GUELPH POLITICAST #465 – How Do You Fill a Council Vacancy?

These are busy days at Politico HQ. There’s a federal election on right now, and Guelph has become so big that it’s spread over two ridings with so far a dozen candidates vying to be the next Members of Parliament. If one candidate in particular is successful then that means there will be a vacancy on Guelph city council. What happens then? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #465 – How Do You Fill a Council Vacancy?”

This Week at Council: Internet Voting Remains an Option

It was an action-packed week at council, but it was also one of the most contentious weeks seen in the chambers in the last few months. The friction was all about exploring online voting methods for the 2026 municipal election, and whether or not council would proceed with the option reached at Committee of the Whole. Also, there was another question about whether or not too much was collected in development charges. Continue reading “This Week at Council: Internet Voting Remains an Option”

RECAP: City Council Meeting for May 28, 2024

It’s going to be a busy night at council! You can click here for the amended agendas from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. Due to the relatively brief agenda, there was no live coverage on Twitter, but you can read the break down of the meeting below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “RECAP: City Council Meeting for May 28, 2024”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the May 28 Meeting?

Once again, we’ve come to the end of the month after a very busy slate of meetings. At this regular meeting, council will be asked to have a last word about internet voting, the 2023 financials, the plan to send the tiny home community concept to Wellington County’s Joint Social Service Committee, and a couple of other administrative items. And, in new business, new board appointments for civilians and councillors! Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the May 28 Meeting?”

This Week at Council: Internet is Made an Option on Voting Again

After a couple of weeks off, city council got back to business with the May edition of Committee of the Whole, and boy was there business! There was one big item on the agenda this week, and it was bound to be controversial, but it was the culmination of about 18 months of work and advocacy at one of Guelph’s local boards. Yes, internet voting is back on the menu, and this is how we got there… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Internet is Made an Option on Voting Again”

LIVE BLOG: Committee of the Whole Meeting for May 7, 2024

This month’s committee meeting will look at voting methods. 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: Committee of the Whole Meeting for May 7, 2024”

Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the May 7, 2024 Meeting?

Committee of the Whole this May will have what’s expected to be one of the spiciest debates of the term, and it’s all about how the next city council will be elected. The staff from the clerks’ office will be presenting the options for voting in the 2026 municipal election, and one of them is *not* internet voting, which is where the results of a year-long debate at one of our provincially-mandated advisory groups come in. Let’s get into it…! Continue reading “Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the May 7, 2024 Meeting?”

RECAP: Accessibility Committee Plots Its Own Path for Election Options

After a timing forced delay back in February, the time was finally right for the final showdown between City of Guelph staff and the Accessibility Advisory Committee about voting options for the 2026 municipal election. Well, showdown was a bit strong, but so were the concerns that the AAC has about another election without internet voting. Now the matter is going to council next month, but for now there’s the recap of this month’s AAC meeting… Continue reading “RECAP: Accessibility Committee Plots Its Own Path for Election Options”

MEETING PREVIEW: Accessibility Advisory Committee for April 16, 2024

After skipping March like usual, the Accessibility Advisory Committee will pick up where it left off in February, with questions about the direction on alternative voting methods for the 2026 municipal election. That’s going to be complicated, but fortunately much of the rest of the agenda seems straightforward with some items on heritage, waste collection and transit to consider, and then we have to get ready for a special meeting in May. Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Accessibility Advisory Committee for April 16, 2024”

RECAP: Accessibility Committee Has to Punt Election Decision Due to Packed Agenda

The first Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting of the year was packed! Even more packed than usual. Good thing then that one of the things discussed was the use of consent agenda items to try and streamline things, but the biggest thing on this agenda, the item that was bound to be the most contentious and controversial, ended up having to be postponed when the committee ran out time. So how did it all shake out? Here’s the recap!! Continue reading “RECAP: Accessibility Committee Has to Punt Election Decision Due to Packed Agenda”