The pandemic caught us right in the middle of some big changes being made to Guelph Transit, so it seems like an appropriate time to sit down, look at transit, and consider the current status for those best lain plans and their future. In another special meeting of council, matters of transit are considered in this latest workshop and it’s special Tuesday at 2 pm start time. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 10 Meeting?”
Earlier this week, the Government of Ontario announced their new colour-coded system for the province’s 34 health units to determine what level of COVID-19 restrictions are needed. The government said that there were going to release the starting point for all public health areas on Friday, and they did just that earlier this afternoon, but where is our own region, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph? We’re mellow yellow. Continue reading “It Turns on Saturday, Guelph and Area Will Be Yellow, Not Green”
A little over six months late from the actual start of the Provincial fiscal year, the Government of Ontario delivered the 2020-2021 budget with some of the usual fanfare. Called, “Ontario’s Action Plan: Protect, Support, Recover,” the government insists that their budget will strengthen frontline health care, and offer support for businesses and workers, while laying the groundwork for the future. The opposition obviously disagrees. Continue reading “The Ontario Budget Has Lots of New Spending, Some Say Not Enough”
In this meeting of council, the councillors will have a hand in deciding their own potential political futures. You can click here for the 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 on Twitter, or follow the tweets below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for November 5, 2020”
At a special council meeting on Thursday night, Guelph City Council will vote on their own make-up for the 2022-26 term. The staff recommendation is to change council composition to eight full-time councillors, one from each of eight new wards, plus the mayor, but two electoral reform advocacy groups want to pump the brakes on the council make-up in the wake of their own poll that confirms voters want the status quo. Continue reading “Citizen Groups’ Poll on Council Make-Up: Keep 2 Councillors Per Ward”
The last time that Dr. Nicola Mercer appeared on this podcast it was July, and things seemed to be going pretty good. Much of the province had been under a Stage 2 re-opening for weeks, and we were on the cusp of Stage 3. The virus wasn’t gone, but the number of new and active cases was on the right trajectory, but there were at the time rumblings about what would happen in the fall. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #245 – Still COVID [Fall Edition] with Dr. Mercer”
The fact that COVID-19 cases are increasing again is forcing the Government of Ontario to come up with a new and easy way of making sure Ontarians know where the danger lies, and the answer seems to be colour. On Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford and select members of his cabinet introduced the Keeping Ontario Safe and Open Framework, which will colour grade all 34 of the province’s health units from green to grey. Continue reading “Ontario Government Unveils New Colour-Coded Re-Opening Framework”
Remember before COVID when the biggest issue in front of council was the removal or the retaining of two leash-free, fenced-in dog parks in the city? At the time, council asked staff to look at other sites that might serve as future dog parks outside of residential areas, and they have delivered a report that should come as no surprise to anyone. The best candidate? Eastview Park. Continue reading “Eastview Park the First Choice for New Fenced-In Dog Park”
The City of Guelph is floating the possibility of using “microtransit” options to fund a new transit route that would service the Hanlon Creek Business Park. Council approved the new route last fall, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of it’s implementation, and if it does ever start now, City staff are suggesting a user system that looks more like ride hailing than a traditional bus route. Continue reading “City Staff Floats Microtransit as Option for Hanlon Business Park Route”
This month’s Committee of the Whole meeting has something for almost everybody. 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 on Twitter, or follow the tweets below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: Committee of the Whole Meeting for November 2, 2020”
Guelph Politico 