Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

2:20 | It's official: hockey fans get their first Battle of Alberta in 31 years! Ryan and Johnny kick off the show with their thoughts ahead of Game One on Wednesday.
8:39 | Emmy Award-winning talk host Charles Adler makes his bi-weekly appearance on Real Talk, sharing his thoughts on the horrific mass shooting in Buffalo, NY, the Conservative Party's leadership race, Jason Kenney's leadership review, and the legacy of David Milgaard, who passed away over the weekend. 
47:02 | Canadians are sending millions of dollars worth of PPE and other emergency equipment to Ukraine via the organization Firefighter Aid Ukraine. We're joined live by Vitalii Hrytsko of Ukraine's State Emergency Service, and Edmonton firefighter Kevin Royle, project director at FAU. 
Learn more and donate: https://www.firefighteraidukraine.com/
1:12:14 | This week's edition of Positive Reflections is personal for Ryan, who celebrates his long-time friend Declan - an optimistic, courageous 13 year old who just realized a major, long-time dream! 
Send us your Positive Reflection: talk@ryanjespersen.com 
Positive Reflections is presented by Kuby Energy. https://kubyenergy.ca/

It's a grass roots political edition of Trash Talk, presented by Local Environmental, fuelled by your emails to talk@ryanjespersen.com!

2:57 | Ryan starts the show with breaking news, as mourners at slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh's funeral are met with violence from Israeli defence forces. Plus, Elon Musk says his $44B Twitter purchase is "on hold": what does that mean moving forward?
11:49 | Veteran Alberta political correspondents Graham Thomson and Catherine Griwkowsky dig into the most important details of Jason Kenney's UCP leadership review, Brian Jean's presence at the Legislature, and a recent opinion from the Alberta Court of Appeal. 
Read Catherine's work: https://www.politicstoday.news/alberta-today/
Read Graham's work: https://ipolitics.ca/opinions/kenney-takes-a-victory-lap-while-the-race-is-still-underway
38:46 | The stars of The Strategists podcast join for their bi-annual Real Talk Round Table. Zain Velji, Corey Hogan, and Stephen Carter make for a wildly-entertaining (and informative) half hour analyzing the federal Conservative leadership race, Kenney's UCP leadership review, and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh being harassed in Peterborough.
See The Strategists live on May 19: https://thestrategists.ca/products/the-strategists-live-in-edmonton
1:15:36 | It's a grass roots political edition of Trash Talk, presented by Local Environmental, fuelled by your emails to talk@ryanjespersen.com!

Sometimes, there's a day that demands Real Talk go into overtime. This is one of those days. We cover the stories making headlines, and make sure you know what's going on "off the radar," too.
3:14 | Described as a "cultural phenomenon" related to the war in Ukraine, the Saint Javelin brand has quickly become recognized as a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion. Ryan talks to founder and CEO Christian Borys just moments after he announced a partnership with the World Ukrainian Congress to fund non-lethal military equipment for Ukraine.
Learn more: https://www.saintjavelin.com/ and https://www.ukrainianworldcongress.org/
14:52 | Is Twitter set to become even nastier if Elon Musk's purchase goes through? Christopher Bouzy, founder of BotSentinel.com, explains the role bots and trolls play in poisoning public dialogue. 
32:38 | Speaking of Twitter, our most recent Question of the Week presented by Y Station shows many Real Talkers are cynical (or at least concerned) about the future of the social media platform. Ryan reviews the results of our most recent survey, and tees up the current one (about SCOTUS Roe v. Wade). 
CHIME IN: https://ryanjespersen.com/question-of-the-week
38:18 | The killing of veteran Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is described as  "deliberate and targeted" by Al Jazeera, the outlet she represented for many years. We review what we know at this point, including reports from journalists who were near Abu Akleh when she was shot, and criticism around "whitewashed" reporting and response from western media outlets and elected representatives. 
47:17 | How much do you know about the political maneuvering happening in your own backyard? Ryan connects with Alberta Mayors Cathy Heron, Janet Jabush, and Trina Jones for an update on a potential Alberta Provincial Police Service, EMS in crisis, and changes to the Municipal Government Act. 
Learn more about work being done by Alberta Municipalities: https://www.abmunis.ca/
1:27:28 | Inspired by his conversation with the Mayors, Ryan shines light on a very personal Twitter thread from a BC-based family doctor, @drherrling. 
1:31:09 | Hours after Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidates squared off in Edmonton, Ryan reviews highlights and themes of the official English language debate. What jumped out at you as you watched Wednesday's showdown? Send us an email: talk@ryanjespersen.com
1:41:14 | Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh was targeted and harassed by self-identified "Freedom Convoy" supporters during a stop in Peterborough, ON. We take a look at public response to this heinous circumstance, including Mr. Singh's message to the public after the fact.

