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…?

Remembrance Day Commemorations Return to In-Person

Ceremonies and memorials on November 11 will be back to their pre-pandemic schedules this coming week with in-person commemorations.

Remembrance Day in Guelph will being with a half-hour outdoor ceremony at McCrae House Memorial Gardenson Water Street host by the Legion at 8:30 am.

After that, the Remembrance Day parade will begin on Farquhar Street at 9:45 am and proceed to the Sleeman Centre for the official ceremony. Anyone wishing to attend the service is being asked to arrive by 10 am for the 10:15 start time.

Following the ceremony at the Sleeman Centre, the parade will begin again starting on Courthouse Lane and then march to the Cenotraph before heading back down Wyndham to Farquhar Street. The parade will stop in St. George’s Square for a salute on its way to Farquhar.

On the University of Guelph campus there will be Remembrance Day commemorations at 10:30 am with formal remarks at Branion Plaza before a community procession will walk to War Memorial Hall for the laying of the wreaths followed by a choir and the Last Post.

Some City of Guelph buildings and services will be closed or unavailable on Remembrance Day. Among the closed facilities next Friday will be the Guelph Public Library.

Another Opportunity for Lifeguards and Swim Instructors

The City of Guelph is holding two more opportunities for anyone interested in getting a gig as a lifeguard or a swim instructor. In two dates on Wednesday November 9 and Friday November 18, the City will be doing in-pool skill screenings for any interested certified lifeguards and swim instructors and talking to people who want to explore becoming a lifeguard or swim instructor. These hiring days will take part at the West End Community Centre, but you can all apply online here anytime.

If you were a certified lifeguard, but your certification expired, all you need to do is sign-up for a five-hour refresher course.

Federal Tourism Funds Go To 16 Area Businesses

The Jazz Festival, Hillside, and 10C Shared Space are among the local recipients of $800,000 from the Regional Tourism Organization 4 funding from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) as part of the Government of Canada’s Tourism Relief Fund. The money will help businesses and organizations adapt and recover, as well as attract new visitors and drive economic growth in the region. Here’s who won locally:

• 10C Shared Space: Create flexible and inclusive indoor-outdoor gathering spaces, including accessible washroom improvements.
• Canadian Centre for Rural Creativity: Create moveable plays, telling stories collected along the Grand River.
• City of Guelph: Develop an evidence-based, sustainable tourism plan centred on the city’s unique cultural and sport assets.
• Corporation of the Township of Mapleton: Modernize operations and online sales services at the theatre venue.
• County of Wellington: Develop a tourism strategy based on research and market analysis.
• Fergus BIA: Implement a strategy to activate and animate the downtown core in Fergus with infrastructure around the Provost Lane Street Closure necessary to allow for outdoor dining and activities.
• Fergus Scottish Festival: Modernize operations and support greening initiatives for the Fergus Scottish Festival.
• Grand River Agricultural Society: Support a greening initiative through the installation of 14 EV charging stations.
• Guelph and District Multicultural Festival: Support new tourism experience development and enhancements of the 2022 Guelph and District Multicultural Festival.
• Guelph Film Festival Inc.: Modernize operations for the Guelph Film Festival to present engaging hybrid offerings.
• Guelph Jazz Festival: Support new tourism experience development and enhancements of the 2022 Guelph Jazz Festival.
• Hillside Community Festival of Guelph: Modernize operations and install high-speed network cables to provide Wi-Fi access for attendees for information and photo sharing and to vendors for cashless purchases.
• Southwestern Ontario Film Alliance: Discover the assets and identify gaps in the labour market, policies, infrastructure, locations and the resources required to develop jobs and spur regional economic development in the lucrative film and television production industry.
• The Fieldstone Barn: Support a new tourism experience with the development of an agri-tourism farm-to-table event in Elora.
• The Guelph Games: Support new tourism experience development and animate the downtown core through activations during the 2022 Guelph Games.
• Wellington Brewery: Support new tourism experience development and seasonal dispersion through the re-launch of the Guelph Beer Bus.

Community Grant Applications Now Open

If you’re part of a not-for-profit organization doing work to improve community well-being, then you probably should know that applications to the City of Guelph’s Community Grant program are now open. Each application is judged on the basis of benefit to Guelph residents, community’s support, sustainability and need for funding. Also, for the first time in 2023, groups can receive additional funds if they pay City fees as part of their operations or project. The deadline to apply is December 1.

Mediation in U of G/UFGA Negotiations

With the threat of strike still hanging of the University of Guelph after the University of Guelph Faculty Association (UGFA) voted to strike early last month, both sides will be going into mediation this coming week in the hopes of avoiding job action. The University admin at the UGFA – which represents 875 faculty, librarians and veterinarians – will be meeting with an external mediator on November 7, 8 and 10. The UGFA have been working without a contract since their previous agreement expired on June 30.

What About Your Yard Waste?

If you stuck about what to do with all those leaves that are probably all over your yard right now, the City of Guelph has the following four suggestions:

1. Just leave it: yard waste provides shelter for wildlife and builds up your soil quality.

2. Bag yard waste and leaves and put them to the curb on your grey cart collection day. Yard waste pickup is expected to end the week of November 25.

3. Rake leaves to curb one week before pickup. This year pickup is expected to begin the week of November 14 until November 25.

4. Drop them off for a fee at the Waste Resource Innovation Centre at 110 Dunlop Drive.

Additional Notes

The City of Guelph has made the election results official.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Did you enjoy the election or have notes for improvement? You can tell the clerks. You can also share your thoughts about the transit pilot programs for the affordable transit pass and the free rides for kids under 12.

A Centennial CVI student was selected to be one of the speakers at the Global Health Leaders Conference at Johns Hopkins University.

The Guelph Community Foundation successfully raised $23,000 with their Around Downtown event in September.

Gabriel Allahdua with Justice for Migrant Workers has been named the University of Guelph’s first activist-in-residence.

The University of Guelph field school where students travel to Sweden to learn about Indigenous identity and culture there has won the Award of Excellence for Reconciliation and Internationalization from the Canadian Bureau for International Education.

The Grove Hub locations are now offering tutoring services to youth in Wellington County and Guelph.

The Christmas Market will take place at the Wellington County Museum and Archives in-person once again on Friday November 25 and Saturday November 26.

Speaking of Christmas, the Guelph Community Foundation is looking for people to adopt-a-family again this holiday season.

The Guelph Youth Music Centre held a ceremony to celebrate the receipt of an Ontario Trillium Foundation, and to honour the last three Volunteer of the Year recipients.

New and Upcoming Construction

There will be lane reductions on Grange Road between Auden and Brandson for four weeks in order to install sewer and water pipes.

There will be lane reductions on Hadati Road between Victoria and Yeats for two weeks to install underground conduit and fibre optic cable.

A geotechnical investigation will take place along Silvercreek North between Speedvale and Woodlawn starting on November 14 as part of the pre-construction work to replace pipes and reconstruct the roadway.

Facility condition assessments on City facilities in and around downtown will begin on November 14.