5 Questions 5 Minutes Part 2

In this episode of the Okotoks Podcast, Carlin Lutzer is joined once again by Brent Robinson, Executive Director of Lacrosse Alberta, and Curtis Armstrong, Publisher of The Western Wheel, for another round of fast-paced conversation on topics that are making people think in Okotoks and across Canada.

With just five minutes allocated to each question, the conversation moves quickly, giving three different perspectives without scripts or rehearsed answers.

This episode covers:

• Where can you find the best burger, coffee, and dining experience in Okotoks?
• Should social media be banned for children under 16?
• Is Canada's justice system doing enough to protect the public from serious repeat offenders?
• Are e-bikes becoming a growing safety concern in our community?
• Fascinating and little-known facts from Okotoks' history.

Not every opinion will be the same, and that's exactly the point. The goal isn't to convince you who's right, but to encourage respectful conversation and critical thinking about the issues affecting our community.

We'd love to hear what you think. Which answers did you agree with? Which topics should we tackle next? Leave a comment on YouTube or reach out through social media.

Thank you for listening and for supporting the Okotoks Podcast. If you enjoy these conversations, please subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend. Every share helps us continue bringing local conversations to the community. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to the Okatokes Podcast, where the stories are as solid as the big rock. Sponsored by Carlin Lutzer Real Estate.

SPEAKER_03 0:22

Welcome to the podcast. I'm Carlin Lutzer, and joining me today are two familiar faces. First, Brent Robinson, Executive Director of Lacrosse, Alberta, and Curtis Armstrong, publisher of The Western Wheel. Here's how it works. Okay, five questions people are talking about in Okatokes and beyond, from local favorites to bigger issues, making headlines, and we give ourselves just five minutes on each. No scripts, no rehearsed answers, just honest conversation, respectful debate, and different perspectives. You don't have to agree with everything you hear today, but if our conversation gets you thinking, we've done our job. Well, gentlemen, thanks for joining me. It has been a while since uh we've last done this. We want to do it at least every you know three to four months. Um now, Joelle, uh well, she has moved on from us. Uh Curtis, I think maybe you were too tough on her last time, and uh she's not gonna be on the five questions, five minutes, but uh that's okay. No, you weren't you weren't too hard on her. She uh has moved on for different reasons. So, but we gotta keep in mind because YouTube user at drd-k7E uh made a comment. Uh, he said it took six minutes to get to the first five-minute question, and I lost interest. So he timed it right up to the five the first question, and then he he took off. So I guess we've got to be careful at the start. Keep it tight, keep it tight, keep it tight. So, okay, uh, this is not on the the questions, but are you guys watching um soccer right now? No, I'm I'm recording a podcast right now, Carl. Oh okay, good, good. Yes. Okay, so uh, you know, full disclosure, we're recording this on June 25th. We're not gonna release this until uh the first week of July, probably. So I don't know how long is the World Cup going on for? I have no idea. Well, it's like a month at least. Is it? Okay, so it's still gonna be going on, and the acting is still gonna be going on. That's all I've seen. I haven't watched a game, but the diving in the part the of uh that being part of the game is ridiculous to me. And for that reason, I do not watch.

SPEAKER_02 2:37

I can't stop watching. I don't know. There's just some anytime Canada's in a sporting event, like it just it it just pulls me in. What can I say? Like, I just gotta I gotta be in, gotta cheer for the maple leaf.

SPEAKER_03 2:48

Yes, and uh yeah, so they won. It was Wednesday, June 24th. They lost, but they still made it.

SPEAKER_02 2:54

They're they made it into the they finished second in their pool, so they're in the knockout stage. I think they play Sunday against South Africa.

SPEAKER_03 3:00

Okay. And I hear that we should uh do okay against South Africa.

SPEAKER_02 3:06

I would have said that against Bosnia too, but yes, we should.

SPEAKER_03 3:10

Okay. I I know nothing about it, but uh, anyways, I do appreciate you guys uh coming on, taking the time to uh talk about uh the five questions that we have in front of us today. So first little bit is a little bit of a local spotlight. We're um we're a little bit uh we're in construction season downtown. So I'm a little bit concerned for some of those businesses down there that aren't getting the traffic, uh, you know, and as it creeps along all summer. So I think we want to certainly highlight some of those businesses. All the businesses are still open, the coffee shops, the flower shops, the West the Western wheel. We're still open. Always open. Uh, but yeah, I I think uh so the first question is kind of it's uh uh local. So let's talk a few things local. So, guys, where would you say in town is the best burger? Where when you when you're craving a burger, where do you guys go?

SPEAKER_02 4:03

I'm gonna go with the Duke burger at the Duke. It's uh it's got the sauteed onions, the mushrooms, the cheese, the bacon. It's it's very good in my experience. I like that's the one I go for. Yeah, it's just like it's the right amount of sloppy, but not too bad.

SPEAKER_04 4:18

Yeah, yeah. Yep, absolutely. I've had more than a few burgers there and uh they do a pretty good job, but uh I'm gonna have to go with Freddy's.

SPEAKER_03 4:26

Freddy's. Okay. And how do you order it? Because I like I love Freddy's too, but when I first started to go to Freddy's, uh, I didn't really know how to order properly, like with the sauces, right? You have to know about the sauces a little bit before you order at Freddy's, right? Yeah, you gotta do a little legwork before uh you show up there. So yeah, you gotta ask the questions because it's like pickle juice and ketchup and like all these beautiful things put together in the floor.

SPEAKER_02 4:49

Is this sauce called pickle juice?

SPEAKER_03 4:50

No, the inside the sauce it's uh they have pickle juice, ketchup, and a few different things. So it's part of the sauce, and then that's what makes because I've heard people they go to Freddy's and like, oh that burger was you know, the but they just didn't put on the right sauces, right? That's that's my experience. My uh I was gonna say Freddy's as well. So I then will move on to, and it's really weird. Um the Canadian brew house, their smash burger is fantastic. Never had it. No, I know. People are always kind of like shocked when I say say that, but that's uh it's kind of my uh lately. If I'm good, if I feel like a burger, I I head over there.

SPEAKER_04 5:31

So there's a great food truck at the I believe it's Queen Mary Market up in Edmonton called Rival Burger, and it is unbelievably good. If you ever find yourself up there. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 5:43

Okay. I used to always be Fat Burger. Fat Burger used to be the one in town that I was like, if I'm going for a burger, I'd go to Fat Burger. But Fat Burger is R.I.P. Fat Burger Okatokes with other stuff. Now it's uh I can't remember if that's the Osmos is in there now. I think so.

SPEAKER_03 5:59

Yeah, it's that Italian place, isn't it? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:01

Oh, or it's the Italian place. Okay, yeah, there's two right, there's two new restaurants right in that same bank. Also, R.I.P GameStop Okatokes.

SPEAKER_03 6:08

Yes, I know. That was a sad day. All right, best uh dine-in experience. You're um, you know, thinking about uh taking your wife or going out on a hot date. Uh where do you go for dine-in experience?

SPEAKER_04 6:20

Well, I took myself out on a date last week to Red Rock Pizza, and it was delicious. And uh my server was despite the dining room being full and lots of takeout and uh delivery orders going out, she was outstanding. I actually shot the manager over an email, and I think I wrote a review on Google for them too, but just really 10 out of 10 experience.

SPEAKER_02 6:42

Nice. I've never eaten in Red Rock, I think I've only ever had takeout.

SPEAKER_04 6:46

Yeah. It was just on a whim. I was like, you know what? I I've ordered from them delivery several times since I moved here in November. Um, but I thought it was such a nice evening. I'm like, I'll just head over to uh Red Rock and see what the experience was like, and it was excellent.

SPEAKER_03 7:01

So did you order a pizza?

SPEAKER_04 7:02

No, I had a uh Calzone. Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 7:05

Yeah. Right on. Dill Pickle Pizza from there is delicious. Never tried it. Yeah. Sounds weird.

SPEAKER_04 7:13

Okay. That maple bacon. Oh. Brent, how about you?

SPEAKER_02 7:18

Uh, I was gonna go, I know it's like not edgy or whatever, but I'm gonna go with Heartland. Um that's where my wife and I went. We had our 25th wedding anniversary this year. You don't look that old? Wow. Yeah, well, you know. Do what I can, moisturize.

