Zoomer Week in Review

He was a celebrated American fashion photographer known for his iconic photos  of gorgeous models wearing  fabulous clothes in exotic locations but there’s a lesser known aspect of Richard Avedon’s work that focuses on ageing and It’s now on display in a Toronto exhibit. Libby spoke with Adam Gopnick, an award winning  staff writer for The New Yorker who was a friend and close collaborator of  Avedon.

We often talk to former Deputy Conservative leader Lisa Raitt about politics, but she has also been very open about her husband Bruce’s disease: he was diagnosed with Young-Onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 56 and Lisa has been his caregiver since then. They recently marked their 10th wedding anniversary having actually married after Bruce’s diagnosis which I think is amazing. Here is my heart wrenching conversation with Lisa.

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Do you still help your adult children financially? Until what age do they turn to you for cash?  A new survey from RBC finds  that more than half of parents have provided support to an adult child in the past year, giving an average of $6,15, to be exact.  Parents are increasingly helping cover the costs of everyday life: groceries, rent and utilities. And the age where the younger generation still needs help is going up- up to 40! I spoke with Lucianna Adragna, Vice President, Client Segments, Everyday Banking, RBC

It’s a first in Canada and the hope is that it will make it easier to prosecute hate crimes. Ontario has just established a specialized hate crimes prosecution unit, staffed with Crown prosecutors experienced in the legal complexities of hate speech, bias-motivated crimes, and the line between criminal conduct and protected expression. The impetus came from a private members’ motion tabled by MPP Michelle Cooper in April. Not only do private initiatives rarely succeed, this one came to fruition at lightning speed. Libby talked with Ontario PC MPP Michelle Cooper (Eglinton-Lawrence).

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The idea is based on a lesson learned from the pandemic when Covid-19 tore through long-term care homes killing thousands of our most vulnerable citizens. A recent clinical trial found that using  rapid, on-site testing for respiratory viruses at nursing homes could prevent 8,000 emergency department visits every year.   Dr. Jerome Leis, is Medical director of infection prevention and control at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and co-principal investigator of the trial.

August 8 2026-"Ealamania" at the National Bank Open & The Glasses That Are a Game Changer

It's being dubbed "Ealamania": the huge local support for the number 20 ranked Filipina tennis star is one of the factors putting this year’s National Bank Open on track for record attendance. Libby spoke with Tournament Director Karl Hale.

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Nuance Audio glasses combine advanced sound technology into regular eyeglasses. It’s not for severe hearing loss, but these can help anyone who has trouble hearing their companions above the din and the music and the ambient noise. Libby spoke with Simon Robert, Senior Director, Corporate Affairs & Strategic Partnerships, Canada at EssilorLuxottica (parent company of Nuance Audio).

July 25 2026-A Stunning Reversal for Breakthrough Alzheimer's Drug & Do You Still Feel Safe Despite New Stats Canada Report Showing Crime Rate Drop?

There’s exciting news on the Alzheimer’s treatment front: Canada’s Drug Agency is now recommending funding for a breakthrough drug called “lecanemab” after initially taking the opposite stance in February over concerns about effectiveness, cost and potential side effects. Libby spoke with Dr. Howard Chertkow, Scientific Director, Baycrest’s Kimel Family Centre for Brain Health & Wellness.

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This week Statistics Canada released new numbers showing a 5% drop in both the rate and severity of crimes on our streets. But does the reality on our streets feel very different...with random shootings and attacks, public drug use and a general sense of disorder. Libby spoke with criminal defence lawyer Ari Goldkind.

It’s one of the most agonizing parts of cancer treatment: testing to see if the cancer has returned and deciding what to do to try to prevent that from happening. Now, Princess Margaret is launching a large clinical trial to test whether patients and their doctors can get that information from  a simple blood test. Libby spoke with lead investigator Dr. Lillian Siu, a Senior Scientist with Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

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Pipelines and power are dominating the national conversation these days, and that is one of the reasons behind the reexamination of Canada’s first prime minister. Sir John A. Macdonald unified our nation by building a railway “from sea to sea”. But in recent years, he has been vilified for his role in the creation of residential schools. Since 2018, many of his statues were vandalized or covered over or removed and his name was taken off multiple schools. Recently his reputation has started to be rehabilitated. Libby spoke with Patrice Dutil, Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

At a time when the United States of America is experiencing intense polarization, the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution is prompting historians, scholars, and citizens to reconsider not only what happened in 1776 but also how Americans and others…remember, debate, and reinterpret the Revolution today.  The journal ‘Remembering the American Revolution at 250 was created specifically to foster that broader conversation about memory, commemoration, and historical meaning. Doctor G. Patrick O'Brien is an Assistant Professor of The University of Tampa and co-lead-editor of the journal ‘Remembering the American Revolution at 250 (two-fifty).

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This month saw the city of Toronto named the Number One solo travel destination in the world according to global free tour platform "Guru Walk"  which has ranked 50 cities worldwide with the highest proportion of solo travellers in 2026.  The report found that over just over half of all free tour bookings in Toronto were made by a single traveller, the highest rate out of any other city included in the ranking, including every major European capital. Amid this a prominent archi-tourist wants you to discover a trove of Toronto treasures. Dave LeBlanc is author of Hidden Toronto: Secret Places and Forgotten Gems of Toronto and the GTA.

It has been a season of extraordinary breakthroughs in the treatment of cancer. From a game-changing drug for pancreatic cancer - the most intractable of diseases -  to a major advance in lung cancer - to mounting evidence that GLP-1 drugs can prevent cancer or delay its spread. I spoke to Dr. Malcolm Moore, medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a former head of BC Cancer, He told me about the groundbreaking research that was highlighted at the recent American Society of Clinical oncologists annual conference (ASCO).

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It’s the supplement everyone’s talking about and the evidence shows that buzz around creatine is more than just hype. It targets one of the biggest problems as we age - losing muscle mass - I spoke with one of leading researchers on its benefits Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky of McMaster University.

MAY 30 2026-HOW CANADA'S IMMIGRATION SYSTEM LOST ITS WAY & HOW TO KNOW WHEN IT'S TIME TO RETIRE

We often talk about how Canadians are starting to turn against immigration - one of the pillars of our country - not because of bias - but because we have lost control of what used to be a model system. Globe and Mail columnist Tony Keller won the 60K Donner Prize for Borderline Chaos: How Canada Got Immigration Right, and Then Wrong. Here is our conversation.

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High profile cabinet minister Caroline Mulroney recently announced she will step away from her high-powered job. She says that major life events like losing her father, former PM Brian Mulroney and becoming an empty nester made her re-evaluate her priorities. Those are issues that many of us face, but it can be hard to know when it's the right time to retire. I talked with Robin Chapman, CEO of RGC Executive Coaching & Consulting.

May 9 2026-The Intense, Harsh Glare of Vehicle Headlights & A Fascinating Look at a Medical Device Aimed at Reducing Stroke Risk

It’s a massive shift that is putting many drivers at risk. The intense, harsh glare from the latest LED (light-emitting diode) and laser headlights is a danger to other drivers both because of the brightness and the direction of these lights. Libby talked with Automotive Lighting Consultant Daniel Stern.

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Hamilton Health Sciences researchers are leading a phase 3 clinical trial for a medical device that aims to reduce risk of stroke in patients. For a fascinating look into the study, Libby speaks with Dr. Ashkan Shoamanesh, neurologist at Hamilton Health Sciences and one of the trial’s global leader