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."

Upper Grand and Wellington Catholic Waiting for Key Docs to Finish 2020/21 Budget

Published on by Adam A. Donaldson1 Comment

At the Upper Grand District School Board Meeting last Tuesday, a series of meetings about the budget for the 2020/2021 school year were cancelled because the board is still waiting for documents from the Ministry of Education that they need to finalize the budget. With a deadline of June 30 for the final budget to be submitted to the ministry, school boards across Ontario have 30 days to get their financial plans in order even through there are still so many questions that have to be answered. Continue reading “Upper Grand and Wellington Catholic Waiting for Key Docs to Finish 2020/21 Budget” →

The Month at Council: COVID Continued and Back to Regular Order

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City council got back to some kind of business as usual in May with the announcement of a new schedule for a slate of meetings to carry us through to September. Will we be allowed to attend these meetings in person by then? Who can say? But for this month we got our COVID update, plus a planning meeting, and a regular meeting of city council. Here’s the recap from May. Continue reading “The Month at Council: COVID Continued and Back to Regular Order” →

City of Guelph Says No Programs, Permits, or Events Till September

Published on by Adam A. Donaldson1 Comment

Whether it’s an event at the River Run Centre, your child’s favourite summer camp, or booking a picnic site in Riverside Park for your family reunion, when it comes to City of Guelph properties, it’s “See you in September” for local amenities and the people. City officials announced today that all scheduled programs, performances, and events at their facilities are cancelled until after Labour Day. Continue reading “City of Guelph Says No Programs, Permits, or Events Till September” →

Library Announces Curbside Pick-Up Deets and City Releases Modified Street Deets

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June will bring some adjustment to the new normal in our pandemic times. As promised, the Guelph Public Library will begin curbside pick-up on Monday, and speaking of promises kept, the City of Guelph is also following up on city council’s May 11 decision to create options on city streets and sidewalks to get better social distancing. Continue reading “Library Announces Curbside Pick-Up Deets and City Releases Modified Street Deets” →

Royal City Mission Will Have Cooling Centre in Time for Next Heat Wave

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You may have noticed that there’s a heat wave right now. Typically, this annoyance has a solution for people without air conditioning as they can head to the mall, the library, or a rec centre to enjoy a respite from the heat. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken away that option, but there is one place in the Royal City that is looking to reclaim a space for the public to enjoy the cool once again. At least in time for the next heat wave. Continue reading “Royal City Mission Will Have Cooling Centre in Time for Next Heat Wave” →

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for May 27, 2020

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Council will hold its first planning meeting of the pandemic era. 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 May 27, 2020” →

Mayor and Task Force Focus on PPE and Mental Health in Third Meeting

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Mayor Cam Guthrie’s Task Force on Economic Recovery met virtually again on Wednesday with a focus this week on a couple of key areas. On the one hand, the Mayor is looking for local options to get more personal protective equipment, and on the other hand, there are also concerns about the mental well-being of people during this phase of the pandemic. Here’s the latest update about the task force’s activities. Continue reading “Mayor and Task Force Focus on PPE and Mental Health in Third Meeting” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #223 – The Coming of the Curbside Library

Published on by Adam A. Donaldson1 Comment

The library is the ideal paradox for the present pandemic: we’re all stuck at home looking for new stuff to read and watch, which is a situation ideally suited for the library, but because of the public health emergency, it is wildly irresponsible to have people visit the library and handle various books, and other things. But good news, we will soon be able to borrow from the library again. How will they do it? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #223 – The Coming of the Curbside Library” →

City Announces New Economic Recovery Efforts, Guthrie Looks For Aid

Published on by Adam A. Donaldson1 Comment

As the re-opening of the local and provincial economy seems stymied by the continually growing spread of COVID-19, the City of Guelph is announcing new ways of doing business thanks to the Our Food Future program sponsored by the City of Guelph and Wellington County. Meanwhile, Guelph’s political leaders are looking for more help from the Province. Continue reading “City Announces New Economic Recovery Efforts, Guthrie Looks For Aid” →

City of Guelph Announces New Deal With Unions

Published on by Adam A. Donaldson1 Comment

In the rush of new information daily about the City of Guelph response to COVID-19, one of the threads that’s gotten lost is the ongoing negotiations between the City, and three of their public workers’ unions to secure a new contract. Well, while we weren’t watching, it turns out that the City and those unions have struck a new tentative agreement. Continue reading “City of Guelph Announces New Deal With Unions” →