Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Robert Fisher: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1523

Episode Date: July 16, 2024

In this 1523rd episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with Robert Fisher about her career in news working for CBC Television, Global and then CBC Radio. For the first time, Robert talks about what really happened with his firing from Global Television. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, The Advantaged Investor podcast from Raymond James Canada, The Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Team and RecycleMyElectronics.ca. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at [e-mail]

Welcome to episode 1523 of Toronto Miked, proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, a fiercely independent craft brewery who believes in supporting communities, good times, and brewing amazing beer. Order online for free local home delivery in the GTA. Palma pasta. Enjoy the taste of fresh homemade Italian pasta and entrees from Palma pasta in Mississauga and Oakville. The Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team. The best baseball in the city outside the dome. Join me August 4th I'm at Christie Pitts recording live at 2 p.m. drop by. Say hi.

Recyclemyelectronics.ca, committing to our planet's future means properly recycling our electronics of the past. And Ridley Funeral Home, pillars of the community since 1921. Today, making his highly anticipated Toronto mic debut. And they said it would never happen. It's Robert Fisher. Welcome Robert.

Oh, great to be here. As an old friend of mine, Bob Ray used to say after he was defeated in the 1990 election, he was invited to speak somewhere. I'm glad to be here. I'm glad to be anywhere. So it applies to me because we're, we're approaching, you know, an anniversary of my

retirement from His Majesty's Royal Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Nine years, right? Yeah, yeah, 2015. It seems like only yesterday. A lot of ground to cover with you, but maybe before we dive into it, just getting you here with quite so you don't live nearby. No, no live in a lake in Eastern, Ontario It's a big Rideau Lake But BRL also stands for Bob Ray Lake. Mr. Ray the former premier who I still call premier FOTM premier Bob Ray exactly. Yes title He he and I happen to live in the same lake. He's well, he's on the rich side of the lake, of course And just so we get this out of the way

at the beginning of this, apropos of Mr. Ray's appearance recently on this program, I do not skinny dip. No. No. No. I think the neighbors are grateful. They're grateful, but yeah.

As the great late Bill Davis used to say, I have no plans to have any plans to have any plans to skinny dip in the Big Rideau. Oh, you said Bill Davis, we have to shout out Steve Bacon who's listening right now. I think he's on a lake, a different lake, but he spends... Again, more money. I just, I retired from an NGO basically, so... But how did Bacon pull that off where he was a CBC guy and then now he makes the big bucks at TVO How did he pull that? Oh, you know Steve probably doesn't know the story, but I also applied for that job. I love it Peter Herndorf actually took my letter and

he was under active consideration and then for some unknown reason he was blown away by Steve Paykin and And I was the chin I I think he's got a prominent chin. Could be, it could be the Frank Sinatra pocket puff. I'm not, not quite sure. Do you like Frank Sinatra? I love Frank Sinatra.

Okay. You're, you were just, this is all about Pagan today. You didn't know that, right? Robert, I'm like, I'm going to get the legend, the living legend, Robert Fisher in the basement for 90 minutes on Steve Pagan, on Steve Pagan. I, and why it was worth the four hour drive to get here.

Okay. Yeah, that's where we are. Uh, how difficult it was to get you here. So this is the third time I had the name Robert Fisher in the Toronto mic recording calendar. And we don't need to go into details, but you had good excuses for not being here. You had the post bone the first two times.

Yeah. I mean, uh, look, I've always been very honest with my listeners. I'll be honest with yours. Uh, I, I had look I've always been very honest with my listeners. I'll be honest with yours. I had a health scare We were potentially looking at some esophageal cancer. Oh, no, and It was a pretty scary time through the spring of this year but

tests and probes and all kinds of stuff and At the end of it all they don't know what it was, but it isn't esophageal cancer. That is fantastic news. That's great news. I feel like rewarding you for the news by sending you home with some gifts.

But I'm glad the health scare was a false alarm. Yeah, it was a scary time. I don't try to underestimate at all. And for people who, I mean, I've known former colleagues who went through throat cancer, things like that. Very, very difficult time to come because, one of your sponsors is a funeral home. And at 76, you have to start thinking.

Well, listen, 76 is one thing. My dear friend passed away from esophageal cancer at the age of 32. So now, I'm glad you got the clean bill of health there. You look great. Well, I box. I box three times a week. Is that right? Yeah.

You box Bob, right? Well, for charity, perhaps. Okay. So tell me, when did you get into boxing? Oh, about shortly after I retired. When I retired, the staff people I worked with wanted to know from my wife, what, what would Robert like as a going away gift? And she said, Oh, a Pilates course.

And people looked at me and said, I hope you get the bottle of scotch with that. So I did Pilates and I did some exercise locally. And then, um, it just wasn't kind of meeting the needs, you know. So I went to boxing. Wow. I mean, do people look at you and think this guy must be a boxer, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Robert Fisher? Yeah.

I'm the great white hope at, uh, at 76. Well, sure. Shout out to George Shavala who's still with us. Yeah. All right. Oh, George. I mean, I, as a kid, I watched those black and white fights, right? Just amazing.

The point I should make about the boxing though, is that, um, it's a kid, I watched those black and white fights, right? Just amazing. The point I should make about the boxing though, is that it's a program ostensibly designed for people with Parkinson's disease. My wife has had Parkinson's for 18 years. She started the program in Smiths Falls, which is one of the nearest big communities. And I was sort of grandfathered in, I could be in because I was a partner of somebody.

Okay. And it's been great. It's absolutely amazing. And you can take out the frustrations, you know, the producers faces who appear on those boxing bobs as, you know, the cross chat. I'm hoping during this chat here, and by the way, I've decided we're chatting for four hours. I hope that's okay with you.

Okay. But we are going to drop some names and get some stories here. But the case that the health scare explains your first postponement. And again, thank goodness you're not going to be shouting out Ridley Funeral Home anytime too soon. Okay. By the way, Ridley Funeral Home Robert wants you to have the famous Ridley Funeral Home measuring tape that's going to take home.

Thank you. Got there swag with this. There's more swag coming. But first, I want to say your second time you were in the calendar, a car problem. Is that right? Like, Yeah, we, um, look, somebody I know and love very dearly left the sunroof of the electric car open. Well, that's not good. And it kind of floated away the electrical system, but it all turned out to be okay. It's in your driveway now.

It's another false because that's another false alarm. We don't need really funeral home there either. But, and then today you're a little late because you had a, like a mild car issue maybe on your way here. It went through some, like I would say fender deep water. It's nuts, right? Oh, it is. The city can't handle a lot of rain in a short period of time. It just floods. It's just, it happens all the time.

And it brought me back actually to a time when I was still working and there was a late afternoon flood in Toronto. This is a number of years ago. And at the, at the last minute at, at 6 28, yeah, the producer in her wisdom said, we're going live with a special about the situation because, you know, there was- I remember this one. Yeah, this was a big one. Remember the lawyer who's- That lawyer sent me a cease and desist once for episodes of Toronto Mike to about TV Ontario.

Oh, actually, sorry, not about TV Ontario. I gotta correct myself. I'll fix it in post about jazz FM. So I did a series of episodes of people at jazz FM and there were issues and this very lawyer whose car was flooded sent me this like cease and desist and you just left it it was a Ferrari or some Ferrari just in the but one of the things that happened was that all of a sudden we are in the studio and there is no script there is nothing prepared

right and people very much like broadcast news the movie which is my favorite movie I found is my favorite movie. I found it a serious movie. A lot of people thought it was a comedy, you know, where they're feeding information. Well, they film that in Asian court, right? Uh, at what is CFTO, I think. Yeah, I think Tom Gibney's in that.

Ah. I think so, but keep going. This is a great movie. So we, we just start to talk and talk and talk and talk. And then they feed me stuff, you know, like as in the movie, you know know it's an f-18 it drops two bombs a bullet so they're saying okay standby oh we've got Rob Ford on the phone oh mr. mayor welcome you know well I've been out talking to the people of Tobacco and I've been clearing sewers and all that sort of stuff and that we filled with that and then the and then

you know one interview Mike began it began, it began another and another, another. And so we ended up filling about two and a half hours of airtime. You can always kick out the flood jams when worse comes to worse. Let's just kick out the flood jams. So today reminds me of that moment where the water was just incredible.

Well, listen, Robert, I'm really glad we got to make this happen. A long time listener, first time caller. Now, a note came in from T.Resident when I went on the app formerly known as Twitter and said, Robert Fisher is going to finally make his Toronto Mike debut. And it's just simple. Robert is great. Looking forward to the episode. So thank you to the resident. It's amazing what 20 bucks will do. Is that your burner account? Any transfer to yes, exactly. T dot resident at gmail.com. Doug, I don't think it's Doug Ford, but Doug writes.

I'm very interested in this. His father was the voice of CJSS radio news and Cornwall. Yes. Yep. Carl Fisher's. Carl Fisher. Morning news and write former BN executive Wayne Waldorf. Yes and mayor Gerald So, please translate all that for me My dad was in the army in the war. He was based in Montreal

So there wasn't a single Nazi sub that got past the sheen. Thanks to dad He we always say he he went in for F and came out1. He had flat feet so the infantry was out, so he was assigned to the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps. But with that came so many benefits. I mean, he saw Jackie Robinson play for the Montreal Royals. He went to New York and saw Lily Saint-Cyr and her fan dancing.

Something a family doesn't talk much about publicly. I'm not even sure I know that name. No? Oh, well you see there's a generational thing happening. But Jackie Robinson, real quickly here, I recently did a Father's Day special and it was about how Russ Taylor should be in the Canadian baseball thing.

Oh, yes. Do you know Russ Taylor? No of him, yes. Okay, but then in that episode they do reveal that for a few games in 1972, Jackie Robinson called exposed games, like as the analyst for a few games. And I didn't realize because well, I wasn't born yet. That's why Robert, but I didn't realize that that same calendar year Jackie passes away 52 years old or something like that. Like I didn't real I guess because I see photos of him and he looks older because he has he had diabetes and we didn't have as a good a handle on it back then. But I didn't real, I guess, cause I see photos of him and he looks older because he has, he had diabetes and we didn't have as a good a handle on it back then, but I didn't realize how young Jackie Robinson was when he passed and how like how very shortly before that he was calling

Expose Games. No, I didn't, I didn't know that. I mean, I've worked in Montreal for seven years. Um, but just to finish the story about that, he came out of the army, didn't know what he wanted to do. So he went to what I think became Ryerson and took a radio course because there was only Rio. And his teachers included Lorne Green. He came to lecture the Voice of Doom from the CBC because he read the casualty lists for the younger listeners out there, and Bing Whitaker,

who was another big, huge name from the 40s and 50s at CBC. So he applied for work, and he founded at what was then CKSF Cornwall. Met my mother, and the rest is history. It became CJSS. And small town radio didn't end necessarily well. He moved into television locally and that didn't end well. He sold some assurance, but in the last five years of his life, before he died, he went back to reading the morning news on CJSS.

Wow. So I sort of grew up around it. It was in your blood. It was, but you know, it's funny, I didn't realize that, um, I also wanted to be an architect, but academically I mean let's let's be honest here a 48 in math is not going to get me into the school of architecture at U of T and I had a wonderful teacher in Cornwall who said why don't you go to see Gordy Higgins in the in the guidance room and

he so I met him and he said you know you've been around this all your life why why shouldn't you choose that as a career? Because to back up a second, I was one of those people because of my age. And there's a lot of people listening who may have been in the same boat. I got streamed out of the arts and science side and put into science, technology and trades, otherwise known as tech, where, you know, the sort of woe begotten students ended up. Right. I didn't because my vice principal said in my parents, you know, the sort of woe begotten students ended up. Right. I didn't, because my vice principal said to my parents,

you know, Robert could be a great welder. Right. Because I took the shop option in grade nine, because I didn't want Latin music or home economics. Home economics, I remember this, yeah. So of course meeting some young women in home ec, I really never thought about till this very moment. So, you know, I built a coffee table and the lamp,

and then from that my vice principal, God bless his soul, decided that I couldn't move on in the art stream, that I should in fact go to tech, but I hated it. So Gordy said, look, why don't you go to Algonquin College, which is just starting in Ottawa. They have an eight month journalism program, it's a great grounding. And it was.

And from that I started my first job, $55 a week in June of 1967. Okay, pause. Yep. Andrew Ward, shout out to Andrew Ward, who was at TMLX 15, which was just a couple of weeks ago at Great Lakes Brewery. Since I said Great Lakes Brewery, Robert,

that fresh craft beer from Great Lakes Brewery is going home with you. Wow. And because you're not at the CBC, you can accept all these gifts. That's a conversation for later. I once take an A&W Root Beer mug and was called on the carpet.

All right, I have had, I don't know if I need to name them, but a recent guest from CBC Radio who reads the news, I often listen to his CBC Radio news before I fall asleep, was not allowed to accept any gifts on Toronto Mite. This is a very recent episode. So you can. Okay, okay, because you're retired. So you got the fresh beer.

But back to Andrew Ward, he says, in 1967, you Robert were a cub reporter for CHW, I feel like I'm Brian Linehan now, the way I'm reading this, okay? In 1967 you were a cub reporter for CHWO radio in Oakville and one of your assignments was to go to a garden party in Port Credit to interview the Prime Minister. Premier. What? Sorry. Well he was Prime Minister, John Robart. Yeah, Premier, which is a typo by Andrew Ward. Andrew, you made me look bad, we're gonna talk about this. I think in fairness to Andrew, at the time I think Mr. Robart. Yeah. Premier, which is a typo by Andrew Ward. Andrew, you made me look bad. We're going to talk about this. I think in fairness to Andrew, at the time, I think Mr.

Robart was known as the prime minister of Ontario. Okay. That was like the way they referred to it back then. Right. Right. Okay. No. So Andrew, I apologize. You won't get the beads here, but what happened? So tell me that story for Andrew. And then, yeah, let's talk about so reporter. Keep in mind, cub reporter means I'm 18 okay there's an election campaign in Ontario I hear about a garden party that had people in Oakville had invited then premier prime minister Robarts to go to and I thought well I should go and get an interview I mean I never thought there'd be a problem and in those days you know there was no security there was no big media

Throne, I was gonna say thong that that's another story. I can tell you about you're back to the lake now with our friend Yeah, Bob, right. Okay, so I went in I asked the woman whose home was host I said could I possibly a couple of moments with mr. Robarts and She said oh, I'm sure he'll want to talk to you And so he was talking to me and he, you know, this guy was a handsome dude, you know, tanned mustache, the Navy blue suit, the white shirt. I mean, he was the sort of George Clooney of Ontario

politics in, in that era and in the late sixties. And, uh, so I said, excuse me, premier, uh, I wonder if I could have a moment of your time. And he turned around and he looked at me and I hope I can do this in this complete fashion without causing you a license renewal. He turned around and he said, who are you? And I said, I'm Bob Fisher from CHWO

and I'd like an interview. And he looked at me up and down and he said, fuck off, kid. And you know, I didn't have the tape rolling. me up and down and he said, fuck off kid. And you know, I didn't have the tape rolling. Probably today if that were to happen, I might have got the clip and we might have run it. But I was 18, the man who had signed my high school graduation certificate,

I mean, oh my God. That's wild. It was. Full F-bomb. I once told that story God, that's wild. It was full F bomb. I once told that story to Mr. Davis, Bill Davis, and he took his pipe out and he very reason sort of respond. He said, well, Robert, Mr. Robarts could be salty in his language. And that was so typical of Bill Davis. And today we know a robots from the library. I went to U of T and I spent many, much, much time in that big giant scary library.

And we were always told, I don't know if it's an urban legend or not, but when I was going to U of T, we're going back to the late nineties now, but that it was sinking like Robarts library. Like, I don't know, an inch a year or something. They said that. I know. But if I do the math, I feel like we would have noticed this by now. This might not be true. But they said this thing, this library is so heavy, it is sinking into the ground. And a sad end for this, and two questions here. One is, do you have any idea when Prime Minister of Ontario became Premier?

Do you have any idea? I'm not sure. It may have been under Bill Davis. I'm, you know, they may have scratched off the gold paint on the door on the second floor. I'm not quite certain. But now I'm impressed by Andrew Ward properly saying to interview the Prime

Minister, which I thought was a typo and realize Andrew Ward is just, he's playing 3d chess and we're just playing checkers over here, you know, like he knew exactly in 1967, it was the Prime Minister. You've got a good researcher. Yeah, he did a great job, but sad end for Robarts, you know, as you said.

Yes, he, it was a very difficult time at Queens Park. I you know as you as he it was a very difficult time at Queens Park Mr. Davis had had took his death by suicide right frankly right Very hard and you know that I only realized in hindsight why there was such emotion there Mr. Davis's first wife died of cancer and he was left with four children and Probably the prospect of not continuing his political career and John Robarts He was many things to many people, you know chief of the CEO of the board at Prince Park blah blah blah Whatever. He he is said to a call mr. Davis in and said look we will make this happen

We will make sure that you can stay in cabinet, be education minister, be successful, and God knows he was, and we'll somehow accommodate, but we don't want you to leave. And of course by 1971 he was leader of the party and Premier. But if it hadn't been for Robarts's interjection, my guessing is Bill Davis may have ended up running a marina in Georgia Bay or something. I don't know. So that's your first, I guess, your first as a member of the, you know, news media, at least that was your first interaction with an Ontario premier.

And have you had interactions with Doug Ford? Like, I'm wondering, can you run the whole string here? Well, I was going to say sadly, I have not had any reactions with. So my premiers were were Davis Frank Miller Okay, David Peterson, right Bob Ray 1990 the tumultuous, you know upheaval, you know Bob Bob Ray to Mike Harris Mike Harris to Ernie Eaves Ernie Eaves to Dalton McGinty Dalton McGinty Kathleen Wynn and My ninth premier would be Doug Ford, but I, you know, I was pretty much out of the business.

But we're gone nine years ago this month, which we'll get to here in our Chronological quick update from the live stream live.torontomike.com. I popped over and Canada Kev is there and he says your Rob Ford impression is excellent. So what, you know, keep up the Rob Ford impressions. So people are digging it.

And Andrew Ward happens to be on the live stream hearing you answer his question. He says, that was fucking awesome. He loved the story that resulted from his, from his. You know, hearing that particular word, you know, there was a bit of a foo-foo at CBC about a week ago. They ran some music at the end of, I think the eight o'clock edition of world report that ended with a

four letter word and the the newsreader happens to be from the 1990s and she told the host of CBC Ottawa my 1990 ears were on I didn't really hear the word right right but I suspected a lot of CBC listener did and probably it's not the word well wanted to hear don't tell Pierre Poliev he might you might cut funding to the CBC I know you know it's it's um it's I think it would be look I know I have the CBC tattoo still on me even though I've been gone for so long but I had a I had a wonderful experience at at CBC I had a wonderful 12 years at global till they decided I was too old and too expensive well hold that fire because we're going off at some point, we're talking about Global

and Chorus and all this is coming up soon, but because we're going to walk through this. But and then but I am curious though, as a former, you said tattooed still in your heart, your CBC. I wore this shirt for you. Oh, that's wonderful. My CBC. I was almost around for that particular logo. That logo? Yeah. Yeah. Almost there. So we're going to walk through this. I'm going to give you a couple of gifts here quick, but I wonder, are you, what do you think about the future of your former colleagues and others at the CBC that we, if you trust the polls, the next government will be formed by the Conservative Party of Canada and the leader has promised

he will defund the CBC. And turn the headquarters downtown at John and Front into social housing. I think the chances of that are slim. I think that, you know, look, where I live now on the Bob Ray Lake, or B-R-R, Big Rideau Lake, I don't usually tell people what I did in my previous life, and for good reason,

because when people find out a lot of my neighbors, their first response is, you worked at the communist broadcasting corporation. Such a shame. And you know, you, I think, boy, look, the stuff that we have done for people in this country and United the country and look, it's not perfect. And from my point of view, after being recharged for nine look, it's not perfect. And from my point of view, after being retired for nine years, it's more imperfect.

You know, the quality is just not what I think it ought to be. But that's a personal thing. And it's probably an age thing for me, you know, because when I went there, it was a big deal. And you, you know, just as I, when I went to CJD in Montreal, you know, there's a, there's a, there's a spree decor. There's a, there's a level of performance

that is expected not every day, but every newscast. And when I missed the boat on that newscast, you know, at CBC radio, when I had, I had 13 years there after I was dismissed by global, it really bothered me. Whereas some of my younger colleagues, it was, well, you know, so the nine o'clock was screwed up, I'll get it back at 10 or maybe 11

or maybe I'll never get it back, you know? But for me, it was important to be good and accurate, correct in my language, every single time that theme music started on the hour. You had high standards for yourself. Well, we all did. You know, I mean, I think of the, one of the things that I've been so grateful for, Mike,

is I've been looking back as I've been encouraged by my wife particularly to write a book. Bob Ray also was one of those. And in that, I've had a chance to kind of go back over the colleagues that I had, the people I worked with at CBC, and at Global, for example, outstanding, you know, other colleague reporters, anchors, editors, camera people. I mean, you know, the guy and the floor director in the studio,

people just, exceptional. And all through my time at CBC both as a television reporter first at the national then local CBC my first assignment there was the Mississauga train derailment and then leaving leaving CBC television to go to global TV great chances to work with some extraordinary people is this stop in Montreal before you take the job at CBC Television? Oh yeah, it was, I started in Montreal in October 1970,

that may ring a bell with some people. I started a week before James Cross was kidnapped by the Federation of Liberal Democrats, FLQ. And I was on the desk on the Saturday night that my news director, he was a Jewish holiday and he is Jewish, and he had to get special dispensation from his rabbi to drive his mobile car, okay? He's supposed to walk to and from the synagogue.

And Sid Margulies, a name that many ex-Montrealers would remember, came into the museum and he said, Tom Fisher, what's going on? I said, well, it's actually very quiet. And then all of a sudden, the police radio at the desk just blurted out this address in Longuet on the south shore of Montreal. And Margulies, an outstanding reporter, said, my God, that's the address of Puyallup Port. He's been kidnapped. Get into the studio and do the bulletin. So then it all unfolded and I was on the night, sadly his body was found at St. Hubert Air Base.

But it was an incredible experience. Remember I came from Hamilton to Montreal where on King Street a two car accident with probably breaking news, no pun intended. And then to go into a political kidnapping, I was, you know, this kid 20 plus years filing to NBC radio in Washington and all over the place because it was just a huge story, but a great learning experience, you know, just amazing. So okay, because when we last left you as the cub reporter being told to F off in Oakville. So so just get this down here, Robert.

So the whole thing. off in Oakville. So just to get this down here, Robert. The path is Oakville. After a year, I went to CHAM in Hamilton, became municipal affairs reporter. Vic Copps, Sheila Copps' dad, was the mayor of Hamilton. Terrific guy. Taught me so much about municipal politics. It was like getting an undergraduate degree in municipal politics. From Hamilton, because that station was owned by Ted Rogers and he decided there had to be cutbacks. I met him many years later and said, Oh, Mr. Rogers, great to meet you.

