For years, Guelph has been a hotbed of protest, a very politically inclined city on a variety of issues including climate change, poverty, workers rights, equality, Black Lives Matter, and the systemic abuse of Indigenous peoples. Last Wednesday, direct action was on display again as people gathered in Market Square, but this was a protest completely unlike any other in a number of ways, and we need to take a moment to unpack things. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #390 – How to Cover a Protest in 2023”
Tag: March
Tensions Fray as ‘Million’ Marchers Met Bigger Counter Protest at City Hall
Two things were observably true on Wednesday morning in Market Square: a planned demonstration by around 250 people under a banner called “1 Million March 4 Children” where met by a counter-protest three times its size, and there was considerable enmity between those two sides. All told, about a thousand people gathered in the one acre-sized square in front of City Hall but in ideology they were worlds apart. Continue reading “Tensions Fray as ‘Million’ Marchers Met Bigger Counter Protest at City Hall”
They’re Marching for Children, But Some Are Concerned There’s Another Message
The site of flags, signs and marchers through downtown is hardly an unfamiliar site for Guelph, and it will be seen again this coming Wednesday as a group of people will gather at City Hall and undertake a long march to College Avenue in the name of “Uniting diverse backgrounds and faiths” to eliminate “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) curriculum, pronouns, gender ideology and mixed bathrooms in schools.” But what does that mean? Continue reading “They’re Marching for Children, But Some Are Concerned There’s Another Message”
Guelph Women Call to “Break the Bias” in International Women’s Day Rally
March 8 is International Women’s Day, and a time to rally for more gender equality and support for the world’s women who make up a little more than half the population. In Guelph, that meant coming down to Market Square in front of city hall, hearing some speeches, and then marching around the downtown core to make your voice heard. That’s just what a group of over 100 people on Tuesday did to mark the occasion. Continue reading “Guelph Women Call to “Break the Bias” in International Women’s Day Rally”
It’s Provincial Voter Registration Month in Ontario, So Register
If you’re on this website, then you’re probably aware that there’s two elections coming up this year; a provincial election for the Ontario legislature this spring, and municipal elections for towns and cities around Ontario this fall. You may be surprised to learn though that March is Provincial Voter Registration Month. Well, Elections Ontario remembers, and they want you to use the next 31 days to make sure you’re on the list. Continue reading “It’s Provincial Voter Registration Month in Ontario, So Register”
Indigenous Leaders Offer Sorrow, Anger and Healing at Basilica Vigil
The news that an unmarked mass grave with 215 young Indigenous children had been uncovered on the grounds of the former Kamloops Residential School has become a national scandal, and a source of national grief and sorrow. Those emotions were expressed by hundreds of people from Guelph who showed up for a vigil in front of the Basilica of Our Lady on Tuesday evening. Continue reading “Indigenous Leaders Offer Sorrow, Anger and Healing at Basilica Vigil”
Hundreds Take to the Streets in Guelph to Support Palestinians
As bombs fell and rocket fire was exchanged in Israel again on Saturday, hundreds of Guelph residents attended a march downtown to support the Palestinian people who are once again barring the brunt of this new wave of violence in the Middle East. The large Guelph turnout was one of a number of such protests around Canada Saturday as local anger over international affairs boiled over. Continue reading “Hundreds Take to the Streets in Guelph to Support Palestinians”






