Guelph Politicast

Open Sources Guelph - June 2, 2016

It's June, and you know what that means, summer gatherings with all
your friends on the weekend! Two federal political parties had that same
thought last weekend, as they gathered in different parts of the
country to talk shop and celebrate their victories or their loses that
were really victories. We'll talk about all the policy, gossip and
gaffes that came out of the Liberal and Conservative conventions last
weekend, and then dive into two serious issues that have been on the Open Sources Guelph radar for a while now. 
This Thursday, June 2, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) Red Team.
The Liberals met in Winnipeg last weekend for what was basically a
victory lap, celebrating their election win, and celebrating the fact
that not even errant elbows can end their honeymoon status. But it
wasn't all good times. There was some serious business to get down to,
including a radical new constitution that opened up membership to the
party by getting rid of it. That wasn't exactly a unanimous development,
some accused Justine Trudeau of a "naked power grab" for him and his
"cronies." Aside from the party politics though, the Liberals also
approved a motion to develop a national strategy on guaranteed income.
Are these the Grits you're looking for?
2) Blue Team.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives were having their convention in Vancouver,
and if you don't think they weren't celebrating, then you don't know
that this was the best defeat in 25 years for the party. (Yeah, that
happened. Listen to this week's Canadaland Commons.) Like the Liberals,
the Tories made some big moves, not the least of which was ending their
opposition against same sex marriage, and hearing from key politicians
about the need for the party to embrace environmental issues. All
positive moves if the party starts to want to make inroads into groups
beyond their base, but can they move past the shadow of Harper, even
while he refuses to go?
3) Assisted Dying Assistance?
It's been more than a year since the Supreme Court of Canada said that
the government had to come up with a framework for doctor assisted
death, but the wheels of legislation move slowly and continue to move
slowly. Though the bill passed third reading in the House this week, it
looks like the Senate will be grinding any further momentum to a halt,
if not throwing up whole road blocks, and the Supreme Court's deadline
is Monday. So what's going to happen on the day for the many Canadians
wanting, and waiting, to die with dignity? Did the Liberals bungle the
job?
4) Not Quite Sorry.
This week, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne apologized for residential
schools and the abysmal treatment of generations of Aboriginal children
in them, but while it's nice to hear the words, there's still an awful
lot of work to be done. Grassy Narrows has got a problem with mercury
poisoning, but no action seems to be coming from the government. You've
probably also noticed that Attawapiskat has once again fallen off the
front page, and it's doubtful that the problems there have been solved.
Coming up on National Aboriginal Day we once again ask the question: Why
aren't we doing more for First Nations people?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

Open Sources Guelph - May 26, 2016

It’s a week of big returns on Open Sources Guelph!
First of all, Scotty will be back on the show to talk about the issues
of the day. As for those topics, we will revisit that contentious vote
in Great Britain with the strange name, the political fallout from the
worst terrorist attack in U.S. history still being felt 15 years later,
and a certain MP that they used to call PM. All this, and we will try to
have a reasonable explanation about the virtue and demerits of paying
taxes, as we plan for another epic edition of the show albeit with
post-long weekend fatigue.
This Thursday, May 26, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) You Brexit, You Bought It.
You might remember from earlier this year that we discussed the United
Kingdom’s upcoming vote to decide whether they should stay in the
European Union or not. Well, there’s less than a month left to go in
that campaign now, and it seems like things are getting tight for the
“Leave” side, always the underdog in this bid to shake up the course of
the Eruozone. The “Remain” argument, which has been supported by U.K.’s
government, has made a very strong case (some would say propaganda)
about the dangers of cutting ties with the EU, but the Leaves promise to
not go down without a fight. We’ll give you the latest on the will they
or won't they Brexit.
2) 26 Pages. The
families of 9/11 victims are wanting the government to declassify 26
pages of the report into the terrorist attacks, pages that were heavily
redacted in the original release of the report and are presumed to
contain information about the Saudi government having pre-knowledge
about the events in 2001. One U.S. politician that’s seen the pages has
said that victims’ families deserve to know what he knows, but there are
those in the government, even in the White House, who think that road
will lead to a litigious and diplomatic nightmare. So should Congress
de-redact those pages and let the chips fall where they may?
3) Bye Steve.
After months of sitting quietly in the back-benches of the House, and
ducking out side doors to avoid the press, Stephen Harper will soon
spend his final days as a Parliamentarian. A Globe and Mail
report says that Harper will soon resign as the Member of Parliament for
Calgary Heritage, marking the end of an era for the man himself and the
Conservative Party. What will Harper’s legacy be? What fanfare will be
given to him at the Conservative convention in Vancouver this weekend?
And what will we do without anymore “Where’s Harper?” jokes?
4) Tax Shelters. A recent editorial by Edward Keenan in the Toronto Star
posed a very serious question: in a growing city with growing demands,
how would you suggest we meet the challenges beyond regular tax and/or
fee increases? Challenging city critics to be specific in terms of
things they would cut, or revenue to be raised, Keenan wants people
across all political stripes to think outside the box, so we’ll do the
same except for, you know, Guelph. If people don’t want raised property
taxes year in and year out, where else can we do to get the revenue?
What services specifically can be cut to create slack in the budget? Is
there anywhere we can find efficiency?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

