On Point With Alex Pierson

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

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