Fight Back With Libby Znaimer

Today on Free For All Friday, listeners called in about the snow storm in Ontario. Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

CANADIANS ARE GETTING RELIGION A new survey indicates that Canadians are less likely than their neighbours to the south to prioritize their faith, but suggests that spirituality is rising in Canada, and may be declining in the U.S. Libby Znaimer is joined by Mario Canseco, President at Research Co. and Reverend Michael Coren, author, contributing columnist for the Toronto Star, and a priest in the Anglican Church of Canada, to explore this issue. SNOW STORM COMING Libby Znaimer is joined by Doug Gillham, Meteorologist at The Weather Network for an update on this week’s upcoming wintry walloping. ONTARIO TO SWAP ORIGINAL BRAND-NAME DRUGS FOR CHEAPER BIOSIMILAR DRUGS FOR SENIORS Ontario is moving more seniors and people on social assistance from original brand-name drugs for conditions like inflammatory bowel disease to cheaper “biosimilar” drugs. But there are concerns that the switch could throw some patients off track. Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Kashif Pirzada, emergency physician in Toronto and

RECOVERING POLITICIANS An unusual situation at Oakville Trafalgar High School has made international headlines, sparking protests outside of the school and even bomb threats; all owing to one teacher’s choice of personal presentation. Libby Znaimer is joined by former Ontario NDP Leader Howard Hampton; former Ontario Liberal MPP Gerard Kennedy; and John Mykytyshyn, Conservative activist, political consultant and President of Bradgate Research Group to discuss this matter. CANADA'S BAN ON SINGLE-USE PLASTICS COMES INTO EFFECT Libby Znaimer is joined by Michael Zabaneh, Vice President, Sustainability at Retail Council of Canada; Tony Elenis, President and CEO of The Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association; and Michael Skaljin, Manager, Policy and Planning at Toronto Solid Waste Management Services to discuss the single-use plastics ban that goes into effect today. Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

ZOOMER SQUAD Libby Znaimer is joined by David Cravit, Vice President, Zoomer Media and Chief Membership Officer of CARP; Peter Muggeridge, Senior Editor of Zoomer Magazine; and Bill VanGorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer of CARP to discuss charitable donations, year end taxes, health for the holidays and more. CANADIAN BLOOD SERVICES LOOKING TO FILL 25,000 DONOR APPOINTMENTS Amid a large number of cancellations or no-shows due to a combination of colds, flu and COVID-19 illnesses, Canadian Blood Services has 25,000 empty appointments to fill before the end of the year. Libby Znaimer is joined by Jennifer Mathieu, Community Development Manager for Canadian Blood Services to discuss the matter. OMBUDSPERSON REPORT ON COMPLAINTS TO THE CRA Complaints about the CRA doubled this year compared to pre-pandemic days. Many of the complaints were about the delays in receiving COVID-19 benefits, and delays in getting eligibility validated for these benefits. Libby Znaimer is joined by Canada’

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners called to in weigh on your top stories from this week. Sitting in for Libby Znaimer is Bob Komsic! Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

TUNE IN TO THE TOWN It’s time to Tune In To The Town on Fight Back, and there’s a lot to unpack! Toronto councillors have voted to approve Mayor John Tory's request for a report back on his 2023 housing action plan; amid this…Tory is dismissing concerns over his extraordinary new powers as mere “political theatre” of no interest to regular Torontonians. All this, as Toronto residents brace for a looming vacancy tax…AND a wintery walloping. Jane Brown is joined by Karen Stintz, CEO at Variety Village; David Crombie, former Mayor of Toronto; and Lauren O'Neil, Senior News Editor of BlogTO to dig into these issues. DELAYS IN ONTARIO’S PAP TEST RESULTS Jane Brown is joined by Dr. Yolanda Kirkham, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and obstetrician gynecologist at Unity Health Toronto to discuss the concerning delay in pap test results in the province of Ontario. DRIVING IN THE FIRST WINTER WALLOPING Environment Canada says “Batten down the hatches!”...with warnings and advisories in effect a

TORONTO’S VACANCY TAX Toronto's new Vacancy Home Tax is cracking down on residences left unoccupied for extended periods of time, to increase the supply of housing in the city. All residential property owners in Toronto will be required to declare the status of their property(s) annually, even if they live there. Residential properties that are declared vacant for six months or more during the taxation year and without an eligible exemption, will be required to pay a tax. Libby Znaimer is joined by Allan Ritchie, Managing Partner at Loopstra Nixon LLP and Adjunct Professor of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University; Phil Soper, CEO of Royal LePage; John Caliendo, former investment banker and Co-Chair of the ABC Residents Association; and Casey Brendon, Director, Revenue Services at the City of Toronto. FOOD AND RESTAURANT TRENDS It’s the season for festive gatherings, both entertaining at home and dining out! Libby Znaimer is joined by Lucy Waverman, food columnist for The Globe And Mail; and Renee Suen

