Guelph Politicast

GUELPH POLITICAST #171 - Guelph Stuff (Climate Emergency, #GuelphProud, Polls)

It's been a while, but every now and then on the podcast, we like to take a minute, or 30, and talk about the issues happening Guelph, and give them some context in the bigger political picture. What are people talking about, how will it affect their lives, and what are the angles they're not thinking about? In other words, we're going to talk about "Guelph Stuff".
This week on the podcast, we're joined again by Guelph Politico contributor Eli Ridder to chat a little about "Guelph Stuff", and we've got three main topics to talk about.
First up, we’re going to talk about whether or not the City of Guelph should declare a climate emergency. Several municipalities in Ontario have made the move in the last couple of months, and there’s been a lot of talk about green-friendly Guelph doing the same, but not everyone at city council is getting behind the idea.
Then, a matter of branding. Mayor Cam Guthrie and others have been using the hashtag #GuelphProud to promote Royal City goodness for the last couple of years, but with groups like the Proud Boys, and Ontario Proud out there, the word doesn’t exactly carry the same kind of jolly symbolism it once did.
And finally, polls show that the Liberals and the Greens are running neck and neck in the federal riding of Guelph, which might be a serious problem for this typically Liberal stronghold. So is it possible that Guelph might go entirely Green in the coming Federal Election, and what are the challenges for the other major parties?
So let’s get into some “Guelph Stuff” on this week’s edition of the Guelph Politicast!
Action on climate change will be a hot topic at the Committee of the Whole meeting on May 6, and you can find coverage of that, and all the latest Guelph political news here on Guelph Politico. “Guelph Stuff” will return sometime next month.
The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes of the Politicast here.
Remember that the Politicast Podbean channel is also the host for podcast versions of Open Sources Guelph. The previous Thursday’s episode of Open Sources will be posted on Mondays.

Open Sources Guelph - April 25, 2019

This week on Open Sources Guelph we learn again that elections have consequences. Here in Canada, we'll look at the consequences of two very big provincial elections at either end of the country, and here in Ontario we'll again look at what happens when you elect a party with no costed platform. But hey, it could be worse. The head of your government might be an unindicted co-conspirator who may only not be in jail right now because he's President of the United States!
This Thursday, April 25 at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Green Nook. History was made in Prince Edward Island on Tuesday, just not the type of history that many people were hoping of expecting. The Progressive Conservatives won the most seats, but they'll now oversee a minority legislature with the formerly governing Liberals now in third place and now former Premier Wade MacLauchlin unable to keep his own seats. Meanwhile, the Green Party is now the Official Opposition, and that makes us wonder what it means for Greens across Canada.
Jason Born. As predicted, Jason Kenney led the United Conservative Party to an easy majority victory in Alberta last week, and ended the Wild Rose Province's brief flirtation with the NDP. Kenney immediately stated his intention to follow up on key campaign promises like cancelling the carbon tax and playing hardball with B.C. to get those pipelines built, while no one in Alberta seems particularly concerned about the quality of people they just elected to their legislature. So what next for Alberta?
Rescue 911. Premier Doug Ford has done it again, and by "it" when mean announce policy that's made a lot of people upset and concerned. Along with a proposal to amalgamate provincial ambulances services, public health agencies will also stand to lose millions of dollars in funding over the next few years, which is giving Ontarians some shades of Walkerton and the political decisions that led to that tragedy. We'll talk about the latest controversies from Queen's Park.
Mueller's Crossing. U.S. Attorney General William Barr finally released a redacted version of the final report by Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III, and the result is not "total and complete vindication" as President Donald Trump would like you to believe. Far from it. Now everyone is waiting to see what comes of the report as Democrats in the House keep pushing for more information, including the un-redacted report, and start debating about whether or not to impeach. So what's next in this high stakes drama?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits - April 24, 2019 (Pet Semetary)

