Guelph Politicast

GUELPH POLITICAST #435 – This is the United Way (feat. Glenna Banda)

If it’s September, that means it’s time to start the United Way’s annual fundraising campaign. A linchpin when it comes to support for all kinds of area non-profits and charities, it’s worth noting that this year’s campaign comes at a time of great need. Today, we’re going to learn from the head of the United Way about how they’re coping and how they’re still trying to answer the call.
Earlier this year, the United Way gave out $1.5 million to 51 programs. Now, $1.5 million split 51 different ways may not sound like a lot of money, but in the case of the Sanguen Health Van, which was initially funded by the federal government but only for the first few years of existence, the United Way's assistance allowed it to continue to operate and offer living saving services.
A few extra thousand dollars can go a long way, which is why it’s an important and underreported fact that after the various levels of government, the United Way is the biggest source of funding for charities and non-profits. The United Way has also taken a lead role in helping to raise funds for the new supportive housing projects in Guelph, securing $3.5 million for the cause in what has to be a record amount of time. So what's next?
Glenna Banda, executive director of United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin, joins us today to discuss what the United Way does and how it does it, why the organization’s influence in the community goes beyond fundraising, and the pressures for funding right now. Also, she will talk about the lessons learned from the Home for Good campaign, what happens if they can’t reach their funding goals, and how the charitable sector has changed in the last 10 years for the better and for the worse. 
So let's talk about fundraising on this week's edition of the Guelph Politicast!
To learn more about the United Way, or to find out about how you can donate or arrange a campaign in your own workplace, you can visit their website, call them at 519-821-0571, or visit them at their office at 85 Westmount Road. You can also follow them on social media "@untiedwaygwd" on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin.
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 #485 - September 19, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph we're going to try and tone down the rhetoric. But can we still be spicy? Probably, the news certainly is! If you think it's hot up in Ottawa this first week back from summer vacation, just wait until you hear about what's been going on in the United States lately. And for the interview in the back half, we've got a grocery list of issues about food insecurity, and we will be joined someone who knows how to fix them.
This Thursday, September 19, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
The Beginning of the End? MPs returns to the House of Commons on Monday at the same time that electors were going to the polls in two by-elections. That worked out fine for the NDP in Manitoba, but things went wrong again for the Liberals in Quebec as they lost another apparently not-so-safe riding. All this will put pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who will face his first big post-deal confidence challenge next week. So are we going to the polls soon or what?
Dogs and Cats (Mass Hysteria). Just as it looked like the story on Sunday was going to be Senator J.D. Vance's confession that he was making up stories about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, OH, another person with clear mental health issues tried to take another shot at Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Vice-President Kamala Harris is still riding high off her debate performance, but it's a long way till Election Day for everyone. What's next with the circus south of the border?
The Bank Job. Last week, Feed Ontario released new numbers that showed food bank usage in Ontario is at an eight-year high. Over one million people in the province used a food bank in the last year, which is a 134 per cent increase from five years ago, and that means the affordability crisis is bigger than just housing. This week, we're being joined by Feed Ontario executive director Carolyn Stewart who will tell us why food insecurity is just as big an issue as housing, and why this issue needs government action.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #357 - September 18, 2024 (Rebel Ridge)

This week on End Credits we're going to fight the power! Get ready for another mashing of action and social justice as a former Marine hands out a lesson in justice in unexpected ways in Rebel Ridge on Netflix. For the rest of the show, we're going to tackle something funnier, and goofier, a fellow Canadian who made a very big splash 30 years ago with three comedic hits!
This Wednesday, September 18, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
Jim Class Hero. Thirty years ago, Jim Carrey went from second banana on In Living Color to one of the biggest movie starts in Hollywood with a hattrick of big comedy hits. This week, we will revisit Ace Venture: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber and we will look at the ways they still hold up, the ways these films feel dated now, and why Carrey ended up riding them to become a superstar and Hollywood's first $20 million man!
REVIEW: Rebel Ridge (2024). You may have heard of civil asset forfeiture, or you may have seen the episode of Last Week Tonight about it. For his new movie, director Jeremy Saulnier decided to make this American civil rights issue his focus by telling the story of a former Marine who comes to small Louisiana town to bail out his cousin only to have the local cops seize the bail money. What follows is a tried and true movie formula: a stranger rides into town and cleans up corruption, but do you think Green Room director Saulnier would so something that straight forward?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #434 – The Year at Council So Far (May-August)

