The Alex Pierson Show

A Pickering couple whose children have a rare, painful skin condition is taking their fight to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, after two years of unsuccessful attempts to get air conditioning in the kid’s classrooms. Heidi Graf (Gabriela) joins Alex Pierson to tell their story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Rubina Ahmed-Haq – Global News Radio Personal Finance Expert and joins ON Point to talk about the third Monday of January being traditionally named the worst of the year because it’s cold outside, the holidays are over and the post-holiday credit card statements begin to arrive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Vince Gasparro, former aid to Paul Martin and our own Tasha kheiriddin on the CounterPoint this evening to discuss Omar Khadr payments, minimum wage and more. Have a listen... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Pierson asks whether it is up to Zuckerberg to decide what gets prioritized on your facebook feed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Omar Khan - Vice President, Public Affairs Hill+Knowlton Strategies Anthony Furey, Sun / Postmedia columnist & national comment editor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill Kelly - weekdays 9am – 12pm – AM900 CHMLAndrew Lawton - 12 – 3pm – AM980 CFML Both join Alex Pierson to chat about the biggest stories of the day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Murdoch - Vice President, Public Relations at Enterprise Canada Media joins Alex Pierson and tells us whether this kind of branding will work for leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Andrew Scheer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Hamilton heckler gets a finger wagging from a prime minister who is all act. And the crowds just eat it up. They shouldn’t. Politicians give canned answers. And no one is better at it then Mr. Trudeau. He loves to work crowds. He’s good at it. With sleeves rolled up. Tie loose. He will feel your pain, whatever it may be. And he will make you swoon. And if you interrupt him with a challenge. He’ll turn into a teacher scolding a naughty student. So he was prepared for when Leigh Stewy disrupted his act.Stewy is politically active. She went to this Hamilton Town hall, because that’s what political activists do. Especially when a PM comes to town on a campaign stop we are paying for. You go. You yell. You try to cut through the predictable noise, with the hope that for once, a politician will, be honest. Stewy says she knew he wasn’t coming to her section so she stood up. And while she is being cast as a disruptor, and you may not like her approach, she pressed on important issues. Ethics violations, Clinton foundation, eugenics, open borders and Omar Khadr. Mr Trudeau only answered one. Omar Khadr. And it was the same answer we’ve heard time and again. Trudeau who feigned outrage, got a rousing round of applause. It pained him to fork over 10 million dollars in a secret deal because government failed a convicted terrorist. Except, his answer was spin. His government didn’t have to pay Mr Khadr. They could have fought it. Could have let the courts decide. Trudeau, claims it was a cost saving decision, but with deficits ballooning to 28 billion. That doesn’t sell. He said Khadr may or may not have killed an American soldier. He did. He killed Christopher Speer. And it wasn’t just any government- It was the Liberal government,that turned its back on Khadr. Even so. Trudeau could have delayed. He didn’t. He paid. And did it secretly. And then apologized. And polling shows, Stewy is not alone in her anger. 71 percent of the country agree with her. Either way the Liberal friendly crowd. Ate. It. Up. Activists always show up to political events. This time it was Stewy, who says she is bi-partisan, having views on both the right and the left. These “town halls” are sold as an impromptu one on one with Canadians. Be assured, they are very contrived and controlled campaign sessions. Carefully selected Liberal friendly cities to help rehab Trudeau’s tarnished brand. So once in a while it’s refreshing to hear from someone who doesn’t buy his act. And frankly, what have we’ve learned so far? Not much. Even if asked, Trudeau won’t answer for breaking ethics laws. He won’t answer why we gave millions to the Clinton foundation which is accused of fraud. He won’t answer to First nations group angered by failed promises. He won’t answer how and when ISIS fighters got back into Canada and where are they now. Are they on a no fly list? What you will get are man of the people progressive platitudes. So ask what you want but the talking point will be the same. It will be up to the Ottawa reporters to challenge him , and forced him to re-order his thoughts.. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Personal finance expert Rubina Ahmed-Haq joins 640 Toronto to discuss a study that claims men spend money more frivolously than women. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eleanor Silverberg is a social worker, author, speaker, grief specialist, assisting through situational losses. Her book tackles the issues caregivers will face in attending to loved ones with dementia and alzheimer's. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeremy Richler is a GTA and Toronto area corporate lawyer and notary public. He is a sole practicing employment and corporate lawyer Mike Van Soelen As Managing Principal at Navigator, Mike helps leading organizations reach and engage their most important audiences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It seems pretty rich that the very group attacking a Canadian Franchise ALSO once found itself cutting benefits and laying off staff when their bottom line called for it. The Ontario federation of labour is leading a charge against Tim Hortons organizing rallies at locations across the Province. Today it was a handful, but they threaten this is only the start. Attacking an individual Canadian franchise, that is controlled by its Brazilian owner, is hardly fair, but to attack random locations, many that have done nothing wrong, is reckless and will hurt the very people they say they are trying to protect. A couple, maybe a handful of Timmie’s franchises cut breaks and benefits. Not all. And they did that because THEIR corporate boss in Brazil wouldn’t’ allow THEM to raise prices to make up for losses due to Kathleen Wynne’s surprise Min wage hike. They broke no labour laws, and are fully within their rights to protect their business. SO punishing all not only shows ignorance, but it makes no sense. Your battle is with a company in Brazil. I’m not here to re-litigate the issue. What a couple of Tim Horton Franchises did, is well known. I will however point out the raging hypocrisy of the OFL. Where was the outrage 4 yrs ago, when a forensic audit revealed they were millions in debt and forced to scale back employee benefits, vacation pay and cut staff?? Any protests then?? Nope. Seems when the work-boot is on the other foot rallies aren’t required. In 2013, the OFL, was reportedly carrying massive operational deficits in the millions. The federation, which is an umbrella organization, to Ontario’s largest labour unions, represents some 700 thousand workers. Dues were being paid by those workers and being swallowed up by growing debt. THAT hardly seems very fair. And not why a union worker pays dues. According to a forensic audit reported in the National Post, the OFL wasn’t able to meet its pension obligations, running an operational deficit three times larger than its bottom line. So cuts had to be made to the 16 person staff. A union source tells me benefits were scaled back, vacation pay wasn’t paid and as many as 5 senior staff were fired resulting in several large law suits. Did we see any outrage?? Boycott’s?? No. The organization did what it had to do. Sell off assets. Reduce labour and operational costs and get its financial house in order. So- why, then is there no understanding from this group for the independent business owners across Ontario now facing a crippling hit to their bottom line? They also work hard? Put in long hours? Take risks? And I assure you none have a nice tax payer funded pension to fall back on Hey-Hey-Ho-Ho. OFL, your hypocrisy has got to go! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Diamond, campaign strategist and political commentator, UPSTREAM Strategy GroupAndy Stinton, President News Minute Network Inc, Director You Tube Fan Fest Toronto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jenn Gerson is a commentator and writer with National Post and discusses why we need to distinguish between sex offenders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rachel Fletcher of London, Ontario used to work at Tim Hortons. She says some franchisees started cancelling breaks/benefits back in the summer in preparation for the rise in minimum wage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alzheimer Society of Canada CEO, Pauline Tardif Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Serre is the owner of the Morrissey House in London. The restaurant will give women discount from menu prices, as a nod to pay inequity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Thompson – AM900 CHML Hamilton 12p-3p; Craig Needles – 980 News London 9am – 12pm join Alex to chat about some of the day's biggest stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have we forgotten how to treat those with dementia? Or did we ever really know at all? Unless you have had a loved one inflicted with the cruel disease it’s hard to understand its devastating impact. Not just on the inflicted person who dies a little more each day but those around them who have to cope with this new normal. My Step dad just died after 12 agonizing years of this thief disease. He was vibrant, funny and LOVED to work. He loved a good party and if you didn’t invite him he’d invite himself and make your event even better. He was a rarity. A caricature. Then one day he came home with a strange tale that lobsters were