The Alex Pierson Show

President Biden announced all Americans convicted federally for small possession of marijuana will be pardoned. 6,500 people will benefit. A lot of this is politics because most pot convictions happen at state level. Biden says this move will make it easier for people to get employment, housing, and education…but we’ve had legal pot here for yr… and out of the 10 k Canadians who were told they’d be able to get pardoned through a federal parole program only 570 have done it. We spoke with Dr. Samantha McAleese, a Carleton University researcher looking at the impact of the pardon system on people with criminal records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Global News analysis of 50 of Poilievre’s most recent YouTube videos showed that they included a tag — hidden from viewers, but not from the videos’ publisher — used by a misogynistic online movement. The tag helps promote Poilievre’s videos among those circles, and signals to YouTube what users might be interested in the Conservative leader’s messaging. Joining Alex to talk about it is Alex Boutilier, Senior National Reporter for Global News and author of the article posted to globalnews.ca. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re coming up on the Thanksgiving long weekend, and food banks are always looking for donations to help offset the high demand around the holiday. Neil Hetherington, CEO of the Daily Bread Food Bank, joined us and said food banks are experiencing the worst time in their history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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