Last night, the 2018-2022 Guelph City Council met for the last time in the newly renovated chambers, and for five of the people there, it was the last time they’ll be sitting at the council table (for at least four years anyway). In the course of the meeting, all the outgoing councillors were given a chance for some last words, and here’s what they said… Continue reading “The Last Words from Outgoing Councillors at Their Last Meeting”
From safety concerns downtown to property theft and damage in the far east end of the city, there were a lot of police issues discussed at Tuesday’s town hall meeting held by Ward 1 Councillors Dan Gibson and Bob Bell. From the impacts of COVID-19, to changes in Guelph’s crime severity index, to calls to “Defund the Police”, Police Chief Gord Cobey fielded a lot of questions, and offered a lot of answers. This is the recap… Continue reading “RECAP: Cobey Faces Tough Questions on Community Safety at Ward 1 Town Hall”
Bob Bell has severed several terms on city council as Ward 1’s representative, and now he’s asking voters for another one. Continue reading “CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE – Bob Bell for Ward 1 Councillor”
Ward 1’s eight candidates faced off Wednesday night at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. Reverend John Borthwick hosted the forum – not a debate – and asked the candidates about their plans, the issues from their fellow Ward 1 residents, and, surprisingly, their favourite pop culture artifact. Continue reading “Issues, Concerns and Pop Culture Discussed at Ward 1 Forum”
It’s now less than two weeks till nominations close for 2018 municipal election candidates, so it seems like a good time to review the field, and look at the trends. Will the mayor run unchallenged? Might the entire council we have now be re-elected? And who might stand in the way of making that happening? Continue reading “ELECTION UPDATE: No Mayoral Competition Yet, and 3 Incumbents Yet to Announce”
Who would have guessed that the most contentious issue of this municipal election year might be the width of driveways in certain neighbourhoods? This topic gathered people from across the east end of the city, and from other parts of the Guelph to attend a town hall hosted by the mayor and the Ward 1 councillors. Continue reading “Driveway Town Hall Had Sad Stories and Hard Feelings”
If you’re looking for something to do on Wednesday September 28, then you’re in luck! You will have your pick of three major political events in the Guelph area to check out. Continue reading “Three Local Political Events; One Big Night”
Wednesday night, Ward 1 Councillors Dan Gibson and Bob Bell hosted the first townhall of the year. The room at the Italian Canadian Club was full, the townhall went about half-an-hour overtime, and a wide variety of issues were covered from beginning till end. If you weren’t able to attend, or want to relive the experience, the live tweets from the forum are all arranged below for your transparent delight. Continue reading “RECAP: Bob Bell and Dan Gibson Hosted Ward 1 Townhall”
Bob Bell is an engineer and entrepreneur that owns and operates Wike Bicycle Trailers. Growing from a small basement operation to a thriving local manufacturer, Wike is the largest manufacturer of bicycle trailers in North America. Every trailer that Wike sells is made in Guelph. In 2006, Bell was first elected to Guelph City Council, and in his role as a councillor he’s served on the Solid Waste Master Plan Committee, the Composting Steering Committee, the Grand River Conservation Authority, Guelph Non-Profit Housing Corporation and the several Standing Committees. Before council wrapped before the election, he was Chair of the Planning, Engineering, Environment, and Building Committee. He also boasts the best attendance record of any city councillor, and Bell hopes that because of his track record of voting and acting independently, his constituents will return him to council for a third term. Continue reading “Bob Bell (Ward 1) – Candidate Questionnaire”
The final two questions marks on the current city council have been erased today with Ward 1’s Bob Bell and Ward 2’s Andy Van Hellemond both filing their papers to run for re-election in the October 27 Municipal Election. Bell and Van Hellemond were the last two undeclared members of council, which regardless of whether or not all the incumbents are re-elected next month will see a serious turnover of new faces at the first council meeting in November. Continue reading “Bell and Van Hellemond Confirm Re-Election Bids”
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