Fight Back With Libby Znaimer

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: TORONTO GRAPPLES WITH VERY VIOLENT LONG WEEKEND Libby Znaimer is joined by Alex Blumenstein, Co-Founder of The Peak, Karen Stintz, a Conservative Party of Canada Candidate for Eglinton-Lawrence, a former Toronto City Councillor and the CEO of Variety Village, and Toronto City Councillor Paula Fletcher of Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth. It was a deadly Labour Day weekend here in Toronto...11 shootings including 3 homicides. Meanwhile, Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Ottawa to make changes to the criminal code. And, licensed participating convenience stores start selling alcohol in Ontario today. How will that go? JAGMEET SINGH DITCHES SUPPLY AND CONFIDENCE AGREEMENT WITH LIBERALS Libby Znaimer is now joined by Andrew Perez, Principal at Perez Strategies and a Liberal strategist, Jason Lietaer, Conservative Strategist and President at Enterprise, and Robin V. Sears, Crisis Communications Consultant and former NDP Strategist. It's official...Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has anno

SOME BUSINESSES STILL CONSIDER CASH TO BE KING Libby Znaimer is now joined by Christina Santini, Director of National Affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), Marco, who owns a corporate catering company, and Mike Ojala, Co-Owner of Swan Dive Bar on Dundas Street West. When shopping or eating at a restaurant, have you been asked to pay with cash or perhaps given the incentive to do so with an offer of a discount? Or was a fee imposed upon you for paying with your credit card? We are joined by a couple of local businesses today to discuss what their transaction policy is and the impact banking fees can have on their profit margins.

SIX HOSTAGES KILLED BY HAMAS  Libby Znaimer is now joined by Professor Amos Guiora, a former Legal Advisor to the IDF in Gaza and Jon Allen, a Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and a former Canadian Ambassador to Israel from 2006 and 2010. After six hostages were found murdered by Hamas terrorists in an underground tunnel in Gaza, hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets demanding a deal for the remaining hostages to be returned home. Hamas, meanwhile, is threatening to kill any hostages that the IDF tries to rescue. Our experts weigh in on the latest in the Israel-Hamas war. THE STATE OF REWARDS PROGRAMS Libby Znaimer is now joined by Bruce Winder, a retail analyst. It's time to talk about the current state of rewards programs being offered by retail companies like Shoppers and elsewhere and whether they are giving customers the best value. And, on top of that, have you been in a position where you buy a certain product at one store only to have to retu

ZOOMER SQUAD: CANADA'S AGING POPULATION: FINANCIAL STRAINS, HOUSING CHALLENGES, AND HEALTH CARE UPDATES Guest Host Tasha Kheiriddin is joined by Bob Richardson, Public Affairs Consultant, Bill VanGorder, Chief Advocacy and Education Officer at CARP, and Anthony Quinn, Chief Community Officer at CARP. The panel explored why many seniors prefer to remain in their homes rather than relocate to often-overcrowded nursing facilities. Callers cited concerns about the financial cost and inconvenience of moving, as well as a strong emotional attachment to their long-time residences. LABOUR DISPUTES AND NATIONAL STRIKES IN CANADA  Tasha is joined by Dr. Larry Savage, Professor of Labour Relations at Brock University, and Dr. Ian Lee, Associate Professor at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University. The youth unemployment rate remains high, with significant struggles among young Canadians. Initially, temporary foreign workers were brought in to address labor shortages in agriculture and manual industri

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners paid tribute to our own Bob Komsic as he retires from Zoomer Radio and begins his next chapter. We also heard from you about the state of tipping these days and your thoughts on the latest developments regarding the Eldidi terror suspects arrested here in Canada. 

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: MORE THAN 80,000 LETTERS DELIVERED TO PREMIERE OVER CONCERNS OF ONTARIO SCIENCE CENTRE Libby Znaimer is joined by Councillor James Pasternak, Ward 6 York Centre, Alex Blumenstein, Co-Founder of The Peak, and Karen Stintz, CEO of Variety Village. Recent debates on immigration cover abuses of the Temporary Foreign Worker program, visa overstays by international students, and troubling asylum cases like the alleged terrorist father-son duo. Libby and panel also discuss the persisting concerns surrounding the Ontario Science Centre. HOW TORONTO TERROR SUSPECTS GOT THROUGH CANADA'S IMMIGRATION SYSTEM Libby Znaimer is now joined by Phil Gurski, President of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting and a former senior strategic terrorism analyst at CSIS, and immigration lawyer Guidy Mamann. Libby explores the recent case of a father and son accused of terrorism and their asylum process in Canada. The discussion focuses on the asylum application procedures, potential abuses of the system, and th

This week, a group of protestors gathered outside of a CUPE office in Thornhill calling for Fred Hahn’s resignation.

