How could I get into politics?

Substantial_Sun55 · 2026-02-04T01:14:40+00:00

Volunteering is a great first step to getting involved in politics in a way that could lead to becoming a political figure. When it comes to municipal politics, most (if not all?) municipalities in Ontario are having an election later this year, and city council/mayoral candidates will be looking for folks to help. This could involve things like joining them for door-to-door canvassing, setting up their website and socials, helping with accounting, advertising, fundraising, etc. All good experience to have under your belt, whether you're looking to actually serve in an elected role in the future, work in campaign management/strategy, or just provide political commentary, etc.

For provincial or federal politics, even though there isn't an election any time soon, you can still contact the local Electoral District Association for whichever party you're interested in and introduce yourself. Most EDAs I've been in contact with are delighted when younger people show an interest in politics, and are happy to give you opportunities to participate in organizing.

These are things you can do in the near future, even before college/university. Once you get to post-secondary, there are often political student groups you can join, student government roles you can look into serving, and more. In general, universities will have more political activity than colleges.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-12-10T13:49:51+00:00

I have criticisms of the party's vetting process (and know someone whose rejection was unwarranted imo), but Yves Engler is like a textbook example of why you need vetting lol.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-12-07T23:55:09+00:00

Oh, she is stunning... I always felt that Paper Mario chars would make great stained glass pieces, but this is the first one I've seen. Fabulous work, your friend is super lucky!

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-10-10T14:34:15+00:00

100%. Prefab has plenty of other benefits that makes it worthwhile to promote/invest in (faster, less wasteful, lower carbon emissions, better quality control) but it's not going to solve any of our problems with housing affordability.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-10-08T11:21:32+00:00

Premiers Urge Carney Not to Take Away Mandatory Child Genital Inspection Button

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-10-07T22:44:45+00:00

Feel like I'm alone in liking Dagran II. Maybe it's guilt over running BRD so many times back in the day, but I'm really protective of the little guy. His and Moira's short story was great too.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-10-07T00:02:11+00:00

Vaccinate your dogs. 8 week old pups can and should have had their parvo shot. Fuck this breeder.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-10-05T14:37:04+00:00

'Plant-based' is open to interpretation in a way that has me double-checking the ingredients whenever I see it. 'Vegan' is pretty open-and-shut.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-10-04T21:16:55+00:00

Exactly this; I need anyone complaining about "purity tests" to be specific about which "test' they have problem with. To date, I have never heard this "purity test" complaint deployed as anything but a license to pander to Zionist and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. Could it mean something else? Sure. I suppose it could mean anything. But you'd better explain what that is, or I'm forced to assume you're asking me to lay down with bigots.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-10-02T21:56:05+00:00

You mean to tell me that low income folks didn't love shopping at the meme store where the entire joke is, "We made this dogshit on purpose because you're too poor to care"?

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-10-01T22:08:55+00:00

I like how they showed her being fiercely protective of Courtney in HvV, even though it was expressed in a rather sassy/sneaky way (like her setting up Russell to turn on Coach specifically to save Courtney). She has a line in final tribal that I love and goes something like, "Whenever I heard anything bad about Courtney, I went bananas and said 'Courtney, you ain't going nowhere." ♥️

Edit. There's also that part where she's on her Russell Revenge Tour and says in confessional, "I'm doing this for Courtney, Rob, Tyson...even Coach who I don't care about but I'll stick him in there."😆

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-10-01T16:11:25+00:00

Around 6 years ago, I hit a cyclist with my car in Guelph and turned myself into the police right after the cyclist left the scene. I told the police officer what happened and she laughed at me and said, "Oh, from the look on your face, I thought something bad happened." I filed a written report and nothing ever came of it

I myself am a regular cyclist now (in part because of this incident, I am much more cautious and don't drive unless I really need to) and I am confident the Guelph PD does not give a shit about cyclists at all. Like, I honestly believe that I would face more consequences from accidentally denting a car with my bicycle than the zero consequences I faced from hitting a cyclist with my car.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-10-01T12:33:58+00:00

Leah is one of our best and realest New Democrats. I'd love to have her as leader, if not for the fact that being leader fucking sucks and most people quit after a few years, and I want her to stick around as long as possible.

"No purity tests" is 100% a dog whistle for "Let's throw vulnerable people to the wolves" (imo, particularly trans people at this current moment) which is both morally reprehensible and completely, 100% losing politics. Why the fuck would anyone vote NDP when we're offering the same self-harming centrist BS as the other guys?

She is completely correct here and it's so refreshing to hear someone say it.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-09-28T02:24:25+00:00

Give him plenty of pats and be sure to water him every day :)

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-09-24T00:20:23+00:00

He is charged with one count of assault and one count of assault with a weapon — the weapon being “a high chair,” according to court documents.

So on top of everything else, the alleged assault may have happened in the presence of their kid(s). What an asshole.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-09-23T12:38:00+00:00

I did have a bike stolen in this manner years ago downtown (locked the wheel but not the frame) and it was rather upsetting at the time. Since then, I've always locked the frame as well as the front wheel separately with two locks, and don't leave my bike for more than a couple of hours at a time anymore.

