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. And 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.’ And 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. And 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. And 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. And 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. And 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. And 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. And 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. And 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.

October 13 2024-Marc Garneau's "A Most Extraordinary Ride" & Preventing Pain After Breast Cancer Surgery He made history as the first Canadian to fly in outer space. Then he notched another first - becoming the first astronaut to be elected as a Member of Parliament. Marc Garneau went on to serve in cabinet through some of the biggest events of the past decade. He came to our Liberty Village studio to talk about his memoir, “A Most Extraordinary Ride.” And It is a common but debilitating complication after breast cancer surgery. Persistent pain prevents patients from getting back to work and resuming normal life. And it is becoming a larger problem, as more and more people survive breast cancer. Local researcher and pain specialist Dr. James Khan is launching a world-wide study to test the best ways to prevent and treat it.

October 6 2024-Amir Tibon Recounts the October 7th Massacre and his Rescue Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas massacre. For the most part, we have been dealing with the fallout from that terrible event, the war, the fate of the hostages, the displacement and destruction and the worldwide rise in anti-Semitism. I talked with journalist Amir Tibon, author of The Gates of Gaza: A Story of Betrayal, Survival, and Hope, who spent that terrible and terrifying day with his family in his border kibbutz safe room - here is his story.

September 29 2024-Donating the Brain for Research & Cooking for the Holidays Ontario’s Minister of Sport, Neil Lumsden, has made a commitment to donate his brain to research after he dies. The 10-year CFL veteran and four-time Grey Cup champion is one of several former football players making that legacy through the Concussion Legacy Foundation. I talked with about what he hopes this will accomplish. AND How do famous chefs cook at home and can we do the same as we prepare special meals for Thanksgiving or the Jewish new year? The answer is yes and there are tips, tricks, and recipes in Zahav Home: Cooking for Friends & Family -the book celebrity chef Michael Solomonov cooked when he had to cook at home during the pandemic.

September 22 2024-Exploding Pagers in Lebanon & AI Saving Lives in Hospitals The use of pagers and walkie talkies may seem like a relic from the 1990’s but in Lebanon, this week, they were the targets of an entirely new level of electronic sabotage. Over two days, thousands of devices carried by Hezbollah terrorists exploded. Israel is presumed to be behind the attack. We spoke with Dr. Amos Guiora, a Law Professor at the University of Utah and former legal advisor to the IDF in Gaza. AND It’s an AI early-warning system that can save lives in hospital. The technology called Chartwatch, predicts which patients are at risk of deteriorating while in hospital and a new study from St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto found it was associated with a 26% decrease in unexpected deaths. We talked with lead author and internist Dr. Amol Verma.

September 15 2024- Athletic Fundraising Events vs. Traditional Galas & When Is It The Right Time To Take Your CPP? This morning the annual Terry Fox Run is underway with 15,000 participants here in Toronto and many more across the country. Last weekend, The Princess Margaret's Walk to End Cancer raised a record 3.5M with 1500 walkers. As fundraisers recover from Covid, athletic participation events are eclipsing traditional galas more than ever. I talked with Steve Merker, Vice President Corporate and Community Partnerships, PMCF, and co-founder of Ride to Conquer Cancer. And It’s one of the most critical financial decisions Zoomers face, and most of us don’t give it the attention it deserves. The decision about when to take CPP will affect your finances for decades and you can collect a great deal more if you defer it from the age of 65 to the age of 70. Dr. Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald, is the Director of Financial Security Research of the National institute on Ageing and she looked at the reason why more people don’t do that.

September 8 2024-On the Road with The Beatles & It's Arthritis Awareness Month It’s been 60 years since Beatlemania gripped the world. And one man..then a reporter with the London Daily Express..spent six weeks of unrestricted access to the fab four during their iconic 1964 North American tour. In his book ‘The Beatles And Me On Tour- 60th Anniversary Edition’ Ivor Davis recalls his life on the road, serving up the stories behind the stories. We reached author Ivor Davis at his home in Southern California. And Cutting-edge research is helping the over 6 million Canadians who suffer from arthritis, find some life changing relief. But, arthritis remains the leading cause of workplace disability in Canada, impacting sleep, mental health, physical activity, and more. We speak with Dr. Megan Himmel, Rheumatologist with UHN’s Schroeder Arthritis Institute.

September 1 2024-Tips For This Wasp Season & The "Grandma Babysitting Club" They seem to be everywhere this summer…unwanted guests at our backyard bbq’s, outdoor family gatherings forcing many of us indoors. Why so many wasps now, is there anything you can do to keep them away, and what should you do if you get stung? We posed these questions and more to Royal Ontario Museum’s entomology expert Antonia Guidotti. And An Ontario grandmother has come up with a novel approach to help families find temporary childcare. Since launching the ‘Grandma Babysitting Club’ earlier this year, founder Maria Martin has recruited six other Grandmas to the club offering in-home child care, with the goal of expanding the program. It has the added bonus of keeping the retirees young. We reached Maria Martin at her home in Kitchener.

August 25 2024-Wait Times for Surgery in Ontario & What Are We Agreeing to When We Click “I Agree” There is a staggering variation in wait times for elective surgery in Ontario. For cataract surgery for instance, it ranges from 15 days for some patients to 249 days for others. And it’s not just the difference from one hospital or clinic to another, but from surgeon to surgeon. I talked with Dr. David Urbach, head of surgery at Women’s College Hospital, and author of a study that tracked the time between a diagnosis and the date of surgery. And Thankfully Disney has backed off its bid to block a wrongful death lawsuit. But the entertainment giant had been claiming that a man could not sue it over the death of his wife because of terms he signed up to in a free trial of Disney+. But the question remains: what are we agreeing to when we click “I agree.” I talked with Technology analyst Carmi Levi.

August 18 2024-Professional Grief Counselling For The Loss Of A Pet & The Rich History Of The Noble Anchovy To take on ownership of a pet is to welcome a new, full-fledged member into your family, and there is an entire industry devoted to their care. With the strong emotional ties that bind people to pets, there is even professional help available to overcome the loss when they die. Certified pet grief counsellor Helen Goldberg helped us explore this service. And For something so small, they get a big reaction on both sides of the spectrum. Love 'em or leave 'em, anchovies have a rich, storied history dating back thousands of years. We caught up with author Christopher Beckman, who wrote the book on them.

August 11 2024-LTC Home Offering 24/7 Medical Record Access & How Flooding Can Damage Your Vehicle It’s believed to be a first in this country. A Toronto long-term care home is offering families direct access to their loved ones’ medical records 24 hours a day..the first not for profit to offer the service. Meighen Health Centre, run by the Canadian Salvation Army, reports that 84 percent of families are using the app regularly, cutting down on time spent calling staff about their loved ones. We reached Varsha Chaugai, a biomedical engineer in Ottawa and co-founder and CEO of Evoke Health. And Scenes of flooding and driver rescues on the DVP and other arteries this Summer come amid a record rainfall for July. And with climate change, comes a stark reminder of the dangers of heavy rainfall when travelling. For some tips on what to do if you’re caught in high rising water, we reached Shari Prymak, Senior Consultant with Car Help Canada.