There will be no Royal City Rag on December 26 or January 2. I’ll be snuggling down with the cat for a long winter’s nap.
Unfortunately its been a challenging few months healthwise. I’m going to take a break over the holidys to recharge the old batteries.
I’ll be back on January 9 with a busy new show to celebrate the New Year featuring the Environmental Science Symposium which takes place on January 16 and a live performance from singer-songwriter Ian Reid.
Don’t miss it! Happy Holidays everyone.
Jan Andrea Hall
Royal City Rag, Saturdays 7-9 a.m. on CFRU 93.3fm in Guelph.
It was a very special festive Royal City Rag on December 19.
In the first hour, Ursalynn (Lynn Woodford) and Diane Hurst joined us to celebrate the upcoming winter solstice and chat about the pagan side of Christmas. Many people forget that much of what we now know as the Christmas season has its roots in pagan rites celebrating the solstice and our role as part of nature.
Listen to hour 1:
Elivia, Anita, Sya and Brian
In the second hour, we celebrated yuletide with storytellers Brian Holstein (The Silk Scarf) and Sya Van Geest (How Santa Got His Job) with seasonal music from ”Detour”, the rich harmonies of piano and acoustic guitar duo, Elivia and Anita Cazzola, aged 16 and 14 respectively. The sisters have introduced their folky-pop style to many venues, such as church bazaars, local stores and eateries including Planet Bean, school talent shows and the Italian Canadian Club, not to mention competitions. They will be performing at Guelph’s Battle of the Bands in the Spring.
Listen to hour 2:
Music:
Waterboys, A Pagan Place from The Secret Life Of the Waterboys
Hilary Stagg, The Edge Of Forever from Inspirations
Fantasia on Greensleeves, Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Orchestra from Carols And Choirs For Christmas
Sufjan Stevens, Winter Solstice from Songs for Christmas Vol 5 (2006)
St Matthew’s Lutheran Church Choir, In The Bleak Midwinter from Carols And Choirs For Christmas
Loreena McKennitt, The Holly And The Ivy from A Midwinter Night’s Dream
Vince Guaraldi Trio, O Tannenbaum from A Charlie Brown Christmas
Nick Lowe, What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding (Acoustic) from At My Age (Bonus Tracks)
Detour, God Rest Your Merry Gentlemen (Live)
Detour, Silent Night (Live)
Detour, Joy To The World (Live)
Detour, Winter Wonderland (Live)
Detour, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Love)
Holly Cole, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Rebecca Jenkins, Jane Siberry and Victoria Williams, Count Your Blessings from Count Your Blessings
Join us on December 19 for a very special festive Royal City Rag.
In the first hour Linda Reith, Lynn Woodford and Diane Hurst will be joining us to celebrate the upcoming winter solstice. Many people forget that much of what we now know as the Christmas season has its roots in pagan rites celebrating the solstice and our role as part of nature.
In the second hour we will be celebrating yuletide with storytellers Brian Holstein and Sya Van Geest with seasonal music from ”Detour”, the rich harmonies of piano and acoustic guitar duo, Elivia and Anita Cazzola.
Detour (Elivia and Anita Cazzola)
Elivia and Anita, aged 16 and 14 respectively, have been playing music since they were 3-4 years old and began writing their own songs when they attended a Songwriting Club for Girls offered by local singer-songwriter Katherine Wheatley. The sisters have introduced their folky-pop style to many venues, such as church bazaars, local stores and eateries including Planet Bean, school talent shows and the Italian Canadian Club, not to mention competitions. Elivia placed first in the Guelph Idol competition in 2007, while Anita placed 3rd. This fall, the sisters battled it out at their high school’s “Jamean Idol”, with Anita taking the top place and Elivia following in second. They will be performing at Guelph’s Battle of the Bands in the Spring.
Should be a great show. Don’t miss it!
Royal City Rag, Saturdays 7-9 a.m. on CFRU 93.3fm in Guelph.
Guelph Spoken Word have just celebrated their first anniversary. They are kicking off their second year with a great show on December 19 at 8.00 p.m. at the Guelph Googenheim on Woolwich Street, their wonderful venue.
Their goal for this new year is to create Guelph’s first ever Poetry Slam team! Poets that compete in the coming months will qualify for the finals to be held in June. The top five poets will be awarded a spot on the team and a chance to travel to Ottawa to compete in Canada’s National Poetry Slam in November 2010.
This month the featured poet we will be Moe Clark.
Biography Using storytelling to transcend our physical realm, Clark fuses her unique understanding of performance narrative with traditions of circle singing. With a background in voice, spoken word, and visual arts, the Métis poet creates a lyrical style, steeped in ritual and poetic exploration. Her performance vocabulary often employs a looping pedal to create multi-layered vocal structures of harmonic, resonant and polyrhythmic tones. Using these compositions as a framework for her spoken word poetry, Clark connects the spirit of sound with a drive to share in the continuum of the oral tradition. Her poetic songs resonate with the power to heal, to celebrate spirit and to connect with authentic purpose.
Clark released her first full-length album “Circle of She” in April 2008 in collaboration with percussionist Chris Dadge. National performance highlights include the ‘07-’08 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, the ‘05-’08 Calgary International Spoken Word Festival, and a collaborative performance in the 2008 Songs Above the Treeline: Aboriginal Female Voices Performance at the Banff Centre. Clark is also an active member of the Throw Poetry Collective in Montreal, assisting in the development, direction and implication of workshops and performance events for local communities.
Guelph Poetry Slam
When:December 19 (Third Saturday of every month) at 8.30 p.m. (Doors open at 8.00 p.m.). After the slam, dance the night away with DJ Young Bran.
On December 12, we were pleased to welcome Sally Ludwig from Transition Guelph back to Royal City Rag to talk about the Candlelight Vigil For A Real Deal On Climate Change taking place at 4.30 p.m.in St. George’s Square, Downtown Guelph and the progress in the Copenhagen climate talks.
This event is part of an unprecedented mass mobilisation on climate action, TheWorld Wants A Real Deal and sponsored by Transition Guelph, the TckTckTck campaign and other local NGOs and environmental groups. The participants will join hundreds of other events in countries around the world as part of a global day of action. They will urge world leaders to take bold and immediate steps to sign a fair, ambitious and binding climate deal in Copenhagen.
