Nearly two years after Minnesotan George Floyd was killed in police custody and causing an explosion in awareness of systemic racism, the City of Guelph has delivered an important addendum to the Community Plan. Called “We are Community”, the new section released Friday will work to guide the City’s goal of creating more equity, and eliminating systemic racism to make sure everyone feels like they belong. Continue reading ““We are Community” is the Rallying Cry to Fight Systemic Racism”
With all things COVID back on the front burner, it’s easy to temporarily forget everything that happened in the last few years around fighting systemic racism and embracing social justice. The City of Guelph is trying to make progress towards a more equitable and representative system seriously, but let’s ask the person who knows best: Is the City of Guelph making real progress on tackling issues of systemic racism? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #306 – Taking the System Out of Systemic Racism”
Nearly one-year on from a seismic shift on equality and social justice felt in the year 2020, the demands for change were still heard loudly throughout 2021. From a very consequential decision made by the local school board, to a major break in the demand for Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous people, to all the various humanitarian and equity issues in between, this was a very busy year on the social justice file. Let’s recap. Continue reading “Painting the Town Orange and Other Stories: 2022 in Social Justice”
The Upper Grand District School Board voted to discontinue its School Resource Officer (SRO) program at the board’s monthly meeting on Tuesday night. After nearly a year of work, the board enacted all the recommendations of the Police Presence in Schools Task Force, which effectively ends a program to have police officers regularly in schools, but maintains a relationship between schools and police. Continue reading “Upper Grand School Board Votes to End School Resource Officer Program”
A workshop on ending systemic racism is the topic of this meeting. You can click here for the agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s council meeting, you can follow along on Twitter, or follow the tweets below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for November 16, 2020”
Back in June, 5,000 people gathered in front of Guelph City Hall to show their support for a more equal and just society. Five months later, the people that work inside City Hall (or are temporarily working remotely from home) will be meeting to look at how they can reflect those values, and try to strive towards solutions, in the latest in a series of council workshops. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 16 Meeting?”
This is where the hard work of changing the system, and combating systemic racism, begins. For almost two months there have been marches, demonstrations and meetings all designed to promote the cause, but if we’re going to tear down the system, and build something more equitable, it’s going to be a more long term fight. So how do we begin? Why don’t we begin with this podcast? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #229 – Black Votes Matter!”
People around the world have been watching the events unfolding in the United States last weekend, and some of those people live in Guelph. As we struggle with our own feelings about the death of another Black man in police custody, and we think about our own roles in combating anti-Black racism, Guelph’s leaders have been offering words of comfort, understanding, and self-reflection. Continue reading “Guelph’s Leaders Offer Messages of Hope and Encouragement”
It’s Labour Day, which means for most a chance to rest and recreate, but in Riverside Park every year, it’s a chance for organized labour to stand in solidarity with their fellow union employees. This year, with a Federal election on the horizon, and the spectre of Provincial cutbacks, things were slightly more political than usual. Continue reading “Solidarity Forever, But Surrounded By Politics at the Labour Day Picnic”
What was supposed to be the most controversial political of the season has been cancelled out of “safety concerns.” The local Electoral District Association of the People’s Party of Canada has called off a town hall with party leader Maxime Bernier due to supposed fears of violence stemming from planned protests by local groups. Continue reading “People’s Party Cancels Bernier Event Due to “Safety Concerns””
Guelph Politico 