Fight Back With Libby Znaimer

CYCLIST DEATHS & ALC PATIENTS IN ONTARIO HOSPITALS Libby Znaimer is joined by Lauren O'Neil, Senior News Editor of BlogTO, Karen Stintz, CEO of Variety Village and  David Crombie, Former Mayor of Toronto. Today: we discuss the latest in the lead up to the municipal election on October 24. This week, as part of his re-election campaign, Mayor John Tory made a housing announcement where he pledged to build "more types of housing in more neighbourhoods" and eliminate outdated zoning rules. Tory is among 31 candidates seeking his job in the next term including popular urbanist, Gil Penalosa. Mayor Tory also said that the new strong mayor powers will help him be able to speed up the approval process at City Hall. Meanwhile, the latest data on pedestrian and cyclist deaths in Toronto are alarming. The OPP has said that they have seen a 300% increase in cyclist deaths so far compared to this time in 2021. So far, this year, there have been 8 deaths. Our panel weighs in on the latest. OPP Sergeant Kerry Schmidt

UKRAINE INDEPENDENCE DAY Libby Znaimer is joined by Professor Janice Stein,  Founding Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, Peter Schturyn, President of the Ukranian Canadian Congress Toronto Branch,  and  Roman Waschuk, Former Canadian ambassador to Ukraine. Today marks Ukraine Independence Day. It also happens to be half a year since Russia invaded the country and unleashed an all out war. Our panel examines the special significance of this day amid the war. And, it comes a few days after Alexander Dugin's daughter was killed in a car bombing near the Russian capital of Moscow. Will this latest development lead to Russia escalating its attacks? THE LATEST PHONE SCAM: SPEEDING TICKETS Libby Znaimer is joined by Detective Constable Mickael Ferreira with the Toronto Police Service's Financial Crimes Unit and Carmi Levy, a  technology analyst and journalist based in London, Ontario. In the news: the latest phone scam to hit us is a text claiming that

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL: MORE REACTION TO DOUG FORD'S HEALTHCARE CRISIS RESPONSE Libby Znaimer is joined by Charles Sousa, The former minister of finance for Ontario and MPP for Mississauga South, Lisa Raitt, Former Deputy Leader of Conservative Party of Canada, and Cheri DiNovo,  an Order of Canada recipient who passed more private members bills into law than anyone in Ontario’s history and more LGBTQ bills into law than anyone in Canada’s history. It’s Tuesday and time to talk politics - and I am really hoping to get some insight into the question that has been bugging me since the Ford government unveiled its plan to stabilize the health system last week. The most controversial point is a new law which would allow hospitals to transfer ALC patients - that is frail elderly people like those who bore the brunt of the pandemic - patients who should be in LTC and are waiting for a home of their choice - the bill would allow the government to transfer them to a home not of their choice. Yesterday, Minist

ZOOMER SQUAD: WILL THE FORD GOVERNMENT'S MEASURES TRULY ADDRESS HEALTHCARE CRISIS? Libby Znaimer is joined by Peter Muggeridge, Senior Editor of Zoomer Magazine and Bill VanGorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer of CARP and David Cravit, Chief Membership Officer of CARP. In the news: late last week, the Ford government introduced measures aimed at addressing the ongoing health care crisis in the province. Among them was the controversial plan to introduce legislation that would move elderly patients out of hospitals and into alternative facilities as they await for the move to their preferred long-term care home of choice. Another notable measure is that paramedics will now also be able to take patients to other places other than the ER including a mental health facility or to treat them at home or at the scene. Finally, we do a bit more follow up on the Lisa LaFlamme story and specifically discuss the controversy that a Bell Media executive complained about her going grey. Our squad discu

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners weighed in on CTV News veteran anchor Lisa LaFlamme's career being cut short after parent company Bell Media let her go this week to the dismay of viewers and her colleagues. And, we also heard calls about Ontario's ongoing healthcare crisis that has seen numerous hospitals having to close their ER departments temporarily due to severe staffing shortages.

