There were back-to-back meetings at Guelph City Council this week, and the topic at hand was money. At Committee of the Whole, council had to deal with their own money, or at least the money that the councillors in the next couple will be paid as remuneration came up for debate. Then, at the other meeting, the 2026 budget process came to a close with the seven shared services and local boards. Let’s dig into the recap! Continue reading “This Week at Council: No Raise, Except For Taxes”
Coming to you more than two months later, it’s the rest of the budget! 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 during the meeting on Blue Sky or recap the complete thread after the meeting below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “RECAP: City Council Meeting for February 4, 2026”
At the end of November when council finished the 2026 City of Guelph budget, it came with a big “To be continued…” sign. (Not literally.) This is the conclusion. At this special meeting of council, they will tackle the third of the budget that is generated, and in part controlled, by the seven local boards and shared services, but will there be the same wheeling and dealing that happened in November with the City portion? Here’s the preview! Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the February 4, 2026 Meeting?”
It was a big meeting of the Joint Social Services and Land Ambulance Committee on Wednesday. With the final approval of the 2026 budget at hand, there was a who’s who of area social service agencies attending to make a case for spending a bit more to ensure that there’s funding for people who need rental supplements that will keep them housed and not make them another statistic. Did the committee for it? (Well, check out the spoiler in the headline.) Here’s the recap… Continue reading “RECAP: Budget for Rent Supplements Boosted at JSSLAC; 20 New Household Per Month Will Be Covered”
After taking December off, we’re heading back to Wellington County’s administration building for the first Joint Social Services and Land Ambulance Committee meeting for 2026. At this meeting, there will be many, many special guests on hand who want to discuss the big item on the agenda, which is the 2026 social services budget. Also look out for some follow-up on new projects, new initiatives, and a letter from the attorney general. Here’s the preview… Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Joint Social Services and Land Ambulance Committee Meeting for January 14, 2025”
Just when you thought the budget process was over… It’s not! Yes, there are still some budgets left to digest for 2026, seven to be precise, and one of them is the Guelph Police Service budget. In a special meeting of the police board, the updated operating budget will be discussed. What savings, if any, were found? What will the community get out of this year’s budget increase? Let’s take a look at the preview… Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Guelph Police Services Board for January 12, 2026”
Guelph City Council is taking an extended holiday (but not as extended at the Ontario government), so as we wait for their inevitable return, it seems fitting to pause here at the start of the year and to look back at all the action last fall in the council chambers. Before we unlock the future we must first find the keys to the past so join us in this search for the keys… Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #504 – The Rest of 2025 at Council (September-December)”
We often hear how a budget tells us what a city values, and one of the things that residents clearly valued in the City of Guelph budget was funding for the park stewards program. We often talk about environmentalism and civic pride as big reasons to live in Guelph, so is the park steward program the ultimate expression of that, and if it is, why didn’t we talk about it before we almost lost it? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #497 – Park Stewards Never Say “Die” (feat. Margaret Middleton)”
It was a busy week for city council business with two big meetings. Nay! Make that huge meetings!! At the regular meeting, council decided (again) to pursue a renoviction bylaw and a vacant home tax with immediate effect. The real money matters though was the budget decision meeting (although technically the budget was already decided and this was just adding amendments) and there was definitely some friction to talk about there. Let’s get into the recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Renoviction Bylaw Go and the Budget Conclusion!”
It’s the epic conclusion to the 2026 budget confirmation process! 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 during the meeting on Blue Sky or recap the complete thread after the meeting below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “RECAP: City Council Meeting for November 26, 2025”
Guelph Politico 