Marissa Lennox is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Dr. Fahad Razak, General Internist and epidemiologist at Unity Health Toronto and Dr. Alisa Naiman, family physician and Founder and Medical Director of The Medical Station clinic in Toronto. 

This week:  We kick things off by taking a closer look at a study that recommends hormone replacement therapy as the first treatment offered to women under the age of 60 who experience menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and other challenges. We then take a deep dive into the negative health impacts of the processed foods (also known as ultraprocessed foods or UPFs) that are so prevalent in many of our diets.Finally, the WHO is recommending that we avoid consumption of non-sugar sweeteners in our efforts to lose weight. The panel has the latest. 

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OTTAWA PROPOSES STRONGER BAIL REFORM LEGISLATION 

Marissa Lennox is now joined by Toronto-based criminal defence lawyer, Ari Goldkind.

Ottawa has proposed bail reform legislation this week that would make it harder for individuals accused of certain crimes to be granted bail. Ari weighs in on the latest news and whether it goes far enough in addressing the problem. 

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TORONTO CONSTRUCTION IS ABOUT TO GET A WHOLE LOT WORSE 

Marissa Lennox is now joined by Councillor James Pasternak, for Ward 6 York Centre and the Chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee. 

Councillor Pasternak joined Dep. Mayor Jennifer McKelvie this week to announce the commencement of major construction projects in Toronto that will total at least $1.14 billion. 

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Jane Brown is joined by Peggy Nash, the former New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for the Parkdale—High Park, George Smitherman, former Ontario Liberal MPP for Toronto Centre who also served as a health minister and deputy Premier, and John Mykytyshyn, Conservative Political Consultant and President of Bradgate Research Group.

Today: we kick things off with a recap of last night's mayoral debate that was hosted by the Daily Bread Food Bank in Etobicoke. The theme of the two-hour debate was tackling the affordability crisis. The candidates at the podium were Brad Bradford, Josh Matlow, Mitzie Hunter, Olivia Chow and Ana Bailao. Meanwhile, Premier Doug Ford supports the idea of Mississauga breaking away from Peel Region. An official announcement from his government could come as early as this Thursday. And the construction company building the Eglinton Crosstown LRT is suing and planning to stop working for the TTC. What's that about? Our panel weighs in.

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BLADDER CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

Jane Brown is now joined by Tony Cornacchia, Volunteer at Bladder Cancer Canada and a bladder cancer survivor himself.

May is Bladder Cancer Awareness Month. According to the organization's website, it is the fifth most common type of cancer in Canada and as many as 12,500 Canadians get diagnosed with it on an annual basis. Tony weighs in on the facts and details his own personal journey from diagnosis to a full recovery.

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DR. GABOR LUKACS TESTIFYING OVER AIR PASSENGER RIGHTS 

Jane Brown is now joined by Dr. Gabor Lukacs, President and Founder, Air Passenger Rights.

Dr. Lukacs appeared before the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications where he testified about the provisions Budget Implementation Act (Bill C-47) affecting air passenger rights. He weighs in on what he calls an "erosion of Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regime".

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Jane Brown 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.

Today: we recap the latest regarding Toronto's Mayoral race. There are 102 candidates...including a dog! Polls show Olivia Chow in the lead. Anthony gives us the numbers on how CARP voters are planning to vote in this by-election. CARP also just produced a report card on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's record on Seniors issues and policies. Is he doing enough? And, world renowned actor Robert De Niro is having a child at 79. And, it's part of a growing trend of parents having kids at an older age in life. Our panel weighs in on the latest.

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THE LATEST POLLING ON THE MAYORAL RACE 

Jane Brown is joined by Lorne Bozinoff, President of Forum Research Group.

According to a Forum Research poll from this past Saturday, Olivia Chow has the competitive edge in Toronto's by-election race for mayor. The poll found that 36 per cent of decided and leaning voters support Chow. Lorne weighs in on the candidate's appeal and some of the other perceived front runners.

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TORONTO DECLARES HOMELESSNESS STATE OF EMERGENCY 

Jane Brown is joined by Shelley Carroll, Toronto City Councillor for Ward 17 Don Valley North.

Toronto City Council has declared a state of emergency regarding homelessness. But does this go far enough in addressing the crisis? What other measures will the City be taking to mediate the problem?

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Today on Free For All Friday: Listeners called in about their concerns over the Minden hospital ER closure, the Toronto Mayoral race and a TDSB school sign that frustrated some community members.

Libby Znaimer is joined by David Crombie, former Mayor of Toronto, Councillor James Pasternak, Ward 6 York Centre and Councillor Paula Fletcher, Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth.

Today: the Toronto mayoral race continues with Olivia Chow polling as the front runner. And, Toronto taxpayers will be footing the bill for the 2026 world cup event taking place here after a deal was struck between City staff and the MLSE without being made known to the City's actually elected officials. What's the deal with that? Our panel reacts.

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THE MINDEN HOSPITAL ER CLOSURE: WHY IT MATTERS  

Libby Znaimer is joined by NDP MPP France Gélinas (Nickel-Belt) and Health Critic as well as Bob Carter, Mayor of the Township of Minden Hills

Residents of Minden are deeply concerned over the closure of their local hospital's ER and are asking the province for a one-year moratorium on the matter with a petition of over 17,000 signatures. Listeners of Fight Back have been calling in about this very topic in the past two weeks. Our guests react to the latest.

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NEW CANADIAN PASSPORT OMITS KEY CANADIAN HISTORICAL EVENTS  

Libby Znaimer is joined by Anthony Wilson-Smith, President and CEO, Historica Canada.

Ottawa unveiled Canada's newest passport and it's been raising a lot of eyebrows. The new one will no longer be paying homage to the great chapters of our history including the Vimy Ridge Memorial or Terry Fox. Instead, as Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre commented, it now features a picture of a squirrel eating a nut! The passport will also include polar bears, and other nature pictures. This captures the “spirit of who we are as Canadians,” according to Families, Children and Social Development Minister Karina Gould. Do you feel the same?

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Libby Znaimer is joined by  Dr. Malcolm Moore,  Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre,  Dr. Alisa Naiman,  Family Physician and Founder and Medical Director of The Medical Station in Toronto,  and Dr. Jamie Spiegelman,  Internal medicine and critical care physician at Humber River Hospital

This week: Ontario passes the controversial Bill 60 that would see the expansion of certain surgeries and diagnostic tests in private care clinics. Meanwhile, doctors and breast cancer survivors are urging Ottawa to lower the regular mammogram screenings to age 40 following a recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. And, it's national nursing week and provinces across Canada are licensing nurses who are foreign trained. Our panel has the latest.

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COMMUNITY LITTER CLEANUPS

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Diane Saxe, Toronto City Councillor for University Rosedale and Wesley Reibeling, Toronto Program Manager, Park People.

Have you noticed lots of litter in your neighbourhood at all? It seems these days that everywhere you go you can find a lot of it whether your walking on the sidewalk or relaxing in a park. You might even find it on your own front lawn! Community cleanups exist to combat the issue, but what else can Toronto residents do to tackle the abundance of garbage that doesn't end up into properly established garbage bins? Our guests weigh in.

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NATHANIEL ERSKINE-SMITH IS RUNNING FOR LEADER OF THE ONTARIO LIBERALS

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal MP for Beaches-East York who is running for leader of the Ontario Liberal Party.

MP Erskine Smith is officially the first official candidate to be running for leader of the Ontario Liberals. He's been successfully elected three times at the federal level since 2015. But, does he have what it takes to rebuild the party?

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Libby Znaimer is joined by Lisa Raitt, Former Deputy Leader of 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 former New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for the Parkdale—High Park electoral district in Toronto.

Today: The province has passed the controversial Bill 60 that expands surgeries in private care clinics. Meanwhile, Ottawa has expelled Toronto-based Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei and in a tit for tat response, Beijing expelled Canadian diplomat  Jennifer Lynn Lalonde from Canada's consulate HQ in Shanghai. And, Ottawa is also organizing a list of names of foreign labs and universities that pose a risk to Canada's national security. 

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CHINA-OTTAWA TENSIONS ESCALATE AS BOTH COUNTRIES EXPEL DIPLOMATS

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Charles Burton,  Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and expert on Canada-China relations,  Cheuk Kwan of the Toronto Association for Democracy in China, and Dr. Jeremy Paltiel, Professor of Politics, government and foreign policies of Asia (China and Japan) at Carleton University. 

Tensions continue to escalate between Ottawa and Beijing as Trudeau's government decided to expel Toronto-based Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei after a CSIS report revealed that Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family were targeted by the Chinese. As a response, China is sending our very own diplomat Jennifer Lynn Lalonde from the consulate in Shanghai. Meanwhile, the government is drafting a list of foreign labs and universities that pose a threat to Canada's national security. So, where does it all go from here? And what must be done in order for Canada and China's frosty relationship to improve? 

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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.

Today: the squad recaps King Charles III's Coronation this past weekend and they talk about working during your retirement years!

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THE FUTURE OF ONTARIO PLACE

Libby is now joined by Norm Di Pasquale, Co-Chair of Ontario Place for All, and NDP MPP (Toronto-Danforth) Peter Tabuns.

Ontario's NDP are calling for the cancellation of a contract between the Ford government and Austrian developer Therme to build a spa at Ontario Place in what they describe "a shady scheme".  Norm alongside Ontario Place for All want to see the space remain publicly accessible. The two of them also weigh in on the future of the Ontario Science Centre.

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Today on Free For All Friday: listeners called in with their concerns about Bill 60, which would allow for the expansion of private clinics to perform OHIP-covered surgeries and diagnostic services as well as the upcoming Coronation for King Charles III.

Libby Znaimer is joined by Paula Fletcher, Toronto City Councillor for Toronto-Danforth, David Crombie, former Mayor of Toronto, and Karen Stintz, CEO of Variety Village and a former Toronto City Councillor and former mayoral candidate.

The mayoral race keeps growing. There are now at least 68 candidates vying for the City's top job. Will we reach 70 by week's end? And, what about the closure of a section of Queen Street in the downtown core as construction for the Ontario Line commences there? Do we really expect that it will only last four years? And what about the impact it will no doubt have on pedestrian, car and transit traffic? There are clearly many questions left unanswered about the challenges our City currently faces.

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MILLINER DAVID DUNKLEY ON HATS AT THE CORONATION

Libby Znaimer is now joined by David Dunkley, a Toronto-based milliner who specializes in making couture hats.

David is in London as part of the Coronation festivities for King Charles III. The master milliner will be on demand selling his very own hats to those celebrating this milestone in the royal family history. He will be assisting those at Canada House as well. He joins Libby to weigh in on the celebrations, his favourite colours and styles of hat and the kinds of designs he has included in his catalogue.

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A CODE OF CONDUCT TO HOLD GROCERS ACCOUNTABLE

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Michael Graydon, CEO of supplier industry group Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada and co-chair of the steering committee, overseeing the code.

An official code of conduct to hold grocers accountable has reached a final draft. It includes a process to resolve disputes and impose sanctions on continuous violators. However, it stops short of actually imposing fines on bad actors. So, what exactly does this code of conduct actually look like and will it be enough to keep the grocers in check?

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