Open Sources Guelph - February 18, 2016

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we take a break from American politics to talk about American justice and how that's affecting American politics. The passing of a man known to be the most passionate and articulate right-wing voice on the bench has added napalm to the crazy fire already burning in this wacko campaign south of the border, so let's focus on Sunny Ways up north here and how they might be coming to end. We'll also enjoy a laugh at the expense of a media/government slap fight no one was prepared for, and offer our two cents on local infrastructure priorities.

This Thursday, February 18, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz  and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:

1) Disorder in the Court. The sudden death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia last Saturday did more than open up a vacancy on the United States' highest court, it open a political can of worms that became all anyone could talk about. From the senate floor where GOP politicians refused to even entertain the possibility of a nominee, to the White House where Barack Obama says he'll name one anyway, to the election trail where to name or not to name has been the hot-button issue of the week, there's a lot to consider in the replacement of the man thought to be the Supreme Court's most conservative member.

2) Shopping for Infrastructure. The upcoming budget from the Federal government will contain stimulus money earmarked for infrastructure projects designed to get Canadians working as early as this coming summer. Guelph City Council met last Thursday to prioritize "shovel ready" projects that can best take advantage of the Feds' open wallet, including new parking downtown, improvement to various city-owned buildings and some plain old road maintenance. How best can the City tackle its $60 billion infrastructure gap?

3) 100 Days Down... Last Friday marked 100 Days in office for the Trudeau Liberals, and what kind of 14 and a half weeks has it been? From the new direction on the ISIS mission, to the beginning of the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, to gender parity in cabinet, and all points in between, it's been a very busy 100 days indeed for the new Prime Minister. There's been a lot good will from Canadians in this time, but the tough decisions now before Parliament will test the limitations of Trudeaumania 2.0. Where will the prime minister go from here, and how long can the Sunny Ways last?

4) The Rebel Rebels. Fans of Ezra Levant's crowd-funded alternative news site The Rebel know that he's no fan of the Alberta NDP government under Rachel Notley. Indeed, Levant and his associates have been waging a war of words against Notley's government who evidently have been pushed too far as the Alberta government revoked the journalistic privileges of The Rebel and its correspondents. While Levant and Co. clearly have an agenda, does that give Notley and Co. the right to revoke their access? Should the government be allowed to decide who and what is a journalist? Will we be able to contain the schadenfreude while talking about this subject?

Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.