Guelph Politicast

GUELPH POLITICAST #491 – The Science of the Guelph Lab (feat. Dr. Elizabeth Jackson & Jodie Sales)

You might not have heard of The Guelph Lab, but you’ve definitely seen the fruits of its research. From food insecurity to public washroom access downtown, The Guelph Lab highlights s unique partnership between the City of Guelph and the University of Guelph by taking academic research power and applying it to problems facing our municipality. This week, we’re going to take a peek under the hood to learn how they do it...
The Guelph Lab, which is now marking 10 years of existence, is a “catalyst for research, collaboration and experimentation. It brings together the University, City and community partners to create innovative solutions for shared challenges across Guelph.” They decide what projects they want to pursue and select from a roster of community partners and experts for each specific assignment. It’s like Mission: Impossible but for municipal policy nerds.
The work of The Guelph Lab has been multifaceted; they looked at what areas of the city are more marginalized in terms of road safety, and they've also guided the refresh of Guelph’s advisory committees of council. All these projects took months or years of research to complete, but how does The Guelph Lab work? How do they choose the projects they pursue? Is its work academic, or is it meant to come up with actionable suggestions that the municipality will follow?
To answer these, and other questions, we're joined by Dr. Elizabeth Jackson, Director of the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute at the University of Guelph, and Jodie Sales, GM of Strategy, Innovation and Intergovernmental Relations at the City of Guelph. The two of them will also discuss the kinds of projects that they won’t take on, the oversight of The Guelph Lab, working with other governments and groups outside the city, and what they’re working on next. 
So let's see what can be cooked up in The Guelph Labs on this week's Guelph Politicast!
You can learn more about The Guelph Lab at their website. A report marking 10 years of The Guelph Lab will be shared on the City of Guelph’s website as an information report to council, which are published every Friday. Just go to the council calendar page on the City’s website and click the link when it’s available.
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 #539 - October 16, 2025

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're eating news leftovers. First, we will catch up with the latest develops in Gaza where there's now a precarious peace, and we will also talk about the early phase of the race to find a new leader for a federal party. For the interview, we engage in another annual fall tradition, the late return to Queen's Park for another truncated sitting that solves none of our problems.
This Thursday, October 16, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Peace at Last? A little over two years after the war began, peace came to Gaza this weekend as the last living hostages were returned to Israel, and humanitarian aid finally started flowing into the Strip. U.S. President Donald Trump took a victory lap in Egypt on Monday, and many world leaders joined him, but this is just the beginning of a process, not the end. What happens now to rebuild Gaza? Is there still a path to a two-state solution? And can Israel rehabilitate its global image?
Orange on a New Track. The federal NDP leadership race is now underway, and there are five declared candidates so far including a sitting MP, a city councillor from B.C., a scion of the party, a labour activist, and a regenerative farmer. The question before all of the candidates is whether they have the right mix of talent, policy and organizing to bring the party back from the political wilderness, and on the brink of the first debate and the six-month countdown to the convention, we will consider the odds.
Clancy That. Next week, the Ontario Legislature will sit for the first time since the beginning of June and what can we expect? The passage of Bill 33 and the changes to oversight of school boards and a new bill eliminating all speed enforcement cameras in the province. What is not on the agenda? New ways to tackle homelessness, any response to the climate crisis, and a plan to tackle youth unemployment. Kitchener Centre MPP and Deputy leader of the Green Party Aislinn Clancy will talk about her ideas for those topics and how she's ready to help set the agenda.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #411 - October 15, 2025 (John Candy: I Like Me)

