Folk-Dawson Acclaimed as First Guelph Candidate for Next Federal Election

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Long time local labour activist Janice Folk-Dawson was acclaimed as a federal election candidate by the NDP riding association at a nomination meeting on Friday night at the Guelph Youth Music Centre. The president of CUPE local 1334 and executive vice-president of the Ontario Federation of Labour is making a play to fill the new and open seat in Guelph, and getting ahead of the other area parties to do it. Continue reading “Folk-Dawson Acclaimed as First Guelph Candidate for Next Federal Election” →

MEETING PREVIEW: Accessibility Advisory Committee for October 2, 2023

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The Accessibility Advisory Committee usually meets every other month, but in October we’re getting two different AAC meetings. Why are we so lucky? Well, this meeting is exclusively about potential voting options for the next municipal election in 2026. Members of the committee will workshop the various options, give their expert feedback and then leave it staff to come back with… Well, why ruin the surprise? Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Accessibility Advisory Committee for October 2, 2023” →

POLICE NOTES: Homecoming Results, Stolen Pokemon Cards and Another Fake Gun

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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 going 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: Homecoming Results, Stolen Pokemon Cards and Another Fake Gun” →

MEETING PREVIEW: Heritage Guelph Meeting for October 10, 2023

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After stuffing yourself with turkey, get up the next day and stuff yourself with heritage appreciation with this month’s Heritage Guelph meeting. On the agenda for the October meeting are a triad of new potential heritage designations: one you’ve seen twice before, one that’s brand new to this committee, and a third that has something of a deadline for completion. Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Heritage Guelph Meeting for October 10, 2023” →

MEETING PREVIEW: Committee of Adjustment Meeting for October 12, 2023

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October’s Committee of Adjustment meeting will be relatively low key in terms of volume. Eight applications is still a lot, but things are definitely slowing down from the highs of a dozen or more in the summer months. As winter approaches, October brings us requests to make a triplex, some changes to a townhouse subdivision, a new location for a daycare, some renovations to a self-store and an industrial land severance. Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Committee of Adjustment Meeting for October 12, 2023” →

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

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At this special meeting of Guelph City Council, they will give thanks for having a knowledgeable and adaptable finance staff. Members of council will stuff themselves with facts and figures about the budget mechanics, the pressures on the budget for the next four years and some of the challenges on the part of the City as we enter the next budget cycle. It’s time to get smarter, and that’s not talking turkey! Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the Meeting on October 11?” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #390 – How to Cover a Protest in 2023

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For years, Guelph has been a hotbed of protest, a very politically inclined city on a variety of issues including climate change, poverty, workers rights, equality, Black Lives Matter, and the systemic abuse of Indigenous peoples. Last Wednesday, direct action was on display again as people gathered in Market Square, but this was a protest completely unlike any other in a number of ways, and we need to take a moment to unpack things. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #390 – How to Cover a Protest in 2023” →

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for September 26, 2023

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It’s the last council meeting of the month! You can click 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 September 26, 2023” →

RECAP: Library Board Approves Big Boost to the Budget for 2024

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The Guelph Public Library Board took the summer off and slid right into the serious business of budgeting Monday night. As you will see below, the library became the first board and shared service to pass their 2024 budget, and that means city council will be handed a request for a 8.77 per cent increase for next year. What does that mean and why the big bump? You will find out be scanning the recap… Continue reading “RECAP: Library Board Approves Big Boost to the Budget for 2024” →

This Week at Council: It’s a Sign!

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It was one of those weeks at city council, and by “one of those weeks”, we mean that it just wasn’t that busy. Perhaps it was meant to be a refreshing break from the last few weeks of very long meetings. In any event, this month’s planning meeting came down to three simple items, and while one of them tried hard to generate some controversy, business was managed in a relatively smooth manner. Continue reading “This Week at Council: It’s a Sign!” →