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 a new-deal working group to address the issue. Finally, we discuss the bombshell news we learned this week when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in the House of Commons that he recieved "credible evidence" from our intelligence services that India was behind the killing of a Sikh leader in British Columbia on June 18th. Our panel reacts to the latest.

PM TRUDEAU: REASON TO BELIEVE INDIA BEHIND KILLING OF BC SIKH LEADER

12:30-12:45 

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Gurratan Singh, Vice President at Crestview Strategy and Former NDP MPP for Brampton.

As mentioned in the previous segment, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the news to the House of Commons this week that he has credible information from our intelligence community that India was behind the murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia on June 18th. The Prime Minister says that he brought his concerns about this directly to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G20 Summit. Canada has since expelled an Indian diplomat and in a tit for tat response, India did the same with a Canadian diplomat in India. Gurratan details the latest and why he takes issue with the Indian government.

AIR PASSENGER COMPLAINTS' BACKLOG REACHES  THE 57,000 MARK--A NEW PEAK

12:45-1 pm

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Martin Firestone, a travel expert and President of Travel Secure Inc.

Canada's transport regulator reached a backlog of air passenger complaints amounting to 57,000--a new peak. How did it get to this point? Marty weighs in.

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 Costco for a meeting to discuss how they can stabilize their food prices. Trudeau's message: "It's not okay that our biggest grocery stores are making record profits while Canadians are struggling to put food on the table." The question is--what will come from this meeting and can Canadians really expect any change to come as inflation continues to impact us?

THE STATE OF PRIMARY CARE IN CANADA HAS BEEN CHANGING: HERE'S HOW

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Nadia Alam,  family doctor and anesthetist in Georgetown Ontario and Dr. Kathleen Ross, President of the Canadian Medical Association.

Research shows that family care doctors per capita is at an all time high. So, why do many Canadians still feel like access to primary care is very difficult to get?

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.

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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?

12:30-12:50 PM

Libby Znaimer is joined by Libby Znaimer is joined by Brian Lilley, Political Columnist for the Toronto Sun and Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, Vice President, Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA).

The Peel District School Board has been undergoing a weeding process whereby it has been removing books on its library shelves from prior to 2008 all with the aim to make its library books selection more inclusive. But the move which commenced last Spring has left many parents concerned when they could no longer find important literary works like A Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.

ONTARIO'S PLAN FOR PHARMACISTS AHEAD OF COVID-19 FALL SEASON

12:50-1 PM

Libby Znaimer is joined by Justin Bates, CEO of Ontario Pharmacists Association.

The province is planning to allow pharmacies to administer flu shots to babies, and RSV vaccines for adults 60 years of age and older. Justin Bates explains why this is an important step as Fall season comes upon us.

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.

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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 College Street in Toronto.

According to data from OpenTable (a reservation system), Toronto restaurant establishments have been seeing a major decline in dine-in patrons for three straight months. So, why is that happening? And, Libby has a bone to pick with OpenTable.

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IT WILL TAKE 20 YEARS FOR ONTARIO AND OTTAWA TO BREAK EVEN ON EV SUBSIDIES

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Yves Giroux, the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

According to a report from Mr. Giroux, it will take 20 years for Ontario and the feds to break even on $28 billion in government subsidies in electric vehicle plant subsidies in St. Thomas and Windsor. He breaks it down for us.

Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

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.

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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 forcing the telcos to ensure that all subway users, regardless of the service providers they have, have access to mobile services". So, what will result from this rather bold ultimatum to the telecom giants from Ottawa.

PETER NYGARD’S UPCOMING SEXUAL ASSAULT TRIAL IN TORONTO  

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Kim Schofield, Criminal Defense Lawyer with Kim Schofield & Associates.

Disgraced former fashion designer Peter Nygard is facing 6 charges  in his sexual assault case here in Toronto: five charges of sexual assault, and one charge for forcible confinement. The trial will now be taking place next week. Nygard has denied all of the allegations against him. Kim details the latest and what we can expect in the weeks ahead as the trial starts.

Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

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 bread. Both Ellen and Jennifer weigh in on that story and why, generally, dollar stores are selling certain products that can be found in grocery stores for much cheaper.

REMEMBERING 9/11 22 YEARS LATER

Liz West is now joined by Larry Haas, Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council

Today marks the 22nd anniversary of 9/11. Larry reflects on day that changed the world forever and how the U.S. continues to make sure to preserve the memories of those whose lives were forever changed or taken by terrorism on September 11.

Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

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.

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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 is now joined by Jason Lietaer, Conservative Strategist and President at Enterprise.

The Trudeau government is selecting Quebec judge  Marie-Josee Hogue to lead a public inquiry into alleged Chinese interference into our political system according to anonymous government sources. This comes months after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau selected former Governor General David Johnston to probe any interference. That was met with backlash from both the public and opposition parties who have been demanding a public inquiry instead.

Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

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 INTEREST RATE

Marissa Lennox is now joined by Moshe Lander, Senior Lecturer of Economics at Concordia University in Montreal.

This morning we learned that the Bank of Canada has decided to keep the key interest rate steady at 5 per cent.

WHO IS "MR. X"?

Marissa Lennox is now joined by Marit Stiles, leader of the Ontario NDP.

First, we get Marit's reaction to both Ontario Housing Minister Steve Clark's resignation (though he will remain an MPP for his riding) and Premier Ford's cabinet shuffle that sees Paul Calandra become the new housing minister amid the Greenbelt scandal. Then we get Marit's reaction to "Mr. X" who was referenced in the integrity commissioners report on the Ford government's Greenbelt plans.

Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!