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Reports that a Crown Prosecutor in Canada has blamed the 1996 murder of Denise Fayant on the Correctional Service of Canada's (CSC) penological theories. Questions about why Fayant was transferred to the Edmonton Institution for Women even though Natalie Dubreuil, one of the inmates, knew that Fayant was planning to testify against her; Dubreuil's role in Fayant's death; Why the penological theories of the CSC are being called into question.

Reports that Guy Smith and Morag Rempel, social workers in the Alberta Social Services, were reprimanded by Social Services Minister Lyle Oberg for denouncing the government's plans to devolve child welfare services to regional authorities. Condemnation for Oberg, even though he is legally justified.

Reports that MLA Debby Carlson resigned as the Alberta Liberal caucus deputy leader after being charged with unemployment insurance (UI) fraud. Her work as a volunteer bookkeeper for the Aberta Status of Women Action Committee (ASWAC) from 1992-1994 as the period involved; Carlson's assertion of her innocence; Three other women charged with working for ASWAC while collecting unemployment; Carlson's background, including time spent as a resident in a women's shelter.

Focuses on Andy Scott replacing Herb Gray as Canadian solicitor-general. Canada's incarceration rate; Details of Scott and his counterpart, attorney-general Anne McLellan.

Informs of the You're Amazing health program in Alberta designed to persuade Albertans that they are doing well in taking care of themselves. The endorsement of the wellness philosophy, which believes that sickness is symptomatic of emotional and spiritual conflicts; What the program does and does not teach about health; Questions about public support for You're Amazing; The economic rationale of wellness.

Reports on a seminar given by self-help author John Bradshaw, attended by 140 people in Edmonton, Alberta. Bradshaw as promoting an immature cult of self worship; Comparisons to Freud's view of family life; Bradshaw's annual income; His childhood; Criticism from Mark Kingwell, philosophy professor at the University of Toronto, Ontario; The proclivity of people in the 20th century to attempt to purchase cures for spiritual ills.

Examines the positive and negative economic aspects of privatization in Alberta. Various examples of bid awards to private companies that did not save money; Street sweeping in Calgary; Comments from Don Donahue, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 37, on why Calgary's public employees should be awarded the bids; The experiment in privatization by the Edmonton Public School Board, the outcome of which favored union performance; Explanation of the halo effect.

Examines foster care in Canada as it relates to the issue of gay parents. The case of a 37-year-old woman in Edmonton, Alberta, denied a foster child after 17 years of foster parenting and 60 children, due to the breakup of her marriage and decision to live with her female partner; Liberal Social Services critic Linda Sloan's complaints about minister Shirley McClellan's inaction; Comments from Victor Doerksen, supporting the government's stand.

Reports that drink boxes in Alberta will begin carrying a small deposit starting in September 1997. How the deposit is intended to help the environment by reducing the amount of garbage entering landfills; Why Tetra Pak Canada, the major manufacturer of such boxes feels the deposit is unnecessary; How the boxes are recycled; How 70 percent of the juice boxes are used by kids; The amount of the deposit depending on the size of the box.

Looks at the plan to devolve child welfare services to local authorities in Alberta. The example of Ontario's local control of child welfare; Contrasts between the Alberta system and the Ontario system; How the devolution plan will work; The efforts of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) in opposing devolution; Criticism of the AUPE; Outlook.

Looks at same-sex classes in Alberta schools. Segregation to improve the grades of students by removing the distraction of the opposite sex; The apparent success of sexual segregation in schools; How the push for same-sex classes came about; Speculation about why same-sex classes improve grades.

Considers whether or not Calgary, Alberta will be the next hot place for a musical explosion, like Seattle, Washington was with grunge music. The popularity of the Calgary group Chixdiggit; Groups like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam coming out of Seattle in the early 1990s; The music industries search for the next Seattle; Halifax, Nova Scotia as a possible contender; Calgary's music scene in 1996 versus 1997.

Remarks on the fifth annual International No Diet Day, held on May 6, 1997 at the University of Alberta. Groups supporting the event including nutritionists, feminists and lesbian activists; Comments from organizer Jacqui Gingras and from philosophy professor Mark Kingwell; Statistics which show the dangers of too much fat in one's diet.

Looks at the labor relations of two Canadian companies, the grocery chain Safeway and the mining consortium Syncrude Canada Ltd. as of May 1997. What Syncrude gains primarily from the labor contract; The status of the strike/lockout at Safeway.

Discusses the impending telecommunication deregulation in Canada when the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) authorizes local telephone competition in May of 1997. Companies like MetroNet Communications Corp. and Videotron Communications Ltd. that are set to provide local service; The importance of fiber optics; How the existing telephone monopolies are responding to the decision to authorize local telephone competition; Outlook for the future.

Compares the child rearing philosophy of Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo, authors of `On Becoming Babywise' and that of Benjamin Spock, known for his permissive ideas and opposition to corporal punishment. Why the Ezzo's believe there is a biblical basis for spanking; Opposition to the Ezzo's from Martha Sears, author of `The Complete Book of Christian Parenting and Child Care'; The growing acceptance among parents for corporal punishment; Why governments are opposed to corporal punishment.

Reports on the withdrawal of music by the group Prodigy by the Kmart retail chain in Canada. Comments from Prodigy songwriter and producer Liam Howlett on the song `Smack My Bitch Up'; Criticism from Brian Robertson of the Canadian Recording Industry Association; Sales figures for Prodigy albums in Canada; Other methods in the United States and Canada for monitoring consumer reactions to the music and responding to them.

Focuses on the reasons women from Calgary have been going to Edmonton for abortions. The waiting lists at Calgary's Kensington facility; The breakdown of costs; Comments of Calgary Regional Health Authority spokesman; Import fees for patients outside the region.

Discusses a November 1997 Supreme Court of Canada decision that allows the family of a young man killed by a drunk driver to sue for lost income. Details of the 1989 death of Dean Duncan, and the suit filed by his parents, Dan and Phyllis Duncan, against drunk driver Dwayne Baddeley; Speculation as to the consequences of the case.

Discusses the difficulty of getting information from governmental communications officers in Alberta, Canada. Implications of expected freedom of information; Public relations staff of the Ralph Klein government; Allegations of pro-life activist Patty Nixon; Reactions to press coverage by Social Services communications director Bob Scott; Plans to censor information available to the public; Effects of Tory employees on the governmental payroll.