Guelph Politicast

Open Sources Guelph #448 - November 2, 2023

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we come down from the Halloween sugar high. A lot's been happening on the homefront lately so we will take a break from current affairs in the Middle East and look at Queen's Park, where the government seems buried under a mound of paper released to the press this week. Speaking of getting buried, we will look at if the federal government has buried itself by revisiting its most controversial piece of legislation. And lastly, we have another city council friend to talk with.
This Thursday, November 2, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Out of Boundaries. Premier Doug Ford hadn't appeared in front of the media for 40 days, not since he announced that the changes to the Greenbelt would be reversed. It wasn't a great week for Ford to get back into the game because two environmental groups released 7,000 pages of documents, secured through an FOI request, that show that developers were calling the shots on policy changes beyond the Greenbelt. So how's it going for Ford now? Hint: It's not great!
Carbon Floppy. Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a carbon tax pause on households that use home heating oil, and an increase to the rural top-up rate, two moves that will benefit people in Atlantic Canada especially. If Trudeau thought that was the end of that, he was wrong, because now the premiers of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario all want a carbon tax holiday, but the PM has said no dice. So did Trudeau just undermine his key environmental policy for cheap votes on the east coast?
Carly By Your Name. City Council took the week off due to Halloween, but it's a brief pause in the action before the debate begins about the multiyear budget next week (the documents will be released on Friday). To help tee up the discussion, we're joined this week by Ward 2 City Councillor Carly Klassen who's going to share her thoughts about the coming budget, her motion to petition for a guaranteed livable income, and her new role as the Downtown Guelph Ambassador on council.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #319 - November 1, 2023 (Killers of the Flower Moon)

This week on End Credits, things are sombre. Halloween is over, it's the long dull march through November to the official start of the Christmas season, and the serious award-seeking movies are starting to come out. Speaking of which, we're going to talk about one of those movies, Killers of the Flower Moon, and to balance things out, we're also going to talk about some happier times on film.
This Wednesday, November 1, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
The Feels. Let's be honest, this week has been a lot. The movie we're reviewing is kind of a downer, and with the recent deaths of Piper Laurie, Richard Roundtree, Matthew Perry and others, there's been a lot to be sad about in the pop culture sphere. To fight against all these blue feelings on this first day of November, we're going to talk about the uplifting power of cinema and some of our favourite feel good movies!
REVIEW: Killers of the Flower Moon (2023). In the 1920s, oil was discovered under the territory of the Osage people in Oklahoma, which made the Indigenous people there very, very, rich. And then the killings began. Martin Scorsese's magnum opus walks similar ground he's covered before, greedy criminals taking everything they can with brutal violence, but the scale is different as he tackles America's original sin, the genocide of its Indigenous people. There's so much to talk about with Killers of the Flower Moon, including the essential question: Should you see it too?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #395 – Silence is Golden

Silence has been around for 11 years now. In the fall of 2012, it was founded to provide an outlet for the presentation and creation of new, creative and non-idiomatic music in the fields of improvisation, electro-acoustics, post-rock, jazz, chamber music, computer music, noise, ambient, sound art and more. Silence's niches have niches, but how are they managing in the midst of all the post-pandemic challenge?
You may recall that city council passed the new Culture Plan last week, which was created to address issues affecting the cultural sector like a lack of affordable exhibition and performance space, the limited representation and opportunities for equity-deserving community members, and the difficulties attracting community support and audiences. These are definitely issues, but these are also three boxes that Silence was built to check off. 
Because of the work they do, and the artists they support, it might have been understandable if Silence had disappeared like other establishments, some of them much older, but Silence continues to endure with all manner of music and events. They've also now  launched a monthly subscription campaign called “Vow of Silence” to generate some sustainability going forward. So is Silence proof that there’s life after the pandemic, or are they just luckier than others?
Scarlett Raczycki, who is the executive director of Silence, will lend some insight into those questions and others. She will talk about the history of Silence, why it does the things it does, and their role in the cultural landscape in Guelph. Raczycki will also talk about how Silence weathered the pandemic, balancing artistic growth and the audience desire to just see a good show, and the ways that Silence is supported to meet those two goals. Plus, what does the future of Silence look like? 
So let's talk about Silence on this week's Guelph Politicast!
Coming up at Silence is MOOCH with Still Sound on Thursday November 2 at 7 pm and Ursa: A Folk Musical in Concert on Saturday November 11 at 7:30 pm. The next art show in the gallery is “Eve” by Zoe Dougherty, and the opening reception is this Saturday, November 4 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. For all upcoming Silence events or to learn more about how you can get involved and support Silence, go to their 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, Google, 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 #447 - October 26, 2023

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we realize that it's always darkest just before Halloween. At least that's what it seems like when we open social media or a news app on our phone. We've got a full slate of political news for you from the latest in the Middle East and the frontlines in Israel to the battle lines in Queen's Park. And then, we go to Saskatchewan where there was some constitutional experimentation, and speaking of experimenting, might Guelph be flirting with the blue team?!
This Thursday, October 25, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
War. Week 3. It's been now nearly four weeks since a brutal Hamas attack in Israel, and as the Gaza Strip is being bombarded almost constantly, there's still great concern about the fate of Palestinian civilians when and if an all-out ground invasion begins. Meanwhile, international pressure seems to have forced Hamas' hand, they've released a couple of hostages but it's being seen as little more than a delay tactic. Is there still no end in site for this crisis, and is there any chance for peace?
Pump Out the Jama. She's barely been in office for six month, but on Monday Hamilton Centre MPP Sarah Jama was censured by the Ontario legislature and then ejected from the NDP caucus, and it was all because of a statement about the Israel-Hamas War, which the legislature has no influence over. But while that drama was happening, there were more Official Plan changes, a lawsuit against the feds, and did Doug Ford call Mike Schreiner "Mr. Green"? We'll talk about a crazy week at Queen's Park.
The More You Moe. Last Friday, the Saskatchewan legislature passed Bill 137 using the notwithstanding clause of the Constitution. What law could possibly make Premier Scott Moe call a special session to use the proverbial "nuclear option"? Pronouns. The so-called "parental rights" bill has been called transphobic and homophobic, and the passage of Bill 137 came just one day before another series of nation-wide 1 Million March 4 Children protests. So now what?
Royal Blue? An article in Guelph Today quoted a poll from 338Canada that said there's a 52 per cent chance that the Conservatives could win the federal riding of Guelph if the next election were held today. Say what? Guelph hasn't sent a Conservative to Parliament Hill for over 30 years, the legendary Bill Winegard left office in 1993 and since then it's been a series of Liberal MPs, but with the waning popularity of Justin Trudeau's Liberals is it possible we're looking at a Blue Shift?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #318 - October 25, 2023 (The Exorcist: Believer)

This week on End Credits, it's Halloween! Obviously. Let us mark the occasion, appropriately enough, with a review of a horror movie, and this time let it be The Exorcist: Believer. The Power of Christ will compel us to render a verdict about that movie, and it will also compel us to do something new as we hand out the first ever Horror Oscars!
This Wednesday, October 25, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Tim Phillips will discuss:
The Horror Oscars. You thought we were still months away from awards season? Not so fast! With Halloween next week, and with a new The Exorcist in the queue, we will pause this week to address the awards backlog: The Horror Oscars. If the Best Picture race was all about horror movies in 1973, 1983, 1993, 2003, and 2013 (to mark 50 years since the release of the original Exorcist), which movies would make the cut, and which ones would take home the prize?
REVIEW: The Exorcist: Believer (2023). Five decades ago, the late great William Friedkin redefined terror with the improbably Christmas release of The Exorcist. Different filmmakers have tried four times to continue the story, but they've all failed either commercially or artistically (or both), but now along comes director David Gordon Green. Green, once an indie darling, restored Halloween to its former glory and they made some questionable creative decisions with his own follow-ups, so what about Believer? Can The Exorcist make a believer out of us?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #394 – Guelph, After Dark

Maybe you’ve heard the term "dark tourism", there’s a whole Netflix series about it, but you don’t have to go abroad to somewhere famous to get a taste of dark tourism. Would it surprise you to learn that we have a hot little dark tourism industry right here in Guelph? As we approach Halloween on Tuesday, perhaps it’s time we appreciated just what kind of a sorted little town we have here, historically speaking.
Now there’s an actual definition for “dark tourism” and we will get into that in the podcast, but what’s interesting about dark tourism as it pertains to Guelph is multifaceted. First, the City of Guelph has been dedicating time and resources lately to developing a tourism strategy, and the focus has been on some of the usual suspects like sports tournaments, music festivals, and classical heritage like Catholic Hill.
Second, our thriving dark tourism industry is largely grassroots. It’s people like Greg Taylor, and Jay Wilson, and Bonnie Durtnall, people who have turned their fascination with the dark corners of Guelph into a lucrative side hustle. But would it surprise you to know that the University of Guelph actually has a professor who studies dark tourism? Perhaps he might be able to answer this question: Is Guelph a dark tourism hot spot and we don’t know it?
This week, we're joined by Brent McKenzie, who is a professor in the Department of Marketing and Consumer Studies at the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics at the University of Guelph. He will give us a formal definition of “dark tourism” and talk about the local examples of the trade. He will also talk about the grassroots nature of dark tourism, whether dark tourism can go "too far", and some of McKenzie’s favourite dark tourism experiences whether they’re in Guelph or not.
So let's talk about Guelph's dark tourism future on this week's Guelph Politicast!
If you’re interested in some local dark tourism experiences, there’s no shortage of things to do this Halloween week. Ghost Walk of Guelph will be running walks from Thursday to Saturday at 8 pm. Jay Wilson will be leading one more walk this season with his performance of “The Unfortunate Man” on Friday at 7 pm, and you can get tickets at Eventbrite. You can check out a wide variety of history walks from the OR lands to Guelph’s hidden burial grounds with Guelph Urbex. And finally, local historian Bonnie Durtnall will talk about her new book Haunted Guelph at the main library on Thursday October 26 at 7 pm.
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, Google, 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 #446 - October 19, 2023

This week on Open Sources Guelph, it's a kind of rerun. On the one hand, there's still violence in the Middle East and it seems to be getting worse despite the interventions of foreign leaders and aid agencies. On the other hand we've got a great big new convoy, except it might not be as big as the previous one, but it's still kind of annoying. And then, on our hidden third hand, we will talk about local stuff with a member of city council and how that might impact your wallet.
This Thursday, October 19, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
War. Week 2. The last week did nothing to cool tempers in Israel and Gaza, and though an all-out ground war/invasion of the Strip hasn't happened (yet), the violence and the death has only accelerated, and that was before Tuesday's bombing of a hospital in Gaza that both sides are now frantically trying to blame each other for. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden is was in Israel on Wednesday offering personal first hand support, but is there anyway this can't get worse for the people in Israel and Gaza?
Ode to Convoy. It may not have been front page news this time, but there's a new convoy making trouble in Ottawa the last few weeks. This time it's the "Save the Children Convoy" and they're operating out of a rural base outside of Ottawa and been making daytrips into the National Capital Region, harassing politicians and spreading lies and misinformation about LGBTQ+ inclusion, so how are the police dealing with this convoy, and should it be bigger news?
Saved By Michele. It's been a busy couple of weeks at city council with a pre-budget workshop and a meeting exclusively about the housing crisis this week. The message is clear: this is going to be a very difficult budget year thanks to the wide variety of issues from provincial changes to inflation to the increase demands for social services. Joining us this week is Ward 3 Councillor MIchele Richardson who will guide us through some of those considerations and challenges as we countdown to this year's budget deliberations.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #317 - October 18, 2023 (Flora and Son)

This week on End Credits, we'll cue the music, and no, we don't mean the usual mid-show music segment. The movie we're reviewing this week is a kind of musical, or at very least a musical celebration. Can the power of music save your soul, your relationships, and your love life? Flora and Son will tell us, and we'll also talk about other movies about making music.
This Wednesday, October 18, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Tim Phillips will discuss:
The Music, Man! Can you have movies without music? Even in the days of silent films, there was a live musical accompaniment, but as movies integrated sound they would soon give birth to the musical, and along with that, movies about musicians and movies about people making music. True, a lot of those are about famous musicians in bio-pics like The Doors or Bohemian Rhapsody, but there are lots of movies about regular folks making music. We'll talk about a few.
REVIEW: Flora and Son (2023). Writer/director John Carney has made an industry creating movies about regular Irish folks finding love and fulfillment through the power of music. Flora and Son is a lot like that. Eve Hewson is the titular Flora, who's trying to reach her distant son with the discovery of an acoustic guitar, but it's Flora that finds something to sing about as she starts taking guitar lessons from a handsome American teacher over Zoom. The rest of this might seem pretty predictable, so does Flora and Son rock out or is it the tune the old cow died on?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #393 - You’ve Got Mailbag!

This week's podcast is dedicated to you, the people, who sent in questions for this Guelph Politicast mailbag over the weekend. Guelph is filled with lots of curious people who are deeply concerned about issues and politics, and some of you came up with some very deep and probing questions for this first mailbag edition since well before the start of the pandemic. Get ready for 45 minutes of one annoying person talking!
Here are the topics that the mailbag will cover:
1) Is Doug done?
2) Two concillors per ward versus one.
3) Challenges to the incumbent mayor.
4) Internet voting.
5) The police budget.
6) Affordability.
7) Changes to the Blue Box program.
8) Guelph Politico.
So let's dig into the mailbag on this week's episode of the Guelph Politicast!
Don't forget to sign-up for the Guelph Politico Tip Sheet on Substack. Please feel free to send guest suggestions for the 400th episode on December 6 and the Christmas episode on December 20. Stay tuned for the Halloween special next week, plus the second part of the "Caution's Creek" episodes about the Kortright Waterfowl Park, and the Remembrance Day episode marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War in the week's to come.
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, Google, 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 #445 - October 12, 2023

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we've got to get serious for bit. Well, more serious. As we were enjoying the Thanksgiving long weekend, there was no rest for the people in Israel and the Gaza Strip and now a full-scale war seems to be inevitable. In lighter news though, there's more dysfunction in the Republic Party for us to laugh at, and for the interview this week, we'll head back up Highway #7 to visit another provincial election candidate.
This Thursday, October 12, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
War. A surprise attack on the southern border between Israel and Gaza has sparked some of the worst violence in the region for nearly a decade. Hamas' brutality has been on display, rocket fire has been exchanged and hostages have been taken as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to be preparing for an all-out invasion of the Strip in order to root out Hamas. But how many innocent Palestinians and Israelis still have to die? We'll talk about the war, and the political posturing in this country.
Not My Kevin. After having the audacity to work with the opposition party to keep the government open, Rep. Kevin McCarthy is now the former Speaker of the U.S. House. You may recall that it took McCarthy 15 tries to secure the job in January, so his grasp was always tenuous, but far-right members of the GOP seem to think that "My Kevin" is not as ideological as a modern Trump-loving Republican is supposed to be. So what happens next, and who takes over this important and influential role in U.S. politics?
You Only Live Steiss. It might be kind of sticky in Kitchener City Hall these days because two city councillors and one member of staff are all running in the future Kitchener-Centre by-election. This week, we're being joined by the staff member. Kelly Steiss is the Liberal candidate, and she wants to use her two decades of experience working for the City to try and find solutions to healthcare, housing and affordability, but can a candidate of the leaderless Liberals pick up a seat from the NDP and an active Green Party campaign effort? Steiss will answer that and other questions.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.