Guelph Politicast
The home of Guelph Politcast, Open Sources Guelph, and End Credits
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Monday May 02, 2016
Monday May 02, 2016
It’s a gong show! It’s a circus! They’re acting like children! No,
that’s not the U.S. Presidential race that people were talking about
this week, but yeah, we’ll get to that. On this week’s Open Sources Guelph
we’ll tackle Guelph city council’s tackling of leaks and the
hour-and-a-half rake out that happened at the meeting Monday. We’ll also
catch up with that election south of the border and all its colourful
characters, and catch-up with our local Member of Parliament to get all
the latest scoop from Ottawa.
This Thursday, April 28, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) Super Tuesday 4: The Voyage Home?
After victories for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in New York state,
they were expected to achieve easy victories in five more states this
past Tuesday. But not so fast. John Kasich and Ted Cruz formed a kind of
rebel alliance, dividing their resources to take certain key states in
an effort to avoid splitting the “Stop Trump” vote. Meanwhile on the
Democrat side, Bernie Sanders hopes to pin Clinton into a contested
convention too, but his odds are even longer with Clinton’s lead in both
pledged delegates and super delegatesincreasing. When will this madness
end?
2) 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?
3) The Longfield and the Short of It.
We will welcome back Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield to CFRU for the first
time since his election win last fall. Six months after being swept to
power with Justin Trudeau and the Federal Liberals last October, there’s
been a number of changes implemented in the affairs of government, and
we’ll ask Longfield about as many of them as we can. Indigenous affairs,
the 2016 budget, the environment, the long-form census, the dour
economic situation, no item is off limit, and we will, of course, be
asking your questions (if you have any). How is Longfield feeling about
his Ottawa experience half-a-year into his mandate? We’ll ask him.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.
Friday Apr 29, 2016
Friday Apr 29, 2016
The end of April means the beginning of Pride. Guelph Pride. The
annual event is meant to celebrate the Queer community in fun and
inclusive ways as the push for universal acceptance continues to grow
and be demanded of by both those who identify as LGBT and their allies.
While no one in this country is trying to pass new laws about who can
and who cannot use what bathrooms, don't think the struggle isn't still
real, and one Guelph organization is pushing back 365 days a year.Out
on the Shelf, the library and resource centre for the LGBTQ+ community,
is the organizer of Guelph Pride, but the other 51 weeks a year it
focuses its efforts through the volunteer run centre. Started in 2003,
Out on the Shelf came about at roughly the same time as Canada made gay
marriage law. That almost feels like a lifetime ago, but as we learn in
this week's podcast with Brandon Kidd, Out of the Shelf's library chair,
his bookshelves are still some of the only ones designed to cater
specifically to LGBT resources.
And it hasn't always been
all smooth sailing for Out on the Shelf. Just a couple of years ago it
looked like there would be no more Out of the Shelf until facilities at
10 Carden St became available. Now thriving once again downtown, and
getting ready to move with the rest of 10 Carden in a couple of months,
Out on the Shelf is enjoying an albeit tenuous era of stability as it
looks to the future, a new home, and new ways to serve the community.
I
caught up with Brandon Kidd at Out on the Shelf earlier this week to
talk about the library's bumpy history, it's evolution over the last 13
years, and where he'd like to see it go in the future. So let's go to
the podcast...
You can got to the Guelph Pride website here
to learn more about all the great events they're putting on for Pride,
and you can learn more about Out on the Shelf 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!
Monday Apr 25, 2016
Monday Apr 25, 2016
This Friday is Earth Day, so what an auspicious occasion to talk
about all things environmental. To shake things up on this week's
edition of Open Sources Guelph, we'll bring in a ringer
in the form of Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner. We'll
spend the hour talking about all things environmental, and how those
issues and concerns are being addressed on a political level at Queen's
Park and beyond. We'll also ask Schreiner your questions if you have
any, so please, give them to us.
This Thursday, April 21, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss with Mike Schreiner:
1) Energy Inquiries.
The Green Party of Ontario has been hitting the government hard over
nuclear power this last year. During the Whitby-Oshawa by-election in
January, Schreiner said, "It’s irresponsible for the Liberals to spend
billions on rebuilding Darlington without a public review of costs or
alternatives." So what are the alternatives? Why do our energy rates
keep going up, while users seem to becoming more and more aware about
conservation? What impact will the privatization of Ontario Hydro have
on efforts to go green? And locally, the Community Energy Initiative is
coming up for debate at city council, and we'll get Schreiner's thoughts
on that too.
2) Political Ponderings.
The tone has certainly changed since last Earth Day. A new government
in Ottawa not only seems to be accepting of climate change science, but
is ready and willing to do something about it. Canada helped negotiate
the new international agreement to combat climate change last December
in Paris, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is going to New York at the
end of the month to sign it. Meanwhile, in Ontario, Progressive
Conservative leader Patrick Brown embraced the idea of climate change,
much to the surprise of some of the attendees of the PC's policy
convention. Are we finally seeing political movement on the environment,
or is this just lip-service?
3) Green Guesswork.
The flipside of the discussion of whether climate change is a problem
is the debate over what to do about it. The Ontario and Alberta
governments are both chasing carbon taxes, but a national strategy is
hard to pursue because there are so many areas of the country that
depend on oil and gas production. Statistically though, wind and solar
are growing faster than more traditional forms of energy, but its still
being seen as an expensive pipe dream. As for those carbon taxes, there
are legitimate concerns that the money will not be handled well, and
that in Ontario, it's not going to be spent on creating more transit and
green infrastructure as promised. What more can be done to battle
climate change politically and technologically?
4) Local Larks.
In the south end of Guelph, residents are still fighting to protect the
one-lane Bailey Bridge and the natural heritage of the area even as the
City of Guelph looks to proceed with redevelopment. In addition, the
always controversial recycling plant received the harsh spotlight of
suspicion again when it was announced that that plant lost $2.6 million
on a deal that didn't deliver promised profits. The old adage when
saving the environment is "think globally, act locally", but at this
stage of the game, is addressing the problem in your own backyard doing
enough to solve the problem? We'll talk about all that, plus ask
Schreiner, about his own Earth Day plans, and any questions that you and
the others in the audience provide us.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.
Monday Apr 18, 2016
Monday Apr 18, 2016
In a rare all-Canada centric edition of Open Sources Guelph,
we're going to cover both political maneuvering and deep-seeded social
issues. Of the former, we'll bookend the show with discussion about the
sacrificial ouster of Tom Mulcair from NDP leadership, and the
multi-level struggle of governments to get their fundraising in line.
Meanwhile, on either side of the break, we'll deal with the touchy
subjects of Black Lives Matter and a new ongoing emergency in an area of
Canada that's synonymous with "ongoing emergency."
This Thursday, April 14, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) Mulcexit.
The die was cast, the people have spoken, and the word is, "Out!" At
the NDP convention, even the most pessimistic of political watchers were
caught off guard by the New Democrats voting against keeping their
current leader Thomas Mulcair. Apparently fed up with the party's
attempt to attract the "mushy middle", over half the members decided to
make a play back to the progressive left, but in this fractured party,
one where many key leaders lost their seats in the last election, can
anyone rise to the challenge? And is the party going to be eager to
replace Mulcair sooner rather than later?
2) Protesting the Protest.
A contentious couple of weeks of protests outside Toronto Police
headquarters lead to Black Lives Matter confronting Premier Kathleen
Wynne outside Queen's Park to demand a meeting over racial politics and
policing in Canada's biggest city. But after that victory, controversy
was courted again when a months old tweet from BLM co-founder Yusra Khogali
saying, "Plz Allah give me strength not to cuss/kill these men and
white folks out here today," started being shared on social media
causing an instant backlash. Is this another case of reading too much
into a tweet, or is BLM sabotaging themselves being playing into a
caricature their critics are building for them?
3) Another Attawapiskat Emergency.
Even as the Federal government tries to address long-term systemic
needs for Canada's First Nations people, a new crisis has erupted in the
beleaguered Attawapiskat First Nation. A state of emergency has been
declared following the news that over 100 people have tried to commit
suicide there since September, and an alleged suicide plot involved nine
youths was foiled on Monday. What can be done about such desperate
hopelessness? Can the problem be easily fixed with more investment and
resources, and what can be done to address the nation-wide trend of
disproportionately high suicide rates amongst our Indigenous peoples?
4) Fuming About Fundraising.
From a $500/plate dinners with the Federal Minister of Justice to
Ontario Government cabinet ministers having monthly fundraising goals,
how politicians gather funds to fight elections bids has become a hot
issue. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is planning on bring new
legislation to regulate fundraising efforts for those in government, but
is it time to have a bigger discussion about just how politicians raise
money, including who they should and should not be raising money from?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.
Friday Apr 15, 2016
Friday Apr 15, 2016
This coming Wednesday is Canadian Film Day, an occasion meant to
encourage people to enjoy and appreciate Canadian cinema. Guelph is no
stranger to big screen dreams, or small screen ones for that matter. The
Amazon series 11.22.63 starring James Franco was famously shot here (in part) last summer. The Daniel Craig thriller Dream House, the Julianne Moore drama Blindness, and the sci-fi actioner Total Recall were
all shot, in part, in the Royal City as well. But Guelph's got its own
filmmaking aspirations, and some Guelph filmmakers are enjoying success.
This week on the Guelph Politicast, we talk to Chad Archibald,
a Guelph-based filmmaker that's carved a niche for himself as one of
the hardest working director/producers in Canadian horror cinema. His
company, Black Fawn Films, has enjoyed an incredible output over the
last eight years with 16 films completed, and several more in various
stages of development. (Archibald met me after working on set
construction for a new film, which was, sadly, the final job for his
beloved truck that has been with him through several movie sets for a
decade.)
Archibald's career began in 2003 when he and Phil Carrer made Desperate Souls,
an ultra low budget horror movie that took three years and a lot of
local support to complete. Their hard work bore fruit, and the film was
sold to Lionsgate, who distributed it through North America on DVD.
Archibald and Carrer worked together on one more project Kill, before pursuing separate projects (amicably) and has since added Neverlost, The Drownsman, Ejecta, and his latest film Bite, to his filmography.
Admittedly,
I've been a supporter and admirer of Chad for years, so getting to
catch up with him was as much a treat as it was a task in producing this
week's podcast. In our conversation, we cover his past and his future
in the film business, the secret to his success, how he learns and grows
as a filmmaker, and why he has no plans to transition to either Toronto
or L.A. any time soon. For this week's podcast, you don't need to be a
film buff, but it will help.
We now cut to this week's episode of the Guelph Politicast where I interview Chad Archibald.
To learn more about Chad Archibald and Black Fawn Films go to the company's 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!
Monday Apr 11, 2016
Monday Apr 11, 2016
Stop us if you've heard this one, but it was a very busy news week here for Open Sources Guelph.
No special guests today (but they are coming) but there will be lots of
discussion on big topics. For instance, it looks like the one per cent
is full of tax cheaters, some of whom you may know by name (stop us if
you've heard this one). In other news, we bravely descend back into the
muck of the U.S. Presidential Election, which marches on in perpetuity
to find new levels of insanity. In the back half of the show, we'll talk
Canadian politics with a leadership test for a federal leader, and a
leadership test passed for a provincial one.
This Thursday, April 7, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) The Failure of Panama.
An infodump from a Panamanian law firm has shown us again the extent to
which the world's rich and powerful are going to avoid paying taxes in
their own countries. The so-called "Panama Papers" have damned
politicians, business leaders and celebrities from all over the West;
the Icelandic Prime Minister has already paid the price, and British PM
David Cameron is feeling the heat for his own father's holdings and
whether he, Cameron, benefits from having that money held in tax havens.
And that's just volume one of the leaked documents! Why are we so
surprised? What can be done? And can the outrage be sustained?
2) Better Off Ted?
Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders came out the big winners in the Wisconsin
Primary Tuesday, which only adds fuel to the speculative fires that the
two parties racing to find a presidential nominee will be forced into
judicial gymnastics at their respective conventions this summer. The
Republicans seem the more likely for that possibility with the
#NeverTrump campaign having made Wisconsin their Waterloo, but was Trump
really hurt that badly by his reported "Worst Week Ever"? And why can't
Bernie get any traction even though he's won six primaries in a row
now?
3) A Mulcair to Remember.
After traumatizing Canada on April Fool's Day by making us think he
shaved his beard, NDP leader Tom Mulcair faces his own unique trauma
this weekend, a leadership review at the NDP convention in Edmonton.
Many party stalwarts have voiced their displeasure with Mulcair's
leadership and the result from last year's election, and others are
still on the fence whether he should stay or whether he should go. With
widespread dissatisfaction about what happened last October, will the
NDP dare to show Mulciar the door? Is there someone that can step up and
fill his shoes? Or will the NDP simply have to accept their
reservations and stay the course?
4) Another Pick for the Wall.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall took an easy hat trick Monday winning
his third, majority provincial government. It's an important victory for
Wall and the Saskatchewan Party, they've been able to endure and have
the faith of citizens despite the economic downturn and bottom-barrel
oil prices. Nationally though, Wall will remain a strong conservative
voice among the First Ministers, so much so that there's now talk of a
"Draft Wall" movement for the Federal Conservative leadership. Oh yes,
that race has begun too...
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.
Friday Apr 08, 2016
Friday Apr 08, 2016
Next Saturday is Record Store Day,
an annual occasion for people that still like to buy their music in
person, on a physical medium, at a brick and mortar location. It sounds
weird, but it still happens, and it happens in Guelph everyday at Royal
Cat Records, one of the small independent record stores that Record
Store Day aims to celebrate on a yearly basis.
A decade ago,
selling vinyl records was almost as niche as selling priceless
masterpieces or vintage movie posters of the 30s and 40s, but in the
year 2016, vinyl is a vital a part of the music industry. Most people
still download their music, but the demand for vinyl has gone up in a
way so unanticipated that chain record stores have dusted off their
record racks, and vinyl presses are running all the time to make new
records be they re-issues of classic albums, or new offerings from the
likes of Taylor Swift or Adele.
So on the occasion of Record
Store Day, I sought our Bryan Munn, the owner and operator of Royal Cat
Records which is open seven days a week in basement of 10 Carden St. In
our conversation we talked about the origins of Royal Cat Records, what
his clientele looks like, what they're looking for, and the challenges
and rewards of owning a record store in this day and age. We also talk
about how Record Store Day may be getting, gasp, too commercial.
Here's this week's edition of the Guelph Politicast.
To learn more about Royal Cat Records, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, go to their website, or visit the store in person seven days a week in Downtown Guelph.
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!
Monday Apr 04, 2016
Monday Apr 04, 2016
This week on Open Sources Guelph, we'll consider the
world, before going super local again. "Terrorism" is a watch word
these days with everywhere seemingly on the brink of an attack or having
just experienced one, so we'll cram as much terror talk as we can into
that first segment before we talk about talking. The City of Guelph is
in negotiation with three Canadians Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
locals, so we'll see how that's going. (Hint: not well.) Then, in the
second half-hour we'll talk to another of our politicians, Guelph's
long-serving representative at Queen's Park.
This Thursday, March 31, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) Global Mayhem!
From Brussels, where the search for those that assisted ISIS-inspired
suicide bombers last week have kept the city on edge; to Lahore,
Pakistan, where Easter services were ended swiftly by another suicide
bomb that killed 69 and injured 300; and to Kevin Mohamed, a former
University of Waterloo student who was busted by the RCMP for colluding
with terrorist groups online, terrorism's been all over the news in the
last week. Is the threat of Muslim extremism escalating? Are we becoming
less desensitized or more desensitized with each new attack? Can there
be a resolution?
2) CUPE Conundrum.
Last Thursday, the City of Guelph released an update of their
negotiations with three CUPE unions currently without a contract, a not
so subtle "take out the trash" move before a long weekend. Long story
short, a "no board" report has been issued, meaning that the City and
the unions are at an impasse in their negotiations and job action may be
a couple of weeks away. But what are the issues? What is the sticking
point? What are the union's demands? What is the City's red line? No one
knows because they don't negotiate in the media, but we do...
3) Sandals' Retort.
What an excellent time to have the Minister of Education to stop by,
and she just so happens to be our Member of Provincial Parliament too.
Liz Sandals will be in studio to talk about the provincial budget, the
lowered tuition fees, the fallout from last year's negotiations with the
teachers unions, and the possibility that Queen's Park will be
prorogued in the near future. If we have time, we might also put on the
peer pressure to finally get Sandals on Twitter. If you would like us to
ask Sandals a pertinent question on an important issue, feel free to
let us know before the show.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.
Friday Apr 01, 2016
Friday Apr 01, 2016
Imagine coming home from work one day and finding the home next door
to yours being torn down without any advanced notice to you. That was
the scenario in the minds of the people that live in the area of Glasgow
Street North between London Road and Suffolk Street, and they were so
concerned that they formed a new neighbourhood group called the
Neighbours of Glasgow Street North Community Action Group. Even though
the decision had been made to approve the demolition of the historic
home, the members of this new group were determined to have their say,
better late than never.
On February 8, less than a week after the
residents received notice that 202 Glasgow would be soon be torn down
and construction on a new dwelling would begin, the new group had sent
out a press release to register their dismay; despite the fact that the
plan for 202 was approved at a council meeting on November 9, 2015, this
was the first they were hearing about it:
In fact, because of the
City of Guelph’s deeply problematic approval process, it was only last
week - months after the application was approved - that the
neighbourhood learned of the planned demolition; and, had it not been
for the fact that the owner of 202 Glasgow Street North is seeking
variances, which must pass through the Committee of Adjustments, the
residents might never have been informed of the plans.
With
only a couple of weeks to prepare, they tried to cut the plans off at
the pass at the Committee of Adjustment, but now they're being forced to
take it all the way to the Ontario Municipal Board, itself a
problematic agency, but it's now the group's best chance to get the say
they should have had to being with. It's important to note that the
Neighbours of Glasgow Street North are not against tearing the house
down, nor are they advocating for a specific type of new development to
be built there, rather they just wish to be included in the
conversation. It's their neighbourhood, and like any members of a
neighbourhood they want a say in the development of its future.
In
this week's edition of the Guelph Politicast, I talk to Laura Bolton,
Daniel Cabena and Mary Cabena of the Neighbours of Glasgow Street North
Community Action Group, and get them to tell their story as they attempt
to advocate not for a specific outcome, but to advocate for the proper
execution of the process.
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!
Monday Mar 28, 2016
Monday Mar 28, 2016
What a news week it was! Putting aside the Brussels attack (and we do
because we can all agree that ISIS is terrible and no one deserves to
die on the whim of a madman or men), it was a busy week of big stories,
big decisions and big losses here for Open Sources Guelph.
Consequently for everyday Canadians, there's talk about the federal
budget and its impact on our roads, and bridges, and pocketbooks... Also
in Ottawa, there were money matters for the Red Chamber and the hope
that there might be some class coming back there in the future. We also
goodbye (hopefully) to over a half-a-century of hostility with the last
enemy of the Cold War, and we say goodbye to a giant of Toronto politics
who changed the landscape forever.
This Thursday, March 24, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) Black and White and Red All Over.
The Federal government dropped the first budget under Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau Tuesday, and when he promised deficits on the campaign
trail... But seriously, the roughly $30 billion per year deficit for the
next three years has the lofty goal of being well-spent on
infrastructure, veterans, the arts, and improving the lives of Canada's
First Nations people. It's a bold gambit, but is it good policy? Good
politics? And how will Trudeau and the Liberals respond to the idea that
they ran roughshod over at election promise to cap their deficits at
just $10 billion? We'll get out the abacus and crunch the numbers.
2) Bad Senators. Better Senators?
First the Trudeau government named seven new senators last
week representing a group of tremendously talented individuals from the
fields of journalism, law, and provincial politics among others. Then
this week, we got the other news. Just as we were starting to feel good
about the senate again, the special arbitrator came out with her final
report and the final tally of what 14 scofflaw senators are supposed to
pay back to the Canadian people, which was, admittedly, lower than
originally advertised. Is that the end of the senate expense scandal?
Does the due diligence of the Liberals gain the senate an iota of
confidence again?
3) So Long, Rob.
Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford lost his long battle with cancer Tuesday
at the age of 46. He leaves behind a grieving family, legions of
supporters, and most importantly, two young children who are now
fatherless, but what about his legacy? The nature of Ford as a political
animal, and whether or not he was a net positive or a gross negative to
the City of Toronto in his 16 years of public service will be debated
for decades. We'll begin that debate by looking at all Rob Ford did, and
what he could have done, as this chapter of Canadian politics called
"Ford Nation" comes to a close.
4) Havana Barry.
Breaking an 88-year streak of zero visits from an American President,
Barack Obama headed to Cuba as part of the gradual thawing of diplomatic
relations between the two former Cold War enemies. Of course, because
this is Obama, and Cuba, it did not come without controversy with
opponents attacking Obama for appeasing a dictator, and overlooking the
Castro regime's human rights record. In spite of that though, the
majority of the American people believe it's time to normalize
relations, and the Cuban people were welcoming of the Obamas, so was
this good politics, or good PR?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.