Zoomer Week in Review

August 4 2024-Are the Olympics Worth the Cost for Host Cities & How Olympics Will Impact Upcoming Tennis Tournament in Toronto

Billions of people around the world are watching the Summer olympics in Paris. There’s no question the spectacle is entertaining and sometimes uplifting. But Sports Economist and senior lecturer Moshe Lander argues the games and similar events like the World cup do not deliver the benefits they promise to the locals who foot the bill.

And,

We’ve been talking about the perils of hosting a big international event like the Olympics. How does it compare to smaller annual events like the National bank Open Tennis set to start next week? The experts say those can make money and benefit the local economy because they come back to the same venue year after year. I talked with Tennis Canada CEO Gavin Ziv.

Toronto was already one of the most congested cities in the world, But the simultaneous construction projects now underway have made it unbearable. It takes hours more to commute on the Gardiner. Travel time has tripled along Spadina and it can take 40 minutes to drive a few blocks on the only road now open in and out of Liberty Village.  It may also be shortening our lives. I talked with Jeffrey Brook, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

And

Libby speaks with cyclist Lloyd Taylor about his journey with Parkinson's disease, how exercise has been helping to alleviate symptoms he deals with and how he is raising awareness about the benefits of movement and exercise through the Spinning Wheels cross-Canada relay.

July 21 2024- What a Trump Presidency Would Mean For Canada & Backlash From Overtourism

What would a Donald Trump victory in the US mean for Canada? At this week’s Convention, Republican leaders blamed free trade for massive job losses in the American rust belt. And there’s the impact of trying to meet our NATO spending target and trying to compete with lower American taxes. Canadian politicians on all sides of the political spectrum are worried. I talked with Jack Mintz of the Macdonald Laurier Institute and the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy.

And

For most of us, it’s a great thing - the ability to get on a plane, to fulfill a bucket list item or capture the perfect Instagram shot by visiting one of the great cities of the world. But with tourism approaching record levels, the strain on local resources and residents is bringing a backlash. I asked Toronto Metropolitan University Hospitality Professor and author Rachel Dodds what we can and should do about it.

July 14 2024-What Ottawa Promised at the NATO Summit & The History of Our Obsession with Cats

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has finally announced that Canada intends to meet Nato’s 2% military spending target by 2032. The last minute announcement came after heavy criticism from allies at this week’s NATO summit in Washington. Libby Znaimer reached Prof. Stephen Saidman at the NATO Summit Expert Forum in Washington DC.

And,

Their antics take up a huge amount of bandwidth on the Internet and we are vastly amused at seeing them dressed as humans and doing human-like things. I am speaking , of course, about cats. But it wasn’t always this way. Cats were seen as common pests mainly useful for catching mice until the end of the 19th century. That’s when author and historian Kathryn Hughes says the great cat mania set in. Libby reached her in London to talk about her book, "Catland".

July 7 2024-Dan Hill Reflects On His Father's Legacy & Heritage Sites Lacking Safeguards In Canada

The name of a Canadian human rights defender will appear on a Toronto public library after a six month renaming effort. It's another piece of Toronto that's been stripped of the Dundas name, joining Yonge Dundas Square, to be renamed Sankofa Square. This fall, the Jane Dundas branch will be named after the late Daniel G. Hill, a historian, writer, and activist who served as the inaugural director of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, later as commissioner.

In the 90s, Hill was awarded the Order of Ontario and appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.

We reached his son, Grammy and Juno award -winning artist Dan Hill.

And

Last month's devastating fire at Toronto's St. Anne’s Anglican Church is a cautionary tale about preserving historic buildings. Built between 1907 and 1908, the church did not have a sprinkler system to protect its collection of religious murals — including some by the Group of Seven — that have now been lost. Experts warn that hundreds if not thousands of churches across Canada are in the same predicament of lacking certain safeguards. We reached Deb Crawford, Chair of the Architectural Conservancy Ontario.

June 30 2024-Canada's Changing Population & New Biography Reflects on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Triumphs and Failures

The number of Canadians 85 and older is expected to triple by the year 2073 to as many as 4.3 million. The projections released this week by Statistics Canada aso finds that the overall population could reach 63 million in half a century. Low birth rates mean migration will be the main driver of Canada's growth for the foreseeable future. We reached demographer Doug Norris who worries the trends will put added pressure on several fronts.

And

The triumphs and failures of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are chronicled in a new biography by award-winning journalist and author Stephen Maher. Maher spoke with over 200 insiders to reveal the public and private life of the man who’s led this country for nine years, chronicling the Liberals leader’s triumphs and failures. We reached Stephen Maher to talk about his book called Prince: The Turbulent Reign of Justin Trudeau

June 23 2024-Best Before Dates & June is Migraine Awareness Month

Best before dates are prompting Canadian consumers to throw away food, wasting up to $400 dollars worth of edible groceries each year. In financial terms, the value of this potentially rescuable food is an astonishing $49.5 billion. That's why there’s a new campaign called Look, Smell, Taste: Canada's Recipe for Reducing Food Waste as experts try to dispel the belief that ‘best before’ does not mean ‘bad after.’ We reached Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University to find out how it works.

And

June is Migraine Awareness month, and there’s a national campaign to offer more supportive working environments to the millions of Canadians living with the debilitating neurological disease.

As a show of solidarity with sufferers, Canadians are encouraged to turn their out of office alert for four hours - which is the minimum duration of an average migraine headache. We reached Dr. Elizabeth Leroux, neurologist and founder of Migraine Canada to find out about the campaign and new treatment options available.

June 16 2024-B.C.'s Senior Advocate Is Championing the Rights of Canada's 65 + & This Canadian Zoomer Makes Miss Universe Pageant History

He’s only been Seniors Advocate for B.C. for several months but Dan Levitt has been a champion for Seniors for years and, as you’ll hear, this acclaimed international speaker, elder care leader, writer and gerontologist has returned from New York where he attended the UN Summit on Ageing on behalf of all older Canadians. He spoke with Bob Komsic.

And

Regardless of what your take is on beauty pageants, the Miss Universe pageant-- the one Donald Trump co-owned from 1996 to 2015--has dropped its age requirement this year. For the first time in 72-years anyone over 28 is permitted be they married, pregnant, gay or trans. Lorraine Peters of New Brunswick will make history next month in Windsor when she becomes the oldest contestant at 58. She spoke with Bob Komsic.

June 9, 2024- Cyclist raises cancer awareness at the age of 81 & Where should people spend their summer?

This weekend will mark the 17th annual Princess Margaret RIDE to Conquer Cancer. More than 5,000 cyclists will ride over 200 kms over the two days, starting from the Exhibition Place in Toronto to Niagara Falls, with a pit stop in Hamilton. Last year, the ride received a contribution of $17.3 million with the help of cyclists, donors and sponsors. We reached 81-year-old Mary Jane McKeen, to tell her story about suffering from long-term cancer and biking her 15th ride this year.

AND

It’s going to be summer soon! Are you looking for suggestions for your next adventure? What should you do? Where should you go? Bob Comsic talked to Doug Wallace, travel journalist from TravelRight.Today to update our listeners on the latest travel trends.

June 2 2024- 80th Anniversary of D-Day & The Health Benefits of Tai Chi

On D-Day, 6 June 1944, the Allies came ashore in Normandy, France when some fourteen thousand Canadians stormed Juno Beach that day, and launched a campaign that helped turn the tide of the Second World War. Both in this country and abroad, Canadians are encouraged to explore the stories of those who courageously served in this campaign. We reached Alex Fitzgerald-Black, Executive Director of the Juno Beach Centre Association about what to expect this coming Thursday.

AND

There's plenty of evidence that exercise can help protect our bodies and brains. In fact, a new study finds Tai Chi, a slow-moving form of martial arts, can help slow cognitive decline and protect against dementia. It’s a gentle, low-impact exercise in which practitioners perform deliberate, flowing motions while focusing on deep, slow breaths. Dr. Patricia Huston and public health expert in the department of Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa has been doing Tai Chi for a decade and says there are even new benefits emerging. She joined Christine Ross in conversation.