Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

Quick Dick McDick is one of Canada's most-watched YouTubers. Millions of people have watched his videos on farming, politics, cooking, and more. And, he's the only Real Talk guest (as far as we know) who's released a video of themselves taking a poop in the woods.  2:10 |  @QuickDickMcDick  joins us live from his farm near Tuffnell, Saskatchewan to talk about the future of prairie New Democrats, t...

Rachel Notley took the Alberta NDP from four to 54 seats in the Legislature. She took an unlikely bunch from obscurity to a majority government, and put her progressive stamp on a province that had seen back-to-back conservative dynasties. Upon announcing her intent to resign as leader of the now-Official Opposition, she triggers a race of legitimate contenders vying to be Alberta's next NDP premi...

When right-wing media personality Tucker Carlson visits Edmonton, Danielle Smith will be joining him on stage. Is it a mistake for Alberta's Premier to make a public appearance with the man who called immigrants "dirty" and white supremacy "a hoax"?  3:10 | Matthew Hays and Peter McCaffrey hash it out.  READ MATTHEW'S PIECE: https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-should-smith-be-elev...

Why did Alberta need to issue an emergency alert about electricity amidst a deep freeze? How did the energy capital of Canada get to the point it can't meet its own power demand when extreme weather hits? Is it Rachel Notley's fault for moving away from coal? Is it past (or present) Conservative government's fault for deregulating the market and failing to secure reliable backup power?  4:00 | Ene...

Alexandra's had enough from the "eco-warrior" at the dog park, Larry thinks Ryan crossed the line with his Shrooms talk, and Garth says he's being misportrayed as an "oil-drunken hillbilly". All three fire up their Flamethrowers, presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park! FIRE UP YOUR FLAMETHROWER: talk@ryanjespersen.com In Edmonton or Sherwood Park? Visit a DQ in Palisades, Nam...

The world didn't end when Canada legalized Cannabis. Should we do the same with Shrooms? Researchers tout mental health benefits from Psilocybin, yet the naturally-occurring psychedelic found in more than 200 species of fungi remains outlawed.  4:20 | Dana Larsen raised eyebrows when he mailed Shrooms and cocoa leaves to every MLA in BC. He tells us why he did it, talks about the fallout from Vanc...

People across Canada are watching Edmonton Police dismantle homeless encampments as temperatures drop below -30C. Amid the outcry, we've seen fires, fatalities, weapons seizures, and other disturbing trends. Advocates say the shelter system is broken. The general public knows the whole situation is unsustainable. So...what's the fix?  2:50 | Edmonton Councillor Aaron Paquette and Renee Vaugeois of...

Canada's plummeting in global rankings of gender parity in politics. Talented women are walking away from elected office. MP Leslyn Lewis is backing a conspiracy theory involving vaccines, sex ed, and the United Nations. Nobody appears to have a solution to the housing crisis. And BC politicians are up in arms after receiving magic mushrooms in the mail. WHY IS NOBODY TALKING ABOUT THIS? We connec...

Dr. Leslyn Lewis can't be serious. The high-profile Conservative MP is backing a petition calling for Canada to walk away from the United Nations. Dr. Lewis' critics (like Liberal MP Rob Oliphant) are calling on opposition leader Pierre Poilievre to speak out against Lewis' endorsement, wondering aloud if Conservative foreign policy would be to “abandon our international obligations on human right...

Real Talker Gerald's demanding details from Ryan, and Real Talkers Stephen and Cameron have strong words for people pooh-poohing renewables. It's The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park! FIRE UP YOUR FLAMETHROWER: talk@ryanjespersen.com

What's the right move with homeless encampments and open drug use? Should Canada ban cigarettes for good? Is it really that outrageous to suggest certain clothing brands aren't for everybody? Veteran broadcasters Lynda Steele and Jody Vance tackle these hot button questions and more in our first Real Talk Round Table of 2024.  0:15 | But first...got plans on Saturday, February 3?  SIGN UP TO PLAY,...

Andrew MacDougall held the highest-profile communications job in Canada, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's director of comms. His boss is generally remembered as tight-lipped around media and hostile toward scientific researchers.  5:13 | Now a director at Trafalgar Strategy in the UK, MacDougall tells us about the evolution of his position on the politics of climate action, how the Harper era co...

What is the next great disruption? Which new innovation will be most transformative? Exactly how will AI continue to change the game? What are the updated secrets to success in 2024?  2:00 | Innovation strategist and best-selling author Shawn Kanungo tells us how this year will be most different from the year previous. He explains why strategy is energy, predicts The Death of Superstars, and tells...

We're shaking things up in the final Flamethrower of 2023, presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park! Jenny, Sarah, KO, Johnny, and Jespo give us their own personal rants. (Ryan really turns up the temperature at the end!) FIRE UP YOUR FLAMETHROWER: talk@ryanjespersen.com When you visit the DQs in Palisades, Namao, Newcastle, Westmount, and Baseline Road, tell 'em Real Talk send...

It's our final episode of 2023! Enjoy what is arguably The Most Entertaining Real Talk Round Table of the Year. 2:30 | Jenny Adams, Sarah Hamilton, and Katherine O'Neill give us their top news stories - in Alberta, across the country, and around the world.  1:07:10 | We're shaking things up in the final Flamethrower of 2023, presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park! Jenny, Sara...

It's a recurring conversation in Canada, if not around the world: is Canadian oil more "ethical" than oil from elsewhere, is activity in Alberta's oil sands "clean" enough...and does any of this actually matter on the international stage? A couple of episodes ago, David Knight Legg argued the world needs more Alberta for three main reasons. In this episode, our guests fact check those three points...

What does the future look like for workers, job seekers, employers, entrepreneurs, and property owners? Is it really a doomsday scenario for downtowns? When will we see restored confidence in new business ventures? Will employers ever expect a full "return to work" scenario? We explore the most relevant and interesting trends in this episode of Real Talk.  1:45 | Heather Thomson, Puneeta McBryan,...

Jaskirat Singh Sidhu is responsible for one of the most horrific collisions in Canadian history. He was handed an eight-year sentence in 2019 after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm in the April 6, 2018 crash that killed 16 members of the Humboldt Broncos hockey club and injured 13 others. Now, he faces deportation to India. Is that justice served?  3:00 | But firs...

Why can't people figure out how to zipper merge? When did conservatism become radicalism? And what the hell are we going to do about sick kids on mattresses in hospital hallways? Real Talkers fire up their Flamethrowers, courtesy the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park: Newcastle, Westmount, Palisades, Namao, and Baseline Road.  FIRE UP YOUR FLAMETHROWER: talk@ryanjespersen.com 

As long as oil rides high, Alberta's flush. But while the province is on pace for a $5B+ budget surplus, property taxes are on the rise in virtually every community, as everyday folks struggle to pay their basic monthly bills. As you'll see early in this episode, our Real Talk Round Table is sounding the alarm.  3:20 | Mayor Tyler Gandam (Wetaskiwin), Councillor Andrew Knack (Edmonton), and Counci...

Hospitals are bursting at the seams. Patients are waiting a year and a half for surgery. Doctors, nurses, and paramedics are walking away from careers they once dreamed of having. Meantime, Ottawa's spending billions on a new dental care plan - but Canadians have a ton of questions. We get the straight goods from Alberta doctors and dentists in this episode of Real Talk.  0:30 | But first...today'...

In just six weeks, Premier Danielle Smith's government hit the (nuclear) reset button on healthcare delivery, invoked the Sovereignty Act over federal clean electricity regulations, kinda sorta committed to a referendum on an Alberta Pension Plan, and took a record-setting delegation to COP28 in Dubai.  5:50 | The Discourse hosts Cheryl Oates and Erika Barootes lay out the biggest stories to come...

This episode is all about optics. How bad is it when the federal NDP leader (the "working class" party) rocks a Versace tote bag in public? How about when the mayor of Calgary pulls out of a Hanukkah celebration? And why are everyday moderates leaving The Left?  5:24 | National Post columnist Tristin Hopper takes on the politics of Hannukah in 2023, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh's expensive taste (25:0...

Should Mayor Jyoti Gondek have told a little white lie to get out of Calgary's annual menorah lighting at City Hall? How many more university presidents need to resign across the United States? Have climate change doomsday prophets lost the room?  3:50 | Charles Adler gives us a healthy dose of Canadian Common Sense - the language around climate change (7:20), Mayor Gondek's menorah lighting snub...

Tom's demanding an explanation around Alberta's attendance at COP. Cheryl's giving Ryan an award (not a compliment). Michael the Conservative says people need to vacate their echo chambers. Angela's clapping back at a recent email targeting Westlock town council. They've all fired up their Flamethrowers, presented Fridays on Real Talk by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park!  FIRE UP YO...