SPEAKER_03 7:31

But we talked about last time, all of Olay. You must use that, right?

SPEAKER_02 7:34

Exactly. Yeah, but no, it's uh, I mean, it's still like the the atmosphere in there to me is just the right level of kind of like um quiet and like a little bit formal, but not like stuffy. And the servers are just really uh like knowledgeable and like they know the menu, they know the wine and stuff like that. So you get really good advice and and very attentive. And it's just a really I don't know. I've I've always had a good experience there. Food's always delicious, so yes, can't can't not recommend Heartland enough. For sure.

SPEAKER_03 8:07

Mine's Amadeus. Have you been to Amadeus? Yeah, I have not. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 8:12

Yeah, yeah, that's a good choice too.

SPEAKER_03 8:13

I'm uh gonna interview him here uh one of these days. I've been trying to, he's a very busy man, but uh yeah, that I've never had a bad meal. Fine dining experience, you gotta reserve uh your spot if you want to go earlier. If you want to go later, I think it's okay, or lunchtime is is good too. But yeah, the menu is fantastic. Have not had a bad meal there. And for a fine dining experience, it's um it's quite uh quite good. Okay, quick place to uh grab a coffee. We got 20 seconds.

SPEAKER_04 8:42

I'm gonna go with uh tribal connection down the street from here.

SPEAKER_02 8:46

Yeah, my new favorite is sugar shop. They have all gluten-free stuff. My wife's like gluten intolerant, so we always seem to end up a sugar shock now. That's great.

SPEAKER_03 8:55

Yeah, yeah, for sure. Um oh gosh. Oh, there we go. We're done with that. I didn't get my chance to answer, but uh that's uh that's perfect. Okay, next question, fellas. Uh social media. Uh should social media be banned for kids under 16 or should parents decide?

SPEAKER_02 9:17

It's a loaded topic, eh? Um I don't know. Like it's listen, we we know that there are harms to social media. We know that it affects kids differently than other things, and age gating is a thing we do to lots of other things, right? We don't let people under 18 smoke, we don't let them gamble, we don't let people under 16 drive cars, we don't let people under 18 handle guns, generally speaking. I think maybe you can be 16 and get an FAC. But um so I I do think like it's not an illegitimate uh response to what we know is social media is doing to kids' brains to try and regulate it in some way. I understand the privacy concerns around sorts of these things, right? Like how you're gonna like tell someone's 16 or not or 18 or not, like that's a real concern. I my understanding is the Australian experiment has kind of been mixed results at best in terms of um, you know, I think they do like surveys, and that's something like 70% of kids under 16 are still on social media, they're just going around the age gate. So I'm not sure that like the technical age gate thing works. I think like the device thing at schools in terms of like making them all turn off their devices is like a starting point. That seems to be doing a pretty good positive job. But I mean, I I think regulating it somehow to fix it or limit it somehow is is a worthwhile endeavor. For sure. Curtis, what about you?

SPEAKER_04 10:45

Um, I do have to agree with Brent on the harms that social media does to developing children's brains. Um, the Australian model doesn't seem to be very effective despite legislation being passed, I believe it was late last year or early this year, that uh kids are finding ways around the age gating um or using a VPN so that they're not showing up with an Australian IP address. So I don't know. I mean, I I I think this country is facing a lot of issues, and I think that there's a lot more pressing concerns than trying to age gate social media. Um, and I think that maybe parents should be more engaged with their kids. Um, and I do agree with not having devices on at school as well. So personally, that's just my point of view.

SPEAKER_03 11:34

Yeah, it's almost like the the um like TikTok and Instagram and stuff needs to have a little bit stronger filters for stuff that they release for age groups, right? Like, and I I don't know how you determine that because yeah, like my kids, my gosh, they're they're way better on their devices than I am. They can do things like it was crazy how quickly, you know, those kids can maneuver maneuver on a device. They could get around things, no problem. But if there was some kind of release uh different filters or something, uh, you know, so they're still on TikTok, but they're just seeing different content. I don't know. I I do have a problem with the government on any level stepping in and saying, well, no, this is what you should or shouldn't do. Um, I do think that there's certainly suggestions, like obviously, like, yeah, like with drinking, smoking, drugs, and all that stuff, there's there's age limits on that. Um but yeah, there's certainly ways around that as well.

