One of the big initiatives in this term of council, especially as we emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, was the effort to promote Guelph as a tourist destination. There are two major projects now in the pipeline that would do a lot to brandish Guelph as regional, provincial and nation destination, but as we look to the next term of council, will there be the political capacity to help make these projects a reality?

We’ve talked about both of these projects in previous episodes of the pod. Royal City Science is an effort to build a science centre in Guelph, and last fall they released their feasibility study, which laid out the plan for a 100,000 square foot facility to be built in three phases and will include exhibition halls, education spaces, a planetarium and an IMAX theatre. (That would be a first for this area by the way.)

When it comes to the National Urban Park, we know that infrastructure isn’t the problem because the land is already there, and while Guelph City Council has endorsed the idea, three very important people have held back: The Mayor, our Member of Provincial Parliament, and our Members of Parliament. In the meantime though, there’s a massive community investment in the project and they’re ready to go! So what’s happening now with both of these projects?

Joanne O’Meara, one of the organizers of Royal City Science, and P. Brian Skerrett, a heritage advocate and creator of Urban Park Guelph, will join us on this edition of the pod to talk about the latest with these initiatives. O’Meara will talk about the search for a site to build the science centre and whether the drama around the Ontario Science Centre is a drain on this project, and then we will then talk to Skerrett about community versus political support and getting ready to make an updated pitch to Parks Canada.

So let’s talk about Guelph as a city of attractions on this week’s Guelph Politicast!

To learn more about Royal City Science at their website, or follow them on Instagram. The monthly Science on Top events at Royal City Brewing will return this fall. You can also learn more about the effort to turn the OR Lands into a National Urban Park their website, on Facebook. The Yorklands Green Hub regularly hosts events on the property, and you can find more information about what’s coming up here, and learn more about other Guelph tourism events here.

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