Bill Blair Now Officially a Liberal Candidate

Although it was probably a foregone conclusion, former Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair was acclaimed as the Liberal candidate for Scarborough Southwest yesterday afternoon. Despite recent polls indicating that the Liberals are struggling in third place against a surging NDP, picking up Blair as a star candidate is still seen as a coup by the party, who optimistically is now caught in a three-way race with the Conservatives and the New Democrats. Continue reading “Bill Blair Now Officially a Liberal Candidate” →

Rona Ambrose Loses Her $#!% Over SCOC Cannabis Ruling

It must have been weird for a Conservative cabinet minister to push for “clinical trials” and “scientific evidence” but I guess when the choice is between the Supreme Court of Canada and government scientists, Health Minister Rona Ambrose chose the lesser of two evils. In another loss to the government in their dealings with the Supreme Court, a unanimous decision by the Justices has opened the door medical marijuana users to be lawfully allowed to ingest their medicine in other forms like edibles. Continue reading “Rona Ambrose Loses Her $#!% Over SCOC Cannabis Ruling” →

Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday June 11, 2015

Unless our ship comes in, and we help our friend sell that expensive piece of art for a generous finders fee, Open Sources Guelph will be back on the air as usual on Thursday. This week, after sticking our hands in the muck of the Senate spending scandal, we will wax on the coming election as it’s shaping up here in the Royal City. Then, in the “Lightning Round,” we’ll discuss coffee and politics, carding and cops, and the return of an old frenemie thought forgotten in Federal politics. Continue reading “Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday June 11, 2015” →

Head of Bell Media Proves that She, Like Her Company, is a Dinosaur

Yesterday, Bell Media held its upfronts for all CTV and associated cable channels. For those of you not in the know, the upfronts is a chance for TV networks to show off for advertisers and the audience what new shows they’re bringing to their stations in the upcoming season. Typically, in the case of CTV, it means revealing what American network shows they’re buying and simulcasting here in Canada so they can make millions without investing significantly in homegrown talent.

If that were the extent of CTV and Bell’s crimes against media this week, then it wouldn’t have made much news beyond the obvious, but what really got under people’s skin was win Bell Media head Mary Ann Turcke used the occasion to slap the wrists of Canadian TV viewers who are accessing American streaming sites like the U.S. version of Netflix, and circumventing Canadian copyright laws. Turcke calls it stealing, but fans of streaming content call it out-dated thinking. What Ms. Turcke doesn’t understand is that she’s the one to blame for consumers looking for accessible services elsewhere rather than investing in her own substandard service. Continue reading “Head of Bell Media Proves that She, Like Her Company, is a Dinosaur” →

Canadian Trivia Fail! Video of the Week from Jeopardy

Of course, the most well-known bit of Canadian-related trivia on Jeopardy is that its host, Alex Trebek, is one of us. One wonders then if he was somewhat responsible for the events that transpired on the game show the other night, when Jeopardy decided to test the contestants knowledge of the Great White North. Unsurprisingly, it was an epic fail. After leaving the category “Canadian Cities” to the very end of Double Jeopardy, and with time still left on the clock, the trio of players had to face the inevitable, that they didn’t know Jack about Canada. Of course, I wonder how many of the questions the average Canadian would have gotten (I got three out of five), but still, it was a truly pitiful display for a show aimed towards smart people. Let’s take a look and mock, shall we? Continue reading “Canadian Trivia Fail! Video of the Week from Jeopardy” →

Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday June 4, 2015

It’s a very busy week full of very serious issues here on Open Sources Guelph. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission came back with a scathing report and a to-do list a mile long for the government, but will they listen? Peter MacKay is leaving politics, but is he gone for good? A class action lawsuit’s been brought against the RCMP, is this the new battleground of sex discrimination? And the Patriot Act is gone, but is the Freedom Act better (or less ironic)? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for this week’s show. Continue reading “Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday June 4, 2015” →

Justin Trudeau? Shia LeBeouf says ‘Just Do It!’

From the guy that brought you wearing a bag over his head to his own movie premiere, and sitting in an art gallery all day to have people come in an yell at him, comes Shia LeBeouf’s latest art project: standing in front of a green screen yelling motivational gibberish at the camera. The point of this has its own weird explanation, but some industrious Canadians saw an opportunity to inject a little “Beef” into our upcoming election. Continue reading “Justin Trudeau? Shia LeBeouf says ‘Just Do It!’” →