Open Sources Guelph #441 - September 14, 2023

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're bring it home! The news that is. Of course, that's also the new catchphrase for the all-new, all-different Conservative Party who had a very newsy policy meeting in Quebec City last week. A little to the west in Ottawa, a couple of people once supported by the new leader of the Conservatives are now on trial, and we will discuss that too before finding an Ontario mayor not named 'Guthrie' to fill our interview slot this week.

This Thursday, September 14, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:

The Pierre Up There. The Conservative Party of Canada had their policy convention last week, and that policy seems to be saying no to vaccine mandates, gender affirming care, diversity, and the carbon tax. There was also a call to defend what might have once been called "Old Stock Canadians" and a lot of lingering upset about the redesigned passport. You don't have to be a political genius to recognize American right-wing grievance politics, so is this how Pierre Poilievre intends to win?

Wellington Street Legal. We're now in the second week of the trial against "Freedom Convoy" organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber who are facing charges that include mischief, counselling others to commit mischief, intimidation and obstructing police. At stake is whether or not Lich and Barber have any criminal liability for the events of Winter 2022 in downtown Ottawa, but this is only the beginning of their legal struggles. We'll talk about the latest from the trial.

A Ward Season. Last month at the annual conference of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the province's big city mayors were led into talks with the Ontario government by Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, the chair of the OBCM. This was after Premier Doug Ford put her on blast for not being a team player on housing, so Ward joins us this week to talk about recent events, Burlington's challenges on housing, and the recent decision to pause the provincial review of regional governments like Halton.

Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.