The Alex Pierson Show

Every Tuesday and Thursday, we go deep into the nooks and crannies of Ottawa to find you those juicy stories that just don't get the attention they deserve. At the heart of it we find Tom Korski, Managing Editor of Blacklock's Reporter, and today, Tom has found some damning information regarding Public Safety Minister, Marco Mendicino who backdated government documents in an apparent bid to mislea...

Femicide is on the rise with at least five GTA women killed in a domestic situation in a little over a month. Advocates warn this is a crisis point that is being field by rising cost of living which is creating more strain in households and violence, but rising rents and prices make it even harder for women to leave. We spoke with Sharon Mayne Devine, CEO of Catholic Family Services Peel-Dufferin...

Ben Spurr, City Hall Reporter for the Toronto Star, joins Alex to preview this month's municipal election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Tara Kiran, a Family Physician with Unity Health Toronto, helped pen a final report from the Ontario Science Table. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Pierson in conversation with Rachel Mendleson, Investigative Reporter at the Toronto Star about her in-depth report. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Immediately following the tragic death of Constable Andrew Hong after he was shot and killed in broad daylight in a Tim Horton's, people across the board are calling on the various levels of government for reform on many things like bail, parole, and most importantly, gun violence. Jon Reid, President of the Toronto Police Association, joined Alex to talk about what he sees as a way of moving forw...

“It puts creators’ livelihoods at risk.” Those were the words from Scott Benzie, Managing Director of Digital First Canada. He was one of many witnesses who testified in front of the Senate Committee on Transport and Communications about the controversial Bill C-11. More specifically Section 4.2, which exempts user generated content from the proposed bill. This bill has been heavily debated amongs...

Previously, a Canadian juror was sworn to secrecy and couldn't provide details of the case to a mental health professional. Now, a new bill would allow those jurors to openly talk about the cases they've worked on and the potentially traumatic things they've heard or witnessed in the courtroom. Joining Alex to talk about this is Mark Farrant, Founder and CEO of The Canadian Juries Commission. Lear...

Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida as one of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit the U.S. The massive storm flooded homes on both coasts of the state, knocking out electricity to 2.67 million Florida homes and businesses. The devastation is a huge hit not only to Floridians, but Canadian snowbirds who head south for the winter. There are regions where there are no houses left. The state will...

Protests are spreading across the world in support of an Iranian woman who was killed for not wearing her Hijab properly. There are planned rallies this weekend in the GTA expected to get thousands. We spoke with Kaveh Shahrooz, lawyer, human rights activist and one of the organizers of the Time Has Come freedom rally for Iran. Kaveh says he’s been advocating for change for the last two-decades, a...

The Ford government has announced that it will keep the Pickering Nuclear plant operational until 2026, which was originally scheduled to shut down in 2025. AND they are looking at refurbishing it so that it can stay on line for decades. We get 14% of our energy from nuclear – without it we have energy shortages— Dr. Chris Keefer, Emergency Physician and President of Canadians for Nuclear Energy,...

Toronto city council opted Wednesday to deny heritage status to an east-end building with special significance to some in the Chinese community — a move that paves the way for the site to be redeveloped into an eight-storey apartment building. Alex is joined by Arlene Chan, Author and Chinatown Historian to discuss this building and the ramifications felt by Toronto's Asian community. Learn more a...

It's that time of the week where we check in with all things Ottawa and that's where we find Managing Editor of Blacklock's Reporter, Tom Korski. A grocers’ lobbyist yesterday denied allegations of profiteering. Profit margins in the retail food trade average three percent, the Commons finance committee was told. Jagmeet Singh wants an investigation and has been railing on greed inflation because...

We're seeing the headlines popping up more and more frequently of individuals online (or in person) targeting politicians with threats, harassment, and other vile talk. We just recently saw it happen to Pierre Poilievre, where someone online made a threat to sexually assault his wife. To talk about this and the group that the threat seems to be emanating from, is Warren Kinsella, Author of nationa...

It seems as if the idea of buying a home in today's day in age seems like a foregone conclusion. With rates still rising and an ever demanding market, can Canadians keep up with the volatile shifts in housing? To join us for another segment on affordability, Alex is joined by Kat Eschner, TVO's Affordability Reporter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We learn that Half of the children in Canada who need life saving medical treatment, diagnosis and surgery and are waiting far longer than clinical recommendations allow. Experts say this could have serious, lifelong consequences. We know that there are delays across the system, but now kids can’t even get timely care? Emily Gruenwoldt, the President and Chief Executive of Children’s Healthcare Ca...

Sable Island, a small island about 300km south of Halifax, is home to the Sable Island horse. The land, which is protected by Parks Canada, was just recently in the direct path of Hurricane Fiona, and as the dust settled, people were wondering if the horses were okay. To everyone's surprise, the horses are completely safe and didn't need any external intervention. To talk to us about these horses...

U.N. Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif has called for a "prompt, thorough, impartial investigation." Raisi has ordered an investigation, but protest organizer Nazanin Samavati argues Iran doesn't have an independent judicial system and is concerned its investigation won't be legitimate. Samavati organized the event to raise awareness about the situation for women in Iran and...

Another year and another delay for the Eglinton Crosstown. And locals are angry, some businesses are at their wits end. It’s been 10 years since this project broke ground and we’ve nothing to show for it. We spoke with Louroz Mercader, Manager of the York-Eglinton BIA, which represents the 200+ businesses along Eglinton Avenue West between Marlee Avenue and Dufferin Street, about how this stretch...

We all know there’s a deadline looming for another interest rate. We’re creating a perfect storm to drive up the costs of everyday stuff. The loonie is sliding down, and while that might be good for some businesses, it’s bad for you and I. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, professor in food distribution and policy, and senior director of the AgriFood Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, joined Alex and sa...

It's that time of the week where we check in with all things Ottawa and that's where we find Managing Editor of Blacklock's Reporter, Tom Korski. Today Tom talks to Alex on how Cabinet followed the science in repealing the last travel-related mask and vaccine mandates, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday. Also, more than 33,000 travelers have had smartphones, laptops and tablets searched by...

Chris Coulter, Co-Executive Director of 'HowAreYouFeeling. Org,' spoke with Alex, to talk about his 14-year-old daughter, Maddie, who died by suicide. Chris has been trying to coach parents with similar struggles with their kids. In many cases, these parents are barely holding it together. He knows because he was one of those parents. Now, Chris is talking to Toronto school kids, hoping to bring h...

The riding of Spadina-Fort York currently has 12 people running for a seat and one of them is Ausma Malik. She is currently running to be elected to the riding and says that it's unacceptable the way families are being squeezed out of Toronto because of the cost of living. Guest host, Rubina Ahmed-Haq, chatted with her about this and about the election in general, what she plans on bringing to the...

We’re five weeks away from the Toronto election, but is the municipal race getting the attention it deserves? We have one scheduled mayoral debate between now and election day, and it will take place at the Toronto Region Board of Trade, on Oct. 17, after the early polls have closed. There’s been a lot of criticism directed at Mayor Tory for suppressing the election discourse.. One of those critic...

During a press conference Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the federal government would match any donations made to the Canadian Red Cross to provide relief in the wake of destruction left by Fiona. Sounds like a decent idea, right? Well, one Toronto charity with expertise in disaster relief is questioning why the federal government is offering to match donations to just one regis...