Category: News

Safe Semester Kicks Off Next Weekend

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From some it’s a return to normalcy, for others its the deafening end to a precious few months of peace and quiet. However you see the start of a new school year, it’s beginning again this weekend, and the city is responding to the influx with the implementation of the Safe Semester Program. Taken for a test drive last year and deemed a success, the program makes a comeback with one small change, and the hopes that the weekend flock to pub row downtown is run as smooth as humanly possible (given that many of those humans are deeply inebriated). Continue reading “Safe Semester Kicks Off Next Weekend” →

More Candidates Enter Race as August Draws to Close

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The close of nominations for the 2014 Municipal Election is fast approaching, and with only a couple of weeks left to file papers, the ballots in races for the City of Guelph have seen quite a few new additions in the last couple of weeks. In brief, a new name makes the mayor’s race even more competitive, the ranks of the Ward 4 contest swell, and a couple of new old names are making their play in another election run. Continue reading “More Candidates Enter Race as August Draws to Close” →

Artist/Activist Sue Richards Passes Away

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It was sudden though not terribly surprising last week when it was announced that local arts scion Sue Richards had passed away. She had been suffering from Parkinson’s Disease since 2007, but kept up the good fight up until last Saturday when she couldn’t outpace her illness anymore. Richards was only 56, but her legacy and contributions to the culture of the Royal City will be felt for years to come. Continue reading “Artist/Activist Sue Richards Passes Away” →

New Candidate Aims to Shake Up Mayor’s Race

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A new candidate who entered the mayoral race this week hopes to shake things up, and he’s making a pretty big noise as he’s filing his papers. University of Waterloo professor Jason Blokhuis is the sixth candidate to declare for the mayor’s race in Guelph this election cycle, and he’s making a play to position himself as a middle path between incumbent Karen Farbridge and her immediate challenger Cam Guthrie. Continue reading “New Candidate Aims to Shake Up Mayor’s Race” →

This Municipal Election Year is an Animal Farm

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George Orwell’s 1945 political satire Animal Farm was about a group of animals who take over their farm from the drunk and inept Mr. Jones and enjoy success until the pigs that led the revolution become corrupt and human-like. Orwell was commenting on the Russian Revolution, but Animal Farm may be somewhat prescient in terms of the way the municipal election is shaking out in some quarters. You see, the animals are making a play to take over. Continue reading “This Municipal Election Year is an Animal Farm” →

City to Present Streetscape Manual for Downtown Facelift

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It turns out Baker Street is just the beginning. Adding to the recent talk about re-orienting the north end of Downtown Guelph, is the news below that city staff has released a draft of the new Downtown Streetscape Manual and Built Form Standards, which will come before the Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment Committee a week from Monday on April 7. Continue reading “City to Present Streetscape Manual for Downtown Facelift” →

GO Transit Set for All-Day Service

Published on by Adam A. Donaldson1 Comment

I guess the Tri-Cities (sorry, I meant Canada’s Innovation Supercluster consortium) has gotten a taste for GO trains and likes it. Either that, or Premier Kathleen Wynne is looking to secure votes in this area for “Schrödinger’s Election” (since the provincial election is both happening and not happening). But then again, maybe it’s a case of both, a win-win if you will. Regardless, full-day GO Train service will be coming to the Kitchener-Guelph corridor in 2016, and the funding (what ever it is) will be covered with the full extent of the service extension in the upcoming provincial budget. Continue reading “GO Transit Set for All-Day Service” →

The Presses Stop at the Guelph Mercury

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In a surprise move, the Guelph Mercury has announced that they will be closing their printing presses later this week and moving the printing operations of the nearly 150-year-old paper to Hamilton. The paper itself will stay in production and continue to be published six days a week, but that physical copy will be made in Hamilton, not the Royal City. Continue reading “The Presses Stop at the Guelph Mercury” →

Olivia Chow Brings Book Tour to Guelph

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Not to be insensitive, but $10 goes to the first person who asks Olivia Chow about running for Mayor of Toronto. The erstwhile potential mayoral candidate, potential Lieutenant-Governor, and current MP for Trinity-Spadina, is currently on a book tour for her memoir, Olivia: My Canadian Journey and she will bring that tour into Guelph this Thursday. Continue reading “Olivia Chow Brings Book Tour to Guelph” →