So has anything interesting been happening at Guelph city council lately? Of course, there has! We've already covered the first third of 2024 on a previous podcast, and we will now visit that middle third, a period of time that is supposed to be more of a laid back political time as people rest and recreate over the summer. But no! The last four months at council have been all business, and this is the business!!
Now are things you can expect ever year around the midpoint. The annual shareholders meeting for Guelph Municipal Holdings Inc and Guelph Junction Railway for example, or the presentation of the audited financial statements from the previous fiscal year. There's also constantly a new batch of new planning amendments to look at, which is key to answering the housing crisis.
Speaking of housing, this issue was the spectre that haunted much of council business this whole year. In terms of specifics from the last few months there was the Guelph Tiny Home Coalition, a proposal to sell off parcels of parkland, and the unexpected late summer return of the Public Space Use Bylaw. From the fate of the Drill Hall to the return of online voting in 2026 and all points in-between, this was council's business the last four months.
Let's catch up with council business on this week's Guelph Politicast!
As always, city council is meeting every week, so for full coverage keep coming back to Guelph Politico for all the previews, recaps and live coverage, and get all Guelph news sent directly to you inbox four times a week by subscribing to the Guelph Politico Tip Sheet newsletter on Substack.
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 #484 - September 12, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph there's discord, and so soon in the school year! If you had the NDP 86'ing there formal agreement with the Liberals on you 2024 Bingo Card, we've got good news, but if you're a right-wing YouTuber with some bank then we've probably got some bad news for you. If you're a fan of dedicated public servants though we've got good news because we're talking to one of them in the back half of the show.
This Thursday, September 12, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
On a Singh and a Prayer. Last week, Jagmeet Singh announced that the NDP were abandoning the confidence and supply agreement with the governing Liberals, which immediately sprang to mind thoughts of an election. Singh says no, but now everyone wants to know what the point of quitting the deal was if we're not going to the polls anytime soon. Meanwhile, Justin Trudeau's caucus is meeting this week hoping for some good news before Parliament begins. Is there any?
From Russia With Cash. The U.S. Department of Justice last week unsealed indictments involving a Russian influence campaign that included YouTubers like Tim Pool, Benny Johnson and Dave Rubin all being paid thousands of dollars to spread disinformation. And yes, there is a Canadian connection because Tenet Media, the company at the centre of the scheme, is co-owned by Lauren Chen, who loves to be seen with Conservative politicians in Canada. Should we concerned about whose influencing Canada's YouTubers?
Mike Check. While the Liberals, the Conservatives and the NDP all slug it out to decide who's going to pull the plug on the 44th Parliament, one of the House's only two Green Party members is thinking about business as usual. Kitchener-Cente MP Mike Morrice joins us again this week to talk about fighting for more housing, getting real funding for the new Canadian Disability Benefit, and the environmental stakes of the coming election, whenever it is.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #356 - September 11, 2024 (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice)

This week on End Credits, we're haunted! It's about a month early but we've got a tale of ghosts and goblins as we once again re-unite with old movie friends who are back after a long absence. So yes, we're reviewing Beetlejuice Beetlejuice this week and speaking of old friends, we will talk about the varied and intricate career of that film's very talented leading ghoul.
This Wednesday, September 11, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Tim Phillips will discuss:
Keaton Alive! The star of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is Michael Keaton, a man who's had an impressive 50 year career in Hollywood that has had some very big highs and some very low lows. Keaton has played manic, and he has played serious. He's played a superhero, a supervillain, and an actor who's haunted by his superhero persona. He's also played a newspaper man a couple of times, so to start this week's show, we'll talk about the reel Michael Keaton!
REVIEW: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024). It's been nearly 40 years since "The Ghost With the Most" propelled Tim Burton to being one of the most bankable filmmakers in Hollywood. It took a while but Beetlejuice is back in a sequel so nice they named it twice. When the Deetz family returns to their old home in Winter River, it opens up some old wounds including the ones caused by a certain ghoul in black and white stripes. Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O'Hara are joined by Jenna Ortega and a host of new actors, but is the most they can do?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #433 – Born to Run the Run Part 2 (feat. Betty Stone)

