The Alex Pierson Show

10 years later we still have yet to start an inquest that is years late, and now will be further delayed because the officer who killed Sammy Yatim has filed a last minute minute motion to present “evidence” that Yatim provoked the Toronto cop into killing him because he was seeking “suicide by cop.” Jon Reid is the President of the Toronto Police Association and spoke with Alex to talk about this case, as well as other important stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Senate committee last night began rewriting Cabinet’s latest attempt at regulating legal internet content. Members of the Senate transport and communications committee proposed 100 separate amendments to Bill C-11 An Act To Amend The Broadcasting Act. Tom Korski, Managing Editor of Blacklocks Reporter, joined Alex with the details about this, and other stories related to Ottawa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to the Toronto Social Capital Study 2022, "The experience of the COVID-19 pandemic put communities around the world under tremendous stress. In the City of Toronto, the pandemic created widespread economic hardship, while limiting opportunities for residents to connect with family, friends, neighbours and organizations..." Sharon Avery is the President and CEO of the Toronto Foundation, and joined Alex to give us the details on it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We spoke with Matti Siemiatycki, Canada Research Chair in Infrastructure Planning and Finance at the University of Toronto, about Premier Ford’s Ontario Line transit project’s budget ballooning towards 20-billion dollars. Matti said private-public partnerships have not performed well when it comes to civil projects. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We spoke with Francesca Grosso, Principal of Health Policy firm Grosso McCarthy, who says the province should be utilizing both for-profit and not-for-profit care centres to address our health backlog… but also by changing a rule that would allow for-profit centres to perform insured services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some Freedom Convoy protesters and supporters saw their bank accounts seized or frozen entirely as was discussed in the privy council. This is the same privy council that froze bank accounts without meeting the legal threshold – but they did it anyway because, well, it worked. Here to talk about it all is none other than Tom Korski, Managing Editor of Blacklock's Reporter, where he helps us do the deep dive into all things Ottawa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With anti-Semitism on the rise in the mainstream, and with celebrities, politicians, and everyday people getting called out for being part of that culture, StatsCan shows that Jews are the most targeted religious minority. Sheba Birhanu is the Associate Director of Partnerships at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. She's also a Canadian-Ethiopian Jewish Activist who focuses on combatting antisemitism and hate. She wrote an opinion article in The Globe and Mail, and joined Alex to talk about the article and the effects that this hate is having on the Jewish community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FIFA has sent threats to World Cup teams after captains were seen wearing 'One Love' armbands as a way to protest the host nation (Qatar) and their human rights track record. The threats came in the way of players being yellow carded and penalized for wearing them. Dr. Mac Ross is an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Supervisor of the Sport and Human Rights Lab at Western University, and joined Alex to discuss it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a new report by StatsCan, 2021 saw the highest rate of gang related homicides in 16 years. We spoke with Dave Perry, 640 Toronto’s Security Analyst, Former Toronto Police Officer with the homicide squad. Dave said there’s a two-pronged approach to tackling violence - and government has to step up and make it happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Erin O’Donovan, President of the Toronto Lawyers Association, joined us after Metrolinx announced they’ll go ahead with cutting down five 200-year-old-plus trees for an archeological assessment in preparation for a new station for the Ontario Line. This would be a multibillion-dollar transit project led by the provincial government. Erin says Metrolinx hasn’t been willing to consider alternate locations for the project. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices