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January 2012 Archives

Same-day Doctors' Appointments

The Health Minister is promising better access to family doctors and nurse practicianers by paying them to work after hours and keep a certain amount of appointments open for same day bookings.

It's called open access or advance access.

Hear how the Taddle Creek Family Health Team in Toronto makes it work.

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Will Gadd gives Risk a Rethink

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He climbs frozen waterfalls; sails over the Rockies in a paraglider; and has seen dozens of friends die in the mountains.

Will Gadd loves these extreme adventures. But a recent accident has changed the way he thinks about them.

An open line conversation with a Canadian world champion ice climber and paraglider about how far you push it.

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CLICK HERE to read Will Gadd's article in Explore Magazine, "The Grand Delusion: We need to stop telling ourselves lies about the risks of mountain sports."

 

After the Shafia Trial

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Baldev Mutta, executive director of Punjabi Community Health Services in Brampton, says no one expects people to kill their own children but we need a strategy to assess the danger.

A few years ago, after a teenage girl named Aqsa Parvez was murdered by her father and brother in Mississauga, Mutta and his staff developed a new way to screen for this kind of family violence.

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Gardening: Plant sales, a blessing or a curse?

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Merilyn Simonds, author of A New Leaf: Growing with My Garden, filled her garden with things she hunted down at a plant sale only to find those are the things gardeners are most anxious to get rid of.

Plus expert advice from Ed Lawrence on battling spider mites and white flies.

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Mark Your Calender

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Tuesday: Canadian adventure man Will Gadd has watched 27 friends die. But seeing one of them plummet into the rocks and survive has seriously changed the way he thinks.

Thursday: Group coupons. Have you been burned?

Friday:Stories of lost and found.

 

To join the on-air conversation, dial 1-888-817-8995. 

Sand and Gravel 2010 Redcoat

Konrad Ejbich's pick of the Month

wine bottle 2.jpgWine: Sand & Gravel 2010 Redcoat [Niagara Peninsula]

Ontario Price: $17.95 (including bottle deposit)

Producer: Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery

Address: 1366 York Road, St Davids, ON L0S 1J0

Telephone: 905-262-8463

Email: info@ravinevineyard.com

Urlhttp://www.ravinevineyard.com

Availability: At all major LCBO stores, or directly from the winery, by visit, phone or online purchase.

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The Prime Minister says Old Age Security has to change

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How much do you rely on it?

Open lines with Monica Townsend. She is an independent consultant specializing in retirement, pension programs and economic situation for women.

She has written on Old Age Security for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a left of centre policy think tank.

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Maple Leaf Gardens Time Capsule is Opened

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The 1931 capsule contains a letter describing the arena; four newspapers; hockey rule books, a Red Ensign flag; and a small ivory elephant with fragments of a blue ribbon.

Ryerson history professor Arne Kislenko had one of the first peaks inside.

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Unnecessary C-Sections

The Health Minister says she will be reducing the number of health services covered by medicare. Deb Matthews says she is going to review all health services. But she specifically mentioned that Ontario has a much higher incidence of caesarean sections than other jurisdictions.

Is there a reason to reduce C-sections?

Dr. John Barrett, Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist at Sunnybrook Hospital is our guest.

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How to Avoid Divorce

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Couples have been playing the blame game since Adam and Eve. Psychotherapist Cathy Lumsden says turn the mirror around and look at what you're doing. The author of The Best Advice Your Mother Never Gave You says it could save your marrigage.

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CLICK HERE to find out more about the guest and her book.

An All-Too-Familiar Attack in Mexico

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A brutal beating in Mexico brings back frightening memories for a Fergus man who was attack near the same resort a year ago.

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Raising Boys

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Why are boys falling behind in school?

Open lines with Michael Reist, longtime teacher, dad of three boys and author of Raising Boys in a New Kind of World.

 

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Politicians' Pensions

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What's fair for politicians' pensions?

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says what federal MPs get is too rich. Ontario's MPPs get no pension at all.

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Mortgage Rates

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BMO's 2.99 per cent for 5 years is over on Wednesday. That kind of rate was unheard of until other lenders started scrambling to match it.

Cashing in, or dangerous temptation?

 

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Gardening: The Coolist Colours

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Pink and blue pulmonaria; shocking-pink primroses; and lime-green hops.

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Mark your Calender

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Monday: Gardening with Ed Lawrence and Merilyn Simonds

Tuesday: What's fair when it comes to pensions for politicians?

Wednesday: How to help boys when they fall behind in school.

Friday: Wine with Konrad Ejbich

 

To join the on-air conversation, dial 1-888-817-8995.

You can also have your say by emailing us at ontariotoday@cbc.ca; commenting directly on this website; or calling our talkback line at 1-888-591-4111.

 

Coyote Attack in Oakville

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Police shot and killed a coyote after 8-year-old Julia Couto was attacked in a fenced-in backyard.

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Marriage and Divorce

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Family lawyer Andrew Feldstein offers frank advice on common law relationships; pre-nuptial agreements; child custody; spousal support; and residency requirements. 

Part 1

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Part 2

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No Ordinary Boy

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Jennifer Johannesen has written a provocative book  about her severely disabled son called "No Ordinary Boy: The Life and Death of Owen Turney."

The Toronto mother describes how they worked for years to try to help him do things he couldn't, and the overwhelming relief they felt when they stopped and just let him be.

She and callers discuss how they feel about the artwork that's sent home from school that their children couldn't possibly have created. 

One caller describes daily therapy that isolates her daughter. A special ed teacher talks about parents' expectations. 

Part 1

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Part 2

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Book signing:

  • Thu. Jan. 26, 12-2 at Indigo (inside Mount Sinai Hospital) 600 University Ave., Toronto

Book available for purchase at:

  • Amazon.ca
  • NoOrdinaryBoy.com
  • specialty booksellers Caversham Books (mental health) and Parentbooks, both on Dupont Street in Toronto

For more information and for Jennifer's blog CLICK HERE. 

 

In Need of a Digital Detox?

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Are you a slave to your techno-gizmo? Bowed over your Blackberry?

Hear some honest talk about how it's affecting relationships.

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Dropped Out? Flunked Out?

It can feel devastating at the time.

flunking.jpgBut most university and college drop outs manage to pull their act together in the end.

Your stories of how things worked out. 

 

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A Second Chance for the Liberals?

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The Federal Liberal Party has elected a new president; says it's ready to change; and is even willing to let non-members have a say in choosing the new leader.

We asked whether you were ready to give the party another try?

Have a listen to how our callers responded.

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Gardening: Scented Plants and Trees

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Merilyn Simonds, author of A New Leaf, says cupani sweet peas have the sweetest smell on earth.

Your vote for the best scent?

Plane trees, daphne shrubs, night scented stock, grape hyacinth; wild lady slipper and milkweed.

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Next week on the program

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Monday: A scent you can't bottle from the garden.

Tuesday: How did things work out after you flunked out?

Wednesday: Smart phones. Blackberries. Ipads. How much of a slave are you to your gizmos?

Thursday: No Ordinary Boy. A mother's extraordinary story of raising a profoundly disabled child.

 

 

Gay Couples in Marriage Limbo

Not-married-enough to divorce. Too married to remarry. An unusual case from Michigan.

 

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The Lengths You'll Go for What You Love

golfing.jpgEdward Sorbara and Bob Shortly have been golfing for 107 months straight.

They've even played in snow 40cm deep.

What lengths have you gone to do what you love?

 

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Same-sex Divorce

A lesbian couple came to Canada to get married but now that they want a divorce, the federal government is telling them they were never legally married.

Robert Leckey says this is an about face for Canada. He teaches family law at McGill. He is also the president of EGALE Canada, a human rights organization representing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender interests.

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Stealing Ideas at Work

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He calls it, "working collaboratively". You call it soul-sucking.

Your stories about stolen ideas with Sharone Bar-David, a lawyer and social worker who specializes in helping organizations create respectful workplaces.

CLICK HERE to find out more about our guest.

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Toronto Hydro Not Ungrading Infrastructure

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Plans to upgrade infrastructure are on hold and hundreds of jobs are being zapped after the Ontario Energy Board denies Toronto Hydro's request for a rate hike.

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Renting and Your Rights

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Open lines with Ronn Jefferies, the lawyer behind Fluffy's Law, knows all the in's and out's
when it comes to landlords and tenants.

He once, famously, took the provincial government
to court over pets in apartments.

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Great Grey Owl Lands near Windsor

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Bird watchers are flocking to Kingsville, Ontario
to catch a glimpse of a great grey owl rarely seen south of Lake Superior.

We caught up with Paul Pratt, the naturalist for the City of Windsor while he watching at the owl along with 60 other birders.

To see more CLICK HERE.

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Frozen Chicken

One of the country's largest chicken processors in facing criminal charges for allowing the birds to freeze to death on route to the slaughter house in Brampton.

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Adoption Stories

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Forging new relationships.

Secrets revealed.

And a complicated mix of people.

Your stories and insights about adoption with Bruce Gillespie, one of the editors of Somebody's Child. 

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Replacing Layton

They know they can't replace Jack Layton, but New Democrats in his old riding are choosing someone new to take a seat in the House of Commons.

The riding of Toronto Danforth hasn't had a member since Layton's death in August.

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Gardening: Author Merilyn Simonds' "A New Leaf"

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We start a new series on the gardening phone-in with author Merilyn Simonds telling stories from her book, A New Leaf, about the gardens she keeps at The Leaf, her property in eastern Ontario.

Plus advice from Ed Lawrence on orchids, amaryllis, virginia creeper and starting an orchard.

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Mark Your Calendar

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Monday: On the gardening phone-in, a new series with Merilyn Simonds, the author of A New Leaf. We'll give away a couple of copies of the book.

Tuesday: Is there still a stigma about adoption?

Wednesday: Open lines with a lawyer on your rights when you're renting.

Thursday: Has someone at work been stealing your ideas?

Lost in Translation

A judge in Brampton declared a mistrial in a sexual assault case after the interpretor got the Hindi translation wrong.

Criminal lawyer Pat Band says the shortage of qualified interpretors is creating a crisis in the courts.

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Worst Customer Service

customer-service.jpgSales people nowhere in sight; a two-week-long dispute over a phone contract; a contract thrown in the face.

We asked about the worst customer service you've ever received. And we got earful.

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Find out how bad it can get at Canada's major retail chains as MARKETPLACE returns to CBC Television with a special one-hour edition, Fri., Jan. 6, at 8 p.m.

 

 

Skydome Architect Dies at 83

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Architect Rod Robbie designed some of this
country's most iconic buildings, including the
Skydome and the Canadian Pavillion at Expo '67.

His daughter, Caroline Robbie, recalls his stories of using an ash tray as his inspiration for the Expo pavillion.

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Newmarket Rallies around Victims of Racist Attack

Racist slurs scratched into their cars and death threats nearly drove a couple from Newmarket to pack up and move. But after they listed their home, their neighbours persuaded them to stay.

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Old Mantels and Staircases

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Old homes due for demolition often have attractive mantels, woodwork and light fixtures inside.

Ontario Today's home reno expert Jorge Rodrigues and callers describe how they've rescued and reused old newel posts, doors and beams.

You can email Jorge directly by CLICKING HERE..

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Windsor Scraps Library Late Fees

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That was NOT a happy ending.

Now the Windsor Public Library is eliminating overdue fines. Does it make sense?

Windsor Councillor Al Maghnieh says the fines hardly cover the cost of collecting them and only drive people away from the library.

Some callers agree overdue fines have kept them from going back. Others say, "Man up" and pay your fine.

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What inspires you to give?

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Charitable donations have been shrinking for 30 years. But the need has not.

Canada Helps CEO Owen Charters says charities need to do a better job of telling their stories.

We asked what inspires you to give and what turns you off.

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Annoying Toys

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You couldn't wait to see their face when they unwrapped it.

But the magic is wearing a little thin now.

We asked you to tell us about the toys that have been driving you nuts since Christmas.

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Gardening: Farm Internship

Growing food changed the way she thought about what's on her plate.

heritage farm.jpgHeather Cann grew up in suburban Mississauga but spent two summers interning on a farm near Pembroke called Rainbow Heritage Farm. (To find out more about the farm CLICK HERE. To learn about the C.R.A.F.T farm internship CLICK HERE.)

We opened the phones with our expert gardener Ed Lawrence to hear how growing your food had changed the way you think.

Hear how surprised one caller was by the taste of the broccoli she grew; and how another caller started growing veggies when she and her husband were unemployed.

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