Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour: Recent Episodes
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Looking for Guelph political discussion? The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is a one-hour audio version of Guelph's weekly "Breezy Breakfast" community meetings. Each week we invite guests to discuss issues of interest to Guelph residents.
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After a much enjoyed reprieve over August we are back with a new season and a new home for Breezy Breakfast at Royal City Mission, 50 Quebec Street. To mark the occasion and to get us acquainted with our new home we sat down with Adam Kahn, lead chef at RCM and Matthew Brjnas, operations and finance manager, to talk about what RCM is all about and why they are so important to Guelph's downtown core. Matthew updates us on much needed shower and laundry facilities that recently opened and Adam gets our bellies grumbling talking about some tried and true meals he's been serving up. Did we mention the smoked cheddar butter chicken? Listen in to get more details on that!
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The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
In this episode of Breezy Breakfast we’re turning our attention to the Guelph Police Service’s recently released 2024 Annual Report, and addressing commonly raised concerns and questions on policing, accountability, and community safety.
Guests Police Chief Gord Cobey and City Councilor and Police Board member Phil Allt, share their insights and highlights from the report as well as some of the challenges faced with policing in Guelph overall. We talk about some of the new initiatives such as the Intimate Partner Violence and Human Trafficking unit (IPVHT) and the Community Services Operations Centre; we get into some stats on the reduction of crime and increased safety; and of course, it wouldn't be a policing conversation with out touching on the budget.
For an added bonus to our podcast this week, check out the Dispelling Human Trafficking Myths, video, a collaborative project from Guelph Police Services and Victim Services Wellington, Guelph/Wellington Women In Crisis, and Crime Stoppers Guelph/Wellington. If you or someone you know is in need, please reach out.
Women in Crisis Guelph: (519) 836-5710
Victim Services Guelph: (519) 824-1212 ext 7304
GPS Intimate Partner Violence: ipv@guelphpolice.ca
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The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
In this episode of Breezy Breakfast we're talking with Stephanie Glendenning, the Executive Director of the Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County. Glendenning and the clinic have been key plyers in a recent fight against sweeping 'renoviction' notices, also known as an N13's, at Brant Ave in Guelph. The tenants organized and formed a tenant association, and, with support from the Brant Ave Neighborhood Group and the Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington, the N13 notices were rescinded. Glendenning takes through what that organizing looked like, how renovictions are playing out in Guelph, and what tools are available or missing when it comes to protecting housing security.
Additional shout out to Taylor Pace of Guelph Today who was not able to join us for the discussion, but who's coverage on this issue has been exceptional.
Stephanie Glendenning - assumed the Executive Director role at the Guelph-Wellington Legal Clinic in 2024. With a background in community legal advocacy, she supports tenants navigating housing insecurity and works to advance access to justice across the region.
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The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
In this episode of Breezy Breakfast, we're talking about the Ward 6 vacancy at Guelph City Council, and the decision to opt for an appointment rather than election. Guelph Politico’s Adam Donaldson walks us through the context of this rare mid-term appointment and offers his perspective on the most important issues facing Ward 6. Adam is joined by current Ward 4 councilor Linda Busuttil and Ward 1 councilor Erin Caton and hosted by Breezy's own, Ward 3 councilor Phil Allt. These councilors share their thoughts on what they believe an ideal candidate should bring to the table, from experience and community engagement, to character and vision. Listen in for all the details.
Adam Donaldson is the founder of Guelph Politico, an independent local news site focused on city politics and civic issues. With over a decade of experience covering Guelph City Hall, Adam is known for his clear, accessible reporting and thoughtful analysis. He also co-hosts Open Sources Guelph on CFRU 93.3 FM.
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The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
In this episode of Breezy Breakfast, we talk with Tim Potocic about the upcoming Canada Day celebrations in Guelph. With the Rotary Club officially stepping back last year, Sonic Unyon, best known for running one of Ontario’s largest urban arts festivals, Supercrawl, was thrilled to win the bid! They’ll be bringing all of their hometown experience to Guelph’s Canada Day at Riverside Park, coordinating everything from live music and food vendors to family programming and, of course, fireworks. Listen in for all the details and background on how Sonic Unyon came to be the promoter for Guelph's Canada Day celebrations, where and how they source talent and what they have in store for us on the day!
Tim Potocic
President and co-owner of Hamilton-based production company Sonic Unyon (pronounced 'onion').
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The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
In this episode of Breezy Breakfast, we’re celebrating Bike Month with a show that highlights just how many ways cycling weaves through our community. Whether you ride for fun, transportation, the environment, or mobility at any age, there's something for you. Our guests this week, come together at the intersection of shared passion and purpose in a way that feels uniquely Guelph. Join as we chat with Mary, Mike and Lorenz about the diverse ways they engage with cycling and the community!
Mary Rife
Known affectionately as “Guelph’s Bike Lady,” Mary has spent over 14 years fixing up unwanted bikes and selling them to support charity.
Lorenz Calcagno
President of GORBA (Guelph Off-Road Bicycling Association) and chair of the board for the G2G Rail Trail development (among other committees), Lorenz is a passionate advocate for cycling infrastructure.
Mike Von Dehn
Realtor at Von Dehn Homes, and an enthusiastic lifelong cyclist, Mike merges business and sustainability by cycling to viewings and even bringing clients along for the ride.
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The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
In this episode of Breezy Breakfast we take a look at what's been happening at Guelph City Hall. Ward 3 Councilor, Phil Allt is on the mic, taking our questions and giving us added insight from the one with a seat at the table. Discussions range from the opposition to Bills 5 and 17 and the ring of fire; the Ward 6 councilor vacancy; the housing crisis and its impact on the the unhoused and one's mental health, and more! Have a listen.
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The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
In this episode, we’re taking a closer look at a growing grassroots movement Resistance and Resilience Guelph with two of the founders and local party leaders, Janice Folk-Dawson and Anne-Marie Zajdlik. Born out of rising concerns about political, economic, and social instability, this initiative asks what it means for a community like Guelph to be truly ready for crisis. And just as importantly, who’s already living in crisis and being left behind.
Janice Folk-Dawson - Janice is a long-time labour leader and advocate for workers’ rights and social justice. Her leadership within the NDP party, Ontario Federation of Labour, and her deep involvement in community organizing in Guelph have made her a respected voice for collective action and solidarity.
Dr Anne-Marie Zajdlik - Anne-Marie brings decades of experience in health equity and HIV/AIDS advocacy, and is a committed leader within the Green Party. She offers a vital perspective on how community health, climate justice, and social resilience come together in local organizing.
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The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
Summer is on its way—and in Guelph, that means music festivals, sizzling ribs, global celebrations, and a whole lot of sunshine. Today on Breezy Breakfast, we’re diving into the season with a line-up of local organizers who help make summer in our city feel vibrant, connected, and alive. Have a listen!
Cinthuja Leon - Executive Director of the Guelph & District Multicultural Festival Saturday, June 13-15 at Riverside Park, with performances, food, and community booths representing cultures from around the world.
Kate Johnson - Hillside Festival Hillside Festival July 18-20 on Guelph Lake Island. With a powerhouse lineup including Bells Larsen, Absolute Losers, Milk & Bone and more, Hillside blends art, community, and environmental care into an unforgettable weekend.
Debbie Stanley - Volunteer Coordinator for Rotary Ribfest August 22–24 at Riverside Park, and come hungry—there’ll be ribs, music, vendors, and family-friendly fun.
Pat Gage - Guelph-Wellington Seniors Association, where she serves as President and champions for older adult engagement.
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The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
The benefit of getting away from our devices is becoming more apparent and some say that DIY is on the rise. On this episode of Breezy Breakfast we talk with Jessica Simmons of Lucent Glass, Becky Swainson of Gather + Make and Patrick Lameront of Diyode about the politics behind sewing and art, the need for third spaces and why making together is always better. We'll also hear about the the DIY spaces they provide for us to increase our skillsets, while engaging with our community.
Plus, surprise appearance from Anna Baggio of Wetlands League and Evan Ferrari of eMERGE to get us up to speed on what Bill 5 is all about and how it affects us here in Guelph.
Jessica Simmons, owner and founder of Lucent Glass
Becky Swainson, creator of Gather + Make
Patrick Lameront, vice president of Diyode
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
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Breezy Breakfast: where the coffee is always hot and the guests are very cool.
On this episode of Breezy Breakfast, we'll talk about what to do when your grandson calls you from afar, in desperate need of funds to safe his life. We're joined by a panel from the Guelph Police, including fraud expert, Detective Constable Adam Kernan, to discuss many of the different scams that people are falling victim to and how to prevent them and stay safe. From grandparent emergencies to taxi frauds to romance scams and the ever increasing pervasiveness of AI, staying safe online has never been more difficult. Join us for tips and tricks from the anti-fraudsters, recorded live from Angel's Diner in Guelph.
Police Chief Gord Cobey
Deputy Police Chief Scott Gill
Detective Constable Adam Kernan
Detective Constable Tyler Galea
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
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Breezy Breakfast: where the coffee is always hot and the guests are very cool.
Today, May 8, 2025, on Breezy Breakfast we are getting excited about summer! As we anticipate its slow approach, we prepare for the opportunities ahead to spruce up our dwellings and exterior spaces! To help us kick off this season, we’ve invited some key individuals from the Guelph Tool Library to discuss how they can help us with our projects while considering the environment.
Listen in for all you need to know about memberships, tips and tricks to saving seeds and all the that the Guelph Tool Library has to offer, including repair cafes and a myriad of recycling capabilities. You can also check out the Guelph Tool Library.org. for events, donation wish list and volunteer opportunities to support this multifaceted organization with a mission to reduce over consumption by finding the joy in sharing!
John Dennis - Guelph Tool Library Director and Co-Founder, John is passionate about finding new homes for unwanted items and exploring how to share often overlooked or wasted resources.
Susan Carey – Guelph Tool Library Co-Founder and Board Member at large and advocate for the Guelph Seed Library, a core GTL affiliate program.
Jennica Grimshaw – Guelph Tool Library Community Outreach Assistant, Jennica joined the GTL under the Job Creation Partnership program, and will be assisting with volunteer coordination and helping to expand the GTL hours.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
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@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.
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Breezy Breakfast: where the coffee is always hot and the guests are very cool.
This week on Breezy Breakfast we’re taking a hard look at the science of sex and aging, with renowned University of Guelph researcher Dr Tuuli Kukkonen.
Dr Tuuli Kukkonen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Relations & Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph. Dr. Kukkonen's research interests fall within the field of sexual psychophysiology, with a focus on the interaction between biological and psychosocial factors involved in sexual health and aging.
A joyful and healthy sex life is not only reserved for the youthful among us! Rachel and Dr Kukkonen discuss that being curious and open with our sexuality as we age is a wonderful way to enhance our satisfaction of life and deepen connection with our partner(s). However, engaging in continued communication, respect and consent as seniors remains just as important as when we were young. We also discuss the necessity for barrier methods and safe sex among aging populations to prevent the sharing of STI's and BBI's. Having healthy discussions about sex across the spectrum of healthcare practitioners, community members and our families is key to building positive views of sexuality in our society, no matter how old your are. Have a listen!
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
Find us on Facebook at Breezy Breakfast.
@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.
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Breezy Breakfast: where the coffee is always hot and the guests are very cool.
Today on Breezy, we're bringing together two experts in our community to discuss climate, election candidates and the relationship between the two. With the federal election just days away, we dive deep into Guelph's political landscape!
Gina Lammel, Chair of Seniors for Climate Action Now (S.C.A.N.) shares about her experience getting involved after being inspired by her usually optimistic teenage son's pessimism about the environment. She also shares some of the up coming events in celebration of earth week.
Adam Donaldson, Guelphs own political expert and creator of Guelph Politico and Open Sources shares his insight on Guelph's candidates and his impressions on the all candidates meeting hosted by the Guelph Wellington Coalition for Social Justice back on April 15.
As always, there seems to be no shortage of lively engagement from our in resto audience, discussing everything from Guelph's new federal riding boundary, to the serious lack of adequate and efficient transit both within the city and beyond.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
Find us on Facebook at Breezy Breakfast.
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Breezy Breakfast: where the coffee is always hot and the guests are very cool.
On average, a Guelph home costs around $700K, and the rent for a two-bedroom unit is about $2,300. These prices are well above the provincial definition of affordable (i.e. less than 30% of before-tax income).
Today, we welcome three voices from across the housing spectrum to address housing-related issues such as rent controls, the challenges involved in addressing the housing shortage, and the duty of developers to build affordable homes.
David Halls, a local realtor and philanthropist, shares his perspective on the home ownership market.
Gail Hoekstra is a housing and poverty advocate and executive director of Stepping Stone. She outlines the roles of Transitional and Supportive Housing in Guelph.
Daria Allan-Ebron is the executive director of Family & Children’s Services of Guelph and Wellington County and the CEO of Kindle Communities Incorporated. She explains how Family & Children's Services has stepped in to help those on the margins of society.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
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Breezy Breakfast: where the coffee is always hot and the guests are very cool.
This week on Breezy Breakfast our first guest is Guelph's Chief Administrative Officer, Tara Baker. She outlines future directions for the City and shares her experiences after six months on the job.
It's tax season, and our guests Linda and Carol from the Willow West Village Community Co-op describe their work helping people file income tax returns.
Fun fact: In 2023, volunteers helped over 900 people access over 3 million dollars in refunds.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
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Breezy Breakfast: we won't do your taxes, but you'll never have a taxing time.
This week, photographer Simon Bell takes us to Madagascar, where he was enchanted by the local flora, fauna, and community.
His work with Philosopher and Scientist Carl Sagan, with NASA on space photography, and his many journeys - to Madagascar, Costa Rica, and the Far East - demonstrate that Simon is a true Renaissance Man.
As the photographs and videos are not visible to our radio and podcast audience, please shut your eyes to imagine a Chameleon with a tongue longer than its body, the moons of Saturn, and waterfalls not too far from where you live. Imagine the joy that Simon brings to school children as he advises them to “focus on nature”.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
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@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.
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Breezy Breakfast: where this week, we learned: “look out, look up - it’s not just under your feet; it’s all around you.”
For decades, Guelph has been talking about building a new Main branch of the Guelph Public Library (GPL).
Today, we're checking out the information on the New Central Library, slated to open in the autumn of 2026.
Chapter One of this quintessentially Guelph saga begins with CEO Dan Atkins sharing the history of the New Central Library Project: how we finally got here, the advocacy and public engagement campaigns, the determination of an appropriate size, and so on. Fun fact: both the Old Post Office AND the old Eaton's department store were contenders!
We learn about various GPL Partnerships and Outreach Programs from Meg Forestell-Page, Manager of Public Service. What do Partnerships look like? With a bigger space, what sorts of new programming might be available?
As Developmental Officer, Kirsten Bester oversees grant applications and fundraising efforts. How much fundraising is required for our new Central Library?
Our guests field questions about history, culture, archives, smudging, fundraising, programming, the continued importance of physical books in an increasingly digital age, and much more.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
Find us on Facebook at Breezy Breakfast.
@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.
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Breezy Breakfast: where there is so much food for thought we could fill a library!
Food insecurity represents an uncomfortable reality for a growing number of residents in the City of Guelph.
Rising food prices lead to inevitable changes: less fresh food and more processed food available, and fewer foodstuffs consumed overall.
This week, we hear from three local groups supporting food security in the Royal City.
Our guests are:
Barb McPhee from the North End Harvest Market,
Dr. Janet Wood of the Chalmers Centre,
Greg Kennedy outlines the value of the Ignatius Centre: food for the body and soul.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
Find us on Facebook at Breezy Breakfast.
@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.
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Breezy Breakfast: healthy dialogues over healthy breakfasts.
March comes in like a lion at Breezy Breakfast.
Ontario uses over 2 million tonnes of salt every winter. This excessive amount of salt has many deleterious effects on rivers, wetlands, infrastructure, and groundwater aquifers.
Dani Lindamood and Karen Rathwell - members of the Ontario Salt Pollution Coalition - explain the harmful effects of over-salting and the need for provincial legislation to reduce the amount of salt used during Ontario winters.
Among other topics, we discuss the astronomical insurance premiums paid by independent snow and ice removal contractors, public safety issues, and the long-term effects of salt on watersheds.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
Find us on Facebook at Breezy Breakfast.
@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.
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Join us in person 8 AM on Thursdays at DeBar (105 Wyndham St. N.)
Breezy Breakfast: where our guests are always worth their salt.
The Ontario Reformatory was built on 1,000 acres of farmland along the Eramosa River and was a self-sufficient prison farm.
Heritage advocate P. Brian Skerrett describes the compelling and complex history of the Ontario Reformatory.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
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Join us in person 8 AM on Thursdays at DeBar (105 Wyndham St. N.)
