Zoomer Week in Review

As Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine goes on, many of Ukrainian heritage living around the world are returning to their homeland to defend it. Mark Preston-Horin of Victoria B.C. is one of them.

Bob Komsic talked to him as he was finalizing his travel plans.

If you’re 50 and older, or have a loved one who is, hopefully you or they have received vaccine shots to prevent Shingles. The number who have is low - only about one-in-four Zoomers. Here to help raise awareness is Dr. Samir Sinha, director of research with the National Institute on Aging at Ryerson University and head of geriatrics at Sinai Health System and University Health Network.

We live in a world of misinformation which is described as any information that turns out to be false. It infiltrates current events ranging from elections, the pandemic, the recent blockades and protests in Canada and now, the war in Ukraine. While it’s not a new phenomenon, gone are the days of getting all of our information from the newspaper. And experts who study this influence of people’s reasoning even after it’s been corrected call it the ‘continued influence effect’. Here to explain is Dr. Maddy Jalbert with The Centre for an Informed Public at the University of Washington

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A trip to the maple sugar bush is a rite of spring for many. And producers are hoping for a sweeter season this year after last spring’s less than ideal weather and the ongoing pandemic created the worst season in half a century. But if weather and daylight conditions are ideal, Purple Woods Conservation Area in Durham Region hopes to produce up to 1,200 litres of the liquid gold. We reached Dan Hope who’s with the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority.

This long weekend, we mark Family Day. It comes as the two-year pandemic has changed our demographics and the structure of our families: more people live alone or in couples and there are fewer households with children. Doug Norris, chief demographer at Environics Analytics says it all flows from the aging of the population.

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There’s always lots of public discussion about immigration. This week the government announced it is increasing the target for the year - looking to welcome 432,000 new immigrants. But what about movement in the opposite direction, when immigrants return to their countries of origin? Kamal Al-Sleyli is the author of Return: Why We Go Back to Where We Come From. Libby Znaimer reached him in Vancouver.

The blockading protests calling themselves the Freedom Convoy have raised millions of dollars in a very short period of time. When GoFundMe froze their funds, sites like GiveSendGo took over. Reports suggest much of that cash is coming from the US and much has been donated anonymously. Who’s behind the money? Christian Leuprecht is a Professor of Political Science at the Royal Military College of Canada and Senior Fellow at the Macdonald Laurier Institute.

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Along with most everything else, the pandemic has curtailed volunteering. Still, philanthropist Salah Bachir found ways to continue raising the funds for St. Joseph’s Health Centre and its new dialysis centre. He is well known in the entertainment industry and and is a long standing supporter of the arts and gay rights activist. He has just been honoured with a June Callwood Outstanding Volunteer Award.

Over half of Canada’s 30,000 deaths from COVID-19 were in long term care homes. Two years in, as hundreds of homes report new outbreaks of the Omicron variant, new draft national standards for the sector have been released that the authors claim would have saved many lives. Advocates say the changes are long overdue. Critics say they don’t go far enough. Dr. Samir Sinha is director of geriatrics at Sinai Health and also on the committee that wrote these proposed new standards.

To offer your input, visit longtermcarestandards.ca

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Black Americans have been fighting for reparations tied to slavery for generations. But how close are legislators to making it happen in 2022? Opponents say maybe the time to redress slavery and the discrimination that followed has passed. The issue of reparations are back in the spotlight this month during Black History Month. We reached Dr. Earl Lewis, Founding Director of the Center for Social Solutions and professor of history at the University of Michigan.

When the pandemic began, it seemed that Covid would convince many Canadians to retire early. The science made it clear that the risks increased with age and the demands of moving everything online required a massive shift. But the opposite has happened. The pandemic is making Canadians delay retirement. Fidelity Canada explored the reasons in its most recent report. I talked with Michelle Munro, Director of retirement research.

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This week marked Holocaust remembrance Day and the 77th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. With the numbers of survivors dwindling, and anti-Semitism rising around the world, 92-year-old Max Eisen says telling his story is more important than ever.

A new book details how a cold case team brought modern investigative techniques to a decades-old Holocaust mystery: who betrayed Anne Frank and her family? The project took nearly five years, and used AI in addition to more than 20 people and dozens of consultants. Libby Znaimer talked with Canadian author Rosemary Sullivan about The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation.

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It’s a hypothesis that’s been investigated for years but now for the first time there is compelling evidence that Multiple Sclerosis is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. It’s a difficult connection because while 95% of us have been infected by Epstein-Barr, MS is a relatively rare inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Libby Znaimer reached Dr. Kassandra Munger, co- author of the paper and director of the Multiple Sclerosis studies at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health

Do you still carry a lot of cash and how often do you use it? There’s no question the pandemic has accelerated the move to contactless payment. Our next guest argues that the end of cash is almost here and it will affect us in many ways. Libby Znaimer reached Eswar Prasad, a Cornell professor, an author, and a fellow at the Brookings Institution.

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According to research from the CMHA and the University of British Columbia, the pandemic is taking a big toll on our mental health. The dead of winter is always a difficult time. Margaret Eaton of the CMHA has some coping tips as we approach Blue Monday - on the third week in January - which some say is the saddest day of the year.

On January 6th 2021, the world watched in horror as the United States capitol building was attacked. Since then, over 700 rioters have been charged, many remain in jail, and a commission is tasked with finding the roots of the insurrection and plans to release its final report this summer. Christine Ross spoke with political science professor Dr. Christopher Gelpi to reflect on the one year anniversary of the attempted coup.

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Abstaining from alcohol for 31 days this month may not seem like a big sacrifice but health experts say it not only offers immediate benefits, but can be a good test for whether you have a problem. And with more Canadians drinking as the pandemic continues its relentless grip, giving up booze may be harder than ever. Christine Ross spoke with Dr. Peter Selby, who specializes in addictions at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health about Dry January.

Feeling too overwhelmed to make New Year's resolutions as we head into yet another uncertain future amid a pandemic? According to science, making small positive changes in your life may matter more in these times. Exercise ranks among the top resolutions this year as more people vow to lose the pandemic pounds but the best advice is self care and no need to go big. Christine Ross spoke with Dr. Anne Wilson, psychology professor at Wilfrid Laurier University.

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Holiday meal prep and cooking left you burnt out? How about a gourmet tasting meal without all the fuss? You should check out "A Pot, A Pan and A Bowl", the latest cookbook offering from beloved celebrity chef and Emmy award winning TV personality Lidia Bastianich. It contains 100 homey recipes, that require fewer steps and fewer ingredients. But she’s quick to remind us this minimal approach still requires finesse. Lidia joins Christine to ‘dish’ on her new no-fuss recipes.