Open Sources Guelph - May 19, 2016

We’re going into the first long weekend of the summer, but that doesn’t mean that we’re slowing down on Open Sources Guelph.
This week’s show will tackle issues of leadership, and issues of
justice; the complexities of hosting a party when your own house is on
fire, and the complexities of local energy strategies. Before letting it
all hang out on the patio, we’re going to cram it all back into our
thinking caps as we deal with another busy week in politics, and
political issues.
This Thursday, May 19, at 5 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and fill-in co-host Candice Lepage will discuss:
1) Now It’s a Race.
Three former cabinet ministers have all now thrown their hats in the
ring for the leadership of the federal Conservative Party: Simcoe-Grey
MP Kellie Leitch, Beauce MP Maxime Bernier, and Wellington-Halton Hills
MP Michael Chong. All three are looking to accept the challenge or
rebranding Canada’s right and distinguishing the party following Stephen
Harper’s election loss last fall. Pundits say they’ve got a long road
ahead of them if they want to make that impact, chief among them is the
fact they’re the early contenders and all eyes are on party stalwarts
like Jason Kenney and Peter MacKay. We’ll proctor these candidates, and
look at how the CPC has tried to change itself in a post-Harper era.
2) Olympic Siege.
The 2016 Summer Olympics will begin in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in a
matter of weeks, but what kind of Olympic will it be? Along with the
usual concerns that venues might not be ready in time, comes a uniquely
Brazilian mess of a presidential impeachment trial, high unemployment,
concerns over the Zika virus, and a highly polluted water way meant to
hold several key Olympic aquatic events. Given all that, it’s not hard
to believe that some people have called for the delay of the games, but
it seems that it’s full speed ahead in Brazil. So is the 31st Olympiad
an impending disaster, or is it merely flirting with disaster?
3) Mercy for Michael?
Almost two years after being convicted of aiding and abetting Pierre
Poutine (whoever that is), Michael Sona went to the Ontario Court of
Appeal Wednesday to see if his sentence would lessened or increased
depending on who could be the more persuasive. At the same time, a piece
by Michael Harris on iPolitics highlighted just how low Sona got in the
weeks and months after he was identified as a perpetrator in the
attempted voter fraud on Election Day 2011, and it wasn’t a pretty
picture. Has Sona suffered enough? And how could he have not given up
any of his alleged co-conspirators?
4) Spent Energy.
The contentious topic of energy and its distribution came to Guelph
city council this week, and it was combined with the equally contentious
issue of the apparent misspending of city money. District Energy, a
project to create long term sustainable energy in two sectors of town,
has not delivered the return on investment hoped for, and the city, as
shareholder, was looking for explanation in a special meeting of council
Monday. The somewhat convoluted organization structure and nearly 20
years of bold new projects and shifting management priorities have
created quiet the confusing mess that’s hard to wrap one’s head around.
But we’ll try anyway.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

OPEN SOURCES GUELPH BEAT #4 - City Councillor Phil Allt (Ward 3)