SPEAKER_04 12:34

Um I'm a bit more concerned for uh gambling and prediction market apps than I am for social media for people. Like that's uh that's a whole podcast to itself. Oh boy, yeah. That's uh you know, essentially what these are are dopamine delivery systems for young people. And uh, you know, I think the three of us grew up in a time where these didn't exist, right? So, and I which I'm very thankful for. So what's that term you said? Prediction prediction markets like Calci or um polymarket.

SPEAKER_02 13:04

Polymarket, thank you, Brad. Yeah, yeah. I I listen, I I'm not trying to like hone in on your business here or whatever, Carlin, but like if you haven't listened to the Michael Lewis podcast on gambling from Against it's called Against the Rules. I can't remember which season it is. And he has a whole one about online gambling, how it like the lobbying that got to the US, how it works and stuff like that, like you have no idea what we're in for. Like, you're just you're up against it. They're so much smarter, they have so much more algorithm, they know exactly what it takes to like get you to like do the worst possible bet. And if you're a smart better, they kick they kick you out.

SPEAKER_04 13:36

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 13:37

Really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 13:39

Gosh. No, that's the effect that legalized gambling, specifically on mobile devices, has had for young men, it's pretty devastating. And most addictions that people get have a physical manifestation. So if you drink a lot, you'll have bloodshot eyes or whatever. If you do hard drugs, it'll clearly manifest itself physically. There is no manifestation for gambling, and it's horrible, horrible addiction. And uh, you know, bankruptcy rates go up in jurisdictions where it's become legal, suicide rates go up. Um it's uh it's a dangerous, dangerous thing, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_03 14:17

Yeah, that's uh well, just uh the podcast that we released uh last Tuesday. It was uh with a therapist. And yeah, she certainly mentioned the the gambling addiction as part of you know the men's mental health issues. And and yeah, it does seem certainly to be targeting men uh more so than women and the young men, like the stories that I've heard already of uh, you know, people, business owners, uh kids, you know, getting their first credit card and maxing it out almost instantly because all of a sudden they but I uh yeah, I I I will listen to that, uh Brent. So thanks for that advice. Um but I hear that it's also in the losing that's addicting as well. Like it's such a weird thing that happens.

SPEAKER_02 14:58

It's not just the winning that's addicting, it's the losing, and it's that I don't know, there's so many different things that uh well our our brains are just not like I always say I don't know if you guys ever read Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman or any of the other work by Kahneman and Tversky, but like we have these like fast-acting lizard brains and the slow acting rational brains. And the problem is is like every time you get like this little like ding, even though it's like a lose ding, it's like your fast-assing lizard brain is like, well, the next time I'll win. So you like put it in before your like long thinking rational brain can be like, I know that like the house is against me, they know way more information, there's no way I can put it against the house, all this stuff. By the time all that comes around, it's already in, it's already bet. And that's why they do like these crazy prop bets and stuff, because it's like instant, right? You can do like, you know, we'll like whatever the flames score in the next 10 minutes. Yeah, and you can like bet that, and it's like it goes in and like it's an immediate thing. And you like before you can even rationalize it, you you've already put the money in and it's gone.

SPEAKER_03 16:00

Yeah, you bet. Well, yeah, that's a whole nother podcast in and of itself. So you need to find a professional to talk about that and get him on. So, all right, number three, uh, the justice system. Is Canada's justice system doing enough to protect the public from serious, violent, and repeat offenders? Obviously, Okotoks, we've just walked through something very uh scary for a lot of people in the community, with um the gentleman that's uh uh you know was had possession of the child pornography. Um what do you think on that?

SPEAKER_02 16:35

I think the starting point, you have to take the broadest perspective. I mean, we live in Canada, it's one of the absolute safest societies on earth. I like we're probably in the top 10, maybe top 15, and like fewest murders, fewest robberies per capita, uh, all that type of stuff in in the world. So like we live in an extraordinarily safe society overall. Are there like tweaks that can be made to make it better? I'm sure there are. I know the federal government just adjusted some of those bail release regulations in terms of reversing the onus on the uh people charged with certain offenses to have to prove that they're not a harm to the public before they're released on bail. So like there's always ways you can make it better. But I'd say that the biggest thing that we have that's limiting our ability to really have effective enforcement and things like that is we don't provide enough resources to the things that make justice effective, right? Like we don't have enough judges, we don't have enough prosecutors, we don't have enough police, and we don't have enough social supports, right? Like it's not like even if you want to lock people up, you're gonna have to pay for prisons. And and realistically, what we actually need to do is have like better supports that reintegrate people who come in and serve sentences to reduce recidivism and like be able to check on their bail conditions and monitor them if they're complying with bail conditions or if they're on parole conditions and all these types of things. And we just do not pay for enough resources to be able to like effectively enforce the stuff. So, like, why are people getting out on bail when they ought not to be? Because we can't process cases fast enough. That's why cases get dismissed under the Jordan ruling from the Supreme Court, because we don't have enough prosecutors and we don't have enough judges and clerks to run the cases through fast enough. So, you know, if you want the system to work better, you need to support better resources for the system.

SPEAKER_05 18:19

Curtis?

SPEAKER_04 18:22

I think the pendulum swung uh pretty far to leniency over the last 10 years through legislation and through uh judges making sentencing conditions that uh defy uh logic and sense, in my opinion. Uh we do have a very expensive and very slow moving system right now, and resources are a huge part of it. When you see the backlog of cases, um, you know, doing this for as long as I have covered hundreds and hundreds of criminal trials. Um specifically in British Columbia, about two years ago, I was sent a press release from the RCMP in Williams Lake. They had pulled over a vehicle on Highway 97, um, which is the north-south route throughout British Columbia, and in the car was illegal firearms, illegal ammunition, body armor, uh, drugs, and cash. A subsequent search warrant at the person's home in Williams Lake found more of the same. And no charges were laid because the crown has to wait for lab tests to come back to see if the drugs that they found are actually drugs. There's a backlog of about 14 months. So the question I had for the RCMP detachment that issued the press release well, why didn't you charge them with gun, like the possession of illegal firearms, body armor, and ammo? And they said it's a crown decision, and the crown doesn't want to unbundle the charges. So those people are free to go. It's not like they've out on bail. No charges have been laid until that lab test comes back confirming. Now, I'm not sure if you've ever watched shows like Border Patrol, where they catch people importing drugs into Canada or the US or Australia, wherever they're shooting it. But there's essentially a litmus test they do right then and there, and the charges are laid right then and there. So I don't understand why there's a different burden of proof at the border than there is on the side of Highway 97. Um, but it's due to that ruling that you brought up, Brent, is for due process is that you could lay those charges. You're gonna be upwards of a year to get the lab test back. Um, and by that point, uh it'll the case will probably be thrown. So we have a very expensive criminal justice system that the the wheels turn slowly. Um, but the fact that that guy from Okotoks, who had half a million child exploitation images and and videos, he was already out on bail for trying to export 50 kilograms of hash out of the Calgary airport. And then he gets caught probably probably with the largest collection of child exploitation material in recent memory that I can remember. And he's out on bail again, which he has now subsequently allegedly breached the conditions of, and I believe he's in court today or tomorrow. So perfect.

SPEAKER_03 21:18

Thanks for leaving me nine seconds, guys, uh, to uh throw in my thoughts on this. Um my two thoughts. I'm gonna throw them in anyways. Two thoughts. I know it simplifies it, um, but let's say the judge had to visualize this person that whoever they released living beside uh some of their loved ones, would they have that same judgment given to that person to release them out on bail or whatever? That's I think that's a pretty good litmus test and simplifies things. And I know it's not that easy, blah, blah, blah. Second thing about this whole situation, yes, is I understand that people are nervous, people, uh, there's a lot of hatred, uh. Directed towards this person, but we're not doing any good by going and putting graffiti on the guy's house and egging his house. I've I had a client that wanted to sell her place that lived very, very close to there. And it's now stigmatized for a while. She's she's gonna put her sale on hold, right? We're now hurting other people that are innocent in that uh thing as well. So okay, move on. Um we are looking at e-bikes. Um, are e-bikes becoming a safety issue in okotoks? And if so, what should be done with e-bikes?

