Guelph Politicast

End Credits #352 - July 31, 2024 (Deadpool & Wolverine)

This week on End Credits, we're appreciating that all it takes to make $200 million in one weekend is a foul mouth and lots of gore. Or maybe it's gratuitous cameos from comic book movies you've all but forgot about. If you haven't guessed already, we're reviewing Deadpool & Wolverine, and sticking with the X-Men, we're ranking that whole series.
This Wednesday, July 31, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Candice Lepagee will discuss:
Lists of Future Past. The X-Men movie franchise played a big role in supporting the idea of serious and ambitious comic book movies can be a box office winner, but it seems like the the movement's gotten away from Marvel's Merry Mutants. Before Deadpool & Wolverine there were 13 movies under the X-Men banner, so to say goodbye (hello?) to the movie X-Men, we will rank all those movies from worst to best.
REVIEW: Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). It's a team-up that people have been looking forward to for years, and it comes at a precarious time for the once mighty Marvel Studios. It started as a joke, but after a massive opening weekend it does really feel like Deadpool is now "Marvel Jesus," as in he brought the franchise back from the dead, and with no small [maximum] effort from Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman. Despite being the perpetual underdog, it looks like Deadpool has won again, but is the movie any good? Let's find out!
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #429 – The Secrets of Stonehenge... The Guelph One (feat. Kristen Kerr)

A couple of weeks ago at city council, a group of leaders representing four frontline agencies appeared to support the idea of a tiny home project in Guelph. The head of the Guelph Community Health Centre appeared on this podcast a few months ago, and so did the head of the Canadian Mental Health Association, plus the CEO of Guelph General Hospital was our special Christmas guest this past December. So if you've been counting, that leaves one more...
The Stonehenge Therapeutic Community has been doing the work for over 50 years when it comes to helping people in Guelph battling addictions and mental health issues. It started as a small, farm-based residential treatment program for men and women in 1971 and has expanded over the decades to include all types of services like compassionate care, peer support, safer supply, and yes, housing. 
Stonehenge’s latest achievement is helping to launch the supportive housing project on Shelldale Crescent, the Kindle Communities, a massive community effort that was more than two years in the making. Unfortunately, that's not the end of the story, but this is an issue that can’t be solved by any one agency, or any one group of agencies, so the work is ongoing as the staff of Stonehenge look for new opportunities to help the growing need. 
Kristen Kerr, who is the executive director of the Stonehenge Therapeutic Community, will give us some insight into that work. We’re going to talk about the origins of Stonehenge, and how it got the same name as that famous landmark in the English countryside. We will also talk about the current pressure on frontline agencies, how Stonehenge is responding to the growing trend of compassion fatigue, and where Stonehenge might take harm reduction next now that the Kindle Community is almost complete. 
So let's uncover the secrets of Stonehenge - the Guelph version - on this week’s Guelph Politicast!
You can learn more about Stonehenge at their website. Drug Poisoning Awareness Day will take place on August 22 in Mount Forest and August 29 here in Guelph, and you have until tomorrow, August 1, to order a “Remembering Lives Lost” t-shirt, which you can do through the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy 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, 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 #479 - July 25, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we need a drink. Good thing the liquor stores are open again, and to talk about why that is and what the workers in those stores are thinking, we're joined by one of their union leaders on this episode. Why are we drinking? Drama! So much drama in the U.S. Presidential election this week as the odds changed again, and meanwhile, closer to home, we've got some big decisions to make in terms of our own defence.
This Thursday, July 25, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Bye-Bye, Biden. After weeks of consternation, not to mention a bout of COVID-19, President Joe Biden announced on the weekend that he would not seek re-election in this November's presidential election. Instead, Vice-President Kamala Harris will carry the Democratic banner against Donald Trump, and any concern about party strife quickly disappeared as Harris secured enough delegates to get the nomination in less than 30 hours. So what happens now in this historic campaign?
Defence on Defense. Gen. Jennie Carignan, the new chief of the defence staff, says that Canada has five years to get ready for threats posed to the country resulting from the loss of Arctic ice and other challenges. Canada is in last place among NATO countries to reach the two per cent of GDP spending goal, and that has not gone unnoticed by our allies, many of whom are under threat without, and within. Is Canada finally ready to address the gap in defence spending, or are we going to continue to waffle?
Booze Dues. The workers of the LCBO ended their strike on the weekend, but that was not the end of the animus. The stores are open, but the blame game is still being played between the Premier and union leaders, and this week, we will get some insight from one of those parties. Colleen MacLeod, the bargaining team chair for OPSEU, will join us to talk about the negotiations, trading statements with Doug Ford, and what the future of the LCBO looks like along with the future of its workers.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #351 - July 24, 2024 (Twisters)

