Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday June 22, 2017

We’ve got some serious, serious stuff to talk about on this week’s Open Sources Guelph. Over in London, there’s widespread concern about the safety of high-rises after a council estate went up in flames and killed an untold number of people. Then, we will look at the controversial issue of doctor assisted death here in Canada and how some people aren’t getting the access they want despite the legality of it. And finally, we will do what you never thought possible, and welcome a real life Conservative MP into the studio to talk about some federal issues.

This Thursday, June 22, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:

1) What We Lost in the Fire. The Grenfell Tower fire in London is an unimaginable tragedy that has left hundreds of people homeless, and at least 79 people missing and presumed dead. The 24-storey, 120-unit building in London’s pricey Kensington neighbourhood housed people of low incomes and immigrants from such places as Sudan, Eritrea, and Syria. Considering that they lived in public housing, and the fact that the management company who ran it had preciously been cited for breaking fire regulations, the question must be asked, were these people considered expendable? Were the concerns about safety in their building ignored in advanced of the tragedy? And how do we stop this from happening again?

2) Assisting Doctor-Assisted Death. It was about a year ago that the federal government opened the door (legally-speaking) to doctor assisted death in Canada. According to data collected by the CBC, over 1,300 people have opted to end their lives in the face of terminal debilitating illness, but that date also revealed that access to Medical Assistance in Death (MAiD) is not equal across the country. Naturally, this is becoming a religious debate as it’s Catholic health organizations that are refusing be a part of anyone wanting to use their legal rights to end their lives, so does this mean doctor assisted death is going to be the next front in the culture wars? And what are the challenges for desperately sick people who want to use their hard fought for rights?

3) Outreach and Chong. This week, we are pleased to be joined by Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong. You may know him from his run for the federal Conservative leadership, you may know him as a maverick politician that once left his cabinet position on principal, or you may know him as the one Conservative politician you can think of as being in favour of carbon taxes. He’s a complicated man that’s for sure, and he’s the representative of that big riding right next door to ours. So we’ll ask Chong about what he’s learned from the his experiences running for Conservative leadership, what he’s up to now with all his free time, and what an opposition MP can do to affect change from his seat on the other side of the House of Commons.