SPEAKER_05 22:36

I went first last time, Curtis. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 22:39

Um they're all over the place, and I don't think it's an issue that's okotokes specific. Um, but I see all kinds of people, kids and adults on them all over the place. Um, specifically on the trail, you know, over the river this way and on the sidewalks up and down McRae and Elizabeth is that uh, you know, there probably should be some etiquette lessons that either need to be taught or retaught um about uh pedestrians and e-bikes, uh either in the street, sidewalks, or trails. Um, but they're probably going to become more and more ubiquitous as time goes on. Um and it seems to be a somewhat recent phenomenon. You know, for me it's about the last three to five years, I would say. So I think uh a little courtesy uh would go a long way.

SPEAKER_02 23:29

Yeah, I mean the courtesy part for sure. I I do like there's a difference to me between the ones that are, you know, like what I would call an e-bike, which is, you know, your couple grandparents or whatever, and they kind of puddle along and they don't have to pedal so hard, and the ones that are like electric motorcycles. Yes, like those ones for sure. I could see like I've been passed running on the path by some of these, and I'm like, that's just a motorcycle with a battery in it. Yeah, and those I understand.

SPEAKER_03 23:54

I think those are illegal, and I think they're even supposed they're not even supposed to be ridden on the road. They're not even like not like a scooter, even, right?

SPEAKER_02 24:01

All right, well, that's I like listen, I'll be honest, I don't really know what the rules are. I don't have any bike myself. So uh those ones, those should be restricted. The rest of them, yeah, be I mean, listen, I'm sure some people I pass people my bike and they're like you could be a little quick more cautious too, and stuff like that. So yeah, be be careful. But uh other than if there's not current regulations about those kind of e-motorcycles, I think the rest of it, I wouldn't, I wouldn't say we need any more rules about we want to encourage people to be out of using them, so I don't think we need to be any we don't want to be restricting those anymore.

SPEAKER_03 24:34

Right. Yeah, and I think it's just uh being very cautious and careful. Like there was one time I was walking my dog. Um, we were walking on a green space, we came, there was a fence, uh there's a gate basically that we then entered the the sidewalk. And you don't really think about checking the checking both ways on a sidewalk before. And she went, the dog went first, and she on this person on the scooter uh uh scooter uh had to dodge her, went onto the grass, and then went. This is onto Milligan, then going the opposite direction of the traffic flow. Uh, this person landed it, but went off the curb and onto the road. And fortunately, there was no cars coming, but it would have been pretty tragic, right? And yeah, safety education for for kids. Unfortunately, like I just hope something major doesn't happen. Uh, you know, and then they're, you know, we're kind of having to change the rules. I know that Calgary has uh speed limits. Uh, this is years ago for cyclists on their bike paths. The cops are out there with their radar guns, right? Have you ever seen Radio? Sure, we do too. Uh, I asked, well, and uh he could have been wrong. I asked uh Volcram from the um Vic. Yeah, and he said no, there's no speed limit. So it it maybe should come down to that, so that if there is like just even post like what would you put? Like 30 kilometers an hour is awful fast for anything e-scooter related, I would think. But yeah, so all right. Um next question useless but fascinating facts about okotokes. Do you guys have any uh useless but fascinating facts?

SPEAKER_02 26:23

Mine is uh do you guys know what I'm pretty sure it was called Golden Shores is? You guys heard of Golden Shores in Okatokes? Do you know what this reference is? So down around where the Lori Boyd Bridge, kind of in that area between there and maybe the old library, they used to, people wanted to have a beach in Okatokes so bad that the town used to truck in sand and build a beach along the river over there, and that was called like Golden Shores, and people would go there and like hang out on the beach, and that was like the beach. But after so many years, like they get like lake floods and stuff, and it would wipe out all the sand. Yeah. So it was thought not to be economic. But yeah, in the 50s for sure, you would go to golden shores along the river and uh hang out at the beach, and that was a real thing that existed in Oakadokes.

