On Point With Alex Pierson

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