The news that an unmarked mass grave with 215 young Indigenous children had been uncovered on the grounds of the former Kamloops Residential School has become a national scandal, and a source of national grief and sorrow. Those emotions were expressed by hundreds of people from Guelph who showed up for a vigil in front of the Basilica of Our Lady on Tuesday evening. Continue reading “Indigenous Leaders Offer Sorrow, Anger and Healing at Basilica Vigil”
We’ve kind of forgotten about paramedics, haven’t we? We’ve venerated the doctors and nurses in our hospitals, hailed the overworked and underpaid staff at long-term care homes, and made celebrities out of medical officers of health. In those terms, our paramedics have been the forgotten spoke in the wheel of healthcare this pandemic, so it’s a good thing that they have a whole week dedicated to their work. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #276 – Paramedics and the Pandemic”
When the Government of Ontario announced changes to the stay-at-home order a few weeks to allow for the re-opening of outdoor recreation facilities, there was a question mark locally about splash pads. On Tuesday, the City of Guelph cleared the question mark and announced dates for the opening of water-based amenities, plus summer recreation programs, while the Province formally announced the extension of the order. Continue reading “City Preps COVID-Safe Rec Programs, While Province Extends Stay-at-Home Order”
In the second part of the monthly recap of events at city council, things are much more streamlined. Two special meetings covered the ins and outs of multi-year budgeting, and the draft Transportation Master Plan, while the regular council meeting of the month was all about the ratification of the Committee of the Whole agenda, but with a couple of addendums. Continue reading “This Month at Council Part 2: Multi-Year Budgets, Transportation Master Plan, and CoW Issues”
Let’s recap the stuff from Committee of the Whole! 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: City Council Meeting for May 31, 2021”
The discovery of a mass grave with the remains of 215 children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School has re-opened a national sorrow, and prompted new demands for accountability and reconciliation. Guelph is no exception as key Royal City institutions have lowered their flags to half-staff in recognition of the loss while community activists organize a vigil at Guelph’s most recognizable landmark. Continue reading “Guelph Marks Discovery of Mass Grave at B.C. Residential School”
New daily case counts are falling, we’re closing in on a potential re-opening date, and more vaccines are being given out every day. What this silver lining needed was a cloud, and we got one. On Monday, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health sent out a warning to the community that anyone who recently returned from Nunavut needs to self-isolate now to prevent the spread of a very contagious form of COVID-19. Continue reading “WDG Public Health Warns About High Risk Variant as the Region Re-Enters Orange”
Jam-packed meetings started the month of May with a committee meeting that covered a lot of different money matters, both immediate and long-term, and then with a planning meeting that featured four controversial planning proposals. In part one of the monthly council recap, we will go from a COVID update from public health, to concerns about over-protecting local heritage in the city’s east end. Continue reading “This Month at Council Part 1: Operations Campus Update and a Contentious Planning Meeting”
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 May 1-31, 2021”
The Government of Ontario is full-speed ahead on a “two dose summer” according to Premier Doug Ford in a Friday announcement from Queen’s Park. Starting on Monday, people over 80 will begin receiving their second doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, but progress on vaccines seems to have come at the expense of progress on re-opening schools as the week ends with no announcement on education. Continue reading “Ontario Moves to Accelerate Second Doses, While Schools Left Waiting for News”
