Today on Free For All Friday: our listeners phoned in to pay tribute to the late Bob Cole, and to talk about parking in High Park, the shingles vaccine, and more.

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: AN ASSESSMENT OF OLIVIA CHOW'S FIRST 10 MONTHS AS MAYOR Jane Brown is now joined by Alex Blumenstein, Co-Founder of The Peak, Karen Stintz, CEO, Variety Village, and David Crombie, a former Mayor of Toronto. What a new poll tells us about how Torontonians feel regarding the job that Olivia Chow is doing as mayor. And, the City of Toronto has made car access and parking in High Park off limits for visitors looking to get a glimpse of the Cherry Blossoms in peak bloom. Then on the panel, we discuss the next steps that the City is taking in terms of addressing dangerous dogs. City staff will be visiting owners of dogs who are listed as dangerous and will require them to post a visible sign indicating as such on their property. Currently, there are 373 dangerous dog orders across Toronto. DOSE4DOSE CAMPAIGN: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Jane Brown is joined by Dr. Molly Yang, a pharmacist who is the Director of Pharmacy Innovation and Professional Affairs at Wholehealth Pharmacy Partners, a national group with over 200 pharmacies across Canada. On this National Immunization Awareness Week, the importance of keeping up with our vaccinations is top of mind. More than 200 Wholehealth pharmacies are taking part in a campaign called Dose4Dose where they are donating up to 30,000 childhood vaccines including measles, polio, tetanus to UNICEF Canada. And, as part of the campaign, they are encouraging Canadians including older adults to get their own vaccination whether it be for meningitis B, HPV, pneumonia, RSV or shingles. For more information about the campaign, visit: wholehealthpharmacy.ca/dose4dose

THE MEDICAL RECORD:THE POTENTIAL RISK OF MICROPLASTICS ON CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH Jane Brown is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Dr. Fahad Razak, Canada Research Chair in Data Informed Healthcare Improvement at the University of Toronto and Dr. Nadia Alam, family doctor and anesthetist in Georgetown, Ontario. What a study says about the care provided by female doctors compared to male doctors, and what medical schools in Ontario want to see happen so that more students pursue family medicine. WHAT AND WHO IS BEHIND THE "STEAL FROM LOBLAWS DAY" CAMPAIGN Jane Brown is joined by Sylvain Charlebois,  Senior Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University. Sylvain reacts to the ongoing issue that consumers have with grocery giant Loblaws and revisits the discussion about "Shrinkflation". WHAT MAKES A TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS FAN...A TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS FAN? Jane Brown is now joined by Wally Rigobon, Co-host of the Naz and Wally Sports Hour on Zoomer Radio. It's that time of the year...the Toronto Maple Leafs have made it once again into the playoffs. Currently, they face the Boston Bruins. Will this be the year they win the Stanley Cup?

RECOVERING POLITICIANS: FUTURE OF TORONTO POLICE AFTER UMAR ZAMEER TRIAL ENDS WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FORCE Tasha Kheiriddin filled in for Libby Znaimer today. She was joined by George Smitherman, former Ontario Liberal Cabinet Minister, Cheri DiNovo, former Ontario NDP MPP and Andrea Mandel-Campbell, former Conservative candidate in Don Valley West. The panel discussed all things politics! From Umar Zameer's lawyer calling out politicians and policemen for "demonizing" his client, to Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles' attempt to reverse the ban of keffiyeh at Queen's Park failing to pass a unanimous vote. Tasha also touched on the multi-billion dollar deal with Honda to assemble electric vehicles in Ontario. HEALTH EXPERTS EXPRESS DISAPPOINTMENT ABOUT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO END FUNDING FOR HIV SELF-TESTING KITS  Tasha Kheiriddin was joined by Khaled Salam, Executive Director, AIDS Committee of Ottawa, and Dr. Sean B. Rourke, PhD, Scientist with MAP Centre of Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital and Scientific advisor with CANFAR. Forty years ago today the world learned about the discovery of a virus causing AIDS. Tasha and guests talk about the end of funding for HIV self-testing kits, the development in medicine and therapy for patients suffering from the disease and the societal stigma that comes with it . TORONTO HAS BEEN DECLARED AS A "TREE CITY OF THE WORLD" Finally, Tasha Kheiriddin was joined by guest Stephen Bede Scharper, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of the Environment; Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto for a discussion about the significance of the title, importance of tree preservation, and how to balance the latter and property rights.

