High-rises in Guelph

How high should buildings in Guelph be? Should we allow high rises (10+ stories) in the downtown core? The answers to these questions are highly contentious, depending on who you ask.

There are many benefits of tall buildings; they house lots of people in a dense space allowing efficient service delivery, they can provide affordable accommodation, they can bring people back into the downtown core and move away from Guelph's "bar driven" downtown economy, and they can offer students housing away from the student-centric neighbourhoods of Scottsdale, Ironwood, and Cole Road.

There are problems associated with high rises in the downtown as well; they disrupt the skyline, they cast foreboding shadows across the landscape, they may become large bland monoliths that fail to integrate with their surroundings. There is no correct answer.

Provincial pressures, such as the Places to Grow Act, mandate that Guelph must provide a certain amount of housing. One way to meet this demand and escape the sprawl of subdivisions (à la the Southend) is to intensify the accommodation of people in high rises.

I can't really say if I agree with the proposed high rise at the corner of Wellington and Macdonell. I don't live nearby, and my interaction with the space is limited to infrequent drive-bys. However, I do feel the scale of a high rise in that location is not keeping with the current trends of downtown. John Galt's original plan for Guelph was low-rise developments, similar to those of liveable European cities. I wonder if it is still possible to maintain that vision, while supporting growth.

Aerial view of Guelph

Aerial view of Paris

another chapter in city politics draws to a close

photo courtesy of Dodge Baena

Winter is oddly depressing and comforting. It is the season of emotional senescence, whereby we retreat inside and reflect on the year that passed. At least it is that way for me; I don't ski or snowboard. Snow irritates my ankles.

The winter break has provided me all the free time university siphons away. My casual rejection of being outside in the winter has loosened, since I have discovered pleasurable free outdoor activities, like the Nicholas Lambden rink in front of City Hall.

This rink (hopefully), represents a closing chapter in the City of Guelph, as is naturally expected in the season of Winter. The implementation and construction of the new rink, City Hall building, and Market Square space has been a point of contention between the public, downtown merchants, and city hall, for several years. Anyone who frequents downtown can attest, Carden St. has been in a perpetual state of construction every summer for the past several years. The construction was blamed for driving away customers and putting merchants on the verge of bankruptcy. The situation between merchants and the city was poorly handled; at one point the city threatened to sue business owners over a defamatory comparison made between city councillors and the three stooges.  . 

The negative impacts of Carden's (re)construction have been used as fodder by the anti-Farbridge groups to support the claim that the City of Guelph is anti- business, as was mentioned in a leaked report earlier this year. To truly determine if this is correct, I feel more time is needed to see the change in business on Carden St.

I understand all the arguments against the reconstruction of Carden, but after visiting I find it harder to convince myself it was a bad idea. It's a beautiful space, and attracts a diverse selection of Guelphites. It is endearing to see new Canadians strapping on skates and embracing a Canadian pastime. It is endearing to see wobbly-footed children coached by their grandparents. It is endearing to see young couples hold hands and weave their way around the ice.

Was the cost/benefit of the new space worth it? I don't know, but I am definitely going to be spending more time in that space, and hopefully I will buy a thing or two from the shops there (Hempire, anyone?).

Q: who should be the lamp lighter? A: taxpayers

The City of Guelph is run like a conglomeration of companies all working to provide city services in exchange for tax dollars. If you haven't heard, the city of Guelph is a little short on cash lately and is looking for new ways to fund some capitol projects.

Council has the bright idea to sell off the city's street lights to Guelph Hydro, the electrical provider. Currently, the street lights are owned by the citizens of Guelph, and their upkeep is paid for by tax dollars.  Under the proposed system, the City of Guelph would sell the lights which would free up approximately $10 million dollars in the operating budget. Guelph Hydro would control the street lights, and the cost of maintenance would be included in the electrical bills. So what seems to be the problem?

The City of Guelph owns Guelph Hydro. No new money is actually being created, and tax payers are still forced to bear burden of new capitol projects. This is a complex legal shell game used by city hall to move funds around.

