Category: Guelph Politicast

GUELPH POLITICAST #431 – Space, Supply and Stigma (feat. Jean Hopkins and Leandra Gilbert)

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As we do at the end of August, we’re marking Drug Poisoning Awareness Day, and it hasn’t been a great week for the people fighting this issue. Last week, the Ontario government decided that no safe consumption site can be within 200 metres of a school or daycare, including the one at Guelph Community Health Centre. The drug poisoning crisis is not getting any better, and now there’s the possibility that it’s going to get worse. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #431 – Space, Supply and Stigma (feat. Jean Hopkins and Leandra Gilbert)” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #Repeat – Mike’s Homes (feat. Mike Schreiner)

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Housing. It’s an easy problem to diagnosis but it’s a hard problem to solve it seems, and that has seems to have stopped the Government of Ontario from even trying. Cabinet ministers have probably been getting an earful about that this week at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, but there’s one member at Queen’s Park that still hasn’t given up, and you will never guess who… Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #Repeat – Mike’s Homes (feat. Mike Schreiner)” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #Repeat – How the Greenbelt Was Won (feat. Kevin Thomason)

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It was about this time last year that the so-called Greenbelt scandal blew-up. Although the issue had been simmering since fall 2022, the persistent efforts of journalists and activists to get to the bottom of the decision to separate and sell-off portions of protected land resulted in the land being restored, the minister responsible replaced, and the RCMP looking into whether or not anything criminal happened. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #Repeat – How the Greenbelt Was Won (feat. Kevin Thomason)” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #430 – Caution’s Creek Part 2: The Future

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It took a while to get here, but the Grand River Conservation Authority membership last month approved a management plan for the Niska lands, aka: the old Kortright Waterfowl Park, but this is not the end of the journey. For nearly 20 years there’s been a fierce back and forth about what comes next for the property and who’s responsible for its protection, but even with a plan in place now it doesn’t mean that the controversy is over. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #430 – Caution’s Creek Part 2: The Future” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #429 – The Secrets of Stonehenge… The Guelph One (feat. Kristen Kerr)

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A couple of weeks ago at city council, a group of leaders representing four frontline agencies appeared to support the idea of a tiny home project in Guelph. The head of the Guelph Community Health Centre appeared on this podcast a few months ago, and so did the head of the Canadian Mental Health Association, plus the CEO of Guelph General Hospital was our special Christmas guest this past December. So if you’ve been counting, that leaves one more… Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #429 – The Secrets of Stonehenge… The Guelph One (feat. Kristen Kerr)” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #428 – The S#!t Disturber (feat. Mike Sullivan)

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What could have been a small one-day story about disagreements around the table at Stratford city council has become emblematic of a bigger issue. Aside from the fine line between criticism of our civic leaders and outright threatening behaviour, there’s also a question about whether their mayor and council are being as open and transparent as it should be, and one man – famously – has his doubts. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #428 – The S#!t Disturber (feat. Mike Sullivan)” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #427 – The Squeeze

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The housing and affordability issues are massive, and to think that one action at one level of government is going to have a measurable impact is not understand that. This week at city hall, Guelph council will talk about proceeding with a tiny homes encampment, but that’s one finger in one hole of a dam that needs a lot of repairs. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #427 – The Squeeze” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #426 – The Year at Committees So Far…

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There’s a lot of work when it comes to the grind of municipal governance and policy development, but it doesn’t always start with city council (though it does often end with them). So on this episode of the podcast we’re going to try and cram six months of work by eight different committees into 30 minutes of audio, from the retirement of the library’s head to the debate over a bus chime to the ongoing issues around housing. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #426 – The Year at Committees So Far…” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #425 – Understanding Homelessness (feat. Dr. Erin Dej)

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Our daily news is overflowing with stories about the breadth of the housing crisis, and governments are responding with new measures and funding, but these actions are based in a system that wasn’t designed to handle a problem this massive, or this complicated. This partially explains why nothing we’ve tried so far has had the impact we’ve wanted, so do we truly understand homelessness on a systemic level? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #425 – Understanding Homelessness (feat. Dr. Erin Dej)” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #424 – Inside Hillside (feat. Kate Johnston)

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Hillside Festival. Have you heard of it? Every July, the population of Guelph decreases, and the population of the island in Guelph Lake radically increases. They’re all drawn there for an annual celebration of music and community that’s still going strong after 40 years, and this is despite changing musical tastes, changing economic concerns, and even a global pandemic. So what’s the secret to their ongoing success? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #424 – Inside Hillside (feat. Kate Johnston)” →