You fired me once in 1969 and he was with John Tory at the time and Tory, the blood drained out of his head. And he said, Oh, I think we'll go this way. Mr. Rogers. And he quickly took me away. But, um, and when Larry Grossman was filling in on the morning show and CHFI yet no less. But so then from Hamilton, another station in Hamilton, 10 50 C K O C the busy B this weekend in Cayuga, big daddy Garland, we had to do these stupid things for the drag races I did just was so embarrassing. It's about a few months there and then

A guy named Don Johnston who was news director at CHM. L eventually what used to be CF RV He was called by Margulies and Margulies I'm looking for a young reporter news anchor and and Don said I know exactly who you're looking for news anchor and and Don said I know exactly who you were looking for so he recommended me to sit and I spent seven wonderful years there including a year as a news director of Montreal's leading English language radio station. Okay now I want to ask you what were your jams like what music in the 70s particularly would you have been listening to would you still be listening to Frank Sinatra? Oh yeah yeah absolutely but I mean my life was pretty much consumed with news.

Right. I never was a DJ and I think I had one. But you have the pipes for it. I'm listening in the headphones and I'm wondering did you sound like this when you were in your early 20s? No I didn't. Actually you sounded like me. Yeah I have an audition tape at home, it's a reel-to- to real thing. And it was the first audition tape that I sent out and it's like, oh my God, this is, it couldn't possibly be me. But over time, you know, the gravitas sort of grows into the throat, you know, off to the races.

Any darts involved, cigarettes or whiskey? No, no, although I do remember, you know, from the October crisis, we were a block away in those days, a mountain in St. Catherine Street in Montreal, a block away from Winston Churchill Pub, which was a watering hole for, you know, all kinds of people, Mordecai Richler and you name it, you know, they were there. And one Sunday night, all of a sudden this person from the Winston Church who came over with this gigantic bottle of Cutty Sark was one of those promotion things. Right.

It was about three feet tall, like a real bottle, but you know, I almost hit your ceiling here. You could hit the ceiling. I'm taller than I remember. And they plunked in the middle of the newsroom table and said, you know, anybody needs a drink during this crisis? Help yourself. plunked in the middle of the newsroom table and said, you know, anybody needs a drink during this crisis? Help yourself.

And no, you know, not once did anybody ever, you know, get to the point where they shouldn't be on the radio. Okay, well that's great restraint showing there. I don't know Great Lakes beer there to tempt everybody. All right, so you're in Montreal. There should have been. Let me just add, there should have been

Great Lakes beer available, right? See, you're good at this. Now that you're not at the CBC you can be a shill you can quickly gear because I'm gonna get this out of the way because it's gonna be rocking and rolling all the rest of the way. Palma pasta did send over a delicious lasagna for you it's in my freezer right now they make authentic Italian food and you buy it here in Oakville in Mississauga go to palmapasta.com but they fed us all at TMLX 15 and everybody loved it so Mike Apple sent me a note yesterday to say he had made a trip to Palma's he lives on

the other side of the city he made a trip to Palma's kitchen to load up because his kids demand it now okay so you're bringing home that okay boys on you with you better than bringing home the bacon. Well, they probably have bacon. Probably bacon, yeah. But not in that particular lasagna. One last gift here before we move on. Here in Toronto, we have a semi-pro baseball team called the Toronto Maple Leafs. Yep.

And they play at Christie Pitts. Have you ever caught a Toronto Maple Leafs? You know, I was looking at the book and saying, my God, in the time I was in Toronto, which was a lifetime, I never, never went to Christie Pitts to see the Leafs play. Well, it's worth the drive. Yeah.

Although maybe not on a day like today, but they're absolutely a full value, no ticket required. You can drink now in the park without worrying about breaking any laws. They've got great food. It's a great spirit there. So that book you have is the history of Toronto Maple Leafs baseball.

And I just want to remind everybody that this is They got great food. It's a great spirit there. So that book you have is the history of Toronto Maple Leafs baseball. And I just want to remind everybody that this is. Just high caliber entertaining baseball in a great environment here in the city, Christie and Bloor Christie pits. We want to fill the Hill and I will be there recording live on August 4th at 2 PM. And I, I'm scheduled to throw out the first pitch. Robert.

Oh, I was going to say I was going to be a throw out the first Tory. Oh man, I was going to say I was going to be able to throw out the first Tory. Oh man. You missed your calling too. You know, yuck, yucks, uh, SCTV, you know, you could have been one of the things. It's interesting you mentioned that because I'm a pretty serious guy. Uh, and every once in a while, sort of the humor comes out and it may have come out in a news story, for example, or some juxtaposition or whatever. And used to say you know what why can't you

be funnier all the time my response usually was well isn't it funny this is important serious so we you know but no you gotta be a serious news guy I know that timber when I hear it in the headphones this guy is delivering serious news but the fact you have a sense of humor is it's fun to learn I think a lot of CBC heads are gonna be listening and they did not realize Robert Fisher was that funny Well, I had a wonderful goodbye email from the then vice president of CBC And she said that it's funny how things go around, you know I had actually met this woman one of the things I was involved in Mike at

Legislature for many many years and even currently, was the Ontario Leadership In-Term Program, OLIP, where you bring in university students for a year, they get paid, they work six months for an opposition member and six months for a government member, and they're amazing young people. The current group I did not get a chance to speak with because of the health issues, but I've seen, I I think 39 groups, so that's 39 years of involvement. Um, and one of the people turned out to be the vice president of the CBC many,

many years later. And she said, I always remembered you coming to talk to our group. And I thought, boy, that, that was a worthwhile stop. And she mentioned the sense of humor. So, you know, you need it, right? Like life is so serious. There's real news happening, serious things things happening and you need to have that release you need to be able to laugh Or you know, it's too much. I hate to sort of prolong the the Bob Ray stories

But I think that one of the things that set mr. Ray apart. Yeah In his presentation both in opposition and in government was his sense of humor To really sort of take the temperature down, you know, that's the new expression now his presentation both in opposition and in government was his sense of humor. Uh, to, to really sort of take the temperature down, you know, that's the new expression now, take the temperature down, says Joe Biden. And my God, it seems to be going the other way, which is, which is quite frankly, maybe you might talk about this, a very concerning situation. I'm what I'm looking forward to is that we're going to meander.

We're going to talk about everything and yeah, we'll walk through your career cause I got to get to the CBC here now. And then we really do need to talk about your departure from global TV. Okay. I need the real talk there, but absolutely. I would be very interested in your take on what's happening with, you know, this has been quite the weekend and, and I mean, an attempted assassination and now it's, it seems like there's a fear to criticize Donald Trump following this assassination which to me it's as you as a newsman I'd be interested in your your take on that I'd be interested in your thoughts on all of this well when I heard the news it was a shock but but not surprising right you

know the fact that he gave ten bucks the Democratic Party does not make him a registered Republican. I heard that might not even be him. Yeah, it could have been somebody else. But he's a 20 year old so-called registered Republican in the United States with a gun. And one of the things that has always been around my life following premiers is security. The premiers travel, except for the current one sometimes,

who sneaks out in his pickup truck. Always- He's at his cottage right now. Yeah, he's at his cottage right now. Somebody said they spotted him in a white van on the 427 on Wednesday morning. Deca, TRO van. Yeah, the company has an arm's length,

except he drives their vehicles relationship. But anyway, that's another story We could do several hours on the greasiness of this particular. So there should be security, right? I mean and no no premier no prime minister in this day and age is gonna go anywhere Particularly now without lots of security and so for me as a journalist my questions are okay. So mr. Trump survived He's got a nick in his ear You know, it could have been a bite from Mike Tyson, so Mr. Trump survived, he's got a nick in his ear, you know, it could have been a bite from Mike Tyson,

but it turned out to be a fragment of a bullet, okay? We mentioned Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson earlier in this episode. I know, I know, you see how it all sort of- I love it, I'm connected to the dots. And this is not planned, right? No, we don't even, in fact, I'll just let the listenership know,

I didn't even wanna know how you're doing, you were soaking wet at the door, I said, watch your head and get on the mic. Did I remind you of the former're doing. You were soaking wet at the door. I said, watch your head and get on the mic. Did I remind you of the former British Prime Minister coming in soaking wet? You know, just, this actually is going better than his election.

That's right. Okay, but back to your story, because I do want to ask you about former leaders as well. But yeah, if security. So, you know, you don't say no to your security because quite frankly, even for journalists, you know, there are people out there who say and threaten lots of difficult things, you know, in, in my career, I've had the death threats. I,

I was punched and pushed in a grocery store after the 2015 election by a gentleman who pardon me, uh, was, you know, I, I made a mistake in the election night. pardon me, was, you know, I made a mistake on election night. I had said in agreement with one of our anchors that Kathleen Wynne had made a lifestyle choice. I, you know, I tell you, if I could take that back, Mike, I would just, and it caused an awful upset

to the point where even though the CBC said, you don't have to apologize the next morning with Matt Galloway I asked for extra time after the analysis to say look I want to apologize to people and not one of those Political, you know if anybody was offended I knew people were offended and I had screwed up and that bothered me to no end And even thinking about it now And that bothered me to no end. And even thinking about it now gets the blood boiling. Is it just the phrasing you used? That it's like a choice.

That she one day decided I will be gay. Exactly. And I've had gay friends who said to me, they heard that and it didn't mean anything because sometimes in the parlance in the gay community, it comes up, it's a lifestyle thing, okay? But I knew it was wrong and I knew it wasn't her. gay community, it comes up. It's a lifestyle thing, okay? But I knew it was wrong and I knew it wasn't her.

And so in a grocery store, this guy came up behind me and shoved me into a rack and then ran away. One of the first people to call me on the Friday morning after the election night, I picked up the phone at my desk and I heard, Robert, it's Kathleen Wynne. I just, you know, I almost lost it to tell you the truth. And she said, look, I, I know that was not your thinking. I know that's not you and how much the apology was appreciated.

And, um, I, I just, you know, it was kind of an amazing moment. And not that we didn't have our ups and downs. I wrote things about her that boy, I'll tell you people in her office, you know, it was kind of an amazing moment. And not that we didn't have our ups and downs. I wrote things about her that, boy, I'll tell you people in her office, woof! You've upset the premier, Robert. Well, no kidding, I've upset about eight other premiers along the, you know, the path. Now Kathleen Wynne, and so we talked about

Bob Raid recently made a visit, but earlier this year, Kathleen Wynne made a visit. And I'm just wondering, as we talk about security detail and how it tied into what happened to Donald Trump like while so so can Doug Ford does he have a security detail or no he does yeah does okay what about when you're a former premier like Kathleen Wynn no nothing okay I mean there you know there may be there may be a panic button so called oh we all have that on our phone, right?

