GUELPH POLITICAST #102 - Emma Rogers, United Way Guelph-Wellington-Dufferin

Now that Halloween is finally out of the way, we can focus on the holiday that really matters: Black Friday! Kidding aside, retailers across town are eager to begin the busy Christmas shopping period, but the holiday season is supposed to be about more than just spending, it's also supposed to be about giving. To that end, efforts are already underway at the United Way.

Schreiner and May Smell Electoral Success in Open Guelph Race

"Guelph is a green town," declared Elizabeth May. The Green Party of Canada leader meant small 'g', not capital 'G' of course, but if it all goes according to plan, then this time next year, May and her Ontario counterpart, Mike Schreiner, will be able to boast that Guelph is both "green" and "Green".

A Quick Note About Election Coverage

So here we are, another Federal campaign. This blog started with a Federal election, the 2008 by-election to replace Brenda Chamberlain as Member of Parliament for Guelph, and that became the full-blown 2008 Federal Election exactly one day before it was over. We made it though 2011, after which we were assured thanks to a majority for the Conservatives that we'd have a four years till the next one. So here we are, and I'm sure you're wondering what I have cooking...

Guelph Citizen Digs Into Campaign Expenses

Doing their due diligence on the money front from last fall's Municipal Election, Andy Best at the Guelph Citizen posted a breakdown of how much the current members of council spent in order to win their seats. For council candidates, the spending limit is between $16 to $18,000 depending on the ward they're running in, while there's a $82,000 limit for mayor. For the most part, the candidates didn't get near their spending limits, but the numbers, as pointed out by the Citizen, do show some interesting trends.

6.5 Tons of Food for Guelph After Ambulance Stuffed

Christmas is a time of giving and Guelph gave, and gave, and gave this year. The Guelph Police Service announced the results of their thrid annual Stuff and Ambulance campaign, and the results were impressive. I almost think that the Royal City should upgarde to a "Stuff a Bus" campaign a la Waterloo Region. That's not up to me, obviously, but what I can report is that the Guelph Food Bank, which I profiled in a recent Guelph Politicast, is getting about seven more tons of food soon. Just in time for the holidays. 

Cartoon Wars

The discussion about election matters in the last couple of weeks has turned nasty. Well, the conversation is about nastiness, not necessarily that people talking about it are being nasty to each other (although from what I've heard there's some of that too). Since I'm a lover of all things cultural, one recent trend in particular caught my eye, and that was a pair of cartoons by noted Guelph cartoonists that have headed waist deep into the campaign, and they seem to have a common target in mind.

With VIDEO - Farbridge Launches Campaign with Broadsides Against Front-runner

Being ushered to the train station on the corner of Carden and Wyndham Streets by a brass quartet, one might be confused as to whether or not Mayor Karen Farbridge was kicking off her campaign with a joyful tone or with a New Orleans-style funeral procession. When she began to speak, however, there was no doubt that Farbridge is in it to win it. Ferociously defensive of her leadership-style and he vision as mayor, Farbridge made it perfectly clear that she's out to secure her fourth term in office despite the polls or the perceptions of the pundit class.

Communist Leader Rowley Returning to Guelph Tomorrow

As per usual with an election campaign, the party leaders are coming through town for a visit: Kathleen Wynne's been here, so has Tim Hudak and Andrea Horwath, and Micke Shreiner's been here the whole time. Next up is Liz Rowley, leader of the Communist Party of Ontario. She always stops by in the course of the campaign, and the 2014 race is no exception with a visit to the University of Guelph campus, and Guelph candidate Juanita Burnett, tomorrow night.

Would You Trust Your Money to This Acronym?

It appears that the Guelph chapter of the Ontario Public Interest Group (OPIRG) is once again facing charges of being too radical a political group on the University of Guelph campus, and should have its funding pulled. Say what? Who could possibly have a problem with a group that's volunteer-driven, helps clean our river on a yearly basis, and raises awareness and promotes education on environmental and social justice issues?

CRTC Fines Valeriote for Campaign Ad

In the midst of the robocall scandal, Conservatives tried to pivot to the real villain: Liberal MP Frank Valeriote. 

During the 2011 Federal Election, Valeriote's campaign produced a robocall with someone clamming to be an ordinary citizen informing the voters of Conservative candidate Marty Burke's stand on abortion and trying to get the pro-choice vote out against him on Election Day. The problem was that the call was never identified as being from the Valeriote campaign, and thus came to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission for violation of telemarketing rules (and yes, there apparently are some). 

Ryan Rebuttle

It didn't take long for the Obama-Biden ticket to start cranking out the counter spin to today's announcement of Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wi) as Governor Mitt Romney's running mate in this fall's U.S. Presidential election. Surrogates on behalf of President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden sent out two e-mails in eight hours to supporters in an effort to start deflating the GOP's celebratory mood, by attacking Ryan on his background and policy, particularly his proposed federal budget, Roadmap for America’s Future, which includes new tax cuts, deep spending cuts and privatization of entitlements like medicare.

Schirk Says Voting is Easy... And Cool

To complete this rather busy political day, I'm posting this press release I got from the Greg Schirk campaign encouraging everyone to get out and vote. I like the message, because as much as our elections sometimes sink to the depths of partisanship, which may be a nice name to explain a wide variety of civil discourse, both positive and negative, the most important thing of all is get out and vote. It's where your voice really matters after all.

--PRESS RELEASE--

Greg Schirk, Guelph’s Progressive Conservative candidate, voted today at the advance poll set up by Elections Ontario in City Hall. He found the process quick and easy, and encourages all eligible voters in Guelph to exercise their democratic right and cast their ballot at an advance poll today or tomorrow, or on October 6th.

Greg wants to remind voters that “the Ontario provincial government – NOT the Federal government or the government of the City of Guelph -- is responsible for two really important areas that affect everyone and their future - health care and education. If you have an opinion about what you want heath care and education to be in Ontario, please take a few minutes to understand the platform of each political party, then vote for the one that best reflects your views.”

Greg also wants people to recognize that “the right to vote is the cornerstone of democracy. It is a fundamental democratic right that people in many countries do not have and are fighting for right now. We have it. We shouldn’t take it for granted.” Furthermore, “contrary to how many people feel, every vote really does count. It’s our way of making it clear to politicians the direction we want our governments to take over the next few years. The more votes, the clearer that message.”

Photo Bomb

Greg Schirk campaigner Allan Boynton sent this photo along shortly after the Premier's visit to Guelph this afternoon. It's the McGuinty campaign bus sitting parked along Carden Street in front of a "Wrong Way" sign, which I suppose for the partisan is good for a laugh. It's completely out of context, and I don't know why the campaign bus was stopped there. Perhaps McGuinty was hankering for some sushi, or perhaps he wanted to stop be the Cornerstone and do a cafe tour of Guelph, or maybe something caught his attention in the window at Dis-a-Ray. Of course the notion of Dalton McGuinty doing a pop-in at Ray Mitchell's store offers plenty of comedic material in and of itself, but I digress. Here's the photo:

YouTube Blast From The Past

As a subscriber to Retrontario's YouTube page, this little number appeared on my log-in screen today, practically screaming for my attention. Retrontario, for those of you who don't know, is a man who collects old VHS tapes of stuff people recorded off TV, and then digitizes them and posts them on You Tube. They're mostly commercials of just about every kind, from old Canadian Tire ads ("Give Like Santa, But Save Like Scrooge") to CityTV bumpers for old Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes ("Your Federation Station," bellows the late Mark Dailey).

The timing of this ad being uploaded is ideal on three counts, 1) It's from the 1985 provincial election, 2) It features a young and scrappy new leader of the New Democrats, and it features him in his first election, just two elections ahead of his eventual ascension to the Premier's office, and 3) That leader was Bob Rae, who is now, of course, interim head of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Let's roll the clip.

Guelph Politicast #4 - James Gordon

Will James Gordon be The Music Man that leads Guelph voters to an Orange Wave of our own on October 6th? He certainly thinks so. After years of combining his love of music with his love of community and social values, Gordon is putting his politics to the ultimate test by running as the NDP nominee for Guelph in this Provincial Election. 

From the arts (Hillside Festival), to the environment (Wellington Water Watchers), to community engagement (Guelph Civic League), Gordon has been immersed in politics for so long that running for political office is a natural next step. With a combination of experience and name cache, Gordon is sitting in prime position to make a solid run for Guelph's seat in Queen's Park, and in an Ontario-wide race that seems like a three-way dead heat, Gordon's chances are as good as anyone's. 

With so much to talk about, let's not waste anymore time. Click play below to start the podcast and my interview with James Gordon. 

Guelph Politicast #3 - Greg Schirk

After going from zero to campaign mode in just over a month, you would think that Greg Schirk would show the strain. He doesn't. In fact, he's beaming, and he talks very joyfully about how much he's enjoying the campaign trail. He could campaign forever, is the message I got, but all campaigns have to end sometime, and Schirk is looking to help the Provincial Tories breakthrough and retake Queen's Park after an eight year drought on October 6th. 

Of all the candidates, Schirk has arguably the best chance of unseating Liberal incumbent Liz Sandals, but he's not taking anything for granted. With a long history in Guelph and a background as a small businessman and salesman, he's got the right credentials to help promote the Tory platform of helping businesses and lowering taxes to get the economy back in the black, but as you listen to the interview you'll also note that Schirk is strong believer in grassroots organizing, and community-focused decision making. 

You can hear those and other tidbits by clicking play below, and, of course, if you haven't already, check out the previous podcasts with Steve Dyck and Drew Garvie.

