The Alex Pierson Show

It was a hard fought riding, but for the community of Ward 4, Parkdale-High Park, they remain with incumbent Gord Perks. With 35% of the voters, he won the riding, but it's who was neck in neck with him that has our attention. Chemi Lhamo ran to be councillor, and while she gained only 32% of the vote, she still had a platform that people believed in, making her the unexpected runner up in the election. She joined guest host Rubina Ahmed-Haq to talk about her campaign, and her thoughts on some things that she believes should change in the city. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Toronto city council is starting to look like the city it represents now, with a lot of younger incumbents and those who are more progressive leaning. Among the new councillors is Ausma Malik, newly elected city council candidate for Ward 10, Spadina-Fort York, and also the first ever hijab wearing Muslim woman to be elected to city council. She joined guest host Rubina Ahmed-Haq to discuss her election win and how it feels to be representing Toronto women in this fashion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After only 45 days in office, Liz Truss has bowed out of leading the UK entirely. After only a few days, a victor has emerged in the Tory party and they've named Rishi Sunak to be the new prime minister. There's a lot of historic value to naming Rishi as the UK's newest PM. Not only is he the youngest in almost 200 years, he's also the first Hindu prime minister. Joining guest host, Rubina Ahmed-Haq, to talk about all of this is Professor John Grant, Department Chair of Political Science at King's University College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The polls are open and it's time to cast your ballot in the Toronto 2022 municipal election. Guest host, Rubina Ahmed-Haq is joined by Ben Spurr, a City Hall Reporter with the Toronto Star, to breakdown some ridings he's watching, some issues that might be top of mind for voters, and also provide analysis on one of Mayor John Tory's fellow mayoral candidates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's not just a mayor and councilors that you're voting for in this municipal election. You're also voting for school board trustees. But why should you care about it, especially if you're not a parent. Well who you vote for, ultimately decides who's on the board and will help shape the school system. Dr. Sachin Maharaj joined guest host, Rubina Ahmed-Haq, to talk about this and some concerns that were raised over certain candidates running. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest Nanos polling shows that Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and Conservative Party Leader, Pierre Poilievre, are neck in neck as to what Canadians prefer as a prime minister. In addition to this, we're seeing Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland, take a page out of Poilievre's book when it comes to the economy. Could the Conservative leader's relentless pounding on the Trudeau government be having an effect? Adrienne Batra is Editor in Chief of the Toronto Sun and joined us to talk all about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Civil liberties groups are demanding that the premier testify at the emergencies act inquiry. This week was the blame game with Ottawa officials blaming the ford gov for not sending help. It’s very clear now that neither the city nor police planned for anything. Not only that, but it also speaks to the fact that the decision to actually invoke the Emergencies Act was for a very localized problem. Alain Bartleman is a Lawyer and Special Advisor to the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and joined Alex to discuss it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the heels of new information coming out from EQAO that only 47% students in Grade 6 are meeting the provincial standard in math, Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced on Thursday that they will be giving parents a $250 payout per student so they can get tutoring. Lecce always says that he’s committed to keeping schools open but after two years of shutdowns from either the pandemic, or union action, the kids just aren’t alright. Michael Swaagstra is a Public high school teacher and also a Sr Fellow with the Frontier Centre, and says that it’s the extended closures that hurt the kids the most. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new thing in England has us looking to them as they about to trail noise-detecting traffic cameras in four areas in England as an attempt to crack down on “boy racers” who rev engines and use illegal exhausts. Joining Alex to talk about whether this is a good idea and whether or not Toronto could employ a similar tactic is Police Constable Sean Shapiro of TPS Traffic Services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's not just Gil Penelosa who has ideas about the highways in Toronto. On Thursday, John Tory was speaking with Greg Brady of Toronto Today and said he might consider adding tolls to the DVP / Gardiner if re-elected. We spoke with Jay Goldberg, Executive Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Association, who says that adding tolls would hurt families and could be a gateway for more tolls on other highways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Freedom