Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday February 11, 2016

We said we’d never go there, but they tasked us. They tasked us! So on this week’s Open Sources Guelph, we’ll open with discussion of the trial of Jian Ghomeshi, and how just about no one involved, including the media covering it, will come out looking good. We will also dig into the complexities of affordable housing in Guelph, the greater complexities of the war against ISIS, and the curiosities of the U.S. Presidential race.

This Thursday, February 11, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:

1) Victimizing the Victims? The trial of former CBC personality Jian Ghomeshi is winding down in Toronto, and the verdict is very much in doubt. The defense managed to take apart the story of Ghomeshi’s three accusers on the witness stand, in a move that’s being highly criticized as emblematic of the reason why assault victims don’t want to come forward. Meanwhile, insatiable journalists covering the trial were tweeting details about witnesses not meant to be identified, and the daily feeding frenzy outside of the Toronto courthouse has not acquitted the media well in general. What will the fallout of the Ghomeshi trial be?

2) What’s Affordable in Guelph? The City of Guelph is developing a new strategy to spur the development of affordable housing in the Royal City. With housing prices only heading in one direction, up, and social housing being handled by Wellington County, this is a move that Guelph can make in order to make some more room in the city, which has a vacancy rate of around one per cent. But can the City talk about affordable housing independent of social housing needs though, and can there be such a thing as affordable in a red hot market that’s showing no signs of cooling off?

3) On Canada’s ISIS Strategy. On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finally announced how his government intends to contribute to the fight against the so-called Islamic State. While Canada’s fighter jets are coming home, Canada’s commitment is actually being expanded with more training and support for local ground troops in Iraq, a move that has angered critics to the right, and to the left of the PM. Robert Somerville, a Canadian Forces veteran who fought alongside Kurdish soldiers against ISIS in Syria, will join us talk about Canada’s new direction and what’s really happening on the ground in the war zone.

4) The New Hampshire Games. As predicted, Democrat Bernie Sanders and Republican Donald Trump won – wait for it – huge on Tuesday night in the second poll of the 2016 Presidential election season. On the GOP side, pundits are wondering if there’s now anything that can stop Trump from becoming the nominee, especially with the alternative vote still split between four or five different options? For the Dems, it’s can Hillary Clinton rebound after two disappointing finishes for the once inevitable candidacy for the former Secretary of State? Also, why is Sanders crushing her in all age groups among women?