Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

Ten years ago, nearly twelve million people tuned in across Canada for the Tragically Hip's final concert at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in their hometown of Kingston, Ontario. In a special episode of the show, we celebrate the tour that brought a nation together, that historic night that remains one of the most unforgettable moments in Canadian history, and Gord Downie's enduring legacy nine years a...

Donald Trump says Canada and the U.S. have a deal, but Mark Carney says there’s still work to do as a three-day pause buys negotiators more time. What’s actually on the table, what hangs in the balance, and could Canada emerge stronger (or weaker) from the next round of talks? We check in with former Poilievre senior staffer Ben Woodfinden and former Morneau senior staffer Sharan Kaur in our featu...

The world's best women golfers are in Alberta's capital for the CPKC Women's Open. Canada’s National Women’s Open Golf Championship won't just wow golf fans from across the country and showcase Edmonton's Royal Mayfair Golf Club - it'll have a huge impact on the Stollery Children's Hospital's billion dollar fundraising campaign. We tee up the big tourney with Stollery CEO Karen Faulkner, CPKC's Vi...

A couple of days out from another deadline, Canada is facing a new round of pressure from Donald Trump, with key sectors pushing for relief from U.S. tariffs. Is Mark Carney taking the right approach or does Canada need to toughen up and take a harder line with Trump? We get into it with Supriya Dwivedi in our feature interview (3:00) presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West.  THIS EPISODE IS PRES...

Real Talkers Optimus, Wayne, and Rob C. are fired up over Premier Danielle Smith chastising Edmonton Police, Leslie's fighting for small family farms, and Cyrus says Canada needs to go nuclear. It's The Flamethrower presented by our friends at the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park! THANKS TO EVERYBODY WHO SUPPORTED MIRACLE TREAT DAY ON AUGUST 13. SHOUT OUT TO THE DQs of NORTHWEST EDMONTO...

Caylan Ford was a rising political candidate in Alberta in 2019. The UCP nominee was running under new leader Jason Kenney in Calgary-Mountain View and was considered a serious contender. Then, about a month before Alberta's election, PressProgress published excerpts from private Facebook conversations Ford had nearly two years earlier. The story accused her of expressing sympathy for white suprem...

Downtowns are booming across Canada. Except for Alberta's capital city, that is. Why is Edmonton's core unable to attract and tap into the same energy enjoyed in so many other urban centres? We hit the issues (and solutions) head on with three people who truly "give a shit" - Jay Downton, Cheryll Watson, and JoAnne Pearce - in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West.  THIS E...

A bit of a wild situation in Alberta, as Premier Danielle Smith and her Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis clap back at an Edmonton Police campaign encouraging citizens to report hate speech and hate crimes. "We believe law enforcement should...not police opinions or 'hurt feelings,'" tweeted Minister Ellis in response to the EPS initiative. Meantime, StatsCan says hate crimes are up in Alberta yea...

More than 90 active wildfires are burning across British Columbia, with tens of thousands forced from their homes (many of which are destroyed). It's prompted a province-wide state of emergency, yet B.C.'s not alone. More than 300 wildfires are active across Canada as we record this conversation with award-winning environmental journalist Arno Kopecky (3:00), who lays out the reality of the situat...

Should Canada lift its restrictions on American alcohol as part of a deal with the Trump administration? Jespo and Supriya Dwivedi break down the latest polling, provincial implications, the trade-off facing Ottawa (and whether giving Washington what it wants could actually be worth it) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West (3:00).  THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY HANSEN D...

Don calls out Jespo's flippant comment about separatists claiming the "old" Canada flag, Joe from Alliston calls out Danielle Smith's interference, Mr. T argues there's a double standard in Alberta, Ryan sticks up for the Ag industry, Claire says big corporations are killing local Ag producers, and Mark riffs on our August 6 interview about the Vulcan County AI data centre. It's The Flamethrower p...

What if business and labour actually agree on more than they admit? Following our August 5 conversation with Edmonton Chamber CEO Doug Griffiths, Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan weighs in on the "Norway model" a system where business, labour, and government work together to minimize work stoppages while protecting collective bargaining. Gil pushes back where it counts, but winds...

Vulcan County residents are taking their Council to court, alleging rules were broken with the approval of a controversial AI data centre to be constructed on 600 acres of farm land. Little Bow AI Data Centre Committee members Sylvia Farrant and David Anderson lay out their argument in our feature interview (3:15) presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West.  THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY HANSEN DISTI...

WestJet and its flight attendants have reached a tentative agreement, with flights beginning to resume and thousands of disrupted travellers hoping to get home soon. But the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce says the bigger issue isn't over, and CEO Doug Griffiths joins us in our feature interview (3:50) presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West to explain why Canada needs to treat reliable transportati...

The union representing 32,000 Alberta grocery workers has filed a grievance against Sobeys, arguing the grocery chain's use of Alberta flags to promote locally made products is "reckless and inappropriate" amid the province's separatist movement. Jespo says they might as well fly a white flag instead, and digs into the debate with Supriya Dwivedi (3:00) in our feature interview presented by Merced...

Crazy Fast Eddy takes toilet talk to a whole new level with his climate change commentary, Sheldon D has questions about that $13B AI data centre, Gail says people are missing the point about the "Fuck Your Fascist Pancakes" movement, Tyler's got thoughts on our July 23 AI interview, AJ's sick of selfish hikers, and Neil's looking for balance on "restaurants closing" coverage in Edmonton. It's The...

For nearly two weeks, thousands of Calgarians joined the search for Parker Wells. Millions of Canadians hoped and prayed the missing 11-year-old would be discovered alive and well. That hope was shattered when police confirmed Parker's body had been found. Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas joins us (7:25) to reflect on the tragedy that gripped the city, the extraordinary community response, and what's n...

Three months out from Alberta's referendum, the campaign to keep the province in Canada is shifting into high gear. Forever Canadian founder Thomas Lukaszuk joins us in the Real Talk studio (3:00) before taking the Unity Bus back on the road. He explains why his organization isn't taking a position on Premier Danielle Smith's separation question. We also dig into concerns about foreign interferenc...

Alberta separation. "Elbows Up". Wildfires and climate change. AI data centres. Media layoffs. Veteran broadcaster (now podcaster) Lynda Steele (3:45) gets into it all in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West.  THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY RapidEX FINANCIAL. THE CRYPTO WORLD MOVES FAST, AND YOUR TRUST IN AN EXCHANGE SHOULDN'T BE A GAMBLE. RapidEX IS SECURE, FINTRAC-REGISTE...

Did Canada strike a smart deal with the U.S. over the Gordie Howe International Bridge, or give away too much? Supriya Dwivedi joins Jespo (3:00) to unpack the conflicting claims from Donald Trump and Mark Carney, and what the dispute reveals about the future of Canada-U.S. relations, in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY HANSEN DISTILLERY....

It's an all-Ambassador edition of The Flamethrower, as Real Talkers James from Ontario, Fat Dave, Julie, Anne, Joe from Alliston formerly Airdrie, Robert, and Keith sound off on our July 20 interview with Pete Hoekstra. The Flamethrower is proudly presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park. THE NEXT TIME YOU VISIT DQ IN PALISADES, NAMAO, NEWCASTLE, WESTMOUNT, OR BASELINE ROAD, BE...

As Alberta's independence referendum nears, there's a fundamental question most separatists (and arguably the provincial government) hasn't answered: what about First Nations' treaty rights? As a group of First Nations chiefs calls for an RCMP investigation into allegations of treason involving Danielle Smith, warning they're prepared to physically resist a separation referendum, journalist Brandi...

The workplace is changing fast, and we're digging into it from two very different perspectives. First, we revisit the debate over Return to Office mandates (10:30) following our July 22 conversation on downtown vibrancy. Then, AI educator Ruth Orekogbe explains the skills and mindset that can help future-proof your career in the age of artificial intelligence. THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY RapidEX...

At least 15 Edmonton restaurants have closed in 2026 alone. What's going on? Restauranteurs Kristina Botelho (kb&co), Chris Decock (GRETA), and Nate Box (Fox Burger, District) give us the lay of the land in our feature interview (3:00) presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West.  THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY HANSEN DISTILLERY. ROOTED IN PRAIRIE GRIT AND A REBELLIOUS SPIRIT, HANSEN IS KNOWN FOR A...

Donald Trump is threatening Canada with 50% tariffs, citing "discriminatory trade policies" on American booze, dairy, and automobiles. How should Canada respond? Is this just another negotiation tactic by an erratic U.S. President, or further degradation of the Canada-U.S. relationship? We get into it with political scientist Dr. Duane Bratt (3:45) and Bianca Parsons of the Alberta Food Processors...