Guelph Politicast

Open Sources Guelph #487 - October 3, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, there's a lot to figure out. South of the border, does it matter who won the vice-presidential debate? We're going to find out, and we're also going to find out if anything's really changed after all this time when it comes to Truth and Reconciliation with our Indigenous communities in recent years. Also, we're going to have more tunnel talk with a special guest who knows about real solutions for congestion.
This Thursday, October 3, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Mission Veep. On Tuesday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance appeared on stage for the first and only vice-presidential debate. They both had the same goal: Don't screw this up for the top of the ticket! The results were mixed, meaning that both men stuck to the mission and presented a facsimile of somewhat normal political discourse, while Iranian missiles fall on Israel, and Donald Trump is on the stump talking about Democrats creating water-free bathrooms. So has the game changed?
Orange Country. Monday was the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which is still not a stat holiday in  Ontario by the way. Nearly 10 years after delivery of the TRC report, and nearly four years after the re-examination of the legacy of Canada's residential school system, we're still trying to figure out what "truth and reconciliation" means, and some of us are making it harder than it should be. This week, we're going to stop and measure our progress as the orange shirts come off.
Tunnel Spat. Last week, Premier Doug Ford announced his intention to explore the possibility of building a new highway, in a tunnel, under the 401. A lot of people were surprised by this announcement, and Ford, as he often does, has doubled down on it as new questions keep being raised. We've got some questions too, which is why we've reached out to Martin Collier, a transportation planner and founder of Transport Futures, who will tell us about the practicalities and possibilities of Ford's tunnel vision based his own expertise.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #359 - October 2, 2024 (Megalopolis)

This week on End Credits, we're ambitious! We do love a passion project on this show, and on this episode we're serving up thoughts on two of them, one new and one old. In the 'new' category, we've got the latest movie from the vanguard of the New Hollywood movement, and from the 'old' file, we've got the greatest hit from the head of the 90s indie movement. Get ready for Megalopolis and Pulp Fiction! 
This Wednesday, October 2, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Tim Phillips will discuss:
Pulp Fiction at 30! It was three decades ago this week that Quentin Tarantino's second feature was released to rapturous acclaim, multiple award nominations, and 30 years of influence. Pulp Fiction is frequently cited as one of the best movies of the 90s, if not in the history of cinema, and it certainly cemented the reputation of Quentin Tarantino as the pre-eminent filmmaker of his generation. But after all this time, is Pulp Fiction still the G.O.A.T. we want it to be?
REVIEW: Megalopolis (2024). For years, Francis Ford Coppola - the legendary director of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now - has been trying to get this project off the ground, a fable about one man's struggle to overcome corruption and decay to make his utopian dreams a reality. In what's bound to be the most divisive movie of the year, Megalopolis follows the dreamer played by Adam Driver as he manoeuvres the flailing days of New Rome/York to build his dream. This kids is what's called a metaphor, so does Coppola manage to achieve his dream and build a better cinema?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #436 – Raw Audio News 2

