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PODCAST

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

Real Talk about news, politics, and pop culture. Hosted by Ryan Jespersen from Edmonton, Alberta. Live weekday mornings at 8:30am MT. #RealTalkRJ

news news commentary

All Episodes

117:36

Canada's Richest Province Cuts Disability Supports

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/28

Alberta's rolling back benefits for nearly 80,000 people with disabilities with its new Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP). Amidst steep cost of living increases, benefits are being cut by 10% alongside a 67% cut to fully-exempt employment income. We talk to Inclusion Alberta CEO Trish Bowman and Real Talker Averie, an advocate for adults with mental illness, in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY RapidEX FINANCIAL. THE CRYPTO WORLD

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99:07

Solving Canada's ER Waits // Alberta’s Recall Mistake

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/27

Canadians are waiting way too long in emergency rooms. Dr. Andrew Boozary, executive director at the Gattuso Centre for Social Medicine at Toronto's University Health Network and founder of Dunn House, explains how they've cut ER visits by 52% and length of stays by 79% (5:15) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. Stick around for former Jason Kenney staffer Blaise Boehmer's behind-the-scenes story (42:00) of the then-Alberta premier introducing recall legislation (and

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94:21

US Official Stokes Alberta Separatism

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/26

It's been a wild few days in the United States. Another U.S. citizen is dead at the hands of ICE agents, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is publicly endorsing Alberta separatism, and President Donald Trump is threatening 100% tariffs on Canada following PM Mark Carney's deal with China. We get into it all with Supriya Dwivedi (3:15) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY RapidEX FINANCIAL. THE CRYPTO WORLD MOVES FAST, BUT YOUR TRUST IN AN

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6:35

"F*ck ICE and F*ck Dementia Donny!"

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/24

Real Talker Michael deploys more f-bombs per minute than anybody in Flamethrower history with his message to the White House, Brendon lays out the real world cost of Alberta separation talk, Gerald's torn on the "leaked classroom audio" story, and Watty's got a proposal for a PST in Alberta. 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, or BASELINE

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133:10

Poll: UCP and NDP Neck and Neck

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/23

Alberta's two main parties - the UCP and NDP - are polling neck and neck. We dig into the new numbers with Liaison Strategies pollster David Valentin (3:00), before taking a look at updated federal numbers and a shocking reality around hospital emergency rooms across Canada. Feature interviews on Real Talk are presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY HANSEN DISTILLERY -- EDMONTON'S ORIGINAL DISTILLERY -- ROOTED IN PRAIRIE GRIT AND A REBELLIOUS SPIRIT. PROUDLY LOCAL,

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116:28

Leaked Report: Albertans Dying Waiting for Healthcare

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/22

Alberta emergency rooms are described as "death zones" in a shocking report leaked to Real Talk. Six deaths and a few dozen "critical near-misses" over a two week period are front and centre in our extended conversation with Dr. Paul Parks (4:00), a southern Alberta ER doc and past-president of the Alberta Medical Association. Feature interviews on Real Talk are presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY RapidEX FINANCIAL. THE CRYPTO WORLD MOVES FAST, BUT YOUR TRUST IN

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125:32

Carney Speech Heard 'Round the World // Avi Lewis,...

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/21

More than two dozen Alberta MLAs are facing recall petitions. Is this really the best way to hold politicians accountable? We ask AB Resistance founder Marg Tokar - a "lifelong Conservative" - why she's helping organize campaigns across the province (4:45) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY RapidEX FINANCIAL. THE CRYPTO WORLD MOVES FAST, BUT YOUR TRUST IN AN EXCHANGE SHOULDN'T BE A GAMBLE. RapidEX IS SECURE, FINTRAC-REGISTERED, AND

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120:46

Recall Petitions Target 26 Alberta MLAs

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/20

More than two dozen Alberta MLAs are facing recall petitions. Is this really the best way to hold politicians accountable? We ask AB Resistance founder Marg Tokar - a "lifelong Conservative" - why she's helping organize campaigns across the province (4:45) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY RapidEX FINANCIAL. THE CRYPTO WORLD MOVES FAST, BUT YOUR TRUST IN AN EXCHANGE SHOULDN'T BE A GAMBLE. RapidEX IS SECURE, FINTRAC-REGISTERED, AND

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101:06

Canada/China Deal // Trump's Eyes on Canada //...

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/19

Did PM Mark Carney's "Canola for EVs" deal with China really split Canadians? Auto workers in Ontario may not love lifting tariffs on Chinese EVs, but that doesn't make it the wrong move, argues Supriya Dwivedi (3:00). We talk Trump's Board of Peace proposal (43:00), Steve Bannon's inflammatory comments about Canada (51:20), Iran (1:00:30), and the Federal Court of Appeal's ruling on the Emergencies Act ending the Freedom Convoy Ottawa Occupation (1:04:00) in our feature interview presented by

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8:19

"Doug Ford Needs to STFU!"

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/17

Real Talkers Erin and AJ have thoughts on the Canada-China trade deal; Laura, Lisa, Natasha, and Gerald are fired up over the "defund private schools" debate; Josef is "terrified" of civil war in the USA, Travis has heard enough excuses about Edmonton's snow clearing debacle, the "thesco" has a direct question for Jespo. 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,

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127:22

Leaked Classroom Audio // Transit Safety Round Table

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/16

Audio leaked from an Alberta classroom is causing a stir, as a high school teacher parodies Conservative stereotypes including references to the oil and gas industry. Premier Danielle Smith uses her X account to amplify the 90-second clip originally shared by a right wing content creator, stating she's "deeply disappointed" by "profanity, partisan attacks, or insults toward Alberta’s ethical energy workers and their families." What do you think about it? We hit the story out of the gates (3:30) and

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115:17

The Fight to Defund Private Schools // Mayhem in MN

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/15

Alberta funds private and independent schools at a higher level than any other province, but spends less per public school student than anywhere else in the country. Alicia Taylor, a Calgary high school teacher, is trying to change that. She tells us about her citizen initiative petition Alberta Funds Public Schools (3:00) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY HANSEN DISTILLERY -- EDMONTON'S ORIGINAL DISTILLERY -- ROOTED IN PRAIRIE GRIT AND

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87:39

Journalist Sues the RCMP // Should Canada Ban X?

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/14

RCMP arrested award-winning photojournalist Amber Bracken in 2021 while she was covering the Wet’suwet’en pipeline standoff in Northern B.C. for The Narwhal. Now, both Bracken and The Narwhal are suing the RCMP for what they say was a concerted campaign to limit press freedom. We connect with Amber Bracken and Narwhal co-founder Carol Linnitt (35:00) just moments before they head to court in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. HIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY RapidEX

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96:13

Carney, Coastal First Nations, China and Venezuela

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/13

Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with Coastal First Nations leaders before heading to China for Canada's first formal PM visit since 2017. This, amid uncertainty in Venezuela. Dr. Heather Exner-Pirot and Max Fawcett talk implications (3:15) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY HANSEN DISTILLERY -- EDMONTON'S ORIGINAL DISTILLERY -- ROOTED IN PRAIRIE GRIT AND A REBELLIOUS SPIRIT. PROUDLY LOCAL, ALWAYS ORIGINAL. HANSEN DISTILLERY IS MADE

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83:48

Is the U.S. Headed Toward A Breaking Point?

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/12

Venezuela. Greenland. Iran. A Minnesota mom is dead, and ICE protests continue across the country. POTUS is threatening to indict the Federal Reserve Chair. You could argue all hell has *already* broken loose in the United States, but is the nation headed toward a legit breaking point? Supriya Dwivedi gets into it (3:45) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY RapidEX FINANCIAL. THE CRYPTO WORLD MOVES FAST, BUT YOUR TRUST IN AN EXCHANGE

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8:18

ICE KILLING: "George Orwell Warned Us About This!"

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/10

Denise is appalled by the fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis, KP's thrilled to see the US in Venezuela, Don's bracing for WWIII, and Joe from Airdrie figures we should cap independence referendums, and Mr. Dad has a warning for Calgarians. 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, or BASELINE ROAD, BE SURE TO TELL 'EM REAL TALK SENT YOU! FOLLOW

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90:19

Athana Reaction / ICE Killing / Venezuela / Chinese...

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/09

Former Poilievre comms director Ben Woodfinden and former Notley cabinet minister Shannon Phillips respond to our exclusive with former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos (4:30), share their thoughts on the fatal ICE shooting in Minnesota (22:15), give a Canadian perspective on the Venezuela "situation" (37:15), debate the merits of dropping tariffs on Chinese EVs (45:30), and predict whether or not we'll see another federal election in 2026 (50:30) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz

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119:37

EXCLUSIVE: Former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/08

Athana Mentzelopoulos is the former President and CEO of Alberta Health Services. She was fired by the Alberta government exactly one year ago for what the province calls "alarming incompetence" and an inability to carry out the mandates she was given. She says that's not true. In a $1.7M wrongful-dismissal lawsuit, Mentzelopoulos alleges she was fired because she refused to shut down an internal investigation into procurement practices at AHS, including concerns about contracts, private providers,

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111:17

Is Pierre Poilievre Setting a Dangerous Precedent?

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/07

Did Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre put Canada in a tough spot by praising President Donald Trump's action in Venezuela? Sharan Kaur argues yes (3:30) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. A NOTE FROM RYAN: Thirty seconds after we wrapped this episode, I learned of Anna Murphy's passing. Just weeks ago - on November 19 - Anna joined us (with her heart on her sleeve), speaking passionately about mental health challenges facing the Trans community and the urgent need

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124:02

Trump Wants Greenland // "Treason" in Alberta? //...

Real Talk Ryan Jespersen ·

2026/01/07

Donald Trump wants Greenland. European leaders are pushing back. What's Canada's best play, all things considered? National Post columnist Rahim Mohamed leads us off (7:00) with a look at comments from Stephen Miller and Bob Rae, and the biggest issue facing Mark Carney. Plus, could Alberta separatists actually face charges for meeting with US State Department officials (20:00)? Did Chrystia Freeland step in one (32:00) with her Ukraine advisory announcement? And how are things looking for Pierre

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1,351 results

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