This week on End Credits we journey to the darkest depths of the backyard and the hidden evils of where Ruffles and Mittens are laid to rest. Yes, we will journey to the remade Pet Semetary, and talk about the man behind it, and the movies base on his works. We'll also talk about summer movies, the fate of Roman Polanski, and some local movie news one town over.
This Wednesday, April 24, at 2 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Vince Masson will discuss:
Roman Numeration. Academy Award winning director Roman Polanski was removed as a member of the Academy last year in the wake of the #MeToo movement along with Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein, but Polanski is now making the case that he should get his membership back. What are Polanski's odds, and will this controversy ever be resolved?
Noise of Summer. With the release of Avengers: Endgame this week, it's safe to say that even if it doesn't feel like it, summer is here! Now summer movies are often associated with sequels, franchises, remakes, and extended universes, but we'll dig into the release calendar and find some movies that skewer a bit more to originality than the average summer movie.
Princess Furies. Waterloo's original Princess Cinema, one of the oldest art house cinemas in Canada, is facing the likely possibility of having to close its doors at the end of May. Why? It seems that the landlord can make more money with another tenant, even as they claim that Princess owner John Tutt has been nothing but great. What does this say about the future fate of art house in Canada?
King of the Underworld. As evident by our review this week, there's no denying Stephen King's influence on horror, and horror films. Many of Kings books, novellas, and short stories have been adapted by many different filmmakers, but who gets it right, and who doesn't? What makes a good Stephen King adaptation, and why do many adaptations miss the mark?
REVIEW: Pet Semetary (2019). Sometimes, dead is better. And sometimes it's better not to bother with a remake, especially if it seems like you have nothing new to say. The remake of one of Stephen King's most popular stories features a new, decidedly less campy spin on the novel than it's 1989 predecessor, but it doesn't exactly deliver the TKO that King fans want, or have come to expect after other recent King adaptations like IT. So was Pet Semetary resurrected for nothing?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 2 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #170 - Kayla Weiler, Outgoing VP of the CSA

It's the end of April, and that means it's the end of the main school year. If you're a student that works on campus, that also means its turnover time; you're either entering a new position, or your leaving a position you invested a whole year in. Kayla Weiler is in the latter category.
Weiler has been the Vice-President External of the Central Students Association at the University of Guelph for the last two years. She first appeared on the podcast back in episode #74 along with her fellow incoming VPs Emily Vance and Becca Cheskes. It seemed like simpler times with concerns about alterations to the bus system, and renovations to club space being of immediate importance.
All that changed last June though when Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives took over as the Government of Ontario. The Student Choice Initiative was announced earlier this year, and it will allow undergrad students to opt out of non-essential services, almost all of which are administered by the CSA and include the CSA itself. Since dealing with the provincial government is technically under the VP External’s portfolio, it was Weiler that had to lead the charge.
So on this edition of the podcast, we'll recap the last couple of tumultuous years with Weiler, and ask her what she thinks the next few years might look like for post-secondary students. Weiler also talks about the good and the bad about the CSA, and how she thinks she’s left her mark on the organization, and we also talk about her efforts to get students to organize and defend something they may not necessarily understand. And finally, Weiler will talk about how she feels now that it’s all over, what she’s doing next, and what she’ll be taking with her from the CSA and the U of G.
So let's talk again about the politics of student politics on this week's edition of the Guelph Politicast!
You can learn more about the CSA at their website, and if you'd like to take a small part in defying the Student Choice Initiative by helping CFRU become classified as an essential service, you can get in touch with Andrea at outreach@cfru.ca to find a petition nearest you to sign.
The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes of the Politicast here.
Remember that the Politicast Podbean channel is also the host for podcast versions of Open Sources Guelph. The previous Thursday’s episode of Open Sources will be posted on Mondays.

Open Sources Guelph - April 18, 2019

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're going to give ourselves a bit of a beak before the long weekend. Instead of our usual panorama of new and breaking news from the past week, we're going to have a series of interviews on this edition of the show. We'll hear from our own Member of Provincial Parliament, a man who wants to the Member of Parliament for a nearby riding, and a leader in organized labour for Ontario workers, and they all have something to say.
This Thursday, April 18 at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Panic Mike. Last week, the Ontario government delivered its first budget under Doug Ford and Finance Minister Vic Fedeli. While many were initially pleased that it didn't seem like there were that many cuts, the days since have revealed that there was a lot unseen in the fine print. One of those people is Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner, who joins us this week for an in-depth discussion about the government's budget priorities, the carbon tax court challenge, and how the Ford government might be running defense for their federal counterparts.
Hamilton Steel. Speaking of the federal scene, there's an election coming up later this year. While Guelph has yet to name an NDP candidate, one of our neighbouring ridings has. Scotty will talk to Cambridge NDP candidate Scott Hamilton, an expert in international relations with a masters from Oxford and a PhD from the London School of Economics, about his priorities for the 2019 election, why he's running for office, and how he might apply his considerable academic expertise to the country's pressing problems.
Left Said Fred. Back with the Ontario budget, one of the groups that will feel changes most harshly will be government employees themselves. One of the unions that represents those workers is the Canadian Union of Public Employees, and Fred Hahn is the president of CUPE Ontario. Scotty will talk to Hahn about his concerns coming out of the provincial budget, what workers are feeling after nearly a year into the Ford era, and what form the fight for workers' rights will take next.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

GUELPH POLITICAST #169 - Robin Gerus, GM of Guelph Transit

On the best of days, the city's transit system is a tough thing to manage, and in Guelph all transit matters come to the desk of General Manager Robin Gerus. On this week's second installment of a Politicast transit double-bill, we actually go to that desk and ask Gerus directly about the present concerns and challenges of Guelph Transit.
Earlier this week, the Transit Action Alliance of Guelph, or TAAG, talked to the podcast about their feelings about the current state of transit, and the follow-up of the completion of the Service Review. Now it's Gerus' turn. Everything that’s going on from the wrap up of the Service Review, to the beginning of a route and schedule review, and the push/pull of expanding transit service with limited resources were among the topics of discussion.
Now this isn't the first time that the podcast has gone to the Watson Road office of the Transit General Manager. Way back in episode #60, we heard from then-new Transit manager Mike Spicer, who came to the job with a lot of optimism and ready to seize the opportunity to make Guelph Transit better. He left a little over a year later, and Gerus inherited the position and a tremendous work load.
As you’ll hear, from his point of view, why Gerus says his job now is to stay the course, and not transform Guelph Transit as he sees fit.
Also in this special edition of the podcast you’ll hear Gerus talk about his transition to manager of Guelph Transit, and why he’s trying not to rock the boat too much. You’ll also hear his own feedback from the Service Review, and what we're to make of the proposed community bus expansion. In terms of the bigger picture, Gerus will talk about whether Transit has the ability to manage all it’s long term projects at once, and whether it can take three to five years to implement all of the reviews recommendations. And we’ll discuss Guelph’s traffic issues, and what comes next for the city’s transit system.
So let's hear about transit, from the boss of transit, on this week's second edition of the Guelph Politicast!
You can follow along with any new Transit developments here on Politico, where we regularly cover transit issues, or you can visit Transit’s website, Facebook page or Twitter feed for updated information from Guelph Transit itself.
The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes of the Politicast here.
Remember that the Politicast Podbean channel is also the host for podcast versions of Open Sources Guelph. The previous Thursday’s episode of Open Sources will be posted on Mondays.

End Credits - April 17, 2019 (Shazam!)