Breezy Breakfast: where you can start your day with some hot coffee and local history.
Today it was standing room only at Breezy Breakfast!
It's election time in Ontario - the first winter election since 1886! Well, except for in 1980, when the election was held on March 19th...
What do voters in Guelph need to know about this election? We recently heard from MPP and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner, but this week we hear from Adam Donaldson, local political gadfly, who ponders on what this election means for Canada, Ontario, and Guelph.
Zooming in to the local level, we meet local business owner Matthew Forbes.
"La Poche" is a bar, barbershop, and co-working space. It got flooded with water before being flooded with support through a GoFundMe page. Matt expresses his views on community engagement and what makes Guelph so great.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9AM on CFRU 93.3 FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
Find us on Facebook at Breezy Breakfast.
@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.
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Join us in person 8 AM on Thursdays at DeBar (105 Wyndham St. N.)
Breezy Breakfast: where the coffee is as hot as the conversations, and voting is on the menu.
In November 2024, Bill 212 - Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act - was passed in Ontario.
In essence, this bill prioritizes vehicular traffic and the building of highways over all other considerations. Highway 413 will be fast-tracked, municipalities will need to ask permission to replace vehicular lanes with bike lanes, and three existing bike lanes in Toronto will go back to cars. Will this bill reduce gridlock?What are the costs of implementing this bill? Guests:
Mike Marcolongo of Environmental DefenceAlison Stewart of Cycle TorontoMike Darmon of GCAT (Guelph Coalition for Active Transport) The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9AM on CFRU 93.3FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
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Join us in person 8 AM on Thursdays at DeBar (105 Wyndham St. N.)
Breezy Breakfast: Where a warm breeze of public engagement keeps the coffee and passions hot.
We covered accessibility in recreation a few weeks ago, but what about in the arts?
This week we highlight two organizations committed to arts accessibility in Guelph.
Michelle Peek from Art not Shame explains the importance of accessible spaces for all. Everything from air quality to bariatric toilets helps to ensure that talented people of different abilities can create in a welcoming space.
Ashley Ferraro Kizis from Kidunified shares her passion to provide a space for all children. Inclusivity involves accommodations for kids with autism, quadriplegia, and everything in between.
Several audience members share their experiences and perspectives on accessibility.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9AM on CFRU 93.3FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
Find us on Facebook at Breezy Breakfast.
@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.
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Breezy Breakfast: Live every Thursday at 8 am at DEBAR, 105 Wyndham St. N. Guelph.
Where Guelph gets hot news with a hot breakfast.
Happy New Year! In our first show of 2025, Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner gives us an update from Queen's Park.
We also pay tribute to Kate Nixon who passed suddenly at too young of an age. Kate was a tireless advocate for vulnerable and marginalized populations living near the Guelph downtown core. The legacy of her passion lives on in Your Downtown Guelph Friends, the group she founded to support her neighbours rooted in love and dignity.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9AM on CFRU 93.3FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
Find us on Facebook at Breezy Breakfast.
@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.
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Breezy Breakfast: Live every Thursday at 8 am at DEBAR, 105 Wyndham St. N. Guelph.
Where you hear the news first. That's not conjecture, that's a fact!
Today's Breezy Breakfast topic is a bit of a play on words. Our guests represent groups that are dedicated to making positive changes in the communities they serve. Alas, these groups rely heavily on donations: fundraising isn't the easiest way to make ¢hange.
Cindy Kinnon of Community Living Guelph Wellington outlines the barriers faced by those with special needs in Guelph. Underfunding has led to staffing being held at two thirds of what is needed.
Kevin Coghill shines a light on how the Royal City Mission assists those on limited incomes via food programs, storage lockers, and even a rudimentary banking system for those without bank accounts.
Linda Busuttil from the West Village Cooperative addresses the challenges in offering full services to New Canadians and others who are on limited incomes. This Co-op has created the largest urban farm garden in Guelph.
Crystle Avery describes the difficulties encountered by the Chalmers Centre in providing fresh food to their clientele.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9AM on CFRU 93.3FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
Find us on Facebook at Breezy Breakfast.
@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.
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Breezy Breakfast: Live every Thursday at 8 am; back in 2025 on January 9 at DEBAR, 105 Wyndham St. N. Guelph.
Where the smiles are warm, the coffee piping hot and the opinions "steaming!"
This week on Breezy Breakfast, we hear from gold medalist Giovanni DeSero who is the Head Coach of the Royal City Boccia Rollers, a new program coming in 2025.
We explore the world of disabled athletics and hear local perspectives from members of Guelph's disabled community. What does the city already offer by way of accessible recreation?
Giovanni and Mike Ashkewe also give us the scoop on the good, the bad, and the ugly regarding accessibility in Guelph.
Mike Ashkewe is a Indigenous content creator and disability advocate.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9AM on CFRU 93.3FM.
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Breezy Breakfast: Biscotti, Bacon, and Banter - Bright and Early!
Today we're talking science with Dr. Joanne O'Meara, a Physics professor at the University of Guelph and co-founder of Royal City Science (RCS).
Through a variety of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) pop-up events in and around Guelph, RCS aims to ignite curiosity, build confidence, and inspire the inner scientist in us all.
The ultimate goal is to create a state-of-the-art facility for informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.
Dr. O'Meara gives us an update on the what, where, when, how, and why of the Royal City Science Centre.
With its growing population, Ontario is ready for a third Science Centre. Would Puslinch be a good location?
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9AM on CFRU 93.3FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
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Special thanks to the good people at DeBar, located at 105 Wyndham Street North in beautiful downtown Guelph.
Breezy Breakfast: where curious people learn about topics that are as hot and sizzling as the coffee and bacon.
Are you ready to talk about books and movies?
Michelle Campbell from the Guelph Public Library shares her top reads of 2024, the top circulated items at the Library, and highly anticipated books that are coming soon.
From "The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards" to "Willie & Annie Nelson’s Cannabis Cookbook," there's something for everyone on your Christmas list.
Mike Ashkewe regales us with his ode to Star Trek.
Adam Donaldson and Candice Lepage talk about the best, most underrated, and silliest movies of 2024.
Canadian content includes the classic slasher film "Black Christmas" (filmed in Toronto and starring Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder) and the goofy "snowman comes to life" Christmas movie "Hot Frosty" which was filmed in Brockville. Netflix is now streaming 10 Hallmark Christmas movies!
Enjoy the first show in our new location at the restaurant DeBar, located at 105 Wyndham Street North, a few doors down from the Flour Barrel. We thank them for opening their hearts and space to us.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9AM on CFRU 93.3FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
Find us on Facebook at Breezy Breakfast.
@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.
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Special thanks to the good people at DeBar, located at 105 Wyndham Street North in beautiful downtown Guelph.
Breezy Breakfast: Counting down to our community's 200th anniversary - and where everything you need to know about the Royal City but are afraid to ask is provided by the gadflies of Guelph.
This week on Breezy Breakfast, Mayor Cam Guthrie and Deputy CAO Trevor Lee answer questions about this year's controversial City budget. Tara Baker, Colleen Clack-Bush, and Jayne Holmes provide backup.
Why is this budget controversial?
This year, the budget is under the Mayor's direct purview.
Council may amend the budget; however, the Mayor has the power to veto amendments.
Council may overturn a veto if and only if a super-majority of two-thirds is attained.
People online and in the restaurant are in a particularly feisty mood. They ask questions about public transit, bike trails, and the environment. And what's going on with the 200th anniversary of the Royal City?
Join the Breezy Breakfast in person at the Shine Brunch and Dinner Restaurant on Macdonell Street on Thursdays at 8 AM, or join via Zoom.
Listen to Breezy Breakfast on CFRU 93.3 FM on Mondays at 9 AM.
If you're not an early bird, check out our podcast on Podbean and Spotify.
Breezy Breakfast: where the coffee is hot, the bacon is crisp, and the eggs - but not the ideas - are scrambled.
This week on Breezy Breakfast we learn about human trafficking in Guelph and beyond.
From the Guelph Police Service, our guests are: Chief Gord Cobey,Inspector Jeimy Karavelus,Detective Staff Sergeant Melanie Clark, andDetective Sergeant James Graham.
They help us to understand exactly what human trafficking is and how it is related to domestic violence and immigration. How do the police approach this devastating crime?
What are their goals, and what challenges do they face in terms of budgeting and resource allocation?
Join us each week - in person or via Zoom - at the Shine Brunch and Dinner Restaurant.
Get the link on our Facebook or X page.
If you're not an early bird, listen to our show on Mondays at 9:00 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM or our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
Breezy breakfast: Guelph's weekly source for expanded news commentary.
Welcome to another Breezy Breakfast.
Each Thursday at 8 AM, Guelph residents join together at the Rise and Shine restaurant in beautiful downtown Guelph. We share ideas, comment on the state of the City, Province, and Country, and we try to deepen our understanding of key issues in Guelph.
Sometimes we get a bit distracted by having fun and this week is no exception.
Today we hear from three fine storytellers who call Guelph their home.
Jay Wilson of Jaywalking Guelph,
Bonnie Durtnall, Guelph Historian, and
Greg Taylor of Ghost Walks of Guelph.
Gather round to hear stories about Guelph: some are myths, some are ghostly, and some are just outrageous!
Join us each week - in person or via Zoom - as we seek enlightenment over breakfast at the Rise and Shine Restaurant.
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If you're not a early bird, check us out on CFRU 93.3 FM on Mondays at 9 AM and our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
Breezy Breakfast: where the coffee is hot, the sugar is sweet, and the staff provides great service with a smile.
Welcome to another Breezy Breakfast.
Today we field questions pertaining to Guelph: housing, voting, water, and much more.
We don’t have a guest today, so Phil Allt attempts to answer questions posed to him from our guests online and at the Rise and Shine restaurant.
Interspersed, we ask some trivia questions about Guelph: which famous celebrities came to Guelph for a rest, how many Guelphites are Nobel prize winners or are recipients of the Order of Canada? What is the connection between Biltmore hats and hockey? Get your trivia fix today!
Breezy breakfast can be heard on CFRU 93.3 FM on Mondays at 9 am, on Spotify and podbean.
Join us live or online every Thursday at 8 am at the Rise and Shine Restaurant in beautiful and historical downtown Guelph.
Breezy Breakfast: where the door is always open and everyone is welcome to join us for coffee and conversation.
This week on Breezy Breakfast we're joined by newly minted Chief Administrative Officer Tara Baker. Ms. Baker has been hired as CAO after fourteen years of working at the City of Guelph in various financial roles, the last of which being City Treasurer.
An excellent communicator, Tara addresses a variety of issues including taxes, Strong Mayor Powers and Guelph's role in the housing spectrum.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9AM on CFRU 93.3FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
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Breezy Breakfast: a place to land yourself in an interesting conversation with your neighbours.
Today on Breezy Breakfast, we talk about the Niska Lands. The Grand River Conservation Authority is beginning the process to designate as surplus an 8 hectare field south of Niska Road.
Ontario's Conservation Authorities used to receive a great deal of funding from the provincial government. Since the 1990's, this funding has decreased to the point that Conservation Authorities currently need to sell land in order to raise money for infrastructure such as dams.
The current provincial government has mandated that Conservation Authorities create an inventory of surplus lands that might be sold in order to build housing.
Given the provincial growth targets for Guelph, we are well on our way to a Parkland deficit. Given the City's investment in the land, it might be reasonable to expect Guelph to have a say in what happens to it. Furthermore, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation have offered to preserve this 8 hectare chunk of land. But there's a fly in the ointment: that land is designated as residential in Guelph's Official Plan!
Our guests Susan Watson and Hugh Whiteley take us on a magical mystery tour of the Niska lands, highlighting the terms of purchase, historical significance, and ideal use of these lands.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9AM on CFRU 93.3FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
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Breezy Breakfast: a place to land yourself in an interesting conversation with your neighbours.
This week, we are joined by Chief Gordon Cobey of the Guelph Police Services.
Our topic: everything you want to know about the Guelph Police Services but are afraid to ask - in case you get arrested.
Even though our topic is policing in Guelph, we've got a lot of questions about homelessness, drug use, and mental health issues in downtown Guelph.
To assist us with these questions, we have a special guest for the first part of today’s conversation:
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Colleen Clack-Bush.
Colleen answers about the recently passed Public Space Use Bylaw and how it affects encampments downtown and elsewhere in the city. She clarifies the where and when of camping in Guelph City Parks.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9AM on CFRU 93.3FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean.
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Breezy Breakfast: where restaurant director Jenny helps you "Rise and Shine" with her Sunny-Side Up smile.
Welcome to the first Breezy Breakfast of this season! This week your host is Rachel Thorn, speaking with Guelph City Councilor Phil Allt Guelph. The topic is Guelph’s Public Space Use Bylaw. Is it a solution to downtown decay? Might it be a panacea with a lot of hope but bound to fail? Guests from the audience share their understanding of what the Public Space Use Bylaw would accomplish. Concerns for the well-being of downtown tent dwellers are contrasted to the challenges of operating a downtown business. Join us downtown at the Rise and Shine, bright and early on Thursdays. Breezy Breakfast: Engaged Guelph citizens share opinions on hot topics over hot coffee. The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour is broadcast Mondays at 9AM on CFRU 93.3FM.
Major props to the talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
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Welcome to another Bookworm edition of Breezy Breakfast.
Today we hear from Dan Atkins, the acting CEO of the Guelph Public Library.
If you're looking to add to your "to read" list, we've got it all: books on race, water, and definitions; biographies of hockey players and spare heirs; young adult fiction, speculative fiction, and so much more.
Margo, a Breezy regular, pitches the Royal City Mission stories featuring those in our community who have very little.
This is our last Breezy Breakfast for the summer.
However, many of our regular patrons will continue to meet at 8 AM to dine in splendour.
Join them and hostesses Marie and Jenny for the finest in conversation, coffee, and croissants at the Rise and Shine on Macdonell Street in beautiful downtown Guelph.
Breezy Breakfast: the perfect way to start a summer day.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour plays every Monday at 9AM on CFRU 93.3FM.
Major props to the mad talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
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SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER!
This week on Breezy Breakfast, Mayor Cam Guthrie is our guest.
How will Strong Mayor powers impact Guelph's affordable housing crisis?
What does his proposed property tax maximum of 4% look like?
Mayor Guthrie answers questions about the budget, policing, housing, hospitals, the possibility of a national urban park in the Old Reformatory lands, the Royal City's plans to celebrate its 200th anniversary, and many other topics.
As we were unable to get to all of our questions, Mayor Guthrie has agreed to return to Breezy Breakfast.
The Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour plays every Monday at 9AM on CFRU 93.3FM. Major props to the mad talent at CFRU for making us sound great.
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This week in the Breezy Breakfast we learn about Tiny Homes.
Tiny Homes are controversial. They are neither homes, nor tents.
How do they fit into the housing mix?
Our guests are Joe Mancini of A Better Tent City, Ingrid Ohls of the Guelph Tiny Homes Coalition and Tony Stortz, authour of "A Home of Their Own".
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Listen for the Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour every Monday on CFRU at 9am!
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Is Guelph still in the running for an Urban National Park? Where does the support of council stand? The OId Reformatory is the perfect location, with natural heritage features and Indigenous murals in the main building. However, many people see these lands as the perfect location for a new hospital. This lively discussion features Brian Skerrett of Urban Park Guelph and Anna Baggio of Wildlands League. Read coverage of the meeting from GuelphToday here.----more---- Listen for the Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour every Monday on CFRU at 9am!
We greatly appreciate the audio engineering talent at CFRU 93.3 for preparing and broadcasting our podcast.
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----more----
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Given the recent crisis in Calgary and Guelph's population growth, many people are concerned about we'll keep Guelphites sufficiently and reliably watered.
Will we need a double pipeline - water and wastewater - between Guelph and Lake Erie? Waste disposal and composting are also challenges.
Recycling will undergo a major change in 2025 once extended producer responsibility comes to Guelph. Businesses that supply packaging and paper will be responsible for those materials. What will that look like?
We are joined on Breezy Breakfast this week by a strong city of Guelph panel with Cameron Walsh from Solid Waste Services, Wayne Galliher from Water Services, and Tim Robertson from Wastewater Services to find these answers and more.
Listen for lively discussion on the Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour!
We greatly appreciate the audio engineering talent at CFRU 93.3 for preparing and broadcasting us at 9am Monday mornings.
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Talks of the birds and the bees - as well as flowers and trees - may not be as straightforward as we'd like to think. How can we figure out about truly beneficial practices? Why do so many native plant regeneration movements seem so...extreme? Are some non-native species, like the honeybee and dandelion, just here to stay?
This week we are joined by local native plant expert and owner of Cardiff Naturscaping Meghan Lewis, and Michael Barber, beekeeper and owner of Tri-City Bee Rescue and The Hive on Elizabeth Street, who are able to find common ground on several issues despite holding largely opposing positions on many points. Listen for lively discussion on the Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour!
