What will it take for Alberta's teachers and the UCP government to get a deal done and end this strike? Athabasca University labour expert Dr. Jason Foster gives us an informed take (45:30), including why he's skeptical the two sides are anywhere close. But first...

3:30 | Supriya Dwivedi tells us what she's keeping an eye on as an Israel/Hamas peace deal is signed, Canada looks to repair its relationship with India, Canada's Supreme Court justices undergo a makeover of sorts, and former PM Justin Trudeau is spotted smooching pop superstar Katy Perry on a yacht. Real Talk's feature interviews are presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: [email protected] 

MBEW: https://www.mercedes-benz-edmontonwest.ca/

42:00 | Brent Kelland thought he'd seen it all as a retired paramedic. That is, until he became a patient at the CK Hui Heart Centre at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. We feature Brent's story in this week's Echoes of the Alex, celebrating 125 years of care, compassion, and community at the Royal Alex.

HELP ENSURE STORIES LIKE BRENT'S CONTINUE: http://givetoroyalalex.org/

 45:30 | AU professor Dr. Jason Foster compares the 2002 and 2025 Alberta teachers' strikes. 

CHECK OUT THE AU ADVANTAGE: http://athabascau.ca/

1:14:30 | Jespo and Johnny debrief re: the teachers' strike, the Jays' back-to-back losses against the Mariners, and the Trudeau/Perry romance. 

GET YOUR TICKETS TO NorthWestFearFest: https://www.northwestfest.ca/fearfest

1:40:15 | Shout out to everybody who worked through the Thanksgiving weekend! Ryan shares a firsthand story about a power outage in rural Saskatchewan in Positive Reflections presented by Solar by Kuby. 

GET A FREE SOLAR QUOTE: https://kuby.ca/

SUBMIT YOUR POSITIVE REFLECTION: [email protected] 

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The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.

It's an all-teachers' strike edition of The Flamethrower, as KP, "Confidential," Ross, Carmen, Jay, "Different Carmen," and Justin give us their hottest takes. The Flamethrower is presented weekly by our friends at the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park.

It's a hotly contested race for the Calgary Mayor's office. In this special presentation, you'll hear from the five highest-polling candidates for the top job at City Hall as Jeromy Farkas, Jyoti Gondek, Brian Thiessen, Sonya Sharp, and Jeff Davison square off in our Real Talk Calgary Mayoral Debate. 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: [email protected] 

1:12:00 | Jespo and Johnny debrief after the debate before kicking off another - white vs. dark turkey meat, apple vs. pumpkin vs. pecan pie, and other matters of Thanksgiving importance. 

1:35:30 | Donald Trump is not the recipient of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. We hear why. 

1:45:00 | It's an all-teachers' strike edition of The Flamethrower, as KP, "Confidential," Ross, Carmen, Jay, "Different Carmen," and Justin give us their hottest takes. The Flamethrower is presented weekly by our friends at the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park. 

FIRE UP YOUR FLAMETHROWER: [email protected] 

When you visit the DQs in Palisades, Namao, Newcastle, Westmount, and Baseline Road, be sure to tell 'em Real Talk sent you! 

FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, X, INSTAGRAM, and LINKEDIN: @realtalkrj & @ryanjespersen 

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REAL TALK MERCH: https://ryanjespersen.com/merch

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THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! https://ryanjespersen.com/sponsors

The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.

The US government shutdown continues into its second week, as Canada and the U.S. continue to work toward a trade deal (we hope). We've got you covered with Wyatt Sharpe reporting live from the White House (2:30) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West.  

MBEW: https://www.mercedes-benz-edmontonwest.ca/

13:30 | On day four of the Alberta teachers' strike, the Real Talk Rumour Mill is fuelled by your emails to [email protected] following our interview with Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides.

WATCH THAT INTERVIEW: https://rtrj.info/100825Minister

28:10 | Jespo's still buzzing after the Battle of Alberta, and it shows in this week's edition of Alberta Wins presented by Play Alberta. 

GET A $50 FREE BET WHEN YOU DEPOSIT $50 USING THE PROMO CODE RYAN50: https://playalberta.ca/ -- MUST BE 18+ TO PLAY. IF YOU GAMBLE, PLEASE USE YOUR GAMESENSE.

31:30 | Municipal elections across Alberta are looming - October 20 - so we check in with independent media voices Omar Mouallem from Edify and Karen Unland from Taproot Edmonton to see how they're covering it differently from the mainstream outlets. 

