Listeners weighed in on the latest regarding CUPE education workers and the Ford government and the province's use of the notwithstanding clause

Jane Brown is filling in for Karen Stintz, CEO of Variety Village, Lauren O'Neil, Senior News Editor of BlogTO, David Crombie, former mayor of Toronto.

In the news: the spat between thousands of CUPE education workers and the Ford government continues with the union threatening a strike this Friday if a deal over wages is not established by then. This, despite new legislation implemented by the province to prevent that from happening and hefty fines that will be given to those who walk off the job. Meanwhile,  the City of Toronto has put out a survey and wants to know what the general public thinks regarding their CafeTO program and how it might be improved for future years. Finally, has pedestrian traffic on our downtown streets reached pre-pandemic levels? Our panel reacts to the latest.

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A LOOK AHEAD TO OTTAWA'S BUDGET

Jane Brown  is now joined by John Mykytyshyn, Conservative strategist and political consultant and president of Bradgate Research Group as well as Tom Parkin, an NDP commentator.

Today at 4 pm Eastern, Deputy PM and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be delivering Ottawa's budget. So, what can we expect from that? Our strategists weigh in.

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LOBLAW MADE HIGH PROFITS AMID INFLATION

Jane Brown  is now joined by Ellen Roseman, Consumer Advocate and journalist.

According to a new report from the Agri food analytics lab at Dalhousie University, three top grocery retailers made higher profits this year amid inflation compared to their average performances over the past five years. Loblaw actually made more profits than each of the past five years individually. Last month, the company faced backlash over its announcement that it would freeze prices for over 1,500 no name products (its own brand) from many consumers who deemed it a publicity stunt. Ellen has the latest and talks about "greedflation".

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Jane Brown  is joined by NDP MPP (Nickel-Belt) France Gélinas and Dr. Alan Drummond, an emergency physician in Perth and co-chair of public affairs for the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians.

Ontario hospital ERs are feeling strained. In fact, Toronto General hospital issued an internal alert to notify that its ICU department is at full capacity and won't have room for more patients. Jane and guests react to the latest and weigh in on how much worse it could get with flu season upon us.

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84-YEAR-OLD WOMAN DENIED VAN RENTAL DUE TO HER AGE

Jane Brown  is joined by Bill VanGorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer of CARP and Julian Falconer, principal of Falconers LLP in Toronto. His practice focuses on human rights and public interest litigation.

In the news: an 84-year-old Barrie woman was denied a van rental due to her age. Staff at Green Motion allegedly told her she could not rent or drive their vehicles because she is too old. Our guests react to the latest.

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Jane Brown  is joined by Charles Sousa, The former minister of finance for Ontario and MPP for Mississauga South, Lisa Raitt, Former Deputy Leader of Conservative Party of Canada, and Howard Hampton, former Ontario NDP leader.

Today: we begin the discussion with the latest on CUPE's dispute with the Ford government. Thousands of education workers are expected to walk off the job this Friday over a wage dispute despite new legislation by the province that is being implemented against that.

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IT'S FLU SEASON: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Jane Brown  is joined by John Papastergiou, a pharmacist with Shoppers Drug Mart.

The province is calling on Ontarians to get their free flu shot. As of today you can get it if you are six months of age or older. John joins us to explain why it's so important and weighs in on how severe this flu season might be.

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CANADIANS INCREASING THEIR DEPENDENCY ON FOOD BANKS

Jane Brown is now joined by Neil Hetherington, CEO of the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto.

In the news: Canadians are increasing their reliance on food banks. In fact, it increased to an all time high earlier this year with nearly 1.5 million visits in March! Neil weighs in on the dire situation.

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Libby Znaimer today is joined by David Cravit, Chief Membership Officer of CARP, Bill VanGorder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer at CARP,  and John Wright, Executive Vice President of Maru Public Opinion.

It's Halloween today. Jane asks the squad about their trick or treat plans and traditions. Meanwhile, the University Health Network is creating an emergency care centre for Seniors--the first of its kind in Canada--thanks to a $52 M donation the hospital received. And, according to a new report, consumer confidence in Canada has hit a two-year low when it comes to real estate, personal finance, job security and the overall economy. Our squad reacts to the news.

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FORD GOVERNMENT TO PREVENT CUPE STRIKE THROUGH LEGISLATION 

Jane Brown is joined by Sandra Hugh, Co-Chair to York Communities For Public Education and she is a parent to a young child in the system and who will be impacted by this and Jess Lyons, a lead organizer with Ontario Parent Action Network a nurse and mom of three.  

The Ford government is tabling legislation today that will prevent thousands of CUPE education workers from striking.

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UKRAINE SOVEREIGNTY BONDS

Jane Brown is now joined by Allan Small, Senior Investment Advisor Allan Small Financial Group IA Private Wealth, and Peter Schturyn, President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Toronto Branch.

