Guelph Politicast

GUELPH POLITICAST #515 – To Form a More Perfect Tenant Union (feat. Janice Folk-Dawson)

Last Saturday, the group Resistance and Resilience Guelph gathered over 50 people on the fourth floor of 10C to cook up possible directions for a union to represent renters in the city. Over one-third of Guelph residents rent the place they live, and those residents are under incredible pressure with some of them under a very real threat of losing their homes. Is unionizing Guelph’s renters the best way to fight back outside of government action?
The stories in Guelph have become quite familiar. From Brant Avenue to Cedar Street, there have been numerous high-profile renovictions that have made the news, and many, many more that have not. The Guelph-Wellington Legal Clinic has report that there's been a 245 per cent increase in the use of N13s since 2020, translating into 500 people losing their housing in a combined 280 units, and that's just this one very specific type of landlord/tenant interaction.
City of Guelph staff are now in the process of working on a renovicton bylaw, over their own objections, and are aiming to get it done by sometime later this year. There’s also still a desire to press on the provincial government to take action, as it would be so much easier for them to make those changes. But in the wake of governments unwilling to act quickly, or just unwilling to act, a Guelph group is trying to build a new movement, and this week, we will check in on their progress.
Janice Folk-Dawson, a long-time labour activist, former federal candidate and now one of the main orgainzers of Guelph’s new, under construction tenant union joins us this week to share those details. She will tell us what a tenant union is, what it will do for renters in the city, and what their immediate priorities are. She will also talk about what came out of Saturday’s meeting, what comes next, and the role of a tenant union in the political system and a coming municipal election. 
So let's talk about building a tenant union on this edition of the Guelph Politicast! 
You can find Resistance and Resilience Guelph on Facebook and Instagram, and you can send them an email at rrg [at] gmail.com. Save the date of Saturday May 2 for the next public portion of the tenant union’s development, and you will find those details when they're released on RRG’s social media feeds. In the meantime, if you need legal advise about your rental situation, you can reach out to the Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County at clinic [at] gw.clcj.ca or by calling 1-800-628-9205.
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 #561 - March 19, 2026

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we let others do the talking. The news is just too damn busy, so we're going to double the number of special guests we usually have on this episode with one local politician and one labour organizer from Ottawa. First up, a member of city council will talk to us about a surprising development in the coming local elections, and after that we'll talk about the back and forth between the federal government and federal government workers.
This Thursday, March 19, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
City Hall Pass. Guelph City Council is technically taking the week off, but there was big council news earlier this week when Mayor Cam Guthrie announced that he was not going to stand for re-election in this fall's Guelph municipal election. This week, we're joined by one of Guthrie's council colleagues, Ward 5 rep Leanne Caron, to talk about this leadership vacuum at city hall, her future plans, and what's immediately coming up at council.
Public Service Inquiries. Meanwhile in Ottawa, federal government employees are under pressure as Mark Carney and his team are looking to save money by shrinking the work force. At the same time, workers are fighting return to office mandates so they're caught in a trap: They're too important to be allowed to work from home, but they're also not important enough to keep them all employed. We'll be joined by Sean O’Reilly, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), to talk about the issues and the conflict.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #433 - March 18, 2026 (She Was Here)

This week on End Credits, we've got true Hollywood stories! For the first half of the show, we will talk about our thoughts fresh from watching this year's Academy Awards and what we think of the winners and losers. For the review, we will tune in to AppleTV to check out a documentary about a young actress, which comes, in part, from a Guelph filmmaker.
This Wednesday, March 18, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
One Oscar After Another. The awards season showdown between One Battle After Another and Sinners practically ended in a draw; OBAA got Best Picture, Best Director and four other trophies while Sinners scored Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay plus two more. There was a rare tie in the Best Short Film category, Frankenstein and KPop Demon Hunters got some love, and Baby Yoda put in a cameo mid-ceremony. We will recap those, and other highlights, from 98th Oscars!
REVIEW: She Was Here (2026). Heather O'Rourke starred in three Poltergeist movies over the 1980s, but before finishing the third entry she suddenly passed away due to medical complications. It's hard when a young person dies, but Heather's death became ground zero for the "Poltergeist curse", the long-standing belief about how the series, and its stars, were seemingly besieged by tragedy. But in the new documentary She Was Here, director Nick Bailey focuses on the girl, and peels away the rumour to talk about a young and promising life that ended too soon.
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #514 - White Nationalism in Our Own Backyard (feat. Saleh Wazirudden)

It was something of a surprise last week when Niagara Region chair Bob Gale announced his sudden resignation less than four months after being appointed by the Ontario government, but it was even more surprising when we found out why: He purchased a signed original copy of Adolf Hitler’s memoir and manifesto, Mein Kampf. Gale said he was a history buff, but anti-racism activists saw an entirely different explanation amidst the growing boldness of white supremacy in the region.
From a fight at the Stampede Ranch last weekend where racial slurs were allegedly uttered to an Aggie pub night at the University of Guelph in January where some students were allegedly wearing t-shirts with hate symbols and discriminatory slurs, and from a demonstration by white nationalists on a London overpass last fall to a similar gathering outside Hamilton city hall last month, there's a startling trend of racist groups in Ontario feeling increasingly emboldened.
Niagara Region seems particularly susceptible to these groups and this year alone there have been a pair of incidents in Grimsby, including one outside a Tim Hortons, and also last Labour Day when there was a gathering of Second Sons at Brock’s Monument in Queenston Heights. Given what’s going on in communities around Niagara Region, is it easier to understand why people were concerned that the regional chair was the proud owner of a signed copy of Hitler’s book?
To talk about it, we're joined by Saleh Wazirudden from the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association who will talk about the state of fighting white supremacy in Niagara Region, why these groups are feeling so emboldened and why so many of them seem to be operating in the area. We will also talk about why Gale can’t hide behind his excuse of history enthusiasm, connecting the dots across Ontario, and what you should be on the look out for when it comes to white nationalist activity in your community.
So let's get back into fighting white supremacy on this week's Guelph Politicast! 
You can learn more about the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association at their website, or you can follow them on social media @TheNRARA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. For other groups trying to raise awareness about white supremacy locally and in the rest of Canada you can check out No Hate in the Hammer out of Hamilton, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, and, of course, the Canadian Anti-Hate Network.
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 #560 - March 12, 2026

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're still thinking about war and peace. There's a lot of the former, which makes the latter seem rather fleeting, but if you're confused about what you're seeing on the news, or in your social media feed, imagine how the leaders of American and Canada's governments are feeling. We will catch up on the situation in Iran, and then we will catch up on the situation coming to Queen's Park with our special guest!
This Thursday, March 12, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Trump's War. Nearly two weeks into the war he started, U.S. President Donald Trump is still struggling to explain why he launched a war with Iran, how long he will keep fighting it, and what he wants aside from "unconditional surrender". In the meantime, a new Supreme Leader has been chosen, the U.S. may have committed a war crime, and the region is sinking further into a conflict with no end in sight. We'll recap this week's insanity from the Middle East.
Carney's Struggle. The confusion about the Iran conflict doesn't end in the halls of the White House or the Pentagon. In the House of Commons it seems like there's a great deal of uncertainty about what our own prime minister is thinking about the war, or Canada's role in it. After skipping out on an emergency House debate, and submitting at least three different takes on the subject, what exactly does Mark Carney think about the U.S. War in Iran?
Schreiner's View. After nearly 100 days off, Ontario's elected representatives will return to Queen's Park a week from Monday and there will be a lot to talk about. From building new islands in the middle of Lake Ontario, to the changing face of education, to the still monumental challenges of housing and homelessness, there will be a lot to chew on and this week we will be joined by Guelph MPP and Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner to feast at the all-you-can-eat political buffet!
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #432 - March 11, 2026 (The Bride)

This week on End Credits, we won’t say “It’s alive!” Our movie this week is ambitious, and it clearly has a lot to say, but how well it says it has been a matter of taste, and opinion. Regardless, on this show we will give our own thoughts on The Bride! and we will also talk about who we think should score one of those little gold men at a certain awards show…
This Wednesday, March 4, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
If We Picked the Winners! This coming Sunday is Oscar night! The 98th annual Academy Awards has been a battle between Sinners and One Battle After Another for Best Picture, and a pitched battle between various different categories among other nominees, and while we don’t know the future, we can certainly talk about who we think should win in all the various categories Just like Siskel & Ebert used to do, we will pick the winners we’d vote for.
REVIEW: The Bride (2026). Released in the 1930s, The Bride of Frankenstein is iconic, but would you be surprised to learn that The Bride herself is basically in only the last five minutes of the movie? Director Maggie Gyllenhaal makes The Bride her central focus in the movie of the same name, this time played by likely Oscar-winner Jessie Buckley as a gangster’s moll turned feminist revolutionary and icon in 1930s Chicago. With Christian Bale as The Monster by her side, can this Bride! write her own story, and can Gyllenhaal cash her first blank cheque?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #513 – We Got 99 Problems But Doug Ford's Got 10 (feat. Scotty Hertz)

On Open Sources Guelph, we try our best to condense a week’s worth of news into a couple of topics to allow for some in-depth discussion, but when it comes to the work of covering the provincial government, sometimes that almost needs its own weekly show. As we gear up for the return of Ontario’s MPPs to Queen’s Park in a couple of weeks for the spring sitting, we will tee up the issues that await Premier Doug Ford, his cabinet, caucus and opposition.
In the last week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has made news about wanting to build new artificial islands along the Toronto waterfront on which a new convention centre will be built, and he's floated the idea of taking over the Billy Bishop Airport, a move that would be pretty unusual because the province plays no role in airports. In both cases, Ford has not kept the City of Toronto looped in on these initiatives.
It’s been observed before that Ford is acting like the Mayor of Toronto, but he's actually been elected three times to be the premier for the entire province of Ontario, and at the Ontario PC convention last month, he announced his intention to serve as premier into a fourth term and beyond. Right now though, he's facing an exhaustive list or issues, and it has some people wondering if maybe he's losing sight of the forest for the trees, including the ones he’s planting?
Scotty Hertz, co-host of Open Sources Guelph, will join us this week to offer his take on the Top 10 issues we think are facing the Ford government. From maximizing Toronto’s waterfront, to the further crushing of our conservation authorities, and from the still unknown fate of school boards and to the use of private devices and accounts for government business, let’s dig into all the things that should be keeping Doug Ford up at night during the last few weeks of his winter break.
So let's countdown Doug Ford's problems on this week's Guelph Politicast! 
You can listen to Open Sources Guelph every Thursday at 5 pm on CFRU 93.3 fm or cfru.ca, and on this feed every Monday. This week, we will have an interview with Guelph MPP and Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner. The Ontario legislature will return for its spring sitting on Monday March 23, and on Tuesday it was announced that they will release the budget on Thursday March 26.
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 #559 - March 5, 2026

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we get déjà vu. Once again, the United States is at war with a country whose name begins with I-R-A, and so much has happened on this file in the last few days we have to dedicate half a show to it. In the other half, we go local to talk to a Guelph business owner about the issues facing your favourite local restaurants and how using a popular app on your phone might be doing them more harm than good.
This Thursday, March 5, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
This Again?! It was a surprise to all us waking up last Saturday morning that the United States and Israel had launched a full-scale war on Iran, which in the opening hours killed the Cleric and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In the days that followed, we've received a confusing mix of reasons and rationales about the goal of the attacks, how long they've been planned, and what their ultimate reason it started in the first place. So why has the so-called "Peace President" Donald Trump plunged his country into another Middle East forever war, and what comes next?
Gaffe Priced Apps. A recent report from Restaurants Canada painted a dire picture of the economics at the nation's restaurants: 4,000 of them cross-country are at risk of shutting down for good at the end of this year. There are many reasons for that including the increasing price of food and rent, but there's also pressure from third party apps like Skip the Dishes and Door Dash who take a big portion of the profit but take on none of the risk. This week, we're joined by Guelph restaurateur Hitesh Jagad, co-owner of Kirtida’s Kitchen, to talk about the need to rethink the use of these apps and how they're more hindrance than benefit to local businesses.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #431 - March 4, 2026 (Scream 7)

This week on End Credits, March comes in like its Halloween! To kick off the third month of the year, we will dig into an all-horror episode by marking an important birthday for the Scream franchise! Before digging into the latest entry in the series, which you can now see in a theatre near you, we will talk about Scream's legacy, and that of the franchise's creator. 
This Wednesday, March 4, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
I Scream, You Scream... This year marks the 30th anniversary release of the first Scream movie. An instant sensation, the movie awoken the horror genre from its 90s malaise, led to a dozen imitators, and has still managed to innovate for new generations of horror fans to new levels of success. Before digging into the next chapter, we will look at the ongoing influence of the Scream franchise and the career of its creator Kevin Williamson.
REVIEW: Scream 7 (2006). $64 million at the box office can't be wrong, right? The opening weekend haul of Scream 7 indicates that the franchise still has its fans, and so does the returning final girl Neve Campbell. After sitting out Scream VI, Campbell's Sidney Prescott takes centre stage again as her quiet family life in a small town is shattered when Ghostface re-enters the chat, and this time Sidney's daughter Tatem will learn what it takes to be a Scream Queen too. Intriguing, but can Scream still slay in its seventh outing?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #512 - "Do Your Own Research" Comes For Local Crimes (feat. Dr. Ahmed al-Rawi)

In this space and others, we’ve talked a lot about the effect of misinformation and conspiracy theories on our political culture, but there’s a growing and pronounced impact on our legal system as well. From local missing person’s cases to crimes so heinous that they capture the consciousness of a country, can our online culture be trusted with their role in law and order matters?
Last week in Guelph, a photo of a father and his daughter at a local coffee shop was shared on social media as part of a human trafficking inquiry, and a few months ago, CTV News Kitchener reported that the search for a missing Kitchener man was being hampered by online sleuths who had some very peculiar ideas of what happened to the man. Both of these cases are local, and so are their impacts, but what happens when online detectives focus their fire on a national tragedy?
This happened last month in the case of the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. In the immediate aftermath, people scoured the internet and social media to find information about the shooter, and as fate would have it, an Ontario woman with the same last name as the shooter’s mother was misidentified as Jesse Van Rootselaar. How does something like this happen? Are we overlooking how conspiracy theories and online detectives with an agenda are affecting crime coverage?
If anyone might have some insight into this issue it's Dr. Ahmed al-Rawi, who is an associate professor of News, Social Media, and Public Communication and the director of the Disinformation Project at the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University. He will talk to us about the current state of the information ecosystem when it comes to crime reporting, why context matters in any reporting, and whether our obsessions with true crime primed the pump for all these amateur detectives online.
So let's talk about the dangers of crime and conspiracies on this week's Guelph Politicast!
You can learn more about The Disinformation Project at the Simon Fraser University website. You can also visit Dr. al-Rawi’s personal website. You can check out the straightforward, community reporting at 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, 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.