This is the last council recap you’re going to read for a while, because Guelph City Council is now on summer vacation! Before that though, there’s a lot of action to review including the appointment of a new Ward 6 Councillor, which was a wild ride that came down to a draw between the two finalists. Then, at the regular meeting, there was actually a planning matter, and some more back-and-forth on downtown construction and accessibility. So for the last time, until September, here’s the recap…
Regular Meeting of Council – July 22, 2025
It was a packed night for the regular business of council with many items on the table for consideration, starting with the approval of five additional members to the Accessibility Advisory Committee.
After that business, council got down to a planning matter. Despite the fact that there was a planning meeting just last week, this item ended up on the council agenda via Strong Mayor Powers, and Mayor Cam Guthrie wanting to use those powers to accelerate the timetable and rezone a property for new housing.
In this case, council was looking at a commercial building on Waterloo Avenue destroyed last year by arson. The owners now want to rezone the property to allow for nine new residential units in three storeys atop the rebuilt office space. Between the additional housing, which includes two affordable units, an environmentally sustainable build and the replacement of lost business space, Guthrie said the community benefits were apparent, but he wanted the whole of council to support this and not use his mayoral authority to approve it with just one-third.
The property owners, Morgan and Martha Adams, led council through their plan, which includes an attempt to secure funding through the Apartment Loan Program at the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, which is why they’re looking to get this done in a rush; CMHC needs to know the zoning is secure before proceeding with the application. Guthrie also noted that the project application still has to be completed to the satisfaction of the City’s planning department, which was enshrined in one of the recommendations.
Council had concerns about the lack of parking for the residential portion, but the main point of concern seemed to be the process. Councillor Phil Allt pointed out that planning staff were not on hand for this meeting, and Deputy CAO Jayne Holmes explained that there were still some reports outstanding and staff didn’t want to offer advise unless all their ducks were in a row. Holmes also added that this doesn’t shave too much time off the process, but Guthrie was firm that without the pace this project might not happen. Despite any concerns about the process, Allt was the only one to stand on that principle and vote against the project. The rest of his colleagues voted in favour.
After approving the consent agenda, council also swiftly approved a report from the Integrity Commissioner. A complaint was made over a social media post by Councillor Erin Caton, and while the commissioner said that Caton did not violate the Code of Conduct, he did urge all councillors to exercise caution when making social media posts that reference individual members of the community, no matter how subtlety. Council felt no compulsion to talk about it further and received the report.
Next, Matt Newby, Vice President of Business Operations for the Guelph Storm, talked to council about their bid to secure the Memorial Cup in 2027. He said that this may be the last chance for Guelph to host the Cup with newer and bigger arenas coming online around the league, so the time is right to take this shot. He also said that Guelph is a model CHL town with a productive relationship between the team and the City and there are plans for a whole community effort to activate the area around the Sleeman Centre for an event of national importance.
When asked about the impact of construction downtown during the Cup, Newby said that it would be tough to hide it because the head of the CHL lives in Guelph, but he figures it’s not a deal breaker. Also, he believes that the team will figure out how they’ll be able to navigate construction when it begins in 2026 while Sleeman is hosting regular season games, which normally pack the arena.
Among council there was still some skepticism. There was concern about putting all the chips from the Municipal Accommodation Tax on this one event, and there was concern about delaying wayfinding projects that will promote travel and accessibility around the city. But despite any concerns, only two councillors voted against endorsing the bid.
Next, council looked at some motions passed at Committee of the Whole about a program to bring Temporary Accessible Ramps around Guelph. The initiative was brought by Councillor Carly Klassen, who wasn’t at committee, but since that meeting she further refined her motions to endorse a community-led approach that might include the non-profit StopGap, and to encourage the Downtown Guelph Business Association and the Chamber of Commerce to raise awareness about grant opportunities.
James Nowak, who delegated at committee, told council again that he believed landlords should be the ones responsible for making buildings accessible, and showed council a picture of a 10-year-old StopGap ramp from the previous pilot project where you need another ramp to even access it. Cyndy McLean, who led that original pilot project, noted that those old ramps have been “floating around” downtown and have ended up in places for which they were not originally intended. She also said that the temporary ramps were meant to be a first step, but COVID and her own personal health issues made it hard to keep any continuity with the project. She also said that accessibility improvements needed to be a whole of community initiative, but with City support for that continuity.
Council did eventually approve Klassen’s new motions, but there was a concerning lack of commitment. Guthrie said this was not the end of the conversation, but the only change came from Councillor Caton who added the words, “and permanent solutions” to the recommendation about endorsing a community initiative.
Then, council added more caveats to the lengthy list of recommendations approved at committee about phase one of the Wyndham Street North and St. George’s Square construction project. First, council flipped the wording back to “direct” from “encourage”, and then Councillor Cathy Downer tabled a slate of recommendations including a reduction of the size of an interactive structure (instead of explicitly calling it a “playground”), the inclusion of more lighting to enhance programming and placemaking, a smaller family fountain that will fit the overall look of the other fixtures in the Square and a direction to bring the final design back to council by the end of the year.
Although that last bit seemed impossible at committee, at least so far as meeting staff timelines for getting the project out to tender in October, staff are now saying that so long as the main work needed for the project is lined up for October, they can refine the details before actual construction begins. Still, many on council had doubts about the plans for St. George’s Square and were still hoping there’s time to find the ever nebulous “wow factor” that has somehow remained elusive. Recommendation #3 was approved 7-5 while the rest of the slate was approved unanimously.
Finally, there was the swift passage of a recommendation from Councillor Leanne Caron to suspend the Eligibility and Qualifications Section of the Public Appointment Policy until staff can sort out a firmer and clearer definition of what it means to be a “resident” of Guelph.
Click here to see the complete recap of the meeting.
Special Meeting of Council – July 23, 2025
Perhaps fittingly, the last meeting of council before the start of summer vacation was to finally fill the vacancy in the Ward 6 seat left by Dominique O’Rourke when she was elected as Guelph’s MP in April.
There were 26 declared candidates, 25 of them took their five minutes to explain to council why they would make a good fit for the role, and in some cases answer follow-up questions from their potential electors, the members of city council. (If you’re interested, you can click on the link to the full recap to see capsule reviews of each candidate’s pitch and what council asked them, but we won’t get into that here.)
After about three hours of presentations, the time came for council to vote. Each of the 26 names were read in alphabetical order, and council voted with a show of hands. After the first round, Upper Grand District School Board trustee Katherine Hauser secured five votes, businesswoman Rebecca Adam got four, and writer/editor Jessica Ferlaino received three. All the other candidates received no votes, so per the procedure they were excluded from the next round, and so was Ferlaino who received the least number of votes.
That left a two-woman race for the final vote, and ultimately both Hauser and Adam received six votes each. As council watchers know, a tie vote is a failed vote, so what did council do? They got out, The Box. Essentially, it came down to a draw. Hauser and Adam’s names were written on two pieces of paper that were the same size and type, and they were placed in a bright orange box. With Mayor Cam Guthrie holding the box, O’Brien drew the name and the winner was… Katherine Hauser!
The now-Councillor Hauser was then swiftly sworn into office, and she took her seat among her new council colleagues and passed a motion to adjourn. Members of council and the candidates then retired to the Marg Mackinnon Room to enjoy some refreshments. So what happens now? Summer vacation!
Click here to see the complete recap of the meeting.
Guelph Politico 