THE MEDICAL RECORD

Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, a medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre; Dr. Amol Verma, a staff physician in General Internal Medicine at St. Michael's Hospital; and Dr. Sohail Gandhi, a family physician and a past president of the Ontario Medical Association to discuss Ottawa's new data-driven healthcare deal; and a new study out this week on Paxlovid.

TORONTONIANS DIVIDED ABOUT WHETHER MAYOR JOHN TORY SHOULD RESIGN

A recent survey indicates that Torontonians are pretty evenly divided on whether Mayor John Tory should follow through on his plan to resign after admitting to having a secret, extended relationship with a junior staff member in his city hall office.

Libby Znaimer is joined by Lorne Bozinoff, President and CEO, Forum Research, to discuss this matter.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NORAD

Since the so-called Chinese spy balloon made its way across parts of Canada and the U.S. and was ultimately shot down by the U.S. military, numerous foreign objects were intercepted by NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command) in recent weeks.

All of the objects shot down are being assessed to better understand what they are and where they are coming from.

These developments have escalated tensions between China and, on the other end, Ottawa and Washington.

Libby Znaimer is joined by Larry Haas, a Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council; and Dr. Kim Richard Nossal, Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Studies and Centre for International and Defence Policy at Queen's University, to discuss this concerning issue.

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL: MAYOR TORY’S RESIGNATION & THE CITY BUDGET

12-12:25 PM

Libby Znaimer is joined by George Smitherman, former Ontario Liberal MPP for Toronto Centre who also served as a health minister and deputy Premier, Janet Ecker, former Ontario PC MPP who served as a senior cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves and Peggy Nash, who is a former NDP MP for Parkdale-High Park.

Today: we get reaction from our panel about Toronto Mayor John Tory announcing that he will resign after admitting to an affair with a 31-year-old staffer. This week he will preside over the City budget. Here's the thing: there is still a $933 million hole in the budget which the city wants other levels of government to help out with. Tory has a reputation of working well with the other governments and getting the City needed cash. So, how will things change now? And, if he's gone, will the next Mayor be able to get the job done?

THE CITY BUDGET MEETING WILL GO ON AS PLANNED

12:25-12:40 PM

Libby Znaimer is joined by Toronto City Councillor Gary Crawford (Scarborough Southwest) and Chair of the budget committee.

Crawford tells Libby that Toronto Mayor John Tory, who announced late last week that he will resign from office after admitting to an affair, will indeed be presiding over the budget meeting taking place this Wednesday. Tory played a big role in the current budget proposal. Crawford also weighs in on what comes next at City Hall when Tory leaves his post and comments on the strong mayoral powers not being transferable to the future mayor.

SOME TEMP STAFFING AGENCIES ARE GOUGING LTC HOMES: REPORT

12:40-1 PM

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Lisa Levin, CEO of AdvantAge Ontario.

According to a survey by AdvantAge Ontario, which involved 100 Ontario non-profit long-term care homes, a big chunk of the budget from these homes are being spent on temp. staffing agencies. Lisa says tens of millions of dollars are going towards these companies rather than towards hiring permanent care. she goes on to say, "“This is a problem and it’s getting worse. We need the government to push out the bad operators who are preying on homes in the midst of a staffing crisis.”

ZOOMER SQUAD: MAYOR TORY ANNOUNCES HIS RESIGNATION

12:00-12:20

Libby Znaimer is joined by Peter Muggeridge, Senior Editor of Zoomer Magazine, David Cravit, Chief Membership Officer of CARP, and Bill VanGorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer of CARP.

Today: We begin with reaction to the news of Toronto Mayor John Tory announcing his resignation from office and admitting to having an affair with a 31-year-old staffer. The Mayor made the announcement on Friday night and, this time, he didn't take any questions from the press. So, how does this affect Tory's image and what comes next at City Hall? And, changing the subject, our panel reacts to a bizarre suggestion from a Yale professor who said that Japan consider mass suicide or "seppuku" as a way to deal with the country's rapidly aging society.

GIL PENALOSA IS RUNNING FOR MAYOR AGAIN AFTER TORY'S SUDDEN RESIGNATION

12:20-12:30 PM

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Gil Peñalosa, the founder of 8 80 Cities and a popular urbanist.

In the aftermath of Toronto Mayor John Tory's resignation over an affair with a 31-year-old staffer, Gil Penalosa has made it clear that he will be one of the candidates running for mayor in the byelection. This will be his second time running (with the first time being in the last election cycle). Libby brings him on to react to the news and the vision he has for our City.

WHAT COMES NEXT AT CITY HALL ACCORDING TO THREE CITY COUNCILLORS

12:30-1 PM

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Toronto Councillors Paula Fletcher, Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth, Josh Matlow, Ward 12 Toronto-St. Paul’s, and Brad Bradford, Ward 19 Beaches-East York.

Libby gets reaction from three of our city councillors about the news of John Tory's admitted affair with one of his staffers and his decision to resign. They also weigh in on the future of the City Council, whether the strong mayoral powers are going to be transferable to the next mayor and whether any of them have intentions to run in the byelection for mayor.

Today on Free For All Friday: many listeners called in about their very expensive household natural gas bills from companies like Enbridge and also a list of fees from their local doctor's office that has them scratching their heads.

SEGMENT 1:

TUNE INTO THE TOWN:

BIKE LANES, CAFETO AND WARMING CENTRES

Libby Znaimer is joined by Anna Bailão, former Toronto City Councillor and Deputy Mayor, Councillor Stephen Holyday for Ward 2 Etobicoke Centre and Deputy Mayor of the west area of the City, and Ben Spurr, City Hall reporter for the Toronto Star.

Today: we begin the discussion off with the hot topic of bike lanes. City Council has approved the north Yonge street bike lane pilot to become permanent in a 22-3 vote. Mayor Tory and others including Councillor Burnside were against this over reasons like congestion and safety. Meanwhile, the CafeTO program is also becoming permanent with a phased-in approach to fees for participating restaurants. In 2023, applications to join CafeTO will come at a one time cost of $285 while permits will be $14.56 per square metre for sidewalk patios, and $43.70 per square metre for curb lane patios. And, City Council rejected a motion to extend hours of warming centres for the homeless. Our revised municipal panel has the latest.

SEGMENT 2:

HOW BIDEN'S "BUY AMERICAN" POLICY WILL IMPACT CANADA

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Edward Alden, Bernard L. Schwartz senior fellow at the Council on Fore­­­ign Relations (CFR), specializing in U.S. economic competitiveness, trade, and immigration policy and Marc Froese, Professor of Political Science and Founding Director of the International Studies Program at Burman University in Alberta, Canada.

One of the central themes of U.S. President Biden's State of the Union address in Washington this past week was his administration's commitment to double down on the "Buy American" policy. As part of that plan, his government will make it a requirement for all materials used in the federal infrastructure projects to be made in America. So, what implications does this policy have on Canada-U.S. trade relations? And, is this all bad news for us?

SEGMENT 3:

PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE LOOKS INTO MCKINSEY CONTRACTS

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Melissa Lantsman,  Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and MP for Thornhill.

Melissa weighs in on the Parliamentary committee looking into the Trudeau government's contracts with consulting firm Mckinsey which have amounted to over $100 million.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: OTTAWA STRIKES A HEALTHCARE FUNDING DEAL WITH PROVINCES

Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, a medical oncologist  at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Dr. Fahad Razak, an internist and epidemiologist at Unity Health Toronto, Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family physician and founder and medical director of The Medical Station in Toronto.

This week: Ottawa has made a healthcare deal with the provinces. The feds will provide provinces $196.1  Billion over the next ten years with 46.2 Billion in new funding. $1.7 Billion over the next five years will go towards supporting hourly wage increases for PSWs among other promises. Libby and our medical panel discuss the implications such a funding deal could have on our healthcare system and where the money is needed most!

WHY ARE WE PAYING SUCH HIGH NATURAL GAS BILLS?

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Warren Mabee,  Director of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy at Queen's University and Dan McTeague, President of Canadians for Affordable Energy.

Have you noticed your natural gas bills go way up? Residents in the GTA have seen the rates double over the past two years from 10 cents per cubic meter to 23 cents per cubic metre. Why is this happening? The Ontario Energy Board regulates the industry and they approve the prices set by the gas companies. So, what can they do to alleviate the problem?

THE FAO BUDGET PROJECTIONS REPORT

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Peter Weltman, Ontario’s Financial Accountability Officer.

Peter has published a report providing projections for Ontario's fiscal position from 2022-23 to 2026-27 period. He joins the show to provide the details.

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL: OTTAWA HEALTH CARE SUMMIT

12-12:30 PM

Jane Brown is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Peggy Nash, former Ontario NDP MPP for Parkdale-High Park, John Milloy, a 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.

Today: Ottawa is meeting with the Premiers in a historic summit to discuss a new healthcare funding model. The premiers have been calling on the federal Liberals to increase its portion of the Canada Health Transfer from 22 per cent to 35 per cent. Meanwhile, here in Toronto, the City will be voting on a motion to expand the hours of operation for warming centres serving the homeless. Many advocates have been calling on the City to improve the conditions amid frigid temperatures outside this winter. Finally, we discuss the upcoming U.S. State of the Union address by President Joe Biden which comes on the heels of escalating tensions between Washington and China over surveillance balloons.

