Episodes

  • A Coalition of Residents is Demanding Better from City Hall

    A Coalition of Residents is Demanding Better from City Hall
    Jul 16 2025
    THE MEDICAL RECORD: LET'S TALK ABOUT OZEMPIC Jane Brown is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and former head of BC Cancer, Dr. Fahad Razak, general internist at St. Michael's Hospital and Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto and Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing in Toronto. We revisit the conversation about Ozempic and when it is typically prescribed & are Canadians wearing enough sunscreen amid a spike in Melanoma cases? Our panel of doctors react to the latest. A ONE-ON-ONE WITH THE TTC'S NEW CEO MANDEEP LALI Jane Brown is joined by Mandeep Lali, the TTC's new CEO. Yes, that's right: the TTC has a new CEO. Before this, he served as an exec with NYC's transit system. But does Mandeep Lali have what it takes to effectively resolve issues at the TTC including persistent delays and more? And will he get this moving faster when it comes to the still unfinished Eglinton Crosstown LRT? He answers the tough questions on Fight Back. A COALITION OF RESIDENTS IS DEMANDING BETTER FROM CITY HALL Jane Brown is joined by Anthony Furey, a former Toronto mayoral candidate and longtime Postmedia columnist who spoke at the Toronto Concerned Citizens Coalition News Conference this past Tuesday. The conference took place this past Tuesday at Nathan Phillips Square whereby residents joined together to express their dissatisfaction with the way that Toronto City Hall has been approaching key issues like homeless encampments, property tax increases, a rise in hate-related crimes, the renaming of spaces and bike lanes. Is the message getting through to City councillors and the mayor?
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    51 mins
  • The Danger of E-Scooters & Ever Heard of Generation Jones?

    The Danger of E-Scooters & Ever Heard of Generation Jones?
    Jul 15 2025
    RECOVERING POLITICIANS: PM TO MEET WITH CABINET REGARDING TRUMP'S TARIFFS POLICY Liz West is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by George Smitherman, former Liberal MPP for Toronto Centre, Health Minister and Deputy Premier; Cheri DiNovo, a former NDP MPP; and Chris Alexander, Canada’s former ambassador to Afghanistan and Minister of Immigration under Stephen Harper. Prime Minister Mark Carney is going to be meeting with his cabinet to discuss the issue of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policy towards Canada. Meanwhile, we get reaction to the latest on President Trump's approach to Vladimir Putin and his war against Ukraine. E-SCOOTERS CAN BE DANGEROUS: WHAT ARE THE RULES? Liz West is joined by Dylan Reid, Co-founder of Walk Toronto, Dave Shellnutt, lawyer with The Biking Lawyer LLP and Inspt. Matt Moyer with Toronto Police Traffic Services. Have you had a close call with an e-scooter during your daily commute? According to the City of Toronto's website, you cannot ride e-scooters in this city regardless of your age. So, why do we see so many of them in public and what exactly are the rules? WHAT IS GENERATION JONES? Liz West is now joined by Cultural Commentator and Keynote Speaker Jonathan Pontell who coined the term "Generation Jones". Have you ever heard of Generation Jones? Well you are a part of this age cohort if you were born between 1954 and 1965. What distinguishes this generation from the baby boomers? Jonathan goes into the details.
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    52 mins
  • Checking In on the State of Canada's Dental Coverage Plan

    Checking In on the State of Canada's Dental Coverage Plan
    Jul 14 2025
    ZOOMER SQUAD: HOW OLIVIA CHOW WOULD DO VS JOHN TORY IN THE NEXT MAYORAL RACE Liz West is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Anthony Quinn, President of CARP, Bob Richardson, a Public Affairs consultant and David Valentin, Principal at Liaison Strategies. If former mayor of Toronto John Tory were to enter the next mayoral race, could he hamper Mayor Olivia Chow's chances of a re-election? That's what David Valentin has tested in the latest Liaison Strategies polling. Meanwhile, it's been two years since Mayor Chow has entered office. Has she lived up to the expectations of residents? THE LATEST REGARDING CANADA'S DENTAL COVERAGE PLAN Liz West is joined by Dr. David Brown, President of the Ontario Dental Association. It's been a while since we checked in on the Canadian Dental Care Plan. We ask Dr. Brown about what's working and what is not with the program. HOW POOR AIR QUALITY AFFECTS THE MOST VULNERABLE Liz West is joined by Dave Phillips, Senior Climatologist at Environment Canada and Jason Thistlethwaite, Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo's School of Environment. Toronto is facing a nasty combination of really poor air quality (thanks to wildfires in Northern Ontario) and extreme heat. What are the impacts of it all on the most vulnerable populations including seniors and the immunocompromised?
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    52 mins
  • Free For All Friday - July 11 2025

    Free For All Friday - July 11 2025
    Jul 11 2025
    Today on Free For All Friday: listeners weighed in on the topic of speed camera enforcement for drivers and whether they think Prime Minister Mark Carney is doing a good job for Canada.
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    51 mins
  • The Latest on Russia's War Against Ukraine

