This Week at Council: Ward 6 is Made Whole Before Summer Vacation

This is the last council recap you’re going to read for a while, because Guelph City Council is now on summer vacation! Before that though, there’s a lot of action to review including the appointment of a new Ward 6 Councillor, which was a wild ride that came down to a draw between the two finalists. Then, at the regular meeting, there was actually a planning matter, and some more back-and-forth on downtown construction and accessibility. So for the last time, until September, here’s the recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Ward 6 is Made Whole Before Summer Vacation”

RECAP: City Council Meeting for July 22, 2025

Get ready to tackle some regular council business. 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 July 22, 2025”

GUELPH POLITICAST #479 – Summer in the City (feat. Mike Ashkewe)

As we all now ease into summer vacation mode – even if we’re still working at our many labours – we’re taking stock of this busy year so far. We’ve made it though two elections and some long nights at council with at least a couple of more long nights to come before city council takes August off. (Or will they, given that there’s been a special August meeting the last few years?) So where do we currently stand with the first six months of 2025 behind us? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #479 – Summer in the City (feat. Mike Ashkewe)”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 22, 2025 Meeting?

The last regular meeting before summer vacation, but not that last meeting before summer vacation, has something for everyone. There will be the return of the Committee of the Whole agenda,  including some additional information on one item, and there will also be some new public appointments to approve. And because when we say everything, we mean everything, there will also be a rare planning matter to consider. Let’s dig into it… Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 22, 2025 Meeting?”

RECAP: The AAC Attempts to Rebuild with First Meeting of New Committee

When we last left the Accessibility Advisory Committee in April, there was no more Accessibility Advisory Committee. In the middle of the meeting, the majority of members resigned in protest after feeling that that they were not getting the requisite autonomy they needed from the City. Now, a new committee will try and rebuild, not just under the new framework, but under the controversy stirred by their predecessors. So how’s it going so far? Continue reading “RECAP: The AAC Attempts to Rebuild with First Meeting of New Committee”

MEETING PREVIEW: Accessibility Advisory Committee for April 15, 2025

Of all the shake-ups at the Advisory Committees of Council, this might be the most shook up. Although the Accessibility Advisory Committee is perhaps the least altered, it was the subject of controversy last April when most of the committee, including the chair, vice-chair, and former vice-chair, all resigned after staff refused to grant the AAC the increased autonomy they were seeking. Now, they will start again. Build back better? I guess we will see… Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Accessibility Advisory Committee for April 15, 2025”

GUELPH POLITICAST #471 – The Year at Council So Far Part 1 (January-April)

This week Guelph city council is taking a holiday break, and perhaps understandably, because it has been a very busy year in the chambers so far. The first four months of the year brought a lot of change, a lot of drama, and some pretty big decisions that tested the fiscal and political capacity of a rapidly growing Ontario city. Now, we will pause and take stock of just how far we’ve come so far… Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #471 – The Year at Council So Far Part 1 (January-April)”

MEETING PREVIEW: Accessibility Advisory Committee for April 15, 2025

If it’s an even numbered month, then that means it’s time for the Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting. In this edition, the AAC will tackle a new playground feature, the redrawing of a couple of streets, the design of parks and trails, and the possibility of funding a new accessible ride at a local cab company. Get the full details about al the items on the agenda below… Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Accessibility Advisory Committee for April 15, 2025”

RECAP: Accessibility Committee Wants Changes to Mobility and Taxi Programs

In a remarkable turn of events, the Accessibility Advisory Committee finished work early in their first meeting of 2025! They still got a lot of work done though. They were consulted about heritage downtown and they had some comments about on-street accessible parking during the patio season, but the meat of the meeting was in the way the City of Guelph currently asks people with disabilities to apply for needed mobility services. Let’s recap! Continue reading “RECAP: Accessibility Committee Wants Changes to Mobility and Taxi Programs”

MEETING PREVIEW: Accessibility Advisory Committee for February 18, 2025

For the firs time in 2025, the Accessibility Advisory Committee will gather and discuss the goal of creating a barrier-free Guelph with another busy agenda. This month, the AAC will be focusing much of their attention downtown with a look at matters of history and matters of access when the summer comes around. So let’s dig into what’s coming up in the always interesting world of accessibility with this month’s AAC agenda! Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Accessibility Advisory Committee for February 18, 2025”