Guelph Politicast

GUELPH POLITICAST #Repeat - The Ongoing Paramedic Stress

It happened again on the August long weekend. Offload delays at the Guelph General Hospital created some long line-ups for ambulances, and a couple of days before that there was another Code Red. The story has been repeating itself for over a year now, too many ambulances lined up at the hospital and not enough available in the community, but how do the paramedics themselves feel about the pressure they're under?
Earlier this year, we were joined by Nick Di Ruzza, who was the president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 231. This is the union that represents the paramedic workers for Guelph and Wellington County, and they've been under a lot of the same pressures that all other medical workers have been under these last three years. As reported, paramedics have done 9,400 hours of overtime in the last year.
So the burnout is real, but there are other pressures on the service beyond the hours. A joint meeting of the Guelph and Wellington councils back in June, covered how many paramedic stations across the region where not meeting the needs of the service, especially the ones out in the county. So while there's pressure on paramedics to do the job, we're also falling short in our support of paramedics when they get back to the station.
Back in February though, we talked to Di Ruzza about what a day in the life of a paramedic looks like, and the Paramedics Services’ success despite their challenges. He will tell us about the human resources issues his local is trying to overcome, and how paramedics approach standards of care beyond answering emergency calls. Later, he will discuss the problems around doing advocacy on behalf of paramedics, support from management and what the community can all do to help.
So let's hear again the paramedic perspective on this week's repeat of the Guelph Politicast!
You can follow OPSEU Local 231 on Twitter. Guelph Wellington Paramedic Services Chief Stephen Dewar has been delivering a monthly report about the demands on the service at the Wellington County Social Services Committee Meeting, and the next one’s in March. To learn more about our local paramedic service, you can find them under the “Living” section of the City of Guelph website or on Twitter.
All new episodes of the Guelph Politicast return next week!
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 #437 - August 17, 2023

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're back from summer vacation, and it was nice that everyone waited till the first part of August to launch their biggest scandals. We're going to talk about one of those on this week's show, a scandal that intersects with housing, the environment, and government process in what we like to call a trifecta, but in this case we'll just call Greenbelt-gate. We'll discuss that, and we'll talk to a person on the frontline of fighting high rents!
This Thursday, August 17, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Green Dealt. Last week, Ontario's auditor general said that according to her expert opinion, the Government of Ontario committed a boo-boo when then signed off on selling a portion of the Greenbelt last fall. It's actually more serious than that because it seems like staff in the office of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing was taking direction from the developers who were going to profit, but it's okay because Doug Ford, Steve Clark, et al have all seen the error of their ways... So why won't they undo the deal?
Rent Check. Have you heard about the rent? It's too damn high! In many places around this province, people are struggling to keep up with the rent, and in other places people are being thrown from their rent-controlled digs into the cruel market because their landlord can charge more once a building is remodelled. It's tough for people to know their rights and learn how to fight back, so this week we talk to someone who knows that struggle well, Geordie Dent, the executive director of the Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #REPEAT August 16, 2023

This week on End Credits, and next week (or last week depending on when you read this), we're on summer vacation. Are we watching movies over these two weeks off? Probably, but we're not reviewing them for you. While we're out getting some sun and enjoying the beach, you get a couple of reruns. Grab a drink, feel the waves, and we'll see you in a couple of weeks!
Summer's Off. It's no easy thing to take a vacation from your high-powered and stressful job. Maybe the whole thing falls apart while you're away; maybe the whole thing falls apart because you're away. And what about that vacation? You've got to pack up your stuff and your family, cram into a car for hours, and when you arrive at your destination, the beach house is a shack, the landlord is rude, and it's all you can do to summon the courage to challenge him in a boat race aboard a pirate-themed schooner! It's summer vacation!! Deal with it.
*Programming Note: End Credits will return with new episodes on Wednesday August 30.
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #385 - The Year at Council So Far...

In August, there's usually no council business to talk about but there are unusual times so on the same day the annual mid-year council recap goes live we get a super-unusual August council meeting. In this very busy first year of a new council term, perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that council business would burst over the side and flood the vacation months, and it all comes down to a single word: housing.
The housing crisis has been hovering over just about all aspects of City business in the last seven months. Obviously, the biggest piece of this is the so-called housing pledge. As part of Bill 23 passed by the Ontario government, every municipality had to sign a promise to Queen's Park that they will build their share of 1.5 million homes by 2031, and our city council signed their unique version of the pledge way back in February.
Housing would emerge in other ways, like the amended Official Plan amendment that caused controversy at council, or the new Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw that's now waiting to replace the old one that's nearly 30 years old due to over a dozen appeals. That part wasn't in the Strategic Plan, which was also refreshed in 2023 with renewed emphasis on a lot of the City's main objectives, which includes transit, the environment, and yes, housing.
So this week on the podcast, we will cover all the ins and outs of the last seven months at city council and that includes all the issues discussed above plus other matters that have come to council including the first phase of the Heritage Conservation District on the OR Lands, changes to the fare structure for Guelph Transit, the tree canopy, short-term rental licensing, the South End Community Centre, and the rise of pickleball. That's a lot of ground to cover, but we'll do it in about 10,000 words to an hour!
So let's recap the year at council so far on this week's Guelph Politicast!
The special meeting of council to make a decision about the allocation of affordable housing funds to Kindle Communities is tonight. The next official meeting will be Committee of the Whole on Wednesday September 6 at 2 pm, and the agenda for that meeting will be posted next week on the City's 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, Stitcher, 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 #REPEAT - August 10, 2023

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we’re taking a break, and it’s the same for next week (or last week depending on when you’re reading this). Yes, the time has come for our usual summer vacation, but we’re not leaving you hanging! As we recharge our senses and collect your thoughts, you will be treated to a long-running tradition in the production of rich media: The rerun. As we cash-in some of our vacation days, you will be entertained by the ghosts of Open Sources’ past.
Barbeque Season. As Doug Ford and other politicians cook up some delicious meats, the scandals are taking a break. For this lazy August, we’re going to take a break too as we wait for the governments to return to their chambers and grill some more controversy, and in the meantime we’re presenting you two different episodes of the show that highlight some of the interesting news we’ve covered lately, and some of the interesting people we’ve talked to. Get outside, have fun, and don’t forget the coleslaw!
*Programming Note: Open Sources Guelph will return with new episodes on Thursday August 17.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #309 - August 9, 2023 (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem)

This week on End Credits, we have Turtle Power! As we enter the proverbial late summer doldrums at the box office, we look for some gold in the form of the new animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. And since summer's best days are behind us, we will peel back the layers and determine what was the best, and yes, what was the worst.
This Wednesday, August 2, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
Summer's End. Okay, so it's not technically the end of summer, but then again, September 20 is technically the real last day of summer. Anyway, since we're going on vacation for the next few weeks, we're going to close the book on Summer Movies from 2023 a bit early by giving out the awards: What was the best movie? What movie did the most damage to its franchise? And which Part One had us the most excited about Part Two? Let's find out!
REVIEW: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023). In the 1980s, two indie comic book artists turned a spoof about the growing trend of ultra-violent comics into the basis of a multi-million dollar marketing empire directed mostly at kids. Over six movies and three decades later, the Ninja Turtles are still teens, and they're still chasing that cheese (pizza) now with a new animated movie from producer Seth Rogen. He's enjoyed a lot of success with comic book material lately (Prime's The Boys for example), so can he bring the Turtles back to prominence?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.
*Programming Note: End Credits will be taking the next two weeks off. Repeat episodes will air in the usual Wednesday afternoon time slot with new episodes returning on Wednesday August 30.

GUELPH POLITICAST #Repeat - Counting Down to (Net) Zero

"Hot enough for ya?" A charming conversation starter in summers past, but here in August 2023 it seems more like a damning curse. Last month was the hottest month on the planet in a few hundred millennia, forest fires rage out of control in several provinces, smog from those fires choke cities in the south, and now there's the threat that the Gulf Stream may be gone by 2025. What can we do on the local level in the wake of all these developments?
That was one of the questions we put to Byan Ho-Yan, the manager of Energy and Climate Change at the City of Guelph, when he appeared on the podcast last fall. Fresh off an election, there was a pause for the new council to consider how they might build on the accomplishments of the previous council, a directive to accelerate the City’s shift to net zero and 100 per cent renewable. Ho-Yan is the man who has to make it happen.
Since December, there has been some progress. Council passed the Guelph Greener Homes program earlier this year offering zero-interest loans to residential property owners in Guelph to help cover the costs of residential energy efficiency upgrades. We just initiated an e-scooter pilot program,and we got federal money for new EV chargers and to cover the cost of HVAC upgrades at the West End Rec Centre. Good news, but we need to do more.
Ultimately, the City of Guelph, as a corporation, is only responsible for three per cent of the local carbon footprint, which means it's up to the rest of us to get the other 97 per cent of the way to zero, and that's where we start with Ho-Yan. He will about the limits of what the City can do to affect our climate change goals, and the ways that they can rally the community. Plus, he will talk about the progress made so far, and the one thing he wishes everyone knew about the fight against climate change.
So let’s talking about fighting climate change at the city level (again) on this week’s Guelph Politicast!
You can see the City of Guelph's 2022 Sustainability Report here, and to learn more about how to apply to the Guelph Greener Homes program, you can click here. Programming note: Next week's pod will be the midyear council recap, and then there will be another repeat on August 23 before getting back to our regularly scheduled programming on August 30.
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, Stitcher, 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 #REPEAT - August 3, 2023

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we’re taking a break, and it’s the same for next week (or last week depending on when you’re reading this). Yes, the time has come for our usual summer vacation, but we’re not leaving you hanging! As we recharge our senses and collect your thoughts, you will be treated to a long-running tradition in the production of rich media: The rerun. As we cash-in some of our vacation days, you will be entertained by the ghosts of Open Sources’ past.
Barbeque Season. As Doug Ford and other politicians cook up some delicious meats, the scandals are taking a break. For this lazy August, we’re going to take a break too as we wait for the governments to return to their chambers and grill some more controversy, and in the meantime we’re presenting you two different episodes of the show that highlight some of the interesting news we’ve covered lately, and some of the interesting people we’ve talked to. Get outside, have fun, and don’t forget the coleslaw!
*Programming Note: Open Sources Guelph will return with new episodes on Thursday August 17.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #308 - August 2, 2023 (Oppenheimer)

This week on End Credits, we tackle the back half of "Barbenheimer". After rolling with Barbie last week as she travelled from the real world to Barbie word and back again, this week we go into the past with Oppenheimer, which is as real as the real world gets. And if you still have a jones for Oppenheimer adjacent material, we will have some recommendations for you.
This Wednesday, August 2, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Tim Phillips will discuss:
The Day After Oppenheimer. Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is a film that covers one of the most famous events in history, and it centres on a man who has both his good and bad qualities. These are the perfect ingredients for a movie, and it's been done in different ways with all sorts of famous historic figures and events, and it's also been done with the invention of the atomic bomb. We'll talk about what to watch after Oppenheimer.
REVIEW: Oppenheimer (2023). He was man plagued by terrible visions, he might have been the first rock star scientist, and without him it's unlikely that the United States would have created the world's first atomic bomb. J. Robert Oppenheimer was a complicated man, and so is the movie that now bares his name. Oppenheimer calls on all of Christopher Nolan's skills as a filmmaker as he tells one man's story spread over multiple timelines and featuring a cast of thousands, but does he overcome his mechanical prowess to find Oppy's humanity?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #384 - The Immortal John Galt

“John Galt, novelist, colonial promoter. Galt was superintendent of the Canada Company, a colonization company created to settle part of Upper Canada. During that time, he founded the town of Guelph (1827); the town of Galt was named after him.” That’s what the Canadian Encyclopedia tells you about Galt, but it doesn’t tell you a lot about who he really was.
A lot of assumptions have been made about Galt, and the popular wisdom for years was that he was a failure as the head of the Canada Company, yet the city he created survives and thrives 200 years later. But what about Galt as a colonizer? It may surprise you to learn that Galt, ever the iconoclast, had some unusual ideas for how settlers and Indigenous people should get along as equals, and it was among the reasons why he was sent back to Scotland two years after founding Guelph.
This week, we're joined by someone who might know Galt better than anyone (in the 21st century). Gil Stelter, a professor emeritus from the history department at the University of Guelph, has dedicated his life's studious endeavours to the man who's name is on the proverbial patent for Guelph. In his career, Stelter has amassed quite a number of insight into the man, his career as a businessman and author, and what his intentions were for Guelph, some of which actually came to pass.
And that’s where we pick things up on this week’s podcast as Stelter gives us a breakdown on who John Galt was, and his notoriety beyond the borders of Guelph. He will also talk about what Galt’s written works tell us about his thinking, how his relationship with John Brant informed his thinking when settling Guelph, and what Galt might think of Guelph now nearly 200 years later. Also, he will talk about how Galt might have been right at home among the celebrity businessmen of modern day.
So let's talk about the John Galt you don't know on this week's Guelph Politicast!
Learning the basics about the life of John Galt is relatively easy, but if you want to follow up on this particular discussion, you can consult Galt’s written works, including The Apostate or Atlantis Destroyed, which you can buy through Vocamus Press. You can also watch Stelter’s presentation to the Guelph Historical Society on Rogers’ YouTube channel. 
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, Stitcher, 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.