Zoomer Week in Review

Feeling too overwhelmed to make New Year's resolutions as we head into yet another uncertain future amid a pandemic? According to science, making small positive changes in your life may matter more in these times. Exercise ranks among the top resolutions this year as more people vow to lose the pandemic pounds but the best advice is self care and no need to go big. Christine Ross spoke with Dr. An...

It’s traditional at this season to forecast trends in business, technology, fashion, design, and even food. One major consulting company says this year there are changes that are more profound that will alter our relationships and how we see ourselves. I talked with Accenture’s Ryan McCRacken. AND How did hostages Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor become innocent pawns in the geopolitical conflict...

One in four Canadians over 15 lives with this condition and it is notoriously hard to treat. Alan Gordon developed the method called “Pain Reprocessing Therapy” which relies solely on talk therapy. Libby Znaimer reached him in Los Angeles. AND Thousands of people are rethinking holiday plans because of the rampant Omicron variant. Hosts are cutting back, guests are cancelling, and it’s all up in t...

She’s probably the most prominent lawyer in Canada and also the most vilified. Defending notorious clients—especially former CBC star Jian Ghomeshi—made Marie Henein a lightning rod and a target for “Cancel Culture.” It also inspired her to write her memoir “Nothing But the truth.” AND The Toronto Board of Health is asking the federal government to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of...

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer death and now there’s a new program that will save lives. Ontario is the first province to start screening people who are at high risk for the disease. Dr. Paul Wheatly Price is an Oncologist, specializing in lung cancer at The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre. Libby Znaimer talked with him about how the program works and who is eligible. AND These days w...

Mark Schatzker Interview It’s a fascinating new theory on what’s behind the huge increase in  obesity. It turns on the idea that the solution to a different epidemic - 100 years ago - became one of the causes of the obesity epidemic. And it also explains why many Europeans  who eat calorie-rich diets manage to stay thin. I talked with author Mark Schatzker about “The End of Craving - Recovering th...

Born out of an urgent need to help seniors get vaccinated against COVID-19 early in the pandemic, York Region’s PinkCars is still in high gear driving seniors to get their COVID booster shots, and helping them download vaccine QR codes. But PinkCars is providing more than a chauffeur service, it’s helped lift the isolation felt by so many seniors during the pandemic. Shonta Sundarason is the drivi...

How do you choose the charities you support and how do you know if your contribution is making an impact? With the holiday giving season about to begin, the non-profit Charity Intelligence is out with its annual analysis and rankings. Libby Znaimer talked with researcher Greg Thomson. AND She was the first female foreign correspondent on network television. Libby Znaimer first met Canadian Hilary...

This year marks a century since the poppy became a symbol of remembrance in Canada. We became the first country to adopt it - after the cause was taken up by a French woman inspired by John McCrae’s iconic poem In Flanders’ Field. Libby Znaimer learned about the history of the poppy from Steven Clark National Executive Director of The Royal Canadian Legion. AND The discovery of insulin was one of...

Have you helped an adult child buy a home by giving them a large cash gift? With housing prices through the roof, two thirds of first time buyers say the Bank of Mom and Dad was the main source of their down payment. And according to a new report from CIBC , Canadian parents kicked in a total of $10 billion last year - with the average gift here in Toronto topping $130,000. Libby Znaimer talked wi...

Will you have enough income for a comfortable retirement? Have you taken the cost of ageing in place into account - especially if you need extra care? The National institute on Ageing says the answers to these questions is a resounding no. And Bonnie-Jean MacDonald, the director of financial security research has some suggestions. AND Less than two weeks ago a U.S. expert panel said Doctors should...

Cartoonists make a living lampooning the establishment - but now five of them are getting an honour reserved for national icons - their own stamps! The legendary Terry Mosher is also a prolific author and ideaCity alumnus who draws for the Montreal Gazette under the name Aislin. Libby Znaimer reached him in Montreal. AND We usually talk about loneliness in terms of health - but author Noreena Hert...

