TUNE INTO THE TOWN

It’s that last gathering of the Tune Into the Town panel before Christmas, and there’s a lot to unpack.

Toronto just got a big Christmas gift from Ottawa – $471 million in new housing cash – and we are also getting a new 250-bed respite centre just down the street from Zoomer Radio. As well, the Chair of Yonge-Dundas Square said he’s resigning over last week’s city council vote to rename the downtown landmark to Sankofa Square; and Olivia Chow has made some big moves in her short time as Toronto’s new Mayor.

Libby Znaimer is joined by Karen Stintz, CEO of Variety Village; Alex Blumenstein, Co-Founder of The Peak; and David Crombie, a former mayor of Toronto, to discuss these issues, and more.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER

The word has been getting a lot of use lately, but there is no better way to describe it. Our weather this year has truly been unprecedented.

Libby Znaimer is joined by Dave Phillips, Senior Climatologist at Environment Canada for a look at the Top Ten weather events in Canada this year, and the scoop on whether we’re getting a white Christmas.

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THE FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES?

It’s called the Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian-North American Christmas tradition that is having a broader cultural moment.

It harks back to the tradition of fasting or abstaining from meat on Fridays and other significant days, but after the arrival of Italian immigrants it morphed into a magnificent multi-course Christmas Eve feast featuring seven different kinds of fish and seafood.

Libby Zniamer is joined by Katie Parla, a Rome-based food and beverage writer, culinary guide, and cookbook author; and Michael Di Giovine, Professor of Anthropology at West Chester University and Director of the Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology in Pennsylvania; and Zoomer Radio’s own Jeremy Logan, to explore this Christmas Eve seafood fest that is steeped in tradition.