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 POLITICAST #442 – The War on Bike Lanes (feat. Mike Darmon & Adrian Salvatore)

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If you feel like active transportation options are under siege at the moment, you’re not alone. The Ontario government is coming for municipal bike lanes while cities like Guelph, facing unprecedented financial barriers, are seeing robust active transportation networks as a “nice to have”. We’ve spent the last few years trying to undo decades of building our cities around the personal automobile, but is the war on bike lanes finally here? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #442 – The War on Bike Lanes (feat. Mike Darmon & Adrian Salvatore)” →

This Week at Council: Committee Lays Pipe for New Enbridge Contract

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It was looking like a pretty laid back Committee of the Whole meeting for this November, and then, of all things, people got excited to talk about contractual matters between the City of Guelph and a major utility. People turned out to talk about their concerns about the City signing up for another 20-year hitch with Enbridge without any considerations about the future. Let’s see what happened via the following recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Committee Lays Pipe for New Enbridge Contract” →

POLICE NOTES: Homicide Arrest, Uber Assault, and a Missing Door

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There are 145,000 stories in the Royal City, and this is some of them. Looking at a week’s worth of media releases from the Guelph Police Service, there’s a lot going on in our little city crime-wise speaking, so let’s run down some of the charges, issues, and requests for information from the Guelph Police Service over the last seven days. Continue reading “POLICE NOTES: Homicide Arrest, Uber Assault, and a Missing Door” →

RECAP: Guthrie Finds Praise and Friction in Final Budget Town Hall

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Sure, it was Friday night, but it seemed like one of the hottest ticket in town (not that there were tickets) was the final budget town hall with Mayor Cam Guthrie. The mayor wanted to share some positive feedback about his efforts in a Waterloo Region newspaper, but there were a lot of people in attendance who still have concerns about the budget from transit, to homelessness, to accessibility and oversight. For the last time this cycle, let’s dig into the recap! Continue reading “RECAP: Guthrie Finds Praise and Friction in Final Budget Town Hall” →

MEETING PREVIEW: Joint Social Services and Land Ambulance Committee Meeting for November 13, 2024

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After a very consequential October meeting of the Joint Social Services and Land Ambulance Committee don’t expect things to get anymore chill for November in spite of the cool weather. At this meeting, look for a full scale update about Paramedic Services (or Land Ambulance depending on where you stand in Wellington County), and, in keeping with the season, we will also visit some budget matters. Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Joint Social Services and Land Ambulance Committee Meeting for November 13, 2024” →

RECAP: Committee of the Whole Meeting for November 5, 2024

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Let’s dig into what went down at this month’s first council 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 this month’s Committee of the Whole meeting, follow the breakdown posted below, and you can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “RECAP: Committee of the Whole Meeting for November 5, 2024” →

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 19, 2024 Meeting?

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If you have thoughts about the budget, you couldn’t make it out to any of the town halls, and you’ve forgotten the password to your email account, then this is your chance to tell the mayor and council what you think about the 2025 Guelph Budget. Whether you’ve got praise, or whether you’ve got complaints, this is your chance to make the horseshoe aware of your feedback, so sign up now because lines will be very busy! Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 19, 2024 Meeting?” →

RECAP: Guthrie Gets Tough Qs About Birthday and Planning at Breezy

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It was probably going to be his toughest crowd going into Shine Brunch and Dinner for the Breezy Breakfast crowd, but Mayor Cam Guthrie and the executive team walked into the proverbial lion’s breakfast nook. Some of the usuals had some very pointed questions about active transportation and the city’s bicentennial especially, but some of the other area of interests like the Guelph Tool Library were cover too. Here’s the (breezy) recap… Continue reading “RECAP: Guthrie Gets Tough Qs About Birthday and Planning at Breezy” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #441 – The AAC Spills the Tea (feat. Lorelei Root)

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Watching the Accessibility Advisory Committee meetings over the last several months there’s a particular undercurrent that some members of the committee feel like they’re not being listened to, and that there was a disconnect between their expectations and what City of Guelph staff wanted them to do. And then came the Public Space Use Bylaw and the waters got even choppier. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #441 – The AAC Spills the Tea (feat. Lorelei Root)” →

RECAP: Budget Town Hall #2 Tackles Transit Concerns and Board Budgets

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For the second time this week, Mayor Cam Guthrie gathered a group of Guelphites and answered questions about the 2025 municipal budget. The difference this night is that there was a screen between the mayor and his constituents as this round went all virtual though Facebook Live. There were some already familiar questions about some common areas of interest, and there were some pointed comments about transit too. Here’s the recap…
Continue reading “RECAP: Budget Town Hall #2 Tackles Transit Concerns and Board Budgets” →