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…?

New Downtown Construction Milestone Unlocked

The City of Guelph has announced that they have reached the second major milestone of the Downtown Infrastructure Renewal Program “on schedule”. The intersection at Macdonell and Wyndham Street will re-open on Sunday a little less than one-month after it was closed. According to a City of Guelph media release, this milestone indicates “strong momentum” and city hall’s “commitment to minimizing impacts wherever possible, especially ahead of back-to-school season.”

“Students are a vital part of our Downtown community and are among the many people who rely on transit to travel through the area,” said Kyle Gibson, acting general manager for transportation and engineering services in a statement. “Reopening this route now will improve mobility, reduce disruptions, and help create a smoother experience for residents, students, businesses, visitors, and all transit users travelling in and out of our Downtown core, helping to support local businesses as activity picks up this fall.”

The next construction milestone is scheduled for the end of the year.

Garbasaurus Getting a Glow Up

This week, the Royal City Park sculpture affectionately called Garbasarus will be undergoing repairs to restore the piece to it’s original version. Although the sculpture itself is “structurally sound”,  assessments done in 2024 and 2026 have found broken and missing parts, loose attachments, corrosion, dirt, adhesives and lichen, which have all compromised stability and require treatment. The area will be fenced off and work will take place in the mornings from August 17 to 24 supervised by the original artist, Greg Elliott.

Garbasaurus commemorates the OPIRG’s 20th annual Speed River Cleanup in 1999, and its sits over six feet tall and weighs around 647 pounds – the same amount of trash the group pulled out of the Speed and Eramosa rivers during its first clean up in 1979. Among the items most often found during the cleanups are tires, scrap metal, hubcaps, shopping carts, and paint cans. Elliott envisioned an installation that would appeal to children and youth and act as a lasting reminder of the importance of environmental conservation.

Enter Your Cute Pet and Win with Humane Society

The Guelph Humane Society’s Cutest Pet Photo Contest is back for another year, and they’re requesting photos of dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, guinea pigs and other companion animals! The $20 entry fee includes 20 votes and up to two pets may be included in each submission. Participants can then share their entry with family and friends and encourage them to vote. Votes are $1 each, with a minimum $5 donation. Donations of $20 or more are eligible for a charitable tax receipt. The Humane Society hopes to raise $10,000 through this year’s contest to deliver critical care and support for vulnerable animals in Guelph and Wellington County.

The pet with the most votes when the contest closes will receive the grand prize package from Craig Robinson Images. The package includes a signature pet photography session, 20 digital images and a custom photo book. A large print of the winning pet will be displayed in the GHS lobby throughout 2027, and the winner will be featured as the August Pet of the Month in the 2027 Guelph Humane Society’ Happy Tails Calendar. The second- and third-place pets will each receive a 30-minute mini photography session, five digital images and a large print of their guardian’s favourite photo. Special recognition prize baskets will also be awarded to the top dog, cat and other animal.

“The Cutest Pet Photo Contest turns the joy we share with our own pets into meaningful support for animals who need us,” said Lisa Veit, executive director of Guelph Humane Society in a media release. “Every entry and every vote helps provide medical treatment, safe shelter and compassionate care to vulnerable animals in our community.”

To enter, vote or view the contest rules, click here.

Additional Notes 

The Guelph & District Labour Council will be hosting the 129th annual Labour Day Picnic at the red pavilion of Riverside Park on Monday September 7 from 11 am to 2 pm.

The City of Guelph has launched the “3-for-free” parking promotion, which offers three-hours of free parking in select areas of downtown through October. You can park at the Macdonell lot for three hours for free every day, and at Market Parkade on Thursdays and Fridays. The promotion ends on October 31.

Aldo Salis, the Director of Planning at Wellington County, has announced his retirement after 41 years in public service.

United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin, Toward Common Ground, the County of Wellington, the City of Guelph and the Guelph Community Foundation will be hosting “Finding Abundance: A Symposium” on Friday September 25. The event is free, but you have to register in advance.

You can also get tickets now for “United in Conversation“, a morning dedicated to celebrating women as leaders for social good in our community. This event will take place on Tuesday September 29.

Current “Have Your Say” Opportunities:

• Downtown Infrastructure Renewal Program
• Parkland Dedication Bylaw Update and Parkland Acquisition Strategy
• Traffic Calming Projects

Transit News & Detours

REMINDER #1: Routes #3 Westmount, #10 Paisley, #11 Silvercreek, #12 Delhi, #13 Eastview, and #20 Northwest Industrial will be detoured away from their stops in St. George’s Square due to construction for the foreseeable future.

REMINDER #2: Routes #1 Edinburgh College, #2 College Edinburgh and #15 College will be detoured from some stops on College and McGilvray starting until sometime in October.

REMINDER #3: Routes #3 Westmount, #4 York, #8 Janefield, #9 Waterloo, #10 Paisley, #11 Silvercreek, #12 Delhi, #20 Northwest Industrial and #99 Mainline are all being re-routed downtown while the intersection of Wyndham and Macdonell is closed between now and August 16.

New and Upcoming Construction

Nothing to report.