CANADA'S RESPONSE TO EARTHQUAKE IN TURKEY & SYRIA

12:30-12:50 PM

Jane Brown is now joined by Rahul Singh, Executive Director of Global Medic and Jason Nickerson, Doctors Without Borders' Humanitarian Representative to Canada based in Ottawa.

The total death toll, at this time, in Turkey and Syria caused by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake this past Monday has increased to over 5,200 people. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has declared a 3 month state of emergency as his government and other countries around the world try to deal with the crisis. Canada and organizations here at home are wasting no time in joining the humanitarian effort. We speak to two such organizations today on how their missions are going. MSF has been working in the region for the past 12 years, and we're supporting 23 health facilities in northern Syria. Rahul and Jason weigh in on the latest.

WHAT ARE YOUR RETIREMENT SAVINGS PLANS?

12:50-1 PM

Jane Brown is now joined by Barry Choi, a personal finance expert.

How confident are you about your retirement savings? According to a new BMO survey, less than half of Canadians (44 per cent) are confident that they will have sufficient money in the bank to retire as planned. Meanwhile, most Canadians (74 per cent of respondents) are worried about how inflation and rising prices will impact their personal finances. Jane and our guest weigh in on the latest.

Jane Brown is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Peter Muggeridge, Senior Editor of Zoomer Magazine, David Cravit, Chief Membership Officer of CARP, and Bill VanGorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer of CARP.

Today: We begin by doing a recap of the Zoomers who won BIG during last night's Grammy Awards including Willie Nelson who won best country album. Meanwhile, here at home, the province is looking into increasing fines for long-term care homes that do not have AC in all residents' rooms. The max. fine would be $25,000 if they choose to increase it. And, this Tuesday, Ottawa is set to meet with the country's premiers to discuss a healthcare funding deal. What will come out of that?  Our panel has the latest.

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WHAT IS UP WITH THAT CHINESE SURVEILLANCE BALLOON

Jane Brown is now joined by Charles Burton, Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and expert on Canada-China relations as well as  Cheuk Kwan of the Toronto Association for Democracy in China.

The latest reason for Canada and the U.S.'s escalating tensions with China? A Chinese surveillance balloon. So, first of all, what exactly do we know about this balloon so far? And, how did it cross into both Canadian and American air space? finally, what implications does it have on our already strained relationship with China? The Americans eventually shot down the balloon over the Atlantic Ocean. And there was apparently a second balloon spotted over Latin America. Our experts weigh in on the latest.

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THE FUTURE OF THE OSGOODE HALL TREES

Jane Brown is now joined by Steve Munro, a Toronto transit advocate.

Metrolinx's planned removal of the trees at Osgoode Hall in downtown Toronto is being stalled until at least February 10. Advocates have been visibly showing their concern over the future of this greenspace and Steve explains how it's all being handled in the courts.

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

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners weighed in on the latest scams that are circulating both online and offline and other news making headlines this week.

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners weighed in on the latest scams that are circulating both online and offline and other news making headlines this week.

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners weighed in on the latest scams that are circulating both online and offline and other news making headlines this week.

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners weighed in on the latest scams that are circulating both online and offline and other news making headlines this week.

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners weighed in on the latest scams that are circulating both online and offline and other news making headlines this week.

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

Jane Brown is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by David Crombie, former Mayor of Toronto, Karen Stintz, CEO of Variety Village and Lauren O'Neil, Senior News Editor of BlogTO.

If you are a homeowner in Toronto, today is the deadline to claim that it is occupied. Finally, a group of Toronto city councillors have submitted a letter to Mayor John Tory demanding answers over his decision to deploy 80 Toronto Police officers to address the spike in violence on public transit and the mayor of King Township has a beef with incoming Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles and it has to do with the Greenbelt.

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THE LATEST GRANDPARENT SCAM 

Jane Brown is now joined by Detective David Coffey of Toronto Police Service's Financial Crimes Unit.

In the latest grandparent scam to go around, a 95-year-old Senior was told that her grandson was in jail and that they needed $10,000 to cover his bail. Detective Coffey joins the program today to provide tips to protect yourself from falling for such cruel scams that circulate far too often.

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REMEMBERING HAZEL MCCALLION AND WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT HER FUNERAL 

Jane Brown is now joined by Jim Murray, a long-time friend of Hazel McCallion and a spokesperson for the McCallion family.

Jim reflects on the illustrious life lived by Mississauga’s longest serving mayor “Hurricane '' Hazel McCallion who passed away this past January just shy of her 102nd birthday. Jim also provides details about her upcoming funeral arrangements.

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