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: THE FUTURE OF TORONTO CITY COUNCIL Libby Znaimer is joined by Lauren O'Neil, Senior News Editor of BlogTO, David Crombie, former Mayor of Toronto, and Councillor Brad Bradford (Ward 19 Beaches East York). Today: we begin with reaction to the joint health care announcement made by Ontario health minister Sylvia Jones and long-term care minister Paul Calandra which includes the plan to introduce legislation that will permit senior patients in hospitals awaiting long-term care residency to be moved to an alternative facility. And, the pledge to add an additional 6,000 healthcare workers to the province's healthcare system. Meanwhile, the registration deadline for Toronto's municipal election is tomorrow. Where are we at with that? Our panel reacts to the latest headlines. BLOGTO'S NEW FOOD EXPERT PREVIEWS THIS YEAR'S CNE FOODS Libby Znaimer is joined by BlogTO's new resident food expert, Renee Suen! She joins us a day after doing a preview of the CNE's very experimental food options comi

Libby Znaimer is joined, first, by Dr. Michael Warner, medical director of critical care at Toronto’s Michael Garron Hospital, followed by Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition, Cathryn Hoy, President of the Ontario Nurses' Association and Dr. Kashif Pirzada,  a Toronto-based Emergency Physician. Ontario hospitals continue to grapple with an ongoing crisis amid staffing shortages. And, according to a Toronto Star investigation, some hospitals are paying tons of money to hire nurses from private agencies to help alleviate the problem. Our healthcare guests weigh in on the latest news. ---- SUVS/PICKUPS POSE GREAT THREAT TO VULNERABLE ROAD USERS  Libby Znaimer is joined byAlbert Koehl, cycling and pedestrian advocate and the founder of the Toronto Community Bikeways Coalition as well as Brian Patterson, President and CEO of the Ontario Safety League. A study published in the Journal of Safety Research in June, reveals that even though SUVs and pickup trucks made up 26.1 percent of

Libby Znaimer is joined by Charles Sousa, The former minister of finance for Ontario and MPP for Mississauga South, Lisa Raitt, Former Deputy Leader of Conservative Party of Canada, and Cheri DiNovo, former Ontario NDP MPP. Today: we begin the discussion about one politician who refuses to recover: Steven Del Duca. He announced that he will be running for Mayor of Vaughan. We then pivot the discussion to veteran CTV anchor Lisa Laflamme who was abruptly let go by Bell Media. The company is facing plenty of backlash for the way it handled this situation. And, they immediately announced her replacement to be long-time TV reporter Omar Sachedina. Finally, Ontario hospitals are spending millions of temporary agency nurses that are dealing with severe staffing shortages. ---- PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCY OF CANADA MONITORING WASTEWATER FOR POLIO Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Sameer Elsayed, A professor of infectious diseases and microbiology at Western University. In the news: The Public Health Agency of Canada wi

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Moshe Lander, Senior Lecturer of Economics at Concordia University in Montreal. According to Statistics Canada, inflation slowed down to 7.6 percent amid lower gas prices.You'll remember that back in June the rate of inflation hit an almost 40 year high when it reached 8.1 percent. Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

Libby Znaimer is joined by David Cravit, Vice President of ZoomerMedia, Bill VanGorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer of CARP and John Wright, Executive Vice President Canada is experiencing a surge in retirement. According to Statistics Canada, as many as 300,000 Canadians retired over the last 12 months, which is a 30 percent increase from this time last year. Meanwhile, Ottawa has fulfilled its 2021 budget promise to increase Old Age Security payments permanently for residents 75 years of age and older by 10 percent. It's the first time this has happened since 1973. Our Zoomer Squad weighs in on the latest news. ---- TELECOM GIANT TELUS WANTS TO CHARGE CUSTOMERS FOR USING CREDIT CARD TO PAY BILLS Libby Znaimer is now joined by Consumer Advocate and journalist, Ellen Roseman If there's one thing that Canada's big telecom providers are good at doing, it's giving consumers a hard time and a bad deal. Millions of Canadians recently recovered after Rogers network went down for over 15 hour