3:03 | Award-winning photojournalist Leah Hennel takes us into Alberta ICUs, ERs, and COVID wards via the stunning images in her new book, "Alone Together: A Pandemic Photo Essay". 
Check out more of Leah's work: https://leahhennelphotography.com/
Get your copy of the book: https://bookpublishers.ab.ca/titles/alone-together/
18:24 | REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for our Real Talk Golf Classic on June 23rd at The Ranch! Ryan shares a few details about the big day, which you won't want to miss!
REGISTER: https://ryanjespersen.com/real-talk-golf-classic
21:21 | It's been three years since the Chuckegg Wildfire tore through more than 800,000 acres near High Level, AB. Mayor Crystal McAteer and Chief James Ahnassy of the Dene Tha' First Nation look back on May of 2019, and share how their communities have been working together ever since to address the challenges of living in such a remote, rural region. 
43:30 | Should we de-extinct animals like the Woolly Mammoth? Should we be concerned insect populations are plummeting? Do mushrooms and mould actually rule the world? Anthropomania podcast hosts Jay Ingram and Niki Wilson look at nature through a human lens, and explain why an "empathetic world view" is so important. 
Subscribe: https://anthropomania.com/
1:05:44 | This week's #MyJasper Memories celebrates Jasper local Naji Khouri, whose entire job is to ensure visitors to the region have the best-possible experience. Whether you're looking to chase summits or birdie putts, eat picnics or five-star spreads, or sleep under the stars or in the lap of luxury, Naji's got you covered! 
Check out more about his story (and amazing options to explore Jasper) here: https://www.jasper.travel/realtalk/

8:18 | National Observer columnist Sandy Garossino says it's time for "an adult conversation about abortion". She lays out exactly what that conversation needs to look like, including the role men need to play. 
Read Sandy's column here: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/05/07/opinion/lets-have-adult-conversation-about-abortion
34:10 | Ryan reviews the results of Monday's unofficial, unscientific Twitter poll on pandemic-related data collected from Canadians' cell phones, and privacy concerns around the common practice.
Check out the final poll results: https://twitter.com/ryanjespersen/status/1523665964448899074?s=20&t=uxJhV43esR9uLarsLsk4NA
43:30 | It's one of the most powerful films you'll ever see. Love in the Time of Fentanyl screens at NorthwestFest on Friday, May 13. We catch up with filmmaker Colin Askey, and harm reduction workers Ronnie Grigg and Trey Helten. 
Get your tickets to see Love in the Time of Fentanyl at NorthwestFest: https://www.northwestfest.ca/films-2022-backend/love-in-the-time-of-fentanyl
1:21:26 | Every Tuesday, we feature innovators and difference makers in The Leading Edge presented by Leading Edge Physio. This week, it's Priority Printing in the spotlight! 
https://leadingedgephysio.com/

3:59 | Ryan kicks off the week with a couple stories making news over the past couple of days, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's surprise trip to Ukraine with Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly. We also take a look at the "BlueDot" story, and ask how you feel about being anonymously tracked to contribute to public health data. 
17:04 | Poultry producers across North America are being hammered by Avian Flu, with tens of millions of birds culled, including more than 900,000 in Alberta alone. Lisa Bishop-Spencer of the Chicken Farmers of Canada joins to explain how Avian Influenza is spreading across different provinces, what it means for farmers and consumers, and how controversial culling methods in the US are impacting conversations in Canada.
41:07 | Continuing our conversation around ethics and Agriculture, farming couple Jeff and Coralee Nonay explain what it means to operate a "family farm" these days, including facing criticism from animal rights advocates. 
Let us know what you think about the issue: talk@ryanjespersen.com
1:19:25 | This week's Positive Reflections presented by Kuby Energy highlights a "Take what you need" community pantry initiated by a young guy named Hunter. Plus, we focus on a fundraiser aimed at assisting Ukrainians. Learn more about it here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/yeg4ukraine

Ryan rolls out the best rants of the week, as submitted to talk@ryanjespersen.com. Buckle up for another edition of Trash Talk, presented by Local Waste.

4:29 | Supriya Dwivedi breaks down last night's CPC Leadership Debate, highlighting her two key points. Per usual, Supriya pulls no punches in sharing her personal perspective on the SCOTUS Roe v. Wade story, and the impact its having on conversations in Canada.
36:40 | This week's Real Talk Round Table welcomes three of the brilliant professionals featured in Edify's Innovation issue. Dr. Lilly Pang talks about "The Poop Scoop" (using wastewater to glean COVID data), "Mr. Robot" Dr. Joseph Ross Mitchell explains how Artificial Intelligence is improving healthcare, and Dr. Mark Summers talks about "Carbon Burial" - how Alberta is managing its "poison" as renewable energy scales up.
Check out Edify's Innovation issue: https://edifyedmonton.com/
Join us on May 11: https://tickets.edifyedmonton.com/innovation-event-2022/
1:19:13 | Giddy up! Local Environmental presents another rowdy edition of Trash Talk! 
Submit your Trash Talk: talk@ryanjespersen.com

11:02 | Athabasca University Master of Counselling student Karli Jahn just won AU's 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition with her research around weight stigma. She joins us to discuss the "pathological" way we view fat, and how stigma affects treatment outcomes in counselling. 
32:04 and 58:05 | Ryan reads your emails about Avian Flu and abortion discussions on the show.
39:40 | New York Times best-selling author Angie Thomas takes us into the pages of "Concrete Rose," her follow-up to "The Hate U Give," which sold more than 3.5M copies. Angie talks about kickstarting conversations about racism, challenging her audience with perspectives outside their own, and the most powerful feedback she's ever received from a reader.