Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

Ryan grapples with three generations of a London, Ont. family being murdered on Sunday (June 6) in a terrorist act motivated by hate against Muslims.   Ottawa-based Public Educator, Julie Lalonde, shares how bystanders can intervene when they witness harassment on the street. She's been teaching bystander intervention for over a decade with the organization Hollaback. The Town of High River Mayor Craig Snodgrass explains creating the new Alberta Coal Restriction Policy and why he's asking municipalities across the province to sign on. Mayor of Lethbridge Chris Spearman, who addresses why he's opted to add his community's endorsement to the letter.  Indian Residential School Survivors Society's Angela White discusses the unanimous vote in the House of Commons to end litigation against Indigenous children — the very work the British Columbia-based organization engages in. Angela explores what the non-binding request means for survivors, generational trauma and the country. 10:20 - Julie Lalonde 46:02 - Mayors Craig Snodgrass and Chris Spearman on coal policy 1:41:03 - Indian Residential School Survivors Society's Angela White

First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada's Dr. Cindy Blackstock discusses today's House of Commons vote on ending litigation against First Nations kids, Residential school survivors and implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action. She explains the history of the legal proceedings to date and her hopes for the future.  With the Alberta government announcing new supervised consumption site standards while also shifting where and how services are available, Dr. Jennifer Jackson and Registered Nurse Claire O'Gorman share why these changes will have massive harmful impacts across the province.  Plus, we start the week with Positive Reflections presented by the kind folks at Kuby Energy! 15:06 - Dr. Cindy Blackstock 54:05 - Impacts of closing Supervised Consumption Sites 2:28:11 - Positive Reflections

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.  

Chief Economist for ATB Financial Todd Hirsch discusses his new report, The State of the Alberta Economy and The Path Forward. He explains where the regional, national and global financial scene is headed and how we need to prepare. Queer youth living in Canada, author jaye simpson, Pride Fund Founder Shane Scott and 2SLGBTQIA+ activist Ophelia Ravencroft share the protest nature of Pride and why resistance is still essential in the movement.  Plus, it's Friday—time for another edition of Trash Talk presented by Local Waste! 11:00 - Todd Hirsch 43:35 - Young & Queer Roundtable 2:05:07 - Trash Talk

Ryan isn't drinking up what's on tap at the premier's recent Sky Palace Supper. Instead he calls for continued attention on what the rooftop party is attempting to distract from.  University of Manitoba Indigenous Studies Scholar Dr. Sean Carleton rebukes Alberta premier's false statements about John A. Macdonald who "took positions on issues at the time that we now judge harshly". Carleton identifies that historically Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members as well as government officials raised many major concerns when the institutions began. Psychologist Dr. Jody Carrington shares ways to show up since the heartbreaking news of the remains of 215 children were unearthed at a mass grave in the Kamloops, BC area near a former residential school. University of Erfurt Professor Jürgen Martschukat explains our preoccupation with fitness and how it links to the focus on individual rights and freedoms. His research is published in his 2021 book, The Age of Fitness: How the Body Came to Symbolize Success and Achievement. 18:50 - Dr. Sean Carleton on Denialism of Residential Schools; 44:49 - Psychologist Dr. Jody Carrington 1:12:12 - Age of Fitness with Jürgen Martschukat

Senator Dr. Patti LaBoucane-Benson explains the need and her drive to see the establishment of a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Canadian laws align with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. #MyJasper Memories | Meet Matricia Bauer, an Indigenous singer, drummer and storyteller in Jasper. Through her business Warrior Women, Matricia offers musical performances, workshops, tour shows, guided experiences, training and much more. https://www.jasper.travel/realtalk The founder of On Canada Project Samanta Krishnapillai unpacks the responsibility non-Indigenous people who live in Canada have in reconciliation and how they benefit from colonialism in this country. Yale University at Canine Cognition Center researcher Zachary Silver shares about his study of dogs and how the companion animals can tell if a person is kind or not. 2:32 - Senator Dr. Patti LaBoucane-Benson 51:43 - On Canada Project founder Samanta Krishnapillai 1:27:51 - Yale Dog Lab researcher Zachary Silver

Métis Archaeologist and the Director of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology at the University of Alberta, Dr. Kisha Supernant discusses the need for Indigenous communities to decide what happens at former residential schools sites in seeking the truth around the genocide. Systems engineer and policy analyst Dr. Costa Samaras shares why electric trucks are the future of sustainable transportation. Federal NDP leader, Jagmeet Singh, addresses Canada's need to reckon with the residential school legacy. He also unpacks why health care, education and utilities need to be public and how the wealthiest Canadians can help foot the bill. 12:20 - Métis Archaeologist Dr. Kisha Supernant 46:02 - Electric Truck as Game Changer with Dr. Costa Samaras 1:34:15 - Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh

Ryan reflects on the gruesome discovery by the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc of the remains of 215 children on a former residential school site near Kamloops, BC.  The photographer of the massive chopped down old-growth spruce tree, Lorna Beecroft shares why she felt compelled to take a photo on the highway while the tree was being transported by semi-truck. Since posting it on May 24 via Facebook, the image has been share around the globe.  40 years since a large-scale raid by Edmonton's Police "Mortality Unit" on the Pisces Bathhouse in downtown Edmonton, Michael Phair and Darrin Hagen explore what happened that night and the four decades since.  Psychotherapist Aliza Shapiro explains why after a long day we stay up way beyond when we should be sleeping—it's Revenge Bedtime Procrastination. Plus, Positive Reflections thanks to our pals at Kuby Energy! 2:26 - Reflection on the 215 Kamloops Residential School children 19:07 - Lorna Beecroft (cut old-growth tree photographer) 38:26 - Anniversary of Pisces Bathhouse raid 1:12:31 - Psychotherapist Aliza Shapiro on Revenge Bedtime Procrastination

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.

Didsbury, Alberta-based physician Dr. Akin Osakuade clarifies the need for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour to get vaccinated. He's seen vaccine hesitancy amongst these communities and he explains how the polio campaigns he helped with in Nigeria inform his work now.   Edmonton Public Library's Elder in Residence Jo-Ann Saddleback, Métis educator, writer and harvester Conor Kerr plus Governor General Award-winning author David A. Robertson discuss Indigenous traditions surrounding hunting, foraging and trapping. The panel explore the impacts residential school and the foster system have on the passing of wisdom from generation to generation. Plus, it's Friday—time for another edition of Trash Talk presented by Local Waste! 13:05 - Dr. Akin Osakuade 39:56 - Indigenous Food Harvesting Round Table 2:08:07 - Trash Talk