No Tweets from Cam (For a While)

While reviewing my Twitter feed today, I came across this:  

Typically, someone, anyone, taking a Twitter break isn't newsworthy, but Ward 4 Councillor Cam Guthrie has blazed new ground locally for availability and accessibility via social media by our politicians. Hopefully, whatever might be keeping Cam from tweeting will resolve itself and allow him to tweet again soon.

iBored

 Did you line-up for an iPad 3 this morning? Then you probably have too much time on your hands, either that you love redundancy because those are the only two reasons I can figure why someone would get up in the wee small hours, or even camp out overnight, to get the new version of a product that's already on the market, with small improvements, that's readily, and plentifully, available.

Movie Review – Game Change

In modern politics, if you’re not on the attack, then you’re a target, and nobody appreciates that – or practices it – better than Sarah Palin. In the week leading up to this past Saturday’s airing of the HBO movie Game Change, Palin, as well as her supporters and surrogates, launched a salvo decrying the film as a hatchet job on the former Alaska governor based on spurious information given by vindictive former staffers. Of course, if Palin and Co. had watched the film they would have understood better that Game Change does the impossible: it makes her relatable to people that could never in a million years get behind Palin’s politics.

State of the City at 10 Carden

The Guelph Civic League will be hosting a State of the City address with Mayor Karen Farbridge next Wednesday, March 21st from 7 pm to 9 pm. According to the GCL website, the address will take place at 10 Carden Street and those coming are asked to bring a few questions along to ask the Mayor. Light refreshments including snacks and beverages will also be served. The event is free and open to the public.

Press Release - Call to a Rally this Sunday

It started in Vancouver last weekend, and has moved across country now to Toronto and Guelph this Sunday. I got this press release today about the Guelph Rally for Democracy this Sunday downtown. If you're in the mood to protest after church or CNN's Reliable Sources, then make thee down to St. George's Square and follow the below instructions:

Guelph Rally for Democracy, Sunday March 11th, St. George’s Square at 1pm, City Hall at 2pm

This Sunday citizens of Guelph will come together to raise their voices against electoral fraud and to show their support for democracy. This is the same day that similar rallies will be taking place in Toronto, Montréal, Calgary and Peterborough.

This non-partisan event will be focused on specific demands of government, including: an immediate  independent, public inquiry into the fraud; full accountability, including up to the Prime Minister’s Office, if necessary; and by-elections in each affected riding.

There will be speakers from the Council of Canadians, Guelph Labour Council and the University of Guelph’s Central Student Association.

People will meet at St. George’s Square at 1pm with signs and banners, and will walk to City Hall at 2pm.

Supported by: Council of Canadians-Guelph Chapter, U of G Central Students Association, OPIRG, Beyond Occupy, Guelph Wellington Coalition for Social Justice, CUPE, Guelph Labour Council

Raising Cain

In the Republican primary race, no one goes gently into that good night. Take our old friend Herman Cain. The former CEO of Godfather's Pizza - not satisfied with proposing an utterly implausible but phonetically pleasing tax plan, able to offer literally nothing in the way of a point of view on major foreign affairs issues, willing to quote song lyrics from the soundtrack of the Pokemon movie after showing up late for his own concession speech - is keeping his name in the national conversation thanks to his ubiquitous Super PAC.

Guelph NDP Issues Robocall Press Release

Robocall, not Robocop!

The local NDP has sent out a press release, declaring that they are helping to unearth answers in the growing robocall scandal, and are expressing their dismay about the entire affair. Quotes inside include comments from Ontario election candidate James Gordon and other riding association officials. Read through the statement below:

The local NDP Riding Association is doing its part to help find answers in the robo-calls scandal that currently impacts over 45 ridings across Canada.

Recent probes have unearthed information that the same type of robo-calls, allegedly harassing voters and directing them to incorrect polling stations, were made during the provincial election in 2011.

“As a candidate, I’m saddened to hear that these tactics may have been used to discourage people with a real desire to take part in the democratic process.” said James Gordon, the local NDP candidate in the fall 2011 election. “This kind of behavior that makes people feel that the system, and their representatives, aren’t working for them.”

“I can promise you that I’ll continue to work in our community, to earn the votes of Guelphites, in a spirit of transparency, equality and fairness.”

The Guelph NDP (GNDP) encourages anyone who received such a call to be in contact with the Riding Association. The GNDP are collecting any details you may remember, such as the time of the call, any information you may have about the caller, and whether they said that they were calling from Elections Canada.

“The unprecedented campaign of interference with the May 2 election, national in its breadth, represents a very serious threat to the democratic process in Canada,” said David Josephy, Vice-President of the  Federal Riding Association. “The NDP's investigation of this interference would be assisted by any information that our members can provide to us.”

“If you received one of these calls, or any other misleading or harassing phone call on or before election day, we would greatly appreciate it if you would let us know about the incident,” Josephy added.

The Riding Association will forward information that it collects to the federal party, and to Elections Canada.

The Globe and Mail reported February 28th that Cameron Adams, who managed Guelph NDP candidate Bobbi Stewart's campaign in 2007, estimated the campaign office heard from between 10 and 12 people who had received an automated call directing them to another polling station on election day.

“It’s clear to us that voters deserve answers about what took place in our Riding, and so many others across the country,” said Cecilie Rosairus, President of the local Riding Association. “We expect that political parties will conduct themselves with integrity, and in a way that shows respect to their constituents.”

Sona Breaks the Silence

It took nearly a week, but Michael Sona is finally talking about the robocall scandal that either got him fired or forced to resign from his job as an assistant to a Toronto-area MP. Of course, completely in keeping with Sona-style, the silence was broken in the form of a brief statement e-mailed to CTV News. This is the complete statement below:

I wish to address the allegations and accusations levelled against me in the media over the last six days. I have remained silent to this point with the hope that the real guilty party would be apprehended. The rumours continue to swirl, and media are now involving my family, so I feel that it is imperative that I respond.

I had no involvement in the fraudulent phone calls, which also targeted our supporters as can be attested to by our local campaign team and phone records. On Thursday, I offered my resignation to my employer. The role of a staffer is to assist their employer in their responsibilities, and that was impossible to accomplish with the media continually repeating these rumours. It is for that reason and that reason alone that I resigned from my position.

Michael Sona

It's a good thing most police forces don't offer the Michael Sona Course in Crime-Solving: keep your mouth shut and the guilty parties will feel so bad for your silence, they'll just surrender themselves. Actually, I believe your silence was what prompted the media involving your family (and me) in the first place, because if you just left a forwarding number then...

Anyway, and in all seriousness, I'd like to take a moment and offer Michael Sona some friendly advice. Come out from behind the electronic statements and talk to us. If you truly had no involvement in robocall-gate, and I do believe in innocent until proven guilty, then it's in your best interest to share everything, and anything you know. Get out in front of this, and be open and honest and share what you know. Horrible stuff grows in darkness and you being MIA from the national debate casts a long shadow. 

Throw yourself on the court of Lisa Laflamme or Peter Mansbridge. You don't think they'd give you the time of day? Are you kidding? If you told the CBC you'd only be interviewed by Alligator Al from Mr. Dressup, they'd find a way to make it happen! Better still do the Rick Mercer show. After all, American politicians on the cusp of a permanent screw-up do Saturday Night Live and all is (mostly) forgiven.

The point is that e-mail statements are so 2011. And if you learned nothing else from working on the Marty Burke campaign last year, its that the media don't stop because you say so. And they don't go away if you stick your fingers in your ears and hum really loud.

The Case Against Poutine

The Real Pierre Poutine

Smoke’s may have those obnoxious head stickers plastered all over town, but Pierre’s Poutine has achieved true Guelph infamy: it’s the epicentre of a political scandal. For now anyway.

Revelations yesterday that a disposable cell used to call RackNine Inc, the robocall company that tried to Pied Piper Guelph voters to polling places sometimes 90 minutes out of their way, was registered to “Pierre Poutine.” The news, which was gained through access to court documents, is the biggest thing to hit poutine since cheese curds, and has turned a Guelph small business into a national name brand.

Now “Pierre Poutine” is not a particularly cleaver alias, neither is his equally fake address on Separatist Street in Joliette, but considering there’s already been one Guelph connection in this mess (vis-à-vis the aforementioned Michael Sona), I’m beginning to wonder if someone was making You Tube videos, documenting the whole affair for posterity.

Press Release - Beware Coyotes, Says City

The City of Guelph sent out a press release today warning the public that coyotes may be amongst and now until mid-March we best take caution. 

PRESS RELEASE

GUELPH, ON – Monday, February 27 - In light of two coyote-related pet deaths and an increase in reported coyote sightings, the Guelph Humane Society and the City of Guelph are reminding residents to supervise small children and dogs playing outdoors and keep cats inside.

“Coyotes play an important role in controlling populations of rabbits, rats and mice, and they can be a threat to other animals” says Deb Gray, operations manager for the Guelph Humane Society. “Coyotes are highly adaptive they’re learning to live closer to people so we are starting to see them more often. People can discourage coyotes from entering their properties by removing yard waste and securing compost and other garbage. Most importantly, never feed coyotes or other wildlife.”

Coyotes are primarily nocturnal animals, but they may be seen during the day in during their mating season which typically lasts from mid-January to mid-March. 
Learn how to avoid conflicts with coyotes, and what to do in the event of a coyote encounter at guelph.ca/wildlife.