Guelph Politicast

End Credits #269 - October 26, 2022 (Halloween Ends)

This week on End Credits, this is Halloween! In our inevitable Halloween Week show, we will have the inevitable review as we follow up our shows about Halloween, and Halloween Kills with Halloween Ends. And since one good horror franchise deserves another, or all of them (?), we will finally, and scientifically, determine which horror franchise stands above all the others.
This Wednesday, October 26, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Candice Lepage will discuss:
Simply the Best? When it comes to franchise building, no one does it better than the horror genre. There are so many different franchises in the world of horror, so many variances in creativity and quality, how could you possibly determine which one is the best one? Well, that's our mission on this week's show! We will debate the best horror franchise in film history; Is it zombies? Monsters? The guy with the machete? The guy with the chain saw? We'll find out.
REVIEW: Halloween Ends (2022). It's over! Or is it? The 13th movie in the Halloween franchise promises a definitive conclusion, but it also promises the ultimate confrontation between boogeyman Michael Myers and the finalest final woman Jamie Lee Curtis. On that second part, Halloween Ends shirks those expectations in favour of something entirely different, which has been a source of much consternation on Film Twitter. But what do we think? Does Halloween Ends deliver the goods, or is it just another Halloween sequel?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #345 - Election Night 2022

You probably know who all the new members of city council and the school board are, but do you know how it all unfolded on Election Night? Preserved for posterity, and for the edification of those who might have otherwise been busy on Monday night, we're going to replay nearly two hours of non-stop political nerdiness as we counted all the votes as they rolled.
This week's episode of the podcast was recorded live-to-air on Election Night this past Monday. Starting when the polls closed at 8 pm you will be able to listen as Scotty Hertz and I followed all the ups and downs of the polls in Guelph, took a look at some of the key races around Ontario, and threw in a generous number of trademark non-sequiturs that have become your favourite part of live election coverage on CFRU!
So, let's flashback to Election Night, and remember how we got here on this week's Guelph Politicast!
To see the unofficial results click here. The City Clerks office will post the official results later this week. The new council will be sworn in on Tuesday November 15. In the meantime, stay tuned to Open Sources Guelph for interviews with the new members of council in the weeks to come.
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.

End Credits #268 - October 19, 2022 (The Munsters 2022)

This week on End Credits, we cross the streams. Yes, that is a Ghostbusters reference, but it's also a reference to the stream from TV to the movies, or maybe just streaming VOD. Like this week's review, which is a movie based on a TV show. We're looking at the adaptation of The Munsters, and we will talk about other movies that got their start on the proverbial boob tube.
This Wednesday, October 19, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Tim Phillips will discuss:
TV at the Movies. When TV came around, the movies felt threatened by the idea that you can beam news and entertainment programming right into your home. Decades later though, TV shows became just another source of valuable I.P., the basis for studios to create new lucrative franchises, and sometimes it worked! Before the main review, we will talk about some of those projects, from a team of 1960s spies to some foul-mouthed kids looking to blame Canada.
REVIEW: The Munsters (2022). In the Fall of 1964, two different sitcoms premiered featuring families who were spooky and macabre; one was The Addams Family and the other was The Munsters. Generations of fans gathered around both shows, but one of The Munsters' biggest fans was Rob Zombie. Though known for the murder and mayhem of hits like The Devil's Rejects, Zombie goes decidedly PG with this tale of how Herman met Lily and made their way from gloomy Transylvania to sunny L.A. Does Zombie capture the magic of The Munsters?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

Open Sources Guelph #397 - October 20, 2022

This week on Open Sources Guelph, the election ends. Well, technically the election ends on Election Day, which is Monday October 24, but in terms of our own election coverage, this is the end. We've got three interviews with three mayoral candidates on this week's show, from the person who wants to be a very different mayor, to someone that wants to blow up the role of mayor, and last, but not least, the incumbent mayor.
This Thursday, October 20, at 4:30 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Rookie Drew. Danny Drew was the first person to plant their flag in the ground to challenge Cam Guthrie for the Mayor's chain in this election, and they're about as far away from Guthrie in terms of style, substance and influence that they can get. Scotty will talk to Guelph's official "non-binary communist" about taking Guelph in a very different direction, why housing is his priority, and how he's got a lot of out-of-the-box ideas to fix it.
The Far Side. What was that we just said about being the opposite of Cam? Shelagh McFarlane has been one of the pre-eminent voices of the local anti-mask, anti-mandate, and vaccine hesitancy movement, and she will be the first to tell you that she doesn't care about the minutia of zoning bylaws or community plans. Adam will talk to McFarlane about why she thinks the world is not what the rest of us think it is.
Third Time Around. Cam Guthrie has a lot of fans in Guelph, but he also has his share of critics, but whatever criticisms people have about Guthrie, they couldn't find a powerful opponent to rally behind. Perhaps Guthrie's real opponent is the challenges that the city is facing now and in the future. Adam will ask Guthrie about some of those challenges, his effectiveness as mayor, and how he might change things up in the next term.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

