GUELPH POLITICAST #26 - Lloyd Longfield, MP-Elect

After nine years in the cold of the Opposition bench, Guelph has a seat in government again, and it will be filled by former Chamber of Commerce president Lloyd Longfield. The newly elected Libeal Member of Parliament for Guelph sat down with the Guelph Politicast this past week for his first, full-length post-election interview.

Halloween Warnings for Big Kids and Small Ones

Going into the Halloween weekend, the Guelph Police Service is warning kids of all ages to play it safe out there. 

GUELPH POLITICAST #25 - Greg Taylor, Ghost Walk of Guelph

The Albion Hotel, rumoured to be home to the ghost of Al Capone's Guelph girlfriend.

Just in time for Halloween, this episode of the Guelph Politicast is all about about ghosts. So who are you gonna call? Greg Taylor, the man behind the Ghost Walk of Guelph, of course.

Film from Budds Fire in 1965 Found and Posted

It was with saddness that Guelphites heard the news earlier this month that Budds would be closing its three locations in Kitchener, Guelph and Simcoe in the new year. On January 10, 1965 though, Budds came close to closing forever in Guelph 50 years in advanced when a fire broke out that Sunday afternoon and completely desimated the store at 111 Wyndham St. N. An 8mm film taken that day was recently donated to my friends at Ed Video, and it was digitzed and posted to YouTube for your historical pleasure.

Greens Say So Long, and Thanks for All the Votes

Obviously for local Greens there was some sense of disappointment with Monday's result in the Federal Election. Gord Miller was a good looking candidate in terms of resume, accomplishment and name recognition, and while he lead the Greens to a better showing than 2011 and pretty much finished even with the NDP, their hope was to send Miller to the House of Commons and sit next to Elizabeth May. But while, that wasn't meant to be, the campaign is expressing their gratitude to the Royal City.

Victory is Lloyd's as Guelph Becomes Part of Red Wave

Courtesy of @Kate_in_Guelph

Liberal candidate Lloyd Longfield not only held on to the riding of Guelph as the Grits were swept to power last night, he seemingly creamed all competition as the former Chamber of Commerce president took nearly 50 per cent of the vote in the Royal City.

The Bookshelf is Celebrating the Election

If you don't want to listen to CFRU's coverage of the election returns (and I can't imagine why you wouldn't), The Bookshelf has a way you can enjoy Election Night 2015 in a very social manner.

Wanna Watch the 'Election Day' Documentary?

ELECTION DAY IN CANADA: When Voter Suppression Comes Calling (promo short) from The Script & Film Co. on Vimeo.

I've written a couple of times now about the documentary Election Day: The Rise of Voter Suppression. It's hard to talk about a movie and get people excited about it when its in development without telling people when they might actually be able to see it. Good news then! Director Peter Smoczynski has posted a 50-minute "first cut" of the film that Canadians can watch for free for the next couple of days.

The Park Knight Returns - May Back Again for Guelph Townhall

She's baaaack. Single-handedly appearing in Guelph more than every other federal leader combined, Green Party leader Elizabeth May is coming to the Royal City again tonight to host a sequel to the townhall she held here last week.

Guelphites Rally Against Vote Suppression Pre-Election

With a little less than a week to go before the election, Fair Vote Guelph and the Guelph chapter of Council of Canadians invited people to come down to a rally against voter suppression downtown in front of Old Quebec Street Mall. There, in front of what Michael Keefer called the "crime scene," between 40 and 50 Guelphites recalled what happened in the last election, and promised to be onguard for any shenanigans that may occur on Monday.

Michael Keefer Warns to Stay Vigilante for Voter Suppression

Michael Keefer (second from left) at the Robocall townhall last January

One week from now, we will know with absolute certainty who the next government will be, whether or not it will last is another question all together. Still, the real question is whether or not the events of 2011 will repeat themselves, specifically, whether or not someone will try to disrupt the democratic process like one Pierre Poutine, who remains at large. University of Guelph Emeritus Professor Michael Keefer also has concerns, but fears it maybe too late to do anything about them.

Election Night Plans

A week from today, Canadians - or at least the ones that haven't been to the polls already - will vote for the 42nd Parliament of this Confederation. That night, Open Sources Guelph will hit the airwaves to broadcast the results from coast to coast to coast.

GUELPH POLITICAST #24 - Scott McGovern, Ed Video Media Arts Centre

Scott McGovern (R) with former Politicast guest David Knight

As you may or may not be aware, in my other life I'm involved with Ed Video Media Arts Centre and sit on the board of directors. Why should you care? Well, that's a disclaimer for this week's Guelph Politicast, in which I sit down with Scott McGovern, Programming Director of Ed Video, to talk about arts and culture in Canada, why the the topic doesn't get much discussion in an election campaign, and how the life and work of artists living in Canada is often misunderstood.

Sneak Peak at 'Election Day' Film Shows Great Promise

When Peter Smoczynski came to Guelph a few months ago with his documentary film project Election Day: The Rise of Voter Suppression, it was still in bite-sized pieces meant to galvanize the next phase of production. The version shown Saturday to a crowd of special guests and Fair Vote Guelph members was a movie now with form, though still incomplete. But in there was the beginning of something that promises to be both compelling and informational if you're someone that's concerned about the direction of our democracy.

GUELPH POLITICAST #23 - Miguel Figueroa, Leader, Communist Party of Canada

Party leaders don't come to Guelph a lot, and its rarer still that you get a chance to do a sit down interview with said leader. Welcome to the Communist Party of Canada. On Thursday, Miguel Figueroa, leader of the CPC, was in Guelph to support his local candidate Tristan Dineen, and to talk candidly with young people at the University of Guelph about society's ills about how the ideals of communism might be the cure.

Heckling Pushes Candidates to Be on Point at U of G Debate

Just two days after a showdown at Cutten Fields that was telecast on Rogers, the candidates gathered again to debate, this time at Peter Clark Hall in the basement of the University of Guelph's University Centre, and for the first time with all seven Guelph candidates on the same stage. What followed was a sometimes funny, sometimes informative, and sometimes hostile debate as all the candidates struggled to sell their platforms to a cynical and engaged lunchtime university crowd.