Open Sources Guelph is always looking for efficiencies, so just like Doug Ford we’re going to cut everything in half! Half the time, half the issues, half the hosts… Just kidding, we wouldn’t do that to Scotty! In all seriousness, we’re going to spend half the show this week taking a serious look at the municipal elections this fall, both the things that Ford has done and the things he hasn’t done. In the second half of the show, we’ll talk about the latest, and sorta surprising #MeToo development, and whether owning the libs is a smart political strategy.
This Thursday, August 2, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
City Brawl. The news broke late last Thursday that Premier Doug Ford was going to make an announcement Friday that elections for four regional chairs would be canceled, and that the composition of Toronto City Council would be reduced from 47 to 25. What was more shocking, other than the fact that Ford had never said that this was a priority, was that this announcement was made four hours before the close of nominations for this fall’s municipal election. So what’s the urgent urgency? Is Doug Ford really that passionate about municipal politics? I mean, it’s not like he was getting revenge on political rivals, right?
Ballot Treasure. Speaking of revenge, Ford’s move to cancel the Peel Region Chair elections forced Patrick Brown to seek new political opportunities by running for the Mayor of Brampton. No, it totally makes sense, his dad used to practice law in Brampton! Meanwhile, in Toronto, white supremacist Faith Goldy announced that she was opening up a new revenue stream by running for Mayor, which makes her the second white supremacist trying to defeat John Tory. We’ll talk about some of the interesting races across the province, and what the Guelph ballot looks like for this fall’s local election.
The Edifying Nun. The Catholic Church is in the midst of its own issues so far as the #MeToo movement is concerned. Yes, the Catholic Church. Although the sexual abuse of children by priests has been well known and covered by the press for years, there has been a number of silent victims: the sisters of the faith. Nuns. Many nuns are now coming forward with stories of rape, abuse, and harassment, by priests, which opens up another new avenue of controversy for the Church, which is still struggling with all that other controversy. Can the Vatican rise to the occasion of its #MeToo moment?
On Owning Libs. A CBC Opinion article this week tried to make the case that “owning the libs” might be a good political strategy. That if Conservatives want to shake off the image of being uptight and stolid, then they should break out the meme generators, craft their insults, and troll baby, troll! Hey, it worked for Republicans in the U.S. but is it sensible political strategy to promote the concept of being mean and pithy in order to win elections at the expense of policy? Are we not creating an electorate that puts image first, and substance second, and isn’t that everything we hate about Trumpism?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.
Open Sources Guelph 