CHECK OUT EDIFY: https://edifyedmonton.com/

TAKE THE TAPROOT ELECTION SURVEY: https://edmonton.taproot.news/

1:30:30 | Jespo and Johnny are in the mood to chew the fat, including thoughts on the Blue Jays dispatching the Yankees from the MLB post-season, the Flames taking down the Oilers in their NHL season openers, tips to never pay for parking, and the best bra store in the whole wide world (yeah, you heard us right). 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: [email protected] 

CHECK OUT THE JASPER HOTEL OFFER: https://www.jasper.travel/hotel-offer/

SUPPORT THE ROYAL ALEXANDRA HOSPITAL: http://givetoroyalalex.org/

FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, X, INSTAGRAM, and LINKEDIN: @realtalkrj & @ryanjespersen 

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK: @ryanjespersen 

REAL TALK MERCH: https://ryanjespersen.com/merch

RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE PERKS - BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: patreon.com/ryanjespersen

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! https://ryanjespersen.com/sponsors

The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.

How long is this Alberta teachers' strike going to last? What are the sticking points? Where is the government refusing to budge, and what are the terms both sides agree to? Will the government ultimately order teachers back to work? We ask Alberta's Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides (5:00) in this episode of Real Talk.

NOTE: Our YouTube live stream experienced an interruption 45 minutes into this episode. You can catch the full episode wherever you get your podcasts, and you can always catch our audio live stream on the Mixlr audio app.

APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/real-talk-ryan-jespersen/id1540709742

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/03RyuWqhe4YBI7mS48VDBA

REAL TALK on MIXLR: https://realtalkrj.mixlr.com/

29:00 | Ryan reads some of the MANY emails we've received to [email protected] 

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THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! https://ryanjespersen.com/sponsors

The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.

We've got Alberta covered in this episode, including your thoughts on the teachers strike, Jyoti Gondek's mission to secure a second term as Calgary's mayor, and former Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel's total dissatisfaction with the state of the capital city. 

Ryan leads off with a message from an Edmonton principal experiencing "the worst and most difficult day of (her) 23-year career," a gut check on student hunger from Brittany in Red Deer, Teacher Andrea's real reason for voting "no" to the province's most recent deal, and and Robyn's note re: charter schools.

EMAIL THE SHOW: [email protected] 

6:00 | In our fifth of five interviews with the leading candidates for Calgary mayor, Jyoti Gondek shares her thoughts on the teachers strike, cost of living in Calgary, blanket rezoning, and polling leading up to the October 20 election. 

DON'T MISS OUR REAL TALK CALGARY MAYORAL DEBATE on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10

CHECK OUT THE GONDEK CAMPAIGN: https://jyotigondek.ca/

24:00 | Jespo and Johnny debrief on mayoral races in Calgary and Edmonton, and Rahim Jaffer's public release calling out his exclusion from our Real Talk Edmonton Mayoral Debate. 

WATCH THE REAL TALK EDMONTON MAYORAL DEBATE: https://rtrj.info/100325YEGCC

42:30 | Stephen Mandel is ready to blow a gasket. The former Edmonton mayor tells us what he REALLY thinks about the state of the city, and how it got here. 

1:01:00 | The Royal Alexandra Hospital is celebrating 125 years, and every Tuesday on Real Talk, we're highlighting the Echoes of the Alex. This week, it's the story of Joyce Helton. 

TELL US YOUR ROYAL ALEX STORY: [email protected] 

DONATE TODAY: http://givetoroyalalex.org/

FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, X, INSTAGRAM, and LINKEDIN: @realtalkrj & @ryanjespersen 

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THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! https://ryanjespersen.com/sponsors

The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.

The largest strike in Alberta history is officially underway, as 51,000 teachers start the week outside the classroom. How long could this last? What are the main sticking points? Ryan sits down with Alberta Teachers Association president Jason Schilling (1:00) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: [email protected] 

MBEW: https://www.mercedes-benz-edmontonwest.ca/

36:30 | Ryan reads Real Talkers' emails and comments from our Live Chat powered by Park Power before checking in with Supriya Dwivedi. We get to her thoughts on the strike (and similarities between Alberta and Ontario on the education file), before discussing PM Mark Carney's upcoming meeting with President Donald Trump, Pierre Poilievre's pushback on the Liberals' Strong Borders Act (Bill C-2), and protests around Bad Bunny's upcoming Super Bowl halftime show. 

1:17:00 | Jespo and Johnny debrief after the Supriya interview, celebrate the Toronto Blue Jays' dominant performance against the Yankees in the first two games of the ALDS, and muse about Connor McDavid's future with the Oilers. (NOTE: The Oilers announced a two-year, $25M extension with Connor McDavid just moments after this episode was recorded.)

1:40:00 | Ryan speaks from the heart to 51,000 striking Alberta teachers in this edition of Positive Reflections presented by Kuby Renewable Energy.

SHARE YOUR OWN POSITIVE REFLECTION: [email protected] 

GET A FREE SOLAR QUOTE: https://kuby.ca/

FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, X, INSTAGRAM, and LINKEDIN: @realtalkrj & @ryanjespersen 

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK: @ryanjespersen 

REAL TALK MERCH: https://ryanjespersen.com/merch

RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE PERKS - BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: patreon.com/ryanjespersen

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! https://ryanjespersen.com/sponsors

The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.

Andy in B.C. says "Hell no" to a new bitumen pipeline; Robert, Thomas, Justin, Chris and Kimberly have hot takes on the Alberta Next town hall debacle in Calgary, Aaron might be the next Canadian Ambassador to the United States, Brendan calls Ryan to the carpet, and Tobias sniffs out hypocrisy. It's The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park!

FIRE UP YOUR FLAMETHROWER: [email protected]

When you visit the DQs in Palisades, Namao, Newcastle, Westmount, and Baseline Road, be sure to tell 'em Real Talk sent you!

FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, X, INSTAGRAM, and LINKEDIN: @realtalkrj & @ryanjespersen

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK: @ryanjespersen

REAL TALK MERCH: https://ryanjespersen.com/merch

RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE PERKS - BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: patreon.com/ryanjespersen

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! https://ryanjespersen.com/sponsors

The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.

Tim Cartmell, Andrew Knack, and Michael Walters want to be Edmonton's next mayor. In this special episode, you'll hear details of their vision for the capital city's future, criticism of their opponents platforms, and their Big Promise to Edmontonians, in the Real Talk Edmonton Mayoral Debate presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: [email protected] 

MBEW: https://www.mercedes-benz-edmontonwest.ca/

CHECK OUT OUR INTERVIEW WITH RAHIM JAFFER: https://rtrj.info/082825Jaffer

CHECK OUT OUR INTERVIEW WITH DR. OMAR MOHAMMAD: https://rtrj.info/091725Omar

1:10:00 | Jespo and Johnny debrief after the debate, and chat about Taylor Swift's new album (how could we not??).

1:13:45 | Andy in B.C. says "Hell no" to a new bitumen pipeline; Robert, Thomas, Justin, Chris and Kimberly have hot takes on the Alberta Next town hall debacle in Calgary, Aaron might be the next Canadian Ambassador to the United States, Brendan calls Ryan to the carpet, and Tobias sniffs out hypocrisy. It's The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park! 

FIRE UP YOUR FLAMETHROWER: [email protected] 

When you visit the DQs in Palisades, Namao, Newcastle, Westmount, and Baseline Road, be sure to tell 'em Real Talk sent you! 

FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, X, INSTAGRAM, and LINKEDIN: @realtalkrj & @ryanjespersen 

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK: @ryanjespersen 

REAL TALK MERCH: https://ryanjespersen.com/merch

RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE PERKS - BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: patreon.com/ryanjespersen

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! https://ryanjespersen.com/sponsors

The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.

Alberta's got plans for a new pipeline to the west coast, and wants Ottawa to get on board. B.C. and Quebec are predictably pushing back, in what Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is calling "a test if Canada still works". What're the chances this pipeline will actually get built? We ask public affairs commentator Tasha Kheiridden (2:40) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. 

READ TASHA'S WORK: https://tashakheiriddin.substack.com/

MBEW: https://www.mercedes-benz-edmontonwest.ca/

34:30 | Jespo and Johnny dig deeper into pipeline politics, and see what Real Talkers have to say in our Live Chat powered by Park Power. We revisit our October 1 discussion about the teen whose mic was cut at the Alberta Next town hall in Calgary. 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: [email protected] 

SAVE on INTERNET, ELECTRICITY, and NATURAL GAS: https://parkpower.ca/realtalk/

59:00 | Shout out to the town of Innisfail for a big win on the national stage! We highlight the prestigious honour from Carbon Capture Canada in this edition of Alberta Wins presented by Play Alberta.

Play Alberta is offering odds boosts on every Oilers game all season long! And for a limited time only, Real Talkers can get an exclusive $50 free bet when they deposit $50 using the code RYAN50. Alberta Wins with Play Alberta!

DOWNLOAD THE PLAY ALBERTA APP TODAY or visit https://playalberta.ca/. Please play responsibly. 

1:06:30 | Jespo was spicier than usual on X (@ryanjespersen) after our October 1 episode. He shares why. 

1:21:30 | Legendary human Jane Goodall passes away at 91 while on a speaking tour. We celebrate her remarkable life. 

FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, X, INSTAGRAM, and LINKEDIN: @realtalkrj & @ryanjespersen 

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK: @ryanjespersen 

REAL TALK MERCH: https://ryanjespersen.com/merch

RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE PERKS - BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: patreon.com/ryanjespersen

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! https://ryanjespersen.com/sponsors

The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.