We greatly appreciate the audio engineering talent at CFRU 93.3 for preparing and broadcasting us at 9am Monday mornings.
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We're in the middle of construction season.
Most of Guelph's infrastructure is ancient, so many water and sewage lines are being replaced and upgraded.
New infrastructure must be installed to keep up with Guelph's growth.
This week, we learn about stormwater ponds, infrastructure work in the downtown area, the Emma/Earl bridge, budgetary concerns, and the sinkhole on Speedvale avenue.
Our guests are Terry Gayman and Reg Russwurm, two Professional Engineers on staff at the City of Guelph.
They skillfully address more than a few hot-button issues.
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Breezy Breakfast: where the infrastructure is always of the highest quality.
Since it was elected in October 2018, the Ford government has proposed and pushed through a myriad of Bills in an attempt to lessen the housing crisis in Ontario.
Bill 108, The More Homes, More Choice Act, is an omnibus bill containing extensive amendments to legislation related to housing development in Ontario, including substantial changes to the planning and appeal process, municipal revenue generation tools, and environmental protection.
Bill 109, The More Homes for Everyone Act, contains the legislation to implement Bill 108.
Bill 23, The More Homes Built Faster Act, is an omnibus bill that made fundamental changes to the land-use planning system in Ontario through changes to the Development Charges Act, Planning Act, Municipal Act, and others.
Today, we unpack Bill 185, The Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act, another omnibus bill that introduces changes to 15 statutes, including key land-use planning legislation.
If you are concerned about responsible land-use planning and the democratic process, consider Bill 185 as the icing on this multi-layered chaos cake.
Our guest Kevin Thomason is the Vice-Chair of the Grand River Environmental Network.
He knows these bills inside and out.
The rapid changes in planning legislation has resulted in planning chaos in municipalities across the province.
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Breezy Breakfast: where hot coffee brings some semblance of order out of chaos.
This week on Breezy Breakfast, we discuss Truth and Reconciliation and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit.
Dana Nuttley's ex-wife was an Indigenous woman. Denise was a victim of abuse and was killed by her boyfriend. Dana, in an emotional opening, outlines how this affected him and his son. He offers us a model to understand past and current settler-Indigenous relations. Mike Askewe (Ask key we) is a residential school survivor who has been living in Guelph from some time. Mike outlines how residential schools traumatized him and how he personally views Truth and Reconciliation. Breezy breakfast: where the opinions are stronger than the coffee and the conversation is never over easy.
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This week, we're learning about some of the non-traditional forms of entertainment here in the Royal City.
Our guests welcome us into the worlds of lawn bowling, pro wrestling, curling, and drag shows. Lawn bowling's history is appropriately "royal" in nature. Are the wrestling moves real? Why does the curling club need 200 volunteers in January 2025? How much time and money goes into being a drag queen?What does it mean when a venue, such as Which Craft on Wyndham Street, is a designated safe space? Breezy breakfast: where the opinions are stronger than the coffee and the conversation is never over easy.
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This week we are discussing Autism Acceptance and asking what is Autism? It has often been misunderstood as a mental disability but is now recognized as a form of neurodivergence.
Listen in as we hear from Lulu Larcenciel, an Autistic Mental Health Advocate as well as Councillor Erin Caton and their daughter, Agent, about their experiences living, working and going to school as autistic individuals.
Breezy breakfast: where the opinions are stronger than the coffee and the conversation is never over easy.
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We live in a time of unprecedented safety, wealth, and comfort.
So, why are kids today more anxious, depressed, risk-averse, lonely, distracted, and less social than ever before?
Is it our society's addiction to smart phones, demanding our constant attention?
What about the siren songs of social media platforms whose main goals are to keep us online for as long as possible?
How did COVID exacerbate the already declining mental health of young people?
Our guest is Courtney Bell, a Guelph psychotherapist who has spent seven years in a Community Health Setting and five years in private practice. She works with children and teenagers.
She helps us navigate this disturbing situation by sharing her experiences and expertise, identifying some of the core problems, recent trends, and effective approaches, and discussing the factors involved in positive mental health outcomes.
Breezy breakfast: where the opinions are stronger than the coffee and the conversation is never over easy.
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Today on Breezy Breakfast, we hear from representatives of a community-led tiny homes project.
Liz Hales is a Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner who has been working with underhoused and homeless folks in Guelph for almost 25 years.
Ingrid Ohls is an Outreach worker who helps people access all sorts of health and social services.
Liz and Ingrid speak of the challenges of safely housing our outdoor neighbours. They describe the challenges regarding shelter systems, mental health and substance abuse disorders, and harm reduction models of care.
Our audience learns why a community-led initiative - rather than a city-led effort - might result in housing people more quickly.
Breezy Breakfast: where everyone can have a solid meal to start the day.
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This week on Breezy Breakfast we learn about the activities of a few citizen-led organizations in the Royal City.
For example, there is now a Community Climate Survey:
http://tinyurl.com/communityclimate2024
Our guests share perspectives on the challenges of climate change and local effects. Water, energy, poverty, and even class conflict are hot topics.
Karen Rathwell from Guelph Wellington Coalition for Social Justice,
John Steggles from Guelph Climate Action Network,
and
Horeen Hassan from Guelph Environmental Justice Collective.
We still miss Bev who is recovering from her recent stay in hospital.
Ashley - our Diner Diva in Training - keeps the warm drinks flowing and the rather crusty crowd content.
Breezy Breakfast: where the conversation is as hot as the coffee and the issues as filling as Mom's flapjacks.
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In January 2023, Reg Russwurm and Stacey Laughlin gave us the lay of the downtown land. Some of the infrastructure in our downtown is over 100 years old - water and wastewater pipes and storm sewers - and we must prepare for the next 100 years.
This massive renewal project will take several years to complete and beings on Wyndham Street from Carden Street to Woolwich Street.
Topics of interest include - pacing, trees and parking.
Our guests are:
Reg Russwurm - Manager of Design/Construction
Andrew Miller - Project Engineer
and
Stacey Laughlin - Downtown Revitalization Advisor
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Welcome to the Breezy Breakfast observance of International Women’s Day. Our theme this year is "Women helping Women."
In the 1920's, the Women’s Labour League emerges in Canada to defend female workers, calling for equal pay, maternity leave, birth control, and minimum wage laws.
Nellie McClung, Emily Murphy, Henrietta Edwards, Louise McKinney, and Irene Parlby are known as the "Famous Five." Because of their tireless efforts, in 1929, Canadian women were declared to be PERSONS under the law.
In 1952, married women could continue to work in federal public services.
In 1970, women’s shelters are formed.
In 1981, the postal workers union CUPW won the right to Maternity Leave.
In 1983, it is a criminal offense for a man to rape his wife.
In 2016, Manitoba passes legislation to give victims of domestic violence paid and unpaid leave.
We've come a long way over the past 100 years. How are we doing now, and what are the issues that need to be addressed?
Our guests share their perspectives.
Janice Folk-Dawson is the Special Assistant to CUPE Ontario and former Vice President of the Ontario Federation of Labour. Janice is also the NDP Candidate in the 2025 federal election for Guelph,
Sly Castaldi is the Executive Director of Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis. Sly has been tireless in her work on behalf of women escaping domestic violence and abuse.
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This week on Breezy breakfast we are joined by chief Gordon Cobey and two Deputies. They explain the intricacies of policing, the budget, and staffing. Everything from traffic issues to drugs to human trafficking is discussed. 90 minutes passes quickly and we do not get to all of the questions that were asked. Please note that we are on hiatus until our next recorded meeting on March 7th honouring IWD.. Tune in to CFRU FM 93.3 every Monday morning at 9 AM or listen to the Breezy Breakfast podcast. Breezy breakfast: the eggs might be scrambled, but the conversation is anything but! ___________________Find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/breezybreakfast
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What is happening to print journalism around the world and right here in Guelph?
This week's Breezy Breakfast delves in to a conversation about the state of the news media in light of mass layoffs at all regional newspapers belonging to Metroland Media Group, including the Guelph Mercury/Tribune.
Our guests today are local journalists
Adam A. Donaldson - Owner of Guelph Politico
Graeme McNaughton - Freelance - former reporter with Guelph Mercury/Tribune
and
Tony Saxon, Editor, Guelph Today
How has the digital world impacted how people consume information? Has the advent of the internet, social media and AI changed how journalists work? What do our local journalists envision for the future of the Fourth Estate?
___________________
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For most of us, use of "drugs" such as alcohol or pain killers is not an issue. However, contaminated "street drugs" are killing Canadians at the rate of approximately 20 per day. At least 7,800 fellow Canadians are being murdered by unscrupulous dealers each year. Is there a solution to the epidemic of vulnerable people being poisoned in the Royal City?
This week Breezy Breakfast delves in to the realities of working on the front lines to keep people alive with our guests:
Bree Woods, Manager of Community Engagement and Volunteer Support for Sanguen
Kate Nixon of Your Downtown Guelph Friends and the National Overdose Response Service
Lindsey Sodtke, Harm Reduction Manager, Guelph Community Health Centre
Listen in as they answer questions about outreach services, safe consumption, opioid poisoning, and systemic issues facing so many in the Royal City.
Additional information and perspectives are provided by
Angela Allt, Social Worker with Canadian Mental Health Association
Bang Ly, Manager, Salvation Army Community and Family Services
Alex, Welcoming Streets Initiative Outreach Worker, Guelph Community Health Services
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In our first show of 2024, we hear from Krystal Valencia, Founder & Managing Director of Rental Rescue.
Many affordable housing units are in jeopardy due to challenges such as aging infrastructure, financial constraints, and the rising costs of necessary renovations.
Rental Rescue is a nonprofit that works with the public and the private sector to maintain and even increase the number of affordable rental housing units.
Krystal Valencia is a housing activist working predominantly in the Hamilton and Oakville areas. One of her goals is to preserve existing affordable housing units by safeguarding them against deterioration - which often leads to renovictions and rental increases.
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In our final show of the year, we kiss 2023 goodbye by talking about movies and books.
Adam Donaldson and Candice Lepage - the hosts of End Credits on CFRU - kick things off by decisively answering a 35-year old question: Is DIE HARD a Christmas movie? Candice defends her love of Hallmark movies to a shocked crowd before redeeming herself by giving props to the best Canadian holiday slasher film: Black Christmas.
After our discussion of regular movies - including a heated debate about director Martin Scorsese - we move on to some of the best books of 2023. From Moon of the Turning Leaves to The Case Against the Sexual Revolution, our participants' picks are unputdownable.
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December 3rd is the International Day for Persons with Disabilities.
Today, we learn about the Guelph Accessibility Advisory Committee (ACC) and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
Lorelei Root, Chair of the AAC, and Councilor Erin Caton, a disability advocate through necessity, give us their perspectives on what accessibility looks like.
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This week we appeal to all to help someone eat today!
Our 150th episode features members of Peas in a Pod, local food security providers who meet monthly to share the trials and triumphs of providing food to our neighbours who need help with the basics. Please choose one of these great organizations to support this holiday and winter season. Whether you can give your treasure, your time or your talent, each and every one will appreciate your support - and you can help someone eat tomorrow! Children's Foundation of Guelph and Wellington - Food & Friends
https://www.childrensfoundation.org/.../coordin.../resourcesYour Downtown Guelph Friends/ The Sandwich Crew - https://www.facebook.com/downtownguelphfolks/ Kate Nixon Chalmers Community Services Centre - https://chalmerscentre.ca/ https://www.facebook.com/ChalmersCentre/ West Willow Village - https://www.westwillowvillage.ca/ Linda Busuttil Silvercreek Community Market - Contact Michelle Altermann allsaints@allsaintsguelph.ca allsaintsguelph.ca The SEED - https://theseedguelph.ca/ https://www.facebook.com/seedguelph/ Guelph Community Health Centre - https://guelphchc.ca/ f.u.n. Food Uniting Neighbours - https://10carden.ca/food-uniting-neighbours/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/foodunitingneighbours/ Community (Food Equity With Dignity) F.E.W.D - https://guelphneighbourhoods.org/fewd-food-equity-with.../ Food System Resiliance Table - https://guelph.ca/.../food-system-resiliency-table.../ https://www.facebook.com/GWFoodFuture/ North End Harvest Market - https://guelphneighbourhoods.org/.../north-end-harvest.../ https://www.facebook.com/northendharvestmarket/ Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition - https://guelphneighbourhoods.org/.../guelphneighbourhood.../ https://www.facebook.com/GuelphNeighbourhoodSupportCoali.../ Hope House - https://www.hopehouseguelph.ca/food https://www.facebook.com/HopeHouseGuelph/ Royal City Mission (RCM) - https://www.royalcitymission.ca/ https://www.facebook.com/rcmguelph/Also highlighted - Rachel's Saturday Table at Woolwich and Wyndham and The Bench Monday - Thursday same location Find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/breezybreakfast
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Let's get everyone some food or at least food for thought!
The goal of Movember is to raise awareness and funds for men's health and well being.
Our guest today is Dave Robinson. Dave is a practicing psychotherapist here in Guelph who exclusively serves men. As Dave says, who better to talk about men’s issues than a man with issues?
Dave speaks with compassion and authority about issues associated with men’s mental health. Men often face challenges that are different than those faced by women. Given traditional definitions of masculinity and of a man's role in the family, it isn't surprising that some men “man up by shutting down” or “bottle up everything by hitting the bottle.”
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Breezy Breakfast: where the topics are always sunny side up and the guests are never scrambled.
Thursday November 16, 2023: An Urban Park on the O.R. lands?
This week on Breezy breakfast we hear from Brian Skerrett. Brian outlines the history of the Ontario Reformatory in Guelph and the potential for a national park being established on that site.
Brian goes into detail about the site's Indigenous history and heritage as well as its natural features. He answers questions about housing, road widening, and the suggestion that this site would be a good place for a new hospital.
THE PETITION IS HERE: https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4593
Breezy breakfast: where the conversation and the eggs are both sunny side and up.
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In December, the city of Guelph will pass its first four-year multi-year budget, with an increase of over 10%; why is the proposed tax increase so high? The City of Guelph's Chief Administrative Officer, Scott Stewart, answers many of our questions about Guelph's budget. Councillors Phil Allt, Linda Busuttil and Erin Caton join in a discussion about local boards including the police services, the long awaited main library and south end recreation centre as well as provincial downloading - the transfer of responsibility from the province to municipalities WITHOUT any compensation. CAO Stewart points out that while the city contributes $35 million to the county each year for social services, it has no authority over how this money is spent. How does the City deal with social housing without in house expertise?Breezy Breakfast, where the opinions are as energizing as an espresso!
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Welcome to Breezy Breakfast Municipal Digest where every bite a nutritious energizing spoonful of food for thought.
We are joined by first time School Trustee and Upper Grand District School Board Chair Ralf Messenbrink who speaks on current issues at the local board of education. Whether its budget, library offerings, support for students with extra learning needs and challenges, local boards are often expected to provide solutions to gaps and sometimes they are not necessarily in charge - it’s the province that makes the rules and establishes the budget for everything from teaching to school supplies.
We are also joined by first year councillor Erin Caton. Erin discusses their first year around the Horseshoe. As a passionate advocate for accessibility Erin has transformed themself from active citizen to engaged councillor. Erin and Phil engage a lively discourse on budget, transit, parks and most importantly the big unknown - how does one build the thriving community of the future when the rules change almost daily.
Breezy Breakfast: food for thought with topics as hot as your morning tea.
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This week's Breezy Breakfast talk turns to Halloween with seasonal stories ... some scary ... some historical ... all true?
Local historian and librarian, Susan Ratcliffe recounts some frightening real life local lore and some of the horror is happening right now!
Jay Wilson, known locally for his entertaining historical recounting as JayWalking, walks us through some spooky Guelph streets and stories.
And Bonnie Durtnall, historian and author, talks about her latest book "Haunted Guelph". Do you know who had the largest funeral in Guelph?
Sit back and listen in as Phil Allt hosts ... BOO!
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This week on Breezy Breakfast, we are joined by Guelph's MP Lloyd Longfield.
Among other things, Lloyd talks about Universal Basic Income, water issues in Indigenous communities, the current Middle East crisis, and housing in Guelph. Along the way, Lloyd discusses decorum in the House and civility in society.
Breezy Breakfast is your source for local discussion of current issues. Why not participate? We meet almost every Thursday at Rise N’ Shine on beautiful Macdonell St in beautiful Downtown Guelph.
If you have an opinion and a hunger for knowledge that is complimented with thirst for input from others, join us. Breezy Breakfast: where everything is Sunny Side Up
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This week, we learn about 10C, the hub for community activators and changemakers in the City of Guelph.
