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."

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 23, 2025 Meeting?

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The epic midseason finale of city council this year will be even more epic because we will welcome a new character to the line up! Before council rises for the summer they will select their newest member by employing the rarely visited but recently very important City Council Vacancy Policy. In all, 26 people will try to make their case as to why they would like to join Guelph city council, at least for another 16 months… Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 23, 2025 Meeting?” →

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 22, 2025 Meeting?

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The last regular meeting before summer vacation, but not that last meeting before summer vacation, has something for everyone. There will be the return of the Committee of the Whole agenda,  including some additional information on one item, and there will also be some new public appointments to approve. And because when we say everything, we mean everything, there will also be a rare planning matter to consider. Let’s dig into it… Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 22, 2025 Meeting?” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #478 – Breaking Down the Grocery Code (feat. Karen Proud)

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The grocery industry in Canada is the epitome of monopoly; the Competition Bureau in 2023 reported that 75 per cent of all grocery purchases are made at one of the five major chains in Canada. In the wake of high grocery prices, which has been one of the pinchiest of pinch points in the post-COVID economy, people have wanted to see changes in the industry, so does that start with a more level playing field? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #478 – Breaking Down the Grocery Code (feat. Karen Proud)” →

RECAP: Committee of the Whole Meeting for July 8, 2025

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Let’s get into a busy committee agenda! 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: Committee of the Whole Meeting for July 8, 2025” →

POLICE NOTES: Mice Heist, Tools Taken, and Sunday Speed Trap

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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: Mice Heist, Tools Taken, and Sunday Speed Trap” →

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 16, 2025 Meeting?

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Remember the Strategic Plan? You should because every report that comes to council details how it aligns with the Strategic Plan, but since you sometimes can’t see the forest for the trees, council meets once a year to get an update about how well (or how poorly) the City is meeting its goals when it comes to the four pillars of the Strategic Plan. This is that meeting, the real State of the City if you will… Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 16, 2025 Meeting?” →

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 15, 2025 Meeting?

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There will be no senioritis at July’s planning meeting. With an agenda this big, no one is slacking off! Coming up at the last planning meeting before summer break, council will have a slate of new heritage designations to consider, plus a few objections. There will also be a decision about a new project in the west end, an update on the City of Guelph’s efforts to create more affordable housing, and a couple of administrative matters. Let’s dig into the agenda… Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 15, 2025 Meeting?” →

RECAP: Heritage Committee Looks at Official Plan, Sets Table for Fall

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The first full meeting of the all-new, not-so-different Heritage Advisory Committee got down to business, but only with two new designations. So what was this last meeting before summer break really about? The Official Plan for one thing as the refresh gets underway with a presentation to the committee, and then heritage planning staff will layout what comes next when we get to the fall. Here’s the recap! Continue reading “RECAP: Heritage Committee Looks at Official Plan, Sets Table for Fall” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #477 – Buses and Brant (feat. Steve Petric and Daniel Kaufman)

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There’s no rest for the weary on this Canada Day week, especially if you’re engaged on housing and transit, and there has been some interesting news on those fronts in the last couple of weeks. No matter your holiday status this week, we’re not going to load you down with a policy deep dive, but we’re going to stop with two special guests to re-calibrate ourselves and remember: Progress is slow, but we need to be in this for the long haul! Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #477 – Buses and Brant (feat. Steve Petric and Daniel Kaufman)” →

This Week at Council: Shareholders Hear that Rail Trail Needs to Be a Priority

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June’s council business was concluded with a trifecta of meetings. Yes, there was the usual regular meeting and there was nothing really controversial about that business, so instead the friction fell at the Guelph Junction Railway shareholder meeting. At issue was not the business of GJR, but whether or not the company was doing enough to support the develop of trails adjacent to those tracks. Let’s get into it with this week’s recap. Continue reading “This Week at Council: Shareholders Hear that Rail Trail Needs to Be a Priority” →