Dr. Barb Fornssler and Executive Director of Prairie Harm Reduction Kayla Demong joined me in the studio to unpack the drug policy in Saskatchewan, and what real support should look like. They offer firsthand insight into what happens when public systems label people as problems instead of supporting their healing.

Together we challenge narratives about forced treatment, explore how relationships and choice can be healing forces, and question policies that punish people for surviving. This is a conversation rooted in experience, and a call to design systems that meet people where they’re at.

Key topics include:
• Why forced treatment often causes more harm
• Navigating multiple systems: child welfare, justice, and mental health
• The power of housing-first and harm-reduction approaches
• Youth, trauma, and criminalization
• Systems built on risk, not relationship
• A call for choice, equity, and compassion in service design

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For business or speaking inquiries: Daniel@hardknoxtalks.com

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Sarah Buhler, law professor and housing researcher, joins us to explore how eviction law, landlord power, and financialized housing are shaping the homelessness crisis in Saskatchewan. Drawing on data, case reviews, and community insights, Sarah unpacks the systems and legal frameworks that are failing our most vulnerable tenants—and what needs to change.

🔥 Key topics include:
• What “legal unhousing” looks like in practice
• Why tenants lose 90% of eviction hearings
• How corporate landlords move faster to evict
• The gap between housing as a right—and housing in reality
• Barriers to justice for people with trauma, low literacy, or no phone access
• Why involving lived experience in policymaking is not optional

Learn more about CLASSIC Law Here

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Colleen Christopherson-Cote joins Dan and Donna for a compelling conversation about the systems we take for granted—and how they’re actually designed to fail people. From health care to justice, education to social services, Colleen exposes how public policy choices—not personal failings—are driving poverty, homelessness, and burnout across Saskatchewan.

🔥 Key topics include:
• What “system taps” are—and why the bathtub metaphor matters
• Why centralized intake and discharge policies keep failing
• The real reason service providers burn out
• Why education policy belongs in the homelessness conversation
• How we can move from short-term fixes to lasting, systemic solutions

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Reach out to Colleen at SPRPCoordinator@gmail.com

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