Newstalk Today

Newstalk Today

By Bell MediaNews
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Newstalk Today episodes

  • 19-year-old becomes youngest woman to fly solo around the world

    Evan Solomon talks to Zara Rutherford about what it takes to make a global flight by yourself and the challenges she faced along the way.

    On today’s show:

    • Glen McGregor, senior political correspondent with CTV National News, on the "freedom rally" convoy of truckers fighting vaccination mandates.
    • Mike Millian, president of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada, on his stance on the convoy and how it could affect the industry.
    • Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, the “Food Professor” and senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, talks about what to make of photos of empty shelves amid supply chain concerns.
    • We play Evan’s full conversation with Oleg Stepanov, Russian Ambassador to Canada, on tensions between Russia and Ukraine amid invasion fears.
    • Karl Subban, father of P.K. Subban, Malcolm Subban, and Jordan Subban, about an apparent racist gesture made toward Jordan during an ECHL game.
    • Zara Rutherford, who has become the youngest woman to fly around the world solo at 19 years old

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      1 hr 18 min
    • Free For All Friday

      Free For All Friday, hosted by Amanda Galbraith, features top talent from across the iHeart radio talk network. Hosts from all over the country join the roundtable to discuss the five biggest stories of the week.

      This week's show features panelists Marieke Walsh, political reporter with The Globe and Mail, and Ryan Price, news director and afternoon drive host on CFAX 1070 in Victoria, BC.

      Topics: 

      1. Ontario has announced a three-step plan to gradually lift COVID-19 restrictions. Meanwhile, Europe is considering a new COVID-19 strategy: accepting the virus. Should Canada adopt something similar?
      2. Canada is poised to beef up its military presence in Ukraine in response to concerns about Russian aggression across eastern Europe. How concerned are you about this? Should Canada get more involved?
      3. Have you ever started a hobby late in life that you fell in love with? Have you ever dreamed about starting a hobby but thought it was too ambitious/too late?
      4. During Monday's snowstorm in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford helped shovel out stranded drivers. Did this feel authentic to you?
      5. This February, the Canadian Cancer Society is challenging Canadians to go alcohol-free for Dry Feb. Is this something you'd consider?
        6. 40 min
      6. Ontario announces three-step plan to gradually lift COVID-19 restrictions

        Evan Solomon breaks down Ontario’s plan to gradually ease COVID-19 public health measures.

        On today's show: 

        • Colin D’Mello, CTV's Queen’s Park Bureau Chief, on Ontario’s plan to lift COVID-19 restrictions. 
        • Kenny Bell, Mayor of Iqaluit, on a boil-water advisory being issued for his city after fuel contamination. 
        • ‘Overhyped v. Underplayed’ with Scott Reid, CTV News political commentator.
        • Caitlin Burley, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s manager of transportation engagement, on a proposed plan which would see 30,000 shipments of nuclear waste move through Ontario cities.
        • Stephen Marche, a novelist and writer on his new book The Next Civil War: Dispatches from the American Future.
          • 1 hr 18 min
        • Canada's annual inflation rate highest since 1991

          Evan Solomon breaks down the latest report which shows Canada's annual pace of inflation climbed to a 30-year-high in December.

          On today's show:

          • David Lavery, a.k.a “Canadian Dave”, an ex-special forces soldier with the Canadian Armed Forces who helped get 100 people out of Afghanistan in August. He describes his most recent trip to Kabul.

          • Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University, on how trucker vaccine mandates could affect the supply chain.

          • 'The War Room' with political strategists Zain Velji and Tasha Kheiriddin and former NDP leader Tom Mulcair.

          • John Wright, executive vice-president of Maru Public Opinion, on a new poll which found more than one in four Canadians support jail time for the unvaccinated.
          • Benjamin Alexander, Jamaica’s first Olympic alpine skier. He first learned to ski in British Columbia at the age of 32

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            1 hr 19 min
          • Canada’s first woman in space reflects on her journey 30 years later

            Evan Solomon chats with Dr. Roberta Bondar about how her life changed after becoming the first Canadian woman to go to space 30 years ago. 

            On today's show: 

            • Retired General Rick Hillier, former chief of the Defence Staff, on the effort to award Canada's Victoria Cross.
            • Dr. Roberta Bondar, the first Canadian woman and the world’s first neurologist in space. 
            • Steve Day, former Canadian Special Operations Forces commander, on Canada deploying special forces to Ukraine amid rising tensions with Russia.
            • Dr. Aisha Khatib, a Canadian doctor who helped to deliver a baby mid-flight.
              • 1 hr 19 min
            • Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral pill approved by Health Canada

              Evan Solomon breaks down what we know about Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral pill, which has just been authorized for use in Canada.

