Guelph Politicast

Open Sources Guelph - October 27, 2016

On Wednesday, Donald Trump took a break from the campaign trail to
open his new hotel in Washington D.C., so if the Republican nominee for
President doesn’t care about the election this week, then why should Open Sources Guelph?
Instead, we’ll focus on other concerns, like why Justin Trudeau might
not be a man of his word on electoral reform. We’ll also talk about
another First Nations protest against another energy project closer to
home, whether or not this European trade deal will go through in spite
of one little place in Belgium, and if Ezra Levant is good enough to be
recognized by the U.N. as a journalist running a journalistic
organization. 
This Thursday, October 27, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) Reform Bodies.
When Justin Trudeau won with a huge majority last fall, many people
wondered if the mandate might slake the Prime Minister's thirst for
electoral reform. It turns out now that they maybe right. In an
interview with Le Devoir, Trudeau suspected that the reason
Canadians were so high on reform a year ago was because they were tired
of the previous ruling party. Many have read that as a flip-flop, but
the more pressing matter is whether or not the special Commons committee
will come back with a consensus decision on exactly how Canadian
elections will be reformed. Should pro-reform advocates by concerned
that the dream might not happen?
2) Muskrat Stalls.
In another one of those environmental protests that are overlooked till
they’re too big to ignore, all eyes turned to Lake Melville where the
Inuit community is concerned about a dam project that may have long-term
negative health consequences for the nearly 2,000 residents in the area
who depend on local fish and seal for their food and livelihoods. Some
members of the community were protesting locally, and a few went to
Ottawa and participated in a hunger strike to get their point across.
For now it seems victory has been achieved by the protesters as
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball has promised an
“independent expert advisory committee” made up of various stakeholders
to monitor the project, but can they be trusted to look out for the
First Nations’ best interests if they had to be shamed into doing it in
the first place?
3) La Mayhem CETA.
The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement once seemed like a
slamdunk, but that was before some place in Belgium called Wallonia
decided that they didn’t like the deal they were getting. Wallonia’s
socialist Premier Paul Magnette didn’t like the assurances concerning
the protection against an unstoppable tide of agricultural imports, or
assurances that the invest court system being established could be
impartial (or at least not openly in favour of the mega-corps). The
whole affair left Federal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland exhausted
from trying to negotiate a trade deal being sunk by one small region of
one small country. But is there a silver lining to this cloud? Might the
Canadian government be about to get out of a trade deal that’s fairly
unpopular with a trade weary public while not looking the ones at fault?
4) Better Than Ezra. The United Nations has drawn the line, at it is in front of Ezra Levant's The Rebel.
Levant tried to get members of his team press credentials for the
upcoming COP 22 climate change conference in Marrakech, but the UN said
they only give creds to genuine media rather than advocacy groups or
non-governmental organizations pretending they're media. Ouch. The
situation's so bad that Levant has even turned to his other arch-nemesis
 Justin Trudeau for help. It's been a tough year for Levant, who's also
had to battle the Government of Alberta for press credentials, it's
almost as if people don't like Ezra Levant and his deeply personal and
acerbic approach to politics. But should they just let The Rebel  have its credentials, and should outlets be scrutinized and judged before giving out press passes?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

GUELPH POLITICAST #55 - Guelph Black Heritage Society

It wasn't too long after Upper Canada was established at the turn of
the 19th century that the white settlers loyal to England started being
joined by the Black slaves from the newly minted United States looking
for somewhere they can be free. After Guelph was founded in 1827, the
British Methodist Episcopal Church became a beacon, a safe space, for
those people on the road to freedom along the Underground Railroad, and
the Guelph Black Heritage Society want to reclaim that history. 
On
November 4, the Guelph Black Heritage Society is holding a kick-off
celebration for a fundraiser called "Rampin’ It Up!", an effort to raise
$47,000 to create a new accessible entrance at Heritage Hall, the
cultural, historical and social community centre at 83 Essex St. The
event at the eBar, 41 Quebec St, is a licensed event featuring live
music by The Things followed by DJ Charless Janzen starting at 9 pm.
Tickets in advance are $10 and $15 at the door.
So for a little
context, this week's edition of the Guelph Politicast goes down to Essex
St and Heritage Hall and talks to BHS member and local realtor John
Leacock. Leacock was one of several people that came together to make a
case to buy the Heritage Hall and preserve its place in local Black
history. But that was only the beginning of his plans for the old BME
church, Leacock envisions a place that's not just a remembrance of
things past, but an invitation to where all communities within Guelph
can go in the future, and it has to begin by turning the Heritage Hall
into an accessible place for everyone. 
So let's go to the crossroads of the past, present and future at Heritage Hall in this week's Guelph Politicast.
If you're planning on going to the Rampin' It Up fundraiser, you can get tickets here. For more information, you can send the Guelph Black Heritage Society an email, and for all other information about BHS, its programs, or about Black history in Guelph, you can visit their website here.
The theme music for the Guelph Politicast is from the KPM Klassics collection by Syd Dale.
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.
Stay tuned for future editions of the Guelph Politicast!

Open Sources Guelph - October 20, 2016

This week on Open Sources Guelph, good news! After
waiting and hoping that things might heat up for the Conservative
leadership race, we have several more people to consider after a week of
moves and announcements. In more good news, it seems like one of the
world’s biggest employers has gotten the message: investing in people
pays, and meanwhile in North Dakota, press freedom scored some kind of
victory because a judge decided there wasn't enough evidence to jail a
reporter for doing her job. And finally, a grumpy old man decided if he
can’t win the house, he’ll burn it down and salt the earth. Three out of
four ain’t bad. 
This Thursday, October 20, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) The Raitt Stuff or Erin to Run? After
a fairly light summer of developments in the effort to succeed Stephen
Harper as the next leader of the Conservative Party, there have been
several new moves in the last week. Lisa Raitt stepped down from the
shadow cabinet, seemingly with an eye to throw her hat into the ring,
and former veteran affairs minister Erin O’Toole hopes to do for the
party what he did for that beleaguered ministry when he took it over.
Two men from British Columbia are also looking to sign-up, while Tony
Clement signed off with his latest desire to the lead the Tories. So it
seems like things are heating ahead of the party’s leadership vote in
May, but is that enough to overcome Justin Trudeau, who's still beloved
after a full-year in power, in 2019?
2) The Wage Master.
For decades now Walmart’s been known for it’s low prices and big
profits, and the only way they knew how to get there was by cutting
staff wages and hours. The result of that philosophy, much to the
boardroom’s surprise, was an overworked, under compensated, and less
loyal staff, and the results were having a negative effect on the
chain’s bottom line. After a year-long experiment investing in its own
people, Walmart is showing promising results, which got us thinking, if a
company like Walmart has suddenly discovered the value of paying people
what they’re worth and are getting good results from it, will the rest
of the business community follow?
3) The Goodman Escape. CFRU listeners enjoy the daily reports of Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!,
but if the State of North Dakota had it’s way, she’d be known as the
future host of “Imprisoned Now!” Fortunately, Goodman will not be
trading her studio for a cell anytime soon, as a judge did not find
probable cause to justify riot and trespassing charges pressed against
her while covering the protests by North Dakota’s Indigenous people
against the construction of a controversial pipeline. Goodman’s win
represents a rare victory for press freedom, but the fight is far from
over, especially considering the opining of some people that the media
is part of rigged system…
4) Trumpy Old Man. After a week that saw several women come forward to accuse Donald Trump of doing everything he said he did on a leaked Access Hollywood
tape, the Republican nominee for President took a different tact. As
his wife went on TV to say “boys will be boys,” Trump was burning down
the house in a figurative sense claiming that the whole world is against
him, and if he does lose the election, it’s because the system has been
rigged. It’s a dangerous place to stand, and even his fellow
Republicans are trying to talk him off the ledge, but don’t think that
stopped The Donald, the most put upon rich, white guy in the history of
the United States. And now they’re trying to take Pepe the Frog away
from him too. In the meantime, we’ll try to squeeze in some time for
poor Hillary Clinton.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

