We’re wrapping up the month at council pretty early all things considered. Our first meeting post-Ramadan brings council back to a later start time around the dinner hour, and it also brings back all the items discussed last week at Committee of the Whole. Plus, there’s a new topic in the form of a report from the Integrity Commissioner, and this one’s a little more spicy than the last one.
NOTE #1: Delegates will be able to appear at this meeting in-person or via tele-presense but you do have to register with the clerks office before 10 am on Friday April 12. You can also submit written delegations and correspondences for agenda items.
NOTE #2: In addition to meeting in-person, this meeting will also be live-streamed on the City of Guelph’s website here.
CLOSED MEETING:
1) Downtown Land Disposition Update – Since this is a matter about the sale of land, it has to be discussed in-camera under Section 239(2)(c) and (f) of the Municipal Act for “a proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board and advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose.”
2) Appointments to the Downtown Guelph Business Association Board of Directors – As this involves “personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees”, it will be talked about in closed under Section 239(2)(b) of the Municipal Act. Interestingly, there seems to be no matching item in the open session where such appointments are typically approved.
Code of Conduct Investigation Report: Complaints 2023-02, 2023-03, 2024-1 – Yes, the integrity commissioner’s already been at city council this year, but this is in reference to those complaints he mentioned. It can now be revealed that the complaints involve a series of social media posts by Mayor Cam Guthrie around Christmas last year in which several constituents took issue with the mayor appearing at holiday charity event mask-less, especially in the case of a concert a long-term care home. There were three complaints about the mayor’s less than cordial reaction to that outside input, but the commissioner concluded that the mayor’s conduct did not contravene code since he was using his own Twitter account, and his response did not constitute abuse though it did ” verged toward petulant and mocking.”
Consent Agenda items from the Committee of the Whole meeting on April 3. (Items can be pulled by a councillor seeking additional information, otherwise all items will be voted on as a slate without further debate.)
- Lobbyist Registry Review
- Municipal Accommodation Tax Update and Administration Policy
- 2023 Water Services’ Annual Report, Summary Report and Water Efficiency Strategy Progress Report
- Guelph Greener Homes Loan Program By-law (2023)-20764 Update
- A By-law Authorizing a Special Charge under the Guelph Greener Homes Program in Accordance with O. Reg. 586-06
- Sewer Use By-law Update
- Water By-law Update
Guelph Politico 