The annual conference of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) kicked off Monday in an unusual way: remotely. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, representatives from many of Ontario’s 444 municipalities will not be descending on Ottawa this week, but will instead be meeting via teleconference, and the effects of the pandemic will definitely be a big part of the conversations. Continue reading “At AMO, Ford is Optimistic While the City of Guelph Comes with a Wish List”
Months of advocacy finally paid off for the City of Guelph and other municipalities in Ontario on Wednesday with the announcement of the first phase of emergency operating funds. Just in time for Guelph city council’s monthly COVID-19 response meeting, Mayor Cam Guthrie shared the news that Guelph’s share of $1.6 billion in funding under the Safe Start Agreement is $12 million. Continue reading “Cities Finally Get Details on Emergency Funds, Guelph to Get $12 Million”
Back in February, a big rake out concerning leash-free, fenced in dog parks in the city was called off when a Committee of the Whole motion to eliminate the amenity at Peter Misersky Park, and cancel all further projects, was found out of order. But the debate is back on the radar with a Notice of Motion coming forward at Monday’s council meeting. Continue reading “Dog Park Debate Makes a Comeback With Notice of Motion”
As we enter midsummer, and the fifth full month living in a COVID-19 world, it seems like some of us are forgetting first principles about stopping the spread of the virus. A joint statement from Mayor Cam Guthrie and Medical Officer of Health Dr. Nicola Mercer is asking Guelphites to remember that there is such a thing as the “new normal” and that everyone still has to follow the advice of public health to slow the spread of COVID. Continue reading “Guthrie and Mercer Ask for Help to Hold the Line on COVID”
Considering the moment, it’s understandable why a lot of eyes were on the Guelph Police Services Board meeting on Thursday. Mayor Cam Guthrie brought a series of motions to this meeting with the hope that they might answer community demands for more transparency and accountability to the community from Guelph Police, and, for the most part, everyone at the meeting agreed that these changes needed to be made. Continue reading “Police Board Follows Mayor’s Lead on Tackling Better Community Relations”
With the local economy re-opening from pandemic lockdown, more people are going to be going more places. For people with an electric vehicle (EV) going out can be tough if you’re not sure if there’s a charging station nearby if you need one, which is one reason why the Federal government is contributing $100,000 for a total of $320,000 in combined funding with the City for 20 new charging stations in Guelph. Continue reading “Federal Funding Will Help Deliver 20 More EV Charging Stations in Guelph”
Friday marked the beginning of Ontario’s Stage 2 economic re-opening in Guelph and other select areas. For area restaurants and bars that means being allowed to serve more than take-out, but only if they have a patio for people to dine al fresco. Because of that condition, and because not everyone has a patio ready to go, the City of Guelph wants to make it easier for people to dine outdoors and set up their ad hoc patios. Continue reading “City of Guelph Offers Expanded Options for Patios and Curbside Pick-Up”
Thousands of people flooded Market Square Saturday and than marched through the streets downtown to send one message: anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism must end, and so must police brutality against those groups. In what might have been one of the largest protests Guelph has ever seen, especially in recent memory, a diverse group of residents joined a worldwide chorus of people demanding the elimination of systemic racism. Continue reading ““The Change Starts Now!” Thousands Take Over Market Square to Say, “Black Lives Matter!””
People around the world have been watching the events unfolding in the United States last weekend, and some of those people live in Guelph. As we struggle with our own feelings about the death of another Black man in police custody, and we think about our own roles in combating anti-Black racism, Guelph’s leaders have been offering words of comfort, understanding, and self-reflection. Continue reading “Guelph’s Leaders Offer Messages of Hope and Encouragement”
In his daily press briefing from Rideau Cottage Monday morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada’s municipalities will be getting $2.2 billion in infrastructure money this month in a one-time payment. Cities, and the organizations that represent them, have been begging the Federal government for financial help, but this is probably not what they were thinking of exactly. Continue reading “Federal Government Offers Cities Money They Were Going to Get Anyway”
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