10 year old Lil Peppi, The King of Eco-Rap: “My goal is to get young people to realise that saving the planet is a big deal and we should all do our part to keep her beautiful”
Melting Ice (2009)
Listen to Hour 1:
In the second half of the show, Guelph potter Bunny Safari joined us live from the Guelph Farmer’s Market to talk about why you should support local artisans this holiday season.
We also played some decidedly miserable holiday tunes; tales of what happens when things don’t go quite as planned and you find your (often unreal) expectations for the season unmet. I’m sure we’ve all experienced that.
Enjoy these songs to please your inner curmudgeon. Bah humbug!
Listen to Hour 2:
Music:
Loreena McKennitt, Snow from Maybe This Christmas (Compilation)
Sufjan Stevens, Sister Winter from Songs for Christmas Vol VI, Peace (2006)
The Nylons, This Island Earth from Happy Together
Will.i.am, Take Our Planet Back (YouTube)
Dean Martin, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! from Christmas With Dino
Bob Dylan, Winter Wonderland from Christmas In The Heart
Be Good Tanyas, Rudy from Maybe This Christmas Too (Compilation)
Teddy Thompson and Jude Rogers, I Won’t Kill You This Christmas (Digital Download, www.Guardian.co.uk)
The Handsome Family, So Much Wine from Blue Christmas (Compilation)
Sufjan Stevens That Was The Worst Christmas Ever from Songs for Christmas Vol III, Ding Dong (2003)
Graham Parker, Christmas Is For Mugs from Leather Canary Xmas Mix
Joanna Defoe is with the Canadian Youth Delegation at the climate talks in Copenhagen. She sent the following message and asked that it be circulated as widely as possible.
Dear Friends,
I apologize for keeping so quiet from Copenhagen. The truth is that this negotiation has been a total whirlwind. The politics alone can take up 24 hour in the day just to follow. But on top of the negotiation analysis, there is so much at stake that the emotions run strong throughout the conference center. Any moment it is possible to hear or read about someone’s impassioned plea for leadership. There is a large number of savvy, coordinated, young people that are so tired to see their calls for leadership ignored. Just the other day, my friend Teryn made a very brave speech to Canada’s lead negotiator calling on even civil servants to show greater leadership.
I have a lot more to debrief and process from this experience, but the most pressing thing worth writing to friends about concerns what you can do to help break the negotiation deadlock. The most pressing thing is to sign up for a candle light vigil tomorrow. I am asking that you consider joining myself and millions of other people who are participating in a global candlelight vigil for a real deal at Copenhagen. The tone of this action is very appropriate for the political climate we are currently in.
I would like to say this confluence of leaders and policy makers is leaving me charged with hope. The truth is that my biggest hope lies in community back home, and their ability to develop a political base that ensures that a more fair climate policy can be put forward. We still have time – there is one week left.
In solidarity and with love from Copenhagen,
Joanna
Guelph’s Candlelight vigil for a real deal on climate change takes place on December 12 at 4.30 p.m. in St Georges’s Square. If the weather is too cold, the vigil will move into Old Quebec Street. Musicians James Gordon, Dave Sills and Chris Mills will be playing. Please bring candles and flashlights.
This family friendly event is part of an unprecedented mass mobilisation on climate action, TheWorld Wants a Real Deal and sponsored by Transition Guelph, the TckTckTck campaign and other local NGOs and environmental groups. The participants will join hundreds of other events in countries around the world as part of a global day of action. They will urge world leaders to take bold and immediate steps to sign a fair, ambitious and binding climate deal in Copenhagen.
According to Sally Ludwig from Transition Guelph, “It is clear now that many citizens of Guelph want to see real action on climate change from our leaders in Copenhagen. The time is past for rhetoric and delay. Climate change is happening now. We need a real deal now. To uphold Canadian values of social justice, we want to show our support of efforts to avert catastrophic climate change, live simply and sustainably on the Earth and equitably with our neighbours around the globe.”
This global mandate comes at the mid-point of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen where world leaders are meeting to sign a new climate treaty. Candlelight vigils will begin Friday night at embassies, consulates, and iconic places worldwide. On Saturday, in Guelph and in major cities in countries around the world, hundreds of thousands of people will gather to sign their names on message walls and petitions in support of a fair, ambitious, and binding climate deal. Then on Sunday, the air will reverberate with this growing demand for climate justice and action when faith communities around the world ring bells and sound ceremonial horns in support of a Real Deal.
Transition Guelph is a group of concerned Guelph residents who have come together with the shared vision of building resilience and sustainability into our community in response to the challenges of peak oil, accelerating climate change, and global economic instability. Visit their website at www.transitionguelph.org
TckTckTck is an unprecedented global alliance made up of leading international, national and local organizations addressing environment, development, poverty, human rights, health and humanitarian issues. Representing hundreds of millions of people from all walks of life, it represents faith-based groups, youth groups, trade unions and individuals all calling for a fair, ambitious and binding climate change agreement in December 2009 in Copenhagen. The world is ready! Visit their website at www.tcktcktck.org
This one-hour holiday treat for adults and children alike features Raymond Briggs’ enchanting and internationally-renowned 80s animation “The Snowman,” with the soundtrack played live by the Orchestra. Everyone gets in the Christmas spirit with excerpts from “The Nutcracker” suite, some popular songs from host Dan Kelley, a singalong “Twelve Days of Christmas”, and the Grinch theme and song. Santa Claus might even drop by.
Come experience the joy of live music in a thoroughly entertaining one-hour show!
Guelph Symphony Orchestra Concert: The Snowman Where:River Run Centre
When: Sunday December 13, 2009 Two Shows: 2 p.m. & 4 p.m. Tickets: $18.00 (adult/senior), $10.00 (student/child)
Catch Simon Irving, Artistic Director of the Guelph Symphony Orchestra on Royal City Rag, Saturday December 5 between 8.00 – 9.00 a.m. Royal City Rag, Saturdays 7-9 a.m. on CFRU93.3fm.
Go with the Flo this Holiday Season and support local artisans.
Sunday, December 13 from 11.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m. at Flo Creative Space, 260 Waterloo Avenue.
A delightful way to spend a December afternoon, far from the maddening crowds of the malls.
Unique, handcrafted gift items including pottery, soap and body products, art prints, knitwear, funky tie-dye kids wear, jewelry, photography, upcycled ecobags and more…
On December 22, 2005, some 70 friends of Guelph’s Henry Koch braved the cold wind and the below freezing temperatures to gather outside his window at St Joseph’s Health Care Centre to sing carols and to pay their respects to this environmental activist.
Koch, suffering from a brain tumor, died a few days later on Christmas morning.
Each December since then the organizers of the original carol-sing, James Gordon and Brian Holstein, have encouraged people to meet in St. George’s Square to carol and to remember Kock and his many accomplishments. The tradition will continue when this year they will be meeting at 6.30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 16 in the square beside the Royal Bank. Carol sheets and candles will be provided for those in attendance.
Donations will again be accepted from participants for Sister Christine’s Drop-In Centre.
Need to blow away the pre-Christmas Blues? Tired of fighting your way through the mall or just fed up with the commercialism that takes over the season, in general? Then, why not take a well-earned break from it all with a good old singalong?
Join your hosts Sam Turton and Jane Lewis on December 12 at Ashuré’s and on December 20 at The Woolwich Arms.
Sam and Jane are hoping for a bumper crowd on December 12 so that Ashuré’s will bring them back every month in the New Year. Also, if you make reservations for dinner, you can take advantage of a wonderful three-choice set menu.
Ashuré’s (formerly Bon Appetit)
Saturday, December 12, 8-10 p.m.
259 Grange Road, Unit 6, Guelph
(Plaza at Victoria & Grange by Planet Bean)
519-515-0522
HUNDREDS OF SONGS – SONGBOOKS PROVIDED
Over 100 great artists, including The Band, The Beatles, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Elvis, Bob Marley, Van Morrison, Dolly Parton, John Prine, The Police, Paul Simon, James Taylor, The Temptations, U2, Neil Young…
Over 200 classic songs, including Hey Jude & Twist And Shout; Amazing Grace & Danny Boy; Brown Eyed Girl & Bobby McGee; House Of The Rising Sun & Heart Of Gold; Like A Rolling Stone & Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door; Wade in the Water & Man Of Constant Sorrow; My Girl & Blue Suede Shoes; Fire & Rain & Bird On The Wire; Jambalaya & Folsom Prison…
On December 12, we are pleased to welcome Sally Ludwig from Transition Guelph back to Royal City Rag to talk about the Candlelight Vigil For A Real Deal On Climate Change taking place downtown in St. George’s Square at 4.30 p.m.
This event is part of an unprecedented mass mobilisation on climate action, TheWorld Wants A Real Deal and sponsored by Transition Guelph, the TckTckTck campaign and other local NGOs and environmental groups. The participants will join hundreds of other events in countries around the world as part of a global day of action. They will urge world leaders to take bold and immediate steps to sign a fair, ambitious and binding climate deal in Copenhagen.
Will.i.am with Al Gore…on the need to push our leaders to take serious action on climate change and take our planet back!
10 year old Lil Peppi, The King of Eco-Rap: “My goal is to get young people to realise that saving the planet is a big deal and we should all do our part to keep her beautiful”
Mother Nature’s Crying (2006)
Later in the show, Guelph potter Bunny Safari will be joining us live from the Guelph Farmer’s Market to talk about why if you indulge in gift-giving this holiday season you should support local artisans.
Royal City Rag, Saturdays 7-9 a.m. on CFRU 93.3fm. Don’t miss it!
James Gordon’s song of the month for December, this time with a bit of a seasonal feel but remembering those that are not so fortunate at this time of year.
According to James: “It’s not a new song. It’s on my Mining For Gold album, so you guys all have it right? What? Well, that’s easy to rectify. It’s available at www.borealisrecords.com .Oh, back to the video. I know I know, I’m getting a bit arty with these, but I’m having fun. It’s my usual anti-consumerist socialist rant but disguised as a Christmas Song. ”
On Saturday, December 12, people from all over Guelph will gather downtown at St. George’s Square at 4.30 p.m. for a family friendly candlelight vigil. This event is part of an unprecedented mass mobilisation on climate action, TheWorld Wants a Real Deal and sponsored by Transition Guelph, the TckTckTck campaign and other local NGOs and environmental groups. The participants will join hundreds of other events in countries around the world as part of a global day of action. They will urge world leaders to take bold and immediate steps to sign a fair, ambitious and binding climate deal in Copenhagen.
According to Sally Ludwig from Transition Guelph, “It is clear now that many citizens of Guelph want to see real action on climate change from our leaders in Copenhagen. The time is past for rhetoric and delay. Climate change is happening now. We need a real deal now. To uphold Canadian values of social justice, we want to show our support of efforts to avert catastrophic climate change, live simply and sustainably on the Earth and equitably with our neighbours around the globe.”
This global mandate comes at the mid-point of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen where world leaders are meeting to sign a new climate treaty. Candlelight vigils will begin Friday night at embassies, consulates, and iconic places worldwide. On Saturday, in Guelph and in major cities in countries around the world, hundreds of thousands of people will gather to sign their names on message walls and petitions in support of a fair, ambitious, and binding climate deal. Then on Sunday, the air will reverberate with this growing demand for climate justice and action when faith communities around the world ring bells and sound ceremonial horns in support of a Real Deal.
Transition Guelph is a group of concerned and active Guelph residents who have come together with the shared vision of building resilience and sustainability into our community in response to the challenges of peak oil, accelerating climate change, and global economic instability. Visit their website at www.transitionguelph.org
TckTckTck is an unprecedented global alliance made up of leading international, national and local organizations addressing environment, development, poverty, human rights, health and humanitarian issues. Representing hundreds of millions of people from all walks of life, it represents faith-based groups, youth groups, trade unions and individuals all calling for a fair, ambitious and binding climate change agreement in December 2009 in Copenhagen. The world is ready! Visit their website at www.tcktcktck.org
Catch Sally Ludwig from Transition Guelph on Royal City Rag, Saturday December 12 between 7-8 a.m.
If it happens in Guelph you’ll hear about it on Royal City Rag. Saturdays 7-9 a.m. on CFRU 93.3fm
We were back on air with a busy Royal City Rag on December 5. Apologies to all our faithful listeners for being missing in action this past two weeks.
In the first hour of the show, Annie O’Donoghue, President of the Guelph Civic League joined us to chat about the current municipal budgeting process and some suggested improvements that would allow citizens to feel more involved in the decision making process. She also reminded everyone about their opportunity to hear Mayor Farbridge deliver her State of the City address at 10 Carden Street on December 10 at 5.30 p.m. A question and answer session will follow her presentation.
Listen to Hour 1:
Royal City Park
In the second hour we played some powerful audio from the Friends of the Royal City Park Community Tree Vigil that took place on December 4.
On November 23, Guelph City Council approved an Operations Dept. plan to remove 52 mature trees from Royal City Park.
The removal of the trees, including some of the heritage veteran silver maples, and the potential for the loss of 5-7 more trees per year for the next 20 years will permanently alter the character and beauty of the park.
35 people attended the vigil to commemorate the trees and talk about how they will be personally affected by the avoidable loss of yet more of our green heritage.
Guelph Urban Forest Friends have long been advocating for our urban trees, including a stronger protective tree bylaw and a separate urban forestry department with a certified forester to more effectively manage tree maintenance and coordinate public education on the value of our mature trees. For more information on GUFF, visit their website at www.guffguelph.ca.
Listen to the audio from the Royal City Park Community Tree Vigil:
Later in the hour we talked to Simon Irving, Artistic Director of the Guelph Symphony Orchestra about their upcoming holiday season performances; The Snowman on December 13 and Dreams of Vienna on January 1. Tickets for both shows are available from the River Run Centre.
Listen to hour 2:
Music:
Lindisfarne, Winter Song from Nicely Out Of Tune
Jennifer Noxon, Other Side Of Winter from Let It Snow (Compliation)
James Gordon, There Is No Silent Night from Mining For Gold
Roxanne Potvin, No Love For The Poisonous from No Love For The Poisonous
Good Lovelies, Maybe This Time from Under The Mistletoe
Katherine Wheatley, 99 Feet Of Snow from Habits and Heroes
James Gordon, Another Silver Maple Comes Down from Nine Green Bottles
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Walking In the Air from The Christmas Album (Compilation)
Kevin Breit, Sunnyside Up from Folkalarm
From Brian Holstein of the Guelph Guild of Storytellers:
A reminder of the storytelling at the Boathouse on December 9 at 8 p.m. Admission is free; donations to Sister Christine. Derek Brisland, formerly with the BBC will be our guest, along with tales from Guild members Susan, Frank, Rebecca, Sandy and yours truly.
Roxanne Potvin with The Good Lovelies Friday, December 11, 2009
Dublin Street United Church, 68 Suffolk Street West (corner of Dublin & Suffolk)
7.30 p.m. door, 8:00 p.m. show
$16 adv, $20 door – $2 discount for U of G students
Tickets at Ground Floor Music (13 Quebec St) and CSA Office U of G
Roxanne Potvin
Roxanne Potvin recorded her first CD when she was 21, a self-financed, self-produced, proudly independent collection of songs rooted in the blues. The Way It Feels her next album, was produced by Colin Linden and had guest appearances by Bruce Cockburn, John Hiatt, Daniel Lanois and others. She became the artist to watch and received a Juno nomination for Blues Album of the Year. This album also brought her international fame and the bilingual artist from Gatineau was invited to play a major festival in France.
Since then, the 27 year old singer has become a seasoned touring artist playing in Europe and the US, playing the prestigious Toronto Women’s Blues Review show twice and being nominated as Female Vocalist of the Year at the Maple Blues Awards in ‘08. Her latest album No Love For The Poisonous is filled with songs that resonate deeply with this generations’ experiences, it’s an engaging effort that demonstrates her personal growth and evolution as a singer, writer and artist.
The aptly named Good Lovelies are Caroline Brooks, Kerri Ough and Sue Passmore are described as “flirty-bluegrass” and “the mischievous Andrews Sisters”. The Toronto-based trio rely on unerring three-part vocal harmonies, clever songs and, onstage, convulsively funny repartee. Currently they are on tour in support of their Christmas album Under The Mistletoe.
The Guelph Lecture on Being Canadian takes place on Wednesday, December 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the River Run Centre. The event is presented by the Eramosa Institute. Ticket prices are $25.00 or $15.00 for 29 and under.
This year’s keynote speaker is John Ralston Saul, whose most recent book, A Fair Country: Telling Truths about Canada, is certain to inspire debate about what it means to be Canadian. Saul describes our federalism as a “harmony through balanced relationships”, and he makes the case that we must integrate the Aboriginal reality into the core of how we imagine ourselves, including how we develop a very different concept of progress. He points out the role of the arts in moving this thinking closer to the mainstream.
The literary portion of the evening will feature a reading by acclaimed author Sandra Birdsell, a Manitoban writer and Giller Prize nominee. As well, the evening will include a musical performance by local musician Kevin Breit. Breit is easily one of Canada’s best guitar players. His style defies definition and fluidly contains elements of jazz, pop, rock, R‘n’B and country.
This year’s Guelph Lecture will be emceed by Walrus Magazine’s Executive Director and Publisher, Shelley Ambrose.
A massive weekend of action for action on climate change is planned for the weekend of December 12 to coincide with the Copenhagen climate talks.
Wherever you are in the world, you’re invited to participate in a candlelight vigil to help give politicians the wake-up call they so desperately need.
Each tiny flame represents people planning to come together in their community for hope and to show solidarity with the citizens of the world whose lives and homes are on the line, asking for fair, ambitious and binding agreement on changes for our climate.
Transition Guelph and other local groups will be hosting a candlelight vigil on December 12 at 5.00 p.m. in St. George’s Square, Downtown Guelph.
Join us for a family friendly event feturing thought provoking songs and speakers. Bring your bells, drums, noise makers and posters. Candles will be available or bring your own light.
Friends of Royal City Park Invite You to A Community Tree Vigil
When: Friday December 4 from 7.oo to 8.oo p.m.
Where: At Royal City Park, meet at the Gordon and Water Street Park Entrance Trail
Come and share your memories with us of what these trees and this park means to you and how their loss will affect you.
NOTE: We are not affiliated with any other group. We are gathering to express our thanks and love for the trees in Royal City Park especially the nearly 100-year-old silver maples.
Please bring your own mug for hot apple cider.
A Brief History Of Royal City Park
Royal City Park
By the late 1800’s less than 5%-6% of the original forest in the Grand River Watershed basin, which includes Guelph, was left standing. Guelph was a fairly desolate place at that time.
In 1909, the ladies of the I.O.D.E., Victoria Guelph Chapter donated money to the city for park planning. Thus, “The IODE was given an opportunity to name this new park. It was named Royal City Park (the Coronation of King George V had just occured in June) and confirmed by City Council, September 28, 1911. Fifty elm trees and 99 maples were planted in 1910” (2). It is believed that some of the original silver maples planted 99 years ago are still standing (3, p. 20)
On November 23, 2009 Guelph City Council voted to approve the “Royal City Park Plant Material Management Plan” which will allow the cutting and removal of 52 trees in Royal City Park, including medium hazard trees, in January, 2010. In addition, the planning report states “It is anticipated that over the next 20 years, approximately 103 mature trees will likely need to be removed. These are currently in fair condition. On average 5-7 of these trees may need to be removed annually because of poor health or presence of hazards” (3, p 12).
The removal of 52 trees, including some of the heritage veteran silver maples, and the potential for the loss of 5-7 more trees per year for the next 20 years (3) will permanently alter the character and beauty of the park as we see it today.
The Friends of Royal City Park would like to chronicle the life of the park in memories and photographs of individuals and families who have enjoyed the park since 1911. We would like to assemble a pictorial memory book consisting of photos and stories about the park which will be collected and donated to the Guelph Civic Museum in honour of the 100th Anniversary of Royal City Park in 2011.
mail them to:
Dr. D.P. Murr, Professor Emeritus
Department of Plant Agriculture
Room 3106, E.C. Bovey Building
University of Guelph
Guelph, ON N1G 2W1
References:
From: “A Forest Plan for the Grand River Watershed”. Grand River Conservation Authority, 2004. On p. 9 – “Forest cover was reduced to around 5 or 6% during the 1800’s – a virtual clear cut of the entire watershed in the short span of one century. And on p.15 – “…to our eyes the denuded landscape of the Grand River Valley a century ago would have looked utterly desolate“.
From: Ross Irwin’s booklet “Guelph Parks and Recreation 1830-1960” as cited in Royal City Park Plant Material Management Plan prepared by Silv-Econ Ltd., with assistance from City of Guelph Operations and Parks Planning staff, October 26, 2009.
Royal City Park Plant Material Management Plan. Silv-Econ Ltd., with assistance from City of Guelph Operations and Parks Planning staff, October 26, 2009.
At the council meeting, Councillor Piper requested that the citizens be encouraged to buy trees for planting in the park next spring. Our response is below.
If you have concerns about the reduction of our urban forest canopy, please contact your councillors and request that some of our tax base go to maintenance and protection of our trees. The budget is being discussed December 8 at City Council.
Dear Councillor Piper:
Regarding your suggestion for GUFF to support citizen donations of trees for Royal City Park .
The goal of GUFF has always been to advocate for tree maintenance and protection, as well as increase, through having an urban forestry department with a forester. This person, as head of a separate, dedicated department could also coordinate the public education for the value of our mature canopy which is so necessary in the face of extreme climate events in our future. Of course, there would be a strong protective bylaw for delivery of this vital service.
That said, many Guffers do enjoy planting trees with the wonderful Speed River Project every year. Many also take part in the annual Rotary sponsored tree planting outside the city at Guelph Lake. Although the thousands of trees planted in the township contribute to our benefits of greening, we do need more trees inside the city to counter the heat island effect that comes from a busy city with its grey infrastructure and transportation corridors. I wonder if Guelph Rotary would be interested in planting in the city next spring.
GUFF has listed many benefits of trees in our new powerpoint on Sustainable Guelph. We hope that you will look at it and pass it on…. and will support Guelph’s canopy with a strong protective tree bylaw, an urban forestry department and a forester.
Thanks for sharing GUFF’s concern for our ‘upstanding residents’, the trees.
We’re back on air with a busy Royal City Rag on December 5. Apologies to all our faithful listeners for being missing in action this past two weeks.
It’s budget season at City Hall. After receiving citizen delegations regarding the budget for 2010 on December 8, city council will vote on the final budget for the city on December 15.
In the first hour of the show, Annie O’Donoghue, President of the Guelph Civic League will join us to chat about the current municipal budgetting process and some suggested improvements that would allow citizens to feel more involved in the decision making process.
In the second hour we’ll be talking to Simon Irving, Artistic Director of the Guelph Symphony Orchestra about their upcoming holiday season performances. We’ll also be playing some audio from the Friends of the Royal City Park tree vigil that took place on December 4.
Should be a fun show. Join us on Saturday 7-9 a.m. on CFRU93.3fm or after the fact via the website.
I’ll be taking a little time for recuperation, so I will be sleeping in this Saturday morning. I do hope you won’t mind.
I may not be live on the air this weekend but, rest assured, I’ll be back on our blog here at www.royalcityrag.ca as soon as I am able.
Technology is a beautiful thing; so please do check in and review our notices about up and coming shows, local events and watch for our in coming article submissions too.
Next Saturday morning I expect to be back in the studio; so until then, have a good week.
Shannon Lee Stirling from Backyard Bounty joined us during the first hour of November 14 to talk about the Urban Agriculture symposium taking place at the Arboretum, University of Guelph on November 20.
Urban Agriculture: Opportunities for Action will bring together the movers and shakers in the Urban Agriculture scene. The conference aims to not only inspire action but address key issues and provide connections that enable the Urban Agriculture movement to advance.
In the second hour of the show, Marie Zimmerman Royal City Rag’s culture vulture was back in the studio to chat about two summer festival related events, the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival (GCDF) Off-site series and Hillside Inside.
The GCDF Off-site series performance takes place on November 17 at noon in the University Centre Courtyard and again at 7.00 p.m., in the Alma Gallery, Wyndham Street, Downtown Guelph. Canada’s oldest modern dance company, Canada’ oldest contemporary dance troupe, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers (WCD). are the featured artists.
Hillside Inside, the iconic summer festival’s winter cousin taking place for the third time on Saturday February 6, 2010 at the Sleeman Centre, downtown Guelph. Performers confirmed to date include Ani DiFranco (her only Ontario appearance), Hawksley Workman, Martin Sexton, Final Fantasy, Basia Bulat, Bahamas, Woodhands and Delhi 2 Dublin.
Check out the live version of Smiling Underneath by Ani DiFranco in the podcast if you missed the show.
Hillside Inside will also feature local food and craft vendors and a selection of community organization booths. A wide range of volunteer opportunities are also available for Hillside Inside 2010. Visit www.hillsidefestival.ca for more details.
Listen to Hour 2:
Music: Terry Tufts, Dorval’s Descent from Six Strings North Of the Border Volume 2 Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band, Texas Eagle from The Mountain Levon Helm, Growing Trade from Electric Dirt Jean Elliott Manning, Family Farm In My Front Yard Tegan and Sara, Our Trees from Under Feet Like Ours Proclaimers, Sing All Our Cares Away from Notes and Rhymes Stephen Fearing, One Flat Tire from Yellowjacket Andrew McPherson, Phoenix At the Wheel from Lefty Singer Ani Difranco, Smiling Underneath (Live) from Red Letter Year Basia Bulat, My Heart Is A Warning from Friends In Bellwoods 2
If you are curious to learn what Transition Guelph is about, this is the meeting to attend. You can help get involved and create a more resilient community and a more life-embracing future. You will also meet some great people who share your concerns about the challenges facing humanity.
When: November 19 at 7.00 p.m.
Where: 10 Carden, Downtown Guelph
Concerned about Climate Change? Unsure how we should move forward?
Take a look at the great video for James Gordon’s great climate change song, “How?”
The “Small Press Guelph Field Trip” arrives at The Bookshelf in Guelph on November 17 at 7.00 p.m.
The tour features authors from some of Toronto’s finest literary presses; House of Anansi, Coach House and ECW Press, reading from their new novels, poetry collections and works of short fiction.
David Derry, Susan Holbrook, Damian Rogers, Cordelia Strube and Zoe Whittall will regale you with tales of voyeur English students, young paramedics, good eggs and bad seeds, unusual high school students and the last-ever Shakers. Admission is completely free, so come out for some great readings and hobnob with the authors after the readings. There will also be live music from Greg Denton and Scott Nightengale!
Small Press Guelph Field Trip
David Derry (Sentimental Exorcisms, short fiction, Coach House Books)
Susan Holbrook (Joy Is So Exhausting, poetry, Coach House Books)
Damian Rogers (Paper Radio, poetry, ECW Press)
Cordelia Strube (Lemon, novel, Coach House Books)
Zoe Whittall (Holding Still for as Long as Possible, novel, House of Anansi)
Special musical guests Greg Denton and Scott Nightengale
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 7.00 p.m. The Bookshelf, 41 Quebec Street
Brought to you by The Bookshelf, Coach House Books, ECW Press and the House of Anansi.
Guelph Poetry Slam’s November show takes place at the Guelph Googenheim, Woolwich St, Guelph on Saturday November 21. The featured poet this month is Ntare Ali Gault.
Ntare, an actor and playright as well as poet, is a member of the 2006 Nickel City Poetry Slam team that has performed across the US and Canada, and is also founder of The Njozi Poets. Ntare has also published a book, “The Sun Will Rise: A Memoir of an Urban Family”.
Doors open / poet sign-up: 8.00 p.m.
Open mic: 8.30 p.m.
Poetry Slam: 9.00 p.m.
Featured poet and second round to follow
Only $10 at the door
YOUTH INVITED
And if you can’t make it, don’t worry. You can check out their livestream online here.
We’re welcoming Shannon Lee Stirling from Backyard Bounty back to Royal City Rag on November 14. Shannon will be talking about the Urban Agriculture symposium taking place at the Arboretum, University of Guelph on November 20.
Urban Agriculture: Opportunities for Action will bring together the movers and shakers in the Urban Agriculture scene. The conference aims to not only inspire action but address key issues and provide connections that enable the Urban Agriculture movement to advance.
In the second half of the show, Marie Zimmerman Royal City Rag’s culture vulture will be joining us with a festival update.
On November 17, the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival are having another of their Off-site series events, this time featuring Canada’s oldest modern dance company, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers (WCD). The evening’’s performance, “On The Road”, takes place at 7.00 p.m. in the Alma Gallery, Wyndham Street, Downtown Guelph.
We’ll also be chatting about Hillside Inside, the iconic summer festival’s winter cousin taking place for the third time on Saturday February 6, 2010 at the Sleeman Centre, downtown Guelph.
Performers confirmed to date include Ani DiFranco (her only Ontario appearance), Hawksley Workman, Martin Sexton, Final Fantasy, Basia Bulat, Bahamas, Woodhands and Delhi 2 Dublin. Hillside Inside will also feature local food and craft vendors and a selection of community organization booths. A wide range of volunteer opportunities are also available for Hillside Inside 2010. Visit www.hillsidefestival.ca for more details.
Royal City Rag, Saturdays from 7-9 a.m. on CFRU 93.3fm. Don’t miss it!
On Friday November 20, Backyard Bounty and the University of Guelph will be hosting the first conference on urban agriculture in Guelph. Urban Agriculture: Opportunities for Action will bring together the movers and shakers in the Urban Agriculture scene. The conference aims to not only inspire action but address key issues and provide connections that enable the Urban Agriculture movement to advance.
The morning will start with a keynote presentation from Dr. Karen Landman who will inspire us with stories of her summer tour of urban agriculture projects across North America. A panel discussion will follow that brings together experience and ideas from those near and far working in the field of urban agriculture. During the afternoon participants will take part in an interactive facilitation process to identify common barriers, seek feasible solutions and set achievable actions. A local lunch and snacks will be provided.
Canada’s oldest modern dance company, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers (WCD), returns to the national touring scene by spending part of their 45th season ON THE ROAD.
ON THE ROAD highlights the beauty, versatility and strength of WCD’s company dancers in a 90 minute mixed repertoire show. These performances will feature the work of WCD’s current Artistic Director, Brent Lott, along side works by WCD’s Founding Artistic Director, Rachel Browne, and Fredericton’s Lesandra Dodson (a former WCD company dancer and choreographer).
Tuesday, November 17 at 7 p.m.
Alma Gallery, 133 Wyndham Street
Downtown Guelph
Pay-what-you-can
If you haven’t seen Le Cyc, the wonderful graphic novel bike opera performed live, you should check out this show.
Dublin St. United Church
68 Suffolk St W
Doors 8.30 p.m., Show 9 p.m.
All Ages
$10
Advance tickets at CSA office (UC RM# 274 U of G) & Ground Floor Music (13 Quebec St)
Le Cyc is the story of a surreal bike-powered world where themes of power imbalance and popular revolution collide with carnivalesque images of dictators whose smart-talking parrots perch on impossibly long mustaches. The hour long multimedia program combines dark humour and political satire in a compelling story that raises questions about how power is peddled in society.
The project is a collaborative multimedia spectacle combining graphic novel style illustrations that are projected with a live musical narrative by an ecclectic and original 6-piece orchestra. Nearly 400 hand-painted images by visual artist David Willekes depict the gruesome and whimsical tale of Le Cyc. These images, in the somber tones of Willekes’ chosen media, weak coffee and day-old wine, artistically portray the emotive struggles of individuals who stand up against totalitarianism.
Over the course of a year long collaboration, Willekes created the illustrations for Le Cyc while composer Eihab Boraie constructed the score to Le Cyc on an ornate but out-of-tune piano. As the musical arrangements and drawings were simultaneously developed, the haunting story of Le Cyc began to take shape. Boraie’s early songs were at once operatic and manic, as he alternately grunted out the Tom Waits-style voice of villain Mis de Berm and squawked in portrayal of Berm’s parrot side-kick. These initial piano compositions were soon expanded and arranged by a growing collective of Guelph based musicians. The musical piece is performed by Eihab Boraie (vocals/piano/synthesizer), Claire Whitehead (violin), Martin Eckart (saxophone/clarinet), Dan Paille (percussion), Andra Zommers (vibraphone/vocals), and Brad McInerney (bass). The musical accompaniment is inextricably tied to Le Cyc’s visuals. As the complex plot unfolds, the music veers in many different directions, crossing genres at will to keep pace with the story.
The story of Le Cyc chronicles a bike-powered utopia turned rotten by the comically villainous dictator, Mis de Berm. Under his rule, political rivals are secretly tossed outside the city walls into the wastelands of Le Noir before having the chance to vie for power in the “democratic” bike race. Tracing the struggles of leading characters Jean-Paul and Sophie, the plot is supported by a collection of characters who highlight the eccentricities of their unusual town. As power becomes increasingly imbalanced, the popular uprising culminates in an epic bike race.
The debut of Le Cyc was a sold out matinée show at the Kazoo! Festival in September, 2008. Since this first performance, the project has been expanded with over 100 new illustrations, songs, and an extended plot. The finished program went on tour throughout Ontario in the Winter of 2009, playing at theatres, art galleries, bike stores, and selling out the Toronto’s Tranzac Club’s main hall in March. The project has been described by Exclaim! magazine as “An inventive coupling of indie-rock and graphic art exploring social imbalances from a unique perspective”.
Le Cyc will be on tour again in the Fall of 2009 with performances planned for the Toronto’s Music Gallery as well as theatres and artist run centers in Ottawa, Hamilton, Brantford, London, and Montreal. A limited edition DVD release is planned for the Spring. The collective behind Le Cyc are already at work on a new multimedia project that will debut at the Images Festival in April 2010.
For more information about the project, videos of the performance, and an extensive image gallery please visit www.lecyc.ca.
The City of Guelph is trying to improve the way it communicates with the Guelph community.
After poorly communicated workshops did not generate a lot of interest from residents, the city have elected to go with a survey format instead.
It will be interesting to see what information comes out of this exercise. As they have engaged a local marketing consultant, MacMillan Marketing Group to handle the survey, I’m not expecting anything dramatic to come out of it, except perhaps a nice bill for services rendered!
Those people who use computers will like to be commmunicated with by e-mail and those that don’t, will prefer paper, and we’d all love to attend workshops where you don’t feel they have written the report beforehand!
The big question is, if you are paying for a marketing consultant… are you paying for the survey or the public relations campaign afterwards to convince everyone you really are listening?
Your tax dollars at work… it sounds like yet more window-dressing, I’m afraid.
If you think it sounds like a waste of money you may like to contact your city councilor.
The survey can be completed online here or you can pick up a copy at ServiceGuelph in City Hall, the Victoria Road Community Centre, or the West End Community Centre.
The 3rd annual Hillside Inside will take place on Saturday February 6, 2010 from 4.00 – 11:30 p.m. at the Sleeman Centre, downtown Guelph.
All tickets will go on sale Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 10 a.m.
Hillside Inside is an environmentally-conscious, full-day concert focusing on bringing an outdoor festival feel indoors. The hope is for music lovers to enjoy a taste of Hillside during the winter months.
Martin Sexton
Hillside Inside will feature 7.5 hours of dynamic and engaging programming. Confirmed performers to date include Ani DiFranco (her only Ontario appearance), Hawksley Workman, Martin Sexton, Final Fantasy, Basia Bulat, Bahamas, Woodhands and Delhi 2 Dublin.
Regular priced passes are $75.00. There is a limit of ten passes per person. Tickets will be available for purchase on-line at www.hillsidefestival.ca or ticketpro.ca, by phone at 1.866.598.4455, the Hillside office and designated outlets. Children 12 and under and seniors (65+) have access to a discounted ticket of $55 for the event. Also, the first 500 University of Guelph students can purchase tickets at the CSA Office (US Level 2, Room 274) for a discounted price of $70.
Hillside Inside will feature local food and craft vendors and a selection of community organization booths.
A wide range of Volunteer opportunities are available for Hillside Inside 2010. Please visit our website (www.hillsidefestival.ca) for details about the application process.
The Hillside Festival is a not-for-profit organization managed by a board of directors and a small complement of year round staff.
Don’t miss a special Royal City Rag interview with the organisers of Hillside Inside 2010 on November 14.
Trees are increasingly regarded as beautiful and effective tonics to our polluted planet, with a long list of social, environmental and economic benefits. Sadly, preserving trees or allocating adequate space for future planting is rarely considered in the development process.
The Ontario Urban Forest Council (OUFC) will be holding their annual conference in Guelph this year. The conference takes place on Thursday, November 12 at the University of Guelph Arboretum. The theme of this year’s conference is “Tree Preservation and the Planning Process –Moving Ahead”. Speakers will include city planners, environmental planners, politicians, development consultants and educators who will bring their professional experience and municipal perspectives to share ideas. The City of Guelph and some of its real planning issues will be showcased to stimulate discussion of how best to protect our urban forests.
Later in the first hour we aired a special commentary from mother, grandmother, citizen of Guelph and taxpayer Eileen LaBerge about the by invitation only sod-turning for the Hanlon Creek Business Park held by the City of Guelph. The commentary had to be cut short because of time constraints. We are including the whole commentary here.
