Today on Free For All Friday: listeners called to in weigh on your top stories from this week. Sitting in for Libby Znaimer is Bob Komsic!

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

TUNE IN TO THE TOWN

It’s time to Tune In To The Town on Fight Back, and there’s a lot to unpack!

Toronto councillors have voted to approve Mayor John Tory's request for a report back on his 2023 housing action plan; amid this…Tory is dismissing concerns over his extraordinary new powers as mere “political theatre” of no interest to regular Torontonians.

All this, as Toronto residents brace for a looming vacancy tax…AND a wintery walloping.

Jane Brown is joined by Karen Stintz, CEO at Variety Village; David Crombie, former Mayor of Toronto; and Lauren O'Neil, Senior News Editor of BlogTO to dig into these issues.

DELAYS IN ONTARIO’S PAP TEST RESULTS

Jane Brown is joined by Dr. Yolanda Kirkham, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and obstetrician gynecologist at Unity Health Toronto to discuss the concerning delay in pap test results in the province of Ontario.

DRIVING IN THE FIRST WINTER WALLOPING

Environment Canada says “Batten down the hatches!”...with warnings and advisories in effect across the GTA for freezing rain and significant snow on the way.

Jane Brown is joined by Sgt. Kerry Schmidt of the OPP Highway Safety Division to talk road safety amid the potential wintery walloping we’re in for.

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

TORONTO’S VACANCY TAX

Toronto's new Vacancy Home Tax is cracking down on residences left unoccupied for extended periods of time, to increase the supply of housing in the city.

All residential property owners in Toronto will be required to declare the status of their property(s) annually, even if they live there.

Residential properties that are declared vacant for six months or more during the taxation year and without an eligible exemption, will be required to pay a tax.

Libby Znaimer is joined by Allan Ritchie, Managing Partner at Loopstra Nixon LLP and Adjunct Professor of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University; Phil Soper, CEO of Royal LePage; John Caliendo, former investment banker and Co-Chair of the ABC Residents Association; and Casey Brendon, Director, Revenue Services at the City of Toronto.

FOOD AND RESTAURANT TRENDS

It’s the season for festive gatherings, both entertaining at home and dining out!

Libby Znaimer is joined by Lucy Waverman, food columnist for The Globe And Mail; and Renee Suen, food editor at blogTO to discuss food and restaurant trends amid the holidays.

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

RECOVERING POLITICIANS

It’s time for our Recovering Politicians panel, and a lot has happened in the last 24 hours!

Yesterday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh announced that if they don’t see some action from the federal government to address the national health-care crisis, the New Democrats are ready to withdraw from the confidence-and-supply agreement they signed with the Liberals.

Meanwhile, in the first contest under the Conservative leadership of Pierre Poilievre, the Liberals declare victory in the Mississauga-Lakeshore federal byelection with the election of former Ontario finance minister Charles Sousa.

Libby Znaimer is joined by Former Ontario NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo; Former Ontario Liberal MPP Gerard Kennedy; and Former Ontario PC MPP Janet Ecker to discuss these matters.

FRAUD FOR THE HOLIDAYS

With the holidays just around the corner, there seems to be an uptick in scam activity in the form of texts, emails and phone calls.

And amid this season for shopping, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says that over 21-point-1-million dollars in losses were reported last year (2021) relating to frauds associated with buying or selling goods or services online.

Their website lists different kinds of ads being used to scam people, including: classified ads sites…resale sites…website pop-ups and fake company websites.

Items offered for sale in these scams can be almost anything, including: event tickets…puppies…electronic equipment…clothing…apartment, cottage, or vacation rentals and even motor vehicles.

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website…“A good rule of thumb: if the asking price of a product is too good to be true, it is,”.

Libby Znaimer is joined by Jeff Horncastle, Acting Client and Communications Outreach Officer at the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre; and Carmi Levy, a technology analyst and journalist based in London, Ontario; and Detective David Coffey with the Toronto Police Service's Financial Crimes Unit, to discuss the troubling issue of fraud for the holidays.

CHARLES SOUSA JOINS FIGHT BACK!

Libby Znaimer is joined by MP-Elect for Mississauga-Lakeshore Charles Sousa, to discuss his Liberal party victory in yesterday’s Mississauga-Lakeshore federal byelection.

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

ZOOMER SQUAD - Medical Assistance In Dying, Masking Amid Flu Season and more.

Libby Znaimer is joined by David Cravit, Vice President of Zoomer Media and Chief Membership Officer at CARP; Bill VanGorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer of CARP; and John Wright, Executive Vice President at Maru Public Opinion, to discuss medical assistance in dying, masking amid the influenza season and more.

THE EGLINTON CROSSTOWN LRT DEBACLE

It’s been called everything from a boondoggle, to a debacle…to a disaster.

And while Mayor John Tory and provincial transportation minister are urging Torontonians to continue being patient, two city councillors are demanding a public inquiry into years-delayed and over budget Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction.

Libby Znaimer is joined by Ward 12 Toronto-St. Paul’s Councillor Josh Matlow; Ward 8 Eglinton-Lawrence Councillor Mike Colle; and Maureen Sirois, Chair of the Eglinton Way BIA and President at Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas, to discuss the latest developments surrounding the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.

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

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners called in to weigh on Ontario Premier Doug Ford's recently passed and controversial bill 23 on housing developments. 

