The City of Guelph puts 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…?

City of Guelph Hires KPMG for Service Review

As approved by Guelph City Council during last fall’s budget process, the City of Guelph has now officially hired a third-party to perform the service rationalization review. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the City’s third-party external auditor KPMG Has been hired to do the job, and it’s a job that they’ve been hired to do for a lot of Ontario municipalities.

“This service rationalization review will provide valuable insights to ensure we are delivering innovative, cost-effective services to our residents, and will enable Council and City staff to make informed strategic decisions in support of our shared vision for a future ready Guelph,” said deputy CAO of corporate services Trevor Lee in a statement. “We are pleased to work alongside KPMG as they conduct an in-depth analysis into our program and service delivery models in a transparent and inclusive process that will incorporate considerations related to equity, emerging trends, and municipal best practices.”

The completed service rationalization review will return to council sometime later this year.

Upper Grand Postpones Grad Events till the Fall

Given that there’s no more in-person learning for the foreseeable future, it would make sense that the Upper Grand District School Board would send out the word that graduation ceremonies are postponed until the fall. “We are truly sorry that you will not be able to celebrate the end of your high school career in a traditional way,” said Director of Education Dr. Martha Rogers in an open letter.

For Upper Grand’s high school seniors, tentative graduation dates have been set for October and November. For Guelph’s high school students the dates are as follows: Centennial will be on October 7, College Heights on October 21, GCVI will be on October 27, and Ross will be on October 28. “This year has been incredibly challenging and we know it is very disappointing that our traditional spring events cannot take place,” Rogers added. “We urge students to reach out for support when they need it, reach out to friends, family, teachers, administrators and school staff.”

Historical Walking Tours Postponed

The annual Guelph Arts Council Historical Walking tours were supposed to start on May 2, but because of the province-wide emergency break initiated on April 3, the tours will not be able to begin now until May 9. The Arts Council announced the change to the schedule this week with the caveat that the tours will begin just as soon as the current State of Emergency is lifted. Tickets are still on sale, and to see the full schedule of walks and to buy tickets, you can visit the Arts Council website here.

City Looking for Folks to Join Boards and Committees

Opportunity knocks! The City of Guelph is looking for new members for a few of its advisory committees including the Transit Advisory Committee, the Accessibility Advisory Committee, the Planning Advisory Committee, and the Waste Resource Innovation Centre Public Liason Committee. Click on the various links to find details and deadlines.

Clean and Green is Now a Month!

Clean and Green is back after a COVID-inflicted break last year, but this year’s event lets you and your team take part on any day between April 13 and May 11. The process for signing up is more or less the same, you get your team together, you pick a spot on the map, choose your date and register, and the City will give you a drop off date for the materials and pick-up spot for all the garbage you collect. In 2019, over 1,200 volunteers cleaned up 78 parks and 35 trails and roadways, collecting a total of 3,300 kilograms of garbage.

Conservation Authority Offering Community and School Grants

The Grand River Conservation Authority are now accepting applications for two different grant programs. One’s for local elementary schools who are being offered a chance to apply for $750 in order to improve the natural elements of their property with new trees, shrubs and plants, and the other is for community groups who can apply for up to $1,000 to go towards conservation projects like habitat restoration or tree planting. Applications have to be submitted by April 30, and you find details and application paper work at the GRCA website.

More Money Available for Community Groups

Just in time for another lockdown, the City of Guelph is making $700,000 available to local businesses and community groups in two different streams.

Half goes to the Emergency Fund, with a $20,000 cap for not-for-profits, and a $5,000 cap for unincorporated groups and individuals unless they’re are partners with another unincorporated group or individual. The funds are meant to help people and groups across all sectors to explore alternative business models, develop program innovation, and strengthen their capacity during the pandemic. The money will be available in two phases, with applications for the first phase closing on May 6. To learn more about this fund, and get information about applying, click here.

The Tourism Recovery Fund will make up to $10,000 available to tourism-related businesses or organizations. The City is offering $250,000 of the total amount for this first phase, which will go to support local tourism businesses and organizations with their recovery initiatives, and to adapt services or programs to meet industry needs for the purpose of economic recovery of Guelph’s tourism industry. The deadline for the Tourism Fund is April 26, and to apply or learn more, you can find it on the City’s website here.