Fight Back With Libby Znaimer

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners weighed in on who they would vote for ahead of a looming federal election call here in Canada and other news of the week. 

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: THE LATEST ON THE CITY'S APPROACH TO ITS COYOTE PROBLEM Libby Znaimer is joined by Toronto City Councillor Jon Burnside,  City Councillor for Ward 16 (Don Valley East), Taylor Scollon, Co-Founder of The Peak and Will Stewart, a Conservative Strategist and Senior Vice President with Enterprise Canada. Is Toronto seriously considering the idea of purchasing FIFA tickets for the 2026 games and then reselling them at a greater cost to help with recouping the costs of co-hosting? The answer is yes. Shouldn't the City be prioritizing our taxpayer dollars on fixing services that keep Toronto functioning instead? And, does Toronto have a problem with its approach to dealing with Coyotes in our neighborhoods? We discuss these topics and more.  NEW ONTARIO PC CABINET AND A LOOMING FEDERAL ELECTION Libby Znaimer is joined by Warren Kinsella who writes for the Toronto Sun and Janet Ecker, a former Ontario PC MPP and Finance Minister. There is plenty going on this week in both provincial and fe

THE MEDICAL RECORD: GETTING THE SHINGLES SHOT & LOCAL MEASLES OUTBREAK IN ONTARIO  Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and former head of B.C. Cancer, Dr. Jamie Spiegelman, Internal Medicine and Critical Care Physician at Humber River Hospital and Dr. Iris Gorfinkel, Family Physician, Founder of PrimeHealth Clinical Research. Have you gotten both of your shingles shots? And remember that the interval between getting both shots is 2 to 6 months. Our panel also discusses the latest on the measles outbreak here in Ontario. MARK CARNEY AND HIS ASSETS Libby Znaimer is joined by Michael Barrett,  Conservative MP (Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes) and Shadow Minister for Ethics and Accountable Government. Prime Minister Mark Carney had a testy exchange with reporters earlier this week when they asked him about the details of his assets which he has put into a blind trust. ARE YOU SUPPORTING AMERICA WITH YOUR CREDIT CARD?  Libby

RECOVERING POLITICIANS: MARK CARNEY MAKES INTERNATIONAL TRIP AS PRIME MINISTER Jane Brown is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by George Smitherman, former Ontario Liberal Health Minister and Deputy Premier, Cheri DiNovo, former NDP MPP and John Mykytyshyn, Conservative Consultant and President of Bradgate Research Group. Mark Carney hasn't even been Prime Minister for a week and he's already getting defensive with journalists who asked him questions about his assets and whether there are any potential conflicts of interest. And, we get reactions from our panel about his trip abroad to Europe and then to Iqaluit back home in Canada. THE LATEST ON SANKOFA SQUARE  Jane Brown is joined by Justin Holmes, a columnist with the Toronto Sun. We shift our attention to Toronto City Hall and the ongoing conversation after the renaming of Yonge Dundas Square to Sankofa Square. IT'S TIME TO REVISIT THE DEBATE OVER TORONTO BIKE LANES  Jane Brown is joined by Albert Koehl, a cycling and pedestri

ZOOMER SQUAD: CARNEY MAKES FIRST INTERNATIONAL TRIP SINCE BECOMING PRIME MINISTER Libby Znaimer today is joined by Rudy Buttignol, President of CARP, Anthony Quinn, Chief Operating Officer of CARP and David Valentin, Principal at Liaison Strategies. On Friday, Mark Carney was sworn in as Canada's Prime Minister. This week, he touched down in Europe as part of his first trip abroad. The trip, of course, comes amid the Trump administration's tariff war on Canada. JOHN BOLTON REACTS TO PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP'S TARIFFS ON CANADA Libby Znaimer is joined by John Bolton, a former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. and a former National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump during his first term in office. Ambassador Bolton reacts to the USA's tariff policies against Canada, and why he thinks we need not worry about President Donald Trump's "51st State" rhetoric about Canada. He also explains how PM Mark Carney should approach dealing with President Trump. WHAT HAPPENED TO HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY?  Libby Znaimer is

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners called in about U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs against Canada and Liberal leader Mark Carney officially becoming Prime Minister. 

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: THE POLITICS OF POTHOLES Libby Znaimer is joined by Jon Burnside, City Councillor for Ward 16 (Don Valley East), Councillor James Pasternak for Ward 6 (York Centre) and Ana Bailao, a former Toronto City Councillor and Mayoral Candidate. This week:  we get right into the politics of potholes in the City, following yesterday's conversation about the science of how they form. The burning question, of course, is what explains the delay by city workers to fill them all up? PREMIER FORD MEETS WITH U.S. COMMERCE SECRETARY HOWARD LUTNICK IN WASHINGTON Libby Znaimer is joined by Warren Kinsella, a Canadian lawyer and writer and David Tarrant, Vice President, National Strategic Communications at Enterprise. Today: Ontario Premier Doug Ford and federal finance Minister Dominic Leblanc are both in Washington meeting with U.S. Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick. Meanwhile, in an op-ed in the Toronto Sun this week, Warren listed off ten reasons why Mark Carney's Liberals could actually win the next

THE MEDICAL RECORD: FIVE YEARS SINCE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC STARTED    Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and former head of BC Cancer, Dr. Fahad Razak, General Internist at St. Michael's Hospital and Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto and Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing in Toronto.  Yesterday marked 5 years since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Our doctors share their personal stories of navigating the early days of it and working on the front lines in healthcare.   U.S. TARIFFS ON STEEL AND ALUMINUM IN EFFECT TODAY AND OTTAWA RESPONDS  Libby Znaimer is joined by Andrea Horwath, Mayor of Hamilton followed by Marty Warren, the Canadian National Director of the United Steelworkers Union which represents 225,000 members in Canada. Today: the Trump administration's 25 percent tariffs on aluminum and steel are in place and Ottawa has responded with reciprocal tariffs.  THE SCIENCE B

RECOVERING POLITICIANS: PREMIER FORD'S SURCHARGE ON ELECTRICITY TO AMERICANS AND TRUMP'S RESPONSE  Libby Znaimer is joined by George Smitherman, former Ontario Liberal Health minister and Deputy Premier, Cheri DiNovo, former NDP MPP and John Mykytyshyn, Conservative Activist, Political Consultant and President of Bradgate Research Group. Our panel reacts to Ontario imposing a 25 percent surcharge on electricity going to the U.S. and President Donald Trump's response of doubling tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel. Meanwhile, we talk about Mark Carney as the new leader of the Liberal party and when we might expect a federal election to be called.  TARIFF LABELS AT LOBLAW? WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW  Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University. What is the reasoning behind this move by Canadian grocery giant Loblaw amid Canada-U.S. tariffs? Sylvain weighs in on that and what consumers should know. 

ZOOMER SQUAD: A DECISIVE VICTORY FOR MARK CARNEY Libby Znaimer is joined by Rudy Buttignol, President of CARP, Anthony Quinn, Chief Operating Officer of CARP and David Valentin, Principal at Liaison Strategies. It was a decisive victory for Mark Carney at yesterday's Liberal leadership convention. The former central banker turned politician is now leader of the federal Liberal party and takes on the role of Prime Minister-designate. So when will the federal election be called? In other news, there are some new punitive rules from the U.S. that Canadian snowbirds will want to know about. NOW THAT CARNEY TAKES OVER AS LIBERAL LEADER AND PM-IN-WAITING, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?   Libby Znaimer is joined by Bob Richardson, a Public Affairs Consultant, Peter Donolo, a former longtime Director of Communications to Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Will Stewart, a Conservative Strategist and Senior Vice President with Enterprise Canada. Our guests weigh in on Mark Carney becoming the next Liberal leader and PM-in-waiti

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners reacted to the latest on the federal Liberal leadership race and the Canada-U.S. trade war. 