Selling off the street lights would give city hall a big bag of money to put towards things like a new downtown library, the Wilson Street Parkade, a skatepark (maybe), and a south end recreation centre (not likely). In the future, I imagine municipalities selling off most of their infrastructure and utilities to private enterprises (I don't necessarily agree with this, Im just continuing with the trend). This street light issue is the continuation of municipalities slowly selling themselves off to private firms; its a drop in the ocean given the larger context. Toronto sold off its street lights in 2005 for $60 million dollars... Toronto will now pay over $420 million over the next 30 years to rent them back. It doesn't seem wise to echo the same actions taken by Toronto, in Guelph. 

thoughts from last night's council meeting: noise by-laws

 

Last night at council, there were two delegations from concerned citizens regarding excessive noise at night. The concern stemmed mainly from motorcycle engines at night, but eventually extended to all vehicles as the discourse on the subject developed.
During the second citizen's delegation, a well spoken senior lady brought up previous recommendations to the city, from a subcommittee, regarding excessive noise. The woman's area of concern was along the Speed river's walking trails west of Gordon St. Obviously she lived there, and has claimed to walk the trail over 15 000 times since she moved to Guelph. Some of the suggestions for dealing with the noise pollution included:

1) Increased police enforcement of noise violations.
2) Increase police training with "decibel rating" devices.
3) Create the motivation for neighbors to snitch on their nosy nieghbours. When the vehicle in question is parked in a driveway it becomes easier to locate.
4) Create a sound certification system for vehicles that wish to operate within city limits. This requires the cooperation of mechanics to certify automobiles.
5) Reroute truck traffic from Wellington to Stone Road

The current by-law is very vague because it states vehicle exhaust systems must operate in an "effective and working" manner. This leaves much to debated. The factory default settings on a 2011 Yamaha R6, or Harley Davidson Fat Boy are already ultra loud. Although they meet the DOT decibel regulations, they're not something that should be prowling a residential neighbourhood at 2am. To compound the problem, aftermarket exhausts crank the volume up to 11.

The issue of motor vehicle noise is similar to that of the ruckus caused by students. Towns-folk get pissed-off and demand the city do something about it. My main contention with the solutions offered by the citizen delegate and city's sub committee on the issue, is No. 5. When the citizen delegate described the fifth option, rerouting trucks from Wellington to Stone, she said: "the noise of the trucks would drown out the noise of the students". I have a problem with this, and not because it marginalizes students. A statement like this marginalizes the families and communities living amongst students. Rerouting trucks down Stone Road would punish a group of citizens that have already felt the brunt of noise and disturbance that comes from students.

who is responsible for all the shit in downtown Guelph?

Below are some thoughts on Guelph's downtown scene from a letter to the tribune, way back when...

Barkeeps are big part of downtown problems

Re: Dino Busato’s letter to the editor “Nail the core offenders not city bar businesses” (Tribune, Dec. 7).

The onus of destruction and debauchery downtown every weekend cannot be placed solely on poor enforcement issues and lack of bathroom accommodation.

It is very irresponsible to confront only the “customer” side of Guelph’s nightlife.

While I do agree people should be fined for doing bad things, enforcement is more complicated.

It is easier to find people urinating, fighting, throwing up and littering at 2 a.m. in downtown Guelph than it is to find Waldo in his wonderfully illustrated environments.

Are these people being fined? No. For whatever reason (lack of police resources, lack of police diligence, lack of people’s respect, etc), these people are not being fined. It is a fantasy to hold every person accountable for their actions when several thousand people shuffle into downtown every weekend.

That being said, I have spoken to downtown business owners who say the police are scared during the downtown scene. I’ve seen police just stand there while people fight.

I rarely see police walking around; mostly they just sit in their cruisers. That being said, they have an immensely difficult job and I respect what they do, although I think a more “pro-active” stance needs to be adopted by the police.

It is a bone-headed minority that is reeking chaos downtown. It is also a minority of bars responsible for producing the majority of boneheads. I’m a university student. I go to bars, and overserving is rampant.

Several clubs downtown have signs around the bar reading “Two-drink maximum after midnight.” I have never once seen the rule enforced by the servers, who fulfill orders for several drinks to overly drunk individuals – myself included.

People throw up when they drink too much, and if they bought a drink downtown then an irresponsible server contributed to the problem. It does not take an undercover sleuth to determine who is making people drunk downtown.

People pre-drink before they go downtown.

They are already drunk when they get there, and yet several servers will still provide drinks.

This places more trouble in the hands of security, who just throw drunks out into the public.

