City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the March 25, 2025 Meeting?

The last meeting for March is a recital of the past. Yes, as usual, we will revisit the (almost whole) agenda from this month’s Committee of the Whole meeting, but there’s also new/old controversy with a returning bylaw that caused a lot of hand wringing last year. The ball will be in the people’s court (so to speak) to see if they have anything new and interesting to say on these matters, otherwise this could be a short meeting.

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 March 21. 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.

NOTE #3: This meeting starts at 9:30 in lieu of the regular start in recognition of the Holy Month of Ramadan and those that celebrate in the Muslim faith.

Public Space Use Bylaw: Proposed Amendment – Remember the Public Space Use Bylaw? It was approved last summer and went into full weight and force in November when the encampment in St. George’s Square was cleared. Now, council will amend the bylaw to add a new line of clarity under section 3.5(1): “includes but is not limited to,” and “any Public Space that shares a property line with a school or childcare centre”. No formal report was attached to the agenda.

This is the current wording of section 3.5(1):

“In this By-law, “Sensitive Public Space” means outdoor open space, lands and facilities owned by, leased by, licensed to, or under the management of the City and intended for a sensitive public recreational or personal use, including areas intended for use by children, pets, or for mobility of the public, or with heightened safety requirements, or attracting a heightened expectation of quiet use and enjoyment, and includes but is not limited to, playgrounds, waterparks and splash pads, wading pools, fenced off-leash dog areas, sidewalks, pathways or recreational trails, accessibility routes and ramps, entrances, exits, or doorways, municipal cemeteries, community gardens and fountains.”

Consent Agenda items from the Committee of the Whole meetings on March 4. (Items can be pulled by a councillor seeking additional information, otherwise all items will be voted on as a slate without further debate.)

2025 Property Tax Policy
Redesigning Advisory Committees of Council: Final Report
2025 Governance Review*
Single Use Items Strategy Phase 2 Reusable Containers
Vision Zero Action Plan

*The recommendation at Committee of the Whole was amended to defer the Section 8 of the Code of Conduct update, which concerns social media policy, to a future meeting after retooling by staff.