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: CITY WORKERS COULD GO ON STRIKE STARTING MONDAY  Libby Znaimer is joined by Taylor Scollon,  Co-Founder of The Peak, Jon Burnside, City Councillor for Ward 16 Don Valley East and Brad Bradford, City Councillor for Ward 19 Beaches East York. On Monday at 12:01 AM, there's a good chance that thousands of city workers could go on strike. What are the issues in the negotiations between the City of Toronto and the union representing the city workers and what services will be disrupted? Meanwhile, we get some good news about improved response times for the city's emergency services. THESE ARE THE MOST PREVALENT TYPES OF FRAUD IN TORONTO Libby Znaimer is joined by Detective David Coffey with Toronto Police Service's Financial Crimes Unit. It's Fraud Prevention Month and Toronto Police have detailed the top five most popular forms of fraud that are hurting Torontonians. Detective Coffey breaks it down for us. THE LATEST ON THE FEDERAL LIBERAL LEADERSHIP RACE Libby Znaimer is joined by

THE MEDICAL RECORD:  ARE YOU IODINE DEFICIENT? Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and former head of BC Cancer, Dr. Fahad Razak, General Internist at St. Michael's Hospital and Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto and Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing in Toronto. Our panel discusses whether Canada's healthcare system should be recruiting doctors right now from the U.S., especially with RFK Jr. in charge of the health and human services file. And, we talk about the issue of iodine deficiency. THE IMPACT OF TARIFFS ON CANADIAN STEEL AND MANUFACTURING  Libby Znaimer is joined by Catherine Cobden, President and CEO of the Canadian Steel Producers Association and Ryan Greer, VP of Public Affairs and National Policy, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME). Now that U.S. President Donald Trump has slapped 25 percent tariffs across the board on Canadian goods, we're taking a closer look

RECOVERING POLITICIANS:  THE CANADA-U.S. TARIFF WAR HAS BEGUN  Libby Znaimer is joined by George Smitherman, former Ontario Liberal Health Minister and Deputy Premier, Cheri DiNovo, former NDP MPP and Lisa Raitt, former Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. U.S. President Donald Trump implemented 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods today (10 percent on our energy) and Ottawa has retaliated with tariffs in response. Our panel reacts to the latest.  WORLD OBESITY DAY: THE CAUSES, SYMPTOMS AND LATEST RESEARCH Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, Medical Director, BMI Medical Institute. Today marks World Obesity Day. It's a good opportunity to take a closer look at this chronic health condition and the contributing causes, as well as the rise of drugs like Ozempic. SHOULD TORONTO BUSINESSES BE ABLE TO OPEN ON STAT HOLIDAYS? Libby Znaimer is joined by Toronto Deputy Mayor Mike Colle of Ward 8 Eglinton-Lawrence, Fred Naggar, co-owner of Delysées Luxury Desserts and Mary Leonard,

ZOOMER SQUAD:  REACTION TO PREMIER DOUG FORD SECURING A THIRD MAJORITY  Libby Znaimer is joined by John Mykytyshyn, Conservative strategist and President of Bradgate Research Group, Anthony Quinn, Chief Operating Officer of CARP and David Valentin, Principal at Liaison Strategies. We get reaction from our panel regarding the outcome of the Ontario election and Premier Doug Ford securing a third consecutive majority government. A VERY PUBLIC SHOWDOWN BETWEEN PRESIDENT TRUMP AND ZELENSKYY AT THE WHITE HOUSE Libby Znaimer is joined by Roman Waschuk, a former Canadian ambassador to Ukraine and Andrew Rasiulis with The Canadian Global Affairs Institute. Our guests take a closer look at the very public showdown between Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance at the White House on Friday. What are the implications of this for the U.S. and for Europe?  MAYOR PATRICK BROWN'S CANADA FIRST PROCUREMENT POLICY  Libby Znaimer is joined by Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown.

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners called in to discuss the outcome of the Ontario election in which Premier Doug Ford and the PCs won a third majority government. 

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: MAYOR OLIVIA CHOW'S RESPONSE TO SNOW REMOVAL Libby Znaimer is joined by Taylor Scollon,  Co-Founder of The Peak, Councillor Jon Burnside, Ward 16 Don Valley East and Councillor James Pasternak, Ward 6 York Centre. We begin today's discussion about Toronto's snow problem and more specifically how Mayor Chow has been dealing with it. Our guests also weigh in on satisfaction levels of living in Toronto presently with all of its challenges including traffic congestion and more. CARP'S ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING TAKES PLACE TODAY Libby Znaimer is joined by Dan Levitt, BC's Seniors Advocate. Today is a very important one: CARP's Annual General Meeting begins at noon and this year's theme is Ageism. Also joining the AGM are Seniors Advocates from across the country. To learn more about CARP and the AGM, visit carp.ca WHY A GROUP OF ETOBICOKE BUSINESSES ARE SUING THE CITY OVER BIKE LANES  Libby Znaimer is joined by Cody MacRae, the founder of Balance on Bloor, a not-for-profit group which advoc

THE MEDICAL RECORD: WHAT ARE THE PROVINCIAL LEADERSHIP CANDIDATES PROMISING ON HEALTHCARE? Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and former head of BC Cancer, Dr. Amol Verma, a physician and professor at the University of Toronto and Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing in Toronto. This week: we get reaction from our doctors on whether they heard any specifics from the provincial leadership candidates about healthcare ahead of election day on February 27th. REACTION TO THE FEDERAL LIBERAL ENGLISH DEBATE Libby Znaimer is joined by Jason Lietaer, Conservative Strategist and President at Enterprise and Bob Richardson, a Public Affairs Consultant. Our guests share their impressions of the federal Liberal leadership English debate that took place yesterday and also weighed in on the platforms of the provincial leadership candidates ahead of the Ontario election on February 27th.

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL:  REACTION TO THE FEDERAL LIBERAL LEADERSHIP DEBATE Libby Znaimer is joined by George Smitherman, a former Ontario Liberal Health Minister and Deputy Premier, Janet Ecker, former Ontario PC Finance Minister, and Cheri DiNovo, a former NDP MPP. Yesterday, the federal Liberal leadership candidates participated in a French language debate, and the panel takes a look at the promises being made by the Ontario leadership candidates ahead of election day on February 27. CHARITIES IMPACTED BY CANADA POST STRIKE: WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE NUMBERS Libby Znaimer is joined by Nicole Danesi, Senior Manager, Strategic Communications and Brand at CanadaHelps and Jon Miller, Chief Ministry Officer at The Scott Mission. We are getting a clearer picture of the extent to which Canadian charities experienced mail donation losses as a direct result of the Canada Post strike thanks to findings by CanadaHelps: it is estimated that there were losses of $266 million. Our guests break down the numbers

ZOOMER SQUAD: HAVE YOU VOTED YET? Libby Znaimer is joined by Rudy Buttignol, President of CARP, Anthony Quinn, Chief Operating Officer of CARP and David Valentin, Principal at Liaison Strategies. The provincial election is fast approaching (February 27th). Are you among the Ontarians who have already cast a vote? And, have you been finding it manageable to go out and vote at your polling station with all of the snow we still have left over on the sidewalks and roads? THE HISTORY OF "O CANADA"  Libby Znaimer is joined by J.D.M. Stewart, a historian and the author of Being Prime Minister. It's time for a deep dive into the history of Canada's national anthem: O Canada. And, we answer the question about whether you are allowed to change the words to it when you perform it.  THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF WAR IN UKRAINE AND GERMANY'S ELECTION RESULTS Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Ivan Gomza, Associate Professor at the Kyiv School of Economics and Dietlind Stolle, Professor of Political Science at McGill. We