Guelph Politicast

Open Sources Guelph #527 - July 10, 2025

This week on Open Sources Guelph we're doing a Law & Order riff. With political barbecue season underway, we look to the police beat by talking about potential civil rights violations in a major Ontario prison and the province-wide chain of stores that apparently can sell an illegal product with (near) impunity. Don't worry, we've still got some political chat for you... local politics!
This Thursday, July 10, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Prison Dilemma. A class action lawsuit brought on behalf of prisoners inside Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Milton has raised questions about the abuse, specifically a December 2023 incident where nearly 200 inmates in an entire unit were stripped, searched and forced to sit with their hands zip tied behind their back in the hallway for hours. With four-out-of-five inmates being people awaiting trail, and not yet convicted of a crime, are we ignoring civil rights violations because of a presumption of guilt?
'Shroom Boom! Have you seen these FunGuyz locations around Ontario? A mysterious entrepreneur is funding a chain of stores selling magic mushrooms, and while the government is more open now to the potential benefits of psilocybin, it's still a highly controlled substance in Canada and very illegal to sell. And yet, why are there storefronts all over the place selling mushrooms for cash, and why are police so wildly inconsistent in shutting them down?
On the Downtown. It's a busy month at Guelph city council as the members and staff count down to summer vacation, but there's a lot of business to get done between now and August and we're already seeing some of that work out. This week, council tackled massive construction coming to downtown and a Memorial Cup bid, and coming in a few weeks they will choose a new Ward 6 city councillor. This week, we go a little north to Ward 5 in order to ask Leanne Caron what she thinks about all these doings in the Royal City.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #399 - July 9, 2025 (F1)

This week on End Credits, we're off to the races! Get on your mark, get set and get ready to watch a movie about guys driving cars in a circle dozens of times, which is actually much more exciting than it sounds when you're watching the new film F1 in a theatre near you. We will talk about that, and we will also talk about Oscar winners from the last 25 years!
This Wednesday, July 9, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
21st Century Oscars (Not a) Draft. For our last warm up before episode #400, we're going to tackle Oscar winners in the 21st century. As the famous golden statue approaches it's own century mark in a couple of years we've seen a lot of changes and milestones, like the first Black woman to win Best Actress, or the first woman to win Best Director, or all the provocative snubs that still sting. This week we draft (not draft), our favourite Oscar winners.
REVIEW: F1 (2025). Professional car racing has never really yielded a great movie - think about Rocky and boxing, or Field of Dreams and baseball - but has that changed? Joseph Kosinski has followed up Top Gun: Maverick with a tale as old as movies about sports: a seasoned veteran on the cusp of irrelevance (Brad Pitt) takes on a confident but untested protege (Damon Idris) for an underdog effort to become champions despite how the odds are stacked against them. Sounds simple, but has F1 won the summer movie season anyway?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #478 - Breaking Down the Grocery Code (feat. Karen Proud)

The grocery industry in Canada is the epitome of monopoly; the Competition Bureau in 2023 reported that 75 per cent of all grocery purchases are made at one of the five major chains in Canada. In the wake of high grocery prices, which has been one of the pinchiest of pinch points in the post-COVID economy, people have wanted to see changes in the industry, so does that start with a more level playing field?
There’s been a lot of calls for action when it comes to grocery prices, but the issues actually go deeper. A 2021 report from the federal government found a lack of consistency and formality in the way that retailers were dealing with suppliers in Canada’s grocery chain. Mike Von Massow, a food economist at the University of Guelph told the CBC last year that this is due to the concentration of power in the five major retailers in Canada: Loblaw, Metro, Empire, Walmart and Costco.
That’s why the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct was created. It’s meant as a conflict resolution device that will create more transparency and reliability in the way that the stores deal with their suppliers, and also create a more level playing field for smaller, independent grocery retailers in Canada, but what it’s not meant to do is directly impact grocery prices. It does start to address a long-standing need for some standardized set of rules for doing business, and that’s not nothing.
Karen Proud, the president and adjudicator of the Office of the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct, joins us this week to talk about what the Code will do, and yes, what it won't do. She will also talk about what role members of the public will have in its functioning, the timeline, and how they will report their work once it’s fully implemented in the next year. Also, how might the Code might tangentially create lower prices anyway, and why did Proud leave a good gig as CEO of Fertilizer Canada to do this work? 
So let's decode the Code on this week's Guelph Politicast! 
You can learn more about the Code of Conduct and get updates about implementation at their website.
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 #526 - July 3, 2025

