GUELPH POLITICAST #448 – Christmas With Kevin (feat. Kevin Coghill)

It makes sense spending Christmas with a Kevin. The Kevin we’re talking to this Christmas though sits at the intersection of fighting poverty practically and fighting a growing spiritual malaise. In fact, he was the first and most obvious choice for this year’s holiday chat by the fireside, and he joins us this week to not only talk about the crisis around homelessness, but also the accompanying crisis of compassion. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #448 – Christmas With Kevin (feat. Kevin Coghill)”

GUELPH POLITICAST #447 – The Strong Mayor Year (feat. Cam Guthrie)

What do you think this year will be remembered for in the annals of Guelph history? Will it be the debate over the Public Space Use Bylaw? Was it the announced closure of the consumption and treatment site downtown? Was it when the mayor re-opened the 2025 budget to try and shave off two-thirds of the proposed levy increase? In any event, all roads lead back to one place, or rather, one person. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #447 – The Strong Mayor Year (feat. Cam Guthrie)”

GUELPH POLITICAST #446 – The Good Old Guelph (feat. Stephen Robinson & Jack Mallon)

There has been a lot of heritage news this year, and especially in the last couple of weeks. This should not be surprising because heritage staff in all municipalities have been in a mad scramble these last few years to designate as much heritage as possible before the end of this year due to Bill 23. That changed back in the spring, so it’s probably a good time now to catch our breathe and look at the work done so far, and all the work that is to come. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #446 – The Good Old Guelph (feat. Stephen Robinson & Jack Mallon)”

GUELPH POLITICAST #445 – New Blue Box, Same as the Old Blue Box (feat. Cam Walsh)

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. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #445 – New Blue Box, Same as the Old Blue Box (feat. Cam Walsh)”

GUELPH POLITICAST #444 – The Ongoing Struggle at Community Living (feat. Cindy Kinnon)

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. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #444 – The Ongoing Struggle at Community Living (feat. Cindy Kinnon)”

GUELPH POLITICAST #443 – The Aftermath Downtown

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. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #443 – The Aftermath Downtown”

GUELPH POLITICAST #442 – The War on Bike Lanes (feat. Mike Darmon & Adrian Salvatore)

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? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #442 – The War on Bike Lanes (feat. Mike Darmon & Adrian Salvatore)”

GUELPH POLITICAST #441 – The AAC Spills the Tea (feat. Lorelei Root)

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. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #441 – The AAC Spills the Tea (feat. Lorelei Root)”

GUELPH POLITICAST #440 – The Wheels Off the Bus? (feat. Scott Bate)

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? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #440 – The Wheels Off the Bus? (feat. Scott Bate)”

GUELPH POLITICAST #439 – Guelph Stuff (feat. Scotty Hertz)

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! Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #439 – Guelph Stuff (feat. Scotty Hertz)”