Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

5:02 | The whip-smart Supriya Dwivedi appears in her regular Friday slot to chime in on Jason Kenney's (quasi) resignation, Pierre Poilievre's interview with Jordan Peterson, and Canadian exceptionalism in the context of another mass shooting in the US. 37:30 | Political commentator Kathleen Smith, strategist (and former Kenney communications director) Blaise Boehmer, and Alberta Party leader Barr...

1:00 | Ryan shares his initial thoughts just twelve hours after Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced his resignation following a 51.4% approval in his UCP leadership review. 12:00 | UCP founding president Erika Barootes, former Alberta Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk, and political strategist Melissa Caouette explore what led to Kenney's low score, who might seek the party leadership, and what it...

1:34 | Andrew Walker, host of The Hedge, joins Ryan and Johnny to tee up Game One of the Battle of Alberta. Who's the favourite to advance past this series? What's the smart wager? Is it cool that Wayne Gretzky picked the Flames to win? Check out (and subscribe to) The Hedge: https://www.thehedgepod.com/ 30:51 | May Long Weekend marks the kickoff for so many attractions in Jasper, including canoe...

0:20 | Ryan and Johnny kick off the show with an impromptu review of Amazon's new season of Kids in the Hall. 4:00 | A day ahead of the Battle of Alberta - Game One, we take a look at terms of the wager between the Mayors of Calgary and Edmonton. 8:30 | The majority of Albertans think United Conservative Party members need to dump leader Jason Kenney...but will they? Dr. Jared Wesley, political sc...

2:20 | It's official: hockey fans get their first Battle of Alberta in 31 years! Ryan and Johnny kick off the show with their thoughts ahead of Game One on Wednesday. 8:39 | Emmy Award-winning talk host Charles Adler makes his bi-weekly appearance on Real Talk, sharing his thoughts on the horrific mass shooting in Buffalo, NY, the Conservative Party's leadership race, Jason Kenney's leadership rev...

It's a grass roots political edition of Trash Talk, presented by Local Environmental, fuelled by your emails to talk@ryanjespersen.com!

2:57 | Ryan starts the show with breaking news, as mourners at slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh's funeral are met with violence from Israeli defence forces. Plus, Elon Musk says his $44B Twitter purchase is "on hold": what does that mean moving forward? 11:49 | Veteran Alberta political correspondents Graham Thomson and Catherine Griwkowsky dig into the most important details of Jason...

Sometimes, there's a day that demands Real Talk go into overtime. This is one of those days. We cover the stories making headlines, and make sure you know what's going on "off the radar," too. 3:14 | Described as a "cultural phenomenon" related to the war in Ukraine, the Saint Javelin brand has quickly become recognized as a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion. Ryan talks to fou...

3:03 | Award-winning photojournalist Leah Hennel takes us into Alberta ICUs, ERs, and COVID wards via the stunning images in her new book, "Alone Together: A Pandemic Photo Essay".  Check out more of Leah's work: https://leahhennelphotography.com/ Get your copy of the book: https://bookpublishers.ab.ca/titles/alone-together/ 18:24 | REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for our Real Talk Golf Classic on June 2...

8:18 | National Observer columnist Sandy Garossino says it's time for "an adult conversation about abortion". She lays out exactly what that conversation needs to look like, including the role men need to play.  Read Sandy's column here: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/05/07/opinion/lets-have-adult-conversation-about-abortion 34:10 | Ryan reviews the results of Monday's unofficial, unscienti...

3:59 | Ryan kicks off the week with a couple stories making news over the past couple of days, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's surprise trip to Ukraine with Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly. We also take a look at the "BlueDot" story, and ask how you feel about being anonymously tracked to contribute to public health data.  17:04 | Poultry producer...

Ryan rolls out the best rants of the week, as submitted to talk@ryanjespersen.com. Buckle up for another edition of Trash Talk, presented by Local Waste.

4:29 | Supriya Dwivedi breaks down last night's CPC Leadership Debate, highlighting her two key points. Per usual, Supriya pulls no punches in sharing her personal perspective on the SCOTUS Roe v. Wade story, and the impact its having on conversations in Canada. 36:40 | This week's Real Talk Round Table welcomes three of the brilliant professionals featured in Edify's Innovation issue. Dr. Lilly P...

