Category: Guelph Politicast

GUELPH POLITICAST #55 – Guelph Black Heritage Society

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It wasn’t too long after Upper Canada was established at the turn of the 19th century that the white settlers loyal to England started being joined by the Black slaves from the newly minted United States looking for somewhere they can be free. After Guelph was founded in 1827, the British Methodist Episcopal Church became a beacon, a safe space, for those people on the road to freedom along the Underground Railroad, and the Guelph Black Heritage Society want to reclaim that history.  Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #55 – Guelph Black Heritage Society” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #54 – Memories of Protesting Walmart

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It was a battle that unfolded for over a decade! An epic conflagration between small town Davids and corporate Goliaths. The Royal City has left its mark many times on history, and one of the most recent was during a decade long battle between a dedicated group of community activists and the world’s largest retail. Having said that, can you believe that its been 10 years since Walmart opened in Guelph, and now we have two of them? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #54 – Memories of Protesting Walmart” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #53 – Friends of the Guelph Public Library

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Ten years ago, council was talking about building a new main public library, and 10 years later… they’re still talking about it. But back in the heady, care-free days of the aughts, the goal seemed a lot closer, and a group of citizens thought they’d put their money where their mouth is by showing council what an appetite there was for a new, modern, state-of-the-art library and cultural centre. One decade, and a half a million dollars later, those people – and many, many more – still come out every year to show their love of books. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #53 – Friends of the Guelph Public Library” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #52 – Jeremy Luke Hill, Vocamus Press

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Once, there was an idea that the proliferation of computers and the internet would mean the end of the printed word. The prophecy is slowly coming true for newspapers and magazines, but it seems as though books have a resistance to the printing press killing powers of digital that those other things do not. In fact, like in other things, digital has made making books easier. Ask Jeremy Luke Hill. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #52 – Jeremy Luke Hill, Vocamus Press” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #51 – Fred Dahms, Author of ‘Conflict and Compromise’

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Political books are nothing new, but a book about Guelph politics? That has the Guelph Polticast written all over it! Conflict and Compromise: Politics and Planning in Guelph 2000-2015 is the new book from Dr. Fred Dahms, and if you’re looking for a good primer on how the City got from there to here on a wide variety of different issues, then you can’t do much better. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #51 – Fred Dahms, Author of ‘Conflict and Compromise’” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #50 – Susan Ratcliffe, Eden Mills Writers Festival

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Way back in 1989, Governor General Award winner, and Eden Mills, ON resident, Leon Rooke was releasing a new book. The proprietors of the Eden Mills General Store suggested that Leon hold his book launch on their lovely front steps, but for such an ostentatious venue, Rooke felt his own literary  presence wasn’t enough. So he invited other literary icons Rohinton Mistry, Michael Ondaatje, Jane Urquhart, and Linda Spalding to join him. It was, in effect, the first Eden Mills Writers Festival, and it’s still going strong. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #50 – Susan Ratcliffe, Eden Mills Writers Festival” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #49 – Live (ish) From the Labour Day Picnic

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This past Monday was Labour Day, and let’s face it, sometimes in the rush to enjoy the last long weekend of summer, we forget that there’s a story behind it, a long history of workers standing up for their rights, often with an organized union having their backs. These aren’t the best of times for unions, but as you’ll learn from this Guelph Politicast, they’re are also far from the worst. Yet. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #49 – Live (ish) From the Labour Day Picnic” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #48 – Food Trucks in Guelph

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Can you smell what the trucks are cooking? Guelphites certainly have been this summer as the City has experimented with new rules and regulations for the roll out (pun intended) of food trucks in the Royal City. In years gone by, the most you can expect in terms of “meals on wheels” was a hot dog cart; I myself have found memories of the chip wagon strategically situated between my house and my high school in Georgetown, but as we’ve seen this summer, the food truck business is incredibly more diverse than we might have once thought possible. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #48 – Food Trucks in Guelph” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #47 – Stephen O’Brien, City Clerk

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The subtitle for this week’s episode might well be “How does city council work?” Or at least, how does something transform from being an idea or suggestion into a new by-law or policy. Change is always inevitable, and there’s a fairly significant change coming to the way council is conducted next month, the switch over from a standing committee model to a Committee-of-the-Whole one. So I thought, “Why not combine the ideas?” Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #47 – Stephen O’Brien, City Clerk” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #46 – Nightlife Task Force

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It’s coming! Or rather, They’re coming! Back to School time will soon be upon us, and along with heading back to the books, the classes, the seminars, the study sessions, and the seemingly never-ending stream of projects, essays, and reports, the students of the University of Guelph will soon be coming back… to party! That may be an over-generalization, but it’s also true that Downtown Guelph is going to get very busy again on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. This is where the Nightlife Task Force comes into play. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #46 – Nightlife Task Force” →