City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the March 29 Meeting?

It’s the end of the month again, and that means it’s time for the regular meeting of city council. It may look like a short agenda, but looks can be deceiving, and this could be a long night with the return to the topic of downtown patios. Plus, there will be an additional motion that might see our local council back the near universal request to establish province-wide universal sick days.

NOTE #1: Delegates will be able to appear at this meeting via telephone, but you do have to register with the clerks office before 10 am on March 26. You can also submit written delegations and correspondences for agenda items.

NOTE #2: The meeting will be closed to the public, though it will be live-streamed on the City of Guelph’s website here.

2021-2023 Seasonal Patio Program – This item is technically on the consent agenda, but it seems unlikely that no one is going to stand up and speak to this issue again before being ratified. As you’ll recall, council approved the staff recommended option #1, which allows street closures for special occasions only, but at the same time makes it possible for businesses to expand sidewalk patios into the road while still keeping some traffic lanes open. Council will likely debate again the possibility of exploring option #2, which is seasonal road closures, and option #3, which is weekend closures.

City of St. Catharines Resolution: Universal Paid Sick Days in Ontario – Last month, St. Catharines city council passed a motion that endorsed universal paid sick days, and asked the Government of Ontario to produce legislation to that effect. Councillor June Hofland will bring this point to Guelph council for discussion, and the possibility of passing a similar motion.

Consent Agenda items from the Committee of the Whole meeting on March 1. (Items can be pulled by a councillor seeking additional information, otherwise all items will be voted on as a slate without further debate.)