SPEAKER_03 27:08

That's uh that's fascinating. It would it would be nice to have an actual, well, I guess a public beach for us that live up in uh crystal shores, crystal green, crystal ridge area, have that access. But uh yeah, that would be that would be nice. I thought, yeah, I thought you were gonna head in a different direction about the the type of beach that, but I'm glad you didn't. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 27:25

This is a family show, so I'm glad that that's not well that was so that was apparently actually in the 1910s. There were like scandalous reports of uh you know bathers in the river in inappropriate sort of attire, which I'm sure like today would be, you know, risky what the most of us wear like out to dinner. But in 1914, they're like, this is outrageous.

SPEAKER_03 27:48

They were showing their knees, probably. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, for sure. Curtis, how about you? Do you have uh some useless, useless facts about Okatokes?

SPEAKER_04 27:56

Well, this one you might find interesting is that when I first moved here in November, I uh had a place in Cimarron. And I was chatting with the folks in my newsroom and asking, do any of you know like the origin of the word Cimarron? Like, why is it named that? And nobody knew. So I ended up calling the development company that originally had the development in Cimarron and asked, just left a voicemail for them before Christmas. And after the holidays, a gentleman from up in Calgary called me back and said, Yeah, it was um it the genesis of it was from the developers who developed it. They also had a place in Arizona in a place called Cimarron, and they like the name so much that they named that. Um, it seems to be a uniquely Albertan phenomenon where in certain communities, like every street name is the same. So, how many Cimarron variations do you have there? Um, I have a sister who lives in Spruce Grove, and uh their whole neighborhood is Lamplight. So there's Lamplight Drive, Lamplight Bay, Lamplight Avenue. Uh, so that's where the origin of Cimarron came, according to the gentleman from the uh development company. Fascinating. Yeah. I was surprised that nobody knew, to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_02 29:06

That must have been before the naming policy was in place. Yeah. I don't think that would fly anymore.

SPEAKER_04 29:12

Yeah. It's uh, you know, I've from Ontario, but I also lived in British Columbia. But having entire neighborhoods with the same variations of the street names um seems to be a very uniquely Albertan phenomenon.

SPEAKER_03 29:24

For sure. Well, that's good to know. I should I should have known that as a realtor. I just had no idea.

SPEAKER_04 29:31

Uh I'm surprised the development company called me back. I just randomly got a phone call from them after the holidays. Yeah, it's wicked. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:39

Um mine is uh that in the 19 mid-1950s, I guess, people used to drive from Calgary to Okotokes to drink because the liquor laws were different in Calgary, and they would Okotokes was a little bit risque back in the day, and they had different uh uh drinking laws. And uh yeah, so a bunch of uh people from Calgary would come here to drink, and then I think it was also in the 1950s. Uh this was kind of Alberta wide, it uh started to become a thing like should women be allowed to drink with men in the same they called them parlors back then, so it was kind of kind of fascinating that that was uh I didn't I didn't know that that uh you know Okotoks used to be the uh the hot spot to come and drink.

SPEAKER_05 30:34

Huh. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 30:36

I yeah, I have to ask my folks about that. They would be they're a little young for knowing that, but I wonder if they have stories from their grandparents and stuff.

SPEAKER_03 30:45

I mean Yeah, yeah. Hopefully I'm not spewing misinformation, but uh I've heard that from a couple of sources now and did a little bit of digging and yeah, the party town of Okatokes. Now it's the other way around. Everybody's no, I'm there's still pretty good places you can go here, but the young people, they don't really have the place that they go to, so they end up in Calgary, I'm sure. So right on, gentlemen. That was uh that that's that's our time. But uh, do you guys have any uh closing thoughts? Any uh, you know, we didn't really have any major fireworks this time, nor did we last time. Um I hope you uh uh YouTube user drd-k7 e hung in there. If he did, and if he puts a if he puts a comment um on on the YouTube page that he actually made it to the end, I'll uh I have a $50 uh Freddy's gift certificate for him. Yeah. Nice. Yeah. And if you know other people make comments because they actually made it to the end, they put a comment on their podcast platform or YouTube. Uh if it's not claimed by uh YouTube user DRDK7E uh in 30 days, I will uh put it to anybody else that makes a comment on this podcast. So this was good, guys. Thanks for your uh your time and thanks for your uh wisdom. I know there was a few uh pretty heavy topics there, but uh yeah. And uh Curtis, I hate to bring it up, but you were uh you were wrong with your prediction of who was gonna win this down the cup. Um it was Colorado.