Sometimes in this business, you go looking for the story and sometimes the story finds you... Last week, former Terry Fox Run organizer David Picard talked about his years of work putting this event together, and then he offered an opportunity: How would you like to hear from the woman that started it all? This week, we learn about the beginning of the Terry Fox Run and we'll learn how she did it.
Terry Fox died at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster. B.C. on June 19, 1981; he went into the hospital complaining of chest congestion and then he developed pneumonia. He fell into a coma and died nine days later. Terry had to abandon his Marathon of Hope the September before because the cancer was in his lungs, and he literally couldn’t run any further than Thunder Bay. It was 143 days and 5,373 kilometres after his history making run began.
The first Terry Fox Run in his honour happened just over two months after he died. Over 300,000 people across Canada took part raising $3.5 million, which was a down payment for the $850 million that the run has raised since that time. It’s hard to believe something this long-lasting and influential was slapped together in just a few months, but that’s what happened in the summer of ‘81, and Betty Stone was the person in Guelph who heard the call. This week, she’s going to tell us how she answered.
Betty Stone joins us on this week’s podcast to talk about her background as a teacher at King George School in Guelph, how an idle conversation before the start of the school year lead to the first Terry Fox Run, and how it quickly became a whole community effort. She will also talk about how something this big was organized in the pre-social media age, the outsized role of schools in supporting the Terry Fox Run, and why we still need heroes to look up to.
So let's talk about the beginning of the Terry Fox Run on this week's Guelph Politicast!
This year’s Terry Fox Run will take place on Sunday September 15 at Silvercreek Park at the corner of Wellington and Edinburgh. You can sign up to take part in the Terry Fox Run at the website for the Terry Fox Foundation, and you can follow the Guelph organizers on Instagram. If you have any questions about the run you can send to Theresa McGeragle at terryfoxrunguelph [at] gmail.com. To here last week's podcast with David Picard click here.
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 #483 - September 5, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, it's back to school time! In the spirit of learning and continuing education we will open our minds and exercise our takes by tackling the big news stories of the week including a return trip to the Middle East where war and peace continues to be top of mind, and then there's matters of immigration making the headlines here in Canada. More locally than that, we will talk about recent changes to government policy on safe consumption sites.
This Thursday, September 5, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
The Impasse. Over the weekend, six Israeli hostages were found dead in Gaza and they were recently killed too. It's a reminder that a) This is crisis now nearly a year old, and b) Despite numerous attempts to reach a ceasefire, no deal has been secured. The frustrations of the Israeli people are now overflowing on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and at the same time, the WHO is now fighting a polio outbreak in Gaza, which is a reminder that Israel isn't the only one suffering. What's next?
Come From Away. Counting down to a federal election that will take place this time next year, it seems increasingly clear that one of the major issues is going to be immigration and the temporary foreign worker program. Blame for all matter of things, from job opportunities to tuition costs to affordable housing, have been put on immigrants, and it seems like no politician is above raising this straw man. What is the truth about Canada's needs and responsibilities when it comes to immigration?
Out of Site. Last month, the Ontario government announced the closure of several safe consumption sites, including the one that operates here at Guelph Community Health Centre, and it was just in time for Drug Poisoning Awareness Day. This week, we will be joined again by manager of the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy Jean Hopkins who will tells us about what comes next for the Guelph CTS, her concerns for people who use substances in Guelph, and this general reversal of compassionate care.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #355 - September 4, 2024 (Alien: Romulus)

This week on End Credits, we're going back to school, and back to space. In space, no one can hear you scream, but they can hear you rave, and on this episode we will see if there's anything to rave about with Alien: Romulus. That was one summer movie we missed talking about before Labour Day, and we will also talk about some of the others movies we missed.
This Wednesday, September 4, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Candice Lepage will discuss:
Summer Lovin'! It''s first show of the fall, or September at least, so that means it's time to leave summer, and summer movies, behind... After one last segment. To begin this week's show, we're going to talk about some of the films we didn't get a chance to do a full review for over the last few months, and we missed a lot. So join us for a quick trip through the summer movie box office, from scary movies to apes and a trip to the Old West.
REVIEW: Alien: Romulus (2024). In Alien: Romulus, six people leave their odious, precarious existence working for The Man on the planet Jackson's Star and make their way to an orbiting space station to find the tools they need that will take them to a better life on a new world. And then they find some xenomophs instead. Fede Álvarez takes his turn with this venerable franchise, and this seventh movie in the Alien series (ninth if you count the Alien Vs. Predator movies) made a big splash last month, so now we will offer our analysis.
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #432 – Born to Run the Run (feat. David Picard)

The first Terry Fox Run took place in 1981, just a few months after the young man it’s named after passed away, and a little over a year after his Marathon of Hope came to an abrupt end. Over the last 43 years, millions and millions of dollars have been raised for cancer research, including over $1 million from Guelph alone, and all of this was done through the power of some very passionate volunteers. This is the story of one of them.
Tuesday July 22, 1980 was “Terry Fox Day” in Guelph, it was the day that the man himself passed through the Royal City while on his Marathon. He ran through town, stopped at city hall and was welcomed by Mayor Norm Jary and other dignitaries, and then continued on his way down the road to Halton Hills. It was a little over a month later when Terry called it quits, though not by choice.
One of the people inspired by Terry’s run was David Picard, and he started running too. He organized a run at the Ontario Reformatory where he worked, and then when the OR closed he started organizing the city run. The passion is still there after over 40 years, but Picard is now passing the torch to someone new with this year’s Terry Fox Run, but today he’s making a pit stop on this podcast.
Picard joins us to talk about his history with the Terry Fox Run, why he’s stayed with it all this time, and why he’s now ready to hand off the reins to someone new. We will also talk about his collection of memorabilia, and Picard’s experience following in Terry Fox’s footsteps. After that, he will discuss the ins and outs of organizing the Terry Fox Run, the outsized roles that school students play in its success, and why the community keeps coming out year after year.
So let's run for a good cause on this week's edition of the Guelph Politicast!
This year’s Terry Fox Run will take place on Sunday September 15 at Silvercreek Park at the corner of Wellington and Edinburgh. You can sign up to take part in the Terry Fox Run at the website for the Terry Fox Foundation, and you can follow the Guelph organizers on Instagram. If you have any questions about the run you can send to Theresa McGeragle at terryfoxrunguelph [at] gmail.com.
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.