Category: Council Post-view

This Week at Council: Money Talks, Tiny Homes Walk… to the County

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This week at city council, two was the magic number. There were two different meetings, we had the month’s second Committee of the Whole meeting, there were two heritage-related motions, and there were two major presents. Two was also reflective of the impact, because there are two different local governments and different powers between then, and that made the idea of proceeding with our own Better Tent City (see above) more difficult. Here’s the recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Money Talks, Tiny Homes Walk… to the County” →

This Week at Council: Internet is Made an Option on Voting Again

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After a couple of weeks off, city council got back to business with the May edition of Committee of the Whole, and boy was there business! There was one big item on the agenda this week, and it was bound to be controversial, but it was the culmination of about 18 months of work and advocacy at one of Guelph’s local boards. Yes, internet voting is back on the menu, and this is how we got there… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Internet is Made an Option on Voting Again” →

This Week at Council: This Hour Has Lobbying, Tourism and Integrity

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The last meeting of the month at council was mostly about the recap, but it also had some traps that could have lead to controversy. Yes, there was a report from the integrity commissioner regarding complaints about the mayor’s social media, but there were also some pointed critiques made to the mayor around the lobbyist registry too. In other unfinished business, council had more notes about the Municipal Accommodation Tax. Continue reading “This Week at Council: This Hour Has Lobbying, Tourism and Integrity” →

This Week at Council: The Four Unit Problem

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This month’s planning meeting of city council was all about four, and despite what you’ve heard it’s actually the loneliness number. That was the impression you might have gotten watching what happened when staff deliver their draft report about allowing fourplexes and four units as-of-right in Guelph. It looks like this policy might have an uphill climb, but staff have until June to make a case, in the meantime, here’s the recap…. Continue reading “This Week at Council: The Four Unit Problem” →

This Week at Council: MAT Update and Registering Lobbyists

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Delayed a day because of the Easter long weekend, Committee of the Whole sat on Wednesday and discussed progress on the development of key policy. On the one hand, there was the Municipal Accommodation Tax and the creation of a cohesive tourism strategy, and on the other there was a question of transparency and knowing who’s lobbying who at city hall and about what. Here’s the recap. Continue reading “This Week at Council: MAT Update and Registering Lobbyists” →

This Week at Council: It Was a Gas!

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It was just going to be a quick meeting, 10 minutes in and out max, but a funny thing happened between that time and when the agenda was released a few weeks ago. Mostly, a couple of councillors wanted to have their say about more provincial overreach, in this case when it comes to how Queen’s Park is looking to override the Ontario Energy Board. So did council lay the smack down, and how many of them wanted no part of it? Read on… Continue reading “This Week at Council: It Was a Gas!” →

This Week at Council: Demolition Bylaw, Man.

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Don’t judge an agenda by its cover. The docket for this month’s planning meeting of city council looked kind of plain, but looks can b deceiving and at least one item on the agenda opened up an opportunity take a deeper dive on demolition policy, or demolition by neglect policy to be precise. There will be more about that coming this year, but for now here’s what was said on the matter at this past week’s council meeting. Continue reading “This Week at Council: Demolition Bylaw, Man.” →

This Week at Council: The Private Lives of Trees

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This month’s Committee of the Whole meeting was a pretty usual affair, reports that were not really going to get anyone’s blood up unless they’re especially concerned about bylaws half finished or the scintillating world of auditing. What it will say on your property tax bill, what the City is planning to do to take care of trees on private property, and the workings of the Internal Audit team were all game for this meeting. Here’s the recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: The Private Lives of Trees” →

This Week at Council: Transit Talk and a New Committee is Born

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Council business wrapped up for the month of February with a meeting that covered a variety of topics, and included some special guests. A follow-up delegation about transit in St. George’s Square led to a robust conversation about the subject from a variety of points of view, and then council made some appointments, and talked about pretty big re-organization for a major committee that will have more direct City involvement now. Here’s the recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Transit Talk and a New Committee is Born” →

This Week at Council: Planning, Tribunal and Encampments Form the Trifecta

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There are busy weeks at council, and then there’s spending nearly half of a 28-hour period in the council chambers. That was the time frame this week at 1 Carden Street, and in that period there was a planning meeting, a meeting where council sat as tribunal on a matter of misapplied Development Charges, and, the big one, a marathon meeting about a Public Spaces Use bylaw. To see how it all turned out, consult this week’s recap below… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Planning, Tribunal and Encampments Form the Trifecta” →