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 Year’s Virtual Day of Mourning Will Consider the “Human Cost of COVID-19”

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We hear all the time about the struggles of essential workers in the pandemic, but do we truly appreciate how hard it is for the people who have not had the choice to work at home, and have had to sometimes suffer the dire consequences? Labour groups are hoping you take a minute to think about that on Wednesday when the National Day of Mourning for workers injured and killed on the job tackles the “Human Cost of COVID-19.” Continue reading “This Year’s Virtual Day of Mourning Will Consider the “Human Cost of COVID-19”” →

Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the May 3 Meeting?

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May’s Committee of the Whole will be a very busy affair indeed. There’s going to be money matters with the left over financial statements from last year, and the investment of that Safe Restart funding. In development matters, there’s some Official Plan stuff, and the business case for that other huge project that City staff is looking to get approval of. Continue reading “Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the May 3 Meeting?” →

Ford Apologizes for Third Wave Missteps, Promises Plans for Sick Days

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Nearly a week after the last time he was in front of cameras, Premier Doug Ford came out of quarantine for a minute on Thursday morning to say he was wrong. Apologizing for the overreach of the COVID restrictions he announced last Friday, Ford appeared emotional as he talked about what he did wrong, why he wants a second chance, and why now is finally the time to get serious about paid sick days. Continue reading “Ford Apologizes for Third Wave Missteps, Promises Plans for Sick Days” →

Booking Vaccines Has Tested Everyone’s Tech Know-How, Even Public Health’s

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In the last week, more and more cohorts have been opened to vaccine eligibility, and the it’s been accompanied by the usual excitement of people receiving their life-saving shot. The first two phases of pre-registration were accompanied by reports of tech issues as older people, many of whom are not very tech savvy, encountered complications, but don’t feel too bad though because according to Public Health, tech issues are “all over the map.” Continue reading “Booking Vaccines Has Tested Everyone’s Tech Know-How, Even Public Health’s” →

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for April 21, 2021

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Here we go again about growing! 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 April 21, 2021” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #270 – On-Demand Transit is Lit!

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Belleville is a little bigger than one-third the size of Guelph, but next month we’re going somewhere that Belleville’s been for a while. Since the invention of public transit, it’s been run simply by posting a map, scheduling the stops, and running buses and trains with regularity. It was static, it was predictable, and it was the simplest way we knew how to run a transit system. But is all that about to change? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #270 – On-Demand Transit is Lit!” →

RECAP: Guthrie Talks about Restrictions, Signs of Hope and Other Things in Live Chat

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If you happened to be on Facebook Tuesday night, you might have come across an impromptu Q&A with Guelph’s Mayor, Cam Guthrie. The nearly hour-long affair covered a wide range of topics that were mostly related to COVID-19 and the recent provincial restrictions, though there were some oldies-but-goldies like complaints about the new library, and the lack of an east-end grocery store. There was also a cameo from an honest to goodness local anti-mask celebrity! Continue reading “RECAP: Guthrie Talks about Restrictions, Signs of Hope and Other Things in Live Chat” →

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for April 19, 2021

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City council will try again to gain some insight into fighting systemic racism. 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 April 19, 2021” →

City, Police and Public Health Clarify Position on Emergency Orders

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It’s been a confusing weekend following Friday’s announcement of new, more stringent COVID-19 restrictions by the Provincial government. Perhaps sensing that uncertainty, the City of Guelph, Guelph Police Service, and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health issued a joint statement on Sunday morning that clarified the new police powers, and when they will be used. Continue reading “City, Police and Public Health Clarify Position on Emergency Orders” →

Less Organized, Still Misinformed; COVID Skeptics Gather Downtown Again

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Less than 24 hours after the Provincial government announced stricter lockdown measures, including new police powers and the closure of playgrounds, there was a requisite response from Guelph’s small but vocal group of skeptics. They say they’re not-anti-mask, but they are anti-lockdown, vaccine hesitant, and that they think the government is somehow both tyrannical and incompetent at the same time. Continue reading “Less Organized, Still Misinformed; COVID Skeptics Gather Downtown Again” →