It's called 911. Exactly. But there's sometimes there's more to it than that if you're a premier and security around their home is always upgraded. And, you know, I mean, Mr. Ray would have told you that there was often an OPP launch outside his cottage. But the reason I'm asking specifically

is those are two people where in this calendar year, they did exactly what you did, which is they parked in my driveway and they came to the side door and they knocked and they came solo both. So Kathleen, not together, but that would be the episode. Okay. But they would do that. I bet you they're both, they both have great, they're both, I found them both to be very classy, very interesting and very kind people. Both. If I may say so, it sounds very political, but we're talking about, I guess, two parties that actually became one with Mr. Ray. You know, he, as

I said on Facebook, he was a dipper, then he was a liberal, then he was a dipper, and now we learned on Mike, Toronto Mike, he's a dipper again, he's dipping in the lake skinny dipping. Right, right. But you do, you do travel security for a reason. There are people out there that have mental health issues that they see you and you've got to be careful. Kathleen Wynne, everywhere she went, there But you do travel security for a reason. There are people out there that have mental health issues

that they see you and you've gotta be careful. Kathleen Wynn, everywhere she went, there were two OPP officers. If she ran in the morning, though this is a little interesting tidbit, the guys who used to protect her, they couldn't keep up with the running of the premier. So they had bicycles and when they didn't have bikes,

two women ran with the then premier of the day. Very interesting. But it's interesting that once you're, you know, because Kathleen Wynne was overwhelmingly def- Well, she did stay as an MPP for several years. Very gutsy. But took a lot of abuse. But so like, I don't know if you know the answer, but when she's an MPP, but no longer leader of the Liberal Party, I guess Stephen Del Duca, I guess, took over yep also an FOTM by the way but when Kathleen Wynne is no longer a leader but still an MPP does she have security detail? No. So it is interesting because I know presidents have it

forever obviously. Mr. Trump will have it until his last days right you know Jimmy Carter had it. Still with us. Yes. Did he set a new record for longest time living in a pallet of care? Yeah. And good for him, because that by all accounts, a gentleman. You know, it's a sad thing, Mike, that the security is required. And you know, when I started at Queens Park after the 1981 election, 81 election, I'm talking 1981, folks,81 in case people, you know remember my career You never know

You could walk right into the building. There was no there was no security pass There was no metal detectors in and now that's that's all become sadly a part of the reality of Political life in Ontario in Ottawa in Alberta you name it but But it's because there's a move by the far right to, uh, make you guys out to be the bad guys. Like I do know of news people who drove cars with the station. They call that livery. Okay. So that's the station branding on the car who have requested that they remove that livery and drive cars without it because they are targeted as members of the media and being

in bed with Justin Trudeau's liberal party. Look, I think the one thing I used to talk to a lot of students who are interested in being political journalists and I think the one thing you have to know at the beginning of that process is people are going to see and hear things that they want to see and hear that may not be there. You know, if I was tough on Mike Harris, ah, he's anti-conservative, and he must be pro-NDP or pro-liberal. If I was tough on Delta McGinty, and I certainly was, and for good reason, you know, oh well,

he's a Tory plant, he's an NDP plant, you know. If you asked an easy question to get Bob Ray talking, and God knows Bob Ray can talk, we used to have to lock the doors at Global to keep him out as a guest from Focus Ontario, but that's another story. We're gonna get there. Yeah, you just, you know, it's,

it's just, I sort of regret that the, you know, the People's Parliament, if you will, getting sort of very esoteric here, is, you know, I mean, you don't see school tours anymore because of the language on the floor and the, you know, the shouting and screaming and threats, come on outside, I'll beat you up, and you know, this is crazy.

But it is kind of the way politics has evolved. I remember the days, Mike, at Christmas, when the premier of the day would cross the two sword links between the opposition and government benches to shake the hand of the leader of the opposition and wish him or her a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. That just disappeared now. End of the session. Boom, they're out of there and there's hardly a wave goodbye. We've lost some civility there. That's a shame here. Okay, so you mentioned early 80s, you're at Queens Park, you're a reporter for CBC Television. So how did you get to CBC Television?

Well, I was, you know, interesting. I was a graduate student at Carlton working on my master's degree, which makes me kind of a guinea pig because I had no undergraduate degree. I have a college diploma and a master's degree. You skipped it. I skipped it, but they had me do my university in two years.

But luckily for me, that first year, I could pick the courses I wanted to take. So Canadian politics, Canadian history, labor law. I mean, it was wonderful. And the second year, graduate year, I worked on a thesis. And no math required here? No math. My goodness, no math. And no welding.

But you know, I always told people if the axle of the campaign bus were to break and somebody had an oxy acetylene unit. You could handle it. I could handle it. Which is a valued skill and we need more welders. This is when I was going to school in the 80s, you had to go to university, like you know, only the dummies were getting trades. And now we look back and how many people on at their cottages,

maybe neighbors of Doug Ford's for all I know, who run their own businesses because they took a trade like their plumbers or their electricians. And we were so in need of these skills. When I retired, my final day at CBC was July 23rd, 2015. Right. And I got a phone call at my desk and the voice said, Robert, it's Bill Davis. We had an hour long conversation about life and politics. It was amazing.

I didn't record it, but I certainly remembered a lot of things he said. And one of the things he talked about was the creation in 1967 of the college system. And he told me how much abuse, my word, not his, but the things he talked about was the creation in 1967 of the college system and he told me how much abuse, my word not his, but sort of he'd taken from universities who said if you create these colleges you're going to diminish the importance and the quality of our university education and Mr. Davis said to them and

said to me I knew in 67 it was the right decision and in 2015 I still believe it was the right decision. Wow, visionary, that's amazing. Okay, so you're still on your way to CBC TV. Yep, so I was a summer student with 10 years of radio experience and I was assigned, which not necessarily a good thing, to work at the National with Nolten Nash. Good night! Good night.

Wonderful Nolten, Jan Tennant, George McLean. Only George's bottom lip moved when he ran. He had this mustache. But you know, like the people and got, you know, Parliament Hill, Peter Mansbridge and David, I was gonna say David Diven, but it wasn't anyway, that name will come to me. Really quality people.

So I learned a lot, but then the contract ran out. And so there was an opening at CBC Toronto, CBLT then, okay, channel five, channel five. I applied as a reporter and was hired as a reporter. And the first assignment was to continue covering the train derailment in Mississauga, talking to people like the great Hazel McCallion, walking through empty streets and whatever. It was hiding under the CBC news car because these tanker cars were exploding and they

were afraid they might hurt somebody. And then I applied for and got the television job covering CBC Bureau at City Hall, Toronto City Hall. So I got to you know cover John Sewell and Art Eagleton and people like that. Met some great people and then it sort of natural flow that you know you do municipal politics the next step would be provincial and so there was somebody covering Queen's Park in those days the CBC quite frankly was not happy with him. And so I got put onto the 81 campaign with Bill Davis and the rest is history.

The story from the 81 campaign that I wanted to tell you about the thong as opposed to the throng. I was speaking in Brampton when Mr. Davis got the key to the city from the mayor. Right. His response was he got it Mr. Davis was Physically in in pretty bad shape and I think his end was pretty near Although we didn't realize how close and he got up and he said to the mayor. He said well, this is great

But he said two questions Why did you take so long and number two does this key open anything in Brampton in any event? We all spoke there was pinball Clemens Hazel McCallion Neil Davis and one of mr. Davis's children spoke There's another woman John McDermott former Tory MP for Brampton and and so and mayor Brown as well So I got up and I was explaining to the audience that I met Mr. Davis back in 1981. I said, you know, I met him in a little town called Exeter, Ontario.

Factoid, it's the hometown of Janet Ecker, who was at one point finance minister in Ontario, one of the great women politicians in Ontario. Keep the fun facts coming. Coming, okay, so my first day on the campaign trail we're in Exeter, man in Exeter, Ontario, a little small town right near a place called Reese's Corners. And after the tornado, the locals called it Reese's Pieces.

So I approached this group of reporters talking to Mr. Davis, who is mainstreeting. And I'm telling the story to the audience. I said, you know, and as I approached, I saw this thong of reporters. And there's a lot of laughter. And I was trying, how do I get out of this? I'm probably as red as anything and blushing with embarrassment. Mr. Davis laughed, Mrs. Davis laughed, John Torrey, they all laughed, that was hilarious. I said, I told you, I was talking about progressive conservatives. But, and in those days, you know, I had the mustache and the trench coat, of course,

because that's obligatory wear. I can't even picture an old tenash about the trench coat. Well, and you know, his glasses were not real, right? No, I didn't know that. They're just glass. To make him look smarter. Well, I think, but you know what? He was, I mean, this is a big star in journalism, right?

As a correspondent, Washington all over the place. Then coming back to Anchor the News, he was the nicest man. I've met a lot of people sort of on the way up who are not very nice. I need those names. Well, we don't have that kind of time. Beep beep beep beep beep. Anyway, it was just one of those moments that you just had to quickly think about something. But sadly, he left a huge legacy.

As a graduate of a community college, how grateful I am that he created those colleges because what what I have done would I become a welder I You know, I mean it's a sort of a for me a little scary prospect actually now. I'm at that event You're describing there. I'm sure Paken must have been there right like he if there's a no Paken was in diapers in 1981 He's a very young guy. Okay, that's true. He's probably a U of T or something. Did you overlap at CBLT, CBC Toronto? Did you overlap with Pagan? Yes, briefly. Okay. But I had, you know, taken the siren call of fame and fortune to go to Barbara Green Road and Global Television. Well, we're going to do that right now. Except did you cross paths at CBLT with Bruce Dobigan? Yes. Before he became what he is now a right-wing nut

My words not yours. I can say that because I'm he's a good FOTM who I quite like but I oh he's a very No, we're gonna come around. I think living in Alberta, you know often does he'll tell you he sees the world differently now But this book here, I see your glass I won't move it because your glasses on top of but that is a self a self-published book by Bruce Doboggan and his son, Evan. And it's on the greatest, basically the greatest NHL trades, the biggest trades that stunned the NHL. And because they self-published it, as you can imagine, awareness is everything. So I didn't take any money from FOTM Bruce Doboggan, but I told him, I'm happy to give your book to guests like Robert Fisher, because that way I'm forced to tell the, but I told him I'm happy to give your book to guests like Robert Fisher because that way I'm

Forced to tell the listenership it exists So deal with it is the name of the book and you can buy it now Bruce again and his son Evan who doesn't live Too far from here really they they wrote it together and forward by the aforementioned Steve Pagan well I mean, it's a thread that runs through this whole In Bob Ray, but I will say that there was a radio show on the fan five ninety called Double Play. That was Steve Paikin and Bruce Dobe again. And the deal was, I think they did the show for free, but they had to

they sold their own ads. Like that was the idea. Like, we'll give you and this was like ahead of its time, because I think that's how almost all almost all commercial radio is kind of like that now. Maybe you can. Brian Williams. Yeah, was the sports guy at CBLT time right now. Eleven, seven. I got to tell you, we're going we're ready. Roll that tape.

You know, he used to rehearse in the newsroom like you'd be sitting at your desk writing, you know, Premier Bill Davis, you'd hear, so tonight on the Chicago Stadium, the Blackhawks face, he would walk right by your desk and go to the end of the newsroom and then walk back and do the second story and he was always extremely well prepared and and was a Total total professional. Oh listen until Robert Fisher came down these stairs in his his wet jacket I gotta say having Brian Williams down here was a highlight. I'm saying Brian. What a conversation. What a legend Williams down here was a highlight. I'm saying, Brian, what a conversation, what a legend. Oh, he is a legend. Absolutely. Yep. Okay. So let's get you to global here. Why do you

leave CBC television for global television network? One word was opportunity. I had always thought that I could parlay my gravitas, so-called, made my nice nice shirts ties and pocket puffs into an anchor job but in those days the Union at CBC this would be 1989 maybe they they didn't they didn't wouldn't allow that you were either a reporter or you were a news reader really okay I mean one of the reasons Lloyd Robertson left the CBC to go to CTV was they wouldn't let him write anything. Right.

And he wanted to have a chance to write because you want to put ownership into your newscast. You don't want to accept the words of strangers all that, or colleagues rather, all the time. Right. And so he left. So I went to Global and one of the first things they did was they said to me, now you're here, now you're bureau chief. We need a show, a political show on television on a Saturday night, 630. And we want it on this Saturday night and this is Wednesday. We want to, so what do you want to do?

And I said, well, I did Dateline Ontario. Oh, we can't possibly call it Dateline Ontario. We'll call it Focus Ontario. Because they were doing polling with a company in Toronto at that point and their reports came out on black binders with Focus Ontario and I said to the used guy, executive producer, I think we'll call it Focus Ontario and he had never looked at the books behind him on the bookshelf, so it became Focus Ontario. Now I have to tell you honestly some liberals, New Democrats and Tories had another F word

that was often used to describe the show and would come into, you know, cabin on a Wednesday morning, so were you on blank Ontario and how was it or something? But it was a show we created and, you know, I mean, in spite of, and we'll talk about this, Global's Difficulties, I think it's still on the air, the longest running show, a huge number of hosts that followed me. And we'll talk about this global difficulties. I think it's still on the air, longest running show, a huge number of hosts that followed me.