crawling on his wall and he had been involved in a bank robbery. That was the day we had to admit Ted was being taken by Dementia. From there, the Ted I knew. Who I got into mischief with. Who made everyone laugh was no longer the Ted I knew. It changed everything. And everyone around him. He continued to work- but eventually couldn’t make sense of his business. He continued to drive but then left the roof down in the middle of January and had his licence taken away. He wanted to go out but eventually no one asked him. Sadly, my wedding was one such occasion. To Ted he was the same man but he was slipping away and we didn’t know how to act around him and worse, we were scared of “what might happen”. I still laughed and joked with him but I didn’t know how to discuss the elephant in the room. The reality of his fate. And eventually family conversations mainly happened without Ted. After all, how could he be part of a conversation he may not understand? Especially when it came to putting him in a home. A last resort, but a reality of this cruel disease. While Ted was very much alive he was a danger to himself getting lost and doing things like leaving the stove on. Like so many afflicted by this disease, Ted didn’t want to be in a home. He tried to sneak out every time we visited. See you later he’d say to the nurse and he’d shuffle out the door. We’d take him back in riddled with guilt. Was he angry? Did he understand why he was there? Dementia makes people uncomfortable. Mainly those who don’t have it. I wanted so badly to see Ted as the person he was, when maybe I should seen him for who he was In that moment. Which was, still a funny old man, who still loved his vodka, his Benny Hill and his chocolate. With more than half a million Canadians living with the disease, and an aging population that will drive that number up, Alzheimer’s society of Canada, has launched a new awareness campaign. They say stigma is one of the biggest barriers facing those robbed by this disease. Once someone is diagnosed with dementia, and come to terms with it, it’s those around them who change the most. That instead of living in the here and now we tend to treat the Ted’s of this world like they are at the end of their life. We make them more disabled then they are. It took 12 yrs for Dementia to finally take Ted from us, but right up until the end he knew who I was. His brain was foggy but he was very much alive. He was, after all, living in his here and now. It was the rest of us trying to figure things out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vince Gasparro and Jenni Byrne go head-to-head and discuss the stories making news today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The seeds of division are sewn and the blame belongs to you Premier! The minimum wage spike has been in effect just a few days and already the bad news, that was predicted, is making headlines. Businesses big and small are notifying customers of price hikes, employees are being let go or told no more freebies. Yes-, everyone deserves a fair wage. Period. Most can’t keep up with our ever increasing costs of living. Especially when it’s the government that’s increasingly the cause. At every level, we are nickel and dimed of every dollar we earn with “fee’s, revenue tools, tolls. AKA—Taxes. Oddly, the governments never seem to stop taking, their remedy is always the same. Make someone else pay. And in this case it’s business owners across Ontario. It’s easy to vilify giants like McDonalds and Tim Hortons for cutting costs and staff. They are, after all part of the evil 1 %, except that’s just not true. Individual franchisees own these businesses. Everyday people who live in our community’s. Moms and dads who take a lot of risk, use their own money and work every bit as hard as those they hire. That’s who these Franchisees are. But hey, don’t let facts get in the way of an “evil corporate bullies the little guy’. Narrative. And she didn’. On hearing that some Tim Hortons locations were cutting costs, Kathleen Wynne jumped right in with accusations of bullying. Make no mistake, this is her strategy. Vilify big bad business and paint yourself as the hero to the little guy. Wynne said Tim’s franchisees should have come to her with concerns. Problem for Wynne’s narrative? They did. Tim Hortons owners attended the almost non-existent consultations in the summer. They warned the Liberals this very thing would happen with a rushed minimum wage hike. They were ignored. Wynne’s narrative doesn’t fly. And it shouldn’t. It’s a lie. In 2014, Wynne herself, along with both opposition parties, signed legislation agreeing that any rise to minimum would ONLY happen at the rate of inflation. But then a funny thing happened. Wynne’s polling #s tanked with hydro bankrupting everyday people. She needed to change the narrative, so a 15 dollar min wage it was!! What is clear about Wynne’s “fair wages” is that it is anything but. It’s unfair to businesses now buckling under the sudden cost surge, and the folks it pretends to help. Both sides are