Open Sources Guelph - October 13, 2016

We've been saying it for over a year now, and it seems that the rest of the world has finally caught on: Open Sources Guelph
is the city's finest political and current affairs discussion show. So
what shall we talk about this week? Well Donald Trump has caught on tape
this week saying something grossly and demonstrably inappropriate, but
this time it seems to have actually harmed him politically.  Then, we'll
talk about a controversial issue closer to home, and sticking with that
downtown theme, we'll wrap up this week with special guest that makes
all things downtown his specialty.
This Thursday, October 13, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Scumbag Billionaire.
Surprise, surprise. Donald Trump is a lecherous  pervert. Forget the
serial monogamy, the fat shaming of a Miss Universe, or the creepy
sexualization of his own daughters, what sealed the deal (so to speak)
was an old Access Hollywood tape of Trump telling co-host Billy
Bush that, as a star, he could do anything he wants with a woman, even
sexually assault her. Not-ideally timed for the second Presidential
debate, Trump shirked calls for him to step aside, was dumped from a
campaign event in Wisconsin with Speaker Paul Ryan, and saw mass
defections from Republicans who had previous endorsed him. So how did he
respond? He shared the stage with four of Bill Clinton's accusers in a
pre-debate event? So what's next?
"Condom Not Condemn."
Those words were vandalized on the under-construction Garden of Grace
at the Basilica of Our Lady this past weekend, and they sum up the
polarizing opposition to what's been described as a memorial for women
that have had miscarriages or chosen to have abortions. Funded by Guelph
and Area Right to Life, the garden and monument are on private property
and funded by private donors. So what's the problem? How about the fact
that the Basilica is both literally and figuratively the city's largest
tourist attraction? In much the same way as the Right to Life bus ads,
there are arguments to be made on both sides, so we'll talk about the
politics of this situation. Should the Basilica have allowed the
construction of the garden, and what can Guelph's strong pro-choice
community really do about it?
Is Life Great When Your Down-Town?
Guelph has a pretty significant degree of pride in its downtown core,
and one of the people that ensures its continued resilience is Marty
Williams, executive director of the Guelph Downtown
Business Association. We'll talk to Williams about various issues
downtown right now including redevelopment, parking, the local economy,
and population intensification in the core. Like the song says, there's a
lot going on when you're downtown: the Wilson Street parkade, the
renovation of the Petrie Building, numerous events and street festivals,
and the always contentious issue (for some reason) of building a new
main library. We'll talk to Williams about all of that, plus we will
have your questions as we discuss everything you want about downtown!
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

GUELPH POLITICAST #54 - Memories of Protesting Walmart

It was a battle that unfolded for over a decade! An epic
conflagration between small town Davids and corporate Goliaths. The
Royal City has left its mark many times on history, and one of the most
recent was during a decade long battle between a dedicated group of
community activists and the world's largest retail. Having said that,
can you believe that its been 10 years since Walmart opened in Guelph,
and now we have two of them?
This week's episode of the Guelph
Politicast reaches back to the past to relive one of the most divisive
chapters of Guelph political history: the battle to keep Walmart out of
town. For the better part of a decade, through the 90s and into the
early aughts, activists sustained by a petition with thousands of
signatures threw up a near impenetrable wall that couldn't be breached
by land developers, the Ontario Municipal Board, or Walmart itself. In
the end though, a sudden right turn in the alignment of council, and a
key player in the protest giving up the battle, allowed Walmart to open
its long-awaited north-end store at the site they always coveted:
Woodlawn and Woolwich.
That was almost 10 years ago that
Walmart store opened at the end of October 2006, just a few short weeks
after the development friendly council led by Mayor Kate Quarrie was
dished a stunning and complete defeat by the Guelph electorate. By
comparison, when Walmart opened a second store at the old Target (or old
Zellers depending on how far back you see it), the community reaction
was a collective shrug. Have we gotten used to Walmart, or do we not see
it as the big bad wolf of consumerism run amok anymore? Maybe that
crown has gone to Nestle?
To talk about the past and the present, I
gathered three figures who are all too familiar with the activism
around the "Not There" campaign, and the protests against Walmart:
former city councillor and small business owner Ian Findlay, musician
Sam Turton, and community activist Susan Watson.
So let's go shopping... for history and perspective in this week's Guelph Politicast.
If
you want to relive all the high tensions and drama of the local fight
against Walmart, the Residents for Sustainability website is still up. Guelph's struggle is also chronicled in a couple of documentaries including Walmart: The High Cost of Low Prices, Wal-Town and Walmart Nation.
The theme music for the Guelph Politicast is from the KPM Klassics collection by Syd Dale.
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.
Stay tuned for future editions of the Guelph Politicast!

Open Sources Guelph - October 6, 2016

On this Thursday before Thanksgiving, Open Sources Guelph
is going to stuff you silly with all the latest topical discussion, and
what else says "holiday weekend" like a stunning nation-wide debate on a
response to an issue global importance that boils the entire situation
down to dollars and cents? An argument between various members of the
same party accusing one and other who’s more elitist, that’s what! On
the flip side, we’ll talk about why no one’s really talking about third
party candidates for president in the U.S. and then we’ll discuss why a
slim majority of Colombians decided to not give peace a chance this
week.
This Thursday, October 6, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) Carbon Sloppy.
Talk about mixed messages. The Trudeau government last week announced
that they were giving approval for the LNG pipeline, albeit with a
laundry list of conditions that have to be met, and then on Monday they
announced such a stringent carbon tax that three provincial environment
ministers walked out of the ministerial meeting they were having. Justin
Trudeau clearly wants to set a tone for the debate, and that tone is
“Do what I say!” but while several politicians threw a fit about
Trudeau’s pressure tactics, others are saying that it’s too little too
late on the issue of global climate change. A couple of questions
persist though: is this plan going to get the public support it needs,
and why is the typically affable Justin Trudeau playing the tough guy on
such a key issue.
2) Elite Squawk.
Andrew Scheer became the latest member of the Conservative leadership
race last week, announcing his candidacy from the National Press
Gallery. Like an elitist! At least that’s how Kellie Leitch campaign
manager Nick Kouvalis framed it in an email to Leitch supporters. You
see, Scheer is an elitist because not only did he use the Gallery as
intended, but he’s also been vocally critical of Leitch’s near
universally-panned idea to have a Canadian values test for new
immigrants. But in having one Conservative leadership campaign call
another elitist, might we be starting to see the shades of Trump-style
populism in the Great White North?
3) The Third Man (and Woman).
Republican Donald Trump has created so much havoc in this campaign it’s
hard enough for Hillary Clinton to get a word in edgewise, let alone
any of the other people running for president. So this week we’ll focus
on the two major third party candidates, how are they faring in this
weirdo campaign year? On the one hand, you have Libertarian Gary
Johnson, who’s got a lot of momentum, but occasionally displays a
frightening level of ignorance on foreign affairs. Meanwhile, Jill Stein
of the Green Party might be able to appeal to those looking for a
sensible alternative if she herself were sensible enough to not spout
anti-vaxxer nonsense and conspiracy theories. So what’s someone looking
for a third party option to do?
4) (Almost) Peace in Our Time.
Those Colombians. If a few more of them had gone the other way this
week, we would be officially living in a hemisphere free of war. The
Colombians voted against peace deal that would have ended the 52-year
war between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia by a razor thin margin, but not all hope is lost. Looking at
the bigger picture, 5 out of 6 people around the world live in peace,
and while there are dangers from terrorism, gang violence and other
things, the majority of the world knows what it’s like to live free of
armed conflict. We’ll look at the Colombian situation, and talk about
whether we might ever see a peaceful world.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

GUELPH POLITICAST #53 - Friends of the Guelph Public Library

Ten years ago, council was talking about building a new main public
library, and 10 years later... they're still talking about it. But back
in the heady, care-free days of the aughts, the goal seemed a lot
closer, and a group of citizens thought they'd put their money where
their mouth is by showing council what an appetite there was for a new,
modern, state-of-the-art library and cultural centre. One decade, and a
half a million dollars later, those people - and many, many more - still
come out every year to show their love of books.
This
week on the Guelph Politicast, taking a break from organizing the
biggest darn annual used book sale in the city, are Friends of the
Guelph Public Library Virginia Gillham, Carole Stewart, Carol Hermann.
They are three of the many people that have made the annual book sale
such a huge affair on the fall calendar and in the process they've all
helped raise over $430,000 for a new main public library in downtown
Guelph. Eventually.
The podcast with these three ladies covers
many different facets of the annual sale, as well as the politics and
progress of getting that new main library built. We talk about the
challenges in putting the sale together year after year, the appeal of
books in this modern age, the continued growth of the fundraiser, and
whether or not the fans of the book sale will let it end even after the
goal of building a new library is achieved.
This is part three of three of the unofficial Politicast literary series after past podcasts with the Eden Mills Writers Festival and Vocamus Press. So shall we talk about selling books now? Let's get into the Politicast.Friends of the Guelph Public Library are still looking for friends to come out come out and volunteer for the sale, click here
if you feel so inclined. The sale itself takes place on Friday October
21 through Sunday October 23 at the old Woods site at 69 Huron St.
For all other updates about the sale, check out the FGPL webpage, or their social media feeds on Facebook and Twitter.
The theme music for the Guelph Politicast is from the KPM Klassics collection by Syd Dale.
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.
Stay tuned for future editions of the Guelph Politicast!

