While everyone’s been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been another public health crisis unfolding at the same time without nearly the same degree of attention. From social isolation to tainted supply and the difficulty in accessing services, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the opioid pandemic, but there may be some relief at hand for Guelph and Wellington substance users. Continue reading “Community Health Gets $1.1 Million to Expand Safe Supply Program”
The last time that Dr. Nicola Mercer was on the show, we were on the downward slide from the second wave, the vaccine rollout was moving slowly, and there was a vague hopefulness for a brighter spring. Now, it’s almost summer, the third wave is still strong, but progress is being made to get more people shots, but even that move has had very public hiccups that are crying out for an in-depth discussion. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #274 – Still COVID [Spring Edition] with Dr. Tenenbaum”
It’s been a difficult few weeks down at Queen’s Park as the government has struggled in its response to the third wave of the pandemic. There’s been a lot of criticism about the decisions being made by Premier Doug Ford and his ministers, and a lot of struggle by Premier Ford and his ministers to undo some of their bad media coverage. How are they doing? Let’s talk to Guelph’s own Member of Provincial Parliament. Continue reading “Schreiner Slams Ford for Lack of Pandemic Leadership on Open Sources”
Premier Doug Ford appeared in front of cameras for the first time in almost two weeks to announce that restrictions on outdoor recreation facilities will be lifted on June 2, but he then blamed snow birds, the Federal government, and people with private jets for the present predicament. Ford explained that Ontario has to say the course to have the “most normal July and August as possible,” but there are still conditions. Continue reading “Ford Intends to Have the “Most Normal July and August as Possible””
These days, more and more people have used the pandemic to discover new creative resources, while professional artists have struggled to earn a living without access to the live venues and events from which they usually collect the majority of their income. From new programs to virtual events, it’s been a long, hard road for the Guelph Arts Council for the last 15 months, and it’s not over yet. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #273 – The Pandemic Arts”
A formal re-opening of the economy may still be weeks away, but for businesses that have had to remain open, or are looking to re-open in the future, will have an easier time of it with a new program from the Guelph Chamber of Commerce and Innovation Guelph. Starting today, the Chamber is making COVID-19 rapid test screening available to Guelph’s small and medium-sized businesses as part of a Federal and Provincial joint program. Continue reading “Chamber Making COVID Tests Available to Small Businesses”
For a month now, a small group of people have been gathering in Market Square every SAturday to protest Ontario’s COVID response. It’s impossible to distill the beliefs of everyone there into a simple sentence or paragraph, but there was one thing abundantly clear at the most recent gathering: Whatever welcome members of the local media had at these gatherings, it has more or less expired. Continue reading “Anti-Lockdown Protests Week #4: No Speeches, No Interviews, Lots of Yelling!”
It’s not exactly the news you want to post as the region continues to struggle to get COVID-19 under control, but the Guelph General Hospital announced on Wednesday night that they’re now dealing with another outbreak in two of their wings. Four patients and one staff member have been hit by the virus, as Guelph’s Hospital stands as the only institution in Wellington, Dufferin, and Guelph now dealing with a COVID outbreak. Continue reading “New COVID Outbreak in Guelph General Hits Two Wings”
It’s time for another Committee of the Whole meeting! You can click here for the amended 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: Committee of the Whole Meeting for May 3, 2021”
Since the advent of the first COVID-19 vaccine, and well before that during the course of their development, there was a lot of concern, both legitimate and erroneous, about the potential side effects. Doctors and public health officials have been pretty open about what to expect when you get the shot, but there’s no substitute for your own experience. So, for posterity, the author Guelph Politico will record here his reaction to his first COVID vaccine shot. Continue reading “Reporter’s Notebook: How Did it Feel to Get Vaccinated?”
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