Guelph Politicast

GUELPH POLITICAST #441 – The AAC Spills the Tea (feat. Lorelei Root)

Watching the Accessibility Advisory Committee meetings over the last several months there’s a particular undercurrent that some members of the committee feel like they’re not being listened to, and that there was a disconnect between their expectations and what City of Guelph staff wanted them to do. And then came the Public Space Use Bylaw and the waters got even choppier.
At their February meeting, the AAC passed a motion asking for some dedicated engagement of their own on the topic of the Public Space Use Bylaw. Part of the AAC’s role is to advise council on policy and how it might impact the disabled community in Guelph, and there are a lot of people among the unhoused population who have some kind of disability.
But as you know, the Public Space Use Bylaw never came back for engagement with anyone, it was dropped on an unplanned meeting of council in late August where it was approved by council and then put into effect at the beginning of last month. The October meeting opened with an uncomfortable rake out over the AAC’s disappointment, and the belief that once again that they were not listened to about a vital matter of accessibility and the protection of the rights of the disabled.
So following up on all of this, we're catching up this week with Lorelei Root, who is the chair of the Accessibility Advisory Committee. She will talk about what happened around the scheduling of October’s meeting, staff’s discomfort talking about process in open session and why she and the vice-chair thought it was important to air all this in the public. She will also talk about the feedback the AAC wanted to give around the Public Space Use Bylaw, and whether the committee has now won its hard fought autonomy.
So let's talk again about fighting for accessibility on this week's Guelph Politicast!
The Accessible Advisory Committee will meet again on Tuesday December 17, and you can catch up on the coverage of all of this year’s meetings so far on Guelph Politico. According to reports, eviction notices have been handed out to people encamped in St. George’s Square and they have until next Wednesday November 13 to move. Stay tuned for updates as they develop.
The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes of the Politicast here, or download them on your favourite podcast app at Apple, TuneIn and Spotify.
Also, when you subscribe to the Guelph Politicast channel and you will also get an episode of Open Sources Guelph every Monday, and an episode of End Credits every Friday.

Open Sources Guelph #491 - October 31, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're dealing with our Trump Derangement Syndrome. One more week till the vote's over in the United States, and there's a lot to catch up on. The vote is already over in Saskatchewan, but there's a new one brewing in Nova Scotia to talk about. More locally, international students are getting a lot of blame, but we're talking to someone who says that they really need our assistance.
This Thursday, October 31, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
We've Got Five Days On It. It's been a while since we talked about the U.S. Presidential Election, so has anything weird been going on? Of course there has! Donald Trump staged a sequel to the 1939 pro-fascist rally at Madison Square Garden, while Vice-President Kamala Harris returned to the scene of the crime on January 6 to make her closing case. And yet, the polls are obnoxiously too close to call, and there are all those down ballot races to worry about too. So DEFCON-1 time, right?
Houston, We Have an Election! More election fun across Canada with a stop in the prairies and a surprising trip back to the east coast. In Saskatchewan Scott Moe managed to keep his majority, but it is a smaller majority with the NDP under Carla Beck getting 13 seats strong. Meanwhile, Premier Tim Houston dissolved the Nova Scotia legislature, initiating a snap election one whole year early and in violation of the fixed election law he put in place in 2021. We'll talk about more non-Ontario provincial elections.
Save Our Students. A media conference in Brampton last week pushed action from the federal and provincial governments on a serious problem: International students being sexually exploited or used for human trafficking. We know that trafficking is a serious issue, and we know that international students are especially vulnerable so this week we're joined by Brampton City Councillor Rowena Santos. She is spearheading the efforts to protect students from being prayed on by unscrupulous landlords and she will  tell us how we can help.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #363 - October 30, 2024 (Halloween/Horror Movie Draft)

This week on End Credits, we mark Devil's Night. Our new favourite holiday! In honour of this year's end-of-October commemorations, and perhaps to offer some relief from the sturm und drang of modern living, we present a festival of fear! A celebration of screams, if you will! So settle in as we summon the scares because this is Halloween!
This Wednesday, October 30, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson, Tim Phillips, Peter Salmon, Candice Lepage, and special guest Mike Ashkewe will discuss:
Halloween/Horror Movie Draft. It's the most wonderful time of the year... For some. So it's to those people that we dedicate this special episode of the show, the Halloween/Horror Movie Draft. The entire gang is here, plus a special guest ringer, to put the season in proper perspective by talking about our favourite horror movies in a set of six carefully selected categories. Join us as we talk about all the monsters, mayhem, killers and cadavers that make this time of the year so special, right up to the granddaddy of the them all...
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.
Photo courtesy of Trancas International.

GUELPH POLITICAST #440 - The Wheels Off the Bus? (feat. Scott Bate)

If you think traffic and travel are bad now, it might not compare to what awaits if Guelph Transit workers go on strike, or are locked out by the City. It could be worse. In so much as these things never happen at the best possible time, it might be even worse for Guelph Transit now as they hit new ridership records and try to justify increased expenses as City Hall is looking to save pennies. So is transit job action a foregone conclusion?
You may remember the last time there was job action around Transit. It was late summer 2014 and Guelph ended up going more than two weeks without a transit system. Ten years ago, the city was different. This was before the 99 Mainline, before Conestoga was more of a draw, and before Guelph Transit broke two different ridership records in the same year. A shutdown stemming from job action will throw all that progress away.
So what’s at stake? Basically, the workers are looking for a cost of living increase and a pathway to a better work-life balance. Driving around town is hard enough, but trying to put a happy face on City policy, maintaining customer service, proctoring fares and helping people find their way using an app that Transit has no investment in? Is it so surprising that workers are looking for a raise?
Scott Bate, who is the president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1189, will join us this week to lend some insight into these matters. He will tell us about a day in the life of a transit worker, what they’re bargaining for, and why they don’t plan on accepting any concessions from management. He will also talk about what’s going to happen when time runs out for the no-board report, and why they’re trying to get the word out early about a potential job action.
So let's talk about job action on this week's edition of the Guelph Politicast!
The no-board report expires on November 7 at which point the union can strike, the City can lock them out, or the whole thing might go to arbitration. So what way is it going to go? We’ll have to wait and see, so stay tuned to Guelph Politico for any updates and keep on an eye on the social media feeds of both the City of Guelph and Guelph Transit respectively.
The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes of the Politicast here, or download them on your favourite podcast app at Apple, TuneIn and Spotify.
Also, when you subscribe to the Guelph Politicast channel and you will also get an episode of Open Sources Guelph every Monday, and an episode of End Credits every Friday.

Open Sources Gulph #490 - October 24, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're keeping things provincial. We're going around the country to talk about the latest news coming out Queen's Park now that the government is back at work there, and then we're going to check out the new provincial governments who will take their seats in Fredericton and Victoria. For the interview this week, we're keeping things in Guelph where one of our local councillors is going to talk about gas!
This Thursday, October 24, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Cheque Before You Choose. After a 20-week break, the Ontario legislature is back in session, and we've pretty much picking up where we left off: With everyone yelling! Premier Doug Ford is offering some pre-election cheques, threatening this sanctity of bike lanes, and is under siege from the opposition and the big cities mayors for not attacking all the real problems the province is facing, so just another day at Queen's Park, right? We'll talk about the back-and-forth and what it all means.
Bi-Coastal, Bi-Results. This week, there were two different provincial elections and they had two very different results. In New Brunswick, the Liberals won decisively with what seemed like a repudiation of the divisive tactics of the incumbent PC premier. Meanwhile, in B.C., divisive tactics seemed to make a difference as the BC Conservatives pushed the NDP to a 46-45 split legislature with two recounts now underway. What do these two elections tell us about the current state of Canadian politics?
Ahead of the Gas. You may be surprised to learn that Enbridge doesn't have to pay to install natural gas infrastructure on municipal property, but one person that knows it is Ward 5 City Councillor Leanne Caron, and she wants to change that. Caron is bringing a motion to Committee of the Whole in a couple of weeks to try and make some changes, and she will talk to us about that today, and she will also talk about the mayor's 2025 budget, and what to expect over the next few weeks as city council debates its merits.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #362 - October 23, 2024 (Strange Darling)

