Guelph Politicast

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're all about elections. We're not having one across Ontario anytime soon, but the premier didn't rule it out last week. However, they are having an election right now in Mississauga, they're going to the polls next month to choose a new mayor. For the interview this week, we look to the United Kingdom where they're also having an election, and our guest has thoughts. This Thursday, May 30, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss: The Sum of All Beers. Doug Ford has done it again! He's made it easier to buy beer and spirits in corner stores around Ontario, presumably in celebration of having solved all of Ontario's other problems!! Sarcasm aside, Ford has actually created new problems for himself, including the Liberal revelation that the tab for free flowing beer may be in the billion dollar range. Is Ford now undone by beer? A Mad Mayor 'Sauga. Mississauga is one of Canada's largest city, and there's presently a by-election there to replace now-Liberal l

This week on End Credits, we're speaking French to power! Well, not really. This episode is definitely France adjacent though, because there's a big annual film festival that just wrapped up there, and they premiered a great many movies over the last few weeks. One of them is the movie we're reviewing today, a prequel to a 10-year-old movie and a sequel to a 45-year-old one. This Wednesday, May 29, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Tim Phillips will discuss: Yes We Cannes. Every year, the centre of the film world moves to the south of France. The Festival de Cannes is not like all the other film festivals, it's much more professional and serious and uptown than the ones with a public component, but that doesn't mean we can't still have some fun. To kick off this week's show, we're going to talk about the most buzzed about movies this year, including that one that was made by a madman. No, the other one. REVIEW: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. In 2015, George Miller raised his post-apocalyptic saga Mad Max out of develo

At next week's Committee of the Whole meeting, Guelph City Council will look at the fate of the Drill Hall; staff wants to put it up for sale, but there's at least one group in Guelph that wants to do something with it now. It's an idea called the Guelph Centre for Visual Art, and it could feature exhibition space, artist studios, educational and meeting space, and so much more. But does city hall share their vision? This is a tale of two long-term projects. The first is a story about creating a centralized arts building in Guelph. Nearly 20 years ago,  a group called the Guelph Arts Platform tried to create to create a collaborative art space with cheap studios, exhibition areas, and networking opportunities, but for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the Great Recession, the project fell apart. That brings us to the second part of the story, which is the Drill Hall. Constructed in 1866 so that members of the local militia could run drills (hence the name), the hall outlived its purpose by 1911

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're looking for change. Everyone who's ever been a politician started out as something else, and as we're looking to next year's federal election, and an open seat here in the riding of Guelph, we've already got a couple of people looking for a career change. This week, we're talking to a labour activist and a city councillor who both want to be your next MP. This Thursday, May 23 at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss: Folk-Dawson’s Creek. The next federal election is still more than a year-and-a-half away, at least if the confidence and supply agreement holds up. But even if it comes apart, the NDP in Guelph are ready because they have a candidate in place, and it’s Janice Folk-Dawson. A well-known and accomplished labour activist, Folk-Dawson will tell us about making the move to politics and why she wants to put the labour back into Canada’s labour party. O’Fork in the Road. A couple of weeks ago, reps from Guelph and Wellington County met at the thir

This week on End Credits, we put up our dukes! Join us as we celebrate violence with three movies that we've reviewed recently, all of which taught us again and again that sometimes all it takes fix things is to break stuff. So stop, stretch, and line-up your knuckles because when we get into this week, we really get into. Let them fight! This Wednesday, May 22, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson, Tim Phillips, Peter Salmon, and Candice Lepage will discuss: Fight Movies! Sometimes you've just got to punch something. That's not the message we got in preschool, but it is a message that we sometimes get from the movies. This week, we're going to revisit some movies that show us the best way to solve problems - whether that's family dysfunction, shady real estate developers, or international crime syndicates - is by punching the hell of it. Whether it's the sisters of Polite Society, the bouncers of Road House, or the Equalizer in The Equalizer 3, we will come back to the idea that violence *does* solve problems! End Cr

Time flies when you're having fun in the council chambers, which brings us to the first recap podcast of the year. We started off slow with one meeting in January, and then things go really busy in February and March, including one meeting that was really two meetings, but all together they were 12 hours long. Remember what that one was about? Remember what any of them were about? So there was one meeting in January and it cued up a meeting in February, the one about the Public Spaces Uses Bylaw. If there was an award for the most contentious/controversial meeting of the year, this will likely still be the winner when we get to the end of the year. That ties into the overarching theme of the first third of this year, which is housing. There was the payment in-lieu plan for downtown parking, fourplexes, and a new development charges bylaw. If you're forgotten any of these developments than this is the podcast for you. We will go through all the meetings from January to April and cover the highlights from each

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we've got a digest for you. As we lean back on an ant hill, touch grass and love life, we're treating you to two recent in-depth conversations with fascinating and insightful activists in their respective fields. First, just in time for Pride Month, we're going talk about trans equality, and second, just in time for Victoria Day planting, we're going to talk about farm workers. This Thursday, May 16 at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss: The Johnstone of Destiny. Canada’s queer and trans communities are feeling besieged lately with many provincial governments trying to legislate parental rights and/or are openly discriminating against LGBTQ+ people. This week, we’re joined by Fae Johnstone, a trans activist and the executive director of the Society for Queer Momentum, who’s going to tell us about how they maintain hope that we’re still on the progressive road to equality. Migrants at Work. With the planting season here, more migrant workers will be arrivin

This week on End Credits, we learn from the best! There's been a lot talk in the last few years about there being nothing good at the movie theatre anymore, but as a dedicated listener of this show, you know that's not true and to prove it, we will dedicate this week's episode to some of the best movies we've seen so far this year at the cinema, though you can now get them at home. This Wednesday, May 15, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson, Tim Phillips, Peter Salmon, and Candice Lepage will discuss: Good Movies from 2024! It's only the fifth month of the year, and there's already been a bunch of great movies that might fit on anyone's best of the year list. This week, we will go back to Arrakas, join two women on a crime spree, and enjoy some perfect days as we clean some of the most beautiful public toilets that you’ve ever seen. Yes, we’re going to go back in time and revisit our past reviews featuring some of the best films we’ve seen so far this year. Cue up the wayback machine, and by that we mean the premium V

This is the 20th anniversary year for the Special Olympics, which speaks to the tremendous success of the event, and while it is about the competition in some respects, these games are mostly about fun and camaraderie. In an era where we talk so much about kids being attached to their screens, what can be more essential than some good, old-fashioned sports? Today (Wednesday), over 700 athletes from over 60 schools are competing in various track and field events, some of which are adapted so that all kids can compete regardless of their capability. There’s no doubt that playing sports has a positive impact on young people, but sometimes sports aren't welcoming to kids with all abilities, which is why something like the Special Olympics was created.  There are over 100,000 Special Olympic events around the world every year, including the one here in Guelph and Wellington hosted by the two main school boards. Participants will compete in 50m, 100m and 200m races, standing/running long jump, and softball throw, a

This week on Open Sources Guelph, everything old is new again! Nothing changes after two big by-elections in different parts of Ontario, and the war that has stymied the world for the better part of a year now only looks close to reaching a resolution. Also, under hope and change, we have a guest this week that hopes a commemoration this month will lead to improved lives for people everywhere! This Thursday, May 9, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss: Paradise Lost, and Found. That's a John Milton joke, and Milton Ontario was in the news this week as the location of one of two by-elections, both of which were won by Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives. That's where paradise was found, where it was lost was affordable housing money from the feds and the keffiyeh ban that no one wants, but no one can get rid of. We'll tall about another wild week at Queen's Park. The Beginning of the End? On Sunday there was an announcement that a ceasefire agreement had been reached in the now sev

This week on End Credits, we're doing endings and beginnings. On the subject of the latter, we're talking about a new movie that officially marks the first release of the Summer Movie season, a little - but big - movie called The Fall Guy. As for those endings, we will talk about the current state of the franchise that used to launch every summer, and why it's struggling. This Wednesday, May 8, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Candice Lepage will discuss: The Blame Endgame. It's been five years since the release of Avengers: Endgame, the pinnacle of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. No Marvel Studios movie has every been as successful, before or since, and while some of that blame can fall on the pandemic and the strikes, part of it is probably a loss of direction since the series reached it's natural conclusion in Endgame. To begin this week's show, we'll start with the End and everything after. REVIEW: The Fall Guy (2024). Summer begins with  throwback,  a good, old-fashioned action movie with an emphasis on st

Earlier this year, Statistics Canada reported that there has been a five per cent increase in positive responses in the proportions of adults who reported excellent or very good mental health, a strong sense of belonging to their local community, and a high level of life satisfaction between 2021 and 2023. And yet, considering that still less than three out of five adults report excellent or very good mental health, we still have a long way to go. If you’re listening to this on Wednesday, then we’re halfway through Mental Health Week, which is an annual commemoration by the CMHA to promote better overall mental mental health in communities across Canada, and boy does that need some promotion. The theme of this year’s Mental Health Week, and yes there is a theme, is “Be Kind.” Meaning that we're focusing on "the healing power of compassion" and appreciating that "kindness is equally intrinsic to our humanity." It’s hard to think of a better time to send out a message about kindness and compassion. Have you bee

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we reconnect with our roots. It's been a busy week for student protests and campus shutdowns, and it's not escaped media attention, but getting less media attention is B.C.'s move to re-criminalize drugs, which may be a big step backwards. As always, this media is focused on local, and we will talk to a city councillor that maybe making a move from local to national. This Thursday, May 2, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss: Shock and Quad. Pro-Palestinian protests are nothing new to university campuses, but they've blown up in the last few weeks do to clashes between police and students at Columbia University in New York. Solidarity protests have popped up on other campuses, and now there's a political game being played about free speech and the cultural wars, but is the coverage missing the point of these protests in the first place? Re-Criminal Minds. In a shocking move backwards, the provincial government of British Columbia has decided to re-crimina

Every year, four or five people are plucked from Guelph’s sporting history and are immortalized for all eternity on the walls of the Sleeman Centre, but one doesn’t spend a life in local sports to be immortal. It’s a passion that can span a lifetime, which is what decades of Royals might say about Paul Ante, who has been one kind of Guelph Royal or another for the last half-century. Paul Ante been a part of the Guelph Royals Intercounty baseball team for over five decades as a player, coach, manager, and administrator. He's helped lead the team to championships, and he runs baseball clinics every year to help even younger players to develop their skills. Imagine all the lives that Ante has touched in 50 years being involved with the Guelph Royals and Guelph baseball. And Guelph history is so indelibly tied with the sport of baseball. The Guelph Royals organization has existed in one form or another since 1861, and it even roped in George Sleeman in the 1880s who invested big in order to bring American talent

This week on End Credits, we work on our serve. Summer is here, so we have thoughts about getting outside and getting involved in sports, and romance (?) The two are combined in the new film Challengers, which was the number one film at the box office last weekend. And speaking of summer, it unofficially begins this weekend in theatres. Stand by for a preview! This Wednesday, May 1, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss: Summer 2024 Movie Preview! For the first time since 2006 (excluding the pandemic), the summer movie season begins with a film that's not a Marvel movie. The Summer Movie Season officially begins this Friday with The Fall Guy, a straight-up action comedy starring Ryan Gosling, which is emblematic of what might the most uncertain movie slate of any summer in decades. Still, it looks like there will be some bangers, and we will seek them out! REVIEW: Challengers (2024). Is Zendaya a movie star? Sure, she's a BFD to the Disney Channel set 10 years ago, and then she graduated t

As we count down to the 200th anniversary of the Canada Company settling Guelph in just three years, you can expect to hear more about how we’re honouring our history in Guelph, both pre- and post-settlement. Between that moment John Galt cut down that first tree and this moment listening to this podcast, there’s been a whole lot of Guelph history, and one man has published a new collection about some of those lesser known bits that you should definitely know. This week, we're joined by Ed Butts, a local author and historian. Butts has dedicated much of the last decade inspecting all of Guelph’s nooks and crannies, looking at all the forgotten tales, the forgotten celebrities, the newsmakers and royals who came to town, and all the times that no one liked what was in the headlines. Butts has taken all this and woven weekly adventures through Royal City history for Guelph Today, and the Guelph Mercury before that. Now, Butt’s collected some of those tales in a new booked appropriately called Guelph Stories. F

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we mark Earth Week by discussing some of the news that happened on this planet. We will travel from Washington D.C. to Kiev where there's finally some good news in that war effort, but it's just too bad that there wasn't any good news when it comes to funding our regional transit system. Also, we will talk and act locally with one of our Guelph city councillors. This Thursday, April 25, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss: For a Few Dollars More... At long last, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to send much need financial aid to Ukraine. Now three years into their all-out war against Russia, the Ukrainians have been fighting with anything they can as they desperately await help from the States, aid that was mostly held up by Russia's new fair-haired girl, Marjorie Taylor Greene. With the bullets set to flow again, might 2024 be a breakthrough year for our Ukrainian allies? Slowpiercer. Last week, Premier Doug Ford announced expansion plans for seve

This week on End Credits, it's war! Yes, it's time to get political again with the movie that everyone's talking about, whether you follow every last detail about American elections or not. Yes, we're tackling Civil War, and we're also going to talk about the studio that launched this controversial (and lucrative) project, and some of their less well-known (and controversial) efforts. This Wednesday, April 24, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Candice Lepage will discuss: F***ing A24! In 2012, a new studio was launched to try and capture some of those new and eccentric voices that were getting squeezed out of the market. Within a decade, A24 had won an Oscar for Best Picture (Everything Everywhere All at Once), and fostered talent like Ari Aster, Ti West, Greta Gerwig, Sean Baker, and many, many more. Civil War is their biggest film yet, but we're dedicated the first part of the show to some of their underappreciated gems. REVIEW: Civil War (2024). It's the talk of the culture right now, a movie called Civil War

If it’s the end of April, then you know it’s time for the annual National Day or Mourning. Although the pandemic is over, it's worth remembering there was a whole class of workers who had to keep working as it happened, and that meant intentionally putting themselves at risk. This was important, but even before the pandemic, workers across Canada in all sorts of work were taking risks every day, often unknowingly, and they still are. According to the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada, in 2022, there were 993 workplace fatalities recorded in Canada. Among these deaths were 33 young workers aged 15-24. Now, there are dangerous jobs in the world, jobs that can expose you to dangerous people, or dangerous circumstances, but would you classify climbing a ladder under the category of “dangerous work”?  Sometimes the little dangers become big problems with high personal costs. According to lore, two labour activists were driving to a union meeting in 1983 when they were stopped for a funeral proc

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're going to have an "orgy of spending." That's how one Conservative MP described this year's federal budget, and we're going to talk about why, and speaking of elicit sex, we're going talk about the criminal trial of the former U.S. President. In the back half of the show though we're going to keep things nice and professional with a future election candidate. This Thursday, April 18, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss: Eat the Rich? The federal government released the 2024 budget on Tuesday, and it was meant to be a balm to Canada's affordability crisis, especially for young people. The new spending claims to have no impact on the deficit because of modest increases to the capital gains tax, but there's a big question mark about whether this spending will have a real impact. We'll talk about what all's in this budget. Blight Court. For the first time, a former President of the United States is on criminal trial, before you ask if that's Donald Trump