GUELPH POLITICAST #526 – What’s Next 2026? The Transit Struggle (feat. Steve Petric)

This term has presented a lot of challenges to transit and transit users, not the least of which was ridership recovering following the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has, thankfully, not only returned but grown in the last four years. Logistically speaking though, there are other challenges to transit that have stacked up including financial pressures, but what else is coming for transit in the next four years? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #526 – What’s Next 2026? The Transit Struggle (feat. Steve Petric)”

GUELPH POLITICAST #525 – Election Skullduggery Already? (feat. Dylan McMahon)

On Friday, Guelph Politico received a video of someone accessing the website “michellebowman.ca”. Michelle Bowman is a candidate running in Ward 2 in this fall’s municipal election, so one would think that if you typed in her name with the domain extension “.ca” that it would lead to her website. It doesn’t. Barely three weeks into this election, do we already need to have a conservation about the rules and ethics of running for local office? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #525 – Election Skullduggery Already? (feat. Dylan McMahon)”

WELLINGTON COUNTY POLITICAST #524 – Ich bein eine Fergusonian (feat. Diane Ballantyne)

Centre Wellington is the largest municipality inside the county, and it includes Elora and Fergus. In the literal and figurative middle of Wellington, representing it around the council table, unsurprisingly, is a two-person job. From this vantage point, they must have a unique view of relations between the city and county, and one of those councillors has an even bigger vantage point then that? Continue reading “WELLINGTON COUNTY POLITICAST #524 – Ich bein eine Fergusonian (feat. Diane Ballantyne)”

GUELPH POLITICAST #523 – What’s Next 2026? Politics and Policing (feat. Chief Gord Cobey and Peter McSherry)

Is there a bigger political lightning rod when it comes to the City of Guelph budget than the police budget? For some people, we spend too much on the police and at the expense of expanded funding for social services, and for others we don’t spend nearly enough on the police. As we look to the next term at city hall, what challenges around policing will be presented to the new council? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #523 – What’s Next 2026? Politics and Policing (feat. Chief Gord Cobey and Peter McSherry)”

GUELPH POLITICAST #522 – The Year at Council… So Far (January to April)

Sure, it’s an election year, but that doesn’t mean that the current city council is coasting in their last year in office. The council calendar has been pretty busy these first four months of 2026, and some of the things that have kept them busy might surprise you. This week, if you don’t follow the news, or subscribe to this website, or have heard about it somewhere else, you will get your chance to catch-up on all the latest council business here. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #522 – The Year at Council… So Far (January to April)”

GUELPH POLITICAST #521 – One and Done (feat. Erin Caton & Michele Richardson)

Near the end of every council term, we invite the rookies who were elected in the previous election onto this podcast to talk about their experience. This time it’s different because one, there were so many new councillors in 2022, and two, in this case, we have two people who’ve decided that one term is enough. How can just four years on Guelph city council possibly be enough? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #521 – One and Done (feat. Erin Caton & Michele Richardson)”

GUELPH POLITICAST #520 – Earth Day Politics (feat. Mike Schreiner)

Today is Earth Day if you’re listening to this promptly on Wednesday, but it’s hard to think of a time in the last 30 years where it seems like the environment has been less of an issue. Despite the increasing frequency of dangerous weather events, the rapid loss of farmland, and concerns about ground water, environmental issues seem less and less to be a priority, and few people know that better than the Green Party of Ontario leader. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #520 – Earth Day Politics (feat. Mike Schreiner)”

GUELPH POLITICAST #519 – Habitat’s Silver Anniversary (feat. Sarah Spry)

It’s an interesting time for someone new to take on the reins of this organization, and not just because of the housing crisis. This is the 25th birthday of Habitat for Humanity in Guelph and Wellington, so it’s a time of celebration, along with a time of tremendous challenge. In the overwhelming crunch of the crisis, how does the brand name in affordable housing celebrate its silver anniversary? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #519 – Habitat’s Silver Anniversary (feat. Sarah Spry)”

WELLINGTON COUNTY POLITICAST #518 – Gently Down the Live Stream (feat. Jeff Duncan)

Wellington County’s Ward 9 is the Town of Erin, the eastern most end of the county and it faces a number of issues that might sound kind of familiar to politically tuned in Guelphites. How much do we have in common with our friends from Erin? That is a one of the questions that will guide this first entry in a brand new side story of the Guelph Politicast adventure as we start digging into the politics our our next door neighbours… Continue reading “WELLINGTON COUNTY POLITICAST #518 – Gently Down the Live Stream (feat. Jeff Duncan)”

GUELPH POLITICAST #517 – Pump Up the Volume for Campus Radio (feat. Barry Rooke)

Campus and community radio stations are under pressure from all sides: provincial governments, student governments, activists, advertisers and big tech. There’s a growing spectre of doom for campus media, and the people charged with supporting radio stations across Canada are looking to bolster themselves with help from a newly fiscally prudent federal government. So has time run out for your campus radio station? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #517 – Pump Up the Volume for Campus Radio (feat. Barry Rooke)”