Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

What can Alberta do to position itself for another century's worth of jobs, investment, and affordable living? Our "electrifying" week of Real Talk continues with NDP energy critic Nagwan Al-Guneid, a longtime oil and gas professional, and energy economist Andrew Leach.  2:30 | Ryan starts the show with a look at the devastation in Lahaina, an historic community on the island of Maui. Hurricane Do...

Alberta's led the nation by a country mile in renewable energy development. So, how does it make sense to impose a seven-month moratorium on new wind and solar projects? Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz rolls out the government's rationale on this episode of Real Talk. 4:15 | But first, a shout out to Real Talkers who take the time to let us know how our shows are impacting their daily lives! R...

Alberta's UCP government announces a six month moratorium on wind and solar projects, citing rural concerns including loss of agricultural land and impact on scenery. Is it a wise or witless move? Over the next few episodes, we'll hit the story from a bunch of different angles.  4:50 | Charles Adler tells us what he thinks about green energy getting the red light in Alberta. Plus, did the Prime Mi...

| Lesley's got a burr under her saddle about the Calgary Stampede in this week's edition of Trash Talk presented by Local Environmental Services.  KEEP IT LOCAL: https://localenvironmental.ca/

Crime rates are skyrocketing in Alberta's capital city. Attendance was way down at K-Days, the annual summer fair. The CFL's Edmonton Elks have lost their last 20 home games. City council hasn't exactly endeared itself to the public. So...how do you fix Edmonton?  4:00 | Our Group Chat Round Table reconvenes with communication strategist Jenny Adams, lawyer Harman Kandola, and developer Jarrett Ca...

Seems like everybody's giving the Calgary Stampede a pass for covering up a sexual abuse scandal for nearly 30 years. Donald Trump's facing serious charges, and could go to jail. He could also still become President again. Pop superstar Lizzo's facing a sexual harassment lawsuit. Plus, Toronto's banning gas-powered leaf blowers and Canada's the first country in the world to require health warnings...

An adult staffer with The Calgary Stampede's Young Canadians performing arts group sexually assaulted dozens of teens for more than 20 years before the organization did anything about it. This week, the Stampede accepted liability and negligence, announcing a settlement taking "full responsibility in the hopes of helping victims to heal." 3:00 | How does something as horrific as this happen for so...

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre says he'll "always support whistleblowers" after the public learned his team covered the legal costs of the person who took down Patrick Brown's CPC leadership bid. It's another step away from Bay Street and closer toward Main Street for the man who wants to be Canada's next Prime Minister. Will it work? We discuss with Charles Adler. 3:50 | But first, we open...

Michael's got a message for the federal environment minister, Cyndi's got a wake-up call for the cannabis industry, Mike says people need to chill out over Bill C-18, and Trevor's sick of what he sees in the inner city. It's another fiery edition of Trash Talk presented by Local Environmental Services!  KEEP IT LOCAL: https://localenvironmental.ca/

We're influenced by marketing way more than we realize. From brands and logos to jingles and taglines, there's a ton of science and strategy behind how businesses (and people) represent themselves to the general public. We welcome two of the industry's best to this week's Real Talk Round Table.  3:30 | But first...do you believe in intelligent life outside Earth? Real Talker "Anton" has something...

A Calgary medical clinic is charging $5,000 for annual memberships. Sinead O'Connor's gone. Kevin Spacey's acquitted from all charges. PMJT's blown up his cabinet. People are still talking about Jonah Hill's texts to Sarah Brady. And alien-piloted UFOs might really be real. We cover a lot of ground in this episode of Real Talk!  1:10 | Are you outraged or open-minded by the Marda Loop Medical Clin...

Why are so many Canadian cannabis growers and retailers closing up shop? Five years post-legalization, what's holding the industry back? Speaking of high-profile industries in Canada, new details are showing why Albertans are getting burned by oil and gas. We dig into both stories on this episode of Real Talk. But first... 6:00 | Kevin Spacey has been cleared by a London jury of all charges of sex...

How are the Hollywood strikes impacting Canadians? When can we expect a break on interest rates? Is Pierre Poilievre right or wrong about the Bank of Canada? Are angry protesters getting too close to Justin Trudeau? We dig into the country's top stories in this episode of Real Talk.  5:20 | Stephanie Hughes is covering the Hollywood strikes and the Bank of Canada rate increase for Bloomberg. She t...

This episode is perfect for road trips, bike rides, and dog walks. We check in with talented storytellers Charles Adler and Matt Cundill to get up to speed on Canada's top headlines. 6:00 | What does ketchup have to do with Twitt...er, X? Charles Adler explains, in analyzing Elon Musk's rebrand. Why do we allow the general public to get so close to our politicians? Chuck chimes in on the Prime Min...

Wayne's choked at Charles Adler and wants Ryan to put his money where his mouth's at in this week's Trash Talk presented by Local Environmental Services. KEEP IT LOCAL: https://localenvironmental.ca/

Who'll be left standing in the Battle of the Billionaires - Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg? Will Zuck's Threads app ultimately take down Musk's Twitter? Bigger picture, what does the future of social media look like? Does Real Talk need to be streaming on Twitch? Are "Chinese surveillance" concerns around TikTok legitimate? What percentage of online angst actually manifests in real life? Profession...

Alberta has a significant and largely invisible methane measurement and management problem. Here's the thing: it doesn't have to be this way. There are a bunch of reasons why it makes sense to take methane emissions more seriously. As you'll learn in this episode of Real Talk, Canadians have every right to demand more from politicians and industry players.  6:00 | Jeff Gailus is an author and jour...

You don't have to work in oil and gas or journalism to know big changes are coming. Whether you're talking about a net-zero plan including emissions caps in the oil sands or big tech killing media outlets, disruption is all around us.  11:50 | Linda Solomon Wood is the founder and publisher of Canada's National Observer. She lays out how the media landscape has changed over the past 20 years, why...

It's hard to describe the power of an EF4 tornado, but Aaron Jayjack's videos speak for themselves. The professional storm chaser takes us into his wild world on this must-watch episode of Real Talk.  3:45 | Aaron Jayjack knew Mother Nature had something brewing in central Alberta ahead of Canada Day 2023. He packed up his car and headed straight for what wound up being Canada's strongest twister...

News is supposed to slow down in the summer, but lucky for us, that's not happening. Politicians are posing for controversial photos at the Calgary Stampede, Alberta's back to warring with Ottawa, and people are taking steps to stretch dollars further than ever before. We get into it all with Minister Randy Boissonnault and Charles Adler in our first episode back from summer vacation.  3:55 | Rand...

Garth's got strong feelings about snow clearing, Kristie's ticked at people taking shots at her town, and Janice has a warning about oil prices in this week's edition of Trash Talk presented by Local Environmental Services! KEEP IT LOCAL: https://localenvironmental.ca/

Should the feds order striking BC port workers back to work? How bad is the CBC vs. Danielle Smith situation? Did Canadians deserve a break from the carbon tax increase on July 1? Veteran TV hosts Lynda Steele and Jody Vance give us their hot takes on Canada's biggest stories on this week's Real Talk Round Table. But first... 0:10 | Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wants the NDP to apologize for sug...

There's a clear winner in the standoff between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the CBC. Seven months after reporting Smith's office had emailed Crown Prosecutors in an attempt to influence proceedings relating to the Coutts border blockade, the CBC says it "regrets" including details that couldn't be confirmed. Earlier this spring, Smith threatened legal action against the news outlet if an apo...

Calgary is looking to convert six million square feet of vacant office space for new use. The city's already a third of the way there, capturing the attention of other cities around the world. How are they doing it? What's the secret to Calgary's success?  2:00 | Mayor Jyoti Gondek talks to Ryan about evolving Calgary's reputation, including downtown revitalization and reconciling a hot housing ma...

We're all about transparency...but are Sunshine Lists the right way to go about it? Alberta Health Services just released its annual list of employees earning over $140k/year. Ryan hashes it out with Charles Adler (46:40) in our first episode back from the Canada Day long weekend.  6:45 | Happy 4th of July to our American audience members! We kick off this episode with a trip down memory lane - Jo...