Fair Vote Blinds Longfield with Electoral Reform Science

On Friday morning, Fair Vote Canada demonstrated in front of the constituency office of Lloyd Longfield on Cork St. ahead of a meeting the the Member of Parliament for Guelph. According to organizers, a meeting with Longfield last month was positive, but the MP didn't think that Guelph cared enough to make the issue a priority. Fair Vote begged to differ.

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.

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.

The Official Ballot for Guelph for #elxn42

The last day to submit your nomination papers to become a candidate in the 42nd Canadian General Election was Monday. Today, Elections Canada released the final list of candidates for your consideration this election. When you go to vote on October 19 (or before), this is what your ballot will look like:

Rapid Fire Chamber Debate Tests Four Major Party Candidates

 

It was standing room only at Cutten Fields tonight as the four major party candidates for Guelph took part in the third debate of the election campaign. Hosted by the Guelph Chamber of Commerce and broadcast live to air on Rogers Channel 20, this debate was by far the most lively, and it was the first to include the Conservative candidate Gloria Kovach.

Some Sparks, Not Many, at Social Justice Debate

Without Conservative candidate Gloria Kovach, the social justice debate hosted by Guelph / Wellington Coalition for Social Justice and the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario didn't have a lot of life, but in front of a packed house at the Italian Canadian Club, there were some contentious moments.

Upcoming Election Events in Guelph

As of today, there's just one month left till Election Day. With the campaign heating up, there's a lot of election related events happening in the next couple of weeks. Here is a sampling:

Elizabeth May Warns of Robocalls and Other Shenanigans

Elizabeth May brought the Green Party national campaign to the University of Guelph earlier today to talk about their platform for education in Canada. The conversation after the announcement though turned to the young people the Green Party and May are courting, and whether or not they might be depended upon to make it out to the polls on October 19. May's answer reference a fairly infamous chapter in Guelph political history.

May Pledges Support for Students at U of G

Green Party leader Elizabeth May once again graced Guelph with her presence Wednesday in order to announce a major policy initiative to address the needs of Canada's students. On the porch of Raithby House, in front of a growing, curious crowd of students, May promised to eliminate tuition and reign in student debt in a bid to motivate typically apathetic young people across the country a reason to paint their ridings green.

Fair Vote, Candidates Make Pitch for Electoral Reform

Although not explicitly an election event, it was hard not to feel a political atmosphere afoot at Fair Vote Guelph's "Your Vote Should Count" event last night. Over 200 people were at the Hope House downtown to see and hear from three of the four major party candidates on where they stand on electoral reform, as well as an informational talk from Fair Vote Canada as to the differences between "First Past the Post," our current system, and "Proportional Representation," which can take many different forms.

Guelph Gets a Libertarian Candidate

Guelph is never short of candidates representing smaller, independent parties outside of the big four; Kornelis Klevering of the Marijuana Party has already declared, and so has Tristan Dineen of the Communist Party. Well it turns out that Guelph also has a Libertarian candidate as well, and Alex Fekri is looking to represent his party in the Royal City on October 19. 

Open Sources Show Notes for Fall Election Coverage

Can you believe the 2015 Federal Campaign is already a month old? Neither can we, but as September begins, those of that run the wheels here at Open Sources Guelph are about to get serious with our campaign coverage, as the show post-Labour Day will start to share the mic with a rotating chair of local candidates who are all vying to become Guelph’s next Member of Parliament. Where do they stand on the issues? What do they want to do for the riding? What effect will their party’s victory on October 19th have on the country? Those are some of the questions we’ll put to our special guests, and here is when you can listen to their answers?