Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday November 24, 2016

Here on Open Sources Guelph, we can’t guarantee that we’ll always get them right, but also promise not to intentionally mislead you. It’s an important distinction this week as we dig into the phenomenon of fake news, and whether or not it had an effect on the U.S. Presidential election. Also this week, we’ll talk about how if you can walk and talk, you can go to Brock, and get elected to Queen’s Park as we look at the Ontario by-elections. We’ll also look ahead to the 2017 British Columbia provincial election, and how in another 13 years, Santa won’t be able to leave coal in your stocking anymore. Continue reading “Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday November 24, 2016” →

Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday September 8, 2016

We’re back! It’s back to business as usual this week on Open Sources Guelph as the team re-unites to tackle the latest issues of the day. We’ll kick off with the circus south of the border, which promises get even more circus-y now in the final two-month stretch of the campaign. Up here in Canada meanwhile, the Ontario PCs have won a beachhead, but can they use it to build a coalition for 2018, and at what cost? Another Conservative, one trying to win federal party leadership, has encountered trouble of her own making, and a beloved Canadian ~~moose~~ news anchor announces the date of his final broadcast. Continue reading “Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday September 8, 2016” →

The Weekender: We Shouldn’t Be Mocking Patrick Brown, But Encouraging Him

Beneath the pomp and circumstance and celebrity spotting at this week’s Washington D.C. visit by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, there was an actual substantive announcement between the head of Canada’s government and U.S. President Barack Obama. Called the “U.S.-Canada Joint Statement on Climate, Energy, and Arctic Leadership”, it set goals for implementing the Paris Agreement, co-ordinating domestic climate action, advancing climate action globally, establishing co-operation on clean energy, and for initiating a shared Arctic leadership model. Given the importance of such an agreement one would think that pro-climate action politicians would be giving a hand to politicians that announce their intention to contribute. And you would be wrong. Continue reading “The Weekender: We Shouldn’t Be Mocking Patrick Brown, But Encouraging Him” →

Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday May 14, 2015

We’re chock full of surprises this week on Open Sources Guelph. We go from one surprise in the U.K., where the election went well for the incumbent but somewhat less well for everyone else, to surprise in Ontario where the guy least likely to succeed, succeeded, to surprise moves in Ottawa which may have a big impact on this October’s election. Somewhat less surprising is trouble with Ontario’s teachers, but what is suprising is that on a show co-hosted by the long-running host of CFRU’s The Working Week it took us this long to talk about it. Continue reading “Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday May 14, 2015” →

Him? Yes, Somehow, Patrick Brown is the Leader of Ontario’s PCs

Several weeks ago, I wrote about the chances of Barrie MP Patrick Brown becoming leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party and largely dismissed them. Surely, the PCs of our fair province wouldn’t go for the remix version of Tim Hudak over someone with the experience, tact, and legacy of Christine Elliott? I guess I don’t know Ontario PCs as well as I thought I did.

Winning handily by a margin of 61.8 per cent to 38.2 per cent, Brown now has the unenviable task of in just three short years rebuilding the PC Party in Ontario and making them election ready to unseat the ruling Liberals, who will likely still be lead by the Premier, Kathleen Wynne, in 2018. But the question is, can a federal backbencher with a decade-long career having seemingly done nothing to distinguish himself hope to combat two veteran provincial politicians on their own ground? Especially when he doesn’t have a seat in Queen’s Park yet? Continue reading “Him? Yes, Somehow, Patrick Brown is the Leader of Ontario’s PCs” →

EDITORIAL – The PCs Can’t Win Ontario By Doubling Down on Tea Party Politics

Monte McNaughton pulled the plug on his campaign to be leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario last week, which is okay because really the biggest name he had on his side was one Robert Bruce Ford. “I’m tired of seeing the same-old, same-old people running our party — that’s why we haven’t won an election since 1999,” said the Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP after stepping down. Here’s the problem, neither McNaughton, nor that man that has received his endorsement, Patrick Brown, exactly represent the new-different, new-different voice that McNaughton was referring to. Continue reading “EDITORIAL – The PCs Can’t Win Ontario By Doubling Down on Tea Party Politics” →