Is there a bigger political lightning rod when it comes to the City of Guelph budget than the police budget? For some people, we spend too much on the police and at the expense of… More
MEETING PREVIEW: Joint Social Services and Land Ambulance Committee Meeting for May 13, 2026
It seems like a relatively light month at the Joint Social Services and Land Ambulance Committee meeting. In fact, you can forget about anything in that second part of the name. In the first, the big part of the agenda will be the final report from this past winter’s response plan and what the ultimate results were, plus there will be some largely administrative matters. Let’s get into the preview for this May meeting! Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Joint Social Services and Land Ambulance Committee Meeting for May 13, 2026”
GUELPH POLITICAST #522 – The Year at Council… So Far (January to April)
Sure, it’s an election year, but that doesn’t mean that the current city council is coasting in their last year in office. The council calendar has been pretty busy these first four months of 2026, and some of the things that have kept them busy might surprise you. This week, if you don’t follow the news, or subscribe to this website, or have heard about it somewhere else, you will get your chance to catch-up on all the latest council business here. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #522 – The Year at Council… So Far (January to April)”
RECAP: Committee of the Whole Meeting for May 5, 2026
The fourth may not be with them, but the fifth will be! You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s council meeting, you can follow along during the meeting on Blue Sky or recap the complete thread after the meeting below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “RECAP: Committee of the Whole Meeting for May 5, 2026”
POLICE NOTE: Missing Mowers, Store Assault, and Bitcoin Blitz
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 NOTE: Missing Mowers, Store Assault, and Bitcoin Blitz”
Mostly Familiar Faces Sign Up on First Day of Election Nominations
The 2026 election got underway today at city hall as prospective candidates arrived throughout the day to file their papers for mayor, city councillor and school board trustee. By the end of the day, there were seven candidates on the ballot and while only one of them were an incumbent, it doesn’t mean that they’re new faces to the Guelph political scene. Let’s look at the keeners that couldn’t wait for the campaign to begin (for real). Continue reading “Mostly Familiar Faces Sign Up on First Day of Election Nominations”
MEETING PREVIEW: Heritage Advisory Committee Meeting for May 7, 2026
This month’s Heritage Advisory Committee has a lot of new designations to offer as some pretty important properties have finally come up for designation. In other news, the heritage planning staff have notes concerning a tower project downtown and how it might impact another one of Guelph’s historic houses, plus there’s some mystery around what’s next for one of the city’s most famous bridges. Let’s check out what’s on the agenda! Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Heritage Advisory Committee Meeting for May 7, 2026”
City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the May 12, 2026 Meeting?
This month’s planning meeting is going to be a difficult one, and perhaps even a lengthy one. On the agenda are a tonne of new heritage designations, which should not be controversial, so the controversy will inevitably begin with the return of new planning permissions that might make it easier to get more units built on some select properties in the city and a difficult staff decision on a major development project there’s a lot of eyes on. Let’s get into the preview! Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the May 12, 2026 Meeting?”
GUELPH POLITICAST #521 – One and Done (feat. Erin Caton & Michele Richardson)
Near the end of every council term, we invite the rookies who were elected in the previous election onto this podcast to talk about their experience. This time it’s different because one, there were so many new councillors in 2022, and two, in this case, we have two people who’ve decided that one term is enough. How can just four years on Guelph city council possibly be enough? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #521 – One and Done (feat. Erin Caton & Michele Richardson)”
RECAP: The Library Board Reviews Comms, Gets Ready for New Building
As usual, the Guelph Public Library Board of Directors was the last meeting of the the month, and there was a lot going on. There were annual reports from the human resources and the communications department, and then the board looked to the future by putting some money forward to get needed equipment for new library building and looked how to organize future raised funds in their endowment. All that and more in this week’s recap! Continue reading “RECAP: The Library Board Reviews Comms, Gets Ready for New Building”
This Week at Council: Debating Bumps in the Road at Regular Meeting
Straightforward regular council meeting to end April, right? (Albeit a week earlier than what have been expected.) Not so fast! The agenda was the confirmation of stuff that’s already passed, and the endorsement to create a Canadian Chinese Heritage Month, but there was apparently more to be said about traffic calming, and traffic calming options. What more was there left to say and how did the traffic calming policy change? Read the recap below… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Debating Bumps in the Road at Regular Meeting”
Guelph Politico 