This Month at Council: MAT and PACE, Plus Short-term and Long-term Rentals

February is the shortest month of the year, but there were some very long meetings indeed as council tackled a number of very complex issues. From a new tax designed to help bolster tourism, to new licensing for AirBnB and other short-term rentals, to a new program to let the community help lead Guelph to net zero, there was a lot to cover policy-wise, and there were also a few planning decisions too. This was February at city council. Continue reading “This Month at Council: MAT and PACE, Plus Short-term and Long-term Rentals”

It’s Provincial Voter Registration Month in Ontario, So Register

If you’re on this website, then you’re probably aware that there’s two elections coming up this year; a provincial election for the Ontario legislature this spring, and municipal elections for towns and cities around Ontario this fall. You may be surprised to learn though that March is Provincial Voter Registration Month. Well, Elections Ontario remembers, and they want you to use the next 31 days to make sure you’re on the list. Continue reading “It’s Provincial Voter Registration Month in Ontario, So Register”

We’re Back! (Sort of.) Council Returns to In-Person with Hybrid Model This Month

March 9, 2020. That was the last time that Guelph City Council met in-person. Appropriately enough, almost exactly two years later, city council will once again be meeting in-person again starting on March 7. Well, half of them will be meeting in-person anyway. That’s one of the caveats announced by the City of Guelph’s clerks’ office on Tuesday, another sign that we’re slowly entering a post-pandemic world. Continue reading “We’re Back! (Sort of.) Council Returns to In-Person with Hybrid Model This Month”

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for February 28, 2022

It’s the last meeting on the last day of the month! You can click here and here for the amended agendas 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: City Council Meeting for February 28, 2022”

MANGEZ! Dine Safe Guide for January and February 2022

Every month, Guelph Politico posts the latest inspection results from the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health Unit inspection of local restaurants, hotels, cafes, grocery stores and other businesses that handle food. We call it “Mangez!”, and this column highlights the latest inspections done by WDGPH, and the results they’ve posted. Continue reading “MANGEZ! Dine Safe Guide for January and February 2022”

ICYMI: Proof of Vaccine Mandates Lift Tomorrow

Just over two weeks from the second anniversary of the first COVID-19 lockdown, the Government of Ontario will take its next, great leap back to normalcy with the lifting of COVID-19 proof of vaccination mandates. While some places will have to decide for themselves whether they’re ready to roll without mandates, our different levels of government are now looking to the light at the end of tunnel. Continue reading “ICYMI: Proof of Vaccine Mandates Lift Tomorrow”

POLICE NOTES: Homicide Arrest, Trafficking Arrest, and Threats on a Bus

There are 137,000 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: Homicide Arrest, Trafficking Arrest, and Threats on a Bus”

Schreiner Says He’s Still Against a Highway Through the Holland Marsh

It was a rough week if you’re a fan of the environment and want to see fewer reasons to drive around Ontario. In the last seven days, Premier Doug Ford cancelled tolls on two provincial highways, and cancelled licence plate renewal fees, but there’s still a chance to stop the construction of at least one more highway in Ontario. At least that was the hope of Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner this Friday afternoon. Continue reading “Schreiner Says He’s Still Against a Highway Through the Holland Marsh”

Ontario Government to Add Work Protections from Employer Surveillance

It’s been said before, but the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work in more ways than one, and while many people probably enjoy the freedom of being able to work from home, how and when you’re working, as well as what else you’re doing on a work computer, could be being monitored by the boss. Ontario Labour Minister Monte McNaughton apparently doesn’t like the sound of that, and wants to take steps to protect workers. Continue reading “Ontario Government to Add Work Protections from Employer Surveillance”

Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the March 7 Meeting?

March comes in like a lion at city council as next month’s Committee of the Whole will tackle a variety of fairly contentious issues including the fallout from a heritage property demolition last fall and the compensation for the next iteration of city council to be elected later this year. At the same meeting, committee will aim to add some oversight to those groups receiving Community Benefit Agreements. Continue reading “Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the March 7 Meeting?”