GUELPH POLITICAST #344 - Here We Go Again...?

You may have heard that there may be a teachers’ strike coming. Another disruption to the learning of Ontario’s students is the last thing anyone - from parents to government to the teachers themselves - wants. Having said that though, it does feel like we’re on a path to inevitable job action as teachers' demand more resources and Queen's Park demands moderation. Is there a middle ground?
As it stands now, only around 55,000 education workers represented by CUPE including custodians, early childhood educators and admin staff will be in a legal strike position on November 3, but that doesn’t mean they *will* strike. It’s worth noting that in 2019, CUPE and the government reached a deal at the last minute before the strike, so could history repeat itself, but no one knows what’s going to happen.
In late-2019 and early-2020, there were a series of one-day walkouts by teachers, and they were having an effect, but then we got hit by COVID-19 and it poured a bucket of cold water on any job action. By the end of March 2020, all the teachers’ unions had a new agreement, but even with that unfinished business, it's probably safe to say that teachers' concerns have changed markedly since the pandemic. Will finding common ground be easier or harder this time around?
Speaking locally, we're joined on this week's podcast by Jennifer Hesch, the Vice-President and Chief Negotiator of the Upper Grand Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO), and David Del Duca, the Vice-President (Secondary) from the Wellington Unit of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA).
Hesch and Del Duca will tell us what the CUPE no board report means for local schools, and what it means for the negotiations with other unions. They will also talk about the issues that the unions are negotiating for, why compensation is fundamental, and why safety is such an important consideration whether it’s COVID-19 or threats of violence. And finally, we will discuss the search for positive signs from the government, and whether they feel hopeful about these current negotiations.
So let's talk about the local view on education in this week's Guelph Politicast!
You can keep up-to-date with the latest developments from the OECTA at their website, and you can get in touch with the local unit through their website here. For the ETFO, you can access the main union website here, and you can reach out to the local office through their own website here. Stay tuned for developments as they occur.
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 #396 - October 13, 2022

This week on Open Sources Guelph, the municipal election coverage continues, except this week we take it literally to the next level. Kicking off our slate of mayoral candidate interviews, we've got two of the political newcomers who are staking their claim for Guelph's highest political office. In the first half we've got a professor and in the second half we've got a private eye. Who will mayor best? You tell us on October 24 (and after next week's show)!
This Thursday, October 13, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Grill Bill. A lot of politicians say they're not a politician, but William Albabish is one of the three mayoral candidates who really has no previous experience running in a Guelph election. Albabish is a professor at the University of Guelph-Humber, but he's now seeking political office on an outsider ticket. Can he do it? Scotty will talk to Albabish about being the scholastic face of the local mayor's race, why he's focused on infrastructure, and why he decided to run a sign-less campaign?
John of the Spread. If you're a security conscious voter, perhaps a mayor with a background as a security consultant and private investigator might be of interest. Our second mayoral candidate on this week's show is John Edward Krusky, who traces his family back to the earliest days of Guelph, and he now wants to see us through to the city's 200th birthday. Adam will ask Krusky about his new political interest, how we reduce taxes per his platform, and balancing growth and the environment.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #267 - October 12, 2022 (Don’t Worry Darling)