Today on Free For All Friday: plenty of nurses and retired nurses called in to weigh in on the staffing shortages that hospitals have been forced to grapple with this summer and that have led to the temporary closure of ER departments. Over the past week, Ontario's new health minister Sylvia Jones has been facing criticism for downplaying the shortage and refusing to call it a crisis. At the same time, nursing representatives like Cathryn Hoy and Doris Grinspun say the situation is desperate. Some nurses haven't taken vacations for years and nearly 1 in 4 working nurses in the province are eligible for retirement. Then there is Minister Jones' confusing comments about further privatization of Ontario's healthcare: first saying she is open to everything, then saying no it's actually innovation she's open to and not privatization while trying to reassure residents that OHIP will continue to cover healthcare services for Ontario residents. Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

Libby Znaimer is joined by Lauren O'Neil, Senior News Editor of BlogTO, Councillor James Pasternak (Ward 6 York Centre) and Councillor Brad Bradford (Ward 19 Beaches East York). Today: There's plenty to talk about here in Toronto. First, we look at City Council where at least 7 Councillors are not going to be seeking re-election in October including veterans like Mike Layton, Denzil Minnan-Wong and others. So, what will the future of Toronto City Council look like? In other Toronto news, we take a closer look at the ongoing feud between cyclists and pedestrians in the city's popular High Park. And, now cyclists are expressing anger for feeling harassed by police who are cracking down on speeders in the park. And, finally, we've learned what the Ford government's strong mayoral powers will entail. ---- UNIFOR ELECTS NEW LEADER Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Rafael Gomez, an associate professor of employment relations at the University of Toronto. This week: Now we turn to an historic election at Canada’

Libby Znaimer is now joined by John Wright, Executive Vice President of Maru Public Opinion, and Moshe Lander, Senior Lecturer of Economics at Concordia University in Montreal. Are you worried about your finances? According to a new poll by Yahoo Canada and Maru Public Opinion, half of us are worried about  affording the necessities. A majority (at 59 percent) believe that the country is headed towards a recession and we also think ( 53 percent ) that the Bank of Canada hiking interest rates will lead to a recession. Inflation is tracking over 8% - but there was one bit of good news out of the US today - it did not go up any more in July. Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

Libby Znaimer is joined by Bob Richardson, Liberal Strategist and Senior Council to National Public Relations, John Mykytyshyn, Conservative strategist and President of Bradgate Research Group as well as Dr. Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO). There are "no easy solutions to Ontario's health care and inflation challenges". That was the message in yesterday’s speech from the throne setting out the government’s agenda. It’s a far cry from the slogan they got re-elected on: the promise to “get it done.” Some stakeholders are taking comfort from the number of references to healthcare and nurses - as  an acknowledgment that they get it. And it is certainly a contrast to what we have heard from Health Minister Sylvia Jones - that this is not a crisis. Some have started to predict that this may be the beginning of the end for the Ford Tories. But where do we go from here and can we expect any improvement? ---- SEGMENT 2-CALLS FOR BETTER TRACKING OF DATA TO ADDRESS CANADA'S HE

Libby Znaimer is joined by Charles Sousa, The former minister of finance for Ontario and MPP for Mississauga South, Hugh Segal, a former Senator of Canada and Howard Hampton, former leader of the Ontario NDP. The throne speech will be read right after our show today and the big question - the only question - is will there be anything meaningful to address the crisis that is prompting multiple temporary closures in our hospital system. So far the response has been that it is not a crisis according to the health minister even if an unprecedented number of emergency wards are closing on summer weekends - a time slot that is often extremely busy. The opposition is accusing her of trying to normalize these shutdowns. And the premier’s message has been something to the effect of “trust us we are on it.” This from the people who won an election promising to “get it done.” I think there is very much the wrong time and the wrong approach. And so it will be interesting to see if we get a re-announcement of previous pi

ZOOMER SQUAD: A LOOK AHEAD TO THE THRONE SPEECH Libby Znaimer is joined by Peter Muggeridge, Senior Editor of Zoomer Magazine and Bill VanGorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer of CARP. In the news: It’s Monday! Time for our Zoomer Squad, and a rare summer sitting of the legislature. The throne speech will be read tomorrow and it’s happening amid the staffing crisis in our hospitals, especially in emergency wards. On the lighter side, the National Post has a big takeout declaring that 80 is the new 60. The Zoomer Squad doesn't think of that age as terribly old. PHARMACISTS WANT TO PRESCRIBE DRUGS SOONER Libby Znaimer is joined by Justin Bates, CEO of the Ontario Pharmacists Association. Can pharmacists help take the pressure off our overburdened health system? We know the answer is yes and the province is set to start allowing them to assess and prescribe medications for certain minor ailments beginning in January of 2023 including things like pink eye, urinary tract infections, and all

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners called in to weigh in on Ontario's healthcare crisis that has seen hospitals have to scale back their operations due to severe staffing shortages. Meanwhile, we heard calls about our increasingly politically divided society and we got an update from the GTAA's CEO about the situation at Pearson Airport. Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

Libby Znaimer is joined by Lauren O'Neil, Senior News Editor of BlogTO, Karen Stintz, CEO, Variety Village, David Crombie, Former Mayor of Toronto. Today: we start things off by placing a magnifying glass on the ongoing shenanigans in Brampton. The city's former integrity commissioner, Muneeza Sheikh, is suing Brampton and the city councillors who voted to fire her for $20M arguing that her firing was part of a conspiracy by some councillors who were not happy over previous or ongoing ethics investigations into them. It's a lawsuit that happens to have the support of the current Mayor Patrick Brown. Meanwhile, in a presser earlier this week, Brown alleged that municipal funds were used as "hush payments" in a city councillor's sexual harassment lawsuit. Here in Toronto, an integrity complaint was filed against Mayor John Tory arguing that his ties to Rogers is a conflict of interest. Finally, Toronto was just ranked the hardest city to navigate. What's up with that? THE CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP DEBATE: A REC

Libby Znaimer is joined, first, by Dr. Kevin Smith, President and CEO of the University Health Network followed by Dr. Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) and Helen Winter, a registered Nurse working in the emergency department of a downtown Toronto hospital. Ontario hospitals are grappling with a staffing shortage issue and it's so bad that several of them have had to close their ER departments. According to the Ontario Nurses Association, more than 20 hospitals have had to close so far. Many of the staff shortages involve nurses and there are cases where nurses are being asked to pick up extra shifts, handle a very high patient load and are often asked to work outside their specialty. Helen Winter describes that many are leaving the profession due to burnout. She tells us that she has had to cut back on her hours and that nurses have a significant repertoire of skills that can be transferred to other higher paying jobs outside of the hospital. Today, our healthcare ex

Libby Znaimer is joined by Charles Sousa, The former minister of finance for Ontario and MPP for Mississauga South, Lisa Raitt, Former Deputy Leader of Conservative Party of Canada, and Cheri DiNovo,  former Ontario NDP MPP The next federal conservative leadership debate takes place tomorrow but not many of the leadership candidates are participating in this one including perceived front runner Pierre Poilievre and also Leslyn Lewis. Another interesting development we are seeing is that a lot of the membership sign ups to the party are coming from the province of Quebec. Will this help Jean Charest? We also talk about the ongoing nursing shortage at Ontario hospitals. The concern grows as several Ontario hospitals have had to scale back their operations over staffing shortages. Finally, where is Ontario's new Health Minister Sylvia Jones? She's been criticized for not being seen or heard since being sworn in, especially at a time when the province grapples with a bad seventh wave of COVID-19 and hospitals ar