Open Sources Guelph #537 - October 2, 2025

This week's Open Sources Guelph is going to the birds! Both of our main topics this week intersects with the Supreme Court of Canada, which is presently tackling the extent of federal and provincial separation of powers and whether or not food inspectors can do their job when it comes to animal control and infectious disease. In non-court news, we will talk to a city councillor about planning in Guelph, and whether that's going to the birds...

This Thursday, October 2, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:

33 and Me. The Notwithstanding Clause of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms was a necessary compromise in getting the Constitution approved in 1982, but is there a chance that it's being abused by provincial governments who don't want the bother and hassle of judicial oversight? That is the question the federal government wants answered after they entered the chat with a factum in the case over Quebec's Bill 21, but is this a question we need answered?

The Birds. There were a lot of eyes on a B.C. ostrich farm last week when it was announced that the 300 some-odd birds there would be allowed to live until the Supreme Court here's the full case. On the one hand, this seems like a silly news story, but when you dig a little deeper there's actually a lot driving this case from anti-government sentiment to fringe healthcare influencers. Get you shovel out as we go behind the ostriches (so to speak).

More to Chew On. Guelph City Council has dealing with two pretty big planning files a couple of weeks ago, one concerned the redevelopment of a popular corner in the south end and one concerning the block plans for the Guelph Innovation District property. The two projects have big questions that require big answers, and to get them we host Ward 6 City Councillor Ken Yee Chew this week to get his perspective as a planner and a politician.

Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.