Libby Znaimer is joined by Alex Blumenstein, Co-Founder of The Peak which is now part of the ZoomerMedia family, David Crombie, Former Mayor of Toronto,  Karen Stintz, CEO, Variety Village and a former Toronto City Councillor and mayoral candidate.

It's our first Tune into the Town panel since Olivia Chow became the declared winner of Toronto's mayoral by-election. What do our panelists think about this? And, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated Chow on her victory. But he has ruled out major aid to Toronto which has an approximately $1.5M budget hole. He said that the provinces need to step up when it comes to supporting the cities that fall within their jurisdictions.

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INCREASE IN DISTRACTED DRIVING IN ONTARIO 

Libby Znaimer is joined by Teresa Di Felice, Assistant Vice President, Government and Community Relations for CAA South Central Ontario.

Today: The CAA has released its survey showing that 44 per cent of drivers in Ontario admitted to being distracted at some point while driving--a 4 per cent increase from the year before. So, what does distracted driving mean? It could be the use of a mobile phone in your hand while operating a vehicle, watching a video and just about anything that takes away your full focus from the wheel and road ahead. Teresa weighs in on the latest.

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A LOOKAHEAD TO SUMMERLICIOUS

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Derek Valleau, Co-Owner of Pukka and Tony Elenis, President and CEO of The Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association (ORHMA).

Pukka will be one of the restaurants participating in Summerlicious this year. The event will run from July 7 to July 23rd.

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

Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Alisa Naiman, Family Physician and Founder and Medical Director of The Medical Station in Toronto , Dr. Fahad Razak, General Internist at Unity Health Toronto and Dr. Nadia Alam, A family doctor and anesthetist in Georgetown Ontario and a former president of the Ontario Medical Association.

Today: We kick things off with a discussion of the poor air quality we are experiencing because of the wildfires. And, a new mental health study reveals that roughly half a million Canadian employees miss work on a weekly basis due to poor mental health.

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COMPETITION BUREAU'S FINDINGS ON GROCERY RETAILERS

Libby Znaimer is joined by Gary Sands, Senior Vice President of Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers and Ellen Roseman, a consumer advocate.

We recap the Competition Bureau's report on grocery retailer competition in Canada.

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Libby is joined by John Mykytyshyn, a Conservative strategist and President of Bradgate Research Group, George Smitherman,  former Ontario Liberal MPP for Toronto Centre who also served as a health minister and deputy Premier, Peggy Nash, the former NDP Member of Parliament for Parkdale—High Park and Janet Ecker, a former Ontario PC MPP and former finance minister.

It's official: Olivia Chow has become the next mayor-elect for the City of Toronto. She is the first immigrant woman and member of a visible minority to be elected to office. She got 37 per cent of the vote while Ana Bailão came in second with 32 per cent of the vote. And remember when, not long ago, Premier Doug Ford said Olivia would be an "unmitigated disaster" for Toronto? Well after her victory, he put out a statement congratulating Olivia and saying, "I will work with anyone ready to work with our government to better our City and province". So, can we expect a cordial and good working relationship between the two leaders?

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OLIVIA CHOW JOINS FIGHT BACK AS TORONTO'S MAYOR-ELECT

Libby is now joined by Toronto's new mayor-elect Olivia Chow.

Olivia keeps her promise to speak to Libby the day after the election. And, now that she's won, she tells our listeners what her first priorities will be as she goes back to City Hall and how she plans to work with Premier Doug Ford and improve City services.

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ANTHONY FUREY ON WHAT COMES NEXT POST ELECTION

Libby is now joined by Anthony Furey who was a candidate in the by-election for Toronto mayor.

It was a campaign full of surprises. One of them was how well Anthony Furey, a veteran broadcaster and journalist, fared as a candidate for mayor. He started in this race as an outsider but managed to be competitive enough in the polls to get invited to key televised election debates like ours here at the Zoomerplex. Why does he think he performed so well? And, now that it's all over, what comes next for Anthony?

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

Libby 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 official: today is election day in Toronto and shortly after 8 pm we will find out who will be Toronto's next Mayor. The latest polls by Forum Research and Mainstreet Research from this past Sunday show Olivia Chow still in the lead but only by single digits. Ana Bailao is right behind her in second place. Did the endorsements from John Tory and others possibly contribute to giving her a boost? Our panelists weigh in on the latest. And, we preview our special election coverage which will be taking place in real time tonight as the results come in.

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PROVINCE USING MZOs TO SPEED UP NURSING HOME REDEVELOPMENTS

Libby is joined by France Gelinas, NDP MPP for Nickel Belt and the health critic as well as Cathy Parkes. Her father passed away at Orchard Villa in April of 2020 from COVID-19.

Local residents are not happy with the province's decision to speed up the redevelopment of nursing homes that were accused of mishandling the pandemic.

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THE AFTERMATH OF WAGNER PMC’S THREAT OF REBELLION IN RUSSIA 

Libby is joined by Dr. Maria Popova, Associate Professor of Political Science and Jean Monnet Chair at McGill University.

This past weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin dealt with the threat of a rebellion from the Wagner PMC which is headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin. The whole thing lasted less than 24 hours but some experts believe this event showed cracks in Putin's armour as he continues to wage war against Ukraine. Dr. Popova explains why.

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

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners called in to weigh in on the final days of the Toronto mayoral race and some offered some thoughts on who they will be voting for!

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

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: FINAL SHOW BEFORE ELECTION DAY!

12-12:30 PM

Libby Znaimer is joined by Alex Blumenstein, Co-Founder of The Peak which is now part of the ZoomerMedia family, David Crombie, Former Mayor of Toronto,  Karen Stintz, CEO, Variety Village and a former Toronto City Councillor and mayoral candidate.

Today: It's the final Tune into the Town panel before election day on June 26 when the new mayor of Toronto will be announced. Ana Bailao got an endorsement from former mayor John Tory and Doug Ford put up a Mark Saunders sign on the lawn of his home in Etobicoke. Do these endorsements mean much and will they ultimately help the candidates? Meanwhile, Olivia maintains her lead in the polls and Libby has thoughts about how much that has to do with people associating her to a time when Toronto saw better days.

ANA BAILAO GIVES FINAL PITCH AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY

12:30-12:45 PM

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Ana Bailão, Toronto Mayoral candidate and the former deputy mayor of the city under John Tory.

Ana rolls through the Fight Back studio to give Libby and our listeners her final pitch before election day on June 26. And she details some of the key endorsements she's been getting including from Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie and most recently former mayor John Tory. Producer Ziv even got a robocall from Tory encouraging to vote for Ana.

MARK SAUNDERS GIVES HIS LAST PITCH BEFORE ELECTION DAY

12:45-1 PM

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Mark Saunders, Toronto Mayoral candidate and former Toronto Police Chief.

Now it's Saunders' turn to make his final pitch before election day. He received a personal endorsement from Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Will that help is case? And how does he feel his "Stop Chow" campaign went? Was it effective?

THE MEDICAL RECORD: A NEW URGENT CARE CLINIC IN MINDEN

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. Dr. Fahad Razak, General Internist at Unity Health Toronto.

We kick things off with a discussion about the news that the Ford government will fund an urgent care clinic in Minden but it won't have any doctors. Starting on June 30, it is expected to be open on weekends and staffed by nurse practitioners and nurses according to health care minister Sylvia Jones. And, we continue the discussion on Ozempic. The maker of the obesity drug just announced lawsuits against clinics selling copycat versions of the drug.

THE LATEST ON THE HIGHWAY 401 CRASH THAT LEFT TWO PEOPLE DEAD

Libby Znaimer is joined by Sgt. Kerry Schmidt of the OPP Highway Safety Division.

A segment of the 401 highway in Pickering is closed after a major crash left two people dead at least.It involved two transport trucks and a passenger vehicle that resulted in an explosion during the collision. Sgt. Schmidt has the latest.

ANTHONY FUREY GIVES HIS LAST PITCH BEFORE ELECTION NIGHT

Libby Znaimer is joined by Toronto mayoral candidate Anthony Furey.

Anthony joins to give our listeners his final pitch before election night on June 26. Today, candidate Rob Davis--who used to serve as a Toronto City councillor--dropped out to endorse him. Furey started the race as an outsider and has succeeded in polling high enough to get invites to some key debates in the City including here at Zoomer Radio.

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL: THE FINAL STRETCH OF THE TORONTO MAYORAL RACE

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 Peggy Nash,  the New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for the Parkdale—High Park electoral district in Toronto.