This week on End Credits, we're thinking about stormy weather! About a week after a major storm washed out so many parts of Ontario, including the Pergola Galaxy Cinemas here in Guelph, we're going to take things up a notch with Twisters. And on the subject of weather and the movies, we will talk about some other movies about the weather.
This Wednesday, July 24, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:
Weather Flap. The movie of the week leads to a rather obvious pre-review discussion. There are a lot of movies about the weather, or movies where the weather has a major influence on the plot, and while it my not be obvious, not all of those movies are based in disasters. That brings us to this week's show, where between the snow, and the rain, and the floods we will talk about our favourite movies inspired by the weather.
Twisters (2024). It shouldn't be surprising that someone would want to make a sequel to Twister, the 1996 smash about tornado chasers in Oklahoma. It's kinda surprising that we're getting it almost 30 years later, but if there's ever been a good time for a tornado movie, it's now! Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell replace Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton leading a new generation of chasers through tornado ally on a quest for science and thrills. The formula is solid, but can this team catch... (ahem) lightning in a bottle?!
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #428 – The S#!t Disturber (feat. Mike Sullivan)

What could have been a small one-day story about disagreements around the table at Stratford city council has become emblematic of a bigger issue. Aside from the fine line between criticism of our civic leaders and outright threatening behaviour, there’s also a question about whether their mayor and council are being as open and transparent as it should be, and one man - famously - has his doubts.
Members from Get Concerned Stratford have appeared on this podcast before. The group itself was born out of concerns around Stratford council’s efforts to approve the construction of a controversial glass plant in the city. But the circumstances that led to the Xinyi controversy lingered, even with a new council, and it all seemed to come together at a council meeting on February 26.
At that meeting, there was a report about the use of closed meeting protocols that showed Stratford council was frequently making decisions in-camera, but attention instead went to a matter of zoning where two delegates - Mike Sullivan and Barb Shaughnessy - were accused of making statements that were allegedly threatening and disrespectful. They both got three-month bans from council and that's where the controversy - and this podcast - really begins!
Sullivan joins us this week to tell us about what happened at the February 26 meeting, how he learned that he was temporarily banned from council and what happened the first time he showed up anyway. He will also tell us about his efforts to learn more about what goes on in closed meetings, the repeatedly failed attempts to get the ban lifted, and where the battle goes now that the ban has expired. Also, where's the fine line between legitimate criticism and an ad hominem attack?
So let's look at what's going on in Stratford with this week's Guelph Politicast!
Some late breaking news at Monday council’s meeting it was unanimously decided that the Respectful Workplace Policy would be reviewed by staff, but only two members of council voted to suspend the policy. You can learn more about Get Concerned Stratford at their website here. You can find links to the videos of council meetings at the City of Stratford at their 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, 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 Get Concerned Stratford Facebook.

Open Sources Guelph #478 - July 18, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, it was a rough one. Looking south of the border these days is a white knuckle ride through all your fears about the future, and it's so bad that we have to dedicate the whole first half of our show to talk about American politics. We will then look closer to home and talk to a member of our local city council about a concern that all of us have these days. You know what we're talking about.
This Thursday, July 18, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
This is America. It's been a wild week in American politics, and that's really saying something in the year of Our Lord 2024 A.D. On the weekend, there was an attempted assassination of Donald Trump, the Republic National Convention began, MAGA-stan J.D. Vance was named Trump's VP nominee, Elon Musk announced he's giving a Trump PAC $45 million a month, and a pro-Trump judge dismissed his classified documents case. Oh, and the Dems are still in disarray. We'll wrap our heads around this in a super-sized news segment.
Klassen Act. This week at Guelph city council, there was a new report about the Guelph Tiny Homes Coalition project. We've now entered the second half of the year, so winter is closer than it was a few months ago when this project first came up, and the pressure is on to get something going. One of the people feeling that pressure is Ward 2 Councillor Carly Klassen, who will join us this week to talk about her thinking on the matter, the ongoing effort at city hall to fight homelessness, and how she's co-ordinating between council and the concerns of Downtown Guelph people.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.