Jan Hall calls him "The Philosopher," his former students call him
"Mr. Allt," but the constituents of Ward 3 call him "Councillor." Or
"Phil." Actually, they probably more likely call him "Phil." He's Phil
Allt, City Councillor for Ward 3, and he recently appeared on Open
Sources Guelph on CFRU as part of our sincere effort to welcome all
members of city council into the studio for a friendly chat.
Scotty
Hertz and I have been interested in getting all members of city council
to come by CFRU and talk about what they're doing, the current events
before the horseshoe, and the things coming up that they're focused on.
This has been easier said than done, and so far only two have been able
to stop by. Ward 1 Councillor Dan Gibson was the first; Phil Allt was the second.
When
Allt appeared on the show on May 5, a number of contentious things had
just happened. The small matter of anonymous leaks from closed council
meetings has been aired in an open session, Guelph Transit had just cut
peak service for the summer, and concerns about Community Energy began
to make rumblings. We touch on all that this interview, plus Allt's new
ongoing community engagement project every Thursday morning at Breezy
Corners. 
So let's catch up with Allt in this latest edition of Open Sources Guelph Beat.
You can download more podcasts off the Guelph Politicast channel on Podbean, including episodes of the Guelph Politicast, and full episodes of Open Sources Guelph.
For updates on special guests coming up on future episodes of Open Sources Guelph, you can visit the show's website here. For now, we can announce that Ward 5 Councillor Cathy Downer will be joining us on June 16. Of course, you can listen to every edition of Open Sources Guelph, live, Thursdays at 5 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #39 - Kornelis Klevering and Robocalls

In so much as people wanted someone found and prosecuted for committing the robocall fraud perpetuated against Guelph and other ridings on May 2, 2011, there was also the matter of principle. How could we be sure that the person elected was the right person elected if so many people got a call that told them to go some place where they couldn't vote? Did they all make it to their actual polling stating? How many decided to not to vote at all? It was a Charter issue. Everyone that can vote, should vote, and when the robocall story broke in 2012, that's the angle that Kornelis Klevering decided to pursue. 
Since June 2012, the candidate for the Marijuana Party has pursued a legal course to get the results of the 2011 election in Guelph overturned so that a re-vote could take place, one that would hopefully be free of interference from forces looking to disrupt the democratic process. It was an argument that Brother Kase has taken all the way to the Supreme Court and back again, largely spearheading the effort himself as his own legal council. His wasn't the only court case about robocalls, but it was the only one not about assigning blame, and trying to undo the wrong it caused to begin with.
Still, despite years of effort and legal scholarship learned on the fly, Klevering's last appeal was denied this past December. Hardly the Christmas present he wanted, but an understandable one just the same; another whole election had come and gone by the time the Supreme Court heard his leave to appeal. Between that, and last week's decision that Michael Sona's nine-month jail sentence will stand, the litigation phase of the robocall scandal is effectively at an end, and yet so many question remain unanswered. The anger and frustration is still out there, and you'll hear that in this interview. 
Interviewing Klevering last week was part of a piece I was working on for GroundWire radio, a half-hour news show put together by community radio stations and broadcast across Canada. Although that piece focused on the reaction to the Sona appeal, I sat down with Klevering to review his legal efforts and talk about where he goes from here in terms of fighting for electoral reform and, of course, marijuana legalization. 
The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes 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!

GUELPH POLITICAST #38 - Colin Oaks, Project Biologist for Trout Unlimited Canada

The months of May and June mark that time of year when we tend to
spend less time in the house and more time outside. The weather is right
in the Goldilocks zone: not too hot and not too cool, it's less cloudy
and more sunny, and long walks by, let's say the river, are much more
enjoyable. So not coincidentally, May and June also mark the 2Rivers
Festival here in the Royal City.
According to the
festival's website "Since its beginning in 2012, people have gathered to
share, enjoy and discover all that these rivers bring to our community.
By showing that we value our rivers, we contribute to actions that will
help to protect them." Amongst the year's events are a photo scavenger
hunt, a moonlight walk, a Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival event, a
bike ride, bird watching, and, of course, the annual 2Rivers Clean-up
(previously known as the Speed River Clean-up) now in its 37th year.
Water
is always a hot issue in Guelph, and a two-month long celebration for
our major water ways felt like it deserved some kind of coverage on this
local news site, but how? I've talked to the organizers of the clean-up
on several occasions, and while it might have been just as easy to
reach out and interview the organizers of 2Rivers, I wanted to do
something a little deeper. I started looking for an expert on Guelph's
rivers, and that's how I found Colin Oaks of Trout Unlimited Canada.
Thanks
to Colin's help, this podcast will track the history of the Speed and
Eramosa Rivers, where the best fishing in Guelph is, the clear and
present danger to our local water ways, and whether we all have a proper
appreciation for our local rivers. It's a State of the Rivers report in
other words. Along the way, we also learn about Colin's job as a
project biologist, what that entails it terms of restoring the greatness
of our local ecology, and a little more about the work of Trout
Unlimited Canada, of which Guelph happens to be eastern headquarters.
So download this podcast and head down to the river trail, because this Guelph Politicast is dedicated to the water.
You can more about Trout Unlimited Canada at their website here, and you can learn more about the 2Rivers Festival by visiting its website here.
The theme music for Guelph Politicast is provided by Crazy Pills and their song "Break It Down" courtesy of Free Music Archive.
The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes 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 - May 12, 2016

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we tackle three
tough issues with no easy answer, and one easy topic that’s tough to
wrap your head around. The latter refers to the unexpected outcome of
the American presidential primary, one half of which was firmly resolved
last week with the reality TV star clinching the win. The other three
topics cover international finance, the growing spectre of environmental
catastrophe (and whether it’s right to politicize that), and the public
transit system in the Royal City.
This Thursday, May 12, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz  and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) More Paper from Panama.
Although it didn’t make as much of a splash as the first round of
leaks, a new batch of documents from the so-called “the Panama Papers”
revealed more details about other rich people banking their money
offshore. The Canadian Revenue Agency has received the more than 2.6
terabytes of data - or 11.5 million files - that make up the Papers, and
according to Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier, the government’s now
going over them looking for homegrown tax scofflaws. Early releases
show over 600 Canadians mentioned in the papers, and that’s beside the
already released revelation of the Royal Bank of Canada’s mention in the
scandal. Will Lebouthillier's promise that “nobody will be able to
hide” from criminal charges come to pass, and even more unlikely, might
the wealthy be shamed now into paying their fair share?
2) Flap Over Fire.
The wildfire that spread through Fort McMurray and the surrounding area
has occupied our collective minds for the last week as the country has
rallied behind the tens of thousands affected in what will likely be
Canada’s worst ever natural disaster. But what about the causes of the
fire? Some politicians have tried to shoehorn discussion of climate
change into the news, but the media’s been gun shy about opening up that
debate while lives were at stake. With weeks of summer-like
temperatures in Alberta and a drier than average winter cross-country,
is it so unreasonable to suggest that part of the Fort Mac discussion
should be about the cause of the fire?
3) Trump Triumphant.
Since the last time we discussed the 2016 U.S. Presidential race,
billionaire blowhard Donald Trump secured the presumptive nomination of
the Republican Party with Ted Cruz and John Kasich suspending their
campaigns. All eyes, or at least half of them, now turn to the general
election race as Trump sharpens his attacks against Hillary Clinton (and
by proxy Bill Clinton) while the party around him comes to terms with
whether or not they’ll back him or sit this election out. Already two
former presidents and the two previous nominees have said they’ll miss
the convention, while Speaker Paul Ryan struggles with what he’s going
to do. The war maybe over, but is another war beginning?
4) Bus-ted?
Last December, city council approved a series of budget rollbacks to
Guelph Transit service including one-hour service on stat holidays, but
the cancellation of peak service for the summer has taken things up a
notch. People are noting an uptick in missed transfers, and idling by
drivers. Transit management says they told council that this would be
the result, but some have speculated that the situation is being
exacerbated by the the transit union, who are protesting cut hours. Why
can’t Guelph make its Transit system work? We’ll also talk about the
latest personality conflict amongst councillors.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

OPEN SOURCES GUELPH BEAT #3 - Closed Meetings and Transit

It's been a while since we've had an Open Sources Guelph Beat, but
with all the the local discussion about what's going on at City Hall, it
felt timely to add the thoughts of the local radio pundits into the
mix. With discord at the council table, and discord at the local transit
stops, now seems like a good time for some calm, clear-headed
discussion. But instead, you get the two guys from Open Sources Guelph.
For this first edition of Open Sources Guelph Beat, Scotty Hertz and I address the following topics:
Closed Encounters of the Heard Kind.
Dysfunction at city council was laid out for all to see Monday at
Guelph’s City Hall, as the integrity commissioner came back with a
report based on a complaint about leaked information from a closed
session of council in January. The reported opened the floor to what
even some members of council called an airing of their dirty laundry, as
a packed house, there to talk about more pressing concerns, watched in
[likely] horror. Could this have been avoided though? Is city council
having too many closed meetings for comfort? And why did the supposedly
epic debate over the Community Energy Initiative fizzle?
Bus-ted?
Last December, city council approved a series of budget rollbacks to
Guelph Transit service including one-hour service on stat holidays, but
the cancellation of peak service for the summer has taken things up a
notch. People are noting an uptick in missed transfers, and idling by
drivers. Transit management says they told council that this would be
the result, but some have speculated that the situation is being
exacerbated by the the transit union, who are protesting cut hours. Why
can’t Guelph make its Transit system work? We’ll also talk about the
latest personality conflict amongst councillors.
You can download more podcasts off the Guelph Politicast channel on Podbean, including episodes of the Guelph Politicast, and full episodes of Open Sources Guelph.You can listen to Open Sources Guelph live on CFRU every Thursday at 5 pm on 93.3 fm or cfru.ca. 

Open Sources Guelph - May 5, 2016

This week on Open Sources Guelph, the general theme
is dysfunction. In Quebec, some chaos has been created in the provincial
legislature with the sudden resignation of a major party leader. In
Ottawa, mystery was created as a suddenly unsullied senator returns to
work still under a cloud of uncertainty. And here in Guelph, one of the
persons mentioned in the kerfuffle last week at council will try to get
back on track in doing the good work for the city. This week, we'll do
what we can to overcome internal strife and talk the issues.
This Thursday, May 5, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz  and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) PKP K-O.
In a surprise announcement Monday, Parti Québécois leader Pierre Karl
Péladeau announced that he was stepping down as party leader, and leader
of the Official Opposition, a little less than a year after the party
chose him. Péladeau cites family reasons for the cause of his sudden
resignation, but with less than half of the current mandate left before
the next provincial election, he leaves the party in a precarious
position. But can the departure of PKP, a controversial figure since the
moment he stepped on to the political stage, end up being a net asset
for the PQ?
2) Duff Enough!
After two long years, Sen. Mike Duffy returned to the senate this week
having been cleared of all 31 charges in his corruption case. To say
there was a lot of interest in Duff's first day back in the office is
something of an understatement, but what's the now re-instated senator
going to do now? Is he going to start collecting housing expenses again?
Push for back pay? Ask to rejoin the Conservative caucus? And how does
Duffy's acquittal affect other senate cases before the court? We'll scan
the Senate!
3) Allt There is to It.
As part of our ongoing quest to host all the members of Guelph City
Council on the show, we welcome back old friend Phil Allt, city
councillor in Ward 3. Allt is a first-term councillor, but one that has
made a big splash in the last couple of weeks, speaking out about
dysfunction behind the scenes on council and pushing to make the
horseshoe a more cohesive unit without all the infighting. Obviously,
we'll talk to Allt about all that, plus his advocacy for transit, and
his weekly breakfast townhalls at Breezy Corners. How is "The
Philosopher" fairing in the seat of government? He'll give us the
straight scoop.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

GUELPH POLITICAST #37 - Jennifer Haines, Owner of the Dragon

In 1998, the public's idea of comic book movies were the horrid
Batman films by Joel Schumacher, their idea of superhero TV shows was
Saturday morning cartoons, and the comic book industry itself nearly
went bust after a sales bubble in the early 90s. (Think the Dot-com
crash or the 2008 subprime mortgage implosion, but with comics.) It was
in that year, a classics graduate from the University of Guelph decided
to go into business selling comics, and despite the odds, Jennifer
Haines turned her shop into a made-in-Guelph success story.
On the occasion of the big screen release of the comic book-based Captain America: Civil War,
and the annual Free Comic Book Day giveaway, the Guelph Politicast this
week ventured down to the Dragon in the Old Quebec Street Mall to talk
to Jennifer about nearly two decades being the Mother of the Dragon.
(Yes, that's a Game of Thrones reference.) If you don't think
Free Comic Book Day isn't huge think again, last year the line at the
Dragon started at 7:30 am. And you thought the only thing to line-up in
Guelph that early on a Saturday for was Hillside passes.
But
like the books it sells, the Dragon also has a great story with 18
years of proving itself a unique and engaging destination for all those
interested in comics, gaming, toys, and nerd culture. The secret to the
Dragon's success, as you'll hear, is to take everything you think you
know about a comic book store and turning it on its head by making it
bright, and open, and inviting to the world's biggest nerds, the novice
nerds, and all people in between. In our conversation, Jennifer talks
about how she learned to become a business whiz on the job, why digital
won't kill the printed the comic book, and why female nerds, like her,
still have to fight to get respect from male colleagues.
Whether your standing in line of Captain America,
or standing in line for Free Comic Book Day, this Guelph Politicast is
dedicated to the nerds! Check out this week's episode below.
To learn more about Free Comic Book Day you can click here, you can visit The Dragon itself online by clicking here, and as mentioned, comic book legend Denny O'Neal will be at the Dragon on May 21. You can find the Facebok event here.
The theme music for Guelph Politicast is provided by Crazy Pills and their song "Break It Down" courtesy of Free Music Archive.
The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes 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!