Listen to Hour 1:
Listen to Eileen LaBerge’s Commentary:
In the second half of the show, Sally and Chris from Transition Guelph joined us to chat about Pat Murphy and Faith Morgan’s visit to Guelph on Monday November 9.
Pat Murphy is executive director of the Institute for Community Solutionsat Yellow Springs, Ohio, a nonprofit organization in devoted to small community living, and is also the author of Plan C: Community Survival Strategies for Peak Oil and Climate Change. He lectures widely across North America on energy, Peak Oil, geopolitics and lifestyle solutions, and on community resilience and long-term sustainability. His main interest is on the techniques and strategies for a steady reduction in the per capita use of fossil fuels in the years to come. Pat has been involved in community much of his life and sees it as the context within which sustainability can be reached.
Murphy is also a co-writer and co-producer of the award-winning documentary, The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil.
An Evening with Pat Murphy and Faith Morgan takes place at St. Matthias Church, 171 Kortright Road West on Monday, November 9, beginning at 7 p.m. Musical guest Larry Nusbaum will open the evening.
Advance tickets are $10 waged and $5 student/senior/unwaged, available at Ground Floor Music, The Bookshelf, and The University of Guelph Landscape Architecture Building. Admission at the door is $15 and $7.
Music:
Lindisfarne, Think from Elvis Lives On The Moon
Platters, Trees from Magic Touch, Anthology
Pope High School, Marietta, Georgia, Trees from Songs From The Greyhound Greenhouse James Gordon, How? fromYoutube Martyn Joseph, How did we end up here? from Deep Blue (Live version)
Bruce Cockburn, Beautiful Creatures from Life Short Call Now
And the song suggested by Chris we didn’t get time to play but with an inspiring video you really need to see…
WHAT: Nine youth have been working together to create & tell a story. For the last seven weeks, they’ve been enrolled in an evening drama class. Now, they will be thrilled to perform their pantomime-ridden, nearly sci-fi, high tech, “where’s-the-reset-button”-finger-jerking play for you. Approx. 20 minutes in length.
WHEN: Friday November 13th. Doors at 5:45. Curtain at 6pm
WHERE: The Guelph Youth Music Center, 75 Cardigan St
HOW MUCH: $3 suggested donation. All children – free. All proceeds to Canadian Cancer Foundation, a charitable recipient as collaboratively chosen by the young playwrights/actors.
Brought to you by the educational theatre collective team, Candice, Isis, Zeus & Christoph
The views express on this site are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of CFRU 93.3fm Radio Gryphon, www.cfru.ca. RoyalCityRag.ca is not responsible for the content or views expressed on external sites.
Guelph’s Big Umbrella
Visit the Big Umbrella Community Information Booth at the Guelph Farmers Market every Saturday morning
There will be no Royal City Rag on December 26 or January 2. I’ll be snuggling down with the cat for a long winter’s nap.
Hillside Inside
Stand With Youth In Copenhagen, Attend The Candlelight Vigil – December 12
December 12, 2009 by Jan Andrea Hall
Joanna Defoe is with the Canadian Youth Delegation at the climate talks in Copenhagen. She sent the following message and asked that it be circulated as widely as possible.
Dear Friends,
I apologize for keeping so quiet from Copenhagen. The truth is that this negotiation has been a total whirlwind. The politics alone can take up 24 hour in the day just to follow. But on top of the negotiation analysis, there is so much at stake that the emotions run strong throughout the conference center. Any moment it is possible to hear or read about someone’s impassioned plea for leadership. There is a large number of savvy, coordinated, young people that are so tired to see their calls for leadership ignored. Just the other day, my friend Teryn made a very brave speech to Canada’s lead negotiator calling on even civil servants to show greater leadership.
I have a lot more to debrief and process from this experience, but the most pressing thing worth writing to friends about concerns what you can do to help break the negotiation deadlock. The most pressing thing is to sign up for a candle light vigil tomorrow. I am asking that you consider joining myself and millions of other people who are participating in a global candlelight vigil for a real deal at Copenhagen. The tone of this action is very appropriate for the political climate we are currently in.
I would like to say this confluence of leaders and policy makers is leaving me charged with hope. The truth is that my biggest hope lies in community back home, and their ability to develop a political base that ensures that a more fair climate policy can be put forward. We still have time – there is one week left.
In solidarity and with love from Copenhagen,
Joanna
Guelph’s Candlelight vigil for a real deal on climate change takes place on December 12 at 4.30 p.m. in St Georges’s Square. If the weather is too cold, the vigil will move into Old Quebec Street. Musicians James Gordon, Dave Sills and Chris Mills will be playing. Please bring candles and flashlights.
This family friendly event is part of an unprecedented mass mobilisation on climate action, The World Wants a Real Deal and sponsored by Transition Guelph, the TckTckTck campaign and other local NGOs and environmental groups. The participants will join hundreds of other events in countries around the world as part of a global day of action. They will urge world leaders to take bold and immediate steps to sign a fair, ambitious and binding climate deal in Copenhagen.
According to Sally Ludwig from Transition Guelph, “It is clear now that many citizens of Guelph want to see real action on climate change from our leaders in Copenhagen. The time is past for rhetoric and delay. Climate change is happening now. We need a real deal now. To uphold Canadian values of social justice, we want to show our support of efforts to avert catastrophic climate change, live simply and sustainably on the Earth and equitably with our neighbours around the globe.”
This global mandate comes at the mid-point of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen where world leaders are meeting to sign a new climate treaty. Candlelight vigils will begin Friday night at embassies, consulates, and iconic places worldwide. On Saturday, in Guelph and in major cities in countries around the world, hundreds of thousands of people will gather to sign their names on message walls and petitions in support of a fair, ambitious, and binding climate deal. Then on Sunday, the air will reverberate with this growing demand for climate justice and action when faith communities around the world ring bells and sound ceremonial horns in support of a Real Deal.
Transition Guelph is a group of concerned Guelph residents who have come together with the shared vision of building resilience and sustainability into our community in response to the challenges of peak oil, accelerating climate change, and global economic instability. Visit their website at www.transitionguelph.org
TckTckTck is an unprecedented global alliance made up of leading international, national and local organizations addressing environment, development, poverty, human rights, health and humanitarian issues. Representing hundreds of millions of people from all walks of life, it represents faith-based groups, youth groups, trade unions and individuals all calling for a fair, ambitious and binding climate change agreement in December 2009 in Copenhagen. The world is ready! Visit their website at www.tcktcktck.org
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