This week on End Credits we eat leftovers... from the Toronto International Film Festival. We will talk about this year's opening night film, John Candy: I Like Me, which you can now stream on Amazon Prime Video. And speaking of Candy, we will talk about the work he did along with some other very talented people who got their start on a seminal Canadian sketch comedy show.
This Wednesday, October 8, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Tim Phillips will discuss:
The SCTV Cast Movie Draft. Like a lot of very famous, and very funny people, John Candy got his start on SCTV. A group of young comedians from Second City Toronto including Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, and Andrea Martin were all recruited and in 1976 SCTV went on the air and into infamy. Before talking about Candy, we will talk about the movies from him and all is SCTV colleagues as we draft the best ones.
REVIEW: John Candy: I Like Me (2025). A true Canadian success story if there ever was one, John Candy made his way from the stages and clubs in Toronto, to SCTV, and then on into movie stardom as one of the most reliable comedic actors of the 80s. You may think you know John Candy, but the new documentary John Candy: I Like Me dares to ask, maybe you don't(?). The new doc that opened this year's Toronto International Film Festival arrives on streaming Prime Video, and we will decide if we like I Like Me and the way it tells John Candy's story.
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #490 – Climate Action is Back on Menu! (feat. Donna Jennison)

Climate change, despite the inference, is not a hot topic, politically speaking. We had two big elections this year and you can probably count on one hand how many times the environment came up in conversation. Perhaps the time has come for a re-examination of our priorities: Can Guelph still be a climate leader in a political time when no one wants to talk about climate change?
Back in May, City of Guelph staff presented to council the “Guelph’s Community Call to Climate Action.” It was not a good news story.  According to this report, the City of Guelph has made “moderate” progress in its greenhouse gas goals, so staff opted to lay out a way that they could engage the broader community to join the effort; from building more energy efficient low carbon buildings to using more sustainable transportation options.
Then, September’s “Draw the Line” protest tried to centre climate action along with peace and poverty as the crises of our time, and the Community Climate Forum 2025 next week will try to follow up on that with a formal event bringing together activists, politicians, experts and regular folk on the best ways to really cut down our carbon footprint. Can Guelph get green again? That is the question we will put to Donna Jennison, a member of the Guelph Climate Action Network.
On this week's pod, Jennison will talk about the state of climate activism in Guelph, and the goals of the climate conference. She will also discuss how we make climate change a priority issue again, how we reclaim Guelph’s position as an environmental leader, and why climate action is something everyone can do. Finally, she will talk about why we don’t need to wait for upper levels of government to take action, and what keeps her hopeful while taking on this fight. 
So let's talk about making climate action a priority again on this week's Guelph Politicast! 
The Guelph Community Climate Forum will take place on Sunday October 26 from 1:30 to 4:30 pm at the Italian Canadian Club. You can learn more and register to attend the event for free on the website for the Guelph Climate Action Network. If you want to do your homework first, check out the Community Call to Climate Action on the City of Guelph website 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, 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 #538 - October 9, 2025

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're thankful that dysfunction is a national phenomenon. We will head out west where there is inter-party friction in British Columbia's official opposition, and then we will look at a dispute between teachers and a provincial government in an entirely different part of the country. In even more serious news, we will mark the second anniversary of a devastating war by talking about the people covering it.
This Thursday, October 9, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
West Coast Debenture. There is some interesting things happening in the B.C. legislature. While Premier David Eby is fighting trade wars and Alberta's desire for a pipeline to the coast, the new BC Conservative Party is fighting, well, each other. Despite almost winning power one year ago, John Rustad's insurgent party is now experiencing growing pains. Meanwhile, the Green Party has elected a 25-year-old to lead them at this critical time. We'll get into the wild west.
Wildrose Lessons. Right now, Alberta's teachers are on strike. It's the first time the teachers have been on the picket line in 23 years and their issues are no unfamiliar: Not enough pay, not enough teachers, not enough resources... It should come as no surprise then that Alberta, which has been using schools as fronts for American-style culture wars, is having troubles with teachers, so has Danielle Smith finally bit off more than she can chew?
Covering the War. Tuesday marked the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel that started a war on Gaza that's still in progress. In the course of this war, there have been a number of disturbing things, but one of the most concerning is the 237 journalists who have been killed so far, which is to say nothing of the ones still alive and fighting starvation even as their fighting to get the story. This week, we will be joined by Palestinian journalist Walid Batrawi, who has over 30 years of experience covering the region, to talk about what his colleagues are facing, and what we get wrong covering the war here in Canada.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #410 - October 8, 2025 (KPop Demon Hunters)

This week on End Credits we're ready to rock! Of perhaps we should say we're ready to Kpop. You know it, and maybe you love it, but this week we will finally catch up on the phenomenon called KPop Demon Hunters, which you can now watch on Netflix in regular and sing-along versions. Also, we will talk about other great animated movies you should see. 
This Wednesday, October 8, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Candice Lepage will discuss:
Animation Domination. This week we're re-entering the realm of animation, which is a filmmaking style we do occasionally get into, but perhaps not as often as we like. So in honour of the movie we're reviewing, we're going to talk about some of our favourite underappreciated animated movies, from the best of Don Bluth to maybe the most accessible movie from an upstate New York underground animator. Not quite Disney-free, but close...
REVIEW: KPop Demon Hunters (2025). It is the biggest phenomenon of the year! It's topped the box office charts, the streaming charts, and the music charts simultaneously, and it just broke another record on its own platform this weekend. It's KPop Demon Hunters, the story of a girl group who use their music to protect the Earth from demons, who then turn around to fight fire with fire by creating a demon boy band. KPop Demon Hunters is the movie no one saw coming and this week we will arrive late to the party and see if we can squeeze onto the bandwagon.
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #489 – The Bike Mayor Says Safety First (feat. Andrea Bidgood)

It seemed like we had turned a corner on making cycling a true equal partner when it comes to road share, but like a lot of progressive policy now we’re in the midst of a blowback. The Ontario government voted to tear out bike lanes last year, and now they have their sights set on pulling down all automated speed enforcement cameras. Perhaps, the time is right for the a new kind of Guelph mayor... A Bicycle Mayor!
Just a few weeks ago there was another cycling fatality on the roads of Guelph, a 37-year-old man had been riding his bike near Elmira and Massey when he was killed after being struck by a garbage truck. It’s getting dangerous out there, and while we have the City of Guelph’s Vision Zero initiative trying to make an impact, people are still being killed and injured on our streets in vehicle collisions.
Perhaps then this is the perfect time for a Bicycle Mayor! Andrea Bidgood has been a part of  various community building initiatives, and now, as the Bicycle Mayor, she will next take part in the Guelph Transportation Summit next week. As one of the featured speakers, Bidgood will talk about the ways that transit and cycling work together to create attractive alternatives to our car-centric streets, but first, she will face the tough questions on this podcast!
Bidgood will talk about the role of Bicycle Mayor, why she wanted to wear that hat, and how her own personal experiences with on the mean streets of Guelph as a cyclists made her want to be more active. She will also talk about the different cycling demands across the city, why she leads from the idea of safety first, whether the onus for road safety is put on the backs of cyclists more than car drivers, and what role the Bicycle Mayor might have when we elect the actual mayor next year.
So let's catch up with the Bicycle Mayor on this week's edition of the Guelph Politicast! 
You can follow Andrea Bidgood on Instagram and you can subscribe to her newsletter on Substack. You can learn more about the Guelph Community for Active Transportation at their website, and the Guelph Transportation Summit will take place on Saturday October 18 at 10 am at Dublin Street United Church. You can find the itinerary and a link to reserve your free ticket 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, 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 #537 - October 2, 2025

This week's Open Sources Guelph is going to the birds! Both of our main topics this week intersects with the Supreme Court of Canada, which is presently tackling the extent of federal and provincial separation of powers and whether or not food inspectors can do their job when it comes to animal control and infectious disease. In non-court news, we will talk to a city councillor about planning in Guelph, and whether that's going to the birds...
This Thursday, October 2, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
33 and Me. The Notwithstanding Clause of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms was a necessary compromise in getting the Constitution approved in 1982, but is there a chance that it's being abused by provincial governments who don't want the bother and hassle of judicial oversight? That is the question the federal government wants answered after they entered the chat with a factum in the case over Quebec's Bill 21, but is this a question we need answered?
The Birds. There were a lot of eyes on a B.C. ostrich farm last week when it was announced that the 300 some-odd birds there would be allowed to live until the Supreme Court here's the full case. On the one hand, this seems like a silly news story, but when you dig a little deeper there's actually a lot driving this case from anti-government sentiment to fringe healthcare influencers. Get you shovel out as we go behind the ostriches (so to speak).
More to Chew On. Guelph City Council has dealing with two pretty big planning files a couple of weeks ago, one concerned the redevelopment of a popular corner in the south end and one concerning the block plans for the Guelph Innovation District property. The two projects have big questions that require big answers, and to get them we host Ward 6 City Councillor Ken Yee Chew this week to get his perspective as a planner and a politician.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #409 - October 1, 2025 (One Battle After Another)

This week on End Credits, our plans go awry. Or to put it another way, it's One Battle After Another. We will catch up with Paul Thomas Anderson who's new movie just dropped to rave reviews, but how do we feel about it? You'll learn that in due time after we flashback to 1995 and a wild weekend of strippers and serial killers at the movie theatre!
This Wednesday, October 1, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
Showgirls Vs. Seven. On the weekend of September 22, 1995, two very different movies opened wide at the North American box office: one is a stylish film noir about cops searching for a serial killer, and the other is a lavish Las Vegas satire about a dancer trying to climb the ladder to fame and fortune. To start the show, we will talk about the life and legacy of Showgirls and Seven and how these two very different movies launched at the same time.
REVIEW: One Battle After Another (2025). One of the most anticipated movies of the year, Paul Thomas Anderson finally teams up with Leonardo DiCaprio for a timely story about balancing revolution and parenthood. DiCaprio plays a retired resistance fighter trying to protect his 16-year-old daughter as government troops lead by Sean Penn search for them. A lot of praise has been showered onto Battle, and PTA has a lot of eager fans in the film bro community, but is this movie on track to be the Best of 2025, or, for that matter, can it possibly live up to the hype?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #488 – Real Audio News (September 2025)

Sometimes information gathering doesn’t happen in the perfect audio conditions of a studio or the Zoom link, you have to occasionally get out there and find the news. To that end, we will visit a picket line on Speedvale Avenue, attend an annual event that reminds us that there’s still some ways to go when it comes to eliminating gender-based violence, and hear about a program fighting food insecurity in the west end.
First up we meet Nisha Jagtap and Will Snyder, two of the hundreds of college support workers on strike and are about to enter their third week on the line. Both sides released statements on Monday saying the other is prolonging the strike, but that’s what is going on at the high level. What’s going on at Conestoga College’s Guelph campus? Jagtap and Snyder will share their thoughts from the picket line, how students are being affected, and what they want from a new contract. 
Next, we will rewind to Thursday September 18, which was the annual commemoration of Take Back the Night. Cindy McMann, public educator at Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis, spoke at the event and talked about why recent events prove that it’s still hard for women who are the victims of sexual violence to get justice for themselves in an outdated and restrictive justice system and the ways we can work towards systemic change.
And finally, we will go to Shelldale last Friday and hear from some of the people who take part in the f.u.n. Fridays program, which stands for "Food United Neighbours". The f.u.n. Fridays initiative is an effort to improve food access for the Onward Willow neighbourhood, and Guelph MP Dominique O’Rourke announced new funds for the University of Guelph that will allow the f.u.n. Friday partners to expand into Centre Wellington and bring similar improved access to quality healthy foods to the Fergus area.
So let's get into some real audio news on this week's Guelph Politicast!
You can learn more about the programs at Shelldale at their website, and f.u.n. Fridays takes place every Friday in the Shelldale gym and you can learn more about them on social media. You can access the programs of Guelph Wellington Women in Crisis or learn how to donate and volunteer at their website, and you can learn more about the efforts to change the justice system here. And finally, you can learn more about college support workers strike 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, 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.