Guelph Gets $13.5 Million for New Main Library Building

One could make an inappropriate joke about a government funding announcement in front of a giant hole in the ground, but Baker Street was only filled with the laughter that comes from joy on Monday morning. The mood was celebratory at the site of the Baker District Redevelopment, future home of Guelph’s 88,000 square-foot new main library building, which just got easier to build with a $13.5 million cheque from the federal government. Continue reading “Guelph Gets $13.5 Million for New Main Library Building”

This Week at Council: The Last Meeting… of 2023!

Perhaps a bit anticlimactically, the year at council came to end this week with two back-to-back meetings that laid out the progress on the City’s shift to a new customer service strategy, and the approval of several hundred new housing units. Also, Mayor Cam Guthrie gave out some medals, including one for a Guelph recipient of the Order of Ontario who’s pictured above. So how did 2023 end at council? Let’s recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: The Last Meeting… of 2023!”

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meetings for December 12, 2023

It’s the last two council meetings of 2023! You can click here and 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 Meetings for December 12, 2023”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the December 12 Meetings?

Your holiday gift? These are the last two city council meetings of 2023! This business is not unimportant and begins with a bit of unusual scheduling, the regular meeting of city council. After that, council will hold the monthly planning meeting, which will feature two decision reports and a new application. After that, we’ll get the biggest gift all: Three weeks off before the next city council meeting! Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the December 12 Meetings?”

This Week at Council: Housing, Heritage and Hesitancy in Double Header

It’s tough to summarize a nine-hour council meeting, but it kind of helps that this one came in two parts. In the first half, council tried its best to use the limited tool kit they have to generate some housing solutions amidst the crisis, and then, in the second half, it was the usual monthly planning meeting with some big new applications, big decisions, and some big heritage designations. Here’s the (lengthier than normal) recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Housing, Heritage and Hesitancy in Double Header”

LIVE BLOG: Planning City Council Meeting for October 17, 2023

It’s a packed planning meeting schedule! 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: Planning City Council Meeting for October 17, 2023”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the October 17 Planning Meeting?

Slightly delayed because of the Thanksgiving holiday, this month’s planning meeting of city council is about the size of two planning meetings, maybe three given the agenda. There are decisions that need to be made, new applications to hear, and some direction to be received on matters from heritage designations to development charges. Bring your sleeping bag and some snacks for this one… Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the October 17 Planning Meeting?”

Pigs Fly! Ground is Finally Broken on New Main Library (and the Rest of the Baker Project)

After 20 years of fits and starts, approvals and renegings, several different proposals and at least three business cases, the ground was finally broken for the new main library project, which is at the heart of the Baker District Redevelopment. On the recently cleared ground of what was once the Baker Street parking lot, councillors, City senior leadership, and library board and staff members stuck their ceremonial shovels in the ground to start the project. For real. Continue reading “Pigs Fly! Ground is Finally Broken on New Main Library (and the Rest of the Baker Project)”

CITY PAGES: Yellow Alert, Baker Groundbreaking, and New Fire Chief

The City of Guelph, and it’s various partners and agencies, put out a lot of information on a weekly basis, and while it all ends up on the City’s website somewhere, wouldn’t it be easier to just scroll through it all on one easy-to-read article on Guelph Politico here…? Continue reading “CITY PAGES: Yellow Alert, Baker Groundbreaking, and New Fire Chief”

CITY PAGES: Easter Hours, Transit Changes, and Baker Street Debrief

The City of Guelph, and it’s various partners and agencies, put out a lot of information on a weekly basis, and while it all ends up on the City’s website somewhere, wouldn’t it be easier to just scroll through it all on one easy-to-read article on Guelph Politico here…? Continue reading “CITY PAGES: Easter Hours, Transit Changes, and Baker Street Debrief”