Breezy Breakfast Radio Hour

Episode 163: Alternative Entertainment

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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Episode 162: April is Autism Acceptance Month

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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Episode 161: Are the Kids Alright?

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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We're on the website formerly known as Twitter:  The Breezy Bullhorn

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Episode 160: Tiny Homes and Much More

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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Episode 159: Climate and Environmental Activism in Guelph

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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Episode 158: Downtown Infrastructure Renewal - Update

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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Episode 157: International Women's Day

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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Episode 156: Guelph Police Services Chief Gord Cobey

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!

 

___________________

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Episode 155: The State of the Fourth Estate in the Royal City

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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Episode 154: Drugs On The Street: What's The Solution?

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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