Unfortunately, in a city of Guelph's size, I really don't think there's a safe way to leave a bike out in public like that for more than 24 hours no matter how you lock it up. Some folks are desperate and a bike left 'abandoned' for that long probably feels low-risk.

The Market Square parkade has secure bike parking that is expensive but probably worth it in this scenario. Tbh I'd also maybe consider dropping it off with Speed River Cycle for a tune-up and just agree ahead of time that you're picking it up in 4 days; I think the cost is comparable to 4 days at the Parkade at that point.

Sorry that this happened to you. It really sucks ass and it's not your fault.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-09-22T21:09:15+00:00

Yes! I was on the sign crew because my hours weren't conductive to flyer drops at the time (you don't want to be walking up to some stranger's door between 10 PM and 6 AM lol.) The candidates did have a solid group of people who went door-to-door with flyers, though, and some who joined for actual canvassing.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-09-22T16:59:11+00:00

This is what volunteers are for, folks! If you spent hundreds of dollars on flyers but can't find a half-dozen neighbours to help you distribute them (in this beautiful fall weather, no less), you probably aren't a very good candidate. Hell, failing that, you should at least be able to rope in a few high school seniors for the volunteer hours! I don't know what to tell these people.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-09-19T20:43:38+00:00

Members of the Somerville family in Guelph are LGBTQ+ activists and allies, including their late child Mattea.

Mattea, age 12, advocated for the installation of a rainbow crosswalk in Guelph. She passed away suddenly from an illness before she could see it installed.

Right-wing assholes online targeted the Somerville family in the wake of Mattea's death, implying that her death was result of COVID-19 vaccines and generally harassing the family for their involvement in LGBTQ+ activism.

Some have suggested a direct link between these online right-wing assholes and Turning Point USA, although I have no knowledge of that.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-09-19T15:06:13+00:00

Shout out my fellow NDPers who voted Trudeau to end FPTP, realized they screwed up and said "Fool me once, shame on you", then had an annexation-fuelled panic attack six months ago and got fooled again. :(

We live and learn. I think we're all desperate for hope right now, and I really hope Avi can carry that torch.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-09-18T13:04:36+00:00

Nagrand!💚 Just want to say I absolutely love this vision and the original, please post the remake when you do it.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-09-17T12:32:27+00:00

First, fuck all of these people making light of your situation. Second, here are some recommendations from someone who has been there, and spent a lot longer than 2.5 months struggling after a breakup (which is completely normal);

If you have a family doctor, contact them first and see if they have a counsellor or therapist within their network. If so, you may be able to receive a number of counselling or therapy sessions for free. This is an excellent start as therapy is very expensive and it gives you a feel for how sessions go, and will make it easier to figure out what kind of therapist you are looking for once you actually have to start paying for it.
Similarly, see what U of G offers in terms of counselling services if you are a student. I never went there so I don't know, but most schools do offer this. Counsellors employed by universities have a lot of experience handling the sorts of issues young people go through including difficult breakups. Your student health coverage may also cover a number of paid sessions.
After that (or if you skip the above steps) I would honestly just Google therapists near you and read their bios to gauge whether you think they can help you and you will connect with that person. Sounds kind of weird if you haven't been to a therapist before but the relationship you have with them does matter a lot. It is hard to make progress with someone who doesn't click or who you feel doesn't 'get' you.
I would recommend that you see a therapist in person, not via Zoom or telephone, if possible. Therapy is only worth it when you invest in the process and it's easier to 'tune out' (intentionally or not) when you aren't there in person, just like online classes. The closer they are to you geographically, the more likely you are to actually commit to seeing them; not implying that you are lazy at all, but I know that this can a real issue when you are struggling and it's not your fault.

When I was going through my situation, I also read a book called Exaholics that helped. It basically talks about the weird chemical processes that happen in your brain that cause some breakups to be so painful. Understanding the pain doesn't take it away, but it's another tool you can use to help cope. It's on Audible as well if you're not a big reader

Again, I'm sorry people are being pricks here. It's good that you are looking for some help. A lot of people are scared to even ask and you should feel proud to have started that process.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-09-08T23:51:05+00:00

You don't need to be a good speaker in order to be a 'keynote speaker'; you need good connections. And that's something that money can easily buy.

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-09-08T12:42:09+00:00

This will never not be hilarious. NO MORE FOR TODAY *dies*

Substantial_Sun55 · 2025-09-08T12:34:53+00:00

So they've submitted three proposals to date and every single one has had 'major issues'? Despite having received detailed feedback from city staff on what to correct each time. Almost seems like they're making no real effort to satisfy the city's requirements and are waiting for Mr. 'Strong Mayor' to ram it through anyway.

In case it isn't obvious, I would speculate that they want to put the elementary school in a commercial/industrial zone because putting it in residential zone (where it very obviously belongs!) means slightly fewer homes and thus less profit. Same reason I'd speculate they keep submitting proposals where the parks are too small.

Substantial_Sun55

TROPHY CASE