On Point With Alex Pierson

The Ontario government says hospital patients who are waiting for space in long-term care homes can be moved to other locations not of their choosing up to 150 kilometres away or be billed $400 per day if they refuse. The controversial Bill 7, titled “More Beds, Better Care Act,” would allow the transferring of senior hospital patients waiting for space in a long-term care home to another home not of their choosing. Joining Alex to talk about this issue is Fransesca Grosso, Principal Grosso Mccarthy, expert in health policy and a co-author of Navigating Canada's Health Care: A User Guide to the Canadian Health Care System. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of multiple shootings that took place over this weekend, one of them involving Constable Andrew Hong of the Toronto Police Service, how come we're seeing criminals walking for major crimes? We got rid of TAVIS, but is that what we need right now? Alex is joined by Knia Singh, Principal Lawyer at Ma'at Legal Services, who is also in the race to be the next mayor of Toronto, to talk about policing in our city and what solutions there are to make the city safer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"If we have one takeaway from the past eight months, it’s that a lot of Canadians are angry." That's one of the headlines used in an op-ed piece written by Tasha Kheiriddin about the power of Pierre Poilievre, the new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. Tasha was a Co-Chair for Jean Charest’s campaign for the Conservative Party leadership in a bid to win it over that of Poilievre, but why should the Liberals be afraid of him? Alex spoke with her to talk about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sean Petrie is the name of the man who is alleged to have carried out the shooting attacks that left two dead in Toronto over the weekend. What Global News has been able to obtain through documents is that he has had previous convictions for violent crimes like robbery and illegally possessing guns, and also suggested he had alleged gang connections. So how did a well known criminal get his hands on weapons? Jon Reid, President of the Toronto Police Association, joined Alex to discuss it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's always heartbreaking when you hear of a life changing condition being diagnosed to a child. Even more so when it's your own. Edith Lemay and Sebastien Pelletier are the parents of four children, three of which, have been diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic condition that causes a loss or decline in vision over time. So in order to let the children experience life to their best before they can no longer see, they decided to take their kids on a world tour. Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, Turkey, Mongolia and now Indonesia, are all of the places they've been to thus far. Edith Lemay joined Alex to discuss this trip and what it means to her kids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is that time of the week where we get all the juicy nuggets of information on all things Ottawa, and for that we bring in Tom Korski, Managing Editor at Blacklock's Reporter, to discuss them all. Today, Tom talks to us about how a Common's petition is demanding that Heritage Minister, Pablo Rodriguez, name names in his department's award of a grant to a group subsequently stripped of funding for anti-Semitism. Also, according to in-house research, only 35% of Canadians surveyed say they trust the RCMP's national leadership. What could be the reason behind this? That and more on today's Blacklock's Check In. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the shooting that left a Toronto Police Constable dead over the weekend, and the SIU now stepping in, we're going to be hard pressed to find out what exactly happened inside the Tim Horton's where Constable Andrew Hong was fatally shot. On this special podcast, we hear from various experts in gun violence and crime, as well as former police officers, to understand why our politicians aren't doing anything more than just giving, 'thoughts and prayers.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In what was only supposed to last three days, has now turned into six grueling months of war and destruction in Ukraine. According to reports, Russian soldiers are scattering from the Kharkiv region and chaotically fleeing upon sighting Ukrainian forces. Could this be a turning point in the war on the European nation? Marcus Kolga, Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute's Centre for Advancing Canada's Interests Abroad, and Director of DisinfoWatch, joined Alex to talk about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the weekend, Pierre Poilievre won the leadership race of the Conservative Party of Canada by a landslide. While he congratulated his fellow contenders for their efforts to unite the party and bring in new faces, it was ultimately Pierre himself who drew in the largest numbers. Most notably that of younger people. Why does he appeal to the young voter so much? To answer this, Alex is joined by Sam Routley, Doctoral Student in Political Science at Western University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A video has been circulating online showing what appears to be Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reading from an anti-Trudeau book. While it looks all too real, it is indeed fake. More specifically it's a deepfake. What is a deepfake and how can it be used for bad? David Shipley, cyber security expert and CEO of Beauceron Security, chats with Alex about this particular video and the implications it can have on public figures in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With only weeks away from a municipal election, Toronto saw three deaths related to gun violence this past weekend. Torontonians no longer feel safe in their communities and as Louis March, Founder of the Zero Gun Violence Movement, says, "The safe zones have been breached." Louis joins Alex to discuss the latest string of gun violence in the city and what all three levels of government need to do to help mitigate this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"752 Is Not A Number" is the name of the new documentary being screened at TIFF this year. The documentary looks to focus on the victims and families of those affected by the downing of Flight PS752 which happened on January 8, 2020. Joining Alex to talk about it is the award winning Canadian-Iranian director of the film, Babak Payami. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's no secret that the Queen was a lover of all things equestrian. Her connection to Canada's Woodbine Racetrack is very deep, and with her death on Thursday, the question comes up on whether or not the famous horserace gets renamed or not. To tell Alex about this is Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Thursday, September 8, 2022, the world stood still as it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II, passed away at the age of 96. The Queen had served as the reigning monarch for 70 years and became the longest sitting British monarch. With ten days of mourning now being observed, Canadians are now looking forward into what will change, what stays the same, and how it will affect them in the long run. In this special podcast episode, Alex is joined by various guests to discuss the Queen, our new monarch, King Charles III, and how significant this will be to Canada. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Early Thursday morning, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II has been under medical supervision at Balmoral, but what's different this time is that Buckingham Palace has put out an official statement regarding her health, and the family is all at her side. Could this be close to the end of her reign as Queen? To tell us about the impact of this story, Alex spoke with Dr. Carolyn Harris, Historian and Royal Commentator, Author of ‘Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to announce new measures to tackle inflation, including details of a plan for dental care for low-income families. They're planning to send out up to $650 for two years, per child, to help pay for dental appointments as a stop gap measure, but is it enough? To speak about this, Alex spoke with Dr. Lisa Bentley, President of the Ontario Dental Association, about this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the tragic attacks in Saskatchewan, and the loss of one suspect (Damien Sanderson), police arrested the other alleged attacker, Myles Sanderson, yesterday about 100km away from where the attacks happened. While in police custody, though, he ended up becoming medically unwell and died. What does this mean for the case now? To tell us all about it, we're joined by Jim Van Allen, a Threat and Risk Assessment Consultant with Investigative Solutions Network Inc. & Former Manager of the OPP Criminal Profiling Unit at OPP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's that time of the week where we check in with Tom Korski, Managing Editor at Blacklock's Reporter, for all things Ottawa. Today, Tom talks about how Chrystia Freeland says that adjusting interest rates aren't her job following the rate increase made by the Bank of Canada yesterday. He also talks about how data from Statistics Canada shows that Dr. Teresa Tam was wrong about Covid infection rates. That and more on today's Blacklock's Check In. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Lisa Bentley, a dentist of over three decades and president of the Ontario Dental Association talks to Alex Pierson about today's dental announcement out of Ottawa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of the Saskatchewan stabbings over the weekend, many fingers are pointing to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the RCMP, who are faced with the second tragedy in two years. With a government that puts Indigenous issues first, why is it that these communities are still struggling when it comes to mental health, addictions, clean drinking water, and more? Speaking with Alex is Kevin Walker, Executive Director of Bear Clan Patrol, about the lack of resources in these communities and what needs to be done to support them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices