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 mislead a federal judge. Also, Tom talks about how federal departments are spending billions on consultants with little oversight, the Commons government operations committee was told yesterday. Is it possible they lost track of $24 Billion? All of that and more on today's Blacklock's Check In. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 and the lead of the Brampton-based Safe Centre of Peel, about how we stop this? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 forward in this ever evolving climate of violence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“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 amongst parliamentarians, senators, and everyday people and it could cause a lot of harm if passed. Senator Leo Housakos joins Alex to talk about this and the dangers that could come from this bill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 not look like it did before. And some Canadians might be packing in their losses and not head back to the sunshine state. We spoke with Stephen Fine, President of Snowbird Advisor. Stephen says these residential losses will create an even tighter rental market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, and says this is much more than a protest– he feels regime change is upon the Iranian people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, sees’ the decision as a massive win as it not only cleans up the climate, it’s an economic win. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 grocers are making record profits. But there is no evidence that it’s happening. Also, Homeowners who paid down mortgages and built up equity should “demonstrate allegiance” by paying more tax, says a CMHC consultant. That and more on today's Blacklock's Check-In. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 national best seller ‘Web of Hate’ and Postmedia Columnist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Canada and Executive Director of Pediatric Chairs of Canada, joined us earlier and said her organization is calling on the federal government to make children a priority. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 and the island itself, Alex is joined by Abbie Branchflower, Director of Education with Friends of Sable Island Society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 about the "unjust death" of Amini. Nazanin Samavati joined Alex to talk about the protest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 of the city has become the butt of the joke - and why Metrolinx needs to be held accountable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 says a weaker currency during the winter months might pose a problem for our borders, when our grocers import food. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 the Canada Border Services Agency, documents show. All of that and more is on today's Blacklock's Check In. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 his program into public schools.. Here’s Chris on how his program differs from the mental health education offered by schools. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 table. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 critics being John Lawrence, Senior Editor of Spacing Magazine. He joined guest host, Rubina Ahmed-Haq, and said the lack of debates has an unhealthy impact on local democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 registered charity providing relief in the aftermath of tropical storm Fiona. We spoke with Rahul Singh, Executive Director of Global Medic, a humanitarian relief organization that provides aid in areas affected by natural disasters, about how this move by the government hurts other charities trying to provide relief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by Iran's so-called morality police has sparked angry protests, with women burning their headscarves in a defiant act of resistance against the Islamic Republic's strict dress code and those enforcing it. Is this the point where Iran has to look at itself and wonder if this is the way to go? Mariam Memarsadeghi, Senior Fellow with the Macdonald Laurier Institute and Founder / Director of the Cyrus Form, joined Alex to talk about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cannabis became legal in Canada in 2018 as part of an election promise made by Justin Trudeau during the 2015 election. Just like with tobacco, we've seen policies and regulations put into place. Alex spoke with George Smitherman, President and CEO of the Cannabis Council of Canada, about the government finally announcing its plan to review the Cannabis Act. Smitherman noted the government’s already a year late and legal cannabis operators can’t hang on for much longer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

St. Catharines’ residents have long suspected carcinogenic chemicals were in the mess of a former GM auto plant site. A 2020 report from the Ontario ministry of the environment confirmed it. Two years later, they’re still waiting for it to be cleaned up. Alex is joined by Ashley Okwuosa, who is the author of the article published in The Narwhal, to discuss this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caller Rich tells Alex Pierson students feel sexually intimidated by the dress of a shop teacher. Pictures of the teacher went viral after she was photographed wearing giant prosthetic breasts while operating a table saw. Rich says teens want to issue a formal complaint, but aren't able to have their voices heard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's no secret that Toronto's council doesn't fully represent the citizens that they were elected for, so why do people generally distrust city hall? A recent report called, "Community Voices" was conducted and found that many of those who are distrustful of city hall, came from Scarborough and Etobicoke. Joining Alex to discuss this, and the upcoming election, is Dr. Kofi Hope, an Urbanist-in-Residence at the School of Cities, Co-Author of the report and Co-Founder of Monumental. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, starting making threats this week, saying that, “To defend Russia and our people, we doubtlessly will use all weapons resources at our disposal... This is not a bluff.” While the illegal invasion into Ukraine was the main topic of discussion during the UN General Assembly this week, many are wondering if these are idle threats, or if Putin could be serious this time. Dr Erika Simpson, Associate Professor of International Politics at Western University, the President of the Canadian Peace Research Association and the Author of ‘NATO and the Bomb,' joined Alex to talk about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a decade, a lawsuit involving famous tourist attraction, Marineland, and a former trainer, has now been resolved. This means the last two walruses in the park will be removed from the facility and brought into the wild. Phil Demers is a former mammal trainer of Marineland's stadium show and joined Alex to talk about this win, and the future of Smooshi the walrus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is that time of the week where we check in with Blacklock's Reporter, where we find all those deep dive stories happening in Ottawa, and at the heart of it we find Managing Editor, Tom Korski. Today, Tom speaks to Alex about how Attorney General David Lametti said yesterday, that criminal law should not punish misguided drug dealers who just want to “put bread on the table." He also talks about how a police blacklist of bank account holders named as Freedom Convoy sympathizers was emailed to lobbyists, records disclose. That and much more on today's Blacklock's Check In. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While many of us are feeling the pinch on our wallets due to the rising costs of everyday goods, those who are feeling it even more are individuals who are in social assistance programs. Kat Eschner, TVO’s Affordability Reporter, came on to talk to Alex about it and why TVO is introducing the affordability beat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One in six households in Ontario is now struggling with food insecurity.. And the GTA food banks are facing the highest demand in their history due to the rising cost of food and rent. We spoke with Devi Arasanayagam, Co-founder and Chair of the Fort York Food Bank, who’s volunteered with the food bank for 24 years. Devi spoke with Alex and highlighted the changing demographic of those using the food bank’s services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Toronto Municipal election coming up in a few weeks, how can we possibly be informed voters when there's just so many names on the ballot and little way of getting to know the candidates who are running for our city? There's only one debate confirmed, so does this question the health of our local democracy? Dr. Myer Siemiatycki, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University, spoke with Alex about this election and the effects of this can be to our future as a city. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Pierson calls out a series of City of Toronto videos suggesting children need to isolate from friends if they aren't vaccinated against COVID-19. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alberta Premier, Jason Kenney was at Bloor-Yonge subway station, trying to lure Torontonians away. Kenney wants skilled workers to leave the GTA and come work in Alberta. You can read more about the campaign here.jchapman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's not uncommon for a hashtag to gain traction if it's good enough, which might get you a few thousand interactions. But what if that number suddenly went up to 500,000 interactions? That's what happened with the #TrudeauMustGo campaign on Twitter. What started off as a simple tweet to Justin Trudeau about his comments made during the pandemic about how people who don't take the vaccine, "...don’t believe in science, they are misogynistic, often racist," ended up becoming something much, much bigger. Martin Belanger is the one who started it all and he joined Alex to talk about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With new inflation numbers coming out today from the Bank of Canada, many turn to mortgage rates and how a spike in rates are causing many Canadians to feel like they can't keep up. Especially those with a variable mortgage rate. We spoke with Shawn Stillman, Principal Broker at Mortgage Outlet, who said the government and Bank of Canada aren’t being honest about how they want to bring down inflation - hint - they want you to spend less. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is that time of the week where we take a deep dive into all things Ottawa, and for that we bring on Tom Korski, Managing Editor at Blacklock's Reporter to dig up all those juicy nuggets if information that we don't always get to. Today, Tom talks to Alex about how Cabinet commissioned confidential research on federal rent controls. He also talks about the CRA using behavioural research to try to boost tax compliance. All of that and more on today's Blacklock's Check In. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So we got inflation news today– and the Bank of Canada may be happy with the direction inflation rates are moving. They are set to announce another interest rate change on October 26th. The Bank may see todays numbers as proof aggressively raising rates is working, but it isn’t working for everyday Canadians being left behind. Dr. Ian Lee, Associate Professor with the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, joined Alex to talk about the numbers we're seeing today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Pierson encourages conversations to be had around recent social media images of a teacher at 'Oakville Trafalgar High School.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Toronto City Council is made up of 26 members from across the city, each trying to represent the areas in which they preside. But as one candidate for Toronto Mayor says, that council is made up of people who are far from the citizens that they represent, and should work towards more action than talk. Chloe Brown is a candidate for Mayor of Toronto, and chatted with Alex about the issue of diversity, and what the city can do better under new leadership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After losing his eyesight due to diabetes, Russell "Papa" Mackay has started an initiative to raise money for SickKids Hospital. The 84 year old grandfather began a five day walking journey stretching 75 kilometres from Guelph to Toronto began on Friday and Alex spoke with him while he was walking to see what the initiative is all about, and how much they've raise so far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new Abacus Data reveals that two in three Canadians (66%) are either concerned, disappointed, surprised or angry to learn that Canada ranks 59th out of 187 countries in the percentage of women that make up national parliament (since the survey, Canada has fallen to 60th place). And the majority (63%) think political parties or the government — rather than women themselves — should be responsible for ensuring equal representation of men and women in politics. Why is this the case? To join Alex about this topic, we brought on Shari Graydon, CEO of Informed Opinions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With King Charles III now our official sovereign, many Canadians are debating about the idea of Canada sticking with the monarchy, or cutting ties to it. Many say to open it up to a referendum to decide if Canada should cut open the constitution and restructure it. But is it that easy? Christina Blizzard, a long-time journalist and Royal Commentator, joined Alex to talk about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a lack of academic freedom when it comes to universities across this country, and now professors are afraid to have the conversations that are necessary for good learning by self censoring. How is this harming our education system? Joining Alex is Dr. Christopher Dummitt is Professor of Canadian history at Trent University. He is the co-author of a recent Macdonald-Laurier Institute paper titled "The viewpoint diversity crisis at Canadian universities: Political homogeneity, self-censorship, and threats to academic freedom." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The principal architect of the Toronto 18 has been denied full parole, but it doesn't mean he's not going to be enjoying freedom. After being put in prison for life with no chance of parole for ten years, he's now been given full day parole in Quebec and is even allowed to come to the GTA. Mubin Shaikh, a Professor of Public Safety at Seneca College and a former security intelligence and counter terrorism operative, joined Alex to talk about this case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After two years of searching since former Toronto Police Chief, Mark Saunders, announced his stepping down, and James Ramer being the interim chief, we finally have a candidate announced. Myron Demkiw is a 32 year veteran of the TPS and will be appointed as the service's new police chief. How will this new chief stack up to the issues plaguing the police service now? To talk about it, Alex is joined by Dave Perry, Former Toronto Police Officer and 640 Toronto’s Security Analyst. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices