Guelph Politicast

This week on End Credits, we're not defying gravity, we're leaning into it! It's one of the biggest movies of the year, based on a stage musical and secretly the first of two parts. Oh yes, we're getting to Wicked, and speaking of things that people are looking forward to, we're going to each count off three of our most anticipated movies for the last four weeks of the year. This Wednesday, December 4, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Candice Lepage will discuss: Great Expectations (2024 Edition). Now that we're in December, the end of the year is inevitable, and that means our Top 5 of the Year episode is coming up very fast. So to start this week, we will look at out lists and see where the gaps are; what movies do we have to see by the end of the year? What movies are we looking forward to before the end of year? With so much to see and so little time, what are we watching in our spare time? REVIEW: Wicked (2024). It's starting to look like the biggest movie of the year! We knew that Wicked was going to be o

As you may have heard, there are changes coming to your blue bin starting in January, and if you’re confused about what that means when you put the bin out on the curb in 2025, you’re not alone. You probably want to know what's going on, and how you should react, so due to popular demand, this podcast will ask all the questions about blue box changes you wanted to know, and some of the ones you didn’t. Guelph has a history of making history when it comes to the blue box: We were one of the first cities to get one, and we were one of the first cities to make the transition to three streams of waste, and we were one of the first to make the transition to the new bin system. What's next is the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, which is moving the responsibility of collecting recyclables to the producers of those materials. Starting on January 1, 2025, Waste Management Corporation of Canada (WM) will be collecting residential recycling and providing related customer service in Guelph. As you will hear

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we wish we could shake it off. It would be our wildest dream to come on the radio one week and have something normal to talk about, but we knew this was trouble when we saw it cross our newsfeeds this week. We're going to discuss what happened in Montreal last weekend, an arrest warrant for a controversial world leader, and final thoughts about the 2025 Guelph budget with one of our councillors. Hopefully, no bad blood there. This Thursday, November 28, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss: Gone in Swiftie Seconds. While Justin Trudeau was dancing to Taylor Swift in Toronto, Montreal was burning down... That was the message on social media Friday night, painting the PM as out of touch, hanging out a concert as a Canadian city was under siege. Except that's not what happened. We will talk about what really happened on the streets of Montreal on Friday, how it got so overblown so fast, how Trudeau has become a useful boogeyman on the right, and how we need t

This week on End Credits, we go on a Roman Holiday! Not the movie, but a trip backwards in time to the original Rome, the imperial one with insane emperors doing dirt and the only honour you can find is killing for sport. It's time for Gladiator II, and to bring this episode full circle, we're going to talk about the movie that inspired the other big release this week. This Wednesday, November 27, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss: The Wizard of Oz at 85! Last weekend's release of Wicked is perfectly timed consider this year marks the 85th birthday of Victor Fleming's iconic musical based on the L. Frank Baum book. A Hollywood classic by any objective measurement, Oz has been the source of many hours of enjoyment, plus many sources for urban legends and stories about a cursed production. So looking back nearly 100 years later, does The Wizard still have the magic? REVIEW: Gladiator II (2024). "What we do in life, echoes in eternity." And if it helps, make a sequel! Nearly 25 years after

Community Living Guelph Wellington has been around since 1955 providing support and services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their families in the communities in which they live, and for the last few years they’ve faced some serious financial issues. 2024 is no exception, but might the important services of Community Living get lost in the shuffle of all the crushing need out there. This is from an article in the Wellington Advertiser last week: “Community Living Guelph Wellington is facing a $3 million deficit in 2025 and will be closing two of its residential sites to rein in expenses.” That sounds pretty bad, but it sounds even worse when you realize that this is a dance that’s happened every fall for the last few years, and that doesn’t do a lot for the long-term sustainability of the organization. Another detail from the Advertiser article is that Community Living’s funding has only increased four per cent in the last 30 years. If you think about issues around Ontario fun

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're stuck in the middle with you. If you're feeling stuck, you're not alone and it's safe to say that the entire government apparatus at all levels seem stuck these days. This edition of a show will be a recital of being stuck, from gridlock in Ottawa to impasses at the annual international climate change summit. Our provincial government seems stuck on bail reform, while our greatest Christmas parade is just strapped... for cash. This Thursday, November 21, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss: Gridlock, Stalk and Barrel. Have you heard the news from Parliament Hill. You probably haven't because the place has been in a procedural gridlock for almost two months now. In the midst of a postal workers strike and a will they/won't they confidence condition in the House, it's the latest example of widespread disfunction at the federal level, and it's not like there are any serious issues that need solutions. This week, we will take a break from American polit

This week on End Credits, we learn to love. No, we're not reviewing Netflix's Hot Frosty, though that might be a hoot-and-a-half, we're doing something much more down to Earth by focusing on a candidate for "Best Film of the Year." Yes, we're reviewing Anora, and in that spirit, we're going to talk about movies featuring couples of the less-than-fairy tale variety. This Wednesday, November 20, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Tim Phillips will discuss: Bad Romance. There are a lot of Hollywood movies where couples live happily ever after, but not all of them. In fact, we'll put odds that one out of every two romantic movies feature couples who never should have even thought about getting together in the first place. There's a reason why "toxic" has become a watch word in the culture. To kick things off this week, we're going to talk some of movies' baddest bad romances, so cue up the Lady Gaga! REVIEW: Anora (2024). Sean Baker's films chronicle the ways in which working class people struggle on the margins in

Last week, the reality of the Public Space Use Bylaw came into effect with the formal eviction of everyone in tents from St. George’s Square. The square is clear now of tents, but the people who lived in those tents have not disappeared or found permanent homes. In fact, they’re more vulnerable than ever, and even before the eviction last week, they were hurting. This is a story about the human toll of the Public Space Use Bylaw. The weekend before the eviction, two young people died in tents in the square, two of the increasing number of people in this community who have died from drug poisoning, or what we’ve typically in the past called an overdose. A vigil was planned for Monday night to offer a space to grieve for the friends and family of Jen, Miles and four others who have passed away in the last few weeks. Over 100 people showed up to remember. In the midst of this expression of grief was a powerful reminder that the people who lived in a tent in St. George’s Square were not some problem to solve. The

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're doing some real analysis. Look at that picture above, are you scared? Sick? Shocked? Disappointed? All of the above? Then this week's show might be of some interest as we try to dissect the most recent American election for something usable going forward. Closer to home, we're talking to a member of city council about this year's unusual budget process. This Thursday, November 14, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss: The Autopsy. Still recovering from last week's surprise election of Donald Trump as the next President of the United States, he started this week appointing the MAGA goon squad version of the '27 Yankees to key cabinet posts. So in the midst of our shock, we will take a break from breaking news to learn some key lessons from this U.S. election and how they might be applied to future elections, including ones here in Canada. Get your scalpels out because it's time to talk about how it all went wrong. Cash Back. It's budget time at city

This week on End Credits, we're praying, and we think our prayers were answer (?) What we wanted in these difficult times was an election where maybe the good guys win, and perhaps we got that with the movie Conclave, which is about the surprising politics of choosing a new pope. And speaking of popes, we will talk about other men and women of God... in the movies. This Wednesday, November 6, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss: God Bless the Movies. Faith is an interesting topic for the movies, and it can be interpreted through just about any genre. There are deeply serious dramas about people of faith, there's an entire comedy franchises built around the idea that God is a funny old man, and you can't really talk about religious movies without reference the entire exorcism subgenre. So before getting to this week's religiously-themed movie, we will talk about some of the others. REVIEW: Conclave (2024). This week's movie is about a bunch of men who are each trying to undermine and outm

If you feel like active transportation options are under siege at the moment, you’re not alone. The Ontario government is coming for municipal bike lanes while cities like Guelph, facing unprecedented financial barriers, are seeing robust active transportation networks as a “nice to have”. We've spent the last few years trying to undo decades of building our cities around the personal automobile, but is the war on bike lanes finally here? In September, the Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation held an unusual event, a ghost ride in honour of Susan Bard who was struck by a car and died from her injuries while riding her bike on Victoria Road North. Before the ride, Mike Darmon told everyone gathered at city hall that he hoped that this would not be a regular occurrence, but the death of Bard was as a sign that these are not safe times on Guelph roads. At around the same time, there started to be rumblings about new legislation at Queen’s Park, a law that would stop municipalities from installing new bike

This week on Open Sources Guelph we're in a recovery phase. On Tuesday, we saw the end of an epically long election that had more ups and downs than the scariest roller coaster, and hopefully there will be some solid results to discuss. Closer to home, we will look at the latest non-solution to Ontario's homeless crisis and the latest unfounded attack on Canada's trans community from the likeliest source. This Thursday, October 31, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss: Is it Over? By the time you're reading this you might know who the 47th President of the United States is going to be. Perhaps you might even know the which party will form the majority in the House of Representatives and/or the Senate. So is there reason for optimism? The ultimate showdown between the current Vice-President and the disgraced former President has been a slugfest and no matter how it turned out, it's only the beginning of the story, not the end. So what happens next? Clause of Defeat. Cities and towns all ov

This week on End Credits even we can't escape election fever. As we recover from what was (likely) a very busy night of returns from the U.S., we will focus on the movies about American presidents, the real ones. And if you need a break from the ordinary, there's always the tale of a man and his space alien as we dig into the latest adventures of Venom in The Last Dance.  This Wednesday, November 6, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Candice Lepage will discuss: Ballot Box Office. This week, American voters went to the polls to choose their next president, which, by the time you're reading this, has been revealed to be Vice-President Kamala Harris or the other guy. But there have been 46 men who've previously been President of the United States, and they've all appeared in movies as characters at one point or another. Before the main review, we're going to make some political endorsements of our own. REVIEW: Venom: The Last Dance (2024). Tom Hardy is back with Tom Hardy, for the third adventure of a washed up jou

Watching the Accessibility Advisory Committee meetings over the last several months there’s a particular undercurrent that some members of the committee feel like they’re not being listened to, and that there was a disconnect between their expectations and what City of Guelph staff wanted them to do. And then came the Public Space Use Bylaw and the waters got even choppier. At their February meeting, the AAC passed a motion asking for some dedicated engagement of their own on the topic of the Public Space Use Bylaw. Part of the AAC’s role is to advise council on policy and how it might impact the disabled community in Guelph, and there are a lot of people among the unhoused population who have some kind of disability. But as you know, the Public Space Use Bylaw never came back for engagement with anyone, it was dropped on an unplanned meeting of council in late August where it was approved by council and then put into effect at the beginning of last month. The October meeting opened with an uncomfortable rak

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're dealing with our Trump Derangement Syndrome. One more week till the vote's over in the United States, and there's a lot to catch up on. The vote is already over in Saskatchewan, but there's a new one brewing in Nova Scotia to talk about. More locally, international students are getting a lot of blame, but we're talking to someone who says that they really need our assistance. This Thursday, October 31, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss: We've Got Five Days On It. It's been a while since we talked about the U.S. Presidential Election, so has anything weird been going on? Of course there has! Donald Trump staged a sequel to the 1939 pro-fascist rally at Madison Square Garden, while Vice-President Kamala Harris returned to the scene of the crime on January 6 to make her closing case. And yet, the polls are obnoxiously too close to call, and there are all those down ballot races to worry about too. So DEFCON-1 time, right? Houston, We Have an Electio

This week on End Credits, we mark Devil's Night. Our new favourite holiday! In honour of this year's end-of-October commemorations, and perhaps to offer some relief from the sturm und drang of modern living, we present a festival of fear! A celebration of screams, if you will! So settle in as we summon the scares because this is Halloween! This Wednesday, October 30, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson, Tim Phillips, Peter Salmon, Candice Lepage, and special guest Mike Ashkewe will discuss: Halloween/Horror Movie Draft. It's the most wonderful time of the year... For some. So it's to those people that we dedicate this special episode of the show, the Halloween/Horror Movie Draft. The entire gang is here, plus a special guest ringer, to put the season in proper perspective by talking about our favourite horror movies in a set of six carefully selected categories. Join us as we talk about all the monsters, mayhem, killers and cadavers that make this time of the year so special, right up to the granddaddy of the them al

If you think traffic and travel are bad now, it might not compare to what awaits if Guelph Transit workers go on strike, or are locked out by the City. It could be worse. In so much as these things never happen at the best possible time, it might be even worse for Guelph Transit now as they hit new ridership records and try to justify increased expenses as City Hall is looking to save pennies. So is transit job action a foregone conclusion? You may remember the last time there was job action around Transit. It was late summer 2014 and Guelph ended up going more than two weeks without a transit system. Ten years ago, the city was different. This was before the 99 Mainline, before Conestoga was more of a draw, and before Guelph Transit broke two different ridership records in the same year. A shutdown stemming from job action will throw all that progress away. So what’s at stake? Basically, the workers are looking for a cost of living increase and a pathway to a better work-life balance. Driving around town is

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're keeping things provincial. We're going around the country to talk about the latest news coming out Queen's Park now that the government is back at work there, and then we're going to check out the new provincial governments who will take their seats in Fredericton and Victoria. For the interview this week, we're keeping things in Guelph where one of our local councillors is going to talk about gas! This Thursday, October 24, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss: Cheque Before You Choose. After a 20-week break, the Ontario legislature is back in session, and we've pretty much picking up where we left off: With everyone yelling! Premier Doug Ford is offering some pre-election cheques, threatening this sanctity of bike lanes, and is under siege from the opposition and the big cities mayors for not attacking all the real problems the province is facing, so just another day at Queen's Park, right? We'll talk about the back-and-forth and what it all means

This week on End Credits, we're running. Time is running out! We've dealt with some scary stuff in the last few weeks, but at least now we've moved on (ran from?) creepy clowns to get to something more earth-bound. On this episode, we're reviewing the new thriller Strange Darling, and we've also got a conversation with the head of the original documentary film festival! This Wednesday, October 23, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Tim Phillips will discuss: Guelph Film Festival Preview! The Guelph Film Festival launches its 2024 edition on November 1, so plan your festival experience with this conversation. Kimber Sider, the artistic director and lead programmer of the festival, joins us to talk about some of the selections in this year's program including a tale from the West Bank, the fight for an Ontario landmark, and the community building that occurs around bicycles. Get more info at the fest's website. REVIEW: Strange Darling (2024). You know the story: boy meets girl, they decide to engage in the ancient

Here, at the end of October, there’s a lot going on from new budgets to potential strikes to changes to our recycling, so it seems like a good time to pause and talk about some recent events before the news gets even crazier. This week, we're going to catch up with a friend from a different show, and we're all going to catch up with all the important issues going on in the news. The Guelph Stuff! It was revealed last Thursday that the 2025 budget confirmation now includes nearly five per cent less spending than what was approved last year. Almost everything other than housing support and mandated services have been deferred or eliminated from next year’s budget, but are we ready for what all these budget cuts might mean as the city continues to grow and change?  There’s also been a lot of concern about the growing number of tents and homeless encampments. Last week at a meeting of the Ontario Big City Mayors, the heads of the province’s 29 largest cities, including Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie, called on the pro