Last week was a very busy news week here in Guelph, four stories that each, in their way, tell the story of a growing city when it comes to the economy, public safety and accountability. For this episode of the pod you're going to hear the news as it’s covered, live (ish) from around town as we get into some real shoe leather reporting from the streets of the Royal City. This is "Raw Audio News!"
First we will talk to Paul Hanna, executive VP of member relations, governance and corporate services at the Co-operators along with Shawn Fitzgerald who is the VP of real estate and workplace services. After the official grand opening of the new Co-operators headquarters in the city’s south end last week, they talked about the shape of office work post-COVID and why it’s good business to build in an environmentally sustainable way. 
Next, we will hear from Staff Sergeant Michael Davis who oversees the tactics and rescue unit. He was on hand last Thursday as Guelph Police unveiled their new community rescue vehicle, which has generated a lot of attention online, and you will hear from him in a media scrum about why this purchase was necessary and how it will be deployed.
Third, we will hear from Mike Darmon, Corinna Matteliano, Adrian Salvatore, Jennifer Juste, Ken Yee Chew and Mike Schreiner, who spoke at a Ghost Ride on Saturday. The ride was organized by the Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation to honour Susan Bard, one of their members and an avid cyclist who was killed in a motor vehicle collision on September 6. These speakers, including Bard’s daughter Matterliano, will talk about road safety in Guelph and how we need to do better to protect all road users. 
And finally you will hear briefly from Faye Dzikewich, she is the mother of Nathaniel Schofield, a 36-year-old Arthur man who died while in police custody at the Rockwood detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police. Nathaniel’s friends and family held a march to protest how they’re still waiting for answers from the SIU about how this healthy father of six who was arrested and held for a relatively minor offence when he died.
So let’s get into some raw audio news on this week’s edition of the Guelph Politicast!
You can follow up with all of these stories on the main Guelph Politico 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 #486 - September 26, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we've got a lot going on. There are two elections happening in Canada right now, and probably not the ones you expect. Meanwhile, Israel's war is expanding to Hezbollah now as they launch attacks both big and small around the regions, just in time for the start of another October. For the interview, we've got our local Member of Provincial Parliament who's still trying to stay on top of the premier's recent colour commentary.
This Thursday, September 26, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Eastbound and Westbound. There's been a lot of election talk lately, but it's more than just talk on the east and the west coast. While Blaine Higgs hopes to get back to a more comfortable majority position even as the Liberals seem to be surging in New Brunswick, the more interesting race is in British Columbia where the NDP and the new provincial Conservative Party are neck-and-neck with Conservative leader John Rustad taking culture war silliness for a spin. We'll catch up with both races.
"De-escalation Though Escalation." That's a line from Axios’ politics and foreign policy reporter Barak Ravid about the Israeli government's strategy when it comes to their recent attacks against Hezbollah, first with a serious of attacks using exploding pagers and then with missile attacks on Lebanon. You might note that Israel was fighting a war against Hamas, and as we approach the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks, there's no sign that anything resembling de-escalation is coming. Is a regional war inevitable?
Blame It on the Lane. This Friday, Mike Schreiner will accept the nomination of the local Green Party to be their candidate in the next provincial election, so naturally, Premier Doug Ford has spent the week giving Schreiner great new material to run on. From cancelling bike lanes to telling unhoused people to get off their ass and get a job, it's been a banner week for Ford, so Schreiner's going to tell us why he's still focused on getting people housed, and why he wants to put climate action back on the legislative menu at Queen's Park!
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #358 - September 25, 2024 (The Deliverance)

This week on End Credits, we get the jump on October. We can't wait another six days for the spookiest month of the year to properly begin so we're going to kick things off with Satan! For the review this week, we're going to watch the new horror flick The Deliverance on Netflix, and we're going to talk about history's greatest super-villain, and his greatest hits!
This Wednesday, September 18, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Candice Lepage will discuss:
Hail Satan! The Devil was the villain of the first horror movie in 1898, and he's been a recurring villain in cinema ever since. The Devil, Beelzebub, Satan, or whatever term you want to use, is a key character or antagonist in all kinds of movies, whether it's straight-up Biblical like The Passion of the Christ, or musically helping a baseball team beat New York in Damn Yankees, The Devil is reel (see what we did there), and this week, we will hail his cinematic contributions.
REVIEW: The Deliverance (2024). Lee Daniels dips his toes in the horror genre for the first time by walking the well-worn path of the exorcism subgenre. About a year after a commercially and critically attempt to reboot The Exorcist, the accomplished Daniels' takes his turn to answer the question: How do you rally faith in a faithless era? Led by The United States Vs. Billie Holiday star Andra Day and Oscar-nominee Glenn Close, The Deliverance aims to put a Black working class spin on an old tale, so is it able to deliver the goods, or have we exorcised all juice from the genre?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

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.