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're hung over. Not from imbibing too much over the Canada Day long weekend, but from all the news we had to process in the first six months of 2025. We survived two elections, the creation and implosion of DOGE, a million different micro-scandals both stupid and corrupt, and, yes, some good news. How are we supposed to make sense of any of this? How about an awards show?
This Thursday, July 3, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
The Mid-Year Awards Show. A new tradition? Maybe. As many of us relax and recreate this Canada Day week, we will sorta join them with this effort to put the first half of 2025 in some kind of context. If you've listened to the show over these last 10 years, then you know about our annual awards show on or around New Year's Day and it's been very successful. So when something's a success, you spin it off, and this week we will bring our first summer awards segments with new categories, but the same cynicism and wit!
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #398 - July 2, 2025 (28 Years Later)

This week on End Credits, we're going back to the end of the world. It's been a long time since we tackled a zombie movie, whether the heightened or regular horror variety, but today we're going top shelf with the latest entry in Danny Boyle's series, 28 Years Later. Fitting since the topic this week has to due with the F-word, "franchises." 
This Wednesday, July 2, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
21st Century Franchise (Not a) Draft. We will continue our countdown to the 400th episode this week by talking about the movie trend that has affected movie making in the 21st century the most: Franchises. This week we will look at some of the various franchises that proved so popular (and lucrative) in the last 25 years, from action hits to series based on young adult books, animated flicks, and, naturally, superheroes!
REVIEW: 28 Years Later (2025). In 2002, Danny Boyle brought back the zombie subgenre with a story about a man who wakes up from a coma and walks out into the apocalypse. That was 28 Days Later, but now it's 28 Years Later. In this long-awaited sequel, Boyle returns along with screenwriter Alex Garland to explore the world of Great Britain 30 years after the end of their world and the outbreak of the Rage Virus. It's the first of a planned trilogy, so does 28 Years leave us wanting more, or have we finally had enough with the undead?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #477 - Buses and Brant (feat. Steve Petric and Daniel Kaufman)

There’s no rest for the weary on this Canada Day week, especially if you’re engaged on housing and transit, and there has been some interesting news on those fronts in the last couple of weeks. No matter your holiday status this week, we’re not going to load you down with a policy deep dive, but we’re going to stop with two special guests to re-calibrate ourselves and remember: Progress is slow, but we need to be in this for the long haul!
A couple of weeks ago staff unveiled their plan to proceed with the electrification of transit at a special workshop meeting of council, which was well received but without much interest on the part of council. One of the people that noticed council’s seeming lack of engagement on transit matters is a member of a local transit advocacy group who has some ideas that he wants to share some on the matter.
On the housing file, some good news broke a few weeks ago when Michael Klein, pejoratively referred to as Ontario’s “King of Renovictions”, withdrew the N13s issued to residents of three apartment buildings on Brant Avenue in Guelph. It was a true David Versus Goliath story, and per the legend David ended up winning…. This time. The Brant Avenue residents won the battle, but now they're wondering if they have won the war?
So this week, Steve Petric, head of advocacy for the Transit Action Alliance of Guelph, will join us to talk about the lessons that council has not learned about transit planning from our municipal neighbours and the over-reliance on buying new EV buses. Then, Daniel Kaufman, who is one of the people who organized residents at the three Brant Avenue apartment buildings, will discuss  the lessons other tenants in Guelph can take from their example and the current state of things on Brant Avenue.
So let's dig into buses and Brant on this week's Guelph Politicast! 
You can learn more about the Transit Action Alliance of Guelph at their website, or you can visit them at the Guelph Farmers’ Market on Saturday morning. ACORN is doing a lot of organizing against Michael Klein, and you can check out their 12-page report into the so-called King of Renovictions at their website. If you need help as a tenant, or any legal advice really, you can reach out to the Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County at clinic [at] gw.clcj.ca or 519-821-2100.
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 #525 - June 26, 2025

This week on Open Sources Guelph, our hats are on our heads, not in our hands! Our glorious premier stuck his foot in his mouth again, just in time for National Indigenous Heritage Month, and speaking of foot in mouth we'll talk about the ongoing and confusing state of developments in our newest Mideast quagmire, and in the interview we will talk to an old guest about her new job!
This Thursday, June 26, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
The 12-Day War (Trademark). Last Saturday night, U.S. President Donald Trump moved up his timetable by a week and launched an attack on three Iranian nuclear sites. Now, depending on who you believe, those attacks were either a massive success, or they barely did any damage to the regime's nuclear program, but afterwards Trump was calling for a new era of peace, which, as always with things in the Middle East, is easier said than done. So what comes next?
Five Protests Alive. In the last couple of weeks, both the federal and Ontario governments passed sweeping new omnibus bills that change the rules about massive development projects and circumvents well established laws on the environment, consultations and approval, but the ones who are most disturbed about these changes are Ontario's First Nations people. As we start to shut down this National Indigenous Heritage Month, have we forgotten Truth and Reconciliation?
So Far So Good...? Tying into that second topic, we've got one of the House members who voted in favour of Bill C-5: Guelph MP Dominique O'Rourke. In her first interview with us post-election, O'Rourke will talk about the first six weeks on the job, why you should be less concerned about the potential implications of Bill C-5 and what Prime Minister Mark Carney is going to do next now that the open moves are done. Also, we will answer once and for all: Does Guelph have pick-up trucks?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #397 - June 25, 2025 (Materialists)

This week on End Credits we're once again celebrating #PedroSummer! (Patent pending.) The movie this time is a supposed romantic story that a lot of people are watching and having big discussions about. We're going to check out Materialists, and we're also going to start counting down to an other milestone episode with our favourite gimmick!
This Wednesday, June 25, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Candice Lepage will discuss:
21st Century Horror (Not a) Draft. This week we start the countdown to the 400th episode, which will be our 21st century movie draft, and to kick things off, we're talking about horror movies. (Why not? Candice is here!) So the first in a series of three drafts/not-drafts - meaning similar rules but no stakes - we will talk about some of the great horror movies of the century so far from new and old franchises to elevated horror.
REVIEW: Materialists (2025). Celine Song's first movie, Past Lives, was universally beloved (including by the people on this show), but her follow-up film, Materialists, has generated somewhat more... mixed feelings. The plot follows a high-end matchmaker (Dakota Johnson) who gets caught between a wealthy hedge fund guy (Pedro Pascal) and her poor cater-waiter/actor ex (Chris Evans). It's a classic rom-com set-up, but this is not a rom-com as Song undermines all expectations, so what do we make the most talked about movie of the year?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #476 – How to City Council (Special Presentation)

There's an interesting process underway in Guelph's south end. One of the two Ward 6 city councillors, Dominique O'Rourke, has moved on to a new job in Ottawa as you might have heard, which leaves her old seat at city council vacant. Nature, and local politics, abhor a vacuum, so next month O'Rourke's former colleagues will choose her successor. At least until next year's municipal election...
Last month council approved the process to appoint a new Ward 6 councillor. It was the best of a lot of different options; a byelection now, one year before a general election and in the same calendar year as two other elections, had a lot of drawbacks, and there was no successor willing to step up among the other candidates from the last election. That left appointment, and that process is presently underway.
For anyone thinking about taking up the role of city councillor, learning what the job entails, and knowing what powers you'll have, a special open house was held last week in the council chambers with staff from the city clerk's office. In the course of 90 minutes, City Clerk Stephen O'Brien taught everyone the ropes, and answered all questions about what it means to be a councillor, what decisions you will face, and what tools you'll have to answer the tough questions.
But if you missed that presentation and are looking at making a run yourself during this unusual appointment process, or perhaps you're just curious about the mechanics of sitting on city council and want to scratch that itch, this still might be worth checking out. You also might want to bookmark this for next year if you're thinking about a council run in your own backyard, or if merely want to impress people at barbeques this summer with your knowledge of municipal processes.  
So let's learn about everything you need to know about being a city councillor in this week;s Guelph Politicast! 
If you're interested in learning more about the process to appoint a new city councillor in Ward 6, to see the updated list of nominees, or perhaps you're even considering a shot at the post yourself, you can visit the City of Guelph's website here. The city council meeting to select the new councillor will be on Wednesday July 23 at 6 pm. Nominations for the 2026 municipal election will open in May. 
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 #524 - June 19, 2025

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're trying to keep all our paper's straight. Once again, it was a busy news week as the world came to Canada, or at least the heads of the biggest and most powerful countries did. Also, we get to talk about a new war, apparently because we've run out of things to say about the old wars while closer to home, we'll go back to the Quatro and talk to a member of city council from the west end of the city.
This Thursday, June 19, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Nothing But a G7 Thing. This week, the leaders of the Group of 7 nations came to town in Kananaskis, Alberta and there were many different topics on the table, but for Prime Minister Mark Carney this was another big test for him as host. So what happened? Well, Donald Trump came and grumbled and then left early, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni got memed and special guests Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Narendra Modi stopped by. Despite all that though is the G7 even a thing anymore?
Back to Bomb Iran. With Gaza still a war zone, international leaders are worried about a seeming race to regime replacement as Israel launched an attack on Iran last week. Benjamin Netanyahu says the goal is to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons, but cynics in Israel and around the world think its Netanyahu's attempt to avoid political comeuppance at home. In the middle is the United States because Donald Trump doesn't want a war in one breath while threatening Iran in the next. So what now?
Back to the Quatro. Earlier this year Ward 4 City Councillor Linda Busuttil took over as the head of the Joint Social Services and Land Ambulance Committee, putting a Guelph face at the head of a government board that oversees Wellington County services. It's a big move, but it's bringing more attention to City/County relations and their role in developing more housing. Busuttil will talk about that relationship, plus working with new Canadians and why doing your taxes is important in the fight against poverty.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.