Guelph Politicast

Open Sources Digest - May 23, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're looking for change. Everyone who's ever been a politician started out as something else, and as we're looking to next year's federal election, and an open seat here in the riding of Guelph, we've already got a couple of people looking for a career change. This week, we're talking to a labour activist and a city councillor who both want to be your next MP.
This Thursday, May 23 at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Folk-Dawson’s Creek. The next federal election is still more than a year-and-a-half away, at least if the confidence and supply agreement holds up. But even if it comes apart, the NDP in Guelph are ready because they have a candidate in place, and it’s Janice Folk-Dawson. A well-known and accomplished labour activist, Folk-Dawson will tell us about making the move to politics and why she wants to put the labour back into Canada’s labour party.
O’Fork in the Road. A couple of weeks ago, reps from Guelph and Wellington County met at the third session of the Health and Housing Symposium, and one of them was Ward 6 Councillor Dominique O’Rourke. On this week’s show, she will tell us what she got out of the symposium experience, and we will also talk about O’Rourke’s new political endeavour, a play to take her skills and experience to Ottawa as Guelph’s next MP!
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #342 - May 22, 2024 (Fight Movies)

This week on End Credits, we put up our dukes! Join us as we celebrate violence with three movies that we've reviewed recently, all of which taught us again and again that sometimes all it takes fix things is to break stuff. So stop, stretch, and line-up your knuckles because when we get into this week, we really get into. Let them fight!
This Wednesday, May 22, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson, Tim Phillips, Peter Salmon, and Candice Lepage will discuss:
Fight Movies! Sometimes you've just got to punch something. That's not the message we got in preschool, but it is a message that we sometimes get from the movies. This week, we're going to revisit some movies that show us the best way to solve problems - whether that's family dysfunction, shady real estate developers, or international crime syndicates - is by punching the hell of it. Whether it's the sisters of Polite Society, the bouncers of Road House, or the Equalizer in The Equalizer 3, we will come back to the idea that violence *does* solve problems!
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #420 – The Year at Council So Far

Time flies when you're having fun in the council chambers, which brings us to the first recap podcast of the year. We started off slow with one meeting in January, and then things go really busy in February and March, including one meeting that was really two meetings, but all together they were 12 hours long. Remember what that one was about? Remember what any of them were about?
So there was one meeting in January and it cued up a meeting in February, the one about the Public Spaces Uses Bylaw. If there was an award for the most contentious/controversial meeting of the year, this will likely still be the winner when we get to the end of the year. That ties into the overarching theme of the first third of this year, which is housing. There was the payment in-lieu plan for downtown parking, fourplexes, and a new development charges bylaw.
If you're forgotten any of these developments than this is the podcast for you. We will go through all the meetings from January to April and cover the highlights from each meeting. And yes, there was a lot of development and planning stuff to chew on, but there was also some heritage protection, infrastructure renewal, tree protection on private property, and, for the procedural nerds out there, an honest to goodness investigation by the integrity commissioner.
So let's recap the first few months of 2024 in council business on this week's Guelph Politicast!
Obviously, 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 Digest - May 16, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we've got a digest for you. As we lean back on an ant hill, touch grass and love life, we're treating you to two recent in-depth conversations with fascinating and insightful activists in their respective fields. First, just in time for Pride Month, we're going talk about trans equality, and second, just in time for Victoria Day planting, we're going to talk about farm workers.
This Thursday, May 16 at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
The Johnstone of Destiny. Canada’s queer and trans communities are feeling besieged lately with many provincial governments trying to legislate parental rights and/or are openly discriminating against LGBTQ+ people. This week, we’re joined by Fae Johnstone, a trans activist and the executive director of the Society for Queer Momentum, who’s going to tell us about how they maintain hope that we’re still on the progressive road to equality.
Migrants at Work. With the planting season here, more migrant workers will be arriving in surrounding communities to help with the busy and strenuous tasks that come with farming. But there’s more than one type of migrant worker, and they are facing all kinds of challenges as they’re going about their jobs and to help us sort all that out, we will be joined by Kit Andres from the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #341 - May 15, 2024 (The Hits of 2024 So Far)