Convoy had to be dismantled not as a safety risk but a public symbol of the “spiritual source of the protest movement,” said Michael Keenan, deputy transport minister. His remarks in a Feb. 6th teleconference with police contradicted cabinet claims the Wellington Street blockade was a danger to the public. Keenan agreed while the sit-in was not a public safety risk it made a poor image. Tom Korski, Managing Editor of Blacklock's Reporter, joined us and said using the Emergencies Act was never about there actually being an emergency, but all politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After it was reported that there were 400,000 fewer mammograms performed during the pandemic, while some say that women shouldn't be doing breast self examinations, one doctor is saying that women should be doing it. Dr. Toni Zhong is an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto, and joined Alex to talk about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every year around the holidays, we focus on donating food to food banks so that those who need it, can get food easily. A new report by Daily Bread Food Banks, shows that between 2010 and 2021, the vast majority of food bank users were in deep poverty. That means that they were all at least 25% below the poverty line. Kat Eschner is TVO's Affordability Reporter and breaks down this report in a conversation with Alex. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, testified before the Emergencies Act Inquiry into the usage of the act, and the way that the city handled itself during one of Canada's worst managed protests. The question to ask now though, is who do we point the finger to when it comes to the usage of emergency powers? Do we point it to the mayor, Doug Ford, or do we go right to the top and look to Trudeau? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With an election happening next week, potential mayor's to be are getting their messages out to as many people as they can, but with a lack of debates, it makes it tough to hear some of the ideas being proposed by candidates. Gil Penelosa is one candidate who's given a lot of ideas, one of which where he wants to get rid of Billy Bishop Airport and replace it with a park. But this newest idea of his is a lot tougher to chew on than replacing an airport. He joined Alex to talk all about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a string of armed robberies at pharmacy stores across Toronto, there's growing pressure for more prevention and education into how these can be reduced, or prevented entirely. Justin Bates is CEO of the Ontario Pharmacists Association, and joined Alex to talk about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Loblaws mentioned on Monday that they were going to put a freeze on prices for all No Name products, Metro announced that they would no longer accept cost increases from suppliers for a three month period during the holidays. But this isn't the first time that the grocer has done this. The reaction from people are varied across the board, but to tell us if this is what the NDP are calling 'greedflation,' or if it's just the state of the economy, is John Keough, Founder and Managing Principal of Shantella, Professor of Practice at McGill University: Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is that time of the week where we deep dive into all things Ottawa with none other than Tom Korski, Managing Editor at Blacklock's Reporter. On the very same day that Freedom Convoy organizers agreed to comply with a city agreement to move trucks, Cabinet declared a national emergency. This was told at a public inquiry into the use of the Emergencies Act on Monday where Ottawa City Manager, Steve Kanellakos, testified he head no warning that Cabinet would invoke the act. That and more with Tom Korski. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a never-ending spiral for Hockey Canada as a report has found that the organization had kept a third reserve fund for uninsured claims, should they ever come up. This fund was largely shielded since Hockey Canada kept its books closed off, but an interim report on the governance review into the organization, revealed all. Kate Bahen is Managing Director of Charity Intelligence Canada and joined Alex to discuss what this means for Hockey Canada and other non profit organizations moving forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

However you want to call him, Kanye West has gotten himself into the headlines once again. Not because he's released new music, but because in a recent tweet by the rapper, Kanye mentioned that he would go, "death con 3 on Jewish people." His remarks gained a lot of flak from the general public, which then prompted Twitter to remove the tweet entirely. Joining Alex to discuss Kanye West and his history of anti-Semitism, is Avi Benlolo, Founder and Chairman of Abraham Global Peace Initiative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ike Kaja is a man who would've just turned 50 had he not have been shot to death outside of his Midtown Toronto home earlier this year. While his murder continues to go unsolved, friends and family of his are putting the pressure on municipal leaders to do more when it comes to violent crimes in the GTA. Gautam Malkani is a friend of Ike's and spoke with Alex about how the family is doing, and what they're asking for in their local leaders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some are calling it the sleepy election, and the latest data released during advance polling shows that the turnout of voters for the Toronto municipal election is down by 30% compared to that of the 2014 election, which was already pretty low. Ben Spurr is the Toronto Star's City Hall Reporter, and joins Alex to break down the numbers and what this could look like on election night if this is the kind of numbers we're seeing already. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For only six weeks, the Emergency Act Inquiry will look into up to 65 witnesses, and write a report based on the federal government's usage of the Emergencies Act, and whether it was constitutional, or was a misuse of power. Justin Trudeau has already announced he is willing to testify, and while his testimony won't be until November, we're already hearing from witnesses who are testifying as residents, convoy supporters, and public officials. Hatim Khier is a lawyer with the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms and breaks down this inquiry and what we could see coming out of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here we are dealing with new allegation’s in the latest chapter of the Hockey Canada saga. A woman alleges she was sexually assaulted in London, Ont. in March, 2018 by two men, one a Western University hockey player and the second a minor-league pro player, and she alleges she was discouraged by London police from pressing charges in both cases. This is not connected to the sexual assault allegations in London from June, 2018 involving eight former Canadian Hockey League players, that blew this case open. But this latest woman went to police, wanted charges laid, and told TSN she was told it was too much work and they couldn't guarantee her privacy if the person is acquitted. We spoke with Laurie Hepburn, Executive Director of the Halton Women’s Place, about why many women are hesitant to come forward and report sexual assault to police. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An international report finds that Toronto has the highest housing bubble risk in the entire world, but is it true? Just how far gone are we on the housing market and how did we get here? Tim Hudak, CEO of the Ontario Real Estate Association, joined Alex to discuss this and what he predicts will be the future of housing in Toronto. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the past eight years a bold, world-class artist has been using Canada’s largest city as his canvas. Using ultra-low taxes, municipal bureaucracy and political stagnation as his primary artistic tools, John Tory has embarked on a conceptual undertaking of unprecedented scope and scale. AusterityTO is a series of public art installations which explore the values and desires of Toronto’s residents. Each sculpture was painstakingly crafted by the artist as a meditation on the nature of public services, decay and austerity. James McLeod, Co-Creator of a satirical public art project dubbed The Austerity TO Project, joined us and asked if Torontonians can say they are satisfied with how this city has been run over the last 8 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're still waiting on more details to come from the investigation into the deaths of two police officers in Innisfil. The SIU is investigating the incident that occurred and while it might take some time, those in the policing community are reeling from the loss of, now, four police officers within a month. Here to talk to Alex about the grief being felt by officers and how they're supporting those who need it, is Jon Reid, President of the Toronto Police Association. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time to dig into all things Ottawa, and Internal Department of Public Safety reports confirm there was no evidence of violence by Freedom Convoy supporters outside Parliament. One report, issued the very day that Cabinet invoked the Emergencies Act, said the protest was small, peaceful and had little impact on federal operations. But that night it was designated a national security threat. As always to discuss this, is none other than Tom Korski, Managing Editor of Blacklock's Reporter, who noted there was no evidence of guns on Parliament Hill for the three-weeks of the convoy protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Right now you can walk into any Cabela's location and purchase an SKS rifle for the sum of about $550 and use it to hunt with. While you need a gun license to own one, the gun itself doesn't need to be registered. This is the model of gun that used to kill two police officers in Innisfil late Monday night after they responded to a disturbance call in the late evening hours. Tony Bernardo is the Executive of the Canadian Shooting Association and says that this gun is like the Honda Civic of the gun world, and to get rid of them, would be a major challenge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the quiet election. The one we don't hear much about. But yet, municipal elections are a big deal when it comes to your everyday cost of living. Potholes, transit, parking fees, and much more are never seen as the hot button issue. But just because it isn't sexy to talk about, doesn't mean it isn't important, and doesn't affect your wallet. Kat Eschner is TVO's Affordability Reporter, and joined Alex to talk all about how these are the things people in Toronto should be paying attention to right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wait times for breast cancer treatment in Ontario, including surgeries, are currently longer than provincial guidelines. This is leading to less patients getting the care they need and getting testing to ensure that they're not getting any sicker than they might already be. During the pandemic, the Ontario Medical Association states that there were 400,000 fewer mammograms performed, leading to patients not knowing of any potential cancer. Kimberly Carson, CEO of Breast Cancer Canada, joined Alex to talk about these numbers and the effect it can have on Ontario women's health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Toronto's Ukrainian community is responding to the missile attacks that have shaken Ukraine over the past few days. Marc Shwec, with the Toronto Branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, led a protest outside the Russian Consulate in Toronto last night. Marc joined us and said we, the West, are funding the war... and we need to do more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave Perry is a former police officer and 640 Toronto’s Security Analyst. He joins Alex Pierson to talk about a deadly shootout that left two South Simcoe police officers dead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been a very drama filled past few days as the war in Ukraine continues to go on. Between a bridge in Crimea being bombed, to parts of Kyiv's city center being shelled, it's leaving casualties all across the board. Christian Leuprecht, Professor at Royal Military College of Canada and Queen's University, and also an expert on security and defence, joined Alex to talk about the latest developments coming out of the war torn nation, and what Russia could do next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do we have a two tiered justice system? The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in September that the criminal records of Indigenous persons can be excluded from their trials to preserve fairness. But who is this all fair to? Alex is joined by Ari Goldkind, a Criminal Lawyer, who says that without question, we have a two tiered system and while it's not compulsory to follow the ruling, it does open a lot of doors for discretion and scrutiny. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an election that doesn't seem like an election, there is a debate planned for Tuesday but there's a whole whopping two candidates taking part in it. The topic: affordable housing. Will John Tory be there? No. So what's going on with this 'sleepy election' and what should voters be taking note about? Joining us to talk about the municipal election and how it's panning out so far, is Ben Spurr, Toronto Star’s City Hall Reporter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is that time of the week where we check in with Managing Editor over at Blacklock's Reporter, Tom Korski, where he and his team dig up all the juicy details into all things Ottawa. It's the story that keeps on giving as the House of Commons Committee on Immigration has called an urgent meeting next week to discuss allegations that the department and former minister misled a federal judge during a trademark infringement case... an allegation former immigration minister Marco Mendicino has categorically denied. So who's to blame in trying to pull a fast one on a federal judge? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two Canadian tech companies are saying that the infamous ArriveCAN app should not have come with a $54 Million price tag. Sheetal Jaitly, Founder of TribalScale, says that it would cost under $1 Million to design and run the app and that the government should be looking to the tech companies with their hands up, willing to help. Sheetal joined Alex to talk about this hackathon, and the brutal cost of this fabled app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once a week we're joined by Jon Reid, President of the Toronto Police Association, to talk about all things policing and crime in the GTA. Today, Jon talks about how a Hamilton man was tased and arrested by police while in the midst of a seizure says police shouldn’t have been sent to a medical call. Also, a Toronto Police officer was allegedly targeted by a driver. Investigators say they believe the motorist “deliberately” drove at officers in a Scarborough parking lot, striking one and forcing an emergency run to a nearby hospital. That and more with Jon Reid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What? There's an election? But I know nothing about my riding or the people running in it. That's the general consensus amongst Torontonians as advance polls opened on Friday for the municipal election almost no one really knows about. But there's a way you can find out about who's in your riding and what they stand for. We spoke with Nick Hune-Brown, Senior Editor for The Local Magazine, about his magazine’s candidate tracker map; he said the democratic process doesn’t seem to be working. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden announced all Americans convicted federally for small possession of marijuana will be pardoned. 