SPEAKER_02 32:16

Uh fortunately that was a good prediction, man. That's that was a tough out.

SPEAKER_04 32:20

Yeah. Yeah. That's uh kind of wanted Buffalo to win, though, just because they've been so hard luck as a franchise. Yeah. You know, they're probably one of the smallest markets in the in sports, really.

SPEAKER_03 32:32

Yeah, and it's just just a good story, just the energy because they hadn't been in the playoffs for so long. Yep. And then they're there. Uh Joel wasn't even close. She picked the Oilers. Oh, that's it's really too bad that the Oilers. Do you guys like did you guys follow any of the that's that's just my um that's just my cheering soundtrack for the Oilers, you know, not make the boots. But it turns out that I was right because I said anybody but the Oilers. Oh, I played that really safe, so I am I'm the winner of that.

SPEAKER_02 33:08

But do you guys um do you guys know any of the story behind like the GM of the canes and stuff like that? Like, have you guys ever followed that story? So the the guy who is the GM of the Canes, Eric Tulski, he he's not a hockey guy. He I think he's got a PhD in like psychology or something like that. Anyway, he's he started writing with a whole bunch of other guys about like hockey statistics and analytics and all this stuff, starting around 2006-ish and then getting bigger into like the 2010s. I think he wrote for a blog called like Jers Rink, and then he wrote for another called Broad Street Hockey, and he was writing like blogs, just like stats analysis, doing things on like zone entries and all kinds of things like that, and just a real smart guy. And then he got picked up as like a consultant. He might have been first in Jersey, but I think he might have just been directly to the Keynes and then like sort of worked his way up to be the GM. And then he hired like the other guys who he was like following all their writing on all these blogs, and I think they've got three or four guys. Another guy by the name of Tyler Dello used to write a lot of um Boilers blog stuff about like crazy stats analysis stuff that was super in depth. And all these guys got picked up. That's who's in the front office that like made this team into a Stanley Cup winner.

SPEAKER_03 34:14

Really? That's very cool.

SPEAKER_02 34:16

It's like the revenge of the stats nerds, a hundred percent. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:19

Well, what's that coach that uh he coached uh I I was really pulling for him, and I think did he get fired? He was he's like he's just a he's a nerd. Um, but he was head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Um, but he just knew all the yes, he knew all the analytics, he was smart, he was, you know, and yeah, he I don't I don't know if he's still the head coach there because I think yeah, it's difficult to stay very long as a head coach in any sport, but yeah, it's fascinating. So yeah, good for the Keynes. I thought I was pulling for Vegas. I was hoping that uh Calgary would have got a higher draft pick. Um, but such luck. No, for sure.

SPEAKER_04 35:00

Now you have to play Calgary Draft. Did win the draft lottery, so yeah. Start playing the parade route. Oh, yeah, we're always planning the parade route. Right down Young Street.

SPEAKER_03 35:12

They will find a way to screw it up.

SPEAKER_04 35:14

Growing up as a Least fan, I think I took the Jays losing the World Series a lot better than I thought I was going to. Uh, just because I've been perpetually let down my entire life by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

SPEAKER_03 35:27

So yeah. Become an expert. An expert at losing. So yeah, just like the flames. Okay, guys. Well, thanks for your time. Appreciate you. And uh, we look forward to the next one. Thank you again. Take care. Bye-bye. Bye. Big thank you to Brent Robinson, Executive Director of Lacrosse Alberta, and Curtis Armstrong, publisher of The Western Wheel, for joining me and sharing their perspectives. Now we'd like to hear from you. Which answer do you agree with? Which one did you see differently? Leave a comment below because your thoughts could help shape future episodes. If you enjoyed today's conversation, please like, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who enjoys a thoughtful conversation about life in Okatokes and the issues that matter. And remember, if YouTube user at drd-k7e does not respond to the YouTube comments, and you make a comment on this episode specifically 30 days after the release of this podcast, and if he still hasn't made a comment, we will put your name into a draw to win a $50 Freddy's gift certificate. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time on the Okatoks Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 36:55

That's it for today's episode of the Okatokes Podcast. Big thanks to Carlin Lutzer Real Estate for making it happen. And thanks to you for listening.