Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

Voters (and candidates) are demanding a third party audit after Edmonton's election was marred by long waits, missing ballot boxes, and dramatic recounts. Thousands of teachers rally outside the Legislature (22:00) as the Throne Speech is read, days ahead of being ordered back to work. And President Donald Trump says trade talks are off with Canada after Ontario Premier Doug Ford taps Ronald Reaga...

Real Talk brings you exclusives with Edmonton mayor-elect Andrew Knack (2:00) and Calgary mayor-elect Jeromy Farkas (19:25), who share thoughts on their wins (a big one and a nail-biter), and their plan through the first 100 days. Plus, we dig into a mind-boggling story in Edmonton, where reports of missing/discovered ballot boxes and big-swing recounts have many voters questioning the credibility...

Will Mayor-elect Andrew Knack be able to improve Edmonton's relationship with the province? Is there reason to believe city council will operate more smoothly than it has over the past four years? Should Alberta consider defunding private schools in light of sustained budget pressures, or should the education portion of property taxes "follow the student"? We take on these big questions and more i...

We may not yet know the results of every municipal election in Alberta, but there's still a lot to talk about. Karen Leibovici, Tim Querengesser, and Max Fawcett join our Real Talk Round Table presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West (3:30).  THIS EPISODE OF REAL TALK IS PRESENTED BY HANSEN DISTILLERY: https://hansendistillery.com/ TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: talk@ryanjespersen.com  50:15 | Unit 36 at...

Voters are headed to the polls across Alberta (9:30) as the teachers' strike enters its third week. The Toronto Blue Jays are one win away from the World Series. Recall petitions are targeting three UCP MLAs (29:30), and rumours are swirling around Pierre Poilievre's future as leader of the federal Conservatives (50:00). We get into it all with Supriya Dwivedi in our feature interview presented by...

Brent's got a message for "progressives;" Katie, Laura, and Amanda are all fired up over the teachers' strike, and KT says we were bang on about conditions at the Misericordia Hospital. It's The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park! FIRE UP YOUR FLAMETHROWER: talk@ryanjespersen.com When you visit the DQs in Palisades, Namao, Newcastle, Westmount, and Baseline R...

Jespo and Johnny had a front row seat as thousands of Alberta teachers rallied outside our studio in the historic Mercer Warehouse, sending a message to Premier Danielle Smith, who was attending the Edmonton Chamber's State of the Province luncheon across the street at Rogers Place. Jespo opens this episode with a first-hand account of what it was like both outside and inside that event. 21:20 | A...

It's been a wild four years for Alberta school trustees. COVID, exploding class sizes, a contentious relationship with the province, a teachers' strike...and increased polarization from the left and the right, citizens critical of every move the school boards make.  5:15 | We talk to Julie Kusiek in Edmonton, Marilyn Dennis in Calgary, and Tammy Henkel in High Prairie in our feature interview pres...

World leaders including PM Mark Carney scrambled to get to Egypt at the behest of President Donald Trump in what's been described as a "chaotic" Gaza Peace Summit. This, as Foreign Minister Anita Anand lays out Canada's priorities in high-level meetings in India and China. Politico's Ottawa bureau chief Nick Taylor-Vaisey (3:30) digs into the details in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-...

What will it take for Alberta's teachers and the UCP government to get a deal done and end this strike? Athabasca University labour expert Dr. Jason Foster gives us an informed take (45:30), including why he's skeptical the two sides are anywhere close. But first... 3:30 | Supriya Dwivedi tells us what she's keeping an eye on as an Israel/Hamas peace deal is signed, Canada looks to repair its rela...

It's an all-teachers' strike edition of The Flamethrower, as KP, "Confidential," Ross, Carmen, Jay, "Different Carmen," and Justin give us their hottest takes. The Flamethrower is presented weekly by our friends at the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park. FIRE UP YOUR FLAMETHROWER: talk@ryanjespersen.com When you visit the DQs in Palisades, Namao, Newcastle, Westmount, and Baseline Road, b...

It's a hotly contested race for the Calgary Mayor's office. In this special presentation, you'll hear from the five highest-polling candidates for the top job at City Hall as Jeromy Farkas, Jyoti Gondek, Brian Thiessen, Sonya Sharp, and Jeff Davison square off in our Real Talk Calgary Mayoral Debate.  TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: talk@ryanjespersen.com  1:12:00 | Jespo and Johnny debrief after the deba...