6,500 people will benefit. A lot of this is politics because most pot convictions happen at state level. Biden says this move will make it easier for people to get employment, housing, and education…but we’ve had legal pot here for yr… and out of the 10 k Canadians who were told they’d be able to get pardoned through a federal parole program only 570 have done it. We spoke with Dr. Samantha McAleese, a Carleton University researcher looking at the impact of the pardon system on people with criminal records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Global News analysis of 50 of Poilievre’s most recent YouTube videos showed that they included a tag — hidden from viewers, but not from the videos’ publisher — used by a misogynistic online movement. The tag helps promote Poilievre’s videos among those circles, and signals to YouTube what users might be interested in the Conservative leader’s messaging. Joining Alex to talk about it is Alex Boutilier, Senior National Reporter for Global News and author of the article posted to globalnews.ca. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re coming up on the Thanksgiving long weekend, and food banks are always looking for donations to help offset the high demand around the holiday. Neil Hetherington, CEO of the Daily Bread Food Bank, joined us and said food banks are experiencing the worst time in their history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Canadians may see a jump in the number of businesses applying credit card use surcharges as restrictions on the practice lift today. Businesses secured the right to add a surcharge, which they have to disclose, to credit card transactions as part of a class action lawsuit against MasterCard, Visa and Canadian banks. A report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business found that 19 per cent of small businesses are considering an added charge for credit card transactions to offset processing fees, while 26 per cent of respondents said they will add a surcharge if their competitors or suppliers do. We spoke with Julie Kwiecinski, the CFIB’S director of provincial affairs for Ontario, about how lumping on these fees to the consumer will impact the day-to-day business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is that time of the week where we dig deep into all things Ottawa and lots of questions are being asked about why former Immigration Minister, Marco Mendicino, and the Privy Council Office backdated documents in an apparent bid to mislead a federal judge in a trademark dispute. And he won’t talk. And it appears the records now seem to be blacked out. Except the date and email addresses. Tom Korski, Managing Editor of Blacklocks Reporter, joined us and said that the big question is - why would the minister issue a fake order in council? That and more on today's Blacklock's Check In. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On October 1, 2022, the minimum wage in Ontario went up by 50 cents to a total of $15.50 an hour. The current livable wage in Ontario is projected at $22.08 from data collected by the Ontario Living Wage Network, so will this 50 cent increase be enough for workers? Kat Eschner, TVO's Affordability Reporter, joined guest host Rubina Ahmed-Haq, to discuss this and what she's working on next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been a few weeks since the protests began in Iran over the, what protesters are calling, an unjust death of a 22 year old woman for not wanting to wear her hijab. The death of Mahsa Amini sparked a larger discussion into the mandatory wearing of religious garments amongst Muslim women. Will this change the way people approach wearing cultural garments? Joining guest host, Rubina Ahmed-Haq to talk about this, is Maria Iqbal, a 905 Region-based staff reporter for the Toronto Star. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just like how rapper Skee-Lo once said, "I wish I was a little bit taller," you too can get surgery to cosmetically lengthen your limbs to make you taller. This is a growing trend amongst men and you're probably wondering simply... why? Joining guest host, Rubina Ahmed-Haq, to talk about all of this is Dr. Marie Gdalevitch, Cosmetic Leg Surgeon, and the only practicing doctor to offer the procedure in Canada. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Toronto is the city of construction most days, and it all needs to be paid for somehow. So just how cash strapped is Toronto? John McGrath, a Writer and Columnist for TVO, spoke with guest host Rubina Ahmed-Haq, to talk about real estate, construction, and how the cashflow of the city is getting worse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday, the Ontario Supreme Court is holding a five day hearing into what sex workers hope will lead to the full decriminalization of sex work in Canada. The groups argue that instead of recognizing sex workers' rights and well-being by decriminalizing sex work, the federal government created a set of criminal laws called the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA) that reproduce those same harms. Alex spoke with Monica Forrester, an outreach manager at Maggie's Sex Work Action Project, to talk about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices