Fight Back With Libby Znaimer

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL: PREMIER DOUG FORD AND MAYOR OLIVIA CHOW'S MEETING 12:00-12:30  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, the heads of big grocery retailers like Loblaw, Sobeys, Metro, Walmart and Costco met with Ottawa to discuss stabilizing food prices ahead of Canadian Thanksgiving weekend as Canadians continue to grapple with high inflation. According to industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, they have agreed to work with the government on this. But what will that actually look like? Meanwhile, both Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow looked to be chummy after their meeting yesterday afternoon to discuss getting support from the province to help fill the City's billion dollar shortfall stemming from the pandemic. They announced

ZOOMER SQUAD: THE RESURGENCE OF COVID-19  Libby Znaimer is joined by David Coletto, CEO and Founding Partner of Abacus Data, Peter Muggeridge, Senior Editor of Zoomer Magazine, and Anthony Quinn,  Chief Community Officer of CARP. Ottawa has called on the big grocery retailers for a meeting to discuss how they can stabilize their food prices as inflation continues to impact Canadians. Meanwhile, In the U.S., COVID-19 infections are reaching levels comparable to that early on in the pandemic in 2020. The World Health Organization is encouraging those at higher risk (including the immunocompromised and older adults) to get their booster shots as soon as possible regardless of whether it's the latest version of the vaccine or not. So, what is happening here in Canada on the COVID-19 front? OTTAWA WANTS GROCERY RETAILERS TO STABILIZE THEIR FOOD PRICES Libby Znaimer is now joined by consumer advocate Ellen Roseman. Ottawa has called on the big grocery retailers including: Metro, Loblaw, Sobeys, Walmart and Cos

Today on Free For All Friday-Listeners weighed in on a variety of topics including the Trudeau Liberals' plans to ask grocery retailers to stabilize their food prices as costs continue to be high due to inflation. Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: A NEW "RAGE POLL" & BONNIE CROMBIE TAKING LEAVE OF ABSENCE 12-12:30 PM Libby Znaimer is joined by Alex Blumenstein, Co-Founder of The Peak, David Crombie, Former Mayor of Toronto, and Karen Stintz, CEO, Variety Village. Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie is taking a leave of absence from her role as Mayor as she pursues her leadership of the Ontario Liberal party. A spokesperson for the Ontario PC Party was quick to respond saying, "“It must be nice to take a prolonged vacation from your job. It’s clear Bonnie only sees being mayor as a backup plan rather than what it is: a full-time job. She’s hedging her bets on becoming leader of the Ontario Liberals when she should be serving the people of Mississauga. Classic Bonnie: It’s always about her.” Meanwhile, a new "rage poll" by Pollara indicates that as many as 69 per cent of Ontarians are angry with Premier Doug Ford's Greenbelt plans which has developed into a scandal. ONTARIO SCHOOL BOARD REMOVES BOOKS FROM SHELVES. WHY? 12:30-12:

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. Jamie Spiegelman, Internal medicine and critical care physician at Humber River Hospital. If you’ve been buying over the counter meds in the hope that they will unstuff your stuffy nose - you’ve been wasting your money. The U.S. authorities have ruled that the main ingredient - phenylephrine - does not work. It replaced an older ingredient in 2006 and it is in up to 250 medications. So my big question for the panel is: do these pills do anything else? Anything useful? Also a disturbing study that finds that older people bear the biggest burden of the opioid crisis. ---- DINE-INS AT TORONTO RESTAURANT ESTABLISHMENTS ARE ON THE DECLINE Libby Znaimer is now joined by Tracy Macgregor, Vice President, Ontario, Restaurants Canada andAnita Thompson, Founder and owner of Zitto Zitto, an Italian restaurant on C

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. The Conservative Party convention took place in Quebec City over the past weekend with speeches from leader Pierre Poilievre among others. Meanwhile, Doug Ford called out school boards in the province over their gender-identity policies in the classroom. It comes at a time when the Ford government continues to face heat over its ongoing Greenbelt scandal. ---- TTC CELL SERVICE FOR ALL RIDERS COMING SOON     Libby Znaimer is now joined by Councillor Paul Ainslie, Ward 24 Scarborough-Guildwood, and Councillor Brad Bradford, Ward 19 Beaches-East York. According to Canada's federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, all riders of the TTC will have cell service by Oct. 3. He went on to say, "We are

Liz West is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs, Peter Muggeridge, Senior Editor of Zoomer Magazine, and Anthony Quinn, Chief Community Officer of CARP. A new report from Ontario's Ombudsman has concluded that the Ministry of long-term care was unprepared when it came to inspections of homes during the first COVID-19 wave. Meanwhile, as the Ford government continues to grapple with the Greenbelt scandal, Premier Doug Ford decided to call out Ontario School Boards for "indoctrinating" students on gender issues. Our panel weighs in on the latest. WHEN IT COMES TO SELLING BREAD  Liz West is now joined by Consumer advocate Ellen Roseman as well as an Dr. Jennifer Quaid, an Associate Professor and Vice-Dean Research in the Civil Law Section at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law. An investigation by the Halifax Examiner that focused on Nova Scotia found that Dollarama stores that shared properties with a Sobeys grocery stores were not selling

Today on Free For All Friday-listeners called in to weigh in on the ongoing Greenbelt Scandal plaguing the Ford government.

Libby Znaimer is joined by Karen Stintz, CEO, Variety Village, Councillor Paula Fletcher for Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth, and Councillor James Pasternak for Ward 6 York Centre. This week: Toronto City Council has voted on a number of different revenue tools to alleviate the City's billion dollar budget hole. And, Doug Ford's government continues to grapple with the Greenbelt scandal. ---- A NEW PROGRAM AIMS TO ALLEVIATE FAMILY PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE  Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Tara Kiran, a family doctor and researcher at St. Michael's Hospital and Dr. Nadia Alam, a family doctor and anesthetist in Georgetown Ontario who is a past president of the Ontario Medical Association. Queen's University is implementing a program to help address the family physician shortage by training first year med students to become family doctors. Our family physician guests weigh in on how that program would be a useful strategy. TRUDEAU GOVERNMENT TO FINALLY LAUNCH PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO ALLEGED CHINESE INTERFERENCE Libby Znaimer

THE MEDICAL RECORD: BOOSTER SHOTS, VITAMINS AND ASPIRIN Marissa Lennox is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Dr. Amol Verma, a staff physician in General Internal Medicine at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Dr. Aaron Schimmer, the Director of Research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre as well as a staff physician and a senior scientist and Dr. Alisa Naiman, Family Physician and Founder and Medical Director of The Medical Station in Toronto. A study by Canadian researchers points to keeping up to date with your booster shots rather than relying on previous infections as the best defense against getting future infections of COVID-19. Meanwhile, another study from the Journal of Clinical Investigation shows that vitamins could contribute to the growth of Cancerous tumours. Additionally, new research reveals how low doses of the Aspirin drug can reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes in adults 65 years of age and older. Our panel of doctors weigh in on the latest. THE BANK OF CANADA INTER

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL: ONTARIO HOUSING MINISTER RESIGNS & A FORD GOVERNMENT CABINET SHUFFLE 12:00-12:30  Libby Znaimer is joined by Peggy Nash, the former NDP Member of Parliament for Parkdale—High Park, John Milloy, former Ontario Liberal MPP who served as a cabinet minister under the Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne governments and John Mykytyshyn, a Conservative political consultant and President of Bradgate Research Group. Two major developments have emerged from Queen's Park this week. The first being that Ontario Housing Minister Steve Clark has resigned amid the Ford government's controversial Greenbelt plans. Then we learned that Premier Doug Ford has shuffled his cabinet and appointed Paul Calandra (previously minister of long term care) as the new housing minister. Our panel weighs in on the latest. SEGMENT 2-MORE REACTION TO THE FALLOUT FROM THE GREENBELT SCANDAL 12:30-12:50 Libby Znaimer is now joined by Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario followed by Bob Richar

SEPTEMBER 01 2023-FREE FOR ALL FRIDAY

AUGUST 31 2023 THURSDAY-MORE GREENBELT FALLOUT; BANKS BRACE FOR SPIKE IN BAD LOANS; AND A STEAMY SEPTEMBER?

MEDICAL RECORD Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Fahad Razak, General Internist at Unity Health Toronto; Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre; and Dr. Alisa Naiman, family physician and founder and Medical Director of The Medical Station in Toronto to discuss England poised to rollout a world-first seven-minute cancer treatment injection; food insecurity among Canadian school-age children jumping by nearly 30%; and more. GLOBAL AFFAIRS CANADA ISSUES LGBTQ+ TRAVEL ADVISORY FOR THE U.S. Global Affairs Canada has updated its international travel advisories to warn members of the LGBTQ+ community that they may face discrimination if they travel to some places in the United States. Libby Znaimer is joined by Helen Kennedy, Executive Director at LGBTQ+ advocacy group Egale; Douglas Elliott, Partner at Cambridge LLP; and Curran Stikuts, Director of Advocacy and Strategic Communications at The 519 to discuss. SUPER BLUE MOON TONIGHT It’s an astronomical event we won’t see the li

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AUGUST 28 2023 - PRESIDENTIAL AGEISM; MARCH ON WASHINGTON ANNIVERSARY; AND E-COMMERCE CUSTOMER SERVICE

Today on Free For All Friday, listeners weighed in on the Greenbelt boondoggle and the housing crisis.

AUGUST 24 2023-TORONTO'S FIFA FIASCO; THE METRO STRIKE AND THE REPORTED DEATH OF YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN

AUGUST 23 2023-A NEW GENERIC DRUG PRICE DEAL; NEW COVID VARIANTS; MORE GREENBELT FALLOUT AND CANADA VERSUS META

AUGUST 22 2023-FEDERAL CABINET RETREAT; THE HOUSING CRISIS; AND THE NEW DESIGN PLANS FOR ONTARIO PLACE