Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

2:20 | Leela Aheer wants to lead the United Conservative Party. The UCP MLA announces her leadership campaign on Real Talk, and lays out her vision for Alberta, including fixing the UCP's reputation problem.   32:23 | Kristin Raworth checks in live from France, where she visited Juno Beach on the 78th anniversary of D Day. Kristin shares some of the sights and experiences, including what the local...

3:49 | Doug Ford's got an even bigger majority government...but how? Political organizer Jaskaran Singh Sidhu, founder of State Strategy and Baaz digital news network, explains how Ontario's Premier reinvented himself, why voter turnout was so low, and what Ford's victory means for the rest of Canada.  Connect with Jaskaran: https://www.statestrategy.ca/ 27:47 | The "bi-weekly" gig didn't last lon...

10:26 | BC will decriminalize "hard" drugs - the first province to do so - under a limited exemption from Ottawa. Journalist Andrea Woo joins from Vancouver to paint a picture of how serious the opioid crisis is, what led to BC's initiative, and what politicians and the public are saying about it. Check out Andrea's reporting here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-decriminalize-drugs...

12:25 | Tensions are high between levels of government, as Edmonton's downtown crime rate continues to rise. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi tells Ryan how he's responding to an inflammatory letter from Alberta's Justice Minister Tyler Shandro, and what the city needs to address root causes. Plus, Mayor Sohi tees up Game One of the Western Conference Final between the Oilers and the Avalanche, including wheth...

5:17 | Journalist Brandi Morin checks in from Montreal, where she attended the Canadian Association of Journalists' Annual Awards (and met Cypress Hill). Brandi responds to the NY Post and National Post stories characterizing mass graves outside former residential schools as "fake news," and shares about her own fact finding mission over the weekend. Check out Brandi's new podcast documentary on t...

Ryan wraps up Real Talk's week with a full-throttle version of Trash Talk, presented by Local Environmental.  Submit your Trash Talk: talk@ryanjespersen.com

0:00 | Ryan and Johnny riff on last night's Oilers overtime win, wrapping up the Battle of Alberta in just five games. Who's going to paint Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek's face blue and orange, they wonder? 5:07 | Real Talker Gillian Essien makes her move from the email inbox to on screen, assessing this week's Conservative Leadership French language debate. A born-and-raised Montrealer now living in...

4:50 | Real Talker Jest Sidloski takes us through the journey of #RobinWatch22: the joy and heartbreak of the circle of life, happening right under his family's porch camera.  19:49 | What does it mean for Alberta to be "Fuji, not Kodak"? How does hydrogen fit into Canada's clean energy future? Matthew Klippenstein of the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association explains how hydrogen factors in...

1:20 | Ryan begins the show talking about the tragic and infuriating mass shooting at at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas that claimed the lives of at least 19 children and two teachers.  15:55 | It's been two years since Pamela Jeffery founded The Prosperity Project to address the impact COVID-19 was having on women in Canada. Pamela joins Maureen Lesham, founder of The 482 Collective, to...

It's the first show back after the May Long weekend, and we've got a lot to catch up on! 3:13 | How do the Flames solve a problem like Connor McDavid? Andrew Walker, host of The Hedge, takes a look at the first three games of the first Battle of Alberta in 31 years, and tees up tonight's Game Four in Edmonton. Check out and subscribe to The Hedge: https://www.thehedgepod.com/ 15:20 | Canada's faci...

This week's edition of Trash Talk presented by Local Environmental kicks off with a rant about the zipper merge, and picks up steam from there!  Submit your Trash Talk: talk@ryanjespersen.com Check out Local Environmental: https://localenvironmental.ca/

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-...