Adam A. Donaldson

Guthrie Says COVID State of Emergency Could Be Over By New Year’s

Published on Nov 10, 2021 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

In perhaps the most powerful local sign yet that this pandemic is near it’s end, the leaders of both the City of Guelph and the County of Wellington announced Wednesday that the local states of emergency could be ended by the last day of 2021. Both Mayor Cam Guthrie and Warden Kelly Linton released similar sounding statements today saying that, with the advice of public health, the nearly two-year-old state of emergency may be *almost* over. Continue reading “Guthrie Says COVID State of Emergency Could Be Over By New Year’s” →

Ontario Hitting Pause on Re-opening Plans After Bump in COVID Cases

Published on Nov 10, 2021Nov 10, 2021 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

Less than 24 hours after the Mister of Health said that Ontario will “stay the course” on its planned re-opening, there’s been a change in course. On Wednesday, Christine Elliott announced in a statement that the unfurling of capacity limits has been put on pause out of an “abundance of caution” as the Province tries to manage the pandemic, and not fall back into old, business-limiting restrictions. Continue reading “Ontario Hitting Pause on Re-opening Plans After Bump in COVID Cases” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #297 – Spread the Word, Err… Pollen

Published on Nov 10, 2021Nov 7, 2021 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

We’re picking up where we left off a couple of weeks ago with our countdown to Giving Tuesday, and we’re going to talk to a community group that’s focused on a very specific aspect of environmental protection. Guelph has its share of so-called “tree huggers”, but there’s only one group that’s trying to make this a better place for pollinating insects. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #297 – Spread the Word, Err… Pollen” →

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for November 8, 2021

Published on Nov 8, 2021Nov 8, 2021 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

Shall we talk about the draft of the Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw review? You can click here for the amended agendas 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 November 8, 2021” →

How is Guelph Marking Remembrance Day This Year?

Published on Nov 8, 2021Nov 8, 2021 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

Remembrance Day is a pretty deal in Guelph, and yes it’s a pretty big deal across Canada, but Guelph is the hometown of Col. John McCrae, who’s famous poem is recited every November 11 at commemorations around the country. For this Remembrance Day, those commemorations will at least be semi-normal once again, and while there will be no parade, their will be some hybrid public events. Continue reading “How is Guelph Marking Remembrance Day This Year?” →

POLICE NOTES: Guy Fawkes, Teen Found, and Lots of Impaired Driving

Published on Nov 6, 2021Nov 7, 2021 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

There are 137,000 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 gong 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: Guy Fawkes, Teen Found, and Lots of Impaired Driving” →

RECAP: It’s Now Up to the OLT on Guelph’s New Ward Map

Published on Nov 5, 2021 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

In the second day of hearings at the Ontario Land Tribunal, the City of Guelph presented its last witness and both parties made their final arguments. We now wait for a decision as to whether or not the OLT will uphold the map, ask for a change, or get rid of it altogether, and they have until the end of the year to render a decision in time for next year’s election. So how was day #2 of the hearing? Read on… Continue reading “RECAP: It’s Now Up to the OLT on Guelph’s New Ward Map” →

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 15 Meeting?

Published on Nov 5, 2021Nov 9, 2021 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

November is a busy month at council, and this third week of the month is going to be the busiest in terms of council business. Of course, the biggest meeting of the year is the budget presentation, but just in time for comment is a new plan from Guelph Transit to expand their service over the next decade, which yes, will require some major new investments. So what might transit look like in 10 years time? Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 15 Meeting?” →

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 16 Meeting?

Published on Nov 4, 2021Nov 5, 2021 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

If calculators and spreadsheets are your fetish, then this is the most wonderful time of the year for you! Budget season is finally here, and it’s extra special this year because this is the City of Guelph’s first ever multi-year budget!! The pressures of a growing city will meet the pressure of delivering something that’s affordable for the average Guelphite as we kick off the City’s second annual day-long budget presentation. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 16 Meeting?” →

RECAP: The OLT Hears Arguments Against the New Ward Boundaries

Published on Nov 4, 2021 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

It was just a few months ago that Guelph City Council approved the new ward boundaries for the city starting in 2022. So that’s that, right? Actually, no. One Guelph resident filed an appeal with the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) on the basis that the new six-ward map does not offer fair representation to all Guelph residents, especially the ones in the south end. How does the OLT feel on the subject? Check out day one coverage below. Continue reading “RECAP: The OLT Hears Arguments Against the New Ward Boundaries” →