Advertise on podcast: Fight Back with Libby Znaimer

RECOVERING POLITICIANS: CAN THE CONSERVATIVES WIN BACK OLDER VOTERS? Libby Znaimer is joined by Cheri DiNovo, a former NDP MPP; Lisa Raitt, a former Deputy Leader of Conservative Party of Canada; and John Milloy, a former Ontario Liberal MPP who served as a cabinet minister under the Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne governments. We get reaction to Pierre Poilievre's big win at his party's leadership review and we ask the question: can the Conservatives win back older voters?  A LOT OF MONEY IN FEDERAL CHEQUES HAVE NOT BEEN CASHED BY CANADIANS Libby Znaimer is joined by Franco Terrazzano, Federal Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation. Canadians are sitting on over $2 billion in uncashed cheques from the federal government. How did that happen? Franco weighs in on the latest. WHAT THE LATEST HEART AND STROKE REPORT TELLS US ABOUT HEART HEALTH Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Sherryn Rambihar, staff cardiologist at Mackenzie Health and a Heart and Stroke spokesperson. Dr. Rambihar weighs in on the latest published Heart and Stroke report and what it tells us about risk factors.

ZOOMER SQUAD: WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY AFTER POILIEVRE’S VICTORY AT LEADERSHIP REVIEW? Libby Znaimer is joined by Anthony Quinn, President of CARP, Alex Nanoff, Principal at Liaison Strategies and Rob Davis, a former Toronto City Councillor. Our Zoomer Squad reacts to the Conservative leadership review that saw Pierre Poilievre get a victory. However, does the Conservative Party have a strategy to win back older voters? Meanwhile, have you ever heard of the concept of spunky old broads? And, what does the City's 2026 budget offer seniors? FEBRUARY MARKS BLACK HISTORY MONTH Libby Znaimer is joined by Rosemary Sadlier, an author and a former president of the Ontario Black History Society (OBHS). She played a key role in establishing Black History Month here in Canada. February marks Black History Month. Rosemary reflects on the importance of this month and gives us a history lesson along the way. A CLOSER LOOK AT A NEW LONGEVITY STUDY Libby Znaimer is joined by Stuart Jay Olshansky, a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Dr. Thomas Perls, a geriatrician and the director of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University. Our expert panel weighs in on what a new research study from the Weizmann Institute in Israel tells us about longevity.

Libby Zniamer was joined by Diane Francis, National Post Editor-at-Large, Bob Richardson, a Public Affairs Consultant and Dean Hollin, host of Zoomer Radio Radio Limelite and FM Breakfast Classics, for an alternative Free For All Friday. They discussed this week's events including the record breaking Toronto snowfall and long clean up and Alberta's separatism talks being called "treason".  

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: SNOW REMOVAL IS UNDERWAY IN TORONTO Libby Znaimer was joined by Jon Burnside, City Councillor for Ward 16 (Don Valley East), Mike Colle, City Councillor for Ward 8 (Eglinton-Lawrence) and Kelly Aizicowitz, founding Board Member and Interim Executive Director of ABC Toronto to discuss Toronto’s snow removal and other municipal news. CANADA FOOD INSPECTION AGENCY CUTTING JOBS & GENE-EDITED PORK Libby Znaimer was joined by Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Professor and Senior Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor Podcast; and Milton Dyck, National President of the Agriculture Union to discuss the Canada Food Inspection Agency decision to cut 1,371 agency jobs as part of the government’s cost-cutting exercise, as well as the topic of gene-edited pork. TORONTO DRIVERS BATTLE GRIDLOCK AND CONGESTION Libby Znaimer was joined by David Amborski, Founding Director, Centre for Urban Research and Land Development at Toronto Metropolitan University and Naama Blonder, Architect, Urban Planner and co-founder of Smart Density to discuss Toronto drivers' battle with gridlock.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: ONTARIO FAST-TRACKING ACCESS TO SIX BREAKTHROUGH CANCER DRUGS Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and former head of BC Cancer; Dr. Fahad Razak, general internist at St. Michael's Hospital and Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto; and Dr. Alisa Naiman a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto. They discussed Ontario fast tracking access to six breakthrough cancer drugs and other medical stories. CANADA'S TAX SYSTEM PUNISHES LOW-INCOME SENIORS Libby Znaimer is joined by Gabriel Giguère, Senior Policy Analyst at the Montreal Economic Institute and Jamie Golombek, Managing Director, Tax & Estate Planning, CIBC Financial Planning & Advice to discuss a new report from the Montreal Economic Institute that finds the current tax-and-benefit system disadvantages low-income seniors. MARINELAND SET TO SEND WHALES TO USA PARKS Libby Znaimer is joined by Erin Ryan, Wildlife Campaign Manager with World Animal Protection and Alexandra Pester, Staff Lawyer with Animal Justice, Canada’s only national animal law advocacy organization, to discuss Marineland getting “conditional approval” from Ottawa to send its remaining whales and dolphins to institutions in the USA.

