Zoomer Week In Review

British Gardener Charles Dowding’s influence stretches across the globe, renowned for his gardening method with 40 years experience. The ‘No Dig’ approach isn’t just saving him time, it costs less. In this conversation with Libby Znaimer, Charles presents a convincing case for ‘No Dig’ as not only easy but more productive. AND After 40 years of marriage, Rona Maynard fell in love with another male. And it was all set up by her husband! At 65, Rona let her husband convince her to get their very first pet dog, a rescue mutt named Casey. A pet can complicate plans, at a time when older adults look forward to travel and hobbies, but it didn’t take long for Rona to fall in love with Casey and she’s sharing her story in a new book called Starter Dog: My Path to Joy, Belonging and Loving This World.

It’s the holiest time of the year for many religions. This year, Ramadan, Passover and Easter converge for the first time in 30 years. In Toronto, at St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica , there will be a new face at the altar guiding the Catholic congregation through Easter service. 51 year old Archbishop Francis Leo was installed last month, weeks after Pope Francis formally named him to the post, replacing Cardinal Thomas Collins who stepped down on his 75th birthday. We caught up with Archbishop Francis Leo during holy week, to learn about his role leading Toronto’s Catholic community. AND The data is overwhelming. One-in-four Canadians is a caregiver for a vulnerable person. They’ve been called the unseen backbone of the healthcare system and many are in crisis and at the breaking point because most must hold down full time work. Tuesday marked National Caregiver Day, to honour those who play an essential role to provide critical support for those in need. We reached Amy Coupal, CEO of the Ontario Caregive

Are you tired of "tip-flation", of being asked for more money, on top of tax, at every point of sale, even for the teensiest transactions where no service is involved? An Angus Reid poll finds that nearly 65% of us have been asked to tip more often and dole out larger tips. Over the last 5 years, the average gratuity has jumped from 16 to 20 per cent. Libby Znaimer talked with Digital and Cyber lawyer and strategist Ritesh Kotek. AND It’s a massive research investment to change the outcomes in cancers with the lowest survival rates. Six charities and agencies, including the CCS, have awarded fifty-five million dollars to find breakthroughs in pancreatic, esophageal, brain, lung, liver, and stomach cancers. Libby Znaimer talked with lead investigator Dr. Steven Gallinger. Note: Libby is involved in the project as a patient partner.

It’s a grisly last resort for many families struggling to settle the estate of a departed loved one. They hope a fingerprint or face scan from the deceased body will unlock the digital assets behind phone and computer screens which they can’t get into. Libby Znaimer talked with technology expert Carmi Levy about how to protect and pass on your online legacy. AND The documentary "Four Winters" tells a little known story of Jewish Partisan resistance during the Holocaust that focuses on women. The documentary tells the tale of a group that took up arms in the forests of Eastern Europe to fight Nazis and their collaborators. It unfolds through the testimony of the fighters who were there, including Toronto resident Faye Shulman who added a touch of panache with the leopard coat she wore. Director Julia Mintz dropped by the studio to talk about the film ahead of the Toronto premiere. It will will be screened daily at Hot Docs Cinema until Sunday April 2, 2023.

March is Fraud Prevention Month and police are giving special attention to grandparent, or emergency, scams. They have been around for years but now a growing number of people are falling victim and the amount of money they reported losing last year was over $9.2 million, up exponentially from $2.4 million in 2021. Libby Znaimer spoke with Det. Constable Kristin Thomas from the Major Fraud Unit at Toronto Police. AND Her approach is the opposite of No Pain No Gain. Miranda Esmond White is a former ballerina who developed Essentrics after enduring weeks and months in bed because of back pain. She says her system redefines gentle stretching and it can keep us fit and even reverse damage. We talked about her new book: The Movement Miracle

We set the clocks ahead an hour overnight, returning to daylight saving time. It’s no secret that a good night's sleep is important for overall mental and physical health and it fact, it’s been proven that irregular sleep can lead to heart disease and a host of other health issues. New research presented recently at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting suggests our bedtime habits could be key to a longer life. We reached sleep specialist Colleen Carney, director of Sleep Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University for reaction. AND The impact of fraud on the elderly can be more emotional than financial. We’re hearing more about fraud cases targeting older adults, like the grandparent and romance scams, and cybercrime. While the number of reported cases rose 40 percent last year, many more go unreported. But we rarely hear about the non-financial cost to the victims who are dealing with trauma, guilt, and shame that can linger far beyond the crime. We speak with registered clinical psychologist Laura

At first it was dismissed as a conspiracy theory but this week both the FBI and the U.S. Department of Energy  concluded that an accidental laboratory leak in China most likely caused the coronavirus pandemic. Other government agencies believe the virus jumped from animals to humans and the authorities concede there is no consensus on the matter. That’s why we thought it was a good time to revisit our October 2021 interview with Toronto investigative journalist Elaine Dewar who wrote a book on the subject. She explained how she reached her conclusions in  “On the Origin of the Deadliest Pandemic in 100 Years: An Investigation. “ AND When it comes to the subject of book banning, most of us think about the Middle Ages, or the Nazi Regime, or science-fiction but it is happening more and more often, especially in the U.S., where the volumes that have been challenged include Anne Frank’s ‘The Dairy of A Young Girl,’ and Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale. That’s why the Toronto Public Library system has beco

As we wrap up Black History month, you may be surprised to learn that tipping has roots in racism. After the US Civil War, tips or gratuities were an exploitative measure to keep wages down for newly freed slaves in service jobs. Skip ahead to modern day and the practice is expanding in the gig economy. But advocates for fair and liveable wages say the pandemic has "tipped the scale" in the fight for service workers to earn a decent living. .Christine Ross reached Saru Jayaraman, Director of the Food Labour Research Centre at UC Berkeley. AND The pandemic put all major international auto shows on pause but it’s not the only driver of poor attendance. Even before COVID-19, the once popular shows had been on the decline in popularity but not just with consumers. Automakers are turned off by the huge expense and like the rest of the world are going digital. Christine Ross reached Bernard Wolfe, Professor Emeritus of Schulich School of Business for some insight.

The bombshell that led to the resignation of Toronto Mayor John Tory underscores some long term trends affecting many in the Zoomer demographic: a lengthy marriage in trouble, a much younger woman, a relationship apparently born during a very intense and stressful time at work. Libby Znaimer talks with Family Demographer Rachel Margolis, of the University of Western Ontario. AND It seems unfair. Many manufacturers force consumers to use only their own proprietary services and components when they need to repair products they have paid good money for. The Right to Repair is the movement to change that. Libby reached Aaron Perzanowski, a Professor of Law at University of Michigan

It’s a conundrum for older people who want to age in place and their children: How to make sure a senior is doing well when family can’t always be there. A new report titled Special Delivery from the National Institute of Ageing finds that postal workers could provide the answer. The idea is a service where the workers would check in on clients who subscribe along their mail routes. Libby Znaimer talked with Dr. Samir Sinha, head of geriatrics at Sinai health and UHN, and a co-author of the report. AND Kitchen utensils. Books. A child’s shoe. These are some of the objects discovered during recent archaeological excavations on the site of the HQ of the WW2 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The discoveries were made at Mila 18 - also the name of the famous Leon Uris novel - and are shedding light on the lives of the hundreds of thousands of Jews confined to the area and the history of the 1943 Uprising. Libby spoke to Holocaust educator Tsvi Sperber after he toured the site.

The documentary, "First to Stand", tracks the cases and causes of Irwin Cotler. You know him as a Former Justice Minister currently serving as a Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism. Cotler, above all, is a renowned human rights lawyer who set a template for freeing political prisoners going back to his first case: Soviet dissident Anatoly Natan Sharansky who was imprisoned in 1977. Libby Znaimer reached Irwin Cotler in Jerusalem. AND She was a force of nature, a legend and an icon. Hazel McCallion was a rare politician who was beloved as well as respected. She also epitomized aging well, remaining engaged and relevant until she died last week at 101. Here we share some of the best of the interviews Libby did to mark her 100th birthday.

It sparked debate in recent weeks with word the US Consumer Product Safety Commission was looking to take action on hazards posed by gas stoves used in millions of homes. An outright ban is now off the table but the renewed concern has ignited debate in the US and Canada. So what should consumers do? We reached Dr. Jeffrey Siegel, a professor of civil and mineral engineering at the University of Toronto. AND It’s hard to believe and it’s happening more than you may think. Organized crime groups are behind a string of real estate frauds in the GTA. Thirty homes have either been sold or mortgaged without the real owners’ knowledge and experts say the majority of victims are boomers. So what can you do to safeguard against becoming a victim? Christine Ross spoke with Brian King, President of private investigation firm King International Advisory Group.

Elon Musk says it’s the reason he looks fit and ripped and there are unconfirmed reports the drug Ozempic enabled Kim Kardashian to fit into Marilyn Munroe’s dress for the Met Gala. The drug was approved to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity but its popularity on social media, and with celebrities, has led to shortages and a debate on who should have priority access. Libby Znaimer talked with Dr. Sean Wharton. He specializes in treating obesity and is medical director of the Wharton Medical Clinic. AND 1-in-4 Canadians provide unpaid care for a friend or loved one and they spend a total of 5.7 billion unpaid hours doing that each year. Many struggle to balance care and paid work, and to manage burnout.   The Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence was recently launched  to give them a new voice. Libby Znaimer talked with ED Liv Mendelsohn.

