Guelph Politicast

GUELPH POLITICAST #296 – Still COVID with Dr. Mercer (Fall Edition)

We’re about halfway through fall, we’ve overcome the big hurdles like Back to School and Thanksgiving, and the new daily case count both in Guelph and across Ontario remains relatively steady. We’re still giving out vaccines, with a few thousand eligible people left to get their jabs, and then, a few weeks ago, we had our first case of the flu this year. What are we to make of all this? Let's call a doctor!
We’re now more than 19 months into COVID-19 pandemic, and Guelph has outpaced a lot of communities by reaching nearly 91 per cent total vaccination for eligible people, and there were less than three dozen active cases last weekend in the whole region. Pretty much all that’s left to do now is get the young kids vaccinated, which is something that may actually happen soon. Does this mean were can start putting an end date on COVID restrictions?
The future is what all anybody can think about in this surprisingly multifaceted phase of the pandemic. Most people are vaccinated, but is it enough to create herd immunity? We seem to have avoided the worst case scenario for fall, but is that luck, or is it the effectiveness of vaccinations and COVID precautions? Will we see cases shoot up again as the holidays approach like they did last year? And what about the kids? How quick can we start getting them vaccinated?
These questions require medical expertise, so let’s bring on Medical Officer of Health Dr. Nicola Mercer! She will talk about the plan for getting kids vaccinated, and how quickly that might happen once those vaccines are approved. We will also talk about the lessons learned this fall, and what precautions people should be taking as we look to the Christmas and holiday season. And finally, we talk about what to expect from the coming flu season, and why getting back to normal is more complicated than we think. 
So let's talk about how we're still COVID, for a while anyway, on this week’s Guelph Politicast!
If you’re listening to this on Wednesday November 3, there is a Board of Health meeting later today. For all things COVID-19, including the pending announcement about vaccines for children under 12, or to learn more about when and how you can get a flu shot, go to the Public Health website, or you can follow them on Twitter.
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, 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 #349 - October 28, 2021

This week on Open Sources Guelph, the times they are a-changin'. We have a new cabinet for the Federal government, and there were actually a few surprises. We will also talk about how things never really seem to change at the Provincial level, at least on battling COVID. In the back half of the show, we will talk to a Guelph city councillor, who will be looking over a new kind of City of Guelph budget next month.
This Thursday, October 28, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Shuffle Pieces. More than a month after the very urgent election, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finally named his new cabinet. Chrystia Freeland continues her apparent ascendancy to the PMO, Anita Anand gets a new mess to clean up at the Ministry of Defence, and former Greenpeace provocateur Steven Guilbeault is now the Environment Minister. What messages can we take from the cabinet appointments?
Ford of the Flies. It was the best of times, it was the most confusing of times. While the Ontario government did something bold this week by announcing legislation to limit the amount of hours you can be on-call for work, they're lagging on vaccine mandates for health workers, education workers, the nursing shortage, and perhaps an overly optimistic end date for COVID precautions. So what's next at Queen's Park?
Dan with a Plan. Next week, the 2022-2023 Guelph Budget will be released for public consumption. It's the first multi-year budget that the City's every done, and there will be a lot of competing interests and a lot of pressure on keeping things affordable. On top of all that, it's the last budget before the next election. Ward 1 Councillor Dan Gibson will join us this week to preview this year's budget dilemmas.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #220 - October 27, 2021 (Dune: Part One)

This week on End Credits we've got some big movies. For the review, we're looking at a big space opera that might just demand the big screen treatment if you haven't been back to the theatre yet. Before that, we will talk to the director of an expansive new documentary that touches on matters of social justice, health and welfare that's coming to the Guelph Film Festival.
This Wednesday, October 27, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
INTERVIEW: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, director of Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy. This summer, the demands for action on Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples reached a fever pitch after the discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools. But what about the living? The Kainai First Nation in Alberta has been hit hard by the overdose crisis, and community leaders have been trying to find innovative ways to help. Actor and director Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers joins us to talk about chronicling those sometimes personal struggles.
REVIEW: Dune (2021). Frank Herbert's science fiction epic has been called unfilmable, but they also once said that you can't make sequel to Blade Runner, and Quebec filmmaker Denis Villeneuve conquered that challenge too. Timothée Chalamet leads a dream cast into the deserts of the far off planet Arrakis, home to the most profitable substance in the universe, spice, which makes interstellar space travel possible. Paul Atreides has a great destiny in front of him, and a potential part two for his story, but is this movie good enough to secure a sequel?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #295 - Link the Watershed?

A group of transit workers and advocates have done the impossible, they’ve put on the table a regional transit plan that doesn't involve Metrolinx, the Ministry of Transportation, or new private carriers. The need for regional connections is more pressing than ever since Greyhound stopped all Canadian service earlier this year, but is that finally about to change?
After Greyhound ceased operations this past summer, several Guelph leaders, including the mayor, wrote a letter to the Minister of Transportation to demand action. Caroline Mulroney wrote back, and her two-page letter could essentially be boiled down to four words: “We’re working on it.” It’s clear that provincial partners will not prioritize the missing transit links in this region, so it’s up to us to find the solutions.
That’s where the Link the Watershed plan comes in.  The idea is to combine the efforts of Guelph Transit, Grand River Transit, and Brantford Transit to improve connectivity between the three municipalities. It will create direct links to other transit services, it’s easy to set up, and even without provincial funding, it would cost the three municipalities just $7.5 million per year. So can it be sold to politicians, and, more importantly, the people?
Warren Schnurr, chair of the union and politics committee of Unifor Local 4304, which represents the workers of Grand River Transit, will answer those and other questions. He will talk about the origins of the plan, the hurdles to making it a reality, why it’s been so hard to develop a plan like this, and how big it could get once launched. Plus, he will also discuss the opportunity for provincial funding, the challenges trying to sell this plan to local governments, and what the people can do to help promote it.
Let's talk about acting on regional transit on this week’s Guelph Politicast!
You can see coverage of the Link the Watershed launch on Guelph Politico. You can also visit the website here, and you can show your support for the plan by spreading the word on social media at Link the Watershed's Twitter page.
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, 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 #348 - October 21, 2021

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we've got a potpourri. "Potpourri" is the category on Jeopardy! where they've got a lot of great answers that don't fit into other categories, so this week's show is a potpourri as we discuss the Alberta municipal elections, and the murder of another British Member of Parliament. In the back half of the show, we're going to interview a Kitchener man who made history in last month's Federal election.
This Thursday, October 28, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
La Vie en Wildrose. History was made in Alberta this week with former Liberal cabinet minister Amarjeet Sohi being elected the mayor of Edmonton, and former Calgary city councillor Jyoti Gondek elected as her city's first female mayor. Alberta also had two province-wide referendums on equalization payments and daylight savings time, so there's a lot of political stuff to talk about. What do the results tells us?
David Amess. Southend West MP Sir David Amess was stabbed to death at a constituency event last Friday, and a British citizen of Somali heritage was taken into custody for the crime. The incident brought comparison to the murder of MP Jo Cox just five years ago, and re-ignited a debate about whether U.K. politicians need more security. But where's the fine line between security and access?
A Morrice Line. Kitchener Centre MP-designate Mike Morrice made history last month when he became the first Green Party candidate elected to the House of Commons from Ontario. Morrice will tackle another first this week, appearing on Open Sources Guelph, to talk about the secret to his success, what he's looking forward to doing in the House, and how he's now in prime position to help shape the future of Canada's Greens.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #219 - October 20, 2021 (Hallowen Kills)

This week on End Credits, we're going to deal with horrors both real and imagined. On the real side, we'll have another interview with a Guelph Film Festival participant whose film deals with violence against Indigenous people. In terms of the imaginary, we go back to a fictional American town that has been plagued by a masked killer for nearly 50 years for another grisly entry.
This Wednesday, October 20, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Candice Lepage will discuss:
INTERVIEW: Jolene Banning from Spirit to Soar. Journalist Tanya Talaga wrote a book called Seven Fallen Feathers, which was about the mysterious deaths of seven Indigenous students who were found along the river in Thunder Bay. Talaga turned the themes and ideas of her book into a documentary called Spirit to Soar, which is running at this year's Guelph Film Festival. Journalist Jolene Banning did research on the film and produced an accompanying podcast, and she joins us to talk about life in Thunder Bay for Indigenous people.
REVIEW: Halloween Kills (2021). Michael Myers has been haunting Halloween for 43 years and  in a dozen movies, and the 13th entry in the Halloween franchise is now in theatres. In this chapter, a direct follow-up to the 2018 Halloween reset, Michael terrorizes again the small Illinois town of Haddonfield, but this time Haddonfield fights back as the townfolk rise up to beat their literal boogeyman. From the same creative team as the 2018 film, Halloween Kills tries to follow up on some of the same themes, but is it a good sequel or is it just another slasher?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #294 - Fighting Food Insecurity

Continuing our countdown to Giving Tuesday on November 30 we're putting a spotlight on the North End Harvest Market, which fits nicely under the broad topic of food insecurity. There are many reasons why someone might be food insecure, but it’s fallen to many different small neighbourhood groups in our city to take direct action on it, especially during the pandemic.
According to Guelph Wellbeing, a project meant to find ways to enhance the wellbeing of Guelph residents, 16.4 per cent of Guelph households are food insecure. That’s in line with the Canada-wide statistics that say 15 per cent, or 1-in-7, Canadian households are food insecure. That's on top of the growing increase in food bank use since 2005 so the need for help is overwhelming, which is why many neighbourhood groups now have their own food insecurity remedies.
But food insecurity doesn’t just mean the cost of food, it means the ease of access to food, and how far you have to travel to get fresh meat and produce. In other words, fighting food deserts, and the north east end of Guelph is one of them. The North End Harvest Market has been directly addressing access to fresh food since 2014, and they've been doing great work with small donations, personal gifts and community grants. So what's the secret to their success?
Barb McPhee, the person behind the North End Harvest Market, will tell you all about it on this week's podcast. She will discuss the market's beginnings, how it works, and how many people are helped on a weekly basis with their fresh food. She will also talk about the issues around food deserts, and how the need goes far beyond the Grant Hill area. And finally, McPhee will discuss how the pandemic has changed the way that the market has had to deliver their services, and how you can help out if you would like.
So let's talk about fighting food insecurity on this week’s Guelph Politicast!
You can learn more about the North End Harvest Market at its page at the Grange Hill East Neighbourhood Group website, which you can find here. You can also find the market on social media here. Come back next week to hear from another great Guelph non-profit or charity.
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, 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 North End Harvest Market's Facebook page.

Open Sources Guelph #347 - October 14, 2021

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we deal again with some heavy issues without any easy answers. In the medical field, we have hospital laying people off who won't get vaccinated, and in Afghanistan we have people in need but they live under the yoke of some dangerous authoritarians. Meanwhile, here in Guelph, we have a heritage building that was a fire trap. So many issues, and only one hour to cover them.
This Thursday, October 14, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
The Goodbye Doctor. A number of hospitals, including Guelph General Hospital, may be facing a staffing crunch as vaccine mandates are resulting in staff members being put on mandatory leave for not getting their jabs. How is this possible? How is there vaccine hesitancy among medical professionals? We will talk about that question, and how we balance the need for mandates, and the need to have a functioning staff.
The Humanitarian Factor. For nearly two months now, Afghanistan has been firmly in the hands of the re-entrenched Taliban, but as they've been consolidating their grip on power, the Afghan people have been suffering under an economic crisis with scarce resources, and inflated prices. The world's governments are now working to get Afghanistan that aid, but what about the politics of co-ordinating with the Taliban?
I Caron A Lot. For the last few weeks, there's been a lot of confusion and debate around a heritage property at 797 Victoria Road North. Council decided in a closed session that the building had to be demolished before it was destroyed in fire like other buildings on the property, and that's when things got interesting... and more complicated. Ward 5 Councillor Leanne Caron will join us to talk about all the concerns she still has.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #218 - October 13, 2021 (The Card Counter)

This week on End Credits, it's going to be a serious (ish) affair. In the first half of the show we're going to go local and talk about the upcoming Guelph-based documentary film festival with one of the featured filmmakers. In the second half of the show, we're going to review a new movie that has a very specific title that is not a hint about what this movie is actually about.
This Wednesday, October 13, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Tim Phillips will discuss:
INTERVIEW: Everett Bumstead, director of One Million Trees. The Guelph Film Festival begins on November 5, so for the next several weeks we will highlight some of the films and filmmakers. We begin by having a conversation with Everett Bumstead, who's film One Million Trees chronicles the characters who make their living planting trees in parts of northern B.C. and Alberta. What kind of people are they, and how did Bumstead get to know them?
REVIEW: The Card Counter (2021). There are a lot of great movies about playing cards, but this is not one of them. That's not to say that the new film from Taxi Driver screenwriter Paul Schrader isn't a good movie, it's just not a movie about playing cards like the name implies. Oscar Isaac plays a former U.S. Army soldier who took the fall for the torture of detainees during the Iraq War. When he meets a kindred spirit, he tries to show the kid a path to the zen-like experience of professional gambling, but can playing cards quell one's desire for revenge?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #293 – What‘s Going on at the Shelldale Family Gateway?

We just had Thanksgiving, but we’re now entering a whole season of giving including the November 30 commemoration of Giving Tuesday. That's still about a month-and-a-half away, but for the next several weeks on this podcast we will highlight some of the organizations working locally to give back, and how you, as the generous person you are, might be able to help out.
This week, we go to the Onward Willow neighbourhood, which is one of the most diverse areas of Guelph thanks to the large number of new Canadians that settle in the area. About 20 per cent of households fall below the Low Income Measure, and is often subject to higher levels of unemployment than other areas of the city, but Onward Willow has a built in advantage: the Shelldale Family Gateway, which celebrates 30 years of community service this year.
Established in 1991, Shelldale has had a couple of different names over the years, but the mission has always been the same. It’s a community hub using an integrated services model, which is a fancy way of saying it's a one-stop shop for services a growing and vital community needs including EarlyON childcare programs, summer camps, a breakfast club, and a community garden. The term “essential” comes to mind, which is why the Shelldale Family Gateway is going to start our countdown to giving.
Shelldale's executive director Diana Boal joins us this week to be your gateway to the Shelldale Family Gateway. Boal will talk about the Shelldale she knows, and how its programs help this diverse neighbourhood. She will also talk about the ongoing issues to secure more funding, and what kinds of things that neighbourhood groups can do that other non-profits can’t. And finally, she will discuss the effect of the pandemic on Shelldale programs, and how they’re recovering with some normalcy this fall.
So let's start the countdown to Giving Tuesday on this week’s Guelph Politicast.
You can learn more about the Shelldale Family Gateway, it’s various services and programs, and how you can help out with your time or your resources by visiting their website here. Our “Countdown to Giving” miniseries on the podcast will continue next week with a conversation with Barb McPhee from the North End Harvest Market.
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, 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 Shelldale's Facebook page.