Open Sources Guelph #494 - November 21, 2024

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we're stuck in the middle with you. If you're feeling stuck, you're not alone and it's safe to say that the entire government apparatus at all levels seem stuck these days. This edition of a show will be a recital of being stuck, from gridlock in Ottawa to impasses at the annual international climate change summit. Our provincial government seems stuck on bail reform, while our greatest Christmas parade is just strapped... for cash.

This Thursday, November 21, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:

Gridlock, Stalk and Barrel. Have you heard the news from Parliament Hill. You probably haven't because the place has been in a procedural gridlock for almost two months now. In the midst of a postal workers strike and a will they/won't they confidence condition in the House, it's the latest example of widespread disfunction at the federal level, and it's not like there are any serious issues that need solutions. This week, we will take a break from American political dysfunction to talk about some of our own.

Much Baku About Nothing. COP29 is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan right now, and as always there's great hope that the world's richest countries, the ones who are the source of so much carbon, might decide to take bold action to avert climate disaster. It's hard to hold out much hope with the world's biggest, loudest climate denier about to return to the White House, but it might not be as homeless as you might think. We'll look at the news coming out of COP and decide if the world might still be saved.

Bail House Rock. The Ontario government has been turning up the pressure on the federal Attorney General to reform bail and make it harder for repeat and dangerous offenders to get release until their trial. Sounds reasonable, right? Hold that phone because legal activists are saying that the issue is a system that has so many people in jail right now, they're over-populated, and a court system not well-staffed enough to process people in a Constitutionally speedy manner. So is the real problem bail after all?

The Santa Clause. This week, the organisers of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade said that without some financial help the parade won't make it to its 120th birthday next year. The Original Santa Claus Parade is the latest Canadian cultural institution to face issues with funding in this post-pandemic period, and that includes Hot Docs, Just For Laughs and the Vancouver Folk Festival, which have all been on the brink of closure in the last year. Are we doing enough to protect Canadian culture?

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