RECOVERING POLITICIANS: TRUMP VS CARNEY CONTINUES Libby Znaimer was joined by Cheri DiNovo, former Member of Provincial Parliament of Ontario; John Milloy, former Ontario Liberal MPP who served as a cabinet minister under the Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne governments; and Janet Ecker, former Ontario PC MPP and Finance Minister to discuss today's political news.\ INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY Libby Znaimer was joined by Holocaust Survivor Andy Reti and Dara Solomon, Executive Director of the Toronto Holocaust Museum to discuss the importance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. EGLINTON CROSSTOWN TO OPEN? Libby Znaimer was joined by Andrew Pulsifer, Executive Director of TTC Riders and Steve Munro, transit advocate to discuss the opening of the Eglinton LRT and the issues with the Finch West LRT.

DIGGING OUT OF THE MASSIVE SNOW STORM & TRUMP VS CARNEY Libby Znaimer was joined by Anthony Quinn, President of CARP, David Valentin, Principal at Liaison Strategies and Rob Davis, a former Toronto City Councillor to discuss the massive snow storm that hit Ontario, the latest with Trump versus Carney and more news that matters to Zoomers. TARIFF THREATS  Libby Znaimer was joined by Moshe Lander, Senior Lecturer of Economics at Concordia University and Dr. Ian Lee, Associate Professor at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University to discuss the recent tariff threats on Canada by Trump. RECORD SETTING SNOW STORM Libby Znaimer was joined by Dave Phillips, Climatologist at Environment Canada and Sgt. Kerry Schmidt of the OPP Highway Safety Division to discuss the record setting snow storm.   SPECIAL ENVOY FOR COMBATING ANTISEMITISM Libby Znaimer was joined by Richard Robertson, Director of Research and Advocacy at B'nai Brith Canada to discuss the need for Ottawa to fill the role of special envoy for combating antisemitism.

Today on Free For All Friday: Libby Zniamer was joined by Diane Francis, National Post Editor-at-Large, Bob Richardson, a Public Affairs Consultant and Dean Hollin, host of Radio Limelite and FM Breakfast Classics, for an alternative Free For All Friday. They discussed this week's events at NATO, including Trump's remarks, Carney's response and more. 

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: RECYCLING NIGHTMARE Libby Znaimer was joined by Jon Burnside, City Councillor for Ward 16 (Don Valley East), Stephen Holyday, City Councillor for Ward 2 Etobicoke Centre and former Toronto City Councillor Karen Stintz to discuss the many issues with the new recycling program with Circular Materials. FOOD TRENDS AND CHANGES FOR 2026 Libby Znaimer was joined by Jo-Ann McArthur, President of Nourish Food Marketing to discuss some of the food trends and changes for 2026 and how these trends affect grocery stores through displays, packaging and what is sold. GROWING OLDER IN CANADA: A LOOK AT THE NIA AGEING IN CANADA SURVEY Libby Znaimer was joined by Talia Bronstein, Director of Policy at the National Institute on Ageing to discuss the NIA’s released findings from Perspectives on Growing Older in Canada: The 2025 NIA Ageing in Canada Survey.

RECOVERING POLITICIANS: NATO AND MARK CARNEY Libby Znaimer is joined by George Smitherman, former Liberal MPP for Toronto Centre, Health Minister and Deputy Premier; Cheri DiNovo, a former NDP MPP; and Janet Ecker, former Ontario PC MPP and Finance Minister to talk about NATO, Carney's speech in Davos, and President Trump's interest in Greenland. CANADA IS NUMBER ONE IN FOOD INFLATION Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Evan Fraser, the director of the Arrel Food Institute at the University of Guelph. They discuss how and why Canada's food inflation is at its highest level since 2023. NATO AND CANADA'S INVOLVEMENT Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Stephanie Carvin, Assistant Professor of International Affairs at Carleton University and expert on national security issues, to discuss NATO and Canada's involvement.

ZOOMER SQUAD: AGE 80 AIN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE! Libby Znaimer is joined by Anthony Quinn, President of CARP; David Valentin, Principal at Liaison Strategies; and Rob Davis, a former Toronto City Councillor, for a discussion about our perception of ageing in 2026 and Zoomers' attitudes towards electric vehicles.   IT'S BLUE MONDAY: STRATEGIES FOR GETTING THROUGH THE WINTER GLOOM Libby Znaimer is joined by clinical psychologist Dr. Sam Klarreich and Dr. Michael Mak, a psychiatrist at The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to drill down on the facts and fictions surrounding Blue Monday. IS TESLA SET TO WIN AS CARNEY GREENLIGHTS CHINESE EVs? The Prime Minister recently announced that he is removing almost all the tariffs on Chinese EV’s in exchange for hopefully getting them to buy canola, in a bid to expand our roster of trading partners and reset the relationship with China. Who might stand to benefit from the move might surprise you. Libby Znaimer is joined by David Adams, President and CEO, Global Automakers of Canada; and Sam Fiorani, VP, Global Vehicle Forecasting at AutoForcastSolutions to discuss this contentious issue.

