Guelph Politicast

End Credits #304 - July 5, 2023 (Asteroid City)

This week on End Credits, we're going to a place called Asteroid City, which is not an asteroid and it's not a city. It's also not a real place, but it does look like a lovely vacation spot, or a good place to kill a couple of hours in an air conditioned movie theatre. We will make those determinations, and we will also wrap up our Indiana Jones re-watch.
This Wednesday, June 28, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
Run the Series: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. We wrap up our Indiana Jones re-watch with the most controversial entry (yet?). Nearly 20 years after The Last Crusade, the clouds parted and all parties were able to get on the same page for a long-awaited fourth entry, but it didn't go according to plan. Remember, "nuke the fridge"? Remember Shia LaBeouf in Marlon Brando cosplay? Well, maybe it's not as bad as you remember it. We'll find out.
REVIEW: Asteroid City (2023). This is a Wes Anderson movie so you've got to expect a couple of things: a large cast of Hollywood stars, numerous members of the Anderson rep company, an Alexandre Desplat score, highly complex and methodical mise-en-scène, and a health dose of nostalgia. Anderson's brand is so recognizable that there's a cottage industry of A.I.-generated spoofs, but you can't beat the original and even Anderson seems aware that he needs to shake things up get ahead of the wags with Asteroid City. Does it work though?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #380 - Cops and Stoppers

For decades, Crime Stoppers has offered itself as a kind of investigative middleman: If you didn’t want to go to the police yourself for whatever reason, you could leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers and they would pass it along. Our local Crime Stoppers is admittedly pretty successful at what they do, and they have the awards and statistics to prove it, but what's their role 35 years from where they started?
When Crime Stoppers began in the 1970s it was radical in a number of ways. They would offer awards for information about crimes in the area, and they could also offer anonymity for the people leaving the tips if the tipster was worried about becoming a target for retaliation by sharing information. Another unique feature of the program was those TV recreations, which brought the crime to life to jog the memories of potential witnesses.
Here in Guelph and Wellington County, our Crime Stoppers branch was incorporated in 1988 and in the last 35 years it has collected over 23,000 tips which has led to 1,600 arrests for over 4,500 charges. In recent years, Crime Stoppers has extended themselves to make people more knowledgeable about crimes before they happen, like fraud and human trafficking, and like all the work Crime Stoppers does, it's paid for through their own fundraising efforts, not through the police budget.
This week, we're joined by one of two staff members at Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington, program co-ordinator Sarah Bowers-Peter. She will tell us about how she got involved with Crime Stoppers, and how the organization has changed over the years. She will also talk about how Crime Stoppers works with groups beyond the police, and how they’ve been affected by the changing media landscape. Also, she will discuss Crime Stoppers expansion into other types of programming.
So let's take a bit out of crime (sorry, wrong program) on this week's Guelph Politicast!
You can learn more about Crime Stoppers at their website, and that’s where you can find the details about the Crime of the Week, and details about various Crime Stoppers programs like Crime Stoppers 101 and Human Trafficking. To make an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers call  1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or email at info [at] csgw.tips.
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.
Photo courtesy of Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington.

Open Sources Guelph #432 - June 29, 2023

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're not phoning it in before the long weekend. There are some very serious issues that we need to shed a light on, including that was-it-a-coup-attempt in Russia last weekend that might have changed the game. And speaking of changing the game, is Canada about to be serviced by one big newspaper company? What about the fate of local news? In the back half of the show, nothing major, just the state of our emergency rooms in Canada.
This Thursday, June 29, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
The Man Who Coup Too Much. Over the weekend, the mercenary Wagner Group marched across Russia towards Moscow in what looked like the opening moves of a coup d'état and then, just as swiftly as it began, Wagner's leader (and former hot dog peddler) Yevgeny Prigozhin decided to call the whole thing off. So what happened? Are we really supposed to believe that Vladimir Putin's favourite puppet Aleksandr Lukashenko brokered a deal? And what happens next on the frontlines in Ukraine?
Stop Local. A little more than a week after they cut 1,300 jobs and shuttered bureaus around the world, Bell Media sent a letter to the CRTC asking them to review the requirement to have their local TV stations produce local news. These requirements have existed since the dawn of commercial television, but now Bell thinks that local news is a lemon that they want to get rid of. Following Bill C-18, and the announcement that the Toronto Star maybe merging with Postmedia, can anything save local news?
The Old Department. It's been one of the worst kept secrets that emergency departments at Canada's hospitals are in trouble. COVID-19 turbo charged the issues they were facing, and in a post-COVID world, hospitals are dealing with staff burnout coupled with constant high levels of activity that fall outside the normal patterns. Then, last week, Dr. Catherine Varner wrote in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that not only are the problems in Canada's E.R.'s persistent, they're going to continue for the foreseeable future. She's going to tell is all about why.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #303 - June 28, 2023 (Polite Society)

