New Ford Controversy - Only 528 Days to Go

 Let's get to the thing we all want to talk about: Rob Ford smoked crack! Well, allegedly.

In B.C., Clark Wins and Pollsters Lose

 It's proof that in politics that it's not over till the fat lady sings as Christy Clark and the B.C. Liberals have not just survived the provincial election, but thrived, as voters return them to the Legislature, with a majority, plus five more seats than they had when the election began four weeks ago. And this morning, even the most astute politicos from coast to coast to coast, myself included, are forced to eat crow for calling this race over a touch too early.

Solidarity in Walking

While flipping through the digital pages of the Guelph Mercury's Editors' blog this morning, I came across something I thought was worthy of re-publishing here. It's a letter/opinion piece from a concerned citizen that caught my eye because it reflects a lot of the problems I've encountered on local roads and streets lately.

Mike O'Dwyer says a lot of the things that have been shuffling around in my head for a while, but he says it with a great deal of eloquence, or at least more eloquence then I have when I'm nearly run over crossing the street, obey the traffic signals, just trying to get from one place to another like everyone else.

Election Week in Canada

It's a big week for Canadians who love the thrill of victory, the scorching sting of defeat, or maybe just enjoy the competition and challenge of the game in all its facets, and no, I'm not talking about the NHL playoffs. 

There are two big elections this week, literally from coast to coast. On Monday, Peter Penashue gets to find out if he's going to keep his job as MP of Labrador, while on Tuesday British Columbia voters go to the polls to decide if they want a new provincial government, or keep the one they have in Christy Clark's Liberals. Both are locally focused, but the results will likely have broader implications nationwide. 

Guelph Politicast Season 2 Starts With Guelph Pride

For the first episode of what I'm calling the second season of Guelph Politicast, it seemed right to make it an occasion, and I found one.

Next week, the tenth annual Guelph Pride festivities begin, with a week-long celebration of all things, well, queer. Guelph's inclusive atmosphere and progressive politics have made the Royal City a homely place for those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or any other term that covers the broad new definitions of gender and sexual identity, and that tradition continues as Guelph Pride enters its 10th year in 2013.

Guelph Politico 3.0

This is the end. No wait, that's wrong. This is actually a new beginning. 

The Global Bore on Terror

Two weeks ago Monday, following the tragic events of Boston, CTV interviewed Tom Ridge as part of their coverage. Now Ridge is the former Secretary of Homeland Security, and aside from being the first man to hold that title and helping to manage the largest re-organization of the U.S. government in its history, his tenure in that post was largely unremarkable.

But Ridge, and this is how I took his appearance on the news, is a symbol of the immediate reaction post-9/11, a reminder that sweeping action was taken without a lot of thought about the consequences following a terrorist attack on American soil. Looking back on those events, it's easy to see where things might have gone wrong, and where other things might have gone too far, which is why it's a relief that any kind of visceral and emotional overreaction has been avoided - for the most part.

Another Meeting About a Cultural They Don't Get

It's strange how just one week after touting an awards victory in communicating that the city sends out a press release with one day's notice for an event held the very next day, but I digress.

Today's announcement is about a Chamber of Commerce sponsored-discussion about local culture, music to be precise. The press release says that the panel discussion - featuring Culture and Tourism General Manager Colleen Clack, Hillside Executive Director Marie Zimmerman, and musician Royal Wood - will be about how the Royal City can "leverage music from an economic, cultural and social perspective." Sounds impressive, but what we have here, I think, is another attempt by the powers that be to tap into a cultural they don't get, and in a real sense only want to pay lip service to.

Farmers' Market Moving to Exhibition Park for Summer

That headline probably speaks for itself, but get the full details from the city's press release after the jump: 

BC Goes to the Polls

An election has been called in British Columbia, and why should we care, you may be asking. Fair enough. The provincial politics of B.C. don't have much of an impact on us here in Ontario, but for open-minded politicos there are a couple of things to watch out for when British Columbians go to the polls on May 14.