It’s not unusual this time of year for people to make healthy resolutions around food. This year, there’s a new spin that is also good for the environment: cutting food waste, which averages 140 kilos per year. Libby Znaimer talked with leading health and wellness expert, Rose Reisman, about practical ways to rescue much of what usually ends up in your bin. AND He’s an Emergency Room doctor, author, and survivor of advanced stage 4 cancer. Dr. James Maskalyk has also recently been named executive editor of CMAJ. Libby caught up with him now that he has returned to work with a new perspective on practising medicine

He’s been on the front lines of fighting misinformation for years - from debunking wacky wellness trends to countering anti-vaxx conspiracy theories. Edmonton professor and author Timothy Caulfield, whose Cheating Death series was featured on Vision TV, is a newly minted member of the Order of Canada. AND It’s the latest take on eating healthier in January: the Reducetarian diet. No one will win a marketing award for that name but it offers guidance on reducing the amount of animal products we consume without eliminating them entirely. Libby Znaimer reached founder Brian Kateman in New Jersey.

The start of a new year used to see many making resolutions, in hopes the year ahead would be better over the one just passed. Another annual ritual we’re seeing more is that of predicting trends. Will you be one of the boomerang retirees returning to work in 2023? Freelance writer/columnist Radhika Panjwani says that’s one of the expected workplace trends to come out of a Microsoft survey of some 20-thousand workers in 11 countries. AND After a year in which the Bank of Canada raised its key interest rate seven times in an attempt to slow down inflation, many experts believe the central bank is set to take a breather in 2023. Gordon Pape is the editor and publisher of the Internet Wealth Builder and Income Investor newsletters, and also a regular contributor to EverythingZoomer.com and this show.

Significantly fewer Canadians intend to give to charity this holiday season and those who do, plan to give less. Inflation, surging demand, and falling donations have combined to create a perfect storm for Canada’s charities and nonprofits. A new Holiday Giving survey by Imagine Canada finds fewer than half of Canadian adults intend to donate, down from last year. And a third say they’ll give less. We reached Imagine Canada’s President and CEO Bruce MacDonald. AND Christmas usually evokes a time of peaceful family gatherings. But for separated parents, their children, and grandparents, it can be a stressful time of year as kids are caught in the middle of access over the holidays. This year, divorced parents are speed dialing their lawyers, demanding access to their children over the holidays as travel plans ramp up following years of stay-at-home Christmases due to the pandemic. We reached lawyer Diana Isaac, Partner at Shulman & Partners family law for some tips on how to create a conflict free Christ

This week US Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff convened a roundtable on anti-Semitism at the White House to address what he is calling an epidemic of hate. The alarming rise of anti-Semitism here in Canada and around the world has been fueled by conspiracy theories on the right and the cover of anti-Zionism on the left. I talk with Dara Horn author of "People Love Dead Jews - Reports from A Haunted Present". AND The man charged in two grisly murders, perpetrated nearly forty years ago, made his first court appearance on Friday. Police believe they were able to solve the case all these years later because of advances in investigative genetic genealogy. Det. Sgt. Stephen Smith explains how this technique led to the arrest of Joseph George Sutherland.

Zoomers will remember the time when you had to go to the library to get books and you had to search for them using a card catalogue. Today our libraries are used more as social centres, like seeking protection from harsh weather, and finding jobs online. Libby Znaimer spoke to Vickery Bowles, the City Librarian at Toronto Public Library AND Tim Christian was a prominent lawyer and Dean of the Law School at the University of Alberta throughout his career. It’s not that unusual for people to write books in retirement - but the level of success on his first foray into biography is remarkable. We talked about his transition and "Hemingway’s Widow", his groundbreaking book on Mary Welsh, Hemingway’s fourth wife.

How connected are you to family and friends? We keep talking about how important that is and how the pandemic has taken its toll. In its second ever in-depth look at social capital in the city, The Toronto Foundation found a shocking number of people who say they have no friends or family to turn to as well as a big drop in the number of people who volunteer. Libby Znaimer talked with the foundation’s CEO Sharon Avery. AND It’s Diabetes Awareness Month and every day, 640 Canadians are diagnosed with diabetes. That’s 1 person every 3 minutes. Many more are unaware they have diabetes or pre-diabetes—and that raises their risk for heart disease. Libby Znaimer reached cardiologist Dr. Shelley Zieroth at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg.