Guelph Politicast

Open Sources Guelph #546 - December 4, 2025

This week on Open Sources Guelph things are not going according to plan. From Queen's Park to Parliament Hill, our provincial and federal governments are missing the goal posts and are facing some rather harsh scrutiny. And speaking of scrutiny, we will talk to one of our city councillors about making the tough decisions that you probably didn't like about next year's city budget.
This Thursday, December 4, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Pipeline Dreams. Last week (after deadline we might add), Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed a deal that, theoretically, will see a pipeline built from the tar sands to the Pacific coast. So good news, right? Depending on your point of view. B.C. Premier David Eby registered his outrage about being cut out, First Nations want the deal torn up, and Smith, for some reason, was booed by her own party members. Is the pipeline deal dead before the ink is dry?
The King of Wasteful Spending. The Auditor General of Ontario released her annual report this week and... yikes! Focusing on healthcare, the report says - among other things - that OHIP is letting physicians overbill in the extreme, that the effort to expand the number of family doctors is desperately falling short, that there's no discernible plan for the expansion of med schools, and that a billion dollars in PPE's been written off after being allowed to expire. So what now?
Dual of the Caton. Guelph city council approved the 2026 budget last week, which is technically the mayor's budget but they still get a say. There were two stories out of that budget, one was the nearly eight per cent likely increase for the year, and the second was the decision to not plow bike lanes this winter. Ward 1 City Councillor Erin Caton will join us now that they are on the other side to talk about making the tough calls and whether this is a budget they can run on.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #418 - December 3, 2025 (Sentimental Value)

This week on End Credits, things are getting bittersweet. We will return to the sorted land of Norway where life imitates art imitates art in the smash Cannes success, Sentimental Value. We will also continue our contemplations on the year that's still here for another 27 days by looking at what he noticed about the movies over the last 11 or 12 months. 
This Wednesday, December 3, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Tim Phillips will discuss:
The Movie Trends of 2025. It's been a busy year, and as we're counting down to New Year's Eve and our annual Top 5 of the Year show, we're going to look at some of the things that made 2025 so notable at the movies. From the business side like increasing consolidation and political interference to creative concerns like the use or A.I. and the state of franchises, we will look at what 2025 told us about the state of Hollywood and the state of movies.
REVIEW: Sentimental Value (2025). Joachim Trier's follow up to The Worst Person in the World is another tale of heartbreak and hope. This time, Renate Reinsve plays a successful stage actress who's filmmaker father (Stellan Skarsgård) returns with what he calls the role of a lifetime, playing his mother in a semi-biographical movie. When his own daughter refuses, he turns to a famous Hollywood actress (played by actual famous Hollywood actress Elle Fanning). Is the movie the thing to capture this family dysfunction, and does it do it well?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #497 – Park Stewards Never Say "Die" (feat. Margaret Middleton)

We often hear how a budget tells us what a city values, and one of the things that residents clearly valued in the City of Guelph budget was funding for the park stewards program. We often talk about environmentalism and civic pride as big reasons to live in Guelph, so is the park steward program the ultimate expression of that, and if it is, why didn't we talk about it before we almost lost it?
According to the City of Guelph’s website, the steward program is a series of community-led projects where groups come together to ‘adopt’ and help care for parks city-wide, which can mean just about anything from planting native plant species, cleaning up litter, or helping to protect habitats. Several stewards came out on the budget delegation night to speak in defense of their program, which was among the initial round of proposed cuts before the funding was restored.
To learn more about the stewards, what they do, and why they’re so dedicated, we'll talk to Margaret Middleton, a steward for Rickson Park who delegated at the aforementioned council meeting. Rickson Park is situated along the Royal City Trail, and between two schools; there’s a lot of greenspace, and it services all kinds of people in the area from families, young kids, university students, and dog walkers. So what kind of person takes on the responsibility for making their local park better?
Middleton will join us to tell us about the Rickson Park she knows, how she found about the park steward program, and what the relatively small amount of money they receive from the City of Guelph pays for. She will also talk about how the program is rooted in sustainability, and working with other stewards and groups across the city. And finally, she will discuss organizing for the budget fight and how you can get involved either in Rickson Park or your own area park.
So let's head down to the park - in spirit - on this week's Guelph Politicast!
To learn more about the park stewards program you can visit the City of Guelph’s website, and you can also find a link to the list of parks that are presently taking part in the program. You can also send an email to stewardship [at] guelph.ca get in touch with the steward at your local park or perhaps to volunteer as the steward of your local park.
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 #545 - November 27, 2025

This week on Open Sources Guelph it's all going according to plan. Sort of. At least that's what the Prime Minister of Canada wants us to think as he seeks out foreign investment around the globe. Closer to home, trouble is brewing for his provincial counterparts in Quebec, while even more closer to home we will talk to the head of Guelph city council about all the things he can't or won't do when it comes to the city budget.
This Thursday, November 27, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
The Trading Post. Prime Minister Mark Carney has been laser focused on the economy, but not wanting to deal with you-know-who in the White House has prompted some strange bedfellows, and it's seen Carney making deals with both Narendra Modi and Danielle Smith. But in the midst of all this deal-making is Carney losing the moral high ground on foreign interference and fighting climate change? Also, should we care that he doesn't care about meeting with Trump?
The French Deflection. In June, the Quebec Liberal Party chose former federal cabinet minister Pablo Rodriguez to lead them into next year's provincial election, and to have a shot at unseating the incumbent Coalition Avenir Quebec all they had to do was stay scandal-free. Oops. Now, twin scandals of a fired chief of staff and allegations of vote buying in the leadership contest are kicking up dirt that could scuttle the new image of the squeaky clean Liberals. What's going in the National Assembly?
Mayor Cake. This week Guelph city council made amendments to the 2026 budget, which is now technically speaking the mayor's budget thanks to legislative changes from Queen's Park. Before the meeting, we sat down with the Mayor of Guelph, Cam Guthrie, to talk about his considerations going into the budget vote, the worst case scenarios he considered, the growing gap between fiscal need and financial resources, and the red line he needs to reach before using his veto pen.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #417 - November 26, 2025 (Wicked For Good)

This week on End Credits, we're off to see the Wizard. Again. Inevitably, we return to the Land of Oz and all of our old, familiar friends who are back on the screen just in time for awards consideration in Wicked: For Good. And since we're getting close to that year end mark, we're going to make our best guess about what other movies we've yet to see that might be among the best.
This Wednesday, November 26, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Candice Lepage will discuss:
Three to See. We're rapidly coming up on the end of the year, and you know what that means: The Top 5 of the Year episode is coming! Between now and then, the gang will be making their lists and considering their options and that includes deciding on what movies are worth their time and which ones might be finalists for those five slots. So, before getting into this week's movies, we will talk about other movies we'll be seeing in the weeks to come.
REVIEW: Wicked For Good (2025). When we last left the world of Wicked, the powerful witch Elphaba discovers that the Wonderful Wizard of Oz in nothing but a con man, and leaves her best friend Glinda to mount a full blown insurrection against his growing authoritarian tendencies. In the epic conclusion, a new wrench is thrown into the mix with the arrival of a girl from Kansas in a tornado, but is the so-called Wicked Witch of the West able to re-write her own ending? Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande return, but will those big crowds that came out for part one join them?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #496 - Still Taking, Just More Easily (feat. Theresa McClenaghan)

There was a lot of celebrating this time last year when it was announced that Blue Triton was closing their water bottling operations across Ontario, including the one down the road in Puslinch. Current events have conspired to put water taking issues back on the frontburner but between concerns about the impact on renters in Bill 60 and the undermining of local oversight of school boards in Bill 33, is there any room on the agenda for protecting our water?
In the background of all the activity at Queen’s Park this fall, there have been efforts in the Environment, Conservation and Parks Ministry to streamline permit renewals for water taking, and to make it easier to take over existing permits at the same location instead of forcing them to file a new application. This is no small thing because water resources are already being stretched in communities that are dependent on ground water, like Guelph, where rapid growth and pressure to grow even faster is raising the alarm. 
But that’s not all! Recently, the Government of Ontario announced changes to conservation authorities that will take the province’s 32 agencies and amalgamate them into seven! And just when you thought local drinking water was safe, news came earlier this month that White Wolf Property Management Inc. had purchased wells in Hillsburgh and Aberfoyle for “water taking for the purposes of water bottling.”  
This week we're joined by Theresa McClenaghan, who is the executive director and counsel at the Canadian Environmental Law Association. She will tell us about the extent of the changes we’re talking about with water taking permits, what source water protection means legally speaking, and why the provincial Environmental Bill of Rights still has some teeth. Also, what are we learning about the Ontario government’s environmental agenda, and why the long-term consequences need to be better thought out.  
So let's dive into changes to water taking on this week's Guelph Politicast! 
You can learn more about the Canadian Environmental Law Association at their website. The last day to provide comment to changes to the Clean Water Act, aka: “Regulatory changes for accelerating and improving protections for Ontario’s drinking water sources” is Thursday December 4, and you can find a direct link here. If you’re interested in getting involved in local activism about water taking, you can always get in touch with Water Watchers.
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 #544 - November 20, 2025

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're thinking globally and poding locally. Environmental issues are on our minds this week as we tackle a new pair of interviews, first with a delegate at the annual climate conference where there's so much hope for an organized action on climate change, and then, closer to home, we will talk to the Green Progressive that wants to make fighting climate change the backbone of a new political union.
This Thursday, November 20, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
COP Out. For the last couple of weeks, delegates from all around the world have been meeting in Belém, Brazil. This is the setting for this year's Conference of the Parties or COP, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. As the product of global climate change becomes more and more apparent, we will have an on-the-ground report from the conference with Edson Krenak, the Brazil program manager for Cultural Survival who will talk about why Brazil is the ideal setting for demanding climate action and why Indigenous reconciliation is a necessary component to a climate deal.
McQuail Hunt. As you probably know, there's a leadership race happening right now for the federal New Democrats and while there are a lot of professional politicians in the race, there's only one farmer. Tony McQuail has spent a lifetime creating alliances between local farmers and supporting sustainable farming practices, and now he's looking to bring those lessons to the House of Commons leading the NDP. McQuail will join us this week to talk about his outsider campaign, why his message is a winning one, and why the path to an NDP comeback is forming an alliance with the Green Party.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #416 - November 19, 2025 (Predator: Badlands)

This week on End Credits we're heading back to space! Leaving the bounds of Earth behind, we go to the stars looking for old friends and familiar faces. First, we will stop by Pandora, setting for James Cameron's very successful sci-fi series Avatar, and then we will head to Genna where the wildest game in the galaxy is waiting for a hunter in Predator: Badlands.
This Wednesday, November 12, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
Back to Pandora: Avatar Revisited. In a few weeks, Avatar: Fire and Ash will be released in theatres everywhere, and unless something really weird happens, it will easily skate to more than a billion dollars at the box office. But Avatar is a rare feat in more ways that one, a massively successful, original, sci-fi franchise that has no broader cultural footprint. So to try and understand the phenomenon we will revisit Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water.
REVIEW: Predator: Badlands (2025). In space, no franchise is ever really over and guess who's back again? Predator: Badlands is the eighth film in the series (if you count the Alien Vs Predator films), and the second one from Dan Trachtenberg, director of 2022's Prey, but it's the first to feature a Predator, or Yautja as they're technically known, as the lead heroic character. On the deadliest planet in the universe our Predator hero will test his mantle with an android sidekick played by Elle Fanning, but is Badlands a movie worth turning into a trophy?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #495 – Civic Advocacy Still Works! (feat. Ken Thompson & Susan Watson)

If there’s a reason that Guelph City Council opted to proceed with a vacant home tax a few weeks ago, at least some of that credits goes to Get Involved Guelph who have been raising concerns for years about the number of houses in the Royal City staying empty, especially in the midst of a housing crisis.  Well, the City of Guelph finally agreed that it's time to act, so what does Get Involved Guelph do for an encore?
A few weeks ago, council not only opted to proceed with two new affordable housing projects on City-owned lands, but more notable than that, they approved two new measures to preserve affordable housing that already exists: a renoviction bylaw that will stop predatory landlords from forcing people out of rent controlled units in the name of renovation, and a four per cent vacant home tax on units that stay empty for extended periods of time
This last one was a huge pivot because there have been calls for years for just such a tax, and City of Guelph staff have always hesitated saying that there weren’t enough vacant homes in town to make such a policy worthwhile. With another election beckoning next fall, and a housing crisis that’s every bit as potent now as it was three years ago, if not more so, let us consider how a civic group can still have an impact with two people dedicated enough to change the conversation.
Two members of Get Involved Guelph, Ken Thompson and Susan Watson, will join us on this week’s podcast to talk about the long road to get city hall to act on the need of a vacant home tax. We also talk about courting engagement on Reddit, why the vacant home tax is so important even if it can’t solve the problem of available housing, the next big issue they want to tackle, and how they will attract more new blood to help them achieve their goals, especially with an election next year.
So let's Get Involved, Guelph on this week's edition of the Guelph Politicast!
You can learn more about Get Involved Guelph, sign up for their newsletter, or even nominate a vacant home on their website. The council decisions about proceed with a renoviction bylaw and the vacant home tax will be ratified at the city council meeting next week on Tuesday November 25, and you have until this Friday at 10 am to either send a correspondence or sign up to delegate, and to learn how to do that go to the City of Guelph 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, 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 #543 - November 13, 2025

This week on Open Sources Guelph, the thirteenth is unlucky for some, even though it's a Thursday. Luck is definitely not on the side of the leader of the federal opposition, unless we're talking about bad luck of course, and coming off Remembrance Day there was some rare controversy that might have been blown out of proportion. For the interview, we've got someone looking for some luck as he tries to convince members of his party that he's got what it take to lead.
This Thursday, November 13, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Battleship Poilievre. Before the federal budget was released last week there were a lot of questions about whether or not Mark Carney and his government would survive. Now, over a week later, the question is whether or not Pierre Poilievre's leadership of the Conservative Party will survive. We will look at the party infighting in the opposition bench as the leader looks at what was always going to be a contentious leadership review in the new year that's gotten much more complicated.
Poppy Goes the World. In Nova Scotia, Premier Tim Houston started a silly culture war over the poppy, the symbol of honouring Canada's war dead every 11th of November. The controversy involves the long-standing court tradition of dissuading court works from wearing the poppy in order to maintain impartiality, and the blowback Houston created forced Nova Scotia's top judges make a rare political statement. Are we mistaking virtue signalling for actual remembrance?
All About Yves. The NDP leadership race is more or less a five person race, and if that holds up, might Yves Engler be considered the odd man out? In more ways that one because Engler is not a politician, he's an author and activist, and his platform calls for a working class revolution, the end of capitalism, and an end to NDP efforts to appeal to moderates from the centre right and left. Engler joins us this week from his leadership tour to talk about why an outsider is the best choice to rebuild the federal NDP and make it a movement.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.