Today: A look at the final stretch of the Toronto mayoral election campaign. Libby and our recovering politicians take a look at what the leading candidates are saying so far this week and Libby shares her thoughts on why Olivia is the front runner. Meanwhile, the Ontario government has taken public sector workers to the Court of Appeal over Bill 124 being struck down by a judge at the Superior Court of Justice. According the fiscal watchdog of the province, the government will owe $8.4 billion over five years to public sector workers if the law remains overturned.

WHAT'S UP WITH ALL THAT PLASTIC PACKAGING?

Libby Znaimer, Karen Wirsig, Senior Program Manager, Plastics at Environmental Defence and Michelle Genttner, Co-Owner of Unboxed Market.

Why is it typically the case that when you go to the grocery store to pick up a pack of mushrooms or peppers it comes wrapped in all of this wasteful plastic. And those are just two examples. Where is all of this packaging coming from anyways? And since the federal government announced a ban on certain single-use plastics, is the reality of excessive plastic packaging on produce and other foods a sign that the government's measures to tackle the issue not go far enough? Michelle also talks about the alternative solutions she's been implementing at her own grocery store.

JOSH MATLOW GIVES US HIS FINAL PITCH BEFORE ELECTION DAY

Libby Znaimer, Karen Wirsig, Senior Program Manager, Plastics at Environmental Defence and Michelle Genttner, Co-Owner of Unboxed Market.

Josh is on the line with us to give his final pitch to the listeners as to why they should vote for him. In the latest Liason Strategies Josh Matlow is in 3rd place with 13 per cent.    It's part of our series we are doing this week where we will be bringing on the leading candidates in the next few days to share why they should get your vote. Tune in and call in with questions and share your thoughts on Toronto's election.

THE ZOOMER SQUAD: TORONTO'S MAYORAL RACE AND CANADIANS WHO CAN'T RETIRE

Jane Brown is joined by Peter Muggeridge, Senior Editor of Zoomer Magazine; Bill VanGorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer of CARP; and John Wright, Executive Vice President at Maru Public Opinion. Together, Jane and the Squad unpack the latest on Toronto’s mayoral campaign trail; and discuss a recent survey that found 44% of non-retired Canadians aged 55 to 64 have less than $5,000 in savings, with one in five from that group saying they have not set anything aside for retirement.

FOUR FEDERAL BYELECTIONS TODAY

Four new MP’s will be elected to the House of Commons today in a handful of byelections that politicos say could expose rifts within the Conservative party and possibly bring a new Liberal cabinet hopeful into the fold.

Jane Brown is joined by Bob Richardson, Senior Council, National Public Relations to discuss what this could mean for Canadians.

JUNE IS MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH MONTH

June is Men’s Mental Health Month!

Jane Brown is joined by Dr. Anne Wilson, Professor in the Psychology department at Wilfrid Laurier University; and Dr. Michael Mak, Psychiatrist at The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to discuss what this means, and why it’s important.

Marissa Lennox is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by David Crombie, former Mayor of Toronto, and Toronto City Councillors James Pasternak for Ward 6 York Centre and Paula Fletcher for Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth.

According to the latest Liaison Strategies poll, Josh Matlow and Mark Saunders are tied for second place underneath front runner Olivia Chow as the race for mayor continues to develop. Also, according to the City of Toronto, advanced voting which started on Thursday June 8th and ended on Tuesday June 13th, saw 129,745 eligible voters went to the advanced polling stations to vote--that's an 11.9 per cent increase from those who voted in advanced voting from the last election that totaled 115,911 voters in October of 2022.

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RUSSIA-CANADA RELATIONS COULD SEVER...OVER A PLANE 

Marissa Lennox is joined by Dr. Maria Popova, Associate Professor of Political Science and Jean Monnet Chair at McGill University.

Canada and Russian relations could get a whole lot worse.  Moscow says that ties with Canada are "on the verge of being severed" after learning that the Trudeau Liberals have seized and are forfeiting a Russian cargo plane that's been idling at Toronto's Pearson International Airport since February of 2022. Dr. Popova explains how it all unfolded.

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PMO AND MINISTER'S OFFICES KNEW ABOUT BERNARDO TRANSFER MONTHS IN ADVANCE 

Marissa Lennox is joined by John Capobianco, Senior Vice President & Senior Partner, FleishmanHillard HighRoad

The PMO's office knew about the Paul Bernardo transfer to a medium security facility months before it happened. And, we also learned that staff for Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino knew about the transfer months before too and didn't tell him before the transfer was actualized. How could this have happened? And, is it just us or does this feel like part of a larger problematic.

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