The Alex Pierson Show

With the teacher's union ready to strike on Friday, the question is being asked about whether or not teachers should be considered an essential service. But another question that sprouts from that one is what rights do kids have to education? And whose rights come first? Labour or kids? John Schuman, Family, Children’s Rights and Education Lawyer joined us and said it would be difficult to make th...

Tensions are continuing to rise in the fight between the Ontario government and CUPE workers in what appears to be a never-ending labour dispute that has lasted for decades already. The province is tabling legislation that would impose a contract onto teachers, but also plan on using the notwithstanding clause, which is causing a lot of alarms to be sounded. Dr. Charles Smith is an Associate Profe...

The Canadian Dairy Commission says the farm gate price for dairy will increase by another 2.2 per cent starting in February, as the supply managed industry says its costs continue to rise. This could mean that the price of your milk and dairy purchases at the grocery store could go up to match the increased costs. We spoke with Dr. Simon Somogyi, a Professor at the University of Guelph and Arrell...

Chris Barber, who was the initial organizer of the Freedom Convoy, took the stand during his testimony into the usage of the Emergencies Act, and he said that there was no intention of doing anything illegal or parking on main streets. Most people who attended the protest were ordinary people, so why did they jump on the bandwagon? Joining Alex to talk to the psychological aspects of the protest i...

On Tuesday, daycare operators in the province of Ontario had the deadline to opt into a program which would allow parents to only pay $10 a day. Approximately 85% of providers opted into the program, leaving 15% who did not choose to opt in. The question is why though? Amanda Munday is the CEO of The Workaround, A Childcare and Co-Working Space, and she joined Alex to talk about the struggles, and...

Those who want to study in Canada have to jump through a lot of hoops in order to secure education, and that doesn't include the nominal fees that come with being an international student. One of the big things is the heavy restrictions on the amount of hours an international student is allowed to work when studying in Canada, but now, it's looking like the federal government is looking at lifting...

According to a survey of Canadian employees and employers by Staples Professional, a division of Staples Canada ULC, and Angus Reid Group, The professional workforce is currently split between one-third working from home, one-third on a hybrid model and one-third in the office five days a week. But hybrid work is emerging as the winner. David Boone is the CEO of Staples Canada and joined guest hos...

It is that time to dig deep into all things Ottawa and that means we get to speak with Tom Korski, Managing Editor of Blacklock's Reporter. Today, Tom talks about how Cabinet and political aides schemed on ways to perpetuate media coverage depicting Freedom Convoy members as “crazies,” the Public Order Emergency Commission was told yesterday. A lawyer for the truckers read out text messages in whi...

On Friday, the Supreme Court of Canada said the country’s nearly 20-year-old federal sex-offender registry, in its current form, does more harm to individual liberty than it does to protect vulnerable children and women. That brought strong reactions on both sides. Gary Kruze is the brother of Martin Kruze, who was the first male to step forward about the sexual abuse at Maple Leaf Gardens. Gary j...

After the pandemic emerged in Canada, governments postponed hundreds of thousands of surgeries, diagnostic scans and appointments with specialists. Research from the Fraser Institute suggests waiting lists have never been longer. Joining Alex to talk all about it and how Canadians want to see more reform within the healthcare system, is Colin Craig, the one who published the article on SecondStree...

On Thursday evening, Elon Musk finally did what he said he'd do for months. He bought social media giant, Twitter, and for a hefty price tag. With that, though, comes some trimming of the proverbial excess fat. While Musk has already laid off some of the top execs, he didn't shy away from saying that other employees would also be laid off. But the rumour mills have spun and many believe it's comin...

Formerly a Torontonian, Heather Blumberg, decided what her paranormal loving family needed was to buy up a Dresden funeral home and turn it into their ultimate dream home. After a year of living there, Heather says she rarely gets spooked. Her family is now the subject of a new series on Discovery+ called, "We Bought A Funeral Home." Heather joined guest host, Angela Kokott, to talk all about how...

In what feels like a never ending labour dispute between the province of Ontario and the teachers' unions, we might be seeing the strength of the province's resolve by way of legislation that would be tabled in order to impose a contract on the education sector union. But how do parents feel about all of this? Guest host, Angela Kokott, is joined by Jess Lyons who's the Lead Organizer with the Ont...

We spoke with Bioethicist Dr. Kerry Bowman about the dwindling number of physicians willing to participate in the medical assistance in dying program, now that it includes mental health, housing and food insecurity issues.. Dr. Bowman says the program has gotten too morally complex. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Friday we saw former Ottawa Police Chief, Peter Sloly, take the stand in a very teary eyed testimony when it comes to the usage of the Emergencies Act and the response from Ottawa Police. Out of all the testimonies we've heard thus far, what have we learned when it comes to the inquiry itself? Cara Zwibel is a Lawyer and Director of the Fundamental Freedoms Program at the Canadian Civil Liberti...

The Ontario government has introduced a bill that would ban the use of non-disclosure agreements in sexual misconduct cases among post-secondary employees who are looking for work at a different institution. The province says the legislation would also allow schools to fire employees who’ve committed sexual abuse against students. The new bill would also require post-secondary schools to have sexu...

He joins us every Thursday morning to talk about all things policing and today he talks about how, 'The Big Ten' just wrapped up their twice-yearly meeting of the ten largest police associations across Canada. He also talks about how gun violence and shootings are rampant across the city and whether or not the government is providing any support. We're talking about Jon Reid, President of the Toro...

Since the news of Laith Marouf was released some time ago, people noticed that he was still accepting donations, and that's causing a problem. Many are starting to call on PayPal to suspend all donations going to Laith in an effort to stop the anti-Semite from gaining any more funds to release more hateful content. Michael Mostyn, B’Nai Brith Canada’s Chief Executive, joined Alex to discuss it. Le...

Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez’s department “begged us” to take a subsidy, says an anti-Semite. Laith Marouf in his first public comments on the $133,822 grant said he was contacted by the Department of Canadian Heritage and promised funding in less than a week. ‘this debacle shows the media across Canada are Jewish white supremacists or supporters of Jewish white supremacy. So let's take a dee...

As time goes on and the cost of food continues to rise, food banks are seeing their number of users exponentially increase. Richard Matern is Research Director for Food Banks Canada and author of the report that showcases the latest numbers, joined Alex to talk about it and what supports are needed to ensure everyone has something to eat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi...

It is that time of the week where we do a deep dive into all things Ottawa. Today, senior officials, including police and a deputy minister of public safety, drafted a memo to end the Freedom Convoy on Feb. 11th with the stroke of a pen, an inquiry was told yesterday. The deal would be: "Leave the protest and denounce unlawful activity and you will be heard,” read the memo drafted by RCMP Commissi...

On Wednesday, Governor Tiff Macklem from the Bank of Canada announced that they were increasing policy rates by 50 basis points, bringing us from 3.25%, to 3.75%. So what does this mean to everyday Canadians? Phillip Cross is a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute & Fraser Institute with 36 years at Stats Canada specializing in macroeconomics, and he joined Alex to break it all down. L...

For those who get diagnosed with cancer, it's a devastating blow. But when you find out the cost attached with treatments, not everything gets covered by your public health provider or insurance. Jessica Soares lost her husband, Paulo (lovingly known as Paul), and as his caregiver, Jessica shared little of her battle to access critical life prolonging treatment for Paul with him. She wanted him to...

Ontario has announced it is raising the non-resident speculation tax on homes purchased by foreign nationals from 20 per cent to 25 per cent, effective Tuesday. Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy says the move makes Ontario’s tax rate the highest in Canada and seeks to discourage foreign speculation. Joining guest host Rubina Ahmed-Haq to talk about this, is Nicola St. John, a Realtor with Bosley...

With such low numbers, why aren't Torontonians feeling incentivized to go out and vote? Is it apathy or a lack of education? Myer Siemiatycki is a Professor Emeritus of Politics at Toronto Metropolitan University, and spoke with guest host Rubina Ahmed-Haq about ways that we can encourage people to actually vote. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices