Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour

Episode 201: Strong Mayor's Budget

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.

 

Episode 200: Human Trafficking in Guelph and abroad

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, and

Detective 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.

Episode 199: A Breezy Breakfast Spooktacular!

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.

Get the link on our Facebook or X page.

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.

Episode 198: Quintessential and Quiz Questions about Guelph

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.

Episode 197: Guelph's New CAO

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.
Find us on Facebook at Breezy Breakfast.
@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.
Sign up here to receive our newsletters.

Support us via e-transfer to breezybullhorn@gmail.com.

Breezy Breakfast:  a place to land yourself in an interesting conversation with your neighbours.

 

Episode 195: The Niska Lands

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.
Find us on Facebook at Breezy Breakfast.
@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.
Sign up here to receive our newsletters.

Support us via e-transfer to breezybullhorn@gmail.com.

Breezy Breakfast:  a place to land yourself in an interesting conversation with your neighbours.

 

Episode 194: Public Space Use Bylaw Part II & Guelph Police Services

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.
Find us on Facebook at Breezy Breakfast.
@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.
Sign up here to receive our newsletters.

Support us via e-transfer to breezybullhorn@gmail.com.

Breezy Breakfast:  where restaurant director Jenny helps you "Rise and Shine" with her Sunny-Side Up smile.

Episode 193: Reviewing the Public Space Use Bylaw

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.

Listen to our podcast on Spotify and Podbean. 

Find us on Facebook at Breezy Breakfast.
@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.

Sign up here to receive our newsletters.

Support us via e-transfer to breezybullhorn@gmail.com.

Episode 192: Breezy Bookworms

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.

Find us on Facebook at Breezy Breakfast.
@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.

Sign up here to receive our newsletters.

Support us via e-transfer to breezybullhorn@gmail.com.

SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER!

 

Episode 191: Mayor Cam Guthrie

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.

Find us on Facebook at Breezy Breakfast.
@Breezy Bullhorn marks the spot on X.

Sign up here to receive our newsletters.

Support us via e-transfer to breezybullhorn@gmail.com.

          - OR -

Slip us a few bucks after our in-person meetings at the Rise and Shine Restaurant in beautiful downtown Guelph.