"10C uses placemaking, social enterprise, social finance, social innovation – and food – to create new ways to connect, collaborate and share resources."
Julia Grady, Executive Director & Co-Founder of 10C, gives us the scoop on 10C's history, the unique opportunities it provides for Guelphites, and its role in the Guelph Farmer's Market.
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Greenbelt Resignation Roundup: August 22 - September 21, 2023
Amato: developers who had access to him got 92 per cent of the GB land that was removed.
Clark: violated two sections of the Members Integrity Act; was "unaware" of the machinations of his chief of staff
Rasheed: got an "opulent" massage in Las Vegas (!!) at the same time as his developer pal.
Truesdell: Also in Las Vegas at the same time as Rasheed. Cannot confirm or deny that he received an opulent massage.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2023: The day of reckoning
"I made a promise to you that I wouldn't touch the Greenbelt. I broke that promise. And for that I'm very, very sorry.
“It caused people to question our motives. As a first step, to earn back your trust, I'll be reversing the changes we made and won't make any changes to the Greenbelt in the future.
“Because even if you do something for the right reasons, with the best of intentions, it can still be wrong.”
- Premier "Sorry, not sorry" Doug Ford
Mike Marcolongo of Protect Our Moraine and the Wellington Water Watchers takes us on a deep dive into the Greenbelt Scandal.
For the past few months Mike has been at the forefront of the campaign to right this political, economic, and environmental wrong. Mike took a leave of absence from his job to devote his time to saving the Greenbelt.
Mike and Phil Allt discuss the Greenbelt, next steps, and future challenges Ontario might face as more developers attempt to initiate deals while getting massages in Las Vegas.
The truth is stranger than fiction.
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On Thursday September 28th, Alicia Ralph joined us at Rise and Shine to discuss Human Rights and Equity.
She is the newest member of the Upper Grand District School Board in a new role: Human Rights and Equity Advisor.
Alicia's goal is to address human rights and equity for students and staff and to promote system-level and organizational change throughout the UGDSB.
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We had an open mic on Thursday September 21st.
Topics included Guelph's founder John Galt, the protests and counterprotests of September 20th, and, one of Guelph's favourite topics, Parking!
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On Thursday September 14th, Guelph's MPP Mike Schreiner joined us at the Rise and Shine Restaurant to give us a Queen's Park update.
The challenges that Ontario face are legion; the lack of affordable housing, ever-increasing rents, and the shortage of healthcare workers are at the top of the list.
August was a big month for the Greenbelt land swap scandal. Mike has plans for three new bills regarding the greenbelt, 400-series highways, and quarries.
Get ready for a lively discussion about the state of our province.
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From July 2023 to the end of December 2025, all municipalities in Ontario will transition their blue box program to a new collection model.
Under this new model, the companies that produce blue box materials will be required to fully fund and operate the recycling system.
In other solid waste news, Guelph has started the downtown waste project with the following goals:
- to prioritize public space containers for use by pedestrians visiting the downtown, and,
- to implement a dedicated collection strategy for downtown residential, industrial, commercial, and institutional properties.
Check out https://www.haveyoursay.guelph.ca/downtown-waste-project for more details.
Our guest is Cameron Walsh, Division Manager of Solid Waste Resources, Environmental Services, City of Guelph.
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This week we learn more about Guelph Police Services (GPS).
GPS has 196 officers and 91 full-time civilian members.
The GPS Board consists of five people who serve on a part-time basis.
How many police cars are patrolling Guelph at any one point of time? The answer might surprise you.
Our guests:
Peter McSherry, the chair of the GPS board, Police chief Gordon Cobey, and Deputy chief Steve Gill.
We discuss issues related to safety and policing in Guelph: noise, bike theft, homelessness, and the need to balance the concerns of a variety of communities.
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International Non-Binary People's Day has been observed each year on July 14 since 2012 to raise awareness of the issues faced by non-binary people around the world.
Erin Caton is Guelph's first non-binary City Councillor. With her lighthearted, clear, and positive manner, she gives a presentation to explain the different genders and to show the value of respecting how people feel by using preferred pronouns. The goal is to provide insight, as not everyone feels represented by a gender binary. Furthermore, we learn about the various cultures that recognize more than one gender.
We touch on english grammar, bigotry, acceptance, and embracing the broad culture of humanity.
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Today on Breezy breakfast, we take a deep dive into water and waste-water. We also engage in some serious trash talk.
Nectar Tampacopoulos is the general manager of Environmental Services at the City of Guelph.
He outlines many of the practical concerns regarding water conservation, water protection, and water extraction.
What does one do when faced with a water or sewage emergency?
How do water softeners impact water quality?
Will Guelph's water supply sustain a population of over 200,000?
Wayne Fernandes is a Guelph resident who is concerned about litter. He's concerned about plastics, micro plastics, and the total disregard that many drivers have for roadside beauty.
How can we win the war on litter?
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What is a Land Value Tax and how might it help alleviate the housing crisis?
Floyd Marinescu is our guest. He explains that a sufficiently high land value tax would:
Quickly bring down housing prices to 2018 levels; Eliminate speculative incentives bidding up housing prices; Encourage more construction; Reduce mortgage debts; and much more.
A tax shift from income taxes to land value taxes would provide tax relief for most households.
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Coming to Guelph soon: The New Main Branch of the Guelph Public Library! Groundbreaking ceremony was on June 20th.
Coming to Guelph sooner: The Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act. Will a strong mayor build more homes faster? Will these homes be affordable?
The Breezy Breakfasters have strong views about both topics.
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June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day.
Today we hear from Sixties Scoop survivor Mike O'dah ziibing Ashkewe.
Mike tells us what it was like to grow up as a scoop kid with an Ojibway background.
Articulate, positive, and spiritual are all terms that fit Mike. Mike is a strong and inspiring person who knows how to heal with words, poetry, and humour.
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This week on Breezy Breakfast, we learn about bylaws in Guelph.
Some of the highlights include noisy vehicles, water use, dogs, and parking.
Why is the enforcement of some bylaws complaint-driven? Which bylaws are more actively enforced?
Our guests are:
Doug Godfrey, General Manager of Operations and Dustin Gronc, Manager of Corporate and Community Safety
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Breezy Breakfast is proud to kick off Pride Month with a show about the history of drag and the challenges facing the trans community today.
Our guests are Crystal Quartz, a local Drag Performer and Katrina Stephany, a proud Trans Woman, with Erin Caton providing comments from their non-binary perspective.
Crystal gives us a brief history of drag and describes her life as a Drag Queen Performer. Katrina recites her recent original poem about her experiences as a trans woman and helps us understand the current climate faced by the trans community. Erin gives us a succinct definition of non-binary and is unequivocal about their reasons for moving to Guelph including a sense of inclusivity in the Royal City.
Crystal asserts Guelph is indeed a very chill place. You can learn about her events https://crystalquartzevents.com/
For more about Katrina's organization visit https://www.qthumanrightseducationconsulting.com/
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This week we hear from our federal and provincial representatives.
MP Lloyd Longfield and MPP Mike Schreiner are our guests.
We get the scoop on topics such as housing, gun control, proportional representation, municipal authority, and the Greenbelt.
Both Lloyd and Mike outline the challenges they face at work.
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In 2021, the City of Guelph made a commitment to establish interim climate targets for the entire community.
To date, only 2.2% of emissions - those created by the Corporation of the City of Guelph itself - have been addressed. Interim climate targets for the entire city of Guelph have not been developed; such targets are crucial for the city to complete its Community Energy Initiative.
Without interim climate targets, it will be nigh on impossible for us Guelphites to reach our 2050 climate goals.
Today, our guest is Evan Ferrari, the Executive Director of eMERGE.
Councillors Allt and Caton share their perspectives.
Get ready for a lively discussion on what has - and what hasn't - been done regarding interim climate targets in Guelph.
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May 1st is International Worker's Day, a day to honour the activists who fight for proper working conditions, not the least of which being an 8-hour work day and a 5-day work week.
This week, we are joined by two special LOCAL guests.
Guelph historian Bonnie Durtnall brings us back to the 1900s, describing the colourful characters of Guelph's past and the working conditions in Guelph Industries.
We learn about who fought to better the lot of the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.
Brian Holstein regales us with tales of work and play in the time before radio.
Our May Day could not be complete without celebrating prohibition, bootleggers, gangsters, and illegal stills.
Nor could we forget Guelph’s incredible baseball history. Many do not know that Guelph won the world championship against a team from Ithaca, New York. According to Brian, there is a special reason to revel in this victory!
Remember: if you live in it, if you wear it, if you eat it, there’s a very good chance that a worker made it.
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Guelph has its 200th birthday on April 23, 2027.
Many residents are eager to make this bicentennial the best party ever.
This week on Breezy breakfast we are joined by Danna Evans, General Manager of Culture and Recreation. Many ideas are offered – everything from a bridge honouring a former City Councillor to a list of 200 things of which Guelph should be proud.
This is also the first hybrid Breezy Breakfast, and we are proud to say it was a success.
Everything - the breakfast served by our favourite waitress Bev at the Rise and Shine restaurant, the usual suspects, the discussion, the sound quality - was top drawer.
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Happy Earth Day, 2023!
Did you know Guelph has a One Canopy Tree Planting Strategy for 2024 - 2028?
The goal is to have 40% canopy coverage by 2070, sooner if possible!
Our guests are actively branching out to meet this goal.
Trees for Guelph - Lisa MacTaggart
Guelph Urban Forest Friends - Susan Rietschin and Christopher Campbell
Yorklands Green Hub - Norah Chaloner and Lynne Bestir
Roots2Rewards - Kya Mason-Wetherill
The weather on April 22nd was perfect for planting trees.
Clearly, Mother Nature is on board the train to mitigate climate change.
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BREEZY BREAKFAST IS RUN BY VOLUNTEERS.
ZOOMING AND PODCASTING ARE NOT FREE.
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When you hear someone give a great speech, do you wonder how they do it?
Chances are you are hearing from someone who has experience as a Toastmaster.
Toastmasters International has been in continuous operation for 99 years, as a non-profit educational organization helping people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators, and leaders. Currently in 144 countries around the world, with more than 280,000 members, Toastmasters has helped millions become better speakers and leaders.
Join us as we hear from members of five Guelph Toastmasters Clubs and how membership has helped each of them in their lives. Maybe you'll want to become a member too!
This episodes guests are:
Anja Gangur - Resilient Entrepreneurs
Stephanie Lam - University of Guelph Toastmasters
Randy Moore, DTM - Speed River Toastmasters
Natasha Janke - Guelph Public Speakers
Morgan Dandie - Town & Gown Toastmasters
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BREEZY BREAKFAST IS RUN BY VOLUNTEERS.
ZOOMING AND PODCASTING ARE NOT FREE.
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March is going out like a lion which is appropriate for the topic today: Bill 23.
When Bill 23 roared through Ontario last fall, many questions were raised by supporters of municipal democracy, those concerned about urban sprawl, and others who feared it was now open season on urban development and profiteering.
The "More Homes Built Faster" Act purports to increase the number of affordable housing units; however, the definition of affordable is no longer related to income but rather to market value. In fact, there is nothing in Bill 23 that actually promotes affordable and supportive housing.
Bill 23 decreases Development, Community Benefit, and Parkland Dedication charges. This loss of revenue will lead to higher property taxes as cash-strapped municipalities must now pay for the infrastructure, parkland, and neighbourhood amenities that were once the responsibility of developers.
City Staff everywhere are scrambling to make changes that conform to Bill 23 regulations.
Municipalities have been forced to sign housing "pledges" to indicate their commitment to massive increases in housing stock by 2031.
Furthermore, there is great debate over whether Ontario actually needs 1.5 million units of housing by 2031.
Today, we are joined by three City staff members:
Jayne Holmes, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer of Infrastructure, Development and Enterprise Services
Tara Baker, Treasurer and General Manager of Finance
Krista Walkey, General Manager of Planning and Building Services.
They offer their perspectives on Bill 23 and respond to the many thoughtful questions posed by listeners.
We are also joined by Councillors Erin Caton and Phil Allt who provide a political lens on what is clearly the most controversial legislation affecting municipalities in Ontario in over 50 years.
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BREEZY BREAKFAST IS RUN BY VOLUNTEERS.
ZOOMING AND PODCASTING ARE NOT FREE.
Support us via e-transfer to breezybullhorn@gmail.com
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and we can work it out.
NO DONATION IS TOO SMALL.
Last week we discussed the state of the healthcare system in Guelph.
This week, we focus on the Guelph General Hospital (GGH).
Our guest is Melissa Skinner, VP Patient Services and Chief Nursing Executive at GGH.
Melissa describes the nature of GGH's upgrading efforts, the options available to increase hospital capacity, and the partnerships with other health facilities.
What is the role of the community in funding a hospital?
What is the current capacity of our hospital?
How many people are in hospital purgatory while waiting for spaces to open up in Long Term Care homes?
What about Emergency Care wait times?
How do paramedics help with Emergency Care?
Will the provincial proposal for private clinics help to solve our capacity issues?
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It’s the third year of the COVID pandemic, and everywhere you go, people are asking: what is the state of our healthcare? At a time when we try to think globally and act locally, this is an important ethical and practical concern. Today we hear from two people working in healthcare. Ross Kirkconnell is the executive director of the Guelph Family Health Team. He oversees many practical concerns that affect both patients and healthcare professionals. Ashley Fox is a registered practical nurse who has experience working in community and home healthcare, retirement and Long-Term Care, addiction and mental health care, palliative care, and in various hospital settings. The healthcare crisis is worldwide and the challenge is to find both global and local solutions. At Breezy Breakfast, we encourage frank and open discussion with guests who share their expertise. We hope that our discussion provokes thoughtful engagement on an issue that affects us all.
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Guelph will soon collect a Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT).
How will the MAT work?
What does it mean for residents?
What effect is expected on Tourism in Guelph?
Our guests give us the scoop.
John Regan: General Manager of Economic Development & TourismAlex Jaworiwsky: Manager of Tourism & Destination DevelopmentHilary McCann: Destination Marketing Lead, Guelph Chamber of Commerce
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International Women's Day is on March 8th, 2023.
Join us on an eclectic journey as we explore urban farming, biodynamics, animism, and the relationships between Mother Earth and everything she sustains.
We kick off this episode by asking: what is soeurcery?
Our guest is Karen Houle: Poet, Philosopher, Compost Queen, Gardening Guru, and founder of The Art of Soil Collective.
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It's February 23rd, and today we're participating in a conversation about Community Engagement in Guelph.
When does the City ask for public input?How much weight is given to public input in decision-making processes?One thing is clear: Community Engagement is an iterative process.
Currently, the City is re-examining the way it conducts Community Engagement. If you have questions or comments, please visit:
https://www.haveyoursay.guelph.ca/community-engagement-framework-and-policy-update
Our guests from the City of Guelph are:
Glen Lombard, Manager, Community EngagementandTracy Suerich, Community Engagement Coordinator
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On February 11th, Wellington Water Watchers presented Watershed 3, a digital convention for water justice.
Horeen Hassan gives us an overview of that online conference.
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It's Thursday February 9th and we've got two updates today. Danny Williamson from Wellington/Dufferin/Guelph Public Health discusses the new drinking guidelines, drug poisoning, and, of course, COVID.Mike Marcolongo outlines how the provincial government rushed Bill 23 and the Greenbelt carve-outs into law with very little regard for public consultation. Conservation Authorities and Municipalities are scrambling to comply with draconian rules. Bill 23, the "More Homes Built Faster" Act, is a short-sighted piece of legislation that dismantles environmental protections; sadly, everyone but the government sees that it will make the housing crisis even worse.
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Both my mother's and father's parents employed seasonal workers to harvest tobacco; some came from Quebec and some lived in the area. The Quebeckers loved my Nagymama's cooking and baking so much that they had a slogan: "no pork, no work; no pie, goodbye!"
Fast forward 50 years: while some seasonal workers continue to be part of an extended family, others endure appalling conditions. Furthermore, their wages are garnished by middlemen who arrange the work placements. Clearly, Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program needs to be closely examined and updated.
Our guest today is Gabriel Allahdua, the author of Harvesting Freedom: The Life of a Migrant Worker in Canada.
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A range of topics raised by the audience.
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Our Downtown has some Infrastructure that is nearly 100 years old. Pipes last a long time, and we are starting to get ready for the next 100 years with a renewal of infrastructure, water/wastewater pipes, storm sewers, roads, sidewalks and so much more.
Our guest are:
Reg Russwurm, Manager of Design and Construction
and
Stacey Laughlin, Downtown Revitalization Advisor
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In May of 2019, Guelph and Wellington County won the national "Smart Cities" challenge. "Our Food Future" aims to create Canada's FIRST circular food economy. Two important goals involve Guelph-Wellington becoming a leader in getting more value out of the food industry and developing systems that decrease the amount of food waste. What else can we do with food waste beyond composting? How can food waste be reused to contribute to the well being of all? Many of us already use food scraps to make soup stock; many of us make “refrigerator soup”. The food industry is already adept at employing some detritus from produce for other purposes. Join us as we hear from our guests: Justine Dainard, Smart Cities Project Manager, Wellington County, andDavid Messer, Executive Director of Smart Cities, Guelph. Breezy Breakfast, where even breath is not wasted on small talk. Find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/breezybullhorn
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Greetings and Happy New Year. Welcome to the first episode of 2023.
Our topic today is Food Insecurity. What causes it and who suffers from it? What are the solutions? Today we are joined by community members who deliver everything from fresh produce to hot cooked meals to those who would otherwise go hungry.
Barb McPhee explains how the North End Harvest Market - in conjunction with the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Group - provides fresh produce to many people.
We also hear from the Executive Director of Chalmers, Vicki Olatundun. Chalmers takes a different approach to both food insecurity and the provision of personal hygiene products.
Mark Anderson is Managing Director of Royal City Mission (The Mission). Each day The Mission provides cooked meals and warmth to more than 100 people, many of whom are living rough. Mark points out other features of the Mission’s work. Of particular interest is a new project for which funding is currently being sought: a bathroom and bathing facility.
If you wish to donate to the above organizations or to support our volunteer-led community-based news service, please contact us at breezybullhorn@gmail.com.
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Welcome to the first Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour of 2023!We're starting this year with an episode of Radio Waterloo's CKMS Community Connections show.
Host Jeff Stager talks with Henriette Thompson and Kevin Thomason about the impacts of Bill 23 and the opening of the Greenbelt on the Region of Waterloo.
Five Musical interludes - including the clever Ontario Greenbelt Rap Song - remind us of how important it is to fight for Ontario's natural resources.
The last chance to comment on the province's plans to amend the Official Plans of the County of Wellington and the Regional Municipality of Waterloo is January 4th at 11:59 pm.
Google ERO Regional Waterloo and ERO Wellington County to show your support for local democracy.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD.
MAKE THE FORD GOVERNMENT FACE ITS CRISIS OF LEGITIMACY.
The city of Guelph has a 500 million dollar budget.
How is revenue raised? How is it used? What is the relationship between taxes, federal and provincial funding and fees collected from builders and developers working in Guelph?This week, we examine the advantages of multiyear budgeting and its relationship to the city’s Strategic Plan - Guelph’s blueprint for city building.
Our guests this week are:
Shanna O’Dwyer, Strategic Finance LeaderStephanie Devost, Senior Corporate Analyst Budget StrategyTrevor Lee, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (DCAO) Corporate Services
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This week on Breezy Breakfast we consider Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act.
We hear from Rural Planner David Douglas, Guelph's Green MPP Mike Schreiner,and Bill McBain, broadcast journalist and teacher of government relations at Seneca College.
Bill 23 has been presented as a bill to address housing shortfalls in Ontario. Experts in planning, housing, and municipal finance believe it is anything but. Skepticism runs high about the likelihood of Bill 23 creating any truly affordable housing in Ontario.
Listen to our experts as they address these issues and respond to concerns from our Breakfast guests.
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We opened the floor to YOU on November 17, 2022.
Learn about the concept of a climate budget, the excessive amount of salt used by big businesses in downtown Guelph, and an update from John Fisher of the Guelph Hiking Trail Club.
Hear more about Guelph's new councillors and Bill 23.
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On November 10th, 2022, we met the New Kids in the City Hall:
Erin Caton, Ward 1 Carly Klassen, Ward 2, Michelle Richardson, Ward 3, Linda Busuttil, Ward 4, Ken Yee Chew, Ward 6.
What are their hopes for this new term of council?
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According to a 2020 estimate from the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, four percent of climate change-caused sea-level rise so far came from Thwaites alone, and a sudden total collapse would raise sea levels 25 inches more.
In the Arctic, global warming has affected the number and vitality of polar bears.
Clearly, we need to address carbon dioxide (and methane) emissions yesterday.
In Ontario, nuclear power provides upwards of 60% of our energy needs. Today, we discuss the role of nuclear energy in getting to net zero by 2050.
Our guests:
Jean-Claude Stranart, Engineer at Candu Energy Inc.,
Evan Ferrari, Executive Director of eMERGE,
Dr. Goretty Dias, Professor at the University of Waterloo's School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development.
All three guests agree on the importance of improving energy efficiency and changing our energy use habits. How much energy do we REALLY need?
Get ready for a powerful and energetic discussion.
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The Municipal election season is finally over. It was only 2 months long; but, like COVID, it felt like it lasted for 2 years.
Are you happy with the results?
Our guests will weigh in on the future of Guelph's new City Council, and the ashes of the election from which this phoenix has been reborn.
James Gordon, soon-to-be former councilor for Ward 2; Adam Donaldson, Guelph's hardest-working journalist; Susan Watson, Guelph's hardest-working political pundit.
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What's been happening in Ottawa over the past month?
Guelph's MP Lloyd Longfield gets us up to speed on:
Federal Housing Initiatives Healthcare and Daycare Inflation Refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan Canada's climate change policies
After this update, we'll hear Marva Wisdom moderating a brief forum with three Ward 4 candidates: Adrian Salvatore Brendan Clarke Linda Busuttil
Federal AND municipal politics in one podcast!
The municipal election is on MONDAY OCTOBER 24th.
Stephen O'Brien is Guelph's Chief Returning Officer. He will give us a refresher on the basics of Municipal Elections and so much more:
- Accessible voting technology
- The vote-at-home pilot project
- Storage and counting of mail-in ballots
- e-votes vs. paper ballots
- who can vote and how
- the voters list
* What happens AFTER the polls close on October 24th?
Find out how the delicious democracy sausage is made!
Hosted by the Guelph Wellington Coalition for Social Justice.
Candidates in attendance:
Linda Busuttil
Brendan Clark
Adrian Salvatore
NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, this recording includes only the last 15 minutes of the forum. _____________________________________
MAYORAL CANDIDATES FORUM Tuesday October 11th 7 to 8:30 pm Dublin St. United Church Dublin at Suffolk; Entrance off the parking lot; All welcome. Sponsored by Dublin Justice and Outreach Committee.
Hosted by the Guelph Wellington Coalition for Social Justice.
Candidates in attendance:
Ken Yee Chew
Mark MacKinnon
Dominique O’Rourke
Chetna Robinson
_____________________________________
MAYORAL CANDIDATES FORUM Tuesday October 11th 7 to 8:30 pm Dublin St. United Church Dublin at Suffolk; Entrance off the parking lot; All welcome. Sponsored by Dublin Justice and Outreach Committee.
Hosted by the Guelph Wellington Coalition for Social Justice.
Candidates in attendance:
Leanne Caron
Cathy Downer
Hesham Genidy
_____________________________________
MAYORAL CANDIDATES FORUM Tuesday October 11th 7 to 8:30 pm Dublin St. United Church Dublin at Suffolk; Entrance off the parking lot; All welcome. Sponsored by Dublin Justice and Outreach Committee.
Hosted by the Guelph Wellington Coalition for Social Justice.
Candidates in attendance:
Phil Allt
Kevin Bowman
Luc Cousineau
Sam Elmslie
Michele Richardson
_____________________________________
MAYORAL CANDIDATES FORUM Tuesday October 11th 7 to 8:30 pm Dublin St. United Church Dublin at Suffolk; Entrance off the parking lot; All welcome. Sponsored by Dublin Justice and Outreach Committee.
Hosted by the Guelph Wellington Coalition for Social Justice.
Candidates in attendance:
Morgan Dandie
Rodrigo Goller
Carly Klassen
Elia Morrison
_____________________________________
MAYORAL CANDIDATES FORUM Tuesday October 11th 7 to 8:30 pm Dublin St. United Church Dublin at Suffolk; Entrance off the parking lot; All welcome. Sponsored by Dublin Justice and Outreach Committee.
Hosted by the Guelph Wellington Coalition for Social Justice.
Candidates in attendance:
Michelle Bowman
Erin Caton
_____________________________________
MAYORAL CANDIDATES FORUM Tuesday October 11th 7 to 8:30 pm Dublin St. United Church Dublin at Suffolk; Entrance off the parking lot; All welcome. Sponsored by Dublin Justice and Outreach Committee.
This week on the Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour we hear from Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner. He answers our questions about:
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solutions to the health care crisis in Ontario
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long term care, and the idea to move elders from hospitals to LTC facilities that are far away from their communities
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home care
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mental health care
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"Strong Mayors"
-
housing
-
Highway 413
-
the court case involving young environmental activists vs the provincial government, and the government's bizarre defense
-
ODSP and OW
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Welcome back to the Breezy Breakfast Community Broadcast. We begin another broadcast year with two updates featuring Danny Williamson, Layla Staats, and Skyler Williams.
Danny Williamson, of Wellington/Dufferin/Guelph Public Health, updates us on all things COVID: masks, social distancing, vaccines, school preparedness, and risk levels. These issues and many more will challenge our collective will to live during the short and dark days of winter.
Layla Staats and Skyler Williams update us on local Indigenous issues: water on reserves and the Land Back movement.
Layla inspires us when she talks about water. Rather than taking it for granted, we would do well to consider water as an entity, as a part of our family. Indeed, there is no life without clean water.
Layla is in the process of making a film about water; she is investigating the issue of water quality on reserves in Canada and in reservations in the United States.
Skyler gives us an update on 1492 Land Back Lane and the continued challenges facing First Nations as they confront the attitudes and the legal foundations of setter land acquisition and hegemony. Skyler points out that while indigenous land is shrinking, the out-of-control growth of settler communities devours the most precious of finite resources: land and water.
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This week at Breezy Breakfast, we are proud to offer a podcast highlighting Black culture in Guelph and Wellington County. Denise Frances and Kween from the Guelph Black Heritage Society (GBHS) are our guests.
While teaching us the history of people like James Kelso, the Jewell Family, Richard Pierpont, and the Stricklands, Kween and Denise provide a vivid story of Black settlers and their significant roles in the history of Wellington County.
Denise and Kween also talk about the GBHS annual Emancipation Day Celebration. They describe why Emancipation Day is celebrated, the significance of the Pan-African Flag, and why it is important to “Free Our Ancestors”.
Should Black History be highlighted for just one month?
Do we need to broaden our horizons?
Is Guelph a truly multicultural city?
Let’s listen to Kween and Denise as they answer questions asked by the folks at Breezy Breakfast.
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This week, we continue to explore the housing crisis in Guelph and Canada. Thoughtful solutions are presented by our panelists and host Kevin Bowman.
It's clear we have a crisis in housing affordability. Several factors contribute to this crisis: stagnant wages of renters, the transformation of housing into an investment, and the outright financialization of housing through Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).
Our guests this week are Sean Campbell and Eric Small.
Sean Campbell is the Executive Director of Union Co-op in Waterloo. Union Co-op was created to raise funds and purchase existing rental properties to permanently remove them from the competitive real estate market.
Eric Small works for the Guelph company S.H.E.D., which maintains a commitment to quality, community, and the long-term impacts of home building on the local environment.
Our host Kevin Bowman explains REITs to our listeners and engages our guests in a discussion of various and unique solutions to our housing crisis.
Join us for a Breezy Breakfast: learn about the failure of rent controls and the abdication of the federal and provincial governments of responsibility for sustaining low cost housing. Councilor Phil Allt describes local responsibilities and why the County provides social housing in Guelph.
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The Home For Good Campaign is set to raise $5M for supportive housing in Guelph and Wellington County.
This campaign is not without controversy. How much impact can philanthropy have on the housing crisis? Might the need for affordable housing be best addressed through funding by higher level governments committed to social and economic justice?
Glenna Banda of the United Way (Guelph/Wellington/Dufferin) provides an overview of the campaign and its progress to date.
Dominica McPherson of the Poverty Task Force speaks to how this campaign complements broader efforts to end homelessness.
Councilor Phil Allt points out that Guelph needs more than 1000 affordable housing units, and they don't come cheap. The federal and provincial governments need to get back into the housing business because cities can't address this issue alone.
Permanent Supportive Housing is one part of the solution to this massive problem. The housing crisis has been DECADES in the making. Remember, the housing portfolio was offloaded from the feds to the provinces and then to Ontario municipalities in the 1990s.
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In Canada, several types of Single-Use Plastics (SUP) will be banned according to the following schedule:
December 2022 - manufacture and imports December 2023 - sales December 2025 - exports
The usual suspects are covered under this federal ban: straws, stir sticks, cutlery, ring carriers, checkout bags, and take-away containers made from or containing hard to recycle problematic plastics.
There are specific exceptions to the ban; for example, single-use straws will be available for those who need them.
Karen Farley gives us the scoop on the federal ban. She is a Master's student who is developing an app to collect data on foods wrapped in or contained in plastic.
Kevin Bowman and Morgan Dandie update us on Guelph's new policies regarding plastics.
Long-time listener and first-time guest Ted Pritchard shares his thoughts on societal attitudes towards solid waste reduction and the high volume of plastics used in medical settings.
Don't call Yoko; this ban is "Plastic? O NO!"
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June is both National Indigenous History month and Pride month.
On June 30, 2022, we explored gender identity - pronouns, queer, asexual - and took a deep dive into Two-Spirit, a term used within some Indigenous communities to encompass cultural, spiritual, sexual and gender identity. Two-Spirit reflects complex Indigenous understandings of gender roles, spirituality, and the long history of sexual and gender diversity in Indigenous cultures. (Definition of Two-Spirit taken from Trans Care BC, PHSA)
Our guests:
Barry Moore (he/him, they/them) is the Chair of Out on the Shelf and Capacity Builder at ARCH (HIV/AIDS Resources and Community Health).
Musko Giizhigo Ikwe (Red Sky Woman)/Hollee George is a Two-Spirit Anishinaabe Ikwe Knowledge-Keeper and ceremony-carrier who centres voices of residential and day school survivors like herself and her family. Hollee’s academic and employment background is centred on justice, particularly criminal and social justice related to Indigenous and Queer people. Musko is actively involved in several community organizations such as Spectrum Rainbow Community Space, CT Survivors Connect, and the Transartivist Project.
Maude Stephany (they/them) is a genderfluid artist whose works cross many artistic disciplines. They founded TransArtivistProject.org in 2021 - a Guelph-area non-profit organization that creates and runs programs that support the Two-Spirit and Transgender-spectrum community. "We engage in storytelling using a variety of artistic practices in a community setting. As part of our commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in the area, we host a monthly virtual Two-Spirit/Ally Sharing Circle led by Musko Giizhigo Ikwe/Holley George."
Kristy Bell-Theodorakopoulos (she/they) is a Two-Spirit Indigenous Algonquin of Kitigan Zibi, Bear Clan through her mom, and Greek through her father. She was raised Greek Orthodox while hiding her true Pagan self. By reclaiming her mother's culture and spirituality, she has freed herself to live an authentic life. She has a supportive husband and 4 year-old daughter. She runs a small spiritual-based business called Intuitive Me. Here, she makes items by hand; items that - when respected and understood properly - aid in using the Creator's energy to influence our lives in a positive manner.
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This week, we learned a lot about the Guelph Junction Railway, which is owned by the City of Guelph.
What is the governance structure of the GJR? Why is there no public discourse about this corporation? What is going on with the bridges on MacDonnel Street? Is Guelph making the best use of this corridor?
The new COVID variants are a concern, as are vaccines and the lifting of masking mandates.
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Community Wealth promotes a different approach to community development. The goal of local economic stability is achieved by anchoring jobs locally, expanding the provision of public services, and increasing the ability of individuals and communities to own assets.
Run by Canadian volunteers, Community Wealth Candidates works with and nominates candidates for offices at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels of government. These candidates support community wealth initiatives by way of Community Land Trusts, Worker Cooperatives, and the progressive use of Anchor Institutions.
Community Wealth starts with "buying and hiring locally."
What are the next steps in building a more resilient community?
What are the guiding principles of Community Wealth Candidates?
Our guest, Colin Bruce Anthes, answers our questions and gives examples of how Community Wealth has stabilized cities punished by globalization and made companies better able to adapt to economic shocks.
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After a pitiful voter turnout of only 43% - the lowest in Ontario history - the Ford government won a majority government with 83 seats.
Is democracy in trouble?
Why was the voter turnout so low?
Is it time to institute mandatory voting?
Is Proportional Representation the answer?
Did the conservatives run the best campaign?
Our guests this week are:
Mike Schreiner, leader of the Green Party of Ontario and Guelph MPP,
NDP candidate Aisha Jahangir who ran against Doug Ford,
Bill McBain, past Ontario Queens Park insider and current radio broadcast journalist,
and Guelph's Communist Candidate, Juanita Burnett.
