RECAP: Budget for Rent Supplements Boosted at JSSLAC; 20 New Household Per Month Will Be Covered

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”

MEETING PREVIEW: Joint Social Services and Land Ambulance Committee Meeting for January 14, 2025

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”

MEETING PREVIEW: Guelph Police Services Board for January 12, 2026

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 POLITICAST #504 – The Rest of 2025 at Council (September-December)

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)”

GUELPH POLITICAST #497 – Park Stewards Never Say “Die” (feat. Margaret Middleton)

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)”

This Week at Council: Renoviction Bylaw Go and the Budget Conclusion!

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!”

RECAP: City Council Meeting for November 26, 2025

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”

This Week at Council: The 2026 Budget So Far…

The time has come to catch up on the 2026 budget process so far. Once again the mayor has re-written the budget (or had staff re-write it to be more accurate) in the name of affordability, but there remains little in the way of relief and there are still struggles between all things the City needs to do and all the other things that people want it to do. Presented here are the recaps of the budget presentation, and the budget delegation night… Continue reading “This Week at Council: The 2026 Budget So Far…”

RECAP: Guthrie Tells Chamber to Just Say “No” to More Provincial Downloading at Budget Breakfast

On Thursday morning, Mayor Cam Guthrie and Chief Administrative Officer Tara Baker took part in the second annual budget breakfast with the Guelph Chamber of Commerce. If you’ve been following along, there was maybe not a lot of new information about the budget itself, but there was some new commentary from the mayor especially about provincial priorities and why the City of Guelph and other municipalities need more help from Queen’s Park. You can dig into the full recap below! Continue reading “RECAP: Guthrie Tells Chamber to Just Say “No” to More Provincial Downloading at Budget Breakfast”

RECAP: City Council Meeting for November 18, 2025

This meeting is all about you and your thoughts about the 2026 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 November 18, 2025”