Fight Back with Libby Znaimer Zoomer Podcast Network

Today on Free For All Friday: A lot of our listeners had plenty to say about former President Donald Trump who was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in his hush money trial. That and more right here on Zoomer Radio.

TUNE INTO THE TOWN:  ROB FORD IS BACK IN THE NEWS & THE LATEST ON THE MISSISSAUGA MAYORAL ELECTION

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Alex Blumenstein, Co-Founder of The Peak, Karen Stintz, CEO, Variety Village, and David Crombie, a former Mayor of Toronto.

It’s Thursday - time to talk about all things municipal - and last night there was a key debate in the race for Mississauga mayor. It was, as all debates except for one, a Carolyn Parrish-free debate. And on this segment we’ve spent a lot of time talking about the very controversial and unpopular re-naming of Yonge-Dundas Square. The other night we saw another that went down quite differently!

WHAT IS BEHIND THE DRAMATIC PRICE CHANGES IN FRUIT AT THE GROCERY STORE?

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.

We keep hearing that food inflation is coming down yet it’s not unusual to see the opposite at the grocery store  - at least when it comes to certain items. And the swings in some prices are very dramatic.



THE LATEST ON LEGAL EFFORTS TO DISMANTLE THE ANTI-ISRAEL ENCAMPMENT AT UOFT

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Eli Mogil, Partner with McCarthy Tétrault LLP who has experience with injunctions but is not involved at all with UofT's legal proceeding against the encampment on their campus and Paul Fruitman, Partner of Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP and representing Hillel Ontario in their filing of intervener status in support of UofT.

If UofT execs were hoping to get a quick injunction for the dismantling of that encampment before convocation - they really miscalculated. The application won’t even be heard until June 19 - after the festivities if those ceremonies do go ahead. 

THE MEDICAL RECORD: CANNABIS CONSUMPTION & SUNSCREEN MISINFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Nadia Alam, family doctor and anesthetist in Georgetown, Ontario, Dr. Aaron Schimmer, the Director of Research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre as well as a staff physician and a senior scientist, and Dr. Fahad Razak, Canada Research Chair in Data Informed Healthcare Improvement at the University of Toronto and a general internist at a Toronto hospital.

Today: our panel reacts to the latest dangerous social media trend trying to push misinformation about sunscreen...our doctors debunk that. And, in the States, daily cannabis consumption has jumped ahead of daily alcohol consumption.




WHY ARE UNIONS DEFENDING ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS?

Libby Znaimer is joined, first, by tech reporter Carmi Levy, followed by Howard Levitt, Senior Partner at Levitt Sheikh Employment | Labour Law and Michael Teper of Save Our Schools.


We’ve just been talking about the latest piece of health misinformation purveyed on social media and consumed mostly by young people on Tik Tok.

Here at home, five additional school boards in Ontario are joining  a lawsuit against social media giants including Tik Tok, Meta, and Snapchat, in which they allege that these social media apps are harming the well-being of students and hurting their academic growth.

AND:

Powerful unions have been expressing their support for anti-Israel protesters at the UofT encampment. From CUPE's President Fred Hahn to the President of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) to the Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union (OPSEU) and other groups who showed up to the UofT campus to show support. One union leader even said: "“If the police come, we will be your human shields. We will be your line of defense. And I promise you that we will be here for as long as it takes to make sure that you are safe.” What rights do they have? Meanwhile some groups are calling on the TDSB to keep politics out of the classroom amid the Israeli-Hamas war. A motion being led by school board trustee Weidong Pei includes guidelines to prevent TDSB resources from being used for political activism.




WHAT A NEW REPORT TELLS US ABOUT CANADIANS AND DEBT

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Lesley-Anne Scorgie, founder of MeVest, a leading-edge financial education company specializing in money coaching for Canadians.

According to a TransUnion report, more Canadians are seeing very high credit card balances amid inflation and the high cost of living.

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL: IS PREMIER DOUG FORD AFRAID OF PIERRE POILIEVRE'S CONSERVATIVES?

Libby Znaimer is joined by George Smitherman, a former Ontario Liberal Health minister and Deputy Premier, Cheri DiNovo,  a former NDP MPP, and Lisa Raitt, former deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

It’s Tuesday - time to talk politics! Is the Ford government preparing to call a snap election? And the panel reacts to the latest on Ottawa's immigration plans. Plus, what's happening with the Mississauga Mayoral race.




CANADA IS HAVING A GOOD MOMENT IN TENNIS

Libby Znaimer is now joined by Tennis Canada CEO Gavin Ziv and Wally Rigobon, co-host of the Naz and Wally Sports Hour on Zoomer Radio.

There is lots to talk about at the French Open this year! We’re wondering if we have seen the last of Rafa Nadal at Roland-Garros - an event he had a lock on for years. He lost his first round match to Alex Zverev in straight sets - a very tough draw for what may be his swan song. And all four Canadians - who have all suffered injuries of late - have made it through their opening rounds and they are all moving on.




ONTARIO'S WORST ROADS ACCORDING TO CAA

Libby Znaimer is now  joined by Teresa Di Felice, Assistant Vice President of Government and Community Relations for CAA South Central Ontario.

Together they discuss the newly released CAA list of worst roads in Ontario voted by residents! Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto came in second. Listen in to find other roads that topped the list.

THE ZOOMER SQUAD: HOW SUPPORTIVE ARE ZOOMERS OF THE FEDERAL LIBERALS?

Libby Znaimer is joined by Anthony Quinn, Chief Community Officer of CARP,  Bill VanGorder, Chief Advocacy and Education Officer of CARP, and Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs.

It’s Monday - time for our Zoomer Squad - and both politics and health are in the spotlight. New polling shows that Zoomers may be the last bastion of support for the Liberal government. And there’s a new Seniors advocate in BC. One of his first acts was to go to NYC to advocate for a binding international convention on seniors’ rights. Is that a useful thing to pursue?




ONTARIO PREMIER DOUG FORD'S BIG BEER PLANS

Libby Znaimer is joined by Bob Richardson, Senior Council, National Public Relations, and Karl Moore,  Associate Professor, Strategy & Organization AT McGill University.

What’s all this about the moving up of the date for selling wine and beer in corner stores? Why does the PC government want to spend $225M on this? And is it a sign that a snap election may be in the works?




THE LATEST ON THE ANTI-ISRAEL ENCAMPMENT AT UOFT

Libby Znaimer is joined by Rabbi Yaacov Vidal, Principal of Bais Chaya Mushka in North York and Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, Director of Advocacy and Policy at Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre.

Today: we discuss the aftermath of a shooting that targeted Bais Chaya Mushka--a Jewish elementary school. And we get the latest reaction to what's going on at the anti-Israel encampment on the grounds of UofT in downtown Toronto.

Best of Fight Back Sunday May 26 Edition

On Wednesday, our Medical Record Panel weighed in on a study about hip fractures among older adults.

And, an exhibit of the former home of the iconic Sir John A. Macdonald is sparking plenty of controversy over how it is portraying him.

Meanwhile on Tune into the Town, our panel reacts to a new City Staff report on dealing with the issue of homeless encampments. So..what needs to be done?

And, our panel of travel experts reacts to news of an airline that is planning to create a cheaper fare category for travelers who do not bring on a carry-on. Is it worth it?