This week on End Credits, we have wedding bell blues. Well, not us necessarily, but the heroines of this week's film do. In this episode, we watch a movie that takes us to one of those most ordinary of summer activities, going to a wedding. We're watching Polite Society, a hit from this year's Sundance Film Festival. Also, we've got another Indiana Jones to talk about.
This Wednesday, June 28, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Candice Lepage will discuss:
Run the Series: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. At the end of this week, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opens in a theatre near you, and it's supposed to be the last Indiana Jones ever. But there was once another last Indiana Jones, and it was fittingly called The Last Crusade. It's got more Nazis, the ultimate MacGuffin in the Holy Grail, and Sean Connery as Indy's dad, and this week we'll take a look back and this fan favourite entry in the series.
REVIEW: Polite Society (2023). June is peak wedding season, so why not end the month with a nice wedding movie? A story about sisters struggling to observe tradition while balancing their modern ambitions, as wannabe stunt woman Ria has to deal with her sister Lena's upcoming wedding to a handsome young doctor. Are Ria's concerns that her big sister is throwing away her life valid, or is there really something sinister afoot on this supposedly happy occasion? The resulting action dramedy redefines what it means to be a wedding crasher, but is it for the best?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #379 - Good Games, Great Podcasting

Coming out of the pandemic, the future of sports and recreation has been top of mind because we were all encouraged to get outdoors during the lockdowns. It was the safest, and in some cases only, way to interact with other people and even in these non-lockdown times we’re still jonesing for outdoor experiences. That brings us to the Good Games. Can Guelph be a sports destination in these very sporty times?
Originally called the Guelph Games, the Good Games were all set to go for their inaugural event with athletes coming in from all over Canada and around the world in Summer 2020, and then something happened that spring. The first Good Games were delayed by two years thanks to COVID-19, and while the first games last summer were a bit smaller than originally intended, they definitely made an impression.
The Good Games arrive this year as the City of Guelph is reviewing the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, as the City is also reviewing the development of a tourism and place making strategy, and as the leaders of various sporting groups in Guelph are organizing as an activist body. Those political issues are out of the scope of the Good Games, but you can’t say that it doesn’t play into the consideration of those issues. So as the Good Games get set for their second year, we ask the question: How big can it get?
To answer that, and other questions, we're joined by Good Games president and CEO Helen Stoumbos and chief marketing officer Mike F. Jean. They will talk about how the Games evolved during and since the pandemic, how the Games hope to appeal to even the non-sporty among us, and what the Good Games can tells us about the appeal of Guelph for sports tourism. They will also tell you how you might be able to get involved as we count down to Games' days and what you can expect from this year's events.
So let's talk about why these Games are so Good on this week's Guelph Politicast!
The Good Games take place on Saturday July 8 and Sunday July 9 at the University of Guelph, and to learn more about the events and activities and how to get involved, go to the website. You can also follow the Good Games on Facebook and Twitter, or on Instagram.
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 #431 - June 22, 2023

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're in a summer mood, but there's no time to relax because there's a lot going on! First, we have to talk about the loud and growing group of people that want to deny history, and speaking of history, might Toronto be on the brink of electing its first female immigrant person of colour mayor? We're not here to tell the future, but our local MPP will be here to talk about the recent past in the interview.
This Thursday, June 22, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
The Jewel of Denial. Kimberly Murray, the independent special interlocutor for the search for unmarked graves, delivered a report last week outlining several challenges and one of the biggest is the "increase in the violence of denialism." A concerted effort is underway to pretend that the atrocities at Canada's residential schools didn't happen despite the mound of evidence to the contrary, so we have to interrupt this National Indigenous History Month to talk about why people want to erase those dark chapters.
Chow You See Me. And you may be seeing more of Olivia Chow if the polls turn out to be true! The former city councillor and Member of Parliament is all but assured victory in the Toronto Mayoral byelection Monday, and this despite all the salt in her game these last few days with former campaign rivals John Tory and Doug Ford both endorsing other candidates. Leaving aside the fact that she still has to win on Monday, what might the future look like for "Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow"?
And Just Mike That... The Ontario Legislature rose for the summer last week, and that means Premier Doug Ford may be too busy at the cottage to blow up the regular order for a couple of months. As we stop to catch our breath, we're joined by Guelph MPP and Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner to talk about the first year of this term, trying to influence the government on his own housing ideas, and the provincial response to the wild fire smoke that's settled over much of Ontario this month.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.
Editor's Note: If you're a residential school survivor, or are a victim of the inter-generational trauma caused by residential schools, you can seek help for your pain and distress 24 hours a day by calling the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419.

End Credits #302 - June 21, 2023 (I Like Movies)

This week on End Credits, after 301 episodes, we found the film that perfectly encapsulates the aesthetic of this show: we like movies. This week, we go for something Canadian with the coming of age story I Like Movies, and we continue on with our re-visit through the Indiana Jones series with the second of five entries. See, we do like movies!
This Wednesday, June 21, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Tim Phillips will discuss:
Run the Series: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. As we continue the countdown to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, we visit one of the most controversial entries in the series. Set in 1935, this dark adventure finds Indiana Jones and his companions searching for magic stones at a legendary palace in India and along the way flirts with some pretty racist tropes. But looking back nearly 40 years, how does Temple stand in the series, and as its own entry?
REVIEW: I Like Movies (2023). The scene is Burlington, ON sometime in the early 2000s, and Lawrence likes movies. He wants to go to NYU film school, and he starts working at a video store to save up to pay for it. It's his last year of high school, things are strained with is friend Matt and his mom, and he might be falling in love with his manager at the video store. Chandler Levack's coming-of-age comedy/drama hits all the highlights of the genre, but in a deeply personal and very-Canadian package. Here's the question though, do we like I Like Movies?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #378 - Strong Mayors Podcast

Last Friday, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark announced that so-called Strong Mayor powers were being extended to 26 of Ontario's biggest cities, including Guelph. The move was not shocking, and going back to the original announcement last summer, it had indeed been promised, but it was kind of surprising that Guelph's mayor was there, on stage with the minister, for the announcement.
But the surprises didn't stop there. Many local media outlets, including Guelph Politico, sought out comment from Guthrie about the announcement and how he felt about being bestowed with Strong Mayor powers. The hope for this publication was to dedicate this episode of pod to a conversation with the mayor about it, but like other outlets, we were told that Mayor Guthrie was unavailable.
In another universe, you would hear Guthrie's answers to questions like whether he was at the press conference merely because he was the past Chair of the Ontario Big City Mayors, or whether this was an endorsement of the powers? Also, has his opinion about the powers changed in the last several months? Does he intend to use those Strong Mayor powers? In what circumstance will he use them?
In lieu of any new audio, we pop into the archive to find other times that Mayor Guthrie has commented on the Strong Mayor powers, and other provincial changes, to determine where he might land on the issue now. You will hear a speech he gave at a council meeting last September where council passed a motion condemning Strong Mayor powers, a November interview on Open Sources Guelph post-election, and the State of the City speech early this year.
So let’s talk about strong mayors and their powers on this week’s Guelph Politicast!
There's going to be a special meeting of city council on Tuesday July 11 to discuss an Official Plan amendment to delegate authority to City staff to approve minor Zoning Bylaw Amendments. That agenda will be posted on the City's council calendar sometime in Thursday June 29. You can read Mayor Guthrie's full statement about the expansion of Strong Mayor powers 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, 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 #430 - June 15, 2023

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're looking for reading material. Let's go to the bathroom where, naturally, you keep all your state secrets! Speaking of secrets we'll talk about the ongoing efforts to wrap our head around election interference in the last two Canadian elections, and then we'll head to the U.S. where a certain Florida Man is making trouble again. For the interview, we've got someone local with something to celebrate.
This Thursday, June 15, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Gone-ston in 60 Seconds. And just like that, David Johnston fired himself. After weeks of pounding by all the opposition parties, Johnston decided to give up being rapporteur as a bad job, and the questions persists about where the investigation into Chinese election interference goes now. While Parliament sorts that out, there are bigger questions about how MPs are told that they're targets of influence campaigns by foreign governments, or why they're not told. So what's next?
It's Only a Paper Boon. For the second time this year, Donald Trump was indicted, arrested and arraigned in a U.S. court, but this time it might be the most serious of all. After months of investigation by the special counsel Jack Smith, Trump was hit with 37 charges around his treatment of classified materials and the game of cat and mouse he allegedly played to keep them out of the hands of the FBI and the National Archivist. So is this *finally* the end for Trump?
Caton to Exhale. It's Pride Month, and it's quite the cause for celebration here in Guelph. We just opened our first official rainbow crosswalk, and our city council has it's first non-binary representative in the form of Ward 1 Councillor Erin Caton. We're going to talk about taking pride in Pride, and we're also going to talk about the housing issue in Guelph and whether council is any closer to finding real solutions now six months after the start of the term. On top of that, we'll access Caton's techy side to talk about the use of A.I. in government services.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #301 - June 14, 2023 (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse)

This week on End Credits, we're going in several different directions. It's almost like there's more than one of us, or perhaps there should be. Speaking of multiplicity, the movie we're reviewing this week is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which features a spider-cast of thousands, and since we're talking about legends, we're going to take a closer look at another franchise.
This Wednesday, June 14, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
Run the Series: Raiders of the Lost Ark. At the end of the month, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will be released in theatres everywhere. To mark the occasion, we're going to spend the next several weeks of the show re-visiting the first four movies in the series, starting with the 1981 original Raiders of the Lost Ark. Does Raiders still hold up as one of the greatest adventure films ever, and how does it influence us today? We'll take another look.
REVIEW: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). It's been five years since Miles Morales took his first big screen spin as the Amazing Spider-Man in Into the Spider-Verse. In the sequel, Miles returns, and so do many of his spider-friends. In fact, you might say all the Spider-Men, and Women, turn up in Across the Spider-Verse as Miles struggles to understand and accept his place in the panoply of Spider-People from across the multi-verse. This sequel has already done some major bank at the box office, but does it satisfy every Spider-fan in this universe?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.