Zoomer Week In Review

This week we marked World Mental Health Day, with mental or substance disorders affecting up to 20% of Canadians every year. It manifests in different ways as we move through the life cycle. Psychologist Dr. Oren Amitay told Libby Znaimer that Zoomers are more prone to depression, while he believes the younger generation lacks the resilience to cope with the ups and down of life. AND Two biographies of Justin Trudeau - with two very different takes - came out just in time for the election campaign. We featured John Ivison’s “Education of a Prime Minister” early on, but we held on to Aaron Wherry’s book rather than running it at the height of the blackface scandal which happened well after it was written. Wherry had lots of access to the Prime Minister as he wrote “Promise and Peril” , and his take is that Trudeau had a lofty ambitous agenda even it didn’t always work out.

Do you take Zantac for heartburn? Millions of us do. But the drug - whose generic name is ranitidine - has been recalled while authorities investigate whether it contains too much of a cancer-causing impurity. Meantime, the instructions are confusing: drug stores won't get new stock but they can sell what they have and patients shouldn't necessarily stop taking it. Libby Znaimer sat down with Pharmacist Billy Cheung to get some advice. AND Dr. Bob Bell is an orthopedic cancer surgeon who rose to head up the University Health Network before becoming the province's Deputy Minister of Health. In retirement, he's written a novel - a thriller about a new type of hip replacement that goes very wrong. He walked - very carefully - into our studios to talk about it - a few days after his own hip replacement!

Over the past 5 years, the number of physicians in Canada has skyrocketed - the profession has grown by 12.5% nearly triple the growth rate of our population. But the latest numbers, published by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, beg the question: why do so many people find it so hard to get in to see their doctor in a reasonable amount of time. Libby Znaimer drilled down on the numbers with Dr. Sohail Gandhi, President of the Ontario Medical Association. AND It captured the essence of being a single woman in the 1990's. Sex and the City began as a column Candace Bushnell wrote for the New York Observer before it morphed into a book and a hit TV series about the love lives of four New York women. Bushnell is back with another book based on her own experiences, this time as a Zoomer who leaves the City after the death of her mother, and her dog, followed by a divorce. Libby chatted with her about "Is there still Sex in the City?"

Following those explosive pictures of Justin Trudeau in blackface, we look at the history behind this harmful practice. Photos and videos of Justin Trudeau in blackface and brownface rocked the campaign and they have made headlines around the world. We have all heard extensive discussions about what the impact will be but there is a long and hurtful history to the practice of donning black and brown makeup to pose as characters of colour and Libby sat down with Zoomer Magazine Editor in Chief, Suzanne Boyd, to talk about it. AND Two Montrealers with degenerative diseases will now have access to Medical Assistance in Dying following a Quebec Superior Court decision that declared declared parts of both the federal and provincial laws unconstitutional. Nicole Gladu suffers from post-polio syndrome and Jean Truchon has cerebral palsy. They went to court after their applications for MAID were denied because their deaths were not imminent or forseeable - to use the language of the law. Libby talked to Corey Ruf,

The writ has been dropped, the campaign is on, and two new books take an in depth look at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's four years in power. Libby will take a feature look at both starting this week with National Post columnist John Ivison's "Trudeau:The education of a Prime minister." AND From the Prime Minister to his mother. Libby talks to Margaret Trudeau about her one woman show which lands in Toronto next week. "Certain Woman of an Age" is a no-holds barred account of her marriage to then-prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau and her delayed mental illness diagnosis.

It was a brotherhood until it wasn't. Once Were brothers, the documentary that opened this year's TIFF, chronicles the story of one of the most iconic rock bands ever, The Band. It tells the story from Robbie Robertson's perspective and Libbie Znaimer sat down with the 76-year-old star earlier this week. AND It has been a conundrum for doctors treating patients after a heart attack caused by blocked arteries. Should they try to prevent a second heart attack putting stents in arteries that are only partially blocked or is that too invasive? A study out of McMaster University has answered that question decisively. Dr. Shamir Mehta is the lead author.

It's a milestone on the road to adulthood and many young people are marking it this weekend as they leave home for university or college. It can be hard for parents to let go and for kids to stop relying on Mom and Dad to deal with all their problems. Where is the balance? Harlan Cohen is the author of "15 Things Parents of First Year College Students Should Never Do". Libby Znaimer reached him in Chicago. AND At 42, Measha Brueggergosman is an internationally renowned soprano and the mother of two small children. But she is also the survivor of two major cardiac events. Ten years ago she nearly died from a dissected aorta, and just this June, in the midst of a hectic performance schedule, she suffered a heart attack followed by emergency bypass surgery. She stopped by our studios to talk about her recovery.

Coming out as gay when you're a Zoomer - the mayor of Ottawa did that just last weekend - at the age of 58. There's no question The LGBTQ community is more accepted now than when he was a young man. But there are still many reasons people delay acknowledging their sexuality - spouses, children, or religion to name a few. The Reverend Anne-Marie Zanzal (www.annemariezanzal.com) came out as a lesbian when her marriage ended and she now counsels others going through the process. Libby Znaimer reached her in Nashville, Tennesee. AND We are all familiar with the campaigns urging Zoomers to be aware of the signs of stroke and what to do if we experience them. But what if there are no symptoms? It turns out these so-called silent strokes are quite common. They are most likely to happen after surgery, and they can lead to major strokes within a year. Dr. P.J. Devereaux of McMaster University led the study that laid out the risks.

So you think you know how to raise children? But a lot has changed since you last diapered the kids who are now becoming parents - not to mention emotional minefields like grandparent wars! That's why Sunnybrook Health Sciences is offering a prenatal course for grandparents to be. Libby Znaimer talked with patient educator Kelly Grier. AND He spends much of his time doing something old-fashioned - making house calls for his palliative care patients. But Dr. Sandy Buchman has some very modern ideas about how to improve our healthcare. Libby talked to Dr. Buchman after he was installed as the 142nd President of the Canadian Medical Association.

Parents are not only helping their kids buy their first home, more than one in three say they’re also chipping in for rent. That’s according to a recent poll that followed another study on housing affordability, which found nearly half of parents plan on helping their children buy a place while one in four already had. None of this shocks Steve Ranson, President and CEO of Home Equity Bank and the CHIP Reverse mortgage. AND Unlike musical festivals now, that can have the eyes and ears of the world on them, only those who were actually at Woodstock could experience it while the rest of us played catch up courtesy of newscasts that reported on the music, masses, and mud. Helping us mark the musical milestone is Zoomer Radio’s own musician and host, Robbie Laine.

18.1 million new cases and 9.6 million deaths last year alone. Those are the latest numbers on the burden of cancer around the world. Libby Znaimer talked to Dr. Aaron Schimmer head of research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre to learn what it means for us. AND Badass Beauty Queen is a documentary about the saga of Anastasia Lin, 2015's Miss World Canada. Her family in China was threatened and she was barred from the Miss World pageant in China because she spoke out about human rights abuses there. The story has special resonance now that 2 Canadians are detained in Chinese prisons in apparent retaliation for Canada's arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wan Jo. Libby reached Anastasia Lin at her home in New York.

The national Capital Commission lists its condition as critical. The problem with 24 Sussex Drive is that prime minister after prime has refused to spend money on renovations - presumably to avoid being accused of wasting taxpayers dollars on themselves. Now the Conservatives are blasting Justin Trudeau because the cost, estimated at $10 million in 2008 has skyrocketed to 34.5 million for a reno or $38.5 to tear it down and rebuild. But this fight started long before the last election. Libby Znaimer reached David Flemming from Heritage Ottawa. AND Andrew Scheer was speaking to an audience of dairy farmers when he said he would overhaul the Canada Food Guide. That group was instrumental in clinching the Conservative Party leadership for him. They are aggrieved because dairy is no longer listed as an essential food group. What do the experts think? Libby reached obesity specialist Dr. Yoni Freedhof to find out. He is an associate professor of family medicine at the University of Ottawa and the founder of the

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history 50 years ago, July 20, 1969, during a decade that was as much about the space race as it was music and changing social norms. Former Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk shares his recollections about the Apollo 11 landing and predicts where men and women will go next, and when! AND About 50-million people worldwide are living with dementia and Alzheimer’s is the most common form, a big conference in L-A has just concluded. Experts and scientists shared the latest findings on research in the field. The medical director of the Toronto Memory Program Dr. Sharon Cohen, joined us to share these findings with you.

So you’re finally taking that big trip on the bucket list only to find that you’re sharing your experience of ancient sites and breathtaking landscapes with hordes of other tourists. You may also be hurting the locals by using up their resources and pricing them out of the market. That was partly Libby's experience on a recent trip to Greece. It’s a fairly new phenomenon called "overtourism" and Libby checked in with Megan Epler Wood, Director of Harvard’s International Sustainable Tourism Initiative. And A new VisionTV series follows Zoomers and their children on their adventures of a lifetime, it’s called 50 Ways to Kill Your Mom. The concept is simple: celebrities take their parents on challenging, thrill-seeking inter-generational adventures and document it all in a reality TV series. Libby talked with Jon about his road trip with his mother.

The internet CAN be the wrong place to look for love is you get caught in a romance scam, now among the biggest threats online for seniors looking for human connection. It ranks up there with the more reported on scams like the CRA Scam, where an agent posing as an employee of with Canada Revenue Agency demands money for unpaid taxes. Durham Regional Police Sgt. Deb Anderton is an expert in these matters. Christine Ross reached her by phone. AND It's a memoir of mental illness from a unique perspective. For 10 years author Susan Doherty volunteered with severely schizophrenic and psychotic patients at Montreal's Douglas institute. Libby Znaimer talked with her about "The Ghost Garden."

Companies don’t give ageism the same attention as other forms of bias according to Forbes Insight survey. And the numbers suggest that age discimination is alive and well in the U-S with 2 out of 3 employees over 45 have witnessed age discrimination. Author and executive coach Bonnie Marcus is currently writing a book about women over 50 in the workplace. Christine Ross reached her by phone. And Zoomers are the happiest according to a new national poll. The Happiness Index by market research firm Leger, asked Canadians across the country to rate their level of happiness on a scale of one to 10 and note which factors they believe influence their happiness the most. Those over 55 who earn a higher income are happiest but also indicates that money is not a factor to their happy state. Christine Ross reached Leger Executive Vice President Dave Scholz.

This week the federal government unveiled its long-awaited dementia strategy which focuses on prevention and help for caregivers. But it will take more research to conquer the disease and that's why Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging received 46-million dollars to investigate the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of dementia. Dr. Howard Chertkow is leading more than 300 researchers in this effort. He dropped by our Liberty Village studios to tell Libby Znaimer about it. And The alternative meat market is booming, with plant-based fake meats taking over grocery stores and fast food restaurants. Part of the appeal is that eating less red meat can reduce health risks such heart disease. But nutritionists say ordering a meatless burger at a fast food chain might not be that much better for you. The nutritional profiles are strikingly similar, both pack the same amount of sodium, calories and fat content. And in all cases the meatless version were more expensive in most fast food menus.

Marie Henein is one of the most renowned lawyers in the country. Recently she took on the government, successfully defending former Vice-Admiral Mark Norman on breach of trust charges. But it was her defense of former CBC host Jian Ghomeshi that put her in the national spotlight. After that activists tried to stop her from speaking on campus… accusing her of promoting rape culture... which why she is the perfect person to speak on Democracy and Freedom of Speech at ideaCity. Libby and Marie chatted ahead her appearance there. And The job only pays $10,000 a year, but it is a huge honour. In his first 3 months as Toronto's Poet Laureate, Albert Moritz has written verse to mark everything from a high school graduation to the anniversary of the Yonge Street van Attack. He may be new as the laureate but he's written more than 15 books of poetry. He joins Libby in studio to discuss.

The report of the inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women was released earlier this week and the most startling conclusion was that the violence against these women amounts to a genocide. The prime minister was heckled when, at first, he refrained from using that word. Within 24 hours, he said he accepted the finding. Many others do not, and the use of this term has caused more debate than the actual recommendations. Libby Znaimer reached renowned Human Rights Lawyer and former Justice Minister Irwin Cotler in Montreal to discuss. And It's been called a tsunami and a rising tide. That's the prediction for the burden of Alzheimer's Disease as the baby boom generation ages. Dr. Carmela Abraham has been researching Alzheimer's for nearly 40 years. While the focus of much of the work has been on the amyloid plaques believed to cause the disease, Dr. Abraham is taking a different approach - one that may someday prevent Alzheimer's. Libby spoke with her ahead of her talk at ideaCity.

It’s a philosophical question as much as a practical one: Can money buy health? It’s the subject longevity and wellness guru, Dr. Mark Liponis, will tackle at IdeaCity later this month. And his experience makes his perspective truly unique. AND More and more patients are choosing medical assistance in dying as a means to end their suffering and to have what can be considered a good death. But the family home is often not the right place and neither is the hospital. Assisted Dying Resources Centres is a new charity stepping in to fill the void. Libby talked to CEO Tom Foreman.