Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

In what's believed to be the largest political convention in Alberta history, nearly 4,000 people gathered in Calgary for the United Conservative Party AGM. By the end of the weekend, the David Parker-led Take Back Alberta had taken control of the UCP board, and the party's most ardent supporters had passed several controversial resolutions.  3:05 | What does this all mean for Premier Danielle Smi...

 Our inbox was SLAMMED after our interview with Premier Danielle Smith. Real Talkers bring the heat in this #ABLEG-inspired edition of The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park! FIRE UP YOUR FLAMETHROWER: talk@ryanjespersen.com 

How do great achievers get where they are? What drives them? What barriers did they bust down? Where do they see themselves going from here? We pick the brains of three of Edify Edmonton's Top 40 Under 40 in this episode of Real Talk.  2:00 | Top 40s Sheliza Kluge, Sonny Sekhon, and Heather Thomson talk career/life balance, Gen Z in the workplace, post-pandemic economics, philanthropy, and more. ...

It's been said water is the new oil. If that's the case, why is the province (and most of its citizens) ignoring major threats to such a valuable natural resource?  2:50 | Geophysicist Jenny Yeremiy explains why some Alberta communities are projected to run out of water as early as January 2024, and what can be done about it. The oil and gas reclamation expert brings us up to speed on coal explora...

Cost of living is up - way up - for the average Albertan. What're Premier Danielle Smith's plans to make things like electricity and auto insurance more affordable? How's she planning on responding to Ottawa's carbon tax break for Atlantic Canadians? How far is she willing to stick out her neck on an Alberta Pension Plan? And will Edmonton be seeing $300M after Calgary got a bunch of cash for its...

Ottawa's going to be hearing a whole lot more from Alberta. The province and the feds aren't even close on the details around getting Alberta's electricity grid to Net Zero, including a 15 year discrepancy on the timeline. And that's not all. The October 30th Throne Speech gives us a reasonably good idea of how the Smith government plans to get Alberta well positioned to manage a forecasted popula...

Fall session at the Alberta Legislature kicks off today with the Speech from the Throne: what can we expect from Premier Danielle Smith's UCP government, and Rachel Notley's Official Opposition NDP? Does this Alberta Pension Plan idea actually have legs, or is it doomed to fail (and hurt the government along the way)?  2:00 | Longtime senior staffers Cheryl Oates and Erika Barootes are teaming up...

Danica's got a beef with the Edmonton Oilers, Lindsey's hot under the collar over Halloween, and Dan's sick of social justice initiatives on ice. We bust out The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park!  EMAIL US: talk@ryanjespersen.com 

Plans for an Alberta Pension Plan will dominate much of the focus as Alberta's MLAs return to the Legislature for fall session next week. If an APP truly is as unpopular as it appears to be, how much longer will Premier Danielle Smith ride that horse?  4:35 | Corey Hogan, Zain Velji, and Annalise Klingbeil talk Alberta Pension Plan, the federal Liberals' carbon tax adjustment for Atlantic Canada,...

Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden never thought he'd play in the NHL. It wasn't until the six-time Stanley Cup champion won his first exhibition game that he started to believe he might belong in The Show. Singer/songwriter Barney Bentall's raised more than $5M for charity, touring across Canada with his band The Caribou Express. What inspired these two men to reach their true potential? How have...

In times of turmoil, Fred Rogers' mom used to tell him to "look for the helpers". The legendary children's entertainer shared the story many times through his television career, most especially when the cruelty of real life felt like too much for his young (and older) audience to bear.  3:30 | Mark Cherrington is one of those helpers. The Edmonton man has dedicated his life to helping marginalized...

If Canadians were voting today, polling shows Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives would form a massive majority government, while Justin Trudeau's Liberals would see their seats cut in half. What's behind such a surge for the CPC? Is the solution to the Liberal Party's woes as simple as a leadership change? And how does Jagmeet Singh's NDP factor into all of this?  2:35 | Professional poll analyst Ph...

Chen Zeigen and his family are holding out hope his mother, Vivian Silver, is still alive. The longtime peace activist is believed to be among those taken hostage from a kibbutz near the Gaza Strip on October 7. In this episode of Real Talk, Chen tells us about Vivian's lifelong commitment to campaigning for peace in the region, and what he thinks she'd say about what's happening right now. 2:25 |...

Real Talkers have a lot to say about Ryan's October 19 interview with Ghada Sasa from Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East. Adam, Clay, Garth, Pam, Cam, and Catalina fire up The Flamethrower presented by our friends at the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park!  SEND US YOUR BEEF: talk@ryanjespersen.com

You wouldn't think bike lanes would be so divisive. Urban planners and cycling advocates make compelling arguments why every community should prioritize pedal-powered transportation. But still, we see outcry every time a Canadian city (like Edmonton or Calgary) invests in that type of infrastructure. What's missing from public debate? Is it possible to get everybody on the same page?  2:30 | No ma...

You've seen the signs at protests around the world: "Decolonize Palestine". What does that actually mean? What are the implications? What is the right way to pursue peace in the region? When can violence be justified, if ever, and what role should the international community play in the Israel-Hamas war?  1:52 | Ghada Sasa is completing her PhD in Political Science at McMaster University, and sits...

“If you believe in fairness, common sense and the sanctity of the Canadian Constitution, today is a great day,” said Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, after the Supreme Court ruled 5-2 that the federal government's Impact Assessment Act was unconstitutional and intrusive. That's the angle you'd expect from a politician who's long argued the Feds overstep their boundaries into provincial jurisdiction...

For nearly a decade, Calgarians have seen arena talks gain momentum, then fall apart. Then, just a short time ago, a deal. Approved by council in a unanimous vote with no public debate, the city will front more than $830M - more than three times what it agreed to in 2019 - while the Flames will kick in $40M.  2:40 | So, what changed? What prompted the about face from formerly-critical councillors...

The death toll of Israelis and Palestinians - many of them innocent civilians - killed over the past ten days is staggering, and you get the sense this war is only just beginning. As everyday Canadians publicly declare their support for Palestine *or* Israel, it's easy to feel like society is painfully divided. Who really wants to pick a side when it comes to children and the elderly being killed...

Russ calls Ryan's interview with Alberta's finance minister "tepid tea" (buuuurn) in this week's edition of Trash Talk. Plus, Jon and Marie tell us how they're responding to the NHL's ban on Pride Tape. SEND US YOUR RANT: talk@ryanjespersen.com

Alberta's boom isn't limited to oil and gas. Its craft brewing scene is Canada's best. So, what's the secret? On this Real Talk Round Table, we crack a few cold ones with three of the province's most passionate beer evangelists.  2:12 | Polyrhythm Brewing's Chelsea Tessier, Bent Stick Brewing's Cole Boyd, and the Alberta Craft Beer Guide's Andrew Ironmonger bring their favourite brews to the Real...

Is Alberta really entitled to more than half the funds in the Canada Pension Plan? How serious is the government about trying to withdraw those funds and establish a provincial plan? What are the chances the whole thing could backfire?  0:20 | Alberta's Minister of Finance Nate Horner makes the case for an Alberta Pension Plan.  TAKE THE SURVEY: https://www.albertapensionplan.ca/ 32:00 | Two forme...

A violent attack by someone out on bail. Cops accused of excessive force. Homeless encampments cleared by police. Missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Serious charges stayed for unreasonable delay. Deaths of imprisoned people from overdose or suicide. The headlines tell the story of a broken criminal justice system. In this episode of Real Talk, we find out if and how it can be fixed....

The world watched in horror as Hamas fighters inflicted the deadliest attack in Israel's history over the weekend. An unimaginable assault on innocent civilians, including babies and the elderly, leading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare that his country was “at a war”.  1:30 | Ryan opens the show with a few observations about what's happening in Israel in Gaza as well as here i...

Real Talkers sound off on Nazis in the House of Commons, political posturing, an Alberta Pension Plan, coal mining in the Rockies, and leaf blowers (!) in this week's edition of Trash Talk!  SUBMIT YOUR RANT: talk@ryanjespersen.com