Let's Find Out

About Let's Find Out

We take questions from curious Edmontonians about local history. Then we find out the answers together.

Publisher

Chris Chang-Yen Phillips

Category

education · history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

11 Jul 2016

Latest episode

11 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

85 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   11 Mar 2026

   71 - About the Whale Society of Edmonton

   This episode: About the Whale Society of Edmonton (or Don't Go Anywhere Without a Porpoise) A story about the people who decided to run a save-the-whales group from the prairies, and the splash they made in the media. This episode is a live show recorded on March 3, 2026 at the City of Edmonton Archives. From 1979 – 1984, the Whale Society of Edmonton led public education programs about whales and dolphins and advocated for their protection. Listen to learn what drove these Edmontonians in a time of hope and crisis. Celebrated author and activist Candas Jane Dorsey shared stories about her late sister Jaclyn Dorsey, who helped lead the Whale Society as its secretary. City Archivist Kathryn Ivany introduced listeners to the Whale Society’s files at the City of Edmonton Archives, and showed them how to can explore your own questions at the archives. This is the conclusion to our mini-series about Albertan environmental groups and journalists in the 1970s: You Can Change the World! or Why Would I Talk to You? Head to our website (https://letsfindoutpodcast.com/2026/03/11/71-about-the-whale-society-of-edmonton/)to see pictures from the event and archival images, like the fan art sent to the Whale Society by children like Judith Taylor. The Whale Society of Edmonton was founded by a group of Edmontonians in 1979. They attracted about 200 members all around Canada, but the core volunteers were less than a dozen people, mostly connected to the University of Alberta. Thousands of kilometres from the nearest coastline, they led public education programs about whales and dolphins and advocated for their protection. Their president, Dennis Wighton, told the Edmonton Journal: “A lot of people here haven’t ever seen a whale, but they have a feeling, ‘for God’s sake, leave them alone, I want them to be there’.” Dennis Wighton was an administrator for the genetics department at the U of A. The U of A’s campus paper, The Gateway, did a profile on him in 1979. Dennis really wanted the university to be a leader in reducing pollution – stuff like not putting mercury in the river. He told the Gateway: “If we’re not first in the community, who will be?” “It was very simple in the Sixties to bang people over the head and get them moving. It seems too easy to criticize today; now you’ve got to suggest alternatives.” Many of the Whale Society's records are preserved at the City of Edmonton Archives. Three younger women look closely at papers spread out on a table at the archivesListeners looking through Whale Society files Soon after the Whale Society launched in March 1979, they were “plunged full-tilt” into trying to change the world. Media outreach was part of their approach. Canada had stopped commercial whaling, but the Whale Society wanted Canada to support a global moratorium against whale killings. The place to do that would be at the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The Whale Society believed that public pressure could influence the Canadian delegation’s position at an IWC meeting that summer. That message was shared on by radio host Bill Coull on Alberta-wide radio station CKUA. Dennis Wighton also spoke to the Edmonton Journal about the campaign. Whale Society members wrote about their own work in smaller publications like their newsletter and the NPPAC’s Park News. In general, they seemed to recognize they had a friendlier audience and more control of the narrative. They used those advantages to explore the science, and wonder, and outrage that drove their campaigns. Every issue of their newsletter was named after a different whale. Issue 3 was the Grey Whale News, and Chris Hanslik wrote a 4-page story about grey whales. Whale Society Secretary Jaclyn Dorsey wrote for Interface Magazine in 1980 about her week at “Whale School” in Washington State’s San Juan Islands, learning from experts in orca and minke whale research. She also wrote back to a CKUA listener about the Whale Society's strategy. Shout-outs in this episode to the Taproot Event Calendar (https://edmonton.taproot.events/), and to the City of Edmonton Archives' Tim O'Grady and Dylan Bremner. Research for this episode was supported by the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies' Lillian Agnes Jones Scholarship (https://www.whyte.org/sholarship). Credit to Nathan Binnema for this episode's alternate title. Thanks to the Edmonton Heritage Council (https://edmontonheritage.ca/) for lending audio equipment for the show!

2. 

