It was sudden though not terribly surprising last week when it was announced that local arts scion Sue Richards had passed away. She had been suffering from Parkinson’s Disease since 2007, but kept up the good fight up until last Saturday when she couldn’t outpace her illness anymore. Richards was only 56, but her legacy and contributions to the culture of the Royal City will be felt for years to come. Continue reading “Artist/Activist Sue Richards Passes Away”
A new candidate who entered the mayoral race this week hopes to shake things up, and he’s making a pretty big noise as he’s filing his papers. University of Waterloo professor Jason Blokhuis is the sixth candidate to declare for the mayor’s race in Guelph this election cycle, and he’s making a play to position himself as a middle path between incumbent Karen Farbridge and her immediate challenger Cam Guthrie. Continue reading “New Candidate Aims to Shake Up Mayor’s Race”
August 8 has always been a politically significant day, in 1942 it was the start of the Quiet India movement, in 1974 it was the day that Richard Nixon announced he was stepping down from the presidency, and in 1990 it was the day that Iraq invaded Kuwait, setting off a series of events that would lead to the Gulf War.
Now August 8 is the date when the Guelph Transit lockout ended and the buses will start rolling out onto city roads once more. The City of Guelph and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1189 have both ratified a new contract and service will be restored once schedules are made and the bus fleet is inspected, which should be Friday at the earliest. What’s in the agreement, and what’s next for riders? Read on… Continue reading “Guelph Transit Back Friday; ATU & City Both Ratify Agreement”
George Orwell’s 1945 political satire Animal Farm was about a group of animals who take over their farm from the drunk and inept Mr. Jones and enjoy success until the pigs that led the revolution become corrupt and human-like. Orwell was commenting on the Russian Revolution, but Animal Farm may be somewhat prescient in terms of the way the municipal election is shaking out in some quarters. You see, the animals are making a play to take over. Continue reading “This Municipal Election Year is an Animal Farm”
As the lockout of Guelph Transit nears the end of its second week, there’s a sign of hope that this time next week we may be able to get back on the buses again. Word came in late last night that the City of Guelph and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1189 have reached a tentative agreement.
The key point is that this means there’s no immediate end to the lockout. The ATU members will vote this coming Thursday, August 7, and if they vote to ratify, council will hold a special meeting to vote it through on their end. Meeting day and time to confirmed soon. Now the question is, for the union, will the third time be the charm? Continue reading “City & ATU Reach Tentative Agreement; Bus Service to be Restored After Ratification”
“It’s the economy, stupid.” That was once of the three messages that Democratic strategist James Carville created for Bill Clinton’s 1992 Presidential Campaign, and it worked. “It’s the economy, stupid,” might as well be on Anthony MacDonald’s campaign signs because if there’s a four word message from our interview, I think that is it. According to the Progressive Conservative candidate, and I quote, “there’s nothing more important than the economy.” The question is though, will Guelph think that MacDonald is the right man for the job and send him to Queen’s Park as its Member of Provincial Parliament? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #12 – Anthony MacDonald, Progressive Conservatives”
Both the national and provincial Communist Party have made their presence known in Guelph the last several years, and why not? It’s only fitting because the party, the second oldest registered political party in the country, was started right here in Guelph in 1921. For the last several years, Drew Garvie has carried the Communist flag – as it were – in the Royal City, but with Garvie moving on to Toronto, the local Communist Party has turned to Junita Burnett to speak for the working class in the 2014 Provincial Election. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #11 – Juanita Burnett, Communist Party of Ontario”
Arriving at the Essex Street campaign office for James Gordon, the candidate takes a minute to show my around his digs. He leads me to the back and says you’ll like this. He opens the door to a large backroom where in one corner there’s a stack of campaign signs, and in the other a drum kit and amps. It seems that you can take the boy out of the band, as it were, but then he brings the band with him onto the campaign trail. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #10 – James Gordon, New Democratic Party of Ontario”
When last we spoke to Liz Sandals during the 2011 Provincial election, she was merely a Liberal backbencher seeking to return to the Ontario Legislature. But now, she’s the Minister of Education, looking to help her new boss, Premier Kathleen Wynne, hold on to power in an increasingly divided and partisan Queen’s Park. Obviously, she likes her chances in spite of everything. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #9 – Liz Sandals, Liberal Party of Ontario”
So season three of the Guelph Politicast will cover the Guelph candidates running to the Royal City’s Member of Provincial Parliament. Obviously, the scheduling of the podcast will depend on the availability of the candidates, which is why it was something of a surprise when the first campaign to set a time and day for a sit down was the one being fronted by a provincial party leader. Yes, the first election edition Guelph Politicast of 2014 is with Mike Schreiner, leader of the Green Party of Ontario and the Green candidate for the riding of Guelph. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST – #8 – Mike Schreiner, Green Party of Ontario”
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