To listen to this week's End Credits, all you have to do is say the magic word, "please". Actually, you don't even need to do that, just tune in to CFRU and listen as we review that other magic word-based movie, Shazam! Before that though, we'll talk about a cinematic universe's comeback, how we watch movies, Canadian Film Day, and this week in Disney news. (Yes, this is its own category now.)
This Wednesday, April 17, at 2 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Candice Lepage will discuss:
Plus One. Disney had a busy week of marketing itself. On the one hand, they announced the initial line-up of Disney+, the new streaming service that's going to be all Disney, all the time. Yes, it will have new Marvel, Star Wars, and assorted other projects plus the vaunted Disney vault at its finger tips, so that's great, right? Elsewhere, Disney revealed a new trailer for a small project they've been working on for a while that absolutely no one has any investment in at all...
Call It a Comeback! The box office success of Shazam! following up on the billion-dollar-blockbuster Aquaman has suggested the impossible, the DCEU is now good! Although Man of Steel, Batman V. Superman, and Suicide Squad all made some money, they didn't exactly make fans anxious to see more from their dark and dreary universe. So has the DC Comics movies universe turned a corner, or is this just what happens when good directors are at play?
Do We Stream or Do We Go? It's meant to be the monumental media question of our age: with so many streaming options how do we still encourage people to go to the movies? It turns out, you don't have to choose. A newly published study says that people who stream more, also go to the movies more too, which suggests the friction is between people who like movies, and people who don't like movies as much. So are we surprised by this suggestion?
Own Canada. Today is Canadian Film Day. Yes, today! So we're going to take a moment before our main review, maybe a couple of moments, to acknowledge that we've made some darn good movies here in Canada. Now you may think we've done this before, and you'd be partially right, but we definitely want to prove that Canada is a hot bed for really great stories and filmmaking, and not just a place where famous people come from.
REVIEW: Shazam! (2019). It's the story about a boy that wishes he can be big. And strong. And bulletproof. And can fly. Yes, there's a lot in Shazam! that will remind you of the Tom Hanks classic, as well as another well-known DC hero in red, but the latest entry in the DC Extended Universe is about as far as one can get tone-wise from the latest works featuring Superman. That suits fans because Shazam! is a real crowd pleaser, and it's all thanks to its light-hearted approach and some very kid friendly themes about truth, justice, and taking money for selfies.
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 2 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #168 – The Transit Pass with TAAG

The Service Review was delivered, council took its recommendations seriously, and the new spending it proposed was passed in the annual budget process. So everything worked out, right? Not so fast, because the work of improving transit is ongoing, and there's a group in town is keeping a watchful eye on the situation as it develops. It's time for the Transit Pass!
Back in December, the members of the Transit Action Alliance of Guelph, or TAAG, made their first appearance on the Politicast as part of a new regular initiative to cast a regular spotlight on transit issues in the city. As stated above, there's been a lot going on with the transit file lately, but some of the same old problems persist.
The City of Guelph continues to struggle with the need to balance the expansion of transit, the development of more active transportation, and the fact that this is still a very car-centric community. Since emerging last fall, TAAG has become an increasingly influential voice to promote transit options in Guelph, and behind the scenes they've been working hard to keep transit on the front-burner in terms of the City's priorities.
This week on the podcast, TAAG Chair Steve Petric and Membership Co-ordinator John Marchese join the show to talk about the work they’ve been doing, their gut reaction to the recommendations of the service review, and their thoughts on expanding the community bus. In other matters, there's discussion about their expectations of the the schedule and route review, why they're getting more councillors to take a ride on the bus, and what they’ve been hearing from city staff about transit through their advocacy. Plus, there's also some talk about traffic, regional transit, and why Guelph Transit needs to sometimes focus on the good news!
So let's catch up on transit matters on this week's edition of the Guelph Politicast!
You can learn more about TAAG by clicking here. Stay tuned for the second part of the Guelph Politicast's transit podcast double-header this weekend in the form of an interview with Guelph Transit General Manager Robin Gerus. The gang from TAAG will be back on the Politicast later this summer.
The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes of the Politicast here.
Remember that the Politicast Podbean channel is also the host for podcast versions of Open Sources Guelph. The previous Thursday’s episode of Open Sources will be posted on Mondays.

Open Sources Guelph - April 11, 2019

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we look to the future. Not the type of future with jetpacks and stuff, but the more immediate future about the 2019 Federal Election. Specifically, are we doing enough to tackle the creeping alt-right, not to mention foreign influencers looking to peddle? Back in the present, we'll look at the new Ontario government's first budget, and the doings south of the border at the other southern border.
This Thursday, April 11 at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
The Budget List. We don't know entirely what will be in the 2019 Ontario budget because it won't be released until an hour before showtime, but there has certainly been some indications both questionable and frightening. It's been announced that childcare and deficit reduction are the priority, but the details released so far included the allowance for tailgating, new license plates, and stickers at gas pumps that remind you about the carbon tax. So what nitty gritty details will be in Doug Ford's first budget?
Nielsen's Wary. You may have heard that President Donald Trump has concerns about how the U.S. handles immigration. Last weekend, Trump fired Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen, and then he fired the head of the Secret Service, seemingly on the advice of his immigration hardliner advisor Stephen Miller. This effectively hollows out the second biggest government department in terms of senior management, but what is Trump's endgame, and why is he trying to achieve it this way?
The Right Stuff. A Mainstreet poll revealed that the majority of Canadians say the biggest national security threat facing the country is white nationalism and white supremacy. From the 2017 mosque shooting in Quebec, to the Toronto van attack, it seems like people are right to be worried about far right groups. Meanwhile, Facebook finally revoked privileges for Faith Goldy, the Sons of Odin, and other racist groups from Canada, but are we doing enough to tackle the problem? And what does "enough" look like?
Between Two Concerns. Speaking of this fall's election, reports are saying that Elections Canada is expecting to be a target for foreign interference of the kind perpetuated by Russia in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, the Brexit vote, and elections in France and Italy. Meanwhile, concerns continue about fake news, especially with the Buffalo Chronicle being shared by people that should know better. Are we taking seriously the possibility of interference in this fall's election?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits - April 10, 2019 (The Beach Bum)

This week on End Credits, we'll mark the return of warmer weather and the start of summer vacation at the U of G by heading to the beach. Cinematically speaking. We'll review the new indie comedy, The Beach Bum, and also talk about the "Clash of Kings." Yes, that's a Game of Thrones reference, but it's also a reference to the fight between Hollywood writers and agents. On top of that, we'll talk about the Joker movie, and a pair of killer doll flicks! 
This Wednesday, April 10, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
Agents of Yield? In Hollywood right now, there's an epic stand-off happening between the Writers Guild of America, the union that represents all screenwriters, and the Association of Talent Agents, which is the organizing body for agencies who represent writers (and other talent). The fight has been brutal, and both sides seem intractable in their positions, but in the days to come, the movie and TV business might change radically. We'll explain how.
Doll-a-rama! This summer, it's not about the superheroes, monsters, and live-action Disney characters, it's about the killer dolls. In one corner, we've got the latest instalment in the Conjuring universe, Annabelle Comes Home, and in the other corner, we've got the remake of Child's Play, the 1988 movie that launched a seven-film franchise. Is there enough room at the box office for two killer dolls, and if not, which one will win the summer? `
Joke Look. The first trailer for Todd Phillips' movie about the origins of the Clown Prince of Crime was released last week, and it got a lot of interest because it looks fascinatingly good. Phillips' manages to channel the Batman villain through what looks like an elaborate remake of Taxi Driver, and it features what might be a very magnetic performance by Joaquin Phoenix, which makes us ask the question: Might The Joker end up being great?
Game of Predictions. HBO's Game of Thrones returns for its eighth and final season on Sunday in what is one of the most anticipated pop culture events of the year. There's only six episodes left to wrap up the tangled web of stories and characters, so we're going to take some time this week to make some wild and not-so-wild predictions about who will live, who will die, and who will win the Iron Throne, if there's anyone left to win the Iron Throne at all.
REVIEW: The Beach Bum (2019). Harmony Korine is no stranger to testing audiences tolerance for distaste and corruption, but can they take all that in the form of Matthew McConaughey as a  loutish and lazy beat poet who spends too much time getting high that he can't string three words together? Korine brings together a great cast including Snoop Dogg, Isla Fisher, and Zac Efron to test patience and tolerance as we spend 90 minutes watching McConaughey's bum get in one kind of trouble or another. But what does it all mean?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 2 pm.