On Point With Alex Pierson

After giving a bunch of excuses and deflections, the federal liberal government has finally agreed to allow MPs accused of colluding with foreign governments to be investigated by the Commissioner of the Foreign Interference Inquiry. But will this be enough to address foreign interference, and why did our federal Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc say proudly that he wouldn't be the one to list the names publically? Our host Alex Pierson wanted the same answers and turned to a former Sr. manager and Intelligence officer with CSIS, Michel Juneau-Katsutya. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Korski, Managing Editor of Blacklocks Reporter joined Alex Pierson to discuss Canadian-born residents would become a minority in Toronto, Foreign-born residents account for 23 percent of Canada’s population, “by far the highest of the G7 countries. this proportion could reach 32 percent by 2041 or one in three Canadian. We have made a conscious decision to be an open country and a country that needs to grow,” Marc Miller said in a March interview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a devastating fire quickly consumed and destroyed St. Anne's Anglican Church, many are still reeling about how major this loss is. Not only for those who frequented the house of worship, but also for those who have a love for architecture, classic Canadian painters, and love true Canadian history. To try and get a grasp of how major this loss is, host Alex Pierson is joined by Canadian historian, and the Yukon University chair of the Indigenous governance program, Ken Coates. Ken tells Alex why the Group of Seven Frescos were so unique in the world, but also reminds her that these houses of worship are just buildings, it's the people who truly matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now infamous business mogul Frank Stronach has been charged with allegations of sexual assault dating all the way back to the 1980s. At 91 years old, why is this case being kicked off now, and what is the likelihood he will be convicted or even face jail time? Host Alex Pierson is joined by Criminal defence lawyer Ari Goldkind who explains why this case is in the criminal courts instead of civil, why the vague term "sexual assault" is used instead of rape, and ultimately how he belives this case will go. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4 hostages who were abducted by Hamas after the horrific attack on October 7th were just rescued by Israeli forces! But, this was very far from a simple rescue mission because it actually involved some members of the media helping Hamas forces! To help keep the story clear, host Alex Pierson is joined by (ret'd) Commander Dan O'Shea, a former NAVY Seal and trained hostage negotiator who helps us understand why this rescue was so complex and as described by IDF forces "a hair's breadth between success and failure" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new study from GeoTab Intelligent Transportation Systems revealed that since the Gardiner construction started, Torontonians are spending over 250% more time stuck on commutes! But if this is the case, did Toronto not plan for it, or seek any data on how this construction would affect the city? Host Alex Pierson needs these questions answered, and turns to the source, Mike Branch the VP of Data and Analytics with GeoTab ITS. Mike explains why he was never approached by the city for this data, why his company performed the study and if things will improve or just continue to get worse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The polls are open and Mississauga residents are voting for their new mayor, but just how tight is the race and how many people are expected to vote? Steve Cormwell, city hall reporter with the Mississauga News joins host Alex Pierson to help layout the playing field, and whos looking like their in front of the pack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever been riding your bike and thought "This would be better naked"? Well, that's only a small part of the reason that Gene Dare is putting together the 20th Toronto Naked Bike Ride and he bares it all for our host Alex Pierson including what he's trying to draw attention to, some of the weirdest things he's seen over the years and how anyone who wants to be naked, ride a bike and protest should get involved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every day more and more Canadians are calling for the federal government to release the names of the MPs accused of colluding with foreign Powers. And one of those names joins our host Alex Pierson to explain his position better. Michael Kempa is an associate professor of Criminology at the University of Ottawa and recently penned an opinion piece on why withholding these identities does nothing to better Canada, but also greatly harms our own democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new company out of Quebec is planning to expand into Toronto, and one of the locations was previously a Nordstrom, Sears, Eaton's and even a Target. So if all these big names all failed in the exact same retail space...does Simon's really stand a chance? So to get some clarification on this, Alex Pierson brings on Marvin Ryder, a professor at the DeGroote School of Business out of McMaster University who helps us understand why this location has had such a tough time, and what kind of chance Simon's really has. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Car theft is nothing new in Ontario, but what about golf cart thefts? Yes, it's a very real thing for golf courses in Ontario and is only continuing to grow in its occurrences. Is this kid's pulling pranks, or could this be something more sinister? Host Alex Pierson asks this very same question to the Regional Director of Central Ontario of the National Golf Course Owners Association, Blair Breen. Blair tells Alex that with dozens of carts being stolen at a time from courses all across the province, it's hard to imagine this is anything but a coordinated crime ring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's looking like the Canadian Border Service Agency will be taking its "Work-to-rule" action and slowing down all progress on the border. But aside from maybe affecting your vacation time, how could this possibly hurt our economy? Host Alex Pierson speaks with Dennis Darby, the president of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters who is very worried about how this will slow down necessary deliveries of parts and goods, and hurt Canadian industries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just hours after Queens Park rose for their summer break, Premier Doug Ford surprised the province with an unexpected cabinet shuffle. Is this a sign of an impending election in the fall when MPPs return? Our host Alex Pierson asks this very question to Adrienne Batra, the Editor-In-Chief of the Toronto Sun if she believes he's shoring up his ministers, or if this shakeup was for another reason. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the fallout of Parliamentarians colluding with foreign governments continues to fall, the Conservatives are calling for their identities to be made public. And so, host Alex Pierson decides to speak with the man leading the calls, the shadow minister of Foreign Affairs and the MP for Wellington-Halton Hills, Michael Chong. Mr. Chong and Alex break down why the conservatives find it such a major problem these people's identities are being protected, and what his party plans to do about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the 80th anniversary of D-Day, one of the most pivotal moments of the 2nd World War, host Alex Pierson is joined by someone who wants to make sure the stories of our veterans are forever remembered. Eric Brunt, a videographer and documentarian has a goal to interview, document and properly archive the stories of Canada's few remaining WWII veterans. A goal that is extremely important, but also has a very tight deadline as the veterans are all either entering or surpassing 100 years of age. Alex and Eric talk about why he chose to take on this increasingly time-sensitive task, how he got these veterans to open up about the darkest times in their lives and why all Canadians can benefit from hearing their stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Korski, Managing Editor of Blacklocks Reporter joined Alex Pierson to discuss about a former ArriveCan manager that yesterday acknowledged he deleted numerous emails but called it an unfortunate computer error. Minh Doan, former chief information officer for the Canada Border Services Agency, suffered a memory lapse when confronted with one surviving text in which he told a co-worker he “can’t throw Ministers under the bus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After AG Karen Hogan's scathing report highlighting that Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) not only allowed programs that had nothing to do with green technology but also paid copious amounts of money to this same program to do absolutely nothing it was supposed to do! Host Alex Pierson was flabergasted this even existed, so she turned to The Federal Director of the Canadian Taxpayer Federation Franco Terrazzano, who is beyond excited the AG is investigating this fund...which he calls worse than the ArriveCan failure! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After years of warnings and rumours, there is now proof that the illicit market is using BC's safe supply to further fuel their profits! Host Alex Pierson talks with Adam Zivo, the director of the Centre for Responsible Drug Policy who has been vocally warning about this for years. Adam tells Alex about a young man he spoke with who decided to come forward and help put the pieces in place, and revealed the problem is much worse than previously believed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After it got revealed that multiple MPs and other government officials were either wittingly or unwittingly helping foreign governments intervene in our democratic process, the Liberals have said they won't reveal who the alleged culprits are. But...shouldn't this be considered treason? Well, Host Alex Pierson had the exact same question and turned to Duff Conacher, the co-founder of Democracy Watch & the Democracy Education Network who helps break down just what qualifies as treason, and why Canadians SHOULD know who was involved in these reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first time since the start of the Pandemic, the Bank of Canada has just dropped interest rates by 0.25 basepoints from 5% down to 4.75%! But what kind of relief can this actually provide Canadians? Well, host Alex Pierson turns to one of the best people to turn to with this, Dr. Ian Lee an Associate Professor at Sprott School of Business at Carleton University. Dr. Lee breaks down that this relief will be very minimally felt by most Canadians, and it will be a few years yet before real relief is felt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices