Category: Council Post-view

This Week at Council: Heritage, Integrity and Budget in 24 Hours or Less!

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Three meetings in 24 hours! It kind of sounds like a gimmick, but that’s the way the schedule shook out this past week with the continuation of the November 13 planning meeting, the regular meeting of council and then the budget confirmation meeting. There were some interesting new developments, some predictable hiccups, and at least one big surprise, and capturing it all is this week’s council recap post… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Heritage, Integrity and Budget in 24 Hours or Less!” →

This Week at Council: The People Have Budget Thoughts Too

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This week was budget delegation night, and while that’s always a busy occasion, this one was even busier. Blame the Strong Mayor Powered budget and some of the things cut or delayed, which got a great many community members very concerned about potentially lost opportunities, but before all that stuff, some unfinished business! A very special meeting of council was convened to take care of some labour matters. Here’s the recap! Continue reading “This Week at Council: The People Have Budget Thoughts Too” →

This Week a Council: Planning Meeting Interruptus

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This month’s planning meeting had more than a few surprises, including a cliffhanger! The stacked agenda covered an important heritage designation, a new plan for affordable housing, the approval of new housing geared to students, and the beginning of the final phase of the Heritage District study for the Ontario Reformatory Lands. Easy-peasy, right? Don’t be so sure until you’ve read till the end of the recap! Continue reading “This Week a Council: Planning Meeting Interruptus” →

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” →

This Week at Council: Fireworks Strike Back Before Budget

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After a two week break, council returned with back-to-back meetings that generated some conflict, including one surprising topic of controversy. Fireworks were back on the agenda, essentially so that council could ratify the direction they approved at Committee of the Whole, but things ended up going in a very different direction. Also, the 2025 budget with special edits directed by the mayor was introduced for the first time. Here’s the recap! Continue reading “This Week at Council: Fireworks Strike Back Before Budget” →

This Week at Council: The Quest for Affordable Housing Continues

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This month’s planning meeting had only one immediate application, and it’s one of those projects that should be simple, and would be simple if the 2023 Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw amendment was in effect. Mostly though, this meeting was about the effort to create more affordable housing, first by exploring an affordable housing pilot project and then by discussing the new affordable housing strategy. For details, here’s the recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: The Quest for Affordable Housing Continues” →

This Week at Council: Fireworks Over Fireworks

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What do you think about fireworks? The report to Committee of the Whole this month painted a pretty clear picture that something needs to change when it comes to when, where and how we deal with fireworks in Guelph, but what kind of change is needed? That was the question that prompted a near even split between the councillors and they still have to get this passed at the end of the month too. For now, let’s dive into the recap! Continue reading “This Week at Council: Fireworks Over Fireworks” →

This Week at Council: Last Minute Motion Drama

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It was supposed to be a nice, smooth meeting. The only thing on the agenda were reports from Committee of the Whole meetings that needed to be ratified, and aside from the two or three delegations, this meeting should have been over and done quickly. And yet, sometimes when you think the meeting is over, it’s not really over, especially when a member of council has a very specific motion they want to table. Here’s the recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Last Minute Motion Drama” →

This Week at Council: Renoviction and Real Estate

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Another Committee of the Whole meeting, but this one came with a little more variety if you have no special interest in downtown renewal. Bu if you do, say, have an interest in crafting a new bylaw to prevent so-called renovictions, or perhaps an issue with how much affordable housing is getting built in the city, then this recap might be of some interest to you. All that, plus a financial update and some audit results too. Continue reading “This Week at Council: Renoviction and Real Estate” →

This Week at Council: In the Heights Downtown

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The first planning meeting of fall brought an interesting proposal for the downtown core, are we ready for some more height?  A new tower promising 14-storeys, over 120 units and new retail space at the heart of the core was discussed at council this week while other matters also got an airing albeit more briefly than that proposed tower, including a controversial bylaw now bound for final implementation. Let’s recap! Continue reading “This Week at Council: In the Heights Downtown” →