Zoomer Week in Review

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.

November 17 2024-Charities Making the Biggest Impact & A History of Big Concerts that Took Over Toronto

In this season of giving, it can be overwhelming deciding which charity deserves your donation. Most charities claim to make a difference in the lives of those they work with. But just how difficult is it for donors to tell if their donation really is making a difference? Charity Intelligence has just released this year’s top 10 impact charities to help Canadians find charities making the greatest impact. We reached Greg Thomson, Director of Research at the non profit organization.

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Taylor Swift fans are converging on Toronto for a series of sold out concerts, over two weekends, drawing a crowd of 50 for each night. It’s considered the most commercially successful concert series the city has ever seen. We reached music publicist Eric Alper to get his take on the concert and how it compares with some other big Toronto concerts of the past that many Zoomers attended.

November 10 2024-HOW TRUMP MAY SHAPE CANADA'S TIES WITH THE U.S. & THE 2024 SILVER CROSS MOTHER ON REMEMBRANCE DAY

The consensus is that Donald Trump's resounding victory will have a huge impact on everything from the price of groceries to the Western alliance. I talked with Conservative strategist Will Stewart about how Canada’s place in the world may shift with the new US administration.

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Maureen Anderson lost both her sons because of their military service although they died years later. Sgt Ron Anderson took his own life and Sgt. Ryan Anderson died of an overdose after suffering from PTSD. I talked with Maureen, this year’s Silver Cross Mother, as she prepared for Remembrance Day.

November 3 2024-The Only Canadian Hostage Still Being Held by Hamas & Continuing the Dialogue About Women's Rights

Judih Weinstein, a 70 year old Canadian-born Senior and her 72-year-old husband Gadi were murdered by Hamas terrorists while on their morning walk on Oct. 7, 2023, in Southern Israel. Their bodies are still being held in Gaza. Judih is the only Canadian hostage still being held by Hamas. Their daughter, Iris, lived a nightmare not knowing if her parents were alive or dead for an agonizing 83 days. Now, she wants answers from the Canadian government to act and secure justice for Canadians targeted by Hamas and is suing a number of terrorist organizations including Hamas and Samidoun. We reached Iris Weinstein Haggai in Ottawa.

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For two decades, journalist and author Elizabeth Renzetti has written about women’s rights and has just penned a new book on the subject called "What She Said: Conversations About ­Equality".

She writes about women’s rights being rolled back around the world and the continuing injustices like violence, loss of reproductive rights and misogyny but urges us all to keep the faith and continue the dialogue.

October 27 2024-Dr. Jane Philpott Wants to Fix Primary Care in Ontario & Exploring the Origin Story of Poutine

Former federal health minister Dr. Jane Philpott will head a new provincial health team with the goal of connecting every person in Ontario with a primary care provider in the next five years. She’ll step down as dean of Queen’s University Health Sciences to begin her new role December 1st. Some estimate there were more than 2.5 million without a family doctor, and other studies peg that number even higher at over 6 million. Up to now, reforms haven’t fixed the crisis in healthcare and we reached Dr. Philpott to find out why she claims to have the answer.

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It’s french fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds but where did this food combination originate and why is the world now becoming obsessed with this Canadian cuisine? Journalist and author Justin Giovannetti Lamothe explores all these questions in his new book Poutine: A Deep-Fried Road Trip of Discovery that takes the reader on a Québécois culinary journey to find the roots of this popular food.

October 20 2024-Challenge for Older Canadians Accessing Primary Care & A New Catalogue on Painter Jack Bush

Many older Canadians are struggling to get the healthcare they need. And a new report by the National Institute on Ageing is sounding the alarm, finding access to a primary care physician may be even worse than previously understood. The NIA finds that nearly 5 million Canadians 50 and older are without primary healthcare and, with an aging population, it will only get worse unless the problem is remedied. We reached Natalie Iciaszczyk, a research program manager at the National Institute on Ageing.

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He was Canada’s most internationally acclaimed artist of the 20th century. And now, a new catalogue on abstract painter and founding member of the Painters 11 Jack Bush has been produced. Written by Sarah Stanners, who has published widely on modern and contemporary art, this four box set is the first full biography of the artist, tracing his life from birth to death. We reached art historian Sarah Stanners who is an Adjunct Professor of Art History at the University of Toronto.