Guelph Politico

RECAP: Guthrie Finds Praise and Friction in Final Budget Town Hall

Published on Nov 8, 2024Nov 9, 2024 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

Sure, it was Friday night, but it seemed like one of the hottest ticket in town (not that there were tickets) was the final budget town hall with Mayor Cam Guthrie. The mayor wanted to share some positive feedback about his efforts in a Waterloo Region newspaper, but there were a lot of people in attendance who still have concerns about the budget from transit, to homelessness, to accessibility and oversight. For the last time this cycle, let’s dig into the recap! Continue reading “RECAP: Guthrie Finds Praise and Friction in Final Budget Town Hall” →

RECAP: Committee of the Whole Meeting for November 5, 2024

Published on Nov 8, 2024Nov 8, 2024 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

Let’s dig into what went down at this month’s first council meeting. 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 this month’s Committee of the Whole meeting, follow the breakdown posted below, and you can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “RECAP: Committee of the Whole Meeting for November 5, 2024” →

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 19, 2024 Meeting?

Published on Nov 8, 2024Nov 11, 2024 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

If you have thoughts about the budget, you couldn’t make it out to any of the town halls, and you’ve forgotten the password to your email account, then this is your chance to tell the mayor and council what you think about the 2025 Guelph Budget. Whether you’ve got praise, or whether you’ve got complaints, this is your chance to make the horseshoe aware of your feedback, so sign up now because lines will be very busy! Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 19, 2024 Meeting?” →

RECAP: Guthrie Gets Tough Qs About Birthday and Planning at Breezy

Published on Nov 7, 2024Nov 8, 2024 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

It was probably going to be his toughest crowd going into Shine Brunch and Dinner for the Breezy Breakfast crowd, but Mayor Cam Guthrie and the executive team walked into the proverbial lion’s breakfast nook. Some of the usuals had some very pointed questions about active transportation and the city’s bicentennial especially, but some of the other area of interests like the Guelph Tool Library were cover too. Here’s the (breezy) recap… Continue reading “RECAP: Guthrie Gets Tough Qs About Birthday and Planning at Breezy” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #441 – The AAC Spills the Tea (feat. Lorelei Root)

Published on Nov 6, 2024Nov 4, 2024 by Adam A. Donaldson1 Comment

Watching the Accessibility Advisory Committee meetings over the last several months there’s a particular undercurrent that some members of the committee feel like they’re not being listened to, and that there was a disconnect between their expectations and what City of Guelph staff wanted them to do. And then came the Public Space Use Bylaw and the waters got even choppier. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #441 – The AAC Spills the Tea (feat. Lorelei Root)” →

RECAP: Budget Town Hall #2 Tackles Transit Concerns and Board Budgets

Published on Nov 5, 2024Nov 6, 2024 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

For the second time this week, Mayor Cam Guthrie gathered a group of Guelphites and answered questions about the 2025 municipal budget. The difference this night is that there was a screen between the mayor and his constituents as this round went all virtual though Facebook Live. There were some already familiar questions about some common areas of interest, and there were some pointed comments about transit too. Here’s the recap…
Continue reading “RECAP: Budget Town Hall #2 Tackles Transit Concerns and Board Budgets” →

RECAP: Guthrie Grilled on Budget, Homelessness and Notwithstanding Clause

Published on Nov 4, 2024 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

The first of four town halls this week took place in the south end Monday night at the Salvation Army Citadel on Gordon. It was the first chance for Mayor Cam Guthrie to hear feedback from the people, and it was the first opportunity for the people to ask questions and, in some cases, share strong opinions. What did the mayor hear? Good news, you get to hear it too with this recap of the town hall, which you can check out below…
Continue reading “RECAP: Guthrie Grilled on Budget, Homelessness and Notwithstanding Clause” →

RECAP: Heritage Guelph Wants to See Terms Before Council Approval

Published on Nov 4, 2024 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

The November meeting of Heritage Guelph was split between process and designations. Guess which side had the more controversy?! At issue was an update to the changes to the Advisory Committees of Council, and though staff weren’t proposing many changes for Heritage Guelph, there were some members of the committee that wanted to cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s before council grants their approval. How did this all shake out? Read the recap below… Continue reading “RECAP: Heritage Guelph Wants to See Terms Before Council Approval” →

This Week at Council: Fireworks Strike Back Before Budget

Published on Nov 3, 2024Nov 3, 2024 by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

After a two week break, council returned with back-to-back meetings that generated some conflict, including one surprising topic of controversy. Fireworks were back on the agenda, essentially so that council could ratify the direction they approved at Committee of the Whole, but things ended up going in a very different direction. Also, the 2025 budget with special edits directed by the mayor was introduced for the first time. Here’s the recap! Continue reading “This Week at Council: Fireworks Strike Back Before Budget” →