Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

Real Talkers are all fired up about "natural stupidity," the Councillor Jennifer Rice controversy in Edmonton, political parties at the municipal level, the Alberta Pension Plan idea, and the town of Westlock voting on banning Pride flags and crosswalks. 

The Flamethrower is presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park: Palisades, Namao, Newcastle, Westmount, and Baseline Road.

Nurse practitioners are being encouraged to open their own clinics, as part of Alberta's plan to address a growing shortage of family doctors. NPs are qualified registered nurses with additional education to take their skills to the next level. While the government's decision appears to be a no-brainer, not everybody loves it (most especially family docs). 

2:55 | Athabasca U president Dr. Alex Clark, Dr. Jennifer Knopp-Sihota, and recent graduate Chantelle Gray explain what nurse practitioners do (and don't do), address dissatisfaction expressed by the AMA, and tell us what else they'd do to fix healthcare in Alberta. 

MORE ON NP-LED CLINICS: https://www.athabascau.ca/news/faculty/faculty-of-health-disciplines/what-do-nurse-practitioner-led-clinics-mean-for-health-care-in-alberta

DR. CLARK'S OP/ED: https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-nursing-practitioners-a-solution-hidden-in-plain-sight

OUR RECENT INTERVIEW WITH FAMILY DOC BRADLEY MARTIN: rtrj.info/111423Martin

OUR RECENT INTERVIEW WITH AMA PRESIDENT DR. PAUL PARKS: rtrj.info/110923Parks

47:10 | Ryan and Johnny read audience feedback after the Real Talk Round Table.

49:00 | Ryan revisits his comments earlier this week on homelessness, and reads a few comments from our Instagram post.

1:11:40 | WTF is Elon Musk doing? Ryan and Johnny touch on Musk telling Disney CEO Bob Iger to "G-F-Y". (Yikes!)

1:19:35 | Real Talkers are all fired up about "natural stupidity," the Councillor Jennifer Rice controversy in Edmonton, political parties at the municipal level, the Alberta Pension Plan idea, and the town of Westlock voting on banning Pride flags and crosswalks. The Flamethrower is presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park: Palisades, Namao, Newcastle, Westmount, and Baseline Road. 

FIRE UP YOUR FLAMETHROWER: [email protected] 

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WEBSITE: https://ryanjespersen.com/

FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM: @realtalkrj 

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.

Justin Trudeau's government is pushing heat pumps. Right around the time the Liberals paused the carbon price for home heating oil, they committed to working with provincial governments to subsidize heat pumps for lower-income Canadians. Premiers Scott Moe and Danielle Smith are the loudest critic of the plan, saying the technology isn't a serious counter to the cold of a Canadian winter. 

4:12 | Patrick McMahon has designed and managed residential retrofit rebate programs for the City of Edmonton and Energy Efficiency Alberta. Now the GM of Energuy, Patrick explains how heat pumps work, and tells us who's right: the climate activists who say heat pumps are silver bullets, or Premiers Moe and Smith, who say they're useless on the Prairies.

39:52 | There's an amazing new way to explore magnificent Maligne Canyon! Catch the details in this week's #MyJasper Memories presented by Tourism Jasper.

LEARN MORE: https://www.sundogtours.com/

42:00 | Ryan digs deeper into Danielle Smith's plan to establish a new Crown corporation. 

54:15 | Real Talker Cindy gets real about affordability challenges facing disability-impacted families.

EMAIL THE SHOW: [email protected] 

BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/ryanjespersen

WEBSITE: https://ryanjespersen.com/

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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.

Danielle Smith is doubling down on her defiance of Ottawa's Clean Energy Regulations. Alberta's Premier invoked the Sovereignty Act, saying she'll fight the feds in court over a mandate to get Alberta's grid to Net-Zero by 2035. Meantime, Edmonton councillor Jennifer Rice is in the hot seat after burning through 19 (!) staffers in two years in what insiders call a "tyrannical" work environment. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Oh, and new polling shows Justin Trudeau's Liberals are on pace to lose more than 100 seats in the House of Commons. 

5:15 | Charles Adler takes on all of the above, and tells us what he thinks about Alberta outlawing photo radar on ring roads. 

1:01:15 | Once-legendary publication Sports Illustrated has been exposed for straight-up lying to their readers. Ryan and Johnny talk about AI infiltrating sports journalism. 

OUR INTERVIEW W/ EDWARD TIAN ABOUT GPT Zero: https://rtrj.info/011023Tian

1:07:30 | Real Talker Jillian promised her Positive Reflections submission would make us smile...and she was right! We love how photographer Helga Stentzel uses everyday clothing to create images of faces, animals, and much more! 

CHECK OUT HELGA STENTZEL ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/helga.stentzel/?img_index=1 

SUBMIT YOUR POSITIVE REFLECTION: [email protected] 

GET A FREE SOLAR QUOTE TODAY: https://kubyenergy.ca/

BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/ryanjespersen

WEBSITE: https://ryanjespersen.com/

FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM: @realtalkrj 

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.

Pollution and pensions plans are front and centre in this fiery edition of The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park! 

FIRE UP YOUR FLAMETHROWER: [email protected]

Midlife is an interesting place to be. You may be caring for kids while caring for your parents. You've likely experienced love, and heartbreak, and wins, and losses. Midlife No. 2 is a collection of essays sharing Canadian reflections on critical midlife topics like housing, home, birth, death, race, identity, gruelling courses of medical treatment, and the COVID and post-COVID eras. All authored by former staffers at the University of Alberta's newspaper The Gateway. You'll hear from six of them in this special edition of our Real Talk Round Table. 

3:10 | Sarah Chan tells us how a Gondola ride got her thinking. Jhen Pabillano shares her Lessons in Letting Go. Neil Parmar muses on No Place At All. 

30:05 | Erika Thorkelson has a new take on Haunted Mansions. Dave Alexander gets deep about Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump. Neal Ozano explains how he started seeing "scrapportunities". 

BUY THE BOOK: https://www.midlifebook.ca/

58:30 | Ryan and John muse about what they just heard, including thoughts on the social pressures around alcohol. 

1:05:40 | Pollution and pensions plans are front and centre in this fiery edition of The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park! 

FIRE UP YOUR FLAMETHROWER: [email protected] 

BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/ryanjespersen

WEBSITE: https://ryanjespersen.com/

FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM: @realtalkrj 

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.

It's our third birthday! Thanks to the millions of you who've watched or listened to Real Talk ever since we launched, and those that have discovered this community more recently. Ryan and Johnny kick off this episode with a special shout out to Real Talkers just like you. 

6:25 | Planet Earth's on pace for a three degree rise in temperature, with catastrophic consequences. Meantime, the carbon tax could be on its way out in Canada, and the Supreme Court struck down Ottawa's toxic plastics ban. It's not an easy time to be a climate activist. Seth Klein explains how young people could turn the tide, why the carbon tax was never the silver bullet, and why Canada needs more heat pumps. 

READ SETH'S BOOK: https://www.sethklein.ca/book

READ HIS NATIONAL OBSERVER PIECE: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023...

CHECK OUT THE SURVEY RESULTS: https://static1.squarespace.com/stati...

"APPLY" FOR THE YOUTH CLIMATE CORPS: https://www.goodgreenjobsforall.ca/

EMAIL THE SHOW: [email protected] 

BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/ryanjespersen 

WEBSITE: https://ryanjespersen.com/

FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM: @realtalkrj 

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 don't know much about what an Alberta Pension Plan would actually look like. Up for debate: the amount Alberta could pull out of the national plan, whether or not contributions and draws would actually be higher or lower than with the CPP, who would influence where the funds would be invested, and how long the province's demographics would sustain an Alberta pension advantage. So, basically, everything. We go on a fact finding mission in this episode of Real Talk. 

3:00 | Murray Gold is one of Canada's preeminent pension experts. Gil McGowan represents 175,000 workers as president of the Alberta Federation of Labour. They get into a new report questioning the wisdom of an Alberta Pension Plan.

READ THE REPORT: https://afl.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Big-Risks-No-Rewards-pension-report-15NOV23.pdf

50:00 | You might know it as Black Friday, but in Jasper, the big days for deals is called Moonlight Madness! We highlight a few great investments waiting for you in Jasper National Park in this edition of #MyJasper Memories presented by Tourism Jasper. 

PLAN YOUR JASPER GETAWAY: https://www.jasper.travel/

54:00 | Real Talker Michael believes the Alberta NDP needs a rebrand, and Real Talker Ron needs to get something off his chest re: Israel and Hamas. Ryan dips into the Real Talk Mailbag. 

EMAIL THE SHOW: [email protected] 

BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/ryanjespersen 

WEBSITE: https://ryanjespersen.com/

FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM: @realtalkrj 

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.

CSIS says foreign states are targeting Canadians through social media. The general public is losing trust in institutions. Vaccination rates are way down. Many people simply don't know who they can trust.

3:00 | This is Professor Timothy Caulfield's wheelhouse. The professor of health law and science policy, author, TV host, and speaker joins Ryan in studio for a fascinating conversation about the information ecosystem, the politics of health policy (including Preston Manning's COVID report), and the "both sides" conundrum facing journalists. 

READ TIM'S "HEALTHY DEBATE" PIECE: https://healthydebate.ca/2023/08/topic/bothsidesism-scientific-consensus-matters/

CHECK OUT THE DISCOURSE ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/9w3e5JG7saY?si=FPSaPuZV19tpaInd

57:00 | You've got a lot to say about our coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. Ryan reads emails from Real Talkers Michael, Kyle, and Jenny.

EMAIL THE SHOW: [email protected] 

BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/ryanjespersen 

WEBSITE: https://ryanjespersen.com/

FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM: @realtalkrj 

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 University of Alberta fired the head of its campus sexual assault centre after she signed an open letter calling reports of sexual violence during Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel an “unverified accusation.” What the hell was she thinking? Whatever happened to believing survivors? And what's with union leaders and Pride Centre execs signing on, too? Is anybody actually thinking this through? 

3:05 | Ariella Kimmel and Kristin Raworth talk to us about the "so-called feminists" who signed the open letter, and why it's inherently anti-Semitic. 

READ THEIR PIECE: https://www.readtheline.ca/p/kristin-raworth-and-ariella-kimmel

SEE WHO ELSE SIGNED THE OPEN LETTER: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeQunbQuMjaKhUF90LqP7rmRPYLGHzSX5FjPMzHPC-rVPromw/viewform?pli=1

34:50 | Charles Adler might still be a bit stunned by what happened to his Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the final 20 seconds of the Grey Cup. We talk CFL, unions making political endorsements, and whether or not Canadians still care about the environment (based on a recent Angus Reid poll). 

1:14:10 | Real Talker Stacey writes in from New Brunswick in response to our November 17 Real Talk Round Table on Canada's affordability crisis. 

1:17:45 | Real Talker Landon shares the story of Ronald McNair, whose left an amazing legacy despite his tragic death at just 35 years of age. Positive Reflections is presented Mondays on Real Talk by our friends at Kuby Renewable Energy. 

SEND US YOUR POSITIVE REFLECTION: [email protected] 

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

BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/ryanjespersen

WEBSITE: https://ryanjespersen.com/

FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM: @realtalkrj 

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.