This week on End Credits, the world is not what it appears to be. Don't worry (darling), we're not talking about politics - that's the other show - we're talking about the movies. For the review this week, we've got a movie that everyone knows everything about, except the mystery at the centre, and we're also talking about movies where the secret is the thing.
This Wednesday, October 12, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
They Made Us Watch Them. There's a mystery at the heart of the movie we're reviewing this week. Not just a mystery, but a conspiracy. The basis for a lot of good movies is that nefarious forces are trying to make people say or do things to cover up the fact that world isn't what they say it is, and so to begin this week's show, we'll talk about great conspiracy movies; from the ultimate story about authoritarian rule to a 60s classic about a secret assassin.
REVIEW: Don't Worry Darling (2022). So much was said about this movie before it was released, and almost none of it was about the movie itself. Did the director and the star get along? Was the director too focused on her new boyfriend, the male lead? Why did Olivia Wilde make Jordan Peterson cry? You would think that with all this crazy gossip talk, the movie it was attached to isn't that interesting, so while discussing Don't Worry Darling, the latest from director Wilde and stars Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, we'll focus on the film and not the follies.
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #343 - The Race We Don’t Talk About (Much)

School board elections don’t normally get a lot of attention, and that’s exactly how some people like it, but what happens when parents organize and start advocating for the kind of school board they want? Will that have a visible impact on the chronically, and criminally, underlooked school board elections? One group of Halton Region parents certainly hope so.
You have have seen the news last summer when the Halton Catholic District School Board voted against flying the Pride flag. The motion to approve flying of the flag was the initiative of a Grade 12 student at Oakville's St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Secondary School, and she had the backing of 18,000 people who signed a petition supporting it. This was not a secular versus Catholic issue, but that's how it ended up phrased at the board.
On top of that, far-right groups like Campaign Life Coalition and Parents As First Educator were trying to influence the school board when the motion came up again in January. From candidates making ludicrous claims about schools putting litter boxes in classrooms for kids identifying as cast to local candidates supporting white replacement theory, can a political advocacy group make any kind of difference in a political realm where so few people pay attention? 
Allison Kolch, who is one of the organizers of a political action group called Halton Parents for Change, has made that her project, and she will talk to us this week about how she's doing it. Kolch will talk about the especially problematic trustees, the friction between secular education and denominational rights, and what the young people themselves think of their trustee representatives. She will also discuss the issues of importance this election, and whether the group has had any impact on the campaign trail. 
So let's talk about politics on the school board in this edition of the Guelph Politicast!
You can learn more about Halton Parents For Change at their website, and you can find links there to some of the issues and articles that we’re talking about on this podcast. In terms of our own school board elections, early voting continues this weekend, and you can find all the information on how and when at vote.guelph.ca. You can also see school board candidate questionnaires on Guelph Politico.
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 the Halton Catholic District School Board.

Open Sources Guelph #395 - October 6 2022

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're still talking to council candidates. For the last five weeks, we've gone up and down and around the Guelph electoral map to bring you some of the voices belonging to people who are running to form the next city council. Some of them you know, some of them you didn't know, and for our final slate, we're bringing you four people who've definitely never been interviewed by OSG before!
This Thursday, October 6, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
The Running Men and Women, Part 6. Yes, yes, it's October now, but like the Boxing Day sales that go on well into January, we've decided to extend our council candidate interviews one more week! Election Day is still Monday October 24, but the early voting starts this Thanksgiving weekend, so here is one last chance to hear from a quartet of people running to be a part of the next city council before we start breaking out the mayoral candidates for next week's show. It's make-or-break time in our local election.
Craig DiSero, Ward 6
Luc Cousineau, Ward 3
Elia Morrison, Ward 2
Sam Elmslie, Ward 3
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

Open Sources 2022 Council Candidate Interviews By the Wards - Ward 6

For the last six weeks, the team at Open Sources Guelph has been chasing the nearly 40 candidates running for Guelph city council, and we caught almost 75 per cent of them. Presented here for the first time, we've organized all the interviews we've done according to the wards, and as we go into the first weekend of early voting, consider these special editions of the show as essential tools in decided who to vote for.
This Saturday, October 8, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
The Running Men and Women. The municipal election is on Monday October 24, and we’ve spent the last several weeks bringing you the voices of the people running to be a part of the next city council, from the new developments in the south end, to the ancient core of Guelph in Ward 2; from all parts west of the Hanlon in Ward 4 to all parts east of Victoria in the new Ward 1. And yeah, we're also got people from Ward 3 and Ward 5 too. Click 'play' on the special episode that most directly applies to you below.
Ward 6: Ken Yee Chew, Craig DiSero, Mark MacKinnon, Dominique O'Rourke, and Chetna Robinson.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.