being used. Both are being pitted against one another. Both are just pawns of Wynne’s political ambitions. If the Premier is serious about fairness. She would stop attacking those who pay her bills and stop wasting billions of our hard earned money on scandal and failed policy. That money alone could go to things like affordable housing, long term care, mental-health care for the homeless now freezing on sewer grates. Or a guaranteed income. Here’s what is fair. Stop asking us for more. Stop meddling in the markets. And stop with the divisive politics. Not everyone who disagrees with your “stretch goal” policy is a bully. They are every-day people simply trying to survive the disasterous policies your government has created Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elissa Freeman joins Alex to discuss the newest initiative which is supposed to help victims of Hollywood sexual assault Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Radley – Hamilton Spectator sports columnist and host of The Scott Radley Show on 900CHML joins ON Point and talks about the legacy of the late Johnny Bower. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Personal finance expert Rubina Ahmed-Haq joins Global News Radio to discuss why Canadians continue to pay high bank fees, and what keeps them loyal to the big five. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We ask Andy Stinton and Michael Diamond to keep their pants on as they discuss Joshua Boyle's arrest, Defence Minister Sajjan and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lee Humphrey is a security expert. He spent some time in Afghanistan during which he had the chance meeting with Joshua Boyle. At the meeting Humphrey tried to disuade Boyle from going hiking into the mountains. We know now that hike would end when Boyle and his wife would be taken hostage by the Taliban. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Employment lawyer Lior Samfiru discusses the legalities of some employers who have told employees that they will cut benefits, cancelling paid breaks and changing other employment terms in order to cope with the rise of minimum wage. This comes after employees at a Cobourg Tim Hortons say they have been told to sign a document acknowledging they are losing incentives as a result of the Ontario's minimum wage hike. The Tim Hortons in question is owned by the children of the chain's founders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First counterpoint disussion of 2018 - Vincent Gasparro and Jenni Byrne discuss Justin Trudeau's silence on Iran and former terrorist hostage Joshua Boyle being arrested on 15 criminal charges Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, that is unless you dare cross a cyclist. Then you can expect more than fury—outright rabid frothing at the mouth. It all started during a snow storm right before x-mas when I was on the roads and noticed a cyclist slipping and sliding over a slushy street. It was an accident waiting to happen. I took a photo and tweeted it out saying “you have to be a real knob to be out in weather like this”. My mistake was calling the guy a knob. THAT was wrong- But the post had nothing to do with cycling rights. It was simply an observation that it wasn’t a safe day to be riding a bike on Toronto’s slushy streets with no bike lane Que the outrage from the perpetually outraged! First to chime in, the Ottawa police as their social media team nosed into a jurisdiction that’s none of their business. That they know nothing about and certainly wouldn’t understand riding conditions that day. They stated cyclists have every right to be on the roads, and gave me instructions on how I should go around a cyclist. News flash- my tweet and comment was never about cycling rights. Not one word of it suggested that. Nor did I need a lesson on how to go around. I wasn’t trying to go around. The guy wasn’t in my way. Or slowing me down. He WAS struggling to stay upright. And I thought it was foolish to risk that. Your tweet suggested I’m anti cyclist. Which couldn’t be furthest from the truth. And I am on record with that. I have zero issues with cycling. I have no issues with bike lanes. No issue with giving them a wide berth. My only issues with cyclists is that they need to obey signs and rules so no one gets hurt. While you may not like the opinion—the fact is cyclists get hurt when they fall. And in a City like Toronto full of congestion and lousy cycling infrastructure- going out in a snow storm is not worth the risk. But how could Ottawa police know that? It’s not their jurisdiction. The Ottawa police, so concerned about cycling rights in a totally different city, unleashed a frenzy of hate filled rhetoric suggesting I be fired, arrested, have my child taken away. On and on the hysteria went. All because I called a miscellaneous person a knob? And what’s your excuse Huffington post? I see you filed a story on how the Ottawa police “shut down” a Toronto reporter. Oddly, my phone nor any email ever came offering me an opportunity for me to have a say? Your