One last ride before Election Day. In the penultimate council meeting of this term, there will be at least a couple of big issues including another crack at the bat for the developer of the Guelph Innovation District, and since winter is coming, council will also hear the value-for-money audit results about the City of Guelph’s winter maintenance program. Get your council fix here because it’s all election all the time from here! This is the preview!!!
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 September 11. 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:
September 2026 Public Appointments: Downtown Guelph Business Association Board of Directors – Two city councillors sit on the DGBA Board, and their appoints are approved by city council. Likely, council will discuss who gets appointed in closed before they make any motion in the open session.
Organizational Structure Review Update – Apparently, there’s a review of how the City is organized underway. How’s it going? Can’t say, because this will be closed under section 239(2)(b) and (d) of the Municipal Act for “personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees and labour relations or employee negotiations.”
2026 Second Quarter Budget Monitoring Report – Halfway through 2026 and Guelph is facing a projected $4.3-million operating deficit by year-end, including a $3.5-million deficit in the tax-supported budget. Why? Higher fuel costs, severe winter weather, emergency-services staffing and overtime, encampment response, and rising compensation costs. Development cost collection is also a concern, only $5.8 million was collected by the end of June. Good news? The City has secured $33.6 million in grant funding so far in 2026, and its $21.4-million Housing Accelerator Fund program remains on track, with about 85 per cent of initiatives completed and the Multi-Unit Accelerator Grant having supported permits for approximately 829 additional housing units. The City is also pursuing $73.6 million through the federal-provincial Development Charge Reduction Program.
Decision Report for Proposed Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment, and Draft Plan of Subdivision for GID Blocks 1 and 2 File: OZS26-002 – Getting closer…. Back in May, council said “no” to Fusion Homes’ plan for the first two blocks of the Guelph Innovation District, and this time, staff are recommending a “yes” but only for the Official Plan Amendment; the zoning bylaw change and subdivision draft plan were rejected again. The report says that while Fusion has resolved or substantially addressed most of the issues that previously concerned staff, there’s one big issue that remains: land-use compatibility with nearby industrial and major utility uses. The big issue is actually the Waste Resource Innovation Centre. Staff believe that the 1,000 residential units proposed within a kilometre of the centre are too close because there will surely be complaints about the smell by those living there. The blame, it seems, is Fusion’s insistence to in reducing employment lands, which, as consequence, put people closer to the WRIC.
Winter Maintenance Value-for-Money Audit – The verdict? No great, but not terrible. The audit has found that Guelph’s winter maintenance program generally operates within its required service standards but there is room for improvement. The number of roads the City needs to maintain has grown by 10 per cent in the last seven years, which requires a reconsideration of how routes for snow plows are designed. There are also some equipment issues with the age of the machines, and the consistency of attendance and availability when it comes to casual staff. The audit also cites communications issues, because residents start filing complaints as the snow is still falling and don’t understand that the provincial Minimum Maintenance Standards required of the City crews maybe different than their expectations. There also communication issues inside city hall as there is no formal process for notifying Winter Maintenance when newly built roads become City-maintained. The audit also recommends a review of road salt budgeting.
Council Memo: Winter Maintenance Programs Service Level Review Next Steps – Earlier this year, council asked staff to do a service review of winter maintenance, in other words asking staff if there’s anything that can be done better? (The audit only measures who well they’re doing now with the present service.) With the audit revealing that the City is meeting winter service levels, staff are asking council implement the audit recommendations first and then begin the full service review.
Review of the Ontario Land Tribunal and Enhancing Deference to Municipal Planning Decisions – Councillor Cathy Downer asked to pull this notice from July 31 information reports to council, a resolution from the Town of Whitby asking the Government of Ontario to review the role of Ontario Land Tribunal to ensure that municipal decisions are respected and more easily upheld when at the OLT. Presumably, Downer will ask council to endorse a similar motion.
Guelph Politico 