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."

Emergency Council Meeting to Discuss Impact of Bill 23

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You may have heard about the Government of Ontario’s Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act. Literally introduced the day after the October 24 municipal election, the legislation proposes to change significant portions of municipal planning policy to, in theory, increase the development of housing units. With the first round of feedback about the legislation coming due, the new Guelph city council will assemble to have their say. Continue reading “Emergency Council Meeting to Discuss Impact of Bill 23” →

POLICE NOTES: Fake Lawyer, New Scam, and Lots of Drugs Seized

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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: Fake Lawyer, New Scam, and Lots of Drugs Seized” →

Fed Gov’t Hires Consultants to Review Rail in Southwestern Ontario

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Wouldn’t it be nice to travel from Toronto to Québec City on frequent and reliable high speed rail? Well the Federal government thinks so to. Borrowing from $396.8 million over two years set aside in the 2022 Federal budget for Transport Canada and Infrastructure Canada, the Ministry of Transportation has engaged two consultants to look at transforming passenger rail in the country’s busiest corridor. Continue reading “Fed Gov’t Hires Consultants to Review Rail in Southwestern Ontario” →

Federal Funds Will Help Bookshelf Scale Up Digital Sales

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Do you like books? Do you like small, independent book stores like the Bookshelf in downtown Guelph? If you do, then this was a good news day because the Federal government announced funding for the Canadian Independent Booksellers Association, as well as funding for 180 booksellers across Canada, to help support Canadian literature by making those tomes easier to buy through digital storefronts. Continue reading “Federal Funds Will Help Bookshelf Scale Up Digital Sales” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #347 – What’s Next? Part 1: The Transition

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On November 15, five new city councillors are going to formally take their seat around the horseshoe, and they’re five people bringing a variety of skills and experiences to the table. Joining them are eight experienced councillors, so how do all these ingredients gel to immediately form a cohesive unit that will tackle some of the biggest challenges our local government has faced. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #347 – What’s Next? Part 1: The Transition” →

Back to Business as Usual at Guelph Schools on Tuesday

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With the morning’s announcement that the Ontario government will repeal Bill 28, and the follow-up announcement that the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) will end their strike, all that talk about remote learning this week at our local schools has been cancelled. Get ready for business as usual starting Tuesday at all schools in Guelph and Wellington County. Continue reading “Back to Business as Usual at Guelph Schools on Tuesday” →

Ford Blinks! CUPE Agrees to End Strike After Gov Promises to Revoke Bill 28

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Monday dawned with another day of job action by education workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), but now it will be the last day too. In a sudden press conference at Queen’s Park this morning, Premier Doug Ford said that his government will move to revoke the highly controversial Bill 28 that imposed a new contract on CUPE using the notwithstanding clause if the school workers promise to return to work. Continue reading “Ford Blinks! CUPE Agrees to End Strike After Gov Promises to Revoke Bill 28” →

School Plans: UGDSB and WCDSB Moving to Remote Learning This Week

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It only took a day, but the labour action by the province’s education workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) will force the closure of Guelph and area schools this week. The Upper Grand Board schools will be open one more day on Monday, while the Wellington Catholic Board schools staffed by CUPE workers will be closed immediately. Here’s the update from the two school boards… Continue reading “School Plans: UGDSB and WCDSB Moving to Remote Learning This Week” →

This Week at Council: Heritage Designation Re-Debate and Goodbyes!

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The day after Halloween offered at least one scare for anyone worried about heritage protection in Guelph. The last two meetings of the 2018-2022 term of council heard the objection of a heritage designation passed last summer in one, and then had one last moment of togetherness in the other. So let’s take a moment and recap how this very busy term of city council came to a close. Continue reading “This Week at Council: Heritage Designation Re-Debate and Goodbyes!” →

As Workers Strike, Ford Government Moves on the Greenbelt

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All eyes in Ontario on Friday were on the protests by education workers around the province, so what a good time to make a controversial move on a sensitive area of interest like the Greenbelt. On Friday afternoon, the Government of Ontario launched 30 days of consultation about removing 7,400 acres of land from the edge of the Greenbelt to make room more homes, which is okay, because this is technically a Greenbelt expansion. Continue reading “As Workers Strike, Ford Government Moves on the Greenbelt” →