kids playin...

Dec 13, 2023•42 min•Ep. 7

Peter Smyth

Peter Smyth has a novel suggestion for helping at-risk and high-risk youth. Try patience and kindness instead. Smyth, who worked 30-plus years for the Alberta Children's Services, says society’s punitive bias towards kids and teens is reflected in their government care. Client behaviour is largely corrected through coercion or punishment, which only confirms everything the traumatised kid already felt about the world and the adults who run it. Smyth, who sat down recently with Erick and Scott fo...

Nov 29, 2023•38 min•Ep. 6

Shalini Sinha

Shalini Sinha is not here to make Canadians feel comfortable about our work to date fighting racism. Progress? What progress? But take note: Nor is she a flame-throwing activist. She makes a point of not blaming individuals or calling anyone racist. It’s complicated. Sinha says, however, that the political polarisation of today makes discussing race more difficult. People are frustrated, angry and fearful. The mood is oppressive. BIPOC people are afraid to speak up or assert themselves. “To me, ...

Nov 15, 2023•32 min•Ep. 5

Dr. Robin Mazumder

In essence, a city is just a hodgepodge of streets, buildings and green spaces where people live, work and play. Cities are the seas we swim in. Yet only now are researchers studying the way urban environments impact on our moods and mental health. One such researcher is former Edmontonian Dr. Robin Mazumder, an environmental neuroscientist whose research focuses on how urban stress affects us individually and collectively. Mazumder, who grew up in B.C., worked for five years in Edmonton as an o...

Nov 01, 2023•38 min•Ep. 4

Anne Harvey

Anne Harvey’s passion is matchmaking. Mind you, not in the romantic sense. Harvey, a “relationship-oriented leader,” began introducing Edmontonians to each other in 2012 when the City of Edmonton’s Abundant Community initiative launched. The initiative was in response to growing reports of social isolation in modern cities; of people feeling disconnected from friends, neighbours and community. Robert Putnam’s book, Bowling Alone, first brought the issue to the spotlight in the early 2000s, revea...

Oct 18, 2023•43 min•Ep. 3

Don Iveson

You could say this man needs no introduction. Except Don Iveson was often improperly introduced as Don Ive-R-son, even during the years 2013-2021 when he served as Edmonton’s mayor. This odd, seemingly contagious malaprop never seemed to bother Iveson. He was so prepared for it that he locked down domain names for both Iveson and Iverson during his election campaigns. He was first elected as a city councillor in 2007 at 28 years of age as a strong advocate for environmental and social causes. As...

Oct 04, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 2

Introduction to LiftEd

Welcome to the LiftEd Podcast, sponsored by EndPovertyEdmonton and hosted by its executive director Erick Ambtman, along with former city councillor Scott McKeen. We’re hoping the twice-monthly podcast will live up to its name, LiftEd, by elevating many of Edmonton’s most challenging social issues into the public consciousness. The LiftEd Podcast will invite opinion leaders and subject matter experts to discuss topics and ideas around social impact. How can we make our communities healthier for ...

Sep 27, 2023•33 min•Ep. 1

Hosted on Transistor

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android