Fight Back With Libby Znaimer

Today on Free For All Friday, we put the question to our listeners: should the Brass Rail Strip club receive heritage status? That's what Toronto's Preservation Board is recommending. Meanwhile, we get calls on the Israel-Hamas war and talk about congestion in the downtown core.

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: THE PROBLEM WITH SARA JAMA Marissa Lennox is now joined by David Crombie, Former Mayor of Toronto, Alex Blumenstein, Co-Founder of The Peak,  and Karen Stintz, CEO, Variety Village. This week: Independent MPP Sara Jama once again made highly offensive comments about Israel. In other news, Toronto's Preservation Board wants City Council to protect the historic Brass Rail strip club in the downtown core. And, Ottawa says it will contribute $1.2 billion in fully repayable low interest loans towards the building of over 2,600 rental homes in Toronto. So, what's that all about? Our panel reacts to the latest. THE MORAL EQUIVALENCE WHEN IT COMES TO ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR Marissa Lennox is now joined by George Monastiriakos, a lawyer and fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and Sara Teich, an International human rights lawyer, senior fellow at the Macdonald Laurier Institute. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was called out by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his sta

THE MEDICAL RECORD Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Alisa Naiman, Family Physician and Founder and Medical Director of The Medical Station in Toronto, Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and  Dr. Amol Verma, a staff physician in General Internal Medicine at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. Ontario's Patient Ombudsman Craig Thompson's office has received a 33 per cent jump in complaints and he highlighted a concerning trend about challenges accessing primary care in the province. Meanwhile, the provincial government is getting stricter on masking rules in long-term care homes amid the current respiratory virus season and due to the threat of COVID-19. There have been over 100 deaths of long-term care residents from COVID-19 since late August. Our panel has the latest. TODAY MARKS WORLD COPD DAY Libby Znaimer is now joined by Henry Roberts, Member of the Executive Committee at COPD Canada. Today marks World COPD Day and Henry is here to raise awareness about the horrible

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL: THE FUTURE OF TRUDEAU'S LIBERALS LOOKS GRIM + ONTARIO WANTS MORE PROTECTION FOR RESTAURANT STAFF Libby Znaimer is joined by Lisa Raitt, Former Deputy Leader of Conservative Party of Canada, George Smitherman, Former Liberal MPP for Toronto Centre who served as a health minister and Deputy Premier, and Cheri DiNovo, Former Ontario NDP MPP and a recipient of the Order of Canada. Today: an Abacus Data survey reveals that the Liberals would lose to the opposition Conservatives if an election were held today. And, the Ford government is proposing new legislation to better protest employees of restaurants. DAILY BREAD RELEASES LATEST "WHO'S HUNGRY REPORT" Libby Znaimer is now joined by Neil Hetherington, CEO of The Daily Bread Food Bank. Daily Bread's new "Who's Hungry Report" is now out and the findings are concerning: in the past year, there were 2.53 million client visits across 150 food banks in Toronto, which is a 51 per cent increase compared to 2002. And, 1 in 10 Torontonia

THE ZOOMER SQUAD 12:00-12:30 Marissa Lennox is joined by Bill VanGorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer of CARP, Anthony Quinn, Chief Community Officer of CARP and Peter Muggeridge,  Senior Editor of Zoomer Magazine. Five Premiers from Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are calling for a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and asking Ottawa to extend the carbon price exemption to all types of home heating and not just home heating oil. Meanwhile, an Alberta CPP exit panel has been launched to hear directly from Albertans about whether they should part ways with the Canada Pension Plan. Earlier in the year, an Alberta government funded study found that the province could save as much as $5 billion if it pulled out of the CPP and entered a different scheme. And, Toronto is seeing a rise in hate related crimes: In recent weeks amid the Israel-Hamas war. Does Toronto have a plan to address this issue effectively? AN UPDATE ON THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR 12:30-12:45

Today on Free For All Friday: Listeners called in to share stories of their family and loved ones who fought in Canada's wars and to reflect on the sacrifices they made ahead of Remembrance Day this Saturday.

TUNE INTO THE TOWN 12:00PM-12:30 PM Marissa Lennox is joined by David Crombie, Former Mayor of Toronto, Councillor Paula Fletcher, Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth and Karen Stintz, CEO, Variety Village.  The Auditor General has launched investigations into the Ford government's Ontario Place and Ontario Science Centre development plans. Meanwhile, this past Wednesday, City Council voted 24-1 for Mayor Olivia Chow's ambitious affordable housing plan that would involve building 65,000 affordable homes and would require a substantial amount of funding from both the provincial and federal government (we're talking  $36-billion).  A LOOK AHEAD TO REMEMBRANCE DAY 12:30-12:50 PM Marissa Lennox is now joined by 99-year old MajorJim Parks who served with the Winnipeg Rifles during World War 2 and heroically fought at Juno Beach on June 6, 1944  Captain (retired) Steven Dieter served in the military for a total of 21 years working with the Cadet program, as an Infantry Officer, and as a Public Affairs Officer and is also

Marissa Lennox is joined by Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser, a legendary former Canadian hockey player who won five Olympic medals with Canada women's national ice hockey team. Hayley retired from hockey in 2017 and the IOC in 2022. She is currently serving as the Assistant General Manager of Player Development for the Toronto Maple Leafs and is a practicing Family and Emergency medicine doctor. It's Lung Cancer Awareness Month. To mark the occasion, Hayley has partnered with the Be the MVP – Change the Odds campaign which aims to empower Canadians to take charge of their own health by increasing their awareness of lung cancer, including the related risk factors, signs and symptoms, and the importance of early detection. In this special one-on-one conversation with Marissa, Hayley details what the campaign is all about, why early detection of lung cancer is so important and how she feels empowered to help change the odds.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: NURSES HAVE ADDITIONAL PRESCRIBING POWERS NOW 12-12:30 PM Marissa Lennox is joined by Dr. Alisa Naiman, Family Physician and Founder and Medical Director of The Medical Station in Toronto, Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and Dr. Fahad Razak, General Internist at Unity Health Toronto. Ontario registered nurses will now be able to independently prescribe medications including birth control and topical antibiotics. It's all part of a strategy by the province for patients to get certain prescriptions faster. The Ontario Medical Association (OMA), however, believes that this is the wrong approach because it won't give patients “the comprehensive care that a primary care physician offers”. Do our panelists agree? Meanwhile, according to leaked documents that were made public by the Alberta NDP, the Alberta government under Premier Danielle Smith plans to make big changes to its healthcare system including dismantling its province wide healthcare provider

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL: ONTARIO AG INVESTIGATING FORD GOVERNMENT'S ONTARIO PLACE PLANS 12:00-12:30 Libby Znaimer is joined by Lisa Raitt, former deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Charles Bird   , Managing Principal at Earnscliffe Strategy Group in Toronto andCheri DiNovo, Former Ontario NDP MPP and a recipient of the Order of Canada. Ontario's Auditor General is conducting an investigation on the Ford government's Ontario Place development plans. Meanwhile, many of Canada's Premiers met in Halifax for a two day meeting spanning from Sunday to Monday where they discussed key issues like healthcare and energy costs. And, according to foreign affairs minister Melanie Joly, the first batch of Canadians have left Gaza and into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing. But, it remains unclear how many actually made it through and for how long the border crossing will remain open. DARRIN MAHARAJ ON WATCHING THE HORRIFIC MASSACRE OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS BY HAMAS AT THE ISRAELI CONSULATE 12:30-1

ZOOMER SQUAD:  THE PINCH OF HEALTHCARE COSTS DURING RETIREMENT 12:00-12:30 Marissa Lennox is joined by Bill VanGorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer of CARP, Anthony Quinn, Chief Community Officer of CARP and John Wright, Executive VP of Maru Public Opinion. In the news: a report details how one third of Zoomers are feeling the pinch of health care costs and the impact of that on their retirement savings. Meanwhile, the Ford government is re-examining its use of the ministerial zoning orders and CARP reacts to the province's last fiscal update. NURSES UNION WANTS CANADA'S PREMIERS TO ADDRESS THE NURSING SHORTAGE 12:30-12:45 PM Marissa Lennox is now joined by Linda Silas, President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions. As we alluded to in the previous segment, most of Canada's Premiers are meeting in Halifax to discuss healthcare among other key issues. Canada's largest nursing union is calling on the premiers to address the nationwide nursing shortage. Linda also details some of

Today on Free For All Friday: with the upcoming time change from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time on Sunday, our listeners debate: should we scrap the time change in future or keep it and why?

TUNE INTO THE TOWN:  OLIVIA CHOW AND DOUG FORD'S SECOND MEETING & A SECRET TTC BOARD MEETING 12:00PM-12:30 PM Jane Brown is joined by David Crombie, Former Mayor of Toronto, Councillor Paula Fletcher, Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth and Councillor Brad Bradford, Ward 19 Beaches-East York. This week: Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Ontario Premier Doug Ford held a second meeting to talk about Toronto's finances. In a letter, they both called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government to get involved in supporting the City as it faces an ongoing budget hole stemming from the pandemic. Also this week, Mayor Chow launched the 2024 budget consultations for the City and from November 1 to 30 Toronto residents can provide their own recommendations for Toronto's budget through public consultations. Meanwhile, what was that closed-door TTC board meeting that took place last week all about? And, earlier in the week, the Toronto Paramedic Union issued a  temporary code red and indicated that there were no available ambu

THE MEDICAL RECORD:  WHAT A CMAJ STUDY TELLS US ABOUT SENIORS AND COVID-19 INFECTIONS 12-12:30 PM Marissa Lennox is joined by Dr. Sohail Gandhi, Family physician, and a past president of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and Dr. Fahad Razak, Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto. In the news: The Ontario government is reducing breast screening mammograms for women from ages 50 to age 40 with the aim of making early detection easier. Meanwhile, data from a study from CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) shows that 4 in 10 Canadian Seniors ages 80 and older have likely avoided infections so far and that they must continue to be prioritized for vaccination since this demo is at highest risk of hospitalization and even death from COVID-19. And, we are soon going back an hour from Daylight Saving Time to Standard time. We've heard in the past that such a time change can lead to

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL: TRUDEAU'S CARBON TAX FLOP 12:00-12:30 Marissa Lennox  is joined by George Smitherman, a Former Ontario Liberal MPP for Toronto Centre who also served as a health minister and deputy Premier, Janet Ecker Former Ontario PC MPP and finance minister and Cheri DiNovo,Former Ontario NDP MPP and recipient of the Order of Canada. Eight years of pushing fossil fuel taxes for climate action, but now, a seismic shift: the Prime Minister announced a suspension of the carbon tax for home heating oil for three years. This handed opposition leader Pierre Poilievre a prime moment to grill him in yesterday's Question Period. The move gives a leg up to one region, namely Atlantic Canada, where 40% of households rely on heating oil. Compare that to Ontario, where only 2% do. Predictably, other provinces like Ontario and Saskatchewan are now voicing their desire for similar exemptions for other fuels like propane and natural gas. Premier Moe said yesterday that if a deal isn't reached to exempt

ZOOMER SQUAD: PUBLIC HEALTH MESSAGING FOR COVID-19 VACCINES 12:00-12:30 Marissa is joined by Bill Van Gorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer of CARP, Anthony Quinn, Chief Community Officer of CARP and Bob Richardson, Senior Council to National PR. We compare the highly effective public health messaging campaigns during the rollout of the first COVID-19 vaccines earlier on in the pandemic vs those around the new COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna for the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant that is now the dominant strain in Canada which some argue hasn't been very well promoted. And, we remember Matthew Perry, a Zoomer and beloved Canadian who died in his home at the age of 54. THE LATEST IN THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR, ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS AT HOME & A MOB THAT ATTACKED A PASSENGER PLANE OF ISRAELIS IN DAGESTAN 12:30-12:50 PM Marissa is joined by Lidar Gravé-Lazi, the Editor-in-Chief of ILTV based in Israel and Michael Mostyn, CEO of B'nai Brith Canada. We discuss the latest in the war betwee

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners called in to discuss the latest on the Israel-Hamas war and other stories making headlines this week.

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: IT’S BEEN 100 DAYS OF MAYOR OLIVIA CHOW-HOW HAS SHE PERFORMED? 12:00-12:30 Marissa Lennox is joined by David Crombie, Former Mayor of Toronto, Councillor Paula Fletcher, Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth and Karen Stintz, CEO, Variety Village. A couple of days ago marked 100 days since Mayor Olivia Chow took office. So, how has she performed so far? In provincial news, the Ford government has reversed its decision to make numerous municipalities expand their municipal boundaries and earmark thousands more hectares of farm land for potential development. SHOULD IT BE EXPANDED TO THOSE WITH MENTAL ILLNESSES? 12:30-12:45 PM Marissa Lennox is joined by Dr. Jitender Sareen, Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry at University of Manitoba. Should Canada expand MAiD to those suffering from mental health illnesses? Ottawa plans to implement the expansion as early as March. Dr. Sareen and a group of psychiatrists have personally written to government officials expressing concern about such an

THE MEDICAL RECORD: NURSES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR & BLOOD TEST FOR CANCER DETECTION 12-12:30 PM Marissa Lennox is joined by Dr. Alisa Naiman, Family Physician and Founder and Medical Director of The Medical Station in Toronto, Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and Dr. Fahad Razak, Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto. With a substantial shortage of nurses across Canada, hospitals and long term care homes have been increasingly turning to private nursing agencies and paying millions in the process. Meanwhile, we take  a closer look at a successful model of primary care in an Ontario city that is setting an example for the rest of Canada. SEGMENT 2: CSIS CONCERNED OF LACK OF CONSEQUENCES FOR FOREIGN INTERFERENCE PERPETRATORS 12-12:30 PM Marissa Lennox is now joined by Phil Gurski, President-CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consultants,former strategic analyst at CSIS,  and Dr. Eric Ouellet, Professor in the Department of

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL: SARAH JAMA BOTH CENSURED FROM LEGISLATURE AND OUSTED FROM CAUCUS 12:00-12:30 Libby Znaimer is joined by Andrew Cash, Former NDP MP, Toronto-Davenport district, Charles Bird, Managing Principal at Earnscliffe Strategies and Lisa Raitt, Former Deputy Leader of Conservative Party of Canada. This week: Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles made the decision to oust MPP Sarah Jamah from the NDP caucus in the aftermath of her offensive remarks about Israel. The legislature also voted in favour of censuring the Hamilton Centre MPP over the same matter. Meanwhile, in other provincial news, the Ford government has decided to scrap its municipal boundary changes in connection with the Greenbelt landswap scandal. ARE ANY OF YOUR FRIENDSHIPS STRAINED DUE TO ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR? 12:30-12:45 PM Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Oren Amitay, a Psychologist based in Toronto. Is the war between Israel and Hamas putting a strain on one or more of your friendships? Naturally, it is bound to happen as