              On today's show: 

              • Christopher Skeete, parliamentary assistant to Quebec Premier Francois Legault, on Quebec’s health care tax. 
              • Dr. Isaac Bogoch, infectious disease physician at the Toronto General Hospital, on Pfizer’s antiviral pill for COVID-19. 
              • Cassandra Di Maria, a 30-year-old woman with stage four cancer whose lifesaving surgery was repeatedly postponed because of COVID-19. She shares some good news. 
              • Bart Sutherland, a ‘4x4 enthusiast’ who has driven more than 100 snowed-in health care staff to work on Vancouver Island. 
                • 1 hr 19 min
              • Free For All Friday

                Free For All Friday, hosted by Amanda Galbraith, features top talent from across the iHeart radio talk network. Hosts from all over the country join the roundtable to discuss the five biggest stories of the week.

                This week's show features panelists Al Ferraby, morning show host on CFAX 1070 radio in Victoria, BC and Tamara Cherry, former crime reporter and founder of Pickup Communications.

                Topics: 

                1. Medical experts are questioning the usefulness of screening air travellers for COVID-19 using a PCR test. Why are we still testing at airports?
                2. Quebec's health care tax — are you in favour? Is this a good idea?
                3. A Manitoba cabinet minister is being mocked for a tweet of his wife shovelling snow after a 12-hour hospital shift. Are people overreacting?
                4. Parallel parking, three-point turns and roadside emergency stops are temporarily removed from Ontario’s G-class license road tests to clear a massive backlog. Are you concerned about this?
                5. Bel-Air's iconic Fresh Prince is getting a fresh new look, 30 years later. What do you think of the new trailers?

                  6.  

                  40 min
                6. NASA’s retiring top scientist has a plan to terraform Mars, make planet habitable

                  Evan Solomon chats with Dr. Jim Green, NASA’s retiring chief scientist, on his plan to make Mars habitable.

                  On today's show:

                  • ‘Overhyped v. Underplayed’ with Scott Reid, CTV News political commentator.
                  • Mark Critch, comedian and star of the new TV series ‘Son of a Critch’.
                  • Jim Green, a NASA veteran with over 40 years’ experience who recently retired from his role as chief scientist, on his plan to terraform Mars.
                  • Cassandra Di Maria, a 30-year-old woman who was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in November of 2020. Her surgery has been postponed again due to Ontario’s restrictions. 
                  • John Morton, a seven-time Olympic participant, on the dangers of artificial snow.
                    • 1 hr 19 min
                  • Trudeau says too early to comment on Quebec’s tax for the unvaccinated

                    Evan Solomon discusses Quebec’s health care tax and takes your texts and calls — is this a good idea? Should adult residents who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 be charged a financial penalty?

                    On today's show: 

                    • Dr. Bartley Griffith, the professor of transplant surgery at the University of Maryland who performed the first transplant of a pig heart into a human being. 
                    • The War Room with political strategists Tasha Kheiriddin and Zain Velji, and former NDP leader Tom Mulcair.
                    • We take Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce’s press conference LIVE on the return to in-person learning. 

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                      1 hr 24 min
                    • Quebec to impose health care tax on people who are unvaccinated from COVID-19

                      Evan Solomon breaks down what we know so far about the Quebec government's plans to impose a health care tax for those who refuse to get their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

                      On today's show:

                      • Dr. Isaac Bogoch, infectious diseases physician at the Toronto General Hospital, on COVID-19 data. 
                      • Dr. Ann Cavoukian, former three-term Ontario Privacy Commissioner and executive director of the Global Privacy and Security By Design Centre, on Canada’s privacy watchdog probing the Public Health Agency's use of cellphone data.
                      • Tom Mulcair, former NDP leader and CTV political specialist, on Quebec imposing a health care tax for the unvaccinated. 
                      • Gerry Dee, Canadian comedian and current host of 'Family Feud Canada', on his career as an actor and comedian, and past career as a school teacher. 
                        • 1 hr 19 min

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                      We cover all of the current affairs you need to know and feature the biggest newsmakers in Canada and around the world. The show is hard-hitting, bold, surprising, and will bring you strong…