I did it for 12 years. We started one July night and, uh, on a Saturday night and it, it just continued every night after that. And I had, I had some convincing from global because they, they wanted a tougher kind of, let's have some blood in the carpet type show. And I said to them, if you do that, these guests will never come back. You can ask tough questions, but they have to be fair. You know, like Bob Ray, if he were here, I hope he'd say this, that Fisher was tough, but fair.

Right. So, and then it just sort of evolved, and it fit my needs. I was the bureau chief at Queens Park. The program gave me quite a bit of a push in terms of reporters and their importance at Queens Park. It was very nice. People knew me, saw me, wanted to be on Focus Ontario. So they were 12 great years.

And then one day I got a call to go to the Prince Hotel. Not that I remember this day, but it was the second floor room 202 walked in the head of uh... I was going to say inhuman resources but uh... it was actually HR and the then vice president an old friend of mine sadly uh... and they said you know look you no longer fit in so uh...

here's your severance package I was at twelve years uh... you know and at the time I was doing three jobs you know Peter Peter Kent was away so I was doing first national at six thirty I was at 12 years, and at the time I was doing three jobs. Peter Kent was away, so I was doing First National at 6.30, I was hosting Focus Ontario, and doing the Global News at 11. And it was a shock, and it really stung, and it still does. My children were beside themselves. My son had some pretty nasty comments made by some schoolmates could be pretty cruel Oh your dad got fired a that you know, just the official term was contract not renewed, right?

but then then somebody Decided that they should embellish the dismissal and talked about you know well, I we you know Robert was abusive to his co-host and you know, well, we, you know, Robert was abusive to his cohost and, uh, this, this really, this really hurt this really cut deep. Okay. Um, there was no humor in this story. No. And um, you know, I, okay, so you got my job, you got my show, you got my office, you got my business cards, you got my keys to the building, all that sort of stuff, but you're not going to get my reputation, so I hired a lawyer, and the thing went to head office in Winnipeg at the time,

with one of the Aspers still running global, that's when they were still successful. And we had another court settlement. Now, the fact that I live in a luxurious home out of Lake and Eastern Ontario may or may not have been part of that settlement. I did got my computer and all that sort of stuff. fact that I live in a luxurious home out of Lake and Eastern Ontario may or may not have been part of that settlement. I did got my computer and all that sort of stuff.

And then I was like 55 at the time and you sort of think, boy, it's over, right? Yeah, that's a tough time to get to. And then John McGrath, you know, dropping names here. Forget about Steve for a minute. Think about John. I already forgot about him. Steve who? Steve, what's his name?

He and the other fella, he, um, he sold the CBC guys. He looked, uh, Fisher is available. You, you, you should hire this guy. You know, he, he knows Queens park inside out, blah, blah, blah, blah, and so forth. And it took them about six months to finally put me on the weekend news on radio, but they did hire me. And, uh, and, and then I had 13 wonderful last years in the business. So 56 years in total. Wow. As an 18 year old kid and leaving in 2015. Hell of a career. That's why I said living legend alert. That's why this little alarm was going off in the corner. Living legend alert going off here, but I got to ask some questions about you getting fired from global. Okay. So if you go and again, I want I want you to speak to the accuracy here,

but if you go to your Wikipedia page right now, it'll, I'm going to read what I just copied and pasted the line. He was fired from global in 2000 after criticizing what he perceived as the network's shift toward infotainment reporting. Like that's on your Wikipedia page, but listening to you, you didn't even mention anything of the nature. No, I mean, I think there was probably, look, I was expensive and it used to be said at Global,

they didn't want people retiring from Global because Izzy Asper didn't want to pay the pension stuff. That was kind of the talk of the time. So yes, I was deeply concerned about the creation of infotainment and the sort of let's not get the facts in the way of a good story sort of approach. But the other thing that I think was my ultimate undoing was that I worked with a colleague who ended up hosting conservative fundraisers for Mike Harris. And Global was required to go out and get pictures

of this person. And I just thought this was absolutely outrageous that a news anchor would be hosting. And on a podium with a co-host who was making jokes about striking teachers and all that sort of stuff, and then coming back the next night and reporting on the latest, you know, development and the teachers dispute with the then Harris government. I just thought that was wrong and I blew the whistle on it and I think that whistle blow was the eventual last call for me, I'll tell

you. How do you feel, I just thought of this when you were speaking there, but how do you feel about today? He's retired from the CBC himself, but Peter Mansbridge does now do advertisements for reverse mortgages. Like as a longtime news guy, how does that, how do you feel about that? Yeah, it makes me very uncomfortable. You know, I mean, I think the only thing I've ever promoted in my life has been fundraising for Parkinson Canada, okay? I mean, I put my name right in front of that

because I think it's such an important cause and so important issue and the fact that we have a healthcare system that is not ready for what Michael J. Fox calls the future tsunami of cases in the United States and Canada, but that's an aside. So this commercial stuff I mean, I don't think Peter needs the money. I think he lives very well. He lived well

He made the coin of the red a home in Scotland. Yeah Yes, apparently home in Stratford I mean, he's got a working wife who's an actress and his working wife beloved FOTM Love that woman. Yeah, she is she and she and I are both celiacs. Oh, I so yeah, she couldn't take the pasta. She couldn't take the past or the beer. Well, I, I, I could sell this and you got to bring the money back. Just quick fun fact, cause we're talking about politics is that Bonnie Cromby and Cynthia Dale were

both friendly at Michael power high school together. They were in the same. Really? Yeah. Wow. So there's a, there, just to bring it all back. So Peter Mansbridge's wife was a high school. So I don't, I don't mean, I'm not going to judge Peter. I have my own personal, I would never do that myself. I mean, I had opportunities, you know, in my career to move out of journalism and go into, you know, GR work or media training. And it just, it, I just wasn't comfortable with that. I, you know, I looked at some videotapes of a guy who worked for a company in Toronto

and he, you know, basically convinced this poor executive that he was doing the right thing to fire 200 people who were over 56 or something. And I don't, oh my God, I was sort of sick to my stomach to tell you the truth, but- But everyone's gotta pay the mortgage. Oh my, pay the mortgage. Feed your family.

My God, I could have bought Big Rideau Lake, you know? But it just, the first actual approach was from the TTC. They wanted me to do, you know, media relations. And TTC, cars that didn't fit on the tracks. Wait, is this after 2015? No, no, no, this is, no. Nobody's approached me after 2015. I'm available, Mike's my agent. Listen. Actually, it's Simon Dingley, because he's. Okay, okay. No, nobody's approached me after 2015. I'm available. Mike's my agent.

Listen. Actually, Simon Dingley, because he's been promoting this appearance. Simon Dingley kicked ass in his Toronto Mike debut, but he was a guy. Okay. He came over on, I think I'm going to be close and maybe off by a day or two, but he might've been here on like a Monday and his last day was Friday of the same week. And he made a special, very rare request. And I only did this because Simon Dingley gave such good podcasts, but he said,

would you mind holding onto the episode and then drop it after my last shift? Because, and I kind of was wondering, this is going to tie into, uh, what happened with Neil Herland recently, who is a, with CBC radio right now. But, uh, he didn't want it. Seeing that he accepted Great Lakes beer and Palma pasta while even though he's retiring, by all accounts, he chose to take the package and leave. And he only had mere days left before he was gonna,

him and Jeannie were gonna head off to Costa Rica or something like that, I don't know. Two great people. Jeannie should come on Toronto Mic'd, right? She has just announced her retirement. Yes, she should be on because she's got some great stories Okay, and you know I mean Simon as you know because I think you know him had some health challenges in his career some injuries And things that made were pretty dark times and Jeannie boy. God bless that woman

She was there supporting him all the way You know convincing him to go back to work and things. So they were the dynamic duo of CBC television. And they met in Montreal, right? Yeah, at CFCF for what is now CGV Montreal. So here's an idea, a couple of quick thoughts have hit me. So firstly, you talking about how you only would show for a charity, like a good cause charity,

but I was thinking that explains why I think when Neil Herlin comes on Toronto Mike, his boss asks him not to accept any gifts. So there is no optics, no, no, I don't know. One day there'll be a story on, uh, there's also, you know, Doug Ford likes alcohol and booze sales and every, every other thing he says seems to be about beer. And it's where he doesn't drink, about beer and He doesn't drink right, but he doesn't drink right and his brother had an issue with beer like was a I believe was an alcoholic Yeah, if I'm correct on that, but it's so that's that's that aside Why even create an optic that you'd be favoring Great Lakes Brewery because you received free Great Lakes beer for doing a podcast

So Neil Hurling didn't accept anything and he really didn't. Like it wasn't a wink wink I'm not taking. No, you know, he didn't take anything. But I wasn't kidding about the NW root beer mug. I mean, we there was some promotion and the NW sent over gazillions of gallons of root beer and they sent those those large frosty mugs right now. Yeah. And they said, you know, please please accept them as a small gift. I didn't really think that I'd ever have an AMW root beer story to tell apart from my- But you never know.

My teen years in Cornwall going to the first AMW ever. The Mama Burger or the Papa Burger? What was your burger there? Well- Teen Burger? The Coney Burger. Coney Island Burger with the chili on the top. Oh yeah, right. And the young women who brought the tray to the car, put it on the window and had rollerskates and they, you know, oh yeah, this is not that far along.

It's big. Well this is like happy days here. Happy days. So look, it's the CBC. It is the CBC. I, you know, I mean, A&W would never buy my support because they said here, keep this glass mug. And I know that Great Lakes Beer exists and it's a fine brewery and they have a fine product

and they wisely support. Fiercely independent. They support the show. Not gobbled up yet by the conglomerates. You know, the fact that Neil couldn't take four beer. I mean, how is that going to affect his credibility with the audience? Maybe it's not worth the risk, right?

Well, maybe some people might see something. We pay you a salary, buy your own Great Lakes beer. Okay, but now this person's brother worked at the CBC, but I was thinking, hearing you talk, and your delivery, it's hilarious to me because you're kind of like the straight man delivering funny lines, and I feel like that's exactly what Leslie Nielsen did in the naked gun and

airplane and everything. And I think we reboot the naked gun, you in the role of Frank Drebben or in at least in that role, because you would be great. And Leslie Nielsen's brother, longtime CBC reporter. Yes, absolutely. Just to bring it back to the CBC. You get back to the CBC. Well, I, you know, if, if the offer comes along, far be it for me to say no. Let me get on the phone with the Zuckers and Abrams. So we have big news. This is Tuesday we're recording.

So just yesterday and you know, we saw the writing on the wall. I can name you some good guests like Farrah Nasser and Alan Carter and Colleen Rush home and Bob Willett. Shout out to Bingo Bob. But good people at Chorus have been tapped on the shoulder recently. And it sounds like there's gonna be 300 more and the goal is to eliminate 25% of the Chorus.

800 jobs or something. In total, yeah, I think they've already done 500. It's like 300 to go. So this summer there'll be 300 good, hardworking Chorus employees. I don't know if they're all hardworking, but 300 people are gonna get that tap on the shoulder and that manila that call the office right so what are your thoughts on what's going down with

well it's in global news in particular today it's just not good you need competition you know I mean I'll tell you quite frankly there were times at CBC when they didn't pay attention of what globalist is for I got there didn't pay attention to global because well, just before I got there. Didn't pay attention to Global, because, you know, it's just Global TV. And in fact, when I announced I was leaving CBC to go to Global, I had people come up to me and say, you're nuts, you're nuts, that place is junk, there's nobody that's worth their weight in gold.