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

Libby Znaimer is joined by David Crombie, Former Mayor of Toronto, Karen Stintz, CEO, Variety Village and Councillor James Pasternak of Ward 6 York Centre

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is telling Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie to stop "whining and complaining" and to "get on board" when it comes to his Bill 23. The Premier went on to explain that fees for new home development in Mississauga have gone up by 30 per cent during the last two years adding $126,000 of municipal costs to each new home. Meanwhile, a new report  determined that there is "egregious violations of the public trust"  when it comes to its problem-prone LRT system. Our panel reacts to the latest.

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WHY ARE GAS PRICES BECOMING LOWEST THIS WEEK SINCE LAST JANUARY?

Jane Brown is joined by Dan McTeague, President of Canadians for Affordable Energy.

This week, Ontario drivers will welcome the news that gas prices will be the lowest since last January. Today, prices reached as low as 138.9 cents per litre and the price is dropping to 135.9 in the GTA tomorrow. Dan explains the drop in the prices!

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WHAT IS STIFF PERSON SYNDROME?

Jane Brown is now joined by Dr. Tara Zier, Founder and CEO of The Stiff Person Syndrome Research Foundation and an SPS patient herself.

We are learning that Canadian icon and world-renowned singer Celine Dion has been diagnosed with a rare neurological health condition called "Stiff Person Syndrome". Have you ever heard of it? According to John Hopkins, one or two in a million people suffer from the illness. Dr. Zier explains what it is all about and shares details of her own lived experience with it.

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

Libby Znaimer is joined by Auditor General Karen Hogan followed by Conservative MP and finance critic Jasraj Singh Hallan and Franco Terrazzano, the federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

In Ottawa, Auditor General Karen Hogan released her report this week. Among the findings are that the federal government purchased an excess of COVID-19 doses at a price tag of $1 billion and they are set to expire soon as a result of problems with technology used to track the distribution and usage of the vaccines. Another key finding is that as much as $4.6 billion in COVID-19 benefits went into the hands of people who are not eligible and furthermore the feds have not done enough to recover overpayments when it comes to the COVID-19 benefits programs they rolled out. Our guests react to the latest.

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LOW TURNOUT FOR FLU VACCINE, REPORT FINDS

Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Prabhat Jha, an Epidemiologist and faculty member of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at UofT and then joining the discussion is Dr. Allison McGeer, a microbiologist and Infectious Disease Consultant at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

Residents in Ontario are facing a "triple threat" of viruses including RSV, COVID-19 and the flu. Yet, despite the threat, a report by the National Institute on Aging indicates that uptake of the flu vaccine among older adults is not reaching the level that the Public Health Agency of Canada has set as a goal. Libby discusses this report and how you can best protect yourself from getting sick with our two medical experts.

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

Libby Znaimer is joined by Lisa Raitt, the former Deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, John Milloy, Former Ontario Liberal MPP who served as a cabinet minister under the Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne governments and Cheri DiNovo, a former Ontario NDP MPP.

Today: our panel reacts to a new Mainstreet Research poll that reveals that the province's Bill 23 (also known as "Moe Homes Built Faster Act") is very unpopular including among many PC voters. The government has just started its mandate and has already been raising the eyebrows of many with this bill among others like Bill 7. Are they off to a good start? Meanwhile, executives from Canada's large grocery chains including Loblaw and Sobeys testified at the House of Commons agriculture committee and are arguing that they are not trying to profit off of inflation.

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PARKS CANADA ARGUES THAT ONTARIO'S GREENBELT PLANS WILL CAUSE IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE

Libby Znaimer is joined by Phil Pothen, Ontario Environment Program Manager at Environmental Defence.

Parks Canada is critical about Doug Ford's Greenbelt plans. They are arguing that the government's plan to remove almost 5,000 acres of the greenbelt land on the border of Toronto and Durham will cause irreversible damage to wildlife in the region. Phil explains.

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CANADIAN CONSUMER DEBT IS UP 7.3 PER CENT FROM LAST YEAR

Libby Znaimer is joined by Stacy Yanchuk Oleksy, the Chief Executive Officer of Credit Counselling Canada.

According to Equifax Canada, consumer debt in this country reached $2.36 trillion in the third quarter which is a 7.3 per cent increase compared to last year. The debt is fueled by an increase in borrowers. So, just how serious is the situation and what can you do about managing your own debt? Stacy explains.

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

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 discuss the Canada Food report for 2023, which predicts that Canadians will be spending more on their groceries with foods like meats, dairy and vegetables experiencing the greatest increase in costs.

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MORE ON WHAT THE CANADA FOOD REPORT FOR 2023 PREDICTS

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Simon Somogyi, the Arrell Chair in the Business of Food & Full Professor at the University of Guelph.

Today: A discussion about Canada's Food Price Report 2023, which predicts that Canadians will be faced with a 5% to 7% food price increase for the year. The food categories predicted to be hardest hit are vegetables, meat, and dairy. The report predicts that an average family of four will spend up to $16,288.41 per year on food (an increase of $1,065.60 from 2022). Libby and Simon discuss the details.

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NEW LICENCE WILL LET PARALEGALS PROVIDE SOME FAMILY LEGAL SERVICES

Libby Znaimer is joined by David Tobin, lawyer with Frenkel Tobin LLP.

The Law Society of Ontario is now allowing Paralegals to provide some family legal services through a new license. So, what will paralegals be allowed to do and what will they be limited on in this context?  Mr. Tobin weighs in on the latest.

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