In the news: PM Justin Trudeau announced that the government will be issuing Ukraine Sovereignty bonds. According to the office of the Prime Minister, "the equivalent proceeds from this five-year bond will be channeled directly to Ukraine through the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Administered Account. This builds on the Government of Canada’s $2 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine this year." Jane and guests discuss this move by Ottawa and how it supports Ukrainians.

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Listeners called in to weigh in on Premier Doug Ford's decision to fight a summon to appear before the Emergencies Act Inquiry in Ottawa over the trucker convoy protests. We also talk about the traffic gridlock in downtown Toronto that has a lot of people venting.

Libby Znaimer is joined by Karen Stintz, CEO of Variety Village, David Crombie, Former Mayor of Toronto and Ana Bailão, former Toronto Councillor for Ward 9 Davenport and Deputy Mayor

This week: the Ford government introduced sweeping new legislation regarding housing that would cut the authority of Conservation authorities and give more leeway to developers. What does our panel think about that? Meanwhile, we recap the elections that took place and those who were voted back in including mayors John Tory, Patrick Brown and Bonnie Crombie.

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NEW CENSUS DATA

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Elise Herzig, Executive Director of JIAS Toronto and Dr. Sarah Wilkens-Laflamme, Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Undergraduate studies in Sociology at the University of Waterloo.

In the news: According to new census data released by Statistics Canada, immigrants could  comprise between 29.1 per cent to 34 per cent of the population of Canada by 2041. Asian immigrants increased from just 12.1 per cent in 1971 to 62 per cent in 2021. And, India has been the lead source of Asian immigrants to the country and has contributed to 18.6 percent of total number arriving between 2016-2021. Meanwhile, as many as 34.6 per cent of Canadians do not affiliate with a religion.

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ISIS BRIDES RETURN TO CANADA

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Stephanie Carvin, Assistant Professor of International Affairs, Carleton University, and an expert on national security issues as well as Dr. Amarnath Amarasingam, Assistant Professor, School of Religion, Queen's University.

In the news: at least two Canadian women and their kids are returning home to Canada from an ISIS detention camp in Syria. Our guests explain the implications of all of this.

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Libby Znaimer is joined by Lesley-Anne Scorgie, Founder of MeVest, a leading edge financial education company specializing in money coaching for Canadians and Gordon Pape, Editor and Publisher of the Internet Wealth Builder and Income Investor newsletters.

Today: the Bank of Canada has increased the interest rate yet again to 50 basis points taking it to 3.75 per cent. This is the sixth time that the interest rate has been increased since March as the bank continues to try to fight high inflation. But what are the implications of these increases? Our guests weigh in.

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ONTARIO'S HOUSING STRATEGY

Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Brian Doucet, Canada Research Chair in Urban Change and Social Inclusion School of Planning at the University of Waterloo and Frank Clayton Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research and Land Development, Toronto Metropolitan University.

This week the Ford government has announced sweeping new legislation as it pertains to housing.

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OTTAWA'S DENTAL BENEFIT PROGRAM VULNERABLE TO FRAUD

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

The PBO says that Ottawa's dental benefit program will be a target of fraud if proper measures are not in place to protect it from such incidents. According to Giroux, the cost of the program will reach $703 Million and rental support will go up to $940 million. However, Giroux is warning Ottawa that the cost could be higher if protections are not in place to prevent fraudulent claims. He's on the show to discuss.

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RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL:  THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION

Libby Znaimer is joined by Howard Hampton, Former Ontario NDP Leader, Hugh Segal, Former Senator of Canada and John Milloy, formerOntario Liberal MPP who served as a cabinet minister under Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne.

It’s Tuesday - time to talk politics and it is the morning after municipal elections - 417 of them - which yielded few surprises, a nod to incumbency, and the lowest voter turnout in history. In Toronto, 29% - John Tory sailed to a third term with 62% of the vote. But here is the disappointing math: 62% of 29% is just under 18 which means the mayor of the country's largest city was elected by under 18% of eligible voters. Meanwhile the province is taking the lead on issues of housing and development with an announcement on zoning and things related this afternoon. And here’s one that has us scratching our heads: why is Doug Ford fighting a summon to appear before the inquiry into the use of emergency powers to end the convoy protest. Ford was the only Premier to support this and he’s been vocal about his support. So why this?

STEVEN DEL DUCA AND PATRICK BROWN JOIN THE SHOW

Libby Znaimer is joined by Steven Del Duca, Mayor of Vaughan followed by Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton. Both achieved election wins last night. They share their visions for their respective cities.

COMPETITION BUREAU TO STUDY FOOD PRICING BY GROCERY RETAILERS

Libby Znaimer is joined by Ellen Roseman, consumer advocate and journalist.

This week the competition bureau announced that it will be conducting a study looking into food pricing by grocery retailers amid high inflation.

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Listeners weighed in on the upcoming municipal elections taking place on Monday of next week. And, some called in to discuss credit card transaction fees.

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