   18 Feb 2026

   70 - Parks for Tomorrow

   This episode: Parks for Tomorrow. We’re going to look at one protest in Banff on a drizzly October day in 1977. And we’re going to peek behind the scenes to see how and why organizers tried to get media attention. We’re sharing three stories about Albertan environmental groups and journalists way back in the 70s. It's part two of our mini-series… You Can Change the World! Or… Why Would I Talk to You? Parks for Tomorrow was a coalition of scientists and environmental groups from across Canada who came together to protect national parks from commercial exploitation. Most urgently, they wanted to stop expansion of the Sunshine Village ski resort in Banff, and cattle grazing and haycutting in Waterton and Prince Albert National Parks. Their campaign was centred around a march down the streets of Banff on October 23, 1977. The Parks for Tomorrow demands were endorsed by conservation groups from across Canada who said they represented over 750,000 members. The ground-level organizing work was done by a small group of volunteers, many from the Banff-based Bow Valley Naturalists. We went through Bow Valley Naturalists’ records at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies to learn why they valued media coverage so highly – and ask how much these lessons would apply outside of a park. -- Don't miss our next live show - Let's Find Out: About the Whale Society of Edmonton. Yes, Edmonton really used to have a save-the-whales club. No, they weren't based at West Edmonton Mall. But they did make a big splash. Join Let's Find Out host Chris Chang-Yen Phillips for a live podcast recording, exploring the fascinating history of the Whale Society of Edmonton. Live Podcast Tuesday March 3 2026 6:30 – 8 PM City of Edmonton Archives Prince of Wales Armouries 10440 108 Avenue From 1979 - 1984, the group led public education programs about whales and dolphins and advocated for their protection. Together we'll learn what drove these Edmontonians in a time of hope and crisis, and see fan art and letters they received from around Alberta. Get tickets through Taproot Edmonton: luma.com/q45148xe (https://luma.com/q45148xe) This episode is brought to you by SkirtsAfire (https://www.skirtsafire.com), Edmonton's annual festival featuring the work of women in the arts. This year's festival takes place from March 5 to 15, 2026, in Old Strathcona and the French Quarter, plus a new venue: ArtsHub Ortona! This episode is also brought to you by The Pulse, Taproot Edmonton's daily newsletter. Subscribe to The Pulse (https://edmonton.taproot.news/join) and you'll get original journalism from Taproot's team of reporters, summaries of recent news and upcoming event listings, and The Taproot Mini crossword.

3. 

   4 Feb 2026

   69 - Hilary McDowall and the Kicking Horse News

   This episode: a story about Hilary McDowall - a journalist based in Lake Louise in the 1960s and 70s. We talk about World War II spies, skiing, failed Olympic bids, and how difficult it can be to be a reporter in a small town without being engulfed in conflicts of interests. This is part one of a three-part mini-series about Alberta environmental groups and journalists in the 1970s. It was a surprisingly hopeful time for environmentalists in Alberta. Change was in the air, and governments seemed inclined to listen to public demands for conservation. So we're trying to understand why environmentalists ever talked to journalists, given that half the time they dismissed them as ill-informed city slickers or harmless housewives? We're calling this mini-series "You Can Change the World" or "Why Would I Talk To You?" Hilary McDowall's writing is a fascinating window into the relationship between journalists and environmentalists. She served as the Calgary Herald’s Lake Louise correspondent, and as sole publisher and editor of a tiny publication called the Kicking Horse News. Hilary and her husband Jack lived in the village year-round, letting her offer readers a unique window into local characters, mountain delights, and the seasonal rhythms of the ski resorts. From the mid-1960s onward, she wrote very critically about environmentalists who opposed bringing the Olympics to the area and expanding housing and highways. There was some key information she chose not to share with readers, though. Her story hints at dilemmas in reporting from a small community in a national park. This episode is brought to you by Skirtsafire (https://www.skirtsafire.com), Edmonton's annual festival featuring the work of women in the arts. This year's festival takes place from March 5 to 15, 2026. This episode is also brought to you by Taproot Edmonton, the best source of reliable intelligence about the Edmonton region. Check out Taproot's podcast Speaking Municipally (https://speakingmunicipally.taprootedmonton.ca/) every Friday to hear the latest about what's going on at city hall.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings