Guelph Politicast

GUELPH POLITICAST #445 – New Blue Box, Same as the Old Blue Box (feat. Cam Walsh)

As you may have heard, there are changes coming to your blue bin starting in January, and if you’re confused about what that means when you put the bin out on the curb in 2025, you’re not alone. You probably want to know what's going on, and how you should react, so due to popular demand, this podcast will ask all the questions about blue box changes you wanted to know, and some of the ones you didn’t.
Guelph has a history of making history when it comes to the blue box: We were one of the first cities to get one, and we were one of the first cities to make the transition to three streams of waste, and we were one of the first to make the transition to the new bin system. What's next is the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, which is moving the responsibility of collecting recyclables to the producers of those materials.
Starting on January 1, 2025, Waste Management Corporation of Canada (WM) will be collecting residential recycling and providing related customer service in Guelph. As you will hear today, you probably won't notice a lot of change to start, but 2025 will be a transition year for not only who collects your blue bin, but what you will be able to put inside it and who else might now get service as WM takes over for the City of Guelph.
To understand all this, we're joined by Cameron Walsh, the Division Manager of Solid Waste at the City of Guelph, who will tell you what happens on January 2 when you put your recyclables out on the curb. He will also talk about the process the City has been undertaking to facilitate these changes, what will happen over the course of 2025, the ongoing review of collection downtown, and the impacts on the City’s fiscal bottom line. Also, what will the future of waste collection in Guelph look like after 2025?
So let's dig into the blue box on this week's Guelph Politicast!
You can learn more about the changes coming to the collection of recyclables next year at guelph.ca/waste, where you can also find links to the Solid Waste Master Plan, and other info. Also, if you have any questions, send emails directly to waste [at] guelph.ca. You can also download the Guelph Waste app from the App Store and Google Play, it not only sends you reminders about garbage day, but it can help you sort your waste.
The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes of the Politicast here, or download them on your favourite podcast app at Apple, TuneIn and Spotify.
Also, when you subscribe to the Guelph Politicast channel and you will also get an episode of Open Sources Guelph every Monday, and an episode of End Credits every Friday.

Open Sources Guelph #495 - November 28, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we wish we could shake it off. It would be our wildest dream to come on the radio one week and have something normal to talk about, but we knew this was trouble when we saw it cross our newsfeeds this week. We're going to discuss what happened in Montreal last weekend, an arrest warrant for a controversial world leader, and final thoughts about the 2025 Guelph budget with one of our councillors. Hopefully, no bad blood there.
This Thursday, November 28, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Gone in Swiftie Seconds. While Justin Trudeau was dancing to Taylor Swift in Toronto, Montreal was burning down... That was the message on social media Friday night, painting the PM as out of touch, hanging out a concert as a Canadian city was under siege. Except that's not what happened. We will talk about what really happened on the streets of Montreal on Friday, how it got so overblown so fast, how Trudeau has become a useful boogeyman on the right, and how we need to start understanding why.
The Warrant Trap. The International Criminal Court last week announced that they had issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza. Many western governments have said that they won't be enforcing that warrant, but Canada is not one of them. Still, it seems pretty unlikely that Netanyahu will stand before The Hague any time soon, so what do these warrants do and can they inflict any leverage on Israel even as a ceasefire with Lebanon's been secured?
The Six Per Cent. Guelph City Council added amendments to the 2025 budget on Wednesday and thus closed the annual process. The increase for next year is just over six per cent, which isn't the four per cent Mayor Cam Guthrie wanted, but it isn't the 10 per cent he didn't want either. We talked to Ward 3 Councillor Michele Richardson just before the budget vote to get insights into the 2025 numbers, and what she thought about this complicated process going into the last meeting.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #367 - November 27, 2024 (Gladiator II)