RECOVERING POLITICIANS It’s time for our Recovering Politicians panel, and a lot has happened in the last 24 hours! Yesterday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh announced that if they don’t see some action from the federal government to address the national health-care crisis, the New Democrats are ready to withdraw from the confidence-and-supply agreement they signed with the Liberals. Meanwhile, in the first contest under the Conservative leadership of Pierre Poilievre, the Liberals declare victory in the Mississauga-Lakeshore federal byelection with the election of former Ontario finance minister Charles Sousa. Libby Znaimer is joined by Former Ontario NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo; Former Ontario Liberal MPP Gerard Kennedy; and Former Ontario PC MPP Janet Ecker to discuss these matters. FRAUD FOR THE HOLIDAYS With the holidays just around the corner, there seems to be an uptick in scam activity in the form of texts, emails and phone calls. And amid this season for shopping, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says that o

ZOOMER SQUAD - Medical Assistance In Dying, Masking Amid Flu Season and more. Libby Znaimer is joined by David Cravit, Vice President of Zoomer Media and Chief Membership Officer at CARP; Bill VanGorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer of CARP; and John Wright, Executive Vice President at Maru Public Opinion, to discuss medical assistance in dying, masking amid the influenza season and more. THE EGLINTON CROSSTOWN LRT DEBACLE It’s been called everything from a boondoggle, to a debacle…to a disaster. And while Mayor John Tory and provincial transportation minister are urging Torontonians to continue being patient, two city councillors are demanding a public inquiry into years-delayed and over budget Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction. Libby Znaimer is joined by Ward 12 Toronto-St. Paul’s Councillor Josh Matlow; Ward 8 Eglinton-Lawrence Councillor Mike Colle; and Maureen Sirois, Chair of the Eglinton Way BIA and President at Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas, to discuss th

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners called in to weigh on Ontario Premier Doug Ford's recently passed and controversial bill 23 on housing developments.  Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

Libby Znaimer is joined by David Crombie, Former Mayor of Toronto, Karen Stintz, CEO, Variety Village and Councillor James Pasternak of Ward 6 York Centre Ontario Premier Doug Ford is telling Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie to stop "whining and complaining" and to "get on board" when it comes to his Bill 23. The Premier went on to explain that fees for new home development in Mississauga have gone up by 30 per cent during the last two years adding $126,000 of municipal costs to each new home. Meanwhile, a new report  determined that there is "egregious violations of the public trust"  when it comes to its problem-prone LRT system. Our panel reacts to the latest. ---- WHY ARE GAS PRICES BECOMING LOWEST THIS WEEK SINCE LAST JANUARY? Jane Brown is joined by Dan McTeague, President of Canadians for Affordable Energy. This week, Ontario drivers will welcome the news that gas prices will be the lowest since last January. Today, prices reached as low as 138.9 cents per litre and the price is dropping to 135.9 in

Libby Znaimer is joined by Auditor General Karen Hogan followed by Conservative MP and finance critic Jasraj Singh Hallan and Franco Terrazzano, the federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. In Ottawa, Auditor General Karen Hogan released her report this week. Among the findings are that the federal government purchased an excess of COVID-19 doses at a price tag of $1 billion and they are set to expire soon as a result of problems with technology used to track the distribution and usage of the vaccines. Another key finding is that as much as $4.6 billion in COVID-19 benefits went into the hands of people who are not eligible and furthermore the feds have not done enough to recover overpayments when it comes to the COVID-19 benefits programs they rolled out. Our guests react to the latest. ---- LOW TURNOUT FOR FLU VACCINE, REPORT FINDS Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Prabhat Jha, an Epidemiologist and faculty member of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at UofT and then joining the discussion

Libby Znaimer is joined by Lisa Raitt, the former Deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, John Milloy, Former Ontario Liberal MPP who served as a cabinet minister under the Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne governments and Cheri DiNovo, a former Ontario NDP MPP. Today: our panel reacts to a new Mainstreet Research poll that reveals that the province's Bill 23 (also known as "Moe Homes Built Faster Act") is very unpopular including among many PC voters. The government has just started its mandate and has already been raising the eyebrows of many with this bill among others like Bill 7. Are they off to a good start? Meanwhile, executives from Canada's large grocery chains including Loblaw and Sobeys testified at the House of Commons agriculture committee and are arguing that they are not trying to profit off of inflation. ----- PARKS CANADA ARGUES THAT ONTARIO'S GREENBELT PLANS WILL CAUSE IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE Libby Znaimer is joined by Phil Pothen, Ontario Environment Program Manager at Environment

