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 #390 – How to Cover a Protest in 2023

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For years, Guelph has been a hotbed of protest, a very politically inclined city on a variety of issues including climate change, poverty, workers rights, equality, Black Lives Matter, and the systemic abuse of Indigenous peoples. Last Wednesday, direct action was on display again as people gathered in Market Square, but this was a protest completely unlike any other in a number of ways, and we need to take a moment to unpack things. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #390 – How to Cover a Protest in 2023” →

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for September 26, 2023

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It’s the last council meeting of the month! You can click here for the amended agendas 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 September 26, 2023” →

RECAP: Library Board Approves Big Boost to the Budget for 2024

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The Guelph Public Library Board took the summer off and slid right into the serious business of budgeting Monday night. As you will see below, the library became the first board and shared service to pass their 2024 budget, and that means city council will be handed a request for a 8.77 per cent increase for next year. What does that mean and why the big bump? You will find out be scanning the recap… Continue reading “RECAP: Library Board Approves Big Boost to the Budget for 2024” →

This Week at Council: It’s a Sign!

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It was one of those weeks at city council, and by “one of those weeks”, we mean that it just wasn’t that busy. Perhaps it was meant to be a refreshing break from the last few weeks of very long meetings. In any event, this month’s planning meeting came down to three simple items, and while one of them tried hard to generate some controversy, business was managed in a relatively smooth manner. Continue reading “This Week at Council: It’s a Sign!” →

POLICE NOTES: Dognapper Found, Stolen Gumballs and Fake Cheque Gets Excavator

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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: Dognapper Found, Stolen Gumballs and Fake Cheque Gets Excavator” →

RECAP: GRCA Members Hear About the Plans for the Old Waterfowl Park

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September’s meeting of the Grand River Conservation Authority’s membership had a Guelph-centric agenda item. Deliberations began about the future of the old Kortright Waterfowl Park in the city’s southwest end, and while no decisions were made at this meeting, decisions are going to be made in the near future. In other news, there may be some relief for GRCA pass holders who want to access the Elora Gorge. Here’s the meeting recap… Continue reading “RECAP: GRCA Members Hear About the Plans for the Old Waterfowl Park” →

Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the October 3 Meeting?

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There shouldn’t be anything terribly spooky on the agenda for October’s Committee of the Whole meeting. Not that many tricks either, but there are treats if you’ve been looking forward to the long-simmering Parks and Recreation Master Plan coming back to council for approval. There will be much thanksgiving for the completion of other City plans too, but it remains to seen if those initiatives will be easily digested by committee. Continue reading “Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the October 3 Meeting?” →

RECAP: Transit Committee Hears That EV Buses Are on the Road and More Future Deets

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After taking the summer off, the Transit Advisory Committee got back to work, and got back to the basics. Literally. The committee had an overview of their roles and responsibilities and welcomed some new members, and then they got into transit business. What happened to those shelter upgrades at Guelph Central Station? You will find out here, plus you will learn about the roll out of new programs and what’s coming in the future. Here’s the recap… Continue reading “RECAP: Transit Committee Hears That EV Buses Are on the Road and More Future Deets” →

Tensions Fray as ‘Million’ Marchers Met Bigger Counter Protest at City Hall

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Two things were observably true on Wednesday morning in Market Square: a planned demonstration by around 250 people under a banner called “1 Million March 4 Children” where met by a counter-protest three times its size, and there was considerable enmity between those two sides. All told, about a thousand people gathered in the one acre-sized square in front of City Hall but in ideology they were worlds apart. Continue reading “Tensions Fray as ‘Million’ Marchers Met Bigger Counter Protest at City Hall” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #389 – It’s In the Code

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Have you heard there’s a housing crisis? It’s pretty much all anyone can talk about, which is understandable, and the causes of the crisis are many. But have you thought about the Building Code? Chances are you haven’t, but this important document meant to govern our health and safety indoors might have some holes in it, and it might be causing complications that are getting in the way of desperately needed new units. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #389 – It’s In the Code” →