When you think about helping Guelph’s most vulnerable downtown, you think of Chalmers. They’ve been doing it for decades, and they’ve continued to do it though good economic times and bad. While the politicians look for policy and funding remedies, the good people at Chalmers are on the frontlines of the issue every day, so how do they see issues of poverty, homelessness, and mental health as they currently stand downtown? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #334 – Moving the Needle Downtown”
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health announced Monday a moment that local parents have long-awaited and eagerly anticipated: Starting later this week, if you have a child between the ages of six months and five years, you should be able to book an appointment to get their first COVID-19 vaccine shot. Shipments of Moderna’s pediatric vaccine will soon arrive! Continue reading “COVID Shots for Kids 6 Months to 5 Years Arrive Locally This Week”
A coalition of 230 social services and community groups have called on the Provincial government and Premier Doug Ford to double Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) rates. In an open letter, the group says that current crises around poverty, homelessness and mental health can all be tied to years of under-funding in social services, and doubling the rates would be a good start to begin a redress. Continue reading “Over 200 Advocacy Groups Demand Immediate Increase to Social Assistance”
It’s election season here in Guelph! The nominations are open for this fall’s Municipal Election, and interested residents are filing their papers to run for positions as mayor, for city council and for a spot on one of the local school boards. Each week, this space will break down who’s new to the race, who’s running again, and where we’re still waiting for someone to show an interest! Continue reading “Municipal Election Nominations Update Week #12”
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: Firearm Reports, Remains Found, Murder Investigation Ongoing”
July means the end of council business for the summer, but in this election year it also kind of means the end of business for the rest of this term. With the exception of a couple of meetings in September, and one in November, this is it for the current incarnation of council and what a way to leave things with a new Official Plan Amendment, a major benchmark in the Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw review, and emergency motions about homelessness downtown. Here’s the recap! Continue reading “This Month at Council: Official Plan, Zoning and Homelessness”
Responding to a motion from Guelph City Council to hold an emergency meeting on homelessness in Downtown Guelph, the Wellington County’s social services committee gathered to address those concerns. The long meeting (by committee standards) saw members agree with Guelph’s leaders that more needs to done, and backed up council’s calls for action. How did we get here? Let’s recap the meeting… Continue reading “RECAP: County Committee Supports Council Direction on Homelessness”
On Monday, Patrick Brown announced that he would be running for re-election as the Mayor of Brampton. It was a no-brainer because it seemed pretty unlikely that he’s going to get back in the Conservative leadership race, but it’s far from certain that Brown has the political juice to even get his old (current) job back. This week, we look at Brown’s controversies through the eyes of someone that knows them best. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #333 – The View from Brampton”
Just a couple of days after Guelph City Council ratified a slate of motions meant to direct action on homelessness, mental health and addiction issues in Downtown Guelph, the City’s social services provider will gather the committee that oversees them for a special meeting. On Thursday, Wellington County’s social services committee, which includes Mayor Cam Guthrie as a member, will answer some of Guelph council’s questions. Continue reading “County’s Social Services Committee to Hold Special Meeting on Thursday”
It’s the mid-season finale for city council, and it’s going to be a busy one! 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 on Twitter, or follow the tweets below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for July 18, 2022”
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