This week on End Credits, we're running. Time is running out! We've dealt with some scary stuff in the last few weeks, but at least now we've moved on (ran from?) creepy clowns to get to something more earth-bound. On this episode, we're reviewing the new thriller Strange Darling, and we've also got a conversation with the head of the original documentary film festival!
This Wednesday, October 23, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Tim Phillips will discuss:
Guelph Film Festival Preview! The Guelph Film Festival launches its 2024 edition on November 1, so plan your festival experience with this conversation. Kimber Sider, the artistic director and lead programmer of the festival, joins us to talk about some of the selections in this year's program including a tale from the West Bank, the fight for an Ontario landmark, and the community building that occurs around bicycles. Get more info at the fest's website.
REVIEW: Strange Darling (2024). You know the story: boy meets girl, they decide to engage in the ancient ritual of the hook-up and go to a motel, and then things turn bad. Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald are the stars of Strange Darling, a non-linear serial killer story with a twist and proudly shot on 35 mm by director of photography Giovanni Ribisi (?!). This came out of Fantastic Fest with a lot of buzz, made a splash this summer in rep theatres, and is now available on VOD. Dare you tune in to learn the terrifying secrets of the film's success?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #439 - Guelph Stuff (feat. Scotty Hertz)

Here, at the end of October, there’s a lot going on from new budgets to potential strikes to changes to our recycling, so it seems like a good time to pause and talk about some recent events before the news gets even crazier. This week, we're going to catch up with a friend from a different show, and we're all going to catch up with all the important issues going on in the news. The Guelph Stuff!
It was revealed last Thursday that the 2025 budget confirmation now includes nearly five per cent less spending than what was approved last year. Almost everything other than housing support and mandated services have been deferred or eliminated from next year’s budget, but are we ready for what all these budget cuts might mean as the city continues to grow and change? 
There’s also been a lot of concern about the growing number of tents and homeless encampments. Last week at a meeting of the Ontario Big City Mayors, the heads of the province’s 29 largest cities, including Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie, called on the provincial and federal governments to take immediate action, but have we finally run out of compassion on these issues? 
In transit news, the workers of the ATU 1189 might be either going on strike or will be subject to a lockout sometime early in November. A no-board report was filed last week, which begins a 17-day countdown that either leads to mediation or job action, and while there’s never a good time for a transit strike, this comes at a particularly precarious time. Is Guelph going to be bus-less in a couple of weeks?
We will also cover a series of motions at the Accessibility Advisory Committee that tests how dedicated the City of Guelph is to giving them their proper autonomy, and the changes coming to Guelph’s recycling program that are coming into effect in January. To help us out with this analysis, we will be joined by Open Sources Guelph co-host Scotty Hertz who will help us press the button on these hot button issues in the Royal City.
So let's dig into that Guelph Stuff on this week's edition of the Guelph Politicast!
You can hear Open Sources Guelph every Thursday at 5 pm on CFRU 93.3 fm or cfru.ca. You can also catch the re-broadcast at select times and download the podcast version every Monday from the show's website. Also, we will follow up on all these stories as they develop on Guelph Politico.
The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes of the Politicast here, or download them on your favourite podcast app at Apple, TuneIn and Spotify.
Also, when you subscribe to the Guelph Politicast channel and you will also get an episode of Open Sources Guelph every Monday, and an episode of End Credits every Friday.

Open Sources Guelph #489 - October 17, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're still hungry after our turkey dinner was interrupted by some late breaking news of national importance. We will catch up with the still breaking news about Indo-Canadian relations in the wake of the expulsion of diplomats, and then we will talk about whether or not the current PM should take his curtain call. As for this week's guest, he will talk about doing the impossible!
This Thursday, October 17, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
The Six. The Government of Canada and the RCMP interrupted our Thanksgiving to announce that they were expelling six Indian diplomats and consular officials for a "targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the Government of India." While much of the corporate media has labelled this as a "row" or a "tiff", the allegations are damning, suggesting that India PM Narendra Modi has overseen a movement to intimidate Indian-Canadians who have spoken out against his government. Is Canada equal to this challenge?
Walk in the Snow Day? Before Monday's announcement, the biggest political news in Ottawa was a reportedly growing insurgent campaign to oust Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader before the next election. Trudeau, once the prodigal son, is now seen as the albatross around the neck of the party, which is about 20 points behind the Conservatives in polling. But can swapping Trudeau for someone (anyone) else solve the problem, and would there even be enough time to make that case?
When the Wal Fell. Last month, a Walmart warehouse in Mississauga did what was once thought impossible given the company we're talking about, they unionised. From an Amazon warehouse in Vancouver to a Starbucks in Waterloo, unions have been making big gains in workplaces many believed would never let their employees organise, but Walmart is the Everest for labour and they've finally made the summit. This week, Justin Gniposky from Unifor National will tells us how they did it, and what comes next.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #361 - October 16, 2024 (Terrifier 3)

This week on End Credits we get terrified. Like most of North America (apparently given the box office numbers), we've caught Art Fever, so for the second week in a row we're going to dig into the cinematic adventures of a killer clown, and in this case it's Terrifier 3 we're talking about. And to keep up the spooky theme, we will revisit a Canadian horror classic!
This Wednesday, October 2, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Candice Lepage will discuss:
Black Christmas at 50! It was half-a-century ago that a small Canadian movie was released in theatres, and though it might have been overlooked, it's become one of the most memorable and influential horror films in cinema history. Bob Clark's Black Christmas features a "who's who" cast and is still incredibly stylish and atmospheric 50 years later. So what a perfect time to take another look at this gem of Canadian film?
REVIEW: Terrifier 3 (2024). Over a decade ago, horror fans were introduced to Art the Clown in the anthology film All Hallow's Eve. Now? Art is a horror icon nearly on par with Freddy, Jason, and Micheal, and Terrifier 3 might be his apex. In the third entry of the franchise, Art decides to expand his act to Christmas by giving something pointy or exploding to boys and girls everywhere, but is there more to the story than pure unadulterated violence and chaos? And is Art the only clown worth talking about at the movies this October?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #438 – The Fireworks Lobby (feat. Aleem Kanji)

A number of Ontario municipalities including Brampton, Woodstock, Milton, and Halton Hills have banned fireworks outright, and several others including Kitchener are looking at new regulations. Here in Guelph, a new permitting system is on the table; City staff and some councillors think that this may be the best of both worlds, but others think it’s the worst, including members of the fireworks lobby!
The last review of Guelph’s fireworks bylaw was in 2013, but council passed a decree last year to move up the timing of the next review by several years due to repeated complaints to councillors about small fireworks displays in area parks, and the setting off of fireworks, mostly by young people, at odd days and hours before and after those commemorations.
Guelph’s proposal to fix all that is to implement a permit system. Essentially, if you want to set off fireworks you will have to go to the City and pay a fee, which will then allow you to buy fireworks and set them off at one of Guelph’s preferred locations so long as you have insurance, safety inspections, an animal safety plan, and something called a licensed display supervisor. Problem solved, right? Not to fast because the people whose livelihood is tied to their sale and distribution have notes.
To provide them, we have Aleem Kanji, who is the chief advocacy officer for the Canadian National Fireworks Association. He's going to talk about his work advocating for safe fireworks use, fighting the nation-wide trend of fireworks bans, and why he thinks bans don’t ultimately work. Kanji will also talk about his advocacy to Guelph council, his response to the majority support in this city for a ban, and his counter-arguments to some of the talking points in favour of a ban.
So let's talk about the fireworks over fireworks on this week's Guelph Politicast!
You can learn more about the Canadian National Fireworks Association at their website. The question of Guelph’s new fireworks bylaw will be coming back to city council for ratification on Tuesday October 29, and that agenda will be published on the City’s website on Thursday, and you will have until Friday October 25 to sign up to delegate if you like. In the meantime, you can check out the reports from Committee of the Whole.
The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes of the Politicast here, or download them on your favourite podcast app at Apple, TuneIn and Spotify.
Also, when you subscribe to the Guelph Politicast channel and you will also get an episode of Open Sources Guelph every Monday, and an episode of End Credits every Friday.