Just in time for the Thanksgiving long weekend, there are now no capacity limits at movie theatres or concert venues! If you spend the holiday packing the house for a movie or your favourite band, then this going to be very good news. Also this week, our local public health unit has said that they’re joining the province’s plan to distribute rapid COVID-19 antigen tests. Continue reading “Capacity Limits Lift Slightly, as Public Health Will Participate in Testing”
After a lengthy closed meeting debate, and two emergency meetings, city council has finally released the details around the emergency demolition ordered for the old Shortreed Farmhouse at 797 Victoria Road North. The redacted report outlines in specific detail the risk to the property, and the risk to the City of Guelph’s liability without the demolition after several meetings between Guelph Fire and the Grand River Conservation Authority. Continue reading “Redacted Report on 797 Victoria Notes Ongoing Threat to Life Without Demo”
This time last year, the province had started to climb the slope of what ended up being the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. One year later, with much of the province being vaccinated, the advice is starkly different. Heading into the Thanksgiving long weekend, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore is telling Ontarians that it’s okay to enjoy some of the usual festivities, but to take caution while doing so. Continue reading “Moore Says Thanksgiving, Halloween Can Proceed Like Semi-Normal”
For the second time, Mayor Cam Guthrie marked World Mental Health Day with a Zoom event, and fittingly, the pandemic was the topic of conversation in this 22nd annual Mayor’s Talk on Mental Health. You might have been concerned that it was going to be kind of a bummer for those in attendance, but the talk was surprisingly hopeful because even though we’re all exhausted at this point in the pandemic, it should be noted that so is the virus. Continue reading “Mayor’s Talk Covers Pandemic Exhaustion and Reasons for Hope”
Since most people spent a significant portion of the last year in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was some curiosity about what the crime rate would look like. According to the annual report from the Guelph Police Service, there was a decrease in several different crimes year-over-year in 2020, advancing the trend of a falling local crime rate even though Guelph does see an increase some different areas. Continue reading “In 2020, Guelph Police Saw Decrease in Property Crime, Increase in Other Areas”
The City of Guelph, and it’s various partners and agencies, put out a lot of information on a weekly basis, and while it all ends up on the City’s website somewhere, wouldn’t it be easier to just scroll through it all on one easy-to-read article on Guelph Politico here…? Continue reading “CITY PAGES: Mental Health, Scams, and New LGBTQ+ Support Line”
Today is the first ever National Day of Reconciliation, and there were a number of activities around Guelph to mark the day. Many local politicians have also marked the day by making special statements, wearing orange shirts, and speaking to the need to address long-standing Indigenous issues that come from centuries of systemic racism and genocide. Here are some official statements from local leaders and all levels of government. Continue reading “Local Leaders Share Thoughts on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation”
The Guelph Police Service released the tab for Homecoming 2021, and it comes in at 310 calls for service over a 17-hour period that will ultimately cost the City of Guelph over $30,000 in police time and resources. The price tag, and the fallout, will likely spurn a previously unfinished discussion pre-pandemic about where the financial burden of events from Homecoming will lie. Continue reading “Damage, Fireworks and a $30,000 Bill is the Homecoming Tally from Guelph Police”
September 30 is Orange Shirt Day, the nation day to recognize the experiences of residential school survivors, and it’s also the first ever National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. As Monday began, the City of Guelph issued a media release to residents that asks them take some time this week to think about the history and legacy of residential schools, and the families and communities who have have been affected by this tragedy. Continue reading “City of Guelph Calls for a Time of “Reflection and Commemoration” This Week”
In this year, when Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous people took on new and urgent importance, there’s been one organization that has hedged on admitting any complicity with the horrors visited on residential school students. That took a change in direction on Friday as the Catholic Bishops of Canada released a statement formally apologizing to Canada’s Indigenous people, even as they’re still waiting to hear from the Pope himself. Continue reading “Canadian Bishops Formally Apologize to Indigenous People”
