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."

Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the September 6 Meeting?

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We’re back! Well, technically we were back a few weeks ago, but now city council is officially back, returning from summer vacation and returning to the council chambers. The agenda for this first Committee of the Whole meeting of the (nearly) fall has some straightforward stuff, but it also will have some controversy including the presentation of the Downtown Parking Master Plan and everyone’s three favourite words: “Strong Mayor Powers.” Continue reading “Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the September 6 Meeting?” →

Schreiner Calls For Public Inquiry into Greenbelt Shenanigans

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Greenbelt-gate continues to be a pain for the Government of Ontario, and the opposition parties are twisting the knife. Today, Guelph MPP and Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner took things up a notch by calling for an independent public inquiry into the scandal. It’s another pressure point in a week full of renewed pressure on Doug Ford and company about the deal to sell Greenbelt land to developers. Continue reading “Schreiner Calls For Public Inquiry into Greenbelt Shenanigans” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #Repeat – The Ongoing Paramedic Stress

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It happened again on the August long weekend. Offload delays at the Guelph General Hospital created some long line-ups for ambulances, and a couple of days before that there was another Code Red. The story has been repeating itself for over a year now, too many ambulances lined up at the hospital and not enough available in the community, but how do the paramedics themselves feel about the pressure they’re under? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #Repeat – The Ongoing Paramedic Stress” →

$1.8 Million More Going to Safe Supply and Another Addiction Treatments in Guelph

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As local addiction agencies mark Drug Poisoning Awareness Day in the next week, a special delivery came from from the federal government on Tuesday. Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield announced additional funds through Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP); $1.8 million that will go to three programs that will ensure support and treatment for people in the Guelph area who are addicted to substances. Continue reading “$1.8 Million More Going to Safe Supply and Another Addiction Treatments in Guelph” →

This Week in Council: A Kindle Plan

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If there’s a city council meeting in August, then you know that it has to be a pretty big deal. Picking up almost literally where we left off at the last meeting of council a few weeks ago, councillors and senior staff took a few minutes out of their summer vacation to approve the funding for the Kindle Communities supportive housing project on Shelldale. In other words, process wins! Here’s the recap… Continue reading “This Week in Council: A Kindle Plan” →

CITY PAGES: Still Triple A, Waste Plans, and Backyard Theatre

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The City of Guelph, and it’s various partners and agencies, put out a lot of information on a weekly basis, and while it all ends up on the City’s website somewhere, wouldn’t it be easier to just scroll through it all on one easy-to-read article on Guelph Politico here…? Continue reading “CITY PAGES: Still Triple A, Waste Plans, and Backyard Theatre” →

POLICE NOTES: New Phishing Scam, Broken Nose, Big Drug Trafficking Bust

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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: New Phishing Scam, Broken Nose, Big Drug Trafficking Bust” →

MEETING PREVIEW: Grand River Conservation Membership Meeting for August 25, 2023

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After a July break, the membership of the Grand River Conservation Authority will take part in a late August meeting in what looks like a pretty straightforward agenda with the usual financial and watershed condition updates. In terms of new material, we’ve got the cost of tree planting, a once-in-a-decade report, and an update about the changes to how the GRCA is managed with its member municipalities. Let us preview the meeting… Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Grand River Conservation Membership Meeting for August 25, 2023” →

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for August 16, 2023

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It’s an August meeting! 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 August 16, 2023” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #385 – The Year at Council So Far…

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In August, there’s usually no council business to talk about but there are unusual times so on the same day the annual mid-year council recap goes live we get a super-unusual August council meeting. In this very busy first year of a new council term, perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that council business would burst over the side and flood the vacation months, and it all comes down to a single word: housing. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #385 – The Year at Council So Far…” →