Back on the Trail

Well, it's about half way through September, it's an election month and I've what, put up like three posts since the month began? Pretty pathetic, right? Well, pretty busy is more like it. I've spent the better part of the last two weeks covering the Toronto International Film Festival, and though we like to talk about what a multifaceted society we are, sometimes the reality is we can only take one thing at time. So that's where we are, mid-September and not a lot of movement on a political blog in the middle of an election campaign.

But that is about to change. With TIFF officially behind me I will be now moving on with election coverage from now until October 6th. Candidate interviews? Yes, I'll be doing candidate interviews, the first one is tomorrow point of fact. I'm doing something different this election season, I'll actually be producing podcasts of my candidate interviews, and I'm going to try and get all the candidates on a podcast. We'll see if I can do it, I have three out of five candidates booked so far. 

I'll also be trying to do daily posts, parsing the issues and checking out campaign events. We'll see what happens, but it's been a surprisingly quiet campaign so far. Maybe it's because of the ill-timed early September start of the election, a busy time with kids getting back to school and people getting back into their routines after August vacations, but every election has its own excitement, and now I'll be digging in to find it.

See you on the election trail.

Election News

Also in 2014.

As I was covering the opening of James Gordon's campaign office last night, something strange occured to me: I'm about to start covering the last campaign in Guelph till 2014. 

I know. It seems weird after having three elections in less than a year that we won't be having an election again until Fall 2014, the next municipal election. That's three long years with no election news. I might not even be still doing this blog in three years (although I probably will). 

Just a little reminder to enjoy this election season while you can. And get out and vote because we'll be stuck with our three levels of government for a while from October 7th on.

Gordon Opens Campaign Office with Tunes (and Speeches)

There were cupcakes with orange coloured icing, orange coloured punch, and, of course, oranges. So it must have been an NDP campaign event. 

James Gordon and staff officially opened their campaign office tonight offering a cozy atmosphere, light refreshments and some tunes in the old Alma Gallery space. Considering that Mayor Karen Farbridge used the space last fall in her successful re-election campaign bid, perhaps the Gordon crew are hoping the good karma will rub off. 

"It's new what we've got here," said Gordon kicking the night off in front of over 100 supporters and well-wishers, "It's democratic and it's a party."

Keeping that democratic spirit, Gordon introduced several key members of his campaign staff who then talked about their role in trying to colour Guelph orange on the electoral map this fall. Campaign manager Ravi Joshi said that he's going to do his part to make sure the Royal City elects an MPP that doesn't "bring Queen's Park to Guelph rather than send someone from Guelph to Queen's Park."

"James Gordon is a guy who can actually take our voice to Queen's Park and it's my job to amplify it," later added Communications Co-ordinator Erinn White. 

So far Gordon's off to a promising start. It was announced that to date, his campaign had raised $8,000 and there are already two more fundraisers scheduled to help carry him through to Election Day. Supporters were also encouraged to volunteer their time including helping out in the office and assisting the distribution of lawn signs.

Charlie Angus, NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay, was also on hand for the opening. Angus played some music, along with the candidate himself, and local favourite Tannis Slimmon. "Suddenly it's okay to for a musician to be an MP, and it's okay to bring music to politics," cheered Gordon before he broke into his first song of the night.

Check out a few pictures from the evening's festivities below.

James Gordon Wants to Come to Your House

The Provincial Election may still be a little over a month away from its official kick-off, but NDP candidate James Gordon wants to spend it talking to you, about the issues, in a comfortable setting: your house. I'll let the below video explain in detail, and following that is a the text from a post on Gordon's website about the subject.

I want to be your MPP for Guelph, and I understand the responsibility of carrying your voices to Queen’s Park. That’s why I want to hear from you.

In the month of August, I’ll be hosting sessions in homes across our city, talking with you about the things that matter most.

We’ll be talking about the issues that affect your neighbourhood.

We’ll be talking about greening our province in a way that Ontarians, and our earth, can afford.

We’ll share our vision for a more transparent and accountable health care system in Ontario.

We’ll collaborate about arts and culture, and all the things that make our community vibrant.

We'll look at how we can bring good jobs to Guelph - jobs that will help us build our bright future.

And we’ll plan ways to ensure everyone has access to a retirement with dignity and security.

We’ll be talking about what it really means to be a part of a strong and sustainable community.

We’ll share what we believe are our common values,  and brainstorm about how to make sure that those shared values can guide us in the choices we face.

We want to work together to make sure that we bring the true meaning of sustainability and accountability to Queen’s Park. I know the people of Guelph are up to the task. I know that the people who care deeply about our city are the ones who can change the way things are, who can make our city a better place to work and live and learn.  One of the things I love about this city is our spirit of creativity and innovation. Let’s use that spirit to design an exciting future for ourselves!

The NDP is the party that’s listening to what Ontarians need. And we need your voices and your insights to build this province.

This campaign is about the change we can make together. So, this summer, let’s talk.

I’ll be listening.