Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

Albertans have spoken, and the message is clear: separation is not the future they want for this province. With roughly 76 per cent voting against moving toward separation, the October 19 referendum has delivered a decisive rejection of the separatist project. That said, the questions, frustrations, and political divisions won't simply disappear. What happens next matters enormously, not just for...

It's a difficult and consequential day for Alberta. As we acknowledge the tragedy at CFB Wainwright and the lives impacted, we also recognize a referendum day will could shape the province’s future for years to come, no matter the results. We connect with Wainwright Mayor Bruce Pugh (6:30), Brigadier-General (Ret'd) Andre Corbould (20:30), and Forever Canadian founder Thomas Lukaszuk (32:45) in fe...

"A more apt show title would be Real Propaganda!" Real Talkers sound off on the referendum, the separation movement, Jespo's bias, a new Real Talk drinking game, driving without headlights, and the beautiful town of Balzac. It's The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmoton and Sherwood Park, featuring Ivan C, Chris, Michael, T.S., Kyle, Mr. T, Bev, Vicki from St. Albert, Michael, Ale...

Prime Minister Mark Carney talks to Ryan Jespersen about the looming Alberta referendum, Western alienation, foreign interference, the Pacific Link pipeline, trade talks with the U.S., and Canada's future with the EU.  TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: leave a comment here or email talk@ryanjespersen.com THIS SPECIAL EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY HANSEN DISTILLERY. GIVE YOUR CLIENTS SOMETHING THEY'LL ACTUALLY USE...

Keith Wilson and Tanya Clemens want Alberta to separate from Canada. The co-chairs of Let Alberta Decide join Ryan and political scientist Dr. Feo Snagovsky (28:00) for a deep dive into what an independent Alberta could look like, and what stands in the way, in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. Feo kicks off the show solo (7:00) with insights into how the referendum h...

Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi (5:30) says the first nine questions on Alberta's referendum ballot are more dangerous than the tenth question on national unity. Calgary Chamber of Commerce CEO Deborah Yedlin (59:00) says Alberta's economic voice is being heard, and the referendum risks silencing it. Both lay out their arguments in feature interviews presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West.  THI...

What happens if Alberta's referendum results are closer than expected? What happens if there's a blowout? Does the UCP go full separatist regardless of what hapens? Does Danielle Smith survive as premier into 2027? Zain Velji and Stephen Carter, co-hosts of The Strategists podcast, join us (3:00) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West just hours after their Strategists L...

Less than a week out from the referendum, Premier Danielle Smith is urging Albertans to vote to stay in Canada...but does anybody believe her? Prime Minister Mark Carney releases a Thanksgiving video arguing the case for Alberta in Canada. Will it sway undecided voters? Amid threats including foreign interference and the leak of Alberta's voter list, Elon Musk inserts himself in the story. And Con...

In episode 5 of The Worker Agenda, host Omar Mouallem joins AFL President Gil McGowan and Secretary-Treasurer Cori Longo for a look back at the May 29th Day of Protest and to examine the upcoming Alberta Referendum, explaining what’s at stake for working people. They discuss the risks separation could pose to jobs, wages, pensions and public services, challenge the referendum’s questions and proce...

"Thanks Boomers!" Real Talkers Tyler, David, Rob, Wayne, Robert, Chris, Scott, and Lorne give us their hottest takes on infill, Albertan "traitors" in D.C., the Oct. 19 referendum, and downtown crime. It's The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park! WHEN YOU VISIT A DQ IN PALISADES, NAMAO, NEWCASTLE, WESTMOUNT, AND BASELINE ROAD, BE SURE TO TELL 'EM REAL TALK SEN...

Buckle up, Real Talkers. Premier Danielle Smith (3:30), Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack (34:30), and Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas (52:00) talk infill, inter-governmental interference, crumbling infrastructure, Alberta's looming referendum, and more in this Mega Episode heading into the Thanksgiving long weekend. Feature interviews on Real Talk are presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West.  TELL US WHAT...

Who gets to decide how Edmonton grows? Danielle Smith's UCP is stepping into the city’s zoning fight, overriding municipal authority over how neighbourhoods are developed and reigniting a bigger question about where provincial power ends and local control begins. Jespo kicks off the show with his own thoughts ahead of our October 9 interview with Premier Smith presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton W...