Libby Znaimer is joined by Peter Muggeridge, Senior Editor of Zoomer Magazine, David Cravit, Chief Membership Officer of CARP, and Bill VanGorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer of CARP. Today: we discuss the Canada Food report for 2023, which predicts that Canadians will be spending more on their groceries with foods like meats, dairy and vegetables experiencing the greatest increase in costs. ---- MORE ON WHAT THE CANADA FOOD REPORT FOR 2023 PREDICTS Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Simon Somogyi, the Arrell Chair in the Business of Food & Full Professor at the University of Guelph. Today: A discussion about Canada's Food Price Report 2023, which predicts that Canadians will be faced with a 5% to 7% food price increase for the year. The food categories predicted to be hardest hit are vegetables, meat, and dairy. The report predicts that an average family of four will spend up to $16,288.41 per year on food (an increase of $1,065.60 from 2022). Libby and Simon discuss the details.

Libby Znaimer is joined by David Crombie, Former Mayor of Toronto, Karen Stintz, CEO, Variety Village and Toronto City Councillor James Pasternak, for Ward 6 York Centre. In the news: Ontario's municipal and housing affairs minister Steve Clark is denying claims that he tipped off developers ahead of making changes to the government's Greenbelt plans. Meanwhile, Mayor John Tory says that the Ford government will provide the City of Toronto a third of the $703 M operating budget shortfall that was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. And, we follow up on the Ontario Auditor General's report that indicates that almost half of the wetlands in the province were evaluated for their importance which could potentially mean that they could be under threat by development. Our panel weighs in on the latest. ---- AUDITOR GENERAL ON HER REPORT Libby Znaimer is joined by Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk. Yesterday: the AG released her report and the details were damning especially on the healthcare front. For example,

Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), and JP Hornick, President of OPSEU/SEFPO (Ontario Public Service Employees Union). Yesterday, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice struck down the controversial Bill 124 that capped wage increases for public sector workers to 1 per cent. The province is planning to appeal this decision. Our panel weighs in on the latest. ---- THE AG REPORT AND THE PROVINCE'S PANDEMIC RESPONSE Libby Znaimer is now joined by NDP MPP and health critic France Gélinas (Nickel-Belt). This morning, Ontario's Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk unveiled her latest report and the details are damning. Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

Libby Znaimer is joined by Lisa Raitt, the former Deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, and Gerard Kennedy, a former Ontario Liberal MPP as well as Glenn De Baermaeker, a former, a former city councillor in Toronto who represented Ward 38 Scarborough Centre. Today: our panel reacts to Bill 23, which is housing legislation that the Ford government just passed. And, we discuss the province's plans with the Greenbelt which the government pledged to add 9,400 acres to. And, then we move on to Ottawa where the NDP are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to do something about the issue of "Greedflation". ---- PRINCESS MARGARET RADIOTHON SPECIAL Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Aaron Schimmer, Director, Research Institute, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a physician in hematology/oncology at Princess Margaret. Today is our annual Princes Margaret Radiothon on Zoomer Radio. Dr. Schimmer joins the program to discuss the latest advancements in Cancer research in Canada and how they use your donat

Libby Znaimer is joined by Peter Muggeridge, Senior Editor of Zoomer Magazine, David Cravit, Chief Membership Officer of CARP, and Bill VanGorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer of CARP. Today: Our squad continues its reaction to the controversial Bill 7 whereby hospital patients must pay a $400 daily fee if they should refuse to be transferred to a long-term care facility not of their choosing. So far, according to the Minister, as many as 2,400 patients have been moved in this way. Meanwhile, advocates are saying that this is having an impact on those who need to move in to these homes from the community. ---- HEALTH CANADA REVIEWING RSV VACCINES FOR SENIORS  Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Barry Pakes, the medical officer of health for York Region and Dr. Dawn Bowdish, the Canada Research Chair in Aging and Immunity. In the news: Health Canada is reviewing a vaccine designed for Seniors to better protect them from RSV (or respiratory syncytial virus). Pediatric hospitals have been feeli

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners weighed in on the Emergencies Inquiry about last Winter's freedom convoy protests and also the strong mayoral powers for John Tory.  Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!