GUELPH POLITICAST #375 – Everyone is Still Free to Wear Sunscreen

June 1 marks the start of meteorological summer and that sunny and warm weather makes you want to go into the water. You’re also – hopefully – putting on sunscreen in order to reduce the risk of skin cancer, but in the last few years there’s been some reason to question whether sunscreen is as safe for our waterways even while it protects you from UV light. Should everyone still be free to wear sunscreen? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #375 – Everyone is Still Free to Wear Sunscreen”

RECAP: Library Board Hears that Programs’ Demand Exceeds Capacity

The last committee meeting of the month is the board of directors of the Guelph Public Library, and given the warm summer weather outside, it should come as no surprise that the agenda was kind of light. There’s not much in the way of news about that new library project, but there was discussion about why that new library building is important, especially if you’ve ever been on a waitlist for a library program or activity. Continue reading “RECAP: Library Board Hears that Programs’ Demand Exceeds Capacity”

CITY PAGES: EV Charger Funding, New Campaign Chair, and Summer Reading

The City of Guelph, and it’s various partners and agencies, put out a lot of information on a weekly basis, and while it all ends up on the City’s website somewhere, wouldn’t it be easier to just scroll through it all on one easy-to-read article on Guelph Politico here…? Continue reading “CITY PAGES: EV Charger Funding, New Campaign Chair, and Summer Reading”

POLICE NOTES: Major Crash Investigation, Break-In Suspects, and Fake Gun

There are 145,000 stories in the Royal City, and this is some of them. Looking at a week’s worth of media releases from the Guelph Police Service, there’s a lot going on in our little city crime-wise speaking, so let’s run down some of the charges, issues, and requests for information from the Guelph Police Service over the last seven days. Continue reading “POLICE NOTES: Major Crash Investigation, Break-In Suspects, and Fake Gun”

RECAP: GRCA Navigates Budget and Composition Changes at May Meeting

This month membership meeting of the Grand River Conversation Authority was kind of meta. A big portion of the meeting was about the future of the membership composition, at least when it comes to Hamilton’s representation, and speaking of the future, there was also some discussion about the coming budget process. Those were the big orders of business, but not the only business at this month’s meeting, so get the whole story below. Continue reading “RECAP: GRCA Navigates Budget and Composition Changes at May Meeting”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the June 1 Meeting?

June starts with a city council meeting, another workshop/orientation meeting, and the subject this time is a very important and timely topic indeed. You’ve probably been following the news in the last several months about the long lines of ambulances frequently seen outside Guelph General Hospital, or maybe you’ve seen them for yourself, well this meeting will outline the potential political response. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the June 1 Meeting?”

Guelph Opens New Rainbow Crosswalk Ahead of Pride Month

It was blue skies and rainbow cookies on Thursday morning as City of Guelph staff and officials took a ceremonial first walk across the street on the City’s first, official rainbow crosswalk. Just days ahead of the annual Pride months festivities, City crews spent the night on Wednesday laying down the (technically) thermoplastic material in the colourful symbol of inclusivity and welcome for all members of the LGBTQ+ community. Continue reading “Guelph Opens New Rainbow Crosswalk Ahead of Pride Month”

Feds Invest $1.7 Million for West End Rec Centre Upgrades and Trails

Along with the usual morning swimmers, people hitting the workout room and patrons visiting the west end branch of the Guelph Public Library, there was a group of people at the West End Community Centre Wednesday for a political announcement. It was about money, about $1.7 million to be nearly precise, and the recipient was the HVAC system on the roof of the centre, and some wayfinding signs to be named later. Continue reading “Feds Invest $1.7 Million for West End Rec Centre Upgrades and Trails”

GUELPH POLITICAST #374 – The Problem (?) With Government

We’re coming up on the end of the first year of the Ford government’s second term, and it’s been a highly consequential year if you work in one of Ontario’s 444 municipalities. At times, it felt like there was an announcement every week about some change to how cities conduct oversight or run their own planning processes. It’s enough to make you ask, “what will happen next?” and last week we got the answer. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #374 – The Problem (?) With Government”

MEETING PREVIEW: Guelph Public Library Board for May 29, 2023

It’s the last committee meeting of the month, the Guelph Public Library Board of Directors. It looks to be a fairly light meeting in terms of agenda items, but to borrow a popular phrase that was probably once on a poster in the the library, “knowledge is power.” So this coming Monday, we will get more powerful with an update about the business of managing the local library system. Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Guelph Public Library Board for May 29, 2023”