GUELPH POLITICAST #65 – Phil Andrews, Former Editor of the Guelph Mercury

It was one year ago today that the news broke that the Guelph Mercury was shutting down. Under different circumstances, this year would be a cause for celebration for the Merc, it’s 150th birthday, but instead, despite the honest efforts of several people in the community, the hole left behind by the paper’s closure still hasn’t been filled. So is there a better time to look back? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #65 – Phil Andrews, Former Editor of the Guelph Mercury”

VIDEO: A Farewell to Thomas Video

Saturday marked the sad goodbye of another Downtown Guelph institution, Thomas Video. I worked there in its final phase of life, and before leaving for the last time I got store owner Ian Findlay in a corner for a minute to talk about the store, its legacy, and what he’ll miss after 34 years in business. Continue reading “VIDEO: A Farewell to Thomas Video”

GUELPH POLITICAST #64 – The Allt Brothers

It’s arguably the most important meeting of the year for any city councillor, the night when council votes on the city budget for the coming year. What could possibly more important that the immediate financial future of the city for one of the politicians that oversees it? Well, Phil Allt couldn’t make the budget night vote last month, and he had a very excellent excuse: he was saving his brother’s life. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #64 – The Allt Brothers”

LIVE BLOG: Committee of the Whole for January 16, 2017

It’s back to business as unusual at City Hall today with the first Committee-of-the-Whole meeting of 2017. You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here to read Politico’s preview of today’s meeting. For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s committee meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: Committee of the Whole for January 16, 2017”

Guelph’s Going to Protest Trump Too

You may have heard about the more than 200,000 people that are heading to Washington D.C. this weekend to protest incoming President Donald Trump. You may have read about the quartet of Guelph women who are going to join them. But if you can’t make the trip yourself, or even go to a solidarity march just down the road in Toronto at Queen’s Park, then there’s good news. The Royal City’s going to show their anti-Trump colours too. Continue reading “Guelph’s Going to Protest Trump Too”

MANGEZ! Dine Safe Guide for January 1-15, 2017

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 January 1-15, 2017”

Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the January 16 Meeting?

It’s back to business as the Committee-of-the-Whole meets for its January confab with issues ranging from a staff presentation on infrastructure to sign bylaw variances, and an update on District Energy. Continue reading “Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the January 16 Meeting?”

GUELPH POLITICAST #63 – Electoral Reform Redux

It was a little over six months ago that I sat down with Steve Dyck and Ken MacKay of Fair Vote Canada’s Guelph branch to talk about electoral reform, it’s various options, and what form it might take when the Trudeau government came back with its options this past December. Those were the days. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #63 – Electoral Reform Redux”