Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

Ryan reflects on the gruesome discovery by the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc of the remains of 215 children on a former residential school site near Kamloops, BC.  The photographer of the massive chopped down old-growth spruce tree, Lorna Beecroft shares why she felt compelled to take a photo on the highway while the tree was being transported by semi-truck. Since posting it on May 24 via Facebook, the i...

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 .

Didsbury, Alberta-based physician Dr. Akin Osakuade clarifies the need for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour to get vaccinated. He's seen vaccine hesitancy amongst these communities and he explains how the polio campaigns he helped with in Nigeria inform his work now.   Edmonton Public Library's Elder in Residence Jo-Ann Saddleback, Métis educator, writer and harvester Conor Kerr plus Governo...

Pediatrician Dr. Tehseen Ladha discusses the latest pandemic plan announced by the Alberta government as well as the emerging cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) and Long COVID sufferers.  Cat researcher, Gabriella Smith explains her research on 'If I Fits I Sits' exploring one of the distinctive feline behaviours endearing them to humans. She's part of the Edmonton Inte...

Author of 'Feminist City: A Field Guide' Dr. Leslie Kern explores how cities exclude women and other minority groups when being designed and constructed. #MyJasper Memories | Spirit Island - Ryan reminisces about the jagged mountain peaks surrounding the glacier-fed waters of magical Maligne Lake, where the world-famous Spirit Island can be discovered (only by boat). jasper.travel/realtalk Introdu...

Reflecting and reckoning with what's changed and what remains the same since George Floyd was murdered on May 25, 2020 by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Anti-racism activist, educator and writer Matthew R. Morris, Cree/Iroquois/French award-winning journalist Brandi Morin, and MLA for Edmonton-City Centre David Shepherd explore where Canada is at in relation to racism on the one...

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 .

Financial marketer Vishesh Raisinghani and Bitcoin Well founder Adam O'Brien discuss the impact  international forces and influencers like Elon Musk can have on the value of cryptocurrency.   Exploring the barriers to getting into sports with 'Soul on Ice' filmmaker Kwame Damon Mason, Tigers Skate Club founder Rosey Kulba and University of Alberta Faculty of Kinesiology Vice Dean Dr. Nick Holt. Pl...

Pflag Canada's Michael Bates shares how adding gender pronouns to social media can help support all expressions of gender identity. This as Instagram added a pronoun feature to the social media platform on May 11, 2021.  Newly independent MLA Drew Barnes discusses getting kicked out of the UCP Caucus less than a week ago, what the future holds for him and conservatism in the Alberta. 14:21 - Prono...

North Cowichan's Mayor Al Siebring discusses how and why people are sneaking into public forests to illegally cut down firs, cedars and maples amid spiking timber prices.   University of Toronto Linguistics Professor and author of "The Semiotics of Emoji: The Rise of Visual Language in the Age of the Internet", Dr. Marcel Danesi unpacks the significance and cultural implications of emojis.  #MyJas...

Canada Without Poverty's Emilly Renaud and the Director of the Municipal Services Project, David McDonald discuss how the permanent shut down of Greyhound bus routes in Canada on May 13, 2021, will impact Canadians. They explore the need and possibility of a public nation-wide bus system. The Director of Middle East Studies at the University of Connecticut, Jeremy Pressman, explains the multiple d...

Association of Mexicans in Calgary's Vanesa Ortiz gives voice to concerns about migrant farm workers being excluded from services and protections, including COVID-19 vaccines.  The scientific advisor on the documentary, My Octopus Teacher, Dr. Jennifer Mather explores her a lifelong interest in the behaviour of octopuses and how it led to consulting on the Oscar-award winning film.  Plus, it's Mon...

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 .

Epidemiologist Dr. Raywat Deonandan talks vaccines and kids as Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is approved for Canadians 12 years of age and older.  Innovation roundtable with Innovate Edmonton's CEO, Catherine Warren, emergency room physician and co-founder of MACH32,  Dr. Marc Curial plus the head of the Sprout Fund and chair of the Threshold Impact Venture Mentoring Service at the U of A, Kristina Milk...

Ryan discusses the early morning resignation of the United Conservative Party caucus chair, Todd Loewen. The MLA for the Central Peace Notley region says he has no intention of leaving the party but wants to see Kenney step down as the party's leader.  A panel on the impact of food production on animals, land, water and consumers, with Animal Advocate Jessica Scott-Reid, Sangudo Custom Meats' Jeff...

Intensive Care Doctor Darren Markland shares how his role as a physician has changed since the start of COVID and how it's impacted his personal views. He's featured in the May 2021 Edify’s Innovator issue. Philip Turnbull digs into the Alberta government's Kananaskis Conservation Pass—going into effect on June 1, 2021. The Alberta Parks Advocate sees some value in the user fees but flags a real l...

Unpacking what Bill C-10 is and how changes to the Broadcasting Act could impact Canadians, with Communication Studies professor at Carleton University, Dwayne Winseck.  Dr. Shelly Russell-Mayhew addresses the open letter she and her 9-person team from Body Image Lab at University of Calgary wrote concerning the draft Physical Education and Wellness Kindergarten to Grade 6 Curriculum. They caution...

Independent Senator from Alberta, Paula Simons and Edmonton Riverbend Member of Parliament, Matt Jeneroux share how they're figuring out how to collaborate on sponsoring the Compassionate Bereavement Bill.  Merogenomics' Dr. Mikolaj Raszek talks about mapping DNA and how genomic sequencing can impact medicine, insurance and governments. Not Alberta's premier, Jason Kenney, explains how having the...

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 .

Doctors Without Border's Executive Director, Joe Belliveau shares about supporting India’s response to the pandemic, where COVID-19 infections have surged past 21 million. An exploration of digital wellness with Mental Health Research Canada Director, Kerilee Snatenchuk, Digital Wellness Expert, Nina Hersher and Momentum Walk In Counselling's Angela Ross. 13:06 - India COVID response 39:28 - Digit...

Physicians Dr. Naheed Dosani, Dr. Monika Dutt, Dr. Hakique Virani discuss how the 14 months of the coronavirus pandemic can inform how to move forward. Vinyl Nation filmmakers, Kevin Smokler and Christopher Boone share about the revival of vinyl captured in their 92-minute documentary. It one of the 80 films screening online as part of NorthWest Film Festival (May 6-16). Federal Minister of Small...

Slate copy editor, Nitish Pahwa takes stock of the pandemic crisis amid India's political backdrop and if it will turn Indian voters away from populist prime minister, Narendra Modi.   Albert Nobbs shares why he's taken up sidewalk chalk to call for action by the provincial government on COVID-19, including drawing more than 2000 stars at the Alberta legislature, for the residents who have died fr...

Re-focusing the conversation of violence against women on the perpetrators...mostly men. Gender violence expert, Jackson Katz, and Rowan House board chairperson, Danelle Mirdoch discuss how to address gender-based violence with the onus on the people who perpetrate it.   Former head of sustainability at the world’s biggest asset manager, Blackrock, Tariq Fancy, shares why he's skeptical of sustain...

Albertans are angry, disappointed and disheartened with the lack of enforcement at the "No More Lockdowns Rodeo" in Bowden, AB over the weekend and Premier Kenney's suspension of the spring session of the legislative assembly. Ryan channels public opinion.  Rachel Notley, the leader of Alberta's NDP and the provincial Official Opposition, expresses concerns around the poor response and numerous mi...

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 .