ZOOMER SQUAD: TORONTO TO PROVIDE FREE DENTAL CARE SERVICE TO CITY-OPERATED LTC HOME RESIDENTS   Tasha Kheiriddin filled in for Libby Znaimer today. She was joined by Bill VanGorder, Chief Advocacy and Education Officer at CARP, Anthony Quinn, Chief Community & Benefits Officer at CARP and Lorne Bozinoff, President at Forum Research. The panel discussed Mayor Olivia Chow's announcement on the free mobile dental care program for the more than 2,600 residents of the 10 long-term care homes operated by the City of Toronto and more. TORONTO CONDUCTED THE CITY’S THIRD POTHOLE BLITZ OF THE YEAR OVER THE WEEKEND Tasha Kheiriddin was joined by Barbara Gray, General Manager of Transportation Services and Teresa Di Felice, Assistant Vice President, Government and Community Relations for CAA SCO. Kheiriddin and guests talk about the third pothole blitz conducted by the city of Toronto. Gray revealed the city will soon add "Patch Masters" to their equipment inventory. The patch is described online to be an all-weather material that can be used to fill potholes in wet or dry conditions. ISRAEL VS HAMAS PROTESTS AROUND THE WORLD CAUSE A RISE OF ANTI-SEMETIC SENTIMENT  Finally, Tasha Kheiriddin was joined by Warren Kinsella, former special assistant to Jean Chrétien and CEO of the Daisy Group. Pro-Palestinian protests blocked downtown Ottawa roads this weekend and some of the chants openly glorified Hamas’ terror attacks of October 7. While the Prime Minister condemned these actions on X, many Canadians are saying our politicians need to do more to tackle the rising tide of hate as the Israel-Hamas war enters its seventh month. Kheiriddin also talks about the similar situation at Columbia University in the U.S. where classes were held virtually due to a surge in anti-Semitic statements on campus grounds.

Best of Fight Back Sunday April 21 Edition Libby and a panel of political strategists reacted to Ottawa's budget and whether it is good enough for Canadians. Plus The Medical Record panel discussed the latest cancer screening controversy. And Speaker Ted Arnott put a ban on wearing a Keffiyeh at Queen's Park.

Best of Fight Back Saturday April 20 Edition On Monday the Zoomer Squad talked about how foreign trained nurses play an important role in the healthcare system. Next Libby had guests on to discuss National Volunteer Week. On Tuesday, The Recovering Politicians panel reacted to an agreement between Ottawa and the province in which the former decided to drop an environmental assessment pertaining to the development of Highway 413. Then on the show Dr. Vivian Stamatopolous discussed staffing shortages in Long Term Care.

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners called in to talk about the trial of Umar Zameer, lack of care in LTC homes and much more.

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: TORONTO’S SHARE OF THE FEDERAL BUDGET It’s a busy week at Toronto City Hall as Mayor Olivia Chow and councillors react to what was in and not in the federal Liberal budget delivered on Tuesday. And the mayor and councillors today and yesterday have also been taking care of city business which includes the debacle around the rollout of the vacant home tax and how to improve it. Jane Brown is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Karen Stintz, CEO of Variety Village, Alex Blumenstein, Co-Founder of The Peak and David Crombie, a former Toronto Mayor. PREMIER DOUG FORD CALLS TO REVERSE THE BAN ON KEFFIYEHS AT QUEEN'S PARK A call by all of Ontario’s party leaders, including Premier Doug Ford to reverse a ban on wearing a keffiyeh in the legislature has failed to pass in a unanimous vote this morning. The speaker, Ted Arnott, who originally imposed the ban acknowledged the request to have the ban reversed and when it was put to a unanimous vote, he said he could hear some “NOs”. So for now, the ban stands. Jane Brown was joined by both Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner, and Richard Robertson of B'nai Brith Canada. TRIALS OF UMAR ZAMEER WHO WAS ACCUSED OF KILLING A TORONTO POLICE OFFICER COMES TO AN END Jane Brown is joined by Criminal Defense Lawyer Ari Goldkind. The trial of a man accused of killing a Toronto police officer back in July 2021 is coming to an end. The late Const. Jeffrey Northrup was struck by a vehicle while responding to a robbery report in Toronto’s city hall parkade. Umar Zameer was arrested and charged as a suspect. Host Jane Brown discusses the trial, the accused pleading not guilty to first-degree murder and the rise of recent cop killings.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: CANCER SCREENING GUIDELINES  Libby Znaimer today is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Dr. Fahad Razak, Canada Research Chair in Data Informed Healthcare Improvement at the University of Toronto, and Dr. Alisa Naiman, Family Physician and Founder and Medical Director of The Medical Station in Toronto. It’s Wednesday, time to talk about your health. We’ll begin with the latest cancer screening controversy: a federally appointed body called The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health issues the guidelines that another group of medical experts are now calling dangerous and outdated.   REACTION TO THE FEDERAL BUDGET RELEASED IN OTTAWA THIS WEEK Libby Znaimer today is joined by Taylor Scollon, Co-Founder of The Peak, Muhammad Ali, Liberal Strategist and Senior Consultant at Crestview Strategy in Ottawa, John Mykytyshyn, Conservative Activist, Political Consultant and President of Bradgate Research Group. Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland released the federal budget this week. The budget is largely aimed at Gen Zs and Millennials as they face an affordability crisis. The budget also includes a disability benefit program that will see $6.1 billion in funding but payouts won't start until July 2025. THE LATEST ON DONALD TRUMP'S LEGAL TROUBLES  Libby Znaimer today is joined by Dr. Chris Cooper, a Political Science Professor at Western Carolina University.  Donald Trump continues to make headlines for his legal troubles…he is currently facing the hush money trial. The question is: will this complicate his political campaign?

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL: A LOOK AHEAD TO THE FEDERAL BUDGET Jane Brown is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Lisa Raitt, Former Deputy Leader of Conservative Party of Canada, Cheri DiNovo, Former Ontario NDP MPP, and John Milloy, Former Ontario Liberal MPP who served as a cabinet minister under the Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne governments. Today, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland delivers the federal budget to Canadians. STAFFING SHORTAGES IN LONG-TERM CARE  Jane Brown is joined by Dr. Vivian Stamatopolous, a professor at Ontario Tech University who conducts research on long-term care issues and is an advocate for residents. What we know about staffing shortages in long-term care and how that may be impacting the province's ability to meet the required number of hours of hands-on care for residents. A MEMORIAL RIDE FOR CYCLIST KILLED IN TORONTO Jane Brown is joined by Albert Koehl, cycling and pedestrian advocate and an environmental lawyer and Fraser Chapman, President and Co-Founder of The Morning Glory Cycling Club. Hundreds of cyclists got together this week to pay respects to Toronto-based cyclist Vladimir Zotov who was struck and killed by a driver near the DVP on April 8th. He was 59 years of age. He also happened to be a member of the Morning Glory Cycling Club that Fraser helps to lead.

THE ZOOMER SQUAD:  CAN FOREIGN-TRAINED NURSES SOLVE OUR NURSING SHORTAGES? Libby Znaimer is joined by Rudy Buttignol, President of CARP, Peter Muggeridge, Senior Editor of Zoomer Magazine, and Lorne Bozinoff, President, Forum Research Group. Today: the panel discussed what you need to know about the carbon rebate, the challenges that foreign-trained nurses face when it comes to practicing here in Canada and more. ISRAEL'S RESPONSE TO IRAN'S DRONE ATTACK OVER THE WEEKEND Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Amos Guiora, Professor of Law at the University of Utah and a former Legal advisor to the IDF in Gaza, Martin Himmel, Award-Winning Investigative Documentary Filmmaker, and Vivian Bercovici, a former Ambassador of Canada to Israel. Over the weekend, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel. In turn, Israel alongside a coalition of countries managed to intercept 99 per cent of the fire marking an unprecedented shift in the conflict between the two countries. IT'S NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK Libby Znaimer is now joined by Sharon Avery, President and CEO, Toronto Foundation and Joanne McKiernan, Executive Director, Volunteer Toronto. This week marks National Volunteer Week. Do you volunteer as part of your weekly or monthly schedule? Or would you like to learn about volunteer opportunities? Tune in to hear all about it!

Best of Fight Back Sunday April 14 Edition On Wednesday, The Medical Record panel kicked things off with a discussion about whether Alcohol should have warning labels and also about updated guidelines to the health condition Atrial Fibrillation. Then on the Show, primary care physician Dr. Jia Hu on the importance of getting vaccinated for Pneumonia. On Thursday, our Tune into the Town panel weighed in on the cost of redeveloping Ontario Place. Finally, we hosted a panel to react to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's testimony in Ottawa over foreign interference.

Best of Fight Back Saturday April 13 Edition We began the week with our Zoomer Squad and their reaction to the prime minister’s roadshow. Justin Trudeau has been touring the country making tens of billions of dollars in pre-budget announcements. Then on the program, the Toronto Police Association called on Mayor Olivia Chow to condemn a letter signed by some City Councillors that expressed concern about how Police responded to a recent Pro-Palestinian protest. On Tuesday we heard reaction from our Recovering Politicians Panel about Ottawa's updated defence spending policy.

Today on Free For All Friday: listeners called in about the state of homelessness in Toronto, litter on our highways and the federal carbon tax.

TUNE INTO THE TOWN:  WHO'S PAYING FOR THE THERME SPA AT ONTARIO PLACE? Libby Znaimer is joined by Alex Blumenstein, Co-Founder of The Peak, Karen Stintz, CEO of Variety Village, and David Crombie, former Mayor of Toronto. Earlier in the week on Fight Back, Toronto Police Association President Jon Reid told Libby that the union has called on Mayor Olivia Chow to condemn a letter signed by some City councillors who expressed concern over a Pro-Palestinian protest in which some demonstrators were arrested for breaking the law. Since his appearance on the show, the Mayor has said she has no plans to condemn that group of councillors. So, how do you feel about this? And, Vaughan in collaboration with York Regional Police are working to crack down on illegal car rallies. PRIME MINISTER TRUDEAU TESTIFIES OVER FOREIGN INTERFERENCE Libby Znaimer is now joined by Bob Richardson, Senior Council, National Public Relations and Phil Gurski,  President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting and a former CSIS analyst. This week: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified at the Public Inquiry on Foreign Interference in Ottawa. Our experts react to what he said...and what he didn't. AMOS GUIORA GIVES US AN UPDATE ON ISRAEL'S WAR WITH HAMAS Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Amos Guiora,  Professor of Law at the University of Utah and a former Legal advisor to the IDF in Gaza. Amos weighs in on potential retaliation from Iran after Israel conducted a targeted killing of IRGC generals at the Iranian consular building in Damascus earlier this month, and the recent anti-government protests taking place inside Israel that are calling for the release of hostages still being held by Hamas and for an election.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: GUIDELINES FOR ATRIAL FIBRILLATION HAVE BEEN UPDATED Libby Znaimer today is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Dr. Fahad Razak, Canada Research Chair in Data Informed Healthcare Improvement at the University of Toronto, and Dr. Alisa Naiman, Family Physician and Founder and Medical Director of The Medical Station in Toronto. There have been a number of cases of bird flu among dairy cows in the US and the concern is that there could be spread of the virus into the human population. We ask our doctors if this is something we should be worried about here in Canada. Meanwhile, various medical authorities in the US including The American College of Cardiology and The American College of Chest physicians have introduced an updated guideline for atrial fibrillation. VACCINES FOR PNEUMONIA & OTHER TYPES OF PNEUMOCOCCAL DISEASE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Jia Hu is a family physician from Calgary who is also an expert in health policy, public health and preventive medicine. Dr. Hu discusses what you need to know about pneumonia and other types of pneumococcal disease and the important role of vaccination for older adults.

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL:OTTAWA'S SPENDING ON NATIONAL DEFENCE Libby Znaimer is joined by George Smitherman, a former Ontario Liberal Deputy Premier and Health Minister, Cheri Di Novo, former Ontario NDP MPP, Janet Ecker, Former Ontario PC MPP and finance minister. This week: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced billions of dollars in national defence spending, Premier Doug Ford wants paper bags at LCBO stores to come back and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre shows his support for Toronto's Jewish community. CRIME STOPPERS AND TPS LAUNCH HATE CRIMES AWARENESS CAMPAIGN Libby Znaimer is now joined by Mark Cousins, Vice Chair of Toronto Crime Stoppers. Mark discusses the launch of the Hate Crime Awareness Campaign alongside the Toronto Police Service. According to Robert Johnson, TPS Deputy Chief, "of the reported hate crimes in 2024 over half are anti-semitic and last month was the highest number of antisemitic occurrences for the past 3 years BRAMPTON MAYOR PATRICK BROWN ON AUTO-THEFT Libby Znaimer is joined by Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton. Mayor Brown weighs in on the results of Project Vector that saw hundreds of stolen vehicles seized by the OPP and other Canadian authorities and whether he feels that enough is being done to curb this kind of rampant theft in Peel Region. Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

THE ZOOMER SQUAD: MORE ON THE VACANT PROPERTY TAX DEBACLE Libby Znaimer is joined by Bill VanGorder, Chief Advocacy and Education Officer of CARP, Anthony Quinn, Chief Community Officer of CARP and Lorne Bozinoff, President, Forum Research Group. Today they discuss how thousands of Toronto homeowners have filed complaints with the City over the vacant property tax, and go over their own plans in regards to today's much-anticipated solar eclipse. TPA AND TORONTO POLICE ANGRY ABOUT SIGNED LETTER ON PROTESTS Libby Znaimer is joined first by Jon Reid, President of the Toronto Police Association, followed by Councillor Paula Fletcher, Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth. We get reactions from both on a signed letter regarding recent pro-Palestinian protests that saw a number of demonstrators get arrested for breaking the law.

Our Wednesday Medical Record Panel weighs in on the use of AI for a bone cancer prognosis. Then on the program, our panel of real estate experts weighed in on the latest on Toronto's housing market. Later on in the week, our Tune into the Town panel weighed in the freeze of the controversial "rain tax" by Toronto City Hall. And finally...we had experts on to tell you what you need to know about getting the best glimpse of the Solar Eclipse and how to protect your eyes when watching.