Today on Free For All Friday: Libby Znaimer was joined by Dean Hollin, host of Big Band Sunday Night as well as many other programs on Zoomer Radio, Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs and Janet Ecker, a former Ontario PC MPP and Finance Minister. Together, they discussed Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to China, U.S. President Donald Trump's focus on Greenland, and the President referring to CUSMA as "irrelevant".

TUNE INTO THE TOWN: WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT SANKOFA SQUARE AGAIN  Libby Znaimer is joined by Jon Burnside, City Councillor for Ward 16 (Don Valley East); Daniel Tate, a concerned citizen, taxpayer and Director of IntegrityTO; and former Toronto City Councillor Karen Stintz. Heavy snowfall blanketed the GTA this morning and will continue to do so throughout the day. How was your commute? Do you feel that the City is doing a good job clearing the snow on sidewalks and roads? Meanwhile, we need to revisit the conversation around Toronto's Sankofa Square. It's been reported the corporate bookings of the space have taken a nose dive of close to 70 percent last year. We get into why that is. IT'S NATIONAL BAGEL DAY: TORONTO VS MONTREAL BAGELS Libby Znaimer is joined by David Fisher, President of Gryfe's Bagels And Baked Goods and Elisabeth Morena, the start of the third generation of the Montreal bagel shop St. Viateur. It's National Bagel Day today. To mark the occasion, we've convened an expert panel from Montreal and Toronto to weigh in on what makes for the perfect bagel, and the fascinating origin story behind this popular food. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF MEN'S SHEDS? HERE ARE THE BENEFITS Libby Znaimer is joined by Brian Sawyer, Outreach and Member Services Manager for Men’s Sheds Canada. Have you ever heard of men's sheds? It's a growing movement that promotes social activity among men and it comes with a host of benefits for one's well-being. Bryan tells us all about it.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: THE LATEST STATISTICS REGARDING LIFE EXPECTANCY IN CANADA  Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and former head of BC Cancer; Dr. Fahad Razak, general internist at St. Michael's Hospital and Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto; and Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing in Toronto. Our doctors react to what the latest Statistics Canada figures tell us about Canadians' life expectancy. And, how much progress has the province been making when it comes to providing residents with access to primary care? JOHN BOLTON ON THE FUTURE OF IRAN AMID MASS PROTESTS AND BLOODSHED  Libby Znaimer is joined by John Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN and who served as National Security Advisor for President Donald Trump during his first term in office. Mr. Bolton provides analysis on the nation-wide protests taking place inside of Iran and whether we are seeing the beginning of the end of the Islamic regime's rule there. He also weighs in on the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that involved the capture of Venezuelan President Maduro. And, yesterday, U.S. President Trump called CUSMA "irrelevant". Where does that leave Canada when it comes to trade tensions with America? MORE ABOUT THE PROTESTS IN IRAN AND HOW CANADIAN-IRANIANS ARE SHOWING SUPPORT Libby Znaimer is joined by Kaveh Shahrooz, a lawyer and human rights activist and a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. While the Islamic regime continues its brutal and deadly crackdown on protests inside of Iran, Canadians have been taking to the streets in the GTA to express their support for the protestors. Kaveh weighs in on the latest.

RECOVERING POLITICIANS: MORE REACTION TO THE PROTESTS AND BLOODSHED UNFOLDING IN IRAN   Libby Znaimer is joined by George Smitherman, former Liberal MPP for Toronto Centre, Health Minister and Deputy Premier; Cheri DiNovo, a former NDP MPP; and Lisa Raitt, a former Deputy Leader of Conservative Party of Canada. Our panel reacts to the latest bloodshed unfolding in Iran as the Islamic regime executes a brutal crackdown on nation-wide protests sparked by the economic situation there. Does this mark the beginning of the end of the regime? And, U.S. President Donald Trump warns countries not to do business with Iran. Meanwhile, will anything meaningful come out of Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to China this week? A CONVERSATION WITH THE WEALTHY BARBER Libby Znaimer is joined by David Chilton, author of The Wealthy Barber: The Fully Updated All-Time Canadian Classic. He tells Libby what's different in this latest edition and offers practical, useful tips for investing your money. BE AWARE OF GMAIL'S AI FEATURE & THOSE PESKY RESTAURANT QR CODES  Libby Znaimer is joined by Carmi Levy, technology analyst and journalist based in London, Ontario. Carmi explains what you need to know about the Gemini AI feature on Gmail, and why restaurants keep pushing those pesky QR codes on us.