We’ve always thought of Guelph as a uniquely artsy place, but is that still the case? Like with just about every aspect of life, COVID-19 had an effect on the arts; it’s hard to get out and see a band, or a local theatrical production, or to take part in a local festival when there’s no going outside. But as we recover from COVID we’re learning that the pandemic is not the only pressure point on the arts and local artists. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #365 – The State of the Arts”
It was this week three years ago when the City of Guelph announced that they were closing all their public facilities, when the University of Guelph started sending all students in residents home, when all Guelph students started online learning, and every business in town, except for the most essential, closed their doors. It was start of the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, and three years later we still have questions. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #364 – COVID Questions Remain”
This month’s meeting of the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Board of Health seemed to be mostly about looking ahead. While there are still issues around COVID-19, there was a lot of discussion around other public health matters like young people and making sure they’ve gotten all their other vaccination shots, plus also some initial conversation about planning for the future of public health beyond COVID. Continue reading “RECAP: Board of Health Looks to the Future, Including Catch-Up Jabs for Kids”
For this first new podcast of 2023, let’s clear the air. In the process of going non-stop, 52 weeks a year on all the issues that come at us on a regular basis, how often do we just stop and take stock? How can we keep up with everything and not get caught in the undertow? How can we overcome that feeling that we’re not doing enough and stay hopeful in an ever changing world? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #359 – Starting Fresh”
The Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Board of Health will welcome February with their monthly meeting, and it will be a very interesting agenda that will look at the programs that might have suffered from all the emphasis on COVID-19 in the last few years, and the immediate plans and priorities for the public health unit in the next 12 months. Infectious diseases is going to be a pretty big topic, but this won’t be the COVID-19 show. Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Board of Health Meeting for February 1, 2023”
Every year, the Mayor of Guelph is invited to an event called the State of the City where he or she gives a speech to the members of the Chamber of Commerce about the current issues facing Guelph and how city council plans on addressing them. It once was said that to understand the future, you have to look to the past, so what was on the mayor’s mind last year when he talked to the Chamber? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #358 – The State of the City, A Year Ago”
For the last couple of years, we’ve used the Christmas week episode of the podcast to sit down with an influential Guelphite and talk a little more broadly about life and politics while looking back at some of the year’s highlights. This week’s podcast interview comes to you via a Zoom call from the hallways of Parliament Hill, which was the site of what the Canadian Press calls the Biggest Story of the Year. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #353 – Christmas With Lloyd”
Now you may be asking yourself, “The COVID-19 Assessment Centre is still in business?” As a matter of fact, it is. It’s still on Southgate Road in the south end, and it’s still a resource for people who’ve caught COVID-19, but in the wake of a super-charged cold and flu season, plus the high number of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases, local medical authorities have made the call that the COVID assessment centre needs to expand services. Continue reading “COVID Assessment Centre Now Does Cold and Flu Too”
It’s probably not the news anyone wants to hear, but it’s probably the news we’re going to have to get used to hearing as we move deeper into the fall and winter seasons. Not only does Guelph General Hospital now have one COVID-19 outbreak, it has three. The three separate units on three separate floors are now closed to all visitors except for the ones who are there on compassionate grounds. Continue reading “No Less Than Three COVID-19 Outbreaks Now at Guelph General”
Have you ever stopped to think about all the waste generated in the last 30 months since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic? How many masks, gloves, wipes, syringes and containers we’ve thrown away? It’s an interesting question, and some scientists are trying to get answers about all this extra garbage we’ve created and the effect it’s having on our environment. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #340 – The Post-Pandemic Plastic Problem”
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