In other signs that life is slowly turning back to some semblance of normalcy, the City of Guelph announced Monday that they’ve set re-opening dates for Guelph Civic Museums. For other non-profits struggling because of the pandemic, the City also announced Monday how they will be implementing the council-approved $350,000 in funding to assist non-profits with emergency funding. Continue reading “Guelph Museums Re-opening, and Assistance for Non-Profits Announced”
So, there are Nazi monuments in Ontario? You might have never found that out if someone hadn’t vandalized the “Monument to the Glory of the UPA” in the St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery in Oakville before Friday. This is the latest instance of racist, or colonialist, monuments and statues to be challenged or vandalized since protests for social justice started after the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis in May, but this one has a twist. Continue reading “Graffiti Abounds! Guelph Black Heritage Hall Vandalized, But So is Nazi Monument (?) in Oakville”
There’s been a lot of discussion in the last several years about payday loan and cheque cashing businesses, specifically about whether or not these businesses target the vulnerable, and exploit them due to their business model. Those issues may have taken on a new urgency because of the pandemic, as have all issues around finance and the social safety net, and the Provincial government has decided to make some changes. Continue reading “Ontario Government Makes Move to Protect Vulnerable from Payday Loans”
Following up on last month’s sudden removal of Jasper Construction from the $34 million renovation of Guelph Police Services’ headquarters, a new contractor has been hired to complete the project. The City of Guelph announced Thursday that Perini Management will be taking over the project to ensure that the renovations are finally completed more than a year after they were supposed to be finished. Continue reading “City Hires Perini Management to Oversee Police HQ Completion”
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 July 1-15, 2020”
As you may have heard, Guelph is entering Stage 3 of the provincial opening along with much of the rest of Ontario. New rules about what can be open and when now means amending the rules for the wearing of masks, and in advance of Friday’s Stage 3 re-opening, the Medical Officer of Health for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph has updated her directive to reflect this new phase of things. Continue reading “Public Health Refines Mask Policy Ahead of Stage 3 Re-opening”
Here’s your monthly COVID-19 response update. 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 July 15, 2020”
This is where the hard work of changing the system, and combating systemic racism, begins. For almost two months there have been marches, demonstrations and meetings all designed to promote the cause, but if we’re going to tear down the system, and build something more equitable, it’s going to be a more long term fight. So how do we begin? Why don’t we begin with this podcast? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #229 – Black Votes Matter!”
As previously reported, Guelph is one of the areas in Ontario that has been approved for Stage 3 re-opening by the Government of Ontario starting this Friday. Question: Does that include the library? While the Guelph Public Library has been offering curbside pick-up for weeks, most in-person library services have remained inaccessible, and that trend is going to continue for the next few weeks. Continue reading “Library Can Open With Stage 3, But Probably Not for a Couple of Weeks”
In a closed session at Wednesday’s council meeting on the COVID-19 response, council will hear information about the University of Guelph universal student bus pass, and the options they’ll need to consider if students don’t return to school for in-person classes in the fall. Less than eight weeks before the start of the school year, there are still a lot of unknowns about this important source of funding for Guelph’s transit system, and what happens if the City can’t collect. Continue reading “Lack of Students Will Seriously Impact Transit Funding, and Service”
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