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."

Guelph Transit Sticking with Current Schedule, and Laying Off Workers

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Guelph Transit announced Tuesday that the current service levels are going to stay exactly the same for the foreseeable future. Since the start of the pandemic, buses have been running at a reduced service level, and even though school will be re-starting again in a few weeks, the City of Guelph will be keeping those services on the Saturday schedule indefinitely, while making some difficult decisions about staffing. Continue reading “Guelph Transit Sticking with Current Schedule, and Laying Off Workers” →

After a Decade, a Settlement is Finally Reached with G20 Protestors

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The year was 2010. Things started rough with a massive earthquake in Haiti, President Barack Obama got the Affordable Care Act passed but it came at the cost of one of the biggest midterm sweeps in American history, and Spain won that year’s FIFA World Cup. Meanwhile, in Toronto, whatever goals there were for the G20 Summit were overshadowed by violence in the streets and the overreaction by Toronto Police that’s now been backed up with a court settlement. Continue reading “After a Decade, a Settlement is Finally Reached with G20 Protestors” →

At AMO, Ford is Optimistic While the City of Guelph Comes with a Wish List

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The annual conference of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) kicked off Monday in an unusual way: remotely. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, representatives from many of Ontario’s 444 municipalities will not be descending on Ottawa this week, but will instead be meeting via teleconference, and the effects of the pandemic will definitely be a big part of the conversations. Continue reading “At AMO, Ford is Optimistic While the City of Guelph Comes with a Wish List” →

MANGEZ! Dine Safe Guide for August 1-15, 2020

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Twice-monthly Guelph Politico posts the latest inspection results from the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health Unit inspection of local restaurants, hotels, cafes, grocery stores and other businesses that handle food. We call it “Mangez!”, and this column highlights the latest inspections done by WDGPH, and the results they’ve posted. Continue reading “MANGEZ! Dine Safe Guide for August 1-15, 2020” →

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the August 24 Meeting?

Published on by Adam A. Donaldson2 Comments

An utterly rare series of August council meetings will come to close with this regular meeting of council. On the packed agenda is more discussions about the multiyear budget, an environmental assessment for Guelph’s busiest road, an ask for more funds for an affordable housing project, and the possibility of another dog park debate. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the August 24 Meeting?” →

Cities Finally Get Details on Emergency Funds, Guelph to Get $12 Million

Published on by Adam A. Donaldson2 Comments

Months of advocacy finally paid off for the City of Guelph and other municipalities in Ontario on Wednesday with the announcement of the first phase of emergency operating funds. Just in time for Guelph city council’s monthly COVID-19 response meeting, Mayor Cam Guthrie shared the news that Guelph’s share of $1.6 billion in funding under the Safe Start Agreement is $12 million. Continue reading “Cities Finally Get Details on Emergency Funds, Guelph to Get $12 Million” →

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for August 12, 2020

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This could be the last COVID-19 response meeting… For now. You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here and 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 August 12, 2020” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #233 – Parks or Wreck

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Despite conventional wisdom about there being no news in August, over 100 people went to Margaret Greene Park last week to confront City councillors, staff, and Metrolinx reps about a plan to build a traction power substation in a portion of the park. The events in the west end capture in a microcosm of big concerns about public engagement, and development running roughshod over neighbourhood concerns. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #233 – Parks or Wreck” →

Gazzola Apologizes But For What is Still an Unanswered Question

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It’s not the firs time that someone’s been removed from a position of authority because of something they posted on social media, but this is perhaps the most high-profile instance to happen in Guelph. Marino Gazzola, the now ousted chair of the Wellington Catholic District School Board, has formally apologized for some kind of negative social media posts though no one can say what those were. Continue reading “Gazzola Apologizes But For What is Still an Unanswered Question” →

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for August 10, 2020

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Two planning decisions and a notice of motion make the agenda for this bizarro August planning meeting. 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 August 10, 2020” →