11:02 | Athabasca University Master of Counselling student Karli Jahn just won AU's 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition with her research around weight stigma. She joins us to discuss the "pathological" way we view fat, and how stigma affects treatment outcomes in counselling.  32:04 and 58:05 | Ryan reads your emails about Avian Flu and abortion discussions on the show. 39:40 | New York Times best-...

6:50 | Could a SCOTUS decision impact abortion access in Canada? Joyce Arthur of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, Meghan Doherty of Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, and activist Robyn Schwarz, Ph. D. form a Real Talk Round Table on abortion rights.  39:58 | He brought the world the Ghostbusters theme song, but Ray Parker, Jr.'s career is about way more than that! The legendary s...

2:52 | Ryan opens the show by taking a look at Politico's exclusive report the Supreme Court of the United States has voted to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.  15:09 | Animal rights advocate and freelance journalist Jessica Scott-Reid gives her take on the Avian Flu outbreaks impacting poultry producers across North America, including the controversial cull of 5.3 million chickens a...

6:07 | The Titan of Talk, Canadian media legend Charles Adler, joins for his bi-weekly appearance on Real Talk. He chimes in on "Woodstock for the Witless," the rally in Ottawa over the weekend, along with Canada lifting its blood ban, the Archbishop of Canterbury's recent apology for residential schools, and Jean Charest's CPC leadership campaign.  37:31 | Canada must do more to ensure people in...

#TrashTalk | Ryan reads a revved up email from a Real Talker about what is really bothering them this week. Presented by Local Environmental.

10:18 | Supriya Dwivedi makes her regular Friday appearance, and digs into her Op/Ed published in the Globe & Mail about Elon Musk, Twitter, and what "free speech" really means. Supriya and Ryan get into Jean Charest's climate plan, Doug Ford's budget ahead of the Ontario election, and how climate change is creating a new age of infectious dangers.  45:14 | Jean Charest goes one-on-one with Ryan a...

Ryan's back in our home studio after a couple days in Jasper, and shares a few highlights from the trip around 1:15:41. 13:13 | Vitor Marciano's been involved in conservative politics across Canada for more than twenty years. The former National Policy Chair for the federal Conservatives is now volunteering as MLA Brian Jean's spokesperson. Vitor takes us behind the scenes of the UCP, and answers...

2:54 | United Conservative MLA Leela Aheer gives her personal perspective on how government can combat systemic racism, on the heels of Ryan's interview with NDP MLA David Shepherd earlier this week. We get into "calls from inside the house" criticizing Premier Jason Kenney's leadership (in the context of his leadership review), the Brian Jean Factor, Alberta's curriculum review, and Leela's membe...

Real Talk is on the road! Ryan hosts from the beautiful Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in Jasper, AB, where he's speaking at the Community Leaders Camp: https://13waysinc.com/camp/ 5:55 | Doug Griffiths, former Progressive Conservative minister Doug Griffiths, founding CEO of 13 Ways, Inc., talks about the state of present-day conservatism in Alberta, Jason Kenney's leadership review, and 13 pathways...

4:06 | Ryan and John take a look at Monday's breaking news: Elon Musk's reported $43B purchase of Twitter. Will his (rumoured) ownership of the social media platform impact how (or if) you continue to use it? The conversation continues later in the show at 1:00:51. 9:48 | A proposed Anti-Racism Act (Bill 204) fell at the Alberta Legislature, meaning at least for now, government departments will co...

#TrashTalk | It's Friday, so brace for another rowdy edition of Trash Talk presented by Local Environmental!

2:53 | Emmy-winning comedian Paul Mecurio gets the show started with a laugh. The two-time COVID sufferer talks about isolating in NYC, and helping his 94-year-old Mom sort through her stuff. See Paul at The Comic Strip April 22 & 23: https://wem.thecomicstrip.ca/ 13:03 | Supriya Dwivedi makes her weekly Friday appearance, tackling Dr. Leslyn Lewis' claim that Bill Gates is undermining Canadian so...