Category: Council Post-view

This Week at Council: Goodbye, Farewell and Amen

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It was the last meeting… of this term of council. The only thing on the agenda was everyone’s chance to say “goodbye”, at least for the eight members of council who were departing for greener, or different pastures. Yes, some people got emotional, and yes, there was a literal and symbolic passing of the torch between the outgoing and incoming mayor. To hear what everybody had to say about their last meeting and their time at council read the recap! Continue reading “This Week at Council: Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” →

This Week at Council: Homes or Hamburgers at Last Council Meeting Before Election

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At the last council meeting before the election, the second-to-last for the term, there was still some controversy left to squeeze out of the proverbial apple. A question about whether or not the first two blocks of the Guelph Innovation District were clear to proceed came down to a question about the surrounding industrial uses. Additionally, there were some concerns about comes next for winter maintenance with that season just three months away. Here’s the recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Homes or Hamburgers at Last Council Meeting Before Election” →

This Week at Council: 1,726 is the Magic Number

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The antepenultimate meeting of the term was a planning meeting with massive number of projects. Not only were there a lot of projects on this agenda, the projects themselves were pretty big including a massive new development in the south end, a big new student residence on College Avenue, and another heritage conservation district that got council approval, but it was a long way getting there. Here’s the recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: 1,726 is the Magic Number” →

This Week at Council: We Meet in August Over the New DC Plan from Queen’s Park

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Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water… circumstances forced us all back to the council chambers, or the live-stream page of the City of Guelph website, for a midsummer council meeting. The topic? A new plan to supercharge housing by cutting DCs and funding housing enabling infrastructure courtesy of the federal and provincial governments, but with an election coming timelines are getting tricky. Here’s the recap! Continue reading “This Week at Council: We Meet in August Over the New DC Plan from Queen’s Park” →

This Week at Council: Public Space Changes and the “Future” Reviewed

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It was the last city council meeting… before summer break! There will be a couple of more meetings in September before the October 26 election, but will there be anything as controversial as the unscheduled return of the Public Space Use Bylaw? That one was put on the revised agenda, along with a matter of development changes being applied to a non-profit’s renovation project. We’ll get that, and the update about the City’s Strategic Plan in this last recap of the summer! Continue reading “This Week at Council: Public Space Changes and the “Future” Reviewed” →

This Week at Council: A Good Night of Planning

Published on by Adam A. Donaldson1 Comment

It was another long one at Guelph City Council in terms of the planning meeting, but it was not so divisive as it might have appeared at the beginning. It was a packed agenda including a couple of new residential projects, the next heritage conservation district, and the annual report about Guelph’s growth and its relative success. Also, a key piece of Guelph’s affordabile housing strategy was complete. Here’s the recap! Continue reading “This Week at Council: A Good Night of Planning” →

This Week at Council: Risks, Assets and Community Well-being

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The agenda was busy, but controversy seemed to take the week off at Guelph City Council. For the last Committee of the Whole meeting before the election, there were reports about the risks being faced by the corporation, the current state of the City’s assets, and the ways we need to better commit to community well-being. There were also rewards, but for the most parts its just some very normal regular reporting. Here’s the recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Risks, Assets and Community Well-being” →

This Week at Council: Trail Talk, and the Bridge Stays in the Picture

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It was a long one this week at city council with three meetings and several potential issues of controversy. One shareholder meeting went by with zero controversy, but the other one literally packed the gallery with concern about trails along the railways. At the regular meeting, the Committee of the Whole ratification still had some juice, especially around a (for some reason) controversial bridge. Here’s the recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Trail Talk, and the Bridge Stays in the Picture” →

This Week at Council: Niska Lands Blocked, Renoviction Bylaw Unlocked!

Published on by Adam A. Donaldson1 Comment

It was a pretty big week for Guelph City Council in terms of both length and substance. The planning meeting also had scale, between the approval of a massive new project for the downtown area and the protection of a big piece of land in the south end. There were also big implications for supporting affordable housing in the city, as staff brought back three very in-demand new bylaws. So let’s get all the details from two mega meetings in this recap! Continue reading “This Week at Council: Niska Lands Blocked, Renoviction Bylaw Unlocked!” →

This Week at Council: A Bridge Too Far Gone?

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It was a long one at June’s Committee of the Whole meeting, and it was mostly about a bridge. But there was something for everyone at this meeting from energy equity to community grants to outside water use. We covered a closed meeting investigation, a new procurement bylaw update, and there was even a semi-planning matter in regards to building fee changes. So let’s get into all that and more in this week’s council meeting recap! Continue reading “This Week at Council: A Bridge Too Far Gone?” →