It is one of the most beautiful aspects of our northern climate - the changing colours of fall foliage make for dazzling displays all across Ontario. But while most of us concentrate on where to to look at leaves Libby Znaimer asked Dr. Marc Cadotte, of the Department of Biological Sciences at University of Toronto-Scarborough, why their colours change. AND It’s something we should do every day, n...

It’s one of the biggest unanswered questions about the pandemic. How and where did it start? Last year, the most commonly accepted explanation was that it originated in the wet market in Wuhan. The thinking on that it changing but it bothered Toronto investigative journalist Elaine Dewar from the start. Libby Znaimer talked with her about her new book: On the Origin of the Deadliest Pandemic in 10...

Was it a 600 million much ado about nothing? The dust is settling on the federal election that did little to shift the balance of power in Ottawa. Call it groundhog day, or deja vu, but Justin Trudeau returns to power again to form a minority government. No leaders have stepped down, but Trudeau failed to secure a majority, Erin O'Toole and Jagmeet Singh failed to achieve breakthroughs for the Con...

“Oops I forgot to Save Money” - The book title captures a conundrum that many people, especially women, face. It’s a big problem that author, actor and screenwriter Monica Parker owned up to and overcame. We talked about her story. AND When the election was called he was unfamiliar to most Canadians and not especially popular even with Conservatives. But Erin O’Toole has led his Conservative Party...

There are some events, when recalled, that take us back to that day. The assassinations of the Kennedy brothers, John and Robert, or Martin Luther King Jr. And the 9-11 attacks are another such tragedy. Two of the four coordinated terrorist attacks targeted New York's World Trade Center, 20 years ago. Sharing his recollection now, Hans Gerhardt, former general manager of Toronto's Sutton Place, wh...

This time of year marks an annual rite of passage for many as parents send their kids off to university for the first time. Heading back to school no matter the age, often brings its own challenges and one of them this time is anxiety about being separated from families after months of togetherness. Now add into the mix, a pandemic with worries about distancing, vaccines and new ways to socialize....

Canada has ended its airlift mission from Afghanistan but Ehsan Saadat, his wife, and four children are among the lucky ones who got out in time. Their escape to Canada had to be kept a secret even from immediate family members because the mission was just too dangerous. The 33-year-old researcher on women's rights put him at risk, but just days after applying to come to Canada the family of six b...

More mail-in ballots, delayed results, and different polling places. These are just some of the changes to expect during this pandemic election. Libby got the details from Elections Canada’s Dugald Maudsley AND It may be high summer but this is usually the time when snowbirds start sorting out their insurance for the winter trip. Last year, most of the one million Canadians who usually go south st...

It’s Finals day at the National Bank Open, one of the first large events to resume in the wake of COVID-19. The week-long tennis tournament in Toronto and Montreal was a very different experience for both players and fans. Libby talked with managing director Gavin Ziv about the demands of pandemic planning. AND Unlike the tennis tournament, many charities will be holding their big events virtually...

We know him as a leading geriatrician and member of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table - and he’s also a frequent guest on this radio station. So what is making Dr. Nathan Stall turn to politics? Libby talked with him shortly after he announced that he is seeking the Ontario Liberal nomination in Toronto-St. Paul’s. AND Beekeeping has been booming because of the pandemic. With people spendi...

Vaccine hesitancy is declining in Canada. But recent polling shows that between 17 and 20% of Canadians still need to be convinced to get their shots. Why are they fearful and what makes them come around? Libby talked with Peta-Gay Batten - executive assistant at the RNAO who recently rolled up her sleeves. Last week, museums re-opened their doors to the public, You can already go to the movies an...

This week the government convened two summits to combat hate: one on Islamophobia, one on Antisemitism. The circumstances of the latter gathering were dictated by the alarming rise in hate against the Jewish community. It was mostly closed to the public to ensure the safety of those participating. Former federal justice minister Irwin Cotler, now Canada's special envoy for preserving Holocaust rem...

It’s an invisible injury that many, including Zoomers, may suffer in their lifetime, concussions. Now, Toronto researchers have created a calculator to identify those at high risk for prolonged symptoms. We reached Doctor Mark Bayley, medical director at University Health Network's Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, who says the tool gives doctors a risk score based on patients' answers to five que...