For the eighth year in a row, the City of Guelph has secured a AA+ rating from the Standard & Poors global rating agency. This good economic news comes in the midst of a fiscal year where Guelph has been hit with the negative effects of COVID-19 and the economic problems created by the pandemic, and although Guelph is not alone in these conditions, it seems again we’re doing better than some of the others. Continue reading “Guelph Stays AA+ Despite the Financial Fallout of the Pandemic”
The annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference wrapped up on Wednesday with some speeches from opposition leaders including Green Party of Ontario leader and Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner. After Premier Doug Ford’s somewhat rosy appraisal of the current response to COVID-19 on Monday, Schreiner notes there’s still a long, long way to go, and a lot of stuff that’s been overlooked by the provincial government. Continue reading “Schreiner Wants Less Cheerleading More Regular Leading from Ford”
WE has turned into something of a national scandal, but the truth is that there have been a lot of questions about the way WE does business for a long time, and only some of it’s been recently exposed. The little non-profit that could, fighting child labour and promoting sustainability around the world, is now at the centre of the biggest political story in Canada in 2020, but what about the personal story? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #234 – WE: A Personal Story”
At a special meeting of the Upper Grand District School Board on Tuesday night, trustees heard the plans of their staff to ensure the safe re-opening of schools in Guelph and area in just a few weeks time. According to the staff report, the new school year is going to come with big challenges, and a big price tag, but confidence is high that it’s a good plan that will give school kids a taste of normalcy. Continue reading “Masks For Everyone, Says Upper Grand District School Board”
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”
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”
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”
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”
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?”
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”
