Category: Guelph Politicast

GUELPH POLITICAST #474 – Running on Empties (feat. Karen Wirsig)

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When Doug Ford and the Ontario government announced that they were expanding alcohol sales to grocery and convenience stores it was seen as a positive move to break up a government monopoly, but The Beer Store still has one important piece of that monopoly: returns. It was an effective example of what we now call the circular economy, but in making alcohol more available, has it cost us the most successful recycling program we’ve ever had? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #474 – Running on Empties (feat. Karen Wirsig)” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #473 – Can A.I. Make Public Health Better? (feat. Michael Whyte and Justin Angevaare)

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Data is key to guiding health policy, and health units collect a lot of it, but formatting it, organizing it, and looking for patterns in it can be time consuming, meaning that you’re doing a lot of labour that has nothing to do with creating the actual health policy or solving a public health issue. If you’re thinking to yourself that this sounds like an ideal solution for artificial intelligence, you’re right! Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #473 – Can A.I. Make Public Health Better? (feat. Michael Whyte and Justin Angevaare)” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #472 – The Burnout is Real, and Now There’s Data (feat. Anouk Bertner)

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Last week, Future of Good released their first ever Changemaker Wellbeing Index, which highlights the pressures facing the workers in the non-profit sector and the results paint an increasingly bleak picture. They also paint a coherent picture, putting together the various pieces that we’ve been hearing about these last few years: Organizations are struggling for money, staff and volunteers, and now we have the data!
Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #472 – The Burnout is Real, and Now There’s Data (feat. Anouk Bertner)” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #471 – The Year at Council So Far Part 1 (January-April)

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This week Guelph city council is taking a holiday break, and perhaps understandably, because it has been a very busy year in the chambers so far. The first four months of the year brought a lot of change, a lot of drama, and some pretty big decisions that tested the fiscal and political capacity of a rapidly growing Ontario city. Now, we will pause and take stock of just how far we’ve come so far… Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #471 – The Year at Council So Far Part 1 (January-April)” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #470 – The Poverty Elimination Gut Check (feat. Dominica McPherson)

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We have a weird situation: We’ve elected two new governments at both upper levels in the last four months and the hope is that they can turn things around, and yet, these are also, essentially, the old governments. How can we possibly expect better results from the new old people in charge, and are we even more alone than ever here on the local level? We’ll put this to one of the people whose job it is to advocate. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #470 – The Poverty Elimination Gut Check (feat. Dominica McPherson)” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #469 – Whatever Happened to “Sunny Ways”? (feat. Mustafa Zuberi)

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The recent federal election was the formal turning of the page from the premiership of Justin Trudeau to the one led by Mark Carney. For long-time political observers, the difference between the two men in both style and substance is stark, but there’s no doubt that the change in leadership in March is at least half the reason the Liberals got a near majority last week. And yet, the question remains: What happened to Trudeau-mania? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #469 – Whatever Happened to “Sunny Ways”? (feat. Mustafa Zuberi)” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #468 – The Slow March to 169 (feat. The CFRU News Team)

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By the time you’re listening to this you know how it all turned out: Carney’s the PM, a plurality of voters went Conservative though not enough in Carleton to send the leader back to the House. The NDP are decimated, the Greens are down to one seat again, and the Bloc have called a truce in the name of “national unity”(?). What an election! Let’s live through it all again!! Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #468 – The Slow March to 169 (feat. The CFRU News Team)” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #467 – The Two Guelphs Election (feat. Scotty Hertz)

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If you listen to this show promptly on Wednesday then it’s just five more sleeps till Election Day! About a quarter of us have been so excited that we just couldn’t wait to vote; 7.3 million Canadians made voting part of their Easter weekend festivities, a new record. What’s been driving all this excitement? What about the party platforms? The manoeuvres of the national party leaders? And what the hell happened at those post-debate scrums? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #467 – The Two Guelphs Election (feat. Scotty Hertz)” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #466 – Remember The Alma? Oh.

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We’re at the end of another school year, and while some students are looking forward to summer, they’re also looking forward to next fall. Or perhaps even stressing over it. Housing is a big issue in Guelph, and it’s somehow even bigger when it comes to student housing. Last summer, the largest first-year student enrolment ever weighed on students and the greater Guelph community, but relief may be coming if city council doesn’t get in the way(?). Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #466 – Remember The Alma? Oh.” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #465 – How Do You Fill a Council Vacancy?

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These are busy days at Politico HQ. There’s a federal election on right now, and Guelph has become so big that it’s spread over two ridings with so far a dozen candidates vying to be the next Members of Parliament. If one candidate in particular is successful then that means there will be a vacancy on Guelph city council. What happens then? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #465 – How Do You Fill a Council Vacancy?” →