February 2 2025-How, Where, When to Vote in the Ontario Election & Troubling New Statistics About Poverty Among Older Adults

February 27 is election day in Ontario. With more than 10.8 million eligible voters, the team at Elections Ontario is busy behind the scenes, with just weeks to organize this rare winter campaign. Voting is already underway, and there are a number of ways to cast your ballot. And it’s also a good opportunity for Zoomers to earn some extra cash working the election. In fact, Elections Ontario is hiring 55 thousand workers for various polling station positions. Laura Sylvis with Elections Ontario joins us with all the election details.

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New research warns there are nearly double the number of older adults living in poverty than Canada’s official number of 6 percent. The National Institute on Ageing is out with a new report on the social well-being and financial security of Canadians over 50 that highlights the connection between poverty and health. We reached Doctor Samir Sinha, the NIA Director of Health Policy to find out more about the survey “Ageing in Canada”.

January 26 2025- Cataract Procedures in Ontario & Bonny Reichert's "How to Share an Egg"

Having cataract surgery is stressful but even before it happens you can be faced with a number of options and fees. Dr. Tamara Daly, Professor of Health Policy and Equity at York University, spoke with Libby Znaimer about how to navigate your way through.

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First time author Bonny Reichert says she always knew she would tell her Father’s story but it took her quite a while before she felt comfortable enough and strong enough to do so. We reached Bonny at her home in Toronto about her book “How to Share an Egg” released on January 21st.

January 19 2025-A New Book About Chrystia Freeland & Tim Caulfield's "The Certainty Illusion"

When Catherine Tsalikis started writing her biography of Chrystia Freeland four years ago, she worried that her subject could fade from public view before the book came out. Instead, publishers had to rush it onto the shelves ahead of schedule after Freeland’s dramatic resignation and break with Justin Trudeau. Here’s my interview with biographer Catherine Tsalikis.

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How can you separate what’s real from the fake? How can you spot conspiracy theories cloaked in the language of science? Tim Caulfield hopes to help us resist misinformation in his latest work: "The Certainty Illusion".

January 12 2025-Selina Robinson's "Truth Be Told" & The Case for a "Damp January"

It was officially launched as a campaign in the UK in 2013. Since then, the challenge of going alcohol-free has become popular around the world. Now, a new alternative of a "Damp January" is gaining traction. I spoke with Public Health physician Dr. Barry Pakes who is with the Dalla Lana School of Public health at the University of Toronto.

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It was an unfortunate choice of words that led to an outsize consequence. Former BC Cabinet minister Selina Robinson was ousted from her job painfully and publicly after referring to the land Israel was founded on as “a crappy piece of land.” She says she was targetted because she is Jewish and her experience highlights the explosion of anti-Semitism around the world and inside the NDP in particular.

January 5 2025-The Alarming Impact of Smoking on Life Expectancy & New Year's Resolutions

If your New Year’s Resolution is to quit smoking, researchers say it will extend your life expectancy. A new study in the UK quantifies the harm of cigarette smoking and finds it shortens life expectancy at nearly double previous estimates. British researchers have found that just one cigarette takes about 20 minutes off your life. 48,000 Canadians die of tobacco related diseases each year and smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in this country. We reached Lion Shahab, considered a top researcher in the world when it comes to smoking. He’s professor of Health Psychology at University College London in the UK where the study was done by his colleagues.

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Many of us are ringing in 2025 with New Year’s resolutions despite a new movement called ‘Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day’ on January 17th. New research finds the older we get, the less we’re interested in setting resolutions. We reached author and time management coach Elizabeth Saunders for some tips on creating successful goals heading into 2025.

December 22 2024-Lawrence Hill Opens Up About "Book of Negroes" Ban by a London School Board & Lucy Waverman's Cookbook Recommendations

Renowned novelist Lawrence Hill is speaking out after a local high school teacher was ordered to stop teaching one of his award-winning novels because of its use of the N-word. The London District Catholic School Board ruled that the award-winning novel “The Book of Negroes” could no longer be mandatory reading. The teacher who was told to stop teaching it, and told Hill about the order, has been placed on leave. I talked to Lawrence Hill about the teaching ban.

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It’s the time of year for lists and this one will help please the foodie or home chef in your life or you yourself. I asked food guru Lucy Waverman about her picks for the best cookbooks of 2024.

December 15 2024-Missing Pensions in Canada & Stress-Free Grandparenting Tips for the Holidays

A new report reveals a shocking number of missing pension plan members in Canada. In Ontario alone, nearly 200,000 pension plan members are considered missing, leaving behind $3.6 billion in unclaimed entitlements. And the National Institute on Aging report highlights the challenges to individuals entitled to unclaimed pension benefits. We reached Doug Chandler, an associate fellow with the National Institute on Aging to discuss the findings of the report called ‘Missing Pension Plan Members in Canada.’

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Some tips now on how to achieve no stress-grandparenting during the Christmas holidays. Sometimes, generational dynamics can create problems, but if grandparents take on a role of support rather than control, it can lead to a more enriching holiday according to the experts. Toronto psychologist Dr. Cranla Warren who’s been a social worker and family therapist for many years, is currently writing an article on this issue.

December 1 2024-Ezra Levant On His Arrest At A Pro-Hamas Demonstration & Supporting Cancer Care At The Princess Margaret

It seems like the police got it backwards. Last Sunday, a group of pro-Hamas protesters went to a Jewish neighbourhood, staging an event glorifying the deceased terrorist Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the October 7 attacks on Israel. Although the protesters were violating Canadian hate laws, police arrested Ezra Levant who was on site filming the event. I talked to him about what happened.

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Like thousands of Ontario cancer patients, I am here today because of the treatment I received at the PMCC. This week, Zoomermedia held its 4th annual radiothon in support of the PMCC and with Giving Tuesday coming up, I talked with Dr. Keith Stewart, Director of the Princess Margaret Cancer Program about what our charitable donation will actually pay for.

NOVEMBER 24 2024-HOW RFK JR AS HEALTH SECRETARY COULD IMPACT CANADA & DETERMINING THE RIGHT TIME TO TAKE YOUR CPP

His ideas have been called “Quackery on steroids." From the debunked claims that vaccines cause autism and fluoridation causes brain damage, the appointment of anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the US secretary of health and human services is considered a danger. And while that peril is south of the border, Canadian doctors are worried about the fallout here in Canada. Tim Caulfield is research director of the Health Law Institute, at the university of Alberta and a leading debunker of pseudoscientific myths and health misinformation.

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It’s a major financial decision that will affect our entire lives in retirement and many of us don’t give it the attention it deserves. When to take the CPP? We think of 65 as the usual time but you can begin receiving it as early as age 60 or as late as age 70 or anywhere in between. Take it early and use it as you wish or defer it and collect more - actually a whole lot more. Financial planner Jason Pereira crunched the numbers with me.