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…?

Doggie Dip Returns to Lyon Pool on Labour Day

This Labour Day it’s the dogs’ turn to take over the pool! Lyon Pool will be hosting the annul doggie dip on Monday September 4, the last swim of the season. You can register your dog for a 45-minute swim at either 1:15 or 2:15 pm through recenroll.ca, in person at our recreation facilities or over the phone by calling 519-837-5699. Registration is required and begins August 31. Capacity is capped at 50 dogs per swim, with a maximum of two people per dog.

This event is a leash-free activity in a fenced, outdoor setting so all participating dogs must be licenced with the City and be up to date on all of their vaccinations. All the same rules from our leash-free areas apply to the swim.

New Pig Research Centre Open in Elora

Representatives from the University of Guelph, Wellington County, and the Governments of Ontario and Canada were on hand to cut the ribbon the new $20-million Ontario Swine Research Centre on Thursday. The new centre will host research into a variety of topics related to pig farming including nutrition, animal health and welfare, production economics, consumer-oriented research, environmental factors, genetics/genomics, nutrient management and reproduction.

“The new swine research centre will contribute to the development of knowledge and improvement of best management practices already being applied on hog farms in Ontario,” said Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield in a statement. “Investments in research and innovation ensure the hog sector have the tools they need to remain economically competitive and productive in a sustainable way.”

The University of Guelph has a long history of working with government and industry partners to drive innovation and support growth in the agri-food sector,” added University president Dr. Charlotte Yates. “The Ontario Swine Research Centre will allow U of G experts to advance research and knowledge, bring new livestock innovations to the farm and train the next generation of talent, in support of a thriving pork sector in Ontario and beyond.”

Community Foundation Delivers Funds for 11 Local Groups

The Guelph Community Foundation has dispersed $512,000 to 11 different groups in Guelph and Wellington through the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund. This money was meant for community service organizations, charities, non-profits, and Indigenous governing bodies to adapt, modernize and be better equipped to improve the efficacy, accessibility and sustainability of the community services post pandemic.

The Community Foundation received 27 applications for the funding, which amounted to over $1.3 million in requests, nearly three-times the amount of funding available. “The applications we received were very inspiring and demonstrated the positive impact that ourdedicated local service organizations have on our community,” said Chris Willard, the executive director of the Community Foundation in a statement. “We are grateful to have been part  of this funding program bringing financial support to those who uplifted our community during the pandemic.”

Here’s the list of community groups that got funding:

• $100,000 was invested to fund Compass Community Services to upgrade its service systems
• $100,000 was invested to fund The Guelph Community Health Centre to modernize and improve its financial management system
• $54,406.00 was invested to fund Guelph Black Heritage Society to develop a comprehensive fundraising strategy
• $51,094 was invested to fund Guelph Film Festival to develop a strategic local growth strategy
• $42,500 was invested to fund West Village Community Development Co-operative to develop a cloud-based client and data management system
• $38,000 was invested to fund Food4Kids Guelph to redesign its fund development strategy
• $37,000 was invested to fund Ed Video Media Arts Centre to create specialized working spaces and to update its website
• $35,450 was invested to fund Guelph and District Multicultural Festival to develop organizational strategies
• $20,650 was invested to fund Royal City Mission to build and implement CRM software for donations and fundraising management
• $20,000 was invested to fund Michael House Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services to modernize and improve Michael House’s website
• $12,900 was invested to fund Circle Home Charity Society to implement a refugee backlog management system

Additional Notes

Bookmark for later: Here are the Labour Day weekend holiday hours for City of Guelph facilities and services. These are the holiday hours for the Guelph Public Library.

Homewood has opened a confidential, 24/7 mental health support crisis hotline for anyone experiencing trauma and grief resulting from the Canada-wide wildfires. Call 1-833-648-2910 for counselling and/or referrals.

Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington have announced the dates for their September shredding fundraisers, one on September 16 in Mount Forest and one on September 30 in Guelph.

The University of Guelph has announced that course information including classroom times and locations, instructor and faculty names will now be accessible only through the U of G’s secure login.

Current “Have Your Say” Opportunities:

(*New): Downtown Waste Project, Guelph’s Bicentennial, Race to Zero, Silvercreek Parkway North Reconstruction, and Wading Pool Hours*.

Transit Detours

The 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 15, 17, 18 and 99 will all be impacted on September 1 and 2 due to Move-in Days at the University of Guelph. On those two days, the transfer point will be moved from the University Centre to the parking lot of Movati Athletic.

New changes to Transit will go into effect on September 3. The #8 Stone Road Mall will become the #8 Janefield, and its service will be extended to every 20-minutes between 7 am and 6 pm. The #99 Mainline will be going back to nine-minute service, and all the University routes will be back. There will also be some minor route adjustments on the York and Goodwin routes and service on the #19 Hanlon Creek will be extended to Stone Road Mall via Woodland Glen Drive.

New and Upcoming Construction

There will be lane reductions at the Woodlawn/Woolwich intersection for one day on Monday August 28 for the installation of Rogers cable underground.

There will be lane reductions on Norfolk Street at Cork Street for one week starting on Monday August 28 to install an underground conduit and fibre optic cable from the Civic Museum to the east side of Norfolk.

A section of Wilton Road between Ingram and Inverness will be closed for one week starting on Monday August 28 for the installation of water pipe to support a development at 66 Wilton.

The number of lanes on Silvercreek Parkway North between Willow and Paisley will be reduced from four to three on Thursday August 31 as crews install buffered bike lanes on both sides of the road.

A portion of Stephanie Drive will be closed between Aspenwood and Rochelle for three days starting on Thursday August 31 for the installation of new water pipes.

The City of Guelph entrance sign at the Guelph Curling Club will be removed sometime in the next six weeks as the property is being redeveloped. A temporary sign was installed 200 metres away in front of 804 Woolwich Street.