I feel the city made a terrible call when setting up the pissoirs and made a another terrible call with their subsequent removal. I feel the burden of rampant public urinating falls on the bar owners and the City of Guelph. It is cruel to expect people to drink beers and then lock them out of every washroom downtown when the bars close.

Bar owners and the city must provide a place to relieve oneself if they are profiting from pumping us full of liquid. Ensure adequate washroom facilities after the bars close, and then start fining people for urinating.

Ben Baena Guelph

http://www.guelphtribune.ca/news/barkeeps-are-big-part-of-downtown-problems/

city councillor’s ‘joke’ gives a bad impression

Re:

At the Sept. 26 city council meeting, there was discussion around the city providing home energy audits. They are going to implement a pilot program that provides these audits, and the debate surrounds the cost of providing the audits. It was also noted the pilot program would take place in a neighbourhood heavily populated with students.

Coun. Bob Bell recommended a price of $20, at which point other councillors weighed in on the issue. When setting the price of the program to homeowners, it is important to consider whether the property is leased to tenants.

When it was Coun. Karl Wettstein’s turn to speak, he jokingly remarked that he “would charge students double,” after which he gave a chuckle and assured looks to other councillors around the horseshoe. I am not offended by his comments. I am both a student and a full-time permanent citizen — probably for several more years after I graduate. My concern is that these comments, jokingly or otherwise, represent underlying tensions between Wettstein and his ward, which has a high population of students.

His “joke” was not very funny, nor in good taste. To suggest that anyone would discriminate in price, and unfairly charge a specific group of people more than normal, is to cast aspersions on that group.

If he brings this attitude forward in council, what does he say in private?

Ben Baena, Guelph

http://www.guelphmercury.com/opinion/letters/article/602354--city-councillor-s-joke-gives-a-bad-impression

dolime sounds like the name of a tropical beverage

Hey everyone, this here is a shout out to all the students in undergrad public policy programs. You should go to your city's council meetings. Practically no one shows up, so you're guaranteed to get a good seat. Also, it is not as boring as it sounds. The discussion that goes on is directly relevant to the courses you are studying, and it beats the hell out of reading a textbook.

Last night at Guelph's city council meeting, there was a presentation about the Guelph Dolime Quarry. I feel this is significant to bring up, aside from the striking environmental concern, because of the recent discussion of the Melancthon Quarry in Honeywood, Ontario

Guelph's Dolime Quarry has sat for the past several years departed of any mining activity. Recently, it became economically viable to use deeper methods of mining to extract aggregate from beneath a protective layer of the hard rock lining the bottom of the quarry. The hard rock, otherwise known as the aquitard, lies above the underground aquifer and prevents its contamination from surface waters.
The governance of aggregate extraction permits in Ontario is entirely out of date, and the dilemma faced by Guelph reflects that. Dolime has put forward a proposal that seeks to expand the scope of the current Dolime quarry and mine for aggregate at continually deeper levels. Dolime seeks to excavate beneath the aquitard, and refill any created hollow space with back fill. Last night at council, I think the date referenced for the current legislation regarding aggravate removal was sometime in the 1980's, and Wellington Water Watchers lists The Water Resources Act of 1990 as lacking safeguards as well. There is no current protection in legislation that prevents a pit operator from piercing through the aquitard.
Currently, the city is going back and forth between the Ministry of Natural Resources, Dolime, and environmental consultants to determine the risk and consequences of deepening the Dolime quarry into the aquifer.
When a huge hole is dug, not in terms of credit card debt, the groundwater can come into contact with contaminated surface water. As a result our tap water needs extra purification after it is pumped out of the ground and before it goes down our throats. City staff indicated 8 wells, or 25% of Guelph's water supply could be affected by pit expansion below the aquitard. Costs associated with retrofitting the wells to handle a new load of contaminants are estimated around 2-3 million per well. This does not take into account the time Guelph would spend with a greatly diminished water supply nor the public unrest surrounding possible contaminated drinking water. But maybe the aggregate beneath the aquitard is made of solid gold and every Guelph citizen will receive a 100oz gold bar. That would be wicked.

candidate meet'n' greet and other stuff

            On Thursday night, the CSA and Civic Engagement held a meet and greet with Guelph’s MPP candidates, in the Bullring. Candidates were on hand to speak about their platform, issues pertaining to students, and answer questions. After the meet and greet student representatives from each party addressed generic questions regarding major policy areas; education, environment, economy, energy, etc.

It is very exciting to see other students hushed and huddled around political candidates, discussing the direction of Ontario’s future.

            Aside from questions regarding each party’s platform; it was interesting to note the body language and demeanor of each candidate and the students who listened to them. The most obvious and interesting contrast is that of the Liberals and the Progressive Conservatives. Liberal Liz Sandals sat in an armchair encircled by students on couches, while PC Greg Schirk stood closely surrounded by students. When I stood listening to Mr. Schirk, the audience seemed tenser than with other candidates. I feel for him, he is up against a tough crowd. Guelph is a swing riding with a history of electing NDP,  Progressive Conservative and Liberal MPPs; but the university student body is more left leaning. Mr. Schirk handled himself very well when a student became slightly confrontational regarding Mr. Schirk’s use of the term “red-tape reduction”. In a casual style, he gave the student his business card and asked to set up a future conversation. Very classy.

            A consistent point of contention between the Liberals and Conservatives is the Green Energy Act. While some praise the act for “greening” the province’s energy sources, Conservatives claim the act has been responsible for raising the cost of energy in Ontario. I feel conflicted, as per usual, about the act. My understanding is that the Green Energy Act was sort of getting-ahead-of-itself. The essence of the Act was that the Liberal government would offer a subsidy to the construction of “green” energy projects and purchase energy from them at a grossly inflated rate.

            Ok, that sounds awesome, but it was apparently too successful. Now the government is locked into long term contracts, paying a premium for energy.

            Ok, that’s all fine and dandy; I understand that the investment helps the environment in the long term. The problem is this, as Liz Sandals explained: so many projects were built in rural areas and the existing grid infrastructure could not handle the power delivered from the subsidized projects.  As a result, we have a bunch of useless green energy projects sitting around, taking up space, and not adding power to the grid.

            Now let’s get back to reality; the Conservatives claim this project has been responsible for raising the energy costs. This may be partly true, but to what degree? Energy prices are constantly increasing; natural gas becomes harder to find, coal is more expensive to mine, and oil… don’t get me started on oil. The Green Energy Act may have under preformed its expectations, but not because it exorbitantly raised your electrical bill. When I asked Mr. Schirk about the act he said it was unfortunate that the government was locked into the contracts, and the project would not be sustainable in the future.

            The NDP’s James Gordon, Green’s Steve Dyck, and Communist Drew Garvie were also on hand, but due to lack of time I couldn’t listen to them in-depth. 

bike like a boss

Hop on a bike and join the fight against bicycle discrimination.

Guelph is a great city for commuting by bicycle. To work, to school, for groceries, for coffee; you can go by bicycle... Well for the most part. It depends where you live. Here's my take on cycling in Guelph; the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good:

Guelph has a positive outlook towards cyclists. This is due to many policies City Hall has put in place that either directly, or inadvertently, benefit the cyclist. Let's start with the ample green space. Guelph is covered with green corridors, parks, and trails, that allow a cyclist to stay away from major roads. Most of my bike commuting is done between the downtown core and Clair Road, and it is all readily accessible through parks and roads with bike lanes. On the rare chance I have an errand somewhere near Woodlawn, I am able to take the Royal Recreation Trail north to access the eastern section of Woodlawn (Wal-Mart, Riverside Park, Beer Store etc.), and that is without traveling a road where the speed limit is over 50km per hour!

If you look for the green patches connecting the subdivisions south of Wellington, you can avoid any road that might give you the heebeejeebies and still arrive at your destination on time.

Guelph has excellent resources for cyclists of all types and budgets. There are over 10 bike retailers in the city selling everything from $100 refurbished commuter bikes to $5000 carbon fibre rocket ships. The Bike Centre here at the university is open to everyone... for free. You can purchase discounted parts and use every bike tool imaginable... for free! It is run by the CSA and everyone is encouraged to bring their bike and learn about the basics of repair and maintenance.

Lastly, Guelph somehow manages to breed a collective consciousness that allows motorists and cyclists to co-exist... in most parts of the city. In my experience, motorist are very respectful of cyclists in Guelph. If you don't bike at night, downtown, on in the northwest part of town, you should be good.

The Bad:

The worst part about cycling in Guelph in the northwest. Silvercreek, Dawson, Imperial, Willow, Edinburgh. All these roads have no bike lanes, high speeds, pot holes and at least 4 lanes of traffic. Silvercreek is the worst; the vast parking lots cause several cars to enter and exit traffic, which is not comfortable for cycling. Woodlawn sucks as well; at all cost avoid Woodlawn if you are not comfortable with high speeds and trucks.

Avoid downtown at night. In fact avoid cycling at night anywhere that students live or are known to drink. I have been called names and pestered by many drunks when biking around guelph at night. Everything from, "Hey fagot on the bike!" to having a group of drunks create a human chain across the road, and grab my arm in an attempt to rip me off my bike as I passed. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE! All entirely unprovoked, I swear. I only have problems at night when drunk students walk home from parties looking for trouble. Other than that, biking at night is delightful. Downtown becomes more romantic at night, especially during the hot summer nights when patios are full of chatty locals. If you choose to bike at night, make sure your bike has a red light on the back and a white light on the front. I cannot stress this enough. It is a sinking feeling to be biking at night and hear a cars tires screech behind you. It happened to me once when I was riding without bike lights, exiting the university onto Stone rd. Also, be prepared for trouble. Make sure you are constantly looking ahead for people who might be ill intentioned. Be aware of people who might throw things, and cars that have high revving engines... I suggest carrying pepper spray, a whistle, and a cell phone for your protection; it can be that dangerous.

The Ugly:

I forgot I mentioned this section in the beginning. I think I listed it all under "bad".

Guelph's MPP candidates

Hey all! So, election time is around the corner once again. The upcoming provincial election should be interesting to watch, considering the Federal Conservatives swept the nation to take a majority. Also, consider the Conservative influence that has already permeated the ranks of municipal government. Toronto's Mayor, Rob Ford, screams about fiscal conservancy and halting gravy trains until he is red in the face.

Will Guelph be able to resist the temptation of a Conservative MPP?

Here is the current selection of Guelph's candidates:

Liberal: Liz Sandals

Liz Sandals is Guelph-Wellington's current MPP. She has served Guelph since 2003, and is currently the parliamentary assistant to the Health Minister Deb Mathews. This is interesting to note because Guelph's city hall has been butting major heads with the province, in relation to a proposed health clinic.

Sandals also leads the governments Safe Schools Action Team. They recommend legislation regarding gender-based violence, homophobia, sexual harassment and inappropriate sexual behaviour in schools.

She is also really good at computers. Seriously, she used to teach computers here at Guelph.

NDP: James Gordon

James Gordon is a local songwriter/activist/play write/enemy of Nestle Canada. Currently, he is producing a play entitled, "Nastee Business". It is a social commentary on the role between activists and corporations. But don't take my word for it. Here is the website: www.jamesgordon.ca

Conservatives: To be Declared July 18th

Currently there are three candidates vying for the Conservative Party nomination in Guelph. Let's go through the list:

Rob Demille: Rob is 29 years old and sells insurance for State Farm. He is currently a member of the Property Standards Committee of Guelph. Yup, that definitely sounds like something a Conservative would want to volunteer their time towards.

Greg Shirk: Greg is a local business owner and certified metal mechanic. He used to own a glass company, Royal City Glass, and now works for PM Windows and Doors. He is involved in several glass related groups, such as the Siding and Window Dealer Association of Canada (or SAWDAC for short).

Bob Senechal: Bob is currently a senior accounts manager at a cleaning supply distribution company. He has been heavily involved in the Conservative Party, having served as the vice-president of the Conservative Riding Association in Guelph.

Green Party: Steve Dyck, president of Guelph Solar Mechanical and trained mediator, beat out former city counsellor Mike Salisbury for the Green nomination.

Steve Dyck. I think he resembles former Green MP candidate Mike Nagy, from the 2008 Federal election.

The Conservative Side of the Ballot Bungle

I just had my exam for my Canadian Democracy class, I hope I did well :(

Yesterday at the special ballot box in the UC some Conservative Party hotshot came around, and told everyone the ballot box was illegal...

If you don't know the story:

Guelph Mercury - Conservatives want to dump Guelph U student votes

Join me as I make a poor attempt to understand what happened.

I phoned Marty Burke's constituency office in the morning, and the lady was not very helpful. She was actually rude. When I asked her name, she refused to tell me. I then made up some nonsense about her having a legal obligation to tell me her name because she was representing a government institution. She told me her name and hung up. I didn't use a accent.

I phoned again later in the afternoon. A much nicer women answered the phone, and she explained that she didn't know all the facts and she took my number to call me back... I did use an accent.

I then phoned the Conservative Party of Canada Office. The nice man explained the Conservative side of the story. I used an accent. Sorry about the quality, I have slow internet. It is a long video, because I mostly just let the dude talk.

I sincerely admire the integrity of the man who answered the phone. He maintained perfect composure during our phone call, even though I may have been slightly baiting him. It is people like him, the foot soldiers of each campaign, that do the grunt work, who make Democracy in Canada the beautiful thing that it is.

candidate forum good, message is clear

note: I made a drawing of the candidates before I knew Marty Burke would not attend, and that the Communist Party and the Animal Alliance Party would be present. Rather than make a new drawing, I crudely edited my previous drawing in manner even Bev Oda would approve of.

This evening the local MP candidates squared off in a round table forum in Peter Clark Hall. Moderated by Professor Tim Mau, candidates answered questions pitched by the audience in a non-confrontational setting. The event was wickedly successful, with one major disappointment. Marty Burke the local Conservative candidate failed to make himself present. In his defence, "How I Met Your Mother" was on at 7pm. Then again, he probably has a VCR.

Burke's absence from the local forum, and the subsequent televised Leader's Debate, made something very clear to me. This is not an election between political parties across the spectrum. It is an election between Stephen Harper's Conservatives and NOT Stephen Harper's Conservatives. Does that make sense? Let's not forget why this election occurred. It was due to contempt. By holding the government in contempt of Parliament, the majority of the House of Commons wanted an election to redistribute the power. But if the opposition cannot agree who will take power, it will again result in a Conservative minority. Unless the Liberals, NDP, Green and *Bloc* can come together in a *coalition* or if some voters compromise some of their beliefs and strategically vote for the dominate opposition party, it's status quo. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

With little exception, I feel the messages of the Liberal, NDP, and Green platform can be lost within their inter-party squabbling; at least at a federal level. However, at the local MP forum candidates seemed mostly cordial and agreeable with each other positions. If Burke attended the forum it would have been way more interesting; like the difference between french fries and poutine. Once you add all that fat, it just becomes so much more appealing.

I can't speak to directly to Mr. Burke's case; perhaps he has an ill family member or his car broke down. But the failure to send a representative to the forum, shows contempt to the public. It shows a failure to provide information and insight to the public regarding your party. It also shows a lack of concern for the audience. Students.

Gee whiz, you're telling me there was no hotshot Conservative up-and-comer willing to take Burke's place?

To be fair, from Burke's perspective he doesn't really have any reason to attend. The student audience is mostly at odds with the Conservatives after stories of Awish Aslam and Izzy Hirji filled the media. A perceived "Liberal protest", which was actually a "vote mob", might have scared the Conservatives away from any land adjacent to the university. The Conservatives also don't need student votes. Or should I say, they don't want students to vote... for anyone... According to polls, if students/youth voted the ranks of the opposition parties would be bolstered with support, and the Conservatives would be fighting a steeper uphill battle. How bad does it sound when a wise political strategy is to disengage a group's interest as much as possible to keep power? It is a sad reality. Stephen Harper's political prowess has been likened to an excellent chess player; excellence aside, it is remarkably clear who the sacrificial pawns are in his game against the opposition.

I'd argue the vast majority of Conservative students will vote Conservative regardless of the issues at hand. I did see some young Conservatives scattered around the audience videotaping the major party candidates. Towards the end they stopped video taping John Lawson's segments. Maybe their batteries were dying. Then I guess it was back to the bat cave to scrutinize hours of film for political misspeak from candidates. But you know what? More power to them. This ardent support and proactive style of dominance is what has kept Stephen Harper in power, for better or worse.

A student rally and a Conservative Rally

Today the University of Guelph student body, lead by Yvonne Su and Gracen Johnson, organized a pro-political rally in support of youth voting. Over 400 students lined the sidewalk adjacent to the Delta Hotel singing songs, playing instruments, and sending the message: Students are voting! But unfortunately, at least in terms of how the events proceeded, the message fell on deaf ears.