    The Latest on Russia's War Against Ukraine
    Jul 10 2025
    TUNE INTO THE TOWN: VANDALS KEEP GOING AFTER PARKSIDE DRIVE SPEED CAMERA Jane Brown is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Taylor Scollon, Co-Founder of The Peak, Jon Burnside, City Councillor for Ward 16 (Don Valley East) and Karen Stintz, a former Toronto City Councillor. Vandals continue their relentless pursuit of the Parkside Drive speed camera despite a surveillance camera being stationed there. And, it looks like residents opposed to proposed priority transit lanes on major stretches of both Bathurst and Dufferin Streets have secured a win (for now). Our panel gets into the latest municipal news of the week. THE CALL FOR MORE AIRLINE COMPETITION IN CANADA Jane Brown is joined by Dr. Gabor Lukacs, President of Air Passenger Rights and John Gradek, a faculty lecturer at McGill University in Montreal and a former executive with Air Canada. The Competition Bureau wants to see greater airline competition in Canada. Meanwhile is Ottawa following in the footsteps of the U.S. to get rid of the shoes-off policy during the security screening process? U.S. PRESIDENT TRUMP IS FED UP WITH PUTIN: WILL THAT CHANGE ANYTHING? Jane Brown is joined by Dr. Maria Popova, Associate Professor of Political Science at McGill University and Andrew Rasiulis with The Canadian Global Affairs Institute. U.S. President Donald Trump seems to be getting increasingly agitated with Russian President Vladimir Putin over his ongoing war against Ukraine. In the latest public remarks he stated: "I'm not happy with Putin. I can tell you that much right now...we get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin. He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.” But will Trump's blunt remarks change anything? Our experts weigh in on the latest.
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    51 mins
  • U.S. President Trump's Tariff Threat on Pharmaceutical Drugs

    U.S. President Trump's Tariff Threat on Pharmaceutical Drugs
    Jul 9 2025
    THE MEDICAL RECORD: PRESIDENT TRUMP'S PHARMACEUTICAL TARIFFS THREAT Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and former head of BC Cancer; Dr. Fahad Razak, general internist at St. Michael's Hospital and Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto; and Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing in Toronto. U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening up to 200 percent tariffs on pharmaceutical drugs. How might this impact Canadians and how will it impact Americans? Our panel weighs in on the latest. CANADA'S GROCERY CODE OF CONDUCT Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University. Sylvain weighs in on the latest regarding Ottawa's grocery code of conduct. NAVIGATING BOOKING HOTELS ONLINE THIS SUMMER TRAVEL SEASON Libby Znaimer is joined by Carmi Levy, technology analyst and journalist and Silvia Moggia, who runs the blog “Sylvia’s Trips” and is a tourism management strategist and hotel manager. She is based in Cinque Terre, Italy. We discuss tips for booking hotels as Canadians embark on their summer travels. A big part of that conversation has to do with the process of booking online and the various methodologies hotel companies rely on for customer bookings of rooms. And, how can you even be sure that the room you requested will be as advertised? There's plenty to consider.
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    51 mins
  • Israeli PM Netanyahu Nominates President Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

    Israeli PM Netanyahu Nominates President Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
    Jul 8 2025
    RECOVERING POLITICIANS: PM MARK CARNEY GIVES HIS CABINET THE SUMMER TO PREPARE FISCAL CUTS PLAN Libby Znaimer is joined by George Smitherman, former Liberal MPP for Toronto Centre, Health Minister and Deputy Premier; Cheri DiNovo, NDP MPP; and Chris Alexander, Canada’s former ambassador to Afghanistan and Minister of Immigration under Stephen Harper. The RCMP has arrested four individuals from Quebec (including members of the military) for allegedly plotting to form an anti-government militia. ISRAELI PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU VISITS WASHINGTON Libby Znaimer is joined by Professor Gabriel Ben Dor who teaches National Security and Political science at the University of Haifa and was formerly the head of the university's program for national security studies. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington this week visiting the White House to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump where he told Trump that he had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Meanwhile, are we going to be seeing any kind of Israel-Hamas ceasefire in the near future? TORONTO'S BUBBLE ZONES & COLDPLAY COMPLAINS ABOUT CITY'S TRAFFIC Libby Znaimer is joined by Councillor Brad Bradford of Ward 19 Beaches-East York. We discuss how institutions can apply for "bubble zones" from the City of Toronto and how the bylaw is actually going to be enforced. Meanwhile, during a live performance in Toronto, Coldplay's Chris Martin thanked fans for navigating the City's traffic "and all the nonsense" to get to the show...yikes! He isn't the first celebrity to visit town and comment on our traffic conditions.
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    52 mins
  • Grandparent Scams and Does Ottawa Have a Problem with Sir John A. MacDonald?

    Grandparent Scams and Does Ottawa Have a Problem with Sir John A. MacDonald?
    Jul 7 2025
    ZOOMER SQUAD: MAJOR GRANDPARENT SCAM LEADS TO ARREST IN CANADA Libby Znaimer is joined by Liz West, host of The Afternoon Express on Zoomer Radio, Anthony Quinn, Chief Operating Officer at CARP and David Valentin, Principal at Liaison Strategies. Today we talk about a major grandparent scam that has led to an arrest in Quebec and listeners call in to share their own personal stories of falling victim to scams. IS OTTAWA PLANNING TO ABANDON SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD ALTOGETHER? Libby Znaimer is joined by Tom Korski, Managing Editor of Blacklock’s Reporter. Just when it looked like the memory of our first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, was being rehabilitated - there’s news of another call for erasure from federal authorities. TRAGEDY FROM THE TEXAS FLASH FLOOD: THE LATEST ON WHAT WE KNOW Libby Znaimer is joined by Dave Phillips, Senior Climatologist at Environment Canada and Jason Thistlethwaite, Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo's School of Environment. At least 82 people are dead in the aftermath of the tragic Texas flash flood. We get into the science of what actually happened and why Canada is not immune to this kind of threat of nature.
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    52 mins