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Welcome to a special episode of Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour.
Today we focus on stories and story telling; the ones that we hear and the ones that we read.
Tea ‘n’ Tales - co-founded by Trevor Barton of the Guelph Enabling Garden and host Brian Holstein - will be returning to Riverside Park this summer. Join the 13 Fridays of storytelling to hear 27 tellers; some local, some regional, some from afar, many returning, some excitingly new. There's a new sound system, and sessions for children are being planned.
We have a very special literary guest today: James Gordon, nominee for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. His book, The Ark of the Oven Mitt, is a concept novel and CD about the misadventures of a travelling minstrel wandering the hinterlands of Canada.
After we hear about storytelling in Guelph, we get the 411 on what people are reading. What are some suggestions for summer reading, and why? Something old? Something new? Something funny? Something spicy and perhaps even blue? Tune in to find out! We'll make bookworms of you all!
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This week on CFRU FM 93.3 the Breezy Breakfast hour is joined by Marty Williams and Meg Dunning of the Downtown Guelph Business Association.
Over the past few years, Marty, Meg and others have steered downtown Guelph toward revitalization.
Some of their efforts have not been without controversy: the Welcoming Streets Initiative, Baker Street development priorities, and membership challenges all come to mind.
Meg and Marty talk about all things downtown. Let’s give them a listen and hear about the challenges facing downtown Guelph in the coming years.
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Part two of our Provincial Election Special features candidates Raechelle Devereaux of the Liberal party of Ontario and Mike Schreiner of the Green party of Ontario.
Get informed, and then get yourself to the polling booth on June 2nd.
“Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it.” - Susan B. Anthony
“If you don’t vote, you lose the right to complain.” - George Carlin
The provincial election is on June second, and the race is heating up as quickly as the weather is!
Today we hear from James Parr, the NDP Candidate in Guelph. Juanita Burnett, the Communist Candidate, also has a few things to say.
What kind of elected representatives do we want? What are the qualities of an effective provincial government? What do we expect from our provincial government?
Today, we are proud to present part one of the Breezy Breakfast Provincial Election Special!
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Welcome to another Breezy Breakfast. Today we learn about Royal City Science: a grassroots initiative working to establish a science centre in the City of Guelph. The vision is to create a state-of-the-art facility for informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. The goal is to ignite curiosity, build confidence, and inspire the inner scientist in us all.
Science and education have the power to combat the global challenges we face. The first steps happen right here in our community! Royal City Science gets us up to date on what they've been doing and lets us know the plan for the next five years - highlighting ways in which the community can help to achieve this ambitious goal.
For more information, visit royalcityscience.ca
Our guests are Kate Howells and Professor Joanne O'Meara.
Kate is a science communicator and and advocate with the non-profit organization The Planetary Society.
Professor Joanne O’Meara teaches Physics at the University of Guelph. She is the chair of the board of Royal City Science, and she is passionate about community outreach and engagement.
Listen while Joanne and Kate share their knowledge of Science, Religion, Politics and Ethics. Hear them explain how science can cut through pseudo-science and misinformation. Find out how you can support this initiative by drinking locally brewed beer. Clearly, a Science Centre in Guelph would be a quantum leap into the future!
Canada's National Day of Mourning is on April 28th. We honour those who have been killed or injured at the workplace. Also, we remind ourselves that safety is NO ACCIDENT. We must continue to promote workplace health and safety.
Today, we hear the story of Edwin, a PSW who got COVID at his workplace. He ended up getting a double-lung transplant.
We learn about the various challenges in navigating the WSIB system.
We learn why workplace injuries are often not reported.
Janice Folk-Dawson has been a unionized public sector worker for over 40 years. She is the Executive Vice President of the OFL.
Natasha Luckhardt is the Director of Health, Safety and Environment at the OFL.
Sarah Neath has worked for UFCW for 14 years and is currently the department coordinator for workers compensation.
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Today we explore the principles of land trusts and alternatives to conventional home ownership.
This week we are joined by two guests who discuss a local experiment in progress - the Junction Village.
Gracen Johnson, formerly with the Incremental Development Alliance, is currently with the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Gracen will delve into home ownership and the different roles and responsibilities assumed by the different levels of government. Whether we build estate homes or supportive and transition housing, all governments in Canada play a role in housing.
Mary-Kate Craig is co-founder of The Junction Village in Guelph, an intentional community within walking distance of downtown. Within a few small properties, residents grow their own produce, tend their chickens and work at living cooperatively. Mary-Kate informs us of the finer points of alternative living, the prospect of land trusts and the challenges of building this type of community in an economy where private property dominates.
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In November of 2021, Guelph approved its Transportation Master Plan.
Guelph Transit is undergoing many changes: - the bus routes will shift from the spoke and hub system to a blended hub, spine, grid, and outer perimeter system, - four new electric buses will be on the road by this summer, - kids under 12 ride free in a one-year pilot program that started on March 1st, - the one-year Sliding Scale Affordable Bus Pass pilot program started on April 1st.
Our guests this week are: Robin Gerus, General Manager of Guelph Transit, Courtney McDonald, Manager of Business Services for Guelph Transit, Adam Donaldson, local transit enthusiast.
Part Two of this week's meeting focuses on media. Adam Donaldson, "Market Squared" columnist and webmaster of "Guelph Politico," is our guest.
Fun Fact: In ancient Rome, a tribune referred to any number of elected officials; their job was to protect the citizens by providing a check on the authority of the senators.
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On Thursday 31 March, Mayor Guthrie gave his State of the City address to the Guelph Chamber of Commerce. At the first in-person SOTC since 2019, he spoke of HOMES, GROWTH, TRUST, EQUITY, TRANSIT, COSTS, and COVID.
He visited us and answered our questions about:
a new hospital in Guelph (did you know that communities - not the province - must pay for hospital equipment?), the effect of inflation on the status of capital projects - and the importance of the City fulfilling contractual obligations, improvements in Guelph Transit, the Property Assessed Clean Energy Program, the OR lands (and parklands in general), and housing (Wellington County handles Housing and Social Services for Guelph).
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This week’s Breezy Breakfast is a wonderful acknowledgement of those who first walked on this land.During the 2011 Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation Annual Historical Gathering, archaeologists asked Elder Carolyn King, “When the archaeological resources are removed, how will we ever know that your people were here?”Carolyn thought about their question for three days. The answer was “our footwear!” From there, the Moccasin Identifier was born and began its decade-long journey.This project has been developed by Carolyn King in partnership with Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and The Greenbelt Foundation to promote public awareness of significant cultural historic sites and the ancestral presence of First Nations, Metis, and Indigenous Communities.The vision: To advance treaty and indigenous awareness by covering Canada in Moccasins.
The mission: To educate children on treaties through the Moccasin Identifier educational kit, promote public awareness of Indigenous culture on the landscape through site installations of moccasins, and develop a network of knowledge for the benefit of truth and reconciliation.We are honoured to have Elder Carolyn King as our special guest this week. Ron Maclean amongst others has embraced moccasins in the Battle of Blades. Maybe the Leafs can win the Stanley Cup if they do too!
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SHAPING GUELPH'S OFFICIAL PLAN - it sounds daunting, but everyone in Guelph can get involved.
The Official Plan’s vision, urban structure, intensification targets, and associated policies are meant to be revised in order to align with Ontario's "A Place To Grow" legislation.
Will the new and improved Official Plan be shipshape? Will it be a sea of change?
Our special guests make navigating these official waters a breeze.
Krista Walkey is the General Manager of Planning and Building Services at the City of Guelph. Her commitment to community engagement and her forthright manner help make planning accessible to all.
Karen Farbridge is a former mayor of Guelph; currently, she advises federal, provincial and municipal policy makers and industry leaders on building sustainable and resilient communities. Her expertise in District and renewable energy, solar and wind power is highly respected among planners and futurists across Canada.
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Everyone in the school system has experienced two years of chronic stress.
How are students and teachers doing after two years of uncertainty?
In this podcast, we learn about masks, HEPA filters, online learning, mental health, and much more.
Josh Holstein-Crozier teaches in Peel Region.
Mark Bernardine has been substitute teaching in K - 12 classes over the past two months.
Kate Nixon gives us her point of view as a College student.
Marie Snyder, a teacher with over 25 years experience, is advocating that COVID masks and protocols be retained in Ontario schools in order to protect children, older students and education workers.
Upper Grand District School Board Trustee Mike Foley and Board Chair Linda Busuttil share their experiences on the School Board.
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Many Breezy Breakfasters are activists in Guelph.
Today, we learn about the history of activism in Guelph and the experiences of various Guelph activists.
Susan Watson (indefatigable activist-of-all-trades), Brian Holstein (armchair activist who has earned his stripes), Kate Nixon (Guelph Neighbourhood Friends), Evan Ferrari (eMERGE), mandy hiscocks (OPIRG), Juanita Burnett (Communist Party), Ted Pritchard (advocate for 3-stream garbage collection in condos), Brian Skerritt (Heritage Guelph), Brit Hancock (Guelph District Health Coalition), Janice Folk-Dawson (Ontario Federation of Labour), and Phil "activism runs in the family" Allt.
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Welcome to the International Women's Day (IWD) episode of Breezy Breakfast.
Our guest host is Judy Brisson, who has been instrumental in bringing awareness of IWD to Guelph.
Dorienne Cushman, president of the Zonta Club of Guelph, gives us the 411 on Zonta before describing a few common myths about feminism.
Then we address human trafficking in Guelph and Wellington County.
Sarah Bowers-Peter is the Program Coordinator for Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington. She focusses on prevention and awareness, including the roles of social media, schools, and parents.
Luisa Krause, the founder and executive director of Elora House, describes how this supportive community helps female victims of trafficking.
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Today we look past this cruel winter to see what summer in Guelph might look like. We’ve assembled a panel to chat about what we might expect as COVID restrictions ease up. We find out what is planned, what is possible, and what is not.
Our guests are:
Danna Evans, the GM of Culture and Recreation, Gene Matthews, the GM of Parks, and Marie Zimmerman, Executive Director of the Hillside Festival.
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This week on the Breezy Breakfast Zoom extravaganza our guest is Julia Grady, co-founder and executive director of 10C, Guelph’s great collaborative work space and community hub.
Recently, city council unanimously approved a motion for 10C to assume management of the Guelph Farmers Market building and offer additional programming during different days and times.
Julia gives us the 411 on this initiative, and answers tough questions from Farmers Market aficionados. John Regan, the General Manager of Economic Development and Tourism, speaks to the role of the Farmers Market in Guelph's future.
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Last year, we did an episode on Summer reading and it was a great success.
What have you been reading to lighten up the dark days of winter? What are the top 3 books you've read in the past few months? What is on your "to read" list?
Will you participate in our Freedom to Read Rally? I hope so because our special guests include YOU and YOUR BOOKS!
Also joining us is Luke Hill, the publisher at Guelph's Vocamus Press which has a mandate to support local literature.
Steve Kraft, CEO of the GPL, gives us the inside scoop on new and soon-to-be-published books available at the Library.
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Today we have a panel discussion about food insecurity - an important topic during this pandemic and in a time where there exists such a growing income gap in our community.
Barbara Swartzentruber is the Executive Director of the Smart Cities Office at the City of Guelph. She is working on our circular food economy to develop a sustainable regional food system that increases access to healthy nutritious food for all, prevents food loss and waste, and creates circular businesses for a regenerative economy.
Kate Vsetula is a Co-Chair of the Seed Committee and Community Health Manager at the Guelph Community Health Centre. She shares some details about the latest report on food insecurity in our community and provides some highlights about The Seed.
Kay Miller is a chef at Guelph's Hope House where she is a front line worker witnessing the daily struggles that many have to get nutritious food.
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Last week, we learned about ZONING bylaws. This week, we take a more general approach to bylaws.
How does a general lack of respect for fellow citizens become addressed by developing bylaws? How are bylaws enforced? Who enforces them? Which bylaws generate the most complaints?
Doug Godfrey, General Manager of Operations at the City of Guelph, presents an overview of bylaws and answers bylaw-specific questions about building neglect, noise, parking, animal control, illegal dumping, and so many more.
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What are zoning bylaws? Why do we need them? How are they developed? How are they enforced? What exceptions can be made?
Guelph has a new zoning bylaw that aligns with the City’s updated Official Plan. Each and every property in Guelph was considered; new zones and new use permissions and rules were developed. Why? Because these zoning bylaws will help us to achieve Guelph's vision of growth. How? Zoning bylaws set the rules for things like how a property can be used, where buildings can go on a property, and how big and tall those buildings can be.
Krista Walkey, General Manager of Building and Planning Services at the City of Guelph, guided us through the layered and labyrinthine world of zoning bylaws.
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Happy New Year Breezy Breakfasters!
We started 2022 with an OPEN MIC.
Former Teacher and current Union Rep David Del Duca gave us an update about the COVID situation in schools.
We then had a lively discussion about the future of parklands in Guelph. Topics included the Yorklands Green Hub, the Trestle Bridge, and creative ways to generate funds to purchase parkland.
Life during the time of COVID has schooled us about the mental health of children and teachers, the chronic underfunding of both the public education and health care systems in Ontario, and the absolute necessity for green space in cities.
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In 2020, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre received 67,294 fraud reports from Canadian consumers and businesses, involving losses of more than $104.2 million. It is estimated that fewer than 5% of victims file a fraud report with the CAFC.
The top two reported frauds are extortion and identity fraud - over 33,000 reports. Frauds involving romance, investment, spear phishing, and extortion are the most expensive, costing victims just under $62 MILLION.
Carol Gilmour, Senior Support Unit Coordinator of the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, gave us a tour of the world wide web of fraud. We learned the tricks of the con artist trade; we learned how to thwart the nefarious schemes of fraudsters who are ready to steal your money and identity. Globally, fraud is a multi-billion dollar business. We must ALWAYS be vigilant.
If you have been been a victim of fraud, report it to the CAFC online at
https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm
or by phone at 1-888-495-8501
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In this episode, Guelph's MPP Mike Schreiner gave us our yearly update on what's been happening at Queen's Park. We learned about the provincial response to the pandemic, Highway 413, housing, the Dolime Quarry MZO, electric vehicles, housing, the possible expansion of the Greenbelt, and much more!
Approximately 150,000 people live in Guelph. The provincial government hath decreed that Guelph's population be 203,000 by 2051.
How does the City of Guelph pay for growth? What are Development Charges (DCs) and how are they determined? How has Bill 108 affected Guelph's ability to pay for growth? Is it reasonable to expect growth to pay for growth? Our guests help us to penetrate the perplexing puzzle of paying for growth.
Greg Clark is the Manager of Financial Strategy & Long-term Planning for the City of Guelph. Susan Watson is a local activist who has lived in Guelph since 2001.
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Between 2011 and 2016, around 700 immigrants per year settled in Guelph. In 2019, Immigration Services Guelph-Wellington had 1400 new clients; that number is expected to increase in the years ahead. Newcomers settle in Guelph for a variety of reasons, including its strong community support networks and job availability in the manufacturing sector. Still, newcomers to Guelph face various challenges such as finding affordable housing, overcoming language barriers, and navigating subsidy programs.
Anu Saxena immigrated to Canada from India in 1991 and has been living in Guelph since 1994. As a trained microbiologist, Anu worked as a researcher at the University of Guelph for 17 years until 2011. She is currently active in the community and gives her time to many local organizations, including the Guelph & District Multicultural Festival, Immigrant Services Guelph-Wellington, Children’s Foundation Guelph-Wellington, City of Guelph’s Tourism Advisory Committee, Guelph Women in Crisis and YMCA-YWCA of Guelph.
Sandra Cocco is the Executive Director of Immigrant Services Guelph-Wellington. She joined the agency in 2016. Immigrant Services Guelph-Wellington is the primary settlement agency in Guelph, serving over 2500 clients in the last fiscal year.
Sara Sayyed is the City of Guelph's senior advisor of Equity, Anti-Racism and Indigenous Initiatives.
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The mayor and 12 councillors make up the governing body of the City of Guelph. What sort of machinery do they use to exercise authority and perform functions? Policies, procedures, plans? How do we know if the government is working well? What is good governance?
Our panel shared their knowledge of and experiences with governance.
Alex Smith spent 32 years in the employ of the Ministry of the Attorney General as an Assistant Crown Attorney, a Senior Manager and General Counsel. Susan Watson is a local activist who has lived in Guelph since 2001. Luke Weiler is a family lawyer familiar with rules of order and conduct from years of chairing. Karl Wettstein spent 15 years on City Council; he believes that the #1 Board/Council responsibility is to ensure the implementation of an effective Governance model and the development & implementation of a sound and effective strategic plan. Brian Skerrett is the Chair of Heritage Guelph.
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Last year, Chief Financial Officer Tara Baker and Deputy CAO Trevor Lee guest starred in the #1 financial thriller of 2020, "Multi-Year Budgets."
Last Thursday, Breezy Breakfast presented the much anticipated sequel, "Multi-Year Budgets OR: How I learned to stop worrying and love city finances."
Once again, Tara Baker and Trevor Lee answered our inquiries to boost our immunity against break-through budget bewilderment.
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This Thursday, we had a crash course in composting from Karen Houle, philosophy professor, author, environmental activist, and one of the Compost Queens of the Royal City.
This past summer, these scholars of soil treated the Huron Street Community Garden to a "compost makeover."
Karen was broadcasting from the compost site, which made for an action-packed breezy breakfast!
This formula for finer fertilizer is fascinating.
Don't be milquetoast; compost!
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Did you know that 50% of Guelph's emissions are due to the burning of natural gas in order to heat and provide hot water for residential and commercial buildings? One way to lower our emissions is to implement energy efficiency retrofit projects.
That's where Our Energy Guelph (OEG) comes into the picture. OEG endorses a program called PACE: Property-Assessed Clean Energy. A property owner borrows money through the municipality, uses it for an energy or water efficiency project, and then repays it over an extended period of time through property taxes.
A local climate bank (LCB) is another tool that Guelph can use to transition to the post-carbon economy. In a nutshell, the money saved using retrofits is invested in Guelph to produce green energy for Guelph.
Alex Chapman, Executive Director of OEG, got us up to date on Guelph's initiatives regarding climate change.
David de Weerdt, Catalyst and founder of the Local Climate Bank Working Group, an initiative under development in Canada and Kenya, talked about LCBs.
Rob Kerr, former Community Energy Manager (2007 to 2017) for the City of Guelph, shared his experiences working as an energy and climate services consultant to Canadian municipalities.
Councillor Leanne Caron told us of a climate motion coming to Guelph city council on December 6th. Contact your city councillors to show your support!
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Last week, we got the scoop on all things COVID-19 from Danny Williamson and Anna Vanderlaan of WDG Public Health.
Skyler Williams gave us a brief history of and shared the latest news about Land Back Lane. He answered our questions about consultations, growth, proposed developments and the Greenbelt. Did you know that the only communities that are NOT growing are those on reservations?
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Did you know that 70% of greenhouse gases come from cities? Greenhouse gas emissions must be cut in half by 2030 if we want to avoid living in an apocalyptic hellscape; while cities are a large part of the problem, they have the power to be an even larger part of the solution.
What is the Race to Zero? The goal of this global campaign - comprised of a coalition of cities, regions, businesses, and other institutions - is to increase support for a shift to a decarbonized economy PRIOR to the COP26 Climate Change Conference in November. The members of this coalition are committed to halving their carbon emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050.
Guelph councillors Leanne Caron and James Gordon discuss the "Race to Zero" climate motion they are bringing to city council on December 6th.
Evan Ferrari, Executive Director of eMERGE, imparts his knowledge of the climate emergency and inspires us to take immediate action to lower our GHG emissions.
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This week, we learned about the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition (GNSC) and the North End Harvest Market (NEHM). Our guests were Brendan Johnson, Executive Director of the GNSC and Barb McPhee, Market Manager and Volunteer Coordinator of the North End Harvest Market.
The GNSC is comprised of 13 neighbourhood groups, sponsoring agencies, and program partners. The goal is to collaborate, advocate, and share information and collective resources to meet specific community needs.
The NEHM is a GNSC program. It relies entirely on grants, donations, and fundraising campaigns to provide healthy food to those in need. Low income families and individuals may access market produce every two weeks.
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The Baker Street Reconstruction is finally underway. The archaeological excavation of the Wyndham and Baker Street parking lots started a few days ago; construction is to begin in the spring of 2022.
Our guests are Scott Stewart (CAO of the City of Guelph) and Jayne Holmes (Deputy CAO of infrastructure, development and enterprise services). They are ready to teach us everything we wanted to know about parking lots, graveyards, and archaeology but were afraid to ask.
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Thursday September 30, 2021 was the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Our guest was Sara Sayyed, the City's new senior advisor of Equity, Anti-Racism and Indigenous Initiatives. Because she and several others left early to attend a blanket exercise, this episode is one hour long.
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Learn about the Greenbelt, the loss of farmland to development in the "Whitebelt," food production, and much more. With special guests Bethanee Jensen (full-time farmer and Board Director of the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario), Mike Marcolongo (local "gentleman" farmer and member of Guelph's Protect Our Moraine coalition), and Dr. Ralph Martin (retired University of Guelph professor and author of Food Security: From Excess to Enough).
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This week we talked about Clair-Maltby, cycling in Guelph, downtown parking, the budget, and the archaeological investigation of the Baker Street parking lot.
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Welcome to part two of the Breezy Breakfast Election Special.
This week, Michelle Bowman (GREEN) and Aisha Jahangir (NDP) were our guests.
They described their party's platform - on the Climate Crisis, Housing, Health Care, Child Care, COVID Recovery, Vaccination, and much more - and answered questions.
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Welcome back to another season of Breezy Breakfast.
In the first two shows, we meet four federal candidates.
This week, the Liberal Lloyd Longfield and the Communist Tristan Dineen were our guests.
They described their party's platform - on the Climate Crisis, Housing, Health Care, Child Care, COVID Recovery, Vaccine Passports, and much more - and answered questions.
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Public Health and Clair-Maltby UPDATES
Danny Williamson and Anna Vanderlaan from Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health gave a COVID update and answered questions.
Stacey Laughlin and Colleen Gammie from the City of Guelph gave an update on the Clair-Maltby Secondary Plan with an emphasis on Parks and Land Planning. Be sure to ask questions and make comments by August 8th! Go to haveyoursay.guelph.ca.
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"See the Doughnut not the ____"
Have you ever wondered why cities constantly face a variety of environmental challenges – like climate change – and social failings that have resulted in egregious inequities and injustices? What is the origin story behind an economic model that values material production, Bezos-level wealth accumulation, a philosophy of “sell-more-and-forever,” and designed obsolescence – leading to the massive disposal of stuff – above all else, including the activities and experiences that most people see as making life actually worth living?
What if a Doughnut could help us re-imagine the purpose of – and criteria of success for – our cities? What might that look like in practice?
Dr. Yannick Beaudoin of the David Suzuki Foundation is our tour guide on a quick trip through economic history steeped in patriarchy, conquest and conquering. It might not exactly be the Marvel Universe, but it is filled with twists and turns you won’t want to miss!
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This Thursday's Breezy Breakfast: Summery Summaries - BYOB!
"It's the time of year when the literati give advice on what we should be reading on our summer holidays. These terrifying lists often leave me appalled at my own ignorance, but also suspicious about the pretension of their advocates." -Arthur Smith
We had three special guests on Thursday July 15th:
Charlie Angus, MP for Timmins-James Bay and author of Unlikely Radicals, Children of the Broken Treaty, and the upcoming Cobalt: Cradle of Demon Metals and Birth of a Mining Superpower;
Steve Kraft from the Guelph Public Library;
Guelph author Tom King, recent winner of the Leacock Prize for Humour for his book Indians on Vacation.
Charlie, Steve, and Tom shared their summer reading suggestions.
After that, our viewers gave their picks!
An informative and entertaining episode.
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On Thursday July 8th, Iman Mubeen Butt of the Muslim Society of Guelph and Principal Sara Sayyed of the Guelph Muslim School were our special guests on the Breezy Breakfast show.
Sara and Mubeen answered questions and discussed topics including - but not limited to - the following:
Muslim women covering their heads or faces, Muslim attitudes regarding alcohol and other similar substances, Media coverage of and Hollywood's depiction of Muslims, and Islamophobia and how it can be addressed.
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Good day Breezy Ones….
Last week, we celebrated Pride on our Rainbow Zoom call.
Moderated by Indigo Kim, we had a diverse panel discussing the local Pride scene.
Chris Fischer (they/them) is a Guelph-based music professional with thirty years experience as a church organist/choir director. They have been a member of The Elora Singers since 2012 and have led the tenor section of the Guelph Chamber Choir for fourteen years. Since 2018, they have been the Accompanist of the Rainbow Chorus of Waterloo-Wellington.
Since 2018, Chris has identified publicly as trans nonbinary and intersex, which means they have both male and female sex characteristics, while having an understanding of their gender that is neither that of a "man" nor a "woman." Chris helps to demystify the conversation around gender diversity so that other transgender and gender nonconforming individuals are more widely visible, validated, and affirmed by society at large.
Michael Erickson is the lead owner of Glad Day Bookshop, the world's oldest LGBTQ bookstore. Glad Day Bookshop isn't just a bookstore & bar – it also serves as a community and cultural hub, running over 70 events per month and providing support to a range of people in need. Glad Day has a non-profit side called Glad Day Lit. Glad Day Lit organizes the world’s largest LGBTQ literary festival ‘Naked Heart,’ which takes place in the Church and Wellesley Village. During the pandemic, Glad Day Lit raised over $300,000 for LGBTQ artists, performers and cash-based workers; Glad Day Lit has provided over 900 emergency grants, and has paid artists and performers during 2020.
Amy Smoke and Shawn Johnston are our two-spirited indigenous guests – they are the co-organizers of Land Back Camp in KW, now situated in Laurel Creek Conservation area, and are active community organizers in the region.
Odesia Howlett (she/her) is a black, cis, queer alumna of the University of Guelph and has lived in Guelph for 10 years. In that time, she has worked alongside Out on the Shelf for several years, including chairing Guelph Pride in 2019/2020.
Out on the Shelf (OOTS) is a library and resources centre located at 10C in the heart of downtown Guelph. Members can sign out library books or drop in (pre-pandemic) to talk with someone about all things LGBTQIA+. OOTS was an idea in 1997, became a registered non-profit in 2008, and is now a major hub of knowledge and support for people of all sexual and gender identities. OOTS is also the parent organisation of Guelph Pride, which puts on two festivals throughout the year: one in February around the anniversary of Operation Soap, and the other in June to celebrate Pride Month.
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This week, we returned to the open mic, a lightly moderated breakfast where we encouraged all attendees to bring forward local issues. Hot topics were: The Ontario Reformatory Lands, including what a Part V heritage designation does and does not do, AND The results of the Ward Boundary Review, including the recommendation of 8 wards with 1 full time councillor per ward.
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Hi, Tanya Gevaert here!
While reading about the history of the Guelph Public Library, I came upon the following: “A movement had been put forward to erect a separate building at the turn of the century but had come close to a standstill because of lack of funds and a suitable location. The mayor, Mr. John Kennedy and the Council of 1902 donated part of the park which formed Nelson Crescent and in the spite of the objections of the citizens over this use of park lands for a building, the building of the new Library commenced.”
Lack of Funds? Trouble finding a suitable location? The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Talk of a new main public library started in 1995. The proposal to buy the Post Office was squashed in 2005. The Chief Librarian noted that the Baker Street lot offered the city an opportunity to build a library for the 21 st century while invigorating downtown.
Three preliminary concepts for the Baker Street parking lot were presented to Council in 2008; however, the new library was not included in the 2010 capital budget. In March 2012, a report recommended that a 90,000 square foot 21 st century facility be built with all the typical library components, along with community meeting spaces, green space, and state-of-the-art Archives. (Sound familiar?)
Fast-forward to 2021. Guelph has an opportunity to work with Windmill developers, a company committed to erecting zero ecological footprint buildings. Their mixed-use projects are LEED Platinum certified; their motto is “People + Planet + Prosperity.” The perfect partner for a “green” city.
Their vision of the Baker District includes the new Main Library, residential and mixed-use buildings, and open public space.
It’s been a long and winding road, and we’ve arrived at the same place as we did in 2008. The time has come for Guelph to make a firm commitment to revitalize the downtown core with the new Main Library as a solid anchor.
On June 11, our guests were Steve Kraft (CEO of GPL), Scott Butler (Chair of the GPL Board), and Stephanie Guy (Project Manager, City of Guelph). We heard about the new Main Library and the Baker District Redevelopment. It was the perfect way to get prepared for the Council Report and Presentation on July 21.
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On the Breezy Breakfast of June 3, 2021 we were joined by Mandy Hiscocks - Coordinator of Organizational and Policy Development and Natali Euale Montilla (Rosa Amarilla) - Coordinator of Volunteer Programming and Community Engagement - from The Ontario Public Interest Research Group Guelph.
OPIRG has a very long history in Guelph. It has encouraged many community campaigns ranging from promoting organic gardening and reducing pesticide use to the Campaign for Disinvestment in South Africa, to the ongoing Rivers Cleanup and now the campaign for Fossil Free Guelph.
Nationally, THE “PIRGs” were ‘launched by “public interest” activist Ralph Nader in the early seventies as a means to harness the energy and talents of students to help solve pressing social and environmental problems. The OPIRG Guelph chapter was founded at the University of Guelph in 1976 following a visit that Nader made to Waterloo in 1974.’
OPIRG is an organization that determines its activities democratically. It works to ‘strengthen the link between the University of Guelph campus and our surrounding community. While OPIRG is campus-based, the goal is to inspire and involve students, faculty, and other staff in addressing issues of environmental and social justice in the community. Much of the local work involves collaborating and networking with individuals and groups in the Guelph area to build partnerships with like-minded organizations.'
OPIRG has been the cradle of many who became prominent in the Guelph Community: Peter Cameron was there from the start. Former Mayor Karen Farbridge was at the helm for some years before becoming mayor. It was influential in establishing the Hillside Festival.
As Public Interest Founder Ralph Nader expressed to former OPIRG stalwart the late Carole Milligan: “Once you are an activist, you will never be lonely again”. If you’re inspired by OPIRG’s vision there are many types of activism that you can get involved in: from writing articles, becoming a Board member, joining an Action Group or even proposing new projects and initiatives.
Listen in on this episode to hear Nat and Mandy outline how OPIRG kills boredom - creates life long opportunities for community building while working for social and environmental justice everywhere.
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Have you ever wondered why there is so much activity - cars, bikes, pedestrians - on the south side of York Road near Elizabeth Street? Guelph's Ontario Reformatory Lands is one of the most picturesque places to take a walk, hike, meditate, and soak up nature's beauty. Along the way, you'll pass by Heritage trees, fieldstone walls, ponds, and the old reformatory buildings.
These lands are owned by the provincial government, and Guelph's own Yorklands Green Hub wanted to purchase a 70 acre parcel of this land. Alas, this is no longer possible, as the provincial government has decided to sell the entire property in a one shot deal. For this week's breakfast, recorded on May 27, 2021, our guests from the YGH focused on the Natural and Cultural Heritage designation of these lands. In short, a higher designation will provide the OR lands with better protection: some of the lands might even remain in the public realm.
Norah Chaloner will kick things off with some introductory remarks. Susan Ratcliffe will describe the Cultural Heritage value of the OR lands and will give an introduction to the Natural and Cultural Heritage designation process. David Alton will discuss the benefits of a Part V designation and how it fits with the Guelph Innovation District Secondary Plan. Alex Smith will bring it all back home by investigating City Staff's recommendation of a Part IV designation, rather than the stronger Part V designation.
The OR designation decision will be made at the June 14th council meeting. This lively presentation will inspire you to make a delegation!
This breakfast was co-moderated by Tanya Gevaert and James Gordon.
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Hi everyone, James Gordon here:
As part of the organizing team behind Breezy Breakfast, I’m thrilled that we continue to grow our list of participants each week. We now have 275 subscribers, and many more check us out every Monday morning at 9 am on CFRU or listen to our podcast. We are reaching out to a real diversity of interests and voices in our community. If there’s one area where we are under-represented, it’s in our youth. As the senior member of the Breezy Gang, I’m sensitive to that!
On Thursday, May 20th, we gave our gathering over to a vibrant group of young people. Our guest moderator is Indigo Kim, an activist and high school student here in Guelph. She’s assembled a team of her peers who will speak to their concerns, their experience with education during COVID, climate change, the need for gender-neutral bathrooms, and other issues that affect them.
This session was moderated by Indigo Kim!
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Member of Parliament Lloyd Longfield joined to field questions and discussion points from the Breezy audience on Thursday, May 13.
Tempers may have flared at times in this rapid-fire round of questioning that included discussion on housing, the BDS movement, climate action, and of course, the COVID-19 pandemic.
This session was co-moderated by James Gordon and Tanya Gevaert.
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Every once in a while, we do these open mics to allow more space for all attendees to steer the discussion respectfully and collectively. Attendees set the tone, and the Breezy organizers lightly moderate to make sure everyone can engage on what matters to them.
This open mic brought up the long-term care crisis, upcoming agenda items at City Hall, and more.
This session was moderated by Dustin Brown.
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In honour of the National Day of Mourning on April 28th, this Thursday’s Breezy Breakfast mourned workers killed and injured on the job, and discussed how to prevent future loss. We were joined by a suite of guests from the local labour movement: Bonny Durtnall, a local labour historian who outlined some history of workplace dangers in the Guelph area; Wayne Samuelson of the Labour College of Canada, who offered a broad perspective on Health and Safety in Ontario; Barrie Fowlie of Guelph, current director of Workers United Canada Council and International Vice President of Workers United, who discussed his 40 years of efforts to improve workplace safety; and Sarah Neath, United Food and Commercial Workers Compensation Representative, who spoke on safety issues in grocery stores and food preparation facilities, especially as these are compounded by COVID-19. Please listen in on this important Breezy Breakfast to remember those who have been lost on the job, and think about how we can prevent tragic loss of life going forward.
Disability activists have been working in Ontario and all across Canada for decades to improve their living conditions and social supports. The pandemic, of course, made things worse -- reliance on expensive delivery services increased, while people with disabilities were cruelly excluded from programs like the CERB. In Ontario, the provincial government even chose to deduct CERB dollars from ODSP recipients, so that they wouldn't see any gains in monthly income. Disabled people in this province face abundant systemic barriers: poverty wages through Ontario Works and ODSP; a narrowed housing market due to inaccessible units; and an overall anti-disability stigmatization that creeps into all corners of public and private life. A better, more just, accessible world is possible. To make it happen would require a significant re-thinking of city planning, health care, governance, and community. For this Breezy Breakfast, recorded on April 22, 2021, we hosted a panel of local disability activists: Erin Caton, Mike Greer, and Christina Faith Cameletti. Erin Caton is a project manager, business owner and the chair and founder of the Environmental Sensitivities Coalition of Canada. She founded the ESCC to provide a collective voice in conversations about accessibility after realizing that people with Environmental Sensitivities are often left out of discussions. Mike Greer is a disabled activist and Chair of the City of Guelph Accessibility Advisory Committee, as well as an ambassador with the Rick Hansen Foundation. Born with a condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, he learned to adapt and deal with many challenges over the course of his life. Mike has a strong interest in motivational speaking and accessibility advocacy, with a goal to help organizations better understand the benefits of hiring people with disabilities. He holds a degree in Information Technology and has worked for the past nine years as an IT sales professional. Christina Faith Cameletti is a lawyer in Guelph with a general practice focusing on real estate law, wills and estates. Christina has had an episodic disability since childhood, and has volunteered and advocated for Disability Rights since she was 7 years old, for organizations like the Arthritis Society, Easter Seals Canada and the AODA Alliance. During law school, she interned at ARCH Disability Law Centre, a specialty legal clinic in Toronto that advocates for accessibility, disability rights and policy reform.
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The city has two climate change targets for 2050: Net Zero Carbon (for the entire community) and 100% Renewable Energy (for the corporation of the City of Guelph). Last September it released its first Sustainability Report on how we’re fighting climate change. Unfortunately, it showed that our greenhouse gas emissions went up between 2018 and 2019. Not a good start, to say the least. This approach to targets leaves little or no accountability for current decision makers. And technically, nothing needs to be done until 2049. We could also just buy carbon offsets instead of cutting greenhouse pollution. All of this leaves the door wide open to prolonged fossil fuel use. Will we be able to meet our climate change targets? At this Breezy Breakfast, recorded April 15, 2021, Evan Ferrari from eMERGE Guelph joined us to discuss.
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On this Breezy Breakfast, we talked highways and greenways: the newly proposed Highway 413, and the timeless topic of the Greenbelt, which we're forced to keep bringing up due to the Province's persistence. Here's a short timeline of our Provincial Government's relationship to the Greenbelt. December 2018: the Ford government introduces Bill 66 – the proposed Restoring Ontario's Competitiveness Act. This bill included Schedule 10 which contained proposed amendments to the Planning Act. These amendments would have allowed development to occur in the Greenbelt. The Bill - without Schedule 10 - was approved on April 3, 2019. December of 2020: the Ford government took away the power of conservation authorities to refuse developments that have received a ministerial zoning order. In addition, CAs cannot appeal these decisions via LPAT. February 2021: Ontario announced plans to consider expanding the Greenbelt to include the Paris Galt Moraine and Urban River Valleys, including the ones connecting to the Paris Galt Moraine through the Speed and Eramosa Rivers. The cynics among us might consider this newest proposal as a way to appease Ontarians who disapprove of the Ford government's environmental track record. Indeed, the Ford government is set on building the GTA West highway, otherwise known as Highway 413. This highway would degrade parts of the Credit and Humber River watersheds that flow into Lake Ontario - the source of drinking water for millions of GTA residents. This 50-kilometre, six-billion-dollar highway would pave over two thousand acres of Ontario's most productive farmland. It is marketed as something that will address Ontarians' traffic woes; however, its estimated decreases in commuting time vary from 30 seconds to 30 minutes. Last weekend, the plot thickened with reports about the various development companies that stand to benefit from the construction of Highway 413. Many of them have direct ties to various members of the Ford government. Listen to this discussion to hear two sides of the development coin. Susan Swail, a registered professional planner specializing in sustainable land use planning policy, gave us the 411 on Highway 413. Mike Marcolongo, co-founder of Protect our Moraine and the Greenbelt West Coalition spoke on sustainable living in a province where it isn't always easy being green.
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Every once in a while, we do these open mics to allow more space for all attendees to steer the discussion respectfully and collectively. Attendees set the tone, and the Breezy organizers lightly moderate to make sure everyone can engage on what matters to them.
This open mic brought up the library, Mayor Guthrie courting Amazon on Twitter to build a warehouse in Guelph, and more.
This session was co-moderated by James Gordon and Tanya Gevaert.
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Hi everyone, Dustin here: Every March 22nd, many people around the world recognize the United Nations World Water Day as an opportunity to reflect on our relationship to water. I joined this year to reflect on the value water adds to my own personal and community life, including its important role in local and global ecology. This year I learned from Anishnaabe kwe who took part in a Water Walk through hundreds of kilometres of Saugeen Ojibway territory, making acquaintance with the waters that line the coasts and wind through the rivers. My whole academic life has been shaped by water's influence in the world; it has been at the centre of much of my work for almost nine years now, and has brought me into awareness of a whole world of relationships. As Indigenous peoples continue to assert and embody, water is life. For humans and non-human species, plants and animals, geologic systems and climate stability, water plays a central role of reproduction, sustenance, cleansing, beauty, and inspiration. On Thursday, March 25th, our special guests were three prominent water advocates: Mike Balkwill from Wellington Water Watchers; Lin Grist of the local chapter of the Council of Canadians; and Mike Sullivan of Get Concerned Stratford. We had a broad discussion that touched on things like the moratorium on water bottling permits, the sale of Nestlé Waters Canada facilities, the struggle against MZOs that threaten water systems, the Blue Communities initiative, and Indigenous leadership on water protection. I hope listeners and supporters take this as an opportunity to reflect on what water does for us and how we can make a reciprocal relationship with it in our daily lives and advocacy. This session was co-moderated by Dustin Brown and Tanya Gevaert.
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We all know that this economic crisis has been unkind to community-based services, the people who use them, and the workers who hold them together. The community living centres and day programs hosted through Community Living Guelph Wellington (CLGW) are one community support that has been in tension during recent months, with shifting directions coming from management. First, it was announced that day programs would be cancelled entirely, and the individual services model that the pandemic brought about would become the new normal. This could have forced many individuals, parents, and caregivers to seek out prohibitively expensive private care. A strong campaign in defence of day programs was mounted, which has partly changed management's plans -- they say now that the centres and day programs will continue -- but advocates are not convinced that the battle is over. On Thursday, March 18th, we were joined by three guests: Joanne Smithers, front line staff at CLGW and president of her bargaining unit; Fred Hahn, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees - Ontario; and Jennifer MacKenzie, parent to one of the day program's participants. We thought it was a fruitful and passionate discussion in defense of day programs, and autonomy for all. This discussion was co-moderated by Phil Allt and Tanya Gevaert.
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This episode of the Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour was recorded on Thursday, March 11th. Our special guest was Dominica McPherson of the Guelph & Wellington Task Force for Poverty Elimination, who introduced us to the Yes In My Backyard campaign. With supportive housing at top of mind for many Guelph residents and activists, this was a timely conversation. Here's a preview, from Dominica herself: "When everyone has a safe and affordable place to call home, our whole community benefits, and yet there are people experiencing homelessness and households facing core housing need in our community. Solving the affordable housing and homelessness crisis requires action and investment by all levels of government, and community action and support to make it possible. That's why the Guelph & Wellington Task Force for Poverty Elimination has launched a Yes in My Backyard campaign. Learn more about the campaign, one of its current action areas - permanent supportive housing, and how you can show your support for a welcoming community where everyone has the housing they need!" This session was co-moderated by James Gordon and Tanya Gevaert.
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On Thursday, March 4, we were honoured to have MPP Laura Mae Lindo, Omelnisaa Hassan Elfaki, and Professor Karen Houle on as our special guests, who led us in recognition of International Women's Day. It was an excellent back-and-forth between the guests, on a multitude of topics, including Omelnisaa's land-based work here in Guelph.
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On Thursday, February 25, the City of Guelph's new General Manager of Planning and Building Services, Krista Walkey, appeared as a guest to talk about all things planning. Want to hear about inclusionary zoning? The city's planning goals? The inner workings of City Hall's planning department? If yes, then this might be your episode.
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On Thursday, February 18, we came back to the open mic, where Breezy audience members were invited to collaboratively influence the flow of conversation.
In this open mic, we covered a lot of ground. We started with a discourse on remote voting methods, in light of the City Council decision to accept mail-in voting and reject online options (for now), and eventually moved into a long discussion on supportive housing, with contributors outlining the difference between a municipal housing strategy vs. what is possible with larger scales. Other topics touched on include debunking a conspiracy theory, radon gas infiltration, an idea for repurposing land near the Two Rivers for Indigenous interests, and supporting our neighbours who struggle with addictions and isolation.
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On this episode, recorded February 11, 2021, Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie appeared for a summary of the 2021 State of the City address he delivered at a Chamber of Commerce virtual event, and then was questioned by the Breezy Breakfast crowd. This episode starts off with a conversation between our meeting moderator Dustin Brown and Mandy Hiscocks from Guelph OPIRG, during which they sum up the meeting and reflect on the value of Breezy Breakfast.
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On this episode, recorded January 28, 2021, we welcome special guests Skyler Williams of 1492 Land Back Lane, and Guelph local Bruce Weaver. The breakfast theme is governance systems -- specifically, how do Indigenous governance systems and Settler governance systems clash? What are the consequences and lessons to be learned of Land Back and colonial conflict? And what are the implications for us as individuals and as a community?
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Special guests Mike Marcolongo and James Fisher speak about the need to manage growth sustainably, both in Guelph and the Greenbelt.
MPP Mike Schreiner, Conservation Authority advocate Bill Mungall, and Mississaugas of the Credit Elder Nancy Rowe speak about the threats the Ford Government has posed to Conservation Authorities and green spaces.
Our monthly session where those participating on the weekly Zoom call can introduce their own topics for discussion. This one covered Heritage, Covid, Ward Boundaries, and a report on the PIN Network's Snow Angel Program.
Local historian and expert on labour issues focuses on the Great Depression with our labour history, and then relates it to what's happening now.
Dr. Anne-Marie Zjlick speaks about her experience working first with AIDs/HIV and now with the current covid pandemic. Features vital information about the impending vaccine roll out.
Helen Fishburn from the CMHA, Susan Rosenthal, author and physician, and Aisha Jahangir, a front-line mental health worker, discuss the mental health scene during this challenging time. Moderator: Dustin Brown
Our guests are Jennifer Slater, the City of Guelph's Manager of Information, Privacy and Elections (and Deputy City Clerk), who will be discussing the City's review of our municipal election voting methods.. Alexsander Essex, associate professor of software engineering at Western University, with a specialization in cybersecurity and applied cryptography. He runs Whisper Lab, which is Western's dedicated Information Security and Privacy Research Laboratory.
and Cameron Shelley, lecturer at the University of Waterloo in the Department of Systems Design Engineering.
Very informative!
Our guest this week is Evan Ferrari from Guelph's energy advocacy org "eMerge" speaking about climate targets and initiatives that we need to achieve those targets
This week our guests are Trevor Lee, Deputy CAO, and Tara Baker, CFO from the CIty of Guelph, giving us a preview of what to expect in this year's budget, our first 'multi-year' one. Final decisions by council come on December 1.
Our guests this week are Stephen O'Brien, Guelph City Clerk, and Kevin Bowman, spokesperson from Democracy Guelph. Should we have full-time councillors ? Fewer councillors? One Per Ward? No Wards? It's all up for debate at city council and this was a good primer on the topic
Arlene Slocombe from the Wellington Water Watchers joins us to talk about the ongoing issues with Nestle waters bottling operation. The program concludes with four songs about Nestlé from City Councillor James Gordon's 2011 musical play, Nastee Business.
Special guest Giancarlo Martini from the University of Guelph Bike Centre speaking about cycling in the winter.
Our guests this week were representatives from Kindle, a developer of community spaces, and Kevin Coghill from the Royal City Mission, speaking about their poverty relief efforts in our city.
Once a month or so the Breezy Online Breakfast hosts an 'open mic'- no guests or topics. We leave it up to the participants on the Zoom meeting to discuss issues that are important to them. This episode covers permanent supportive housing, our housing crisis, overnight parking and mobility bus service!
Martha MacNeil, chair of the Upper Grand District School Board, School Superintendent Gary Slater, Catholic Board Union Rep Mark Berardine and concerned parents discuss the impact that Covid has had on school re-openings.
With special guest MP Matthew Green we're exploring the Controversial Metrolinx/Go Train plans for expanding their service in Guelph that would involve road closures and Park expropriation.
With special guests-chief Librarian Steve Kraft, councillor Cathy Downer and library advocate Heena Mistry with added input from councillor Leanne Caron and more
A discussion about potential changes to Guelph City council composition and ward boundaries, with Deputy City clerk Dylan McMahon and Democracy Guelph representative Kevin Bowman.
Donna Lero and Luisa Artuso speak about the need for child care and challenges of securing it under COVID-19 conditions in Guelph and throughout the country.
Dawn Owen from the Guelph Civic Museum, and Kween Kay from the Guelph Black Heritage Society will be talking about their efforts to document Guelph's history under COVID-19 and the recent protests against systemic racism.
Guelph-based university and high school students discuss the challenges of returning to school in the fall during the pandemic.
A discussion of the idea floated by some Guelph politicians to enact a 0% municipal budget increase. Featuring panelists Guelph Councillor Leanne Caron, Chief Librarian for the Guelph Public Library Steve Kraft, Bookshelf co-founder Doug Minett, and Julia Grady from 10C.
The newly formed Guelph Renters Union and Housing Advocates (GRUHA) discuss tenants' rights, the housing crisis, Bill 184, evictions and tenant solidarity. Featuring Dustin Brown, Lilly Bent, and Kinnery Chaparrel.
With special guests Cathy Kennedy from OurFoodFuture Guelph and Gavin Dandy, directing coordinator of the SEED.
Our special guest is Miranda Mulholland, a Guelph-raised musician, record label owner, and tireless advocate for artists rights. She spoke to us about arts during and after the pandemic, well aware of the fact that the arts community was in deep crisis even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
This week we are examining Downtown Guelph Economic Recovery after the impact of the pandemic. Our guests on the July 2nd, 2020 Zoom Breakfast meeting were Julia Grady, a member of the Mayor’s Task Force on Economic Recovery, the executive director of the shared workspace 10C, and a prominent community collaborator on social innovation, and Marty Williams, the executive director of the Downtown Guelph Business Association.
Two special guests Raechelle Devereaux and Kate Nixon spoke to us on June 4th2020 about the Opioid crisis, and how it seems to have been sidelined from public consciousness during the pandemic.
Raechelle is the Executive Director of the Guelph Community Health Centre, and Kate is a local activist and community organizer representing Your Guelph Downtown Friends.
The “Breezy Breakfast" is a weekly community gathering focused on raising awareness and sharing ideas about issues that concern residents of Guelph, Ontario, and beyond.
On June 11th, 2020 Sly Castaldi spoke to us about the recent struggles facing vulnerable women during the pandemic.
Sly is the Executive Director of Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis.
This program is hosted and produced by James Gordon: music by Jules Jerm.
Welcome to the “Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour”. The Breezy Breakfast is a weekly community gathering focused on raising awareness and sharing ideas about important issues that concern residents of Guelph and beyond. Today’s episode is around the topic of Police Defunding. It was recorded on June 18, 2020 with special guests Toronto Councillor Josh Matlow and the Guelph Chapter of Black Lives Matter.