Was Peter Kent there yet? No, Peter Kent came after. Okay, that man's worth is a weight in gold. I think that guy's fantastic. Yeah, Peter and I worked very closely together. Listen to his episode of Toronto Mic'd, it's unbelievable. Yeah, okay. Peter Chan, Toronto Mic'd, that's your homework.

He mentioned me like I mentioned him, no, it doesn't matter. Maybe. So it's a sad thing because there's gonna be, you know, fewer people out there to check things and follow politicians and follow stories. Right. And you know, look, all of these people, it's going to really rock their world to get that slip of paper, that pat on the back and. And you know, look, these follow these people, it's going to really rock their world to

get that slip of paper that pat on the back and say, you know, thank you for your 15 or 20 years, but you're you're gone. And these are high profile people, I think far and answer for particular is was a very high profile anchor at global news. And so these are the kind of people who, you know, probably because they make a decent salary, right? So well, you're expendable. And you see a global and I was expendable because I was on contract. There was no union protection for me. Right.

And it was the end of the season so-called. So this happened in August, easy cut and they want easy cut and all your contracts up and we're not renewing it. So goodbye. And you don't fit in. So leave the building. But Robert, before we get you back to CBC radio and then it but but we have a in Canada news here we have Global they're gonna make so many cuts that you're gonna have like one guy out of some office in Toronto doing the news everywhere or something who knows so they're gonna make massive cuts to global news Okay, if there's still gonna be a global news, we'll see because you know, of course There's there was a Toronto Star article that said and I I had previously tweeted this, but that they could be on the brink, they're on the brink of bankruptcy.

Like there's a loan coming in and the amount of money that they're currently making with their radio and television products, big trouble, big trouble at core. So of course, if global news is decimated, we just talked about how, uh, should Pierre Pauli have become prime minister, the defunding of the CBC, like what's that going to be? So now you've got the CBC being defunded, whatever that will mean, and you have global news in big, big, big trouble. So now is it like we're now relying on the two cable companies to present the news

in this country and we all know the cuts we get happens at Bell media all the time and of course Rogers as well like and We're in dire straits. Yeah, I mean look CTV Ottawa just lost Graham Richardson as their co-anchor at 6 o'clock That's a huge loss now He's gone to a private sector job and he's gonna be very successful and he's a terrific guy and move into your You know, you have that Institutional memory you have that institutional memory. You have that gravitas. You have his ability to mentor young reporters.

You get rid of these people who are, yes, high salaried, and you lose the ability for these young people to have somebody to turn to and say, I made a mistake, what do I do? How do I correct it? Or who do I talk to? And, you know, I mean, I used to, I taught law and ethics at Centennial College in Toronto for a year or so

And I used to tell my students. I'm not gonna make you lawyers. I'm gonna keep you away from the lawyers Okay, so watch the libel the slander all that that sort of stuff and now you're suddenly going to have losing people like Graham But that he left on his own it had nothing to do with Bell Media cuts But that they've been decimated but he might have seen the writing on the wall Maybe but a lot of people like what's what didn't I don't know I can't remember how he answered it It had nothing to do with Bell Media cuts, but that they've been decimated. But he might have seen the writing on the wall. Maybe, but I... Like a lot of people. I can't remember how he answered it, but he was careful.

But you know, would Simon Dingley have taken the package now if there wasn't an imminent conservative party with a pledge to defund CBC? I think too at the time people like Simon and eventually Jeannie Lee, his wife from the business unit, left because you know there've been a lot of rumors about major cuts at CBC and now that seems to be in abeyance. It's like the financial problems are, are gone magically. How did that happen? Where did they find all this money?

I just, I don't know. Well, people are leaving. I mean, CBC radio in Toronto just lost one of the pillars of that news operation, particularly for Metro Morning in Mary Weins, one of the great storytellers in the business. She's by the way, I've got a couple of stories just lost one of the pillars of that news operation, particularly for Metro Morning, in Mary Weins, one of the great storytellers in the business. She's, by the way, a very talented jazz pianist,

and she's looking for gigs, so. Will she come on Toronto Mic'd? Well, I would. Would you introduce us? I will introduce you. Very talented, very talented woman. Oh, I'd love to talk to her. By the way, the board of directors for CBC

and Radio Canada has approved bonuses for some staff following a fiscal year that's 141 employees let go and another 205 vacant positions eliminated. I mean, this was news this week too, that basically, oh, we'll look at this for next time. But but massive bonuses go out to the board of directors for CBC, even though they're cutting. Yeah. And you know, the thing that really irks me that causes that tattoo and my derriere to kind of shrivel up is the fact that there's so much repeat broadcasting on radio.

It's on, the same program is on all of the time. It's repeated twice, it's three times. The news is even repeated hour after hour after hour. And so if you hear the 630 news, to be honest with you, it's not really worth your while to listen to the 730 because it's the 630 and the 630 is the 830 and so on and so on. But it's because they don't have the staff and some people, I'll be honest with you, some people I work with are bone lazy. And so they get the print out of the newscast

and they just keep reading the same thing over and over again. Rip and read. And so my concern is with management, nobody's listening, it's not acceptable. It wasn't acceptable when I was there, it wasn't acceptable with Michael Enright for Peter Mansbridge.

You know, they wanted quality and it was quality broadcasting. And now it's just low Well, let's repeat the show. Let's repeat that comment. Let's repeat that report But there are still good news people doing their best with under under difficult circumstances Believe me It's this is no, you know walk in the park for a lot of people who are trying to put the national out it every Night and radio newscast throughout the day and so forth

So well before we get you back to CBC radio, the reason I'm wearing this this t-shirt here is it's important I ask you about something because now I see on the live stream that Andrew's literally yelling at me because he's putting it in all caps. He wants me to ask you Robert Fisher about when you nearly changed jobs during the Davis years from journalist to MPP. Is there a story there Mr. Fisher? There is a very brief one. Mr. Davis had a photo opportunity in his office and my camera person, I was gonna say cameraman, but in my day in the

80s they were cameraman but now there are some extraordinary women who are videographers. Yeah and they're lighter. The TK-76, you know, it weighed 6,000 pounds. It was solid steel. It was incredible. So many people ended up with bad knees and bad shoulders. So we ended up going into Mr. Davis's office and lo and behold, we were the first there. So my camera person is setting up the sticks for the thing and so I'm in the middle between Mr. Davis on my left. I think probably he was on my left, and on my right was John Tory, then the young, very talented principal secretary to the Premier of Ontario.

Mr. Davis with the trademark pipe, which was rarely lit, you know, I mean you could smoke in the legislature in those days but his pipe was rarely lit. He took the pipe out and he said, so Robert, you ever thought of running? And I paused for a second and said, but Mr. Davis, for which party? And he looked at John Tory and he said, this interview's over.

And he never, I mean, I knew they were looking for a conservative candidate in the Cornwall area. And somebody must have put the bug in his ear that well, maybe Fisher would do it, you know? Well, you know, Peter Kent's a good example of a news person who had great success. Going to the dark side. But anyway, that's another, so I turned it down.

But subsequent to that, there were other offers. One of the most interesting was, they were two federal offers. The NDP and Broadview Green would approach me to run The NDP and Broadview Green would approach me to run for a seat at the same time as the Canadian something rather I think the an actoring was crap party came out and they wanted you know so one end of the spectrum and then the other you know and I said to the NDP well so what are you going to offer me when I don't win a Senate seat or something. And they all laugh. So, you know, I had a friend who said, why don't you go after both nominations and be a hell of a story. Yeah. You know, the right wing party and the left wing party both.

Oh, that's funny. That's like when I told the Bob Ray, he should run as a conservative candidate because then he could have the full set. Basically. Yeah. The hat trick. Yeah. I, you know, I don't think I have no, nothing but intuition. I don't think we've heard the last of Mr. Ray after his extra year as ambassador. I got a feeling that he's, you know, I would, I wouldn't doubt that for a second. I guess he's got that, uh, it,

she's got a scratch. Uh, he's not quite done with politics yet here. No, absolutely. All right. So you, you, we talked about global, not renewing your contract and then this slander. Uh, I hope you, I hope you're, maybe you got a lawyer as good as Lauren Honigman. I don't know who your lawyer is. No, I didn't get Lauren, but I got a slander law. Yep. Got a very good, um, very good lawyer. Do we have a number now?

I feel like you can tell us the number now. What did you get from global? for that slander I Guess it ended up to be about two years of salary which I what was that salary again? I can't remember but 55 bucks a week. It was No, six figures. I'm just wondering how far I can push you you want me to count the free Hathaway shirts and You know the wardrobe how many mugs did you take exactly from A&W? Well, actually.

If I saw your clock, do you have a room full of A&W mugs? No, I gave it to my son. I think he's usually going to keep pencils at his desk. I have a mug here, similar to those A&W mugs, I guess, which I got in 1984 because I loved Andre the Giant. I was a big Andre the Giant fan. And at my local byway they were selling these mugs and I picked it up in 84 and I've held on to it now. I'm going to say that's

about, I know it's exactly 40 years. So I still have it here in the studio. You know, I haven't got the glasses on, but from where I'm sitting, it looks like Steve Paken. You know, one of the things, one of the things Bill Davis did after his retirement as premier, he played a huge role in making sure TV Ontario existed on a continuing basis. I used to tell people that Mr. Davis was protecting Pokeroo and Paken. And he did, you know, with no fanfare. I mean, I think it's fair to say that the studio where Paken operates his show on is

the William G. Davis studio. And, you know, they now have a control room named after late lamented, whose gentleman, I forget, but he was just honored by Pagan. Peerndorf? Yeah, Mr. Peerndorf. Right. So, you know, Davis did that kind of thing. And just to get one other story about him,

you know, a lot of people forgot who he was and he used to consult. I've been writing about this in my book. I think it's fair to say he was the first or one of the first calls that Bob Raegot after he won in 1990, you know, a surprise election win. He consulted with Dahls McGinty, Kathleen Wynn. I don't think he ever did any work with Frank Miller or of course Frank wasn't around for more than eight months

or Mike Harris because they were diametrically opposed in their ideology. Though Mr. Davis put Mr. Harris in cabinet. So Mr. Davis went to see Janet Ecker who was then the education minister one day. From Exeter. Yes, from Exeter. So paying attention.

Yeah, paying attention. He goes into the office and he says, hello, I'd like to see Ms. Ecker. And this young receptionist said, oh, excuse me, sir, but you know, you just can't show up and expect the minister to draw up everything and come out to talk to you. And so you'll have to make an appointment, right? So he puts his trench coat on, puts his pipe back in his mouth, turns and walks away. Young woman goes into the office and says to a senior person,

you know, there was just some old guy out front here, just showed up wanting to meet Janet Ecker, you know, he had white hair, a pipe and a trench coat. So the person said, what's his name? Well, Bill, Bill, Bill, how's his name? Well, Bill Davis. And I'm not sure exactly the response in words that were used, but I think that, you know, maybe taken to the woodshed over that kind of treatment, you know? That's great. Yeah.

All right. Here's a hard hitting question from Paul who heard you were coming on. And Paul's question I'll just read it as it was written I would love to know why Doug Ford's feet aren't held to the fire by somebody anybody Regarding his drug dealing days back in Etobicoke this speaks directly to his character and shouldn't be ignored He should have to answer in public for his drug dealing. So that was Paul before you respond. I'll just say anecdotally I feel like you know how they you say oh you've met you've met like in public for his drug dealing. So that was Paul. Before you respond, I'll just say anecdotally, I feel like, you know how you say,

oh, you've met like 500,000 people who say they were at like the first Blue Jay game in 1977. Right, yeah, okay. I think I've met several thousand people now who bought drugs from Doug Ford in Etobicoke. It was Camaro. With the darkened window. So what would you say to Paul?

Well, you know, the Globe and Mail tried, and they blew the whole story right out in the open, and giving Mr. Ford every opportunity to take a legal action, put them in the Court of Queen's Bench, and raked them over the coals. And his answer was, well, the Thompsons have so much money, it's not worth pursuing. But it's a fair point. In my lifetime I never thought that a former drug dealer in high school who didn't go beyond

high school and had a few months in college and then Inherited his dad's label company. Business and went to Chicago and spent a lot of time in Navy Pier or something. Something like that would become the premier of Ontario. I mean, we used to have standards. You know, all the populism aside, what is currently going on with this government, what has gone on and what will go on is like beyond the pale.

I keep hearing the words directed at Kathleen Wynne by Mr. Ford, you know, criminal activity. I'm going to get to the bottom of it as soon as I win. We're going to investigate this kind of, you know, it's corruption. Well corruption is a criminal code of defense, so if you think that went on, why not pursue it? Right. And he's, you know, I mean, look, the man is a bully.

And boy, this is going to get my neighbors upset. He's mistakes are being made. Friends are benefiting from, you know, I call it the family and friends events. Oh, we have an opening in the New York office. We have somebody we need to run the LCBO. And when could you handle Ontario Place at the same time? And when you came to the stag and doe for my daughter, was the doe D-O-U-G-H or was it something else? Well, you know, we've had the recent deal with the Belgium or Swiss, I can no longer remember, but the, the spa company, Thurme, I think. So there's this privatized spa coming in and lots of public

money. And it seems to be happening in the dark. Like it's just sort of, this is happening. You know, the boards are up. I can't bike in Ontario place anymore. Although William B William Davis, uh, as the namesake for this Trillium park where you can still bike Trillium park, you just can't get to the Ontario play site. Okay. But I digress. And then again, then you have this sudden, uh, we'll let me got to close on science center. can't get to the Ontario Place site. Okay but I digress. And then again then you have this sudden, we got to close on sign center, we got to close the Ontario Sign Center now because of this. And if the one

report doesn't do it, let's get a second. And you know I was reading an article in Architecture Canada. Yeah. You were gonna be an architect. I was gonna be an architect. Like George Costanza. But the 48 just couldn't get me into architecture school at U of T or anywhere. You know, who says, you know, the expense to repair the end is grossly exaggerated. And I think that the people around Mr. Ford are sometimes too clever by half. They bring up one report and everybody supports it and they bring out the CEO of Ontario Science Centre who was appointed, a former conservative MP,

appointed to head up the board by Mr. Ford. And gosh, lo and behold, he says, you know, they're right, and look at this report. It'll knock you out of your seat or something along those lines. But this province continues to give his government a majority, and there's really nothing we can really do. And you know, it would be easy to respond to that.

And I'm thinking of the words of a Washington Post reporter who had a speech in Ottawa a few months back. And she said, you know, the problem with the media and politics these days is that they follow the horse race. The latest poll, you know, Poliev is up 20 points, Ford is up 30 points. So, Bonnie Cromby is down to this and Merit Styles is nowhere to be seen, blah, blah, blah, blah, and the Green Party is at two percent.

But there are stories there that ought to be investigated. A government that promised to be open and transparent. Where is the openness and where is the transparency? I'll give you an example. This video that Mr. Ford and his gang put out just recently at the 413 Future highway needed desperately in Ontario, you know, no independent cameras were allowed on the site. So my mind and I have nothing to back this up but intuition. Was Mr. Ford really talking to real people who are building roads in Ontario or are they actors? Remember the actors that came outside City TV after the

first leaders debate? Yeah. Absolutely. No. So how much, you know, and a lot of times his events are closed. There is no media that allowed into it. So they can they had this propaganda Ontario web page for a long time with his own reporter and everything else. Yes. I think that that is just absolutely unbelievable. And the problem is, you know, that particularly in COVID, for example, reporters could ask one question and one follow-up and that was it.

And then sometimes, you know, uh, there's, I can think of one reporter, um, who asked some tough questions. And then suddenly guess what? He's not on the list anymore, you know? So that's the kind of retribution that, that, um, like I don't recall quite, honestly straightforward about this. Any, like I don't recall quite honestly, straightforward about this. Any premier I covered, you know, stepping away, preventing the media to ask questions, you know, didn't stand in and take every single question that was asked of him or her.

To that point, Robert Fisher, so we've talked too much about Steve Pagan, let's face it. I might have to edit out some of the Steve Pagan references in post, so I got to take a note to do that. But we talked quite a bit about TVO. Well, since TVO was created, was it Bill Davis? Who, who was it? Yeah, I think it's Robarts. Yeah. So when TVO becomes TV, TV Ontario, until the present day, only one premier of this province has refused to come in as while they were premier has not has refused to come in for a like a sit down interview. Yeah, only one. And that's Doug Ford.

Yes. Yep. And you know, I've always thought, Mike, that if you are bringing out a policy, and it may be controversial, if you can't defend that policy, then why the hell did you introduce it in the first place? You know, if you can't defend what you're doing why the hell did you introduce it in the first place? You know, if you can't defend what you're doing and make sense of it, instead of some, you know, there's a lot of Trump in Ford, you know, the exaggeration, you know, this

is the biggest project in the history of Ontario. So as a reporter, I'm thinking, so how do you check that? You know, maybe maybe Bill Davis did something bigger, you know, maybe creating all those universities and colleges, maybe that qualifies as the biggest infrastructure, you know. Or, you know, he would show up and he'd cut the ribbon at a hospital.

He didn't build that hospital, it was built by the previous government, but you know. Anyway. Bullshit baffles brains, Robert. Yeah, absolutely, and you know, it's a sad thing and people are not paying attention to the issues. They're only looking at the front page of the star that says, abacus research says Mr. Ford is going to be reelected. Well, when I say bullshit baffles brains, I know what I'm talking

about, Robert, because you are on right now, Toronto Mike, the number one podcast in the country. That's the only reason I'm here. I I've turned down so many other people. Well, listen, I'm honored to have you here. I want to wrap up the CBC radio because you know, I would listen to you on CBC radio. I had to Jill Dempsey on just last week. She made her Toronto mic debut. She also, she did accept the gifts by the way, Jill Dempsey. I don't want to get in trouble, but she took me on Monday.

We won't hear her voice tomorrow after I've revealed that here. But okay, so you basically got an offer to come to CBC radio because you're Robert Fisher for goodness sakes. And well, it took them a while to realize that. But how much time between the Manila envelope being, I guess you were just not renewed. Your contract just was not renewed. So they just like give you an FYI. Don't come to work Monday. Your pass card. Well, don't come to work tomorrow. I mean, I was, I had a taping plan, uh, with,

with Gord Wilson, who was then president of the Ontario Federation of Labour the next night. And I, and he called me and he said, you've been fired. I will not do the show. And I not bragging here, but I said to him, Gord, you've got important issues and people that count on you, you do the show. And he did bragging here but I said to him, Gord, you've got important issues and people that count on you, you do the show and he did the show. But the president of the USSTF wrote a long blistering letter to

global asking, you know, what, what had happened here? And with, you know, no explanation. And they never told, you know, the sad thing was like, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to people, to thank them for their support on things like Focus Ontario, my political reporting. Not everybody was supportive and people were critical and as I said, they saw things, heard things. But I had 12 great years at Global because I worked with exceptional people and I had lots of support and it was a real treat. And people recognize me.

People who tell you in this business, oh, I don't wanna be recognized. It's full of baloney. Quick story. Blue Jay game, family, this is years ago when they were winning consistently. Sorry, I'll go see the Toronto Maple Leafs play baseball instead.

We're in a Swiss Chalet restaurant. We're having Sunday dinner, the four of us, daughter, son, and wife and I. These two elderly, they're probably my age. They spotted me and they waved and they were very, and they came over to the table and they sat down at the table and my kids are like, what is this?

So we had this lovely discussion. And they were like fans of Focus Ontario. They loved to see the Premier and the Education Minister. So we went on for about 20 minutes and my kids were kind of getting antsy. And I said to them, look, you know, this has been wonderful. And it was. They were very nice. 90% of the people I met were nice.

No threats, no swearing, no whatever. I said, but you know, I've arranged with the waiter to provide you with dessert on me. So if you return to your table, they're going to bring you the menu and you can, I'll pay for dessert. And they ordered their pecan pie. So shall I? That's a great story. But that's a clever way to get them. Well, like, I, people, you know, come up to me on the streetcar when I was going home at night, after being on radio and they'd say you're Fisher, right? Well, why the hell did they move that show from you know like?

Coronation Street, you know you got to tell them don't move Coronation Street night. Well, thank you It's the nicest thing that was ever said to me was a young Asian couple on the subway This almost made me cry This this couple was sitting next to me, they were in their 20s. He looked at me and he said, excuse me, sir. They call me sir. It's the Bobbery gray hair. He said, are you Robert Fisher?

And I, you know, you sort of like, okay, if I say yes, what does a gun come out as a knife, whatever. Anyway, not that I expected it, but they were just loving. And he said, I said, yes, what does a gun come out as a knife, whatever anyway, not that I expected it, but they were just loving and he said, I said, yes, I'm Robert and she said, I use, I listened to you and the radio to practice my English. Oh, that's great. I loved your pronunciation.

I loved your enunciation. I learned so much and that was, I tell you that really, you know. That's awesome. And it didn't, I listened to quite a bit of Robert Fisher, myself on the radio. It never helped my pronunciation. I still, I can't say brewery to save my life. So it didn't help me, but I'm glad it's helping others here. Okay. So you're at CBC radio. You're, I mean, I'm hearing

you on just here and now I'm hearing you all over the place. I was very lucky because I had opportunities. First Gulf War, I was working you know weekends and some afternoons and they came to me one day and said okay forget about your local news shift you're going into work with Michael Enright scared the hell out of me I'm gonna work with Enright reading the reading the news of the of the first Gulf War and he's gonna do the comment and it was great I when Barbara Budd was dismissed by as it happens, the two weeks after that, guess, guess who is the number two on as it happens?

When people will, she was beloved by people, right? So they throw Fisher into the fire and, but that was when the theme music played in that studio and I, you know, for the first time, my heart was kind of keeping beat dumb Anyway, I had great opportunities and great experiences and and I would say 13 wonderful years At the CBC so that tells me you're not on the air for 9-eleven

As you leave global in 2000, but if you did 13 and ended in, I'm doing my math, I got more than 48 in my math, okay? But that's 2015. No, I was at CBC for 2011. For 9-11? That was my first afternoon shift. Okay, so then you probably did closer to 14 years at CBC. I told you math wasn't fair.

Math's not your strong suit. But were you working the day of 9-11? Yes. And you know that's the first time I've in my life ever had seen and subsequent to that people in tears. Men and women. You know the hardened journalists. Right. Basically people I would say most people have caramel centers, you know, the hard, the tough exterior. You have to inure yourself to some of the things you have to report and see and do and so forth. People just, the emotions just, when the second plane hit, it was like, couldn't believe what we were seeing. Because I'm of the era that when the man landed on moon, oh, it's being done by a production

company in a Houston warehouse, you Oh, it's being done by a production company in a Houston warehouse, you know, it's not real. But I was I was working in Hamilton the day they landed on the moon. I still have the all the wire copy from Associated Press, man lands on moon, you know, big giant step for mankind, whatever. That was that was a and the city just I mean, shut down. We were we were doing things like, you know, there's no trains running. There's no subways, you know, extra police. I mean, there, there was real panic in the city about what was going on and the devastation. But at the end of that day, I'm just going to sound corny and people

are going to say, Oh yeah, yeah. I left the bill. This is the left the building. I turned around and looked at that building. I was parking in the parking lot, which is now the Ritz Carlton hotel.. It was a parking lot in those days. I looked back in that building and I said, boy, this is some great institution because of what the institution was doing, not just nationally and internet, but locally, trying to help people deal with this issue on the meat and potato stuff. Could they get a subway train? Could they get on that via train to Ottawa or Windsor or whatever, you know? And it was, um, it was an amazing day, absolutely amazing day. And I can see a hardened journalists, uh, breaking down that day because, you

know, you've seen it all, but no one's seen that like that day, that day just live forever. They're, they sort of, they come, become signposts of, you know, things that have happened in your career. The Pierre Laporte murder, the kidnapping of James Cross, and the 9-11. The history I was able to see and report, a lot of it is taught in schools now. I tell people I covered the FLQ crisis. It's like, oh, I studied that.

