It was a battle that unfolded for over a decade! An epic conflagration between small town Davids and corporate Goliaths. The Royal City has left its mark many times on history, and one of the most recent was during a decade long battle between a dedicated group of community activists and the world’s largest retail. Having said that, can you believe that its been 10 years since Walmart opened in Guelph, and now we have two of them? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #54 – Memories of Protesting Walmart”→
Ten years ago, council was talking about building a new main public library, and 10 years later… they’re still talking about it. But back in the heady, care-free days of the aughts, the goal seemed a lot closer, and a group of citizens thought they’d put their money where their mouth is by showing council what an appetite there was for a new, modern, state-of-the-art library and cultural centre. One decade, and a half a million dollars later, those people – and many, many more – still come out every year to show their love of books. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #53 – Friends of the Guelph Public Library”→
Once, there was an idea that the proliferation of computers and the internet would mean the end of the printed word. The prophecy is slowly coming true for newspapers and magazines, but it seems as though books have a resistance to the printing press killing powers of digital that those other things do not. In fact, like in other things, digital has made making books easier. Ask Jeremy Luke Hill. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #52 – Jeremy Luke Hill, Vocamus Press”→
Political books are nothing new, but a book about Guelph politics? That has the Guelph Polticast written all over it! Conflict and Compromise: Politics and Planning in Guelph 2000-2015 is the new book from Dr. Fred Dahms, and if you’re looking for a good primer on how the City got from there to here on a wide variety of different issues, then you can’t do much better. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #51 – Fred Dahms, Author of ‘Conflict and Compromise’”→
Way back in 1989, Governor General Award winner, and Eden Mills, ON resident, Leon Rooke was releasing a new book. The proprietors of the Eden Mills General Store suggested that Leon hold his book launch on their lovely front steps, but for such an ostentatious venue, Rooke felt his own literary presence wasn’t enough. So he invited other literary icons Rohinton Mistry, Michael Ondaatje, Jane Urquhart, and Linda Spalding to join him. It was, in effect, the first Eden Mills Writers Festival, and it’s still going strong. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #50 – Susan Ratcliffe, Eden Mills Writers Festival”→
This past Monday was Labour Day, and let’s face it, sometimes in the rush to enjoy the last long weekend of summer, we forget that there’s a story behind it, a long history of workers standing up for their rights, often with an organized union having their backs. These aren’t the best of times for unions, but as you’ll learn from this Guelph Politicast, they’re are also far from the worst. Yet. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #49 – Live (ish) From the Labour Day Picnic”→
Can you smell what the trucks are cooking? Guelphites certainly have been this summer as the City has experimented with new rules and regulations for the roll out (pun intended) of food trucks in the Royal City. In years gone by, the most you can expect in terms of “meals on wheels” was a hot dog cart; I myself have found memories of the chip wagon strategically situated between my house and my high school in Georgetown, but as we’ve seen this summer, the food truck business is incredibly more diverse than we might have once thought possible. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #48 – Food Trucks in Guelph”→
The subtitle for this week’s episode might well be “How does city council work?” Or at least, how does something transform from being an idea or suggestion into a new by-law or policy. Change is always inevitable, and there’s a fairly significant change coming to the way council is conducted next month, the switch over from a standing committee model to a Committee-of-the-Whole one. So I thought, “Why not combine the ideas?” Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #47 – Stephen O’Brien, City Clerk”→
It’s coming! Or rather, They’re coming! Back to School time will soon be upon us, and along with heading back to the books, the classes, the seminars, the study sessions, and the seemingly never-ending stream of projects, essays, and reports, the students of the University of Guelph will soon be coming back… to party! That may be an over-generalization, but it’s also true that Downtown Guelph is going to get very busy again on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. This is where the Nightlife Task Force comes into play. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #46 – Nightlife Task Force”→
It was a month ago today, that the City of Guelph took the water use level down to Level 2 Red. Indeed emphasis of water use during the Summer of 2016 is “less is more,” as an unusually dry winter has lead into an unusually dry spring and summer. Given the preciousness of water, and the unusual scarcity of it this year, would it not be advisable to think about just how we spend those resources?
That’s always been the message of Wellington Water Watchers, and in the midst of a long dry summer their issues are coming into even more stark relief. On top of that, local environmentalists are really feeling the pinch because we seem to be surrounded by Nestle planting its flag in various wells around our region, first in Aberfoyle, then in Hillsburgh, and now in Elora and Middlebook. On top of that, the always contentious water-taking contract for Nestle at Aberfoyle expired this past Sunday, but as of today they’re still filling those bottles. So what’s going on?
Given all that, I reached out to Wellington Water Watchers for some potential explanations. Arlene Slocombe and Robert Case are both members of the Watchers, who, while getting some traction in fighting back against Nestle in Hillsburgh, are still trying to get bottled water-fillers out of Aberfoyle after almost a decade. Founded in 2007, the mission of Wellington Water Watchers is being “committed to the protection of local water and to educating the public about threats to the watershed.” If anything, their job has gotten harder in the last nine years, not easier.
So in the midst of a hot, dry summer, and the looming spectre that Nestle may be getting another lucrative 10-year deal to take millions more litres of water from the local aquafer, I got together with the two local water conservation activists to talk about that elixir of life, which is both fragile and plentiful, at least for people in this area, and why it seems like we’re taking it all for granted.
So let’s head down to the river, or rather at a conveniently situated coffee shop nearby, to talk about Water with the Wellington Watchers.
Addendum: Lindsay Davidson of the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change offered me a comment about the status of Nestle’s contract, and how they can still be pulling water from the well when their deal has expired:
Nestlé submitted an application to renew its existing permit for the Aberfoyle well. We are currently reviewing the application and supporting documentation.
Under the Ontario Water Resources Act, if an application for renewal of an existing permit is made at least 90 days before its expiry, the permit remains in force until the ministry makes a decision on the permit renewal application.
The ministry evaluates each proposed water permit application to determine if it meets the principles of the Permit to Take Water program including, protecting the natural functions of the ecosystem, preventing unacceptable interference with other water users, and fair sharing and conservation of water.
This application will be posted on the Environmental Registry for public review. All comments received during the comment period will be considered before a decision is made.
To learn more about water issues in Guelph and area, you can go to the website for Wellington Water Watchers, or interact with them through social media on Facebook and Twitter. You can also go to the website, SaveOurWater.ca.
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