This week on End Credits, we learn from the best! There's been a lot talk in the last few years about there being nothing good at the movie theatre anymore, but as a dedicated listener of this show, you know that's not true and to prove it, we will dedicate this week's episode to some of the best movies we've seen so far this year at the cinema, though you can now get them at home.
This Wednesday, May 15, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson, Tim Phillips, Peter Salmon, and Candice Lepage will discuss:
Good Movies from 2024! It's only the fifth month of the year, and there's already been a bunch of great movies that might fit on anyone's best of the year list. This week, we will go back to Arrakas, join two women on a crime spree, and enjoy some perfect days as we clean some of the most beautiful public toilets that you’ve ever seen. Yes, we’re going to go back in time and revisit our past reviews featuring some of the best films we’ve seen so far this year. Cue up the wayback machine, and by that we mean the premium VOD channel of your choice!
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #419 - 20 Years of Participation

This is the 20th anniversary year for the Special Olympics, which speaks to the tremendous success of the event, and while it is about the competition in some respects, these games are mostly about fun and camaraderie. In an era where we talk so much about kids being attached to their screens, what can be more essential than some good, old-fashioned sports?
Today (Wednesday), over 700 athletes from over 60 schools are competing in various track and field events, some of which are adapted so that all kids can compete regardless of their capability. There’s no doubt that playing sports has a positive impact on young people, but sometimes sports aren't welcoming to kids with all abilities, which is why something like the Special Olympics was created. 
There are over 100,000 Special Olympic events around the world every year, including the one here in Guelph and Wellington hosted by the two main school boards. Participants will compete in 50m, 100m and 200m races, standing/running long jump, and softball throw, as well as adaptive events for those with physical challenges including obstacle course, basketball shooting, T-ball, Popbottle bowling and a 40m walk/run. Organizing all this must be quite the logistical challenge, right?
Nicole Hearn, a special education resource teacher with the Wellington Catholic District School Board and an event committee member for the Guelph-Wellington Special Olympics, is going to tell us about it on this episode of the podcast. Plus, she will talk about the importance of physical education in a well-rounded school experience, balancing the spirit of competition with the promotion of fun and exercise in sport, and why this year's event is even more special than usual.
So let's talk about making the Special Olympics special on this week's Guelph Politicast!
If you’re listening to this on Wednesday, the Special Olympics are being held today at St. James Catholic High School in Guelph. You stay up-to-date with all Special Olympics news at the Upper Grand District School Board and Wellington Catholic District School Board websites, and on Facebook. 
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 #470 - May 9, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, everything old is new again! Nothing changes after two big by-elections in different parts of Ontario, and the war that has stymied the world for the better part of a year now only looks close to reaching a resolution. Also, under hope and change, we have a guest this week that hopes a commemoration this month will lead to improved lives for people everywhere!
This Thursday, May 9, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Paradise Lost, and Found. That's a John Milton joke, and Milton Ontario was in the news this week as the location of one of two by-elections, both of which were won by Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives. That's where paradise was found, where it was lost was affordable housing money from the feds and the keffiyeh ban that no one wants, but no one can get rid of. We'll tall about another wild week at Queen's Park.
The Beginning of the End? On Sunday there was an announcement that a ceasefire agreement had been reached in the now seven-month conflict in the Gaza Strip, but before you could say "Done deal", the Israeli Defense Forces launched an attack on the crossing at Rafah, the last portion of Gaza still standing. With the U.S. Administration at its wits end, are we entering the most perilous phase of this conflict, the end?
Sexual Violence Prevention Month. May is Sexual Violence Prevention Month. and while different groups may have a variation on the name, the intent is always the same: An end to all forms of sexual violence. This week, we're joined by Cindy McMann, the public educator of Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis, who will tell us what she's doing locally including the effort to make Intimate Partner Violence an epidemic.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #340 - May 8, 2024 (The Fall Guy)