This week on End Credits, we go on a Roman Holiday! Not the movie, but a trip backwards in time to the original Rome, the imperial one with insane emperors doing dirt and the only honour you can find is killing for sport. It's time for Gladiator II, and to bring this episode full circle, we're going to talk about the movie that inspired the other big release this week.
This Wednesday, November 27, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
The Wizard of Oz at 85! Last weekend's release of Wicked is perfectly timed consider this year marks the 85th birthday of Victor Fleming's iconic musical based on the L. Frank Baum book. A Hollywood classic by any objective measurement, Oz has been the source of many hours of enjoyment, plus many sources for urban legends and stories about a cursed production. So looking back nearly 100 years later, does The Wizard still have the magic?
REVIEW: Gladiator II (2024). "What we do in life, echoes in eternity." And if it helps, make a sequel! Nearly 25 years after the release of the original Gladiator, Ridley Scott returns to Rome where another warrior is beaten, enslaved, and turned into a Colosseum warrior looking to seize his perch for a chance at revenge. This time, your titular Gladiator is Paul Mescal, and caught between the conflicted Pedro Pascal and the duplicitous Denzel Washington we only have one question going into today's show: Are we not entertained?!
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #444 – The Ongoing Struggle at Community Living (feat. Cindy Kinnon)

Community Living Guelph Wellington has been around since 1955 providing support and services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their families in the communities in which they live, and for the last few years they’ve faced some serious financial issues. 2024 is no exception, but might the important services of Community Living get lost in the shuffle of all the crushing need out there.
This is from an article in the Wellington Advertiser last week: “Community Living Guelph Wellington is facing a $3 million deficit in 2025 and will be closing two of its residential sites to rein in expenses.” That sounds pretty bad, but it sounds even worse when you realize that this is a dance that’s happened every fall for the last few years, and that doesn’t do a lot for the long-term sustainability of the organization.
Another detail from the Advertiser article is that Community Living’s funding has only increased four per cent in the last 30 years. If you think about issues around Ontario funding for autism programs, or the severe underfunding of payouts for everyone receiving money under the Ontario Disability Support Program, or ODSP, it’s pretty clear that there’s a crisis when it comes to supporting people with special needs in this province.
This week, we’re going to shed some light on what might be the most overlooked demographic in the area of people in need, and how we can all do better on their behalf. So we're joined by Cindy Kinnon, the executive director of Community Living Guelph Wellington, who will talk about how long they’ve been managing with a budget shortfall, and how they’ve managed to get across the fiscal finish line in the last few years, and how every one in Guelph can help them out.
So let's go inside Community Living on this week's Guelph Politicast!
You can learn more about Community Living Guelph Wellington at their website, you can follow them @clguelphwell on Facebook and Instagram, or you can get in touch with them the old fashioned way on the phone at 519-824-2480. If you’re interested in signing the petition to help support Community Living, send an email to Pam Howard at howard.march [at] outlook.com.
The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes of the Politicast here, or download them on your favourite podcast app at Apple, TuneIn and Spotify.
Also, when you subscribe to the Guelph Politicast channel and you will also get an episode of Open Sources Guelph every Monday, and an episode of End Credits every Friday.

Open Sources Guelph #494 - November 21, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're stuck in the middle with you. If you're feeling stuck, you're not alone and it's safe to say that the entire government apparatus at all levels seem stuck these days. This edition of a show will be a recital of being stuck, from gridlock in Ottawa to impasses at the annual international climate change summit. Our provincial government seems stuck on bail reform, while our greatest Christmas parade is just strapped... for cash.
This Thursday, November 21, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Gridlock, Stalk and Barrel. Have you heard the news from Parliament Hill. You probably haven't because the place has been in a procedural gridlock for almost two months now. In the midst of a postal workers strike and a will they/won't they confidence condition in the House, it's the latest example of widespread disfunction at the federal level, and it's not like there are any serious issues that need solutions. This week, we will take a break from American political dysfunction to talk about some of our own.
Much Baku About Nothing. COP29 is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan right now, and as always there's great hope that the world's richest countries, the ones who are the source of so much carbon, might decide to take bold action to avert climate disaster. It's hard to hold out much hope with the world's biggest, loudest climate denier about to return to the White House, but it might not be as homeless as you might think. We'll look at the news coming out of COP and decide if the world might still be saved.
Bail House Rock. The Ontario government has been turning up the pressure on the federal Attorney General to reform bail and make it harder for repeat and dangerous offenders to get release until their trial. Sounds reasonable, right? Hold that phone because legal activists are saying that the issue is a system that has so many people in jail right now, they're over-populated, and a court system not well-staffed enough to process people in a Constitutionally speedy manner. So is the real problem bail after all?
The Santa Clause. This week, the organisers of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade said that without some financial help the parade won't make it to its 120th birthday next year. The Original Santa Claus Parade is the latest Canadian cultural institution to face issues with funding in this post-pandemic period, and that includes Hot Docs, Just For Laughs and the Vancouver Folk Festival, which have all been on the brink of closure in the last year. Are we doing enough to protect Canadian culture?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #366 - November 20, 2024 (Anora)

This week on End Credits, we learn to love. No, we're not reviewing Netflix's Hot Frosty, though that might be a hoot-and-a-half, we're doing something much more down to Earth by focusing on a candidate for "Best Film of the Year." Yes, we're reviewing Anora, and in that spirit, we're going to talk about movies featuring couples of the less-than-fairy tale variety.
This Wednesday, November 20, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Tim Phillips will discuss:
Bad Romance. There are a lot of Hollywood movies where couples live happily ever after, but not all of them. In fact, we'll put odds that one out of every two romantic movies feature couples who never should have even thought about getting together in the first place. There's a reason why "toxic" has become a watch word in the culture. To kick things off this week, we're going to talk some of movies' baddest bad romances, so cue up the Lady Gaga!
REVIEW: Anora (2024). Sean Baker's films chronicle the ways in which working class people struggle on the margins in modern America, and he usual lands on a very specific industry: sex work. In Anora, Ani meets Vanya as she's the only performer at her strip club that speaks Russian, and thus begins a whirlwind romance that ends with the two married in a typically tacky Vegas wedding. But that's just the beginning of the story. With a star-making lead performance by Mikey Madison, we'll discuss why Anora is a strong candidate for the best film of the year.
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #443 – The Aftermath Downtown

Last week, the reality of the Public Space Use Bylaw came into effect with the formal eviction of everyone in tents from St. George’s Square. The square is clear now of tents, but the people who lived in those tents have not disappeared or found permanent homes. In fact, they’re more vulnerable than ever, and even before the eviction last week, they were hurting. This is a story about the human toll of the Public Space Use Bylaw.
The weekend before the eviction, two young people died in tents in the square, two of the increasing number of people in this community who have died from drug poisoning, or what we’ve typically in the past called an overdose. A vigil was planned for Monday night to offer a space to grieve for the friends and family of Jen, Miles and four others who have passed away in the last few weeks. Over 100 people showed up to remember.
In the midst of this expression of grief was a powerful reminder that the people who lived in a tent in St. George’s Square were not some problem to solve. They were human beings, and they had their struggles, but that doesn’t mean that they weren’t loved and that they won’t be missed. It was extremely powerful and emotional for everyone there and hopefully a reminder that these are people in need of help and support, and now, some of them are gone forever.
So on this week’s pod, you’re going to hear from some of the people who were there on Monday night, like Jacky, who’s struggled with homelessness and has since found a home in the new Shelldale project, and she will talk about her thoughts on the eviction from St. George’s Square. You will also hear from Bear and Marnie who were friends with the young people who died two weeks ago and will talk about what they left behind. And then you will hear sound from the vigil itself.
So let's hear some of the voices from downtown on this week's Guelph Politicast!
Thanks to Your Downtown Guelph Friends for facilitating the arrangement of the vigil, and thanks Jacky, Bear and Marnie. If you’d like to help folks in need Your Downtown Guelph Friends, the Royal City Mission and the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition are good places to start, whether you have extra money or supplies, or simply want to offer you time. The Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy is also fundraising to create a permanent memorial to all those who’ve died from drug poisoning, and you can learn more here.
The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes of the Politicast here, or download them on your favourite podcast app at Apple, TuneIn and Spotify.
Also, when you subscribe to the Guelph Politicast channel and you will also get an episode of Open Sources Guelph every Monday, and an episode of End Credits every Friday.

Open Sources Guelph #493 - November 14, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're doing some real analysis. Look at that picture above, are you scared? Sick? Shocked? Disappointed? All of the above? Then this week's show might be of some interest as we try to dissect the most recent American election for something usable going forward. Closer to home, we're talking to a member of city council about this year's unusual budget process.
This Thursday, November 14, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
The Autopsy. Still recovering from last week's surprise election of Donald Trump as the next President of the United States, he started this week appointing the MAGA goon squad version of the '27 Yankees to key cabinet posts. So in the midst of our shock, we will take a break from breaking news to learn some key lessons from this U.S. election and how they might be applied to future elections, including ones here in Canada. Get your scalpels out because it's time to talk about how it all went wrong.
Cash Back. It's budget time at city hall and there's a lot to dig into because it was only supposed to be a budget confirmation year. Mayor Cam Guthrie and Strong Mayor Powers changed all that though, and Guelph staff were pushed to get the total levy increase under four per cent for 2025. Ward 2 Councillor Rodrigo Goller will join us this week to talk about his thoughts when it comes to this budget, and budget process, as well as his own disappointment about the fireworks bylaw he was pushing to overhaul.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #365 - November 13, 2024 (Conclave)

This week on End Credits, we're praying, and we think our prayers were answer (?) What we wanted in these difficult times was an election where maybe the good guys win, and perhaps we got that with the movie Conclave, which is about the surprising politics of choosing a new pope. And speaking of popes, we will talk about other men and women of God... in the movies.
This Wednesday, November 6, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
God Bless the Movies. Faith is an interesting topic for the movies, and it can be interpreted through just about any genre. There are deeply serious dramas about people of faith, there's an entire comedy franchises built around the idea that God is a funny old man, and you can't really talk about religious movies without reference the entire exorcism subgenre. So before getting to this week's religiously-themed movie, we will talk about some of the others.
REVIEW: Conclave (2024). This week's movie is about a bunch of men who are each trying to undermine and outmanoeuvre each other as they vie to become one of the most powerful leaders of the world: The new pope. Edward Berger follows up his Oscar-winning All Quiet on the Western Front with a different kind of warfare: Can a good man be the head of the world's one billion Catholics. Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci lead a talented cast through the most important election of their lifetimes. But how do we like going along for the ride?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #442 - The War on Bike Lanes (feat. Mike Darmon & Adrian Salvatore)

If you feel like active transportation options are under siege at the moment, you’re not alone. The Ontario government is coming for municipal bike lanes while cities like Guelph, facing unprecedented financial barriers, are seeing robust active transportation networks as a “nice to have”. We've spent the last few years trying to undo decades of building our cities around the personal automobile, but is the war on bike lanes finally here?
In September, the Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation held an unusual event, a ghost ride in honour of Susan Bard who was struck by a car and died from her injuries while riding her bike on Victoria Road North. Before the ride, Mike Darmon told everyone gathered at city hall that he hoped that this would not be a regular occurrence, but the death of Bard was as a sign that these are not safe times on Guelph roads.
At around the same time, there started to be rumblings about new legislation at Queen’s Park, a law that would stop municipalities from installing new bike lanes on major arterial roads, and then removing some of the ones already there. It seems that in some quarters, the blame for congestion on Ontario roads is all this quote-unquote useless space for bike lanes, so they have to go. Also, here in Guelph were scaling back on some investments in active transportation, at least the off-road variety in trails and parks.
To look at all this, we're joined by the two public faces for GCAT, Mike Darmon and Adrian Salvatore. They will talk about increasing concerns about safety on Guelph’s roads, and the way we think differently depending on our mode of transportation. They will also talk about how to understand bike lane use, why the statistics the Ontario government cites are flawed, and whether bike lane use should be viewed through a road safety lens as well as an infrastructure one. And finally, what's next for GCAT?
Let's dig into this War on Bike Lanes on this week's edition of the Guelph Politicast!
You can stay connected to the Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation at their website, or on the socials @activeguelph. If you’re concerned about active transportation infrastructure, budget delegation night is Tuesday November 19 at 6 pm, and you have until this Friday at 10 am to sign up as a delegate on the City’s website. Bill 212 - Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act is currently before the standing committee at Queen’s Park, and the public comment period closes on Wednesday November 20.
The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes of the Politicast here, or download them on your favourite podcast app at Apple, TuneIn and Spotify.
Also, when you subscribe to the Guelph Politicast channel and you will also get an episode of Open Sources Guelph every Monday, and an episode of End Credits every Friday.