Open Sources Guelph - September 29, 2016

This past Monday night, two big political events vied for the time of local politicos, and this week on Open Sources Guelph,
we’ll talk about them both. In one corner, there’s the epic premiere
debate event of the season: Donald “The Best” Trump versus “Crooked”
Hillary Clinton! In the other corner was the showdown at City Hall, 13
city councillors against hundreds of eager environmentalists. Only one
of these was kind of solved by the end of Monday night, and we’ll talk
about which one and where it goes from here. Also on the show this week,
a special guest in the former of Guelph’s business ambassador.
This Thursday, September 29, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) The Pit and the Podium.
After months of announcements and insults - some veiled, some
not-so-veiled - Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were finally
face-to-face for the first time (as presidential candidates) in debate
number one of three for this election season. The good news is that it
was the most watched presidential debate in TV history, but the bad news
is that it more or less went the way everyone thought it was going to.
Trump tried to put on his best presidential, but it seemed to fall apart
somewhere after the first 30 minutes. Clinton, meanwhile, tried her
best not to look too smug and satisfied with her clear mastery over
policy and current affairs. Did we learn anything new from this
showdown, and is it likely to sway any of those vaunted undecideds?
2) Waterworld.
A massive crowd turned out to support Ward 2 Councillor James Gordon
and his motion to send a message to the province that the groundwater in
Guelph and area is not for sale… Anymore. The message inside the
council chambers Monday was encouraging, but the message at other levels
has been mixed. After Nestle seemingly bought a well out from under the
municipality of Centre Wellington, Premier Kathleen Wynne finally
commented on the issue saying that it might be time for Ontario to
rethink how much we sell our water for. With growing concerns over
drought and the growing commodification of water by companies like
Nestle, is the mere acknowledgement of the problem enough anymore? Is
Wynne’s admission a sign she understands the problem or understands
politics?
3) Converse on Commerce.
When it comes to supporting, networking, and growing the local economy
on behalf of Guelph businesses, the Chamber of Commerce has a very
important function, and if we’re to believe the stats, then business is
presently very good in Guelph. On Open Sources this
week to talk about all things business with Kithio Mwanzia, President
and CEO of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce. Mwanzia is a recent Guelph
transplant from the Niagara Region, and he came in to the Guelph Chamber
to fill the very big shoes of now-current MP Lloyd Longfield. Having
done the job for almost two years now, we’ll ask Mwanzia the important
question concerning Guelph's economy: How’s business? We’ll also talk to
Mwanzia about Guelph’s low unemployment, the effect it has on people
looking to fill positions, the question of attracting new industry to
the Royal City, and we’ll ask him to weigh in on the coming budget
discussion. Plus, we’ll have your questions too.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

GUELPH POLITICAST #52 - Jeremy Luke Hill, Vocamus Press

Once, there was an idea that the proliferation of computers and the
internet would mean the end of the printed word. The prophecy is slowly
coming true for newspapers and magazines, but it seems as though books
have a resistance to the printing press killing powers of digital that
those other things do not. In fact, like in other things, digital has
made making books easier. Ask Jeremy Luke Hill.
Hill is the
man behind Vocamus Press, a small local publishing house that started
with a man just wanting to put together a story book for his child and
make it look professional. Vocamus, emphasis on the "A" if you want to
pronounce it the proper Latin way, is an intensely local publisher
publishing the works of local writers. More than that though, Vocamus is
about professional development. Through its Friends of Vocamus Press
arm, Hill helps direct local writers to where they need to be, from
personal projects to award-nominated novels.
On the eve (ish) of
the third annual Book Bash, a now yearly celebration of local authors
and their works, I sat down with Hill to talk about how Vocamus came to
be, talk in detail about what Vocamus does for local authors, and his
dreams about building a downtown Mecca for Guelph's writers, and their
appreciators. This will be the second of a trilogy of book-related
podcasts following the podcast earlier this month with Susan Radcliffe, the artistic director of the Eden Mills Writers Festival.
So drop that book, and pick up those ears so that we can do some learnin' about books on this week's Guelph Politicast.
You can learn more about Vocamus through their website, their Facebook page and their Twitter
feed. They also send out a monthly newsletter with upcoming events and
new releases, and you can subscribe it on the Vocamus website for that
too.
Also, keep in mind that Book Bash will take place at
Red Papaya on Sunday October 16 from 1 to 4 pm. For details on the
authors appearing, click here.
The theme music for the Guelph Politicast is from the KPM Klassics collection by Syd Dale.
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.
Stay tuned for future editions of the Guelph Politicast!

Open Sources Guelph - September 22, 2016

We tried our best to make this week’s edition of Open Sources Guelph
an all-Canadian affair, and there’s so much to talk about this week in
terms of Canadian politics as well, but as last week proved, the best
laid plans....  Parliament was back in session and there are about four
or five number one priorities before the Trudeau government right off
the bat, but it's doubtful that one of those priorities wasn’t torture,
however a lawsuit on that issue is proceeding just the same. Also
proceeding are protests south of the border against an oil pipeline in
North Dakota, which is another whole legal mess brewing. And finally,
we’ll talk about civility, or a lack thereof, from our elected
politicians.
This Thursday, September 22, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) Return of the Fed-i.
It was back to work for the House of Commons this week as Members of
Parliament returned to Ottawa after a summer of engagement and barbeques
with constituents. There’s a whole lot of work in front of the federal
government this fall including a sputtering economy, a new carbon tax,
electoral reform, and ongoing issues with resettling refugees and
proposed new tours for Canadian peacekeepers. Despite their own internal
dysfunctions, the opposition parties were ready to pounce, and with
Justin Trudeau and Co. coming up on one year in power, the criticism’s
only going to get louder. (More on that later.) We’ll talk about how the
first week of school went for our elected officials.
2) Torture Scorn.
$100 million can buy a lot of things, but it won’t likely buy
forgiveness from Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad Elmaati and Muayyed Nureddin
for being tortured by Canadian security agencies in Syria to the point
of confessing to ridiculous charges like being Osama bin Laden's
"left-hand man” or plotting to blow up Parliament Hill. A lot
attention’s raised lately about how provisions of Bill C-51 are still in
place, but an order issued by former public safety minister Vic Toews
in 2009 allowing law enforcement agencies to act on intelligence
gathered from torturing suspects is still in effect. Is it time for
Canada to turn over the rock and look at our own torture ugliness
underneath?
3) Take This Pipe and Smoke It.
While there are pipeline issues up here in Canada, First Nations people
in North Dakota are in the midst of their own fierce anti-pipeline
protest. The Energy Transfer Partners' Dakota Access oil pipeline near
the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in Cannon Ball, N.D. has been
challenged by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe who argue that the $3.8
billion project poses a threat to local water supplies and endangers
sites that are sacred to the community, and while federal agencies have
stepped in to put a pause on construction, the protest is far from over.
Can the demands of the pipeline be reconciled with the concerns of the
Sioux, and are we looking into a dark mirror for our own pipeline
future?
4) Back to the Sewer?
Yes, Parliament is back this week, but what about the behaviour of
Parliamentarians, did their summer off let them get it out of their
system, or are they going to be as bad as they want to be? In a CBC
article, Eric Grenier looked at House Speaker Geoff Regan’s attempt to
keep servility in play in the House, not an easy task given "Shovegate"
in the spring, but Grenier discovered something interesting: 100 per
cent of the MPs reprimanded by Regan were men, and 32 per cent of the
MPs being heckled were women. Heckling is a tradition in the House, but
is it getting over the top, and maybe, a little sexist?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.