This week on End Credits, we're doing endings and beginnings. On the subject of the latter, we're talking about a new movie that officially marks the first release of the Summer Movie season, a little - but big - movie called The Fall Guy. As for those endings, we will talk about the current state of the franchise that used to launch every summer, and why it's struggling.
This Wednesday, May 8, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Candice Lepage will discuss:
The Blame Endgame. It's been five years since the release of Avengers: Endgame, the pinnacle of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. No Marvel Studios movie has every been as successful, before or since, and while some of that blame can fall on the pandemic and the strikes, part of it is probably a loss of direction since the series reached it's natural conclusion in Endgame. To begin this week's show, we'll start with the End and everything after.
REVIEW: The Fall Guy (2024). Summer begins with  throwback,  a good, old-fashioned action movie with an emphasis on stunts and practical effects, plus it's got romance and humour. It's also self-referential and takes place against the backdrop of the movie business, and it's based on an cult favourite 80s TV show. It's also got the star-power of Ryan Gosling, newly minted as "Kenough", plus his fellow 2024 Oscar nominee Emily Blunt as his partner in crime, but with so much going for this movie, how can it possibly deliver, and why does it still manage to deliver?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #418 – Mental Health Week

Earlier this year, Statistics Canada reported that there has been a five per cent increase in positive responses in the proportions of adults who reported excellent or very good mental health, a strong sense of belonging to their local community, and a high level of life satisfaction between 2021 and 2023. And yet, considering that still less than three out of five adults report excellent or very good mental health, we still have a long way to go.
If you’re listening to this on Wednesday, then we’re halfway through Mental Health Week, which is an annual commemoration by the CMHA to promote better overall mental mental health in communities across Canada, and boy does that need some promotion. The theme of this year’s Mental Health Week, and yes there is a theme, is “Be Kind.” Meaning that we're focusing on "the healing power of compassion" and appreciating that "kindness is equally intrinsic to our humanity."
It’s hard to think of a better time to send out a message about kindness and compassion. Have you been on the internet lately? To say that there’s a lot of anger and hate and vitriol seems like an understatement. Then we’re seeing online hate and disgruntlement affect us here in the real world as more politicians are seeing anger and division as powerful campaign tools, and foreign governments see dividing a people against each other as a way of achieving their own transnational goals. 
It really feels like we need to call a time out and ask each other sincerely, "Are you okay?" which is what Helen Fishburn is here to do this week on the podcast. She's the CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington and she's going to discuss the overall mental health condition of the Guelph community right now, what it means to have “mental health literacy”, what the various levels of government could be doing to lend a hand, and how you can work to improve your own mental health.
So let's talk about getting better, mentally speaking, on this week’s Guelph Politicast!
You can see all the programs and events that the CMHA has planned for Mental Health Week at their website. If you do find yourself in immediate crisis you can call the Here 24/7 helpline 1-844-HERE247 or 1-844-437-3247 for one-stop access to 11 different local agencies that work in mental health and addictions, and you can also call the Suicide Crisis Helpline at 9-8-8. If you feel like you need help, do reach out and ask for it. 
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 #469 - May 2, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we reconnect with our roots. It's been a busy week for student protests and campus shutdowns, and it's not escaped media attention, but getting less media attention is B.C.'s move to re-criminalize drugs, which may be a big step backwards. As always, this media is focused on local, and we will talk to a city councillor that maybe making a move from local to national.
This Thursday, May 2, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Shock and Quad. Pro-Palestinian protests are nothing new to university campuses, but they've blown up in the last few weeks do to clashes between police and students at Columbia University in New York. Solidarity protests have popped up on other campuses, and now there's a political game being played about free speech and the cultural wars, but is the coverage missing the point of these protests in the first place?
Re-Criminal Minds. In a shocking move backwards, the provincial government of British Columbia has decided to re-criminalize the use of drugs in public spaces. Many are seeing this as a pre-election move by Premier David Eby to seem tough on crime, but activists are concerned about hitting rewind on hard fought progress on harm reduction strategies. Has the pendulum swung back to policing our way our of the addictions crisis?
O'Fork in the Road. A couple of weeks ago, reps from Guelph and Wellington County met at the third session of the Health and Housing Symposium, and one of them was Ward 6 Councillor Dominique O'Rourke. On this week's show, she will tell us what she got out of the symposium experience, and we will also talk about O'Rourke's new political endeavour, a play to take her skills and experience to Ottawa as Guelph's next MP!
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.