Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

Alberta welcomes the most powerful leaders on planet earth as the G7 summit touches down in Kananaskis Country. We talk to Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek (3:00) about G7 security and other preparations, and what she's hoping to see emerge from the summit. We talk housing affordability, zoning bylaws, a tumultuous 2024, dissipating (?) tensions with the province, and Gondek's bid for re-election. 

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It's a dare/double-dare showdown, as California Governor Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump clash over a National Guard crackdown on immigration protests. How bad could this get? And what does it mean for the entire United States...and the rest of the world?

We talk to PM Stephen Harper's former federal Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander about Trump's attack on democracy in California (5:55), ramped-up Rus...

Rob's had enough of "MAGA stupidity," Dave and Ted have hot takes on the Alberta library book controversy, Nesen says it's time to rethink Canada's export strategy, and Touring Zebra takes on the Texas Ten Commandments story. It's The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park!

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When you visit the DQs in Palisades, Namao, Newcastle, Westmount, and Basel...

Alberta's capital city has the potential to boom just like Dubai. So says Dr. Murtaza Haider, the newly-installed Radhe Krishna Gupta Executive Chair in the Cities Institute at the University of Alberta. The new executive chair is made possible by a $5M gift from Rohit Gupta, president of the Rohit Group, who joins Dr. Haider and BILD Edmonton Metro CEO Kalen Anderson in a smart and inspiring edition of the Real Talk Round Table (2...

Critics say the Alberta government is being heavy handed in flagging controversial books found in school libraries. They say teachers and librarians, not politicians and parents, should choose which books are on the shelf. In this episode, we talk to Minister of Education Demetrios Nicolaides (1:03:15) about the UCP's online survey, classroom funding, and a strike that seems more and more likely to happen. 

But first...Jespo and Jo...

How is Alberta's demand for a better deal landing across the country? Why is Pierre Poilievre pretending to drink from an empty coffee mug? Will this Canada Post labour situation ever get sorted out? And could the Alberta separation movement ACTUALLY succeed? We get answers to these pressing questions in this rock solid episode of Real Talk. 

7:30 | This is VANCOLOUR host Mo Amir breaks down the premiers' meeting with PM Mark Carne...

Parents' rights groups are pressuring the Alberta government to pull what they deem to be "pornographic" books from school libraries. The government's putting it to public consultation before introducing new policy ahead of the next school year. Who's best equipped to decide which books are appropriate for which ages, and what literature belongs in libraries? In this episode, we get into it with Laura Winton from the Library Associ...

What's at stake as Mark Carney meets in person with Canada's premiers for the first time since becoming Prime Minister? What happens if the first ministers' meeting wraps without a deal to advance Canada's role as a "global energy superpower," or progress toward "free trade in Canada," as Carney promised on election night? 

Senator Charles Adler gets into it (13:00) with his trademark brand of Canadian common sense.

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Alllllll aboard! 7th Pilot dares Jespo to board the Freedom Train, Alex is pissed at the province for pulling library books, Gerald has a message for ready-to-strike Canada Post workers, Rik calls out Citizens Against Virtually Everything (CAVEs), and Jenny wants YOU to join the resistance. It's The Flamethrower presented by our friends at the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park!

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For the second year in a row, the Edmonton Oilers will face off against the Florida Panthers for the Stanley Cup. Jespo and Johnny, who first worked together as the team's in-game host and DJ, set the table (2:00) for the Stanley Cup Final.

23:00 | It's Canadian Innovation Week! In partnership with Athabasca University, we learn about innovation in networking from James McInnes (Prompty), DNA genealogy and cold case files from Brad...

55,000 Canada Post employees are set to strike as labour negotiations continue to stall out. A looming second strike in less than a year has millions of Canadians questioning the future of the institution. In this episode, we sit down with CUPW Local 730 president James Ball (59:00) who presents the case for Canada Post. 

24:00 | But first...a couple thousand city and town councillors are in Ottawa for the Federation of Canadian Mu...

"The True North is indeed strong and free." Delivering his first Throne Speech in Canada, King Charles reiterates Canada's sovereignty in a dramatically changing world. It's also the first Throne Speech for PM Mark Carney, who won the election a month ago with a promise to kickstart the economy. What does it all mean for investors, entrepreneurs, and everyday Canadians? 

2:30 | Supriya Dwivedi digs into the throne speech, Canada's ...

Danielle Smith's UCP is targeting school library books it deems "graphic and age-inappropriate". The government is surveying the public before rolling out new standards ahead of the next school year. 

2:30 | Max Fawcett, lead columnist at Canada's National Observer, says there's more to this story than "banning books". What do YOU think?

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READ CANADA'S NATIONAL OBSERVER: https://www.nationalob...

David's demanding an election NOW, Don's "outraged" at Real Talk guest Sharan Kaur, and Michael's dropping bombs on one of Jespo's loudest critics. 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 Road, be sure to tell 'em Real Talk sent you!

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Andrew Knack wants to be Edmonton's next mayor. The longtime city councillor tells us (2:10) why he entered the race after initially announcing he wouldn't return to City Hall, and how he'll shake off the unflattering reputation the current council has earned.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: talk@ryanjespersen.com 

53:00 | Jespo and Johnny check in on the Real Talk Live Chat powered by Park Power.

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A longtime Conservative cabinet minister is stepping back into the spotlight to save Alberta's place in Canada. Thomas Lukaszuk tells us why he's spearheading a petition to keep Alberta in Canada (5:30), and how he plans on collecting more than 600,000 signatures. The former Alberta deputy premier gives us his take on a Globe and Mail report on Danielle Smith's former chief of staff living in a mansion owned by the sister of Sam Mr...

Canada's joining the UK and France in threatening Israel with sanctions if aid doesn't start flowing into Gaza. Israel says it's "taken aback" by the ultimatum. Meantime, Prime Minister Mark Carney's changed his mind on a budget - his finance minister will have one ready for fall, he says. What's the right call in these scenarios? 

Sharan Kaur, former deputy chief of staff to then-finance minister Bill Morneau, talks about Canada, ...

Canada's ramping up pressure on Israel alongside France and the UK. Mark Carney's new cabinet is sworn in, and the PM's got less than six weeks to fulfill his promise of "free trade in Canada before Canada Day". And, the Toronto Maple Leafs will have to wait (yet) another year for a shot at Lord Stanley's Cup. We catch up on the top stories in Canada with The Hub's editor at large Sean Speer (3:00).

THE HUB: https://thehub.ca/2025/...

Les is choked at a Carney cabinet exclusion, Taylor wants an election NOW, Michael's losing it over the politics behind his traffic ticket, and Sunil's taking aim at recent guest Markham Hislop. 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 Road, be sure to tell 'e...