glee in having me checked by Ottawa cops-didn’t need to be marred by any inconvenient truth? There is a very simple rule in journalism, Always get the other side of the story? And if you can’t— try like hell. Otherwise it’s click bait—or fake news.This isn’t me having a pity party. I’m a big girl. I can take my lumps. When deserved. But IF you are going to attack me, libel me, convict me, use my 4 yr olds picture to fight your cause, you should know the facts. You don’t. You weren’t there. You have no idea If I was with someone. Where I was going. What I may have been doing. Sherlock Holmes you are not. But hey, in the days of social media mobbing apparently we no longer need courts. We have you the social justice warriors to play judge and jury. For whatever role I played- I happily accept responsibility and I say this-- To the unknown man, slipping and sliding on his bike back during a snow storm- I do apologize for calling you a knob. I don’t know you. I don’t know your situation. Or where you were going. But knob was the wrong word. I should have said – Fool. Silly. Reckless. Because it was reckless to be out that day. Even for the most experienced cyclist. Bottom line--- while cyclists have a right to be on the roads all year long—it doesn’t mean you should. Or that it’s safe. Or that everyone rides at the same level. I may have been a jerk for calling someone a silly name, but the vicious rabid reaction from those looking down from their moral high horse -- you have revealed you are no better than those you attack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Registered Psychologist Doctor Oren Amitay joins ON Point and talks about depression during the holidays, addictions and setting realistic resolutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rubina Ahmed-Haq joins ON Point and discusses how easy it is to over spend for the holidays, and provides some tips on how to be disciplined. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The Etiquette Guy" Jay Remer gives us some tips on etiquette when it comes to holiday dinners, and gift giving/receiving. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James DiFiore went undercover as a mall Santa. He describes the experience with Alex Pierson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Christmas is festive for many, it may be a sad or lonely time for others. Create magic for those around you if you can! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve McDonald Deputy Director, Communications and Public Affairs at The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). He tells Alex that this resolution (which includes Yemen) is part of the campaign of ganging up against Israel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Hamilton C-A-S has decided it knows best removing 2 little girls from the care of two loving gaurdians who provided a safe and happy home. The problem? These caregivers are devout Christian’s, and these days, targeting that faith is just fine. So what have these parents done that is so awful? Well, according to the C-A-S lawyers-- these parents won’t lie to the girls and tell them Santa or the Easter bunny are real. The girls, according the government agency, are in “imminent danger” that the magic of the holiday-- might be destroyed. Yes. You heard that right. Imminent danger if they don’t believe in a floppy eared chocolate carrying fantasy or a fat guy in a red suit who flies around the world in a sleigh led by flying reindeer. According to the lawyers now arguing the case in a Hamilton court room the children are “entitled” to believe that while they sleep “Santa clause comes down the chimney and puts gifts under the tree.” This would be laughable if it weren’t for the fact that the C-A-S has a very real and lengthy record of failing vulnerable children by putting them in actual dangerous situations that have either killed or destroyed them. Need proof? I covered a Peel CAS case involving two boys yanked from their home during an acrimonious divorce and placed into the care of a foster family that allowed serial killer Douglas Moore to babysit. Uncle Dougy- as the kids called him, sodomized the boys regularly and then killed 3 men. There was 7 yr old Randal Dooley whose parents used him as a whipping boy. His tiny body bludgeoned black and blue, covered in soars and broken bones. After a year of abuse his body gave up and he died brother’s arms. Jeffery Baldwin, whose grandparents beat and starved him for years until his emaciated body gave up. 7 yr old Katelelyn Samsson who was tortured and killed by her care givers. Where were the C-A-S in all of those cases? In a court arguing that children were in imminent danger if they don’t believe Halloween witches really fly?? These are just a few of the kids in government care that were destroyed by a system rife with head shaking failures. And yet here they are wasting precious resources arguing about the need for children to believe in pipe dreams? This Hamilton family was upfront with the CAS about their beliefs, that they DO NOT endorse Santa and the Easter bunny. And that they won’t lie to the kids. Isn’t it better not to lie to a child than to perpetuate a myth they will figure out in time? They did buy gifts and celebrate each occasion. And it was good enough for the birth mom who thanked them for giving them what she couldn’t. And yet the parents have been fired, the kids yanked out of a stable home by an agency that clearly has an ideology it feels it has the right to indoctrinate Would they dare do this to a Jewish or dare I say Muslim caregiver? Not.A.Chance. Who the hell is the government to tell anyone what they should believe? Last I check Canada is a country where freedom of religious belief still exists. No? In 2015- the Auditor general revealed 47 of the provinces Children aids society are chronically failing society’s most vulnerable children. Bonnie lysik called the system “profoundly dysfunctional” recommending a thorough house cleaning top to bottom. Yes- most of those who had a hand in these tragedies have kept their jobs. Worse? The Liberal government, has done literally nothing to fix it. At a time when there is a care giver shortage in Ontario, it is clear that those in the business of government care for the most vulnerable in society truly live in a fantasy world. No wonder they believe in the Easter bunny. After all it’s part of the same government that believes money grows on tree’s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Musson talks to Alex Pierson after his father died tragically falling off a ladder. Doug Musson established the colourful holiday display outside his family's Spruce Avenue home more than 30 years ago. You can help the family in their time of need Musson Family Lights Fund Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex talks about the prince and princess of pot having been found guilty. Yes, they broke current laws. Yes, they are paying a very steep price-- I don’t take issue with that- albeit it’s a hell of a fine at 195,000 each. The issue for me isn’t that they were punished for breaking current laws—I just find the hypocrisy mind blowing, and not in a good way, that those who have spent their lives waging a war against weed are cashing in- BIG TIME. While others are punished. I have no doubt the Emery’s in your face activism fed into this latest chapter of trouble. After all-- poke this care bear government we have and you will be put into your place- which in the world of pot is right at the bottom. The Emery’s argue that their years of activism in legalizing pot should earn them the right to be part of the multi-billion dollar market that is about to spark up. Yes- and no. Just because one fights for a cause doesn’t mean they should automatically go to the front of the line- but they are right when they say they, like anyone else in the private sector, they should have the opportunity to get in on a lucrative market that is not just being controlled by our lawmakers—but cornered by them. Justin Trudeau says legalizing pot isn’t about making people happy it’s to protect the children. BS. This has nothing to do with protecting our kids. It was never was. It was initially done for a vote grab with millenial’s. But the haze is clearing to expose it’s about the green behind the green. Legal pot will net government coffers up to 5 billion dollars in tax revenue. BUT—it’s also a win fall for a very small and very connected group of people. The upper echelons who make the laws- -and now clearly have those laws working for them. At both the Federal and provincial levels across this country a chosen few with very deep connections to law makers now, not only control weed licences, they are going to make a killing with them. Sitting Senators, Police Chiefs, Commissioner’s , civil servants and politicians, the very folks who told us weed was a gateway to hell are now the major shareholders who will control and profit from legalization. Ontario has the highest # of licenced producers holding 24 of the 42 coveted growers-licences. A former health minister, Sr. advisor to the finance minister and a financial officer for the Liberal party to name a few. But this isn’t partisan. The “power brokers bud club” stretches across party lines. Conflict of interest? It sure looks that way--- but you can bet these folks know how to get around the rules without breaking them. Another perk of being on the inside. So therein lies the problem. You are not an insider. I am not an insider. And the Emery’s are not insiders. We little people, the middle class, are all just on the outside looking in. And from what I can say see—this pot- oligopoly stinks. Governing is supposed to be about doing what is best for the greater good-- not for the good of a small group of chosen one’s. When it comes to Pot in Canada—it literally pays to have friends in high places. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tasha Kheiriddin – Host on Global News Radio Toronto – Noon-2pm - Jeremy Richler is a GTA and Toronto area corporate lawyer and notary public. He is a sole practicing employment and corporate lawyer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lindsay Shepherd did nothing wrong—and yet she has been dragged through a modern day witch hunt. And it will continue. After all—her critics don’t like to hear an inconvenient truth. Even though the University’s President has come out with a clear and unequivocal statement exonerating her, there will still be legions of people who come up with a justification at every turn. It’s rather simple. Clearly laid out in University President Deborah Maclatchey’s own words. There was NEVER a formal or even informal complaint levelled against Shepherd. There NEVER should have been a meeting. Her superiors had NO right to discipline her or accuse her of creating a toxic environment. Yet, Shepherd was censured because she showed her students a clip of Jordan Peterson on TVO. Peterson refuses to use pronouns in describing transgendered people. And for that Ms. Shepherd was accused of invoking Hitler. The president stated- not only was it fair to use that clip, but it was perfectly reasonable to use it as a teaching tool. And yet, despite the crystal clear apology shepherd has already gotten from Laurier, and now this total exoneration, there will be many who refuse to accept it. It simply doesn’t fit their ideological script. Those who challenge their indoctrination will pay a price. Even if they did nothing wrong. I’m not sure what led to this stunning declaration of wrongdoing. It may be in part the growing media scorn but I’ll bet the University administration knew their goose was cooked and her lawyer, Howard Levitt, was about to serve it to them on a very cold platter. The statement is a good start. But hardly the end. Hiding behind confidentiality won’t cut it. The University must punish those who lied? Which professor made up the non-existent complaint? Which Professor thought it was ok to take Ms. Shepherd into a private meeting where she was bullied, accused of a falsehood and made to cry? How many more Profs are silencing voices that don’t conform to THEIR ideology? According to Ms. Shepherd, who I spoke with Monday, there are many students out there who have come to her with the same experience but are too afraid to come forward. Welcome to the new norm on Canada’s University campuses. Where new ideas and free thinking aren’t actually allowed. If students venture outside their little sanctioned box they will be silenced-and then shamed. Just take a recent CBC panel of 2017 news makers- Lindsay Shepherd was mocked by a black panelist who acknowledged she exists, but only because she is a crying “white girl.” What a disgraceful divisive statement. May I remind you that we crying white girls also pay for the CBC which apparently allows such racist drivel There is little to debate where Lindsay Shepherd is concerned. She did nothing wrong. She actually did everything right standing up to an entire institution, to relentless bullying and never backing down. The debate now is to find out how deep this rot goes. If there are others out there—I hope Lindsay Shepherd has cleared the path for them to come forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vince Gasparro – former Managing Director of The Green Tomorrow Fund which was a Toronto based Private Equity firm and is a former advisor to Prime Minister Paul Martin Jenni Byrne - Former Campaign Manager and Deputy Chief of Staff to Stephen Harper. Current VO of Bayfield Strategy Vincent and Jenni go head-to-head on the stories leaking out of Ottawa! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lindsay Shepherd talks to Alex Pierson about her ordeal, and says that she hopes more like her stand up for themselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dellen Millard may have been found guilty but Alex Pierson talks about some of those who were also part of the crime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An elderly man's travel insurance was denied after put in coma in Germany. Insurance and injury lawyer Sivan Tumarkin of Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, joins Alex Pierson and explains how to make sure you are covered by your travel insurance if anything should happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex talks about the state of Hollywood in the climate of sexual assault allegations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Stevens runs Kaboom Chicken at 722 Queen Street East, and he recently made an instagram post suggesting that he may have to raise prices in part because he would like to pay his employees the higher minimum wage. He talks to Alex Pierson about how he has been attacked, and how the public misconstrued the message. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brenda Roberts' car was broke into and a jump drive was taken. On that jump drive were pictures of her daughter who died of cancer. She pleads for the person who broke into her car to bring/send back the drive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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