Fight Back With Libby Znaimer

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL:  TRUDEAU MEETS WITH CABINET & OTTAWA PUTS CAP ON INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Libby Znaimer is joined by Lisa Raitt, former deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, George Smitherman, former Ontario Liberal MPP for Toronto Centre who also served as a health minister, and deputy Premier and Cheri Di Novo, Former Ontario NDP MPP. Our panel discusses Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet retreat in Montreal this week, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow's town hall meetings on the 2024 budget and Ottawa's cap on international students. WHAT THE LATEST ALZHEIMER'S REPORT TELLS US ABOUT THE DISEASE Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Joshua Armstrong, the lead author of The Landmark Study: The Many Faces of Dementia and can speak to the findings and the research, and Dr. Roger Wong, Alzheimer Society of Canada Board Member, Clinical Professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Vice Dean (Education) in the University of British Columbia (UBC). A new report from the Alzheimer's Asso

THE ZOOMER SQUAD: CARP'S ADVOCACY FOR LOBLAW DISCOUNT & BABY BOOMERS WITHOUT GRANDKIDS Libby Znaimer is joined by Rudy Buttignol, President of CARP, Anthony Quinn, Chief Community Officer of CARP and Peter Muggeridge, Senior Editor of Zoomer Magazine. Canadian consumers received some good news late Friday afternoon when Loblaw announced that they would be reinstating the 50 percent discount on food items that are about to hit their best before date. This time last week, CARP members and other older Canadians were fuming about the decision to reduce the discount to 30 percent. And it seems Loblaw heard the discontent and reversed the policy. RISING AUTO INSURANCE PREMIUMS Jane Brown is now joined by Ellen Roseman, Consumer Advocate and journalist, Nainesh Kotak, Founder of Kotak Personal Injury Law, and Tom Rakocevic,  Ontario NDP Auto Insurance critic and the MPP for Humber River-Black Creek. Is your auto insurance getting more expensive? And by how much? You may be aware that Ontario drivers may now

Today on Free For All Friday: Our listeners weighed in on the Ford government's plans to expand private healthcare clinics and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow's property tax hike proposal.

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: MORE ON MAYOR CHOW'S PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX INCREASE Libby Znaimer is joined by Alex Blumenstein, Co-Founder of The Peak, Karen Stintz, CEO of Variety Village, and David Crombie, Former Mayor of Toronto. Today: we revisit the discussion about Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow's proposed property tax increase. THE FORD GOVERNMENT'S PLAN TO REDUCE WAIT TIMES FOR CERTAIN SURGERIES AND DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES Libby is now joined by Dr. Adil Shamji, Liberal MPP and Health Critic, David Musyj, CEO, Windsor Regional Hospital followed by Dr Fouad Tayfour, Windsor Regional Hospital's chief of ophthalmology and Dr. Alisa Naiman, Family Physician and Founder and Medical Director of The Medical Station in Toronto. The province is moving into the next stages of its plan of expanding private care clinics that provide publicly funded tests which it argues will reduce wait times for patients. Meanwhile, advocates argue that this will place more pressure on the public health system and will lead to two-tiered he

THE MEDICAL RECORD:  WHAT IS THE "MAN FLU"? Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Jason Profetto,  Family Physician with Profetto Savatteri Family Medicine in Hamilton,  Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Dr. Jamie Spiegelman, Internal Medicine and Critical Care Physician at Humber River Hospital. Today we kick things off by discussing the phenomenon popularly known as the "man flu". Meanwhile, now that we are experiencing greater levels of snowfall during the Winter, our health experts weigh in on the risk of a heart attack and overall cardiovascular health when shoveling the snow. And, what we know so far about AI and the role it can play in detecting early signs of hidden Pancreatic Cancer in scans. HIGH PARK AND OTHER TORONTO PARKS NOT SO RESIDENT FRIENDLY ANYMORE? Libby Znaimer is joined by Gil Penalosa, a popular urbanist and the Founder of 8 80 Cities who formerly ran for mayor of Toronto and Diane Buckell, founding member of petition 'High Park-Access for All' and

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL: MAYOR CHOW’S PROPERTY TAX HIKE PROPOSAL  Liz West is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Lisa Raitt, former deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, George Smitherman, former Ontario Liberal MPP for Toronto Centre who also served as a health minister and deputy Premier and Andrew Cash, Former NDP MP for the Toronto-Davenport district. We discuss Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow's proposed property tax hike, the banning of tobogganing at numerous city parks and more.  TORONTO MAYOR OLIVIA CHOW LAUNCHES TOWN HALLS OVER BUDGET Liz West is now joined by Jay Goldberg, Ontario & Interim Atlantic Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. Starting today, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is hosting a series of telephone town hall meetings to hear from residents about their questions, comments, and concerns as it pertains to the City's 2024 budget.  THE IOWA CACUS: TRUMP WON Liz West is now joined by Dr. Chris Cooper, a Political Science Professor at Western Ca

THE ZOOMER SQUAD:  WILL TORONTO BE CUTTING WINDROW CLEARING SERVICES?   Libby Znaimer is joined by Bill VanGorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer of CARP, Anthony Quinn, Chief Community Officer of CARP and Quitto Maggi, CEO Mainstreet Research. Loblaw is cutting its discount on food that is about to expire from 50 per cent to 30 per cent. How will this impact older shoppers on a fixed income? And, is the city proposing to cut windrow snow clearing from the 2024 budget? Our panel weighs in.  POLLUTION FROM TRACK REPAIRS HAVE LOCAL TORONTO RESIDENTS FEELING ILL Libby Znaimer is joined by Alex Gill, Resident of the neighbourhood who has been exposed to the construction and styrene fumes and Thomas Tenkate, Director and Associate Professor at the School of Occupational and Public Health at Toronto Metropolitan University.  Residents in the area of Bathurst and St Clair are complaining about construction happening there. They are worried about the foul odours, headaches and nausea which they

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners phoned in to react to Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow's property tax increase proposal and Toronto Police banning protests at the Highway 401 and Avenue Rd. overpass in the city.

TUNE INTO THE TOWN:  MAYOR OLIVIA CHOW'S EYE POPPING PROPERTY TAX INCREASE PLAN Libby Znaimer is joined by Karen Stintz, CEO, Variety Village, Councillor Paula Fletcher, Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth and It’s Thursday - time to talk about all things municipal - and it’s a doozie - an unprecedented proposed 10.5% tax hike for Toronto home owners. We shouldn’t be surprised - during the election campaign we were warned that the increases would be big on her watch. And there’s more - she’s warning about an additional 6.5% hike if the federal Liberals don’t come through with more cash for the city. Is that brilliant piece of political brinkmanship as some are saying or is she overreaching? And does the federal government take Toronto for granted? ISRAEL GOES TO COURT OVER ACCUSATIONS OF GENOCIDE Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Amos Guiora, Professor of Law at the University of Utah and a former Legal advisor to the IDF in Gaza.  Israeli legal representatives are in the Hague this week defending the country agai

THE MEDICAL RECORD:  AN APP TO ALLEVIATE TINNITUS AND THE END OF THE PAP SMEAR? It’s Wednesday and it is time to talk about your health. And we begin with an example of technology helping a common condition: Tinnitus - a ringing in the ears- affects about 10% of the adult population. It ranges from mild to debilitating.Well now there’s a new app that has shown promise in dealing with it. Also it is January and so we have the annual list of best and worst diets. And the top spot goes to the same eating plan that has been recognized for 7 years in a row - the Mediterranean Diet. Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Alisa Naiman,  Family Physician and Founder and Medical Director of The Medical Station in Toronto,  Dr. Fahad Razak, Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto and  Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. PAY UP! RESTAURANTS ARE STRUGGLING TO PAY BACK THEIR PANDEMIC LOANS: SURVEY A big deadline for small businesses is coming up n

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL:  TORONTO MAYOR OLIVIA CHOW'S SKATE PARTY DISRUPTED BY PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS Libby Znaimer is joined by Lisa Raitt, former deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, George Smitherman, former Ontario Liberal MPP for Toronto Centre who also served as a health minister and deputy Premier and Andrew Cash, Former NDP MP, Toronto-Davenport district. This week: Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow's skating party at Nathan Phillips Square was disrupted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces criticism for his latest vacation to Jamaica. TORONTO COUNCILLORS CALL ON OTTAWA TO INVESTIGATE ARSON OF JEWISH BUSINESS AS ACT OF TERRORISM Libby Znaimer is joined by Toronto City Councillors James Pasternak, Ward 6 York Centre, and Mike Colle, Ward 8 Eglinton-Lawrence. Both City Councillors on the program today are calling on Ottawa to investigate the vandalism of a Jewish-owned business in North York, International Delicatessen Foods (IDF for short)

THE ZOOMER SQUAD: CARP'S REACTION TO A NEW U.S. DRUG POLICY Libby Znaimer 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. It’s Monday time for our Zoomer Squad and there’s  a very worrisome development South of the border: Florida has passed a law allowing the importation of drugs from Canada. The Floridians are thrilled. They say this can save the $150 million a year but what about us? We are already plagued with serious drug shortages. Remember when busloads of Americans drove to a border pharmacy to buy insulin? And what about Americans buying Ozempic here at a third of the US price and exacerbating the shortage? What if anything can be done? JUSTIN BATES OF THE OPA REACTS TO FLORIDA IMPORTING DRUGS FROM CANADA Libby Znaimer is joined by Justin Bates, CEO of the Ontario Pharmacists Association. What are the rules around those possible sales to the US?  Can the w

Today on Free For All Friday: Listeners called in to discuss the Israel-Hamas war, and the rise of hate-related crimes in Toronto.

TUNE INTO THE TOWN:  NORTH YORK JEWISH-OWNED DELI TARGET OF SUSPECTED HATE CRIME It’s Thursday - time to talk about all things municipal. And we begin the year with escalating anti-Semitic violence. Yesterday a Jewish owned North York deli was torched and defaced with pro-Palestinian graffiti. Police are investigating and political leaders have come out with pious statements condemning this. But given other incidents targeting Jewish neighbourhoods, and Jewish businesses have gone off with impunity why are we surprised? And speaking of confidence in public servants - what about those typos on new signage that no one caught before they were made and installed? And there’s a plan to increase the use of photo radar. Joining to discuss is David Crombie, former Toronto Mayor, Alex Blumenstein, Co-Founder of The Peak and Councillor Paula Fletcher, Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth. "NO MORE NOISE" FIGHTS NOISE POLLUTION IN TORONTO The city of Toronto is reviewing the noise by-law almost five years after it was amended t

THE MEDICAL RECORD:  MULTIVITAMINS MAY PLAY A ROLE IN BOOSTING MEMORY OF OLDER ADULTS ACCORDING TO STUDY 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 at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Dr. Jamie Spiegelman, an  Internal medicine and critical care physician at Humber River Hospital. It’s Wednesday: time to talk about your health and it is our first medical panel of the new year. Many of us have made health related New Year resolutions - what are the most sensible changes to start and how best to keep them. And before the holidays we talked about the expected increase in heart attacks and overcrowding in emergency rooms. How did this actually turn out? Paediatricians are complaining that a lack of government data on childhood flu is hampering them. And if you listen to weather reports, one of the big questions is when will we see some sunshine? Is the lack of it getting you down a

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL:  WHERE ARE OTTAWA AND QUEENS PARK HEADED IN 2024? Libby Znaimer is joined by Lisa Raitt, former deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Cheri Di Novo, former Ontario NDP MPP and a recipient of the Order of Canada, and George Smitherman, former Liberal MPP for Toronto Centre. who served both as a deputy premier and minister of health. As we begin the new year of 2024, will it be same old same old when it comes to our politics? Will Bonnie Crombie’s tenure as Ontario Liberal leader change the dynamics at Queen’s Park even though she doesn’t have a seat. Has Premier Ford put the land swap scandal behind him and what about Ontario Place? At the federal level, will Trudeau stay or go? Right now the consensus seems to be that he will stay. And the honeymoon seems to be over for Toronto mayor Olivia Chow. Now she will have to pass a budget through council and with that a tax increase. Numbers. ISRAEL SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN JUDICIAL OVERHAUL & ISRAEL WILL COUNTER SO

This is the second of a two part series where Jane Brown looks back at the very best of Fight Back from 2023. Highlights include welcoming Olivia Chow as Toronto's new mayor in July, the political ramifications of Justin Trudeau's seperation from Sophie Gregoire Trudeau in August, the international embarrassment when a 98 year old Nazi war veteran was celebrated in the House of Commons as a Ukrainian and Canadian hero in September, the breakout of war in Israel in October, the waning support for the Federal Liberals as the NDP vote with the Conservatives in November, and the worrying rise in Food Bank usage in December. To listen to Part 1 you can find the archived podcast episode of the Best of 2023 from our episode posted on December 26, 2023

Today on Free For All Friday: Our listeners phone in about the Yonge-Dundas name change, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and share their best wishes for the new year. 

TUNE INTO THE TOWN:  A NEW YEAR OF FINANCIAL WOES FOR TORONTO Jane Brown is joined by Karen Stintz, CEO, Variety Village, Councillor Paula Fletcher, Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth and Councillor James Pasternak, Ward 6 York Centre. This week: even after a big deal with the province to help alleviate Toronto's financial woes, the City still has a major budget shortfall of $1.5 billion in 2024. Meanwhile, two Toronto-based churches are having to close their doors by the end of this year to the thousands of refugees they've helped provide shelter for due to the drying up of funds needed to support them. Will this trend only become more widespread? SHOULD CANADA IMPOSE A BAN ON CIGARETTE SALES TO ANYONE BORN AFTER 2008? Jane Brown is joined by Rob Cunningham, Senior Policy Analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society. Canadian health professionals are recommending that Ottawa ban the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after 2008 and have pointed to New Zealand as a role model in this area of health legislation. So, how r

THE MEDICAL RECORD:   HOW EFFECTIVE WERE OVER THE COUNTER COVID-19 RAPID TEST KITS? Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre,  Dr. Fahad Razak, Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto and Dr. Sohail Gandhi, an Ontario based family physician and a past President of the Ontario Medical Association. It’s Wednesday time to talk about your health. And there was a huge uptick in Covid cases before the holidays which I am sure is spiking even more after all the Christmas gatherings and the shopping in crowds. Meanwhile, a new report says those ubiquitous home test kits aren’t as accurate as we thought and the company behind them fudged some of the results in order to get the multi million dollar contract. And there’s a new study on physician burnout - again some of that must be related to the holidays. And two of our panelists were working over Christmas. So did a young emergency doctor who was a guest at our