THE MEDICAL RECORD:  COVID-19 HASN'T GONE AWAY & WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HYPERTENSION Jane Brown is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, a Medical Oncologist with Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a former head of BC Cancer, Dr. Fahad Razak, a General Internist based in Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto and Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto. Do you know someone in your circles who currently has or is getting over COVID-19? Our doctors weigh in on the spike in cases, as well as the importance of keeping track of your blood pressure as you age. CALLS INTENSIFY FOR CUPE'S FRED HAHN TO RESIGN Jane Brown is now joined by Amir Epstein, Executive Director of Tafsik, a grassroots organization dedicated to combating antisemitism around the world, and Salman Sima, a former political prisoner from Iran who joined a protest this week calling for CUPE's Fred Hahn

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL:  TRUDEAU'S CABINET RETREAT & OTTAWA GETS TOUGH ON CHINA Jane Brown is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by George Smitherman, former Liberal MPP for Toronto Centre, Health minister and Deputy Premier, Janet Ecker, former Ontario PC MPP and finance minister, and Cheri DiNovo, a former NDP MPP for Parkdale-High Park. Today, we kick things off with a discussion about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Cabinet retreat in Halifax. Meanwhile, China is not happy with Ottawa after it made the decision to slap a 100 percent tariff on Chinese electric Vehicles (following in the steps of the U.S.) OTTAWA CHANGING ITS APPROACH TO FOREIGN WORKERS  Jane Brown is now joined by Guidy Mamann, a Toronto immigration lawyer and Partner at Mamman & Sandaluk LLP Immigration Lawyers. Ottawa is making some key changes to its immigration policy which includes an announcement on reducing the number of low wage temporary foreign workers coming to Canada. Guidy weighs in on the

THE ZOOMER SQUAD:  AGEISM AT WORK & WHAT DOCS ARE SAYING ABOUT OZEMPIC FOR ADULTS 65 + Tasha Kheiriddin is joined by Anthony Quinn, Chief Community Officer of CARP,  Bill VanGorder, Chief Advocacy and Education Officer of CARP, and John Wright, Executive Vice President of Maru Public Opinion. This week: we kick things off with a discussion about ageism in the workplace and when you should claim your government pension. AIR CANADA PILOTS COULD GO ON STRIKE NEXT MONTH Tasha Kheiriddin is joined by Dr. Gabor Lukacs, Founder and President of Air Passenger Rights and Dr. Karl Moore, Associate Professor, Strategy & Organization at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University. Air Canada pilots could go on strike as early as September 17th after 98 percent of them voted in favour of a strike mandate should negotiations fail. So, how will this impact travelers and what can Ottawa do about this? HOW AN INCREASE IN FOR-PROFIT CATARACT SURGERIES IS IMPACTING LOWER INCOME SENIORS Tasha Kh

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners called in about the Ford government's approach to safe injection sites in the province, the call for CUPE's Fred Hahn to resign and many more headlines from the week that was. 

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: JEWISH INSTITUTIONS IN CANADA TARGETED WITH BOMB THREATS Libby Znaimer is joined by Alex Blumenstein, Co-Founder of The Peak, Karen Stintz, a Conservative Party of Canada Candidate for Eglinton-Lawrence, a former Toronto City Councillor and the CEO of Variety Village, and Toronto City Councillor James Pasternak for Ward 6 York Centre. Our panel reacts to the news this week that Jewish schools, hospitals and synagogues were targeted by bomb threats, Fred Hahn facing the call to resign from a CUPE position and some residents in Riverdale facing expropriation of their homes amid Ontario Line construction. CALLS FOR CUPE'S FRED HAHN TO RESIGN Libby Znaimer is joined by Carrie Silverberg, a Jewish CUPE member who resigned from the executive of CUPE Local 1734. Carrie reacts to the news of calls from CUPE'S National Executive Board for Fred Hahn to resign from his role as General Vice President for Ontario, as well as Ontario Liberal Minister Dave Piccini confronting him directly and acc

THE MEDICAL RECORD: A CONCERNING STUDY ON ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a former head of the BC Cancer Agency, Dr. Fahad Razak, a Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto and General Internist based in Toronto, and Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto. Today on the show: our experts weigh in on concerning research linking a certain artificial sweetener--erythritol-- to an increased risk of blood clots, heart attack and stroke. And, they explore an alternative treatment to the epipen when it comes to allergic reactions. CANADA'S POLICE CHIEFS CALL FOR HELP AMID A RISE IN PROTESTS Libby Znaimer is now joined by Thomas Carrique, Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police and President of The Canadian Association of Police Chiefs. Commissioner Carrique explains the call by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL:  WHAT ARE ONTARIO'S PLANS FOR SUPERVISED INJECTION SITES? Libby Znaimer is joined by George Smitherman, a former Liberal MPP for Toronto Centre, Health Minister, and Deputy Premier,  Lisa Raitt, a former Deputy Leader of Conservative Party of Canada, and Cheri DiNovo, a former Ontario NDP MPP. Our panel reacts to Education Minister Todd Smith's decision to retire from politics, and thus his role, nearly three months into taking over the file. The province is also giving an update today on its plans for safe injection sites.   THE FUTURE OF TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN THE GTA  Libby Znaimer is now joined by Councillor Brad Bradford, Ward 19 Beaches-East York, and Jessica Smith Cross, Editor-in-Chief, The Trillium. The Trillium has obtained documents from Ontario's Ministry of Transportation showing predictions of worsening traffic gridlock/congestion in the GTA. Our guests react to the latest. THE LATEST REGARDING UKRAINE'S MILITARY OFFENSIVE INSIDE RUSSIA  Libby Znaimer is

THE ZOOMER SQUAD: THE GTA GRAPPLES WITH MORE SEVERE RAINFALL, FLOODING Libby Znaimer is joined by Rudy Buttignol, President of CARP, John Wright, Executive Vice President of  Maru Public Opinion and Anthony Quinn, Chief Community Officer of CARP. This past weekend, the GTA grappled with more heavy rainfall and flooding after the major rainstorm. And, today marks the 82nd anniversary of the Dieppe Raid during World War II.  TORONTONIANS IN THEIR 20s ARE STRUGGLING MORE WITH THEIR MENTAL HEALTH AND FINANCES COMPARED TO OLDER DEMOS: TORONTO FOUNDATION Libby Znaimer is now joined by Mohamed Huque, Director of Community Impact for Toronto Foundation.  What a new study from Toronto Foundation tells us about how Torontonians in their 20s are doing when it comes to mental health and their finances and how that compares to the older demographics.  DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION BEGINS TODAY Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Chris Cooper, Political Science Professor at Western Carolina University, and Mat

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners reacted to distracted drivers, the issue of e-bikes and e-scooters in the city, opening day of The Ex, and other news that made headlines this week.

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: A BIKE PATH BOONDOGGLE Libby Znaimer is joined by Alex Blumenstein, Co-Founder of The Peak; David Crombie, a former Toronto Mayor; and Karen Stintz, a Conservative Party of Canada Candidate for Eglinton-Lawrence and former Toronto City Councillor and the CEO of Variety Village, for a conversation about all things Toronto. WHAT THE HECK IS GOING HAHN? CUPE Ontario’s president is facing backlash from some of the union's Jewish members for reposting a social media post on Facebook. On Sunday, Fred Hahn shared a video of a diver at the Paris Games, showing the athlete with a prominent Star of David on their arm jumping off the diving board before turning into a bomb that drops on innocent civilians. Libby Znaimer is joined by John Mykytyshyn, Conservative activist, political consultant, and President of Bradgate Research Group to discuss this troubling matter. TORONTO'S QUIET LIST ANNOUNCED TODAY Are you ‘fed up’ with not being able to enjoy a conversation when you dine out, due to ex

THE MEDICAL RECORD: UPTICK IN MPOX CASES, HEALTHCARE WORKER BURNOUT & CANCER PROJECTIONS FOR MEN Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a former head of the BC Cancer Agency; Dr. Fahad Razak, a Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto and General Internist at Unity Health Toronto; and Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto, to discuss the medical news of the day. AMO SURVEY ON HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is asking the province for guidance on how to handle the growing number of homeless encampments in the province. Libby Znaimer is joined by Andrea Horwath, Mayor of Hamilton; and Cam Guthrie, Mayor of Guelph to discuss this issue. CANADA'S POLICE CHIEFS CALL FOR HELP AMID A RISE IN PROTESTS The frequency of protests linked to both domestic and global issues is creating an "unsustainable demand" on polic

THE RECOVERING POLITICIANS An emergency committee hearing was held in Ottawa this morning to vote on whether to call Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Immigration Minister Marc Miller to testify about how the recently arrested father-son accused terror team was able to immigrate to Canada. Libby Znaimer is joined by Cheri DiNovo, former Member of Provincial Parliament of Ontario; Lisa Raitt, former Deputy Leader of Conservative Party of Canada; and John Milloy, former Ontario Liberal MPP who served as a cabinet minister under the Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne governments to discuss this, and other political news of the day. OTTAWA TURNS A BLIND EYE TO QUESTIONABLE PRO-PALESTINIAN CHARITIES The federal government wants to take away the charity status of the 100-year-old Jewish National Fund of Canada for allegedly breaking the rules, but the Trudeau Liberals aren’t doing likewise with a number of pro-Palestinian charities, some with questionable links to terrorist organizations. Libby Znaime

THE ZOOMER SQUAD: GET THAT SHINGLES SHOT! Libby Znaimer is joined by Rudy Buttignol, President of CARP; Anthony Quinn, Chief Community Officer of CARP; and John Wright, Executive Vice President of Maru Public Opinion for a conversation about the importance of getting a shingles vaccination; overcrowding in Ontario's ERs, and more. ONTARIO PREMIER DOUG FORD'S AUTO INSURANCE PLANS Premier Doug Ford is following through on his promise to make more auto insurance benefits optional in Ontario, but some experts say the results could mean higher rates for drivers. Libby Znaimer is joined by Tom Rakocevic, Ontario NDP Auto Insurance critic and the MPP for Humber River-Black Creek; Ellen Roseman, consumer advocate and journalist; and Mary Kelly; Chair in Insurance at Wilfrid Laurier University’s School of Business and Economics to discuss the issue. WRAPPING UP THE OLYMPIC GAMES Libby Znaimer is joined by Wally Rigobon, co-host of the Naz and Wally Sports Hour on Zoomer Radio AM740, for a wrap-up conversation ab