Author: Adam A. Donaldson

When he’s not the main/only contributor to Guelph Politico, Adam A. Donaldson also contributes to GuelphToday.com as their city hall columnist and co-hosts a political and current affairs show on CFRU 93.3 fm called “Open Sources Guelph" as well as the movie review show "End Credits."

This Week at Council: Does Anyone Give a Dam?

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It was back to the Allan and Macdonell bridge structure at this month’s regular meeting of city council, but did anyone give a damn about getting rid of the dam? That was going to be the question at this meeting as numerous delegates tried to convince council that the dam’s time was over, and in the interest of flood control and re-naturalization it should be removed. But as you might already know there’s an issue with unknown amount of money needed to make it happen. Let’s recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Does Anyone Give a Dam?” →

POLICE NOTES: Whip Cream Heist, Prowler Caught, and More Distractions

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There are 145,000 stories in the Royal City, and this is some of them. Looking at a week’s worth of media releases from the Guelph Police Service, there’s a lot going on in our little city crime-wise speaking, so let’s run down some of the charges, issues, and requests for information from the Guelph Police Service over the last seven days. Continue reading “POLICE NOTES: Whip Cream Heist, Prowler Caught, and More Distractions” →

MEETING PREVIEW: Heritage Advisory Committee Meeting for November 6, 2025

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This November meeting of the Heritage Advisory Committee will look to the future in some key ways. There’s not a lot in new heritage designations, but there will be some discussion of future designations, and some discussion about a future Official Plan amendment and its impacts on heritage work, a potential demolition of a (sorta) heritage asset and a mistake made in the minutes of a previous meeting. Let’s get into the preview… Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Heritage Advisory Committee Meeting for November 6, 2025” →

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 12, 2025 Meeting?

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The November planning meeting will have one very big project on the agenda, literally and figuratively in the centre of town. Yes, we’re heading back to the Baker District where the private developer for the future residence there will bring an updated plan that might make this big project even bigger. In other news, there are some new heritage designations, a bylaw update, and some parking issues. Let’s get into the preview… Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 12, 2025 Meeting?” →

RECAP: City Council Meeting for October 29, 2025

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The 2026 budget confirmation process finally begins with the presentation from City of Guelph senior staff! You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s council meeting, you can follow along with the thread below, or you can watch the whole meeting for yourself by watching it on the City’s website here. Continue reading “RECAP: City Council Meeting for October 29, 2025” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #492 – A Broken Political Scene (feat. Doug Craig)

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It was about this time two years ago that former Guelph CAO Scott Stewart told city council in an open meeting that there needed to be a new deal for Ontario municipalities; that they were trying to solve 21st century problems with 19th century rules. As Guelph tackles another difficult budget season, one regional councillor is putting this issue in stark terms: Ontario’s councils are “on the verge of life support”! Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #492 – A Broken Political Scene (feat. Doug Craig)” →

RECAP: City Council Meeting for October 28, 2025

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After a week off, council gets back to business with back-to-back meetings! You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s council meeting, you can follow along during the meeting on Blue Sky or recap the complete thread after the meeting below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “RECAP: City Council Meeting for October 28, 2025” →

RECAP: Library Board Hears Youth Plans and Makes New Lease Offer

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Nothing too scary at this month’s Guelph Public Library Board of Directors meeting, just some of the usual updates. In terms of the new stuff, there was a discussion about youth programming at the various library branches and how the new main building will help them scale up those services. Also, there was a decision about a new lease agreement for the new library building in advance of the topic coming back to council tomorrow. Here’s the recap! Continue reading “RECAP: Library Board Hears Youth Plans and Makes New Lease Offer” →

POLICE NOTES: Drug Sweep Downtown, Smashed Windows, and Video Games Boosted

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There are 145,000 stories in the Royal City, and this is some of them. Looking at a week’s worth of media releases from the Guelph Police Service, there’s a lot going on in our little city crime-wise speaking, so let’s run down some of the charges, issues, and requests for information from the Guelph Police Service over the last seven days. Continue reading “POLICE NOTES: Drug Sweep Downtown, Smashed Windows, and Video Games Boosted” →

Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 4, 2025 Meeting?

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For people concerned about housing issues, this is probably the Committee of the Whole meeting for you! Two big reports are on this agenda, one dealing with moves to stop the loss of housing and one to deal with the creation of more housing on City-owned properties. In other news, committee will approve a plan to diversify membership of the police board and changes to the plans to enhance ground water protection. Here’s the full preview… Continue reading “Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 4, 2025 Meeting?” →