I saw a documentary, I read a book on it. you know, one quick little story. I know you're running out of time. Sunday night alone in the newsroom, get a call from the switchboard operator. So that dates the story, right? The old pole and pull thing. She said, Robert, you have to come out here right away. There's a provincial police officer here has to talk to you right away. So I go running out. We're in the war measures act, by the way. Okay. So you got to be very careful. And he said, Robert Fisher. I I said yes I just just for you he hands me an envelope and it's marked you know Quebec provincial police I said this is for me said yes you you must open it and and read it and use it okay

so I'm and what the heck is this so I go back to the news and open it up it was wanted pictures the wanted pictures of people like Jacques Langto and Paul Rose. And to this day, I kept them. I still have these wanted photos and the little announcement of their, you know, their suspects thinking, what the heck did the police expect me to do in radio? Hold these pictures up to the microphone? I mean, but this cop was determined that I had to get this package and I had to open it and I had to study it and, but there's a lot of that screwy stuff that went on, you know, the Mounties

were following these guys and they let them go and the cute provincial police let them go and then they, oh, just, uh. Quick question, because we've mentioned the name Michael Enright a few times, are you friendly with him still, are you in contact with him? I haven't seen Michael in a long time, but we were very friendly.

He had a great sense of humor. He had a great sense of style. He was the bow ties, the suspenders, the gravitas. I mean, to be interviewed by him was right up there with some of the greats, Peter Zofsky, for example, people like that. Just incredible experience. But I have lost touch.

And I think it's such a loss to not have him around. I was doing political analysis up until the 2018 election and then I got dropped by my beloved CBC. Why were you dropped? Because I was told, this is a quote, by someone I won't name, who's no longer there, that I was the wrong demographic. Does that mean you're old?

Too old to talk about Ontario politics. So it's been... Well, it's a shame we do that. The people who can actually speak... I was around for the FLQ crisis. You know, I was there for this. I was there for that. But you know, the thing is, Mike, the the importance of that isn't just take me out of the

equation here yet political reporters need to have institutional memory people need to know that okay so you've got doug ford and you had mike harris but there was bill davis and there was earning eases right you know they were different kind of conservatives and you know that the liberals were in power with david petersonph McGinty and Bob Rae did win the 1990 election didn't win a subsequent one but people in Portland you know the closest place to his location on the big Rideau they was oh congratulations on the election Bob but I

didn't vote for you right which is doesn't surprise me at all considering people think I worked at the Communist Broadcasting Corporation okay a a few quick hits here on the way out. So one is I just want to throw into the universe if anybody is friendly with Michael and right I would love to have him on Toronto Mike. I did invite him on when he was at the CBC and he told me he was too busy to come on Toronto. Well I did that too and then nine years later. And now you know three three times a charm it took us a few times to get this done. I fought the floods and fires and pestilence. It's a long drive. So did you drive straight home from here? I actually to tell you truth. I have a dental appointment

I have the most wonderful dentist in the world in Toronto and we've all seen so you tied these good I'm glad he was just out of dental school when we picked him up as a dentist forty some years ago Wow, he's a good one, but then we'll go home. All right. Down the boring 401, the road that is never finished. No, that's never finished. Speaking of never finished, I'm just curious for your thoughts here on our way out on John Tory. So John Tory, I think he won three elections, if my memory is correct. And then quit. You know, and we all know that that John Tory scandal.

But what were your thoughts as that was unfolding on John Tory? And is there a comeback in for John Tory? Well, you never say never, you know, I mean, uh, he's not going to go away quietly, right? Like he's still at, he's still around. Well, he's, he's still, I'm sure he's got his, you know, uh, you know, fingers in something. Well he does some radio stuff on CFRB. Yeah. I mean you know he he had a tough go as as conservative leader. I don't think it was any secret around Queens Park that his

wife just detested how unsupportive the caucus was and but he was a different he was a he was a red Tory and the Tories are now blue blue blue blue blue Tory Tory, right? You know and they they marched lockstep with their premier because as the late great Brian Mulroney said You'd dance with the brung the guy that got it brought to you dance with the guy that brought you know Brung you to the dance. I'll fix that in post. Don't worry. Okay dance with the guy that brung you Brian Mulroney he I I don't know whether there's a future for him.

You know, he was a smart guy. He was like 23 when he was Bill Davis's principal secretary. And you know, a lot of people thought he had no sense of humor, but on the last day of the conservative rule under Frank Miller and of course whoever suspected in the past bob ray whoever suspected after forty three years torres are gonna suddenly lose okay on the last day when the liberals were taking over david peterson

david peterson it said to him and he's key can be a sarcastic so be quite frankly uh... and you have examples of on video that i'd ship you did take a look at you know yes i've seen that that is that audio we should play or i have that load up you can do whatever you that I shipped you to take a look at. You know, yes, I've seen that. Is that audio we should play or I have that load up. You can do whatever you want with it. You know, if you want to bore people with the premise was all the premieres I covered were asked by the CBC.

Well, do you want me to play this now and then we'll finish your thoughts on John Tory. I'll play this if you and then I'll I'll ask you my my light. We're at three and a half hours right? Yeah well I don't want you to miss your density. So the last day of the Tory regime before the liberals came into power remembering that David Peterson had said John Tory he's just the head waiter for Bill Davis. Tory came in in a tuxedo, white cotton gloves

and a silver tray and he marched into the last Tory cabinet meeting before the change in government. And I thought, you know, boy, that was funny. That was interesting and it showed he had a sense of humor. And he was a good administrator, but I don't know, a comeback for John Poo after that incident, I don't know. It's a tragedy. Never say never, never say never. Never say never. Here's what we're gonna do.

I've decided to call in an audible here in the line of scrimmage here. We're gonna do the outro here, and then I'm going to play in its entirety that audio you sent me. So it'll be at the end of our outro here. But the question I wanna ask you on the way out here is your name is Robert Fisher and you live on a lake and I need to know, do you fish in that lake?

Are you a fisher? I'm not a fisher. You don't murder fish. I don't murder fish. I don't shoot deer. I don't shoot beaver. I don't shoot any animals. I did once ask a neighbor, so you shot this big coyote. Can you eat coyote?

He was not impressed. They shoot coyote where you live? Oh yeah, you see you, you trap the beaver, hang him from a tree. Oh my goodness. So attract the coyote to kill the coyote because you want to kill the deer. I can't eat venison. And it's not the bambi thing. I just can't do it. I've never had venison, but I don't think it's an ethical thing necessarily. I've just never been anywhere where they would serve venison.

At any rate, from first job in Oakville to talk about venison, it's been an extraordinary pleasure and I so deeply appreciate the opportunity to clear the air, to say things I've never had a chance to say. And my lawyer, by the way, is listening, so in case there's anything that might be controversial. Well, listen, the pleasure is all mine. This was fantastic. Great respect for you, the body of your work, that timber in the voice I got to hear in the headphones here for the last 90 plus minutes. And you know, again, it took a few times to make this happen, and I'm glad we did. And this was fantastic. I appreciate you coming in here. And I love the fact that you're dressed all serious, but there was levity, there was

fun stories, you dropped an F bomb, you couldn't do that on CBC, could you? No. It was great fun. So Robert, thanks so much for doing this. Oh, absolute pleasure. Thank you so much. And that brings us to the end of our 1523rd show. Remember, I'm gonna fade down this great song from Lowest of the Low and I'm gonna play this audio that Robert shared with me and you're gonna hear that at the end. If you're looking for me on the social media channels I'm on most of them as Toronto Mike but you can go to torontomike.com for all your Toronto Mike needs. Much love to all who made this possible. Again that's Great Lakes Brewery, Robert's got his beer,

Palma Pasta, he can't eat it I learned and he can't drink the beer but people around him will enjoy these treats. Recyclemyelectronics.ca if you have old electronics, old devices, don't throw those cables and the electronics and tech in the garbage. Those chemicals end up in our landfill. Go to Recyclemyelectronics.ca put in your postal code and you'll find a place to drop them off to be properly recycled. That's your other homework. The Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team again I'm there August 4th. Go Leafs Go and Ridley Funeral Home don't forget your measuring tape. I will see you all Friday when I've got a country music group in

the basement. I don't know how I'm gonna fit all three guys in here, but the washboard union Three gentlemen from the washboard union will be here and yee-haw It's gonna be a lot of fun See you all then Yeah, the wind is cold but the smell of snow warms me today. For who? Robert Fisher. Excuse me? From TV. Like is that regular TV or is that one of these obscure reality shows? Like is he one of these pervert kind of guys that they do reality shows about?

Robert Fisher. Fisher. Was he in the automotive business, bought by Fisher? Is that who you're talking about? I don't think so. No. I knew Doug Fisher. And there was a men's store in Ottawa called Fisher's. I don't know Robert Fisher. There was a men's store in Ottawa called Fisher's. I don't know Robert Fisher. Fisher.

Robert Fisher? Okay, let me just, just give me a second. Let me just get Robert Fisher. Okay, I think I remember who you're talking about. A broadcaster. In Windsor? I've got to say I was deeply honored, if not a little perplexed, when they asked me to say something on the occasion of your retirement.

Talk about a career. Talk about achievement. You, sir, are a legend. Your powers of analysis and your strategic thinking are simply beyond compare. For me, the highlight of your career was when you beat that guy Boris Basky. I told myself then and there there will never be a more skilled chess grandmaster than Bobby Fisher.

Wrong Fisher! What? This is about Robert Fisher. Robert Fisher. Robert Fisher? The CBC guy. The CBC guy? Why would I ever want to do a video for Robert Fisher? And I'll tell you one thing I'm going to miss about you. I think you have a wonderful sense of humor.

I enjoy you on the radio. You look better on the radio than you do on TV, actually. But you have a wonderful bantering sense of humor that frequently lightens up my afternoons when I have nothing better to do. I think an approach that was somewhat different than some of the others in the gallery, and one where he appeared to me

to be a more sensitive individual. Now, that may not be fair to some of the others, but I always found Robert to be, in my view, a very sensitive member of that profession. You'd be a natural as a barbecue chef. Seems to me that if you think about it, you've always found great joy in skewering me, holding my feet to the fire and raking me over the coals. You know Robert Fisher's CBC News, Robert Fisher, Global News, so kind of official that he'd scare the hell out of people.

I think people would buy from him just to kind of get him back off the doorstep a little bit. Probably could be good at lots of things. Fishing comes to mind. Much more relaxing. I was going to say they don't bite back but maybe they do on some occasions. Well, I think Robert would make a terrific political advisor, sort of an eminence grise, to tell any young politicians as they're coming up what the pitfalls are from the outside, through the eye of a journalist. I think that would be that would be a gift to a rising young star. What do you think the likelihood of that happening?

I think the likelihood of that is zero to none. His hair is perfect, he's always well dressed, you know, I mean it looks more like an investment banker than a journalist and you know for all those journalists in the audience there today, take a look around at yourself. You don't look like you belong in the banking world. Robert does. You know there's probably some radio station in Minden or somewhere that could use his talents. I don't know, Wingham. I've been in every small town in Ontario. I'm not sure I know exactly off the top of my head where he fits, but probably the smaller

the town the better.