What does it mean to be Canadian when Quebec is debating sovereignty, Alberta is heading toward a referendum, and a trade war with the United States is forcing us to rethink our relationship with our biggest neighbour? Veteran journalist and author Carol Off (7:15) joins us to discuss her new book, True Patriot Love, and what decades of reporting on Canada, conflict, sovereignty, and the U.S. have...

Quebecers elect a separatist minority government - what does this mean for the rest of the country? We talk QC politics, renegade Alberta delegations to D.C., referendum impacts, and the Canada-U.S. trade war with former deputy prime minister Anne McLellan (4:30) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. Then, on the heels of former Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel's scathing...

An unelected, unappointed delegation of Alberta separatists offered up Alberta's oil royalties and fresh water in exchange for American support, per an explosive investigative report in The Globe and Mail. Jespo gets into it with Supriya Dwivedi (7:30) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. We look at what's at stake in Quebec's provincial election (32:00), the likeliho...

Real Talkers Squatch, FoxFacedAB, AlbertaFirst, and Kevin V have hot takes on the Pacific Link pipeline. GoodMama calls Jespo to the carpet re: Poilievre's AI dance video, and Carmen rewrites Danielle Smith's emotional address from a teacher's perspective. It's The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park! WHEN YOU SWING BY A DQ IN PALISADES, NAMAO, NEWCASTLE, WEST...

Is "national interest" being confused with "approved"? Just because PM Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith announced the Pacific Link pipeline as Canada's first project designated in the national interest doesn't mean shovels are in the ground today. Would this project be where it is without a looming separation referendum in Alberta? Energy Minister Tim Hodgson lays out the feds' position in o...

A proposed Alberta-to-West Coast pipeline is now a project of national interest, with Ottawa and Alberta planning to share ownership of the $35-44B Pacific Link project. The proposed line would carry up to one million barrels of oil a day to the coast, opening access to more international markets. The next step is a federal review focused on ownership, Indigenous rights, and environmental protecti...

What does reconciliation actually look like in Canada today? On National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Ryan is joined by podcasters Jessica Vandenberghe, George Lee, and Michelle Robinson for an honest conversation (11:15) about Indigenous identity, history, racism, treaties, and the distance between acknowledging the past and changing the present. Feature interviews on Real Talk are presented...

David Eby's early election may not work out as he planned. Ryan and Supriya check in with Mo Amir, host of This is VANCOLOUR, on the heels of a tough first week on the campaign trail for B.C.'s premier (15:00). We lead off with a look at a white nationalist rally on the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc reserve, just east of Kamloops (4:30). Plus, what happens if interim Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson wi...

Real Talkers are FIRED UP over the Alberta government's $4M ad spend leading up to the referendum and Premier Danielle Smith's emotional speech about oil and gas. It's The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park! WHEN YOU SWING BY A DQ IN PALISADES, NAMAO, NEWCASTLE, WESTMOUNT, OR BASELINE ROAD, BE SURE TO LET 'EM KNOW REAL TALK SENT YOU! FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, X, I...

Guest host Rob Breakenridge cues up conversation about the political stories shaping Western Canada as they come to a head in late October. THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY HANSEN DISTILLERY. IT'S PUMPKIN SPICE CREAM LIQUEUR IS BACK! LEARN MORE: https://hansendistillery.com/ MBEW: https://www.mercedes-benz-edmontonwest.ca/ GET YOUR "PROUDLY ALBERTAN. FIERCELY CANADIAN." HOODIES BEFORE THEY SELL OUT (A...

The mayors of Alberta's two biggest cities join Ryan as the Alberta Municipalities Convention continues in Edmonton. We get the inside scoop from Calgary mayor Jeromy Farkas and Edmonton mayor Andrew Knack (2:00) on potential changes to the Municipal Government Act, provincial oversight (overreach?) on roads (bike lanes), libraries under threat, cities taking a stand against separation, and counci...

Alberta's less than a month away from a referendum with ten questions that could have major consequences for the province’s future (and reputation). Before You Vote co-founders Doug Stollery, Sheila Greckol, Marie Gordon, and Peggy Garrity (5:45) apply decades of experience in law, public policy, and communications to examine what Albertans are actually being asked, what could happen next, and wha...

Young men are being radicalized online: pulled into communities built around grievance, misogyny, loneliness, and “toxic masculinity.” Figures like Andrew Tate have turned the so-called manosphere into a powerful cultural and political force, raising difficult questions about why these messages resonate with so many young men...and where they lead. Award-winning novelist Todd Babiak joins us (2:45...