VIA Workers Could Be on Strike on Monday Without a Deal

We’ve heard a lot about the issues at the airport lately, and we know that high gas prices have made car travel less than ideal right now too. So we’ve got the planes, we’ve got the automobiles, but what about the trains? Well, there are some problems there too. Before the weekend is out, hundreds of VIA Rail employees might be on strike after reaching an impasse on a new contract with management. Continue reading “VIA Workers Could Be on Strike on Monday Without a Deal”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 18 Meeting?

Enjoy it while it lasts, because this is the last city council meeting before everyone breaks for summer vacation (and the AMO conference in August). On the agenda are the reports from committee, including a new council meeting calendar for 2023, plus the final passage of key policy items, an update about supportive housing in the city, and maybe, a surprise labour relations motion (?). Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 18 Meeting?”

GUELPH POLITICAST #331 – The Edinburgh Conundrum

The rail crossing on Edinburgh Road has been the site of some controversy lately. The City of Guelph initiated the study of seven different street level rail crossings along the Metrolinx line across town, and they determined that there was one crossing that they had to look at a lot more closely. The implications could be big, so this week, we’re going to sit down and talk things out. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #331 – The Edinburgh Conundrum”

RECAP: Ward 2 Councillors Hear Concerns About High Density Designation

It’s quite unusual to have a town hall meeting with ward councillors in the middle of summer and in the middle of an election year, but these are unusual times. In advance of a special meeting on Monday about the newest Official Plan Amendment, Ward 2 Councillors James Gordon and Rodrigo Goller, plus Ward 5 Councillor Leanne Caron, lead a virtual town hall about the high density zoning of 41-45 George Street. Here’s what happened…. Continue reading “RECAP: Ward 2 Councillors Hear Concerns About High Density Designation”

LIVE BLOG: Committee of the Whole Meeting for July 4, 2022

It’s the last Committee of the Whole meeting before the start of summer vacation! You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s council meeting, you can follow along on Twitter, or follow the tweets below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: Committee of the Whole Meeting for July 4, 2022”

Municipal Election Nominations Update Week #9

It’s election season here in Guelph! The nominations are open for this fall’s Municipal Election, and interested residents are filing their papers to run for positions as mayor, for city council and for a spot on one of the local school boards. Each week, this space will break down who’s new to the race, who’s running again, and where we’re still waiting for someone to show an interest! Continue reading “Municipal Election Nominations Update Week #9”

POLICE NOTES: Stunt Driving, Impaired Driving, and Indecency

There are 145,000 stories in the Royal City, and this is some of them. Looking at a week’s worth of media releases from the Guelph Police Service, there’s a lot gong on in our little city crime-wise speaking, so let’s run down some of the charges, issues, and requests for information from the Guelph Police Service over the last seven days. Continue reading “POLICE NOTES: Stunt Driving, Impaired Driving, and Indecency”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 13 Meeting?

A very busy week at city council comes to an end with the third of three meetings, each of them dealing with some essential planning matters. In this last one, there will be some heritage friction, and the last item needing discussion from the aborted June planning meeting, but the biggest bit will be the latest changes to the wholesale re-evaluation of the comprehensive zoning bylaw! Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 13 Meeting?”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 11 Planning Meeting?

Hopefully July’s planning meeting will flow much more smoothly technology-wise speaking, but this month there are actually two different planning meetings. With a couple of items reserved two days after this one for Wednesday’s meeting, council will tackle a full slate of planning meeting items – applications and decisions – at this second of two meetings on July 11. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 11 Planning Meeting?”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 11 Special Meeting?

In what’s going to be a very busy week at city council – the second-to-last week before summer break –  and we’re covering the very consequential matter of the latest review of the Official Plan and the final passage of the latest Official Plan Amendment. Have all the concerns and problems been answered? Is the plan “future ready” enough for council’s high standards? All questions will be answered in a special meeting of council. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 11 Special Meeting?”