GUELPH POLITICAST #95 - Brad Evoy, OPIRG

You've heard the name, but what do you know about OPIRG aside from it being a group in Guelph that likes hugging trees and being total SJWs? Okay, so those things are technically true, and OPIRG is proud of it thank-you-very-much! But if you've ever wanted to go inside OPIRG and get the bigger picture about how and why they tick, then this podcast's for you.

Not Sure Who to Vote For? How About Declining the Vote?

The ennui of this election season is palpable, and the proof is that despite being up against a scandal-plagued, decade-old government, neither of the opposition parties can make a case for themselves as a replacement. The perpetual three-way race this election is surely infuriating for politicians, but its a reflection of the how the electorate feels: no one party has made a convincing pitch to take the Premier's office for undecided voters. So what is an undecided voter supposed to do? One Windsor activist has the answer: just don't vote.

Have Breakfast with GrassRoots Guelph

It's looks like GrassRoots Guelph is going to kick off the elction year using a traditional form of direct appeal: food. The group will be hosting its first major event at the Guelph Golf and Curling Club on Wednesday with it's "Breakfast Blast-off" which will include bacon, eggs and political discussion with Candice Malcolm of the Ontario chapter of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. Info concerning the event is outline from a GRG press release below:

Press Release - Run for Earth Hour

While I strongly support any activist action to combat global climate change, I have trouble with Earth Hour because if you can shut off non-essential lights for an hour one night a year, shouldn't you do that all year round? When it comes to these kinds of actions, it boils down to it being literally the very least you can do.

But they say it's the thought that counts, and this is a thought I can feel comfortable counting. Here's a press release promoting the 60km Community Relay for Earth Hour, which will take place on a week from Saturday on March 31st. All the details are below.

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60km Community Relay Keeps Momentum for Cutting Electricity - Guelph Lights Out Relay asks for mass participation to remind everyone to switch off lights for Earth Hour

(Guelph, On) March 19, 2012 – Once again, Guelph Environmental Leadership (GEL) is encouraging Guelph residents to join over one billion people worldwide calling for action on climate change by switching off non-essential lights for Earth Hour at 8:30 p.m. on March 31, 2012.

Invite to a Civics Lesson

Now that all these election stuff is out of the way for a little while, it's time to get down to the business of governing and active engagement. Don't know how? Well there's a workshop coming up that might show you the way. All details are contained below:

Guelph Civics 101 - Engaging Your City Hall

The Guelph Civic League, in partnership with the Central Student Association at the University of Guelph and CFRU 93.3 FM's Beyond the Ballot Box, has organized a unique event focused on understanding and engaging your city hall.

The event unfolds on Tuesday, October 18th, 7-9 pm at the new City Hall in downtown Guelph. The focus will be on a panel discussion.

Representing City of Guelph staff will be Barbara Powell, General Manager, Community Engagement and Social Service Liaison.

Councillor Leanne Piper will represent the perspective of Guelph City Council.

Judy Martin, of Sierra Club and Guelph Urban Forest Friends, will give her perspective on how citizens and citizen groups can engage City Hall.

Tim Mau from the University of Guelph's Political Science Department will be moderating (bios for the panellists and moderator can be found below).

A short tour of the Guelph City Hall council chambers will follow the meeting.

Don't miss this opportunity to better understand how your local government works, and how you can influence decisions at City Hall in Guelph.

Panellist Bios

Barb Powell is the General Manager of Community Engagement for the City of Guelph. She has 16+ years of experience in local government working directly with residents, service providers and academics. Barb is a resident of Guelph and joined the City of Guelph in 2009. During this past year her work has focused on Community Engagement - connecting and building partnerships with citizens, service providers, volunteers and other levels of government. Barb has a keen interest in working with residents in new and different ways to create a vibrant, inclusive community in Guelph.

Leanne Piper's introduction to "politics" came at the grassroots level, where she participated in neighbourhood associations, school councils, and local community organizations and was a founding board member of the Guelph Civic League. First elected to office as a school board trustee in 2003, and then to City Council in 2006, Leanne is a strong advocate for participatory democracy and a strong public voice at City Hall.

Judy Martin is the Guelph Regional Representative of Sierra Club Canada. Over the past 25 years she has served on Sierra Club boards and committees as a volunteer and as paid staff. She has an extensive background in environmental policy analysis and advocacy, which includes 12 years as the legislative director for the Minnesota Sierra Club. She was formerly the Secretary-Treasurer of the Guelph Civic League, serves on her neighbourhood association board, the board of Pollination Guelph, and the steering committee for Guelph Urban Forest Friends.

Moderator Bio

Tim Mau is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Guelph, where he teaches courses on Business-Government Relations, Local Government and Public Management and Administration for the B.Comm. in Public Management and graduate level courses for the Guelph-McMaster Collaborative M.A. in Public Policy and Administration. He also teaches a course on the Politics of Organizations for the collaborative M.A. (Leadership) program. Tim has twice been named as one of the University of Guelph's Popular Professors by the annual Maclean's Guide to Canadian Universities. Dr. Mau completed his D.Phil. at St Antony's College, Oxford University, where he was a Commonwealth and SSHRC scholar, an MA in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Guelph (joint program with McMaster University) and a BA from the University of Guelph.

Editorial: Flag Flap

Patriotism achieved.

Apparently there's an epidemic in Canada. An epidemic of people not being allowed to hang the Canadian flag when they want, where they want. Because of this rash of, uh, flag blocking, the Federal government is taking action to make sure that we the people can hang our flag where we deem appropriate and/or necessary.

And a grateful nation says, "We're doing what now?"

I take it this is the kind of proactive action that the people who voted for the Conservatives to a majority situation last spring were expecting. I can only assume that the economic situation is rosier than the Prime Minister's pessimism would have us believe. Or maybe John Carmichael, Tory MP for Don Valley West knows that a more dangerous threat exists to our nation's flags. 

With the support of Heritage Minister John Moore, Carmichael introduced his private member's bill, the National Flag of Canada Act, today. "This proposed law seeks to protect the rights of Canadians to fly their national flag where they live and encourage Canadians across the country to display the national flag, not just on Canada Day or Flag Day, but every day of the year," said Carmichael.

The proposed law would make sure someone is prevent from displaying the flag, as long as it is displayed in a "manner befitting this national symbol," and as long as the flag isn't being used improperly or being desecrated. If you try to get between a man, or woman, and their flag, they will be punished by restraining orders, injunctions, a fine, or a jail term of up to two years. Talk about getting tough on crime.

But is this really a problem requiring immediate government attention? The HuffPost article cites an incident in 2010, where residents of a retirement community in Belle River, ON, were told by the Cooper's Mill Retirement Community homeowners' association that no additions or substitutions were permitted to the exterior of homes without permission, and that included flags. Apparently the association had received complaints from other residents that the flags looked "trailer trashy," but the residents declined to remove their flags. Now the government wants to get their backs in a legal sense. 

I'm reminded of all those times some official in the United States government, with fire and brimstone, saying that their country needs, I mean NEEDS, to pass a constitutional amendment banning flag burning. I guess sometimes flag burning happens every day and in such alarming numbers that only a nip/tuck to the constitution can stop the scofflaws. We're not there yet, but the mere fact that our Conservative government's been sitting in Parliament for a week and a half and is already obsessed with protecting the flag has got me worried. 

There's an uncomfortable obsession in the U.S. between some people and the flag. And while it would upset me to see the Canadian flag set ablaze, I would never want to see a law stop someone from burning that flag in protest. And while some condo administrator may tell you can't fly your flag, he's a jerk, but he's well within his rights too. After all, don't people buy condos for the dullard uniformity and a stringent rule system that makes it happen. And while it might perhaps be strongly encouraged that people who want to hang a Canadian flag properly should be left to do so, do we really need to make sure no one might enforce a contrary opinion with the threat of a jail sentence.

I guess what I mean to say is this is the type of ridiculousness we've come to expect from the Republicans south of the border. The kind of wedge issue politics that keep government leaders with a black and white mindset in power, as others with a more colourful worldview are kept on their toes. "How can you not be for a law that stops people from preventing the display of our nation's colours," or as Moore put it when Bob Rae accused him of trying to "change the channel," "If the opposition are so inclined this can take up no time and we can pass this by unanimous consent." Message: If it's not such a big deal, then why don't you just let it pass.

For the nation's progressives it's another sign that a Conservative majority just might as well mean a Republican government. Super jails, laws to protect the flag and hard right MPs trying to stymie international funding for abortions, and it seems that some members of the government don't mind inflating the perception that some of the nightmares of Canada's left are coming true. But it will be alright. Take one flag pin and call us in the morning, because if you don't they'll report you.

Get in to The River This Weekend

This weekend is the 32nd annual Speed River Clean-Up organized by the Guelph branch of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG). Brought to you by Wellington Water Watchers, Trout Unlimited and GUFF (Guelph Urban Forest Friends), the Clean-Up, as always, aims to educate people about the importance of Guelph’s waterways, get them involved and in the river to literally take out the trash.

Like in years gone by, everyone is to meet up at the gazebo in Royal City Park (Gordon Street) by 11 am. Bring your gloves, sun gear, water and a pair of either old shoes, boots or hip waders. Then sign-in, join a group and start cleaning up the river. Afterward at around 12:30, everyone’s invited back to McCrae House for some eats and some entertainment. The theme is pot luck, so volunteers are being asked to bring a dish to share, and for each dish contributed, you will be entered in a draw to win two tickets to the Speed River Fundraising Dinner at Borealis Grille, a $120 value. Additionally, volunteers are being asked to bring their own plates and utensils to cut down on waste.

If you’re looking to get even more involved, OPIRG is looking for volunteers to take on specific jobs at the Clean Up. Among the list of jobs needed to be filled are crew leaders, photographers, set-up and take-down volunteers, and people to help out at the potluck. For more information, get in touch with OPIRG at 519-824-2091 or at opirg@uoguelph.ca

To get you in the mood, here are some picture slideshows of two Clean-Ups from the past, 2008 and 2010.

New Civic League Announced

This was passed around via the GCL's Facebook group yesterday. It's no secret that the group's been rather directionless lately, which is not such a great thing for a civic action committee to be going into an election year. I hope that the Guelph Civic League's reshuffling will give them the step up they need to reclaim their place as an important voice in the public square. Still, one wonders what role they'll play in this year's municipal election...

The Guelph Civic League Announces Its New Executive Committee

Guelph, Ontario – A new executive committee has been elected to continue the work of the Guelph Civic League in 2010-2011. Kevin Ferraro and Sharon Lewis, both new to the Guelph Civic League, have agreed to act as co-presidents of the organization. Annie O'Donoghue will continue to act as past president. Other positions were filled as follows:

Treasurer - Anne Gardner
Secretary - Clare Irwin
Membership / Outreach Coordinator - Kathie Lamie
Events Coordinator - Susan Ratcliffe
Communications Coordinator - Dave Sills
Campus Outreach Coordinator - Anastasia Zavarella (CSA Local Affairs Commissioner)

The members of the executive committee are excited about their new roles and anxious to build on the work of past executive committee members.

Founded in 2004, the Guelph Civic League is committed to keeping citizens informed and working towards a local democracy that is inclusive, participatory, transparent and accountable. The Guelph Civic League can be found on the web at guelphcivicleague.ca.

Celebrate Activism

NOTE: The date change below

From the people that brought you fighting the power and giving peace a chance, comes an event to celebrate those that stand up to the man and lived to tell about it.

Roots of Change
Thursday, April 1st, 2010, 6-11 p.m.
40 Baker St, Guelph, ON, Canada

We invite ALL members of the Guelph campus and community to come on out! There will be 4 key speakers who are all prominent local activists, either from the campus or community. They will share their stories of change and activism, with time for an audience question and answer period.

--->>>KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:<<<---

1. Abid Virani --> Co-founder of Student Reach International
2. Bob Gordon --> Involved this past summer with the HCBP occupation
3. mandy hiscocks --> OPIRG Volunteer Coordinator
4. Dr.Terisa Turner --> Co-director of the United Nations NGO, International Oil Working Group (IOWG)

-->>SPECIAL GUEST:<<-- We are pleased to announce that David Scott, a talented local musician, will be delighting us with his sensational acoustics and lyrics. Come to open your mind, open your hearts, establish new connections, and see a new light or perhaps find something you think is worth fighting for... bring your ideas and positivism and together we will learn from each others stories and make a difference in our community.

The evening is free by donation to support further continuation of the "Roots of Change" project, with complimentary beverages and food. We will have an open mic hour and encourage people to express their creativity by sharing poetry, singing a song, jamming out with some instruments or telling your OWN story!

We are currently in the midst of pairing this event with CFRU 93.3FM to record the event and make it into a mini series that will be aired on the station... so all of Guelph can be a part of the roots of change!! --> we'll keep you guys posted on the details!!

Invite your friends, family, teachers, peers. Spread the word!!

Consider it spread.

Music for the Cause

This was interesting event that came across my (virtual) desk in the last couple of days. A special fundraiser is taking place next Sunday at the Albion, part of a five-city tour called "The Red Shoes Tour." The point is to raise funds and awareness around issues involving violence against women.

The tour is the inspiration of Lynzie Kent, a former Guelphite and former lead singer of the Juno-nominated band God Made Me Funky. The name of the tour comes from her new single also called "Red Shoes." "The single is about women that have struggled with abuse and are now on the road to gaining self- esteem and finding inner strength and confidence," says the press release.

The Guelph show will feature performances by Natasha Pasternak, Ambre McLean and Danielle Todd with Kent headlining. All proceeds will go to Guelph Women in Crisis which works towards ending violence against women and children in all forms: physical, sexual, emotional and verbal.

The show is Sunday May 24th at 7 pm at the Albion Hotel.