Tag: Cam Guthrie

Guthrie Uses State of the City to Declare Himself a Strong Mayor

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There’s usually not much in the way of surprises at the annual State of the City speech. Every year, it’s mostly about ideas and initiatives that that the mayor’s already discussed in other venues and interviews, usually wrapped in some kind of gag or gimmick. But this year there was no gimmick, but there was something new: Mayor Cam Guthrie anointed himself a Strong Mayor, and now he will stretch out and use his powers. Continue reading “Guthrie Uses State of the City to Declare Himself a Strong Mayor” →

RECAP: Mayor Guthrie Lays Out Current State of the City

Published on by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

It’s the best day of the year if you like networking and hearing the Mayor of Guelph talk. This morning at the Delta Hotel and Conference Centre on Stone Road, the Guelph Chamber of Commerce is hosting their annual State of the City event. Mayor Cam Guthrie will tell us what the score is, what’s at stake this year, and what the priorities of his office and city council are. What gimmick will he use? Will there be a surprise guest? Let’s find out! Continue reading “RECAP: Mayor Guthrie Lays Out Current State of the City” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #405 – The State of the City 2023

Published on by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

Every year, the Guelph Chamber of Commerce hosts an event called the State of the City, and like its more famous counterpart south of the border, it’s a chance for the head of the city to lay out the challenges and priorities facing the Royal City for the next 12 months. Make no mistake, there are no shortage of challenges, but in order to unlock the future, you must first find the keys to the past. This week, we get those keys out of the drawer. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #405 – The State of the City 2023” →

Trudeau Comes to Town to Announce Guelph’s Share of Housing Accelerator Fund

Published on by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

It’s not every day that the Prime Minister of Canada comes to town, and it’s not every time that he’s bringing millions of dollars to help tackle the housing crisis. But both of these things came to pass on Friday as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the in-progress Kindle Communities project on Shelldale and announced that the City of Guelph’s share of the House Accelerator Fund is $21.4 million. Continue reading “Trudeau Comes to Town to Announce Guelph’s Share of Housing Accelerator Fund” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #403 – 2023: The Lousy Clip Show

Published on by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

On this holiday week, you’re probably listening to a lot of reruns and year-end recaps on your podcast feed, and that’s why Guelph Politico is demonstrating its incredible efficiency by combining both things into one podcast. This week, we will review the 2023 soundbites that made the news in Guelph; the announcements, the arguments and the silliness that helped define the last 365 days in the Royal City. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #403 – 2023: The Lousy Clip Show” →

Local Reactions Coming as Israel-Hamas War Intensifies

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An attack against Israel’s southern district by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday has lead to now four days of full-scale war in some of the worse violence seen in Israel and the occupied territories in years. Naturally, the repercussions are being felt here in Canada as members of both the Jewish and the Palestinian communities now share worry about family members in the Middle East as their seems to be no end in site for the crisis. Continue reading “Local Reactions Coming as Israel-Hamas War Intensifies” →

OP-ED: Strong Mayor Powers “Unacceptable”, Even as a “Tool”

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The Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing has announced the extension of Strong Mayor Powers to 26 municipalities including Guelph effective July 1st 2023. Previously only Toronto and Ottawa mayors had these powers. Continue reading “OP-ED: Strong Mayor Powers “Unacceptable”, Even as a “Tool”” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #378 – Strong Mayors Podcast

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Last Friday, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark announced that so-called Strong Mayor powers were being extended to 26 of Ontario’s biggest cities, including Guelph. The move was not shocking, and going back to the original announcement last summer, it had indeed been promised, but it was kind of surprising that Guelph’s mayor was there, on stage with the minister, for the announcement. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #378 – Strong Mayors Podcast” →

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

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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)” →

The Letter Mayor Guthrie Didn’t Want to Send, Revealed

Published on by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

Earlier this month, city council reviewed the decision of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing on Guelph’s Official Plan Amendment #80 (OPA80), and some of those decisions were pretty controversial. And then there was the response to the controversy, which itself got, at times, pretty controversial. The fruits of that controversy, a letter to the minister, were revealed in an information report to council on Friday. Continue reading “The Letter Mayor Guthrie Didn’t Want to Send, Revealed” →