I attended the Conservative pep rally; it was an experience. I attended partly out of curiosity (voyeurism), and partly out of excitement for the upcoming election. I was excited to see the Prime Minister, and the energy in the room was contagious. It was standing room only around a stage framed by checkered blue and white election signs. A large Canadian flag back dropped the Prime Minister, along with the youngest members of the crowd centred in front of the cameras.

Let's start with my entrance. I preregistered for the event online, shortly after it was announced in order to get a place. Immediately upon entering, I was greeted by two young men and a dozen OPP officers scattered around the lobby. "Hi, I'm here for the Stephen Harper Rally". I must have sounded like the biggest Conservative noob, not to mention the twinges of red in my shirt.

"Yup, just over there to the left. But you'll have to check your bag first", said the gangliest of the two young Conservative hosts. I checked my bag at the hotel's front desk, and proceeded to the long line of tables staffed by, what seemed to be, the oldest members of the Conservative community. They all smiled at me; maybe because I was one of the youngest people there and I might be ushering in a new wave of conservative values among youth. I wasn't there for that, but it's always nice to be thought of with potential.

As I approached the ballroom entrance, I was about to burst with excitement. So, I asked an authoritative man which way the washroom was. As I left the washroom, I felt out of place; as if everyone could tell I didn't absolutely care about the Conservative agenda. My suspicions were confirmed.

"Excuse me, can I speak to you for a moment", the same man who directed me to the washroom now blocked my path with an out stretched arm, "You have been recognized by one of the staff, and we just need to make sure you're safe to enter".

I replied, "Oh ok, that's fine. I have a small political blog, it's not partisan. It's just a hobby. I'm not a socialist or anything"

He said, "do you know Brent?"

"No, who is that?"

"Well he says he recognizes you from somewhere. Do you belong to the party?"

"No, I don't belong to any Party, I'm just here as part of the public. Is that ok?"

He smiled, and asked me to come with him. He took me outside the registration area into the lobby, to the information desk. Two other girls from my geography class had been corralled as well. Apparently, one of the girls had been flagged in the "system" by the RCMP. She protested that she had never been involved in any conflicts, and there was no reason to suggest she should not be allowed entry. She was denied. The young lady and gentleman staffing the table inquired if she had joined any Facebook groups that might have had suggested different intentions. Is this how the Conservatives screen participants? Through harvesting the names of people who "like" Facebook pages with anti-Conservative sentiment? I picture hundreds of young Conservative volunteers combing through their friend lists and blacklisting people who share, "Can this Onion Ring Get More Fans Than Stephen Harper?". Or maybe they have a computer program that does that.

Anyways, the elusive Brent came to the information desk and greeted me with a firm handshake. He asked what my name was, and then how it was spelled. He also asked me what my website's url was, and then how it was spelled. It all seemed very formal. Brent turned to the young staffer at the information desk and they both played on his laptop. I can only guess what they were looking up. Although, I'm pretty sure they just searched my name on Google. Perhaps, it was some Conservative database of blacklisted rally participants or the RCMP's terrorist database. Who knows? But I'm pretty sure I saw the Google logo in the top corner of the screen. Besides, if it was Google, the top link is "Ben Baena and Son Custom Drapery".

After the laptop scan, I was clear to enter. "He seems ok to enter", Brent whispered in the other man's ear. "Ok, you can go ahead," the man confirmed. There is something about blue blazers that confirms authority, especially when generic sizes are made to fit everyone. There is an ill-fitting consistency.

The ballroom quickly filled up with middle aged, ethnic majorities, while ACDC and Def Leopard played over the speakers. I was handed a pair of noise makers which I greedily accepted (collector's item?), and joined the hurrah. Everyone sang O'Canada and Marty Burke, the local Conservative candidate, offered a brief introduction to Stephen Harper.

Harper captivated his audience as he touched briefly on several key aspects of the Conservative platform and budget. At some points it was like a rock concert; Harper would call out to the audience and everyone would chant back. Behind Harper, framed under the Canadian flag, were a collection of the youngest members of the crowd. Homemade signs were held up by the youth in the camera's background and seemingly jeered at the end of every sentence. Harper emphasized taking care of the men and women serving overseas as top priority, along with protecting a fragile economy. The room was in love. It's an empowering spectacle to see fresh faced teenage boys in power suits, tiptoeing on chairs at the back of the room. Plaid socks peeking out from beneath pleated trousers.

Despite the large student rally outside the Delta, Harper failed to recognized the University of Guelph, or its students. Then again, there was practically no visible student presence in the crowd. Harper also failed to take questions. Not even pre-written, soft-ball questions from audience members. Did the "5 questions" policy, turn into the "no questions" policy?

One contention I have with the student rally was the choice of colour. I know it was unavoidable to pick anything other than red and white because those are the colours on the Canadian flag. It was promoted as a non-partisan event, which it was in spirit and action, but the colour red represents the Liberal opposition. And long after the majority of people left, several remained and chanted anti-Conservative slogans. This positive event was spectacular, but maybe everyone should have dressed in white and purple(?), or if everyone had a golden morphsuit (that would be rockin'). Whatever the case, the organizers did a tremendous job of spreading a positive message towards youth engagement in the democratic process. Perhaps Stephen Harper avoided student issues to spite the rally he viewed as entirely Liberal in nature, and critical of the Conservatives.

For more information:

The Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=136219283116796&index=1

Media Coverage: CBC Politics

Guelph Mercury

Marty Burke gets the hole-shot

The Federal Conservative Candidate for Guelph, Marty Burke, is the first to have his signs up in Guelph. When I went to sleep on Friday no signs were up yet. When I woke up Saturday, Marty Burke's signs were everywhere. Mind you, I woke up at 1pm. I liked to imagine little election pixies flying around in the night putting signs everywhere; but my imagination was dashed when I saw two bearded men putting up Valeriote's signs later in the afternoon.

F.Y.I Hole-shot is a racing term where the driver gets a big lead right at the beginning of a race.

Project Serve HIV/AIDS and something about hockey.

This past reading week I participated in the Project Serve Canada HIV/AIDS program. My group spent the week busily learning about HIV, and preparing presentations for a local high school. HIV is a complicated global issue that affects our brother and sisters in Guelph and around the world. No, HIV/AIDS does not ambiguously affect "Africa"; but it does affect certain African countries at an alarmingly high rate (see South Africa, Swaziland, Namibia etc).

Grade school sexual health education in the province of Ontario has failed many students; "What goes where, and how" is often all that students are left with after 4 years of physical and sexual education. Any efforts we can make to improve sexual education for the next generation is definitely a step in the right direction. One of the main messages I have taken from this program is that, "any individual's sexual health is everyone's sexual health". And similar to hockey, you have to protect yourself. If you feel responsible enough to enter the global sexo'sphere, the minimum you can do is protect yourself and your partner.

In a similar but totally unrelated matter:
Sidney Crosby (a.k.a. Canada's top NHL export), has been sidelined for almost two months from concussions. The brutal physicality of the NHL reaches a new low when the league, players, and team owners can't protect their biggest money-makers. Sidney Crosby generates millions for his sponsors, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the NHL. And now he is sidelined and useless. Hopefully, Crosby can come back into the game at his former level, but his future potential is still up in the air.

Therefore, concussions in the NHL are like having unprotected sex. The league is taking a gamble on the health of their players; much like wearing a condom, more needs to be done to protect the head of an NHL player. Maybe make the penalties for blind side head shots more strict or enforce the rules more. I don't know. Just do something to protect Crosby's brain from punishment.

Anyways, I'm not a big hockey fan. I like to watch shows where people showcase things for judges. And speaking of showcases, the Project Serve Canada Showcase, is this Thursday March 10, at 5:30 in UC 442. Come check it out! (here is the event on reg) If you were thinking about doing Project Serve in the future now is a great time to find out more!!

stimulus money well spent

What do I do in my free time? Great question! I think of ways to make the world a better place! Sometimes my ideas are not very realistic. Actually, most of the time my ideas are not very realistic. Below, I've drawn some ideas on how the City of Guelph could improve, especially in the interest of students.

Remember the recession everyone was talking about a little while back? Well the government had the bright idea of providing stimulus money to municipalities to build infrastructure projects. What is the point of this? stimulate growth and provide jobs. How effective it has proven, is debatable. Anyways, the deadline for projects to be completed was extended to October 31st, 2011. This is especially important for Guelph, because projects like the new bus terminal downtown would not have been completed before the previous deadline of March 31st, 2011.

How much money did Guelph get? 45 million. Thats a lot of dough. Here is a link on theprojects Guelph has undertaken since the stimulus announcement.

Enough reading, here is my list of the absolute most effective ways to spend 45 million dollars for students: