An annual event put on by the Chamber of Commerce, this morning it was Mayor Cam Guthrie’s chance to tell us about the State of the City, and to be succinct, the State of the City is strong. Continue reading “RECAP: Mayor Guthrie Delivers Annual State of the City at Chamber Breakfast”
Monday’s action-packed council meeting will include a presentation about updating the Community Energy Initiative, a plan created by various stakeholders in the Royal City to make Guelph more energy efficient from now on through 2031. The report coming to council though has come attached now with a bit of controversy thanks to some comments Mayor Cam Guthrie made at the Governance Committee earlier this month. So what is the CEI, and what so controversial about it? Continue reading “So What’s the Deal with the Community Energy Initiative?”
Did you know that Downtown Guelph has a parking problem? It’s the worst kept secret in town, and the City’s trying to move quickly to do something about it. Today, city hall hosted the first of four public meetings to get feedback about the features residents would like to see incorporated into the new six-storey parking structure that will sit upon the lot across the road from 1 Carden Street. Continue reading “City Ambitions Are Huge for the Wilson Street Parkade”
Now surrounded by blue construction fencing, the headquarters for the Guelph Police Service looks very different today than it will three years from now. After months, and years, of debate and planning, the $34 million renovation official began with a ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony this morning in front of the building. Continue reading “Ceremony Kicks Off 154 Weeks of Renovations Guelph Police Headquarters”
After a six-hour meeting on the subject last December, a decision was made that even the Mayor admitted would mean that “some people may be going home not liking the result.” Still, even by a vote of 9-4, the council endorsement of the new two lane Niska Rd. Bridge and other improvements to the western portion of the road was not the end of the story. As the Environmental Assessment at the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change moves on to part II, the city has posted its responses to the concerns raised by local residents. Continue reading “Niska Road Bridge Debate Continues with Official City Response to EA Part II”
Every week, the City of Guelph and other groups send out notices to announce new events, imperatives, and information that you need to know. Here is this week in press releases. Continue reading “This Week in Press Releases – April 11-15, 2016”
Monday night, city council ratified the new contract between the City of Guelph and three Canadian Union of Public Employees locals that was reached on April 3. The motion was passed unanimously with all councillors and the mayor voting in favour, but they know what’s in the deal. We, among the general public, still do not. Continue reading “City Council Ratifies CUPE Deal; Full Details Still Not Known”
Set in the middle of Breezy Corners on Macdonnell were four tables arranged together for a unique new civic engagement event. Ward 2 Councillor James Gordon and Ward 3 Councillor Phil Allt had put out an open invitation to the Guelph community: Thursdays at 8 am, come to Breezy Corners, have some breakfast, and talk about whatever you want to talk about politically. For this inaugural town hall, the councillors got around 20 people first thing in the morning for some frank political talk “over-easy.” Continue reading “Gordon and Allt Eat Success with First Breakfast Town Hall”
Even as the provincial government tries to scramble to reform their own fundraising activities, they will be considering changes to how municipal elections will be run in 2018. Queen’s Park has announced today proposed changes to the Municipal Elections Act (MEA), that will, if passed, “modernize municipal elections and provide the option of using ranked ballots in future municipal elections.” Continue reading “Ontario Gov Looking at Changes to Municipal Elections”
Despite the issuance of a “no board” report a little over a week ago, and the inference that there may have been issues in reaching a deal between the City and three key CUPE locals, it seems that a four-day weekend of negotiations has wiped away all concerns. Tonight, as city plows hit the roads to deal with an early spring winter storm, the people of Guelph are assured that there will be no lockout of, or strike by its office employees, outside workers and librarians. Continue reading “City Reaches Agreement with CUPE Unions”