End Credits #350 - July 17, 2024 (The 1999 Movie Draft)

This week on End Credits, we're going back to the turn of the millennium, or do we mean the Willennium? For those of you who remember the turn of the century have we got a treat for you! Remember 1999? A lot of great movies came out that year, and some people think that it might be the one of the best for the breadth and variety of projects, so this week. we'll draft them!
This Wednesday, July 17, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson, Tim Phillips, Candice Lepage and Peter Salmon will discuss:
The 1999 Movie Draft. Now halfway to episode #400, we pause to hold a very special movie draft. Exactly 25 years ago, we were halfway through what's come to be known in some quarters as the "Best Movie Year Ever". This week, the whole gang is here to draft the great films of that year, from a cyberspace dystopia to a Shakespeare comedy in high school to the mockumentary about a scary witch in the forests of Maryland. This week, we're going to party like it's... you-know-what. Cue the Prince!
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.

GUELPH POLITICAST #427 – The Squeeze

The housing and affordability issues are massive, and to think that one action at one level of government is going to have a measurable impact is not understand that. This week at city hall, Guelph council will talk about proceeding with a tiny homes encampment, but that's one finger in one hole of a dam that needs a lot of repairs.
Reaching back into the files of Open Sources Guelph, we highlight three interviews that lay out the structural and systemic issues that led to the housing and affordability crises:
All the way back last March, we talked to Dr. Paul Kershaw, the founder, lead researcher and executive chair of Generation Squeeze who told us about what the then-upcoming federal and provincial budgets mean for young people, and others in Canada looking some government relief in an expensive world.
In October, we were joined by Craig Pickthorne from the Ontario Living Wage Network to talk about affordability, the minimum wage hike, and the giant gap in-between. This came before it was announced that the living wage in Guelph and area had gone up to nearly $21 per hour, which is about $5 difference over the current minimum wage.
And from November, we will hear Wellington County councillor and chair of the Social Services Committee David Anderson who’s going to talk about working with the City of Guelph on creating solutions to the great and increasing community need.
So let's talk about the broader issues in fining housing solutions on this week's Guelph Politicast! 
You can tune into Open Sources Guelph every Thursday at 5 pm. You can also catch up with the goings on at city council by subscribing the Guelph Politico Tip Sheet newsletter on Substack.
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 #477 - July 11, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're right brained. An ideological shift? Hardly, but there's been a lot of action on the right side of the political spectrum in the last week, meaning that we're going to talk about election outcomes across the Pond, and a bizarre road show that's now rolling across Canada and rallying people to hate. For the interview this week, were going to talk about architecture with someone who knows.
This Thursday, July 11, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
Right Flight. Two elections in two of Europe's biggest countries have re-phrased the global fight against far-right extremism. Labour's landslide victory in the U.K. general election ended 14 years of chaotic Tory rule while the fascist National Front hit a wall in France's snap election thanks to strategic voting. It seems like that right-wing momentum has been stunted, but the struggle is probably still far from over. We will talk about what happens next.
Diago-Gone. Last weekend, residents in the Carp area of Ottawa were a little shocked that the Carp Agricultural Society would rent space to a far-right, racist, neo-Nazi adjacent group - apparently - without knowing who they are. The Diagolons are on a cross-country tour creatively called the "Road Rage Terror Tour" and it may be coming to a town near you, but is the average person on the street aware of who they are, and what they want?
Centre Rage. On Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford said again that the condition of the Ontario Science Centre is so dire that it needed to close, but that's still news to a lot of experts and one of them is Elsa Lam, the editor of Canadian Architect magazine. Lam will join on this week's show to break down those technical concerns, what work will need to be done to make the building secure, and why the Ontario government should just fess up and tell everyone that they got this one wrong.
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.
Photo courtesy of Twitter/X.

End Credits #349 - July 10, 2024 (Fancy Dance)

This week on End Credits, we dance! Fancy Dance. You may not have heard of this movie, but it's there waiting for you on AppleTV+ and it might just be one of the best movies you will see this year. And, along similar topics, we will dedicate the first part of the show to some of the best movies that we've seen so far in this very fleeting year of 2024 now more than halfway over.
This Wednesday, July 10, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Tim Phillips will discuss:
The Best of the Year (So Far...). There's been a lot of anxious talk abut what kind of movie year this has been with the bad box office and the slim pickin's coming out of the strikes last year, but what if it hasn't been a bad movie year? As usual, you can find some diamonds in the rough if you want to go looking for them, and this week we will go looking for them. What are some of the best movies released so far in 2024? We will give you six of them.
REVIEW: Fancy Dance (2024). Lily Gladstone got an Oscar-nomination for her fantastic work in Killers of the Flower Moon, but during the campaign, it was this movie that she really wanted to talk about. Fancy Dance, which is from documentarian Erica Tremblay, follows a woman from the Seneca-Cayuga First Nation as she desperately tries to protect her teenage niece from social workers and the horrible knowledge that her missing mother is probably dead. Sounds dire, but is it possible that Fancy Dance is one of the most heart warming movies of the year?
End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.