Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

Alberta's making national news on two fronts this month. With more than a million hectares already burned before June (that's 2.5 million football fields!), the province is trending toward its worst wildfire season on record. Meantime, candidates in 87 ridings are campaigning for votes as the May 29 election looms.  2:40 | Why is this spring so bad for wildfires? What are the most significant cont...

Even the most experienced pollsters and pundits are having a hard time calling this one. As advance polls open today, with less than a week 'til Election Day, the UCP and NDP are neck and neck. Who's going to win the Alberta election, and how are they going to do it?  3:55 | Charles Adler doesn't live in Alberta, but you'd never know it. The veteran talk radio host knows the province inside out. H...

Tania's got a strong message - delivered out of love (!) - for our Thursday Round Table guests (and Ryan), and Ned's sick of politics as sport. Both sound off in this week's Trash Talk presented by Local Environmental Services!  KEEP IT LOCAL: https://localenvironmental.ca/

Both the UCP and NDP are claiming a win at the only televised debate of the 2023 Alberta Election. Who's right? How do you gauge success? Did either leader - Danielle Smith or Rachel Notley - actually move the needle with undecided (or even "decided") voters? 2:10 | The Strategists produce and host one of Canada's favourite political podcasts. Stephen Carter, Corey Hogan, and Annalise Klingbeil jo...

The only televised debate of the 2023 Alberta Election goes down tonight. What can we expect from Danielle Smith and Rachel Notley? Who has the upper hand? Does it even matter? Furthermore, does anybody even recognize the United Conservative Party anymore?  2:00 | Our Group Chat Round Table reconvenes with Katherine O'Neill, Harman Kandola, and Jenny Adams, veterans of multiple conservative campai...

It's a total disaster. For decades, Alberta has allowed oil and gas companies to ignore their legal obligation to clean up old wells, tailings ponds, and other environmental liabilities. It's obvious to anybody paying attention that the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) can't be trusted to look out for the public nor the planet.  4:00 | Markham Hislop has been covering the oil and gas industry for ye...

Nobody will blame you for being confused about voter intention across the province. Duelling polls from Abacus Data and Janet Brown have the UCP either losing big or winning big in Calgary. So, what's a voter to think? Ryan opens the show with campaign developments over the past 24 hours, including both parties' tax plans, controversial comments about transgender students from a UCP candidate in c...

Could the UCP really be blowing a big lead in Calgary? Will the NDP be able to hold on and win the election on May 29? Do you even believe what the polls are saying, or is your gut telling you something different? We take a look at some of the top headlines two weeks out from Election Day, and what they could mean outcome-wise. But first... 9:55 | Is the federal government's "safer supply" approac...

Jeff says people need to chill over the new Canadian passports, Laurie argues school buses are getting less safe in Alberta, and Monty's wondering what the hell happened to the candidates that lost the UCP leadership race. Buckle up for another fiery edition of Trash Talk presented by Local Environmental Services!  KEEP IT LOCAL: https://localenvironmental.ca/

What do Alberta's towns and cities most need right now? A solution to violent crime? Better access to healthcare? $30 billion to save essential infrastructure from collapse? This episode, four Alberta mayors tell us their top priorities two weeks out from the provincial election.  3:35 | Violent crime is up in Edmonton almost 17% over last year. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi knows it's part of the reason wh...

Violence is escalating again in the Gaza Strip, as Israel airstrikes target the militant Islamic Jihad group. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned civilian loss of life, saying the deaths of the women and children were “unacceptable and must stop immediately”. 7:30 | Mousa Qasqas has been advocating for peace in the Middle East his entire adult life. The Palestinian Canadian organizer s...

Sources inside the United Conservative Party say a faction's already organizing against Danielle Smith. Rumour has it if the UCP doesn't win big on May 29, she could be ousted as party leader.  3:00 | Are the rumblings valid or not? Veteran political columnist Graham Thomson tells us what he's hearing and what his gut's telling him. What does Graham make of Take Back Alberta founder David Parker's...

Another day, another apology from Danielle Smith. The UCP leader is facing fire for comments in November of 2021 comparing vaccinated people with followers of Adolf Hitler. Even if her party weathers these storms and wins the election, what're the chances Danielle Smith stays on as leader?  3:40 | Talking about the Holocaust is personal for Charles Adler. The Emmy Award-winning broadcaster explain...

Alberta's on fire. More than 100 wildfires are burning, more than 30 of them out of control. We look at the front-line and long-term storylines, as well as the political implications, in this episode of Real Talk. 6:40 | Why are wildfires so much worse these days? Dr. Mike Flannigan's been in the field for more than 40 years. The Research Chair for Predictive Services, Emergency Management, and Fi...

With the UCP and NDP polling neck and neck, and the Alberta election less than four weeks away, it's no surprise this week's Trash Talk presented by Local Environmental Services is 100% politics!  KEEP IT LOCAL: https://localenvironmental.ca/

Is our personal information at risk of being stolen? (Probably.) Do we truly understand the barriers people using wheelchairs encounter every day? (Probably not.) Is it possible for divorce proceedings to be a little less nasty? (Here's hoping!) This episode of Real Talk celebrates The Art of Innovation, as highlighted in the May issue of Edify. But first...  5:30 | When's the last time you went t...

May the 4th be with you! (Don't worry, even if you're not a Star Wars geek like Ryan, you'll still find plenty of value in this episode.) What can we learn from Star Wars about chaos, change, dictators and democracy, fear, hope, and redemption? On this "Star Wars Day" edition of Real Talk,  4:45 | We're living in a time of unprecedented and rapid change. An age of chaos. Democracies are in decline...

1:25 | He's had his life threatened, but Corb Lund ain't backing down. The award-winning singer-songwriter is on a mission to stop coal mining in the Rocky Mountains. As election campaigns dominate headlines across Alberta, Lund tells us why he's so motivated to have the eastern slopes on everybody's radar.  36:50 | This year marks the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's Triple Crown. It's also been...

Senior campaign advisors Erika Barootes (UCP) and Cheryl Oates (NDP) aren't messing around on today's show. The senior campaign advisors come out punching in what proves to be a must-watch episode of Real Talk. But first... 1:30 | Canadians lost a legend - "our poet laureate" - when Gordon Lightfoot passed away Monday night at 84 years of age. Ryan and Johnny begin the show with a look at Lightfoo...

Election season is officially underway in Alberta. Real Talk has you covered with comprehensive analysis of key storylines on Day One of the campaigns.  2:35 | Democracy itself is on the ballot this time around, argues Dr. Jared Wesley. The U of A political scientist leads off our Alberta politics super episode in studio with an examination of exactly what's at stake, and why he (and prominent con...

Quick Dick McDick and Brett Kissel are used to big reactions. Quick Dick's YouTube videos see six-figure views on a regular basis, and Kissel's Juno Award-winning country music career speaks for itself. In this episode of The Best of Real Talk, we learn about QDM's rapid rise as one of Canada's most-watched conservative commentators, and the thinking behind Brett Kissel's controversial lockdown-th...

Ashley Wanamaker never thought millions of people would check out her TikTok videos about mental health. The self-described "accidental TikTok therapist" explains how counselling's evolved over the past couple of years in this episode of The Best of Real Talk. We loved our time in the Real Talk studio with filmmaker Trevor Anderson and photographer Fish Griwkowsky, discussing their newest project...

What's the secret to living well in the face of adversity? How can we manage mental illness, disease, and other factors standing in the way of healthy relationships with family and friends? YouTube phenom Lauren Kennedy West and author/broadcaster Justin Bourne get intensely personal in this episode of The Best of Real Talk. WEBSITE: https://ryanjespersen.com/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/RealTalk...

We feature three forces of nature in this episode of The Best of Real Talk. It's impossible not to be inspired by Shawn Kanungo, Bean Gill, and Brian McPherson! WEBSITE: https://ryanjespersen.com/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/RealTalkRJ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/RealTalkRJ/ TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtalkrj PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/ryanjespersen THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING...

Tens of millions of people have watched Johann Hari’s TED Talks about our collective addiction to technology. The evidence is all around us. In this episode of The Best of Real Talk, the author of “Stolen Focus” explains what’s been taken from us, and how to get it back. Are you on the ChatGPT train? More and more people are using artificial intelligence to replace "human powered" writers and othe...