The US government shutdown continues into its second week, as Canada and the U.S. continue to work toward a trade deal (we hope). We've got you covered with Wyatt Sharpe reporting live from the White House (2:30) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West.   MBEW: https://www.mercedes-benz-edmontonwest.ca/ 13:30 | On day four of the Alberta teachers' strike, the Real Talk Ru...

How long is this Alberta teachers' strike going to last? What are the sticking points? Where is the government refusing to budge, and what are the terms both sides agree to? Will the government ultimately order teachers back to work? We ask Alberta's Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides (5:00) in this episode of Real Talk. NOTE: Our YouTube live stream experienced an interruption 45 minutes int...

We've got Alberta covered in this episode, including your thoughts on the teachers strike, Jyoti Gondek's mission to secure a second term as Calgary's mayor, and former Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel's total dissatisfaction with the state of the capital city.  Ryan leads off with a message from an Edmonton principal experiencing "the worst and most difficult day of (her) 23-year career," a gut chec...

The largest strike in Alberta history is officially underway, as 51,000 teachers start the week outside the classroom. How long could this last? What are the main sticking points? Ryan sits down with Alberta Teachers Association president Jason Schilling (1:00) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West.  TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: talk@ryanjespersen.com  MBEW: https://www.merc...

Andy in B.C. says "Hell no" to a new bitumen pipeline; Robert, Thomas, Justin, Chris and Kimberly have hot takes on the Alberta Next town hall debacle in Calgary, Aaron might be the next Canadian Ambassador to the United States, Brendan calls Ryan to the carpet, and Tobias sniffs out hypocrisy. It's The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park! FIRE UP YOUR FLAMETH...

Tim Cartmell, Andrew Knack, and Michael Walters want to be Edmonton's next mayor. In this special episode, you'll hear details of their vision for the capital city's future, criticism of their opponents platforms, and their Big Promise to Edmontonians, in the Real Talk Edmonton Mayoral Debate presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West.  TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: talk@ryanjespersen.com  MBEW: https://w...

Alberta's got plans for a new pipeline to the west coast, and wants Ottawa to get on board. B.C. and Quebec are predictably pushing back, in what Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is calling "a test if Canada still works". What're the chances this pipeline will actually get built? We ask public affairs commentator Tasha Kheiridden (2:40) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton We...

Danielle Smith's government is facing fire after a Calgary high school student was silenced, humiliated, and dismissed at an Alberta Next town hall. Is Alberta's freedom-loving premier (and her event moderator Bruce McAllister) practicing what her government preaches? Ryan opens with a some quick thoughts off the top before really digging into the story (32:00). But first... 3:10 | PM Mark Carney'...

September 30 is a day to reflect, to listen, and to confront the truths of Canada’s history. On this special episode, we mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with honest, challenging, and hopeful conversations about where we’ve come from and where we go next. This is more than a day off—it’s a call to remembrance, responsibility, and renewal. Ryan welcomes journalist Dani Paradis and...

Rachel Gilmore has to be the most-trolled journalist in Canada. It's impossible to ignore the vitriol around everything she posts, let alone criticism from high-profile voices like MP Andrew Scheer and TV host Ben Mulroney. Rachel joins Ryan and Supriya Dwivedi (2:30) to talk about organized opposition to her work, and how it impacts her personally and professionally. We get into Irish hip hop gro...

Real Talker Gordon is so fired up about the UCP's school library book ban that he wrote a song about it. For the first time ever, we present an original tune as this week's Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park. FIRE UP YOUR FLAMETHROWER: talk@ryanjespersen.com When you visit the DQs in Palisades, Namao, Newcastle, Westmount, and Baseline Road, be sure to tell '...

She's Canadian punk royalty. A fearless, unapologetic icon. An activist. A survivor. And an incredible human being. We welcome Bif Naked and producer Adam Scorgie to the Real Talk studio (2:30) in the historic Mercer Warehouse ahead of the Edmonton Film Festival premiere of a new documentary chronicling her remarkable life.  GET TICKETS TO BIF NAKED at EIFF: https://2025eiff.eventive.org/films/689...

Prominent firearms lawyer Ian Runkle says Prime Minister Mark Carney lied to us about the government's gun buyback program. In this episode, we welcome the host of the popular "Runkle of the Bailey" YouTube channel (39:00) to clarify where he says the PM isn't shooting straight.  5:00 | But first...new polling shows one horse pulling away from all the others in the race to be Calgary's next mayor....